The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • Air Peace’s milestone

    Air Peace’s milestone

    • Govt must learn useful lessons in dealing with foreign airlines in the country

    Air Peace, a private Nigerian airline, was founded in 2013 and joined the long list of private airlines like Aero Contractors, EAS airlines, Chachangi Airline, Arik, Oriental, ADC, etc. that sprang up on the ashes of the moribund former national carrier, Nigeria Airways.  It was founded in 1958 but collapsed a few years ago due to corruption and bad management. Many aviation experts insist that official ineptitude and careless handling of ‘government businesses’ led to the collapse of the national airline.

    Air Peace, since its maiden flight on the domestic route has grown considerably and is today the airline with the largest fleet and provides charter flights, flies to major airports across the country, some West and South African destinations, Europe, Asia, Middle East and the Caribbean. It claims to be getting ready to hit the North American markets too.

    However, of all its international destinations, none has been as celebrated by Nigerians home and abroad as its recent inaugural flight into London Gatwick Airport.  The Nigerian-London route is one of aviation’s most profitable routes. According to the Chairman and Chief Executive of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, a lawyer and a businessman, negotiations for  the route have been a long process and he had initially negotiated for any of London’s prime airports like Heathrow 2, 3, 4 or 5, but having been unsuccessful has had to accept the Gatwick option.

    The maiden Air Peace Lagos –London Gatwick Airport flight was on March 30, 2024, and it was fully booked and successfully executed to the delight of many Nigerians. This milestone is commendable because the entrance of the airline to the route changed the aviation dynamics of the most lucrative route in aviation, according to Onyema. 

    The airline had announced its ticket fares which was N4 million and N1.2 million for business and economy classes, respectively. They are equally in addition offering an additional 15% student rebate for all Nigerian students abroad. This, he said, would help families reunite with their children that have been prevented from coming come for holidays due to the high cost of tickets.

    We commend the magnanimity of the management of the airline for considering the welfare of Nigerians with their new fares. This again has been in line with the airline’s philanthropic gestures to Nigerians across the world in times of conflict, like during start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and even at the height of the Sudanese conflict in 2023, even when faced with the dangers to its aircraft and crew trying to airlift Nigerians.

    The fact that the announcement of the fares to London forced the two British flag carriers, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airlines to crash their fares that had for long stood at N13-15 million and N3-5 million for business and economy class tickets, respectively, to London from Nigeria is a remarkable achievement. Nigerians never knew that such a price adjustment was possible. This is one value of breaking a seeming monopoly and empowering indigenous businesses. This has exposed a lot for our government to be more alert and to act in the interest of Nigerians.

    Read Also: Shettima inaugurates technical committee for iDICE

    The reported experiences of the management of Air Peace in the aviation industry must force some government introspection. Aviation industry is one of the most globally regulated. The Nigerian government must wake up from lethargic indulgences to always fully activate the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) which guides aviation operators and guarantees justice, equity, balance of trade and respect for the sovereignty of nations.

    Air Peace must not be allowed to go the route of Bellview, Arik and

     Medview airlines, some of the Nigerian airlines that had been forced into the Gatwick airport destination and were additionally frustrated into bankruptcy, while other airlines feed fat from the Nigerian travelling public that are some of the most widely travelled in the world. The government must demand equity and justice and the ministries of foreign affairs, trade and investment and aviation must work in sync to get justice not just for Air Peace but for many prospective investors in the industry.

    Aviation is a multi-trillion dollar investment sector with diverse value chain. The business is forex-based, it creates multiplicity of jobs through investment in culture, tourism, entertainment, hospitality, creative economy, and the general ease of movement of humans, commerce and ideas. Any one job created by an indigenous operator is a plus for a country with a very high unemployment statistics.   

    We commend the Federal Government for the interventions so far for the successful inaugural flight of Air Peace to London. However, the battle is not over yet, so there must be policy re-evaluation and strict implementation. The concerned ministries must be active to detect any acts of sabotage as has been alleged that some civil servants are not always as patriotic as expected. On the part of Air Peace, we urge caution and great service that is of international standards as the only way to remain competitive and market the brand.

  • Bring them to book

    Bring them to book

    • Killers of the Delta Six must answer for their crime

    Blood of security men, soldiers, police, etc. has continued to flow freely in the Niger Delta area again. There appeared to have been some respite, but the criminals, some presenting themselves as militants, others as freedom fighters, have resumed their nefarious activities. Barely one week after the gruesome murder of 17 army officers and men on a peacekeeping mission to Okuama in Ughelli, Delta State, the six police officers who were sent to investigate the disappearance of three others, were ambushed and felled by the notorious criminals.

    This is another killing too many. About the same time, two police officers were felled in Imo State. Incidentally, the task of putting an end to these unacceptable killing of security officers falls on them. Nigeria can no longer afford the regular murder of trained and brave officers. Although the police have announced that eight persons have been arrested in connection with the incident, we hope that the investigation would be speedily concluded and the suspects arraigned in court. In the same way, we call for combined efforts of the security men to apprehend those who killed the officers and men of the 181 Amphibious Battalion earlier.

    Unless the probe into these killings are quickly concluded and the criminals served justice, others will be encouraged to follow their path. We, therefore, call on all the security forces and government at all levels to spare no resources, human and material, in resolving the murders. This will rekindle the confidence of the people in the security forces, since many are likely to ask why they should entrust their security to people who cannot protect themselves.

    We restate our repeated call that government should step up the training and equipping of the police force to adequately take up the responsibility of internal security. This will not only free the military to face its primary role of keeping out external aggressors, but ensure that civil crimes in communities that men of the armed forces may be unfamiliar with are swiftly dealt with.

    It is obvious that crude oil, a national resource and asset is the main reason for these killings. While the country continues to bleed, with the attendant consequences, the oil thieves continue to operate freely, thus arresting national infrastructural development. Government should device new strategies of stopping this unfortunate and unwholesome development.

    Read Also: APC settles for direct primary to pick Ondo Gov candidate

    We note that the United States of America recently offered support to curb the menace. We urge the government to accept help from any developed country that makes the offer. The federal and state governments also have a duty to work closely with traditional and community leaders. Where some are found to have colluded with the saboteurs and murderers, they should be brought to book.

    Nigeria cannot afford to go the way of countries like Somalia that have failed. We should not believe that it is impossible without taking the necessary action to prevent it. Any country where non-state actors are holding the people in many communities by the jugular, or willfully kill official security men must wake up to ensure that the people know that the state is intact and in charge.

    The killers in Delta State should not be allowed to roam freely, whether they have fled to another community or the forest. They must be fished out to deter others in any part of the country from taking on the state. Whoever kills our soldiers and policemen is an enemy of the state and deserves to pay for the crime. It is important that the Federal Government consults with retired officers of the security forces to devise new strategies to restore our national dignity.

  • A new dawn?

    A new dawn?

    • Senegal gets Africa’s youngest president as Bassirou Faye, 44, is sworn in

    Senegal, the Francophone West African country of merely 18 million people has again reaffirmed its sterling democratic credentials since gaining independence from France in 1960. Senegal is one African country that has escaped military interventions in the country’s politics. The democratically elected presidents might not have done remarkably well given the slow level of development, but Senegalese democracy has been very stable, comparatively.

    The electoral victory of the new president surprised many, given that he had never contested for elective positions; and the political dynamics that gave verve to his candidacy. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, a lawyer and tax inspector seems to have been a child of circumstance as he benefited from the disqualification and imprisonment of his ally, Ousmane Sonko, the leader of The African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity, or just Patriots of Senegal (PASTEF). His endorsement as a candidate in November 2023, a few months to the Senegalese presidential election despite his being in detention was a game changer for the party, even though he had been banned earlier, meaning he ran as an independent candidate.

    A coalition of support from Sonko, former President Abdoulaye Wade and his Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) and Cheikh Tidiane Dieye, another candidate who withdrew to support Faye gave him the boost he needed.  Sonko’s political appeal and Faye’s own youthful charisma and political strategies/manifesto, amongst other political nuances, gave him the victory.

    President Faye at 44 becomes the youngest president in Africa, notorious for its parade of gerontocrats in many presidential houses in a continent with more than 55 per cent youthful population of between 18-35.

    We commend the people and military of Senegal for their fight for an enduring democracy. When the former President, Macky Sall, few months to the 2024 elections ordered the indefinite postponement of the election, citing parliamentary investigation of two judges of the Constitutional Courts over the integrity with regards to the electoral process, he stirred the hornet’s nest. The citizens trouped out in protest and his 12-year reign was beginning to end.

    The Constitutional Council on February 15 ruled that the decision to postpone and reschedule the election by former President Sall and the National Assembly was “contrary to the constitution” and ordered a cancellation. The elections were then rescheduled by Sall to hold on March 24, 2024. We commend the Constitutional Council of Senegal for being on the side of the people through the constitution. We equally applaud the immediate past president for obeying the law and not using his powers to desecrate the constitution.

    Read Also: Broken jinx, new dawn at Supreme Court

    The important thing is that an election has been conducted and adjudged free and fair, and losers have all accepted their fate and congratulated the winner who was sworn in yesterday. The ball is now in President Faye’s court. He has come off talking tough, especially against Senegal’s former colonial master, France, who he came down hard on for a lifetime of short-changing the country through imperial policies. He in a way toed the lines of many of the recent military coupists in some Francophone West African countries like, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.

    We however know that ‘talk’, they say, ‘is cheap’. The world is waiting to see how well a President Faye would perform as a youthful president in a continent beset by poverty and underdevelopment.  While we understand the impact of colonialism and neo-colonialism on the continent, we believe too that diplomacy and tact can solve a lot of problems. The world is powered by multilateralism and the only way to navigate profitably is to engage diplomatically and tactfully.

    Senegal is a poor country with all the economic issues that have stalled rapid development like food insecurity for such an agrarian society, unemployment in a country with a very high youth demographics whose enthusiasm for change got him elected in the first place. Senegal is presently divided socio-politically and the new president must try to unite the country as a sure way to kick start economic regeneration to assuage the needs of citizens.

    We congratulate the new President but must also remind him that as a child of providence, to whom much is given, much is expected.  He could have moved from prison to the presidency but the people equally want that seeming miracle in their lives as they need the country to move from poverty to abundance, and from underdevelopment to development, given his youthfulness, energy, education and campaign promises. He must not disappoint the youth that he has projected as capable of leading. Africa and indeed the world are waiting and watching.

  • National embarrassment

    National embarrassment

    • How did Binance executive escape from detention?

    Even as the country faces serious economic challenges, and the requisite authorities are striving to strengthen the value of the Naira against foreign currencies, it is only natural for attention to be focused on activities of individuals and corporate organisations perceived to have contributed to the crisis. It was in the light of this that the monetary and security agencies cast their searchlight on the operations of a cryptocurrency firm based in Nigeria, Binance Holdings Limited, and raised pertinent questions on how over $35,400,000 could have flowed out of the country through the company without proper documentation as well as the expected level of transparency.

    On March 28, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged Binance Holdings and two of the company’s executives, Tigran Gamboyarn and Nadem Anjarwala, before a competent court in Abuja for allegedly being complicit in the transfer of the humongous amounts out of the country in violation of the law. Incidentally, the two executives of the company had been detained for 14 days on the basis of a warrant of arrest obtained by security agencies from a court in Abuja. A key part of the information required by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), working in conjunction with the security agencies, was the provision of data by Binance Holdings on its top 100 clients as well as its transaction history for the past six months.

    It was while being detained in what was described as a ‘safe house’ under the watch of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) that one of the detainees, Anjarwala, escaped from custody right under the nose of armed security agencies guarding him. Anjarwala, who ought to have appeared in court in Abuja alongside his colleague on April 4, 2024, was reportedly escorted by guards to a mosque to pray when he curiously found his way to the Abuja International Airport, from where he flew out of the country on a commercial airline. This outrageous escape of the Binance executive is deeply embarrassing and does severe damage to the country’s reputation.

    Given the magnitude of the economic crime for which the executives and their company were supposed to be tried, it is unacceptable that they were kept in what was clearly a cavalier manner, enabling one of those charged to flee from the law. True, according to our laws, a suspect is deemed innocent until proven guilty. But Anjarwala’s flight from justice like a criminal suggests that he and his company may indeed be guilty of infractions against the law. It is right and proper that Nigeria’s security agencies are working in conjunction with the International Police (Interpol) as well as other security operatives in a number of other countries to apprehend the fugitive and extradite him back to Nigeria to face trial.

    However, it would have been much better for the escaped detainee to be kept in a far more secure environment, making it difficult for him to escape. Indeed, his escape raises a number of pertinent questions. Since the international passport of the detainee had been seized pending the outcome of his trial, how did he obtain the transport documents that enabled him to flee on a commercial airline? Shouldn’t it be standard practice for anyone who has his travel documents seized pending the determination of a case in which he is involved by a competent court of law, to have his personal details made available to the relevant security authorities at various exit points from the country? The nature of Anjarwala’s escape suggests detailed and elaborate planning, with possibly influential figures from outside his detention facility.

    Again, if indeed the detainee wanted to pray, he could have done so where he was in custody rather than being escorted to a mosque as he requested, and from where he vanished into thin air. A statement on the issue by the spokesman of the ONSA, Zakari Nijinyawa, indicates that the security officials in charge of the fleeing detainee have been arrested and are undergoing interrogation. We, however, suggest that the investigation into this whole sordid affair must be thorough and transparent. No one, no matter how highly placed in the security hierarchy, should be spared from the focus of the investigators if we are to unfold the truth about what is another unacceptable embarrassment to the nation.

    Read Also: Justice Forum holds inter-denominational prayer for Nigeria

    Another issue is the response time of our security agencies in matters of this nature. It should have taken no less than one hour for the detainee to find his way to the Abuja airport from where he fled. Could it be that security agencies were not alerted about the development to enable them deploy necessary materials and men to thwart his escape? We are of the view that this escape is indicative of high level complicity and collusion. The security agencies in charge of the detainee should by all means be investigated to obtain the necessary information as regards the escape of the person in their custody. But the investigation should not end at their level. It should extend to officers above them who may have been involved in what was clearly a carefully organised plot to undermine Nigeria’s laws and bring the country to shame and obloquy.

  • $2.4b invalid forex

    $2.4b invalid forex

    • It’s now left for EFCC to conclude the matter with a view to prosecuting those culpable

    The matter of the questionable foreign exchange allocations and forward contracts which the Godwin Emefiele-led Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) committed the bank seems unlikely to go away anytime soon. Recalling how Deloitte, the global firm engaged by the new CBN administration to carry out an audit of the $7bn debts had declared about $2.4bn FX allocations of the $7bn invalid, CBN governor, Yemi Cardoso Tuesday, last week, stated that the matter is currently before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

    Highlights of the infractions as detailed in the audit include lack of valid documentation, allocation of millions of dollars to fictitious entities and provision of forex allocations without the corresponding naira value among other sundry infractions some of which he described as “clearly unlawful”.

    The apex bank, he said, is providing the necessary documents to help the investigation, even as he would add the caveat: “I would emphasise that if there’s any information to the contrary, we would in due course consider that. But as of today, that is exactly where it stands and the law enforcement agencies are taking a very hard look at those transactions. I will say again, that the valid transactions as far as the Central Bank of Nigeria is concerned have been taken care of”.

    We commend the Cardoso-led CBN for the transparent way the reconciliation process has been conducted.  Bringing in a reputable international firm, Deloitte, to conduct the audit not only speaks to its desire for thoroughness but borne of utmost professionalism. Surely, it has helped in no small measure to calm the raging speculations on the actual state of affairs, as a result of which Nigerians can now claim to be better informed.

    Equally noteworthy is that the apex bank has resisted the pressure to roll out names of the alleged offenders, preferring instead that the anti-graft agency – the EFCC complete its own part of criminal investigation, with possible trial in view. And while it deems its part of the investigations closed, it nonetheless leaves open – the possibility of review should contrary facts arise. That template, at once commendable, is surely the way to go about the business.

    Read Also: Why we did not recover $69.4 million electricity debt, by NBET

    Now that matters are out in the open, the baton naturally falls on the EFCC to conclude on the investigations and possible trial. In fact, with the transaction documents already availed the body; it should be fairly easy to achieve this with utmost speed and accuracy. While there should be no such a thing as sacred cow, it should also shun the temptation of media trial. In the same vein, the expectation is for those mouthing their innocence behind dark curtains to step out and make their cases before the relevant bodies charged with the duty.

    Lest Nigerians forget; the issue at stake is the abuse of trust by those charged with public duty. For, while instances of dubious business operatives – local and foreign – using mechanisms of illicit transfers to fleece the country abound and are hence not entirely new, we seem to be dealing this time around with a more malignant kind of pathology – of willful abdication, wholesale collusion and widespread subversion by elements who have no compunctions about plunging the financial sector into the abyss in dire moments of emergency.

    Surely, the least Nigerians expect is for the wheel of justice to run swiftly and seamlessly. It is therefore as much the business of the EFCC as it is of the Attorney -General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. We say this not only because the whole world is watching how this would pan out, but whether the interests of a few powerful unscrupulous operators would in the end be seen to override those of an entire country.

  • Ex-governors’ pay

    Ex-governors’ pay

    • This should reflect economic realities rather than special status

    The Abia State Governor’s and Deputy Governor’s Pensions Repeal Law 2024, signed into law by Governor Alex Otti has elicited excitement across the country, because most Nigerians wish similar laws for their states. The law scrapped pension for former governors and their deputies. No doubt, some state pension laws may have been made with the best of intentions, but most have been bastardised and criminally abused. Most are excessive and obnoxious, and give the impression that the beneficiaries are special, different from Nigerians who served in other capacities.

    So, we call on states with excessive pension benefits for former governors and deputies to amend the laws to reflect the economic realities facing all Nigerians. Those who feel that such pension laws are unnecessary, like Abia State, should go ahead and repeal them. No doubt, the Abia example has elicited a lot of reactions, with political actors hailing the move.

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo hailed the Abia example and urged other states to emulate same. He noted that some states have failed to pay pensions to those who worked for 30 years whereas the pensions of their political office holders are paid as soon as they are leaving office.

    Former Senate President and chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Adolphus Wabara, said the pension laws were “well intended to dissuade governors from being corrupt while in office. The idea was that if such a law was passed, the governors would be contented with whatever they are earning, believing that when they leave office, they will have something to fall back on.” He however noted that such a well-intentioned law has been subjected to abuse by some governors.

    What rankles most people is that states which are unable to pay basic pensions to their retirees joined the bandwagon of states providing humongous pensions for their former governors and deputy governors. Instead of cutting their coats according to their clothes, they promulgate pension laws to imitate states which are far richer, disregarding the disparity in the cost of living in the states. Yet, their arrears of pension run into several years, which is condemnable.

    Read Also: Why we did not recover $69.4 million electricity debt, by NBET

    What seems a reasonable middle ground was adopted by the Lagos State House of Assembly nearly three years ago, when it amended the state pension law and reduced the entitlement of the former state chief executives by 50 per cent. It equally removed the provision of houses in Abuja, and reduced the number of cars for the beneficiaries, as well as the intervals for change of the cars.

    There is also a complaint that some former governors serving in other capacities are receiving salaries and pension.

    Recently, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) wrote to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to enforce the judgment of Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo, delivered on November 26, 2019, which, amongst other declarations, ‘granted mandamus compelling the Attorney-General of the Federation to urgently institute appropriate legal actions to challenge the legality of states’ laws permitting former governors, serving as senators and ministers to enjoy former governors’ emoluments while drawing normal salaries and allowances in their new political offices’. SERAP called for the restoration of constitutionalism and rule of law.

    We agree that the provision of pension for former governors after four or eight years of service defeats the constitutional provision for minimum of 10 years of service. Also, receiving double emoluments from state and federal purse is double jeopardy for the ordinary Nigerians, languishing in abject poverty and penury under the harsh economic difficulties.

    We therefore urge the Nigerian political leadership to harken the calls for review of the benefit structure for all public workers, whether in political office or civil service.

    To ignore the stringent calls is an invitation to chaos and anarchy. After all, what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.

  • Right call 

    Right call 

    • CBN should collect every dime of its ABP loans from defaulters, while from now sticking to its core monetary functions

    NEXIM — the Nigerian Export-Import Bank — just called for every beneficiary from the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under former Governor Godwin Emiefele, should pay up.

    NEXIM’s locus standi is clear in this matter: its core function is to, by critical credit, help nurture and expand Nigeria’s non-oil sectors, to reduce the country’s over-reliance on oil exports.  Agriculture (with crop processing) is clearly its core portfolio.  So, it’s within its mandate to insist agricultural credit be extended only to real, as distinct from “political” (read fake) farmers.

    NEXIM’s call is unimpeachable — and the ABP less-than-stellar repayment statistics makes it doubly so.

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in clear statistical hyperbole, claimed only 24 per cent (less than a quarter) of the N1.079 trillion ADP credit had been repaid.  But CBN counteracted that figure, insisting 52.39 per cent  (or N503 billion) — slightly above half — had been repaid.

    Still, neither less than a quarter nor just half is good enough for such a pivotal scheme which, was it well executed, could have continued to greatly improve the lot of small scale, or even peasant, farmers; and better enhance food security.

    The scheme was reasonably conceived: a medley of agricultural support inputs (bags of fertilizer, irrigation pumps, et al), plus cash: to pay farm hands, with the many beneficiaries each grossing no more than N200, 000 in cash.

    The payback was even more reasonable: payment to be made in produce, to equate both the loan and the accrued interests.  The farmer would push the produce to the “Anchor” who pays for the crops but credits, with the cash, the loan account of the farmer.

    That way, CBN gets its capital — with interest — back, while the farmer can further sell the excess in the open market.  Besides, much of the stock, if not all, goes into the strategic grains reserves for food security.  Aside, the farmer can access future credit, based on good credit behaviour.

    The snag, however, was that the implementation — particularly rigorous checks and balances to guarantee prompt repayment by most — wasn’t nearly as good as the conception.

    Besides, the abuse and corruption component: many beneficiaries were alleged to have been “portfolio” (read fake) farmers who got the loan but blew it on other things outside farming.

    Some genuine farmers were also alleged to have collected the loans but used them to marry new wives; or add them to complete fares for religious pilgrimages, thinking it was more of grants, not loans to be paid back according to strictly agreed terms.

    Read Also: 2027: Obi, Obidients are not our concern now, we are busy with governing Nigeria – Onanuga

    Yet, others were victims of natural disasters like flooding from excess rain that destroyed their farmlands.  Others never got the implements until well near harvest time, but were too lax not to turn it down.

    Whatever the reasons, it was clear the CBN was not in the position to strongly control the process, leading to the rather poor repayment stats.  Still, the ABP, from CBN data and records, still recorded stunning successes: raising the local production of rice from 3.5 million metric tonnes in 2015 to nine million metric tonnes by 2022.

    That more than double cultivation of paddy rice also sparked investments in local rice mills.  From 10 mills in 2015, the number flared to 68 — a more than 500 per cent jump that validated the vastly increased volume of local rice.  Besides, the 700, 000 beneficiaries in 2017 rose to 4.8 million beneficiaries by 2022.

    That proves the ABP isn’t a bad developmental scheme per se.  It is just that the CBN is better placed focusing on its traditional monetary regulation and control, rather than dabbling into quasi-fiscal duties, though it lacks requisite structure and control to secure loan repayment.

    That is why CBN Governor Yemi Cardoso must stick to his pledge to depart from those activist lanes.

    If ABP must be re-cloned — and why not? — let it be handled by regular banks that have well manned agriculture desks; and are already mandated by law to yield 10 per cent of their loan portfolio to agriculture; and the Bank of Agriculture, which has sound and effective credit control, with rigorous agricultural extension services that can effectively monitor the investment from loan time, all through the planting season, harvest time and eventual repayment period.

  • General Solution neutralised at last  

    General Solution neutralised at last  

    • Rivers police command brings down another cult leader

    For the commander of the dreaded cult group, the ‘Greenlanders’,  Izuma David Odiereke, a.k.a. ‘Solution’, the end finally came on March 25, when the Rivers State Police Command finally succeeded in tracking and neutralising him. The self-styled ‘General’ had been on the wanted list of the police for about eight years before the long arms of the law finally caught up with him. The state commissioner of police, Olatunji Disu, told journalists at the area command in Ahoada that the notorious criminal had been terrorising his community for years.

    According to Disu, His reign came to an end when the command took men to his camp at Api forest between Odiereke Ubie and Joinkarama 4 in the Ahoada West LGA. “Attempts were made to capture him three days ago, but he escaped. We continued to lay siege on him.’’

    Disu said the police had been having a series of attacks from this suspected criminal whose hands were literally dripping with human blood and that his community had been virtually deserted because of his criminal activities.

    “Nobody could fish, nobody could go to the farm because of this man. He was the king of the jungle. He came to town in Ahoada West in Ibiza Clan to be precise.’’ Indeed, he was alleged to have been behind the death of the paramount ruler in the area in February, this year, as well as other notable personalities.

    Little wonder the people of Ahoada East and Ahoada West local government areas that came to have a glimpse of his body after he was killed, literally leapt for joy. It was also a day of joy for the Rivers State Police Command. An obviously excited Disu said “We are so happy that today, officers of the command led by the DOOR went after him and luckily for us, they got him. So, this is the end of the era of ‘General Solution’.”

    Other persons also testified to the notoriety of ‘General’ Odiereke even as they applauded the commissioner of police and his team on the feat. The Chairman of Ahoada East LGA, Ben Ekes, expressed happiness, saying, “Even if he is from Ahoada West and killed in Ahoada West, the criminality will reduce in my local government.”

    Seji Ebenezer, Paramount Ruler of the Owube community, where the cult leader hailed from, had no kind words about him: “The community is so excited. The young man has been terrorising the community.’’ He added that he was also a serial killer, kidnapper, and notorious cultist.

    Read Also: Call Ganduje’s attackers to order, APC chief tells Soludo

    ‘Solution’s’ killing came barely two months after another notorious cult leader, Silas Oderereke, and his accomplice were killed during a shootout with the police in Oderereke community, Ahoada West Local Government Area of the state. He too had been on the run for about four years before he was finally killed.

    It would seem ‘General Odiereke’ took over the leadership of the ‘Greenlanders’ from Oderekeke because the latter was said to be the leader of the gang before he was killed.

    An important lesson from the killings of these dreaded cult leaders is that no matter how long it takes, the long arms of the law will always catch up with criminals. These were men that the entire community feared. Some might even have had the impression that they were invincible, given the brazenness with which they committed atrocities.

    We commend men of the state police command for their bravery and professionalism. Indeed, we can understand the angst of criminally-minded persons, especially in the Niger Delta, against security agencies. The rate at which their numbers are being depleted is enough to make them uncomfortable with the security agencies.

    Notwithstanding, we wish to advise the people of the communities where these criminals operate that they need to continue to cooperate with security agencies by unmasking these evil doers in their midst. We also implore the security agents to treat any privileged information on criminals with utmost confidentiality.  Criminals can only continue to terrorise people who submit themselves to be terrorised. No one can be greater than an entire community.

  • Sigh of relief but….

    Sigh of relief but….

    • The problem of banditry persists in spite of the freed 137 children

    The name Kuriga is like Chibok. No one knew about them in geography lessons or curiosity until tragedy struck, and they pertained to the kidnap of the most vulnerable citizens in the country: children, especially school children.

    Chibok school girls were spirited away in Borno State about nine years ago. 

    We are happy as a nation that 137 students who bandits abducted from a primary school in Kuriga, Kaduna State, have returned.

    We, however, mourn a teacher who succumbed to death, the circumstances of which remain a cloud. It is assumed that his health could not withstand the physical demands of the horrors of being kidnapped and subjected to pain and illness as they trekked over a hundred miles from Kaduna State to Zamfara State.

    We congratulate the Federal Government and the government of Kaduna State for bringing home the students, all of them alive, according to the reports. We cannot say the same of the Chibok girls episode and several others over the past decade.

    But the kidnap and rescue of the 137 have continued to raise questions. First is the numbers. How come what many assumed as 287 children when they disappeared became 137 when they reappeared? Not that the kidnap of 137 gives any comfort since the death of one person or the kidnap of one person is tragedy enough. But the false and confusing data give reasons to worry.

    It is believed that one of the teachers misled the nation on the numbers and everyone accepted it like a gospel truth. But it reflects how we treat data in this country. Even if a teacher said so, the state ministry of education ought to have taken an inventory of the students who were in school and who were not. Some have asserted that such headcounts are problematic because students don’t often attend schools in that part of the country every day. But that makes that number even more doubtful and should have energised efforts for accuracy. The Department of

    State Services (DSS) was working on fantasy. They ought to have made efforts to ascertain the names and other identities of those kidnapped, and could have interacted with the parents, guardians and loved ones.

    We still need to establish a data culture. In modern times, development is not possible without numbers. It took one of the rescued children to inform the world that they were 137, and not 287 children.

    The other question refers to how the children secured freedom. The word rescued has been employed to characterise how they got out of the bandits’ noose. Some want to be sure if the right word is not released. If they were rescued, it will be in tandem with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s declaration that no ransom would be paid to bandits. But many are asking if it was true that the soldiers adhered to the president’s assertion, how did it happen that no one was hurt other than the teacher who died? There is no report that the teacher died from a gunshot wound. Was it an Entebbe Raid sort of thriller that redounded in the

    happy day for the children? Or did they take advantage of the absence of the kidnappers? Were they asleep? If it was a military operation, many expected that there would be a few bandits’ corpses to leaven the tale or some children who might have been wounded or traumatised by a daredevil rescue mission.

    Whatever the story, the nation and the families and relatives, including the sleepy village of Kuriga, are delighted that no tears are being shed for a boy or girl because of the unfortunate episode.

    The big question, though, remains. How come the bandits were able to storm a village and take over one hundred persons, many of them less than 10 years old through long, arduous treks through the village?

    It is said that many of the communities have no contact with modern electronic gadget like cell phones. They do not have police stations along the way. So, they could not contact the nearest security outfit. It is doubtful that those who did not escape, like some of the school officials and neighbours could not have made contact within a few hours out of desperation.

    Read Also: Bobrisky versus Portable: A comic relief

    The solution to this problem has to be the use of technology. The offer by the United States and other western nations will be of help. But the north needs introspection on how it will deal with its own insecurities.

    The preponderance of the attacks and the mushrooming of the hoodlums is a failure of leadership in the north, and the elite must work with the streets to fight a problem that is depriving them of their peace and prosperity.

    They need to come together and speak some truths to themselves. No matter how large an army, the people are the first line of intelligence, and peace cannot

  • A worthy model

    A worthy model

    • PoS operator who returned N9.9m overpayment deserves applause

    Honesty is a virtue that stands out in the clutter of greed, avarice and other corrupt tendencies that characterise our society. It is a virtue that deserves being celebrated in anyone who exhibits this potential of the true Nigerian spirit amidst negative traits that have given the country a soiled image and bad name before the world. Thirty-seven-year-old Mohammed Sani Abdulrahman, a Point of Sale (PoS) operator in Kano, Kano State, is a recent example of honesty that should hallmark the Nigerian persona.

    Abdulrahman lately returned more than nine million naira that was overpaid into his account by a customer who had wanted to credit him with ten thousand naira but mistakenly transferred ten million naira. The mind blowing thing about this case is that it wasn’t the customer who raised the alarm over the transaction and hunted Abdulrahman down for a refund. No, it was the PoS operator who upon discovering the excess credit in his account walked into a police station to enlist help towards tracking down the customer for a refund. And he got the help he sought.

    A statement by the Kano State Police Command said it took its team three months to identify the fund owner and ascertain proof of ownership, following which the money was returned to the individual, a dealer at Dawanau Grain International Market in Dawakin Tofa council area of Kano State, about two weeks ago. According to the statement by command spokesman, Abdullahi Kiyawa, a Superintendent of Police (SP), Abdulrahman walked into Bompai Police Headquarters in Kano on December 21, last year, and reported that one of his customers, who he could not at the time identify, overpaid nine million, nine hundred and ninety thousand naira (N9,990,000) into his PoS business account by crediting ten million naira (N10,000,000) while trying to make an online transfer of ten thousand naira (N10,000) only.

    Kiyawa said upon receipt of the report, Kano State Police Commissioner Mohammed Usaini Gumel directed a team of detectives led by Abdulwahab Zubairu, a Superintendent of Police from the command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), to undertake discreet investigation with the aim to identify the owner and return the money. He added that it took the police team three months to track down the fund owner and, after obtaining necessary proofs, the money was lately refunded. “On 14th March, 2024, the investigation was concluded by uncovering the identity of the rightful owner, who is a businessman at Dawanau Grain Market in Kano metropolis. After a painstaking investigation and being satisfied with proofs of ownership, the money, the excess sum of nine million, nine hundred and ninety thousand naira (N9,990,000) was returned to the owner’s same account,” the statement said.

    Read Also: Tinubu appoints Usman Bello as new CCB Chairman

    According to the command spokesman, the fund owner, in admiration and appreciation of the gesture, rewarded the PoS operator with a cash gift of five hundred thousand naira (N500,000). The owner also thanked the Commissioner of Police for his honesty, integrity and good leadership example, Kiyawa stated, adding that the commissioner himself praised Abdulrahman for his honesty and good conduct and recommended him as a role model worthy of emulation. The police boss as well praised the investigative team from the state CID for showing integrity and professionalism in carrying out their assignment, and he encouraged others to follow the exemplary track.

    Accolades can’t be too much for Abdulrahman, who has demonstrated the primacy of honesty over sleazy money. In a generation where young ones hunt after sudden wealth, with many going into blood fetishism and cyber crimes just so to make riches with haste, Abdulrahman showed that integrity is of far greater value. Being a PoS operator, it is obvious he could make do with some extra cash; and significantly so, it was during Yuletide when expenses for most people were typically on steroids. There was also the predominating societal mindset that places high premium on materialism over good morals. But those pressures weren’t sufficient for Abdulrahman to compromise the honesty and integrity that define his world outlook.

     We recommend him as a role model who should be enlisted by authorities at different levels to mentor the upcoming generation.