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A police Corporal attached to the Zaria Area Command of the Kaduna police was yesterday shot dead by unknown gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram.

The Nation gathered that the incident took place at about 7.30am at the Kwangila area of the town, when the gunmen accosted the policeman at his duty post and shot him.

Spokesman of Kaduna Police Aminu Lawan, said the gunmen were on a motor bike and sped off after shooting the victim.

He dismissed reports that it was an explosion, saying “contrary to what people are saying, let me clarify that it was not an explosion but gunshot by people on a motor bike. As I’m talking to you, we are on the trail of the attackers and investigation is ongoing”.

Kaduna Police also yesterday paraded 29 suspected armed robbers and two terror suspects arrested at different locations within the state.

The suspected terrorists were arrested in Tundun Wada area of the metropolis. Guns, automatic rifles, laptops, cables and chemicals for making Improvised Explosive Device, (IED), dynamites and knifes were recovered

Police said some of the suspects were involved in armed robbery and car thefts, adding that the operation is still ongoing to apprehend more suspects.

Six people and a company were arraigned in Lagos yesterday for their alleged complicity in fraudulent conduct over oil subsidy.

Messrs Buhari Ganiyu and Oni Oluwashola, members of the Presidential Committee on Fuel Subsidy Verification (PCFSV) were charged with conspiracy and receipt of bribe from a company, Integrated Oil and Gas Limited and its senior officials.

The company, its Managing Director, Anthony Ihenacho; Assistant General Manager, Humphrey Okoh and Financial Controller, Mrs Alalade Abioye, were charged with conspiracy and offering of bribe of N1.5m to the PCFSV officials.

They were arraigned before Magistrate Martins Owumi of the Magistrates’ Court, Tinubu on a three-count charge of conspiracy, offering and receiving of bribe.

The accused persons were said to have committed the alleged offences on August 30 in Lagos. They were accused of violating sections 63(1)(a)(b), 64(1) and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused persons were, in the charge marked: J/93/2012, said to have acted with some others yet to be apprehended by men of the Police Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, Lagos, saddled with the investigation and prosecution of the case.

They all pleaded not guilty at their arraignment and were each granted bail at N500,000 with two sureties in like some.

Further hearing has been fixed for November 10.

As the countdown to October 10 deadline approaches, the presidency was yesterday seeking legal advice on whether to seek the review of the judgment of the International Court of Justice(ICJ) on Bakassi Peninsula as requested by the National Assembly.

The Republic of Cameroon has approached the government to know its position on the National Assembly’s request.

It was learnt that the Federal Government was in a dilemma since it had earlier given its word United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon that it would ensure full compliance with the judgment.

There were also fears last night that the UN Security Council might sanction Nigeria if it seeks the review of the judgment.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that a committee comprising legal and boundary experts had been meeting in the last 48 hours on the resolution of the Senate.

The committee was mandated by President Goodluck Jonathan to weigh the implications of the resolution of the Senate and options available to Nigeria .

As at press time, it was gathered that the President was locked in a meeting with legal and boundary experts and some of those who were part of the negotiation for the ceding of Bakassi Peninsula .

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The Senate resolution has put the Federal Government in a dicey situation. Nigeria is in a fix on whether it should respect its international obligation on the ceding of Bakassi Peninsula or go back on its word and seek a review of the judgment.

“The President has sought legal and technical advice on the matter. He has also insisted on hearing all sides of the argument.

“A committee has worked on all issues, implications and options available to Nigeria . A challenge to the ceding of Bakassi is that it involved both maritime and land boundaries. If Nigeria is seeking a review of the judgment, will it ask for maritime or land boundaries?

“Also, top on the list of the implications is the likelihood of sanctions from the UN Security Council if Nigeria goes ahead to file application for the review of the judgment.

“Right from the administration of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo , Nigeria had repeatedly assured the UN that it will comply with the judgment. How do we now renege midway?

“A few weeks ago, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru, had declared that Nigeria will not renege on the agreement on the ceding of Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon

Another source, however, added: “Some government officials also see the issue from the prism of protection of Nigeria ’s sovereignty. They claim that since Nigeria has the right to seek a review of the judgment, it should exercise it.

Another source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Already, Cameroon has been making enquiry in the last one week on the position of President on the resolution of the Senate.

“As a matter of fact, the Cameroonian Ambassador to Nigeria has had cause to approach relevant desks in the country for a definite answer on the review of the judgment.

“But these functionaries have been pleading with the Ambassador to await an official decision from President Goodluck Jonathan.”

Findings indicated last night that the President might meet with President of the Senate, David Mark, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and other principal officers of the National Assembly after taking ‘final decision’ on the Bakassi issue.

“I think there might be a confidence-building session with some stakeholders after the presidency has concluded the matter,” the source added.

SURVIVORS of the Independence Day shootings in Mubi, Adamawa State, have been reliving the night of horror when no fewer than 40 students were killed by yet unknown gunmen.

Deto Etim, a student of Management, whose Wuro Fatuje home was attacked by the gunmen, left the beleaguered town yesterday. He was on a bus travelling to Uyo when our correspondent spoke to him on the telephone.

Etim said: “At about 10:27pm on Monday, I was with other students, playing outside our compound. Some other students were in their rooms, reading. Then, suddenly, we heard gunshots from Customs Quarters, which is about 15 minutes walk to the campus. The gunshots were sporadic and as the gunmen were moving closer to my hostel, the gunshots became louder. This was the time we sensed that there was a problem. We all rushed inside our rooms and locked the doors. “

He went on: “When they entered my hostel’s compound, they were knocking our doors one after the other. They were asking students: ‘What is your name?’ Each time we heard them asking, the next thing we would hear was gunshot. They moved from one room to another, knocking the door and shouting in Hausa and English. They were asking us to open the door.

“When they got to my room, I didn’t open the door. I remained in prayer, until they left my door to the other rooms. I didn’t know what made them not to break into my room as they did to other students living in the hostel. When I came out later, I was still hearing gunshots and the wailing of students who were being killed in other compounds.

According to Etim, he saw bodies of students and splashes of blood on the wall. “It was a horrible scene. I counted five bodies in my compound and I escaped with two other students.”

Will he return to Mubi? The lucky student replied: “I don’t know if I will go back to Mubi to complete my study because I am not the one sponsoring myself. If it is possible that the school management can set online examination for us, I think it will be better for now because students with whom I left Mubi said they were not going back to the school again.”

Etim gave the first names of some of the students killed in his compound as Chima (surname unavailable) Civil Engineering HND 1 and Ahmed (surname unavailable), Science Laboratory Technology HND II.

No fewer than 40 students were killed; the police said 25 died. There are three higher institutions in the town – the Adamawa State University, the Federal Polytechnic and the School of Health Technology.

Another student, Charles Edet said: “From what I learnt, the school management was fore-warned that all students should vacate the campus. I was not attacked and none of my course mates was involved, but the number of bodies I saw on Tuesday made me feel sorry for this country. This is not fair at all.”

Chinedu Joseph, ND II Estate Management, said: “I am still short of words to describe the attack because my best friend was killed by the gunmen. Even the Igwe of Igbo students, who was crowned on Sunday, was also killed.”

He gave the name of his best friend as John Kingsley, ND 1 Mass Communication and the Igwe of Igbo student as Charles Chikodi, HND 1 Electrical Engineering.

Another students, Nsikak Idanga, HND 1 Business Administration and Management, said: “I live in Barama area and the area was not attacked, maybe because of the rain. But one of the students in the lorry that conveyed us to Yola said his hostel was attacked. He told us that the gunmen were asking students, if they were Christians or Muslims. He said the gunmen asked their victims to deny Christ and killed them instantly. It was later I learnt that the Redeemed Christian Church in Tudun Wada (Glorious Parish) was also burnt down, when the attackers visited the area.”

There was outrage across the country yesterday over the Independence Day murder of more than 40 students in Mubi, Adamawa State and Maiduguri; the Borno State capital.

President Goodluck Jonathan described the killings as barbaric, sad, tragic and shocking. He ordered security agents to fish out the killers.

Senators boiled with anger as the issue was debated. The Senate observed one-minute silence for the dead after condemning the action in “the strongest terms”.

The National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) issued a seven-day ultimatum to the authorities to fish out the killers and let them face the law.

The military moved into action yesterday, moving from one house to another in a desperate bid to hunt down the assailants.

Students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, were the worse hit in the attack by gunmen who swooped on Wuro Fatuje, the community where the off-campus students’ hotel is located, killing over 40 students.

“The military is going house-to-house searching,” said Abubakar Ahmed, head of the Red Cross in Adamawa State.

Adamawa State Police Commissioner Mohammed Ibrahim told Reuters on telephone that his officers had made a number of arrests, but declined to give any further details.

He said the police were keeping an open mind on whether the killings were carried out by militants or rival students, but there were signs of an “inside job”.

“Relatives of the slain students said the assailants called their names out before killing them. The majority were killed with gun shots or slaughtered like goats,” he added.

One possibility was that the killings were related to a dispute between rival political groups at the Federal Polytechnic Mubi following a student union election on Sunday, Ibrahim said.

“The second day after the election winners were declared, you have the killings … Really we cannot rule out possibility that the attacks may have been carried out by either the Boko Haram or a … gang,” he added.

Thousands of students and other persons were yesterday escaping from Mubi as the Adamawa State Government condemned the killings.

Police spokesman Ibrahim Mohammed confirmed the mass exodus.

Sources said the death toll might have risen to 50, but this could not be confirmed.

A statement by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Mr. Kobis Ari Thinmu, said the State Governor Murtala Nyako was terribly shocked by the brutal murder of innocent students.

He said government has mandated security forces to fish out the gruesome murderers and bring them to book.

He said everything will be done to secure lives and property in the State.

Motives for the attack remained unclear. In Mubi last week, the military carried out a high-profile raid against Boko Haram (western education is sin), which has been waging a deadly insurgency.

But some officials suggested the massacre may have been linked to a recent student election.

According to a police spokesman, the attackers knew their victims and called them out by name. Victims were shot or had their throats slit, he said.

The suggestion that the killings were linked to the student election raised questions over how and why the dispute would have turned so violent.

There were suggestions of ethnic tensions between the mainly Muslim Hausa and predominately Christian Igbo involved in the vote.

President Jonathan gave a firm directive to security agents: fish out the assailants.

He spoke after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa.

Minister of Education Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i briefed FEC members on the killings.

The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said Dr. Jonathan had directed security agencies to get to the root of the matter because this kind of incident, where people are called out and shot is really shocking.

“He directed that no stone should be left unturned in the bid by the law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators of the mayhem are brought to book.”

Abati said the government regretted that the killings occurred when considerable progress is being made in tackling the security challenges in some parts of the country.

Apart from the students, three other persons, including a retired soldier, a guard and father of a student, were reportedly killed as well.

The murdered students were said to have been called out by their killers. As a replacement for one of their targets, the gunmen were said to have killed the father.

In a statement in Benin City by the Vice President of NANS, Comrade Moreno Ehimemenn, the students gave a week ultimatum to the authorities to produce the perpetrators of the heinous crime. The students said commensurate capital punishment should be meted out to them.

“What did the harmless students do? We cannot fold our arms to see our colleagues being horribly killed. In case of failure to investigate and produce the militants, we will not hesitate to mobilise to Abuja after the expiration of the seven days ultimatum to peacefully protest against the ungodly act.

“We will urge parents, well-meaning Nigerians and friends of Nigerian students to join us in the peaceful protest,” he added.

Ehimemenn is worried that the situation will further reduce the interest of in youths education.

He said students have suffered marginalisation, brutality and, recently, gruesome killing.

The statement said the slain students should not be buried, if adequate compensation is not paid to their parents. Besides they should be immortalised.

Senators were seething with anger yesterday over the odious killing of students in Mubi.

It was during the consideration of a motion of urgent national importance.

The lawmakers did not hide their indignation, fury and anger over the abysmal failure of the government to protect lives and protect.

While some of the lawmakers insisted that the government should be made to wake up and be responsive to its responsibilities, especially provision of security, others suggested that a vote of no confidence should be passed on the government for its inability to secure lives and property.

Senate President David Mark said the government must do what is needful; fish out the perpetrators of the act and punish them, according to the law of the land.

For Mark, when those responsible for the heinous crime in Mubi are apprehended, they should be used to test the law on capital punishment..

The mover of the motion, Senator Bindowo Mohammed Jibrilla (Adamawa North), said very few words.

Jibrilla simply said the death of innocent students “is unacceptable”.

The Senate, he said, should set up a plan that will ensure that perpetrators are brought to book.

Mark said: “That these students and people were killed did not happen as a result of their own fault.

“Every state government today has some responsibility towards providing security to those who live in that state.

“The Federal Government also has responsibility. We all have responsibility including the local governments. People are not killing in the United States because of unemployment. People are not killing in Norway where a man went berserk and killed so many holiday makers; people are not killing because of unemployment or desertification or flooding.

“I think this is a very serious issue and if we don’t tackle the real issue and we begin to go on diversionary expeditions, then, we will be missing the point.

“The security challenges before us in this country are grievous, and we have to tackle them headlong.

“On the specific issue of these Mubi killings, I think it is a pity that people will move from one room to the other, calling names, dragging them out and killing them; slaughtering them.

“This is totally unacceptable. Even if it is just attacking the symptoms now, those involved must be arrested and brought to book.

“I know that this is a democracy and, with due respect to all of us, capital punishment is still in our statute.

“This is an opportunity for us to test it and use it as deterrence to others and that has to be done as fast and as speedy as possible.

“It is not that crimes don’t take place in other countries. They do. But it is the reaction of government. The speed with which those who are involved are arrested, tried and punished accordingly. But when they happen in this country, after a week, we just try to forget it and wait for the next one to happen.

“I think we have gone beyond the time for us to sing these songs of lamentation every now and again. We should not be lamenting. I think we should be able to act.

“Government needs to act as quickly and as fast as possible. Terrorists will succeed once they can stop government from doing what government wants to do.

“Now Nigerians are being scared of sending their children to polytechnics and universities because today it is in Mubi, who knows where it is going to happen in the next town.

“How many policemen can you put in our various polytechnics and universities in this country?

“It is completely impossible. There is no way. It does not matter how much you fund the security agencies. I think there are very serious security challenges and we must address them.”

Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu said: “It is a sad day for us as a country and I sympathise with the whole country.”

He said, “Let us imagine that we are the parents of those people killed.

“Some are the only child, some are the hopes of their families while others are investments.

“You can imagine the pains to these families.

“This is not an isolated case; it is everywhere in the Southeast. It is evil, uncalled for and totally condemnable.

“What happened in Mubi is a failure of security. Whether it is robbery or Boko Haram, it is the inability of security agents to secure the people. We are challenged as a country and we need to live up to this challenge.”

Senator Bello Mohammed Tukur (Adamawa Central) said what happened in Mubi should be a matter of serious concern to every Nigerian.

Bello said nobody could say exactly what led to the mayhem.

The lawmaker said he was aware that people are leaving Mubi in large numbers moving towards Yola, the state capital.

He said some people claimed that a similar incident was happening in Gumbi, a town between Mubi and Yola.

“One cannot say exactly who they are but the security agents should be in a position to tell us,” Bello said, adding:

“About a month ago, there was increase in security agents in the area and they were engaged in house-to-house search.

“Mubi was closed down for three days, nobody was coming in or going out of the house.

“As a result, 156 people were arrested and brought to barracks in Yola.

“All these brought about a lot of tension in Mubi town. Some of those arrested were not members of Boko Haram; some are not natives. This is beginning to be worrisome. Every day, the urban settlement is being affected. If care is not taken, it may get to Yola and Jalingo and before we know it, the whole North may be consumed. We have to quickly wage into this problem and see what the Executive can do urgently to curtail the problem.”

Senator Mathew Nwagwu (Imo North) asked how long Nigerians would continue to watch helplessly while innocent people are killed.

He said: “When all the churches are burnt down, it will be mosques and when students are finished, it may be the Senate.

“Mr President should take more proactive measures. It is unbecoming of Nigerians to take reprisal attacks. The government should tell us if it is not able to handle the problem. The Senate should condemn the killing and send a strong message to the President to clear the issue. We are under siege and something should be done fast.”

Senator Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) said “even during the Abacha regime it was not like this.

“Everyone will notice that the rate of unemployment and poverty is high and for me, the present administration has not delivered the dividends of democracy to the people.

“For me, it is high time we declared a vote of no confidence on the President.”

Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (Ekiti North) said: “If we were cut down in our youth, most of us would not have been here. What happened in Mubi is the destruction of our future.

“My contribution is not so much to the perpetrators of the crime but to speak the truth to those in authority. Power is supposed to provide security of lives and property and this is where the government has failed.

“We are all parents and we have children in school locally and internationally. The question we should ask ourselves is where is safe in Nigeria?

“Police barracks that are fortified have been attacked. Emirs, churches and mosques have been attacked. People have been attacked on the streets; now it is the turn of students who represent the future of the country.

“Is Nigeria really standing or failing? Is the constitution standing or dying?

“We will soon rise to observe one minute silence in honour of the victims, but, Mr. President, I don’t think that is what we should be doing here.”

To Senator Barnabas Gemade ( Benue North East), it looks like there is a programme to destabilise the economy of these parts of the country.

He added: “While we talk about porous borders, it looks as if we have porous cities.

“If we cannot protect our borders, security agents should be able to protect the cities and ensure they are not as porous as borders.”

It took the Justice Gilbert Obayan-chaired panel to conclude its assignemnt. But six years after it turned in the report, it is doubtful if the recommendation to reform the National Drug Law Eaw Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) will ever be implemented, reports Assistant Editor (Investigations) JOKE KUJENYA.

WITHIN five months, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) secured the conviction of 743 suspects for drug-related offences. The figure was a reflection of the cases handled between January and May this year.

The convictions, according to the agency, included: 97 persons in Kano State, 97 in Kebbi, 59 in Adamawa, 56 in Plateau, 42 in Osun and 39 in Abuja, among others.

Other convictions made were: in Lagos (34), Niger (29) , Cross River (27), Jigawa (27), Gombe (25 and Oyo (25).

The big question is whether those sentenced are actually serving their jail terms. The NDLEA said yes even fears are rife that the convicts have been walking free on the streets.

Those who feel otherwise cited past instances where offenders were let off the hook after court verdicts.

The allegation was contained in the report of the National Committee for the Reform of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), chaired by the Justice Gilbert Obayan (rtd). The panel was set up on October 17, 2006 by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

It took the committee only four months to conclude its assignment and file its report and recommendation.

But years after, the Federal Government has not taken any action to implement any of the recommendations destipe the startling findings.

According to the report, out of the 244 persons arraigned by the NDLEA and convicted by the Federal High Court for drug-related offences between 2005 and 2006, 197 were never taken to prison. They were allegedly encouraged by some agency and prison officials , as well as some prosecutors and counsel of the agency to evade jail terms. Ejike Martins and Godwin Obi are two of the convicts who benefitted from the conspiracy.

Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), insited the report must be implemented to strengthen the battle against drug traffickers and their promotters.

He said: “Six years after a government inquiry into how 197 drug convicts were let off the hook by dubious officials, it is amazing that some of the identified convicts are not only perambulating as free men, but some of the indicted officials are also allowed to exit the agency on estimable grounds, while one of them even had the privilege of earning a national award of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), regarded as one of the nation’s highest honours.”

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said the various reforms he carried out in the agency has made the implementation of the report unnecessary. He admitted that there were cases of jail evasion in the past.

Giade told The Nation: “There was an information I received, which is also part of the panel report, that somebody was arrested in Abuja. He was transferred to Lagos and on getting here, he was released. I was alarmed and said that could not be possible. But the person that called to inform me insisted that that was what happened.

“I made further inquiries and the matter was confirmed. Then, I probed further to know what happened. I was told that he was charged to court, sentenced to a number of years and terms of imprisonment. Then, I sent the name to the court and there was confirmation that yes, the person appeared and convicted. Then, I was rest assured that the man was not released. Then I got a detective, and I told him, why don’t you go to the prisons and find out for me if actually the said man was there. Behold, he was not taken to the prison. When I was given that information, I was alarmed. I felt that is definitely a challenge.

“Then I felt I had to be double sure. So, I went privately to the trial judge. I said: ‘My Lord, this was the information I received. This is how far I have followed it up. This was the result that I got. So please, can I get the commitment warrant stating the conditions on which the person was sent to prison?

“Then, the judge said what? Then, perhaps the warrant I sent to court yesterday too was not taken?

“And I said, then if you can assist me on this, I can go and confirm it. And then the judge gave me the two commitment warrants. I came back with the first one that was not taken. And the second one, I sent a team to find out. They discovered he was no taken to the prison. I then appointed a panel to look into it.

“I think in 2005, I found that 101 convicts were not taken to the prisons. They were simply released from the court.”

But, despite Giade’s belief that the report had been overtaken by events, many of the panel’s recommendations have not been implemented.

The Nation learnt that the NDLEA chief has dismissed some of those recommended for sack in the report through an internal reorganisation.

Those dismissed in March

2007 by Giade are:

Emmanuel Dan-Asabe, who was director of training and manpower development, Abdulahi Danburam, former commander at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos., Christopher Udoh, a former assistant director in the Abia State command of the agency and Ene-Effiom Anthony-Ray, a former assistant commander of narcotics.

They include: Olusegun Roland, an assistant director of narcotics, Aminu Shehu, an assistant director of narcotics, Obi Joseph, an assistant director of narcotics, and Vincent Airefetalor, also an assistant commander of narcotics.

The committee said Dan-Asabe, who was on study leave to the National War College at the time of his sack, could not provide satisfactory answers to questions on the shoddy nature of projects he supervised at the agency’s academy in Jos, Plateau State.

He was said to have told the committee that he was unaware of any corrupt practices in the agency and that “he was not in the picture of contract awards and execution in the academy. “

The report accused Danburam of recycling exhibit, aiding and abetting drug traffickers. He was said to have tested an exhibit positive only to later retest it and declared that it was not a hard drug. Some underhand dealings were believed to have been responsible for this. The case against Udoh was similar. As the assistant director for the Central Exhibit at the NDLEA headquarters, 16 out of 66 exhibits received him between 2002 and 2005 and confirmed to be drugs as at the time of first receipt were retested negative. When he appeared before the committee, Udoh claimed ignorance of what was recorded as a “clear case of exhibit tampering”. The EFCC had earlier looked into the matter and found Udoh culpable.

However, there are others indicted by the panel, who are still working with Giade. The conducts of Femi Oloruntoba, who heads the prosecution unit, and some members of the unit were found unacceptable. Oloruntoba and Bashir Gadzama featured prominently in the report. Giade had in 2007, suspected Gadzama who was head of a task force set up by former NDLEA chief Bello Lafiagi. Lafiagi was investigated for the controversial seizure of 168,000 euros from the Mende, Lagos home of Ikenna Onochie, a suspected drug baron. It was on the basis of the money that a Lagos High Court sentenced Lafiagi before he was rescued by the appellate court.

The panel felt that Oloruntoba, Gadzama and Usman Amali did not handle the matter transparently. It recommended the trio for compulsory retirement. The committee said Oloruntoba, who has been head of prosecution since 1999, “has no business to remain in the agency.” It accused him of insincerity in his handling of prosecution of drug suspects.

The report reads: “When he appeared before the committee, he was evasive on most questions, especially on the case of prison evasion for which the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer raised a committee to investigate. Oloruntoba never showed interest in the incident which involved over 100 drug convicts who did not serve their respective terms but were released upon their sentences.”

The panel also frowned at

how Oloruntoba handled

the case against a popular Nollywood actress, Hassanat Akinwande (also known as Wunmi). The panel said the mishandling of the case led to her freedom, after getting a jail term with a fine option. Oloruntoba’s subordinate, Raphael Hinmikaiye was also accused of compromising the case.

“It was inappropriate of him to have asked the court to give him time to put his house in order when the accused had already pleaded guilty and after he amended the charge sheet to attract a lesser punishment for the accused,” the report noted.

On Oloruntoba, the panel added: “The EFCC also said Oloruntoba should be held responsible for advising investigators to commit perjury, which is incompatible with his status as a lawyer and director of prosecution… the performance of the Directorate of Prosecutions as presently constituted is not helpful to the agency and the nation.”

Falana, in his letter to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Adoke Bello, said: “It is curious to note that some of the NDLEA officials who were recommended for compulsory retirement or prosecution for frustrating the NDLEA from successfully prosecuting several persons accused of drug related offences are still occupying vital positions in the NDLEA.”

Certainly, the ball is in the Federal Government’s court. Will it act or allow the report to gather dust on the shelve as it has been the case in the last few years?

Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) speaks with JOKE KUJENYA on the need to implement the report of the Justice Gilbert Obayan Panel. Excerpts:  

Why has the NDLEA not implemented the Justice Gilbert Obayan Report on the reform of the agency?

Well, I don’t know why you are asking me why I, as the NDLEA boss, did not implement the report. Let me tell you how the panel came into being. I came into office in 2006 and the then Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation inaugurated the panel. It was not at the instance of the agency. I was, however, invited to the inauguration ceremony. But I was not there when the panel submitted its report.

So the report was not submitted to your agency?

It was that the report was not submitted to me, there was also no copy made available to me. So, couldn’t have implenmented the report of a panel I never set up. It is a surprise to me as I was not even privy to the details of the report.

But is it that you are totally unaware of the recommendations…

I won’t I am unaware of the recommendations. In fact, I know what the panel recommended as I later got the report.

So, why didn’t the agency act?

Well, I am in the NDLEA now as the head of the team. But I did not get the report to do something about it. Like I said, I wasn’t the one who set up the panel.

If you say so, would you verify or refute that some indicted officials are still in the system occupying vital positions, years after contrary to the panels’ advice that they be dismissed?

It is important for me to tell you how the Obayan panel came about. That will tell you why recommendations were made. I will also tell you my personal impressions about the recommendations.

What are they?

There was actually the need for that panel. When I resumed in November 2005, the agency was was not operating the way it ought to. I took over the agency when things were being done the wrong way.

Some directors who were supposed to be at the headquarters, were on the field as ‘commanders’. And at the national headquarters, assistant directors, not even deputydirectors, were holding ‘directors’ positions. In other words, junior officers were bosses to their seniors. That to me was unacceptable and it cannot be tolerated in any organisation where there is respect for seniority. That was number one issue that bothered me.

What other things did you notice?

There was rampant tampering with exhibits that were supposed to be secured because they had earlier tested positive as drugs. At the end of the day, when the ‘exhibit keepers’ were redeployed and replaced with a directive to verify the contents in the handing-over notes, especially the status of the drugs as they came into the agency’s custody.

So what is the situation now?

The procedure is that any drug that would be kept in the ‘exhibit room’ must be tested and certified positive before they take it into custody. It must be so when it is taken to the court with the result of the test. The court either declare it as ‘exhibit’and release it to us for safekeeping, or retain it. When it is to be destroyed, we will bring the one with us as directed by the court while the exhibit with the court would be taken directly to the destruction site.

The drug will still be tested at the site to ensure that the real drugs are being destoyed. The samples are picked by members of the public.

In fact, the results that we got when the exhibits were to be handed over, about 61 of those that were cocaine and heroin, the whole of them were found to have been tampered with. In addition to that lapse, 16 of them tested negative. In order words, there were no cases of narcotics in them. But they all tested positive when they were brought to the agency.

How could such a thing have happened?

That was the question we all asked. And that is why I said yes, there was actually a need to revisit the Obayan panel report and recommendations. And again, prior to the panel’s inauguration, I was informed that somebody was arrested in Abuja and transferred to Lagos . But on getting here, he was released. I said that could not be possible. But the person that called to inform me insisted it happened. After further investigation, I learnt the suspect was charged to court, sentenced to a number of years and terms of imprisonment. The court confirmed the conviction a nd I was rest convinced the accused was not released. I told a detective to check out at the prisons and if actually the convict was there. Behold, he was not taken to the prison. When I got given that information, I was alarmed. So, I went privately to the trial judge and said My Lord, this was the information I had. I told him how far I had followed it up. and demanded for the commitment warrant with the conditions on which the accused was sent to prison The judge became furiousa and wondered if the other warrant he sent to court was taken. The trial judge gave me the two warrants. Both convicts were never taken to the prison. I then raised a panel to look into it. In 2005, I found that 101 convicts were not taken to the prisons. They were simply released from the court after the verdicts.

Who released them from the court?

I also demanded fro the 2006 record to cross-check. That was the year that the Obayan panel was set up and I found that another 96 of such cases between January and August of that year. I then I wrote to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minsiter of Justice Chief Bayo Ojo. I told him all that was happening and suggested a nation-wide investigation. That figure was only for Lagos. We had similar issues in Kano and Abuja. So, I felt perhaps, there are others apart from the ones from the NDLEA; there might be such cases from the Customs and other agencies.

Is it not the duty of the NDLEA to pursue these people and get them re-arrested?

This is not a question of getting them re-arrested. In fact, right now, the principal partner of one of those jail evaders is back in the prison. We were able to get him re-arrested with drugs in Kano. After serving out his jail term in Kano, we made him to be handed over to us and now, he is serving the jail term he evaded in 2006. But what I am saying is this, at least, since the minister has directed them to look into it, they should have seen the reason to either visit the prisons and find out the real position of things or whether it was only our own agency or that others were equally affected. They could have at least invite the prison heads for interview. That was not done. So, when I wrote my report, and gave copies to the judiciary and the prisons, they all referred the issue to the then Inspector-General of Police (IGP) for further investigation. Already, we were able to prove that three officials of the Federal High Court and 10 prison warders were responsible. By the time the IGP finished his report, he submitted it and prosecuted the guilty officials.

Is it true that NDLEA prosecutors and defence counsel connive with prison officials to get the accused illegally released?

I was asked this question during one of our annual press briefings. Since the matter was investigated by the IGP, which established that three court 10 prison officials were caught and prosecuted, I think it is not proper for me to say anything further than this because I did not go beyond investigating the internal aspect of the whole issue. But certainly, there were questions about that.

Who then implements the Obayan report years after?

Let me be frank with you. All the issues that warranted the setting up of the panel have become non-issues They have been overtaken by events. There was this lack of confidence by our international allies that were reluctant reluctant to share intelligence information with us. At that time, the country was put under ‘Watch List’. On this list were countries that were deeply involved in drug trafficking and abuse. So, sanctions had to be imposed them. But, by 2012, they were satisfied with our efforts as a nation and our name was removed from the list. That is why I said all the major issues that brought about the establishment of the panel have become irrelevant. That means there is actually nothing to implement again as far that report is concerned.

All said and done, is it save to say jail evasion has become history in the NDLEA?

What I did to avert that incidence from repeating itself is by ensuring that trust-worthy and reliable officers take suspects from the NDLEA office to the court. After conviction, they accompany the convicts straight from the courtroom to the prisons and hand them over to the prison officials. As far as I know, there has not been any case of jail evasion till date.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has debunked an allegation by the Mimiko Campaign Organisation (MCO) that Ado-Ekiti is being used as a base to import thugs and weapons into Ondo State ahead of the October 20 governorship election.

The ACN, Ekiti State chapter, in a statement by its Chairman, Chief Jide Awe, said while the party would have loved to ignore the latest allegation coming from a Labour Party (LP) government that is daily sinking into an abyss of infamy and oblivion, the reaction became expedient because the discerning public could mistake the blatant falsehood for truth.

It said the allegation is not only wicked, but malicious, baseless, unfounded, illogical, hallucinatory, self-defeatist, frivolous, hollow, pedestrian and lacking in any iota of credibility.

The party said: “The LP candidate Olusegun Mimiko and his party are already drowning in the sea of non-performance and rejection by the Ondo electorate and are desperately looking for any straw to clutch in a bid to survive.

“Mimiko and LP are being haunted and hunted by their morbid fear of an imminent and inevitable defeat at the Ondo governorship election.

“In the first place, the ACN as a party that has its foundation of democracy, justice and rule of law believes in using legitimate avenues to articulate its policies, manifesto and beliefs for the purpose of winning election to better the lives of the people.

“These include door-to-door campaign, open air campaign, public enlightenment programmes through the use of the mass media.

“The ACN is a party that preaches peace and will never subscribe to the use of violence and other anti-democratic acts that can jeopardise the interest of the people it intends to govern. It must be stated also that ACN members have the right to relate with members of the party from other states and the Labour Party need not lose sleep over this.

“It is on record that our party at the federal, state and local government levels has used constitutional means to seek redress in the courts of law whenever its candidates are robbed of victory rather than resorting to self-help.

“We are not surprised by Mimiko’s allegation against us because his stock in trade is falsehood, blackmail and subterfuge, which he always deploys whenever his position is under threat.

“The writers of the press statement in which the allegation was made will be in a better position to assist security agencies with how they arrived at the cocktail of lies spewed out in national newspapers on Wednesday.

“We want to emphasise that Ekiti is not being used as a base to train thugs and import weapons into Ondo State for the purpose of the October 20 governorship poll.

“That allegation only exists in the figment of the imagination of Mimiko and his cronies who are gripped with the fear of life outside power.

“It is on record that it is Mimiko and his goons that have been unleashing terror on leaders and members of our party even before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) signalled the commencement of campaign.

“It is also on record that the LP government which is labouring hard to keep its members from defecting to our party has been sponsoring the defacing of billboards and posters of our candidate.

“Our party does not believe in violence and use of thugs and we don’t need violence and thugs to chase Mimiko and his rapacious government from the Alagbaka Government House in Akure.

“We are going to use the votes of the electorate to consign the LP failing and falling regime into the dustbin of history and install the ACN-led people’s government in Ondo State.

“Our party has campaigned across the length and breadth of Ondo State on the strength of our manifesto and the people cannot wait to elect our candidate, Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu (SAN), as their governor.

“The wind of change is already blowing in Ondo State and thousands of allegations from the camp of a jittery outgoing governor cannot stop the trend.

“Mimiko should leave us out of his travails and we just want to advise him to start preparing to pack out of the Government House for a life of political oblivion.”

The House of Representatives Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday raised the alarm over alleged plot by some government officials to frustrate the conduct of the 2015 general elections.

The Chairman of the Committee, Jerry Mamwe, who led members on oversight function to the INEC Headquarters in Abuja, criticised the lodgment of the electoral umpire’s fund into a Single Treasury Account (STA).

He said that INEC, which is on first line charge like the National Assembly and the Judiciary, should constitutionally have access to its funds unhindered.

The committee declared the withholding of the commission’s balance of N15 billion of the N35 billion 2012 Budget in the STA as illegal . It summoned the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Jonah Otunlah and the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to explain the reasons behind the action.

Mamwe said: “People see election in this country as an event. What I am made to understand and what INEC is trying to put in place along with the Committee is for the country and the world to see election as a process. And if election should be seen as a process, the first thing is to make sure all the basic things are put in place. But some people somewhere want to sabotage the entire process towards the 2015. God forbid, this committee will never be part of it.”

“We are going to invite the Accountant General of the Federation. In a presentation, jokingly, the Accountant General of the Federation said money is released promptly to INEC. If it is released to you, where is the money? Is somebody putting it somewhere?” he queried

He went on:“Then the Accountant General and the Minister of Finance will account to this Committee. The Constitution empowers this committee to invite anybody to account. As far as I am concerned, I see this N10 billion being released to INEC as a misery fund.”

The Committee Chairman added: “Nobody is above the Constitution. What I mean by that is that there is a provision of the Constitution which says INEC must be on first line charge and it should be seen as such, it should be practised and should be done.”

“I am from National Assembly and we are on first line charge, the Judiciary is on first line charge, and I have never heard. I have never been told that either the National Assembly fund or the Judiciary fund is in single treasury account. As far as I am concerned, that account is an illegal one. Funds meant for INEC should be released to them for their performance.”

The Acting Chairman of INEC, Dr. Abdulkadir Oniyangi, who received the delegation, noted that poor release of fund to the Commission has resulted in low implementation of projects under the 2012 Budget critical to the conduct of the 2015 general elections.

He said: “We have lodged a complaint to the Minister of Finance, requesting for exemption from the STA scheme, in view of the financial autonomy granted to the Commission by both the 1999 Constitution as amended and the 2010 Electoral Act as amended. The Commission is still awaiting the Minister’s response.

“The Commission is yet to receive the third quarter budget as a matter of fact I will say the second quarter. In view of the fact that only N10 billion has been released out of the 2012 Budget envelope. The level of 2012 budget implementation is quite low. In fact, all capital projects have been processed up to the date of contract award pending when the fund will be released.”