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Tag: criminals

  • Governor warns criminals to stay away

    Governor warns criminals to stay away

    •Police get 20 armoured personnel carriers

    OSUN State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has   warned  criminals and agents of violence to steer clear of the state or face the law, as the governorship election approaches.

    Aregbesola spoke during the launch and handover of 20 Amoured Personnel Carriers (APC) that cost N1.3 billion to the State Police Command in Osogbo, the state capital.

    This was in fulfillment of his administration’s promise to equip the command with the APCs.

    The governor expressed pains at what he called the Federal Government’s penchant for playing politics with crucial security matters.

    Aregbesola urged President Goodluck Jonathan to separate politics from the issue of security by granting the state a short code for its emergency centre.

    The governor noted that when government fails to guarantee safety of lives and property, it has no business   being in power.

    Aregbesola said security, safety and the welfare of the people are the primary responsibilities of any government as enshrined in the nation’s constitution.

    He affirmed that since his first day in Office, he warned his party members and the people that there will be no room for infraction of law and that people should refrain from using their previous experience to persecute their political opponents.

    “Politics should not be mingled with security, because security does not know religion, party affiliation or ethnicity.

    “The Federal Government just refused to give us short code to make our emergency centre work. It has been ready for the past 13 to 18 months ago. If that centre had been activated, our helicopter will get to the farthest place of this state in 15 minutes to attend to emergency issues.

    “It won’t cost the Federal Government a dime, but to just direct the NCC to allow us to use their 122 line. I wrote to the President, he did not even acknowledge the letter, let alone giving us approval,” the governor stressed.

    The Assistant Inspector General of Police, David Omojola, who represented the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, praised the courage of the governor in fighting crime.

    He pointed out that the IGP has directed that the equipment should be moved to the state Police headquarters for immediate use in fighting crime and criminal activities.

    “We are very grateful for your effort at lifting our spirit by providing the Armoured Personnel Carrier. This is the first in the history of the country when a government will be providing such numbers of equipment for the police in one fell swoop.

    “The presentation of the APC is the climax of your practical demonstration and support for security in the state, and our effort to fight crime has received a huge boost.

    “Criminals no longer have a hiding place in Osun, as we make everywhere secured,” he Inspector General of Police pointed out.

    Speaking earlier, the Commissioner of Police, Osun Command, Ibrahim Maishanu, described the  government’s gesture as the first in the state’s history.

  • ‘Why criminals operate freely at Nigeria/Cameroon border’

    The Nigerian Navy (NN) at the weekend attributed the upsurge of criminality at Ibaka, the border between Nigeria and Camerroon near Bakassi Peninsula to the demilitarisation of the area by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and Green Tree Agreement (GTA).

    Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin spoke with reporters on insecurity within the nation’s maritime domain after the pulling/sailing out parade in honour of former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba (rtd).

    The CNS said the Navy is collaborating with their counterparts in Cameroon and Benin Republic in order to have a joint patrol in the region.

    Ibaka has been under siege of criminals after the withdrawal of troops from the region by the Federal Government in compliance with ICJ’s judgment.

    Noting that steps are being taken to stem the tide of criminals, Jibrin said the Navy on Friday morning, rescued three Indians abducted by pirates at Burutu in the Niger Delta.

    “The lack of Navy presence at Ibaka is as a result of the ICJ judgment in the dispute over Bakassi Peninsula that marked Ibaka as a demilitarise zone.

    “You cannot always find the presence of the nNavy at Ibaka that is why criminals are operating there. It is like a free man’s area. But we are now in talks with the navies of Cameroon and Benin Republic to have joint patrols around Bakassi.

    “We cannot just show presence on our own because it will be in violation of the court judgment and the GTA. Something is however, being done underground to curb the criminality at Ibaka.

    “We have been entering and releasing people that are either abducted or held hostage by pirates. Just this morning, three Indians were released by naval personnel around Burutu. Their ship was attacked and the pirates abducted them but after an exercise this morning, our men rescued them alive,” he said.

    The CNS who said the Navy has identified the various challenges confronting the nation at sea, appealed for the right mix of platforms to address them so that the nation can rip grater economic benefits from its huge resources.

    “At the moment, my focus is to ensure that the government makes more money by curbing the activities of pirates and oil thieves. Several exercises have been lined up for the year and we shall execute them.

    “For us to have credible presence at sea there is need for maintenance. We have challenges in that area because most of our platforms are aged. We have at various fora, appealed for a right mix of platforms-a number of ships, helicopters and even boats.

    “However, one strategy we have decided to put in place is to minimize cost of maintenance in view of scarce resources. We all know that the cost of maintaining a ship interms of fuelling alone is high because a ship can take up to a million litres of AGO.

    “Since we do not intend to waste money as a result of the dwindling economy, we have resolved to deploy our boats in right positions. We are aware of navy’s prominent role in protecting the nation’s economy,” he said.

    Meanwhile, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Navy, Aminu Koko said the committee was working on improved budget for the Navy to get platforms needed to stop oil theft and piracy in the nation’s maritime space.

    Represented by a member of the committee, Mustapha Dawaki, Koko attributed the high insecurity at Ibaka to Navy’s lack of adequate platforms.

    He said: “We have to look at what we generate as a nation so as to cater for all other sectors of government. We are collaborating with the navy at the committee level to see how we can convince the government to increase naval funding.

    “We have gone round various commands as far as Ibaka and we were ashamed when we got to Ibaka as a result of the deplorable condition of our territorial waters and infrastructure.”

  • Fed Govt abandoned buildings as havens for criminals in Lagos

    Fed Govt abandoned buildings as havens for criminals in Lagos

    The relocation of the seat of the Federal Government from Lagos to Abuja in 1991 left scores of properties abandoned in the mega city. Assistant Editor SINA FADARE reports that more than 20 years after, these buildings have become havens for criminals

    Passing through the end of Broad Street, No 147 Marina, Lagos is a gigantic building that easily attracts attention of passersby. The five-storey building on the left, while going to Marina from the UBA Headquarters axis, has been abandoned by the Federal Government for about 11 years.

    The Nation gathered that the building which housed the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for many years until it relocated to Abuja in 1991 was allegedly confiscated from the father of the late Nkemba of Nnewi, Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu by the Federal Government. When the ministry moved to the new federal capital, the building was handed over to the National Dental Council of Nigeria for use and council did occupy it for many years until it too, relocated to Abuja.

    With the departure of the Dental Council, the building became vacant but one of the comptrollers in the Ministry of Works, it was learnt, decided to put the building to personal use by handing it over to one of his wives simply identified as Mama Aanu to manage. Husband and wife were allegedly assisted by a Director in the Ministry to perfect the conversion of the building into a residential quarter as the place was demarcated into rooms with Mama Aanu as the Landlady.

    A tenant,  Mrs. Munirat Abdulrasak, who lived in the building  for five years before they were eventually booted out on December 15, 2013 by a Presidential Task Force from Abuja, confessed to The Nation that though they (the tenants) knew that Mama Aanu was not the real owner of the property, but she was very powerful and influential. She explained that there were about fifty rooms in the building and each tenant was paying N3,500 per month. The building, which was being referred to in the place as ‘barrack,’ also has two big warehouses that were let out to some traders.

    It was gathered that the last rent paid by the tenants of the warehouses created the crisis that led to the ejection of all the illegal tenants. It was alleged that Mama Aanu collected N2.5 million yearly as rent from each tenant. However, trouble started when touts known as Area Boys who were around the place approached her for their own share of the rent but she refused. Some of them who were political thugs to prominent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in the area was said to have complained to their principal and a petition was sent to Abuja about the property. This eventually led to the forceful ejection of all the illegal tenants, including Mama Aanu.

    Investigations revealed that such abandoned buildings that costs billions of naira of public fund are scattered all over Lagos and have either been taken over by rodents, reptiles and similar animals or occupied by miscreants and other criminals. One of such buildings that has become an eyesore and a major source of worry to residents of the area is the old Federal Secretariat in Ikoyi. The secretariat built by the federal military government of General Yakubu Gowon in 1975 and which housed the bulk of government bureaucracies until the movement to Abuja in 1991 has been left unoccupied ever since, leaving the imposing structures to gradually deteriorate. In year 2006, the Federal Government through the then Minister of Housing, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, the present governor of Ondo State, moved to bring life back to the secretariat when it attempted to concession the twin-towers out to a private firm, Resort International Limited (RIL) for N7.2 billion.

    The Nation learnt that the new owners wanted to convert the structure to apartments suitable for residential usage, a step which the Lagos State government rebuffed with an argument that the place was not originally designed as a residential area. These irreconcilable differences dragged all the stakeholders, the Federal Government, Lagos State government and RIL to Lagos High Court. The matter is still going on.

    Against this backdrop, the imposing building is now abandoned and turned to the den of the area boys.

    When The Nation visited the place recently, the level of decay on the building was obvious. But, that was not the only problem. Now, operators of commercial tricycles or Keke Marwa have also turned  the building into their park. Speaking to The Nation, a petrol attendant who did not want his name to be mentioned said that all sorts of dubious businesses like selling of hard drugs, such as India hemp and other illicit drugs are conducted in the place, under the covers of darkness. Speaking in the same vein, Alhaji Muraina Adeyanju, a resident in the area said that on many occasions, the police have raided the place. “It is a den of robbers. They are always here to do their meetings; you will hear the sound of vehicles going in and out of the building at odd hours. The truth of the matter is that we have never known peace since this place has been abandoned.” He explained that at the Community Development Association (CDA) level, “we have tried our best to complain to the police, but the situation is the same. These hoodlums converge here at the dawn of night, we are helpless.”

    However, speaking on what could have informed the legal tussle over the imposing property, a Chartered Quantity Surveyor, Mr. Sola Babatunde opined that, at the time of the concession, it was grossly undervalued, a situation which the Lagos State government was not comfortable with. Babatunde also alleged that there was a political colouration to the entire bidding process, adding that the property was given to those who were close to the citadel of power in Abuja, then at a below the market rate. “If that building is going to be valued as of today, putting into cognizance the choice area of the title, it cannot be less that N15 billion.”

    Another monumental waste is the National Provident Fund (NPF) territorial office building, located in Ojo Local Government area of Lagos State. It was nearing completion when the Federal Government relocated to Abuja. Since then, all works on the building have stopped. The Nation investigation revealed that the building project was recommended to be awarded to CEDAC Nigeria, a firm of building contractors in 1983 for the sum of N41.6 million, which was considered as undervalued by building experts. However, when the construction reached its final level of twenty-storey, an order reportedly came ‘from the above’ that work should be suspended, as the original interest was that the project should be built in the Federal Capital Territory. This singular order ended a lofty dream of an edifice, thereby forcing the building to swell the number of abandoned projects.

    Regretting  what the government inaction has caused the people of the area, one  of the executive members of the Landlord Association  who spoke  to The Nation  on condition of anonymity said that majority of their children have been recruited into the world of crime, with the building as their training ground. “On several occasions, the police have traced stolen goods to this place and a lot of the children were arrested as accomplices. The situation was so pathetic; the government should either complete the project or sell it to those who will convert it to productive venture. We are daily living in fear.”

    Another building that gulped millions of naira of the tax payers’ money, but was equally abandoned, was the NITEL Central Store, located at Wemco road, Ogba area of Lagos state.

    Investigations revealed that during the good old days of NITEL, the building served all the Southwest territory of the behemoth as the central store. When The Nation visited the area, the premises was under lock with a big key. Today, the entrance of the building has been converted to another Keke Marwa Park. The flower that was planted in the premises has turned into a thick bush that harbours snakes and rodents. Regretting, how one of the nation’s properties is in ruin and government could not do anything about it; a middle-aged man who resides in Oluwole community, opposite the building, Mr Olabisi Ipoola said, he is always sad anytime he passes through the front of the building. He explained that before the place was under lock, it had served as a den of criminals and their hideout during the night. “Most of the stolen goods were hidden in the compound of that building until the vigilante within the community took the case to Ogba police station. That was why you see that the place has been padlocked.”

    Ipoola expressed fear that danger might not be over yet because since the tricycle operators are using the entrance of the premises as their parking space, all sort of clandestine meetings are held there almost on a daily basis by hoodlums who are usually loitering around the place at night. “Most of the time, innocent people have lost their cars and other valuables to these night marauders, virtually every week. It is a sad tale to narrate and it seems the police are helpless,” he said.

    Sharing her own ugly experience with The Nation, a beer and “pepper soup joint” operator in the community who simply identified herself as Madam Shade, said it is no longer news that the abandoned NITEL building is a hideout for criminals, who are terrorising the community. “Twice, l was a victim. My shop was raided and all the money l made for those days were carted away, it was a painful experience,” she lamented. Other properties that have become a source of concern to Nigerians due to their abandonment are Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), building on Marina Street, Defence building, which got burnt and plans to fully rehabilitate it has fallen apart, the former National Assembly Complex at Tafawa Balewa Square, 37-storey NECOM House on Marina Street, Glass House located at Okesuna Street, which also once housed the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing; the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Complex in Ikoyi as well as the former Supreme Court building – all in Lagos Island.

    Lamenting about the implication of gross wastage in the midst of scarcity, the former President of Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. Bode Adediji said, “Nigeria has been living in a culture of endemic waste, whether in terms of property or other resources. We have not been prudent in the way we manage assets and resources. The dynamics of properties, in terms of their acquisition, development, utilisation and management are beyond the comprehension and husbandry of the present cadre of civil servants.” According to him, government should set up a consortium of building and environment professionals to investigate the remaining assets belonging to the Federal Government and to ascertain current structural state and degree of their utilisation, the potentials inherent in these properties, their let ability or outright disposal.

    Speaking in the same vein, the chairman, Lagos branch of NIESV, Mr Steven Jagun, explained that though the cost value of these properties cannot be ascertained, it will run into billions of naira and a source of fund generation to the Federal Government, instead of total abandonment. Jagun, who regretted the poor maintenance culture of properties of government in general in the country, argued that, “if the Federal Government could no longer maintain the properties in question, there are a lot of other valuable use they can be turned into, which at the end of the day will generate fund for the government and at the same time provide social services like big mall, international conference centres and amusement park.”

    He pointed out that the Federal Government needs to do something fast because property depreciates if it is abandoned for years, adding that it is a veritable venture to provide employment opportunity for teeming Nigerian youths who are roaming the streets in search of employment.

    When The Nation went to the Federal Ministry of Lands and Housing in Lagos, the Comptroller Mr. Olayinka Onaeko, said the ministry was equally worried that those properties were abandoned for many years, adding that, “It is not good for buildings to be abandoned and we have told the government about this as  professionals.” Onaeko explained that gradually some of the properties are being disposed off and in some cases where illegal occupants were there “we are ejecting them, a case study is the property at 147 Broad street and the old NITEL building at Marina.” The Comptroller said there is a Presidential Implementation Committee set up by the government to dispose all these properties, adding that the committee is  working round the clock to do its job, the exceptions are  those that there are  litigations on them, like the old Federal Secretariat.

  • Criminals in MDAs

    Criminals in MDAs

    The statement credited to Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd), National Security Adviser (NSA), that many people with criminal antecedents occupy strategic positions in various Federal Government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) is troubling. Dasuki, through Layiwola Laseinde, director, policy and strategy of the NSA’s office spoke at a one-day workshop on the “Importance of Security Awareness Drills in Contemporary Nigeria”,  organised by the Special Services Office (SSO), Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), in Abuja.

    The NSA was unsparing when he affirmed: “We want to make sure that people of dubious character are not employed. In some areas, you find out that people have committed crimes and once they have criminal background, they are likely to perpetrate death. I am not saying it is in all cases, but majority of the cases. So the government, especially the security agencies … want to make sure that each agency does its own in-house screening to screen out undesirable people …Government cannot afford for agencies to have staff with criminal record and that is the purpose of this workshop, that those who are trained can go and train other people and also organise their parastatals and agencies to ensure that in terms of personal record and discipline, everything is okay.’’

    We know that it is government that employs presumably qualified Nigerians into positions in these MDAs, not the Nigerian public. So, we expect the government, through its numerous security agencies that Dasuki, as NSA, oversees, to have routinely been effectively discharging their job of ensuring that men and women of shady background do not get employed in the MDAs or any other strategic institutions in the country. But it seems that the NSA office is getting to know too late that the country’s MDAs harbour a lot of misfits. The fault is that of the NSA and he should take urgent steps to correct this sad trend.

    We now understand why there have been so many leakages in the system; it could not have been different in a place that harbours employees with criminal background. Any system that suffers from high moral standing cannot be a reliable custodian of values of a promising society; and that is what the Nigerian system currently suffers from. The primary constitutional duty of government is the security and welfare of the citizenry and there is no doubt that having people of questionable background in government MDAs constitutes a serious threat to the discharge of this responsibility.

    Definitely, some drastic steps must be taken. And we expect to see cogent results from the promised vulnerability assessment initiative of MDAs by the NSA through the Department of State Services (DSS). So far, result of the touted routine inspection of MDAs by the Security Inspection Committee in order to ensure compliance with security regulations as they affect the safety of government’s personnel, documents and facilities has not been felt.

    NSA Dasuki must realise that the task ahead is onerous and can only be accomplished with commitment and sincerity of purpose from government, especially its security agencies headed by his office. The entire process of employment in the MDAs and other strategic institutions has to be overhauled to block existing recruitment loopholes. Also, a tight security process must be designed to weed out misguided elements in the system.

  • Why do criminals enjoy more protection from the law than their victims?

    When the wife of the president begins to talk for the government,
    it can only signify the arrival of chaos.

    Is it just me or have you noticed that immediately someone is a suspect in a crime, he begins to wave his fundamental human rights in everyone’s face. He has rights, he declares, which cannot be violated; he has entitlements, such as access to a lawyer, to decent and humane treatment, and to being addressed with respect, thank you. Above all, he also declares that anything that touches him, let it be so much as a finger, has assaulted him for which the ‘toucher’ must be arraigned, tried and convicted. ‘You saw him, he hit me, you saw him. Put that down in the books, you must!’ Well, if it is not too much for their criminal highnesses, can they please explain to me if they considered the rights and privileges of their victims? I mean, when someone is confronted by a killer, does he go ‘Look, I have fundamental human rights not to be killed, assaulted or maimed. And I certainly have the right to refuse to let you wave that gun in my face.’ Does the assailant listen to that legal plea? Well, does he? If he did, I think crime would practically be none existent, since everyone would be adequately armed – with their constitutional rights to genteel treatment.

    Now, take lawyers. Have you noticed that they are never present at the scenes of crimes to offer their services to the victim? Can you just imagine how much help they might be to a potential victim if they were present to argue for them? I believe they would certainly go, ‘Look, Mr. Assailant, this man, who is my esteemed client, is too young to die; he has children, a good job, and is only minimally selfish. He does not deserve to die at your hands. Let my bills do it.’ Either way, the victim is done for. I think in many cases, a victim would actually choose to die at the hands of his assailants. Some assailants are more polite and godly.

    Don’t get me wrong. I do not hate lawyers; some of my best friends and brothers are lawyers. I also do not hate assailants; they are just mostly misguided. It’s the crime that just gets my goat, and I’m not just talking off my berretta. I once witnessed a people-assailant assault that had me wondering just on whose side the law really rests in this nation. Two young men had broken into a house while the owners were away worshipping their God of a Sunday morning. Unfortunately, they were caught as the house owners returned unexpectedly. Their cries of alarm had people, I mean empathisers who put themselves in their shoes, coming out to deal with the duo. Before you could say ‘hello’, some jungle justice had been administered on them and the duo lay prostrate. The police, such as could get there on time, proceeded to nab everyone who had the temerity to be strutting around that vicinity that day, most of whom had no inkling of what had happened. Now, I ask myself, why pick on the innocent who happened to walk around a little too happily? Where were their fundamental human rights?

    Like everyone else, I have been following the rather quirky and weird events unfolding in the Rivers State as a whole, including the House of Assembly and wondering, just where is the law? If crimes have been committed, such as importing weapons of single or mass destruction into the House as alleged, then there should be some remedial courses. There should have been counsels for both sides before the problems began who would say to the main assailant, ‘Look very well before you leap. This man you are about to attack is in all probability innocent. He has children, brethren who will pray for him, kinsmen who will probably want to kill you in return for trying to deprive them of the place of their son in the House; and a country that will be so flabbergasted by your action they will take the man abroad for treatment and maybe a little enjoyment.’

    Since someone(s) was/were said to have been attacked and blood splattered around, we take it that no counsel was present to provide opening and closing arguments to dissuade their raucous highnesses in the assembly. Yet, no arrests have been made so far. Hmmm, that tells my Sherlock Holmes nose something. It tells me (sniff, sniff) that someone(s) is/are enjoying their fundamental human rights, I tell you, and it is not the victim. That one is being watched closely, even if it is by his doctor.

    On the other hand, the assailants are also being watched very closely, but it is not by the police, SSS or even any detectives. They are being watched by no other than the occupants of the presidency, not to check their activities but to be sure the script is interpreted correctly by the actors. That leaves the victims in their daze of inglorious bewilderment as there is no counsel to intone on their behalf, ‘My client respectfully asks not to be victimised for no other reason than politics. Any other reason will do.’ Clearly, the victim needs a louder voice, `cause it’s all muffled up right now.

    Not so for the victims of a young man alleged to have been collecting blood from school children somewhere in Agege, Lagos. Presently, the poor victims appear to have a voice. For a change, the young vampire is said to have since come under a watch, but it is the Police watch this time. Hmmm, that also tells my Sherlock Holmes nose something: he does not figure in any political calculations of our President or his wife or somebody. Otherwise, he would have been under a different watch with a different script.

    Yet another young man was said to have been arrested for being a trader in blood. He was involved in collecting blood donors for a hospital and also collecting a handsome commission in the process. Now, that is the coolest business line anyone can think of – just find those good folks whose veins are overflowing with the red stuff, match them with the hospital, sit back and watch the combination sizzle as the bags fill up. So does his bank account. How sick have we ascended in this nation?

    Indeed, these are sad times for us in Nigeria. Here we have a presidency which appears to have run amok because someone who should apply the reins has failed to do so. There is not only silence (interpreted as consent by the way), there is even a silent nodding of the head in the direction of all the commotion coming from Rivers State. While all that is going on, the country is going into deeper ruins. Rome is burning people, and we don’t know if Nero is fiddling, but we know he is not directing a hose or a bucket in the direction of the fire. Electricity supply is getting worse, food is getting so scarce now school children have taken to selling their blood for pittances and all we get is silence.

    The presidency needs to come out now with words of assurance to the over one hundred and twenty something million people in this country who want answers to so many questions. Silence indeed may be golden but it does not ennoble in circumstances such as this. When the wife of the president begins to talk for the government, it can only signify the arrival of chaos, which will result in more victims and will eventually lead to our demanding that counsels be present to brief assailants before crimes are committed.

  • Jonathan vs condemned criminals

    President Goodluck Jonathan exhibited an uncanny bloody-mindedness the other day and more scarily, he chose an especial event venue and time, the church service during Fathers’ Day. Here is the news: Nigeria’s president urges State governors to always make haste to sign the death warrants of condemned criminals. President Jonathan said this in his remarks at a special Fathers’ Day service in the Aso Rock Chapel last Sunday.

    Yes, there is no joking our President seems to thirst for blood; he was worried about indiscipline in his domain and as he gave a pithy treatise on what for him, may be the big, horned demon tormenting Nigeria, the president said: “Discipline can be in various forms…in the case of capital punishment, the governors will sign. Even governors sometimes find it difficult to sign. I have been telling the governors that they must sign because that is the law. The works we are doing have a very sweet part and a very ugly part, and we must perform both. No matter how painful it is, it is part of their responsibilities.”

    Hardball had long become used to the President’s staccato enunciation and speech pattern so let’s not dwell on that, let us parse the message. Why is our president so taken in by his subjects who though may be condemned to death; why does he want them finished off fast, fast (as we say it here)? Does he have some special axe to grind with them or what? We ask: how many of his citizens are on the death row, what percentage of the total prison inmates are condemned criminals (CC) assuming he is worried that they are the problem with his Transformation Agenda? Perhaps Nigeria’s economy would blossom if all the CCs are gathered in one gas chamber and exterminated? It would have given us a world of inkling into the mind and make up of our prez if he had given us a little idea why he wants these people signed away into oblivion very fast.

    One of the greatest frustrations of Hardball is that you cannot shout with words, you cannot raise your voice and scream like crazy, otherwise, one would have asked screamingly: why on earth Mr. President, do you think that these governors take their time and tarry awhile over this matter of life and death? Why do you think that a chunk of the civilised world is refraining from capital punishment? How could Jonathan forget that he was speaking from a pulpit, from the house of God who most unequivocally handed the injunction: thou shall not kill? Would Jonathan break nary one grey hair or grow one if no CC is executed in the next decade? Why would Jonathan not charge the governors to do more ‘prerogative of mercy rounds’ and free thousands of awaiting trials, denizens who have been detained even longer than the term they would serve should they be sentenced?

    There are a thousand and one noble deeds the President could extract from the governors by sheer power of moral suasion riding on the auspices of the Fathers’ Day celebration. Invoking blood on the polity as if our hands are not already dripping with the crimson substance is ghoulish and un-presidential, to put it lightly.

     

  • ‘Criminals benefited from amnesty’

    ‘Criminals benefited from amnesty’

    Former Secretary General of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Chief Frank Kokori has faulted the amnesty programme, saying that criminals benefitted from the programme.

    He expressed concerned over the resurgence of criminality in the Niger Delta, which led to the death of 12 policemen.

    Kokori told The Nation that 50 percent of the so-called militants targeted by the amnesty programme of the Federal Government were criminals who have returned to crime, following the completion of the programme.

    He said: “Most of the boys who came from the creek for the amnesty programme are criminals. These criminals are mercenaries and not freedom fighters and would always go back to their past deeds.”

    The former NUPENG scribe maintained that the system had created the loopholes for such development because of its lack of commitment to the anti-corruption war.

    Kokori said that the younger generation mirrored the affluence and opulence of greedy politicians in power.

    He added: “If you go to a country like Tanzania, where their leaders rarely display ostentatious lifestyle, the people hardly do such things because their leaders show good examples. But in Nigeria, the leaders have become the oppressors.

    “The fight against corruption is a lip service project in the country. There is huge moral decadence. The people have no jobs, yet our leaders live in palatial mansions. The criminals among these creek boys see them and are often drawn out of their cocoon to get something from the authorities.”

    Kokori alleged that the leaders and representatives of the militants who signed the amnesty deal on their behalf short-changed them, adding that this also led to ill-feelings among them.

     

  • JTF: criminals are using MEND’s name

    JTF: criminals are using MEND’s name

    THE Joint Task Force (JTF) yesterday warned criminals using the name of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND to engender panic and promote an atmosphere of insecurity in the Niger Delta.

    “Their cup is full,” the JTF, codenamed Operation Pulo (oil) Shield, said through its spokesman, Lt.-Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, who was reacting to the latest threat issued by the Jomo Gbomo-led faction of MEND in an on-line statement.

    The JTF spokesman urged community leaders, opinion leaders and all peace-loving residents of the oil-rich region not to panic.

    He admonished well-meaning Niger Delta leaders to “firmly” dissociate themselves from the criminals and to collaborate with the JTF and other security agencies to rid the society of criminals.

    JTF said: “It must be made clear that the authentic MEND, as we all know, went into extinction since the emergence of the Niger Delta and the freedom fighters from the dark days of turbulence in the region and quite a good number of them are partnering with their various states and communities for development.

    “Those attempting to christen themselves MEND today are impostors and a bundle of ‘never do wells, who want to be accorded undue recognition at the expense of the peace currently being savoured in the Niger Delta.

    “The lack of focus and genuineness of intention of this gang seeking to hide under the name of MEND is apparent in its statements, as it continues to contradict itself.

    “You will recall that it had earlier claimed to be acting under the directives of Henry Okah and now it refers to the same person, as just one of the respected leaders of the Niger Delta.

    “Now, they are seeking sympathy and acceptance of the public by claiming to want to avenge for Christians. Niger Deltans, be not deceived by the tricks of the devil. Lawlessness is never a solution.

    “Obviously, their aim is to engender panic and a sense of insecurity in the region, using MEND’s name, but we assure them that their cup is full and will soon be caught up with by the law.

    “The claim by the criminals of blowing up a well head is false, as our troops on patrol along Nembe Creek 1 Flow Station have earlier reported an incident of oil spill on water around Owelesu Community in Nembe, resulting from the activities of oil thieves and a joint patrol team, comprising of JTF troops and NN (Nigerian Navy) personnel was able to trace the spillage.

    “The troops observed a fresh dug-out, possibly for laying illegal pipeline and fresh footprints, which were traced to a small camp. Items such as hacksaw for cutting pipeline, three shovels, food items, cooking pots, sleeping mat, footwear, bags of pure (sachet) water and clothes were found in the camp.

    “It was suspected that some miscreants were trying to open a new, illegal loading point. The camp has been destroyed in situ and patrols will be maintained.”

    The security outfit also stated that the oil well was shut to avoid further spillage, pending its repair by the Anglo/Dutch oil giant- Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

  • Police kill four suspected criminals in Gombe

    The police in Gombe State have said they killed four suspected criminals on the Dukku-Gombe Road early yesterday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that police spokesman Atajiri Fwaje, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), spoke in Gombe, the state capital, when he paraded the bodies of the suspected criminals to reporters.

    He said the suspected criminals were shot after their 30-minute gun duel with the police.

    Fwaje explained that policemen were on patrol on the Gombe-Dukku Road around 2.30am last Friday when they suspected a Honda Hansen brand with registration number AG 648 RSH.

    He said the police trailed the vehicle.

    According to him, the criminals were heading to Gombe town.

    The police spokesman said the criminals opened fire on the police near Gaddam village in Kwami Local Government.

    He said after 30 minutes of exchange of fire between the police and the criminals, the police killed the four criminals.

    Fwaje said the police did not record any casualty.

    According to him, three AK 47 rifles, a locally-made pump action gun, 316 live ammunitions, 17 used cartridges and N59,000 were recovered from the criminals.

    He said: “This is a warning to people who think they can foment trouble. Gombe is a no-go-area. The morale of our men is high and we will do everything to make Gombe peaceful.”

    Fwaje said policemen would be deployed in places of worship to ensure security of life and property during the Christmas and New Year.

    He added: “Places of worship will be protected; no vehicle will be allowed to be parked less than 200 metres from the places of worship.”

    The police spokesman urged parents to advise their children not to engage in crime during and after the festivities.

     

  • Minister to Nigerians: check criminals sabotaging investment in education

    Minister of State for Education Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has urged Nigerians to checkmate criminals sabotaging the Federal Government’s efforts to improve the education sector.

    Wike spoke during a visit to Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole and paramount ruler of the Benin Kingdom, Oba of Benin, Oba Erediuwa in Benin at the weekend.

    He said that the realisation that some officials of State Universal Basic Education Boards, connive with traders to sell free instructional materials to parents is worrisome.

    Wike said state governments must work hard to check the excesses of SUBEB officials.

    The minister, who was in Edo State on the advocacy tour to promote the enrolment of out-of-school children in the South, said the need to create access for out-of-school children was a collective responsibility for all stakeholders.

    He urged the Edo State government to allocate to the Federal Government a parcel of land to build a vocational school for out-of-school children .

    He said: “We are committed to ensuring that out-of-school Nigerian children have access to basic education. We started with the Almajiri children because they have the higher percentage of out-of-school children in the country. Since we have made tremendous progress in tackling the Almajiri challenge, we resolved to face the out-of-school in the South”.

    Oshiomhole, who was represented by his deputy, Dr Pius Odubu, commended the Federal Government for investing in the education of the less privileged.

    He said the Edo State government supports any investment in education, pointing out that the state believes education was vital to the development of the nation.

    At the Oba of Benin’s Palace, the traditional chiefs had interactive session with the Minister of State for Education on the efforts of the Federal Government to develop the education sector.

    The minister also inspected Federal Government’s project in the Federal Government Girls’ College in Benin. He expressed satisfaction with the level of work at the library project in the school.