The Nation Newspaper

Tag: detained

  • Why Buhari must release detained Cameroonian freedom fighters, by Falana

    Why Buhari must release detained Cameroonian freedom fighters, by Falana

    Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to order the immediate release of the detained Cameroonian freedom fighters.

    He also cautioned the Federal Government against releasing the freedom fighters to Cameroonian President, Paul Biya.

    In a statement in Lagos yesterday, Falana said those arrested must be released because Nigeria has no extradition treaty with Cameroon.

    A team of armed officials of the State Security Service (SSS), on Saturday,  invaded Nera Hotel in Abuja and arrested seven leaders of the Southern region of Cameroon agitating for the independent state of Ambazonia.

    The arrested freedom fighters are: Mr. Sikiku Tabe, the leader of the group. Others are Professor Che Awasum, Mr. Nalowa Bih, a lawyer as well as Dr. Fidelis Che, Dr. Nfor Ngala Nfor, Dr. Henri Kumeng and Dr.  Cornelius Kwanga. They have  been held incommunicado at an undisclosed place by the SSS.

    The detainees have been denied access to their lawyers, doctors and family members contrary to the provisions of the United Nations Minimum Standards for the Treatment of Prisoners.

    Falana contended that the Attorney-General of the Federation also lacks the power to initiate extradition proceedings under the  Extradition Act (E25) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004  for the extradition of the detained Cameroonian freedom fighters.

    “To that extent, the federal government has no power whatsoever to hand them over to President Paul Biya. The detained Cameroonian freedom fighters deserve to be released unconditionally from the unlawful custody forthwith.  “Instead of using the SSS to fight the proxy war of President Paul Biya the federal government should direct the  SSS and other security forces to collaborate  with the Nigeria Police Force to fish out the criminal elements that have unleashed mayhem on the people of Benue State,” he said.

    Falana argued that since the Cameroonians entered Nigeria legitimately, their arrest and detention by the cannot be justified under the law.

    “As Africans the detainees are entitled to the human rights to personal liberty, freedom of association and freedom of expression guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution. Furthermore, their unquestionable and inalienable right  to self determination is protected by Article 20 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights which has been ratified by both Nigeria and Cameroon.

    “Having failed to crush the ideas which recently led to the demand for the State of Biafra by the members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra the (IPOB), the federal government should not attempt to provoke the marginalised people of Southern Cameroon by frustrating their legitimate demand for an independent state of Ambazonia.

    “Since the federal government has not  succeeded in completely defeating the dreaded Boko Haram sect it should not declare war on the people of Southern Cameroon and thereby further expose the displaced people of Bakassi to reprisal attacks,” he advised.

  • I was never detained in Saudi Arabia, says Senator Barata

    I was never detained in Saudi Arabia, says Senator Barata

    A former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Sen. Hassan Barata Friday said he was never detained in Saudi Arabia for false claims.

    He said he has not traveled out of the country since he completed his tenure in the 7th Senate in June.

    He also said he was still in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and does not contemplate any defection.

    Barata, who spoke exclusively with our correspondent on the telephone, said he left Yola on Friday for Kaduna with the Governor of Adamawa State, Jibrilla Bindow.

    He said: “I have been in Nigeria; I don’t know anything about anybody’s arrest in Saudi Arabia. I am not in detention in Saudi Arabia. I am here in the country.

    “Since I left office, I have not traveled anywhere; I have not gone to Saudi Arabia and I have not even traveled to Cameroon.

    “I had been receiving calls from many Nigerians but I have told them that if I am in detention in Saudi Arabia, I could not have been talking to them.

    “I am under pressure to sue for libel but this newspaper belongs to us, I cannot go to court against my boss whom I respect so much.”

    Responding to a question, Barata said: “Since 1999, I had been in the National Assembly. I would rather be a Senator than being a staff of an embassy. Which one do you think is more honourable?

    “The story is somehow because as I am talking to you, I traveled with the Governor of Adamawa State from Yola to Kaduna for a meeting of some governors.

    “If I don’t belong to APC, I won’t be able to travel with him. I have not defected to any party.”
    He said he had not been using official or diplomatic passport.

    Barata added: “I have never been using official or diplomatic passport because I want my passport to be rich. I prefer to be using my green passport.

    “It is such a mischief. I have surrendered everything in my position. This is not my first time in the National Assembly.”

     

  • Jonathan’s ex-Chief Security Officer detained

    Jonathan’s ex-Chief Security Officer detained

    The Chief Security Officer (CSO) to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Godwin Obuah, has been arrested by the Department of State Security (DSS) for yet to be disclosed reasons.

    Obuah, a senior official of the DSS was taken into custody on Thursday, four days after he had been reporting daily at the Abuja Headquarters of the agency as directed.

    Online publications which broke the news yesterday suggested that his incarceration might not be unconnected with certain oil bunkering deals when he served at the Presidential Villa and alleged movement of security allocation from the seat of power in the dying days of the Jonathan Administration.

    These could not be officially verified last night.

    Obuah is said to be in solitary confinement in an underground cell at the DSS Headquarters.

    He is reportedly denied access to his family, doctor and lawyer.

    The Cable (online publication) said Obuah has also embarked on hunger strike to protest the condition in which he is being kept.

     

  • Policemen detained for shooting at bus

    Policemen detained for shooting at bus

    THERE was panic in Ilupeju, Lagos yesterday as policemen shot at a passenger-laden commercial bus.

    The policemen are being detained at Ilupeju Police Station on the order of Lagos Command spokesman Kenneth Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP). Nwosu told our reporter last night that what the policemen did was wrong.

    The policemen pursued the bus from Ikorodu Road into Adegboyega Street in Ilupeju, shooting, as passersby and residents running for cover.

    They fired at the Oyingbo-bound vehicle, with number-plate KRD 516 XF when the driver allegedly refused to stop as ordered. The bullets hit the front tyre which got burst while the bus was on motion.

    The incident happened at 9am on the one-lane Coker Road in Ilupeju in Odi Olowo-Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA). The bus was carrying traders who went to buy food stuff at Mile 12 Market in Ketu.

    When the driver eventually stopped in front of a church on Adegboyega Street, four policemen, riding in a pick-up marked, “Police Ilupeju Division” with number-plate MUS 04 AW, descended on the driver and his conductor, with the butts of their rifles.

    The passengers fled the scene to avoid being beaten by the policemen, who also used the sharp ends of their guns to deflate the bus remaining tyres. It took the residents’ intervention to rescue the driver from the policemen.

    Tempers rose when the residents demanded to know the offence of the driver, who was identified as Fatai Olatunji. The policemen tried to whisk him away, but residents resisted the move. The officers were also prevented from towing the bus to their station. Hot arguments ensued between the residents and the policemen, which almost led to confrontation.

    Afraid of being attacked by the mob, one of the officers, Adams Ajih with Force Number 358918, called their station, claiming that the driver attempted to kill them.

    Speaking to our reporter, Ajih said: “The commercial bus driver took the wrong lane and faced the police vehicle. We tried to stop him but he fled. This is why we chased the bus. But, it is not true that we fired shots at the vehicle. Rather, the driver attempted to kill us by driving on our lane.”

    When our reporter told the policemen that Coker Road is one-lane, Ajih insisted that the driver was driving on “one-way road”.

    Olatunji denied taking one-way, alleging that the policemen attempted to extort money from him.

    Olatunji said: “I was coming from Ketu and passed through Ilupeju to avoid the traffic gridlock on Ikorodu Road. As  I drove on Coker Road, I discovered a vehicle had broken down on the road. I moved to negotiate to the opposite lane to avoid the faulty vehicle and rejoin the lane in the front; then, I saw the police pick-up coming from the opposite direction.

    “I moved back a bit to allow the policemen go, since they have the right of way. But, they asked me to stop. I asked what my offence was, but they could not mention anything.

    “One of them came down and broke my side mirror. Another officer also shot at the vehicle, which made me drive away from the scene. The policemen made a turn and ran after my bus. I later found out the front tyre had burst after being hit by bullets.”

    A passenger, who gave his name as Taofeek, said the passengers were terrified by the policemen’s action.

    As the mob grew, the policemen left, saying they were going to get a towing-vehicle to remove the bus from the road. They did not return.

    Another officer identified in the police vehicle is Monday with Force Number 362282.

     

  • Presidential poll: Group demands detained APC members’ release

    A non-governmental organisation, Coalition for Change and Good Governance, has demanded the release or prosecution of four All Progressives Congress (APC) members allegedly arrested before the March 28 presidential and National Assembly elections.

    In a statement yesterday by its coordinator, Rasaq Olasunkanmi, the group listed those allegedly arrested as Ismail Abiodun, Sakiru Abiola, Olalekan Akin Taiwo and Yemi Taiwo.

    It alleged that they were arrested about three days to the elections, adding that they are being detained at the State Security Service (SSS) facility in Shangisha, Lagos.

    Olasunkanmi said more than a week after the elections, the APC members had neither been released nor charged to court.

    He claimed that they are being denied access to their family members, adding: “Their continued detention has put their families in psychological and emotional turmoil.”

    The statement reads: “By this token and in the spirit of national healing, we call on the security agents that arrested these APC members in Bariga area of Somolu Local Government during the build up to the March 28, 2015 election to release them immediately.

    “We also call on the President to prevail on the SSS to effect the release of these people immediately as their only offence is choosing to support a particular candidate. We implore the leadership of APC not to abandon these people to their fate but to engage the relevant agencies to facilitate their freedom.

    “Democracy goes beyond voting. Deepening our democracy is not limited to change of political baton but include all pre-and-post election best practices. Hence, releasing the arrested persons for supporting some candidates or party will put our democracy on the path of greatness.”

  • Ex-Mint boss detained ahead extradition to UK

    Ex-Mint boss detained ahead extradition to UK

    Former Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) Managing Director Emmanuel Ehidiamhen Okoyomon is to be extradited to Britain for trial.

    Attorney-General of the Federation Mohammed Bello Adoke(SAN) has filed extradition papers in the Court in Abuja as a precondition for Okoyomon’s relocation.

    An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Okoyomon has been arrested and detained by the anti-graft agency in preparation for his presentation to the court for extradition.

    Britain is seeking Okoyomon’s extradition over his alleged role in the bribery allegation involving officials of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigeria Security, Minting and Printing Company (NSPM) and Securency International Pty of Australia between 2006 and 2008.

    “The AGF will argue the application for the extradition in court and once it is endorsed by the judge, we will extradite Okoyomon to the UK,” the source said.

    Okoyomon was the chief executive of the NSMPC until November 2013 when he was suspended by the Board of the CBN in the wake of the N1000 notes disappearance scandal.

    According to some sources, the extradition was approved by the Federal Government, following substantial investigation into the scam by the EFCC in collaboration with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the British National Crime Agency (BNCA).

    It was learnt that the outcome of the investigation revealed a “kind of international network and the diversion of the bribe sums into slush accounts in the UK and Canada”.

    Okoyomon has been under investigation since 2012, following a request by the British National Crime Agency.

    “The request for extradition also followed the discovery by the Australian authorities that some CBN and Mint officials received bribes and kick backs from Securency Pty Limited, a polymer substrate producing company for the contract to produce N20 polymer notes for the CBN between 2006 and 2008.

    Another source gave some insight into the findings of the EFCC and international agencies involved in the probe.

    The bribes were routed through offshore accounts in the UK and other jurisdictions

    The EFCC investigation uncovered a web of forgery, identity fraud and money laundering running into millions of naira.

    The erstwhile Mint boss allegedly used the names of his driver and clerk to open bank accounts in which he diverted funds without their knowledge.

    He allegedly forged a driver’s licence with the photograph of his driver but bearing a different name belonging to his official clerk to open the account in which N368million proceeds of laundered bribery funds were traced, with Okoyomon as the sole beneficiary.

    “Over N750million is alleged to have exchanged hands between officials of the CBN, the NSPMC and Securency International Pty of Australia (now Innovia Security Pty Limited).

    President Umaru Yar‘Adua launched the N5, N10 and N50 polymer notes  on September 30, 2009 at the Presidential Villa.

  • Detained ‘gay pastor’ regains freedom

    For five days, an Imo State-based pastor was in police cell before he regained his freedom last week. He was said to have had sex with a 13-year-old boy.

    The pastor, simply identified as Chinagoro, was detained at the Oyigbo Police Station, Rivers State, before his release, following a controversial truce.

    He allegedly committed the offence in the Mbesie Local Government Area of Imo State. The suspect, it was learnt, oversees a Healing Prayer Ministry, where victim was serving him.

    The boy, Destiny, a talented drummer, has long lost his father. He was living in Omuahia with his mother before they relocated to Port Harcourt, where the pastor visited one of his sisters and offered to assist Destiny because of his family’s poor condition.

    In his statement at the police station, Destiny said: “The pastor was making love to me and other children in the anus after stripping us naked.”

    He said he left the suspect’s home and reported the matter to his mother because he was always recording their affairs with one of his phone sets. He also said he usually heard strange noise at night after the act.

    At the police station, the second day after the pastor’s arrest, a pregnant lady, who identified him as her brother, told this reporter: “The police arrested my brother after Destiny accused him of committing homosexual affair with him. But I don’t think my brother could do such thing.

    “It was in my house that my brother (the suspect) met Destiny and decided to help him out of their family’s misery and took him to Imo State where his ministry is located. He has been running his ministry for years and nobody has accused him of any wrong doing.”

    The station’s Divisional Police Officer (DPO), simply identified as Mr Joseph, confirmed that the matter was reported there, saying that it was still under investigation. He asked this reporter to come back last Friday for details.

    Following the DPO’s directive, his Divisional Crime Officer (DCO), Mr Harrison, briefed the reporter, saying that lawyers of the suspect and the victim, including his mother, had agreed to make peace.”

    However, the victim’s mother said: “It is the police that forced me to accept. The suspect has already made confession about his atrocities and that was why I hired a lawyer.

    “To my greatest surprise, my lawyer changed overnight as soon as she met with the police that was how the issue of peace started. I was not in support of that initially, but as a poor woman, I have no option than to let go.”

    She added: “The police have paid the bill for the treatment of my son’s anus, but my annoyance is that the doctor who had been cooperating with me have suddenly changed.

    “My lawyer told me that I would be compensated with N100, 000 on Sunday, but the meeting scheduled between the suspect, my lawyer and the police could not hold because the suspect was indisposed.”

    However, The Nation learnt that the suspect may have another problem awaiting him as parents of another “victim” were poised to fight him.

  • Detained journalists released

    Two detained Nigerian journalists have been freed after they were detained without charges for over a week by Nigeria’s secret police.

    The journalists were detained for allegedly writing stories about the radical Islamist sect, Boko Haram, and military abuses.

    Mohammed Garba, President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), yesterday said Musa Mohammed Awwal and Aliyu Saleh, journalists with a weekly Hausa language newspaper, Al-Mizan, were freed around noon.

    Garba said the two men had not been abused or mistreated while in custody. He said the two journalists may have to return for questioning again by the State Security Service (SSS).

    Both journalists were arrested on December 24 at their homes in Kaduna. Their newspaper has reportedly published a series of stories about alleged military abuses and Boko Haram.

     

  • Detained ACN members get bail

    Detained ACN members get bail

    Five members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), who were arrested by the police on October 3 after the party’s rally in Ondo town, were yesterday granted bail by an Akure Magistrate’s Court, after spending 27 days at Olokuta Prison, Akure.

    The were granted N500,000 bail each and are to produce two sureties.

    The sureties must be civil servants and landlords.

    Two of the accused, Samson Otugbo (66) and Oyewole Gabriel (67), accused the police of witch-hunting them because they were ACN members.

    They alleged that they were arrested in Ondo for wearing vests with the inscription: “Akeredolu for Governor”.

    They alleged that they were taken to the police headquarters in Akure and were detained on trumped-up charges.

    The court refused the accused bail on October 5 following objection by the Attorney-General of Ondo State, Justice Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), who took over the case from the police prosecutor.

    Counsel to the accused Titiloye Charles said it was wrong for them to be remanded in prison custody when the prosecution failed to begin the trial or produce any witness to substantiate its allegation.

    The prosecution team from the Attorney-General’s office was not in court yesterday. Magistrate F. A. Akintoye was also absent. He was said to have begin his leave.

    His ruling on the bail application was read by a Magistrate Court Seven on his behalf.

    The families of the accused alleged that the suspects were remanded in prison custody to prevent them from participating in the election.

     

  • Police release detained journalist in Osun

    Mr Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Osun State Correspondent of The Sun Newspaper, who was arrested and detained on Monday by the state Police command, has been released.

    Gbolagunte was detained for several hours at the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Osogbo over a report which the Police criticised.

    Mrs Kalafite Adeyemi, the Commissioner of Police, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the matter had been settled while the case file had been closed.

    Mrs. Adeyemi said Gbolagunte was arrested in connection with the aftermath of students’ protest in Ila-Orangun College of Education in which he reported that one policeman died.

    She clarified that no officer died and no corpse was found anywhere in the town as reported in the newspaper, stressing that the report jolted the police.

    The commissioner, who cautioned reporters in their news reportage, called for full investigation of stories so as to avoid publishing lies to the public.

    Gbolagunte had recalled how the Police asked him to write a statement on what he knew about a story captioned: “Police Officer found dead after Osun students riot” on Friday.

    He recalled how he was arrested and whisked away by detectives without telling him his offence and how he was lumped up with suspected criminals in a cell.

    “The suspects gave me two slaps and hit me in the chest for not giving them the money they demanded as a new comer in the cell,” the journalist lamented.

    Gbolagunte said his release was due to the intervention of Alhaji Ismaila Ayodele, the chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), top government officials and fellow journalists.