The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Revealed

  • REVEALED: HOW ALEX BADEH’S KILLERS PLOTTED HIS DEATH

    Detectives from the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have revealed that the killers of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Alex Badeh, used a Dane gun.

    Air Vice-Marshal Badeh was killed on December 18 last year by hoodlums who attacked his convoy on the Keffi- Kaduna Expressway while he was returning from his farm on the border between Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory. The revelation is coming on the heels of the arrest of four additional suspects believed to have taken active roles in the murder, including an informant identified simply as Maube.

    The IRT source further disclosed that the arrest of the four additional suspects brought the number of suspects arrested in connection with the killing to five. It recalled that IRT operatives had on December 23, 2018, through a tip-off, arrested one Rabo Shuiabu Rabo, who allegedly fired the shot that killed the ex-CDS, and he confessed during interrogation that another suspect known as Ciroma invited him and his brother, Yayaha, for the operation. Shuaibu was said to have stated further that Ciroma, who provided three of the guns they used for the operation, including the Dane gun he used in killing the ex-CDS, did not tell him that their target was a former CDS. Shuiabu confessed that Ciroma told him that their target was coming to Panda area of Nassarawa State with a huge amount of money which he intended to use in buying a farmland in the area.

    The IRT source further revealed that after Badeh was killed and one of his friends, Joseph, was kidnapped, operatives of the IRT, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba Kyari, swung into action and arrested Shuiabu through information provided by some Fulani businessmen within the state, and Shuiabu’s confessions aided the IRT operatives in apprehending, Ciroma and three other suspects, namely Maube, Yayaha and Abdulahi. The source also disclosed that after the four other suspects were arrested, it was discovered that Maube, who was the middleman between the late Badeh and the owner of the farmland which he wanted to buy, contracted Ciroma and the other four suspects to attack Badeh’s convoy on the fateful day.

    He was said to have been the one who brought two of the Ak-47 rifles that were used for the operation while Ciroma sourced the three other rifles, including the Dane gun that was used for the operation. The source added that when Badeh’s corpse was examined, pellets from the Dane gun’s bullet were extracted from his body. Narrating how he organised the robbery operation that led to the killing of the late ex-CDS, Ciroma said: “There was a day I went to meet a man called Maube, who lives in Kare, close to Panda area of Nasarawa State. He told me that there was a rich man who had a farm in his area and he would need some boys to rob the man. “I contacted one Shuiabu who I met in Gitata Market and told him about the plan and he got interested and brought in his brother, Yahaya. “I took their numbers, and three days later, Maube called me and said that the rich man was in his farm on that day, saying that I should call my boys. I called Shuiabu and told him that the man was on ground and Shuiabu brought two persons: Yahaya and Baso.

    “They met me at Gitata and Maube called me and said that the rich man had left the farm and was driving through Panda Road. Maube took a motorcycle and followed the rich man behind while I and six others, namely Alhaji Lamido, Galma, Rabo, Shuiabu, Yahaya and Baso, waited for the man at Zomgo area of the state, close to Buratai’s farm. “Then Abdulahi, who was carrying Alhaji Maube on his bike, brought two guns to us and pointed the vehicle to us, and we came outside and waylaid it. “We had four Ak-47 rifles in that operation. I brought two Ak-47 rifles and a single-barrel Dane gun. I got one of the Ak-47 rifles from a friend known as Rontumi and another from Rugumi.

    The Dane gun belongs to me, and we entered the road and blocked the man’s convoy. I don’t know who among us fired the shot that killed him because three persons fired. “I went to the man’s car, opened it and found money in it. I gave the money to Ibrahim Abdulahi and asked him to give the money to Maube. It was the next day that we knew that the person we killed was a four-star general. I don’t know the amount that was in that bag because it was with Maube.” Recalling how he was arrested, 35-year-old Ciroma, who said he has two wives and eight children, said: “I am a taxi driver and I ply the Kaduna-Keffi Expressway. “Around 5 pm on 24 December, 2018, I was at Panda Market, waiting for passengers when a bus blocked me and policemen came out of it. I was dragged into the bus and I saw Shuiabu in it. “I was swiftly handcuffed and taken to the Keffi Area Command in Nasarawa State. There they asked me if I was part of the gang that blocked the road and killed Alex Badeh, and I said no. But  when I was brought to Abuja, I had no option but to confess.” On his part, Ibrahim Abudulahi, 26, a native of Kare area of Nassarawa State, said he did not know that Alhaji Maube was planning a robbery operation when he called him to take him to Gitata in December 2018. He said: “I am a farmer and I also ride commercial motorcycle because I needed extra money to fend for my family.

    “Alhaji (Maube) called me on a Tuesday in December 2018 and asked me to take him to Panda area of Nasarawa State. “When we got to his shop, he asked me to stop and I did. He went into his shop and brought a bag. I didn’t know what was in the bag. He only told me to take the bag to Gitata and hand it over to Ciroma. “I went there and stopped at Buritai’s farm where Ciroma and Shuiabu and Alhaji came to meet me and collected the bag from me, after which they asked me to wait nearby, but I went to the back of Buritai’s farm and waited. “A few minutes later, I heard rounds  of gunshots and Ciroma called me to come for the bag I gave him, and he also handed me another bag containing money and told me to give the bag to Alhaji Maube.” Shuiabu, 25, a native of Bade area of Kaduna State, said he was not aware that it was the bullets from his gun was that killed the Badeh, adding that he was not the only person that shot at the deceased  general’s convoy. He said: “What happened was that before last year’s Christmas, I went to the market and I met Ciroma, and he told me that there was a big man who had a farm in Panda and was coming to buy another farm within the area.

    Badeh Killer Suspect

    “He said he would want us to rob the man when he brought the money for payment. It was on a Friday and Ciroma told me that the man was coming on a Tuesday to pay for the land. “On that Tuesday, I went to my own farm and told my friend Yahaya about it. We called Ciroma to know if the job was still on, and Chiroma asked us to come. I also called one of my friends known as Baso and we went through the back of Gitata and got to Bruitaia’s farm. “When we met Ciroma, he gave me a Dane gun but I saw five guns with him. He gave the rest to the other people with us. “When the operation started, my friend, Yahaya, was on my right with a stick and I was in the front. But Ciroma and the other guys were ahead of us. When the vehicle that was carrying the man and the money came, the people in front started shooting. “At that point, I cannot tell who killed the man. And when we got to the vehicle, Ciroma brought out a bag from it. He gave me N25,000 and said he would call me when the money was ripe for sharing. I didn’t know that the man was killed by the bullet from the gun I used for the operation.”

  • Revealed: How IPOB scuttled $120m finance for Enyimba Hotel

    At the early stage of the current government of Abia State under Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, there was an announcement that the jinxed and abandoned Enyimba International Hotel project, began by the late Chief Sam Mbakwe, then governor of the defunct Imo State, was about to be resuscitated and completed. An average hotel project takes about 18 months to two years. Months to the end of the first tenure of the current state government, the hope of completing the hotel project has once again been dashed.

    Investigation by The Nation reveals that the non conducive business climate in Aba city last year, as a result of the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), temporarily truncated the project.

    The Executive Vice Chairman of Investory Signatures Limited, the investment firm with 65 per cent equity stake in Aba SPV Limited, owners of Enyimba International Hotel, Dr. Wasiu Babalola, revealed the reason why the hotel is still not completed. He said it was the activities of IPOB that truncated the project.

    He said: “Initially, funding was the issue. But towards the end of last year, we were able to secure the funding from the United States of America (USA). While we were finishing the discussion for the project’s funding, that was when the IPOB, said there should be no movement in Aba. It became a national issue. So, those guys (investors) pulled out.

    “They said if a regional militia could say something and everybody stayed indoors, what would happen if they invest their money and IPOB wakes up to say they don’t want the hotel and everybody follows them? That was how that one was stalled. I even have the offer letter they gave me in principle, which is about 120 million dollars for the project.”

    Babalola further said: “What we are now looking at, based on the recent meeting we had in Ghana, is the option of financing with the suppliers. Since no investor wants to put down funds in Aba at the moment until after the elections, we are trying to see if we can talk with the suppliers to deliver the job so that instead of paying them 100 per cent, we would pay like 20 per cent while they will get their balance after the hotel might have opened. We are hoping by then, other investors might have started showing interest. That is the model we are looking at.”

    Asked whether the state government is doing enough, in the light of this hiccup, to make the hotel project a reality, Babalola said: “ The fault is not from the government. The Abia State government is not even a party to Enyimba Hotel. The state government does not have  a stake in the project. They have no equity. They just came in to show the political will for the project. These are some of the things we used to help in getting the funding. What the state government did which we give them the kudos for was that they supported the project with the political will, which is one of the things we used in canvassing on the viability of the project. The government itself does not have any stake in Enyimba Hotel. It is an entirely a private sector initiative.

    “So, the project would have come up if not for the IPOB issue last year. With the offer letter we got, what we needed for Enyimba Hotel was about 50 million Dollars. For the funding, they said the minimum of about 100 million Dollars, so we had to add two projects in Lagos. That was the whole idea, but it was the IPOB issue that spoilt everything.  So, it is more of a societal issue that is affecting the project, because the action of IPOB sent the wrong signal to the international. So, what we are looking at now is an alternative funding method because the guys  are not  willing to proceed because of the issues mentioned above. So, we are now trying to look at equity participation but with the suppliers.”

    Asked why the Abia State government can’t  give a loan guarantee for the project as seen during the construction of Tinapa, Babalola said: “Tinapa is owned by  Cross River State and they had to talk to the Federal Government to get the loan guarantee based on the allocation the state receives from the Federation Account. Enyimba is not a state project. It is an entirely private sector project. It was formally a project of Eastern Central State. When they created Imo State it was transferred to Imo State. The then governor of Imo State, the late Chief Sam Mbakwe started the public-private sector partnership on the project. They had already sold like 80 per cent to private equity  as at that time. When they transferred it to Abia State, the state had only about 20 per cent. Abia State later sold its 20 per cent to the organized private sector. So, it is entirely a private sector project. Had it been the government has about five per cent, then the state government could be called upon to give a loan guarantee. That is why it is difficult for the state government to give a bank guarantee for loan on the project.”

  • Revealed: Why Osun tribunal was reconstituted

    •PDP supporters protest disbandment •APC berates opposition’s ‘shenanigans’

    Facts have emerged on why the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, reconstituted the Osun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

    The Nation learnt that Justice Bulkachuwa’s decision was informed by the need to allow more judges to preside over post-election cases and prevent a situation where the same set of judges sit at election tribunals.

    It was also learnt that the Appeal Court President decided to use new judges for the Osun tribunal on realising that some members of the earlier panel had sat on similar election cases.

    The Nation gathered that the reconstituted panel will begin sitting “very soon” in Osogbo, the state capital.

    Appeal Court’s spokesperson Mrs. Sa’adatu Musa confirmed the dissolution of the panel, which was earlier constituted to hear the petitions arising from the recently concluded Osun governorship election.

    She said by reconstituting the panel, the Appeal Court President merely exercised her constitutional powers to so act.

    Mrs. Musa said the reconstitution of the panel was a mere administrative decision meant to ensure orderliness.

    She said: “It is true that the Osun panel has been reconstituted by the President. The Appeal Court President is not required to give reasons for her action. The law allows her to determine who sits in any panel.

    “The earlier panel has not started sitting. So, there is no need for anyone to be suspicious. The new panel will soon begin sitting,” she said.

    Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State yesterday protested at the State High Court in Osogbo the “disbandment” of the tribunal.

    The party’s supporters accused the ruling APC of being behind the disbandment, saying they would resist “any attempt to subvert the will of the people of Osun State”.

    A PDP leader, Niyi Owolade, who is also a former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, described the alleged disbandment of the tribunal as an attempt to “commit a second robbery against the people of Osun State”.

    Owolade, who expressed worry over the disbandment, noted that the party filed a petition on Tuesday in which he said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the governor-elect, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola and the APC were joined as respondents.

    He said: “While we have been able to serve the first respondent, the second and the third respondents declined service. So, we brought an application here yesterday (Wednesday) for substituted service.

    “The application was to have been heard 9 a.m today, but we were surprised when we heard that the panel had been disbanded. What is even more surprising is that they disbanded a panel without replacement.

    “We all know that election petition matters are sui jeneris. Our 180 days started counting from October 16. Section 285, sub-section 6 of the 1999 Constitution is clear about that.

    “By the 180-day duration, a final judgment on this matter is to be delivered on or before April 15, 2019. Time is of essence.

    “We are surprised that the President of Appeal Court, who is saddled with the responsibility of constituting an election tribunal, has not deemed it fit to put in place a new panel.”

    The ruling APC in Osun State expressed dismay at what it called the “shenanigans” of the PDP on the dissolution of the tribunal.

    In a statement yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, by its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, APC described PDP’s protest as “irresponsible and desperate”.

    The statement said: “Nothing could be more absurd than the PDP’s accusation of the APC as the brain behind the dissolution of the Electoral Tribunal. We will like the people of Osun to remember that this same phenomenon occurred in 2014 when the same PDP went to tribunal, attempting to annul the re-election of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola at the time.

    “By our record, which is public knowledge, the tribunal was dissolved three times. Because we did not know what was responsible for the dissolution, the APC did not issue stupid statements nor was any irresponsible protest organised against those dissolutions.

    “This was because we were neither privy to, nor was it our responsibility to question the action of the Judiciary. We had faith in the process and we allowed it to run its course. This was at a time the PDP itself was in charge of government in Abuja.

    “The PDP should be called to order because it is about time it got responsible. What we are witnessing is an escalation of the distrust in the political process and a lack of faith in the Judiciary, which does no good to our democracy.

    “We are not inclined to engage the PDP in an unnecessary argument over the judicial process.  Let the justice system play itself out and our politicians are obligated to respect the decisions of the court.

    “Pretending as the PDP is doing to ascribe ulterior motives to the dissolution of the Electoral Tribunal is to assume knowledge that is not available to the public. Worst of all, to accuse the APC and the Judiciary of collusion to miscarry justice without an iota of proof is a criminal action.

    “Finally, we are sick and tired of PDP’s habitual lying; it’s about time the party changed its course and became an agent of truth rather than a megaphone of lies and instigators of political rascality.”

     

  • Revealed: Why Ebri, others moved against Sanwo-Olu’s emergence

    Facts have emerged on why the Clement Ebri-led National Electoral Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) attempted to scuttle the gubernatorial primary election held across the 377 wards of Lagos State last Tuesday.

    In a move that shocked many people within and outside the state, the electoral committee had first announced that it was not aware of any primary election in the state after Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had emerged clear winner ahead of incumbent Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

    Highly placed sources who closely monitored the drama as it unfolded said the panelists were hijacked by some officials of the state government who made it impossible even for APC stakeholders in the state to interface with them.

    One of the sources said:”The APC electoral officials were cornered and cajoled into working against the general interest of the majority of APC members in Lagos State who had trooped out to make a loud statement about who they wanted as their party’s candidate in 2019.

    “To the embarrassment of the National Working Committee that sent them to Lagos, they made themselves willing tools in the hands of people determined to truncate the wishes of party members.

    “No sooner had Ebri and committee members landed in Lagos on Monday than they insisted on having an ‘audience’ with Governor Ambode.

    “The leadership of the APC in the state counselled against this alongside some other stakeholders present at the reception of the national officers on their arrival.

    “Those opposed to their request to visit the governor argued that it was grossly unethical for supposed umpire in an exercise to be holding nocturnal meeting with a contestant in the race.

    “But Ebri and his men insisted and subsequently had their way. Off they went to Alausa with Balogun, the state APC chairman in tow. On arrival at the Governor’s Office, they were asked by inquisitive reporters what their mission was at the place. Ebri, determined to have his desired private chat with Ambode, told journalists that he and his men were at Alausa for an interactive meeting.

    “The NWC members were received in the state by the Lagos State Chairman of APC. They have no reason whatsoever to meet with the governor before the conduct of the primary election scheduled for the very next day. It was only because they insisted and were ready to make a serious issue out of the matter that they were led them to Alausa by Balogun.

    “However, immediately the reporters were ushered out of the hall, Governor Ambode asked the State Chairman of the party and others with him to allow him talk to the committee members in private.  After once again pointing out that the idea of a private meeting between a contestant and the umpires was unethical, Balogun left Ebri and his members with Ambode.

    “Though the meeting was behind closed door, it is not impossible that it was at that instant that Ambode started the process of winning the committee members to his side ahead of the governorship primary election holding the next day.”

    The Nation gathered that Ebri and his people were later moved to Protea Hotel in Ikeja by state government officials later that night, contrary to the accommodation arrangement already made by the state leadership of the APC.

    It was gathered that the same hotel had, before then, served as the operational base of some prominent backers of the governor.

    “From that point, the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was hijacked by Ambode’s men. They tactically prevented anybody, including state leaders of the party, from having access to them. Consequently, as if taken hostage, Ebri and his people were prevented from monitoring the party’s governorship primary that took place on Tuesday. Even some of the governor’s known business associates joined in the nocturnal plot to influence Ebri and his members.”

    “When indications emerged that Jide Sanwo-Olu had won the primaries under the supervision of relevant institutions like INEC, Ebri decided to play the spoiler by announcing that as far as the panel was concerned no primaries had taken place,” another source said.

     

  • How Buhari, Osinbajo plan to sack Daura was nearly aborted

    •No cracks in Aso Rock Villa, say sources
    •President to decide ex-DG DSS boss’ fate

    President Muhamnadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo agreed to review the appointment of Mr. Lawal Daura as Director-General, Department of State Security Service (DSS), barely two weeks to the commencement of the president’s 10-day vacation, according to fresh information yesterday.

    But the plan was nearly aborted by some influential backers until the two leaders stood their ground, The Nation gathered authoritatively yesterday.

    Besides, presidential villa sources said that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, there are no cracks in the relationship between Buhari and Osinbajo.

    It is understood that the duo took “big decisions together in the past two weeks.”

    Osinbajo fired Daura on August 7 following the blockade of the National Assembly by DSS operatives.

    The Vice President said Daura took the action without authority from the Presidency.

    That happened three days after the President left for London on vacation.

    Buhari returned to Abuja yesterday at the expiration of his vacation and sources told The Nation that he will decide the fate of the former DSS DG.

    Giving a rare insight yesterday into how the President and the Vice President function, a Presidential Villa source said: “Less than two weeks before the president departed for the UK on vacation there was a decision already reached to replace the former Director-General of the DSS who was later fired by the Acting President.

    “The decision however did not see the light of day when some influential backers of the sacked DG rallied together to frustrate the plan.

    “But unknown to many of the backers both the President and his deputy have always discussed the need to review the appointments of some of the security chiefs including the sacked DG.”

    Another source said there has been no crack in the presidency contrary to insinuations in some quarters.

    “The President and VP have closely been aligned all along including in the past two weeks that the Vice President governed in acting capacity,” the source said.

    “Although the President was on vacation he and the VP were in contact by phone to discuss important state issues and compare notes.

    “In all their interactions, the President always encouraged the VP to do the needful and take charge effectively.

    “It is really pointless to try to attribute some of these decisions in a manner that suggests that may be the President would not have taken them or that it was just one arm of the presidency responsible for them.

    “The President and his deputy are far much closer than any other set of leaders the country has produced at least since 1999, if not even beyond.”

    “It is therefore mischievous for some people to be comparing the two leaders. Truth is that the President and his VP act in concert and credit ought to be given to the President who has ensured over and again that the VP is certainly a major power broker in the presidency.

    “There is hardly a move the VP would make without first securing the blessing of the President and both of these gentlemen have developed mutual trust and confidence in each other and this is beneficial for the country.”

    On the overhaul of the SARS, a third source said the Vice President did not act unilaterally either.

    The source added: “the matter had featured prominently in regular interactions of both the President and the VP and also interactions by both of them with the Inspector-General of Police.

    “In a similar vein, the decision of the National Economic Council to set up a committee to work with the Inspector-General of Police and find ways to decentralize police operations is a reflection of discussions and plans that both the President and the Vice President have gone over a number of times previously.”

     

  • Revealed: Who got what in $16b Obasanjo power deals

    With the controversy stirred by allegations and counter-allegations over the alleged $16 billion investment in the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) still raging, another report has shown the identities of 27 companies that benefited in the cash, reports Managing Editor YUSUF ALLI.

    FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration spent about N1.2 trillion on the controversial National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP), an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) report has said.

    But only N360.7billion had been paid to the contractors — as at 2007 when Obasanjo exited power.

    The administration also spent N273.65billion on Power Holding Company of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007.

    According to the report, which was compiled using the naira, 27 companies got the contracts for transmission lines.

    Compiled by former EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Lamorde when he headed the agency in acting capacity, the report was said to have been handed over to a former Chairman of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, when she resumed office.

    According to the report, exclusively obtained by The Nation,the figures were arrived at after extensive investigations by the anti-graft commission.

    President Muhammadu Buhari has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration of blowing $16b on power. Obasanjo replied that he was never indicted, adding: “The answer is simple: The power is in the seven National Integrated Power Projects and eighteen gas turbines that Chief Obasanjo’s successor who originally made the allegation of $16 billion did not clear from the ports for over a year and the civil works done on the sites.” The report said: “Further investigations also revealed that a National Integrated Power Project is currently apace in six zones of the country for which about N1, 230,949,066,528.99 was committed by the Federal Government.

    “The projects were also at different levels of completion but as at the moment of this report, N360, 714, 147, 700.03 has been paid out to contractors, leaving a balance of N870, 234, 918, 828.06 yet to be paid, pending the completion of the project.

    “After an in-depth investigation and rigorous check on all documents relating to these contracts, the payments made so far, and the contractors handling the project, it is impossible to draw a nexus between the former President or any individual or companies associated with him and the proceed accruing from the contract payments.”

    On the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the report claimed that about N273.65billion was released to the agency between 1999 and 2007 for its day-to-day activities.

    Also, the PHCN separately received N22.297billion and 162,467.57billion; US$445.244.630.07million; Euro 20, 105,436.31million; and £8,987,322million for about 27 contracts on electricity generation and transmission.

    The report adds: “On the issue of NEPA (now the Power Holding Company of Nigeria), investigation has revealed that between 1999 and 2007, over N273.65billion has been received by the institution and not N521billion as alleged. This appropriation is for its day-to-day activities, including generation of electricity, its transmission and distribution to the people of Nigeria.

    “Investigations have also revealed that various contracts in relation to generation of electricity transmission were awarded which amounted to N22.297.162, 467.57billion; US$445.244.630.07million; Euro 20, 105,436.31million; and £8,987,322 million. All the documents relating to payments have been checked and scrutinised and there was no reference whatsoever to the former President, his relations or any front who benefited from the contracts.”

    The report listed some of the 27 contracts as follows:

    • Pivot Engineering Ltd was awarded contracts in the sum of $78,625,736.54 for the construction of Owerri-Ahoada-Yenagoa 132 KVA DC lines and substations. It is to be noted that out of this, $73,023,521.36 has been paid to the contractor.
    • ABB {Nig] Ltd [SAE] received a contract in the sum of $21,489,644.79million and Nl, 489,271,079.60billion for the construction of second Benin-Onitsha 330 kva SC lines. So far, the contractors have been paid the sum of Nl, 675,225,734:40billion
    • Siemens Ltd also benefited from a contract of Euro l5, 032,410.65million (Euros) and N200, 000,000million to provide Onitsha 150 Mva, 330/132/33 kva, T/F and 330 KV base at Onitsha and Benin. Out of this contract sum, it has received a total payment of El2, 499,567.00million( Euros)and N49, 979,258.00million
    • Energovod Src was awarded a project of Alaogi-Calabar 330 kva DC lines in the sum of $42,382,351.30million and N900, 000,000 for which payments to the tune of $23,851,466.58million and N431, 056,721.00million have been made.
    • AREYVA T/D SPR-and -MBH power-for offshore works for construction of bays got £8,987,322.00million and N600, 000,000million. The foreign payments have been fully made while only N161, 704,254.50million on the Naka was paid.
    • Chrome Consortium was awarded contracts for the provision of Gombe-Yola-Jakngo 330kva SC lines at $74,872,154.04million. It has been paid $50,000,000.
    • News Engineering Ltd got a contract valued at $3,485,113.50million and N250, 000,000million for the construction of Jalingo 2×30/40 mva; 132/33kv sub-station. It received $2,670,679.36million and N100, 850,347.04million.
    • Allaogi-Umuahia 132 kva DC line was awarded to Pivot Engineering at $4,067,940.00million; it got $3,978,676.10million and N406, 528,365million.
    • Valenz Holdings [Nig] Ltd got the contract for Umuahia 2×30/40 mva, 132/33kv substation at $7,083,399.48 million and N489, 704,091.00million.It was not clear if the company had been paid.
    • Kec/News Engineering handled Gombe-Damatru-Maiduguri 330kv lines at $30, 172, 772million and N2.5 billion
    • JKN Limited did Ado -Ekiti 132/33kva sub-station and Akure 132kva Liangbe extension at N822 million. It received N521million.
    • Kano- Dutse 132 kva DC and Dutse-Azare 132 kv SC line were done by LCEP at $50, 294, 388million.
    • ABB did Dutse- Azare 2×30/40MVA, 132/33KV Sub -stations cost $12,500,000:00million and €1,771,582:83million. The company received $11,074,967:81million and €354,316:40million /*.
    • The Egbin-Ikeja West/Benin Main 330kv DC line and sub-station was handled by Energo (Nig) Limited at $8,437,687 million and N141, 967,775:92million; it was paid $6,475,037:18 and Nl7, 488,890:06million .
    • NEPA-ACEB Power Interconnection Project (Counterpart Funding) was handled by SAE Power Lines and Areva (SIS) (Counterpart Funding on ADB Loan on senders) at Nl,194,500,000:00;  Nl,043,800,000:00 was paid.
    • News Engineering Nig Limited got the contract for the construction of lx30MVA, 132/33W substation at Keffi at N441,534,004:50; N251,700,000:00 was paid to the contractor.
    • Continental Engineering Nig Limited was awarded Talata Mafara 2×30/40MVA, 132/33kv substation ( N453, 532, 829:20) . The company was paid N420, 323,334:57.
    • Amukpe (Sapele) lx30/40MVA, 132/33kv sub station was handled by News Engineering Limited at $1,194,482:34 and N219,920,252:71. The company received $1,014,276:14 and N78,303,339:54.
    • ABB Power Katempe got National Stadium 132kv DC line for N347,000,000:00; it was paid N 173,500,000:00.
    • Twenty-six companies carried out FY2000 substation reinforcement projects (N2,679,487,010:00) They received N2.3billion, representing 90% of the contract sum.
    • ABB Nigeria Limited handled rehabilitation of Delta TV Switchyard  (€2,879,811:11 and N109,899,233:00); N36,822,340 was paid.
    • Nnewi 2x60MVA 132kv sub- station was awarded to Valenz Holdings Nigeria Ltd (€4,421,811:72 and N251, 833,400:00). It received N191, 734,122:52 .
    • CMC was awarded New 33kv substation at Omotosho ($30,325,386:00); $3,115,453:00 was paid.
    • Steers Int’l  Ltd   was   awarded   $1,395,353:83   and Nl 52,092,929:50 for the construction of New 330kv line at Ornotosho/Benin/ Ikeja West in which a down payment of $596,137:71 and N34,465,000:00 have been made to the contractor.
    • SEPCO got the $30,325,366:00 New 330kv substation at Papalanto. It was paid $8,915,453:00.
    • Kukwaba 2x60MYA, 132/33kv sub- station was awarded to NCEP at $5,252,932:61 and N272,237,433.25; 20% payment was made, which comes up to $1,050,586:52 and N54,447,486:65.
    • CCC Int’l Ltd is a company was awarded Onitsha-Nniwe-Ihiala 132kv DC line at $2, 631,003:58 and N 198,049,270:00.

    A report of the  Presidential Review Panel on the NIPP set up by the National Economic Council (NEC) said  as at 2007, “total project allocations/estimates for NIPP” amounted to $10.231 billion, including the $2 billion Federal Government counterpart funding for Mambilla Hydro Power project and $1.4 billion for additional nine turbines.

    According to the then Governor of Benue State, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, who made the presentation of the panel’s report, “ out of these commitments, only $3.08 billion was funded and scrutinised with advance payment guarantees from “first class” Nigerian banks and Letters of Credits issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).  Over $1.5 billion of the sum is still in the custody of the banks.”

    But the report said: “The committee  agreed that completing the project as initiated is the right way to go.”

    The NIPP contracts were actually executed from the crude oil sale windfall, which was kept in the Excess Crude Account (ECA).

    But the Revenue  Mobilsation  Allocation  and  Fiscal  Commission (RMAFC) declared the deductions/withdrawals from ECA as illegal because the cash belonged to the 36 states and the 774 Local Government Areas.

    It also obtained an injunction restraining the Federal Government  from withdrawing from the account.

    Most of the states also filed matters in court to challenge the withdrawals from ECA by the Federal Government.

  • PDP’s secret deal for Saraki, Dogara, Tambuwal, others

    •Party’s Contact and Integration Committee gets two-week extension
    •Jonathan’s ex-minister emerges dark horse in the race
    •Ex- Gov. Boni Haruna is Turaki’s Campaign DG
    •Dogara walks tight rope

    WHAT’S ON OFFER TO WHO

    • KWANKWASO: State PDP structure in Kano,  governorship ticket to his preferred candidate and Senatorial seat

     

    • SARAKI: PDP structure in Kwara,  governorship ticket to his candidate, Senate Presidency
    • presidential primaries, ministerial ticket if he loses 

      WAMMAKO: PDP structure in Sokoto, governorship ticket to his candidate, Senatorial seat

       

      DOGARA: Speaker, House of Reps; Ministerial appointment

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has given its Contact and Integration Committee a two-week extension to wrap up negotiations with Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who are keen on switching camps.

    Other bigwigs being expected are Governors Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto) and  Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara); Senators Rabiu Kwankwaso, Danjuma Goje, Aliyu Wammako, Ahmad Sani Yerima, Adamu Aliero, Sulaiman Nazif, Isa Hammah Misau,  Muhammad Muhammad, Shehu Sani and Dino Melaye; as well as a former PDP national chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje; and about 120 members of the House of Representatives.

    The Nation gathered yesterday that the secret deals have dragged this long because of persistent review of positions and shifting of grounds by the personalities involved.

    Highly placed sources gave our correspondent an insight into the demands of some of the intending defectors whom the PDP committee has rated as “assets” and what the PDP is willing to concede to them.

    Former Kano State Governor Kwankwaso is being offered control of the state structure of the PDP and the governorship ticket to go to his candidate.

    But the party does not see him going far in his presidential bid.

    “The best he can get from PDP is a return to the Senate because he cannot go far in his presidential bid,” a source said.

    “The party will allow him to contest its presidential primaries but he may not be the ultimate flag-bearer. Other concessions to Kwankwaso are handing over the State PDP structure to him and governorship ticket to go to his candidate.”

    The party expects some backlash from the camp of a presidential aspirant, ex-Governor Ibrahim Shekarau once Kwankwaso returns to the fold.

    Accordingly, it plans to placate Shekarau with a ministerial slot and ask him to “name his terms.”

    Regarding Tambuwal, the source said: “Nothing can stop his desire for the presidential ticket of PDP because he is desperate for it and he has invested heavily on his ambition across the country such that none of the aspirants can match his goodwill at present.

    “But his aspiration, buoyed by a prominent and PDP-inclined Northern Emir, may not translate to victory at the presidential primaries of the party.

    “Certainly, he is a major contestant for the presidential ticket in PDP except that with ex-Governor (Sen.) Aliyu Wammako, he needs to work on Plan B in case he fails in his bid.

    “The most visible alternative if he fails to clinch the presidential ticket is a ministerial appointment.

    “A smart and slippery politician, Tambuwal has hijacked the APC structure in the state from Wammako. Learning from the need to protect the home front, Wammako’s negotiation centres on the need to control the PDP structure in Sokoto State and produce the next governor of the state having not enjoyed much from Tambuwal who was foisted on him in 2015. Wammako is said to be sure of a return to the Senate, courtesy of PDP.

    “Both Tambuwal and Wammako have a game changer and grassroots politician, ex-Governor Attahiru Bafarawa (also a presidential aspirant) to contend with. It was Bafarawa who brought Wammako (popularly called Alu) into politics.

    “The people of Sokoto State will be willing to offload Tambuwal who hardly stays in the state because of his shuttles for the presidency.”

    The source said Saraki would have loved to be PDP’s presidential candidate but having weighed his chances; he prefers retaining “his present powerful position of President of the Senate which he seems to be enjoying.”

    The PDP has assured him that the position will be retained in the North-Central, especially Kwara State.

    It has also promised to grant him the control of the structure of the party in Kwara and allow him determine the governorship candidate and candidates for other elective offices.

    The source added: “Saraki will determine the fate of his godson, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who has been pleading for the senatorial slot of Kwara South District.

    “Ahmed can either be a Senator or a minister since the present ministerial position given to Kwara State resides in Kwara South District.

    “What will become of our former national chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje is left to Saraki to decide. Although Baraje, a sharp, patient and visionary ex-principal with depth in party politics, nurses gubernatorial ambition, but for historical reasons, the  Ilorin Emirate Council is not disposed to him.

    “His gubernatorial ambition is limited and it is left to Saraki not to make him a complete loser again after he led the New PDP (nPDP) revolt in 2014.”

    It was also gathered that strategists of President Muhammadu Buhari are working out a response on the security reports available to them on Saraki’s moves and PDP offers.

    This includes “wooing some of the present PDP leaders in the state like Moshood Mustapha (a hitherto trusted ally of Saraki), a young and sensational governorship aspirant, Alhaji Luqman Mustapha, and Senator Gbemisola Saraki, among others.”

    The plan is “not only to win Kwara State (which looks Herculean) but to defeat the Senate President in Kwara Central Senatorial District and forestall his return to the Senate.”

    The PDP is said to be in a sort of dilemma on the fate of House of Reps Speaker Dogara, a Christian minority from Bauchi State as it is difficult for him to seek a Senatorial slot or be a governorship candidate.

    The options for PDP on him are to “concede a return to the House of Representatives to him so he can retain the seat of a Speaker if the party has the majority or make him a minister if the opposition defeats the APC in 2019.”

    The probability of Dogara becoming Speaker again is however said to be remote because the PDP wants to use the position as a bait to woo the South-West and defeat Buhari in the zone.

    Sources said Dogara is adamant on a return to his seat as Speaker.

    Another source, who is neck-deep in the defection talks, said: “Dogara is a major challenge for us because aside his Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency, he is a paper weight in Bauchi State politics.

    “There was a time he visited his constituency with about 250 policemen and soldiers. He cannot aspire to either be a Senator or a governor in his state because he is a Christian minority.

    “But if he is able to win re-election in his constituency, where he is almost a perpetual winner in the past few years, the PDP can retain him in office to appease the Middle Belt. Otherwise, the best he will get is a ministerial appointment.”

    “Other Senators from Bauchi namely Sulaiman Nazif, Isa Hammah Misau, and Muhammad Muhammad who all desire automatic return to the upper chamber have been promised senatorial tickets by the PDP.

    The PDP rates Senator Danjuma Goje highly and is willing to cede the party structure in Gombe State to him.

    “The fact that he is in control of Gombe State politics is not in doubt,” said a second source.

    “His main asset has been his excellent performance in office as governor which has remained unbroken. If not for the rebellion of some of his political godsons, APC would have produced the governor of the state in 2015.

    “The PDP has taken note of his reunification of his political family and it is banking on Goje for a landslide victory. The deals with Goje include securing the PDP platform, allowing him to produce the governorship candidate, and offer of a senatorial seat.”

    But Goje may be resisted by Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo who cannot leave his political fate to the senator to determine.

    When Goje’s wife died and Dankwambo accompanied First Lady Aisha Buhari to commiserate with him, Goje poured invectives on the governor. It won’t be easy for him to regain control of PDP structure in Gombe from Dankwambo, both sources acknowledged.

    For Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima whose political son, Governor Abdul-Aziz Yari has built a parallel platform in Zamfara State, his safe berth will be PDP.

    If his deal sails through, this will be the first time he will be in PDP camp since 1999.

    The top source added: “For Yarima, who has been in the Senate since 2007, he needs PDP to assert his role as the godfather of Zamfara politics.

    “With his ally, ex-Governor Mahmud Shinkafi defecting from PDP to APC, the calculation of the opposition is that Yarima is a big catch.

    “Yarima wants the party structure, Senatorial ticket, the right to nominate the governorship candidate, which Yari will not allow him to do.

    “His problem is turning against President Buhari. Since 2007, he has sold Buhari to the people of the state and it is a dilemma to turn around and paint the President bad. The consequence of a volte face might be politically costly for him.”

    Sources also told The Nation that it has not been smooth sailing for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the PDP since he returned to the party from the APC which he accused of sidelining him.

    They said he rushed to defect to PDP without “proper negotiation.”

    “The only thing he has benefited from his defection is the amendment to PDP Constitution which gives equal rights to new and old members, especially aspiration for presidency,” one of the sources said.

    “So far, he is savouring this right to aspire for the presidency but he has since discovered that he has more hurdles to cross and more aspirants to contest with.

    “He appears to be a lone ranger with PDP governors playing a hide and seek game with him.

    “Whatever is the situation, PDP will allow  Atiku a symbolic shot at presidential primaries (as a veteran since 1993), put the party structure in Adamawa under  his arm pit and allow him a substantial say in the nomination of governorship and ministerial candidates. If he loses the party’s presidential ticket, he will remain a local political benefactor.

    “His former boss, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo is his albatross,” the source added.

    The PDP has ex-Osun Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola on its radar as the coordinator of the coalition against APC in 2019.

    The source said: “We don’t know whether or not he is returning to PDP or staying put in CNM (Obasanjo’s inspired Coalition for Nigeria Movement) or ADC.

    “Whatever it is, the PDP might grant him a Senatorial ticket or a ministerial nomination which he had expected from the current APC administration.

    “But Oyinlola is reputed to be the brain behind the emergence of Senator Ademola Adeleke after the death of Sen. Isiaka Adeleke. He has been fingered in the governorship ambition of Ademola which the PDP may buy into in order to win Osun State Governorship poll.”

    The scenario in Kaduna appears an arduous task for PDP where an influential politician Isa Ashiru and Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi (a politician with large following) are seeking the governorship ticket of the PDP following their sealed defection from APC.

    “Both Ashiru and Hunkuyi are already trying to outwit each other for the governorship ticket. It appears Ashiru might get the slot and Hunkuyi will return to the Senate with Shehu Sani if he moves to PDP,” sources said.

    The horse-trading in PDP is likely to continue over the next two weeks before the gale of defections begins.

    A party source said yesterday that the PDP leadership “extended the timeline of the Committee contact and Integration Committee by two weeks.”

    Asked to react to the ongoing deals by defectors, the National Publicity of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan, who was non-committal, said: “Certainly, everybody has his interest and politics is a game of interest. They might want to find expression in our party and how to go about it.

    “Our party is open and we welcome every member who has become despondent with the administration of APC. We urge all democrats wherever they may be to allow the coalition to work in order to chase away this inept government of President Buhari.”

    It was also gathered that Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs in the Goodluck Jonathan Administration, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN), is in the process of joining the presidential race on the platform of the PDP.

    Turaki, who is considered an aspirant without blemish, is being promoted by what a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) described as a “Third Force in PDP.”

    Some in the party see him as a dark horse in the race.

    Turaki has already set up his campaign directorate with ex-Governor Boni Haruna as Director-General.

    To assist Haruna are  ex-Military Governor of Bauchi State, Col. Habibu Shuaibu (rtd),  (Deputy DG North), and  ex-Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Steve Oru as Deputy DG (South).

    “The composition of the directorate during the week suggested a bigger accord and alliance in PDP,” a member of the NWC said.

    A member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), speaking on the ongoing horse-trading in the party said: “The odds favour a dark horse. Go and look at the history of past presidents and how they earned their tickets, it has been a story of dark horses.

    “Ex-President Shehu Shagari least expected his nomination; ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted only an eminent role as a statesman and he came out of Yola Prison to become President; ex-President Umaru Yar’Adua never aspired to be President and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was having lunch in Transcorp Hilton when Obasanjo invited him to come and be the nation’s Vice President which later propelled him into presidency with the Doctrine of Necessity.

    “Some leaders of the party are of the opinion that we should ignore lousy aspirants; those who have cases with anti-graft agencies and those who have issues with leaders of the coming coalition which may give President Muhammadu Buhari a fight. Unlike APC, we will pay much attention to age factor too. No room for old men like me.

    “If there are other younger elements like Turaki, we will all sit down and look at all the options. Dankwambo has age on his side but he is from the North-East. The only way to defeat Buhari is to get a presidential candidate from the North-West.

    “Governor Tambuwal is favoured by age but he has a challenge bordering on the fact that Governor Nyesom Wike and some of his colleagues are desperate to force him on the party. This is undemocratic. We will leave him to contest the primaries but he might not secure the ticket.”

     

     

  • How N671m APC funds were moved into private accounts

    It is now clear why   more members of the National Executive Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) backed out of the tenure elongation gambit championed by the party leadership.

    It followed the unearthing of the party’s financial records indicating a breach of all known rules and personalization of party funds in “the most opaque manner.”

    A top leader of the party allegedly authorized the disbursement of party funds into personal account of another senior member of the NEC.

    It was discovered that savings of over N1b handed over in 2014 by the interim executive headed by Chief Bisi Akande was “hastily decimated without care for transparency.”

    State chapters of the party were equally short changed in the disbursement of fund they are statutorily entitled to.

    Hopes of party officials from the national to the ward levels having their tenure extended by a year suffered a setback last week when President Buhari bluntly described such a move as a breach of both the party constitution and the provisions of the 1999 constitution.

    The President’s new position is at variance with the NEC’ resolution in February which had favoured tenure elongation on the grounds that extending the stay of the current executives (whose subsisting four-year tenure ends by June) would spare the party of possible internal acrimony that might jeopardize its chances ahead of the 2019 general polls.

    Some members of the party national executive committee were said to have become crest-fallen when they got wind of the classified reports detailing consistent transfer of party funds running into billions of naira to personal bank accounts of a party chief over the years for purposes not stated in the covering memo.

    It was further discovered that there was no clear paper trail on what all the funds were used for.

    Said one member of the national executive committee who craved anonymity: “My brother, someone like me who initially was among those canvassing tenure elongation became dumb when I saw the reckless way party money was being used. If you don’t have anything to hide, why put party’s money in personal accounts? As if that is not bad enough, once money got released, no one bothered to explain for which purpose and no retirement was made in line with the principles of book-keeping.

    “So, the conclusion one could draw is that these people asking us to support the extension of their stay in office by all means are only out to continue this financial recklessness.”

    For instance, in the report sighted by The Nation, two “suspicious” transactions on a single day resulted in the transfer of N143.8m via two letters addressed to the manager of the Maitama, Abuja branch of a leading new generation bank. The cash moved in two instalments of N100 million and N43,880,000 ended up in the account of another member of the party’s executive committee who hails from the Southeast.

    In another transaction, a letter entitled “Authority to Transfer the Sum of N50,000,000 from our account number (figure withheld)” was issued with the instruction to transfer the said amount to the same official.

    On yet another day, another transfer of N48,470,000 from the party’s account with the Area 3, Abuja branch of a First Generation bank was carried out involving the two top executives of the party.

    In total, the report indicated that “a whopping N671,640,000 was transferred to the personal account of the party executive alone under such suspicious circumstances”.

    The transfers had continued when administrative workers at the national secretariat of the party were complaining of being owed salaries and wages.

     

  • Revealed: Why pimps, madams are jittery over Oba of Benin’s curses

    PIMPS and influential ladies who traffic girls from Edo State to Europe, America and other parts of the world, otherwise known as madams, are now said to be jittery about the curse placed recently by the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II on human traffickers and those who aid them.

    The revered monarch did not only place a curse on those who paint the state in a bad light through the trafficking of girls from the state, he also forced the native doctors who aid the traffickers by administering oaths on the girls to “enslave” them to their masters and madams, as the case may be, to reverse the effect of the oaths administered on the girls.

    The pimps and madams concerned are now jittery and are said to be in disarray over the curse placed upon them should they continue their nefarious activities. The turn of events is said to be due to the importance attached to the curses from the revered Benin monarch and their efficacy. There are antecedents. An age-long myth subsists about the efficacy of curses that proceed from the mouth of a ruler of the Benin Kingdom. It is widely believed that such curses do not go unfulfilled once the target is guilty of the sin for which he or she is charged.

    And the Oba’s curse is no respecter of age or status. The story is also told of Ikoka, a community in Ovia South West Local Government Area, which remains yet a remote village in spite of the fact that it serves as a host to one of the largest rubber plantations in the country.

    It is said that Ikoka village and its people were cursed by Oba Ewuakpe in the 14th Century after the people asked him to work when he asked them for food. The curse he placed on the community, according to historians, is that only their women would experience progress, while houses built in the village would collapse as they are being built and their roads would turn bushy as they are being cleared.

    Today, Ikoka is tucked away inside the rubber plantation without an access road to the community. To get to the village, one has to navigate through the rubber plantation. Thus, it is believed that the village is still under the curse of the late Oba.

    Residents of Iguomon community in Uhunmwode Local Government Area recently cried out that they were dying from strange ailments because of a curse placed on the community by Oba Erediauwa. Inhabitants of the community had to besiege the Oba’s palace to beg that the curse to be revoked in order to save them from further calamity.

    Pa Roland Ugiagbe Okhuorabo, the man who was supposed to be installed as the next Odionwere (the traditional ruler of the community), was quoted as saying that he would not present himself to be installed until the curse is revoked.

    The foregoing are pointers to how much the inhabitants of Benin Kingdom hold the Oba’s words in awe. The people see him as God’s representative on earth. All the deities in the land belong to him and consequently are under his directives. His words are law across the state because almost all the traditional rulers in the state and some communities in neighbouring states are princes from the palace.

    But besides the Oba, Edo residents are known to fear curses from any juju. For example, when fire gutted the Oba’s market in Benin in 2004, many of the traders came in the morning and found that some thieves had used the fire outbreak as a cover to loot their shops. Adun, promptly summoned Aiyelala worshippers who held a procession round the market, warning whoever had stolen the goods to return them. By the following day, the thieves had returned the goods and placed them at different locations in the market.

    Oba Benin
    •FILE PHOTO: The Benin monarch, Oba Ewuare II,
    at the Ugha Ozolua with palace chiefs,
    Enigies, Ewaise, Obo during the placing
    of curses on human traffickers, kidnappers
    and armed robbers recently.

    The jitters that followed the curses recently proclaimed by Oba Ewuare II on the individuals responsible for the trafficking of female prostitutes from the Benin Kingdom to Europe, America and other parts of the world, would be better understood in the foregoing context.

    Recent reports indicate that things are no longer at ease in the camps of pimps, madams and native doctors responsible for trafficking young women from the kingdom to work as prostitutes in foreign lands. Many madams responsible for trafficking young women abroad are said to have been in shock on account of the curses the Oba proclaimed at a ceremony attended by priests from various shrines in the state.

    The priests at the said ceremony included the Ohen Okhuae, Ohen Ovia, Ohen noriyekeogba, Ohen Ake, Ohen Niwuo, Ohen Sango, Odionwere, Iwueki the Enigies and native doctors. Some ancient juju and several others known as esusumahi were brought out as instruments for the invocation of the curses.

    At the said occasion, the Oba also performed rites that were meant to set trafficked victims free from the various oaths they have been made to swear at various shrines in the state or elsewhere. The Oba also warned native doctors in the kingdom to return whatever items they had collected from the trafficked girls.

    In invoking the curses, the Oba said: “From today, we end all the oaths and it will not affect those placed on the oaths. Anybody that walks on Edo land and eats the food cooked with salt and oil will die if they continue to do things that will bring shame to the land.

    “The juju will kill those who want to henceforth engage in human trafficking. Even those who go to other places to perform juju will also die. Native doctors should not force girls again, and they should return the things they collected from the girls.” News of the Oba’s action reportedly spread across Europe like wild fire. Checks conducted by our reporter indicated that the ‘madams’ were shocked at the pronouncements. The Oba’s curse created a huge war in Europe between traffickers known as madams and their girls.

    Cross section of Ewaise with the various charms and esusumahie used for cursing human traffickers, kidnappers and armed robbers.
    Cross section of Ewaise with the various charms and esusumahie used for cursing human traffickers, kidnappers and armed robbers.

    The girls are expected to pay as much as €35,000 depending on how much the madam spent to bring them to Europe. According to a source in Italy, “the madams are not happy even though some immediately released their girls after the Oba’s curse. The Oba’s curse came as a shock to them. They said there was no warning or signs that such a thing would happen.

    They said the Oba should have given them some time to free the girls themselves. “It is difficult for the madams to take any extra step to recover their money, because as you know, our people fear curses more than death. But some madams are saying the Oba did not mention anything like money. They said the Oba only removed the oath they took before coming. “But some madams said they are not from Benin. The madams don’t have anything to tell the native doctors again because the Oba has already placed a curse and warned the native doctors not to back them.” In a chat with our reporter, a renowned native doctor, Chief Clement Okooboh, said the Oba had neutralised all the oaths trafficked victims were placed on, warning other native doctors to desist from the act or face the wrath of the gods. Chief Okooboh stated that all sons and daughters of Edo land must adhere to the Oba’s directive and also pass the message to other people.

    His words: “At the pronouncement from the palace, everybody knows their direction. If you have been involved in oath taking, you know that all that is over. Anything that has to do with human trafficking, unless you are travelling for better things. That is where I think we have to support. “You should know that anything that happens must first happen in the spiritual. Whatever it takes to make sure the negative yoke is broken physically, we should do it spiritually. We will not run away from that because it has been said that we should not support those travelling abroad.

    “Before I travel with my children, I do one or two things with our deity for safe trip. I know the implications of oath taking. I have never encouraged it, especially when it comes to travelling by land. I have never encouraged people to travel by land. “Those who are still paying deaf ears to our father’s instructions should be ready to face the wrath of the gods. Our father has renounced the oaths. Whatever thing they have been doing, the Oba has neutralised all the oaths placed on the girls. What he is telling the native doctors is not to engage in the act again. Whoever is calling the girls to come and renounce is stupid. He is daring the gods of our land.”

  • Revealed: U.S. data giant in £2m deal to stop Buhari

    Israelis ‘gave firm information to help Jonathan win 2015 poll’

    Israelis hacked into President Muhammadu Buhari’s private e-mail and gave the materials to Cambridge Analytica, a firm hired by former President Goodluck Jonathan to provide “advertisement and marketing services” in support of his 2015 re-election campaign.

    According to a report by “The Guardian” and “Observer”, claiming to have spoken to seven individuals with knowledge of Cambridge Analytica and its campaign in Nigeria in early 2015, Senior directors of Cambridge Analytica, including its chief executive Alexander Nix, gave staff instructions to handle material provided by computer hackers in election campaigns in Nigeria and St Kitts and Nevis.

    They claim there were two episodes in 2015 that alarmed members of staff and led them to refuse to handle the data, which they assumed would have been obtained illegally.

    SCL Elections, Cambridge Analytica’s parent company, denied taking possession of or using hacked or stolen personal information from such individuals for any purpose in either campaign.

    The revelations are the latest to focus attention on Cambridge Analytica, whose activities are being investigated in the US by the special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his inquiry into possible Russian collusion in the 2016 US presidential election.

    The firm is under pressure to explain how it came to have unauthorised access to millions of Facebook profiles. Politicians in the US and UK have accused it of giving misleading statements about its work, and the information commissioner has demanded access to the company’s databases.

    Hired by a Nigerian billionaire to support the re-election of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Cambridge Analytica was paid an estimated £2m to orchestrate a ferocious campaign against his rival, now President Buhari. Jonathan lost out to Buhari in the presidential race. There is no suggestion Jonathan knew of the covert operation.

    Staff working on the campaign said in early 2015, they met Israeli cybersecurity contractors in Cambridge Analytica’s offices in Mayfair, London. Employees said they were told the meeting was arranged by Brittany Kaiser, a senior director at the firm.

    The Guardian and Observer have been told the Israelis brought a laptop from their office in Tel Aviv and handed employees a USB stick containing what they believed were hacked personal emails.

    Sources said Nix, who was suspended on Tuesday, and other senior directors told staff to search for incriminating material that could be used to damage opposition candidates, including Buhari.

    “It made everyone feel really uncomfortable,” said one source. “They wanted people to load it into their email programmes.”

    People “freaked out”, another employee said. “They wanted to have nothing to do with it.”

    One member of the campaign team told “The Guardian” and Observer” that the material they believed had been hacked included Buhari’s medical records. “I’m 99% sure of that. Or if they didn’t have his medical records they at least had emails that referred to what was going on.”

    When news of the London meeting filtered back to Cambridge Analytica staff working on the ground in Nigeria, it caused panic, the source said. Local security advisers told the firm’s team to leave the country immediately because if opposition supporters found out, they could turn on them.

    “What is clear is that the security of their employees didn’t even seem to have occurred to them,” said one former employee. “It was a very serious situation and they had to evacuate immediately.”

    An expert had flown in from Israel with a laptop, sources say.

    And Alexander Nix, Cambridge Analytica’s now suspended CEO, and Kaiser, asked employees to take a thumb drive and download the contents on to their own computers.

    The content was private emails and the information, they were told, related to Buhari’s financial and medical records.

    One employee who was present at the London meeting said he had initially assumed the visiting expert was Mossad or Israeli intelligence passing on what he called “legtimate information”.

    But he began to realise this wasn’t the case, he said, when he saw the reaction of his colleagues. One of them had “freaked out”, he said. “He was like, ‘What the fuck? I don’t want anything to do with this.’”

    The witnesses are clear – at least in their own minds. The information they were shown had come from hackers.

    In a statement, SCL Elections, the parent company of Cambridge Analytica, confirmed it had been hired in December 2014 in support of the Jonathan campaign.

    “We can confirm that SCL Elections was hired in December 2014 to provide advertising and marketing services in support of the Goodluck Jonathan campaign.”

    Asked specifically about the meetings in which staff described being asked to transfer personal information that they believed had been hacked, the firm said: “During an election campaign, it is normal for SCL Elections to meet with vendors seeking to provide services as a subcontractor.

    “SCL Elections did not take possession of or use any personal information from such individuals for any purposes. SCL Elections does not use ‘hacked’ or ‘stolen’ data.”