Governor Idris of kogi state in-law for state elections

The Peoples Democratic Party Screening Panel for the Kogi State governorship primaries has placed a fresh hurdle before the favoured aspirant for the party’s ticket, Captain Idris Wada.
Wada is an in-law to the governor of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris.
Wada’s younger brother is said to be married to the governor’s daughter.
The aspirant is said to be the anointed candidate of the governor.
Though Wada has been cleared to contest the primaries which will hold in Lokoja on Thursday, his clearance is however provisional as he is said to have just joined the party last week.
The party’s constitution stipulates that aspirants must be a member of the party for one year before they can contest for elective offices unless they get waivers.
Article 8 of the PDP constitution contains eligibility and membership clause. Specifically, Article 8.9 provides, “Persons who desire to rejoin the party after leaving it shall, unless exempted by the National Working Committee, be placed on probation for a period time not less than a year.”
Though there was nothing to show that Wada was once a member of the party. Even at that, he still needs the support of the state chapter of the party to return to the party as stipulated in the party’s constitution.
Article 10(b) 111 reads, “Any member who loses his membership for reasons other than non-payment of annual subscription may be re-admitted on the recommendation of his state chapter of the party made to the National Working Committee, which is subjected to ratification by the National Executive Committee.”
When Wada came to the party’s headquarters in Abuja to pick his nomination form on Wednesday, all the members of the state House of Assembly, led by the Speaker, Mr. Musa Abdullahi, accompanied him to the PDP headquarters to obtain the form.
Apart from Wada, another leading aspirant, Alhaji Jibril Isa, who actually won the last primaries, was also giving a provisional clearance owing to petitions against him.
The screening panel, which was headed by Senator Teslim Folarin, was said to have been presented with petitions by the PDP’s Youth Vanguard in Kogi State calling for the disqualification of Isa.
The group based its arguments on the fact that Isah was sacked as executive director at Afribank Plc during the recapitilisation on August 14, 2009.
Until his removal, Isah was the executive director in charge of treasury and institutional banking with the bank.
When Isah emerged as the party’s candidate in the botched 2011 governorship election, a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, instituted a case against the party and the candidate asking the court to disqualify Isah based on his sacking from the bank.

the sovereign wealth fund battle

WHEN on May 27, 2011 the immediate past Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga popped champagne in celebration over what he felt was a feat in warehousing Nigeria’s unbudgeted oil revenue from reckless spending because of the signing into law of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) Bill to manage the nation’s fiscal price rule of unbudgeted oil revenue (Sovereign Wealth Fund, SWF), little did he know that the celebration was a false start.
Aganga, expressive as a Usain Bolt breasting the tape after a long marathon, spoke of the benefit of the SWF enactment: “The size and mandate of the NSIA will enable it to leverage international investment money to get benefits that are well in excess of the money that the NSIA invests directly. It would also serve as an investment catalyst, attracting international core investors into Nigerian infrastructure projects…
“The NSIA will provide a powerful signal to external investors that Nigeria has improved fiscal management, which will have a positive impact on Nigeria’s sovereign credit ratings and the cost of borrowing...”
The Minister continued that Nigeria is “the NSIA will put Nigeria’s oil wealth to work for all Nigeria; for the Nigerian people; for our common future; and for the future of our children.’’
In the same vein, even when President Goodluck Jonathan himself declared assuredly that withdrawals from the nation’s SWF would never again be made to cater for revenue shortfalls for any tier of government after his signing the NSIA bill, little did he know that the Governors’ Forum whom he said have been major stakeholders in the build–up to the law process would turn round to stab him in the back.
Jonathan who described the new saving initiative as creative ways a good father leaves an inheritance for his children said on his Face Book page after the Senate passed the NSIA law on May 17:
“Some of you may recall that on the 20th of April, 2010, the National Economic Council under my leadership approved the setting up of a National Sovereign Wealth Fund to secure Nigeria’s future growth. It further approved that $1 billion be set aside for the fund as seed money. Many of you may have heard about this fund and wonder what it is. Since it is meant for you, I will now take time to explain what this fund is and how it applies to you the Nigerian citizen.’’
Jonathan then in a capsule form explained that the SWF is a vehicle for growth that his administration conceived to secure additional capital for growing Nigeria’s infrastructure and putting aside money for the rainy day so that future generations will always have something to fall back on in the event that revenues are impacted by market forces which have been known to be volatile.
But in a swift counter, the Governors’ Forum wants the SWF scrapped. It wants the excess revenue which is to be pooled into the fund, to be distributed now against the NSIA law and President Jonathan’s concern, which holds that: “My concern for future generations is such that I do not want us to rely on just good fortune. I want us to rely more on plans and preparations guided by prudent management of resources. This is the reason why I ensured that the body, which will administer the SWF, the NSIA, may only make withdrawals from the fund for investment or infrastructural purposes…Governments must learn to make do with available resources or creatively find ways to generate more resources because a good father leaves an inheritance for his children.”
Based on the amended 2011 budget, benchmark oil price is fixed at $75 per barrel. The governors, according to their recent communiqué, want the money distributed now, because in their reckoning, the rainy days are already here with raised wages and development challenges in their states. At the August 12, Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting held in Abuja to receive report of the July 2011 from revenue generating agencies and distribute resources to the three tiers, The Guardian learnt that fisticuffs were barely averted between the Federal Government officials and states’ Finance Commissioners as the latter insisted that monies must be brought from the SWF to augment the allocation. The statutorily generated revenue for the month was N906.759 billion, excluding Value Added Tax, against an anticipated budgetary amount of N568.181 billion.
But by the time deductions were made to the various sub–heads, including subsidy for petroleum products importation, the net revenue for distribution was N536.437 billion, less by N17.713 billion of the budgeted N554.15 billion for the month.
It was learnt that the suggestion by the Federal Government officials that the net amount be distributed did not go down well with officials of the states who insisted that augmentation must be made from the SWF and eventually they succeeded after much flexing of muscles and the sum of N16.453 billion was withdrawn from the SWF to make up for the budgeted amount.
Last month, N710.710 billion was pulled out of the Fund as augmentation arrears for the months of January to April 2011 and shared.
When reporters enquired from the Minister of State for Finance who is also the chairman of FAAC, Dr. Yerima Ngama to know the status and savings in the SWF, he parried the questions severally and only said the board of the NSIA was yet to be set up by the President.
Under the NSIA plan, the government monthly sets aside excess oil revenues to be invested in the NSIA. The NSIA then allocates these monies to three separate warehoused funds: The Nigeria Infrastructure Fund, the Future Generations Fund and the Stabilisation Fund. And a minimum amount will be allocated to each fund to ensure that each of these goals is met over time: The Nigeria Infrastructure Fund works towards bridging the national infrastructure gap and providing financing for the development of critical infrastructure across Nigeria. In addition, 10 per cent of the Nigeria Infrastructure Fund is devoted to agriculture and regional government-sponsored development projects that promote economic development in under-served sectors or regions in Nigeria.
The Future Generations Fund is to build an intergenerational savings base by investing in long-term assets that generate a rate of return to accumulate wealth for the next generation of Nigerians.
The stabilisation Fund protects the budget by providing a stable, last-resort source of finance during periods of fiscal deficit as a result of sustained fall in oil prices. The Fund will ensure the smooth functioning of government and delivery of key services during periods where revenues from petroleum sales are less than the level anticipated and approved by the National Assembly.
Following international best practices of SWF worldwide, the NSIA is expected to have the highest standards of corporate governance in its administration and should conduct its investment activities in a fully transparent manner, in accordance with the internationally acclaimed Santiago Principles that were agreed upon by the world’s leading SWFs.
The NSIA will be subject to two levels of governance, first and principally by a board of directors made up of experienced investment management professionals and secondly, by a governing council with oversight responsibility.
The Governing Council of the NSIA will have eminent officials including the President, each of the 36 governors, the Attorney-General, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of the National Planning Commission, the Central Bank Governor and other national economic leaders. Representatives from academia, the youth and civil society will also be represented.
Meanwhile, experts including the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo–Iweala have been speaking on the need to obey the law and imbibe fiscal prudence and discipline. The minister who said efforts were on to discuss with the governors, explained recently that this was important to avert the negative impact of volatility since our economy was heavily dependent on oil.
Her words: “In all these economic uncertainties, we have crises on the globe that impact on our economy…Nigeria has to learn how to manage her economy the best it can on the context of uncertainty…That is why we are putting in place mechanism of managing this volatility. We have in place the oil price rule.”
According to her, “we need to maintain macro–economic stability, under this it means we need to manage our fiscal situation in a more prudent manner…Everybody is involved across the board: The Executive, Legislature, all the arms of government would have to look at how to contend spending.”
Reacting, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and a human rights group, HURIWA, have condemned calls by the Governors’ Forum for the scrapping of the SWF.
ICAN made its position known in Abuja when its newly installed President, Prof. Francis Ojaide and the chairman of the Abuja District Society, Mallam Shehu Aladire spoke to journalists after a visit by the ICAN executive to the Auditor–General of the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura, while HURRIWA’s reaction is contained in a statement by its boss, Emmanuel Onwubiko.
According to the ICAN bosses, the governors should exercise restraints and follow due process in their agitations because the Fund is backed by law and is for the interest of the entire nation and even the unborn.
Ojaide said: “I think they (governors) have made it a political issue. But as a professional body, the issue is that first and foremost you look at prudence and the judicious way of responding to the nation’s financial and natural resources.”
Aladire said: “When you look at the SWF Act, it shows that there is future for the children…Now the governors are saying let us share it (the Fund), it is not looking forward and not fair…But the most important thing is good management...”
Also speaking in the same vein, HURRIWA condemned the Governors’ Forum’s stand.
Dismissing the governor’s opposition to the creation of the SWF as “unpatriotic”, “nebulous”, “unrealistic”, “unreasonable”, and “untenable”, HURIWA tasked members of the organized civil society groups in the country and all well meaning Nigerians to champion the advocacy for the immediate and transparent creation of the SWF in compliance with the extant provisions of the law.

Ritualist dies in the grave of his attempted victim

An unidentified suspected ritualist dies in the grave of man buried just two hours earlier
PEOPLE in the normally calm, ancient city of Kazaure, the Jigawa State capital, were thrown into an uproar on Saturday, when what seemed like an act of God, saw to the mysterious death of a suspected grave ritualist.
The unidentified man thought to be in his 40s was alleged to have been exhuming the body of one Sirajo Buhari, a few hours after he was buried at Unguwar Mahauta Cemetery.
It is still not clear how the man himself died even before he completed his evil intention.
Eyewitnesses said he was found lifeless; half of his body from head to abdomen in the grave, while from his waist and legs were outside.
A Chief Nursing Officer at Kazaure General Hospital, Alhaji Umar Yakubu, who was also an elder brother to late Buhari, narrated to The Guardian what happened.
He said his late brother had an accident along Kano-Kazaure Road and had been in coma for three days before he died on Friday night at General Hospital in Kazaure as a result of the injuries he sustained.
He said because Sirajo passed on quite late, they could not bury him that very Friday but had to wait until Saturday morning when all the arrangements for burial in accordance with Islamic rites were completed.
“About two hours after we returned from the cemetery, and as we were busy receiving sympathisers who were on a condolence visit, we were stunned to hear from some young boys that somebody was digging out the person we had just buried.
“We all rushed to the cemetery, only to see, to our greatest surprise, a person lying half inside the grave, the upper part of his body, head, arms to his abdomen buried in the grave as if trapped by the soil.
“Only his buttocks and legs were outside the grave”, Yakubu said.
He continued: “ Within a short time, thousands of people had gathered at the graveyard and we immediately informed the police and the emir’s palace.
“They ordered that the body be immediately removed, and it was later taken by the police to the Kazaure General Hospital”.
He said after the body of the suspect had been taken away, he and other members of the family had to check the grave to ascertain whether anything had been tampered with.
“Everything was intact as the suspect had not reached the corpse before he was swallowed by the sand.”
Many of them also saw it as an act of God, a lesson to people who usually tamper with graves for rituals or other purposes.
An eyewitness said that he was on his way to the market when his friend told him that a man suspected to be a ritualist was found dead, trapped and half-swallowed by sand while attempting to dig up the corpse of Sirajo Bahuri popularly known as Arasco.
“When I heard the story, I could not believe it, but quickly rushed to the graveyard.
“As I arrived at the scene, I saw this figure of a man with half of his body sunk into the ground.
“I was shocked to my marrow.”
He said a mob had gathered by the time the body of the suspected ritualist was removed from the hole in which it was trapped.
“The angry mob attempted to seize the corpse, but the police, with support of representatives of the emirs, managed to calm them down and took it to the hospital.
The eyewitness explained further that after the suspect was confirmed dead, the mob went wild, overpowered the police and the local authorities, confiscated the body and burnt it to ashes near Mayaki Primary School located close to hospital.
The Emir of Kazaure, His Highness, Alhaji Najib Adamu, who spoke through Makaman Kazaure, Alhaji Umar Adamu, described the incident as “an extraordinary happening”.
He said when the news reached the palace, officials were sent to liaise with the police to ensure the incident did not cause any social unrest in to the city.
The spokesman of the State Police Command, Abdul Jinjiri, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, confirmed the incident.
He said they were able to take photographs of the man before the mob overwhelmed the police, took the body and set it on fire.
He said despite the fact that his men were overwhelmed by the mob, they succeeded in snapping the picture before he was burnt.
“The person is not an indigene of Kazaure, according to our investigation, but the Command is carrying further investigation to trace his origin and also fish out anybody that had a hand in such wickedness,” Jinjiri said.

security increase as boko haram plans to use government number plates to beat traffic check points

THE military high command has warned all establishments under its purview to be wary of how they allow vehicles with Federal Government number plates into their premises.
A circular from the Defence Headquarters, signed by a two star-general, entitled: “Boko Haram plans to penetrate targeted Federal Government establishments,” disclosed that intelligence report had revealed that Boko Haram was planning to fix Federal Government number plates on their vehicles to facilitate penetration of government establishments by its fighters on bombing mission.
The report also revealed that the sect had commenced the procurement of used gas cylinders, airconditioners, compressors of refrigerators and metal scraps for the manufacture of Improvised Explosive Derices (IEDs).
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the military authorities have consequently warned against hurried checking of cars with Federal Government number plates by security operatives.
It directed security operatives to go further by checking the engines of vehicles and other parts.
Furthermore, they warned that extra vigilance should be maintained in checking all vehicles with military number plates or Federal Government number entering military establishments.
Following these new directives, security has been beefed up at the Defence Headquarters complex known as the “Boat House” and the Ministry of Defence headquarters also, called “Ship House.”
Also, all military establishments around the country have been directed to adopt similar security measures in their locations.
Search for sect members
Meanwhile, undercover security agents, on Monday, intensified their search for suspected Boko Haram members alleged to have arrived in Warri, Delta State, on Sunday.
Plain-clothes policemen and operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) were seen at areas usually congregated by the Hausas.
Nigerian Tribune sighted the security operatives at Hausa Quarters on the Warri-Sapele road, Ugbuwangwe, on the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) Expressway and Ram market on the Effurun- Sapele road.
Security agents were, on Sunday, put on the red alert in Warri, Warri South Local Government Area, following a report on the arrival of three vehicles loaded with some suspected members of the Boko Haram members.
A highly placed source disclosed to Nigerian Tribune, on Monday that unlike other security agencies, operatives of the SSS were not taking the matter lightly, as they were combing everywhere to verify the truth or otherwise of the report.
“The SSS people are not taking the information with levity. They are combing everywhere to ensure that there is no threat to the people and facilities in the oil-rich town. The Joint Task Force (JTF) is also working towards verifying the information,” he said.
Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre of Joint Task Force (JTF), Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony Antigha, said the special security outfit was liaising with other sister security agencies in the state to verify the reported arrival of the suspected Boko Haram members.
He, however, said the report might have emanated from the usual arrival of vehicles bringing in goods from some northern states to Warri, which had been on for a long time.
“Let it not be that it is one of the vehicles that usually bring goods from the North that generated the report, but we are trying to authenticate it by reaching out to sister security agencies,” he said.
Apparently allaying the fear of residents of Warri and environs, Lieutenant-Colonel Antigha said the JTF had always maintained a high security alert and that was responsible for the tight security not only around oil installations in the Niger Delta but also in other states because of the recent security concerns in the country.

the government of nigeria uncovers killer of boko haram sect leader

THE Joint Task Force (JTF) operating in the Borno axis has identified the killer of an in -law of Boko Haram founder Babakura Fugu, who was assassinated on Saturday.
Fugu was killed for speaking on behalf of the group with former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was in Borno, the Boko Haram stronghold on Friday.
Sources close to the JTF told the Nigerian Tribune that the late Fugu was shot by a loyalist of the wanted Mallam Mamman Nur, who is wanted for masterminding the bombing of the UN House on August 26.
It was leant that one Ustaz Mote, who grew up in the Fugu family, was used to carry out the murder.
Security operative were said to have launched a manhunt for him on Sunday.
It was learnt on Sunday that the spiritual leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, was said to have condemned the killing of Fugu, describing it as a further turture of the troubled Fugu family.
A source told the Nigerian Tribune on Sunday that “the assassination of Mallam Babakura Fugu on Saturday afternoon in Maiduguri was said to have been masterminded by the Mamman Nur group (a faction of Boko Haram), which felt that the recent arrest of some key members of the group, who are very close associates of Nur, were facilitated by the late Fugu.
“The group also beleived that Fugu had entered into undue alliance with the Federal Government and that he was benefitting financially.
“One Ustaz Mote, who grew up in the Fugu family house and an ardent footsoldier of Nur was used for the dastardly act.
“I can tell you that security agents are their trail. You can also note that the spiritual leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, is said to have condemned the assassination of Fugu, describing it as immoral and further injustice on the Fugu family, which has every right to seek redress on perceived persecution without recourse to the group.”
It was learnt that the killing of the host of former president, Chief Obasanjo, in Maiduguri had endangered the peace option being pursued with the sect.
Meanwhile, following report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa service that members of the Boko Haram sect have claimed responsibility for the killing of Babakura Fugu, its spokesman, Abu Kaka, has denied the claim by the BBC, stating that the sect did not kill him.
Abu Kaka, who spoke with newsmen in a telephone interview in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, also warned international media to desist from reporting what the group had not said or claimed, unless if it actually said so.
The spokeman, who said they were not happy with the report by BBC and other international media, called on the media to be careful while reporting issues or happenings in the state.
“We did not kill Baba-kura Fugu and we did not claim responsibility for his killing as reported by the BBC and other international media.”
“We are not happy with the way we are being misquoted and misrepresented in the media, especially by the international radio houses like BBC, VOA (Voice of America) and Radio France International. Today, we received with shock the unfortunate killing of the family member of our leader, Sheik Muhammed Yusuf, but to our dismay, we later heard it on the BBC that we said we were responsible for it. This is unacceptable, because the BBC cannot receive a text message sent to their head office without our name on it.
“This kind of false representation has been going on for some time now and we will not continue to tolerate it any longer. The media houses should know that we have an understanding with the press whom we regard as mediators; but if they don’t do their job professionally, we will be compelled to take action on their reporters on the ground just the way we take actions on the security agents and other enemies of Islam,” he said.

Oil refinery threatens as boko harams member arrives in warri and general insecurity in the north as sss places 25million naira reward on UN bomber

THERE are fears over likely attacks on oil installations in Warri, Warri Local Government Area of Delta State, as security agents were, on Sunday, put on red alert, following a report on the arrival of three vehicles loaded with suspected Boko Haram members.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the vehicles that brought the suspected sect members arrived in Warri at about 4.00 a.m.
Warri houses major oil installations from which the country derives the largest percentage of its revenue.
Sources disclosed that undercover security agents were informed about the development by an informant leading to a frantic security search for the suspected Boko Haram members.
“We got a signal that three vehicles brought in some suspected Boko Haram sect members into Warri early today (Sunday). We have cordoned the areas we suspect they might take up residence.
“We have also held a meeting with the leadership of the Hausa community in Warri, with an agreement to report new entrants into the oil city,” a highly placed security source disclosed.
Nigerian Tribune observed security agents moving around Warri city on Sunday in search of the suspected Boko Haram members.
Heavy security was also observed at Hausa Quarters on the Warri-Sapele Road, as well as Ugwuwagbe area.
Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Charles Muka, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said he was yet to be briefed, but assured the people that adequate security arrangements were in place to thwart any threat in any part of the state.
FG deploys soldiers
at borders
Meanwhile, all the nation’s northern borders have received heightened security alerts lately, following intelligence reports suggesting regular influx of violent elements into the country from neighbouring countries.
Consequently, soldiers have been deployed in the official border areas as well as illegal routes in the North.
A security source told the Nigerian Tribune that land borders in the North-West and the North-East had been of particular interest to the security agencies, since trans- border activities of religious extremists in that part of the country had been confirmed.
Apart from the traditional security and para-military forces who man the border posts, the source said the military itself had been involved in curtailing the activities of terrorists believed to be escaping to these neighbouring countries after perpetrating atrocities in Nigeria.
The Libyan crisis and reports of the escape of some of Moammer Gaddafi’s soldiers into neighbouring Niger Republic, the source said, had added to security concerns along the borders with that country.
The matter is made worse with the reported involvement of some Nigerians in the Libyan war, some of who could also escape home through these borders with the tendency of linking up with the home-grown terrorists currently planting and detonating bombs in Nigeria.
The comptroller of customs, Adamawa/ Taraba command, Mr Joseph Sambo, confirmed the security alert at the borders in the area. He gave kudos to the Brigader Commander 23 Armoured Brigade, Yola, Brigadier-General John Nwaoga, who he said had been very supportive to other agencies in providing security at the borders.
Also, a senior immigration officer in Adamawa State disclosed in reply to enquiries by the Nigerian Tribune that security at the borders in the state had been very tight.
He said the state immigration command had beefed up security at the borders in the wake of the current security challenges in the country.
Also, Borno State Comptroller of Immigration, Babayo Alkali, disclosed, at the weekend, that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), in conjunction with the military Joint Task Force (JTF), had tightened security at all the border points with neighbouring countries of Chad, Cameroun and Niger Republic.
He explained that the measures put in place were to check the influx of illegal aliens and Chadian rebels, who were said to be teaming up with Boko Haram to wreak havoc on the country.
Niger and Chad are of particular interest, said another source, who pointed at the existence of several illegal entry points into Nigeria from these countries.
In the North-West, a major border post with Niger Republic is in Illela town in Sokoto State, while there are such key border towns with that country in Zamfara and Katsina states. In the North-East, there are border posts in Gambouru, Banki, Baga, Duji-Damasak, Sigal and Jilbe, with the three affected neighbouring countries.
A local source in Illela told the Nigerian Tribune that men of the Nigerian Army had intensified patrol of the border area lately.
However, one of the major challenges facing the security forces is said to be the scores of unauthorised trans-border routes which criminals use to enter and exit the country.
Blood and language affinity among the residents on both sides of the border areas are other factors which the source said had been aiding criminal activities across the borders with these countries. The source noted that several communities in the North-West and the North-East had large numbers of aliens who had inter-married with Nigerians.
The Borno State immigration comptroller further told newsmen that “the influx of aliens into Nigeria through the border points is causing a lot of security threats to Nigeria and its citizens, where some of them join the Boko Haram sect in the serial attacks, killings and bombings that have claimed many lives and property in Maiduguri, Biu, Monguno and Bama, a border town with Cameroun.”
He said since the deployment of troops in Maiduguri on June 12, 2011, the immigration service had joined forces with the Joint Task Force in putting a “water-tight security” system at all the border posts.
In Zamfara State, the only recognised borders in the state are Shinkafi in Shinkafi Local Government Area of the state and in Gobir Bore village in Zurmi Local Government Area, both bordering Niger Republic. However, apart from these two borders, there are several other illegal entry and exit points created by smugglers.
Speaking in an interview, the Public Relations Officer of Zamfara State immigration command, Alhaji Yahaya Lummu, told the Nigerian Tribune that the command had ensured that the border towns were properly monitored by his men. According to him, “we are up to the task. And we are doing our jobs in accordance with the laws of the land.”
Also, investigation carried out by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that military men are firmly on the ground around these border towns. A senior military officer who pleaded for anonymity confirmed the deployment of soldiers in the borders. He said the soldiers were on the ground to monitor the security situation at the borders with the view to providing adequate surveillance.
In another development, the Department of State Security Service (SSS), on Sunday placed N25,000,000 prize on wanted Boko Haram member, Mamman Nur, in connection with the bombing of the United Nations House in Abuja last month.
A two-paragraph statement signed by the Assistant Director Public Relations, Mrs Marilyn Ogar, and made available to Nigerian Tribune in Abuja read: “Following the bombing of the United Nations (UN) building on 26th August, 2011 in Abuja by Boko Haram, which claimed about twenty-three (23) lives, Mamman Nur was identified as the mastermind and security agencies subsequently declared him wanted.
“Attached herewith is a picture of Mamman Nur. He is still declared wanted. A reward of twenty five million naira (N25,000,000) is being offered for information that could lead directly to the apprehension or conviction of Mamman Nur. If you have any information concerning this person, please contact the nearest police station, military formation or any other security agency.”
It will be recalled that the SSS spokesperson had, through a statement she issued on August 31, confirmed that one Mamman Nur, in conjunction with two other persons, masterminded the bomb blast at the UN House.

Google becomes dream employer

It's the second year in a row the search engine giant has crowned the nation's dream employer list.

Self-employment was second, followed by the Virgin Group, Qantas, Apple and Microsoft.

Pay, benefits and conditions are the main reason workers become attracted to a company, according to findings from the Insync Surveys and RedBalloon 2011 Dream Employers Survey.

Google handed its employees a 10 per cent raise in 2010 and its workers famously enjoy funky offices, massages and naps on company time.

"We have in place robust reward and recognition programs, [where we] reward employees via excellent benefits and unique perks, such as massages, sleep pods and fun off-site events," the company's Australian HR manager Joe Krayer said.

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The police and defence forces were a surprise inclusion in this year's top 20 dream employers after neither featured in last year's list.

Recruits are attracted to the armed forces by pay, benefits, conditions and training, Insync Surveys CEO James Garriock said.

"As for the police, the sense of vocation is a much more common reason for joining the force," he added.

Police Association of NSW president Scott Weber said television shows such as CSI and Underbelly attract police recruits.

"Other reality shows like COPS and Recruits also show a glossy, edited version of life as a police officer," Mr Weber told AAP.

"For working cops, however, the job is tough and dangerous, and significantly different to what you see on TV."

He said the NSW government should take advantage of the interest by increasing the size of recruit courses.

The Department of Defence was unable to immediately comment about the findings.

Google also topped a list of dream employers in New Zealand, followed by self-employment, Air New Zealand, Apple and Kiwi Bank.

The results are based on surveys carried out with 7100 Australians and New Zealanders.

Teenager commits suicide because of love

The morning hours of last Tuesday, 6th September will forever remain indelible to residents of Yan Kaji in Yakassai area in the ancient city of Kano as a 17-year-old girl, Nafisa Ahmed Haruna poisoned herself to death because she was denied marrying her 25-year-old boyfriend, Sani Musa.
Nafisa was said to have consumed a poisonous insecticide popularly called ‘Ota-Pia-Pia’ after she was confronted and scolded by her mother for secretly dating Sani after the parents had earlier on halted the relationship and warned that she stop seeing him any longer.
Speaking to Weekly Trust, a family source said Nafisa’s mother scolded her all through the night prior to her death and threatened that there was no way they would allow her get married to the boy no matter how deeply they were in love and that prompted her to embarking upon the deadly mission. “The teenager was found lying unconscious, foaming at the mouth while the room she was lying in was filled with the pungent smell of the poisonous substance,” said the source.
Weekly Trust reliably gathered that the deceased had dated Sani for over two years before the parents insisted that she wouldn’t be allowed to marry him on the basis that he was unemployed and therefore could not cater for her if he marries her. It was further gathered that she had once disappeared with her boyfriend to an undisclosed destination were they spent days before deciding to show up. This happened when her parents openly showed their resentment for the relationship.
A source close to the boyfriend told Weekly Trust that the girl had earlier on indicated tendency of going to any length for the love of Sani. “But her parents insisted that she must stop seeing him. I can remember that when the parents introduced another suitor to her and he agreed to marry her, she and Sani disappeared. This happened five days into the just concluded Ramadan. The parents stood by their words and went ahead to halt the relationship.”
“God knows that we advised Sani to back out of the relationship considering the problems coming up but he insisted that they were deeply in love and could not simply path ways, which was very obvious but at a point, he decided to give it a trial by shunning her calls and refusing to see her. In fact, I even seized his phone so that they stop communicating while her parents kept her hostage to the extent of even stopping her from attending school, not until the worst happened,” said the source.
On Sani’s reaction to the incident, the source confirmed that he immediately went into comma after attempting to also commit suicide by stabbing himself with a knife when people around intervened. He has since then been unconscious.
“Immediately he received the news of his girlfriend’s death, he also attempted killing himself if not for our intervention. He broke a bottle and also tried using a knife but we stopped him, and from there, he went into a coma,” the source added.
When Weekly Trust visited the Yakasai residence of the deceased shortly after the burial rites were performed, the mother wouldn’t speak to the press, as she said she was still in shock.
Father of the deceased, Alhaji Ahmed Haruna only said he has accepted the tragedy as an act of God and only hope that people will help him in praying for the repose of his daughter’s soul and not concentrating on the cause of her death. “All I will say is may her soul rest in peace because as a Muslim, I believe that every soul must taste death, so I don’t see Nafisa’s death as extraordinary.”
Kano State Police Command however couldn’t confirm the story as the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Magaji Musa Majiya said he was not aware.

What Slain boko Haram Leader discused with Obasonjo by the Family

The family of late leader of Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf yesterday gave insight into their discussion with former president, Olusegun Obasanjo who paid the family a visit in Maiduguri on Thursday. Babakura Alhaji Fugu, the eldest son of an in-law of the late Yusuf told newsmen that the former president said he came to condole with the family and show dismay over the extra-judicial killing of their father and the demolition of their family house during the 2009 crises.
According to him, Obasanjo has promised to take their problem to President Goodluck Jonathan, saying he will give them feedback in two weeks. The junior Fugu said they got to know about the visit of the former president from the National Human Right Commission (NHRC), adding that they are optimistic that the visit will change things for the better because the family has gone through a lot. He said among those things discussed with the former president is the court judgment which affords the family compensation over the extra-judicial killing of their father. He said though the demands of Boko Haram was quite distinct from theirs, “we suggested to Obasanjo that there was still need for the authorities concerned to consider the conditions they set for dialogue, especially on the withdrawal of soldiers from the streets of Maiduguri, so that normalcy can return.”

Brother kills brother over inheritance in Nigeria

Pandemonium broke on No. 55 off Iorkyaa Ako Street, High Level Makurdi, the Benue State capital when a serving Lance Corporal with the Nigeria Air Force in Port Harcourt, Gulenen Hanmaikul allegedly stabbed his elder brother Jacob to death. Weekly Trust learnt that since the death of their father, the family has not known peace over the assets he left behind. August 25, 2011 was one of the days the family scheduled to resolve some issues.
A close associate of the family told Weekly Trust that on the fateful Thursday, when a lawyer arrived with the will the late soldier was said to have left behind, tempers began to flare. The deceased was said to have been dissatisfied with the content of the will, which spelt out everything in favour of his younger brother, Corporal Hanmaikul.
According to our information, the late Jacob accused the mother of partiality, saying the will did not come from the family lawyer and therefore would not be recognized as it was written with her knowledge to favour his younger brother, a situation he said was against Tiv custom. The deceased insisted that the ‘will’ be altered to his advantage, but the mother and the officer disagreed. With this situation, Jacob opted out of the discussion. However, the mother was said to have begged him to see reason.
Corporal Gulenen was said to have been infuriated by his mother’s action which he viewed as degrading and vowed to teach Jacob a lesson. Corporal Gulenen, it was learnt, dashed into his room, came out with a knife and stabbed Jacob, 35, in the chest, killing him. Gulenen was subsequently arrested by Air Force authorities.
At the 45 Air Force Hospital, Makurdi, where the victim’s body has been deposited, a medical officer declined comment over autopsy report. He referred our correspondent to Air Force Public Relations Officer, who was said to have gone on official assignment as at the time of filing this report.
Family members and sympathizers who converged at No. 55 off Iorkyaa Ako Street to accompany Jacob’s body for burial at Tse Hanmaikul Ayila Mbademagu Mbaachia-Gaav Konshisha Local Government Area on 3rd September, 2011 went home disappointed as the Air Force Command is still holding the victim’s corpse at the time of filing this report.
Benue State Police Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Alaribe Ejike said he was yet to be briefed over the matter.

Man Caught Stealing Baby in Calabar

The sale of young children is silently going on in some parts of Calabar, Cross River State. Even as the State Security Service (SSS) has gotten wind of the disturbing trend and has made arrests, some ‘dealers’ remain on the loose. Before now, it was hardly believable that something beyond the ordinary was happening in the popular settlement called Bogobiri in Calabar South Local Government Area where many Nigerian ethnicities are found. Hausas, Kanuris, Igbos and others from the northern part of Cross River State can also be found living peacefully there.
A lot of trade goes on in Bogobiri, but a handful of illicit ones are bringing the area under the scrutiny of men of law enforcement agencies in the state, because of the booming child-selling business in Bogobiri. Had the SSS not uncovered it last week, everyone would still be going about their business innocently, not knowing that the various cases of missing babies and children in Calabar and other parts of the state are connected with their very area. The SSS picked up three persons who attempted to sell a ten-year-old called Mfon Bassey on a tip-off from a slighted potential buyer.
The SSS Assistant Director, Operations and Intelligence, Mr. Bassey Ntewo told Weekly Trust that on receiving the information, his men were immediately sent to Bogobiri, where the sale was being concluded. He said his men arrested the key suspect, Emmanuel Asuquo Inyang, 28, who is a maternal uncle to the abductee, alongside one Malam Dahiru Abubakar who claimed to be a watch-seller. Also arrested was one Musa Mohammed, 35, who was to allegedly buy the boy at N3 million.
Ntewo said the SSS are intensifying investigations for more arrests because intelligence reports confirm that child-selling in the area and in the state is becoming rampant. The SSS boss said Inyang claims to be a dealer in oil palm in Eneneje in Akamkpa local government where little Mfon lives with his sick mother, Mrs. Idongest Etim Ita, a 25-year-old farmer. Inyang, the key suspect reportedly confessed that he actually negotiated with the facilitator, Abubakar who had approached him in Eneneje some two months ago requesting if he had human beings to sell. Inyang said he was shocked when Dahiru approached him with such a demand, but succumbed when they accepted his terms, adding that they settled for N3m for each child. He said he was asked to bring the ‘goods’ to Bogobiri in Calabar, adding that when he first went there for another negotiation, Mohammed even gave him transport fare.
Speaking in Ibibio, Inyang said: “I had told him (Musa) to give me time, so I can carry out the deal without any suspicion. So when I brought Mfon to one shop in Gbogobiri, I was directed to a particular shop near where Forex is being traded. In the shop, I saw many other children of about same age with Mfon.
But when Mohammed came out, he ordered the children to be moved to another section of the house. I did not know the reason. He then brought a big polythene bag containing money. When I saw it, I was afraid and refused to collect. Surprised at my action, it was then that he said the boy I brought was too small and that they needed an older male. So, he asked me to wait for him, and that if any other person comes to ask me the price for the boy, I should say it is N5 million instead of N3million. I did not know that as he was going outside to invite the police.”
Asked why he did not sell his own children instead of his nephew, Inyang blamed his action on greed, pleading for mercy.
Both Mohammed and Abubakar denied knowing Inyang nor were they attempting to buy the ten-year-old boy. Mohammed said: “I am a tailor and have never dealt in a business of this nature all my life. When he entered my shop, I had called the Police because on many occasions I have worked as an informant to the Police to thwart cases of criminality in Bogobiri. I don’t even know him.”
According to Abubakar, he accepted however that he normally travelled to Eneneje a distant of about30 kilometres from Calabar, to hawk his watches to his many customers but that he has never met Inyang before or ever discussed any business of kidnapping children for sale.
Mfon’s mother told Weekly Trust that she’s yet to recover from the shock. “I have been sick for some time now and this development has complicated my problems. I’m very shocked that Emmanuel, my own nephew, can do this to me.”
Head of the Hausa community in Calabar, Alhaji Jaafar Sarki Lawal, also lives in Bogobiri. He said there is nothing like baby or child-selling in the community. “I have heard about the visits of the SSS, but I am surprised that they are combing my community without my knowledge. However, I encourage them to carry out their lawful duty and if approached, I would give them my assistance wherever possible. Let me also say that I do not know those alleged to be involved in this matter, neither am I aware of any trafficking ring in Bogobiri.”
A resident on Bassey Duke Street, Calabar who preferred anonymity, said she was once approached by a man who asked her playfully if she has babies for sale.
Commissioner for Women Affairs in Cross River State, Mrs. Ekama Iwara said the government was interested in issues such as this. “Cases of trafficking continue to come up, particularly on our territorial waters and borders,” she said, adding that in June last year 56 children were rescued and handed over to NAPTIP.