EFCC set to probe Amnesty programme

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) has started probing the activities of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and has invited immediate past Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, for questioning on July 28.

On his part, Kuku,  has said that he is ready to assist the anti-graft agency in its bid to probe the accounts of the agency under his leadership.

Kuku, who spoke from the United States of America where he is undergoing a medical procedure, said that the allegations of conspiracy, stealing, abuse of office and diversion of public funds being made against him, did not arise as the records of his administration were clear and available for scrutiny.

“I’m currently in the U.S for an urgent surgery on my knee and will certainly return to honour the EFCC invitation once I recuperate in September. The record of my stewardship under the Presidential Amnesty Programme is an open document and it is available for scrutiny since I have nothing to hide about what we did,” Kuku said on the phone.

The former presidential aide was responding to an invitation by the EFCC, directing him to report to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja for questioning on July 28, 2015 by one of its operatives named, Chris Owobu, over allegation of diverting public funds running into hundreds of millions of Naira.

The EFCC letter with ref: CR 3000/EFCC/ABJ/EG/T7/vol.25/263 and dated July 22, was signed by the Head of Economic Governance, Olufunke Adetayo Ogunbode and was sent and received by the Presidential Amnesty Office in Maitama, same day.

In it, the EFCC said: “The commission is conducting an inquiry into a case of conspiracy, stealing, diversion of public funds and abuse of public office involving you.

“In view of the above, you are kindly expected to be interviewed by the undersigned through Chris Owobu on Tuesday July 28, 2015 at No 5 Formella Street, off Adetokumbo Ademola Crescent Wuse 2, Abuja at 10 am.

“Kindly accept the assurances of the Executive Chairman’s best wishes and highest regards, please,” the invitation letter said.

But Kuku, who is outside the country on medical grounds, wrote back to the EFCC that he was indisposed to appear before the commission on July 28, since he was scheduled for an operation on July 30, at the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Centre, United States.

Kuku’s letter to the EFCC dated July 24, 2015 was signed by his lawyer, Chief Karina Tunyan, SAN.

The lawyer wrote: “Our client is currently in the United States of America to keep appointment with his doctors at the Andrew Sports Medicine and ‘Orthopaedic Centre for surgery on one of his knees.

“He is expected back in Nigeria at the end of September, 2015 after the surgery and recuperation. He will definitely report in your office as a law-abiding citizen by 10.am on 30th of September, 2015,” the lawyer explained.

The documents from the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Centre were also attached by the lawyer for the attention of the EFCC.

The Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the invitation extended to Kuku by the commission.

How we kidnapped children from churches- suspect speaks

speaks

Gabriel Ogunsawe is a 26-year-old father of one, who is currently jailed at the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department, SCIID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos.  He has been accused of participating in 3 different kidnapping of children.

He stated that his first operation was successful but luck ran out on him on his 2nd attempt.  He was arrested, arranged in court and remanded in Kirikiri prisons for about a year. But no sooner than he got his freedom, he took to the same crime again, he wasn't lucky the 3rd time either.

Ogunsawe said:

“I am from Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State.  I am a National Diploma, Accounting student of Lagos State Polytechnic. I was arrested because I was involved in the kidnap of a young child of about four years from Amazing Grace Church in Palm groove area. I was introduced into kidnapping business by a friend called Olayinka.

“I have known him for over six years.   It was Olayinka who came up with the kidnapping idea.   My role was to collect the ransom from the parents of the victim. This is not the first time we have engaged in kidnapping of little children.   In fact, I have engaged in three kidnappings.   The first one was successful while the last two were not.

"I was arrested after the second kidnapping while attempting to cash the ransom at the bank but my friend Olayinka, escaped. I was in Kirikiri for almost a year before I was released. When I returned from prison, I was jobless when Olayinka came and lured me into it again.

“Normally,  Olayinka goes into any church of his choice on Sunday morning, sits like a member inside the church and monitors the activities and movement of worshippers in the church.   When he is certain that he can lure a child out of the church premises unnoticed,  he quickly lures the child with biscuit or toys.  After successfully abducting the victims, he takes them to another big church located very far from the church where the children were kidnapped.

We never killed or sold any child. We only keep the child for a day and ensure we get whatsoever ransom we need to get from the victim’s parents. We ensure that we get the ransom first thing on Monday morning before the child will be seen. He abandons a large envelope addressed to the pastor in the church with a phone number. Once they contact us through the number,   we send  bank details to the parents of the victim.

“The first kidnap operation was in a Redeemed Christian Church in Shomolu area and it was successful.   We were paid N300,000 but Olayinka gave me N70,000 only, as he said we incurred some expenses, that was why he took the larger sum. Unfortunately,  the second operation was unsuccessful as I was arrested, arraigned in court and remanded in prison from June 2013 to January 10 2014.

Honestly,  I didn’t need anyone to tell me to stay away from crime after my release from the prison but I didn’t have a choice.   When I was released, I started squatting with my cousin, Akorede, in Akilo Street close to Lady-Lak area.  That was after I was ejected from the rented apartment where I lived because I was unable to pay the rent. My wife and son had to go live with her parents in Ota.

“This last operation, Olayinka initially, asked the victim’s parents to pay N700,000 but, they said they will pay N250,000.  They later sent N3,000 airtime to Olayinka.   He transferred N1,500 to my line the next day after I confronted him for collecting the ransom behind me. Because I was broke, I transferred N750 to my cousin Akorede, who I was squatting with.

We used an old registered line of mine for the transaction.   It was that line that he used to transfer the air time to my main line.  It was through the transferred airtime that Akorede was arrested,  unknown to me. It was through his sister, Jumoke,  that   I was eventually arrested while I was sharing handbill.   Akorede and his sister Jumoke,  are innocent and know nothing about the kidnap.

“I have a son who is about three years seven months old and I won’t want him to be kidnapped because I know the trauma we subject the families to when we kidnap their children. There was a time when I had to speak with the mother of the child we kidnapped.  I could feel her pain and broken heart from her voice.

My wife doesn’t know that I am into kidnapping business. My mum is late but my father is alive.  He doesn’t care.  I am married and I am a tiler. 

To my wife, I am very sorry to put you through all this shame and disappointment. My family members are all disappointed.   No one has come to see me since I was arrested. 

  Right now, I feel so bad about my actions, but I was so desperate to get out my unpleasant situation,”he stated.

Militants Blow UP NPDC Oil Pipeline Over Surveillance Contract Dispute

An unidentified militant group in Delta State today blew up pipelines belonging to the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) at Ighwrenene town in Ughelli North local government area. A few residents of the area told Sahara Reporters that the militant group blew up the pipelines to protest the Federal Government’s continued refusal to hire its members to provide surveillance services over all the pipelines in the area.

A young man in the area, who identified himself as one of the militants who torched the pipeline, warned that the government had seen nothing yet. “This is only the beginning of wahala [trouble],” said the man, who refused to disclose his name. 

“This is the second explosion. There will be third one. Then the government will know that, yes, this is not a child's play,” he continued. Then he added: “President Muhammadu Buhari must give the [contract for the] guarding of the pipelines to the youths. If not—well, let me stop there first.”

Our correspondent reported that the explosion, which is the second attack on the same pipeline in recent times. 

Pay salaries,or face strike,NLC tells Governors

Factional NLC leader Joe Ajaero today advised state governors owing workers to pay their salaries to avoid protest by the organised labour. This is contained in a 10-point communique signed by Ajaero at the end of his NEC meeting in Port Harcourt. According to the communique, it is unacceptable that after the timely intervention of President Buhari, the workers’ have not received their salaries.

Osun recieved N204 billion,not N317 billion in four years-Aregbsola

Osun state Governor, Rauf Aregbsola, on Friday insisted that his administration got N204bn as federal allocation and internally generated revenue since the inception of his administration to the end of 2014.The governor said this in a statement  in Osogbo today through his media aide as a response to the claims of former Head of Service on the revenues of the state.

Buhari anti-terror stategy working-APC

National Publicity Sec. of the APC,Alhaji  Lai Mohammed has said the recent successes recorded against Boko Haram, is a product of a methodical & focused approach adopted by the Buhari-led APC administration. Lai Mohammed explained that unlike what obtained in the recent past, the sect no longer controls an inch of Nigerian territory, hence it's members have resorted to 'lone wolf' suicide attacks on soft targets.

Nigeria Army pulls out 11 Generals

Eleven (11) generals of the Nigerian Army Ordinance Corps in Lagos State were on Friday pulled out of service. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the officers were eight Major-Generals and three Brigadier-Generals who retired between 2013 and 2015.

Maryam Abacha university degrees are sub-standard and will not be accepted in Nigeria- NUC

The National Universities Commission has warned that degrees obtained from Maryam Abacha American University of Niger Republic (MAAUN) are sub-standard and will not be accepted in Nigeria, saying henceforth such certificates would not be recognised as a means of seeking employment or doing other legitimate business in Nigeria.

The NUC Director of Information and Public Relations, Malam Ibrahim Yakasai, handed down the warning while briefing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.

According to him, NUC has been inundated with inquiries from some Nigerian students who have been offered admission in MAAUN on part time with a graduation time of four semesters.

He listed some of the programmes as Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science, Public Health, among others.
He explained that “in Nigeria, the duration for a full-time degree programme is not less than three years for direct entry and at least six years for part-time.

He said:
“Professional programmes in Science, Engineering and Health Sciences-Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science and Public Health are not offered on part-time basis in Nigeria.

“More so, their graduation time is far less than the graduation time in Nigeria-they admit students with HND on direct entry and they give them two years to do a degree in Nursing or Health Sciences.

“We wish to restate that as the only Quality Assurance Agency for universities in Nigeria, NUC is maintaining its stand that degrees from MAAUN will not be accepted in Nigeria.””We wish to restate that as the only quality assurance agency for universities in Nigeria, the NUC is maintaining its stand that degrees from Maryam Abacha University will not be accepted in Nigeria”, the commission stated.

The NUC which also discredited all part- time cross boarder education in Nigeria, therefore warned citizens against patronising online universities which offer academic programmes without physical contact with their students.
 
According to him, the Nigerian constitution has no backing or recognition for such degrees obtained online, insisting that students look for cheap means of acquiring qualifications to avoid competition at home.

Bayelsa Governor,Seriake Dickson postponed MEND's Meeting,Call for Patience..

Bayelsa State governor,Mr. Seriake Dickson,has asked the ex-militant leaders who plan to hold a 'crucial' meeting on Saturday in Yenagoa,the state capital, to shelve the meeting for now. In a statement issued by Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the governor's Chief Press Secretary, on Friday, the governor urged the ex-militant leaders to postpone the meeting, saying such a meeting is not necessary for now.
In a related development,The leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Chief Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo) says the Saturday July 25thmeeting of the militant group in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state is  not in any way meant to restart hostilities in the Niger Delta. The ex militant clarified this in a statement he released today. The statement below...

"I am compelled to clarify issues as they relate to the meeting of the leadership of ex-agitators under the platform of MEND and other organisations summoned at my instance. The tension generated by the meeting is uncalled for, diversionary and mischievous as no evil is intended in whatever form. The nation would recall that in the build up to the Amnesty offer of the late president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, there was hesitance on the part of most of Niger Delta agitators until God in His infinite mercy, granted me wisdom to provide leadership. The nation will also recall that under the Amnesty programme as inherited by the immediate past president, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, relative peace was enjoyed even as security of lives and property was enhanced to an appreciable level. Also, oil production increased from 700,000 barrels per day to 2.5million barrels per day. Put simply, hitherto aggrieved Niger-Delta youths who inadvertently became agitators, upon the acceptance of the Amnesty offer, refrained from armed agitation to face normal urban life. While some of us understand to an extent, the apparent delay in the continued payment of the monthly stipend to the ex-agitators in view of the seeming scrutiny of government agencies, including the Amnesty Office by the current administration, same cannot be said of the majority of beneficiaries of the Amnesty programme. To this extent, some of us, particularly myself and other leaders have been under intense pressure from ex-agitators commanders, individuals, parents and guardians as well as communities who are beneficiaries of the Amnesty programme. While a few see the delay in the payment of their monthly stipends in the light of the need for the current government to settle in properly, others see the delay as a template to stop the programme. The expulsion of some students (home and overseas) by their schools and training institutions particularly has heightened these fears. Hence, I thought it wise that a meeting of the collegiate leadership of the platform under which we operated as agitators could be convened to appraise the situation and possibly, explore means to douse the tension that is growing among the disarmed youths whose stipends (training allowances and tuition fees) have been delayed for months. This becomes more compelling in view of the fact that as leaders of the platform that served as midwife to the Amnesty offer, we owe the nation a duty to play our roles in order to stem a relapse of the relative peace in the Niger Delta Region,” he said.

Nigeria foreign reserve rises to $30 billion

Latest data from Central Bank of Nigeria  indicates that foreign exchange reserves rose to $30.69 billion in July, an increment of 5.6 percent from $29.03 billion in June. However, the forex reserves were down by 20.9 percent from $38.8 billion a year ago. The growth in reserves for the month was attributed to efforts of the present government to plug leakage and demand management by the apex bank.