Native doctor collected N.51m from us for enlistment in Army, says applicants

Three applicants on Monday told a Senior Magistrates’ Court in Mararaba, Nasarawa State that a native doctor, Abdul Idris, collected N510,000 from them to enlist them in the Nigerian Army.



Idris is standing trial on a one-count charge of cheating.

At the case’s hearing on Monday, the accused pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of N500,000.

Testifying in court, one of the applicants, Hassan Adamu, told the court that the accused allegedly lured him into paying N170,000.
He said this was with a promise to introduce him to an Army General who will aid his enlistment in the Nigerian Army.

Adamu said the accused absconded to an unknown place, after he gave the native doctor the money.
Also testifying, another applicant, Kefas Williams, said the accused collected N170,000, for his (Williams) enlistment in the Army.

Another applicant, Danlami Giwa, told the court that he gave the accused N170,000 to prepare a “charm’’ for him to aid his enlistment in the Army.

He said he did not hear anything from the accused thereafter.
After listening to the testimonies of the witnesses, the magistrate, Mr Jeremiah Danladi, adjourned the case until April 14, for further hearing.(NAN)
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FG to retire 1,050 civil servants in three weeks -Official

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Aji, has said 1,050 civil servants that are in the service illegally will be retired in the next three weeks.

Aji made the disclosure at the ongoing 60th anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Public Service Commission in Abuja.


He said the screening done by Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System discovered that the 1,050 civil servants were supposed to have retired from the service long before now.

“Through the IPPIS, we are able to screen those who are supposed to have retired long time ago and they will leave the service within the next two to three weeks,” he said.

The head of the civil service said that it would create opportunity for those in legitimate service to be promoted.

Aji said that there had been synergy, cooperation and collaboration between the HOCSF and the Federal Civil Service Commission.

He assured that the Federal Civil Service would be better in 2014, adding that it would not relent in its efforts to improve the service.

The Chairman, FCSC, Mrs Joan Ayo, said the commission came into existence in April 1954 with the functions of employing, promoting and disciplining of civil servants.

She said that since the commission was the gateway into the service and exit way, the commission should be guided by some rules.

“As the ‘entry into’ and ‘exit out’ the service, the FCSC is committed to the traditional core values of the civil service.”

She listed the core values as including meritocracy, anonymity, integrity, political neutrality, discipline, impartiality, accountability and transparency.

Ayo said the celebration was necessary in order to recall the exploits of the founding fathers of the civil service.

“We are celebrating the past and looking at where we have got it wrong, so we can improve and do it better,” she said.

The FCSC boss explained that the civil service was that organ of government that performed vital advisory role.

The Secretary to Government of the Federation, Sen. Ayim Pius Ayim, said government would ensure improved service.

Ayim, who was represented by Mr Linus Awute, the Permanent Secretary, General Service of SGF, congratulated the efforts of the founding fathers who had worked tirelessly to ensure transparency and meritocracy.
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Michael Jackson resurrects in Post-Humus album ‘Xscape’

The King of Pop will come alive on May 13, as Epic Records announces that it will release ‘Xscape’, an album featuring eight brand new, previously unheard tracks by the late pop king.


The world will hear the new tunes due to the efforts of Epic Records chairman and X Factor judge L.A. Reid, who was granted unlimited access to Jackson’s archives by his estate. In the archives, Reid uncovered what a press release calls “four decades of material on which Jackson had completed his vocals.”

Reid selected eight tracks for the album and then sent them out to be retooled by producers, including recent Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake hitmaker Timbaland, in a process Reid calls “contemporizing.” Reid only chose producers who had “the gravitas, depth and range” to maintain the “essence and integrity” of Jackson’s work.

Fingers crossed, Jackson fans.
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Nyako blasts Jonathan: Your govt responsible for rising terrorism in North

Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako, yesterday, slammed President Goodluck Jonathan over his claim that the failure of Northern governors to provide basic education for their people was responsible for the spread of insurgency in the region.


Nyako, who described the President’s claim as unfortunate, insisted that it was the poor leadership exhibited by the Jonathan administration that had aided and abetted the rising spate of terrorism in the North.

jonathan-boko1Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State on his part was more reserved, saying that the president may have been misquoted based on what he said were clear indications that the administration in Borno inherited the insurgency and had tackled it within the resources available to it.

Jonathan had at a Peoples Democratic Party rally in Bauchi on Saturday spit fire, accusing the governors of not doing enough for their people and always blaming their misfortune on bad leadership exhibited by the centre.

He noted that the failure on the part of the governors to cater for the basic education needs if the citizens was responsible for the insurgency that had engulfed the area.

But Nyako, who spoke through his director of Press and Public Affairs, Ahmad Sajoh, stated that it was the failure on the part of the Jonathan Presidency to tackle insurgency with the required political will that had given rise to the escalation of terrorism in the North East.

He pointed out that governors could not be held responsible for the spread of insurgency in the north since Jonathan, as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian armed forces was in charge of all security matters.
Nyako said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state categorically that if there is any proof of bad governance, it will be located in the way and manner the President executes his priorities and the kind of statements he and his spokespersons make.

“Governors are not and cannot be held responsible for security challenges since they have no control over security apparatus. The President is the Commander-in-Chief with powers over the Armed Forces, Police and other security agencies.

Nyako stated that Jonathan had been misled to believe that his administration had done much in the north when the average citizen is yet to feel the impact of the government in any facet of life.

On the issue of arming the insurgents, Nyako challenged the Presidency to institute an independent professional enquiry into the sources of weapons used by the insurgents.

The governor said it amounted to pure blackmail for Jonathan to always blame others for arming the insurgents when all the security, intelligence and diplomatic apparatus are in the hands of the President to deploy in fishing out their sponsors, financiers and strategic commanders of the terrorists.

He said: “ We do not have the resources to cover the level of sophistication displayed by the insurgents in their operations. We do not have command over the Military as to deploy them away from strategic targets of the insurgents or allow the insurgents safe passage during curfew hours.

“Our states hardly receive enough allocations to even meet our most basic needs let alone spend it carelessly. In addition, we have the added responsibility of carrying the burdens of the Federal authorities in our state. Moreover, we do not have the moral burden of missing monies not accounted for on our heads as is the case with the Federal Government.

“Nigerians should hold the Jonathan administration responsible for all the security challenges in the country including insurgency, oil theft, kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery.

“No matter what the President says or does, this government has failed Nigerians. It has turned out to be a “Government of impunity by the incompetent for the advancement of corruption.” The signs of incompetence are everywhere,” Nyako said.
In his reaction articulated by his spokesman, Isa Gusau, Shettima said:

“Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has the highest regard for the President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and will therefore, not join issues with him. The statement in reference does not even apply to Governor Shettima because while the statement was said to have referred to governors in the North east that have served for eight years in office, Governor Shettima has served for less than three years and it is to the knowledge of everyone that in the case of Borno State, Governor Shettima inherited the Boko Haram crisis in May, 2011.”
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Man gets N5 million compensation for lost arm

After losing an arm to a waste machine at West Coast Investment Limited, Joshua Ejiyere smiled home Monday after a Lagos High Court, Igbosere ordered the firm to pay N5 million compensation.



Trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Adebajo gave the order in a suit filed by the amputee against the firm, after upholding the claimant’s submission that the defendant was negligent in its operation of the machine.

Ejiyere had approached the court presided by Justice Ebenezer Adebajo claiming that he lost his right arm in the process of feeding waste into a machine owned by the defendant.

He claimed that he sustained the injury while working on the machine because another employee of the firm suddenly turned on the machine which was off at the time he commenced work.

He prayed the court to order the company to pay him N10 million for losing his right arm and also pick the bills of his medical treatment.

But in their submission, the firm prayed the court to dismiss the suit on grounds that the claimant was a trespasser and not its employee, adding that the person who caused the accident was no longer on its employ.

In his judgment, Justice Adebajo who acknowledged that the claimant was not an employee of the firm, however, dismissed the company’s claim that he was a trespasser.

Citing evidence given in the cause of trial, Justice Adebajo held that the claimant was invited to West Coast’s premises.

“Being a person legally in the premises of the first defendant, the company owed the claimant a duty of care.
“The duty of care was breached when the first defendant’s employee (second defendant) switched on the machine without any warning,” the court held.

Holding that the defendants conducted their affairs negligently, Justice Adebajo ordered them to pay the claimant N5 million as general damages as well as pay the cost of his treatment running into over N500,000 as special damages.
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NIS Tragedy: Why I accepted responsibility- Moro

Interior minister, Comrade Abba Moro has explained why he took responsibility of the ill-fated recruitment exercise by the Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS) in which about 20 persons died as result of the stampedes that followed the shabby manner it was conducted.



Moro said he could not deny responsibility because, apart from being the minister under whose watch the gruesome recruitment exercise happened, the buck about the whole saga stopped on his table. “The loss of these young Nigerians, who are needed as a critical human resource factor for nation building is most regrettable. As the minister of interior, under whose purview this unfortunate exercise took place, I cannot abdicate my responsibility. The buck stops at my table,” he stated.

The Comptroller General of the NIS as well as a member of the NIS board and the recruitment consultant, Derex technology had last week made revelations that suggested complicity of the Interior minister.
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Attempted Jailbreak: Our bloody war with B’Haram detainees — DSS

The Department of State Service, DSS , confirmed, yesterday, that 21 Boko Haram suspects were killed in a shoot-out at its detention centre between its operatives and the sect members.

DSS said two of its operatives sustained serious injuries.

The detained terrorists reportedly over-powered the guards, shot several operatives and attempted to stage a daring escape from detention.

There were, however, different accounts on how the attempted jailbreak was carried out.

Meanwhile, Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, denied reports, yesterday, that President Goodluck Jonathan was whisked away during the attempted jailbreak and shootout.

How B’Haram overpowered DSS operative

According to a security source, one of the Boko Haram members told one of the DSS guards that he was pressed and needed to go to the toilet. The sect member’s request was obliged without being leg-chained. On getting to the toilet and finding the door locked, he applied force and uprooted the toilet seat unknown to the operative who was standing outside.

When the detainee knocked the door to indicate that he had finished, the DSS the operative opened the door, only to have his head smashed with the heavy toilet seat.

The operative was said to have collapsed. The sect member then collected the gun of the operative, went to the cell entrance and opened fire on the other operatives who were caught off-guard and set free many of his colleagues.

The source said it was the shooting at the DSS centre that alerted other operatives who mobilised to take on the sect members, leading to serious shoot-out between the terrorists and the operatives for over an hour before security was re-enforced and soldiers drafted to the scene.

Soldiers called in to stop the rampaging Boko Haram detainees, Sunday morning.

Another account
Another account of the incident had it that trouble started around 6 a.m. during the normal handing and taking over of duties by DSS detainees’ handlers.

It was learnt that the shoot-out erupted when some of the suspected terrorists attempted to free their members and leave the detention facility, which is by the precincts of the Presidential Villa.

A competent source said as soon as one handler opened the gate leading to the cell where the detainees were being kept, 10 suspected terrorists rushed out, snatched the handler’s rifle and used it to shoot at him.

Alerted by the attack, some DSS handlers were reported to have retreated so as not to be killed by the rampaging suspected terrorists. The source said after shooting the first handler, the 10 suspected terrorists began to escape into different locations within the massive security compound.

Alarmed by the effrontery of the suspected terrorists, the DSS quickly deployed its men to quell the uprising, resulting in heavy shooting that claimed the lives of some of the suspects.

Many DSS operatives and Boko Haram detainees were also injured in the ensuing  stampede.

The shot DSS operative, whose name could not be immediately ascertained, was immediately rushed to an undisclosed hospital. A source said the shot operative was in a critical condition but had not died.

DSS commences probe

It was learnt that the DSS, which is highly embarrassed by the incident, has begun investigation into why the detainees handler decided to go and open the cell gate alone without being accompanied by others, as is the standard practice.

According to the source, “the whole episode occurred between 6:30 am and 7am on Sunday during the normal hand-over and take-over of detainees.

“The standard rule is that you cannot go alone to open the gate leading to the detainees’ cell but as soon as the man opened the gate, he was attacked and he tried to run away and was shot. The shot operative has been taken to hospital.”

The uprising led to the deployment of soldiers to the DSS Headquarters and around the Presidential Villa.

Situation under control —DSS

Spokeswoman for the DSS, Marylyn Ogar, confirmed the attempted jailbreak which she said had been stalled by security agents.

She said: “What happened was that the suspects’ handler went to feed the detainees but suddenly they attacked him with their handcuffs, disarmed him and started shooting.”

Soldiers flushing out the detainees

They are convicted terrorists

It was also gathered that the detained Boko Haram men, who confronted operatives of the DSS in a bid to free themselves, were prisoners already convicted for terrorism.

A security source said the prisoners were taken to the DSS headquarters for security reasons.

The source, who declined to be quoted because he had not been authorised to speak on the matter, said the DSS opted to keep the condemned terrorists in its facilities to prevent them from escaping from normal prison custody.

2 DSS operatives injured

Another statement issued by the spokesperson of the organisation, Mrs. Marilyn Ogar, said two operatives of the service who sustained serious injuries have been hospitalised.

Her words: “Following our earlier releases, it has been established that 18 casualties were recorded, while two service personnel sustained serious injuries. Three other detainees who sustained gun shot injuries during the incident have also died.”

At press time, the entire road linking the DSS headquarters, Presidential Villa, Mambilla Barracks, Niger Barracks, Guards Brigade headquarters and Lungi Barracks, have been cordoned off while bomb disposal experts of the army, K9 Dogs and other security agencies have been deployed to the area to join in containing the situation.

Heavily armed counter terrorism training soldiers and K9 Dogs, accompanied by DSS personnel were said to have entered inside the DSS headquarters with a view to flushing out the sect members who continued to shoot at operatives and arresting those that were unarmed.

Increase in helicopter patrol
An increased security presence was put in place at all the gates leading to the presidential villa with more armed personnel drafted in.

One of the two gates into the villa was shut down with only the entrance from the federal secretariat through the Supreme Court left open.

DSS spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar

There was an increased helicopter patrol of Abuja airspace especially the three arms zone where the Presidential area is located.

Jonathan safe and well —Presidency

Speaking with Voice of America, VOA, yesterday, Abati who was reacting to eyewitness account suggesting that Jonathan was whisked away said: “It was an attempted jailbreak. Those arrested tried to make an attempt to escape, but the situation was immediately and effectively brought under control. We will want to reassure everyone that really there is no cause for alarm.

Some Nigerians expressed worry following the gunshots, since the DSS headquarters building is near the presidential villa.

According to Abati, “The president is safe and well, and there is no cause for alarm. There are some persons who are trying to put up negative information trying to suggest that the president was whisked away. The truth of the matter is that there was no attack on the Presidential Villa.”

FG determined to end security challenges — Jonathan

Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan, weekend, assured that the Federal Government had taken adequate measures to arrest the security challenges facing the country.

The President,  who was represented by the Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, also acknowledged the incessant bloody conflict between Benue farmers and suspected Fulani herders, assured that the crisis will soon come to an end.

He spoke in Makurdi at the wedding ceremony/reception of the son of the Minister of State for Trade and Investment and Supervising Minister of Aviation, Dr. Samuel Ortom.

UK cautions citizens in Abuja

Meantime, the UK Foreign Office has advised British citizens in Abuja to maintain “heightened vigilance.”
The revised travel alert on Nigeria was posted on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website on Sunday.

The travel alert advised British citizens to be especially vigilant “should they need to go to Asokoro or The Three Arms Zone in Abuja.”

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Boko Haram killed over 1,500 from January to March - Amnesty International

The Amnesty International (AI) yesterday said more than 1,500 people were killed in first three months of this year in the Northeast as a result of Boko Haram insurgency.


It said more than half of the killings were carried out by members of Boko Haram, including scores of school children.
The organisation said the situation has escalated into a non-international armed conflict with all parties allegedly violating international humanitarian law.

It asked international community to ensure independent investigations of acts that may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

It however expressed concerns that civilians are “paying a heavy price as the cycle of violations and reprisals gather momentum.”
The AI made the disclosures in a fact-sheet by its Research and Advocacy Director for Africa Netsanet Belay.
The document gave the details of pattern of killings by Boko Haram and alleged extra-judicial (summary) executions by Nigerian security forces.

The organisation queried the alleged killings of over 600 people, mostly detainees, during the 14 attack on Giwa Military Barracks in Maiduguri.
In spite of the persistent denials by the Defence Headquarters, the AI alleged that the over 600 detainees were extra-judicially executed in various locations across Maiduguri.
It claimed that since January 2014, approximately 150 dead bodies had been brought by the military to the State Specialist hospital mortuary.

Belay said: “An increase in attacks by Boko Haram and uncontrolled reprisals by Nigeria’s security forces had seen the death toll in Northeast Nigeria rise to at least 1,500 people, more than half of whom are civilians, in the first three months of 2014.
“More than 1,500 deaths in three months indicate an alarming deterioration in the situation. The international community cannot continue ver to look the other way in the face of extrajudicial executions, attacks on civilians and other crimes under international law being committed on a mass scale. Civilians are paying a heavyprice as the cycle of violations and reprisals gather momentum.
“The escalation of violence in Northeastern Nigeria in 2014 has developed into a situation of non-international armed conflict in which all parties are violating international humanitarian law.
“We urge the international community to ensure prompt, independent investigations into acts that may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The organisation, which gave the details if the death toll, however described the killings by Boko Haram as “truly shocking.”
Belay added: “More than half of the killings have been carried out by members of the Islamist armed group Boko Haram, including scores of schoolchildren who have been the victims of deliberate attacks.
“The scale of atrocities carried out by Boko Haram is truly shocking creating a climate of fear and insecurity.
“But this cannot be used to justify the brutality of the response that is clearly being meted out by the Nigerian security forces.
The Amnesty International faulted the alleged killings of over 600 people, mostly detainees, during the 14 attack on Giwa Military Barracks in Maiduguri.
It also described the attacks on Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri on March 14 as a “tipping point”.
Belay said: “Amnesty International has documented the killings carried out in January, February and March 2014 by both Boko Haram and the Nigerian Security Forces. It highlights 14 March as a tipping point when the security forces unleashed a brutal crackdown on former detainees.
“On 14 March, Boko Haram gunmen attacked the Giwa military barracks in Maiduguri, Borno state. They reportedly fought their way into the detention facilities and freed several hundred detainees.
“Amnesty International has received credible evidence that as the military regained control, more than 600 people, mostly unarmed recaptured detainees, were extra-judicially executed in various locations across Maiduguri.
“Amnesty International has pieced together a partial timeline of events following the 14 March attack in Maiduguri.
“The evidence is based on interviews with residents, lawyers, human rights campaigners, and hospital staff across the city as well as satellite imagery showing three possible mass graves in one area of Maiduguri.
“Amongst the testimony gathered by Amnesty International were the voices of witnesses who described what happened when the military found 56 of those who had escaped from the Giwa barracks.

“The former detainees were in a classroom. They started screaming ‘we are not Boko Haram. We are detainees!’ My neighbours and I saw the soldiers take the men to a place called ‘no man’s land,’ behind the University of Maiduguri. We watched as the soldiers opened fire killing all 56. They were killed in front of us. All of them.”

“Other eyewitnesses in Jiddari Polo, also in Maiduguri, described how members of the “Civilian Joint Task Force” rounded up freed prisoners and handed them to soldiers. More than 190 people were executed, many of whom were too frail to run.

“I saw the soldiers asking the people to lie on the ground. There was a small argument between the soldiers and the civilian JTF. The soldiers made some calls and a few minutes later they started shooting the people on the ground. I counted 198 people killed at that checkpoint.”

The AI demanded independent probe of alleged acts which amounted to war crimes in the battle against insurgency.

Belay said: “Given Nigeria’s apparent unwillingness and inability to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of these crimes, Amnesty International is calling on the African Comission and the United Nations to assist Nigeria in investigating acts that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both Boko Haram and the Nigerian security forces in north-eastern Nigeria.

“The summary killing of these detainees amount to extrajudicial executions and are crimes under international law. These killings follow an entrenched pattern of deaths in custody of detainees held in relation to the situation in the northeast.
“The international community, and in particular the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights and the UN Human Rights Council, must, as a matter of urgency, ensure that a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation is conducted into these allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Nigeria.”

“Amnesty International is also calling on the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union’s Peace and Security Council to assess immediately the conflict situation in North-Eastern Nigeria and provide full and effective support to end these acts of violence against civilians.

“It must also strongly condemn the on-going war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by all parties to the conflict.
“As Nigeria assumes the chairmanship of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council next month, the AU needs to critically ask itself how far its member States are living up to their commitment to uphold the principles of the African Union and respect for rule of law and human rights.”
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Police corporal beats wife, kills baby

A police corporal attached to the headquarters of the Edo State Police Command, Samuel Abiola, has allegedly killed his 19-month-old baby.



Corporal Abiola was said to have beaten his wife, Abigail, to coma before strangulating the baby.
The incident occurred at their residence at Sam Enobakhare Cresent, Off St. Saviour Road, Benin City, the Edo State capital.

The policeman, who hails from Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, was alleged to have impregnated another woman from Oghara in Delta State.

His wife said the attack occurred at 6pm on March 25 without any prior quarrel with the husband.
She said her husband started beating her when she asked about his countenance.

Abigail recalled that her husband abandoned her at the hospital after having the baby through Caesarian Section.

Abigail said she spent almost two months at the hospital before some policemen intervened and discharged her from the hospital.

“He kicked me in my stomach and pressed my neck. He slapped me and I ran out. He carried the baby, bite it in the neck, belly and face. He later locked me out.”

Abigail’s mother, Mrs. Jane Omoruyi, said she visited her daughter that day only to discover that she was battered by her husband.

She said her son-in-law opened the door after several knocks and she saw her grandson writhing in pains with visible marks on his body.

Mrs. Omoruyi said Abiola told her that he gave the baby some drugs. She said they took the child to Jonos Medical Clinic where doctors confirmed him dead.

The Chief Medical Director, Dr. Jolly Nosakhare Iguma, confirmed that “a mother and her daughter brought in a dead baby”.

Police spokesman Moses Eguavoen said he was yet to be briefed on the incident.
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APC, party of unpatriotic Nigerians – PDP

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party has described the All Progressives Congress as party of unpatriotic Nigerians.


The party said it had observed the alleged ill-conceived and wicked offensive deployed by the APC and that the opposition has now resorted to attacking the personality of individuals and institutions of government using a section of the media.

A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh in Abuja on Sunday, alleged that the APC had been using resources meant for the development of their states to castigate, discredit and ridicule PDP officials and other well-meaning individuals in the country.

In response, the APC dismissed PDP’s claims saying the ruling party was a party of drowning politicians clinging to straws.

Metuh said that it was rather despicable that instead of coming out with tangible explanations that would delink it from the negatives for which he said Nigerians have known the APC, he added that the opposition party had resorted to what he described as “yet another diversionary tactics of propaganda, blackmail and falsehood, this time, using paid consultants masquerading as newspaper columnists to attack and insult individuals including the person of President Goodluck Jonathan.

“We however wish to restate that the PDP is not perturbed by these attacks and they cannot deter us from exposing the APC. We completely stand by our position that the APC is a party of unpatriotic persons whose agenda is to destroy our democracy and the unity we enjoy as a nation.

“This wave of attack is clearly part of APC’s ‘Janjaweed ‘ ideology of destruction and inciting the people against individuals, especially government officials, in furtherance of the plot to undermine the system and balkanize the nation along ethnic and religious lines ahead of the 2015 general elections; an agenda which has already failed.”

He added that he was aware that the APC has engaged the services of foreigners who he said have been brought into the country to do the hatchet job in collaboration with the paid consultants who he said pocket as much as N5 million naira for each negative publication.

Metuh said, “Nigerians must insist that the APC declares the source of the billions of naira with which it is sponsoring the negative publications.

“We must ensure that the funds are not coming from the resources meant for the development of their states where the people are already subjected to untold hardship on account of the looting and heavy taxes by the APC.

“As an ill-bred party, it is not surprising that the APC has continued to exhibit crass hatred for the President even to the extent of unleashing their thugs to attack innocent citizens for the singular reason of being in possession of posters of President Goodluck Jonathan.”

He said Nigerians are now aware that the APC is a party of hypocrites; of wolves in messianic robes seeking to deceive with the promise of change. We wish to state categorically that the APC as presently constituted has nothing to offer.

He added that by every indication, the APC is a rudderless ship heading for crisis and self destruction.

Metuh urged Nigerians to note that whilst the leaders of the APC have continued to focus on attacking people and causing confusion, the PDP has focused on sensitizing the people as well as strengthening and expanding its support base.

Reacting to Metuh, his counterpart in the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the PDP had better address issues instead of beating around the bush.

He told one of our correspondents in a telephone interview that there was nothing the APC has said about the PDP that was untrue.

Mohammed said, “Every advert we have put out, I signed them. We have run only two adverts so far, one on the allegation of corruption of millions of dollars and the other one on the incompetence regarding the recruitment into the Nigeria Immigration Service.

“I don’t see that as character assassination, I don’t see that as insulting personalities, we have just put the facts in the public domain, they should reply Nigerians.

“It is not true that people died in the NIS recruitment? Is it not true that they collected N1, 000 from each of the applicants? Let them go and face their challenges.”

He dismissed allegations that state resources were used in placing adverts. Mohammed said the APC is an organised and accountable political party unlike the ruling party.
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Fuel scarcity to persist till mid April

The fuel shortage that has engulfed the country in the past one month may not improve until the middle or end of April as many marketers are currently finding it difficult to finance the import allocations they recently got from the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency.


Our correspondent gathered on Sunday that a significant number of the independent marketers, who got import allocations from the PPPRA, were finding it difficult to finance them as banks had refused to raise Letters of Credit for them.

Though the Federal Government still owes the marketers substantial subsidy claims, many of those affected, who are considered small, are said to lack the financial muscle to attract more loans from the banks without paying what they currently owe.

“The marketers are facing financial challenges because they are finding it difficult to finance their import allocations. The supply situation may not improve until the middle of April; and if care is not taken, it may last till the end of April,” an industry source, who asked not to be named, said.

The country’s daily petrol consumption currently stands at 35 million litres, but since fuel scarcity began last month, the market has been under supplied. As such, there has been cyclical shortage as the supply has failed to meet the demand.

The Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Obafemi Olawore, who spoke with our correspondent on Sunday, said it was true that the Federal Government owed the marketers huge subsidy claims.

“For us as majors, it is not totally true that we are facing financial constraints towards importing petroleum products, but for some smaller marketers, this may be true and that is why it is important for the government to pay subsidy claims as and when due,” he said.

Already, fuel depots have increased the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from N87.70k per litre to over N100.

Our correspondent, who monitored the situation in Lagos over the weekend, found out that petrol, which the marketers normally buy for N87.70k per litre, was being sold for over N100 across different depots.

Specifically, a litre of petrol was on Friday sold for N103 at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s Ejigbo depot.

NIPCO, an indigenous downstream player, before its closure last week, loaded a litre of petrol at N95, about N7.30k higher than the ex-depot price.

An industry source, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said the market remained grossly under-supplied and that the marketers were taking undue advantage of the situation.

“The supply is not meeting the demand and marketers are struggling with meeting the supply. Some depots are selling for as much as N99.90k,” the source said.

Consequently, marketers have also increased the pump price of petrol from N97 to between N110 and N120 per litre.

The Chairman, Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Western Zone, Mr. Tokunbo Korodo, said the increase in the pump price of petrol was because the product was not being made available to the marketers.

He said, “Some of the marketers are now patronising black marketers who sell above the pump price.

“The few ones selling at the pump price have seriously adjusted their pumps by selling lesser quantity that does not correspond to the money the masses are paying just to avoid closure of the stations by the DPR.”

A litre of fuel was sold at N100 at the MRS filling station located at the Ojodu Berger axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Friday. Magix X, a filling station adjacent to the Excellence Hotel, Ogba, Lagos, charged extra N100 for every 10 litres of petrol purchased by customers on Saturday.

A marketer, who runs a filling station very close to the NNPC Ejigbo depot, sold a litre of petrol for N110 on Saturday.

He explained that the price had increased across the retail outlets because marketers were procuring the product at a higher cost.

For instance, the marketer said he loaded petrol at the Ejigbo depot at N103 per litre; paid N2 to transport it to his outlet and added another N5 margin, thereby selling the product at N110 per litre to the consumers.

A senior official in one of the private depots said loading expenses and union dues were also adding up to the already hiked ex-depot price of petrol, thus making the product more expensive for motorists and other consumers.

The source also warned that customers could not be sure of the quality and quantity of the product wherever it was being sold for N97 per litre.

The Managing Director, Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, Mr. Haruna Momoh, who responded to an SMS enquiry by our correspondent, said, “The NNPC ex-depot price for the PMS is N87.66k. This price is uniform in all the NNPC depots nationwide. Your assertion is, therefore, wrong and, indeed, misleading in all material particular. To say that the NNPC Ejigbo depot loaded on Friday at N103 is a figment of somebody’s imagination, a congenital and pathological lie.

“Our ex-depot price must not be confused with the price at which unscrupulous elements or marketers sell the PMS at the tarmac outside of our depot, after buying from the NNPC at the official price.

“You may wish to ask the PPPRA, DPR, MOMAN and IPMAN. All the NNPC retail stations sell at the official price, just like our depots do.”

Olawore blamed supply shortage as being responsible for the current price hike and product hoarding in the country.

“If the supply goes round, nobody will hoard petroleum products and nobody will sell above the pump price. No major marketer’s station should sell above N97. Anybody doing that is on his own,” he said.

He also blamed the delayed release of the import allocation for the first quarter of 2014 by the PPPRA as the remote cause of the ongoing fuel scarcity in the country.

Olawore said, “The allocation was released three weeks ago. When you get an import allocation, it will take at least between 24 and 48 hours before you get an import licence from the Department of Petroleum Resources. It is when you get this that you go to the bank to get the LC. It is when you get the LC that you will be sure that your supplier will give you the product.

“If your supplier is in Europe, he will need at least 14 days to sail from Europe to Nigeria. That is why we always say that import allocation should be released on time.”

Punch
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Immigration jobs deaths: Tears, pains at victim’s funeral

Residents of Okon-Aku in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State condemned at the weekend the death of Sunday Okezie Kalu.

He was among the five people, who died at the Nigeri Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment exercise during a stampede at the Elekahia Stadium in Port Harcourt the Rivers State capital.



They wailed as the remains of Kalu, a microbiologist, arrived from Port Harcourt.

His body left Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH) at 6am and was received by his parents, relatives and youths about noon.

A white ambulance carrying Kalu’s remains was escorted to his hometown by his weeping friends, who handed the body to Ohafia youths. They took it round the community.

When the body got to his family home, the late Kalu’s 48-year-old mother, Mrs. Justina Okezie Kalu, who had collapsed and was hospitalised for days on hearing of her son’s death, went into a coma and almost died. His father was speechless. He watched his son’s body, as it was brought out of the ambulance. His legs were trembling and his head was bowed.

The people at the funeral rejected a condolence message by the State Command of NIS. The victim’s relatives said it should not be read, as it was unnecessary.

The deceased’s father, a 55-year-old security guard with the Abia State Primary School Board, said nobody should blame his son for attending the recruitment, but the organisers, who toyed with people’s lives.
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20 Boko Haram detainees killed in failed jailbreak attempt in Abuja

No fewer than 20 Boko Haram detainees have been shot dead in a shoutout that ensued yesterday morning at the Department of State Security Service in the Asokoro a district of Abuja.

It was learnt that the shootout erupted when some of the suspected terrorists attempted to free their members and leave the detention facility, which is by the precincts of the Presidential Villa.



Trouble started around 6am during the normal handing over and taking over of duties by DSS detainees’ handlers.

A competent source said that as soon as one handlers opened the gate leading to the cell where the detainees were being kept, ten suspected terrorists rushed out, snatched the handler’s rifle and used it to shoot him.

Seeing the attack, some DSS handlers are reported to have retreated so as not to be killed by the rampaging suspected terrorists.

The source said after shooting the first handler, the ten suspected terrorists began to escape into different locations within the massive security compound.

Alarmed by the effrontery of the suspected terrorists, the DSS quickly deployed its men to quell the uprising, resulting in heavy shooting that claimed the lives of some of the suspects.

Many DSS operatives and Boko Haram detainees were also injured in the ensuing stampede.

The shot DSS operative, whose name could not be immediately ascertained, was immediately rushed to an undisclosed hospital. A source said the shot operative was in a fatal state but had not died.

It was learnt that the DSS, which is highly embarrassed by the incident, had begun investigation into why the detainees handler decided to go and open the cell gate alone without being accompanied by others, as is the standard practice.

“The whole episode occurred around 6:30 am and 7am on Sunday during the normal handing over and takeover of detainees.

“The standard rule is that you cannot go alone to open the gate leading to the detainees’ cell but as soon as the man opened the gate, he was attacked and he tried to run away and was shot.

“The shot operative has been taken to hospital,” the source said.

The uprising led to the deployment of soldiers to the DSS headquarters and around the Presidential Villa.
Commuters and vehicles passing through the Aso a Drive, were searched by armed soldiers and DSS operatives.

Marylyn Ogar, the Spokeswoman for the DSS, confirmed the attempted jailbreak, which she said had been stalled by security agents.

She said, “What happened was that the suspects’ handlers went to feed the detainees here but suddenly they attacked him with their handcuffs, disarmed him and started shooting.

“The military was quickly called in before they could do any harm and that is responsible for the shootings you heard.

“It was an attempted jailbreak but it has been brought under control.”
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Osaze can’t threaten my World Cup place - Ahmed Musa

CSKA Moscow forward Ahmed Musa has welcomed the possibility of Peter Osaze Odemwingie’s return to the Nigeria national team fold ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The jostling for places in the Super Eagles final list is heating up, with the Russia-based player pitted against Stoke City man by pundits.



The 21-year-old is, however, not shaken by the competition for places in the squad, but has not hidden his desire to earn a ticket to Brazil for the showpiece.

“It doesn’t scare me at all. Why will I be scared?

“We are all professionals striving for the best for the Super Eagles and our various clubs and at the end of the day the ultimate decision lies with the coach (Stephen Keshi).

“But anyone will be proud to represent his fatherland at the World Cup,” he added.

Musa has netted six times in 27 appearances for CSKA this season. He played a key role in the World Cup qualifiers, while Odemwingie was not considered because of his tense relationship with Keshi.
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Fulani herdsmen are terrorists, says ex-Zamfara gov

A former Governor of Zamfara state, Alhaji Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi, on Saturday in Abuja stated that the recent killings by Fulani herdsmen in Benue, Nasarawa and other states in the Northern parts of the country were “terrorism in disguise.”



He also recommended that such people should be treated as terrorists and dealt with decisively on the spot.”

Shinkafi, who is now Chairman, Board of National Coalition for Jonathan and Sambo Presidency, stated this during the inauguration of the 36 states’ chairmen of the coalition.

He said, “Reports from our intelligence and security unit confirm that those so-called herdsmen are actually terrorists in disguise.”

Giving a detailed explanation on how he arrived at his conclusion, Shinkafi, represented by Baba Usman, said, “As a former executive governor, as a northerner, I can tell Nigerians, and authoritatively so, that the herdsmen that we know are usually not more than two or three, tending to their cows with a long stick as their weapon.

“Today, we are faced with the so-called Fulani herdsmen numbering from five to 30 at a time, armed with sophisticated weapons. The coalition hereby recommends that anytime the so-called herdsmen are more than two or three in number, the Joint Military Task Force should arrest them, search them and if guns or matchetes are found on them, they should be treated as terrorists and dealt with decisively on the spot. We have enough blood-shed and we want an end to it now.”

He urged the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party to waive primary election for President Goodluck Jonathan as soon as he declares for a second term in office.

“In the United States of America where Nigeria borrowed the presidential system from, a sitting President does not go through any primaries for a second term. In fairness to President Jonathan and in line with the tenets of the presidential system of government, we hereby demand that the greatest and biggest political party, the PDP waive primary elections for Jonathan,” Shinkafi added.

He also challenged the delegates at the ongoing National Conference to see the confab as a call to national duty.
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Timeline of Boko Haram death toll this year

• 14 January: A car bomb exploded in Maiduguri killing as many as 43 people.

• 19 January: Suspected Boko Haram gunmen attacked the village of Alau Ngawo Fatie, Borno State, killing 18 people.



• 26 January: in Adamawa State, gunmen suspected of being Boko Haram members attacked a church in Waga Chakawa Village. Between 31 and 47 people were reportedly killed in the attack, including two policemen.

• 26 January: Boko Haram attacked Kawuri village, Borno State, killing between 52 and 85 people.
• 11 February: An attack by suspected Boko Haram members left more than 50 people dead in Konduga town, Borno state.

• 16 February: Several villages in Adamawa State were attacked by Boko Haram members leaving 65 people dead.

• 19 February: Between 60 and 90 people died when suspected Boko Haram gunmen attacked the palace of a traditional leader and a school in Bama in Borno State.

• 25 February: Between 43 and 59 people were shot dead by suspected Boko Haram members in an attack on a school in Buni Yadi, Yobe State.

• 26 February: Suspected Boko Haram gunmen killed 37 people in attacks on Kirchinga, Michika and Shuwa villages in Adamawa State. Military sources claimed to have killed six Boko Haram members.
• 1 March: Two bombs were detonated in Maiduguri, Borno State, killing 52 people. Boko members were alleged to be responsible.

• 1 March: 39 people were reportedly killed in an attack on Mainok village, Borno State by suspected Boko Haram members. The JTF ambushed Boko Haram members as they prepared to attack Mainok village, killing 40 insurgents.

• 2 March: Mafa village in Borno State was reportedly attacked by suspected Boko Haram gunmen. They killed 29 people and destroyed several houses. A bomb left by the attackers was said to have been detonated later, killing two police officers.

• 3 March: Suspected Boko Haram members attacked Jakana Village in the Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State and killed between 40 and 48 civilians.

• 9 March: Nigeria’s military claimed to have killed over 210 Boko Haram members in raids on Boko Haram camps in the Sambisa forest, Borno State.

• 14 March: Boko Haram attacked Giwa barracks in Maiduguri. More than 600 people, mainly former detainees, were killed in the attack and its aftermath.

• 20 March: An improvised explosive device detonated in a market in Ngurosoye village killed at least 16 people. On the same day the military allegedly bombed Kayamla village, killing 10 residents.
• 24 March: JTF killed 18 suspected Boko Haram members as they prepared to attack Bama and Ngurosoye towns.

• In the last two weeks of March, the JTF has attacked Boko Haram camps in Borno State around Lake Chad, the Sambisa Forest and the Mandara Mountains. Reports in the Nigerian media indicate that hundreds of corpses have been seen transported away from those areas by military personnel. No precise figures have been received from the military. The camps attacked include Gombole, Mele, Kecheri, Dufrfada, Yuwe, Duguri, Polkime and Malafatori, among others.
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Peace, utmost thrust of Islam —Sultan

The Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman National Islamic Council Affairs of Nigeria, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has urged Nigerians to learn how to leave in peace and be their brothers’ keeper, irrespective of religious affiliation.



He made this known on Sunday at a three-day workshop for Imams of 19 Northern States of Nigeria. It has the theme, “Muslims Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Challenges to Muslims Unity in Northern Nigeria,” held at U.K Bello Arts and Theatre, Minna

“The words of Islam is the word of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). To leave in peace is the only answer to Nigerian crisis, especially the incessant insecurity in the northern part of the country,” he said.

He said therefore, Imams should see themselves as leaders of Islam. He advised them to preach peace and love to the faithful.

The Sultan, who was represented by the Emir of Jiwa in the Federal Capital Territory, Dr. Idris Musa, said that the present predicament faced by the people was because they had turned against the tenets of Islam.
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Hundreds of Boko Haram terrorists killed in Sambisa forest, 20 soldiers missing

Hundreds of insurgents were killed in a combined operation by Special Forces and the men of the Air Force on Friday and Saturday in the volatile Sambisa Forest of Borno State, which has become a prominent hideout of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram.


What would have been a great victory for the Special Forces was, however, marred by an operational misunderstanding between the ground troops and the officers in the Air Force Alpha Jet.

Investigations revealed that 20 soldiers are still missing as a result of the operational misunderstanding.

It was learnt that mid-way into the operation, the Air Force Alpha Jet radioed the ground forces who had advanced in three companies, that they should withdraw because it was running out of bombs.

It was learnt that while the second and the third battalions withdrew, the first company of soldiers did not get the critical operational order.

The situation was said to have put them at a numerical disadvantage in the encounter with the insurgents.

It was gathered that the soldiers fought their way through in desperation until they got to Bama Barracks.

Investigation revealed that a headcount among the soldiers revealed that 20 of them were missing.

The military would not declare a soldier dead unless the corpse is recovered.

It was further learnt that the soldiers became bitter because they felt they were not given the operational information that could have prevented the ugly occurrence.

Investigations further revealed that the angry soldiers became unruly and refused to take further orders from their superiors.

It was gathered that the soldiers, who came from 103 Battalion, Okuname under 81 Div Enugu, only take instructions from their commanding officer.

It was learnt that the commanders are still in the process of resolving the issue as of the time of filing this story.

However, the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen Chris Olukolade, said the officers only went to their commanders to narrate their operational experience.

He said the issues had been resolved.

He confirmed that the Special Forces bombed the main operational headquarters of the insurgents where many of them were killed in droves.

Olukolade said, “There were operational issues; the issues have been resolved for the operation to commence.

The spokesman added that some of the soldiers that were said to be missing had returned to base.

“The troops only came to narrate their operational experience to the commanders for them to be resolved and they have been resolved; and the operation is already continuing,” He said
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French govt pardons former Petroleum Minister Etete

The French government has cleared former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Chief Dan Etete, of the conviction of money laundering charges preferred against him in a French court.

The French government said in bulletin number 3, dated March 7, 2014, issued by the Ministry of Justice, Criminal, Cases and Pardon Division that Etete had been pardoned and cleared of the conviction by the French court.


The bulletin, which was signed by the magistrate in charge of the national criminal record, Xavier Pavageau, said the former minister was freed.

The French court in 2007 sentenced Etete, who was Petroleum Minister under the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, to three years imprisonment after finding him guilty of money laundering charges.
Etete, who was tried by the French court in absentia, was also fined 300,000 euros(about $440,000) by the French for money laundering.

The former minister was also convicted of using 15 million euros of funds believed to have been fraudulently obtained to buy properties in 1999 and 2000, including a chateau in northwest France, a Paris apartment and a luxury villa in the chic Paris surburb of Neuilly.

The court, which then issued a warrant for Etete’s arrest also ordered him to pay 150,000 euros to Nigeria as compensation for moral prejudice and 20,000 euros in fees.

The bulletin number 3 from the French Justice Ministry which conveyed the pardon granted Etete stated: “Statement of convictions to be recorded on bulletin No. 3 in compliance with Art. 777 of the code criminal procedure. In the absence of convictions to be recorded on bulletin no. 3, the said bulletin will bear only a transversal bar (Article R. 84 of the code of criminal procedure).”

The statement said that consequent upon the state pardon granted Etete, his solicitors, Pierre Benoliel, wrote to the French Ambassador in Nigeria to accord the former minister recognition and deal with him as a free man without constraints.

“The letter dated March 7, reads: As youknow, Mr. Dan Etete, eminent personality in Nigeria is a great friend of France and has been so for many years.

“In spite of the judicial vicissitudes that he has unfortunately known in the beginning of years 2000, he is now free of any constraint and he complies with the fiscal and legal French administrations.”
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One killed, station torched in Lagos police, OPC clash

Pandemonium broke out, weekend, in the densely-populated Ajegunle area of Lagos State, after some members of Odua Peoples Congress, OPC, engaged policemen in Tolu Police Division in a gun duel over the release of a suspect.



A suspected member of OPC was shot dead in the process, a passer-by hit by a stray bullet, one policeman shot and several others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the incident which paralysed commer-cial activities in the area.

A police van was also burnt by the OPC members and part of the stationed torched. Their attempt to burn down the station, however, met with resistance from the policemen.

There were different accounts as to how trouble started.

How it started

A version said a teenage girl had a misunderstanding with her lover who was owing her N7,000. The 18-year old girl was said to have reported the matter to OPC members last Friday, who subsequently apprehended her boyfriend and allegedly tortured him in their hideout.

Another version had it that the man bought some goods worth N7,000 and refused to pay, threatening to beat up the teenager, who subsequently ran to the OPC for justice.

When news about the apprehension of the man reached policemen at Tolu Division, a team was reportedly drafted to the OPC’s hideout where the victim was rescued and brought to the station. The next day, OPC members reportedly stormed the station demanding for his immediate release.

Eyewitness account

An eyewitness, who gave his name as Famuyiwa Oladele, said: “Immediately the OPC people came, they started shaking the gate of the station, demanding that the man that was taken from their custody be returned.
“Before we knew what was happening, they started shooting and we all took to our heels.

“One Emeka, who was driving along the route, was hit by a stray bullet. They attempted to burn down the station when the police fired and killed one of them.

“Nobody could sleep in this area that day because the OPC members threatened to bring down the whole place. Many residents fled.”

Police story

When contacted, spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident, saying report of the illegal arrest was received at the command’s control room from where policemen at Tolu Division were contacted.

She said that the policeman that fired the shot that killed the OPC member had been detained, and that the matter was being investigated to ascertain whether it was right to have fired the shot.
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I have forgiven Atiku – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, reacted to the request of Northern Youth Leaders Forum, NLYF, to forgive his estranged former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, saying; “I have forgiven him.”



Obasanjo who stated this after a two-day meeting with the forum in Abeokuta said he had also forgiven other persons perceived to have offended him.

The forum led by its Chairman, Elliot Afiyo had appealed to Obasanjo to forgive his former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of whatever political sin or offence he might have committed against him.
Abubakar was Obasanjo’s vice, between 1999 and 2007, and was believed to have scuttled the third-term ambition of Obasanjo in 2006.

But Obasanjo while reacting to the request by the NYLF said as a leader and father, he bore no grudge against anybody and if there was, he had forgiven.

According to him: “On the request that you made yesterday, I do not have any grudge against anybody. And if there is any, I have forgiven all as a father.”

Obasanjo who appreciated the group for coming to Abeokuta to make case for a way forward for the country, stressed that since 2003, the group had increased in membership.

He said: “The effort of your group has been noteworthy. I am happy that you have also increased in number. Let me appreciate all your support since 2003 and urge you to continue by ensuring that credible leaders are elected in 2015.”

The leader of the delegation , Afiyo had earlier said: “The leadership ïs in Abeokuta to visit our Baba to identify with his vision for our great country, Nigeria.”
In a position paper submitted earlier on Saturday, he stated; “We have come to you (Obasanjo) as a father indeed.

“With your positive attributes, Chief Obasanjo has no option or alternative than to chastise and later forgive and embrace both the good and bad characters.

“In view of this, we humbly request that you forgive your former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of whatever political sin or offence he might have committed against you. We bow ourselves before you on his behalf and plead for mercy and understanding.”

The National chairman added that the mission to come and plead for Atiku did not in any way stop him from charting any noble political course for the nation come 2015.


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Emir of Agaie dies in Niger State

The Emir of Agaie, Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar, has died on Sunday in a private hospital in Abuja, the Secretary to the Niger Government, Alhaji Saidu Kpaki, has said.


Kpaki confirmed the monarch’s death in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Minna.

“I can confirm that the Emir of Agaie, Alhaji Muhammadu Kudu Abubakar, is dead and the burial is slated for 5.00.p.m in Agaie, today,” he said.

Abubakar Ubandoma III, aged 52, was appointed the traditional ruler of Agaie Emirate in Niger on April 30, 2004.

He had Higher Diploma in Animal Health and Husbandry and a Post-graduate Diploma in Public Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Abubakar was one of the promoters of the creation of the proposed Edu State out of Niger and Kwara, being homeland for the Nupes with the capital in Bida
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Abuja Attack: President Jonathan is safe and well — Presidency

The prolonged gun battle around the headquarters of the Department of State Services and the presidential villa did not endanger President Goodluck Jonathan in any way, a presidential spokesperson has said.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, said in a statement posted on his twitter handle [@abati1990] that Mr. Jonathan was unharmed in the shootout between the army and insurgents at the SSS headquarters.




The presidential villa, which has one of its gates overlooking the SSS headquarters, is a stone throw away from the scene of the attack.

“What happened at the SSS HQs has nothing to do with the Villa. President Jonathan is safe and well. Thank you for your concern & support,” Mr. Abati said.

He added, “What happened at the SSS HQ this morning was an attempted jailbreak which has been effectively foiled. There is no cause for alarm.”

The SSS issued a statement shortly after the attack claiming that the gun battle began after a detainee disarmed an operative and tried to effect a jailbreak.

But knowledgeable security sources are telling our media sources that the SSS narrative begs further questions because they are “untrue and misleading”.

The sources frame their doubts around the presumed impenetrability of the DSS facility and headquarters; the unusually huge military intervention force; the quality of ordinance deployed; and the prolonged period of gun exchange.

“The truth is that a jailbreak is impossible in the SSS headquarters,” one of our sources said.”It has two fences and is highly fortified. And there is no way a man on handcuff could launch an attack vicious enough to disarm an operative.

“Also our people need to tell the world whether it was only one gun taken from the disarmed operative that the detainees used in engaging soldiers and SSS operatives in sustained gun battle for about three hours.

“If it is about subduing one man who attempted a jailbreak, why did we need truckloads of fully armed soldiers and deployment of Armoured Personnel Carriers, RPGs and other sophisticated weapons?

“Also, why did the exchange of fire lasted for so long? Why did we have to deploy helicopter gunships to hover around the villa and Yellow House (SSS headquarters).

“Nigerians should demand the truth. I can tell you that a more serious incident happened than our people are willing to admit and there is a serious attempt at cover-up.”

The entire vicinity of the presidential palace and the SSS headquarters has been cordoned off, making it impossible for journalists to do area assessment with a view to determining what actually happened.
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