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  Africcon Report:$620,000 bribe: Farouk Lawan, Emenalo must face prosecution – Court
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  An Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi Friday morning, threw out the application of two members of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, and Boniface Emenalo, to dismiss bribery charges against them.
  
  The two men are accused of demanding and collecting $620, 000 bribe from an oil magnate, Femi Otedola, to remove his company off the list of those found wanting during the probe into petrol subsidy fraud.
  
  The court ruled in favour of the prosecution, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, which insists that both men answer the charges brought before them.
  
  Details later.

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  Africcon Report:Bangladesh building collapse: Woman found alive after 17 days in rubble
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  For many days, rescue workers plowing through the site of last month’s building collapse in Bangladesh had the grim task of pulling out body after body.
  
  On Friday, as the recovery operation wound down, they found a survivor. Crews digging through the rubble heard a woman’s voice pleading for help.
  
  “I’m alive,” she said, according to Capt. Ibrahim Islam, a Bangladeshi military official outside the site of the recovery operation. “Please rescue me.”
  
  They extracted the woman in an hourlong operation, an army official said.
  
  Crowds converged to watch and pray at the grim site as she chatted with rescuers who rushed her to a hospital.
  
  Her name is Reshma. And she’s one of the more than 2,400 people pulled out of the rubble alive.
  
  The discovery comes more than two weeks after a building in a Bangladesh complex, housing factories full of garment workers, caved in, South Asia’s deadliest industrial disaster.
  
  Rescue and recovery workers searched through the nine-story building’s tangled wreckage in Savar, a suburb of the capital, Dhaka. During the first several days of dangerous and painstaking work, crews rescued a couple thousand people.
  
  But since then, they haven’t found any more survivors — until Friday when Reshma was spotted.
  
  As more bodies were recovered Friday, the total number of people confirmed dead rose to 1,039, said Maj. Zihadul Islam, a fire service official.
  
  The past 11 days have focused on the grim task of retrieving dead bodies still buried in the heap of broken concrete, many of them so severely decomposed that authorities struggle to identify them.
  
  “We are near the end,” Ibrahim Islam said.
  
  The owners of the building and the factories are under investigation over accusations they ordered workers to enter the premises on the day of the collapse despite cracks in the structure the day before.

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  Africcon Report:Police to devise new strategy against bombings
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  As part of measures to check the spate of bombings perpetrated by the militant Islamic sect, the Boko Haram, the police said they had started putting in place more practical means of checking the illegal importation of explosive materials into the country.
  
  The newly appointed Commissioner of Police in charge of the Explosive Ordnance Department, popularly known as Anti-Bomb Unit, Abdulmajid Ali stated this on Friday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
  
  He was speaking with newsmen during a send-off party organised by the state Police Community Relations Committee to honour him.
  
  Ali, who described Nigeria’s borders as “porous,” restated the commitment of the force to securing the nation’s borders against the smuggling of arms and ammunition.
  
  He gave the assurance that the country would soon find a solution to the problem of bombing and other forms of insecurity.
  
  Ali, who, until his new appointment, was the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Administration) in Ogun State, noted that illegal weapons were usually brought into the country due to the porous nature of the borders.
  
  “But the problem can be solved. Though I’m yet to take over; when I take over, a lot of things will be put in place and our borders will be fully policed accordingly to avoid all these arms and ammunition coming into the country. We’ll put a lot of things in place and by God’s grace, we are going to surmount all the problems,” he said.
  
  Ali commended the PCRC, which he said collaborated with the other labour unions, including the Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria and Nigeria Union of Teachers in the state to honour him.
  
  Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, said he was confident that Ali would be up to the task ahead of him.
  
  Okoye described him as a “humble, diligent and hardworking officer,” who worked tirelessly to ensure the security of lives and property during his service in Ogun.
  
  “His humility is not in doubt; in fact, I qualified him by saying that everything you can think of a good human being is in him. He is an officer the police force will be proud of. I’ve started missing him already.
  
  “In his new position, he should prove the brand that has been given to him. And that was why they took him to that EOD because it’s a place with a lot of challenges and they know he’s capable of handling the place,” he said.

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  Africcon Report:Anti-Jonathan forces
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  A leader of the Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa State, Chief Mark Bou, has said that the Niger Delta region will return to the trenches if forces against President Goodluck Jonathan deny him a second term in 2015.
  
  Bou, who is the Pere Odoh V1 of Peretoru town, described persons opposing the President as enemies of a united Nigeria.
  
  The community leader said in Yenagoa on Wednesday that the development in the country showed that most people were simply opposed to Jonathan because he came from the minority.
  
  Accusing such persons as averse to the continuous existence of Nigeria as a nation, Bou insisted that for peace to reign in the country, Jonathan must be allowed to consolidate on his vision and development of the Niger Delta region.
  
  He regretted that Oloibiri, where crude oil was struck in commercial quantity, had become a symbol of neglect in the region, adding that Jonathan was divinely made the President to develop the region.
  
  “We also want to warn that should anything terrible happen to the President, Niger Deltans will have no option but to go back to the trenches. Nigeria may not be the same again. It can’t be as usual. We should be ready to bear the consequences.”

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  Africcon Report:PDP begins move to reconcile Amaechi, Wike, others
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  Stakeholders in the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party may have begun moves to reconcile the state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and Minister of State for Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, over the crisis in the party.
  
  The state PDP had been embroiled in a crisis since April 15, 2013 when an Abuja High Court’s ruling sacked the Chief Godspower Ake-led executive and replaced it with a new executive headed by Mr. Felix Obuah.
  
  Saturday PUNCH gathered on Thursday that some of the founders of the party, including Chief Tonye Graham-Douglas and Chief Ombo Isokrari, had been pencilled down to head the high-powered reconciliation group.
  
  It was also learnt that the first step towards reconciling Amaechi and Wike would have been the reinstatement of the suspended Obio/Akpor Local Government Chairman, Mr. Timothy Nsirim, but for the invasion of the state house of assembly by protesting youths.
  
  A government official, who spoke with our correspondent on Thursday, observed that the angry parties in the crisis had agreed to remain calm and allow the reconciliation team to achieve its objective of reuniting the PDP in the state.
  
  The official, who does not want his name mentioned, expressed optimism that members of the party, who had been in enmity for a long time, would be friends again within the next two weeks.
  
  The source maintained that if both parties would stop making inflammatory statements, the aim of the reconciliatory team would not be difficult to achieve.
  
  “People are beginning to make conciliatory moves to ensure that peace reigns once again in the party. Whatever happens, I do know for sure that the PDP in the state will reunite.
  
  “Those involved in the reconciliation move are elders and members of Board of Trustees of the PDP like Chief Tonye Graham-Douglas. Chief Ombu Isokrari is also part of the team.
  
  “Such reconciliatory moves would have yielded a result if the House was allowed to sit as scheduled on Monday. But if those involved in all these disagreements stop making inflammatory statements, peace would not be difficult to come by.
  
  “On Monday, the agenda was to present the report of the House Committee on Local Government led by Victor Odili and probably reinstate the suspended council chairman of Obio/Akpor. But the security situation did not create room for that to happen,” he stressed.
  
  Describing Amaechi and Wike as prominent sons of Rivers State, the source explained that the people of the state were proud of them and their achievements for the state.
  
  The source stated that members of the reconciliation team were trying to reach out to the governor, members of the house of assembly and Wike with a view to brokering a truce.
  
  “These people have the required carriage and other qualities to settle the matter once and for all. Amaechi and Wike are prominent sons of Rivers State and we are proud of them. So, we don’t want a situation where they will continue to fight each other,” the source added.
  
  Speaking with Saturday PUNCH in a telephone interview, the state Chairman of the PDP, Mr. Felix Obuah, said he was ready to work with anybody that sincerely believes in peace.
  
  Obuah insisted that he had no enemy in Rivers and Nigeria and said, “I am a man of peace; I am a Christian and will work with anybody that believes in peace.
  
  “As I have always said, I am here to unite the party. I seek peace and I preach peace and I am willing to listen to any person that comes to me and members of the state executive to talk about peace.”

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  Africcon Report:Ogun shuts 160 illegal schools
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  The Ogun State Government said on Friday in Abeokuta that it had closed 160 schools operating illegally in the state.
  
  The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Segun Odubela, said in a report he issued on the kick-off of the second phase of the clampdown on illegal schools, that the affected schools were shut within the last two weeks of the exercise.
  
  He said the state government was committed to putting a stop to the menace of illegal schools “because some people who are not qualified to provide education or whose premises do not meet the required standard are insistent on operating illegal schools as a money-making venture.”
  
  The commissioner lamented that such operators were destroying the future of children in the state because of their selfish interests.
  
  He said, “Among the 160 illegal schools were some staffed by persons with no formal education beyond primary level. In one case, a proprietor housed children within her provisions store, regularly leaving the children to attend to customers. Others were found operating in dangerous uncompleted buildings and other unsuitable premises.”
  
  While stating that government officials had now been deployed to confirm the registration status of every private school in the state, Odubela said those unregistered but found capable of meeting the requisite standard would be given the opportunity to regularise their status.
  
  He, however, stressed that those considered not capable of meeting the requirements would be immediately shut down.
  
  Odubela noted that the timing of the exercise had been planned to minimise disruption to the education of the affected children.
  
  The commissioner said that by the end of the current term, the status of every school in the state would be known and published in order to assist parents in making informed choices for their children.
  
  He described the first of the five cardinal programmes of the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration as the provision of affordable qualitative education.
  
  He said, “In addition to abolishing school fees and providing free education, including the distribution of free textbooks and infrastructural materials to public schools, the government has a statutory duty to regulate education being provided in the private sector.”

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  Africcon Report:NMA directs doctors to withdraw services from UMTH
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  The Nigerian Medical Association on Friday directed all the doctors at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital to withdraw from the hospital environment.
  
  The directive was contained in a statement signed by the NMA National President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Friday, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
  
  The NMA national leadership said the directive would remain in force pending when the safety of its members could be guaranteed by the Federal Government, with other necessary conditions met.
  
  NAN reports that on Thursday, doctors, including the Chief Medical Director and health workers at UMTH, were assaulted by policemen.
  
  This was as a result of the inability of the hospital mortuary to accommodate the bodies of slain policemen brought in from Bama in Borno State.
  
  As a result of the assault, some health workers and patients sustained varying degrees of injury, including a fractured femur sustained by a resident doctor, while hospital property were vandalised.
  
  “This increasing act of physical assault on medical doctors and other health workers in various health facilities across the country is extremely worrisome, despicable, condemnable, and most unfortunate.
  
  “It clearly revalidates the fact that hospitals in Nigeria are no longer safe or sacred places,” the statement said.
  
  Enabulele, however, called on the Inspector-General of Police and the Borno Commissioner of Police to restrain their officers and men from further assaulting health workers.
  
  He also called on the Federal Government to ensure that the errant policemen are brought to book, with adequate compensation paid to the injured and traumatised victims.
  
  Enabulele restated the NMA’s call on government at all levels to urgently provide adequate security in all healthcare facilities in Nigeria.
  
  “This will halt the increasing spate of violent attacks, kidnapping, robbery and assassination of doctors and other health workers,” he said.
  
  He sympathised with all the victims and urged the Federal Government to take full responsibility for their treatment.

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  Africcon Report:Bayelsa relocates Boro’s remains to Heroes Park
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  The Bayelsa State Government has concluded plans to relocate the remains of the hero of the Niger Delta struggle and symbol of Ijaw nation’s agitation for self determination, the late Isaac Adaka Boro, to the Heroes’ Park, Yenagoa.
  
  Our correspondent gathered that the remains would be interred at the park on May 16 as part of the activities marking the 2013 edition of the Boro Day celebration in the state.
  
  It was gathered that the government had last month exhumed the remains of Boro buried 45 years ago at the Ikoyi Cemetary, Lagos State.
  
  The bones of the late Boro were said to have been sent to the United Kingdom for a DNA test after they were exhumed from the cemetery.
  
  Confirming the development, the state Commissioner for Ijaw Culture and National Affairs, Mr. Felix Tuodolo, said the late Boro’s re-interment would mark the 2013 edition of the annual celebration.
  
  He said the road leading to a town built in honour of the late Ijaw hero in Kaiama, Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area of the state, would also be inaugurated to mark the anniversary.
  
  He said the government would lay a foundation stone for the proposed Isaac Boro Mausoleum, describing the year’s edition of the celebration as eventful.
  
  He said a former USA presidential candidate and civil rights leader, Rev. Jesse Jackson, was expected in the state to deliver a lecture.
  
  According to him, the colloquium entitled, “Oil and peace: Compatibility for sustainable growth in Nigeria,” would mark the end of the celebration on May 17.
  
  He said the event, which was designed to showcase the rich Ijaw cultural heritage, would feature the performance of an Isaac Boro play written by Simon Ambakaderemo.
  
  He named Alhaji Maitama Sule as the colloquium’s Special Guest of Honour, adding that other discussants were the Founder of the Oodua People’s Congress, Dr. Fredrick Fasehun; King Alfred Diete-Spiff and Chief Samuel Owonaru.
  
  “The event will be attended by frontline Ijaw leaders, including Chief Edwin Clark,” he said.

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  Africcon Report:Executive not responsible for 2013 budget problems –Okonjo-Iweala
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  The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has exonerated the executive and herself from the present budget impasse in the country.
  
  Okonjo-Iweala told the News Agency of Nigeria in Cape Town on Thursday that “the executive arm of government is not responsible for the budget impasse.”
  
  Speaking on the sidelines of her book launch in Cape Town, the minister said, “I want to be categorical that the executive is not responsible for the budget impasse and that I, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has definitely not done anything nor am I responsible for the present situation.
  
  “I am very surprised and actually shocked to hear that the National Assembly has put the blame on the executive for the situation.
  
  “Our honourable members of the National Assembly know that when the budget came back to the executive, so many things had been tampered with or altered.
  
  “Money had been shifted from on going projects and put into other parts of the budget, money had also been shifted from personnel cost and put into other parts of the budget.
  
  “When we made this known to them, the National Assembly also presented other aspects of the personnel cost which we reconciled and said that they would deal with the other aspects of the funds movement which was making the budget implementation difficult later,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
  
  She stated that leaders of the National Assembly agreed with President Goodluck Jonathan that he should sign the budget and send the corrections to the assembly to effect the necessary amendments.
  
  “The National Assembly agreed that Mr. President should sign the budget and send the corrections back to the National Assembly so that it could reverse the areas of disagreement.
  
  “What the executive has done is to effect the correction as agreed in the identified areas in the budget as agreed between the leaders of the National Assembly and Mr. President. That was what the ministry did.
  
  “I really do not understand what they are saying and I want to say categorically that the executive did not cause the present impasse and that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala did not cause the impasse over the budget implementation,” the minister said.
  
  Okonjo-Iweala in her book entitled, ‘Reforming the Unreformable – Lessons from Nigeria’, said that Nigeria had been viewed by the international community since the early years of 2000s as a corrupt, mismanaged and hopeless country.
  
  “Nigeria has implemented a sweeping set of economic and political changes and started to reform an economy many thought was unreformable.
  
  “This book tells the story of how a dedicated and politically committed team of reformers set out to fix a series of broken institutions, and in the process repositioned Nigeria’s economy.
  
  “The economy is being reformed in a way that helps to create a more diversified economy to ensure a steady long-term growth,” Okonjo-Iweala said.
  
  She also said that Jonathan had reduced domestic debt from about  N850bn to N524bn.
  
  Okonjo-Iweala stressed the need for technocrats in government to collaborate with the politicians to ensure the successful implementation of the country’s reforms for the good of the people.

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  Africcon Report:Unregistered subscribers to be cut off June 30 – NCC
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  The Nigerian Communications Commission on Friday said unregistered subscribers would be cut off from telecommunications networks across the country.
  
  Director of Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, who confirmed this in a number of tweets on Friday, said this followed a meeting between the regulatory agency and telecommunications operators.
  
  According to him, the deadline offers a window of opportunity to subscribers who have not registered their SIM cards to do so or be cut off at the expiration of the deadline.
  
  He added that the total number of registered subscribers would be known after the cut off date.
  
  Ojobo said, “The Nigerian Communications Commission has set a deadline for disconnection of all unregistered SIM cards.
  
  “From the 30th of June 2013, all unregistered SIM cards will be barred from the telecom services.
  
  “This decision was taken after a meeting between the commission and the service providers.
  
  “There is now a window of opportunity for those who have not to do so. Otherwise from that 30th of June they will be barred and can’t use the numbers anymore to make calls.
  
  “The total number of registered SIMs will be known after the cut off date.”
  
  NCC had earlier said that no unregistered SIM would be able to migrate from one network to another in the Mobile Number Portability recently introduced by the regulatory agency in alliance with digital mobile operators.
  
  Our correspondent had reported that about 19.16 million mobile telephone subscribers across the country may be disconnected from their respective networks next month following the exercise.
  
  This is the number of subscribers that were not registered during the national Subscriber Identity Module card registration exercise that kicked off in the country on February 28, 2011.
  
  Sources claim that the SIM card registration exercise recorded about 80 per cent success. This means that about 20 per cent of the nation’s active subscriber base was not registered by the time the first phase of the exercise ended.
  
  As at the time the first phase exercise ended, the subscriber base stood at 95,886,714. Twenty per cent of this is 19,117,342 subscribers, who may be disconnected from the networks.
  
  Although the active subscriber base has since increased to 109,829,223 as of December 31, 2012, new subscribers will not be affected because any of the additional 13.94 million subscribers must have registered before their SIM cards were activated.
  
  Ojobo had in an earlier telephone interview with our correspondent declined to give an estimation of the number of SIM cards on the networks that were not registered, adding that the verification of registered SIM cards was still going on.
  
  He had said, “Some of these SIM cards may belong to people that have multiple SIM cards. This is still an evolving market. A lot of things are going to play out. At the time of disconnection, you will know those that are genuine and those that are not genuine.
  
  “If anybody is disconnected and the person comes to complain, you know that the person still needs the line. The person may not bother because he has other lines and will not bother because of number portability and does not need to register multiple lines.
  
  “There are people that may not bother coming when their lines are disconnected because they have ulterior motives. So, a lot of things are going to play out. Disconnection will also throw up another verification process.”
  
  The Executive Vice-Chairman at NCC, Dr. Eugene Juwah, had at a press conference in 2012, indicated that multiple registration would be weeded out during the process of verification.

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  Africcon Report:Ngige lied on N2trn 7-year allocation to Anambra – Obi
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  Governor Peter Obi of Anmabra State has dismissed claims by his predecessor, Senator Chris Ngige, that the Anambra State Government had received more that N2trn in the last seven years from the federation account.
  
  Obi, who was reacting to claims by Ngige that he (Obi) had nothing to show for the N2trn he received since 2006 in the development of infrastructure, said he must be a magician to convert the paltry sum his government had been receiving from the federation account to trillions of naira.
  
  Obi, who spoke while inspecting the rehabilitation of the Rojenny Stadium, Oba, said with the N3bn monthly allocation to the state, Anambra could not have got anything close to a quarter of a trillion naira in the seven years he had been in office.
  
  But he referred Ngige to the numerous development projects his government has been executing, which far outnumber the projects all the previous governments in the state had executed.
  
  Obi said he knew the machinations of the enemies of the state under different guises to distract him, but that he would not be distracted.
  
  “For those who hate the development of Anambra State or who scheme for the money meant for development to be shared among them, let me happily increase their blood pressure by announcing that by the end of the year, we will spend billions of naira to procure buses for all secondary schools in the state, buy computers for all primary schools in the state, among other revolutionary measures that are coming,” Obi said.
  
  The governor said the state government had committed N30m to the rehabilitation of Rojenny Stadium, describing those against his government as enemies of the state.
  
  Proprietor of the centre, Chief Rommy Ezenwuka, said Obi was clearly distinguishable from the past governors of the state because he was developing all sectors simultaneously.
  
  In another development, Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Callistus Ilozumba, said it was shocking that people could imagine that the state had received N2trn in the past seven years.
  
  He said Obi was too concerned about the development of the state to worry about careless talks.
  
  He noted that for the interest of Anambra, Obi took the opportunity to market the state as an investment destination in South Africa during his visit with President Goodluck Jonathan to South Africa.

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  Africcon Report:Voter card saga: Court remands suspect in prison
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  A middle-aged woman, Toyin Adesina, caught with multiple voter cards in Ikirun, last Friday, has been remanded in prison custody by an Osogbo Magistrate’s Court.
  
  The magistrate, Mr. Olusola Aluko, ordered that the suspect be remanded in prison till May 31, 2013.
  
  According to the charge sheet obtained by our correspondent on Friday, some other suspects in the alleged crime were on the run.
  
  Possession of multiple voter cards attracts a jail term of 12 years and, or a fine of N12m.
  
  Adesina, who claimed to be a member of the Osun Peoples Democratic Party, had, in her statement to the police, said the voter cards were owned by members of the party.
  
  She explained that the cards were collected from party members in order to verify their identities for the proposed donation of household items to PDP members across Osun State.
  
  But the Osun State Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme has said that Adesina is not its official, adding that the insinuation that the suspect was working with SURE-P was wrong.
  
  A statement by the Chairman, Osun State Coordination and Implementation Committee of SURE-P, Dr. Bayo Faforiji, on Wednesday, distanced the agency from Adesina and the voter cards saga.
  
  Meanwhile, the Osun PDP has accused the state government of harassment, alleging that it was wrong to charge Adesina to court since “nothing incriminating was found on her.”
  
  Osun PDP Chairman, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, in a statement on Wednesday, called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, to investigate the matter.
  
  Olaoluwa, who absolved Adesina of wrongdoing, explained that PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, initiated the donation of household items to PDP members, stressing that voter cards were demanded from members to authenticate their identities.
  
  But the Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria, Osun State, Mr. Adebiyi Adelowo, faulted the position of Olaoluwa, insisting that the cards were being collected in order to rig the 2014 governorship election in Osun.
  
  Adelowo said, “What is the sense in collecting voter cards for distribution of household items? It is a smokescreen. The PDP should come out and tell Nigerians why voter cards are being collected from members of the public some months to a governorship election in Osun.
  
  “Nigerians want to know the number of states of the federation where the PDP is collecting voter cards. The PDP must not throw the state into chaos. Osun people are peace-loving.”

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  Africcon Report:Current insecurity worse than civil war period – Atiku
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  Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says the insecurity in Nigeria today is worse than the Nigeria Civil War, which lasted for three years.
  
  Atiku said on Friday that the situation was made worse because of the lack of attention to security of lives and property by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration.
  
  The former vice-president, in an interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation monitored in Kaduna on Friday, noted that when he was in government, much attention was given to security unlike now when the security agents were not provided with the necessary equipment to work.
  
  According to Atiku, based on his suggestion while in government, they were able to recruit 50,000 policemen on a monthly basis to meet with the best international standard.
  
  He noted with regrets that today, security agents were neither trained nor equipped with the right materials to work with.
  
  He said, “All you see today are security men with guns, which should not be the case.”
  
  He said the kind of sophistication emerging today in respect to the security challenges would be hard to tackle because the money meant for the purpose had been allegedly stolen.
  
  Atiku said, “To tell the truth, all through my lifetime in Nigeria, I have never witnessed such a deteriorating state of security like what is happening now, it has surpassed even what happened when we fought the civil war.
  
  “But there are reasons for that; first, our governments could not pay attention to the issue of security; secondly, issues of security now are different from what obtained in the past.
  
  “Before, we had different categories of security agents; we had those at the federal level, at the state level and those at the local government level. But within the past few years, you know, this arrangement has been collapsed into one.
  
  “But with the kind of sophistication that is emerging, unless those who understand it are engaged, it will be difficult to resolve all these problems about insecurity.”
  
  “They are unable to pay attention, especially in releasing money for security and training of security agents and buying of security gadgets for the agents to use in the protection of lives and property.
  
  “This money is stolen; in fact, they steal this money….if not, why are we not seeing improvements? We don’t see the security agents today with the gadgets that are necessary for them to work with, we don’t see that.
  
  “In Nigeria, the only thing you see security agents holding is a gun. A gun is not the only thing a security agent should have, there are many other gadgets.
  
  “There is a difference between what obtains now and what obtained when we were in power. I remember when we were in power; I told the President that the number of policemen in the country was not commensurate with the population.
  
  “The President at that time allowed me to be recruiting about 50,000 policemen every month. We started recruiting them for about two years, and I bought working equipment for the police. But after two years, it was stopped. So, you shouldn’t accuse us. During our tenure, the situation had not deteriorated the way it is now.”

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  Africcon Report:I’ll make Rivers a better place – Amaechi
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  Riveres State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has given the assurance that he will leave the state better than he met it in 2007.
  
  Amaechi, who gave this assurance on Friday when members of the Nigeria Institute of Architects, Rivers State chapter, visited him in the Government House, Port Harcourt, said part of his transformation agenda was to leave a legacy hinged on transparency and accountability.
  
  The governor explained that his administration could account for its stewardship within the past six years.
  
  He noted that his government had built 350 schools out of the 700 proposed, while 250 of the schools had since been operational.
  
  According to the governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Tele Ikuru, 120 primary health care centres have been completed out of the 150 proposed to boost the health sector.
  
  Amaechi said, “Part of the things we have promised to do when we came is that we are going to leave Rivers State better than the time we came in.
  
  “So, Rivers State should be better than when we came in and I believe that in the last six years we have been able to discharge our duties in such a way that those who appreciate will agree that we can conveniently account for our stay in government.”
  
  Commending the NIA for playing prominent roles in the development of state urban renewal policy, especially the Greater Port Harcourt, Amaechi said the NIA had one of the most brilliant minds.
  
  “We are able to redesign Port Harcourt through your valuable inputs. The NIA is a partner in progress in the administration’s efforts at developing the state.
  
  “I give an assurance that our long standing relationship will be sustained through future collaborations,” the governor added.
  
  Earlier, the NIA Chairman, Mr. Dike Emmanuel, commended the state government for its reforms in the building sector and emphasised that the situation had reduced quackery, building collapse and revenue loss.
  
  •Death toll now 47
  
  Saturday PUNCH learnt that 28 riot policemen who survived the attack were released by the militia and returned to their base in Akwanga.
  
  Some of them returned to base without their rifles which they lost to their attackers.
  
  The Public Relations Officer, Nasarawa State Police Command, Michael Ada, confirmed the return of the policemen to one of our correspondents on Friday.
  
  He said that 17 others were still missing, adding that they had been presumed dead since they were yet to be seen two days after.
  
  “The 17 missing policemen are presumed dead because they have been missing for over 48 hours. So this brings the number of the dead to 47. But the search and rescue teams are still searching for the missing officers and they have yet to report back to the headquarters,” Ada explained.
  
  The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abayomi Akeremale, also confirmed the return of the 28 policemen.
  
  Akeremale told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lafia that some of the policemen held hostage by the group during the attack were released on Friday morning.
  
  He said 17 corpses of the slain officers were yet to be recovered. He explained that a total of 93 policemen were deployed for the operation, out of which 43 were suspected to have been killed.
  
  Akeremale said that a suspected member of the militia had been arrested and was in police custody, adding that investigations on the incident were going on.
  
  Akeremale also said he would visit the Squadron 38 Mopol Base in Akwanga to appeal to spouses and children of the slain policemen, who blocked the Akwanga-Lafia highway on Friday in protest over the killings.
  
  •Protesters block expressway
  
  Meanwhile, no fewer than 200 people travelling through Nasarawa State were on Friday trapped in a village near Akwanga, in an attempt to avoid a roadblock by protesting women and children.
  
  NAN reports that the women and children were protesting over the killing of policemen and other security agents at Alakyo village by the Ombatse militia on Tuesday.
  
  Following the blockade, vehicles tried to go through bush paths but the protesters blocked the paths, saying they were enforcing a restriction of movement through the state.
  
  Some of the travellers told NAN that they were trapped in a remote village off Akwanga, near a local government area primary school and had no protection.
  
  They said the women, who blocked the road, carried big sticks and were already burning car tyres on the bush paths to demonstrate their anger and dismay over the killings.
  
  Commercial transporters and private vehicle drivers were trapped in the blockade.
  
  One of the passengers, Mrs. Victoria Dzeremo, trapped with her daughter, Erdoo, said their vehicle, a commercial bus, had been stopped from further movement few kilometres off Akwanga.
  
  “We have been here in this bush for more than an hour; these women have blocked the road and are demanding for government’s explanation over their husbands’ killings.
  
  “They are here with their children, we have been begging them since to allow us passage but to no avail, the situation is quite serious.
  
  “Now, they have started burning the nearby bush and we are afraid the fire might escalate and affect the vehicles,” Dzeremo said.
  
  The Police Public Relations Officer in-charge of Nassarawa State, DSP Michael Ada, said Akeremale had directed the Area Commander to go and persuade the protesters to open the road.
  
  NAN learnt the protesters insisted that they would only leave the road when their delegation to Governor Tanko Al-Makura returns and gives them a feedback on government’s position.

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  Africcon Report: Adoke: Police invite Melaye for interrogation
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, has invited a former House of Representatives member, Mr. Dino Melaye, to come and substantiate allegation of corruption he levelled against the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke.
  
  Adoke has been accused of corruption, abuse of office and incompetence by a civil rights organisation, Anti-Corruption Network.
  
  The group had in an April 4, 2013 petition to Jonathan detailed Adoke’s alleged involvement in graft and “outrageous use of powers against public interest.”
  
  It also asked the President to fire the minister.
  
  The coalition sent a reminder dated April 11, 2013 to Jonathan, asking him to order an investigation into its petition and sack Adoke.
  
  Consequently, the Inspector-General of Police Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, directed the Commissioner of Police in charge of X-Squad, Mr. Ali Amodu, to invite the Executive Secretary of ACN, Mr. Dino Melaye, for questioning over the petition.
  
  The letter specifically invited Melaye, a former member of the House of Representatives, to the Police Force Headquarters in Abuja for a discussion with Amodu.
  
  It also indicated that the X-Squad was already investigating the allegations.
  
  It reads, “This office is investigating a case of alleged corruption, abuse of office and incompetence leveled against the current Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (Mohammed Bello Adoke) by your organisation.
  
  “In view of this, the Inspector-General of Police, has directed that a full scale investigation be conducted into the allegations by this office. Consequently, you are invited to meet the undesigned on Friday May 10, 2013 by 1000 hrs prompt in Room 1C – 053 First Floor, Police Headquatres, Louis Edet House, Central Area, Abuja.”
  
  But when contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the AGF, Mr. Ambrose Momoh, told our correspondent that he could not speak on the investigation.
  
  He said, “I am definitely not aware. You are the one putting me on notice now. I am just hearing it from you. As such, I cannot speak.”
  
  Meanwhile, Adoke, on Friday said he invited the police to investigate the allegations levelled against him by Melaye.
  
  In a statement by his lawyer, Ahmed Raji (SAN), Adoke said he wrote the Inspector-General of Police, asking him to investigate Melaye’s allegations.
  
  The statement said, “Following the tendentious allegations made by one Mr. Dino Melaye against the person of our client, we wrote a letter dated April 23, 2013 to the Inspector-General of Police, wherein we requested the IG to cause an investigation to be carried out in respect of all the allegations made by the said Mr. Dino Melaye.”
  
  The lawyer faulted a report on Friday by an online medium, which stated that President Goodluck Jonathan initiated a probe into the allegations against Adoke.
  
  Quoting the letter written to the IG, the lawyer stated, “We have our client’s instructions to request you to kindly cause an investigation to be carried into all the allegations by promptly inviting the said Otunba Dino Melaye to come and justify all the allegations he has made which we hasten to say are nothing but criminal libel.”
  
  According to the AGF’s lawyer, the investigation being embarked upon by the police is at the instance of Adoke and not the President as being insinuated.
  
  He stated, “We want to place on record that this is not the first time our client will be submitting himself to a public enquiry because he has nothing to hide.
  
  “On a past occasion when our client submitted himself, his accusers came apologising as they admitted that they were misled into publishing what was and is still patently false against him.
  
  “While our client concedes the right of every individual to freedom of speech, it is our contention that the freedom goes with a duty. It is not a licence for anyone to make any unsubstantiated allegation against any individual.”

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  Africcon Report:FG may declare state of emergency in Borno, Yobe, others
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  Indications emerged on Friday that the Federal Government might declare a state of emergency in five states in Northern Nigeria, as a last-ditch measure to check the rising killings and insecurity.
  
  The states are Borno, Yobe, Nasarawa, Benue and Plateau.
  
  A pointer to this emerged as President Goodluck Jonathan held an emergency meeting with security chiefs and some other top government officials in his bid to address the spate of insecurity in many parts of the country, with the latest being the killing of 47 policemen and 10 State Security Service operatives by the Ombatse militia in Alakyo forest in Nasarawa State on Tuesday.
  
  They also destroyed nine patrol vans.
  
  Jonathan, who rushed back to the country from South Africa late on Thursday, was said to have reviewed reports from the security chiefs on recent violence in Baga and Bama in Borno State; Alakyo Village in Nasarawa State; and Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.
  
  Among those at the meeting that lasted several hours were the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Said; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba; Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Alex Badeh; Director-General of State Security Service, Ita Ekpenyong; representative of the Chief of Army Staff, Maj-Gen. Emmanuel Bassey; and Inspector-General of Police,  Mohammed Abubakar.
  
  The IG wore a black arm band to the meeting as a sign of mourning for the slain policemen.
  
  Others at the meeting were the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.); Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (retd.); Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim; and the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe.
  
  At a point, Olubolade, Anyim and Oghiadomhe stepped out of the venue wearing gloomy looks while Jonathan and the security chiefs continued with the discussions.
  
  By the time the meeting finally ended, none of the government or security officials was willing to speak with journalists.
  
  They also shielded Abubakar from journalists who sought an interview with him on the killing of the policemen.
  
  He simply described the killing as “a sad development.”
  
  A source at the meeting however described it as “a stormy session.”
  
  The source said “far-reaching decisions,” some of which would be made public soon, and others which would be kept under wraps for security reasons were taken at the meeting.
  
  Olubolade, who was moved to tears, managed to answer reporters’ questions on the murder of policemen.
  
  •State of emergency
  
  Asked to confirm speculations that government was considering the imposition of a state of emergency in some states, he said, “That is not within my purview. They (security chiefs) have the right to call for whatever they want. At the end of the day, the President will take a decision.
  
  “It was an emergency security meeting at the instance of Mr. President. He had to cut his journey short because of insecurity and loss of lives; he was supposed to have been in Namibia. So, he summoned the security agencies to have a quick meeting with us and as you can see, they are still there. The Chief of Defence Staff and other service chiefs are still with him.
  
  “He is looking at how we can put an end to all these troubles we are having and I think that at the end of that deliberation, you will get to know the outcome.”
  
  He advised policemen against revenge, saying such would not help the nation.
  
  “The security agencies particularly the police will not want to go and revenge. It is not going to help us because they are supposed to protect lives and property. Going to revenge will not douse tension. It will bring about a lack of confidence in the system. So, we will strictly discourage that,” he said.
  
  On the allegation that policemen killed nine of the Ombatse cult members in Nasarawa State first before they retaliated, the minister said, “I wouldn’t know what is true about that. All I know is that the police have a duty to perform and as such, they must not be afraid, they must be equipped, they must be trained, they must do their job because they are under instructions. The police will not just wake up and pick their leaders if nothing has gone wrong.
  
  “The populace must know that anybody can be brought in by the police for interrogation depending on the intelligence the police get; and that is what happens elsewhere.”
  
  Meanwhile, security sources said on Friday that government was considering the military option to dislodge members of the Ombatse cult from their hideout in Alakyo forest in Nasarawa State.
  
  This follows the inability of the police and SSS to accomplish the task.
  
  •Death toll now 47
  
  Saturday PUNCH learnt that 28 riot policemen who survived the attack were released by the militia and returned to their base in Akwanga.
  
  Some of them returned to base without their rifles which they lost to their attackers.
  
  The Public Relations Officer, Nasarawa State Police Command, Michael Ada, confirmed the return of the policemen to one of our correspondents on Friday.
  
  He said that 17 others were still missing, adding that they had been presumed dead since they were yet to be seen two days after.
  
  “The 17 missing policemen are presumed dead because they have been missing for over 48 hours. So this brings the number of the dead to 47. But the search and rescue teams are still searching for the missing officers and they have yet to report back to the headquarters,” Ada explained.
  
  The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abayomi Akeremale, also confirmed the return of the 28 policemen.
  
  Akeremale told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lafia that some of the policemen held hostage by the group during the attack were released on Friday morning.
  
  He said 17 corpses of the slain officers were yet to be recovered. He explained that a total of 93 policemen were deployed for the operation, out of which 43 were suspected to have been killed.
  
  Akeremale said that a suspected member of the militia had been arrested and was in police custody, adding that investigations on the incident were going on.
  
  Akeremale also said he would visit the Squadron 38 Mopol Base in Akwanga to appeal to spouses and children of the slain policemen, who blocked the Akwanga-Lafia highway on Friday in protest over the killings.
  
  •Protesters block expressway
  
  Meanwhile, no fewer than 200 people travelling through Nasarawa State were on Friday trapped in a village near Akwanga, in an attempt to avoid a roadblock by protesting women and children.
  
  NAN reports that the women and children were protesting over the killing of policemen and other security agents at Alakyo village by the Ombatse militia on Tuesday.
  
  Following the blockade, vehicles tried to go through bush paths but the protesters blocked the paths, saying they were enforcing a restriction of movement through the state.
  
  Some of the travellers told NAN that they were trapped in a remote village off Akwanga, near a local government area primary school and had no protection.
  
  They said the women, who blocked the road, carried big sticks and were already burning car tyres on the bush paths to demonstrate their anger and dismay over the killings.
  
  Commercial transporters and private vehicle drivers were trapped in the blockade.
  
  One of the passengers, Mrs. Victoria Dzeremo, trapped with her daughter, Erdoo, said their vehicle, a commercial bus, had been stopped from further movement few kilometres off Akwanga.
  
  “We have been here in this bush for more than an hour; these women have blocked the road and are demanding for government’s explanation over their husbands’ killings.
  
  “They are here with their children, we have been begging them since to allow us passage but to no avail, the situation is quite serious.
  
  “Now, they have started burning the nearby bush and we are afraid the fire might escalate and affect the vehicles,” Dzeremo said.
  
  The Police Public Relations Officer in-charge of Nassarawa State, DSP Michael Ada, said Akeremale had directed the Area Commander to go and persuade the protesters to open the road.
  
  NAN learnt the protesters insisted that they would only leave the road when their delegation to Governor Tanko Al-Makura returns and gives them a feedback on government’s position.

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  Africcon Report: US, UK demand probe of Baga, Bama killings
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  The United States Government and Britain have called for a thorough probe into the recent alleged mass killings of civilians and destruction of property by security forces and Boko Haram insurgents in Baga and Bama towns of  Borno State.
  
  In a statement, it warned that the growing insecurity in the country was a threat to overall stability in Nigeria and West Africa.
  
  It called on the National Human Rights Commission to investigate the alleged massacre of Baga residents by soldiers.
  
  It said, “We are deeply concerned about reports of excessive use of force by Nigerian security forces in the name of combating Boko Haram, including extrajudicial killings, prolonged detention and disappearances.
  
  “We are concerned that such an indiscriminate, force-based approach to counter terrorism is increasing extremism and decreasing confidence in the Federal Government.”
  
  It warned that Nigeria’s reputation “as an emerging leader and a stable democratic government” was being tarnished by these alleged atrocities and called for a thorough probe of the reports.
  
  The US said it was fully in support of Nigeria’s efforts to put an end to the menace of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram and called for the prosecution of all members of the group, who were responsible for the Bama attack.
  
  Similarly, British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has expressed sadness over reports of multiple deaths in Bama, Borno State following an attack by Boko Haram.
  
  In a statement released by the UK High Commission in Nigeria, he said the protection of civilians remains vital.
  
  Hague urged the Nigerian government to investigate all such incidents “rigorously, objectively and transparently.”
  
  The statement reads, “I am deeply saddened by reports of multiple deaths in the town of Bama in North-East Nigeria, following an attack by an extremist group.
  
  “My thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims and all those affected. This is the latest in a series of extremist attacks on innocent civilians in Borno State. These attacks have no justification and I condemn them in the strongest terms.
  
  “The growing insecurity and escalation of hostilities in North-eastern Nigeria is of deep concern. The attack in Bama follows the terrible loss of lives in the town of Baga last month and disturbing allegations of human rights violations.
  
  “The British government supports Nigeria in tackling the challenges posed by terrorist and extremist violence. However, the protection of civilians is of vital importance.”
  
  Meanwhile, the Presidency on Friday said it noted the opinion and the concerns expressed by the United States Embassy on the recent killings in Nigeria just as it noted what it called the very encouraging and supportive comments by the UK Foreign Secretary, Rt. Hon. William Hague, on the same matter.
  
  Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, told journalists that it was noteworthy that thorough investigations as canvassed by the US were already ongoing on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan.
  
  He said the President’s position was that those found culpable would be made to face justice.
  
  He said it was not true that government had a force-based approach to the security challenges, saying the approach has been multi-dimensional.
  
  Abati said, “The major point in response to this statement by the US Embassy is that thorough investigations are already ongoing with regard to the incidents in Baga, Bama, Nasarawa and other places.
  
  “President Jonathan is on record as having ordered very thorough probes. He has also encouraged independent investigations by the National Human Rights Commission. In addition, he has had to cut short his trip to South Africa and cancel his planned state visit to Namibia. He is back in the country to personally oversee the situation.”

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  Africcon Report: $620,000 bribe: Farouk Lawan, Emenalo must face trial –Court
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  A member of the House of Representatives, Farouk Lawan, on Friday failed in his bid to quash the seven counts brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, over allegations that he demanded and received the sum of $620,000 as bribe from a businessman, Femi Otedola.
  
  Lawan allegedly committed the crime while serving as chairman of the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on Monitoring of Fuel Subsidy Regime.
  
  An application filed by Lawan, and his co-accused, Mr. Boniface Emenalo, to quash the charge was dismissed by an Abuja High Court, presided by Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi.
  
  The court held that Lawan and Emenalo must face trial as the proof of evidence filed by the ICPC had established a prima facie case against them.
  
  In the application to quash the charge, Lawan and Emenalo’s counsel, Chief Rickey Tarfa (SAN), had attempted to stop the trial by challenging the jurisdiction of the court.
  
  Tarfa had argued that the court should not have granted ICPC the permission to prefer the charge against his clients because the prosecution failed to provide materials which were required for the judge to grant the permission.
  
  Arguing that the foundation of the case was faulty, Terfa also asked the court to discharge the accused persons since no prima facie case had been established against them.
  
  According to him, the prosecutor failed to comply with the provisions of section 155 (1)(b) of the Criminal Procedure Code, which required that statements of witnesses be attached to the proof of evidence.
  
  But ICPC lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), had opposed Lawan’s attempt to quash the charge.
  
  Awomolo had asked the court to dismiss the application, which he described as a tactic to waste the time of the court.
  
  The prosecution counsel maintained that the Supreme Court had held in many cases that the purpose of seeking a leave of court to prefer charges was to ensure that frivolous criminal charges were not filed and not to allow the accused persons to see the details of the charges against them.
  
  He argued that the charges remained valid, adding that the non-attachment of witnesses’ statements did not undermine the legality of the charges.
  
  However, ruling on the application on Friday, Justice Oniyangi held that Lawan and Emenalo must stand trial.
  
  He overruled the accused persons’ argument that the court lacked the jurisdiction to hear and determine the matter, noting that the court had the inherent jurisdiction to hear the suit.
  
  The judge equally maintained that, contrary to the defence counsel’s submission, section 185 of the Criminal Procedure Code does not require the prosecution to attach the statements of all its witnesses to the proof of evidence.
  
  He said, “The position of section 185, to me, is as clear as crystal. It does not suggest that written statements of all witnesses should be the proof of evidence.
  
  “The non-attachment of written statements of other witnesses does not render the charge incompetent.
  
  “What the court should look at in order to determine whether a prima facie case has been established against the accused is the proof of evidence.
  
  “To me, once there is evidence that will suggest to the court that the accused has some questions to answer in the proof of evidence, then there is a prima facie case.”
  
  He also held that the leave granted the ICPC to prefer the charge against the accused persons was not an abuse of the court process, as argued by the defence.
  
  “In the light of the foregoing, it cannot be said that the application for leave (to prefer the charge against the accused persons) is frivolous, vexatious or oppressive.
  
  “The court cannot surreptitiously change here to say that the materials constitute an abuse of court process; they are neither malicious nor contain elements of bias,” he said.
  
  Having ordered Lawan and Emenalo to face trial, Justice Oniyangi adjourned the case till June 19, 2013 for hearing.
  
  Lawan and Emenalo had pleaded not guilty to the charge when they were arraigned on January 31, 2013.
  
  They are being tried under the Violation of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

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  Africcon Report: Insecurity: Northern govs, VIPs shun public mosques
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  Increasing attacks by the Boko Haram Islamic sect may have forced Northern governors, emirs and prominent citizens of the region to review their attendance at mosques.
  
  Investigations by our correspondents revealed that the governors and VIPs had come under increased pressure to change their security arrangements, following incessant attacks and killings of Muslim faithful by Boko Haram gunmen targeting prominent individuals.
  
  Over the last few months, some Northern traditional rulers and top serving and former government officials have been targeted at mosques by suicide bombers and gunmen for elimination.
  
  Among them are the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero; Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Umar Garbai el-Kanemi; Emir of Fika, Alhaji Muhammadu Idrissa; a former Minister of Mines and Power, Alhaji Shettima Ali-Monguno; former Controller-General of the Nigeria Prison Service, Alhaji Ibrahim Jarma; and Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Zanna Mustapha.
  
  Jarma and his two guards were shot dead as they left a mosque in Azare, Bauchi State in September 2012.
  
  Ali-Monguno was kidnapped by Boko Haram gunmen shortly after performing the Juma’at congregational prayers at a ward in Mafoni ward in Maiduguri.
  
  On April 13, 2007, about 5.30 am, a renowned Kano-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ja’afar Mahmud Adam was shot while leading the Fajr (Morning) prayer at the Dorayi Juma’at Mosque.
  
  The assassins shot him at close range, tearing his chest and abdomen.
  
  Shortly after the incident, he was rushed to Malam Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital where he died before he could receive medical attention.
  
  Before now, security was usually increased around churches after targeted attacks on churches after the 2011 Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla in Suleija, Niger State.
  
  Only last week, the spokesman for the Military Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, had in a statement in Maiduguri, warned politicians, civil servants and traditional rulers among other VIPs to be security conscious.
  
  He based his advice on intelligence which indicated that members of the Boko Haram sect had concluded plans to kidnap prominent Northerners to raise funds.
  
  Sagir said, “Intelligence available to the task force has indicated that Boko Haram terrorists have resolved to concentrate more on kidnapping than robbery.
  
  “They alleged that kidnapping is more lucrative, less dangerous and requires short time to plan and execute.
  
  “Similarly, a special kidnapping squad has been earmarked and tasked by the Boko Haram sect to kidnap persons who could be wealthy relations, politicians, businessmen/women, traditional rulers, senior civil servants and foreigners alike.”
  
  A number of state governors are not taking Sagir’s statement lightly.
  
  In Kano State, for instance, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and members of his cabinet have for some time now avoided public mosques.
  
  Saturday PUNCH learnt that they had restricted their Friday prayers to the heavily fortified mosque situated within the Government House, Kano.
  
  The Kundila Juma’at Mosque located within the Kundila Housing Estate, which played host to the cream de la crème of the state’s Muslim elite like the Kano Central Mosque, located behind the palace of the Emir of Kano; now enjoy heavy security presence on Fridays.
  
  A security source said, “It has become obvious that the elite and members of their family can no longer walk freely.
  
  “The situation has been made worse by the abduction of Monguno in Maiduguri two weeks ago.”
  
  The situation is not different in the northern cities of Maiduguri, Kaduna, Damaturu, Gombe, Sokoto, Gusau, Katsina and Yola.
  
  In Kaduna, the popular Sultan Bello Mosque, which shares a fence with Arewa House around Ugwan Sarki area, also enjoys a heavy security presence.
  
  An Improvised Explosive Device hidden in a polythene bag at the mosque killed a police bomb detection officer who tried to defuse it about two years ago.
  
  One of our correspondents also observed an unusually high security presence at the Ansarudeen Mosque located at Abeokuta Road in Kaduna in the last few Fridays.
  
  The movement of most of the state governors, especially on Fridays, has become a closely guarded secret as some move in silent convoys avoiding the use of sirens which was common place.
  
  Reacting to the situation, Dr. Juniad Mohammed, a social critic and Convener of Concerned Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, said such would be a welcome development.
  
  He said, “I quite frankly will be happy if that were to be the case because the Nigerian elite have been irresponsibly negligent about security.
  
  “And they tend to confuse their roles as leaders of government with that of being politicians.
  
  “Violence inside mosques is not unknown to Islam. That is why Islam favourably looks at arrangements to secure the lives of public figures that go into the mosque.
  
  “For example, the second Kalif, Kalif Umar, was assassinated inside a mosque.
  
  “There are several instances where murders of emirs and Kalifs were committed inside mosques throughout the history of Islam, including some imams in mosques in Baghdad and in holy places in the holy land in Jerusalem.
  
  “For example, the grandfather of the present King of Jordan was assassinated in the grand mosque in Jerusalem. So, nobody can use Islam to say that because he wants to go to the mosque he should expose himself.
  
  “If they don’t take care of themselves, that is their own business. Of course, the best protection is to be just and fair.
  
  “And even if you are just and fair, like Kalif Umar was, they can learn from that unfortunate occurrence of more than 2000 years ago to protect themselves.
  
  “So anybody who thinks he can use the mosque or use the current fashion of religiosity; to go and show how great a Muslim they are, they should think twice.”

News in Nigeria

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  Africcon News
  Africcon Report: UNILAG girls preferred me to boys with sight – Blind banker
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  Head Operations, Switch Board, First Bank of Nigeria Plc and National President, National Association of the Blind, David Okon, shares his inspiring story of profitable living with BOSEDEOLUSOLA-OBASA
  
  How would you describe the way you have been accepted in the society?
  
  The support I have enjoyed has come from family members and a few understanding members of the public. So I have been coping with the support of God and good people around me. They have helped me to have a better view of life and to surmount the obstacles that life has posed. I have also been able to motivate others because the Nigerian environment has not been encouraging at all. The acceptance level in the Nigerian society is still very discouraging. The society needs more people to help turn the darkness of loss of sight to light. What I always told my grandmother as a young person was that I would rather die than get to a point of begging because I am blind. My dad ensured I did well; unfortunately, he didn’t live long enough to see the good fruit of his labour.
  
  Were you born blind?
  
  No. My mother said I was born with sight. She was very happy that her first child was a man. But she said that around 1970 when I was about three years old, I had this terrible measles. The measles was bad and the civil war was just entering our part of the country, although it was actually coming to an end in other parts. There was no adequate medical attention because of the civil war, but they gave it the best attention. By the time the measles had gone, they discovered that it had affected my sight. It was not total blindness initially, but it degenerated until it became total blindness. It took a team of missionaries from Europe who came to my village in 1975 to discover that I may have totally lost my sight. They observed that I could not play at like children of my age were doing. After this incident, I remained with my parents for some years but not knowing what to do. But my late father was bent on seeing that I was educated like every other child with the little resources he had. So the European missionaries advised my parents to let me go to a school in Lagos. They told them that I could still realise my dream by being educated there. That was how I came to the Pacelli School for the Blind in Lagos. I left from there to Kings College, Lagos and then to the University of Lagos, where I did my first degree in Political Science and second degree in Public Administration.
  
  Do you recall any discouraging experience with boys at Kings College?
  
  Kings College pupils were great people. They had seen many blind people before I joined, so it was not strange. There is an arrangement between Pacelli and Kings College that ensures that students are admitted to study there. I recall a day when one of my colleagues grew so curious about me that he called me and said, ‘I want to ask you a question and please don’t get angry with me. How do you see your mouth when you are eating?’ He was about 10 years old then. His question was very funny to me. Now to the issue I had with few teachers, whom I may refer to as ‘typical Nigerian teachers’ at Kings College. I had done well in Arithmetic in the common entrance examination. So I didn’t think that there would be any problem with mathematics in the secondary school. But there was this teacher, who came to the class to teach mathematics and as he was writing on the board, he was saying, ‘This plus this is equal to this’. Rather than call out the numbers for me to hear, he assumed that all the students could see what he had on the board. So I stopped him abruptly and asked him to call out the numbers, but I was shocked at his response. He said, ‘My friend, I was not employed to teach the blind.’ He said that I could leave the class if I could not cope. And childishly, I left the class and never returned there. Of course, I did not pass the subject. French was another thing I did not take because of the challenge of getting a Braille version. I still regret not learning French because I would have been able to take an international job that I was qualified for if I could speak a second language. Still on nasty experiences, I remember that one weekend, I was relaxing and enjoying the breeze under a tree in school when I suddenly felt someone flogging me seriously. As I kept shouting and asking what I had done to deserve the beating, the person, who must have been one of the naughty boys in school, kept on flogging me. At a point, I could not hold it anymore. So I stood up and started running in whatever direction my legs could lead me. However, one of my greatest days at Kings College was the day a teacher called me out and told the audience that despite being blind, I had done better than others with sight including my seniors. I felt so high, but I dared not say a word or I would be beaten up. There were senior students in the gathering and we respected our seniors so well at the college. I must say that my colleagues were so great. There was no noticeable difference between us when we worked or played. I remember that some of them struggled to read text and notebooks to me during study time, while I just listened. The idea most time was that while they read to me and I in turn, explained the subject to them. The community spirit at the college was better than what I had in the university. At UNILAG, the blind students had to record the lectures and type the tests or assignments on a typewriter.
  
  Are there moments when you wished you could see?
  
  Yes, every blind person does sometimes. There are times I feel that I would have been better placed in life with sight. Of course, one gets a lot of consolations from loved ones. My wife usually asks me that how am I sure that I would not have turned out worse? Her words make sense to me, but as a human being, one sometimes still feels down. There is a good friend of mine here in First Bank; we were at Kings College together. He is now a very senior member of staff now and we are still very good friends. He was my junior in the secondary school but he is currently the treasurer of the bank. Lack of sight must have slowed down my prospects in life; we don’t seem to have the same opportunities. Employers in Nigeria discriminate against blind people such that the people who start work same day as you go far ahead of you; same for even those who started after you. One thing is sure, I’m very grateful for the opportunity  that I have to work with the organisation and that is why I’m always putting in my best to earn my pay. By September, I will be 20 years in this organisation. There is this determination in me to excel at whatever I do. As the National President, National Association of the Blind, I tell people to put in their best in whatever they do and never to give in to inferiority complex or intimidation on account of blindness.
  
  Was it easy getting a wife?
  
  Before I could marry my wife, we had issues with her parents and mine. I remember when we started dating, she had fallen in love with me but her people said no, they can’t allow their daughter to marry from a far place. When she told me that, I said I knew the real reason they said that. If I hailed from the United States, which is farther than where my hometown, would they object on that ground? The basic reason was that they didn’t want her to marry a blind man. Then I started wondering why I found a lady that I love and other people were against my marrying her. My people were also saying that I could not marry an Igbo woman since I hail from Akwa Ibom State. They said that I won’t be able to cope with her. Good enough, she was resolute about getting married to me; so her parents had no choice but to let her be. They said, ‘You say you must marry this blind man. Okay. You will be the one to live with him; you will bear the shame and so on’. So we printed the wedding invitation cards and she took one to an uncle of hers, but he spat on her. He said, ‘As educated as you are, and of all the men in this world, it is a blind person you can marry. Your parents objected, but you insisted’. He sent her away and said he wouldn’t be at the wedding. He threw the card back at her and did not come. She felt so bad but I told her that if he would not come, others would.
  
  How did you woo your wife?
  
  Before I met her, I had suffered a number of heart breaks on account of my sight. Whenever it was time to tidy up things towards marriage, there would be an objection. Painful as it was, it was okay by me because I didn’t want anyone to marry me out of pity. I wanted someone that would love me for who I am. I had no doubt that I would someday be married and never saw it as a do-or-die. Even when I had two blind girls as my close friends, I didn’t marry them because I didnt have the conviction to marry a blind person like myself. I believe the society is not ripe for two blind people to get married. One thing I had noticed from my university days was that I was liked by girls. In fact, my roommates then used to tease me that I had a way of winning over the most beautiful girls in spite of being blind. They jokingly said I might be using juju. So the lady who is now my wife picked interest in me during her service year in this organisation. I believe it was God’s making but it didn’t come easy. She is a likeable person and very compassionate. When we met, we were first friends before I proposed to her. I think an added advantage was that she went to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she met a number of blind students and was used to them. But she said she never knew that she could marry a blind man. The day I proposed to her, I said, ‘I think you would be very privileged for me to have you as my wife’. She said, ‘You are mad’. She said that she thought that I was joking, but I said I was serious so she said, ‘You miss road’. She walked away and I left her. After a long time, when she thought I would have forgotten, I returned to her with my request and she asked if I meant what I was saying. She said that she couldn’t marry because previous relationships she had never ended in marriage. And I told her that I actually wanted to marry her. She said she couldn’t marry me and I told her that she could. I believe she thought and prayed about it until one day when she gave her consent. She then said that the only hurdle would be for her parents to agree for her to marry a blind man.
  
  Apart from sight, do you live a normal life like others?
  
  Yes, I do. Back in my school days, I was like every other boy. Others had girlfriends and I had mine. Whatever the other boys had, I had too. I may not have had the money they had, but I had a sweet tongue. Also, I was always looking well dressed. We went for swimming, clubbing and so on together, but did everything with dignity. There was a time in UNILAG that a girl gave me a peck for being well dressed. She said she had always noticed that I looked good. In fact, my friends in  the university would look at my girl friends and say to me, “After you will say you are blind, see the beautiful girl you just caught.”
  
  How then do you appreciate a beautiful woman without seeing her?
  
  My wife’s mannerisms attracted me to her. She was so at home with me before marriage and even now that she hardly ever acted as if I’m blind. She is not exploitative. A blind person goes beyond the physical appearance to reach the real person. Although much of the time, they also hear people around saying, ‘Oh! She is so beautiful’. But no matter how physically beautiful someone is, if she hates you and treats you like a second-class human being or beggar, you can never be attracted to that kind of person. That is why people need to redefine blindness. There is a lot that visually-impaired people can make out of life. There is nothing that is impossible except you say so.
  
  How can government help?
  
  The first duty of any government is to accept that the society has some people who need extra care and attention to move on. Unfortunately, the Nigerian government is yet to accept that fact. Meanwhile, there are a lot of factors helping to contribute to the number of persons living with visual disabilities. Such factors include the Boko Haram attacks which in some cases led to some people becoming blind, accidents on bad roads and inadequate medical care. There are some cases that could have been taken care of before they degenerated to permanent blindness, but where are the medical facilities? Government must wake up to its responsibilities to all sectors of the country. For instance, I can tell you that all levels of government in Nigeria do not have the statistics of their people who are visually-impaired; it’s as bad as that. Because of the capitalist nature of our government, you find out that the government is not willing to spend more to cater for this group of people. For instance, there is a software that makes using a computer more compatible for a visually-impaired person. Unfortunately, that can cost about two-and-half the price of a standard computer. So, the natural question of a capitalist is, ‘If I can get Tunde to do this job on a computer at a lesser cost, why would I spend more to have Okon do the same’? But we need a level playing ground. We need a law in Nigeria that makes it a crime for a company not to employ the blind. The law should also make it compulsory for them to be adequately empowered to work. Interestingly, there is a report I’m about to get that proves that people with visual disabilities turn out more productive at the work place than their counterparts with sight. Government can subsidise the equipment that blind people need to perform better at work.

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  Africcon News
  Africcon Report:Merger giving FG sleepless nights – Buhari
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  
  A former Head of State, who is also the National Leader of the Congress for Progressive Change, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has said the merger of opposition political parties is giving government sleepless nights.
  
  Buhari, who spoke at the last meeting of the Board of Trustees of his party in Abuja on Wednesday, however, added that there was no going back on the proposed merger.
  
  Apart from the CPC, other political parties involved in the merger are the Action Congress of Nigeria and All Nigeria Peoples Party.
  
  A faction of All Progressive Grand Alliance is also embracing the merger.
  
  At the CPC’s meeting, which was held at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, Buhari reminded the BoT members about the need to remain resolute in their desire to rescue the nation.
  
  He said, “If you could recall, it was six months ago almost to the day we had the last Board of Trustees meeting, following which we launched our project for repositioning our party and pursuing the issue of merger.
  
  “Eventually, the merger process took a life of its own: it caught the nation’s imagination and attention, and had proved unstoppable; and it, no doubt, must have given government sleepless nights.”
  
  He recalled that at the meeting he had with leaders of the party on November 7, 2012, he had requested for and the leaders approved the formation of a CPC Merger Committee to negotiate all issues pertaining to the merger.
  
  Buhari said he was happy that the committee had concluded its assignment and urged members present at the meeting to study the provisions of the new APC constitution and determine whether it had adequate checks and balances in places.
  
  The former presidential candidate said the BoT members should make their observations known.
  
  Our correspondent also gathered that Buhari and the BoT members also discussed how to share national offices in the yet-to-be-registered APC.
  
  Buhari said, “But even more importantly, you should take time to carefully read options proposed for the transitional management structure of the new party and choose which option will best lead to satisfy the yearnings of our teeming supporters. This should be done now.”

Nigeria News Today Online

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  Africcon Report: Victim of 2012 plane crash shuts Dana office
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  Business activities at the Allen Avenue office of Dana Airlines came to a halt on Wednesday after the owner of the two-storey building destroyed in the plane crash, Pastor Daniel Omowunmi, locked the main gate of the office and blocked the entrance with his Toyota Sports Utility Vehicle.
  
  Omowunmi, who arrived Dana office at 5.30am, brought with him three iron chains and padlock which he used to lock out all employees of the company.
  
  The ill-fated Dana flight 992 killed over 153 people on board, as well as approximately 10 other persons and caused injuries to many people on the ground.
  
  The plane also crashed into Daniel’s house and factory and destroyed his property, which he said, was worth N500m.
  
  Omowunmi told our correspondent that he decided to lock up the place because all attempts to get compensation from Dana had proved abortive.
  
  He said, “In some weeks’ time, it will be a year that the plane crash occurred. I have not been working up till now. They destroyed my properties and rendered me jobless since June 3, 2012. Dana has commenced operation but it has not said anything meaningful about my case.
  
  “Officials of the company have been going on air with all sorts of propaganda claiming that they have settled all those affected. That is why I have come here so that they can come out to tell me the kind of arrangements they have made, the amount they paid and who they gave it to.”
  
  The pastor said the N500m he lost to the crash represented the value of his warehouse, publishing house, fish ponds and other businesses.
  
  He said so far, only $30,000 (N4.8m) had been given to him by the company.
  
  He said, “My properties are four plots of land with a detached six-bedroom building, two standard warehouses, a bungalow at the back of the warehouses and four fish ponds. Everything was destroyed, including my second jeep parked on the premises. My furniture, six container loads of books and five container loads of kitchen utensils all destroyed.
  
  “Up till today, they have not said anything tangible and yet they are flying. If they think they will carry on with business like that and it is going to be easy, they must be joking.
  
  “The claim I put before them is about N500m and up till now, the only thing they have made available to me after much pressure was $30,000 dollars to rent a house. After that, they have not been forthcoming. My lawyer actually persuaded me to collect the money.”
  
  The area was tense as over 20 employees of the company waited outside the company and in the rain, which started around 4am.
  
  Some of the employees, including an Indian, appealed to the pastor to open the gate and seek alternative means of pressing home his point but he refused.
  
  Around 9am however, a team of policemen stormed the vicinity and one of the policemen, Corporal Giwa Mohammed, dragged the pastor into a Rapid Response Squad patrol vehicle with registration number 195LA.
  
  A few minutes later, senior officers attached to Area F Command arrived at the scene and appealed to Omowunmi to unlock the gate.
  
  Omowunmi, while fighting back tears, said life had become unbearable for him and he had been pushed to the wall.
  
  He said, “I have not been able to meet my obligations to my family. I have three children. For the first time in my life, I had to get money from people to pay my children’s school fees last week.”
  
  After much persuasion, however, the pastor unlocked the gate and followed the policemen to Area F.
  
  It was learnt that the area commander, Tunde Adagunduro, had written a letter to the management of Dana, inviting them to a meeting with the pastor to prevent another episode.
  
  When contacted on the telephone, the spokesperson for the airline, Tony Usidamen, said he was aware of the protest but could not confirm if Omowunmi’s claims were true since it was the insurance company that was in charge of compensation and not Dana.
  
  He said, “I know some people have been compensated and I know that he (Omowunmi) was given some money. I however do not know the level of compensation because Dana does not handle compensation rather; the insurance company does.
  
  “I will find out tomorrow to know how far with his payments. Our duty is to pay premium to insurance company and we just follow up to know the level of compensation.”
  
  Police assault PUNCHman
  
  As our correspondent was taking pictures of the drama at Dana office, a police corporal,  Giwa Mohammed, dragged him by the shirt and seized his telephone.
  
  He further threatened to kill our correspondent.
  
  Mohammed said, “Who gave journalists the right to take pictures here? You should have taken permission before taking pictures. I received a distress call to come here and I am doing my job.”
  
  Mohammed then ordered our correspondent to delete all previously taken pictures from his telephone.
  
  The corporal, along with his colleagues, attempted to intimidate our correspondent and hurled insults at him.
  
  It took the intervention of senior police officers to call the overzealous policemen to order.

Nigeria News Today Online

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  Africcon Report: Unidentified gun men kill Eket PDP chairman
  Africcon New Media – News
  
  The People’s Democratic Party Chairman of Eket Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Chief Eshiet Usung-Inwang, was on Tuesday evening killed by unidentified gunmen in his house, in Ikot Uso Ekong, Eket.
  
  A family source, who spoke in a quivering tone, and on condition of anonymity, to our correspondent on Wednesday in Eket on the incident, said the gun men were previously seen hanging and patrolling the vicinity of the dead man’s house with motor bike.
  
  He explained that when the deceased returned home from work at about 6:30 pm, the men suddenly accompanied him into his parlour and shot him in the chest and head.
  
  He said, “The men followed him into his parlour as visitors who were waiting for him on a good mission, only to pour several bullets into his chest and head as soon as he asked them to seat down and present their case.’’
  
  A neighbour to the deceased, Mr. Etim Edogho, said when the Eket Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Dike Uchechi, was informed of the development, he sent a police search team to comb the area and its surrounding, as well as mount road blocks in some major streets to apprehend the hoodlums.
  
  Edogho also revealed that the death of Inwang might be connected with disagreements that arose last week after a heated debate over the zoning of the Akwa Ibom State governoship position to Eket Senatorial District.