Tuesday, October 2, 2012

From Sweden with a yearning voice



Mansour

Mansour
| credits:

Guess who the latest foreign artiste testing the waters of Nigerian music industry is. He is Pan Africanist singer, Gabiy Mansur.  The direction he is coming from is as interesting as his story as although he is a Sudanese, he is based in Sweden.

While he is in Nigeria to promote his new album titled Cage, the fact that he is here with his producers, Freestylla music led by Freedom Fabana and promoters, Romeo Music indicates that they really mean business.

And Mansour, who confesses that his sojourn to Nigeria has been an eye opener,  cannot hide his reverence for the industry.

He notes, “The Nigerian music industry is a big one. It is the biggest in Africa and music from the country is popular in different parts of the world.”

While his music encompasses hip hop, reggae and dance hall, the 16-track album is Mansour’s way of expressing his perception about life, which, he says, can be intriguing and tough.

“Life can be a cage,” he notes. “It is partly about real life experience. Besides, I had to struggle hard to get the songs out.”

Although he left Sudan when he was 15, his exit was not as a result of the crises the country has witnessed for decades. According to him, his passion for exploring the world prompted his journey to Sweden. He has been to several other countries, he adds.

Mansour has performed in a number of places that include Lagos Airport Hotel and Oriental Hotel.  He describes the audience’s reaction to his music as being encouraging.

“Some of them asked me to speak Swedish to them. But even if I do, they do not understand,” notes the singer who says he has met several artistes that include Tuface and OJB.

His influences in music include Tupac, Bob Marley  and Fela because, he says, he always falls in love with people who speak the truth always.

He says life is good in Sweden but it is tough for a foreign artiste to break into the terrain.

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Woman narrates ordeal in kidnappers’ den



Arrested kidnappers of Lagos businessman.

Arrested kidnappers of Lagos businessman.
| credits: Eniola Akinkuotu

Women leader, Redeemed Church of God, Cornerstone Parish, Lagos, Mrs. Adebusola Odunaya, on Tuesday described her release by kidnappers after six days of captivity as an act of God.

PUNCH Metro reported last Thursday that Adebusola had on Saturday, September 21, left home for Lagos to buy beverages and some other items but could not be found for six days.

But the 37-year-old Adebusola resurfaced on September 27.

In a telephone interview, Adebusola said although she could not recognise the exact spot, she was held in a bush along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and was released after six days.

Adebusola said, “On the fateful day, I was to go to Lagos Island to pick my stock of noodles. It was past 12 noon.

“When I got to Ishaga area, there was no vehicle there. I decided to go to Agege to board a bus. When I got to Agege, there was no direct bus going to Idumota on Lagos Island. I had to board an Oshodi vehicle (molue). As we were already in the vehicle, I heard a conductor calling Idumota. I had to alight from the vehicle I was in and went for that.

“When I got there, the vehicle was still loading. Three women and the driver were inside. I joined them. As soon as I did, the women then asked the driver to move so that they could carry people along the road. I became happy that the vehicle would be fast.

“As we were expecting the vehicle to move, the conductor came and touched me with the handkerchief he was holding. That was when I fell asleep. I did not wake until five days after in a forest along Lagos- Ibadan Expressway.”

Adebusola said when she regained consciousness on the fifth day, she found out that her hair had been cut and the money she wanted to use to pay for the items, about N500, 000 had been taken.

“They ransacked my bag and saw our General Overseer’s (Pastor Enoch Adeboye) picture and Redeemed wristband. They asked me, ‘So you are a member of Redeemed?’ I said yes.

“Two men among the kidnappers ordered me to call my family. As I called my brother, they were telling me what to say. When I looked at the front, I saw a horrible looking hut. There were two women lying unconscious near it. I don’t know if the women were alive or dead. The whole place looked scary.

“They said, ‘thank God for your life.’ They now led me through the jungle to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and left me. That was how I was freed from the kidnappers.”

[/media-credit] Arrested kidnappers of Lagos businessman.

Police smash kidnap syndicate, arrest eight

Meanwhile, the police in Lagos have arrested a gang of eight, including a woman, suspected to have killed a businessman, Mr. Odidi Nweze, in FESTAC recently.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko, said the suspects’ modus operandi was to kidnap their victims and take them to FESTAC.

Manko said the command was worried by the number of victims who had been taken to FESTAC.

He said, “In the cases of kidnapping that had been recorded of recent, victims were usually drugged and taken to FESTAC. Now, we have smashed this particular syndicate. Its ring leader, Kelvin Emenike, was the first to be arrested. Though he lives in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, he was lured to Lagos by the police under the guise of a business proposal.

“It was Emenike who led the police to arrest the seven other gang members, including a woman. There is a previous case of suspected murder of a clearing agent linked to this group.”

He said the suspects who used an uncompleted building located somewhere in Okota, Lagos as their hideout were in the habit of trailing their victims to an obscure place, abduct and blindfold them before taking them to their hideout in Okota.

Whenever the victims’ families pay ransom, Manko said, it was the woman that usually collects and shares it among members of the gang.

Emenike, who confessed to the crime, said the gang killed the businessman because he attempted to snatch a gun from one of them.

He said, “Although the parents later paid N1.2m out of the money we demanded, we killed him even before they paid the money.

“When he was kidnapped at Satellite Town, as we were going to Okota, he attempted to disarm one of us. So, I grabbed the gun and fired him point blank. He later bled to death.”

When asked how he picked his targets, Emenike said they usually go on motorcycles and trail people in flashy cars, adding that they would then attack the victims and demand ransom from their families.

Emenike said, “There was one time that we kidnapped two people in a jeep but the victims told us that the vehicle wasn’t theirs and we later let them go. Most times, we receive between N1m and N5m as ransom depending on how the family negotiates.”

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Mixed reactions greet FG’s shake-up of aviation agencies



Mixed reactions, on Tuesday, greeted the Federal Government’s restructuring of some agencies in the Ministry of Aviation.

In the restructuring, some personnel were redeployed, while some directors were said to have been retired.

Aviation sector workers gathered in groups on Tuesday morning at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, discussing the development.

In their discussions, as witnessed by our correspondent, various positions were expressed by the workers. Some said they were surprised at the shake-up, while others said they would face the situation with equanimity.

Meanwhile, stakeholders and professionals in the industry have also expressed varying views on the  development.

While some saw the move as a positive development, others described it as a “vindictive” one that was bereft of “professionalism” but with a tint of “ethnic colouration.”

The President, Aviation Round Table, Captain Dele Ore, said that the move might not move the industry forward.

He said, “If at all we want to embark on a restructuring exercise, I have always said we should start from the ministry. That is the correct thing to do. The people that ill-advised the former ministers are still lurking around. That is the truth; but I wish everybody good luck in their endeavours.”

It had been widely speculated early on Tuesday that the shake-up was to affect top management staff in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, the Accident Investigation Bureau and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.

Letters to those either retired or sacked were expected to be released on Tuesday, the report said.

But the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister, Mr. Joe Obi, on Tuesday, said the media report was not totally true, although some of the issues reported were correct.

He said the ministry would issue a press statement on the matter very soon.

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Jonathan has no role in Salami’s recall – NJC



Suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami

Suspended President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami
| credits: File copy

National Judicial Council on Tuesday told an Abuja Federal High Court that President Goodluck Jonathan had no powers under the law to play a role in the reinstatement of the suspended President, Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami.

The NJC told the court that rather than Jonathan, the exclusive powers to recall Salami was vested in it.

Following its decision to recall the suspended PCA, the NJC had reportedly forwarded a letter recommending Salami’s reinstatement to the President, but Jonathan refused to act on the recommendation, as a result of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Bello Adoke’s advice that the matter was sub judice.

In its written address in response to a suit instituted by 11 human rights activists against Jonathan and Salami’s continued suspension, the NJC agreed with the plaintiffs that the President had no role to play in the recall of the suspended PCA.

Jonathan, the AGF, NJC, Salami and the Acting PCA, Justice Dalhatu Adamu, were listed as the defendants in the suit filed on behalf of the activists by Mr. Jitobo Akanike.

The NJC’s written address, dated October 2, 2012, was filed by its counsel, Mr. Usman Isah.

The plaintiffs had asked the court to determine whether Jonathan had the powers to recall Salami, and also, whether he (Jonathan) can reappoint Adamu as acting PCA after the expiration of three months without the recommendation of the NJC.

The NJC agreed with the plaintiffs on both issues, maintaining that Jonathan had no powers under the law to recall Salami, and that Adamu’s continued stay in office as acting PCA was illegal.

“By virtue of the combined provisions of sections 153, 158 (1), of the Constitution, and the NJC’s power to exercise disciplinary control over judicial officers contained in paragraph 21 (1) of the part 1, third schedule of the Constitution, the NJC is clothed with the power to suspend and recall the 4th defendant (Salami) without any recourse to the President (the 1st defendant),” the NJC argued.

The council added, “We submit that by virtue of section 238 (5) of the Constitution, the 5th defendant (Acting PCA) cannot be reappointed after the expiration of three months without the recommendation of the 3rd defendant (NJC), as such the continued stay in office by the 5th defendant is unconstitutional and illegal.”

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I’m no stooge of Tinubu – Akeredolu



L-R: Tinubu, Akeredolu and Akande

L-R: Tinubu, Akeredolu and Akande
| credits:

Action Congress of Nigeria’s candidate for the October 20 Ondo State governorship election, Rotimi Akeredolu, has dismissed claims by Governor Olusegun Mimiko that he plays stooge to former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu.

Akeredolu said this while addressing supporters at Ikare Akoko on Tuesday.

He said, “Was he not the stooge when he ran to Tinubu for his support when his mandate was stolen?

“Mimiko said I was planted in this state by Tinubu but where did he get his own support? Tinubu is the Moses of our time. He is only working to liberate this state from the clutches of the oppressors.

“You people have spoken by giving us your support. I am calling on you people of Ikare and Ondo to  vote massively on October 20.”

National Chairman of ACN, Chief Bisi Akande, presented a banner to Akeredolu, saying it signified that the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association would be the next governor of the state.

Akande said, “I am thanking you now, but I know I will come back and thank you again after the election.”

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola told party supporters to stay at the polling booths after casting their votes so that the ballots could be counted in their presence.

Aregbesola said the step would frustrate  rigging.

He said, “Rogues who have positioned themselves to steal votes would not have a chance in the coming election.”

Former Governor  Segun Osoba predicted victory for the ACN.

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Wanted oil marketers refuse to surrender to EFCC



EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde

EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde
| credits:

The three oil marketers declared wanted  by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the fuel subsidy scam have yet to surrender themselves, it was revealed on Tuesday.

Spokesman for the anti-graft agency, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed to our correspondent that the marketers were still on the wanted list of the EFCC.

He said, “The three persons declared wanted by the commission over the fuel subsidy scam – Abdul Afeez O. Olabisi,  Abubakar P. A. Jeldi,  Ikechukwu O. Nworgu – are still on the EFCC Wanted Persons list.

“As stated in an ealier statement on the subsidy scam, the arraignment of suspects will be in batches.Two batches have been arraigned so far.

The EFCC had on September 7 declared the marketers wanted for their involvement in the fuel subsidy scam.

They are Abdul Afeez Olarenwaju Olabisi (Fago Fargo Petroleum and Gas Limited);  Abubakar Peters Ali Jeldi (Managing Director of Nadabo Energy Limited) and Ikechukwu Onuabuchi Nworgu of Star Inspection Services Nigeria Limited.

The agency said they were wanted for offences bordering on criminal conspiracy, forgery, obtaining money by false pretences and money laundering running into several billions of Naira.

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Gunmen kill 23 students, others in Adamawa



Inspector General of police, Muhammed Abubakar

Inspector General of police, Muhammed Abubakar

GUNMEN midnight Monday stormed an off-campus residence of students of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State, and shot dead 23 students.

Also, three other persons, including a retired soldier, a guard and father of a studfent, lost their lives in the orgy of killing with a total of 25 felled victims.

The murdered students were said to have been called out by their killers. As a replacement for one of their targets, the gunmen killed the father.

Police on Tuesday confirmed the number of deaths even as students were said to have deserted the campus of the polytechnic. The police also said five others sustained serious injuries and were receiving treatment in the hospital.

Commissioner of Police in Adamawa, Godfrey Okeke, confirmed to our correspondent on the phone that 26 corpses had been deposited in the mortuary.

Okeke said the killers came with a hit list with which they identified their targets before gunning them down.

According to him, the police had commenced investigations into the killings and detectives were exploring wide angles to identify the motives for the attacks and the perpetrators and their sponsors.

 The CP said, “It was around 2am that one of my officers told me about the attack in Mubi and I asked him to find out what happened. We learnt that the attackers came with a list and were calling out the names of their victims whom they either shoot or slaughter.

“This morning (Tuesday), I went to the scene with the SSS director and Brigade of Guards Commander and we saw 26 bodies on the ground. They have been deposited in the mortuary and we have commenced investigations into the incident.”

Asked why the operatives of the Joint Taskforce who have  been in charge of security in the area did not respond to the sound of gunshots, Okeke said the JTF men were not aware of the incident because the gunmen muffled the sounds of their gunshots and also used knives to slaughter some of their victims to avoid detection.

He said the police would explore all possibilities, including the fact that the killings might have been sponsored by participants in the student union elections that held last Saturday at the Federal Polytechnic.

 “We are exploring all angles in our investigations; you know there was a student union election at the school last Saturday, so we will investigate this angle too to know whether there is a link to the killings,” he said.

Public Relations Officer of the Adamawa State command of the Nigeria Police, Mohammed Ibrahim, had earlier confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria that 25 people were killed, 19 of them students of the Federal Polytechnic.

“We are just leaving Mubi with the Commissioner of Police and the Brigade Commander. Nineteen students were killed… all in all 25 persons were killed. Although the investigation is continuing, there are signs that there may have been some internal factors. But we cannot prove it until we complete our investigation”, Saharareporters quoted Ibrahim to have said on the phone.

A resident however told NAN that students of both the polytechnic and those of the nearby School of Health Technology lived in the affected hostel.

Spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, Yushua Shuaib, also confirmed the incident though he couldn’t confirm the casualty figure.

Shuaib told a news agency that police were investigating the possibilities that the killings were as a result of rivalry between factions in the students’ union election in the polytechnic.

Shuaib was quoted as saying that the attack had been probably launched by a faction not satisfied with the election.

“The crisis in Mubi is suspected to have been fuelled by campus politics after an election at the Federal Polytechnic,” the NEMA spokesperson said.

Abdulkarim Bello of the Red Cross said, “They were conducting elections in the Federal Polytechnic and unknown gunmen just entered and sprayed people with bullets”.

A student, who was said to have refused to give his name, reportedly told saharareporters that the gunmen were wearing military uniforms, and were calling out the names of individual students before killing them.

The student said that after surrounding the compound around midnight, the gunmen started taking the students outside, ascertaining their names and shooting them, while others butchered the bodies with sharp knives. The mutilated corpses were left lined up in the courtyard.

The student said the killings were likely to have a connection with last Sunday’s Student Union Government election, which was said to have been contested on regional grounds between Northern and Southern students in the institution.

 

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Court orders CBN to declare whereabouts of N191bn forfeited by Cecilia Ibru



A Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday gave the Central Bank of Nigeria 72 hours to declare the whereabouts of about N191bn asset forfeited by the convicted former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank Plc (now Ecobank Plc), Mrs. Cecilia Ibru.

Justice Mohammed Idris gave the order in a judgment on Monday.

The judgment was on a suit instituted by the President of Progressive Shareholders Association, Mr. Boniface Okezie, seeking to compel the apex bank to release the information under the Freedom of Information Act.

In granting part of the reliefs sought in the suit, Idris also ordered CBN to declare “the total cash and value of properties recovered from Cecilia Ibru.”

He ordered the apex bank to declare “the whereabouts of the money recovered from Cecilia Ibru; and what part of this cash and properties has been returned to Oceanic Bank and/or its shareholders.”

He said the order must be complied with “within 72 hours.”

More details later.

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Court orders CBN to declare whereabouts of N191bn forfeited by Cecilia Ibru



A Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday gave the Central Bank of Nigeria 72 hours to declare the whereabouts of about N191bn asset forfeited by the convicted former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank Plc (now Ecobank Plc), Mrs. Cecilia Ibru.

Justice Mohammed Idris gave the order in a judgment on Monday.

The judgment was on a suit instituted by the President of Progressive Shareholders Association, Mr. Boniface Okezie, seeking to compel the apex bank to release the information under the Freedom of Information Act.

In granting part of the reliefs sought in the suit, Idris also ordered CBN to declare “the total cash and value of properties recovered from Cecilia Ibru.”

He ordered the apex bank to declare “the whereabouts of the money recovered from Cecilia Ibru; and what part of this cash and properties has been returned to Oceanic Bank and/or its shareholders.”

He said the order must be complied with “within 72 hours.”

More details later.

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Gunshots cause fresh scare in Lagos



Policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad on Tuesday morning patrolled Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Way in Ikeja, Lagos State after gunshots rang out near Sheraton Hotel.

The policemen, in vans and motorcycles, and with guns at the ready, patrolled the busy road from the intersection at Joel Ogunnaike Street to Maryland and back.

A PUNCH correspondent, who drove past the police patrol, noticed that even drivers of the vans rode with rifles on their laps.

Reports said some unidentified gunmen fired shots near the upscale hotel, although it could not be confirmed if they attacked motorists or any offices.

However, it was suspected that the gunmen had planned to raid parts of Lagos, in the same fashion as a gang of armed robbers rode through some parts of the metropolis some weeks ago, killing and robbing motorists, policemen and foreign exchange traders.

More details later.

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Obi continues tour of flooded areas in Anambra



Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, on Tuesday continued his tour of areas ravaged by flood in the state.

The governor visited Onitsha and moved to Umueze Anam, with a team of government officials, to ensure the evacuation of people stranded in flood-hit communities.

The state government had swiftly responded to the flood disaster by evacuating affected persons from their communities to rehabilitation camps.

Also, efforts are being made to feed the displaced persons and provide them with water, mosquito nets and other relief materials.

Schools in the affected areas have also been shut.

Obi had on Monday abandoned the Independence Anniversary parade in the state capital, Awka, and headed for Ogbaru Local Government Area, where some communities were badly hit by the flood.

As at Monday, four camps had been established in Anambra West for displaced persons in the state and neighbouring Kogi State, according to information released by the state government on Tuesday.

The camps are Umuoba Unity Primary School, with 175 persons; Umuleri General Hospital, with 300 persons; Bishop Crowther Primary School, with 200 persons; while St. Joseph’s Secondary School has yet to be occupied.

More details later.

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Shock greets FG’s overhaul of aviation agencies



Shock on Tuesday greeted the Federal Government’s overhaul of some agencies in the Ministry of Aviation.

In the restructuring, some personnel were redeployed while some directors were retired.

Aviation sector workers gathered in groups on Tuesday morning at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, discussing the development.

Some said they were surprised at the shakeup while others said they would take the situation with equanimity.

A national newspaper reported on Tuesday that the shake-up affected top management staff in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Accident Investigation Bureau and Nigerian Meteorological Agency.

The paper quoted sources close to the ministry as saying on Monday that letters were released to top directors and general managers either redeployed to sister agencies, or elevated to higher positions, as well as those being brought into the parasatals from outside.

Letters for those either retired or sacked are expected to be released Tuesday, the report said.

It stated that FAAN’s directorates were increased from seven to nine, with seven of the directors to head the directorates being brought in as new recruits.

FAAN General Manager (Training), Hajiya Salamatu Eluwa, was promoted to Director of Administration while the its Public Affairs Department was split into two, with the former General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr. Akin Olukunle, redeployed to the Protocol and Passages Unit, while Yakubu Datti would now head the newly created Corporate Communications Unit.

Also affected in the shake-up is the former Director of Engineering of FAAN, Mr. Saleh Dunoma, who is being redeployed to head the newly created Directorate of Projects, the report said.

The paper also learnt that the Directorate of Legal Services, which was phased out some years back, had been restored.

More details later.

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