Robbery kingpins beg for amnesty

There was a mild drama at the office of the Lagos State Police Commissioner in Ikeja on Friday as three suspects, who were arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, were paraded before the House Committee on Police Affairs.

The suspects, Abiodun Ogunjobi, aka Godogodo; Felix Sunday, aka K Money; and Nwanyim Uche; pleaded for amnesty.

Godogodo had been described by the police as the most wanted criminal in the South West for the past 10 years.

He told the lawmakers that he had built six houses from his loot and never kept money in the bank in order not to be traced by security agents.

He said, “I never drank, womanised or attended social events. Such vices made one vulnerable and made it easy for the police to find and arrest you. I had no friends. I never kept money; I used all of it to build the houses.

“We don’t kill policemen except on one occasion when we went to rob in Ajah area of Lagos State. On that particular day, we had ended the robbery operation and were on our way back when my friend, Odun spotted a police patrol van. Odun opened fire and killed all of them because he needed their AK 47 rifles.

“The unfortunate thing about crime is that you never have peace of mind. The police were always after me and I never lived in one particular house for more than a year. I regret my action now and I would be happy if I am given amnesty.”

The other robbery suspect, K Money, who was among the robbers that attacked bureau de change operators at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, and killed two policemen, said the gang made $4m (N600m) in the operation.

He said he got N45m and became a car dealer.

He said, “I set up a showroom and registered my company. I bought many Tokunbo (foreign used vehicles) from Cotonou  (Benin Republic)and started selling them.

“When policemen started chasing me and my boys, I was completely disorganised and the business suffered. I plead for mercy sir.”

Uche was said to be a member of the gang that kidnapped the Chairman, Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Mr. Kehinde Bamgbetan; and a High Court judge.

The Officer in Charge of SARS, Abba Kyari, told the lawmakers that Uche’s cohorts were killed during a shootout with his men a few months ago.

Kyari explained that the modus operandi of Uche’s gang was to kidnap their victim, keep him in a house in the Agbara area of Ogun State while Uche would watch over him. The rest of the gang would then relocate to a hotel and negotiate a ransom with the victim’s family.

After collecting the ransom, the suspects would flee to Ghana for some months before returning for another operation.

Uche, while weeping profusely, said, “I never knew I would be involved in such a thing, I never knew I could stoop so low in life. I plead for mercy.”

The lawmakers, who commended the police for the remarkable achievements, berated the suspects for their dastardly acts.

A member of the committee, Udo Ibeji, said, “Now, you people (suspects) are pleading for mercy. You are all able-bodied men, why didn’t you work like other members of society? If you are set free, what of the innocent civilians and policemen you have killed?”

 

Universities Workers begin strike

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities  on Monday began indefinite strike.

This followed by a unanimous resolution adopted by members of the University of Ibadan chapter of the association at a congress held at the university Arts Theatre in Ibadan.

The Chairman of the association, University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Wale Akinremi, said that the strike was total.

”This is as a result of the directive from our National Executive Council; so, the strike is a national strike.”

He said that the association should have gone on strike for a very long time ”because of the government’s provoking way of attending to issues”.

” We have been short-changed by the government in the area of subventions and we cannot take it again ,” Akinremi said.

According to him, the education sector is the bedrock of the nation’s development and should be treated with care.

He said that there were other important issues beside the subventions that needed to be addressed.

Akinremi listed the issues as training, funding and disparities in terms of payment.

He said: ”Non-teaching members of staff are wrongly placed in the education system, and these issues must be holistically addressed.”

According to Akinremi, SSANU will continue with the strike until it is call off by the national body.

 

NSCDC deploys 120,000 personnel for independence celebrations

The Commandant-General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr Ade Abolurin, on Monday said the organisation had deployed 120,000 personnel to boost security during the 53rd Independence Celebrations nationwide.
The commandant general made this known during a media briefing in Abuja.
He said the NSCDC would continue to ensure the protection of the lives and properties of Nigerians at all times.
According to him the corps apprehended 823 suspects between January and September across the country.
He said of the 823 apprehended, 782 were currently being prosecuted for various crimes.
Abolurin said the corps, in collaboration with relevant agencies of government, had convicted 41 suspects arrested for vandalizing critical infrastructure across the country.

Stupid colleague caused our arrest –Suspect

Some robbery suspects engaged in a war of words on Thursday at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters.

The suspects, who were recently arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, traded blame over who caused their arrest.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspects, Fatai Balogun, Wale Oluwatosin and Gbenga Olusanya, were arrested shortly after robbing a family in the Iju, Ishaga area of the state.

Police authorities said after the robbery, the suspects shared the loot and went their separate ways.

Oluwatosin was, however, spotted while hiding his gun at the backyard of his house.

An eyewitness was said to have reported to the police and Oluwatosin was arrested. It was learnt that through his confessional statement, the police apprehended his colleagues.

One of the suspects, Balogun, who claimed to be a barber, said he regretted following Oluwatosin for the robbery.

He said, “He (Oluwatosin) is a very stupid boy. He is just 20-years-old and I see him like a younger brother because we grew up in the same area. Some days ago, he told me that there was a man in the area drove a nice car and he had studied the man’s movements.

“We got guns and when it was midnight, we stormed the house. We stole about N500,000 and I felt this was enough, but Oluwatosin was not satisfied. He stole CDs, laptops, seven mobile phones, video games and other items that we did not need.

“Carrying such things around at night could draw suspicion to us and I told him this but he was too stubborn. As I predicted, he was the one that caused our arrest. He is stupid.”

Another suspect, Olusanya, said he was not an armed robber but a smuggler. He said he knew the gang but had only followed them for one operation.

He said, “I followed them for a robbery some months ago but we did not succeed. On that particular operation, we met policemen on the road and decided to turn back. However, the driver was drunk and we had an accident.

“We had to snatch another car which we used to escape. After the unsuccessful robbery, I went back to my smuggling business because I felt those guys were not serious armed robbers. They were too clumsy.”

Oluwatosin, who is the youngest among the suspects, said he went into robbery so he could impress the suspects.

He said the suspects usually gave him N7, 000 as an informant but he wanted to make more money which made him to lead the operation.

He said, “I knew Balogun was an armed robber and I looked up to him. He used to give me N7,000 as an informant, but I felt I could do more. I did not know I would get caught after my first robbery.”

Deputy Police Public Rleations Officer, Damasus Ozoani, said the suspects would soon be charged to court.

Resumption: Suntai seeks out-of-court settlement with Assembly

Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State on Monday sought for an out-of-court settlement in a suit he filed challenging the State House of Assembly’s decision to reject his letter of resumption to duty.
Suntai had filed an action before a Jalingo High Court challenging the decision of the Assembly, which rejected his letter of resumption of duty after returning from a medical treatment abroad.
The presiding judge, Justice Ali Andenyatso, adjourned the case to October 28, for further hearing or for the court to receive the outcome of the out-of-the-court settlement.
Counsel for the governor, Elijah Nyaro, who stood in for Mr Alex Iziyon (SAN), filed an oral application seeking a three week adjournment to enable the parties to reach an out-of-court settlement.
Mr Yusuf Ali (SAN) and Mr Yusufu Akirikwen, counsel for the Assembly and Speaker Haruna Tsokwa, respectively, did not object to the request.
Justice Andenyatso said, “Even though the ruling on the application for the transfer of matter to the Court of Appeal, as requested by the Taraba Assembly was ready, I am adjourning the case to October 28 as prayed by the lawyers.”

 

Court proceedings end as NURTW members clash

Proceedings at the Federal High Court, Adeoyo, Ibadan, Oyo state, western Nigeria ended abruptly on Monday when two factions of the state branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) clashed outside the court premises.
The clash was between supporters of the ousted chairman of the union, Alhaji Lateef Akinsola also known as “Tokyo’’ and Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde, popularly known as Fele. Oyerinde is the the current caretaker chairman of the union.
Justice Abimbola Obaseki-Adejumo had barely adjourned the case of contempt of court instituted by Akinsola against the caretaker committee and the Oyo State Government when the clash occurred outside.
To curtail the violence, a team of policemen outside the court premises fired canisters of tear gas which resulted in pandemonium.
Mr Yomi Ogunlola, the counsel representing the caretaker committee, described the clash as a show of shame that should not have been allowed to take place.
“At the last sitting on June 24, the court ruled that Mr Michael Lana representing the caretaker committee should withdraw from the suit because he had earlier represented Akinsola in a sister case.
“I was recently briefed to take over from him in this contempt of court proceeding.

2012 Olympic Athletes Had Bad Teeth, Reveals Study

Many elite athletes who competed at the 2012 Olympic Games had levels of oral health similar to those of poverty-stricken communities, a study said Monday.

Researchers at University College London examined the teeth and gums of 302 athletes who visited a dental clinic at the London 2012 Olympic Village.

The athletes took part in 25 different sports. About a third of them competed in track and field, 14 percent in boxing; 11 percent in hockey and eight percent in swimming.

Most of the athletes were from Africa, the Americas and Europe.

The researchers found that more than half of the athletes had tooth decay. In 41 percent of cases, the decay was irreversible.

More than three-quarters of the studied athletes had early-stage gum disease, and 15 percent showed signs of periodontitis — an irreversible infection of the soft tissue around the teeth.

Nearly half said they had not been to a dentist or dental hygienist in the previous year. One in 12 said they had never been to a dentist.

“Oral health is important for wellbeing and successful elite sporting performance,” said Ian Needleman, a professor at the UCL Eastman Dental Institute.

“It is amazing that many professional athletes — people who dedicate a huge amount of time and energy to honing their physical abilities — do not have sufficient support for their oral health needs, even though this negatively impacts on their training and performance.”

Previous studies have suggested poor oral health in athletes may be caused by high intake of energy-giving carbohydrates and reduced immune function through intensive training.

The investigation is published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

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ASUP To Join ASUU Strike Friday

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, saysit  will  embark on an indefinite strike from Friday, 4 October, 2013 to press home their demands.
The National Chairman of the Union, Chibuzo Asomugha, gave this indication in a chat with P.M.NEWS on Monday morning.
He stated clearly that the lecturers had been asked to call off the industrial action which they embarked upon early this year but the Federal Government is yet to fulfill the promises made since then.
“We are going on an indefinite strike starting from Friday, 4 October, to remind the Federal Government of the promises they made when they asked us to go back to the classrooms early this year.
“The union believes that the government has failed us in that regard because we trusted them but the conditions were not met,” Asomugha stated.
He added that “for these reasons, we have instructed all our member institutions to stay away from the classrooms starting from Friday as we seek a permanent solution to the looming crisis in the education sector of the country.
“We can’t be taken for a ride continuously and that’s why we want a permanent resolution to the promises which had been made.”
This recent development will come as a worry to students in the country as the ongoing strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU,  is nowhere near its end.

Okonjo-Iweala’s Dad Fight Over Throne

The  battle between Prof. Chukwuka Okonjo, father of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, and a royal family over the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku throne, has resulted in the death of a 15-year-old Ogwashi-Uku prince identified as Pentty Sunday Chukwu.
He and two others were shot by soldiers allegedly led by a captain of the Nigerian Army. The shooting incident occurred at Ogwashi-Uku during the celebration of the community’s new yam festival last weekend.
Two other victims who were also shot by the soldiers were taken to a hospital for treatment.
The Public Relations Officer of the Delta State Police Command, ASP Lucky Uyabeme, confirmed this to journalists in Asaba, capital of Delta State.
According to the police spokesman, the shooting “was done by the army, led by a Captain.”
He, however, did not disclose the name of the Army Captain.
Uyabeme who declined further details, said the army were handling the issue, adding that when “they are through, they will hand over to the police for further investigation.”
The corpse of Pentty Sunday Chukwu is yet to be recovered by relatives of the deceased.
Also missing from the community are two other princes, namely, Kingsley Udeh, 22, and Bollus Izedunor, 23, who sustained bullet wounds.
The Umudei Royal Family of Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, while demanding to know the whereabouts of their sons, alleged that the victims were shot by soldiers who also took them away to an unknown destination.
According to the family’s secretary, Anthony Nti, the uniformed men allegedly stormed the palace where the victims were seated and opened fire on them unprovoked, killing one person in the process and injuring two others who had scampered for safety.
“On September 27, in fact, it was a blue Friday because three young boys were seated in their father’s house (palace), Ogbe-Nti-Obi, when suddenly two Hilux pick-up vans with these numbers written on the vehicles: 00135 and 00177, loaded with armed men dressed in army uniform drove into the palace.
“As soon as they alighted, the children who were seated became apprehensive and had to run away but the uniformed men pursued them and opened fire on them, killing one and injuring two.
“And they took them along and till now we don’t know their whereabouts. They killed Prince Pentty Sunday Chukwu. Princes Kingsley Udeh, 22, and Bollus Izedunor, 23, were injured,” Nti said.
He urged the relevant authorities to probe the circumstances that led to the invasion of the palace by uniformed men and the shooting that resulted in the casualties.
“It is hoped that both the federal and state governments would probe  this matter as a soul is already lost. We are demanding for justice because this victim was murdered in his father’s house, not on the streets,” he added.
The incident has continued to generate condemnation from some quarters, with one of the community leaders simply identified as Akaaze accusing the soldiers of intimidation and killing defenceless residents of the ancient kingdom.
“How can soldiers open fire on innocent people? They are ordinary citizens and we are all living witnesses to what happened in Abuja recently where security operatives killed defenceless people and tagged them terrorists. This is intimidation of the highest order. Ogwashi-Uku is not at war, both factions should be allowed to perform their traditional rites until the Supreme Court delivers its judgement,” Akaaze said.
Investigation however revealed that last Friday’s crisis was not unconnected with the celebration of the New Yam (Iwaaji) festival by the respective ruling houses laying claims to the throne of Obi of Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom.
There has been a protracted kingship tussle over who occupies the throne between the Umudei ruling house represented by Izedunor lineage and the Umuobaha ruling house represented by the Okonjo lineage.
The state government had presented the staff of office to Prof. Chukwuka Okonjo, father of Nigeria’s Minister of Finance as the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom following his victory at the lower courts.
However, Okonjo’s victory at the lower courts is being challenged by the Izedunor lineage at the Supreme Court and as such the police advised both parties to maintain the status quo until judgement was delivered.

 

Olamide takes D’Banj’s place on stage -Sean Tizzle, Phyno dazzle @ Hennessy Tour 

Rave of the moment, Olamide, was the center of attraction at the Hennessy Artistry club tours which held early this week at Rhapsody’s Lounge in Victoria Island and Road Runners Nightclub in Yaba, Lagos, simultaneously. He took the place of the tours headliner, D’Banj.
D’Banj had been stranded in UK, while Olamide was featured as a replacement on popular demand.
Olamide literally brought the roof down with his stunning performance.
He later moved down to Road Runners nightclub to join Phyno on stage same night.
Phyno, who had already started thrilling fans with the song, “Man of the Year”, and had started performing “Ghost Mode” when Olamide climbed the stage to perform the track with him, was caught up by surprise as his friend joined him on stage.
Olamide also performed to most of his current hit songs before he finally left the stage.
Other acts who equally lived up to billing were Sean Tizzle and Kay Switch. Both also delivered energetic performances, to the thrill of their fans.
Divas were not left out of the fun as Seyi Shay, who made her debut appearance on Hennessy Artistry, put fans in high spirit as she performed the tracks “Irawo”, “Loving You”, “Killing Me Softly” and a track from her forthcoming album.
Show Dem Camp (SDC) also gave a pulsating performance blending their  singles, “Farabale”, “Feel Alright” to the delight of fans.
D’banj, who was in London at the time, was scheduled to perform alongside Shay and SDC.
Olamide praised the organiser for a great tour and the fans for their support.
“I am pleased to be part of the tours. It has been a swell night in Lagos”, he later told R.
Meanwhile, this year’s Hennessy Artistry video for the theme song entitled “Raise Your Glasses”, will be released next month.

 

Power: FG hands over to new investors today •Targets 20,000 megawatts by 2016 

Government has set a target of 20,000 megawatts of electricity in the next three years as it hands over 15 privatized assets of the unbundled Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to their new owners today. The utilities  to  be handed over to the core investors  comprised five electricity generation companies (GENCOs) and 10 electricity distribution companies (DISCOs).
Speaking at  a forum on “Financing the Power Sector Reforms for Economic Development”  at the weekend in Abuja, the Vice President, Architect Namadi Sambo, said that  the 15 privatized assets of the PHCN would be handed over  to their preferred bidders, having fulfilled all  necessary payment obligations.
According to the vice president,  “at the inception of the privatization programme, a total of 25 GENCOs and 54 DISCOs sent in bids, and after a rigorous bidding process, five bidders for the GENCOs and 10 bidders for DISCOs were successful“.
He stated that the relevant government agencies had since, February 2013, signed the transaction document while the successful  bidders had also paid their bid sums in two installments of 25 per cent and 75 per cent by the end of August, 2013.
The vice president said with the full payment of their 75 per cent amount, the stage was now set for the formal handing over of the GENCOs and DISCOs   today ( Monday).
He said the Federal Government was emboldened to perform the handover ceremony today because of the fact that all labour related issues were concluded on Friday.
Sambo said: “The Federal Government reached an agreement with labour unions on December 12, 2012. The agreement reached is being implemented and payment of severance pensions and gratuities of all the 47,913 workers of the PHCH were planned to be completed  Friday.
The vice president also disclosed that the Federal Government , through NNPC, Nigeria Gas Company and private sector, were implementing a robust programme for the realization of the Nigeria Gas Masterplan, with a specific interest in meeting the gas to power demand in the country  at an estimated  cost of about $8 billion.
Already, $500 million, out of the $1 billion Euro Bond, was utilized as counterpart funding for the implementation of the project. This is another opportunity for our bankers to participate” he said.
With the planned handover, the vice president said the Federal Government was also presently implementing an extensive programme for the upgrading and expansion of the country’s power transmission capacity, with a forecast transmission of up to 10,000 MW before the end of 2014 and 20,000MW by 2016.
“The total funding for this project is estimated by TCN to cost about $3.7 billion, and I am pleased to inform you that funding for this project has already been arranged. $1.6 billion is coming from seed proceed of the 10 new power plants of NIPP and NDPHC; $500 million from a bank and the balance from the African Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank as well as the local banks. “ he stressed.

 

I NEVER SIGNED SINGLE TERM AGREEMENT - JONATHAN •Says: Varsities should pay ASUU’s allowances from IGR; I don’t know if Shekau is dead or alive; I am not God, I can’t say terrorism won’t happen again but... 

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday night denied signing any pact or  single term agreement with anybody, saying “I didn’t sign agreement with anybody, if I have signed  agreement with anybody he would have shown you”. Answering questions during the Presidential Media Chat last night as part of the programmes, marking the 53rd Independence Anniversary of Nigeria, Jonathan said he would concentrate on how to deliver on his mandate to Nigerians.
However, Jonathan hinted that if Nigerians had agreed with the single tenure he suggested previously, “I wouldn’t have been involved in the process”. 
He declared  that his declaration of presidential  ambition for 2015 general election will create crisis within the political system, even as he stated that it is too early for him to declare his intention to contest.
Jonathan, who noted that there are electoral laws governing the conduct of elections and regulating the political activities, added that declaration of his ambition now or by any other aspiring candidate would definitely create crisis in the polity.
He said “we have laws in this country and I appreciate the fact that our electoral laws tend to regulate the political activities. The electoral law gives the INEC the timetable to follow. If you do it earlier you will distablise government, whether it is Jonathan or any other person that has right to contest.
“You don’t declare intention now because it will distablise political process. Electoral law has the timetable for political parties and individuals to declare his intention. It is not yet time to declare intention.
“My declaration or not does not stop anybody from declaring intention. You don’t need to wait for me to say I am contesting or not before you declare your intention if you are interested. So, if you want to contest, you don’t need to wait for Jonathan”.
President Jonathan described the strike by university lecturers as unfortunate, declaring that the action has serious political undertone.
“Why should a state university lecturer go on strike for a federal problem?, the president queried.
The president noted that the strike had political colouration giving the commitment of the current administration to address the challenges of university education and the refusal of ASUU to call off the strike despite the fact that government has conceded to many of their demands in the 2009 agreement.
Jonathan, however, stressed that there are some items in the agreement that are implementable such as the demand for transfer of government landed property to universities.
The earned allowances, the President explained are supposed to be paid from the internally generated revenues of the universities.
He added that as part of government commitment to transform the nation’s universities, he set up Needs Assessment Committee who visited all public universities in Nigeria to take inventory of the institutions.
He regretted that ASUU has failed to recognize government in this direction, insisting that there have been many strikes in this country and those strikes were without such commitment as demonstrated his government.
Even though, he stated that his commitment is total to make changes, but he hinted at the need to revisit our labour laws because of the excesses of the trade unions.
“We will begin to look at the labour laws because of the excesses of labour unions,” he said.
President Jonathan used the occasion to call on the Academic Staff Union of Universities to call off the strike in the interest of Nigeria and the children.
President Jonathan  who stated that the security situation has improved significantly as the government has put in place measures to effectively check the Boko Haram insurgencies, especially after the bombing of UN building and the Police Headquarters in Abuja, however said “ I dont know if Shekau is dead or alive”.
Against what people were saying, the President said that Boko Haram is not the creation of his government but started when he was the Vice President and the leader of the sect was killed.
On when terrorism will come to an end, the president said, I am not God, i can”t say terrorism wont happen again.
“The excesses of Boko Haram, started with the bombing of Mammy market in Abuja, the UN building and Police Headquarters. We quickly built up capacity after that to stem the insurgence.
He assured that within the limit of human competence, his government will see that such attacks did not occur especially in Abuja.
On the recent Apo killings, President Jonathan stated that from the security briefing he received, there were Boko Haram elements in the place who had confrontation with security agents.
On the sacking of the Ministers, the President said it has nothing to do with the G7 Governors, saying that it was a normal and common process in
governance to reshuffle cabinet from time to time and wondered why his own move should generate such public interest.
The president also said he has no need for a Minister of Defence, saying the service chiefs are primarily responsible for the defence of the nation.
He explained that the low-key celebration of the 53rd Independence anniversary has nothing to do with the security challenges in the country, even as he stated that until 2014, his government will not do any elaborate ceremony.
On the economic front, the President said that Nigeria is not broke, as he noted the World outside has a favourable report of the Nigeria’s economy.
How can anybody wake up from a dream and say the country is bankrupt? Nigeria is not bankrupt.
Corruption is not Nigerias number one problem, corruption is as old as the human race, he added.
The President admitted that the stealing of crude oil is done by the power and mighty in the society, who are very rich and have cartel in the countries where the stolen oil are being sold. 
Jonathan, who expressed hope for the future of the country, noted that the standard of life has improved significantly, even though he stated Nigeria still has its challenges.
But he added that the current challenges confronting Nigeria were peculiar to developing nations.

 

Over 50 College Students Killed By Boko Haram Militants In Yobe state

Gunmen suspected to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect struck a packed college in the early hours of Sunday killing at least 50 students of College of Agriculture, Gujba.
The school is located about 50 kilometers south of Damaturu, the state capital. As at the time of filling this report, bodies of the victims were being picked for bush and hostels, where the gunmen shot the harmless students.