Relatives of a 28-year-old boy, Chibuike Edeh, are demanding an explanation from the Edo State Police Command about how their son who was arrested and detained by the custody ended up in the mortuary of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH.

Edeh, a housekeeping ‎staff of Protea Hotel Benin was arrested and detained at the Adesuwa police division last Friday, for allegedly stealing N42, 000 belonging to a guest of the hotel.

One of the younger brothers of the deceased, who identified himself as Chibuzo, said the family was informed of his arrest on Friday night and that they visited him on Saturday morning at the station where they were told by the police to provide the N42,000 stolen money and another N10, 000 for his bail.

According to Chibuzo, the first sign that something was wrong was noticed when they could neither find his brother at the hotel nor at the police station.‎

“We were at this (hotel) premises when a man called that we should meet him at UBTH and I wondered why because he was supposed to at the hotel or at the station. When we got there, we were shocked to discover that my brother was dead.‎

Chibuzo alleged that his brother was killed and that there was an attempt to cover up the matter.

“The policemen and the CSO of this hotel killed my brother.‎ My brother has been working for close to three years and the so called CSO claimed that he (deceased) was not capable of stealing. We are appealing to the state government to help us in this matter.‎

The mother of the deceased, Christiana Edeh, who led about a hundred protesting youths, informed journalists in Benin that she saw her son on Saturday morning hale and healthy at the Police Area Command where he was detained and that the police asked the family to pay the N42, 000 and additional N10,000 ‎for his bail.

‎”Around some minutes past 9.00pm on Friday, my son called me on phone and told me that he had a problem at his place of work. I became worried because he used to close around 4 pm. So, I told him that I would come and see him the next day.

“The next day, I chartered a cab with my other children to the hotel where he works. When we got there the people said that he had been taken to the police station. When we got to the station, my son told me that I might not see him alive again if I leave him there,” she said.‎‎

‎According to her, the family raised the money and when they took the money to the police at about 12 noon, they were told to return by 3 pm because all the policemen were on duty at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium where wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan, was addressing a rally.

She said somebody informed them that her son’s body was found along Sapele road by a good samaritan who took him to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) where he was confirmed dead.

“The last time I saw my son was at the police station. There was no injury on his body. We were told the IPO was not around. My children went back and ware told my son was not there at the police station. They said he was taken to Protea hotel. I earlier saw my son’s name on the police notice board but his name was not there around 3 pm.

“We were called at 10 pm that his body was at the hospital. He told me he didn’t collect any money. The hotel management has not told us anything now, “‎ the grieving mother said.

Some of the protesters who barricaded the entrance gates of the hotel said they suspect that the deceased was probably murdered for seeing what they did not want him to see.‎

The family also displayed photos of the deceased taken at the mortuary by the family members. The photos showed that‎ he had suffered a deep cut in his left jaw, broken neck and broken right knee with his back severely burnt. ‎

The public relations officer of the Police in Edo State, Joseph Edogiawerie, who confirmed the arrest of the deceased when contacted by journalists, added that he confessed to stealing the money and was knocked down by a Toyota Camry after retrieving the money.‎

He however denied complicity by the police in the death of the boy. But he could not explain how his corpse got to the UBTH mortuary.

‎The Police spokesman said the driver of the vehicle has been arrested but refused to give further details about the car and driver.

“A case of stealing was reported by the management of Protea Hotel where the deceased was working. He was arrested at Adesuwa police station and while there, he made a confessional statement admitting stealing the money. Even the theft was captured by Protea hotel CCTV camera,” he stated.

‎ Edogiawerie said further that Chibuike also “told the police that money was still intact and that he had hidden it between the fence of the hotel and the NNPC mega station.‎

According the police spokesman, the investigating police office, IPO, and the CSO of Protea Hotel went with the deceased to recover the money and on getting to the hotel, he took to his heels.

“Ordinarily, the IPO and the CSO of the hotel went with him to recover the money and on getting to Protea hotel, he (Chibuike) took to his heels and in the process was knocked down by an oncoming Toyota camry car. The Toyota Camry car and the driver of the car are right at the central MTD.”

Commenting on the burnt part of the victim, he said, “That is for investigation to do. I’m not detailed for the investigation and I wouldn’t know. Of course if a vehicle knock somebody down and even result in taking the life of that person, I don’t imagine that the body parts of that person will still be very very much complete if we have to go by that.‎”

The International Criminal Court, ICC, on Monday confirmed receiving correspondence from the All Progressives Congress, APC, against Patience Jonathan, the Nigerian First Lady, the online news medium The Cable has reported.

According to the news website, which wrote to the office of the prosecutor at the ICC seeking clarification on reports that the court had formally received a petition against the First Lady from the APC, the office in a reply affirmed that communication was received from opposition party and that the petition would be given the necessary consideration within the ambits of the law.

“Under Article 15 of the Rome Statute, the Prosecutor of the ICC may receive information on crimes within the jurisdiction on the Court (also called ‘communications’),” the office is reported to have stated.

“With regards to your enquiry, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court can confirm receipt of the communication referred to since the sender of the communication has made this fact public in the media,” it said in the reply.

The United Kingdom arm of the APC also claimed in a statement released Monday that the court said it would begin investigating the wife of the president.

“The ICC based in The Hague has sent confirmation to APC UK that an investigation will begin against Mrs Jonathan who repeatedly called for the stoning of opposition APC members as captured in the videos released earlier this month,” it said.

Confirming this report, the prosecutor’s office said that it would consider the stance of the APC and treat the allegations appropriately.

“The Office will give consideration to this communication, as appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as it does with all such communications,” it stated.

Political parties signed a peace accord, popularly referred to as the Abuja Peace Accord in January promising to desist from all acts of violence, hate and inciting speeches in order to ensure violence-free elections.

The APC, however, filed a complaint before the ICC against Jonathan for her comments in which she allegedly charged her supporters at a campaign in Cross Rivers State to stone anyone who comes to the state to preach “change” – the political mantra of the APC.

Fatou Bensouda, prosecutor at the ICC released a statement on Monday threatening that anyone fuelling violence ahead of the election would be prosecuted.

“Any person who incites or engages in acts of violence in the context of the upcoming elections or otherwise – including by ordering, inciting, encouraging or contributing to the commission of crimes that fall within ICC’s jurisdiction – is liable to prosecution; either by Nigerian Courts or by the ICC,” the statement read.

“No one should doubt my office’s resolve to prosecute individuals responsible for the commission of ICC crimes, whenever necessary,” he warned.

Less than 48 hours after dumping the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, has joined the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC.

Na’abba, who condemned the PDP as having “lost it soul” in a letter in which he notified the party’s  leadership of his exit , was received by the National Working Committee, NWC, and other top members of the APC at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

Speaking on his decision to join the APC, Na’Abba said it was hinged on the fact that the PDP was reluctant to change its undemocratic ways of doing things.

He recalled that he once exited the party in 2005 and had returned only after late President Musa Yar’adua assumed office in 2007 promising change.

Na’Abba however said the promise was not fulfilled.

“I believe the country needs change, particularly at the top,” he said.

Noting that Nigeria had suffered serious misrule in the 16 years of PDP administration, the former lawmaker stated that “the momentum everywhere now is with the APC and that is why I decided to join the APC in order to help grow the momentum”.

By Jefferson Ibiwale, Benin

The Traditional Council in Benin Kingdom on Monday announced that the Benin Monarch, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Erediauwa, is “indisposed”.

The announcement came after several weeks of speculation over the health of the respected monarch, with media reports indicating in February that he might have passed on.

In a statement issued and signed by its secretary, Frank Irabor, the council said “the Leopard is ill in the Savannah bush,” in line with the cautious language used when talking about the traditional ruler’s health

The council said that “the explanation is that Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Erediauwa, CFR, Oba of Benin is indisposed.”

It stated further: “Public engagements including courtesy visits, hearing of complaints from individuals, families and communities and in particular, complaints over inheritance and land disputes, are therefore suspended until further notice.”

The council, however, said that palace chiefs and other officials are expected to continue to perform their routine traditional duties.

There were rumours weeks ago that the monarch had passed on and the traditional council had to issue a statement dispelling media reports to that effect.

The rumours heightened when the monarch failed to personally receive the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari, and President Goodluck Jonathan, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who visited him on January 29 and February 4 respectively.‎

But the council dismissed the rumours, observing that they had been circulating for over six months.

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“If there is anything like that, there is usually a statement from the palace or from the Benin Traditional Council,” the council stated in a statement equally signed by Irabor.

He added, “The fact that he has not been coming out, even when the President came last week, does not mean that there is anything like that‎.”

The Nigerian military said on Monday that it had finally reclaimed Bama, a major town in Borno State which was captured by Boko Haram terrorists in September last year, from the insurgents.

The military headquarters also announced that it had successfully flushed out the insurgents from Goniri, the last territory in Yobe state to be so liberated.

A statement released on Monday by Chris Olukolade, defence spokesman, said that that Bama was reclaimed from the Boko Haram fighters in an operation that lasted many days and after “careful manouvre and efforts to scale series of obstacles and land mines planted by terrorists who have occupied the town for months.”

He stated that the insurgency group suffered massive casualties just as many of them were forced to flee the liberated town.

Olukolade, a Major General, said further that soldiers from the Chadian Army “have been mandated to undertake a pursuit of the terrorists who are believed to be heading for the borders after being dislodged from Bama.”

He stated that as Nigerian troops had commenced a cordon and search exercise to ensure that any remaining insurgent trying to operate in the area is apprehended, adding that arms and ammunition are being recovered in the town.

Bama is headquarters of the second largest local government in Borno State of the same name and has been in the hands of Boko Haram terrorists since early September, 2014.

The defence spokesman also announced that insurgents had also been flushed out of Goniri, “the last major stronghold of the terrorists operating in Yobe state” “after days of manouvre.”

Olukolade said in the statement that with the recapture of Goniri, the insurgents had been flushed out of the last of the two local governments which they occupied.

‘This completes the clearing of Gujba Local Government Area (LGA), one of the two LGA occupied by the terrorists in Yobe state.  The other Local Government, Gulani, was finally cleared earlier in the month.  This makes Yobe the second to be successfully cleared among the three state slated for the mission to dislodge terrorists bases,” he said.

According to the Major General, the troops had also commenced a cordon and search operation to ensure that no more Boko Haram fighters were still in the area..

The recapture of Bama and Goniri follows a pattern of victories recorded over the Boko Haram terrorist group as two states, Adamawa and Yobe, where large swaths of territory had been captured, have now been rid of the insurgents, leaving only Borno.

By Adedayo Ogunleye, Abuja

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Attahiru Jega, has said that the use of Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, and card readers is non-negotiable if the nation is serious about eliminating electoral fraud in the upcoming general elections.

Jega, who stated this at a town hall meeting held on Monday in Abuja, also affirmed that the field tests which were recently conducted in five zones across the country proved the reliability of the card reader technology as a means ensuring free, fair and credible elections.

He said that the commission was able to realise 100 per cent success in three of the set objectives of undertaking the field tests, conceding that the authentication of fingerprints by the card readers recorded only 60 per cent success.

Observing that quality assurance and field tests so far carried out by INEC indicate that the card readers will operate very well during the polls, he said that electoral fraud such as the use of cloned cards would be eliminated.

The INEC chairman said that the use of card readers would help in advancing the electoral process because they would now keep information on all those accredited to vote in particular polling units and thus eliminate fraudulent manipulation of the accreditation process; help in the auditing of voters and also provide statistical analysis, including the demographics of the people who vote at elections.

Jega acknowledged that there were challenges with the authentication voters’ fingerprints during the field tests but said he believed that majority of voters would still be able to authenticate their fingerprints.

He adduced the problem of fingerprint authentication partly to the fact that many Nigerians engage in work which entails the use of their hands which might affect the ability of machines to read their fingers.

Even then, he explained that the card readers would still be able to identify the voter through image and biometrics and that he or she would still be able to vote as long as the matter is logged in an incident form.

He also explained there were contingency plans in place in the event of the malfunctioning of any of the card readers assigned to the polling booths.

“To check for unwarranted failures of machines, we have made available extra card readers for each of the polling stations, so that in the unlikely event that one fails, the electoral officers can fall back on the extra ones,” he stated.

He said further that the batteries of the card readers are so good that the commission does not envisage that the batteries will run out.

Answering a question about alleged non distribution of voters’ cards in entire local governments in Edo, Lagos, Oyo and others, the INEC chairman debunked the allegations, insisting that there is no single local government where PVCs have not been distributed

He explained, however, that there could be some polling units in local governments where voters have not received their PVCs because about 700, 000 PVCs are still yet to be produced for distribution.

He assured that these outstanding PVCs would be produced and distributed well ahead of the election days.

The INEC Chairman also addressed questions on issues like multiple registration, collection of PVCs by proxy, voting by internally displaced persons, IDPs, the role of the military and taking care of persons with disabilities or similar physical conditions, including albinos.

On multiple registrations, Jega said that INEC had weeded out all voters who registered more than once from the register, adding that the commission identified at least 4,000,000such cases, which were dealt with by deleting the extra entries while retaining one so that the culprits are not disenfranchised.

The INEC chairman explained that one reason why the commission insists that temporary voter cards, TVCs, would not be used in the 2015 elections is that all those who registered multiple times have the temporary cards and would all be able to use the extra cards if the system were allowed.

Jega also stated that while collection of PVCs by proxy was strictly prohibited, the commission remained vigilant to catch and penalize erring officers caught flouting the extant regulations on PVC distribution.

He said that all INEC personnel have been trained and are aware that it is illegal to allow collection of PVCs by proxy, adding that officials of the commission who were found to have been involved in the act had been sanctioned.

The INEC boss also addressed the controversial issue of the role that Nigerian soldiers will play during the election, affirming that they will not be directly involved in providing security during the polls.

He stated that the role of the military as provided for in the Constitution “is to provide support to civil authority in case there is breakdown of law and order” during the election.

Jega stated that soldiers had never been present at polling units during elections in the country and that the tradition is to have about three unarmed policemen at the voting points, mobile policemen at about 300 metres from the polling units and soldiers and other security operatives at strategic locations in cities to prevent movements during voting.

Addressing the issue of the IDPs, he said the commission lacked the resources to ensure that displaced persons who have fled their homes to other states or other countries are able to cast their vote.

However, he assured that arrangements had been made for those who were still within their states to be able to exercise their civic rights and vote during the polls.

On voting by physically challenged persons Jega said that “physically challenged voters have a separate and expedited queue to enable them vote without stress.”

The INEC boss also dismissed insinuations that he was being pressured to resign from office, affirming that he was focused on the duty of conducting the March 28 and April 11 elections.

“There has been speculation about my removal, as far as I’m concerned I have a job to do and have no reason to resign” Jega said

Stating that he was not under any pressure to resign, he declared: “The issue of terminal leave is voluntary. Why will I resign when I have a constitutional duty? Until, April 11, I have a duty. I think it is a disservice for anybody to resign at a stage there is serious assignment like the one I am doing.

“No sensible person, in my view, will contemplate leaving when there is a duty. I read about the pressure on me to resign or that anybody want to sack me on newspapers like everybody. Nobody has told me to proceed on terminal leave,” he said.

Jega reiterated the commitment of INEC to the conduct of free, fair, and credible elections, stating that with the level of preparation for the 2015 polls, he was sure that the elections would be better conducted that the 2011 polls.