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Boko Haram Plans To Wipe Out Christians In Borno – Rep

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Boko Haram Plans To Wipe Out Christians In Borno – Rep

Musdapha Ilo, Maiduguri

A member of the House of Representatives, Peter Biye, from Gwoza/Chibok in Damboa in Borno State has alleged that there is a plan by the Boko Haram sect to wipe out Christianity in the state.

Biye made the allegation after gunmen attacked Sabon Gari village in Hambagda Jaji ward of Gwoza local government area of the state killing eight persons and injuring several others.

He said since the beginning of the endless attacks launched by the sect in 2009, over 200 churches have been completely razed down, leaving only about eight churches in the whole of Gwoza Council, a Christian dominated area.

It would be recalled that barely four days ago, unknown gunmen stormed the lawmaker’s village at about 8pm, carting away over 70 domestic animals and setting several buildings ablaze.

The gunmen also burnt 30,000 pieces of exercise books, 30,000 packets of pen, sewing machines, generating pump machines, 30,000 packets of chalk among others which Biye said he bought at the cost of over N38 million for distribution to schools and people in his constituency to cushion the effect of insurgency in the area.

The lawmaker who is the only Christian House of Representative member from Borno state lamented that since he was elected by the people of his constituency, there has been daily attacks targeted at Christian communities in Gwoza, Chibok and Damboa council areas, a situation he said forced him to stop visiting his people, including his family members for the past two years.

He also expressed disappointment over what he described as “non- challant attitude” of security operatives to secure his constituency which is one of the worst hit by Boko Haram crisis.

“What is happening in my constituency is very unfortunate, people are being killed by terrorists on daily basis, churches are being burnt, and if people like my Honourable self, who is also a member House Committee on Army will alert military authorities that based on intelligent report my village will be under attack by terrorists, and nothing was done to secure the area, then it is unfortunate,” he lamented.

He added: “As I am talking to you now, I have spent over two years without going to see my people because I am no longer safe, all my projects which was aimed at alleviating the economic hardship of my people have been destroyed.”

APGA Wins 20 Of 21 Chairmanships Seats In Anambra

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APGA Wins 20 Of 21 Chairmanships Seats In Anambra

The ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Anambra State has won 20 chairmanship seats out of 21 in Saturday’s local government elections in the state.

The acting chairman of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, Sylvester Okonkwo, announced the results in Awka on Sunday.

Okonkwo said elections were not conducted in Nnewi North local government area due to the late arrival of materials.

He said it was unanimously agreed by parties that the election be conducted on January 18.

He said that APGA won a total of 304 councillorship seats out of the 327 in the state, while the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, followed with 12 councillorship seats. The Progressives Peoples Alliance, PPA, and United Progressives Party, UPP, secured one councillorship seat each.

Okonkwo commended the people of the state for eschewing violence before, during and after the polls, even as he said there was a report of interception of a vehicle conveying election materials.

He urged those who disagree with the outcome of the election to seek redress in court.

The chairman recalled that local council election was last conducted in the state in 1998 while attempts to conduct the poll before Saturday had met brick walls.

He noted that attempts were made in December 1998, December 4, 2004, February 2005, November 2011, October 5, 2013, December 14, 2013 and December 21, 2013 before it was finally conducted on January 11.

In his reaction, the chairman of APGA in the state, Mike Kwentor, ascribed the party’s victory to the infrastructural development of the state by governor Peter Obi.

Kwentor said the party was not bothered by the postponement of the election in Nnewi North, boasting that the party will win the election when conducted.

“That other political parties got pockets of victories show that there is democracy in Anambra,” he said.

River State Police Denies Shooting Senator Abe

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River State Police Denies Shooting Senator Abe

The Rivers Police on Sunday denied allegations that its personnel shot and wounded a senator, Magnus Abe.

Its spokesman, Ahmad Muhammad, a deputy superintendent of police, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Port Harcourt that the police did not dispense any bullet while dispersing a rally by Save Rivers Movement on Sunday.

He said the people at the state College of Arts and Science for the rally were dispersed because they did not obtain a police permit.

“I can confirm to you that Sen. Magnus Abe was not shot. The police did not expend any single bullet while dispersing the crowd. It is not true. The police did not shoot the senator, we only used minimum force to disperse the crowd at the venue of the rally,” he said.

But the Rivers State government had alleged that Abe was shot by the police at the venue of the rally.

The Commissioner for information and Communications, Ibim Semenitari, who made the accusation in a statement on Sunday, also reiterated calls for the re-deployment of the state commissioner of police, Joseph Mbu, “before he turns the state into a graveyard”.

“Today’s attack on members of the Save Rivers Movement, a non governmental association, at the College of Arts and Science, Rumuola, Port Harcourt, Rivers State and especially the unprovoked shooting of Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, the senator representing Rivers South East senatorial district, is cause for worry and an indication of the length that the PDP is willing to go to silence opposing views,” she said.

The Press secretary to the senator, Honour Sirawoo, said a rubber bullet hit Abe on the chest when he went to supervise preparations for the rally at about 9.00 am on Sunday.

Over 100 Nigerians Jailed In Morocco

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Over 100 Nigerians Jailed In Morocco

Nigeria’s ambassador to Morocco, Abdallah Wali, said on Sunday that there are at least 100 Nigerians currently languishing in Moroccan prisons.

Wali who disclosed this to newsmen in Sokoto said that most of them were being held for offences relating to drugs, petty crimes and illegal migration, adding that there were only about 100 Nigerians legally resident in the North African country.

He said that the mission was partnering with the foreign affairs ministry to stem the tide of illegal migration of Nigerians to Morocco and that it had conducted series of workshops to sensitise Nigerians on the risk involved in illegal travelling.

“The whole idea of visiting Morocco illegally is because of its proximity to Europe. It takes only 15 kilometres to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Spain,” he said.

The envoy also commended the federal government for taking measures to shore up funding of the nation’s missions abroad

Edo PDP Rules Out Automatic Tickets For Aspirants

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Edo PDP Rules Out Automatic Tickets For Aspirants

From Jefferson Ibiwale, Benin

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, Dan Orbih, has stressed that no person aspiring for any elective political position under the platform of the party would be given automatic ticket in the 2015 general elections.

Orbih stated this while addressing a meeting of PDP leaders and stakeholders in Edo Central senatorial district at Uromi.

He assured that the party would conduct a free and fair primary election and urged all aspirants vying for positions to freely express their intentions and follow the process of the party’s primaries, which is the first stage of the election.

“Anybody willing to contest is free to come. No endorsement, no anointed and preferred candidate. Those who have interest should go to the field and in their free will express their choice. Elected party chairmen, ward chairmen at both the state and national levels should not be seen or heard canvassing for support for any party aspirant,” the chairman said.

He dismissed rumours making the rounds in the state that the leadership of the party had hand-picked some people as its candidates to represent the party for various positions in the general elections.

“Edo state PDP will conduct a free and fair primaries to pick candidate that will represent us. It is true that our opponent is aware that in Edo Central Senatorial District that if we do elections a 100 times. We will win the hundred times. But the nomination is generating problem and I want to say that Chief Tony Anenih has no favoured candidate and he has not endorsed any candidate,” he stated.

He urged all members of the party to put aside all issues that bring division and unite so as to secure the party’s victory in the forthcoming election, adding that the it was preparing to hold a national executive council meeting on January 16 to discuss and resolve the crisis plaguing it at the national level.

Those present at the meeting include Joe Edionwe (PDP South-South zonal secretary), Friday Itulah, Senator Odion Ugbesia, Patrick Ikhariale, Clifford Odia, members of the party in the state House of Assembly and other party faithful.

After 8 Years In Coma, Ariel Sharon Dies At 85

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After 8 Years In Coma, Ariel Sharon Dies At 85

Former Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, who suffered a stroke in 2006, has died Saturday after spending the last eight years of his life in coma at the Tel Hashomer hospital, outside Tel Aviv.

His death at the age of 85 was first reported by Israeli Army radio.

Sharon was born February 26, 1928 in the then British Mandate of Palestine to a family of Lithuanian Jews. By the age of 10, he had entered the Zionist youth movement, Hassadeh, and later the Haganah, the military precursor to the Israel Defense Forces.

His military career flourished as he became a commander in the Israeli army and celebrated as a military strategist.

He was an instrumental figure in the 1956 Suez War, the Six Day War of 1967, the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and as minister of defense directed the 1982 Lebanon War, before venturing into politics and being elected prime minister in 2001.

He, however, suffered a stroke in January 2006 at the height of his political power and remained comatose since then. Earlier, he suffered a mild stroke in December 2005 and was released from the hospital after two days, but a little more than two weeks later he suffered a massive intra cerebral hemorrhage from which he never recovered.

In the months leading up to his stroke, Sharon had shocked his political base by expelling Jewish settlers from 21 Gaza settlements and from four on the West Bank

He also resigned as head of the Likud party and formed a new centrist party called Kadima (“Forward”).

Sharon’s longtime rival and current prime minister, Netanyahu, was elected his replacement as head of Likud.

Widowed twice, he is survived by his sons Gilad and Omri.

Jonathan Orders Release Of 165 Terror Suspects

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Jonathan Orders Release Of 165 Terror Suspects

President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the release of 167 terror suspects who were arrested in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, which have been under emergency rule since May, as recommended by a Joint Investigation Team constituted by the Defence Headquarters in 2013.

The director of defence information, Chris Olukolade, a major general, said in a statement on Friday that 157 of the detainees would be released from military facilities in Borno State, nine from Yobe State and one from Adamawa State.

“Over 165 persons apprehended in the course of military operations on terror in three states in the North-East are to be released from custody in compliance with Presidential directive. The suspects are those earlier recommended for release by the Joint Investigation Team set up by the Defence Headquarters last year,” the statement said.

It added that the suspects will be released to their respective state governments.

The Defence Headquarters had released all women and children arrested in the three states in connection with terrorism on a similar directive from the President in May 2013.

Olukolade had said then that the move was in response to requests by the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Reconciliation.”

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CAR’s Interim President Resigns

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CAR’s Interim President Resigns

There was street dancing and singing Friday in Bangui, capital of Central African Republic, CAR, when the resignation of interim President, Michel Djotodia, was announced after his failing to halt inter-religious violence that has continued to claim thousands of lives.

The Prime Minister, Nicolas Tiangaye, with whom he had a fractious relationship, also stepped down, according to a statement issued by Central African regional body CEEAC.

Djotodia, who became president in March after a coup led by the Seleka rebel group, had faced pressure to step down from leaders in the region because of his failure to stop inter-religious violence in the country.

He was the country’s first Muslim leader.

Over the past year, the country has descended into turmoil amid violence between Christian and Muslim militias that has forced over 1 million people from their homes.

Earlier this week, the United Nations warned that the country was heading toward a humanitarian disaster and France, which had sent hundreds of troops to its former colony, repeatedly expressed its frustration with Djotodia’s government.

An equally fed-up Djotodia responded by saying no one could solve CAR’s myriad of problems in just eight months.

“I am not God, I hope. I am a man like you. And this country is vast — 623,000 square kilometers (387,000 square miles),” he told reporters.

“You could bring an angel from the sky to govern this country and there would still be problems.”

The Parliament leader, Alexandre Ferdinand Nguendet, who was named to serve as interim president, said in an interview: “Our country has never lived through anything like this.”

He noted that civil servants had not been paid in at least three months and that the country was ready to “explode.”

Nguendet will serve for two weeks until a new “transitional president” is chosen by the temporary parliament.

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Real Estate Is Haven for Money Laundering In Abuja – EFCC

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Real Estate Is Haven for Money Laundering In Abuja – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has raised concerns over the new mode of money laundering through investments in real estates the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Chairman of the commission, Ibrahim Lamorde, made this known during a courtesy visit to the minister of the FCT, Bala Mohammed in Abuja.

He said that the EFCC had uncovered several money laundering schemes in the city in which the perpetrators disguise the proceeds of crime by investing in properties without using the banks, prefering to pay for their acquisition with cash.

The EFCC boss further revealed that the laundered funds are frequently converted into foreign currencies through the bureau de change before the purchases are made and that in most cases, no change of ownership is done after such acquisitions, making it difficult to verify the identities of the new owners or the sources of fund.

He said over 270 cases of land scams were reported to the commission in the last 3 years, adding that evidence of the trend is the number of palatial but unoccupied houses that litter the capital city.

Lamorde said the commission suspected incl enemy of some FCT administration officials in some of the cases investigated and called on the minister to be prepared to initiate disciplinary action against erring officers.

In his response, Bala pledged to continue to give support to the commission in its efforts to stamp out corruption from the FCT, noting that the most brazen of the vices was land fraud and that the EFCC had assisted in the arrest and prosecution of some of those involved.

“It is sad that the capital territory as a jurisdiction is used as a citadel of corruption and also for perpetuating acts of corruption, people from the states and local government illegally acquire money and come to get it hidden in the FCT through acquisition of properties that are not registered and that is a big concern because it is depriving the FCT of the revenue needed and increasing corruption in the Capital Territory,” the minister noted.

In addition, he disclosed that the FCTA was working with the Abuja Geographical Information System, AGIS, to upgrade its system in such a manner that it would be difficult for anybody to impersonate, manipulate or forge land documents.

Ibori May Complete Jail Term In Nigeria

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Ibori May Complete Jail Term In Nigeria

Former governor of Delta State, James Ibori may return home to complete his 13 years jail term for money laundering and associated crimes according to an agreement signed between Nigeria and the UK.

The Prisoners Transfer Agreement, PTA, which was signed on Wednesday by the minister of justice and attorney-general of the federation, Mohammed Adoke, and the UK justice secretary, Jermey Wright, on behalf of both countries will allow some of the 521 Nigerians serving jail terms in the UK to be repatriated.

Responding to questions from journalists, Wright said Nigerians serving less than twelve months in the UK would not be eligible for the transfer.

“There are a number of Nigerian prisoners already in British prisons. Not all of them will be eligible for transfer under this agreement, for example, because, it will only be those sentenced to twelve months or longer who will be eligible under this agreement,” he said.

According to the agreement, a prisoners’ consent will not be required before repatriation, but Nigeria and the UK will have to agree on those who should benefit from this arrangement.

Adoke said the signing of the agreement was good for both countries and is an indication of the friendly and cordial relationship between Nigeria and the UK.

“This is a good agreement for both Nigeria and the United Kingdom and I think it gives us the opportunity to strengthen our partnership and our friendship. It is also an opportunity to ensure that those prisoners who come from either country will serve their own sentences in their own countries and that is better for their rehabilitation,” he said.

According to him, the UK has pledged to commit one million pounds to help improve the condition of prisons in Nigeria.

In April 2012, a British court sentenced Ibori to jail for 13 years for money laundering and associated crimes.

His wife, sister, mistress and London solicitor were earlier convicted by a British court for money laundering.

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