Business, World News

United Bank For Africa Sues Energy Firm, Polaris Bank Over N2.8 Billion .

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Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has restrained Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company Ltd and Polaris Bank from tampering, howsoever, with funds standing to their credit up to $6,759,000 (about N2.8 billion) or its equivalent in any currency in 25 banks, the Debt Management Office and Federal Ministry of Finance.

Justice Daniel Osiaigor, who made the interim order of Mareva Injunction, held that it subsists pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice filed against the duo by the United Bank for Africa (UBA).
The July 2 order followed UBA’s June 29 Application filed and argued by its counsel, Temilolu Adamolekun, who appeared with Gbenga Akinde-Peters, supported by an affidavit sworn to by Anike Isinguzo and Exhibits attached.

Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Company Ltd and Polaris Bank are the 1st and 2nd respondents in the suit number FHC/L/CS/714/21.

The 3rd to 26th respondents are Access Bank plc), (Citibank Nigeria Ltd), (Diamond Bank Plc), (Ecobank Nigeria ltd), (Enterprise Bank Ltd.), (Fidelity Bank Plc.),( First Bank of Nigeria Plc.), (First City Monument Bank Plc), (Globus Bank Limited), (Guaranty Trust Bank Plc), (Heritage Bank Plc.), (Jaiz Bank Limited), (Keystone Bank Limited), (Polaris Bank Limited), (Providus Bank Limited), (Stanbic IBTC Bank Nigeria Ltd.), (Standard Chartered Bank Ltd.) (Sterling Bank Plc.), (SunTrust Bank Nigeria Limited). (Titan Trust Bank Limited), (Union Bank Plc), (Unity Bank Plc.). (Wema Bank Plc.) and (Zenith Bank Plc).

The 28th and 29th respondents are the DMO and Finance Ministry.

The court further restrained the 3rd to 26th Respondents or their agents from releasing the sum to the Defendants.

The order also restrained the 1st Defendant from dealing with any of the monies standing to its credit in all of its accounts, or any money in which it has any interest held on its behalf with the 27th to 29th Respondents up to $6,759,000 or its equivalent.

The court restrained the 2nd Defendant from dealing with any of the monies, instruments, Sovereign Debt Notes, Promissory Notes, Treasury Bills or any other instrument in which it has an interest or standing with the 27th, 28th and 29th Respondents, to the tune of $6,759,000 or its equivalent.

It forbade the 27th, 28th and 29th Respondents (CBN, Debt Management Office and the Federal Ministry of Finance) from releasing any monies or funds belonging to the 2nd Defendant or wherein the 2nd Defendant has an interest up the $6,759,000 or its equivalent.

The judge further directed the 3rd to 29th Respondents to disclose on oath the total sum of money or funds in their custody belonging to any of the Defendants.

The plaintiff had averred in its affidavit that the energy firm won the bid to acquire 60 per cent stake/of the shares in the Ibadan and Yola Electricity Distribution Companies following the privatisation exercise of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Assets sometime in 2013.

It applied to and received a $162,400,000 syndicated loan from the plaintiff, the 2nd Defendant (formerly Skye Bank Plc), Diamond Bank Plc now Access Bank Plc, First City Monument Bank Ltd, Heritage Bank Plc and Keystone Bank Ltd (jointly referred to as the lenders).

The lenders also agreed to the appointment of the 2nd Defendant as the Facility Agent in respect of the facility to, among others, ensuring the repayment of the loan.

The plaintiff accordingly disbursed the sum of $35 million to the 1st Defendant to enable it meet the purpose(s) for which it needed the pooled funds.

The energy firm was unable to conclude the transaction on Yola Electricity Distribution Company (Yola Disco), owing to the insurgency in North-East and it invoked the force majeure protection clause enshrined in the agreements and demanded a refund of the invested sum from the Federal Government.

Sometime in March, 2020, the Federal Government paid the final installments of the refund (recovered sum) to the energy firm and Polaris Bank.

“However, the remaining tranche of the Plaintiff’s share of the said recovered sum has since been withheld by the Defendants, particularly the 2nd Defendant,” UBA told the judge.
The court adjourned till July 13, for hearing of the motion on notice.

World News

Kidnappers Of Kaduna Baptist School Students Reject Nine Bags Of Rice, Others Offered By School.

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The gunmen who invaded Bethel Baptist High School, Damishi in Kaduna State, have rejected nine bags of rice as well as other food items offered by the school.

The Vice-Principal of the school, Wakili Madugu, said this during an interview on Nigeria Info Abuja 95.1 FM and monitored by Punch on Thursday, adding that he received a call at 7.30am on Tuesday shortly after the students had been abducted and was assured of their safety.

The school official said the abductors had demanded food items with which they would feed the students.

He further stated that the bandits said authorities had blocked their access to food and therefore demanded that the school and the parents make food items available.

He said, “They said we should bring 10 bags of imported rice, 20 bags of local rice, 20 bags of beans and then 10 cartons of Maggi (seasoning) and then 10 kegs of oil as well as two bags of salt. These were the items they demanded.”

Madugu, however, said the school did not have all the items demanded because they had exhausted almost all their foodstuffs ahead of the school’s closure this week.

He added that the school was able to make some of the items available but the bandits rejected them.

Madugu stated, “The school had no more food because we were preparing to close the school in less than four days. So, the food items were not up to what they (abductors) were demanding. So, we sought assistance from some of the parents and we did our best.

“As of today, we have nine bags of rice, one sack of beans, two cartons of Maggi (seasoning), two kegs of palm oil and a bag of salt. They told me to bring the items yesterday (Wednesday) and so I called them around 7pm and they asked me how far.

“I told them this is what we have on hand and they started insulting me, threatening me and they switched off the phone. That means what I have is not enough.”

The vice-principal said it wasn’t true that the state government had asked the school to close down before the incident.

On what efforts the school had made to ensure that students were not abducted, Madugu said members of the Joint Task Force had been guarding the school.

He said they actually engaged the bandits in a gun duel on Tuesday but they were overpowered by the superior fire power of the assailants.

He added that the bandits did not come in vehicles but actually marched the students out of the school.

The vice-principal added that the kidnappers had not yet demanded a ransom.

World News

God Has Done It – American Woman Jubilates After Getting Nigerian Visa, Narrates Ordeal In Washington DC.

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An American woman has narrated how she got the visa to travel to Nigeria only after a week of application – a process which took her friends close to a month due to the inefficiency of Nigerian officials.

Olivia (not real name), a missionary travelling to Nigeria, told SaharaReporters how her visa processing cost a total $850 (about N350,000), adding that it was a “miracle” the visa got through in one week.

Processing the visa from United States Capital, Washington DC, the woman narrated that she did not have to pay kickbacks only because the Nigerian Mission had “a good relationship with the travel agency.”

“It took my friends three and a half weeks to get their Nigerian visas. It can take a while to get. I don’t believe it’s that hard though; this is my second time using this office. They are more pricey, but it’s not that difficult. It’s a simple process,” she stated.

“The first time it was hectic; if you are not providing right documentations, that puts longer delay. God’s done it. The officials didn’t demand money as kickbacks. They have a good relationship with a travel agency.”
Olivia added that the visa showed up at her door in less than one week, surprisingly as against the kickbacks regime at the Nigerian Mission.

“My Nigerian visa story this time is; someone went to Washington. The agencies closed. She paid close to $350 but by the time she added travel and computer costs, it was close to $550. My visa came out to $850. That was the total amount spent. The travel agency has a good relationship with Nigeria. I got this Nigerian visa in less than a week. It is a miracle. It showed up at my door. Glory to God,” she narrated.

There have been widespread complaints about how Nigerian Mission officials in the US unnecessarily delay applications for visas in order to obtain kickbacks and other gratifications from the travellers.

This was coupled with the exorbitant fees Nigeria demanded from other nationals applying for its visa, whether from the US or elsewhere.

According to the Guardian in September 2019, the US had for almost two years complained officially to the Nigerian government about the exorbitant charges that its citizens had been compelled to pay for a Nigerian entry visa.

“United States citizens pay as much as $270 for a single-entry visa. They are also charged $160 for consular services, another $100 for ‘administration’ and $10 for ‘processing.”

More than 18 months after, however, the Nigerian government did not respond to the US complaint,” a Guardian report said.

According to another report, “the committee set up to look into the US complaints concluded its assignment in 2019 but powerful individuals with vested interests constrained officials from implementing the recommendations until the US government same year embarrassed the federal government with the reciprocity visa charges.”

Hence in August 2019, the then Donald Trump administration imposed a “reciprocity” fee for all approved non-immigrant visa applications by Nigerians. The fee will be charged in addition to visa application fees (usually paid at the start of the application process) for only applicants who are issued visas. The additional reciprocity fees range from $80 to $303 depending on the class of visa.

The US Embassy in Nigeria says the reciprocity fees are in response to unsuccessful talks with Nigeria’s government to adjust the fees it charges American applicants given “the total cost for a US citizen to obtain a visa to Nigeria is currently higher than the total cost for a Nigerian to obtain a comparable visa to the United States.”

As such, the reciprocity fee “is meant to eliminate that cost difference,” as required by US laws.

The reciprocity visa charges mean that, in addition to the standard non-refundable visa application fees, Nigerians seeking entry into the United States would have to pay an extra minimum of $80 upon approval of their visas (extra payment amount depending on visa type, and may rise to as high as $303).

This policy forced the Nigerian government to then announce the approval of a reduction in the visa fees payable by US citizens.

But, owing perhaps to the now well-known policy implementation gaps that lead to sustenance of so many hidden charges within many Nigerian service systems, the American government has maintained that until its embassy receives, “official diplomatic communication regarding a new fee schedule for Americans seeking Nigerian visas and confirmation of implementation, the reciprocity fees for approved visas would remain in place.

SaharaReporters had in February 2020 reported that in response to the US government’s demand, the Nigerian Government slashed its visa application charges for citizens of the United States from $180 to $160.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the old amount comprised $160 as visa fee and $20 as “processing and expedient fees”.

According to the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, the reduction followed a review of the US’ visa reciprocity policy for Nigeria.

Babandede stated this in a February 5 memo marked NIS/HQ/CGI/806/7 and addressed to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In August 2019, the US Government imposed additional visa fees on Nigerians in retaliation for the “treatment afforded to US citizens” by the Nigerian Government.

In his letter, the NIS urged all Nigerian missions in the US to immediately implement the new visa charges payable by US citizens, and “discontinue charging processing or expedient fees”.

“Our Missions are to issue up to two years multiple entry visa to frequent short visit travellers on request in line with reciprocity,” he said.

A senior official of the Nigerian Consulate in New York, had told NAN that the “processing and expedient fees” of $20 was for online application and payment services rendered by a private firm.

Babandede’s letter came a day after the President Muhammadu Buhari launched the Nigeria Visa Policy 2020 which, among others, increased the country’s visa classes from six to 79.

Having got Nigeria to do the needful, the US on December 5, 2020, also removed the reciprocity fee imposed on visa applications for Nigerians.

The Nigeria’s then Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Ferdinand Nwonye in a statement later said the reciprocity fee removal took effect from December 3, 2020.

“The ministry of foreign affairs wishes to inform that the United States government has removed all visa reciprocity fees for Nigerian citizens seeking visas to the United States,” Nwonye had said.

“The positive development is in line with the removal of excess visa application, processing and biometric fees for United States citizens applying for Nigerian visas by the Nigerian government,” he added.

Despite the reduction in the visa fees by the Nigerian government, its officials still allegedly swindle foreigners travelling to the country by bringing a deliberate delay in the obtaining of visas unless kickbacks are given.

Politics, World News

South Africa’s Zuma Hands Himself Over To Police To Begin 15-month Sentence.

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South Africa’s ex-president Jacob Zuma turned himself in to prison late Wednesday to begin serving a 15-month sentence for contempt of court, his foundation said.

In a historic ruling, the Constitutional Court last week handed Zuma a 15-month term for snubbing anti-graft investigators.

Police had earlier on Wednesday warned they were prepared to arrest the former president by a midnight deadline to enforce the ruling, unless the top court instructed otherwise, AFP reports.

But Zuma decided to make his way to an unnamed prison in his home province of Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN).

“Please be advised that (ex) President Zuma has decided to comply with the incarceration order,” the foundation tweeted.

“He is on his way to hand himself into a Correctional Services Facility in KZN,” it said, just minutes before the deadline expired.

A convoy of cars believed to be carrying Zuma drove out of his homestead at high speed about 40 minutes before the cut-off time for him to give himself up.

Zuma had mounted a last-ditch legal defence and refused to turn himself in by Sunday night as the court ordered. Under the ruling, police were given three days to arrest him if he failed to surrender.

He had pleaded with the court for an 11th-hour reprieve.

In an urgent request to the Constitutional Court late Wednesday, Zuma’s lawyers asked it to “direct the suspension of its orders… to prevent our client from being arrested prior to all legal processes being finalised”.

Zuma’s first application to halt his arrest was heard on Tuesday but the judgement was reserved until Friday.

Separately, he has pleaded with the Constitutional Court to reconsider and rescind its jail order. That challenge will be heard next Monday.

Zuma, 79, was forced out of office in 2018 and replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa after a nine-year tenure stained by corruption scandals and the taint of cronyism.

Critics nicknamed him the “Teflon president” for his perceived ability to sidestep justice.

But his fortunes changed on June 29 when the court issued its damning judgement against him for contempt.

Zuma had refused to obey a court order to appear before a commission probing the siphoning off of state assets under his presidency.

Politics, World News

Senate approves Buhari’s N2.3Trillion Foreign Loan Request, To Push Public Debt To About N35Trillion.

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The National Assembly has approved the request of President Muhammadu Buhari, to borrow N2, 343, 387, 942, 848, to partly finance the 2021 federal budget size of N13 trillion.

This resolution of the Senate follows the approval of its Committee on Local and Foreign Loans as presented by the Chairman, Clifford Ordia.

The Committee recommended that the Senate approves Buhari’s request for the issuance of $3,000,000,000 but not more than $6,183,081,643.40 Eurobond in the International Capital Market, Punch reports.

The External Borrowing of N2,343,387,942,848, according to the panel, should be for the financing of part of the deficit authorised in the 2021 Appropriation Act.

The Committee also recommended that the Senate should approve that the amount authorised may be raised from multiple sources such as the International Capital Market and any other Multilateral or Bilateral sources as may be available.

It also recommended that the Senate directs the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the Director-General of the Debt Management Office and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to submit to the National Assembly within 10 working days (excluding the day of the close of trading) a letter containing the United State Dollars amount so raised and received as a result of the above approval together with the applicable exchange rate.

Under Buhari, Nigeria’s debt profile has continued to increase.

Nigeria’s debt public debt hit a total of N31.01 trillion at the end of June 2020, according to the Debt Management Office.

This means that between May 2015 and June 2020, five years under President Buhari, the country’s debt rose by N18.89 trillion.

As of the end of June 2015, one month after the present regime came into power, the country’s debt profile stood at N12.12 trillion.

Nigeria’s total public debt stock as of September 2020, increased by over N6 trillion in just one year to N32.2 trillion. This is according to the Nigerian Domestic and Foreign Debt report, recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Total external debts for the period ended September 2020 is $31.9 billion compared to $31.4 billion as of June 2020, according to nairametrics.

Total domestic debt rose to N20 trillion as of September 2020 compared to N19.6 trillion as of June 2020.

Nigeria now has an estimated combined total public debt (domestic and foreign) of N32.2 trillion.

This represents an additional N6.01 trillion when compared to N26.21 trillion recorded as of the corresponding period of 2019.
Nigeria expects to borrow more in 2021.

The breakdown shows that external debts accounted for 37.82% (N12.19 trillion) of the total debt stock, while domestic debts at N20.04 trillion represented 62.18% of the total.

Politics, World News

Court Rules On Nigeria’s Ex-Finance Minister With Forged Certificate, Kemi Adeosun.

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A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday said that the former Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun did not need the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC) discharge certificate to take up any ministerial appointment or before standing for any elective office in the country.

The court held that Adeosun who graduated in a London University in 1989 was already 36 years of age, therefore, exempted from participating in the NYSC scheme.

Delivering judgment in a suit, Justice Taiwo Oladipupo Taiwo, held that Adeosun from available facts was a United Kingdom citizen having been born in the UK in 1967 and remained there till 2003 when she came back to Nigeria.

Justice Taiwo held that Adeosun became a Nigerian citizen by virtue of the 1999 Constitution which came into force on May 29 of the year, therefore, the NYSC Act will have no effect on her.

The judge said that Adeosun would have committed a grave crime against Nigeria if she had participated in the NYSC having attained the exemption age of 36 years.

In March 2018, the NYSC had said it was investigating a “purported Exemption Certificate” which was allegedly obtained by the former Minister of Finance.

Adeosun had come under fire with several Nigerians demanding investigations from the Federal Government into the allegations and calling for her resignation.

Reports had claimed that the finance minister, who did not participate in the one-year national youth service, allegedly forged an Exemption Certificate several years after her graduation.

The certificate, which is dated September 2009, was reportedly signed by an NYSC Director-General, Yusuf Bomoi, who already left the scheme in January 2009.

It will be recalled that in November 2015, Adeosun was appointed as a Minister of Finance under President Muhammadu Buhari after she had been cleared by the Department of State Services and by the Senate.

Both the security and legislative arms of the government, which ought to have looked closely at ministerial appointees’ certificates, records and profiles, allegedly failed to detect any fault in the NYSC Exemption Certificate presented by Adeosun.

Adeosun later tendered her resignation same year.

Lifestyle, World News

Man killed by homeless man who he helped take off the streets.

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Police said Moses Ewan, confessed to the crime and told shelter workers Friday night, July 2, that he killed his roommate, Ronald Snoddy, 67, whose body was later found in his East New York apartment with multiple stab wounds.

A neighbor who lived near the victim at the Spring Creek Towers, said she never suspected Moses Ewan would take another man’s life.

“I spoke to him about the word of God,” said the neighbor, who said she was too afraid to share her name.

“I said you have a very powerful name. I would always encourage him. ‘Go to church. Be positive. These streets are no good.’ ”

The neighbor said she sensed something was not quite about Ewan, but was shocked to hear him confess.

“To me, he was always a sweet person,” the neighbor said. “I can’t believe I know the killer.”

Friends of the victim said Snoddy took Ewan into his home three years ago after meeting him at a local grocery store where Ewan worked, and learning about his plight.

A homeless man, Moses Ewan(pictured above), 35 has confessed to killing his neighbor in Brooklyn, New York.

Snoddy had reportedly lived in the Spring Creek Towers for more than 25 years, working odd jobs, including a stint as a parking lot attendant.

His neighbors say he loved to cook, and often went to the supermarket, which was where he met Ewan.

“Ronnie’s the kind of person who’s too friendly,” said neighbor Migdalia Vega.

“You meet him, you have a friend for life.”

Vega (pictured below) said she was home with her daughter Friday, and that Ewan knocked on their door after the slaying.

They heard him, but by the time someone reached the door, he was gone.

Police said Ewan later showed up at the 30th St. Men’s Shelter in Kips Bay, claiming he killed his roommate in an apartment they shared.

According to a criminal complaint, Ewan showed up at the shelter saying he couldn’t go home, and needed a place to stay because he had killed his roommate

Shelter officials also called police, who went to the 10th-floor apartment on Saturday at 4:30 a.m. where the body of Snoddy was found sprawled out on a bedroom floor with stab wounds to his head and body.

Ewan was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

Another neighbor revealed Snoddy had survived a stroke last year.

“He was a survivor,” she said, describing him as a “people person” with “a good heart.”

“Honestly, I was kind of scared of him,” she said. “One day I was sitting out there and I guess he felt comfortable enough to conversate.”

She said he asked her if she had a boyfriend.

“I said ‘Oh, I’m going upstairs now.’ ”

The woman said Ewan used to complain about having to sleep on the sofa.

“OK, if you’re living in someone else’s house, they’re not going to allow you to come in their bedroom,” she said. “Get you a pullout bed and put it in the living room.

World News

PenCom to register, verify, enroll retirees online

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The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has revealed that it has created an online enrollment application for prospective retiree registration, verification, and enrollment.

This was made known by PenCom’s Commissioner of Technical Department, Mr Anyim Nyerere, during the opening ceremony of Pension Desk Officers (PDOs) Workshop for Treasury Fund Ministries, Departments and Agencies, in Abuja.

Nyerere said that it was an established norm within PenCom to conduct physical annual retirement verification and enrollment exercise on the Federal Government employees of MDAs scheduled for retirement within the next fiscal year.

Nyerere said that the conduct of physical annual retirement verification and enrollment exercise was aimed at validating and determining the retirees’ accrued pension liabilities for budgetary allocation by the Federal Government.

He said, “PenCom regrets its inability to conduct this physical annual pre-retirement enrolment exercise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The need to observe the necessary safety measures as directed by the government thus becomes inevitable.

The PDOs and the public within the pension industry will appreciate the challenges in not conducting the physical pre-retirement enrolment exercise. Hence, the commission has developed an online enrollment application with the capabilities to register, verify and enroll prospective retirees and provide the guidance note accordingly which will help to compute the retirees’ retirement benefits.

“This application which will be hosted on the commission’s website will enable prospective retirees log on to register with their details on the Retiree Registration Module (RRM).’’

Nyerere also pointed out that the idea behind the new initiative was to ensure that the exercise did not affect the validation and determination of the accrued pension liabilities of the would-be retirees for government budgetary purposes.

According to him, after the workshop PDOs will be equipped with the requisite knowledge on how the retiree registration module operates for the smooth implementation of the online enrollment application adding that all necessary safeguards, modalities have equally been put in place for the exercise.

World News

ECOWAS Court To Decide On Consolidated Suits Over Nigeria’s Twitter Ban on July 9.

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The Community Court of the Economic Community of West African States has fixed July 9, 2021, to decide on the consolidation of all applications before the court on the Twitter ban by the Nigerian government.The ECOWAS Court stated this in a virtual court sitting held via zoom on Tuesday.

On the cause list for the day, were two applications against the Nigerian Government over the Twitter ban.

One was the applications brought by the Registered Trustees of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project against the Federal Government marked ECW/CCJ/APP/23/21.

The other was the application brought by the Media Rights Agenda and eight others against the Federal Government on the same issue marked ECW/CCJ/APP/29/21.

The lawyer representing the Federal Government, Abdullahi Abubakar, informed the court that he had a motion to consolidate all the four applications before the court on the Twitter ban issue.

In his motion on notice dated July, 5, 2021, Abubakar prayed for the leave of the court to consolidate the hearing of the applications pending before the court and other orders that the court may deem fit in the circumstance.

The Counsel for SERAP, Femi Falana (SAN) , did not object to the application.

Falana stated that the application to consolidate will “afford the court the opportunity to give one judgment in the matters that were similar in nature and character”.

The Counsel for Media Rights Agenda, Mojirayo Ogunlaya, also did not object the application for consolidation.

The ECOWAS Court stated that the parties of the other two cases, which were marked as ECW/CCJ/APP/24/21 and ECW/CCJ/APP/26/21, and sought to be consolidated were not in court.

Consequently, the court noted that it cannot make a consolidation order in their absence and without hearing from them.

Politics, World News

Sunday Igboho: No Law In Nigeria Backs Night Arrest, Falana Says.

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Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has criticized the raid on Sunday Igboho’s home by the operatives of the Department of State Services.
Falana, in an interview with Channels Television, monitored by SaharaReporters said the DSS acted like armed robbers.

It will be recalled that last Thursday, the DSS operatives stormed the home of Igboho, killing two persons and declaring him wanted.

The secret police claimed he was planning an insurrection against the country.

Falana said, “There is no law in Nigeria that allows you to arrest somebody in the dead of the night when you are not planning a coup and you are not an armed robber.

“There is no provision unless a crime is being committed in the night; you cannot go there and arrest.

“Take Ibadan, for instance, the invasion of the home of Igboho happened in the night, and for all-day, everybody was wondering who did (what), and that seven people were killed. People were arrested and abducted at 2:00 a.m., the governor of the state wasn’t aware.

“Now, Sunday Adeyemo has said he didn’t have any gun in his house. Yet, the DSS paraded guns and other ammunition. All the controversies would have been unnecessary if the DSS had behaved like a modern, civilized agency. These are very dangerous legacies of military dictatorship in our country.”

Igboho has filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian government. He demanded compensation of N500 million and an apology for invading his home and vandalizing his properties.

World News

There was a fire outbreak at the Synagogue Church of All Nations on Monday night during the funeral of Nigerian preacher Temitope Balogun Joshua popularly known as Prophet T B Joshua.

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There was a fire outbreak at the Synagogue Church of All Nations on Monday night during the funeral of Nigerian preacher Temitope Balogun Joshua popularly known as Prophet T B Joshua.

Joshua’s widow, Evelyn Joshua, led about 6,000 mourners in a candlelight procession to mark the beginning of a week-long funeral rite of the controversial Nigerian preacher.

Joshua died last month a few days before his 58th birthday.

As the funeral was going on in Lagos, fire gutted a storehouse in the church’s premises at about 11pm causing mourners to scamper for safety.

Church officials said the fire was caused by an electrical spark.

A statement released by the church said: “In the late evening of Monday, July 5, 2021, there was a minor electrical fire incident at a storehouse within the Synagogue Church Of All Nations complex.

“The incident was quickly brought under control without any injuries.

“As part of the preparedness for the weeklong services celebrating the life and legacy of Prophet TB Joshua, the church has worked closely with relevant government agencies including the Lagos State Fire Services, whose members were on the ground at the time of the incident.

“We thank God for His continued protection. We assure the general public that there is no cause for alarm and the services celebrating the life and legacy of Prophet TB Joshua will continue as scheduled.”

Joshua will be laid to rest on Friday, July 9, at the church premises in Lagos.

Entertainment, Football, World News

Nigerian born footballer Kelvin Odichukumma Igweani has been gunned down by police in the United Kingdom after a neighbor was found dead in his apartment in an heartbreaking scene.

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Nigerian born footballer Kelvin Odichukumma Igweani has been gunned down by police in the United Kingdom after a neighbor was found dead in his apartment in an heartbreaking scene.

There are many Nigerian players playing football in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world with some dreaming to the play for the Super Eagles or the country where they grew up.

According to the report on Daily Mail and UK Sun, Kelvin Odichukumma Igweani was said to have fought with a 38-year-old man known as Richard Woodcock and also held a toddler captive.

Initially, Police wanted to arrest the Nigerian player, but all their efforts were futile and left with no other option than to engage on firing Kelvin Igweani.

Business, World News

Jeff Bezos Resigns As Amazon Boss.

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Jeff Bezos, American business magnate, who is founder and chief executive officer of one of the world’s largest technological organisations Amazon, steps down from Amazon on Monday – exactly 27 years after he founded it.

However, Bezos will retain a crucial role as the executive chair of the organisation. He will not be a part of the daily management and will spend more time on other projects including his Aerospace company Blue Origin.

Within the period, Bezos was CEO, he developed a series of unusual leadership principles – which some argue are the backbone of his success.

The chief of Amazon Web Services, Andy Jassy, will become the new CEO.

Amazon Web Services, the astoundingly successful cloud computing service, didn’t really have much to do with Amazon’s core business: e-commerce.

But Bezos supported the idea, giving his trusted employee Andy Jassy the freedom, and capital, to go about creating a company within a company.

Bezos views Jassy as an entrepreneur, not just a manager – a key part of why he will take over as Bezos’ successor.

Amazon employees testify to Bezos’ customer obsession. For Bezos, profit was a long-term aspiration. For a company to be successful, it had to have happy customers – at almost any cost.

One of Amazon senior managers, Nadia Shouraboura who started working for Amazon in 2004 told BBC that when she first started, she thought she was going to be immediately fired.

“I made the biggest mistake of my life during our Christmas peak,” she said.

Shouraboura said she had ordered key products onto warehouse shelves that were too high. It would take time and money to get the right products off the shelves.

“I came up with a clever way for us to lose as little money as possible, and sort of fix the problem. But when I talked to Jeff about it he looked at me and said, ‘you’re thinking about this all wrong’.

“You’re thinking how to optimise money here. Fix the problem for customers, and then come back to me in a few weeks and tell me the cost.”

Bezos, however, has many critics. Last month, an article from ProPublica claimed to have seen Bezos’ tax returns alleging he paid no tax in 2007 and 2011. It was a stunning claim about the world’s richest man.

There have been other negative stories about Amazon, its ruthlessness, its claims of monopolistic behaviour that have been a dent on Bezos reputation.

However, many people who worked closely with him have described him as a business visionary – a man with a singular focus who has created a legendary work philosophy and a company worth almost $1.8 trillion.

Always fascinated by space travel, later this month he aims to fly into space on the first crewed flight made by his company Blue Origin.

Politics, World News

Raid Of Igboho’s Home By Department Of State Services, Allegations Against Him Stink—Soyinka.

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Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says it is not criminal or illegal for anyone to express intention to leave any federation.

Soyinka also condemned as “bizarre”, the midnight raid by the Department of State Services on the Ibadan house of Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo also known as Sunday Igboho, last Thursday.

The Nobel laureate, who spoke during an interview with BBC News Pidgin on Monday urged the Muhammadu Buhari-led government to apologise to Igboho.

“How can you place the will for separation as a criminal act? That kind of language doesn’t exist in the constitution, it doesn’t exist in law. It does not exist in the catalogue of immoralities because it is not an immoral act or position to say that you want to stop being part of an entity or you want to join an entity,” he said.

Soyinka subsequently gave examples of people who left a federation or a union to form or join another state including the Bakassi people of Southern Nigeria who seceded to Cameroon.

“More important for me is the position of the government, saying that the ‘existence of these weapons’ proved that he was planning war against the state. That position, very loaded statement, was simply deliberate to conflict issues. It was to obscure the fact that Igboho and other people, myself included, have been decrying the loss of lives of law-abiding citizens, farmers especially all over the nation. Not just civilians, (Minister of Defense, Gen. Theophilus) Danjuma (retd.), told the people, ‘Don’t trust the military anymore, defend yourself’. Some other voices like governors have made similar statements.

“Now, Igboho, even if he had those weapons, he is claiming that his mission is to liberate his people from the tyranny of squatters, who now become violent overlords, and he has a good cause in that sense. Testimonies of farmers who have been brutalised, dehumanised by these squatters, who have acknowledged and identified themselves as Fulani, over decades of this anomalous kind of situation in which the people did not receive the necessary, mandatory and entitled defence and protection by the security forces, in which sometimes, it is the victims who’ve been jailed, the recent case in Ibarapa for instance, is a personal testimony of those who were arrested and detained by the police simply for going to challenge those who were terrorising and raping their women.

“So now, you have a situation where the government who is saying the ‘existence of these weapons’ means that Igboho is planning an armed insurrection against the state. The whole thing from beginning to the end just stinks: the raid, the motivation has become very implausible.”

Soyinka faulted the Federal Government for also not describing AK-47-wielding herdsmen as terrorists who are waging a violent insurrection against the Nigerian state.

“My advice to the government is that they should stop pursuing Igboho as a criminal because you have begun by acting in a criminal fashion against him.

“If and when Igboho comes to trial, I guarantee you the government will be very embarrassed,” he said.

The DSS has on Thursday paraded 13 of Igboho’s guards and close associates in Abuja. The DSS also said it killed two of his associates in a gun duel with the secret police.

Wole Soyinka

Though Yoruba activist had escaped the raid, his house and cars were riddled with bullets while bloodstains splattered over the floors of the house.

The secret police had since declared him wanted.

World News

29 killed, 50 rescued in Philippines military plane crash

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Twenty-nine people have been killed while 50 were rescued when a Philippines Air Force plane carrying troops crashed on landing in the south of the country and broke up in flames on Sunday.

The Lockheed C-130 transport aircraft reportedly crashed at Patikul in Sulu province, in the far south of the archipelago nation where the army has been fighting a long war against Islamist militants from the Abu Sayyaf and other factions, making it the country’s worst military air disaster in nearly 30 years.

A statement by Phillipines Defence Minister, Delfin Lorenzana shortly after the crash, said 29 bodies had been recovered and 50 injured had been rescued so far.”

Lorenzana added that most of the 92 people aboard were troops flying from Laguindingan Airport, some 460 km (290 miles) to the northeast.

Rescue and recovery is ongoing,” Lorenzana said.

Pictures from the scene showed flames and smoke pouring from wreckage strewn among trees as men in combat uniform milled around. A large column of black smoke rose from the coconut palms into the blue sky.

A military spokesman, Colonel Edgard Arevalo, said there was no indication of any attack on the plane, but that a crash investigation had not begun and efforts were focussed on rescue and treatment.

“We are currently attending to the survivors who were immediately brought to the 11th Infantry Division station hospital in Busbus, Jolo, Sulu,” he said.

World News

The mother of the 14-year-old girl killed allegedly by a stray bullet during the Yoruba Nation rally in Lagos on Saturday has expressed sorrow on receiving the news of her daughter’s death.

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The mother of the 14-year-old girl killed allegedly by a stray bullet during the Yoruba Nation rally in Lagos on Saturday has expressed sorrow on receiving the news of her daughter’s death.

Agitators for Yoruba self-determination had gathered at the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota amid the presence of armed policemen and soldiers.

This was after the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeen Odumosu, had addressed newsmen at the venue, where he announced that no rally is allowed in the state.

However, his announcement was defied by the agitators who flaunted their banners and chanted all sorts of slogans to express their determination towards the breakaway of the Yoruba group from Nigeria.

This displeased the security operatives at the venue who fired teargas canisters and used water cannons to disperse the crowd.

This didn’t deter the agitators who returned to their converging point and carried on from where they left off.

The next action from the security operatives had everyone at the rally scampering to safety as gunshots sounded from different directions.

When the situation became a bit calm, a young girl who was displaying drinks at a shop close by was seen lying in a pool of blood.

She was reported to have been hit by a stray bullet when security operatives were dispersing the crowd at the rally.

Reacting, the Lagos State Police Command issued a statement through the Public Relations Officer, Olamuyiwa Adejobi, denying that the girl died as a result of the actions of security operatives.

Adejobi said, “The said corpse was found wrapped and abandoned at a distance, far from Ojota venue of the rally, behind MRS Filling Station, inward Maryland, on the other side of the venue, with dried blood stains suggesting that the corpse is not fresh.

“After a close look at the corpse, a wound suspectedly sustained from a sharp object was seen on it.

“The news is false and mischievous. The Command, therefore, urges the general public to disregard the news and go about their lawful normal daily activities while investigation to unravel the incident will commence immediately.”

However, the umbrella body of Yoruba self-determination groups, Ilana Oodua, through a statement by its Media Communications Secretary, Mr. Maxwell Adeleye, faulted the police for the young girl’s death.

“We want to inform the whole world that a stray bullet fired by officers of the Nigerian Police killed a yet-to-be-identified soft drinks seller at Ojota, venue of the Yoruba Nation rally held July 3rd, 2021,” he said.

Meanwhile, a video circulating on social media has shown a woman alleged to be the girl’s mother weeping and inconsolable.

Speaking in Yoruba, the wailing mother said, “What happened?” as some people held her to prevent her from collapsing.

“My life is ruined. I’m already mourning a child at a young age. Who did this to me, oh God?” She wailed on.

Politics, World News

The Lagos State Government has inspected facilities at the Synagogue Church of All Nations for COVID safety and prevention protocols compliance in preparation for the funeral of its late founder, Prophet Temitope Joshua.

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The Lagos State Government has inspected facilities at the Synagogue Church of All Nations for COVID safety and prevention protocols compliance in preparation for the funeral of its late founder, Prophet Temitope Joshua.

The delegation from the Lagos State Government was led by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, and the Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lanre Mojola.

Speaking after the inspection of the church facilities and meeting with the church officials, Abayomi said the inspection was in line with the third wave mitigation strategy of the Lagos State Government to prevent the importation and spread of new deadly strains of COVID into Lagos and Nigeria.

Abayomi added that the inspection and meeting with officials of SCOAN was to limit any possibilities of the introduction of foreign COVID variants among the congregation and by extension to the community.

He said, “On behalf of the Lagos State Government we want to offer our deep condolences to the family of the prophet and members of the congregation. In these very precarious times that we are in, with a global pandemic that is evolving dynamically; what we now know is that there are different strains of the virus circulating around the world, and Lagos State has a very strong third wave prevention strategy.

“The likely cause of a third wave is going to be an importation from visitors who are infected with the virus, so we are particularly careful about working with the Synagogue to make sure that we have a collaboration that will reduce the opportunity to zero of us either importing a virus or even allowing someone who is positive to interact with the community.

“So we have had series of engagements with the officials and executive of SCOAN, we are also in touch with the Federal Government; the Presidential Steering Committee, and the Federal Ministry of Health.

“And the Incident Commander, Governor has said that this a priority event and we have to ensure that we give SCOAN all the support it requires to make sure that the series of planned events for the funeral scheduled between the 5th of July to the 11th of July are performed under the strictness guidelines to limit any possibilities of introduction of foreign COVID variants amongst the congregation or the movement of the virus in such an environment that would make transmission easier.

“So, we’ve engaged with several stakeholders, we are looking at the airport, we are looking at the land borders, we are looking at event preceding the five or seven days of the funeral, we are looking at the funeral activities itself, we have a detailed account of the programme, we are putting some guidelines in place.

“Any visitor coming into the country has to go through the mandatory seven days of isolation plus testing before they can participate in any of the activities. We’ve inspected all the accommodation, we’ve looked at the auditorium and we’ve calculated how to completely eliminate the chance and the risk of infectious transmission.”

Politics, World News

Igboho’s Lawyer Demands N500 Million For Damage Done By Department Of State Services To Client’s Property.

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Solicitor to Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho has demanded N500 million as compensation from the Federal Government for the losses incurred by his client after the raid on Igboho’s house by men of the Department of State Services (DSS). The DSS operatives stormed the activist’s residence in Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday.

The agency’s spokesman later issued a statement confirming the raid, disclosing that two of Igboho’s aides were killed and ammunition, charms and other exhibits allegedly retrieved from his residence.

But, in a letter addressed to the Federal Government by Igboho’s lawyer, Yomi Alliyu (SAN) of Chief Yomi Alliyu & Co, on Saturday, the counsel demanded N500 million as reparation for damage done by the DSS’ officers to his client’s exotic cars which included Mercedes Benz G-Class and 2019 Lexus car.

He stated that the DSS carted away €1,000, N2 million, expensive jewellery worth millions, travel documents, amulets, Igboho’s iPhone 12 and phones of about 15 others living in the house including those killed by the officers and other yet-to-be-identified belongings.

He wrote, “We hereby demand that the Federal Government orders an investigation into the actions of the various security operatives led by DSS that raided Chief Sunday Adeyemo’s house with a view to sanctioning them and release all the innocent people arrested and compensate the families of those murdered. Our client should also be paid N500m as reparation for damage to his exotic cars that include Mercedes Benz G-Class and 2019 Lexus car. We also demand a public apology.’’

The lawyer further said every Nigerian was aware that in all of Igboho’s rallies and open agitations for the self-determination of the Yoruba Nation, he always preached peace and warned his followers never to resort to violence.

He added, “He always said that It is God and alale that will fight for the Yoruba Nation. We can boldly say that as people who followed his campaign, but not necessarily supporting dismemberment of Nigeria, that no casualty has ever occurred wherever such rallies were carried out. This must have been done in more than 20 Yoruba towns and cities as at date.

“No demand to enter was made but rather they shot their way into the house allegedly killing seven people though DSS spokesman admitted killing two people which involved an old Imam that used to lead Muslim occupants in prayers and observing Tahjud at the time of the barbaric raid. A lady among the invaders was allegedly shouting, ‘If you get him gun him down.'”

Alliyu also alleged that the operatives were disappointed that they couldn’t find a single gun or ammunition in his client’s house, hence arrested two police escorts of Igboho’s guests and added their “guns to those harvested from their armoury to make members of the public believe that our client keeps militia or as stated by them, he is about waging war on Nigeria. Will this be with his mere amulets? People who know our client of over 20 years will testify that Igboho oosa does not carry gun on his person!’’
Igboho’s Lawyer Demands N500 Million For Damage Done By Department Of State Services To Client’s Property.

Solicitor to Yoruba rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho has demanded N500 million as compensation from the Federal Government for the losses incurred by his client after the raid on Igboho’s house by men of the Department of State Services (DSS). The DSS operatives stormed the activist’s residence in Ibadan, Oyo State on Thursday.

The agency’s spokesman later issued a statement confirming the raid, disclosing that two of Igboho’s aides were killed and ammunition, charms and other exhibits allegedly retrieved from his residence.

But, in a letter addressed to the Federal Government by Igboho’s lawyer, Yomi Alliyu (SAN) of Chief Yomi Alliyu & Co, on Saturday, the counsel demanded N500 million as reparation for damage done by the DSS’ officers to his client’s exotic cars which included Mercedes Benz G-Class and 2019 Lexus car.

He stated that the DSS carted away €1,000, N2 million, expensive jewellery worth millions, travel documents, amulets, Igboho’s iPhone 12 and phones of about 15 others living in the house including those killed by the officers and other yet-to-be-identified belongings.

He wrote, “We hereby demand that the Federal Government orders an investigation into the actions of the various security operatives led by DSS that raided Chief Sunday Adeyemo’s house with a view to sanctioning them and release all the innocent people arrested and compensate the families of those murdered. Our client should also be paid N500m as reparation for damage to his exotic cars that include Mercedes Benz G-Class and 2019 Lexus car. We also demand a public apology.’’

The lawyer further said every Nigerian was aware that in all of Igboho’s rallies and open agitations for the self-determination of the Yoruba Nation, he always preached peace and warned his followers never to resort to violence.

He added, “He always said that It is God and alale that will fight for the Yoruba Nation. We can boldly say that as people who followed his campaign, but not necessarily supporting dismemberment of Nigeria, that no casualty has ever occurred wherever such rallies were carried out. This must have been done in more than 20 Yoruba towns and cities as at date.

“No demand to enter was made but rather they shot their way into the house allegedly killing seven people though DSS spokesman admitted killing two people which involved an old Imam that used to lead Muslim occupants in prayers and observing Tahjud at the time of the barbaric raid. A lady among the invaders was allegedly shouting, ‘If you get him gun him down.'”

Alliyu also alleged that the operatives were disappointed that they couldn’t find a single gun or ammunition in his client’s house, hence arrested two police escorts of Igboho’s guests and added their “guns to those harvested from their armoury to make members of the public believe that our client keeps militia or as stated by them, he is about waging war on Nigeria. Will this be with his mere amulets? People who know our client of over 20 years will testify that Igboho oosa does not carry gun on his person!’’

Politics, World News

Court Rules In Favour Of Senior Lecturer Dismissed From Nigeria’s First University Over Refusal To Vacate Office Space.

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The National Industrial Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo State, has ruled in favour of Adenike Ogunshe, a senior lecturer at the University of Ibadan, who was dismissed by the school’s governing council in 2016 over her refusal to vacate an office space.The judgement was delivered by Justice J. D. Peters of the court on June 24, 2021.

Ogunshe had in September 2016 instituted a suit against the university and its governing council after her appointment as a senior lecturer was terminated.

From the judgement, it was stated that Ogunshe was directed by her Head of Department to vacate her office, which is said to be a ‘preparatory room’ for the final year laboratory.

She, however, refused to comply with this directive arguing that there were many other offices in the annex but only hers was labelled ‘a preparatory laboratory’.

It was also stated that the department provided her with another office but with claims of threat to life, she refused to move to the office.

The court, in its ruling on June 24, however, held that the defendants — the university and her governing council — had failed to comply with the applicable rules and regulations guiding the employment relationship relating to termination as stated in the university’s staff information handbook of rules and regulations.

The court also held that the ’employment of a staff (member) with statutory flavour who has been found guilty of misconduct cannot be terminated by the employer as presented in this case without full compliance with the established disciplinary procedure’.

Hence, the court ordered the immediate reinstatement of Ogunshe to her position as Senior Lecturer in the Department of Microbiology.

It also held that the university should pay her a sum of N13, 607, 028.08 as salary arrears of the claimant from August 15, 2016 to the date of the judgement.

The defendants were also ordered to pay Ogunshe N200, 000 as the cost of the legal proceedings.

World News

The Vatican to charge Cardinal, others for alleged fraud

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A senior Cardinal and nine others are set to face trial for alleged financial recklessness at the Vatican.

The alleged financial malfeasance was linked to the purchase of a plush property by the defendants in London.

The Italian Cardinal, Angelo Becciu, who is a close ally of Pope Francis, will appear before a tribunal on July 27.

The 73-year-old was dismissed from a powerful Vatican job last September after he was accused of siphoning charity funds to help his siblings.

The charges against Becciu include embezzlement, abuse of power, and witness tampering in the case leading to a loss-making Vatican investment in Central London under his watch.

Before his dismissal, Becciu led the Vatican’s department on sainthood.

He was also the Substitute for General Affairs, a role likened to Chief of Staff in Vatican’s central bureaucracy from 2011 to 2018.

But in a statement on Saturday, the Catholic priest insisted he is innocent.

The cardinal maintained that he had been pilloried by the media and pleaded for a chance to prove his innocence.

According to reports, the Vatican lost several million Euros on the London property and other bad investments.

Other defendants in the case are Rene Bruelhart, the Swiss former head of Financial Information Authority.

Bruelhart will face charges for abuse of power as will Enrico Crasso, an investment fund manager who controlled millions of Euros including private donations to the Church.

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