The United States (US) has accused the Nigerian Department of State Services (DSS), police and army of corruption and violation of human rights with impunity.
It also added that there were credible evidence and reports that members of security forces committed numerous rights abuses, extrajudicial killings and stifling of free speech.

This was disclosed in the 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released by the US Department of State recently.
The report noted that impunity and corruption have eaten deep into the fabric of the security agencies, especially the police which have become a major problem bedevilling the country.


According to the report, “impunity, exacerbated by corruption and a weak judiciary, remained a significant problem in the security forces, especially in police, military, and the Department of State Services".
“There were credible reports that members of the security forces committed numerous abuses,” it added. 
The report also highlighted incidents of extrajudicial killings, stifling of free speech, human rights violations, political witch-hunts and other issues in Nigeria.
The US said the opaque nature of the procedure for disciplining offending officials encourages impunity, noting that the system shields erring officers found culpable in multiple crimes from getting justice.
"The government regularly utilised disciplinary boards and mechanisms to investigate security force members and hold them accountable for crimes committed on duty, but the results of these accountability mechanisms were not always made public,” the report said.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were accused of inconclusive prosecution of public officials charged with corruption.
The report accused the anti-graft agencies of being selective and “focused on low-and mid-level government officials”. 


It, however, noted that both organisations brought indictments against various active and former high-level government officials.
“Many of the corruption cases, particularly the high-profile ones, remained pending before the courts due to administrative or procedural delays,” the report said, adding that the government deliberately underfunds the judiciary to make it ineffective.
On human rights violations, the report noted that the National Committee Against Torture established by the Ministry of Justice has been hindered from working effectively due to a “lack of legal and operational independence and limited funding”.
The report added, “Prison and detention centre conditions remained harsh and life-threatening. Prisoners and detainees reportedly were subjected to gross overcrowding, inadequate medical care, food and water shortages, and other abuses. Some of these conditions resulted in deaths.”
 

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Governor Kayode Fayemi

Ekiti governor, Kayode Fayemi has said he did not betray the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by his declaration to run for President.
According to him, he has a good relationship with the former Lagos governor, and the battle for Presidency is not a personal one.

Governor Kayode Fayemi
Fayemi earlier on Wednesday declared his intention to join the race to win the presidential ticket of the APC.
Tinubu, however, had in January declared his intention after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
Fayemi, who is the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, when he featured on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’, on Wednesday, said, “I’ve had a very good relationship with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu whom I met in exile in 1994 when he came out after the annulment of the election and the establishment of NADECO (National Democratic Coalition).”
Fayemi said he had maintained a cordial relationship with Tinubu since then.
“So, when I was asked by Governor Niyi Adebayo, the current Minister of Trade and Investment, to come and run for office in Ekiti, Asiwaju supported me; he was out there for me because of his knowledge of my involvement in the pro-democracy movement and we’ve worked together on a number of issues.


“This is not a personal contest; this is about Nigeria, the future of our children. It is about competing visions of what that future holds for Nigerians.
 
“I have the greatest respect for Asiwaju and I will continue to do that but I do believe that I have a strong vision on how to reposition Nigeria and build on the legacies of the current President,” he said.
Speaking further, Fayemi noted, “I have a very good relationship and cordial relationship with Tinubu. This is not a personal contest, this is about Nigeria, the future of our children and I think I have a strong vision for how to reposition Nigeria.”
“I have great respect for Tinubu and I will continue to do that,” he noted.
“Tinubu is a democrat and he has strong convictions and I do not think he will want to stand on the convictions of others on how Nigeria should go,” he said.
“This (presidency) is not an inheritance, it’s about Nigeria and not a traditional title we are seeking.”

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Pastor Ade Abraham of Christ High Commission Ministry, also known as Royal Christ Assembly, Kaduna State, who charged his members N310,000 to make heaven has said that he got authority from God to do so.
 
The Ekiti State police command recently revealed that it had invited Pastor Noah Abraham, for allegedly collecting money from members of his church on a promise to take them to heaven after the rapture.
 
The pastor of the church, located in Omuo-Ekiti in Ekiti East Local Government Area of Ekiti State, was said to have ordered members to relocate to the church and pay N310,000 each to be able to have access to heaven at the end of the world.
Abraham kept about 40 people in his church at the Araromi-Ugbesi in Omuo-Oke, Ekiti State in what he described as preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ, otherwise known as the rapture.
 
Some of his church members have allegedly sold their belongings, hoping Jesus would meet them while camping at his church while a few others are said to have abandoned their families who refused to join them to live in the church.
 
According to BBC Pidgin, the pastor believes a “mighty palace” will descend from heaven and land on his church, where members would live forever with the “one that sent him.”
 
Abraham was allegedly charging money to fly them to heaven, saying with the relocation, the gate of heaven would open.
 
However, the pastor who confirmed to BBC Yoruba on Wednesday that he truly told his congregation to pay N310,000, said he made the declaration when he noticed that his members' troubles were increasing.
 
He affirmed that he did it because he got the authority of God whom he said had called him to become a cleric.
"Truly I told my congregation to pay N310,000, I made the declaration when I noticed that my members' troubles were increasing.
 
"I did it because I got the authority of God who called me to practise for all that want to serve the Lord with their whole heart.
 
"I have never received any payment yet from any member of the church, and the Ekiti State Police has intervened in the matter.
 
"I was called by the police for Investigation and all the members of the church were there and all of them took notes of what happened," he said.
 
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State chapter has denied knowing Abraham, who is alleged to be resident in the state.
 
Rev. John Joseph Hayab, CAN Kaduna state chairman, in a statement explained, “The attention of the CAN Kaduna State Chapter has been drawn to the news in circulation in some sections of the media about one pastor described as Ade Abraham, offering to take his members to heaven if they pay a fee of N310,000 only.
 
"Even though Pastor Ade’s offer of a ticket to heaven is cheaper than the ransom Kaduna bandits ask their victims, sadly, CAN has not found anyone who knows the location of the said church or established a church in Kaduna town with that name or in any local government areas in the state.”

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The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has warned all Southeast presidential aspirants against accepting to be a running mate to a northerner in the forthcoming 2023 election.
 
This followed reports on May 4, 2022, about an alleged plot by former Anambra governor, Peter Obi to accept to be former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in the next election.

However, the National President of OYC, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka on Wednesday advised Obi to "stand and remain resolute in pursuit of your 2023 presidential ambition”.
He described Obi’s presidential ambition as a new political revolution that will hit Nigeria.
Expressing bitterness over the perceived awful development, Igboayaka said, "Any Attempt to deny Southeast Presidency in 2023 will cause a revolution that will disintegrate Nigeria within 6 months.
“We, therefore, challenge any Southeast presidential aspirant that considered himself a man to dare come to Southeast as a running mate to a Northerner. There's no doubt that injustice brings chaos and anarchy, any injustice against Southeast in the 2022 primary election is a call for anarchy.
"All the presidential aspirants in APC (All Progressives Congress) and PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) should collectively work for Southeast interest, we're watching the whole scenario, we're monitoring Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, we are keeping our findings confidential.”
 
Speaking further, he described having a Nigerian president of Southeast extraction in 2023 as inevitable, saying, "Nigerians should make choice to either accommodate Southeast in Nigeria or separation becomes inevitable.”

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Abubakar Malami

A rice mill worth over N5 billion owned by Nigeria's Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami has been uncovered.
 
SaharaReporters gathered that the company under construction is located in Kalgo community, Kebbi State.
  Abubakar Malami

The rice mill is another addition to the numerous multi-billion-naira properties owned by the minister who also opened a new hotel, “The Azbir” on Tuesday in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.
 

PHOTONEWS: Nigeria's Corruption-riddled Attorney-General Malami Launches New Hotel Few Days After Being Exposed For Distributing Multi-billion Naira Vehicles As Bribes To @OfficialAPCNg Party Officials In Kebbi | Sahara Reporters https://t.co/80sIGWSYl4 pic.twitter.com/IcOeUZ9xqZ

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) May 3, 2022
Malami, a lawyer from Kebbi State who was hardly known before 2015 when he was appointed into the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, is today one of the richest men in Nigeria.
 
In 2020, a series of detailed investigations carried out by SaharaReporters showed that Malami had acquired several properties whose value run into many billions of naira since being appointed into the administration of President Buhari as Nigeria’s chief law officer.
 
For example, the AGF has an underground hotel in Sokoto, three houses at Peace Estate, Abuja, a brand new state-of-the-art school in Kebbi, two houses for his sons worth N100m each and a new hotel under construction in the Jabi area of Abuja.

 
Malami also bought a house this year worth N150 million in the Gwarimpa area of Abuja.
 
A school located at the back of NITEL in Gesse Phase 1, Birnin Kebbi and a house worth N600 million on Ahmadu Bello Way, Nasarawa GRA, Kano, are among properties acquired by Malami since he became a minister under President Buhari.
 
The houses he built for his sons in Kebbi are 200 metres apart in a posh part of the city.
 
That is not all. Malami also built N3 billion multipurpose event centre in Kebbi State named Azbir Arena for his son.
 
The facility is said to be an entertainment centre with a plaza and kids’ playing section.
 
This is apart from Rayhaan Hotel located on Zaria Road, opposite Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, which the AGF massively upgraded using proceeds of corruption.
 
Ever since SaharaReporters published a series of detailed reports exposing these illicit acquisitions, the online news medium has been a target for the AGF’s camp.
 
Apart from falsely claiming to have sued SaharaReporters over the expository reports he said had damaged his reputation before the world, Malami also issued a petition to the former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on the issue to arrest the publisher of the online newspaper, Omoyele Sowore.
 

PHOTONEWS: Nigeria’s Corrupt Attorney-General, Malami’s Ongoing Rice Mill Construction Worth N5billion Located In Kalgo, Kebbi State Amid Allegations Of Fraud, Sale Of Justice | Sahara Reporters https://t.co/WGWLKoBYUj pic.twitter.com/AyifmzUlkv

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) May 4, 2022
Despite these questionable acquisitions, 53-year-old Malami continues to portray a saintly stance in the Buhari government whose fight against corruption has been called into serious question in recent times.


 

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday expressed shock over the killing of a military couple in Imo State.
 
SaharaReporters had reported how A.M Linus, a Master Warrant Officer in the army and his Private officer wife, Pte Gloria Matthew were shot dead and beheaded on Saturday.
 
After beheading the couple, the gunmen were said to have called their family members to mock them.
 
A gory video of the incident seen by SaharaReporters showed the gunmen putting the heads on the victims' chests after the incident.
 
A phone conversation with the suspected gunmen, believed to have been initiated by a friend of the slain female soldier, has also surfaced online.
 
In the phone conversation obtained by SaharaReporters, a suspected gunman admitted that he killed the couple.
 
The gunman said they were aggrieved that the military has been consistently killing innocent residents in its efforts to get them (gunmen).
 
“It’s quite unfortunate that it is this way. I killed both of them yesterday,” the suspected gunman was heard saying in the phone conversation.
 
Reacting to the incident, Buhari in a statement signed by one of his media aides, Garba Shehu, accused IPOB of being responsible for the gruesome murder of the couple.
 
He reiterated his directive to law enforcement agencies and the military to deal sternly with anti-social elements bent on harming innocent citizens and creating fear and uncertainties under whatever guise.
 
The statement read, “On behalf of the government and the entire nation, President Muhammadu Buhari expresses deep condolences to the Nigerian Army and the families of Master Warrant Officer Audu Linus and his partner, Private Gloria Mathew, who were beheaded after being shot by the terrorist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Saturday as confirmed by the Nigerian Army.
 
“The corpses were inhumanely treated and gleefully posted on social media platforms.”
 
“The President joins fellow citizens in expressing a deep sense of shock and condemns the barbarism of the perpetrators of this unfortunate incident, and similar acts of violence against law enforcement agents, describing it as alien to all cultures and civilizations.
 
“President Buhari calls on all leaders – community, regional and national – to speak with one voice, to show that the entire country is one against this cruel and barbaric act of violence. This is unacceptable. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of this sad and tragic incident,” said the President.
 
“The President has directed the military authorities and other security agencies to do their utmost in apprehending the perpetrators of these barbaric acts and bring them to justice,” the statement added.
 
The Nigerian government has on several occasions accused IPOB of being responsible for the attacks in the South East region. But the group has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks.

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The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has approved the postponement of the party’s Local Government Congress to elect one LGA National Delegate earlier scheduled for Thursday, May 5, 2022.
The party in a statement posted on Twitter by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, on Wednesday, said, “A new date for the LGA Congress will be announced in due course. The NWC (National Working Committee) regrets any inconveniences the postponement may have caused.

“All leaders, critical stakeholders and members of our Party across the country should please take note.”
 
 

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Former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu who is also a Presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress has described the growing number of people seeking the party’s presidential ticket as good for democracy.
 
Tinubu stated this after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to the national leader of the APC, having many presidential candidates is in the best interest of the country.
 
“The more the merrier. The more they come, the more challenging it becomes for you to think deeply, focus on issues and be ready to serve Nigeria,” he said.
 
“It’s all about service, it’s nothing else. Think wisely, get committed to your thinking to serve the nation and bring progress and prosperity to the lives of Nigerians.
 
“It’s good for the country for so many of us to aspire to want to lead, we’re not abandoning our nation. But there’s only one chair and one possibility. We will do that.”
 
The National leader of the APC further said the ruling party would remain intact and united after its presidential primary, noting that President Buhari has shown that he is in support of a transparent process.
 
“We are sure that we will remain united. You know our symbol is the broom, you don’t break it as you go. Nigeria requires commitment, a uniform system and a stable country and that is the only way we can be very proud of Nigeria.
 
“The president has shown a great example of leadership, gave us the freedom to say you want to run, you want to attempt, go ahead. He is a democrat and if we are running a constitutional democracy, you don’t hinder the desire, the wish of other people.”
 
Bola Tinubu broke the ice in January and declared his intention to run for the presidency when he visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Villa, Abuja.
 
The Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, followed suit, and similarly, visited Buhari to inform him of his intention to run for the coveted number one position in the country.
 
It did not take long for others like a former governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Kalu; ex-governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha; Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State; and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, to declare their interest in the presidency on the platform of the APC.
 
Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo has also joined the race.
On Wednesday, Ekiti and Jigawa governors, Kayode Fayemi and Muhammed Badaru also joined the race.
 
 
 
 

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The Imo State Police Command has confirmed that there was a bomb blast at a flow station in the oil-producing community of Izombe in the Oguta Local Government Area of the state.
 
Confirming the incident, the Command’s spokesperson, Mike Abattam said it occurred in the early hours of Wednesday.
 
Abattam said the explosion occurred at a facility operated by Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Limited.
 
He explained that the Commissioner of Police in Imo immediately drafted the command’s anti-bomb unit, as well as some operatives of the command to the area to prevent any breakdown of law and order.
“It happened, there was a bomb blast this morning at the facility but the commissioner has deployed our men to the site,” NAN quoted him as saying.
 
An eyewitness who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, said two persons died in the explosion.
 
He said that the two middle-aged men were the carriers of the bomb, which exploded and killed them while they were trying to find their way into the flow station through the entrance.

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The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State is enmeshed in a crisis over a plan by some party leaders to give the governorship ticket to a former Commissioner of Finance in the state, Peter Mba.
 
Mbah, who owns Pinnacle and Gas Oil Limited is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged illegal financial dealings and misappropriation of funds.
 
He was charged before Justice Samuel Candide-Johnson of the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere for intention to defraud and obtaining by false pretences the sum N986 million from the Nigerian government. He was said to have “requested to obtain payment payable to the Integrated Resources limited, by the Nigerian government, under the petroleum support fund, in respect of 19.347 million litres of PMS, which they falsely claimed to have purchased from Guinness Petroleum limited.”
 
The businessman was also indicted by the House of Representatives committee on fuel subsidy, the Ribadu report and the Presidential Committee on fuel subsidy.
 
Some aggrieved PDP members who spoke to SaharaReporters said imposing Mba on the party would be tantamount to making an effort to lose the next governorship election in the state to the rival All Progressives Congress (APC).
 
They accused a former governor of the state, Chimaroke Nnamani, of planning to enthrone the businessman and “use him to acquire back all his properties that are still in the custody of the EFCC such as the Cosmo FM Radio, Rainbownet Telecommunications and his other concerns in Abuja and the ones seized by the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation.”
 
The party members urged Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to note the case of a House of Representatives member, Vincent Ekene Ofumelu, representing Oyi/Ayamelum federal constituency in Anambra state, whose provisional clearance certificate in the PDP was withdrawn recently after it was discovered that he had committed perjury by lying on oath.
 
“Recall that in the last statement made by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) about Mr. Peter Mba, the CEO of Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited, the commission’s spokesman, Wilson Uwajuren said that the temporary withdrawal of one of the oil subsidiary fraud charges against Mba and his company was to firm up and consolidate fresh charges for their re-arraignment in the court,” one of the aggrieved members told SaharaReporters.
 
“In the matter before Justice Samuel Candide-Johnson in Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, with charge, No. ID/117C/2012, the Integrated Resources limited, Durosola Omogbemigun, Pinnacle Oil and Gas and Peter Mba were charged for false pretence and intention to defraud, obtain from the Federal Republic of Nigeria the sum of N986.15 million, requested to obtain payment payable to the Integrated Resources limited, by the federal government, under the petroleum support fund, in respect of 19.347 million litres of PMS, which they falsely claimed to had purchased from Guinness Petroleum Limited.
 
“The question is: why has the re-arraignment not taken place since July 2012? Now, the accused Peter Mba is being tipped highly to become the next governor of the state. Mba elicits concern because of his frequent visits to the EFCC.
“The visits started in 2006 when he was Commissioner for Finance in Enugu state, which made him visit EFCC at the expiration of that administration in 2007. He was arraigned with his then governor, Chimaroke Nnamani, who is the most present-day promoter of Peter Mba for Enugu state governorship.
 
“We don’t know how odd or well this arrangement sounds, but there is an obvious smell of fraud and business protection interests in the whole arrangement. It’s no more news that Nnamani is the mask behind Pinnacle oil, as well as the promoter of Mba for governorship, who currently is behaving as if there is a tactical withdrawal from Mba by quickly procuring Senate nomination form, despite the zoning that he was an apostle of. Yet these folks will quickly criticise Ike Ekweremadu for throwing away political zoning arrangements.
 
“The serious matter is that somebody first committed fraud and like the crime chain he engaged in a series of committals. Mba has continued in the fraudulent claims such as in his PDP governorship screening form, section F, where he was asked if he has ever been indicted by an administrative or judiciary panel and his answer was no, but there is a white paper report where Mba, among others, was indicted for economic sabotage and stealing of Nigeria money to the tune of over N2 billion with the pretext of importation of subsidised fuel into Nigeria.
 
“Mba was indicted by a house committee on fuel subsidy; he was also indicted by the Ribadu report and the Presidential Committee on fuel subsidy. Mba was the 14th person, while his company, Pinnacle oil, was the 9th on the list of indicted persons and companies.
“Mba tried to bribe his way through these panels but failed. This is a lie on oath, which most politicians believe they could easily get away with. Mba lied before the PDP screening committee that he had never been indicted by any government panel but the truth is that corruption cases have been hanging on his neck which in his bid to wriggle out, he has continued to commit more frauds until he acquires immunity as Chief Executive which he hopes will protect him for eight years within which further crimes would likely be committed.
 
“Peter Mba has never been cleared or acquitted by the court, his matter with the EFCC was only withdrawn for refiling and crime does not have an expiration date. What is presently heating up the polity of the state is the grand plan of Chimaroke Nnamani to enthrone Peter Mba and use him to reacquire all his properties that are still in the custody of the EFCC such as the Cosmo FM Radio, Rainbownet Telecommunications and his other concerns in Abuja and the ones seized by the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation.
 
“Already, Dr Nnamani has hijacked the state structure of PDP and returned the state to Ebeano movement with his control of the delegate elections in some parts of Enugu East senatorial district and rendered Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi powerless as a Chief Executive of the state.
“What is more amazing is how Governor Ugwuanyi’s Manfriday, Ifeanyi Ossai has been turned into a servant of Mr. Peter Mba and converted Ossai into carrying Mba’s bags in the public arena with the bargain of becoming the Deputy Governor.
 
“Governor Ugwuanyi should understand that a leopard does not change its skin; the Governor should recall the Adoration tragedy of March 7, 2002, where many lives were snuffed off from Christian worshippers, all in the bid to silence the voice of descent and imposed totalitarianism on the people of Enugu state.
“This is what Ugwuanyi should be wary of so that his established peace in Enugu state will not be truncated. The main game has not started and Hon. Nnoli Nnaji’s house has been raised.
 
“There is a leaked plan to mount pressure on Governor Ugwuanyi, with the proponents stating that Ugwuanyi does not withstand pressures and will make him yield to the dictates of the violent and mischievous politicians. The grand plan has turned Nnamani’s home into some mecca of sorts which made Senator Ike Ekweremadu visit Nnamani at Agbani with the hope that he will be a benefactor of the conspiracy.”
 
Another PDP member from Enugu North said, “We know they have plan B, another Nnamani’s acolyte, Frank Nweke Jnr has been positioned in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) with the hope that if Peter Mba gets PDP nomination and is disqualified, PDP will be left with no candidate and then the dictating Nnamani would ask Ugwuanyi to support an APGA candidate which would turn out to be Nnamani’s acolyte that he has positioned in APGA, with the game plan the APGA Governor would later defect to the PDP.
 
“In these scenarios, it’s discernible that Nnamani is the master planner but will turn tragic if Governor Ugwuanyi succumbs to the Nkanu pressure and ‘dash’ (gives) them the governorship of Enugu state. Recent history in Bayelsa State where the APC lost its 2019 victory to the PDP because of a change of name should serve as a lesson as Enugu State contemplates its choice of a PDP candidate.
 
“The PDP should understand that with Mr. Ugochukwu Agballah as the state chairman of APC, it will no longer be business as usual in the Enugu state polity. Agballah is a seasoned politician who was instrumental to the making of Governor Chimaroke Nnamani governor in 1999 and now he is back with fury.
 
“Fielding a compromised and high-risk candidate such as Peter Mba in PDP would be giving the APC an opportunity to take over another state in the southeast. A PDP mistake is an APC victory. With the way Abia state has moved towards a preferred aspirant for the PDP, the state stands in danger of losing to the APC in the 2023 election.
“I am sure that the PDP in Enugu state does not want to lose its grip on the state it has held since 1999 and will do the needful when the time comes. It’s clear that the frontline candidates in Nkanu East have one EFCC case or the other just like Prof. Hillary Edeoga that has baggage of fertiliser scam on his shoulder.
 
“All the political, traditional and religious leaders in the state should bring Governor Ugwuanyi back to his senses and make him disown Ifeanyi Ossai who has become Ugwuanyi’s undertaker, and choose the best candidate for the state who will continue with the development of the state, from where Gburugburu will stop on May 29 2023.”

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Some gunmen terrorising Nigeria’s South-East have declared sit-at-home on May 5 and 6 in the region over the planned two-day visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Ebonyi State.
 
Governor David Umahi had in a statement on Tuesday said President Buhari would be in the state for two days: Thursday and Friday.
 
According to a military source, the gunmen who took over some towns in Abia, Imo and Anambra states on Wednesday evening, threatened to deal with anyone caught disobeying the order.
"Gunmen were seen shooting in some streets of Aba in Abia and in Imo and Anambra announcing to residents that there will be sit-at-home on Thursday and Friday when President Buhari is to visit Ebonyi State, and that they must observe it throughout the South-East," the source said. 
The gunmen called on President Buhari to immediately release the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu from detention.
 
The South-East region has witnessed increasing and regular attacks on security agencies and facilities, government institutions and high-profile individuals following Kanu’s arrest last year.
 
IPOB has been linked to the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.

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PHOTONEWS: Nigeria's Corruption-riddled Attorney-General Malami Launches New Hotel Few Days After Being Exposed For Distributing Multi-billion Naira Vehicles As Bribes To @OfficialAPCNg Party Officials In Kebbi | Sahara Reporters https://t.co/80sIGWSYl4 pic.twitter.com/IcOeUZ9xqZ

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) May 3, 2022

See Also Exclusive EXCLUSIVE: Nigeria’s Attorney-General, Malami Opens Multi-billion Naira Hotel Few Days After Distributing Exotic Vehicles To APC Supporters 0 Comments 1 Week Ago

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An Assistant Superintendent of Police, Ukam Efut has been killed following an attack by gunmen on a police checkpoint in Agwa, Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.
 
SaharaReporters gathered that the attack occurred along Okpo-efi junction on Tuesday.
 
The gunmen it was learnt also chopped off Efut’s manhood and fled with it.
 
The deceased was transferred from Abia State a few weeks ago to the area where he was serving as the administrative officer and had two years left before his retirement before he was murdered.
 
Attacks by armed men have increased in the South-East in recent times. The attacks often target security agencies and government facilities.
 
The latest development comes a few days after A.M Linus, a sergeant first class in the army and his lance corporal wife were shot and beheaded in Imo.
 
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), an outlawed group, has been linked to the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks.
 
The leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu, is currently detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for treason.
 
 
 
 

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Governor Badaru Abubakar

The Jigawa State governor, Muhammad Badaru Abubakar has joined other interested presidential aspirants to vie for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
 
He has also acquired the N100 million nomination form.
  Governor Badaru Abubakar Daily Independent
Governor Badaru was quoted as saying during an APC stakeholders meeting held at Government House in Dutse on Tuesday evening, “I will join the Presidential race since everyone knows I’m a highly qualified person to do the job.”
 
The governor was also said to have told the gathering during the meeting that he was pressurised to contest for the presidential seat by his colleagues.
 
His media aide, Auwalu Sankara, said his principal sought President Muhammadu Buhari’s blessings before buying the form.
 
Badaru is joining other APC members including Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and Ekiti Governor, Kayode Fayemi, seeking to replace Buhari in 2023.
 
This comes a few days after the national chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu said that the party had not decided on the zoning of the presidency.
 
A report also emerged during the weekend that the party may field a northern candidate that can compete with the Peoples Democratic Party if the opposition party picks its presidential candidate from the North in 2023.

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Prof Banji Akintoye

Prof Banji Akintoye, leader of the Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, the umbrella body for Yoruba Self-determination groups, has advised the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Gutteres, to pay a visit to the Middle Belt and Southern part of the country so as to fully understand the insecurity challenge bedevilling Nigeria.

 

 

 

Akintoye, in a statement issued by Maxwell Adeleye, his Communications Manager, explained that the UN boss can only make his fact-finding visit to Nigeria meaningful, impactful and worthwhile by going to the areas affected by the atrocities committed by the Fulani herdsmen and not fiction that the Muhammadu Buhari administration wants him to see.

Prof Banji Akintoye

 

 

The Yoruba leader said Guterres must resist attempts by the Buhari administration to pull the wool over his eyes, sell him dummies and lead him by the nose in the wrong direction.

 

 

 

 

 

He said, "The Buhari administration has started misinforming the UN chief by preventing him from meeting the right people and from going to the right places. He is being shielded from the truth and from the reality on the ground.

 

 

 

"He is being deceived not to see the atrocities and deceit of the Buhari administration. At the eleventh hour, Guterres's itinerary has been amended to divert him from the theatres of the atrocious bestiality of killers, murderers, Fulani terrorists, herders and kidnappers that the Buhari administration has treated with kid gloves.

 

"The pedigree, antecedents, spoken words and body language of Buhari as a person supports the evil being perpetrated by his kinsmen against the people of the South and Middle-Belt of Nigeria.

 

 

 

"The policies and politics of his administration give a fillip to the same. Buhari is the reason why Nigeria is on fire. In a supposed democracy, Buhari's government is a government of the Fulani by the Fulani and for the Fulani.

 

 

 

"Interestingly, the Fulani are a minuscular ethnic group of a few million people in a country of over 200 million people of diverse ethnic nationalities. Interestingly, too, the Fulani are not autochthonous to Nigeria. Their history is as recent as the 19th century whereas the other nationalities have inhabited the political space called Nigeria from the beginning of time.

 

 

 

 

 

"The coming of Buhari and his nepotistic tendencies, his Fulanization agenda, and his contempt for the fundamental and inalienable rights of other Nigerian ethnic nationalities is why the country may explode in his face sooner than later.

 

"This is why we the Yoruba, after deaf ears have been turned to our cries for justice, equity and fairness in a country we call ours, have decided to opt out of Nigeria and form our own Oodua or Yoruba nation.

 

 

 

"As Your Excellency is very much aware, these are our God-given and inalienable rights under the Constitution of the UN over which you superintend and the Charter of Indigenous Nationalities and People's rights.

 

"Pursuant to these, we the Yoruba people have registered with the UNPO and are vigorously pursuing our goal of extricating ourselves from the contraption called Nigeria through legal and peaceful means.

 

 

 

"We need not tell Your Excellency that the UN has an obligation to assist us in this regard. We cannot continue to be treated as slaves, as conquered people and as second-class citizens in our own country.

 

 

 

 

 

"Your Excellency, permit me to say that the UN should act while there is still time for a peaceful resolution of the Nigerian quagmire. We have so far restrained our people from taking the law into their own hands. But time is running out! And the arrogance, imprudence and impunity of the Fulani edged on by their patron, Muhammadu Buhari, has not helped matters.

 

 

 

"Your Excellency cannot get the true picture of how close to the precipice Nigeria is unless you visit the theatres of the criminality of this government. Visit the Middle Belt, behold the atrocities of Fulani herdsmen and marvel.

 

 

 

"Visit the Southwest; if you will not talk to anyone at all talk to Chief Olu Falae, a one-time Secretary of the Federal Government, one-time Minister of Finance and presidential candidate and listen to his harrowing multiple experiences in the hands of rampaging Fulani herdsmen.

 

 

 

"Speak with octogenarian Pa Reuben Fasoranti, erstwhile leader of Afenifere, whose daughter was murdered in her prime by Fulani herdsmen.

 

 

 

"Visit Ifon, also in Ondo State, whose traditional ruler was murdered by Fulani herdsmen. Visit Southern Kaduna where ethnic cleansing is a daily activity of the murderous Fulani nihilists. Same thing is happening in Taraba, Plateau, Niger, Ogun and Oyo states where Fulani herdsmen maim, rape, kill farmers and destroy farmlands in their land-grabbing drive across the southern region of the country.

 

 

 

"Your Excellency, the list is endless! And the atrocities have not abated. The Buhari administration refuses to allow the victims arm and defend themselves whereas the murderers are allowed to roam about with AK-47 looting, raping, maiming, and killing.

 

 

 

"Your Excellency must speak with the right people who will paint the correct picture of our parlous situation: a parlous and debt-ridden economy; restive and restless youths; collapsed educational system, hyperinflation, runaway unemployment, insecurity, corruption never before witnessed in this country, and a country divided than even during its Civil war period."

 

 

 

Akintoye also advised the UN chief that if he wants to get a true picture of the country's situation, he should have an audience with the likes of himself (Akintoye), the Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo; Bishop Matthew Kukah, Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue State and the leadership of Self-Determination Movements in the South East.

 

 

 

"You must be aware of how the secret security service (DSS) of the Buhari administration invaded the home of Yoruba self-determination activist, Sunday Adeyemo Ighoho, killing and maiming innocent and law-abiding citizens and destroying property worth millions of dollars.

 

 

 

"The Nigerian court system has described the invasion as lawless and vagrant violation of Igboho's rights. Costs running into billions of Naira were awarded against the Nigerian government.

 

 

 

"But the Buhari government is lawless and cherry-picks which court decisions to obey and which to disregard. In saner climes which I am sure you are familiar with, the law is no respecter of persons and court judgments are binding on all. Not so the Buhari administration!

 

 

 

"Hence, the generally acclaimed estimation of Nigeria today as a failed state. But before the situation gets out of hand, please act quickly!

 

 

 

"Before war breaks out in Nigeria with the humanitarian crisis this portends for the entire West African subregion and even beyond, please act decisively. A stitch in time, as they say, saves nine.”

 

 

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Kayode Fayemi

The Ekiti Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Wednesday, said it is not the job of the Nigerian Government to address unemployment.
Fayemi, after declaring to contest for President, said the government can only create the enabling environment for job creation to thrive, PUNCH reports.
  Kayode Fayemi
Fayemi was speaking during a ‘Question and Answer’ session shortly after his official declaration to contest for the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
“It is not the job of the government to address unemployment, it is our job to create the enabling environment to allow employment to happen,” the Ekiti governor said.
 
“We will create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and then these businesses will create jobs in the process.”
Fayemi also said he does not have a challenge with any mode of primaries his party adopts ahead of the Presidential election.
The party’s primaries will be held from May 30 to June 1, 2022.
 
 
 
 
He said, “Let me begin with our constitution. The constitution of our party identifies three ways to conduct our primaries. Now we have an electoral act that says to have consensus, all parties must sign up.
 
“I think for me, whatever route we take must also capture the voice of our people. Both inside and outside of our party, people should have a say in the party affairs.
 
“I have no problems with direct or indirect primaries. Whatever gives us the opportunity to engage Nigerians in a way that best suits them and gives party members the freedom to decide the future of our country.”

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Adams Oshiomhole, a former Edo Governor, has declared to contest for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
 
The former APC national chairman declared his intention to join the presidential race on Wednesday.

Oshiomhole is joining other APC members including Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba; Ekiti Governor, Kayode Fayemi and Jigawa Governor, Muhammad Badaru, seeking to replace Buhari in 2023.
Oshiomhole’s media aide, Victor Oshioke, earlier said his principal had been rescheduled for Wednesday after the initial postponement due to short notice given to his supporters.
“The formal declaration of Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole to contest for the office of President, Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 2023 general election on the platform of the APC which was postponed has now been rescheduled, after extensive consultations, to hold as follows: Date: Wednesday, May 4th 2022. Time 3 pm Prompt.
“Venue: Cyprian Ekwensi Center for Arts and Culture, Area 10 Abuja,” Oshioke had said in a message.

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Some Nigerians who fell victim to the 86fb Football Ponzi Scheme have cried out for help after losing over N200 billion to the investment platform.
 
SaharaReporters gathered that thousands of Nigerians had invested funds in the company which claimed to return 3% profit on the initial investment.
 
However, the company had stopped paying investors. Some of the victims told SaharaReporters that the company had dubiously registered under the Corporate Affairs Commission using the passport document of a Nigerian young lady named: Alozie Chidiebube Chimuanya, with the help of a lawyer, Bernard Andah Damisa.
 
According to them, the company has moved over N200 billion using Tether (USDT), a blockchain-based cryptocurrency whose tokens in circulation are backed by an equivalent amount of U.S. dollars. They also claimed the company had stolen another $52 million (N21.5 billion).
 
They further called for an investigation into the issue so as to bring the perpetrators to book.
 
One of the victims, who said he invested the money taken from his boss at work said he might be sacked anytime soon.
He said, “It is about 86fb Football Ponzi Scheme, an alleged faceless Chinese which has scammed millions of Nigerians with the help of some of our fellow Nigerians and banks.
 
“This company (86fb Football Technology) is registered under CAC in a dubious method, using the passport document of a Nigerian Young Lady Named: Alozie Chidiebube Chimuanya, through the help of a lawyer whose name is Bernard Andah Damisa.
 
“Most of the naira bank accounts used in scamming us were allegedly under the signatory to the Chinese nationals, it is alleged that the amount was about N200 billion and $52 million has been moved through USDT based on intelligence report.
 
“We want you to use your office to help us to bring all involved in this Ponzi scheme to book, starting with the lawyer who facilitated the registration of the company and who is also the secretary to the company, the banks used to move funds to provide the customer details for further investigations.”
However, SaharaReporters noticed the company had put a statement on its website admitting that it was struggling and in a crisis.
The statement reads, “A letter to all users of 86fb Dear all users of 86fb, when you see this announcement, that may be when our company is struggling. A series of things have happened recently that make us unable to operate normally, and 86fb apologize for this!
“The purpose of today's announcement is very clear. I want to explain to you why 86fb cannot withdraw cash normally? The reason is because we are maliciously freezing all our funds by a payment company called Flutterwave, which maliciously freezes our funds and repeatedly wants to take the funds as their own.
“And through cooperating with the local police to blackmail us 86fb, we have not yielded, we have been trying our best to protect the rights and interests of every user, but the other party has a strong background in Nigeria, we cannot fight against it, so now 86fb cannot withdraw money normally!
“For everyone's funds, and for the dignity of 86fb, we will not bow to this force! On behalf of 86fb, I implore you all to fight with me against Flutterwave's malicious behavior of unreasonably freezing funds. I hope you can help us get justice. Here I announce the address of the Flutterwave payment company. If the money is to be returned, 86fb solemnly promises that once the funding problem is resolved, we will pay all users’ funds as soon as possible!
“Thanks for being with you all the way Flutterwave address: At present, I have received feedback from many members that they have to get their own money when they find Flutterwave, so the platform recommends everyone to go to the Flutterwave payment company to get back their own funds!”

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A 54-year-old pastor, Michael Oliseh, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his friend’s 12-year-old twin daughters, by an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court sitting in Lagos State.
Abiola Soladoye while delivering the judgement on Wednesday described Oliseh, the assistant Pastor of the Anointed Chosen Vessel Ministry in Okota, Lagos, as a “serial rapist” who took turns raping his friend’s daughters.

The judge ruled that the prosecution had convincingly proved the charges of defilement against Oliseh beyond any reasonable doubt, while she sentenced Oliseh to life imprisonment on the two-count charge bordering on defilement.
She said, “The testimony of the defendant portrayed him as a serial rapist who took turns to defile the survivors.
“What a disloyal and untrustworthy pastor, who shamelessly and audaciously had sexual intercourse with his friend’s children who were entrusted in his care. His conduct is unbecoming of a pastor.
“Having been found guilty as charged with the two offences, the defendant is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment.”
She said the sentences should run concurrently, adding that the convict should have his name entered in the Sex Offenders Register of the Lagos State Government.
Mrs Soladoye also berated the parents of the survivors for lack of discipline by sending the survivors to stay with the convict.
“Parents of the survivors lack discipline and ought not to have sent their children to go stay in Oliseh’s house. Children are not to be entrusted with randy adults. They should be kept in the hands of responsible adults who have their goodwill at heart.
“The need for responsible parenting cannot be overemphasised,” the judge said.
According to the prosecution counsel, Olufunke Adegoke, Mr Oliseh committed the crimes sometimes in November 2017 in Ago, near Okota, a suburb of Lagos.
Ms Adegoke said the defendant raped the survivors after their father had entrusted them in his care and travelled to the village for a burial.
She said that Oliseh then threatened the survivors that their father would become jobless if they told anyone about the sexual encounter.
She also submitted that Oliseh was caught by one of the neighbours after he had chased one of the survivors in the compound and dragged her with her pant.
According to the report, the prosecution said the offences violated Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

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Abidemi Rufai, suspended aide to Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun, has pleaded guilty in a US district court in Tacoma to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
 
Rufai has been in detention since his arrest in New York in May 2021.
 
The US government arraigned him on 15 counts of fraud and identity theft at the District Court for the Western District of Washington, Tacoma, on June 25, 2021.
 
He is accused of using the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to steal more than $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
 
In a statement on Tuesday, the US department of justice said Rufai admitted using stolen identities to receive thousands of dollars in pandemic-related unemployment benefits.
 
He also admitted to having obtained identifying information since 2017 for more than 20,000 Americans, submitted $2 million in claims for disaster relief and other federal benefits, and received more than $600,000.
 
The largest amount of fraud was committed against the Washington state employment security department, which paid out $350,763 in fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims to accounts controlled by Rufai.
 
Rufai was also said to have submitted fraudulent pandemic unemployment claims in at least 17 other states including Hawaii, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, and Pennsylvania.
 
“Rufai also defrauded the Small Business Administration (SBA) by attempting to obtain Economic Injury Disaster loans (EIDL) tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Between April 8, 2020, and June 26, 2020, he submitted 19 fraudulent EIDL applications.  SBA paid out $10,000 based on the applications,” the statement reads.
 
“Between 2017 and 2020, Rufai attempted to obtain more than $1.7 million in IRS tax refunds by submitting 675 false claims.  The IRS paid out $90,877 on these claims.
 
“Rufai’s efforts to enrich himself with false disaster claims did not start with COVID-19.  In September and October 2017, he submitted 49 disaster relief claims connected to Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.  He filed $24,500 in false claims and was paid on 13 claims totalling $6,500.”
 
The US authorities said Rufai has agreed to make full restitution to the defrauded agencies.
 
Rufai faces up to 32 years in prison for wire fraud related to a presidentially declared disaster and aggravated identity theft but the US justice department said prosecutors have agreed to recommend no more than 71 months in prison.
 
This comes a few weeks after Governor Abiodun confirmed he was arrested in the United States over credit card fraud and forgery in 1986.
 
The governor disclosed this while responding to a petition submitted by an APC member, Ayodele Oludiran on behalf of Oluwatobi Sofela of Ogun Bibire Unity Forum to the National Chairman of the party, Abdulahi Adamu.
 
Sofela had warned that the party might lose the governorship seat in Ogun due to Abiodun’s criminal history and its concealment from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) despite swearing an oath.
 
SaharaReporters had in March published the criminal record of how Abiodun was jailed in 1986 for credit card fraud in Miami Dade Florida, USA.
 
The governor was said to have used a pseudo name (Shawn Michael Davids) with the aim of concealing his criminal identity.
 
The record revealed that Abiodun was jailed for committing criminal offences which bordered on credit card fraud, petty theft and check forgery.
 
He was arrested on November 7, 1986, for fighting and injuring a police officer in an attempt to resist arrest.
 
While being processed at the station, his fingerprint was run through the crime database and it was discovered that the Adedapo Oluseun Abiodun being processed for detention was the same as Shawn Michael Davids.
 
His criminal record and history were thus cemented and he was jailed.
 
According to some documents obtained by SaharaReporters, Abiodun's jail number was 8600B9436.
 
In 2015, while contesting for the Ogun East Senatorial seat against the late Buruji Kasamu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he applied for the redaction of his criminal records in Miami Dade, Florida.
 

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