Bankole granted bail, re-arrested

On Monday, former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, was swiftly re-arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after an Abuja High Court granted him bail.

He was re-arraigned along with his former Deputy, Usman Nafada, on fresh 17 counts of criminal breach of trust, misappropriation, and theft.

Bankole and Nafada allegedly obtained and dishonestly disbursed N37.7 billion without the authorisation of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

They both pleaded not guilty, and their counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, made an oral application for bail, which was turned down by Justice Sulaiman Belgore.

“The hearing of (written) bail application depends on how quick you file it,” the Judge said.

Awomolo asked for the accused persons to be remanded in EFCC custody but prosecution counsel, Festus Keyamo, opted for prison custody, saying the EFCC has no space for them.

However, Belgore ruled that they be remanded in EFCC custody, and adjourned the case until June 16 for ruling on the bail application.

The charge sheet alleged that, while in office, Bankole and Nafada:

• Incurred an illegal expenditure of over N40 billion.

• In August last year, they obtained a loan of N5.48 billion for recurrent expenditure without due process.

• In October and November last year, they obtained two loans, N6 billion and N4 billion, to augment the allowances and running costs of House members.

• In January and May this year, they used the overhead account of the House to obtain loans of N10.38 billion and N12 billion to augment allowances and running costs.

• They committed a felony, to wit: criminal breach of trust by agreeing to approve the allowances and/or running costs of House members in violation of the approved Remuneration Package for Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders by the RMAFC and the Revised Financial Regulations of the Federal Government of Nigeria, 2009.

• Bankole and Nafada sometime around January 2011, being entrusted with the House’s account number 00390070000018 with the United Bank of Africa (UBA), dishonestly used the account to obtain a loan of N10,380,000,000 from the bank to augment the allowances and running costs of House members in violation of the law.

However, Federal High Court Chief Judge, Ibrahim Auta, has blamed the EFCC for the delay in the trial of corruption cases.

He said the Commission files incessant amendments to charges, which delay cases, and amount to “dancing on one spot.”

Auta bared his thoughts when he visited EFCC Chairman Farida Waziri, in her office in Abuja.

He acknowledged that the judiciary system is slow, but said “one thing that also delays cases is this issue of amendment. Any time you amend a charge, the court will have to start all over again.”

He noted that interlocutory matters like bail applications, applications for release of travel documents, and jurisdiction, among other issues, are often used by defence counsel to delay cases and to start the process afresh – as “any motion, no matter how ridiculous, must be heard in court.”

Auta charged EFCC officials to conclude investigations before presenting suspects in court for trial.

“I will suggest that before arrest is made, everything is concluded. The moment the person is charged to court, or his liberties are breached, the facts to try him should be already there.

“You have to work on that so you do not file charges and later come and amend again. It gives the wrong impression anyway.”

He also sought an amendment of the Criminal Procedure Act so that suspects can be tried anywhere other than the location of the alleged crime.

He lamented a situation where a former Governor is tried in a state where he held sway and has made friends in the right places, saying even witnesses fail to turn up in court at such trials.

Auta stressed the need for collaboration between the judiciary and EFCC.

“If the EFCC is working left and we are working right, we are not going to hit the point, and the point is that justice must be done and corruption reduced drastically,” he added.

Waziri disclosed that the EFCC has over 65 high profile cases in courts across the country and many of them have been pending for over four years.

“They have not gone beyond the plea stage,” she noted.

“When the public tries to analyse the slow pace of the trial of high profile cases in comparison to the quick determination of small offenders, they tend to blame the EFCC.”

Waziri maintained that a high record of conviction would give a warning sign to others and help formulate policies for government.

Auta was accompanied on the visit by Justices Abdul Kafarati, Gladys Olotu, and Gabriel Kolawole.

Also on Monday, the National Renaissance Movement (NRM) asked the EFCC to extend its probe to other principal officers of the House who served with Bankole and Nafada.

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Kidnap of hunchbacked student sets Ogun university town on edge

The kidnap of an undergraduate of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Wasiu Olalekan Balogun has thrown the university community and the host town into serious confusion, with students threatening a violent protest if the student, who has an hunchback, is not released.

The 200 level accounting student, who went missing about a week ago, was said to have been abducted by some armed men while he was with his girlfriend in the town.

The missing students' colleagues at the weekend embarked on a protest to the palace of the traditional ruler of the town, the Ebuwame of Ago Iwoye, Abdul-Rasaq Adenugba, to lodge a complaint of their missing colleague.

The royal father, while profusely begging the protesting students not to be violent, recalled that the effect of an earlier violent approach used five years ago during a clash between the students and the community is still being felt in the community.

Mr Adenugba appealed to the protesters to be calm and assured them that security operatives were on top of the situation.

However, NEXT investigations in the town also revealed the presence of an active kidnapping gang in the town. Some of the residents say these people sometimes pretend to be alms beggars or lunatics to carry out their evil deeds.

Some colleagues of Mr Balogun however said the reason why they were worried was about his fate was the belief that people with a hunchback are usually killed for money rituals.

"Some dubious students who are involved in crime, known in the parlance as Yahoo plus, may not be ruled out from the crime," one of the student said, speaking anonymously.

Working on the rescue The University's spokesperson, Sam Oyeleye said the school authority is working with security operatives to unravel the kidnap saga, adding that the university has also put in place internal security mechanism to ensure the safety of other students.

Mr Oyeleye said the university was optimistic that the missing student will be rescued in due course and that his abductors will be fished out.

He assured the students body and parents not to entertain further fear, saying meetings were ongoing with security agents and community leaders towards ensuring an enduring peace. He also said on-going examinations would not be disrupted by the incident.

"The school is now working in conjunction with security agents to maintain the existing peace," Mr Oyeleye said. "We are not ready in any form to compromise, that is why meeting holds between security operatives, Director Students Affairs, Principal Officers of the university." The Police Command's Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi also assured that the victim would be rescue. He also gave assurance that the kidnappers would be arrested in due course, as the authority is closing on the criminals.

"We are on trail of the suspect kidnappers and the community is equally assisting us on this, and so far we are getting positive results," Mr Adejobi told Next. "We have deployed three teams of our men into the town to comb the area." He said the state Commissioner of Police, at the weekend travelled to the town over the case, pointing out that students have been warned not to embark on any violence of any form to avoid community clash.

"We are also working hand in hand with the students body, university authority as well as the community to get to the root of the matter, and by God's grace we are going to rescue the victim and arrest the suspects. We don't want any community clash as it happened about five years ago,' he said.

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Shell invokes force majeure over multiple pipeline incidents

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) has fallen back on the force majeure clause in its contract on Bonny Light loadings for June and July 2011. The force majeure regime came into effect at noon yesterday.

The declaration, according to the firm, is as a result of the production cutbacks caused by leaks and fires which occurred last week on the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP).

Force majeure, a French legal term which means ‘superior force’, is a common clause in contracts that basically frees one or both parties from liability or obligation in the event of extraordinary circumstances which are usually beyond the control of both parties such as war, strike, riots, or natural disasters such as flooding, earthquake and so on.

“Joint Investigation Visits comprising government agencies, communities and SPDC found that the incidents were caused by hacksaw cuts which indicate third party interference and activities of unknown persons,” Shell said in a statement issued yesterday.

“The leaks have been repaired leading to resumption of production on June 12. The TNP which transports production from SPDC and third parties in its Eastern operations to Bonny Terminal, was affected by leaks and five separate fire incidents on both the 24” and 28” lines in Bodo, Bera, Biera and Mogho all in Ogoniland, on June 9. SPDC immediately shut the lines, mobilised its pipelines response and fire fighting teams and extinguished the fires by June 11”.

According to Shell, the production deferment over the period has affected the loading programme at the Bonny Terminal; it would now have to advise customers of a revised schedule.

Babs Omotowa, Vice President HSE, Infrastructure & Logistics, Shell Sub-Saharan Africa, said the leaks and fires show a worrying trend not only on the TNP but also on the firm’s facilities elsewhere.

“Sadly, the trend is continuing unabated. At the end of April, we recorded more than 35 sabotage spills,” Mr Omotowa said. “SPDC is continuing to upgrade facilities, replace pipelines and improve oil spill response systems. But no matter how much we improve our performance, until the activities of oil thieves and illegal refiners are brought to an end, the vast majority of oil spills in the Niger Delta will continue.”

Nigeria has suffered much crude oil theft, also known as bunkering, which remains widespread and out of control in the Niger Delta region of the nation. Efforts to destroy illegal oil refineries spotted among the creeks of the Niger Delta has proven to be almost as dangerous for the soldiers working there as for the oil thieves, who sometimes turn the stolen crude oil into homemade petrol.

About two years ago, the federal government introduced an amnesty programme for gunmen in the region, a move which industry watchers thought would bring the nation respite.

It is feared that bunkering, an activity which has been a part of life for years in Nigeria and has cost the nation fortunes, may still be around for years to come.

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Opinion leader commends Oyo workers over strike suspension

An Ibadan opinion leader, Lekan Balogun, has commended the Oyo State workers for their resolve not to go on strike as earlier threatened over the minimum wage.

The workers, under the aegis of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), held a congress at the weekend to discuss the intervention by eminent citizens of the state over the issue of the N18,000 new minimum wage, and agreed to suspend their plan to commence strike today (Monday).

Shortly before the end of his tenure, the immediate past governor of the state, Adebayo Alao-Akala, had approved the new minimum wage and signed it into law.

He also told the workers that the state government headed by Abiola Ajimobi will implement the new pay regime as soon as he comes into power.

But, Mr Ajimobi, on assumption of office, told the workers that the current income of the state would not support the pay. He, instead, offered to increase the workers' pay to meet with that of the highest paying state in the Southwest, reiterating his interest in raising the standard of living of workers.

State chairman of the congress, Bashiru Olanrewaju, appealed to members at the weekend and made them see why they had to wait till further negotiations are made with the government before making up their minds on the strike.

Matured workers

Mr Balogun said the decision of the workers is a reflection of their high level of maturity.

While calling on the state government to reciprocate the gesture by ensuring that living wages are paid to workers, he opined that committing about 80-90 percent of the state's resources to salaries every month will not augur well for the state.

"There is no way the state can progress with the commitment of about 80-90 percent of the total revenue of the state to the payment of workers salary and there is no way the state can progress with ill-motivated workers which is why I said there should be more dialogue to arrive at a middle level approach for the benefit of all and sundry," he said.

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Boko Haram Demands Governor’s Resignation!

While the Federal Government and the Borno State Government have indicated readiness to enter into a dialogue which might eventually lead to the pardon of members of the Boko Haram sect that has unleashed violence in some parts of the Northern Nigeria, the sect seems ready to continue its nefarious activitiesin the region. The Boko Haram sect has listed a number of demands which it says would determine whether it would enter into any negotiation or not.
The demands were printed in leaflets and circulated around Maiduguri, Borno State and they include the resignation of the Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, the adoption of strict Sharia Islamic law in the northern part of Nigeria, as well as the release of all its detained members.
The Islamic sect is also demanding the prosecution of the immediate past Governor of Borno State for the killing of its leader two years ago. According to the statement issued by the sect, the deployment of more security personnel will not deter them from carrying out attacks in the state.
The sect has been launching violent attacks on Borno State and environs since 2009. The group has also claimed responsibility for some of the bombings in the northern part of Nigeria as well as attacks on a number of police stations across Borno State. The group is also believed to be responsible for the death of the All Nigeria Peoples’ Party’s governorship candidate just before the last elections.
The state government was yet to issue an official reaction as at the time of filing this report.

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Nigerian Islamists open fire on beer garden, kill four

Suspected members of a radical Islamic sect have shot dead four people at a beer garden in a north Nigerian town where the group recently staged bomb and gun attacks, police said Monday.

"Four people were killed in an attack by gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram sect on a beer parlour in the Bulunkutu surburb of the city last night," Zakari Adamu, assistant police commissioner for Borno state told AFP.

The attack occurred in Maiduguri, the northeastern city which has been the focus of many attacks and where the group staged an uprising two years ago.

"The gunmen opened fire on people drinking in the beer parlour, killing four before engaging in a shootout with police who were attracted to the scene by gunshots", Adamu said on the phone from Maiduguri.

The assailants escaped.

Although Borno state is one of the 12 northern Nigerian states that have adopted the Muslim Sharia law, which bans alcohol, people there still drink beer openly.

The attack came a week after multiple bomb explosions and shootings targeting two police stations and a church rocked the city.

At least 14 people, including a pentecostal church pastor, were killed and 17 others seriously injured in the attacks.

Police have intensified surveillance in Maiduguri since last week's attacks, leading to 19 arrests and the recovery of weapons including two rocket launchers and kalashnikov rifles.

"We arrested 14 people along with the weapons while five others were arrested for bringing in bombs into the city," said Adamu.

The suspects have been taken to the police headquarters in Nigeria's capital Abuja for further investigation, he said.

Boko Haram, also known as the Nigerian Talibans, launched an uprising in 2009 which was put down by a brutal military assault that left hundreds dead.

The sect, which has pushed for the creation of an Islamic state, has been blamed for shootings of police and community leaders, bomb blasts and raids on churches, police stations and a prison.

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I was not a party to June 12 annulment -Mark

The President of the Senate, Senator David Mark has disclosed that he is an unrepentant democrat and that his premature retirement from the military was because of his support for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.

He also denied any involvement in the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election which was adjudged the best election conducted in the country and won by late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola. Mark noted that “I was certainly not a party to it nor was I aware of it.”

Mark, who was recently re-elected Senate President, made this known in a book, entitled, “The shepherd cometh.” He said that he was retired from the military because of his conviction that democracy must be restored in the country.

In the book which is expected to be presented to the public soon, Senator Mark described the allegation that himself and some other senior officers held former President Ibrahim Babangida hostage and forced him to annul the election as wild, untrue and must be discarded.

According to him, “Although, I was a Brigadier General, I was not part of the administration at that time. I was not a member of the National Defence Security Council, NDSC, or the executive council. I had been assigned as Director of Strategic Studies at the National War College and in fact was lecturing on the role of military in a democratic society.”

The book which was edited by the former Editor of New Nigeria Newspapers, NNN, Mallam Yakubu Aliyu, chronicled the political events between 1992 and 1999, putting Senator David Mark in perspective.

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Fake dispatch: Presidency denies publication, demands apology

The Presidency has denied a publication by one of the nation’s media houses which reported, yesterday, details of a dispatch said to have been written by an official of the Embassy of the United States in Nigeria. The publication accused the Presidency of interfering with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) with the aim of using them for its personal and political interests.

The rebuttal was contained in a release made available to Sunday Tribune from the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity on Saturday.

“The Presidency is shocked, but hardly surprised that the newspaper, in an accustomed act of wanton irresponsibility, published today (yesterday) plainly false details of a fake dispatch purportedly written by an official of the Embassy of the United States in Nigeria.

“We wholly condemn this cheap and totally unimaginative attempt to denigrate the character and integrity of the President on the pages of a newspaper published under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which expressly forbid false publications, libel, defamation and sedition,” the statement stated.

While demanding for immediate apology from the newspaper and a complete retraction of the publication, the Presidency denied any interference with the activities of the anti-graft agencies, stressing that “President Jonathan is fully committed to the relentless prosecution of the war against corruption in Nigeria and will never, for personal or political reasons, interfere with the work of the EFCC, ICPC and other agencies involved in the effort to stamp out corruption.”

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PDP chieftains deride plot to remove Obasanjo as BOT chairman

One time Senatorial aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Adenigba Fadahunsi, at the weekend absolved former President Olusegun Obasanjo of blame in the dwindling fortunes of the party in the South-West, just as he said plans to dent the image of the former President as a leader in Yorubaland would fail.

Also, the Chairman, Osun State Chapter of PDP, said it amounted to scapegotism for anyone to ascribe the loss of South West by PDP to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), as he stressed that the people of the zone know the principal factors that made PDP to lose the zone during the last elections.

Fadahunsi also berated moves by some party leaders in the South-West to instigate the removal of Obasanjo as the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees (BOT), indicating that committed members of PDP in the South-West zone would stiffly resist the move in the interest of the PDP in the zone.

The former chieftain of Nigerian Customs made this known in a chat with newsmen in Abuja, as he debunked reports that he was part of a meeting which resolved to subvert the authorities of Obasanjo as the BOT chairman and a leader in Yorubaland.

He said he was never part of such a meeting, stressing that his name was only mentioned in media reports by certain individuals out of mischief and deep-seated aversion they had for Obasanjo’s leading role in Yoruba politics.

He contended that those behind the plot to rubbish Obasanjo had nothing to offer the people of South-West other than chaos, as according to him, the zone never requires any form of crisis in its leadership cadre in view of influences that South-West could tap from an experienced politician like Obasanjo.

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Nigerian jailed in UK for fake marriage

A Nigerian, Abraham Akinola, 32, also known as Gafar Makanjuola, and his partner, Roqsilmar Marti, 28, a lesbian from Netherlands, have been jailed by a court in the United Kingdom for conspiracy to enter into fake marriage.

Akinola attempted to go into a contractual marriage with Marti, an European citizen to secure his stay in London, United Kingdom.

Akinola and his supposed wife-to-be, Roqsilmar’s plan of getting married on August 25 last year at St. John’s Church, Tilbury, Essex in the United Kingdom, was thwarted by security operatives tipped off by the church priest, Father Tim Colding, after he suspected a foul play in their wedding plans when the couple made an application on June 6 last year.

Abraham gave two different addresses on the wedding paper.

The priest noticed a problem with the paperwork and tipped off the Essex Police and Borders Agency officials.

On the morning of the wedding, police officers and borders agency official already hiding in the vestry, waited for Marti, who dressed in a dark suit and white blouse to walk up the aisle, to later be joined by her husband and both were arrested moments before they were due to exchange their vows.

Reports had it that Akinola’s case was not the first time Colding had given away suspicious couples planning for their wedding, he had reported more than 60 cases to the police as the priest believed that fraudsters were targeting his church because of its growing ethnic diversity.

The presiding judge, John Lodge, said Akinola wanted to gain from the marriage by staying in the UK, but for Marti, it was for financial gain.

Akinola claimed he had suffered physical and mental abuse at the hands of his family during his childhood and had fled Nigeria for a new life in the UK.

If the marriage to an European citizen was successful, he would have gained the right to live, work and claim benefits in Britain.

Marti, who had been involved in a lesbian relationship for the past eight years left her partner and travelled to the UK, but it was her worried partner who found her missing for days that reported her to the police on her wedding day.

Marti was reportedly promised £2,000 for her role in the sham marriage which she was said to be planning to use it to pay for her sick father’s medical bills.

Detective Sergeant Andy Harvey of Essex Police said after the arrests in August: “Sham weddings are big business with the organisers charging £10,000 or more to arrange ceremonies and to pay ‘brides’ and ‘witnesses’.

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22 prisoners get amnesty in Bauchi

IN his efforts to decongest Bauchi prisons and in exercise of the amnesty provision of the Nigerian Constitution, the Chief Judge of Bauchi State, Justice Ibrahim Zango, has freed 22 inmates of the Bauchi prisons.

Justice Zango ordered their freedom when he paid an unscheduled visit to the prison, on Thursday.
Justice Zango, at the visit, observed that some of the inmates had overstayed, while awaiting trials, hence his decision to set them free, considering their age and health condition.

The Chief Judge then urged the freed inmates, which included three people who were between the age of 78 and 90 years, to be of good behaviour while enjoying their normal life.

Also speaking during the visit, the state Comptroller of Prison, Abubakar Garba, commended the Chief Judge and urged him to continue with such visit to various prisons in the state.

This, he said, would help to decongest the prisons in the state.

He called on the government to improve the welfare of the inmate, saying that their current situation was deplorable.

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Contract scam: Why Bankole should not be granted bail – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, pleaded a Federal High Court in Abuja, to dismiss the bail application that was filed before it by the embattled former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, insisting that the applicant, if free, will interfere with other investigations involving him.

The anti-graft agency stated this on a day the accused person, implored the High Court to take cognizance of his antecedents and grant him bail, vowing that he would be available for the continuation of his trial.

Bankole, through his counsel, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo, SAN, begged the trial judge in the matter, Justice Donatus Okorowo, to consider the well being of his two kids and aged parents, and order his immediate release from the custody of the EFCC, just as he described all the allegations that were leveled against him as baseless.

Arguing a 20 paragraphed affidavit he filed in support of his motion for bail, the former speaker relied on a Court of Appeal decision in James Ibori Vs Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as Supreme Court decision in Bamiyi Vs State, reported in the 8-NWLR, to insist that fears expressed by the EFCC that he would abscond from the country, was not enough reason for the court to deny him bail.

According to his counsel, Awomolo, SAN, “the fear that an accused person will run away is not a reason to deny him bail as jumping bail also has its own criminal consequences. The world is now a small global village where criminals have no hiding place.

“Going by the provisions of section 86, 87, 88 and 89 of the Evidence Act, a court can only act on legally admissible evidence whether oral or documentary. EFCC’s allegation that a security aide to the accused person informed it about his plans to abscond to the United Kingdom before he was arrested, offends the provisions of the Evidence Act as the prosecution failed to state the name of that security aide”, he argued.

Consequently, he pleaded the court to expunge paragraphs 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29 and 31 of the counter affidavit that was filed by the EFCC in opposition to the bail application, maintaining that they were speculative .

In his response, the prosecuting counsel, Mr Festus Keyamo, urged the court to refuse the application in its entirety, stressing that the accused failed to place sufficient materials capable of swaying the discretion of the court in his favour.

Keyamo insisted that there was enough prima-facie proof of evidence linking the accused person to the alleged crime, adding that he (Bankole), even made his matter worse by citing the case of James Ibori.

“It is ridiculous that the accused person has placed reliance on the case involving James Ibori. This is a very bad case for him because Ibori eventually ran away to Dubai thereby proving the fears that EFCC earlier expressed before the trial court.

“Even at that my Lord, Ibori’s case at that point in time was an alleged fear that he would jump bail, but we are categorically saying that it is a reality that the accused person in the instant case, Bankole, will run once he is released on bail.

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Access Bank: Ruling In Akingbola’s Suit On Monday

JUSTICE Okechukwu Okeke of a Federal High Court in Lagos will on 14 June, 2011 deliver his ruling in a suit filed by the former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Erastus Akingbola and an erstwhile Executive Director of the bank, Mr Bayo Dada, in which they were challenging the planned sale of the bank to Access Bank.

The date was fixed by the judge after counsel in the matter argued and adopted their written submissions on the preliminary objections filed by the defendants.

The duo of Akingbola and Dada are challenging the propriety of a purported Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for business combination signed by Intercontinental Bank and Access Bank, without recourse to them as shareholders and members of Intercontinental bank.

Akingbola and Dada had listed Intercontinental Bank and its Managing Director, Mahmoud Lai Alabi and other Directors, Abubakar Sule, Gbenga Alade, Olusegun Osilowo and Suleiman Yusuf as co-defendants.
The list of defendants also included Intercontinental Bank’s chairman, Raymond Obieri, Seinye Lulu-Briggs, Toyin Philips, Chris Alabi, J.S.P.C Nwokolo, Sanni Adams, Access Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

However, the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) and others, in their preliminary objection, are urging the court to dismiss the suit because the petitioners lacked the locus standi to institute the suit, and that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain it.

The defendants are also contending that the suit was statute-barred, in that it disclosed no reasonable cause of action.

In the main suit, Akingbola and Dada maintained, in an affidavit, that the Managing Director of Access Bank, Aigboje I. Aig-Imoukhuede and his deputy, Herbert Wigwe, are actually indebted to Intercontinental Bank to the tune of N16.247 billion.

The loan, which is said to be outstanding till date, was said to have been procured through a firm, United Alliance Company of Nigeria Limited.

They added that the said United Alliance Company recently wrote a letter dated March 28, 2011 to Alabi (Intercontinental Bank’s MD) claiming that the debt was N10.2 billion, and requested for a change in repayment date up till December. Besides, the plaintiffs stressed that Intercontinental Bank had an excellent business reputation which earned the bank meritorious rating by informed industry watchers, but that the fortune of the bank nose-dived when Sanusi sacked them on August 14, 2009 without lawful reason and fair hearing.

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Alao-Akala left N4.8bn debt —Ajimobi •I left no debt —Alao-Akala •Gov to probe past administration

Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, has disclosed that the immediate past administration of Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala left a debt of N4.8 billion, withdrew N3billion from government coffers five days to the end of his administration and left the state finance in a shambles.

Senator Ajimobi, who made the disclosure on Thursday,while featuring on a live interview broadcast on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), said N3billion being proceeds from the sale of government quarters to assuage the suffering of pensioners was withdrawn from the state account by the Alao-Akala-led administration.

But former Governor Alao-Akala said he left no debt for Ajimobi and advised him to rise up to the challenge of his new office and stop lamenting over the state of affairs in the state, because government is a continuum.

Alao-Akala stated this in reaction to the allegation by his successor that he left behind a debt profile of over N4 billion, and single-handedly paid a contractor a sum of N1 billion for a contract that was yet to be completed.

The governor stated that Chief Alao-Akala paid a contractor N1billion mobilisation fee for a yet-to-be executed and hurriedly signed an agreement with labour on the new minimum wage to create problems for the new administration in the state.

He explained that a committee would be set up to look into the accounts of the state and come up with recommendations, accusing the Alao-Akala-led government of incompetence and fraud, while stressing to plug all leakages in government.

On the threat of strike by the state civil servants over the clamour for new minimum wage, he stated that all the monthly takings of the government was N4.2billion which, he said, could not foot a monthly wage bill of N4.4 billion, if the new wage was paid.

He appealed to the workers to accept the salary increase of between 45 and 100 per cent which he discussed with them, pending when there is improvement in government revenue and the constitution of a new House of Assembly to look into the isssue for approval as an extra-budgetary spending, since the new wage was not factored into the 2011 appropriation law.

"The increase we have offered in Oyo State is one that will see a Grade Level 01 worker getting N13,500 monthly, while a Level 16 civil servant will get between N140,000 and N150, 000, as a demonstration of our government's commitment to workers' welfare.Our workers are the least paid in the South-West and we shall definitely do something about that and we have even started," the governor said.

However, speaking with Nigerian Tribune, Chief Alao-Akala said, “Governor Ajimobi should stop lamenting and playing to the gallery, because I did not leave any debt for him to inherit. What he referred to as debt is in fact, the money the state government is owing contractors on ongoing projects. I did not leave any debt for him, because government is a continuum. I did not take any loan from the banks so I did not leave any debt.”

He stated further, “the governor should be bold enough to tell the workers how he stopped their May salary based on N18,000 minimum wage in a letter written to Skye Bank.

“When I came in in 2007, I met debts owed contractors by the previous government and I did not make any noise about it because I realised that government is a continuum. I expect the governor to settle down and face governance because it is not a tea party.”

According to Alao-Akala, “as a governor, I could pay any contractor who has delivered on his job any amount, provided the consultant who handled the project certified that the job had been done to specification. The consultants who supervised the job are there for consultation. But I will advise Ajimobi that he should concentrate on how he is going to make life meaningful for the people instead of crying wolf where there is none.”

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Election Petition Tribunal: Akwa Ibom Govt Alerts On ACN Plan To Kidnap Witnesse

Akwa Ibom State government has uncovered a plot by the opposition party in the state to eliminate people who served as polling agents of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last election in order to prevent them from testifying at the election petition tribunal scheduled to start sitting in Uyo next week.

Governor Godswill Akpabio said in Uyo, on Friday, that there was a security report linking an opposition party in the state to a killer squad hired to attack PDP agents and supporters in order to stop them from coming forward as witnesses when the tribunal begins to hear the case brought by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which is seeking to nullify the victory of the PDP in the last gubernatorial election in the state.

Akpabio was reacting to the shooting in Uyo of Dr Francis Udoikpong, who was the governor’s campaign coordinator in the build-up to the election and the PDP agent for Ika Local Council during the election.

Dr Udoikpong, a former chairman of Ika Local Council, was shot and wounded in Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo, by yet-to-be-identified men on a motor bike.

Deputy governor of the state, Obong Nsima Ekere, said that former ACN members, who defected to the PDP and current members of the ACN, who have accepted the victory of the PDP and congratulated the governor, were also targeted for elimination by the killer squad.

The state chairman of the ACN, Aniekan Akpan, who has since congratulated Governor Akpabio on his victory, confirmed the threat to members of the party who have conceded defeat to the PDP.

Akpan was said to have been threatened through anonymous telephone calls by people who have vowed to deal with him for congratulating the governor and issuing a statement to say that his party, the ACN, lost in a fair and transparent contest.

Obong Ekere, has however, described “the threats and attacks on party members as another desperate and attempt by the opposition to capture power by all means.”

He warned that such desperate politicians are bound to fail because “power comes from God, and it is for the electorate to decide who they want as leaders.”

“Failed politicians in the state should note that sovereignty rests with the people,” Obong Ekere said, adding that the people have spoken.

He observed that those who are behind the renewed spate of violence in the state were the same people who sponsored the mayhem that engulfed the state in the build-up to the last elections.

He explained that the opposition has an agenda to instigate a climate of insecurity and fear in the state because they have found that they could not fault the Akpabio administration on the basis of performance given the uncommon transformation that the governor has brought about in the state.

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NJC Probe: MTN Never Disowned Call Logs - PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the media against misrepresentation of facts emanating from the proceedings of the probe panel set up by the National Judicial Council (NJC) on allegations of malpractices in the handling of Osun and Ekiti states governorship appeals.

A statement issued by the Osun state Chairman of the PDP, Otunba Sunday Ojo-Williams, described the reports carried by some Lagos newspapers on friday that MTN disclaimed the call logs before the panel as deliberate falsehood to mislead members of the public.

"The reports by these newspapers were not only false but cleverly crafted on behalf of Justice Ayo Salami to blackmail, intimidate and put the panel in a tight corner as it seeks to do justice in the matters before it.

"One of the newspapers even attributed its story to the National Security Adviser (NSA) who did not even appear before the panel on the day in question. The NSA appeared almost a month ago to tender call logs of Justice Salami and others given to his office by MTN and other service providers.

"Indeed, the MTN manager brought by Justice Salami on Thursday confirmed during cross examination that MTN supplied the call logs to the NSA and the witness was further made to compare and confirm that the contents of the logs supplied by us were the same as the ones tendered by the NSA," the PDP chairman said.

He added that "Significantly, the MTN man could not have disclaimed the call logs, knowing that there are documents before the panel which effectively showed that the logs are genuine. Even Justice Salami himself confirmed in his written response that he spoke with at least one of the people mentioned in our petition while just last week, Salami brought as witness, Kebbi state ACN governorship candidate, Turaki Kabiru Tanimu, who admitted before the panel that he exchanged text messages with Justice Salami at 4:00 a.m on friday, November 26, 2010, the day the Osun judgement was delivered.”

"We urge the media to be wary of people hawking falsehood about. The Press should take interest in getting accurate reports of the proceedings which should not be too difficult to obtain by any diligent investigative reporter," he said.

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We saved 16.7bn in Katsina State without borrowing a kobo

Katsina state governor, Ibrahim Shema who was sworn in May 29 for a second term, in this interview with explains that the primary responsibilities of government are to provide for the general well being of the people.

He throws light on how his administration in the last four years, saved N16. 7billion and provided projects that touch the lives of the people without borrowing a kobo for four years.

How has it been governing Katsina State in the last four years?

I have always said that power belongs to God and he gives it to whoever he pleases. First of all I thank God for giving me the opportunity to serve.

Ibrahim Shema

Through his mercies, we have done so many things in the last four years to improve the lives of our people. In agricultural sector, education, commerce and health, we have shown that we are here to work for the people. We have put together a 250 bed hospital, the first of its kind to be built and owned by a state government. In the entire northern Nigeria , there is only one such hospital in Kano .

But now this administration has completed a 250 bed hospital. The equipment has been ready, they are on their way, they will soon be here and a 100 percent payment has been made for them. The rural mobile ambulance scheme will be monitored very well because that touches on the very lives of the rural communities.

Every ambulance goes from village to village, to attend to the needy and when there is need for referrals, the ambulances are used to carry people to medical facilities in the state. We did not leave out sporting events. We have expanded and improved most of our sporting facilities.

We are currently building a 35, 000 capacity stadium in the capital in Katsina. In infrastructure, the housing projects will continue. We have built 1, 772 houses in the last two years and this was all done from the purse of the government. We did not borrow a kobo from any bank. We have done road infrastructure.

There is huge demand for road infrastructure in the state. So far, we have built 27 road projects that are new. Eight that we met on ground that were new. Over 500 kilometers of road that were built by this administration and we are still going strong on that. And we will continue to build and build roads where we have the need for them in this state.

Tourism development was not left out. We improved the quality and the statues of the hotels which are owned by the state government to a three star hotel status. We will try to see what we can do in the transport industry, we have the state transport company that have about 50 vehicles that were there for all this years.

There has never been any change in the issue of the number and size of transport companies that we have in the country. But at the same time, we felt the need for us to expand the services to the people. We introduced different varieties of transportation mix. We introduce some township bus services that did not exist before we came in. we introduce students bus service scheme that carry students points to point, from home to school at the cost of N10 per drop.

These buses have been doing very well in three major towns of Katsina, Daura and Funtua and we have introduce car hire service, still within the state transport company and we introduce long distance bus services that goes from Katsina to Maiduguri, Katsnia to Lagos, Katsina to Onitsha, to the South-East, South-South and to the furthest points of the north.

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Kanu finally bows out, drags football greats to Lagos

Teslim Balogun Stadium will today go agog as King Kanu brings to a close his memorable three
decades of footballing career.

Today’s game would see ‘Friends of Kanu’ and Super Eagles “All-Stars” at logger heads to mark the end of Kanu’s illustrious football calling. The game is being put together to honour Kanu’s contribution to the Super Eagles as well as his colourful playing career.

Nwankwo Kanu

Commenting on Kanu’s career and his personality to Saturday Vanguard Sports, former Real Sociedad of Spain midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju said “everybody knows that he was a good player. He won so many laurels for himself and the country. He is a good ambassador, this will show in his testimonial match.

“On the pitch he is a fantastic player, one that when you pass the ball to, knows how to hold on to it and nobody can take it from him. You are always sure of getting the ball back or him giving a quality pass up-front. He is an exceptional player on and off the pitch. He is very nice to be with as a person,”

On whether he would be missed and has been replaced, headmaster, as he is fondly called by his fans, said “it is going to be difficult to replace somebody like him in the team. He cannot play forever, so he has to leave the stage for the younger ones to show their own stuff,” Adepoju added.

The game will see the likes of Cameroonian skipper Samuel Eto’o, George Weah, the only African to have won the World, European and African Footballer of the Year awards in 1995, former Cameroonian captain, Rigobert Song, who played in four World Cup finals between 1994 and 2010 and his cousin, Arsenal’s Alex Song in attendance.

Others billed for the tie are, Emmanuel Eboue, Ghanaian World Cup defender John Paintsil, Bafana Bafana forward Teko Modise and Uruguayan star Roberto Solano.

Former Togolese captain, Emmanuel Adebayor, former Bafana Bafana and Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe will also thrill Lagosians with exciting football. Chelsea and Ghanaian midfield powerhouse Michael Essien and former Dutch marksman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank will also entertain King Kanu’s fans.

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Woman delivers seven babies in 11 months

IN a strange manner, a woman has delivered a set of seven babies within a space of 11 months, three males and four females.

The woman, Mrs Precious Donatus who lives in Aguda, Suru-lere, Lagos, gave birth to her first child in August, 2009, after 11 years of childlessness but the baby died five days later.

Ten months later, Mrs Precious conceived and delivered the seven babies within intervals of one month . When Saturday Vanguard visited the home of the family, the husband Mr Donatus Ogbonna, a business man from Imo State was at home.

He told Saturday Vanguard that at birth of the first baby, they did not know that would be the beginning of her journey to delivering seven babies.

Narrating her story, Mrs Precious told Saturday Vanguard that the first baby died after five days of birth adding that “immediately after putting to bed the first baby, the doctor told me that there was another baby in my womb.”

The babies are :first baby, August 25 2009, Amarachi (died after five days); second baby, May 6, 2010 (Conqueror, female); third baby, June 3, 2010, (Chizitere, female); fourth baby, August 16, 2010 (Ekpereamaka, male); fifth baby, September 19, 2010, (Fineseed Angel, female); sixth baby, October 19, 2010 (Evidence, female); seventh baby, January 13, 2011,( Flourish, male), eight baby, April 2, 2011, (Ebenezer, male) .

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