Asset Declaration: Fashola, Adeosun, Amaechi, 16 Others Yet To Fully Comply; CCB

Asset Declaration: Fashola, Adeosun, Amaechi, 16 Others Yet To Fully Comply; CCB

The Code of Conduct Bureau says it may be forced to arrest and possibly prosecute at least 19 ministers and heads of agencies in the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government for non-compliance with procedures of declaring their assets. The 19 federal government appointees, according to a statement issued by the CCB Chairman, Sam Saba, have so far not honoured invitations to appear before the Bureau to clear their asset declaration claims. The bureau however praised some top officials of the Nigerian government like the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, and the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for promptly complying with the asset declaration protocol within the stipulated time. The CCB boss said the bureau has invited some serving ministers and heads of agencies among others over “issues” pertaining to their asset declaration requirements, but most of them have failed to respond. [b]The asset declaration defaulters, according to CCB include Kemi Adeosun (Finance Minister), Kayode Fayemi (Mine and Solid Minerals), Adebayo Shittu (Minister of Communication), Babatunde Fashola (Minister of Power, Works and Housing), Ibe Kachikwu (Minister of State Petroleum), Ogbonnaya Onu (Minister of Science and Technology). Other defaulters are Mike Okiro (Chairman, Police Service Commission), Godwin Emefiele (CBN Governor), Abubakar Bawa Bwari (Minister of State Solid Minerals) and Rotimi Amaechi (Minister of Transport). Still on the list of defaulters are Aisha Alhassan (Minister Women Affairs and Social Development); Solomon Dalung (Minister of Youths & Sports Development); Udo Udoma (Minister Budget and National Planning); Dan Ali Mansur (Minister of Defence); Ibrahim Usman Jibril (Minister of State, Environment); Suleiman Adamu (Minister of Water Resources and Rural Development), Lai Muhammed (Minister of Information) and Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Minister of State Power). The CCB said it has also invited Claudius Daramola (Minister of State Niger Delta Affairs); Hadiza Usman (MD. Nigeria Ports Authority); Ahmed Kuru (MD/CEO AMCON); Isaac Adewole (Minister of Health); Okechukwu Enelamah (Minister of Trade Investment and Industry) and Geoffrey Onyema (Minister of Foreign Affairs).[/b] “Pursuant to paragraph 11 of Part 1 of the 5th Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), every public officer is required to submit to the CCB a written declaration of all his properties, assets and liabilities and those of his/her spouse (if not a public officer) and his unmarried children under the age of eighteen years,” the bureau said. “Any statement in such declaration that is found to be false by any authority or person authorized in that behalf to verify it shall be deemed to be a breach of this Code. “To this end, the Bureau has commenced its 2016 4th Quarter cycle of conference and Field verifications of assets of top public officers. “Accordingly, letters of invitation have been dispatched to Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Service Chiefs and other top Public Officers. “This exercise is ongoing and is being carried out concurrently at the Federal, State and Local Government levels. “At a satisfactory completion of the exercise, Public Officers are issued with certificate of Assets Conference Verification/Field Verification as the case maybe.” Other top public office holders that were also praised for not delaying the declaration of their assets include the acting MD/CEO Niger Delta Development Commission, Semenitari Mary –Gab Tamunoibim; Corps Marshall, Federal Road Safety Corp, Boboye Oyeyemi ); Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed and the Commissioner, Federal Civil Service Commission, Hope Odhuluma Ikrirko. The CCB also hailed persons like the former SGF, Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, Minister Budget & National Planning, Zainab Ahmed Shamsuna, Minister Trade, Investment & Industry, Aisha Abubakar; INEC Chairman, Yakubu Mahmood; and Former Executive Secretary NUC, Julius A. Okojie; as well as the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu. “CCB however, commends those public officers, who honoured its invitations promptly and submitted themselves for the exercise!” More ministers, including the Attorney General of the Federation, had been sent letter of invitation by CCB, and it has not been confirmed if they would honour the invite when it comes to their turn to appear before the Bureau.

Biafra: I Will Expose Secrets That Will Sink Nigeria – Nnamdi Kanu

Biafra: I Will Expose Secrets That Will Sink Nigeria – Nnamdi Kanu

Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu has threatened that he would expose secrets that are capable of sinking Nigeria. Kanu gave the threat at his resumed trial on Tuesday. In the Tuesday’s ruling, trial Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted the Federal Government the nod to shield identities of witnesses billed to testify against Nnamdi Kanu. Justice Nyako who held that names of all the prosecution witnesses who are mostly security operatives, would not be disclosed in any record of the court proceedings also said that the witnesses would be allowed to testify against the defendants behind a screen that would be provided by the court. Justice Nyako however stressed that both the defendants and their counsel would be allowed to see the witnesses who she said would enter and exit the courtroom through a special door. However, Kanu immediately rejected the court ruling, insisting that it was against the tenets of Justice and fair hearing. “I won’t stand this travesty of Justice. Buhari spoke in public, he accused me in public. I must also be allowed to stand my trial in public”, Kanu bellowed from the dock. “This is nonsense! I will give testimony before this court! By the time I finish, there will be no Nigeria. This is no Sharia court. It is a court that operates under the common law. “There will be no screening of witnesses, no fake identities or fake addresses. I cannot be tried in secret. No! Nnamdi Kanu cannot be jailed in secret! They are mad. Why must I be tried in secrecy by a government that does not obey court orders. “They are killing my people in public, after killing my people they want to try me in private? That person is mad. I won’t allow it. “, Kanu fumed. The IPOB leader is facing an11-count charge alongside three other pro-Biafra agitators, Mr. Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi. Charges against the accused persons border on reasonable felony and their alleged involvement in acts of terrorism. The defendants had earlier alleged plot by the Federal Government to import foreigners to testify against them.

I Have Not Received Any Salary In 6 Years- _Rauf Aregbesola

I Have Not Received Any Salary In 6 Years- Rauf Aregbesola

The governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, says he has not earned salary since he assumed office six years ago. He said this during the launch of Oodua FM in Ile-Ife on Sunday. “When people complain about our financial state, I begin to wonder if they think I am spending people’s money. Some of you do not know that I have not received any salary since I became governor- of Osun state, why will I take that of others,” said Mr. Aregbesola, who became governor in November 2010. According to the pay package prepared by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission and which became effective 2009, a state governor earns a monthly salary of N2.2 million. He is however entitled to several other perks, including constituency allowance of N4.44 million, hardship allowance N1.11 million, leave allowance N222, 370.00, and newspaper allowance N333,555.75. Osun State has been in deep financial crisis for a long while and has been unable to pay salaries of workers. Besides, the governor who began his second term in office in November 2014, has not appointed commissioners. The poor financial condition of the state has also made it impossible to live up to its obligations to the Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomosho, which it jointly funds with Oyo State. Mr. Aregbesola said the economic crisis was not only affecting Osun state but also other states, noting “there is no free money anywhere.” He explained that he refused to appoint commissioners because of the state’s poor financial condition. “How will I have commissioners when we have no money?” he asked. “The minority leader of Osun state House of Assembly wrote a post on Facebook complaining that I have not paid them. We don’t have the money, even the minority leader does not have a car.” The governor advised the owner of the radio station, Rotimi Malone, to use it to develop of the state rather than for politics. Mr. Aregbesola criticized the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation for allegedly performing below expectation. According to him, “Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation has set standards but they just do things anyhow. There was a time that Osun state was almost torn apart through the media but Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation refused to act.”

Muhammadu Buhari Is The Cause Of Preseident Yahya Jammeh Last Minute U-turn

Muhammadu Buhari Is The Cause Of Preseident Yahya Jammeh Last Minute U-turn

Ever since former President Goodluck Jonathan made that call to President Muhammadu Buhari congratulating him on his “victory” at the last presidential polls, and following the enormous goodwill that has attracted to him worldwide, it is fast becoming a norm in Africa for incumbents to easily accept defeat at the polls and congratulate the winner. Yahya Jammeh, the outgoing President of Gambia, was on his way to making history as one of the very few African presidents who would follow the enviable example of Nigeria’s former president and Africa’s hero of democracy, Goodluck Jonathan, by conceding defeat as an incumbent to an opponent in a political contest. However, with his sudden u-turn on that stand, Jammeh, it seems, is about to throw that tiny West African country into a needless and avoidable turmoil. After having been commended by major political players and the media worldwide, what could have caused Yahya Jammeh to retrace his steps just less than a week after conceding defeat and hailed the process that saw his closest rival, Adama Barrow, an otherwise political neophyte, emerge as the president-elect of Gambia as “the most transparent election in the world”? Jammeh had told Barrow while conceding defeat to him, “I’m the outgoing president; you are the incoming president”. Also, in a telephone call to the president-elect, Jammeh was reported to have told Barrow, “I wish you all the best. The country will be in your hands in January. You are assured of my guidance. You have to work with me. You are the elected president of The Gambia. I have no ill will and I wish you all the best”. He repeated the same thing in a televised statement when he said, “I take this opportunity to congratulate Mr Adama for his victory. It’s a clear victory. I wish him all the best and I wish all Gambians the best. As a true Muslim who believes in the almighty Allah I will never question Allah’s decision. You Gambians have decided”. Even the Head of Gambia’s electoral commission, Alieu Momarr Njai had said: “It’s very rare that this present situation now, in Africa, that this happens” The question on the lips of everyone is, why would Jammeh suddenly make a volte face after what seemed like a firm resolve to hand over power to the winner of the election, Adama Barrow? The answer to this puzzle may not be far-fetched. Jammeh took his cue of conceding defeat from Nigeria’s Jonathan, he must have also thought he was making a mistake going by the happenings in Nigeria today. With the relentless vindictive persecution of Goodluck Jonathan’s family by the Buhari administration, the unending vendetta against Jonathan’s former ministers and government officials, the use of the military, secret police and other security agencies to harass, intimidate and even kill innocent, harmless and helpless citizens in droves with little or no provocation, high-handedness in dealing with sections of the country that did not support the emergence of president Buhari, it probably became obvious to Jammeh the enormity of risks he is taking by conceding defeat. His family members must have reminded him that there is nothing good in conceding defeat in Africa. They must have reminded him of what is going on in Nigeria despite the magnanimity of Goodluck Jonathan. Even his cabinet members might have become apprehensive. They must have become afraid of being witch hunted and persecuted. Some of them might even be ready to face prosecution should there be any need for that, but then, they realize that what their counterparts in Nigeria are facing is more of persecution than prosecution. They must have all brought Jammeh’s attention to al the atrocities going on in Nigeria. Jammeh gives all these a long and hard thought, and then thinks it is not worth it in the end. This is only just a part of the many consequences of Buhari’s tyrannical approach to governance in Nigeria. The message of his style reverberates across Africa. The goodwill and novel approach of incumbents conceding defeat in the continent is being endangered rather than being engendered. Consequently, Buhari’s style of leadership is rolling the political progress of Africa kick-started by that famous telephone call from Jonathan and his peaceful handover centuries backward. Even Nigeria’s electoral system that was beginning to make tremendous progress under Jonathan has suffered unwarranted grievous attacks under Buhari. The nation’s electoral system has been so bastardised within the short period Buhari’s administration has lasted that electoral malpractices have been given an official toga. Not even the ECOWAS court has been spared the torrid experience of having its court orders disobeyed by the Buhari administration as it concerns its pronouncement on Sambo Dasuki, Nigeria’s former National Security Adviser under Jonathan. It is therefore even more shocking that the same ECOWAS would rely on such a man to be a mediator in the political logjam about to befall Gambia. Well meaning Nigerians have continued to warn that the autocratic manner Buhari is running Nigeria has very grave implications not only for the country but also for Africa. Gradually, those implications are beginning to unfold right before our very eyes. The UN that is asking Jammeh to accept defeat and hand over power to Barrow seem to be only interested in treating the symptoms of a disease without looking at the root cause of such a disease. No one is saying that governments should not prosecute past governments where and when necessary, but everyone would want such prosecution not to degenerate into persecution, intimidation, harassment and vindictive pursuit of family members and officials of any previous government. Diligent and civil prosecution of anyone would always encourage peaceful handover of power from one government to another in Africa. But first, the ECOWAS, AU, UN and other such international bodies must also not look away while any government deals with its people with an iron fist under the guise of fighting corruption and or other such otherwise noble guises. Until this is ensured, there are likely to be many more Jammehs in Africa than anyone can imagine.

Excitement As Gov. Fayose Takes Father Christmas To The Streets Of Ado Ekiti (PICS)

Excitement As Gov. Fayose Takes Father Christmas To The Streets Of Ado Ekiti

(PICS)

Kenya Is Ahead Of Nigeria In All Aspect

Kenya Is Ahead Of Nigeria In All Aspect

I am saddened by the continuous act of some of my compatriots to always engage in social media fight with fellow Africans, most notably our brothers and sisters from Ghana and Kenya. It is even unfortunate that these countries Nigeria youths love to abuse on social media are doing better than our potentially great country in virtually all sphere despite the fact that we(as a country) have more revenues, potentials, and opportunities. If Nigerians are not aware of the superiority(in terms of living) of other Africans over us, I will have to educate them using Kenya as a case study. While Nigerians have always pride in the self titled "African Giant" rhetoric, facts on ground shows otherwise. Though we generate more revenue than Kenya, which is 70% due to the gift of nature under our soil(Petrodollars), Nigerians still lag behind greatly in basic things when compared to the East African giant. According to 2015 data from World Health Organisation, Nigeria's male and female life expectancy are 52years and 56 years respectively, meaning an average Nigerian is expected to die before he/she turns 60. Meanwhile, the expectancy for Kenyan male and female are 61 and 66 years respectively. Similarly, while Nigeria has the 10th highest infant mortality rate worldwide with average 72 deaths per 1,000 birth, Kenya's infant mortality rate is rated 52nd in the world with average 32 deaths per 1,000 births. This means it is safer to give birth in Kenya than in Nigeria, and an average Kenyan living in Kenya is expected to live longer than an average Nigerian living in Nigeria. Though Nigeria has more tourism potential than Kenya, but Kenya is one of the choice destination for vacation in East Africa. While Nigeria managed to rake in $601 million as Tourism receipt(Revenue) in 2014, Kenya raked in $1.833 billion in the same year. Nigeria can't even boast of a National carrier meanwhile Kenya Airways, the National Carrier of Kenya boasts of 45 Aircrafts in their fleet with 4,000 workforce strength. In addition, Kenya Airways is reputed to be one of the best in Africa. In Africa, Kenya is the leader of Mobile money. Nigeria is still still battling to get it right in the ICT sector with poor infrastructure, lack of power, lack of political will, and fantastically corruption. At present Nigeria is experiencing recession in her economy, one would expect Nigerians to shun frivolties and seek for ways to turn the recession to prosperity instead of wasting productive hours fighting our African brethren over irrelevances. Why would one who is rationing his/her phone battery life due to epileptic power supply still spend the little battery life s/he got through his/her generator to abuse someone in Nairobi who is neither rationing his/her phone battery life nor is depending on generating set for power? There is no trophy or reward for social media fight, Nigerians should stop sending the wrong image to the world that our greatness lies in social media wars. Nigeria is a great country with potentials, filled with great prospects, but we can never be great if we don't channel our time and resources to fix our country. A word should be enough for the wise... May God Bless Us All, and Bless Nigeria Shared on my Palmchat group

Nnamdi Kanu Goes Berserk In Court, Says "Buhari Can’t Intimidate Me '

Nnamdi Kanu Goes Berserk In Court, Says "Buhari Can’t Intimidate Me"

The leader of the Independent People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of lying, saying the president cannot intimidate him. At a stormy court session on Tuesday, Mr. Kanu said the president can intimidate court judges, but not him. “The president can intimidate the judges, but he cannot do that to me. Tell him he has lied,” said Mr. Kanu. A Federal High Court in Abuja ruled on Tuesday on an application seeking the protection of witnesses in the ongoing trial of Mr. Kanu, and three others, David Nwawuisi, Benjamin Madubugwu and Chidiebere Onwudiwe, who are facing trial for alleged treasonable felony. They were arraigned before Justice Binta Nyako after the first defendant said he had no confidence in the former judge, John Tsoho. The court had adjourned the application for protection of witnesses to December 13. Delivering the ruling, Mrs. Binta said the court would allow the witnesses some degree of protection. “The counsels and the defendants will see the witnesses. The witnesses will have special entrances to and outside the court,” the judge said. Mrs. Nyako also said the court would allow the witnesses to be shielded with screen-guards. She said the court would set aside two days for rehearsals on how the witnesses will come into the court and depart from the court. After the ruling was given, Mr. Kanu said he would not allow himself to be given a secret trial in any way. Raising his voice, Mr. Kanu said anything short of a public trial will not be allowed. Mr. Kanu’s lawyer, Chux Muoma, warned his client to allow the counsel he employed to do his job without undue interference in court. “Sit down! I am your counsel let me talk. I have not come all the way here to allow you speak for me in court,” said Mr. Muoma. He apologised to the court afterwards. Counsel to the other defendants said they will make a formal application against the judgement. They said they were opposed to the ruling of the court. Shortly after, the defendants began to clamour for an opportunity to speak to their lawyers. The judge, Mrs. Nyako, warned the defendants to desist from making her court rowdy. The judge said her ruling did not imply that the trial will be conducted in secret. “It is not going to be a secret trial. The court will allow the defendants see the witnesses. The defendant counsel will also see the witnesses,” said Mrs. Nyako. The defendants challenged that position again, drawing the judge’s warning. “If you don’t stop talking in my court I will assume you are becoming a nuisance in my court. And if I assume so, I will continue this trial in your absence, so do not try my patience,” she said. “When you are in my court you will do what I want. It’s like having a visitor in your house; you can serve the visitor food but if he wants to eat he will eat and if he doesn’t want to, he will not.” After a brief recess, Mr. Kanu began to speak again. “I will address this court! You cannot be killing my people and tell me that you will make me have a secret trial. That won’t happen! The president can intimidate the judges, but he cannot do that to me. Tell him he has lied,” said Mr. Kanu. The other defendants soon joined in the voice of opposition against the court’s ruling and the session became rowdy. The court clerks then told the people present in court that the session was over and that the matter would not continue again on Tuesday. Outside the court, the IPOB supporters clashed with the security operatives while the latter tried to return Mr. Kanu and the other defendants to the vehicle that had brought them. They kept shouting chants in support of the Biafran State, after the vehicles carrying the defendants zoomed off on top speed.

"I Was Raped Daily By 30 Men Including Judges And Pastors For Over Four Years"

"I Was Raped Daily By 30 Men Including Judges And Pastors For Over Four Years"

Karla Jacinto, a human trafficking victim, has revealed how she was forced to sleep with at least, 30 men daily for over four years as a teenager. She estimated that she was raped 43, 000 times at the age of 16. The 24-year-old Mexican told Mirro UK she was eventually rescued in 2008 as part of an anti-trafficking operation in Mexico City. She recounted her past, showing photos of herself at the age of 12, saying, “I was first targeted at the age of 12 by a trafficker who prized me away from my dysfunctional family with gifts and money. “I was eventually taken to Guadalajara, one of Mexico’s biggest cities, and forced to work as a prostitute. “They would beat me with sticks, they would beat me with cables, they would beat me with chains. “They forced me into prostitution at age 12. “There were people who would laugh at me because I was crying. I had to close my eyes so I wouldn’t see what they were doing to me. “Some of my attackers were uniformed police officers as well as judges, priests and pastors. “I thought they were disgusting. traffic-i “They knew we were minors; we were not even developed. We had sad faces.” Speaking further, she said her life has been turned around to help others.

How SSS Tortured Man To Death, Then Paid Family N15m To Keep Mum

How SSS Tortured Man To Death, Then Paid Family N15m To Keep Mum - PREMIUM TIMES -

After “torturing” a man to death, Nigeria’s secret police, SSS, exploited the influence of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, to pay a paltry N1.5 million compensation to the victim’s family, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt. At about 2.30 a.m. on April 4, SSS operatives on the trail of a suspect accused of cloning the phone number of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, stormed No 37, Aje Street, Pleasure, in the Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos in commando style. Residents of the address said the operatives scaled the fence of the compound, screaming and threatening as they knocked down doors and shattered ceilings. They rough-handled residents, who thought they were armed robbers as they did not introduce themselves, dragged them from their beds, ordered them out of their apartments and forced them to sit on the dusty ground of the compound. About an hour later, when they were done harassing the residents, Saheed Eyitayo, 34, a friend to the suspect the operatives were looking for, laid in the dust motionless – beaten to a pulp by the operatives. One resident, who described the entire experience as “nightmarish,” told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Eyitayo was so battered that he couldn’t stand unaided – three operatives had to drag his him into one of the vans the armed men brought with them. Unfortunately, that was the last time he would be seen alive in public. The operatives were led to the residence by Adejoke Ogunbona, the wife of the wanted man, Rilwanu Jamiu. While on the run for the alleged crime, Mr. Jamiu, who is now facing trial alongside another suspect, had spent few days at Mr. Eyitayo’s apartment before moving on to another place in the Oke Aro area of Lagos, where he was eventually arrested. It is not clear if Mr. Eyitayo knew his friend was a fugitive when he allowed him to stay at his apartment. Mr. Jamiu’s wife had visited her husband while he was hiding at Mr. Eyitayo’s apartment. Though she later confessed that even though she knew her husband was no longer at Mr. Eyitayo’s apartment, she took the SSS operatives there. SUSPICIOUS DEATH Three days after the raid, the SSS invited Mr. Eyitayo’s landlord, Mathew Sobiye, to the Lagos office in Shangisha and told him, for the first time, that they had carried out the raid on his compound and that Mr. Eyitayo was dead. They warned him not to disclose this to anyone, the Septuagenarian said. The SSS claimed Mr. Eyitayo was resisting arrest on the night of the raid and tried to jump from the moving van as he was being conveyed to their office. They said he died from injuries sustained in the process. But Mr. Eyitayo’s family would have none of that. They claimed that from account of fellow tenants at his Pleasure residence, he was already unconscious when he was handcuffed and carried into the waiting van. They wondered how an unconscious man in chains could overpower several SSS operatives and jump to his death. They said if the SSS had nothing to hide, it shouldn’t have waited for 19 days before formally informing them of Mr. Eyitayo’s death. Michael Lasisi, one of Mr. Eyitayo’s relatives, told PREMIUM TIMES that the SSS waited that long because they were trying to perfect a fabricated story to hide the fact that they tortured Mr. Eyitayo to death. “We had gone to the SSS office several times, and they told us ‘come back you cannot see him.’ Until finally on the 23rd (of April), 19 days after he was killed, they now told one of my brothers Oyetunji that he had died. Meanwhile they had told the landlord not to tell anybody that he had died. “They did that so as the days elapsed they would be able to manufacture lies to cover up the official criminality. They could not tell us what he has done. They said his friend was part of those who cloned the governor’s number. They traced the friend to his house but they did not see him. At a meeting between Mr. Eyitayo’s family and the SSS on May 3 at their Shangisha office, angered by an SSS attempt to implicate Mr. Eyitayo in the number cloning scam, Mr. Lasisi and other family members walked out on the officials of the secret service threatening to drag the agency to court. “A SHOW OF SHAME” Not wanting the story of the alleged extrajudicial killing by its operatives out in the open, the SSS approached Mr. Akiolu, the paramount traditional monarch in Lagos, to appeal to the family of the dead man, after its original attempt to use officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice failed to assuage Mr. Eyitayo’s family. Some members of the family said they first suspected that something was fishy when those who had resisted the antics of the Lagos State officials were exempted from the delegation to meet with Mr. Akiolu. “I think the SSS had told the Oba that some members of the family who gave them a hard time during the initial discussion shouldn’t be allowed to be part of the negotiation. The excuse they gave was that the Oba did not want a crowd in his palace,” a family member, who sought anonymity for security reasons, said. Several family sources present described the negotiation at the monarch’s palace as a show of shame. They said the moment the SSS offered to pay N15 million, some of the most outspoken members of the delegation suddenly became quiet. They said Mr. Akiolu doused the flickering flame of resistance from the family members when he appealed to them to accept what the SSS was offering in order to bring a closure to the matter and stop acting like they were there to sell the body of their dead kin. “The family lawyer put up a spirited effort to make the DSS [as the SSS is also called] pay more compensation, but members of Saheed’s family would have none of that,” an attendee at the meeting said. “In fact, one of them was stepping on his (lawyer’s) feet and telling him not to be too hard of the DSS and to accept whatever the DSS was offering so that the matter can be settled. The lawyer was almost in tears,” another family source said. “At a point, they even threatened to fire the lawyer if he would not agree with the decision of the family.” “One of them said that they should accept the offer of the DSS because the body of Saheed was suffering and they needed to bury him urgently to stop the suffering,” the source said. Another source, however, added that Mr Akiolu insisted that N10 million be given entirely to the parents of the deceased. He also insisted that the SSS must pay the lawyer’s professional fees. According to our sources, the five million that was remaining from the compensation paid was shared among members of the deceased’s family involved in the negotiation. Meanwhile, even as they agreed to accept the compensation, none of the victim’s family members had seen his corpse as the SSS did not disclose where it kept the body. The family did not also press the SSS to conduct an autopsy on the deceased as required by Lagos State laws for persons who died under suspicious circumstances like Mr. Eyitayo “The DSS did not allow the family see the corpse of the dead victim before they forced the family to reach a negotiation. That was the plan. When they finished the negotiation, they called Saheed’s uncle to come and look at the body but he was only shown his legs,” one of our sources said. CUT AND BRUISES ALL OVER Family members who saw Mr. Eyitayo’s corpse after it was released for burial by the SSS said it dawned on them the reason the agency refused to let his family see the body before the negotiation was concluded and all documents signed. “If you see the corpse, you would know that he was tortured and killed in a brutal manner. He had two deep cuts in the back of his head, apparently inflicted by a machete or other similar sharp objects. There were cuts and bruises all over his body,” the source said. As part of the agreement reached with the deceased family, the SSS agreed to foot the bill for his funeral. Mr. Eyitayo’s body was carried to his hometown in Oyo for burial in the most disrespectful manner, the source said. “If you see the way they carried his body home. They couldn’t even get a proper vehicle to deliver his body to his family. “They got a rickety vehicle. On their way to Oyo State, the vehicle conveying his body was so old that its tyres bust twice before it got to the town. And they spent several hours on the road fixing the tyres. “His body was not even put in a casket. He was taken home for burial in a body bag made of jute sack. The type used for keeping rice. Babs Animashaun, the lawyer who represented the family, declined to discuss details of the negotiation when reached for comments. He however said the family has moved on after settlement. “That is strictly confidential between the parties. I cannot share the details of the settlement with the public,” he said. “The family agreed to settle with the SSS out of court. They can never be happy with what has happened but at least they were able to move on. That is what is important,” he added. The SSS could not be reached for comments. The agency does not have a spokesperson, neither does it have an email address or phone number through which it can be contacted. Before the current administration, the SSS used to have a spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, but the current leadership of the agency led by Lawal Daura, has refused to appoint one or disclose how it should be officially contacted for enquiries. When PREMIUM TIMES visited the palace of the Oba of Lagos to ask about his role in the saga, officials requested a formal letter. About two weeks after the letter was delivered, the monarch has not responded or agreed to a formal interview

Shina Rambo, The Notorious Ex-armed Robber's Confessions

Confessions Of Shina Rambo The Notorious Ex-armed Robber! 

Notorious ex-armed robber Shina Rambo: How I tormented Lagosians, Police By Sina Fadare Shina Rambo was a household name in the world of crime - fearful, ruthless, dangerous and a terror in the society. The former kingpin and a serpent to security agencies is now a professed Evangelist and maverick preacher who is as meek as a dove. In this encounter with Sina Fadare, he poured out his mind on how he tormented Lagosians, the police and how he snatched 42 exotic cars in a day and how he remained invisible for the police dragnet. What’s your background and where are you actually from? It is true that people are always confused about where l come from. Actually my father came from Abeokuta in Ogun State, but I from Sanbogida-Ora in Edo State. That is where my mother came from and where l lived all my early life. How did you acquire the name Sina Rambo? There is a saying in Yoruba that a child acquires any name that suits him when he was not in his place of birth. That was the appellation l was given in those days when l ventured into the world of crime. The name that was given to me at birth was Omokenwa, meaning a child is the one that takes care of the home. The meaning of Sina Rambo stands for a team or a group of deadly squad with a mission. I was the Rambo. Therefore, the merging of Shina with Rambo is just like any organisation like cooperative society which has each name to identify their group, yet they belong to the same cooperative society. To those people who thought that l came from Cotonou, Republic of Benin, or Sabongida- Ora, they are all correct because wherever you are living or place you are used to, that is your home. Though my father is from Abeokuta, many people did not know me there because apart from Cotonou where my operating business took me, l lived my adolescent life in Edo State, the place of my mother. At what point in your life did you veer into crime? Everything comes down to the lackadaisical attitude of my parents in taking adequate care of my need when l was growing up. My father was a military man who married virtually everywhere he was posted to in his career; this gave him the opportunity to have many wives. One of the early memories l could recollect which l will never forget in my life was that my father was the first person to cut me with a cutlass. That is why l said that the nonchalant attitude of my parents dragged me into the world of crime.

Was that actually what led you into crime? I will say that the moment a child lacks parental care, love and attention, such a child is being nursed towards crime. In my own case it was a combination of many things that led me to the world of crime. Poor and not caring family, later my business was almost grinded when some of my goods were confiscated. Along the line, my younger brother was also killed; in the mission of avenging l was gradually involved in crime and before l knew it l wanted to excel in it. What we called the real Shina Rambo lives inside. Your name created tremor among people in society, the security operatives inclusive, how did you get such power? If a child knows how to wash his hand well, definitely he will eat with the elders. I know how to appease the elders, therefore anything l need from them l usually get it. Now that l am in Christ, l know better. The fact is if you decide to eat with the devil, make sure you do it to a logical conclusion and if you want to follow Christ, let him be your sole companion in anything that you are doing. I got power in the world of devil, and l followed it to a logical conclusion. In the world of the devil, police or any security has nothing to do with us, as a daredevil robber then. There are certain things which an armed robber should have. The first is what you call afoola. We used many human beings to do this native medicine, including a foetus in his mother’s womb. The second is ikiya (boldness). This will give you the audacity and effrontery to do anything at any time no matter how dangerous the venture is. The third one is that anybody who wants to venture into highlevel robbery must be ready to squeeze all the water inside his eye and use it for a powerful medicine, so that there is nothing that would happen that such a person will cry again, no matter how devastating or big such a calamity is. I searched for power from the demons of various types, inside the most powerful water called water of the world at a town called Ogoja. All leaders of the world who are actually looking for power used to go inside this water. At that point when I was on operation l will put on the appearance of different types of people to the extent that it was difficult for anybody to identify my real being. There is no amount of picture that you took that you will get a clear view. That was why when they said that, ‘Oh! they have killed Shina Rambo,’ but it was another person that they would kill instead. From that place, l went to Oke Idanre and later Enugu and Abeokuta to look for power that can make me to be invisible at will. I was able to have a magical power that allowed me to look differently in eight places. At Abeokuta, the nine herbalists that did the medicine for me were killed so that one day they will not reveal the secret behind the medicine to any mortal. There is a place in Oyo State called Fiditi; lawyers also go there to look for power. Along the line l entered into different cults that are very powerful. There they have to change my body because l was buried alive for seven days in the burial ground and my soul was kept in a small coffin. After the seventh day, l became powerful and more dangerous, too hot to be handled by anybody. Again l went inside the Iroko tree to seek for power. In fact, you will not believe the number of houses that you will find inside the Iroko tree, its a whole town inside the tree. When you get there, you are going to chant some incantations and the door will open, you will see various types of people engaging in activities like selling, eating, having meeting and doing all sorts of things done in the physical world. When l went there, we entered through the ninth door before we entered the town. I was able to do this because l was able to produce for the elders what they needed, so they were ready to give me what l wanted and ready to take me to wherever it would be possible for me to get what l wanted. There was a time l was taken to a burial place with 15 heads to go and to collect some charms from the spirit. From there, l was fortified to the extent that there is no bullet that could enter my body, it will just be like pure water.

What is your relationship with the police? Normally we and the police are supposed to be enemies, but unfortunately a lot of them are our friends. There are some policemen who are mere saboteurs; they love money more than the job. Such police officers are mole in the force because they sell vital information to robbers and most of the time turned their back when their “friends” are on the road. At this point in time, it is people like us who could assist government to nab criminals because l know their antics and modus operandi. Not all of police are bad, but there are some moles among them that are spoiling their good work. These few ones know the real robbers and most of the time assist them (robbers) to achieve their deadly mission. You were once rich and famous where is the wealth today? In the first instance, where did all the luxuries come from? No matter how plenty the devil gives, it is for a short period, he will collect it back. No matter how smart you are, any covenant with the devil, you are going to lose at the end. It is the devil that will give you a cap and in return asking buba and gele from you. Vanity upon vanity all is vanity. There is nothing that one can gain from the devil apart from frustration and humiliation; at the end you are going to have disappointment. You can imagine when I would strike and snatch more than 30 cars. I once snatched over 42 cars in a day. Some of the cars I gave to whomever I wanted. I had so much then. Paul said in Philippians 3:7-13 “But, all that amounted to profit for me in life, I have now seen as loss in Christ”. Verse 13 now says, “Brethren, I have forgotten the things that are behind, I press towards things ahead.” In Psalm 126:1, the same Bible tells me that “when God returns the loss of Zion, we would be like them that dream”. I know that to rise in Christ is the responsibility of every member of the household of faith. The Holy Spirit would use every true Christian to put on real genuine footing. The devil gave me so much at that time and it took what it gave me. If I have to recall the painful details and the anguish, it does not worth it because I am a new creature. What has been destroyed cannot be restored just like that. We are now in Christ, he owns and dispenses eternal joy, when we end our race here, we would return to our eternal home: heaven, where there is no weeping, no anxiety, anguish, hunger and pain. Do you have any godfather? Definitely. When we were in Edo, we had our godfather who is always there for us anytime we went on operation. It was the same place that the likes of Anini, a.k.a. the law and Monday Osunbor Pero, and Lucky learnt the rudiment of robbery. We sprung up from one source.

What usually comes to your mind any day you are going for operation ? The first thing that readily came to mind was that ‘the dead must be done’. But before that, we must first ask people who owns the world how the day would look like before we step out. There is a charm called atona (Pathfinder) that we consult before we go out. It would tell us what we are going to do and which sacrifice we are going to make before we move out. Again there is what we call eru (fear) which has been deposited into my body, wherever l go, that fear will not let you challenge my authority. Where and how did you get the ammunition you were using? As I told you that my father was a military man, from the beginning gun had been assembled and dismembered in our house. Innocently, my father will be doing this virtually on a daily basis and he tells me to go and bring one or two things that had connection with the gun in the house and at the end he would put the gun together as one. From that daily experience l knew how to handle a gun and by the time l left him, there was no gun l could not put together. Ironically, what parents did not take serious and handle with levity, the kids are fast learning and before you know it, they have mastered the act. If it is a bad habit, the family will definitely pay for it. The gun l was using then was in pieces when brought from outside the country. I later put it together to make it a complete gun. After that l return it into the world of darkness where it was changed to the gun of the elders. After this l just recite a few incantations to the gun and whatever l ask the gun to do is what it will do. However there is no gun that l cannot handle a few minutes after studying it. Those who are working with you, how were they trained? There is always time for training; we teach them how to handle it and how to get their target. It was an extensive training which we normally do most of the time especially when we are going on operation. All those that are working with me are all in the same cult, they know our dos and don’ts, we have gone to many places together, that was why it was difficult for the police to kill anyone of us. There is a general charm that the death that is meant to kill anyone of us should kill outsiders. There are some incantations to back it up and it would be backed up in the world of darkness. Therefore anywhere we go on operation, instead of recording any casualty, it is the people around that will die. Can you recollect how many people your gun had killed? No, they are just plenty that l cannot remember. Aside from this, l used a lot of people for sacrifice that l cannot even remember. I don’t want to remember those dark days.

Now that you are a pastor, do you believe that there is a curse that actually affected your destiny? You are right. There is a saying in Yoruba that it is only in war that one can die accidentally, but a curse has a target and no matter the year it was invoked it will still be operational. That crisis and curse entered my life when l was still in my mother’s womb. My father is a polygamist and one day there was a quarrel between my mother and my father’s mother. Then l was told that my father’s mother invoked a curse on my mother that she will never deliver me in peace otherwise she is not from Ikereke (a town in Oyo State) and my mother replied that she will have a normal delivery as God lives otherwise she will not serve God if she comes in the next word. From that altercation from both, the curse entered into my life and l carried the curse and the burden until l met Christ. How do you handle women and wine? I engaged in all what you can call devilish ventures, like smoking of Indian hemp, wine and in the company of women of easy virtue. I was in a hotel with about 58 women playing with me, but the warning from the world of darkness is that l should not take any of them to bed. The instruction l followed to the letter. Then l love women but there was a boundary which l must not cross. I am compelled to have fun with my only wife who knew my entire venture into the world of darkness. That was why all the women sent to me cannot do anything to me. Though l spent for them, but that was just the limit l could go. Is it true that you once spent N50 million a day? How many of that do you want to count, plenty? There was a time we went for an operation in Lagos, and it seemed we were in a tight corner, we just decided to be giving out the money to the people in order to escape. There was commotion, everybody was trying to pick as many naira notes as they can pick. Did your friends know the type of person you were? You know birds of the same feather always flock together. The so-called friends that l was moving with as at then were also into one form of shady deals or the other. But the funny thing is that nobody could identify my being with what l was doing. Even if some of them know me they cannot say it out because it was too dangerous and there was nobody l cannot kill. I usually come out in different faces which made it difficult for anybody to really identify me. That was the power given to me in the world of darkness. Who was the lady that used to accompany you to all operations? She was not a human being, though people referred to her as an alhaja, but she was a demon donated to me in the world of darkness. She will dress the way l dressed and must always be with me any time I am going out on operation. She is the one that was picked from the kingdom of Satan to be my partner. How did you meet Christ? It was such a miraculous way. I met Christ at a cross road. It was a miracle l did not expect. I met Christ through Prophet T. O. Obadare. I made myself available to the police and l have to bear all the detention and all the agonies l faced for about 11 years. A lot of Christian brothers rallied round me with conviction that l should give my life to Christ. Then Papa Obadare came to me in the prison that though l was expecting death, God has removed death from my head if I am ready to surrender everything to him. In my own thinking l thought all was over, with all the atrocities l had committed, but God showed me mercy and gave me the second chance. So when l slept, l saw that the cloth of yoke and burden was removed from my neck, l was off from the bondage of Satan, a new cloth was given to me. By the time l woke up, l was talking in tongues. From that encounter, for the first time in my life that my soul would calm down, l learnt how to pray. I stopped taking cocaine and Indian hemp. Everything about me became new. What do you think government can do to stop robbery? The simple truth is that we cannot stop robbery, but we can reduce it to the barest minimum, because we asked for it. In Matthew 27, we asked for it. They said Barnabas should be released instead of Jesus Christ, when Pilate said that this man did not commit any sin. They said no way, release Barnabas and let his blood be on us and on our children. Ever since then robbery and killing became the order of the day. Government should be able to tap from the wealth of experience of people like us who can decode a lot of knotty issues as regard how to curb the menace of armed robbery. Some of those that are inside the prison are not supposed to be there. By the time they are out, they become hardened criminals. I pray that God will help us to make things work in this country, if he could locate me from the pit of darkness where l sojourned, and now in Christ, he will deliver the country from bad leaders who make things difficult for the masses. Source: NATIONAL MIRROR