According to Commander RRS "our surveillance team pretended as if their vehicle had mechanical problem early morning (6:30am) beside 'Abiola Garden' within 5 minutes these criminals came out with dangerous weapons demanding for their wallets and other valuables before they were all apprehended"

THAT IS HOW TO DO IT, MINIMAL EFFORT

Suspected herdsmen kill woman returning from stream in Ogun


By Daud Olatunji


Suspected herdsmen have hacked a young woman, Elizabeth Pascal, to death.
Pascal was was said to have been gruesomely murdered on Monday evening at CAC Olorunda, Moriwi community of Imeko-Afon Local Government Area.
Our correspondent gathered that Pascal had gone to the stream to fetch water for domestic use when she was murdered.
She was said to have been attacked on her way back from the stream.
The young woman had encountered her assailants, who, it was learnt, did not hesitate before hacking her to death in cold blood.
The Eselu of Iselu, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, confirmed the incident.
Oba Akinyemi told our correspondent that Pascal was killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen, who had continued to terrorise the Yewa axis of Ogun State.
He said, “Yes, it is true. The lady was killed today (Monday) by Fulani herdsmen around Imeko-Afon. She went to the stream and on her way coming, she met the Fulani herdsmen and they killed her. It happened around 3 o’clock, according to the report.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident.
Oyeyemi said the woman was an indigene of Benin Republic who was killed on her way to the stream in Imeko-Afon, Ogun State.
The PPRO said her husband had come to claim the corpse and had taken it to Benin Republic.
Benin refugee camp: Akinlade, groups tackle Ogun over denial
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement in the last general election in Ogun State, Adekunle Akinlade, and some Yewa groups have faulted the state government which said no indigene of the state was at the refugee camp in Benin Republic.
Akinlade and two groups, Yewa North Patroitic Forum, and Yewa Progressives Forum in separate press statements on Tuesday, said the government goofed.
Akinlade, who has returned to the All Progressives Congress, said the statement credited to the Chairman of Peace Keeping Committee, Kayode Oladele, was wrong.
In the statement signed by his media aide, Alao Azeez, he (Akinlade) described the statement as a misrepresentation of facts.
He said the committee should agree that lives had been lost while people were displaced from their ancestral homes in the wake of the violence.
The statement read in part, “Yewa land consists of various ethnic groups such as the Ketu, Anago, Awori, Eyo, Egun, Egbado, Hohori, to mention a few. Historically, they intermarry, farm, trade and transact business across our land-boarders which do not take away the fact that they are Yewa indigenes.”
Also, YNPF in a statement signed by its Director of Media, Olasunkanmi Akinlotan, described the denial by the Ogun State Government as disgusting.
Corroborating Akinlade, the YNPF President, Sogo Akinde, said, “The chairman of committee goofed by saying that Hohori and Egun that were in Benin Republic refugee camp are not Yewa. They are bonafide Yewa indigenes and that statement has confirmed that our people are still in exile.”
Meanwhile, the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, at the presentation ceremony in Abeokuta on Tuesday announced the deployment of 10 patrol vans and 20 motorcycles in the Yewa axis of the state.
The government said it was part of efforts to check the herders/farmers’ crisis in the area.

https://punchng.com/suspected-herdsmen-kill-woman-returning-from-stream-in-ogun/

Sorry about your experience. There are NGOs that can help you. If you are in Lagos, you can contact this govt agency:

Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team(DSVRT)
https://dsvrtlagos.org/

They have a toll free number: 08000 333333 (11 Digits)
You can also send “HELP” to 6820 or dial *6820# with an Airtel or MTN line.

NCC’S NONSENSICAL ULTIMATUM By Prof Anthony Kila is Centre Director, CIAPS Lagos

Nonsense and nuisance have one thing in common: Against all odds they can grow in infinity. The recent outing of the telecoms regulator in the country, Nigerian Communications Commission, is another proof of such. Just when you think you have seen it all, someone in power will surprise you with an amazing capacity for reckless abuse and display of a seemingly pathological disconnection from reality.

There is no other way to put the recent ultimatum given by the NCC to telecommunications operators in the country to -in two weeks- block all SIM cards that are not registered with the National Identity Numbers is not only vile and vexatious.
[/b]Clearly, someone made that decision simply because he can with no regard for obvious consequences such as timing, health and other logistical issues.

This is an example of a clear lack of regard for people, plans and project by power.

[b]We must stop this ridiculous and annoying nonsense. It is a peculiar kind of dangerous nonsense that should not be allowed in the public space.

To understand how nonsensical this ultimatum is, all you need do is to imagine and consider on the one side the process that led to the ultimatum and on the other side, the most immediate and most remote consequences of the ultimatum.
The telecoms sector, with all its many flaws, is arguably one of the most productive, most advanced and perhaps most organised sectors in Nigeria today, add to that the fact it serves perhaps most Nigerians than any other sector. In dealing with such a sector, you would think a government official, whether elected or nominated, would approach matters arising with prudence and tact if not deference and care and preparation.
Let us face things bluntly: What feat has any Nigerian minister or any DG achieved on a professional level or what telecoms knowledge have they acquired that makes them feel so comfortable to be reckless enough to give profit and operation-threatening ultimatums to companies that invest trillions of naira, employ thousands of Nigerian citizens and service millions of Nigerian consumers? A quick glance at the profile of and history of these ultimatum issuers will show you that their only claim to fame, power and resultant hubris, that makes them act like some power-drunk administrators of some WhatsApp group some of us belong to, is that they represent the people.
And therein lies the paradox: An ultimatum like this one does not make sense because it does not serve the people on whose behalf power is wielded. You do not need a soothsayer to tell you that the answer would have been a resounding “No” if the government had asked the people, if they would want such an ultimatum. You do not need to be a very deep thinker to project the possible consequences of this ultimatum: It is a case of heads we lose, tails we lose.

Let us imagine that Nigerians out of fear of losing their numbers rush to get the required National Identity Numbers in the next few days, what do you see when you close your eyes? Queues upon queues and chaos? You are wrong, this December 2020, what you are actually seeing is a fluid and flourishing coronavirus distribution network. Death by SIM card caused by a nonsensical nuisance. Let us imagine that people care about their lives, take health warnings seriously and ignore this ultimatum. Then, we shall wake up one morning in less than two-week’s time to see many blocked SIM cards in Nigeria.

What is going on in the minds of those managing our affairs? One is forced to ask again.
In a land of passport, BVN, voter card and other forms of ID, they did not even bother to think of an alternative to NIN. How many people do you think have registered for this NIN? Where are they getting their data from? Who are these ultimatum issuers reporting to?
Who exactly amongst the elected and nominated care about how we the people feel about things anymore? As of the time of writing this piece, no legislator has raised any concern or called the DG of the NCC to come and speak up about this his brilliant idea.

What about the President?
Let us face it, we are all on our own.
The NCC’s ultimatum is not just senseless nuisance, it is also an affront to all of us. Those who dared to think of this ultimatum are daring us to see how much we can take. They keep springing up laws and directives that have no regard for our time, plans, project or principles.
Dear reader, I have news for you: They will not stop until we stop them ourselves. It is not enough to jeer, hiss or laugh at our daily disaster anymore. We must stand up to say no in any way we know

https://punchng.com/nccs-nonsensical-ultimatum/

Read the lips

Advise me on how to use 2,000mw ‘stranded electricity’ – Fashola tells CSOs

By Chijioke Jannah

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has urged Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to come-up with ideas and suggestions on how the 2,000 megawatts (MW) stranded at the national grid can be efficiently used.
Fashola gave the charge yesterday at an interactive session with CSOs and other stakeholders in Abuja on the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRP) of the Federal Government.
The PSRP is a series of policy action, operational, governance and financial interventions to be implemented by the Federal Government over the next five years to reset the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The minister stated that the emphasis should be on how the stranded power now available could be efficiently distributed.
He said the action was the focus of government and the power sector operators in line with the PSRP initiatives.
He said: “The reality is that we have 7,000MW and we are selling 5,000MW. So, the conversation we should be having is how to connect to the remaining 2,000MW.”

http://dailypost.ng/2018/02/03/advise-use-2000mw-stranded-electricity-fashola-tells-csos/

I am in support of Chief Obasanjo’s letter to President Buhari. That letter should also have been written to President Obasanjo while he was in Aso Rock. The only thing Nigerians gained from his presidency, is the GSM phone service. A few months ago(September 2017), he said of President Buhari as follows:

Former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo has said the administration of the country’s current leader Muhammadu Buhari has not disappointed him.
“President Buhari, I have said, has not disappointed me because the areas which we knew he was strong, he has performed fairly well,” Obasanjo told BBC’s Focus on Africa, singling out Buhari’s scorecard in the fight against corruption and the Boko Haram insurgency.
But the former leader conceded that not “everyone will be satisfied” with Buhari’s anti-corruption war.
In spite of his vote of confidence in President Buhari, Obasanjo, who was one of Buhari’s supporters in the build-up to the 2015 election, insisted he would only support the current leader for re-election in 2019, should Buhari seek it, after he must have reviewed his performance towards the end of his current four-year term.
Ushered into government in 2015, largely, on the wings of promises to reposition the country by fighting corruption, improving security and remodelling the economy, President Buhari has had to deal with an economic recession that lasted more for more than a year.
Nigeria’s economy receded at the end of Q1 in 2016 after falling oil prices ate deep into the country’s earnings and caused the naira to weaken, thereby causing inflation to spiral upward. Spates of attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta by militants, who were protesting for better deals from the government, almost crippled oil production.
But the government’s engagements in the oil-rich region, spearheaded by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, have seen attacks on oil facilities peter out.
However, Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics announced earlier in the week that the country has exited recession after the economy notched up 0.55% growth in Q2 of 2017.
“In the second quarter of 2017, the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 0.55% (year-on-year) in real terms, indicating the emergence of the economy from recession after five consecutive quarters of contraction since Q1 2016,” the NBS said.
While appreciable progress has also been recorded in the fight against Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria, former president Obasanjo said the fight against the jihadists cannot be totally won until the government addresses the root causes of the insurgency.
“The remote causes of Boko Haram, which [are] under-development in the area, lack of employment opportunities, lack of education [and] lack of infrastructure have to be addressed,” the former president said.

By Tonye Bakare
Photo Credit: PHILLIP OJISUA

https://guardian.ng/news/buhari-has-not-disappointed-me-says-obasanjo-2/

Kings Of The Road

Lagos State has zero tolerance, for nonsense. It has a myriad of uniformed personnel, in different agencies, to take care of defaulters, anytime, anywhere.
As Executive Governor of the state, Barrister Fashola arrested one Colonel Yussuff of the Nigerian Army(not a bloody civilian) for driving in the BRT lane. Today, articulated vehicles of all configurations, are sitting squarely in the BRT lane on Eko Bridge, all the way from Apapa, to the entire stretch of Funsho Williams Avenue, and nobody is doing anything about it. It now takes far longer than usual, to cross Eko Bridge, to the Island because of their presence. The ripple effect of this, is gridlock traffic in other parts of the Mainland. The drivers of these trucks, eat, sleep and defecate where they park and generally leave the place in a sorry mess. This is happening in the full view of everyone, including, LASTMA, the Police, FRSC, NSCDC, Operation MESA, and the State Task Force, in “the Centre of Excellence”.

TWO NIGERIAN POLICE OFFICERS KILLED, PORTUGUESE KIDNAPPED AT ROAD CONSTRUCTION SITE – OFFICIAL


The police in Kogi on Tuesday(Oct 2017) confirmed the killing of two police officers and the abduction of an expatriate by unknown gunmen at a construction site in the state.
The spokesperson of the state police command, William Aya, told journalists in Lokoja that Ezekiel Negedu, an inspector, and Gini John, a sergeant, were killed while on guard duty on Obajana – Oshokoshoko – Kabba road.
Mr. Aya, an assistant superintendent of police, said that Mr. John died on the spot while Mr. Negedu died on arrival in hospital.
According to the police spokesperson, about 15 gunmen emerged from a nearby bush and attacked the construction site of A .G. Dangote Company currently handling the rehabilitation of the 45-kilometre Obajana – Kabba Road.
He said that the abducted expatriate, Jose Machada, a Portuguese civil engineer, along with other expatriates and Nigerians, were inspecting the project when the gunmen struck.
According to him, the deceased police officers put up a gallant fight and resisted attempt by the invading gunmen to wreak further havoc.
He, however, expressed regret that Messrs. Negedu and John died in active service to the nation.
Mr. Aya said that the state police commissioner, Ali Janga, had a raised a team headed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police and comprising men of Special anti-robbery squad, mobile police force, Counter Terrorism Unit and others to comb the bush and rescue the victim.
He said that Mr. Janga had also visited the scene where he met with top officials and workers of the construction company on the incident.

Mr. Aya said that the police commissioner assured the workers of adequate security and promised to rescue the abducted expatriate.
(NAN)
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/247123-two-nigerian-police-officers-killed-portuguese-kidnapped-road-construction-site-official.html

FOUR EXPATRIATES KIDNAPPED IN KADUNA

By BEN AGANDE,

KADUNA – Four expatriates, two Americans and two Canadians were on Tuesday evening kidnapped in Kaduna state by by armed gunmen. Kidnap-syndicate The incidence happened along Kagarko-Jere road when the expatriates were said to have been returning to Abuja from Kafanchan where they had gone for an undisclosed business. Several security sources confirmed to Vanguard that though the expatriates had armed police escort, the security personnel were reportedly shot and killed by the gunmen before whisking their victims to an unknown destination.

The Police Public Relations Officer for Kaduna, Asp Mukhtar Aliyu who confirmed the incidence said the identity of the kidnapped expatriates were not yet known. He said anti kidnapping unit of the police force has been deployed to track down the kidnappers and rescue the victims. The Kagarko-Jere road has gained notoriety in recent times as kidnapping in the area has spiked, following the deployment of several policemen to the Kaduna Abuja road. The chairman of the people Democratic Party in Plateau state and former Minister of sports, Damishi Sanyo was kidnapped on same road in December on his way to Abuja to attend the PDP rally

www.vanguardngr.com/2018/01/updated-four-expatriates-kidnapped-kaduna/

General Obasanjo’s government had a whopping 8 years to improve power supply in Nigeria, and what we got was allegations that $16 billion(USD) spent on power projects during that period, with nothing to show for it. The House of Representatives under Rt. Hon Dimeji Bankole attempted to probe this expenditure, but the then Governor of Delta State told them, they would [url=http://www.oyibosonline.com/16bn-power-probe-reps-on-suicide-mission-%EF%BF%BD-uduaghan/]be killed for daring such an exercise[/url]. Nothing came out of that probe, in the long run.
The current Minister of Power(Babatunde Fashola) said in 2015,as Governor of Lagos State, that meeting Nigeria’s power needs, does not require rocket science. Now that he is in the driving seat, nothing has changed and the Senate is not amused.

By Olusegun Obasanjo and Greg Mills

Give us electricity,’ said Peter Owyia, cobbler, ‘I will double my daily production.’
Peter’s calculation was common among the estimated 50,000 shoe, belt, and bag makers in Ariaria market in the city of Aba in Abia State, South-East Nigeria. With each cobbler producing an average of 50 shoes per day, it’s a hive of industrial activity in the most unlikely place. Abia’s shoes, boots and sandals are famous throughout Nigeria and, increasingly, as the French labels on some products hint, now in parts of West Africa.
Underfoot it is a sludge of mud, plastic, and goodness knows only what. The road outside is a slippery track, temporarily worsened by a current project to install a parallel concrete drain. Just inside the entrance is a man focused on fixing a large pile of paraffin cookers. To the left are food vendors. To the right is a team of women manually weaving the leather straps for sandals, the hands a blur of twists, turns and flicks.
Industry is everywhere; the industriousness impressive.
Yet, there is one thing mostly missing amidst the sights, smells and sounds of the market: The hypnotic Grrrrrr of small generators. The margin and money are so tight that the shoes are manually cut out and sewn on foot-powered treadle sewing machines.
The cost of electricity supplied by Nigeria’s grid is less than half that from generators. But the problem is there is no grid supply. A failure of the consumer to pay has undermined the production of power, the investment in the equipment and systems required and, in a vicious cycle, the supply of reliable power for which consumers are willing to pay. On paper, Nigeria should produce 7,100 megawatts, but actually, only generates 4,600 MW.
But it does not have to be like this.
A stone’s throw away from Ariaria market is the Abia power generation plant, a privately funded $500 million 141 MW facility. It’s brand, spanking new – and, so far, unused.
The power plant has its origins in a group of local entrepreneurs, led by Dr Barth Nnaji, a US university professor and, later, minister of power in Nigeria, who wanted to create a replicable model for sustainable power development in the country. Having obtained the concession for Aba from the Federal Government in 2005, the consortium built a state-of-the-art plant, rehabilitated the entire local distribution network, put up nearly 150km of overhead lines within the Aba metropolis, completed or refurbished 12 sub-stations, and constructed a 27km gas pipeline from Imo River to supply the three General Electric turbines.
Then, with just 60 days work left on the project, the local Enugu Electricity Distribution Company was handed over to another party by the Bureau of Public Enterprises without excising Aba from the sale. As Prof. Nnaji notes, “The BPE, in effect, double-sold Aba metropolis. This is in spite of the very fact that the agreement we had clearly states that whenever there is privatisation, our company has first right to purchase the facility in Aba.”
Thus, Aba now sits with a world-class electricity infrastructure which cannot be turned on to the cost of both the investors and local industry, which is bound to turn off other investors. In this way, Nigeria’s greatest high-energy development asset is also its greatest problem: Nigerians themselves.
Yet, the country’s population will more than double to 415 million in the next generation. The five states of the South-East will increase to 45 million people over this time. To create the jobs their people crave, they will need an enabling environment for business and the infrastructure to power industry and get goods to the market. The government should resolve the power impasse before it expects investors to follow.
Compare this to Costa Rica which we visited this past week with a delegation from the Brenthurst Foundation. The results of the last 30 years show that government has consistently taken a corporate view, looked after its investors, and got things done.
In 1980, Costa Rica’s exports comprised mainly coffee, fruit and beef. Today, it exports 4,300 products to 150 countries, and is home to 300 high-tech companies including Intel and Amazon. Traditional exports have fallen from two-thirds of the total 30 years ago to under 15 per cent by 2016. With just five million citizens, it has similarly revolutionised its tourism sector, with the numbers growing tenfold to three million visitors over the same period, and the average stay doubling to 12 days.
Investors speak warmly of the reasons for being in Costa Rica: the quality of the workforce, with free mandatory education since 1869; openness, with 14 free trade agreements in force to a market totalling 2.5 billion consumers; and political stability, given its 125 years of democracy. Its infrastructure is admittedly rickety in part and energy is not cheap, at US$0.17c kw/h, but like government policy, it’s wholly reliable.
The rule of law, effective government functioning and sound macro-economic fundamentals are, as they put it, “all taken as a given”. But they are bolstered by extremely focused and energetic export and trade promotion bodies, keen not just to attract investors, but on “after-care,” says a director of their investment promotion board CINDE, “given that two-thirds of investment are re-investment”.
The initial Intel investment 20 years ago, which was the catalyst for much that followed, was the result of a deliberate effort led by the president to attract the chip maker. Little wonder then that Costa Rica’s real per capita income has gone up five times in the last 35 years, to $15,000, and the country ranks #1 in Education and Health Care in Latin America, and #2 in terms of ‘Social Progress’.
The elevator pitch, insists Costa Rica’s trade minister, should be all about ‘the people’. Yet, it’s more than that. Skills may be critical but people also require a reliable facilitator in government, which Nigeria and much of Africa lacks.
A large sign above one of Ariaria market’s alleyways reads: “This is Big Line, Where God Makes People Big”. Even so, government has a critical role to play in setting a competiveness vision, and acting on its promises by delivering the policies and hardware that enable business to compete. And that starts, in Abia’s case, with turning on the electricity.
• Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria, chairs the Brenthurst Foundation and Dr Mills is its director. They are co-authors of the recent ‘Making Africa Work: A Handbook for Economic Success’.

http://punchng.com/give-us-electricity-and-well-build-africa/

Free To Air

Sorry, Chief Obasanjo’s hand was shortened in this matter. He could not appoint you governor, like he did, to make you CEO of FRSC.

#AnambraDecides: Why People Didn’t Vote For UPP – Chidoka
By Akinola Ajibola

In a declaration issued on Sunday, a day after the poll took place, Chidoka attributed his party’s defeat to the distrust the people have for politicians.
“From the ballots, we heard the voice of our people – we heard it loud and clear,” he said. “On November 18, our people announced strongly their rejection of politicians.”
“They traded their votes because they doubted we would truly represent their interest. While our message resonated with the people, they doubted that the political class cared about them; they voted for the highest bidder,” he added.
Chidoka, a former minister of aviation and former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, said some people demanded money to vote for him.
He, however, said his party declined to grant such request, adding that UPP’s agenda was to promote justice and equity in Anambra and Nigeria in general.
“When by Thursday, November 16, a large percentage of our supporters insisted that they will not vote unless we paid, I insisted we will not pay for votes. The decision not to pay ended our good run – we accept the voters’ decision. We also heard our people, by their turnout and transactional approach, as they took sides with our party’s considered view that the issue of justice, equity and fairness should be canvassed within Nigeria,” he said.
“In all, we hold our heads high – high because we did not lose the poll due to paucity of ideas or lack of “structure”; we lost to superior financial firepower. As democrats, we concede to the voters’ choices. The true hallmark of democracy is the respect for the voice of the ballot as that of the majority.”
The former minister further said his party won at the most important place; in the hearts of people who saw the sincerity of their mission and gave all in support of the quest for collective good.
He also thanked party faithful for their support and personal sacrifices to the campaign, saying the poll was a referendum on the future of the state.
He said: “An important issue has come out of this election; this election represented a referendum on our future. No matter the number that came out to vote, they have made the choice and we do hope that the future we all envisioned for our children and us has not been mortgaged by their action.
“We, therefore, make no apologies for our decision to refrain from money politics and chart a new course for a clean, knowledge-based campaign driven by patriotism. We make no apologies for our campaign philosophies and our positions on momentous issues that directly affect our people; we are proud to have spoken for them.”

https://www.channelstv.com/2017/11/19/anambradecides-people-didnt-vote-upp-chidoka/

Politics should not be do-or-die affairs – Obasanjo

Calabar – Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised politicians not to see politics as a matter of do-or-die affairs. Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo Obasanjo gave the advice on Saturday in Calabar at the public presentation of a book titled: `Stepping Forward with Uti J.D . Agba and Mathias Okoi-Uyouyo. Obasanjo, who was the special guest of honour at the event, said that politicians, who fail elections can help those who win elections to succeed for the growth of the nation. “Politics should not be about life or death. Politicians should learn how to thread with caution as 2019 elections draw closer. “If you cannot be the chief servant you can be the assistant chief servant. This is because the chief servant cannot do it on his own; he has to work with others,” he said. Also, Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River said that politicians, who could not be in power should support those in power to ensure development. Ayade stressed the need for all politicians to work together irrespective of their political parties for the development of the people they represent. “Power is like the wind which blows away. In using power, one must do so with the fear of God,” Ayade said. The governor supported the book presentation with a donation of N5 million on behalf of the state government and another N5 million in his personal capacity. Author of the book, Mr Goddy Jeddy Agba, said that the people of Cross River should be one, adding that it was important for all stakeholders to work together for the ultimate growth and development of the state. The book was reviewed by Prof. Kalu Uka of the University of Uyo. Agba’s father, His Royal Highness Uti Jeddy Agba has been the Paramount Ruler of Obudu in Cross River for 58 years. Dignitaries who graced the occasion are the Etsu Nupe of Nupe Kingdom, Alhaji Dr Yahaya Abubakar, the Obong of Calabar, Edidem Okon Abasi-Otu V, former governor of Cross River Sen. Liyel Imoke among others. (NAN)

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/11/politics-not-die-affairs-obasanjo/

By John Chikezie

The newly appointed Lagos Chief Judge, Justice Opeyemi Oke, yesterday, granted amnesty to four sick inmates of Badagry Prison. The freed inmates, aside from being sick, were all charged and convicted on charges bordering on breach of peace and having no means of livelihood.
Oke, who resumed office barely three weeks ago, released the convicts, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Special Provisions Act, Laws of the Federation 2007. While releasing the inmates, the CJ urged them to go and sin no more.
He also urged them to, henceforth, be of good behaviour and stay away from crime. Most of the released inmates appeared skinny and suffering with paralysis and had difficulties in walking; others are suffering from asthma. However, two other inmates initially scheduled for release were denied freedom by the Chief Judge. One of the inmates is serving jail term for car theft, while the other is on trial for sexual offences.
Oke ordered that the released sick inmates be taken immediately to hospital for medical attention. Oke remarked that prison decongestion was uppermost in her mind and that of the Lagos State Government.

She said: “This is the reason we are doing all we can to assist in decongestion of prisons by releasing those awaiting trials or convicted for minor offences.” She expressed displeasure with the lower courts for convicting persons for having no visible means of livelihood.
She queried: “When has it become an offence to be out of job? There is no law to support such, and my findings in Badagry Prison has again brought to fore the need for training and reorientation of magistrates on criminal laws.”

The Deputy Comptroller of Prisons (DCP), Olukayode Esan, said that the visit, which was to release the inmates, has attested to the fact that imprisonment was not the end of one’s life, but rather a process of reformation for wrong doing.
Esan also requested for the support of the state government to enable the prison authority carry out reformation programmes that will make the inmates useful to the society after their release.
Esan further said: “The prison needs support in areas of industrial and capacity training, staff accommodation, assisting the inmates to get easy access to courts for trial, provision of generator to power the facility, among others.”
The DCP further disclosed that the prison, built in 1885 to accommodate 160 inmates, currently has 482 inmates, who are mostly awaiting trials. “37 of them are long term convicts, 185 short term convicts and five sick inmates undergoing treatment and six stagnant long term awaiting trials,” DCP said

https://newtelegraphonline.com/2017/11/lagos-cj-frees-four-sick-inmates-badagry-prison/

Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is the worst in the world, according to the 2016 World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI).
The WISPI was produced by two bodies – the International Police Science Association and the Institute for Economics and Peace.
The report measured the ability of the police to address internal security issues. The police in 127 countries were assessed across four key areas.
The areas are capacity, process, legitimacy and outcomes.
The report showed that Nigeria underperformed on all four domains, with a score of 0.255.
“There are 219 police officers for every 100,000 Nigerians, well below both the Index median of 300, and the sub-Saharan Africa region average of 268,” the report read.
“This limits the capacity of the force to measure up to its law and order mandate.
“In terms of process, legitimacy and outcomes, the story is not different which makes the force fall short of the required standard.
“High levels of political terror have been an issue for Nigeria since 1993, with the country scoring a 4 on the Political Terror Scale every year since then.”
“Terrorism remains one of the greatest threats to internal security. Terrorism has increased dramatically over the last three years, with more than 62,000 people being killed in terrorist attacks between 2012 and 2014. The biggest rise in the last year occurred in Nigeria.”
But Jimoh Moshood, spokesman of the police force, rejected the report saying Nigeria police is the best in Africa.
According to the report, the top 10 performing African countries are Botswana which ranked highest at 47, followed by Rwanda which took the 50 position.
Others are Algeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Ghana, South Africa and Mali, in that order.
The 10 underperforming African countries are Madagascar (111th), Zambia (112th), Ethiopia (115th), Sierra Leone (117th), Cameroon (120th), Mozambique (122nd), Uganda (124th), Kenya (125th), Democratic Republic of Congo (126th).
Europe was at the top of the global rankings, with eight countries in total.

https://www.thecable.ng/nigeria-police-ranks-worst-world-internal-security-police-index

Niflheim:


CHURCH MEMBERS: Our god, our god, why have you forsaken us?

GOD: Because I do not exist!!!

GOD: Because I Know You Not!!!!

Group writes Buhari, demands cost of foreign medical treatment


By Oladimeji Ramon

A group, Advocacy for Societal Rights Advancement and Development Initiative, has written President Muhammadu Buhari, demanding the details of the President’s medical bill for the period of 104 days that he spent in the United Kingdom receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment.
The group made this demand in a letter dated September 12 written pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act 2011.
ASRADI, in the said letter signed by its Executive Director, Adeolu Oyinloye, also wanted Buhari to disclose how much was spent on parking the presidential aircraft at Stansted Airport for the entire 104 days that the President spent in the UK.
“Who defrayed the parking charges of the aircraft that conveyed you to the United Kingdom? How many crew members accompanied you and the aircraft? For how long were the crew members stationed in the United Kingdom? How much was incurred in allowances for the crew? How much did it cost to accommodate the crew members in the United Kindgom?” the group queried.
ASRADI reminded Buhari that by the provision of the Freedom of Information Act, it is entitled to a response from the President within seven days.
The letter to Buhari was backed with another one addressed to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, wherein the group sought to know how much of foreign currency was released for the President’s medical treatment.
The letter to Emefiele read in part, “Kindly furnish us with information on the amount of foreign currency you released so far (cash/cheque/bank transfer or any other payment mode) in respect of President Muhammadu Buhari’s medical treatment and aircraft parking fees at Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom.
“As the Freedom of Information Act 2011 prescribed, we expect your reply within seven days of the receipt of this application.”


http://punchng.com/group-writes-buhari-demands-cost-of-foreign-medical-treatment/