STRANGE THINGS ARE HAPPENING O : [PHOTO] Nigerian pleads guilty to terror charges in the US ... InformationNigeria

33 year old Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi (pictured above) yesterday Tuesday April 29th pleaded guilty to terror charges in a US court. The Nigerian citizen is accused of providing material support to an al Qaeda affiliate, and participating in its media and recruitment campaigns, Reuters reports.
US prosecutors said that, from January 2010 to August 2011, Babafemi left Nigeria to Yemen twice to meet with some leaders of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, known as AQAP.

“The defendant traveled to Yemen to put himself at the disposal of a violent terrorist organization that has repeatedly demonstrated its determination to inflict bodily and economic harm on the US and its citizens,” A U.S. Attorney said in a statement.

Prosecutors also say the al Qaeda leaders paid Babafemi, also known as ‘Ayatollah Mustapha’ almost $9,000 to recruit English-speaking people from Nigeria that would write for their online magazine called ‘Inspire’. He was extradited August last year from Nigeria to the US.
Sentencing for the case has been scheduled for August 27th. Babafemi faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. So they are basically locking him for editing and getting writers for the al Qaeda magazine.

IN THESE DAYS OF ANOMIE, SUCH GOOD NEWS CANNOT BE IGNORED ... WE JUST HOPE IT IS CREDIBLE AND TRUE : Exclusive: Nigerian girls 'alive' and deal is 'within reach' .... Channel4.comNews ... Gbenga Celestine contributed to this article, from Maiduguri, Nigeria

A hostage negotiator in direct contact with the kidnappers of more than 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria tells Channel 4 News their safe release is "within reach", but that their fate rests on a knife-edge.

Photo (clockwise, from top left): President Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, Chebok secondary school sign, parents of kidnpapped children
"The girls, we believe, are alive but they have been moved from the location to which they were originally taken," the intermediary told Channel 4 News. "It would not be hard to engineer a deal. It looks like they want to release them."
The kidnappers have warned, however, that attempts by the military to launch a rescue attempt "may result in the deaths of many of the captives".

After they converted to Islam, they were forcibly married off with a bride price of just 2,000 Naira. Dr Pogu Bitrus

"They want a way out," said the negotiator, who has long experience of dealing directly with the Islamist group Boko Haram in previous hostage crises.
Boko Haram translates as "western education is forbidden" and, like the Taliban, the group opposes the education of Muslim girls, particularly if that education has western influence.
Even though most of the kidnapped teenagers are from Christian families, the intermediary says the group believes it has already succeeded in embarrassing the government and instilling terror in the civilian population.

Fate undecided

However splinter factions within the fractious group are understood to be arguing over what to do with their hostages. "The danger now is that the military will get involved and that can only end badly," he said.
Past kidnappings by the al-Qaeda inspired jihadist group, which is fighting for a strict sharia state in northern Nigeria, have ended with the execution of hostages as a result of attempted military intervention.

It seems the government is either incapable of handling or unwilling to handle this situation. Dr Margee Ensign

The hostage-takers have now been asked for a list of the girls' names as proof-of-life. The negotiator - who wanted to remain anonymous for reasons of personal security - said the group is demanding a ransom but added: "we are hoping they will soften their stance".
The Islamist insurgents abducted 273 girls, aged 16 to 18, from dormitories at the Chibok Girls' Secondary School in Chibok, Borno state, a fortnight ago. Around 40 girls reportedly escaped early on. The numbers of those originally kidnapped - and those still held captive - has been in dispute. Last week, the missing girls' parents insisted that government figures had dramatically underestimated the number held.
The school's headteacher, Mrs Asabe Kwambura, told Channel 4 News on Tuesday that a further 10 girls had since been "recovered". "For now, the total number of girls we have recovered is 53 while 220 girls are still missing," said Mrs Kwambura.

Relocated, and 'forced to marry'

The abductors, who have been in intermittent contact with the intermediary over the past 48 hours, claim to have released "a number of hostages" because "they did shehada" - meaning forcible conversion to Islam, a hallmark tactic of Boko Haram.
Channel 4 News has also established that the schoolgirls are not being held in the group's notorious bush camps in the Sambisa forest, an area 50 miles to the south east of the Borno state capital, Maiduguri. This region has reportedly been the focus of Nigerian military activity in recent days.
Instead, the hostages have, we understand, been split into smaller separate groups, a number of whom have been taken close to - or across - Nigeria's eastern border with Cameroon. This is an area from which Mohammed Nur, one of Boko Haram's leading commanders is known to operate.
"They have a problem," the intermediary said. "They have 220 captives and moving that many around cannot remain hidden. There is good, reliable, local knowledge as to their location. The military knows where they are."
The relocation of the teenage hostages has been corroborated by a senior community leader in Chibok, the town from which they were abducted. Dr Pogu Bitrus told Channel 4 News that he too has learned that following the kidnapping, many of the girls were forcibly converted and some then married off in neighbouring Cameroon. He did not cite his sources.
"Many were taken to the northern part of Borno state and then moved across into the Republic of Cameroon," he said. "After they converted to Islam, they were forcibly married off with a bride price of just 2,000 Naira [less than £10]." Dr Bitrus believes some of the girls do still remain in Boko Haram camps in the Sambisa forest. "The federal government must act fast" to avoid them suffering the same fate, he added.

Public anger at government

Public fury in Nigeria is focused on the government's perceived failure to respond to the hostage crisis. On Wednesday, women from across the country plan to stage a "one-million-women protest march" in the capital, Abuja, demanding the girls' release.
Former British prime minister Gordon Brown, now the UN education envoy, has also announced that he will meet Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja next week to discuss the girls' abductions. In a statement on Tuesday, Mr Brown said: "Despite a frantic search for them I understand the fears that the girls will either be used as sex slaves or be murdered."

The danger now is that the military will get involved and that can only end badly. Negotiator

President Jonathan has emerged as a lightning rod for public outrage. "It is inexcusable that this government is not responding," said Dr Margee Ensign, president of the American University of Nigeria. "It seems it is either incapable of handling or unwilling to handle this situation."
Dr Ensign spoke to Channel 4 News from Yola, in Adamawa State, south of where the schoolgirls are being held, which is also under emergency rule as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency. She leads a local peace initiative among Christian and Muslim communities in Yola, and added: "You have to have an effective response to stop this violence.

Peaceful release viewed as 'humiliation'

"A military response can only stop the violence for a short period. But the only sure way to ensure peace is development. This crisis is playing out in one of the poorest parts of the poorest regions of Nigera, where illiteracy is around 80 per cent and where health care is almost non-existent."
While relatives of the missing girls have pressed for an urgent military rescue attempt, a security analyst familiar with Nigerian military operations said the armed forces would likely view a negotiated, peaceful release "as a humiliation".
The Nigerian military is widely reported to have benefited financially from the conflict with Boko Haram, with commanders - and politicians - rumoured to have taken cuts and kickbacks from multi-billion dollar budget allocations intended to fund the government fight back.
"They're making a lot of money from arms and security contracts connected with the anti-insurgency effort," said one analyst, who wanted to remain anonymous.
Although President Jonathan recently replaced the chiefs of his armed services, some question how much influence he wields over elements within the military. Many Nigerians are also convinced that the silence of other prominent Nigerian politicians on the issue of the schoolgirls' abductions is down to political rivalries.
"They want to see Goodluck go down," said one source.
Gbenga Celestine contributed to this article, from Maiduguri, Nigeria

MAKING US ALL PROUD : EcoSahel’s Jelani Aliyu Develops Solar-powered Laptop ... LeadershipNews

An indigenous Nigerian company, EcoSahel Global Ventures, has developed a solar-powered laptop that is powerful, rugged, versatile and durable, with the ability to take the harsh conditions of any environment.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the company headed by an automotive/industrial designer and technology entrepreneur, Jelani Aliyu, MFR, is committed to providing effective creative technologies that will make the lives of Nigerians easier, intelligent technologies that are in tune with the nation’s environment, are energized by it and perform efficiently.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP, Aliyu explained the commitment of his company towards progressive technologies that blend with the nation’s environment: “Our future lies not in technologies and systems that are incompatible with our cultures and climate; our future lies in solar energy. The sooner we, as individuals, researchers, institutions, entrepreneurs and leaders, adopt this free and clean power source, the earlier  we shall be self-sufficient in energy to power our lives, cities, farms and industries.”
He said that the SOL solar-powered laptop gets its power directly from the sun, and hence does not need to be plugged in, enabling study, work and communication from anywhere.
“Our country is blessed with abundant sunlight, and EcoSahel believes it is only logical that we leverage this power source to power our lives. The SOL is set to be one of the most significant products in Nigeria; it is both a laptop and a power generator,” Aliyu said.
The SOL is a powerful tool that has the capability to enable Nigeria to accelerate its development by giving computing and communication access to anyone anywhere. No longer tied to an electrical grid, or hampered by interrupted power supply, one can work with the SOL from anywhere. This highly capable laptop comes fully loaded with productivity and creative tools.
Given the abundant sunshine across the different climes of Nigeria, EcoSahel hopes that the SOL solar-powered laptop will improve the lives of Nigerians.
Nigeria produces about 4,000 megawatts of electricity mostly from hydro-  and gas-powered plants and has been unable to meet the energy needs of its citizens necessary for economic and social development.
Also, it has been slow if not reluctant in embracing alternative sources of renewable energy like solar. Most efforts at harnessing the sun’s abundant and renewable energy have come from private entities like EcoSahel.
Aliyu was born and raised in Nigeria. He hails from Sokoto State and beams with pride at the thought of his homeland.
He first studied Architecture, the closest thing to car designing in Nigeria at the Birnin Kebbi Polytechnic. He later enrolled at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan where he studied Transportation Design. Upon graduation from the College for Creative Studies,  Aliyu obtained a position with General Motors, where he worked at the GM Tech Centre  for about three years and then an international assignment took him to Germany for nearly two years to work at Opel.
After his tenure at Opel, Jelani returned to the GM Tech Center, where he came up with the design for the Chevrolet Volt Electric Car, a vehicle that is crucial not just to GM but to the whole industry and
world in general.
Jelani Aliyu says, “We must never underestimate the amazing power of human imagination, the ability to envision a dramatically positive and dynamic future. Every great city, every monument, every historic feat, as it stands for all the world to see, was once pure thought, pure imagination acted upon and brought into reality. To imagine is to dream, to dream is to tune in to the ever fascinating possibilities of
the future. And when we do dream, it must be big, because to dream small is to totally underestimate the amazing capabilities that lie within each and every one of us.”

WHO GIVES A DAMN? : Malala Demands Release Of Abducted Schoolgirls ... LeadershipNews

A Pakistani national, Malala Yousafzai, has called on the federal government to do all it can to rescue the abducted girls.
Malala, who made the call while speaking with the Hausa Service of the BBC, said that the federal government should know that it is its responsibility to rescue the abducted girls still being held by members of Boko Haram sect.
She said, “I was depressed to hear the news that female schoolgirls were abducted; the world should put all hands on deck to rescue the innocent girls from the Boko Haram sect.
“Female education is compulsory and their responsibility is on all tiers of government. Islam accepts female education and any person that is against that is not a true Muslim,” she said.
Malala is a Pakistani school pupil and education activist who was shot by the Taliban on Tuesday, October 9, 2012, while she was boarding a bus to school. A gunman asked for Malala by name, then pointed a Colt 45 at her and fired three shots. One bullet hit the left side of Malala’s forehead, travelled under her skin the length of her face and then into her shoulder.
The attack drew worldwide condemnation and sparked a national and international outpouring of support for Malala. She had been an activist for rights to education and for women, especially in Afghanistan.
Since the attempt on her life, Malala has become a symbol for girl education and she traverse the globe speaking for increased education for girls. She has risen in prominence, giving interviews in print and on television, and was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by South African activist Desmond Tutu. She has won numerous prizes for her exemplary stance in pursuit of education.

Cameroun, Niger, Chad Behind Insurgency – Senators
Emotion ran high on the floor of the Senate yesterday as the senators took turns to bemoan the fate of the abducted female students of Government Girls’ Secondary School (GGSS), Chibok, Borno State. The girls were abducted on April 14.
Senators Mohammed Magor, Ahmed Zannah, Ali Ndume and Maji Maina Lawal pondered the harrowing experiences of the abducted girls, accusing the neighbouring countries of Cameroun, Niger and Chad of aiding and abetting the insurgency in the country.
The senators, who were returning from a recess, debated a motion sponsored by the leader of the Senate, Victor Ndoma-Egba, and 108 others on the abduction of 234 female schoolchildren in Chibok on April 14, 2014, by the Boko Haram insurgents.
Some of the senators alleged internal sabotage within the security agencies deployed to the north-east region of the country to fight the Boko Haram terrorists. They lamented that the security operatives had failed to achieve the purpose for which they were sent there.
Sequel to the motion, however, the Senate urged the federal government and all security agencies to intensify efforts to immediately rescue the students. It also urged the federal government and the security agencies to seek the cooperation and aid of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations Organisation to deploy advanced technological measures, including dialogue, towards rescuing the abducted children safely.
Leading a debate on the motion, Senator Ndoma-Egba said, “The Senate notes with grief the inhuman abduction of secondary school girls in Chibok, Borno State, by alleged Boko Haram terrorists.
“Senate also notes that, just when the country was nursing its grief caused by the rush-hour bombing of a bus park in the nation’s capital, Abuja, which killed over 75 people and wounded dozens more, the country was struck yet with another devastating blow: the abduction of about 234 girls from their school in Chibok.
“Senate notes that on April 15, 2014, the Government Girls’ Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State, was attacked when militants broke into the school, shooting the guards and abducting a large number of students in trucks into the Sambisa forest, a known hideout for the Boko Haram sect.
“The Senate is disappointed that, two weeks after their disappearance, the girls’ whereabouts are still unknown. And about 44 escaped by jumping from the back of the truck used to ferry them away or by sneaking out of the abductors’ camp deep inside the Sambisa forest.
“The Senate is hopeful that the offer of assistance by governments of the United States of America and the United Kingdom to rescue the students would come with all the required technology including the deployment of the drones, which the United States had used to great positive effect to tracking/fighting terrorism elsewhere.”
Contributing to the motion, Senator Ahmad Zannah, representing Borno Central, informed the Senate that the insurgents had moved the girls to Cameroun and Chad, expressing pessimism on the ability of the security operatives to rescue the girls from their captors.
Zannah, who gave a graphic detail of the movement of the insurgents with the abducted girls, said that it was lack of willingness on the part of the military operatives to combat the insurgency that led to the escalation of the menace.
He told the Senate that he constantly furnished the security with information on the itinerary of the Boko Haram insurgents to enable forces track them down, but they never acted on his information: “I rise to adopt this motion passionately, based on the ages of the girls that were involved and the human lives that have suffered as a result of this unfortunate development. Since the beginning of this crisis, I have kept mute on this issue as far as press releases and press interviews are concerned.
“I have been constantly in touch with the security agencies, telling them the developments, the movement of the girls from one place to the other and then the splitting of the girls and eventually the marriage of these girls by the insurgents. What bothers me most is that whenever I inform them where these girls are, after two to three days, they would be moved from that place to another and, still, I would go back and inform them that, see, this is what is happening.
“I lost hope two days ago, when I found out that some of them were moved to Chad and Cameroon. Actually, some of them moved through the Mandara Mountain that is in Gwoza and some of them are just a stone’s throw from their barracks.
“It all depends on their willingness. If the state of emergency was extended… I was interviewed by the press on whether the military would succeed, and I said yes, if there was willingness, they would. Their number is not all that much as being touted and without cooperation from certain groups of people within the security agencies, there is no way these people would survive like this.
“But when we talk, they will say we are against them, we are exposing them, we are demoralising their troops. These are the facts. So unless there is spirit of seriousness on the part of our military, we have no hope of getting those girls. Even if we are going to get them, we are going to get them in trickles — maybe getting two, three, four, and five. They are now scattered. So it is not possible for us to get 50, 60,100 in one particular position. This is the position as at today.”
Also, senators Ayogu Eze, Kabiru Gaya, Ahmed Lawan, Nemadi Usman, Ganyiu Solomon, Mohammed Magoro and Ehigie Uzamere all expressed concern on the matter, calling on the government and the security agencies to put more effort in the raging battle against terrorism in the land.

6 killed in Adamawa attack
As the debate for or against the extension of emergency rule in Adamawa and other states intensified, about six persons were on Monday night killed when gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members attacked Kubla village of Madagali local government area of Adamawa State, burning churches and private buildings.
Some residents of the affected village who fled the area claimed that they were attacked in the wee hours of Monday, even as the attackers operated unchallenged for hours.
The residents said that the gunmen stormed the area and used sophisticated weapons during the attack that lasted for hours.

We’re working to rescue abducted girls – DHQ
The Defence Headquarters has said that the security tactics being used by the military to rescue the abducted schoolgirls cannot be disclosed to everyone despite the criticism by Nigerians.
Defence spokesman Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade told the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that the security forces were working to track down the kidnappers of the final-year students of GGSS, Chibok, Borno State.
He said “The concern and anxiety from all quarters is quite understandable. Be assured that as much as the forces may not disclose details of action being taken to secure the freedom of the girls, every information received on the subject is duly analysed and acted upon as necessary.
“No information is being ignored in the concerted effort to ensure the safety and freedom of the girls. What we need from Nigerians is prayer for success”.

Borno women besiege NASS
Demand for the rescue of the abducted 234 students of GGSS, Chibok, reached a climax yesterday in Abuja as about 200 women under the aegis of the Women Wing of Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA), Abuja, besieged the National Assembly to register their grievances.
The women further demanded to see the Senate president, David Mark, and speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal.
The protesters marched from Eagle Square to the National Assembly followed by armed policemen.
At the gate of the NASS, police operatives wanted to stop them from gaining access to the complex but the angry protesters defied all persuasions.
The arrival of the women group at the security post caused confusion among the policemen who shut the gate but quickly flung it open.
Addressing the protesters, Senator Barnabas Gemade, speaking on behalf of the Senate president, David Mark, said the Senate was not sleeping over the abduction.
Gemade said, “We are saddened by this development but because of this debate that is going on on the floor of the Senate, he (Senate president) has asked three of us to come here and assure you that the Senate is not sleeping; Senate is not reneging on its responsibility but is working very hard to ensure that something is done very urgently on this matter.
Senator Zainab Kure, who spoke in Hausa, said it was time for more action. She said that all necessary steps would be taken to intensify efforts to rescue the children.
The protesting women, dressed in black, carried placards which read: “Students Abducted: Parents Crying; Nigeria, We Depend on Your Strength; Save our Daughters, Please; A Vacuum Created, Help” and “Let The World Know That The Government Is Silent On Abducted Students”, among others.
The leader of the women, Mrs Naomi Nyadar, said they were dismayed at the level of effort being made by the government towards saving the lives of their children. “As far as we are concerned, we are not satisfied, so they should do more,” she said, adding that, at their own level, they have done anything within their limit to ensure that the government responded to their plights over the abduction of their children.

Chibok: Reps seek foreign assistance to free schoolgirls
The House of Representatives has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to seek foreign assistance to free the schoolgirls.
The lawmakers also summoned the country’s security service chiefs for a closed-door briefing on the abduction which has now attracted international attention. No date was announced for their appearance.
These were fallouts of a motion on the abductions sponsored by Hon. Peter Biye Gumtha (Borno/APC).
The attack and subsequent abductions in Chibok on  April 14 have been attributed to the terrorist group, Boko Haram.
Gumtha told lawmakers that, two weeks after the schoolgirls were driven away from their boarding school in the middle of the night, parents are desperate for news of their daughters.
“Parents of the abducted girls are yet to receive any reliable information from the security agencies on the whereabouts of their children,” the lawmakers stated at Tuesday’s plenary.

Boko Haram Members Are Cowards – CAN
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has described the members of the Boko Haram sect as cowards of the highest order who engage in killing innocent people in the country.
The CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor who made this known during his visit to the headquarters of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) stated that the insurgents pretend to give impression that they are religious people, which they are not.
He said, “How can you go to motor parks and kill innocent people? If you are serious about war, should you kill innocent people, drivers and travellers? It is so wrong”.

UNRAVELLING VIRUS NYAKO : Detectives Grill Gov Nyako Over Genocide Memo ... Abusidiqu

Detectives from force headquarters, yesterday, grilled Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State for four hours at Government House, Yola, over a recent memo he sent to the Northern Governors Forum, NGF, alleging genocide in the North by President Goodluck Jonathan.
This came as the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, warned politicians, including serving governors, against inflammatory and divisive statements capable of endangering the peace and security of the nation.
Vanguard gathered that the team of investigators, drawn from the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Force Intelligence Bureau and the IGP monitoring unit, included two Deputy Commissioners of Police, one Assistant Commissioner of Police and two Superintendents of Police.
It was gathered that the interrogation of Nyako, which started at 10am, lasted till 1.30pm and was the first part of the session as the governor is expected to produce a proof of his allegations.
The areas said to have been concentrated on by the detectives were those of the Federal Government’s genocide to reduce the voting populace of the North, allegation of Boko Haram terrorism and the herdsmen attacks and killings which the governor alleged to be a project pursued by the government for political purposes.
Contacted on the development, Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Frank Mba, confirmed the visit of the Police team to Adamawa State Government House, but noted that the officers were on a fact-finding visit.
Meanwhile, the IG, in a statement by Mba, stressed that inflammatory statements were capable of desecrating the national symbol and identity, and promoting a regime of lawlessness, vowing to visit same with sanctions.

FOR THE RECORDS ... THAT REBASING ABRACADABRA : Rebasing Corruption, By Prof Pat Utomi

Our Gross Domestic Product has shot up as a result of mechanics of computation. The factor prices of two and half decades ago being abandoned, for that which is more current and properly capturing emerging sectors have resulted in the economy being, by GDP measure, the largest in Africa. The GDP has been rebased. It would seem though that corruption managed to continue as the hot issue competing with the GDP rebasing for headlines. Will corruption bring down economic promise and the Nigerian society?
Perhaps, if we do a corruption index “rebasing”, we may find how frightening the possible effects of corruption on progress may be. It seemed so natural to try an excursion down the path of this subject again, not to blame and find fault with any particular group of people but to alert us all of what we could allow such a culture to inflict on us and on the possibilities before our children. This is particularly because many in positions of authority and those who profit from it are living in denial about the real consequences of this scourge which is so pervasive in contemporary Nigeria and reminds me so often of Jared Diamond and his reflections in the book, Collapse, about how societies have failed through history.
By now, my favorite quote on the impact and level of corruption in Africa is known to come from the Kempe Ronald Hope Snr and Bornwell Chukulo book on corruption and development in Africa which opened with the puzzle of the spectrum of corruption on the continent, from rare, in Botswana, to widespread, in Ghana, and systemic, in Nigeria. But the book was nearly two decades ago and even to the casual observer, corruption has become much worse in Nigeria. This is even without my returning to my 1996 encounter with Mike Wallace, the revered CBS correspondent and 60 minutes anchor, on his reference to Nigeria as the most corrupt country in the world, in that interview with Louis Farrakhan.
Let us offer a brief anatomy of a grave ailment eating up the soul of Nigeria, like cancer in metastasis. From the civil service where an entitlement mentality towards corrupt gain has ballooned the cost of projects, made a mess of value for money mindset, and auditing, to elections that are for sale to the most corrupt, and legislatures that are extortion rackets, Nigeria is in the throes of hemorrhaging to an undesired end if its elite do not realise the imperative of moral rebirth on this score.
The sad truth is that while there are more good people than bad around, the state of public culture considers the man that does not “make hay” from where he works, a foolish person. Some civil servants cajole service partners who do not pay bribes in a way you would think those people were criminals. The crime is they refuse to “show gratitude”. Service providers, brow-beaten and pressured by many failed bids, decide that it is extortion they can do nothing about and give in. I am perpetually fighting people I superintended who give in so readily. Maybe, it is why my pocket is not so deep but it leaves me a conscience I can sleep well with.
Just as I tell journalists who function in a world where a brown envelope has come to be seen as a perquisite of the job, I do not give because I consider giving a crushing of their dignity, and the dignity of the human person is premium in my worldview. I find that many in the public service have lost the sense of shame to see the effect on their dignity and expect to be paid something by anybody who engages the procurement process. How do you save a system this far gone. So severe is the sense of shame that petroleum marketers joke about government officials decrying how much kerosene costs when they know how much they collect on each allocation. I have also told the story of a lawyer flush with embarrassment after he told a minister trying to extort money from his American clients, for a routine letter, his clients could go to jail back home if they gave him a bribe. The minister then asked if he thought it okay to charge the Americans a fee, and he, the minister, go “empty handed”. Reminded the Americans could go to jail for paying him and advised there are secondary ways he could derive benefit from the project, the minister simply said his predecessors were broke because they believed such stories like secondary benefits from nominating contractors when implementation began.
When culture collapses to that level, progress is challenged in many ways. But it gets worse. The National Assembly has taken over the role of the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, investigating some infraction or the other, from fuel subsidy to purchase of bulletproof cars. Most savvy people know the underlying motives. And it makes sick. The pay offs demanded are so huge it only makes the corrupt and criminal scale up the target of their haul, further impoverishing the Nigerian people, so that while the GDP may be the biggest in Africa, the people are pauperised and the feared revenge of the poor remain an imminent threat.
As the few in positions erect “toll gates” and suck in from the desperate and the greedy, income distribution becomes more alarming, the Gini index which measures the gap between the top and bottom of the income scale gets more challenged, flagging a coming anarchy. As I pray often, Lord that I may see, I pray also that God will open the eyes of those who prosper from corruption to see yesterday’s big men in refugee camps in Somalia, that we may come to a new consensus on what is fit and proper for popular culture regarding corruption.
So, what shall we do. It has to start from the family and community. So many stories are told from the 1950’s and 60’s of parents whose children brought home cars the parents thought they could not afford and parents went themselves to invite in the police. Today, that good sense is lost and crooks are celebrated; communities have to learn to ostracise people whose source of material possessions cannot be easily tracked.
One state governor routinely jokes that there is no fear of consequence and that all he has to do is ensure that there is N500m put aside to bribe law enforcement to ensure he is given a bail and enough to keep bribing judges until the matter falls from consciousness.
Corruption which cripples policy initiative can often result in loss that is the moral equivalence of war. Enough die from the harm done by corruption to policy implementation that the effect can be categorised as genocide. Economic genocide should attract severe punishment. But hear the National Conference delegates on corruption. They want a death sentence for it even when many in that chamber would be guilty. Sounded like one former president teasing one Sharia state governor about his hands being intact.
The more realistic the punishment, or deterrence, the more likely the enforcement. China may use these methods but how well have they worked here. It seems to me we have to massively invest in retraining the civil service, making an example of a few to send signals, through humiliation and reasonable jail terms, and social distance for those known to have wealth that cannot be explained. Here, the media have a big role because of the status conferral function of the media.
A fund to reward and celebrate investigative journalists that get a great incentive to expose, name and shame corrupt officials after thorough evidence-based investigation will help with this desirable mission.
Finally, a culture that makes the election process cheap, ideas-based and demands the simple life from politicians is in desperate need. We do not desire big men in power. Let the man of the people live like the people, among the people.
We need clear systems that reduce discretion, especially around procurement, I aim to help scandal watch groups in the media to emerge to ensure that time and new headlines do not submerge yesterday’s scandals. Most importantly strong institutions and institutional memory need to emerge to set boundaries to conduct with consequences of reward and sanctions.
•Utomi, a political economist and professor of Entrepreneurship, is founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership.

PHOTONEWS ... PHOTONEWS ... PHOTONEWS .... Chibok Women Take Their Cry To National Assembly To Demand Govt Bring Back Their Daughters .... SaharaReportersPhotos

SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT : Diezani Jet scandal: Judge denies issuing order barring Reps probe ... PremiumTimes

Minister Of Petroleum Resources, Deziani Alison-Madueke

Mrs. Alison-Madueke sought “an order of interim injunction restraining the Respondents whether by themselves, their members, committee, or agents from summoning or directing.”
A judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has denied issuing any order barring the House of Representatives from probing the Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, and the ministry over the controversial expenditure of about N10 billion on private jet for the minister.
The House had commenced the probe following a motion on March 20 presented by a lawmaker, Samuel Adejare, accusing the minister of committing about 500,000 Euros (N130 million) monthly to maintain an aircraft for her personal needs and those of her immediate family.
Not wanting to appear before the lawmakers to explain the controversial expenditure, Mrs. Alison-Madueke approached the court seeking for “an order of interim injunction restraining the respondents whether by themselves, their members, committee, or agents from summoning or directing” her appearance.
The judge was reported to have on April 14 granted an order, one that was made public on Monday.
An infuriated Justice Ahmed Mohammed, however, told journalists and all those present in court on Tuesday that he never granted the specific order sought by the minister.
“As far as I am concerned, and as the judge presiding over this case, no such order was made,” the Punch newspaper quoted the judge as saying.
A journalist present in court described Mr. Mohammed’s reaction as ‘very angry’.
The journalist told PREMIUM TIMES that the judge first called the court reporters and asked them why they misinterpreted the order.
The judge was then told by the journalists that it was the House of Representatives leadership that address journalists to say it was in possession of the order barring the probe.
While addressing journalists on Monday, the House spokesperson, Zakary Mohammed, had said the house had received the court order and would stay action on inviting the minister.
“As a law abiding arm of government, we will tarry a while and of course take a legal opinion as far as issues are concerned,” Mr. Mohammed said.
It is not clear if the House misinterpreted the order granted by the judge just like some major Nigerian newspapers, including PREMIUM TIMES.
The petroleum ministry, through the NNPC spokesperson, Ohi Alegbe, had also said it got such injunction barring the minister’s probe and served it on the House.
In the order, Justice Mohammed had said, “It is directed that the respondents shall be served with the motion exparte dated and filed on 11th April, 2014 for interim orders of injunction.”
PREMIUM TIMES had also interpreted the judge’s statement to mean that Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s request was granted; but the judge has now said that was not the case.
The judge, therefore ordered the House of Representatives to appear before it on May 5 to explain the order it said it got stopping the probe.
The accusation
Mrs. Alison-Madueke is accused of spending billions of naira for the services of private jets she deployed for mostly personal trips. The state oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, supervised by the minister, has absolved the minister of wrongdoing.
As petroleum minister, Mrs. Alison-Madueke has been repeatedly investigated by the National Assembly. Multiple reports have blamed the minister for either maladministration, corruption or violation of the law.
Amid the charges, Mrs. Alison-Madueke has also drawn praise for ensuring a year-round availability of petrol, a significant achievement in Nigeria’s notoriously corrupt oil sector. Yet, that achievement recently ebbed with fuel shortage across the country lasting months.
In his March 20 motion, Mr. Adejare said preliminary investigations showed government funds were used for financing the deal.
Preliminary investigation by the House public accounts committee showed more than one aircraft was involved.
Some lawmakers on the committee have spoken of pressure on them to suspend the investigation and a planned public hearing that has already been delayed by the minister’s refusal to attend.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke has also refused to submit required documents related to the spending, ahead of a public hearing.

AFRICAN MAGIC .. BENUE VERSION : Strange pot causes stir in Makurdi ... TheNation

A mysterious pot at the Benue State Government House roundabout in Makurdi caused panic among staff and security personnel on Tuesday.
The Nation gathered that the pot which was seen as early as 4am on Tuesday may have been kept there during the wee hours of the day.
It was learnt that government house security men stationed close to the roundabout, on sighting the pot, moved away from their original place just as staff of government house were seen in clusters discussing the pot.
The presence of the mysterious pot which contained palm oil, poke meat and something that looked like red kola nut reportedly sent shivers down the spines of the governor’s personal aides who refused to come out of their offices when reports of the strange pot reached them.
It was not clear if the strange occurrence, the first since the creation of the state in 1976 is connected to the 2015 governorship race, but sources close to the aspirants said each of them have been putting pressure on the governor for endorsement.

BREAKING: President Jonathan sacks Political Adviser, Ahmed Gulak ... PremiumTimes

Ahmed Gulak has his hand in a secret pie in the British Virgin Island

President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, with immediate effect, presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, has said.
No reason was given for the removal of Mr. Gulak, a man well known for complementing another presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, in launching verbal attacks on critics and opponents of President Jonathan.
However, Mr. Abati, in a statement posted via his twitter handle @abati1990, quoted President Jonathan as thanking Mr. Gulak for his services to the present administration and wishing him success in his future endeavors”.
“A replacement for Alhaji Gulak will be announced in due course,” Mr. Abati said.
PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately ascertain why the presidential adviser was fired.
But Mr. Gulak recently got into a bitter political fight with Akwa Ibom state Governor, Godswill Akpabio, as well as the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party.
At the end of a recent party meeting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital, Mr. Akpabio and the state executive of the party criticised Mr. Gulak’s visit “to inaugurate a sectional and unknown Support Group in favour of our dear President without bothering to pay any courtesies to the state leadership of the party.”
The party accused the politician of playing “ignoble and contemptuous role” in the affairs of the party in the state and warned him to desist from further interfering in the affairs of the PDP in Akwa Ibom.
In November 2013, Mr. Gulak threatened to resign if Mr. Jonathan failed to make himself available for the forthcoming 2015 election.
He claimed at the time that there was no alternative to Mr. Jonathan in 2015 as far as the Nigerian presidency is concerned.
A PREMIUM TIMES investigation had in 2013 listed Mr. Gulak among a growing list of Nigerian business and political elites who ran or still run secret offshore companies and accounts where they either hide their wealth to evade taxes, launder money or commit fraud. 
Mr. Gulak, who dealt in the supply of fast boats, radial systems and naval communication equipment as well as military hardware to the Nigerian government, was linked to a secret shell company in the British Virgin Islands, one of the world’s most notorious tax havens.
Taking advantage of the loose laws in several jurisdictions, shell companies like Mr. Gulak’s are easy to form and owners can remain anonymous while using nominee directors as fronts and deploying the corporations to hide ill-gotten assets, launder funds, dodge litigations or evade tax.
The sacked presidential adviser declined to respond to the allegation at the time, and the Nigerian government failed to open an investigation.

ADIEU AMAKA IGWE ... PHOTONEWS : Life and times of Amaka Igwe (1963-2014)

BREAKING NEWS ... TRAGEDY HITS NOLLYWOOD AGAIN : Amaka Igwe is dead ... Fuji House of Commotion producer Amaka Igwe is dead ... Nigeria’s Nollywood Star Actor, Writer And Director, Amaka Igwe Is Dead ... PMNews ... MAY HER SOUL REST IN PEACE

Popular film producer, writer and director, Amaka Igwe is dead. She reportedly died of an asthma attack last night. Reputed for her professional and brilliant concepts, Amaka produced breathtaking sitcoms like Checkmate and Fuji House of Commotion.
She is one of the foremost movie directors in Nigeria today and one of the few contemporary film makers who have had their films on celluloid.
Amaka’s celluloid film is A Barber’s Wisdom – a film which was part of M-Net’s new direction on film project with Nigerian producers.
Her films have drawn international recognition to the home video industry. She is producer of the award winning movie Forever and founder of Amaka Igwe Studios and Top FM Radio.
Amaka hails from Obinagu, Enugu, Nigeria is survived by her husband and children.

WHODUNNIT : EFCC Shuts Down Actress Laide Bakare’s Boutique In Lagos ... NaijaUrban

Certainly, these are not the best of times for popular actress, Laide Bakare, as she seems to have been caught in the web of the face-off involving her husband, Alhaji Atanda Orilowo, a.k.a ATM, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over a multi-billion Naira estate project in Lagos.

Her husband had threatened to go to court to put a stop to the intimidation by EFCC and settle all the issues once and for all, but it seems the man was just bragging. He has not been seen and the anti-corruption body say Alhaji Orilowo is on the run. They’ve now been empowered to take over his properties…

Laide Bakare with first husband on the and with Orilowo on the right.

And for actress Laide Bakare, things have turned from celebration to crises and getting worse since EFCC had got an order of court – a forfeiture order – on all known properties of her husband, following the alleged fraud of about N2.5bn meant for the construction of a Y’ellow Estate in the Ajah area of Lagos.
After placing the order on his filling stations, EFCC is now set to shut down the boutique he opened for her.

NOW THE VIRUS NYAKO HAS INFECTED THESE JONATHANIANS : Northern elders kidnapped Chibok school girls to embarrass Jonathan – Group ... DailyPost

As Nigerian army continues to comb Borno forests in search of the female students abducted recently by Boko Haram sect, a group on Monday accused some northern elders of being the brain behind the incident.
The group, under the umbrella of United Alliance, in a statement by its northern co-ordinator, Bashir Ado, accused some northern elders of using the abduction to distract and embarrass President Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking ahead of the protest, which is slated for Wednesday by women in the Federal Capital Territory over the kidnap of the Chibok girls, Ado said the protesters should not direct their grievance at the President, saying Jonathan has nothing to do with the incident.

He said, “The disappearance of the girls is part of the Northern elders agenda to embarrass and distract the Goodluck Jonathan government.
“They deliberately took the girls away to create an impression of insecurity and paint the picture that nobody is safe in the country, whereas they are the architect of these self- inflicting wounds aimed at distracting the government”
Ado also called on the federal government to question the school authorities for defying an earlier order by the Federal Government that schools in the area be temporarily shutdown.
It said the school authorities “deliberately ignored government’s directive.”
The group said, “There was an initial instruction to school authorities in the area to evacuate students from schools because of insecurity and the parents were aware of this. Why then would the authorities of the school refuse to yield to such sensitive instruction if there was no pre-conceived agenda to lash on the perceived state of insecurity to organise the kidnap of their own children and put the blame at the doorstep of the Federal Government.

“The co-ordinated media interviews the mothers of the alleged missing girls have been granting showed that a script is being acted.
“It is high time our leaders in the North come to terms with the reality that this self inflicting havoc will continue to deplete the value of Northerners and eventually deprive us of our place in the Nigerian nation,” he added.

LIVING ON THE FRINGES AND LOVING IT : Meet The Lady Battered By A Top Politician; She's His Girlfriend ... Olufamous

                     

While many had thought that Victoria, the woman who was beaten mercilessly by a politician in Ogun State is the man's wife, it has been revealed that she is just a mistress. So, what gives him the right to descend on her as if she is a property he had paid for and can use just anyhow? Really sad!

Anyway, information reaching OluFamous.Com is that the crazy politician, Bayo Awosanya, has been arrested and is under interrogation. Mr. Awosanya, also known as “Bashorun” who had disappeared since the public outcry trailed his brutal assault of his mistress reportedly turned himself in at the Sagamu Police Station in Ogun State on Monday.

Anyway, the woman, who has a child with him, said she is now ready to end the relationship...

Police source said the politician had asked his mistress, Victoria, to meet him at a “house warming” party, but got uncontrollably furious when he returned from the event and found her still at home. As she attempted to explain the reason for her absence, Mr. Awosanya pounced on her, without hearing from her.

He dealt the woman several blows to the face and head, with a serious head injury. This is just not right!

THE NKYAKO IN BOLA TINUBU : Oshiomhole doesn’t dance Azonto when he should be working – Tinubu mocks Jonathan... DailyPost

Former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida says he is not surprised by the rapid transformation in Edo State under Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
Speaking at Igueben during the weekend, where he was Chairman of a ceremony to mark the 70th birthday of Chief Tom Ikimi, one-time Minister of Foreign Affairs, Babangida said, “I want to pay special homage to my Comrade Governor, Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, who has been doing so much to transform Edo State.
“As a regular visitor to Edo State, I could feel and inhale the impact of good governance not only on the faces of the people but also on infrastructure. I saw several red roof schools on my way here. I saw well cultivated lawns, walk-ways and beautiful road networks. I saw expansions on roads that were hitherto narrow. In fact, the feeling of a transformed Edo State is palpable.

“I am not surprised that all these are happening in Edo State given the antecedents of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. With courage and strong political will coupled with the support of political leaders like Ikimi, it is understandable why the infrastructural architecture of Edo State has assumed this enviable height.
Commenting the celebrant, Chief Tom Ikimi, Babangida said “Celebrating Tom, to me, is a celebration of a man of humble beginning and of many parts; each part assuming a whole subject matter with anecdotes that explain his rich experience in politics, governance and foreign policy. His love for Nigeria, his country, is not in doubt.
“His commitment to national unity more often defines the rationale for his undertakings rather than any selfish consideration. He carries with him an élan that distinctively distinguished him as a man of class.”
On his part, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said the Edo state Governor has impacted positively on the development of the state beyond empty rhetoric.
Tinubu also praised Oshiomhole for concentrating on development rather than dancing Azonto in the face of developmental challenges, a statement in mockery of President Jonathan who was sighted dancing at a PDP rally in Kano, two days after the Nyanya bomb attacks.

“We have heard so much about what you have done for Edo state. When we were coming in here, it was not about dancing Azonto (a popular dance step) but it was real development,” he said.
In a remark, chief host, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said that at this point in time, Nigeria need leaders like Chief Tom Ikimi who are ready to stand for the country.
“We need leaders who are ready to pay the price so that our younger ones will inherit a country that is just, free and in which every citizen will have a basis for loyalty to our nation.”
Also at the event were former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, former Vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Minister of Works, Mike Onolemenmen,Senator Ben Obi, National leader of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Audu Ogbe, Chief John Oyegun, Professor Osariemen Osunbor and Senator Chris Ngige.
Others include Dr Doyin Okupe , Senator Domingo Obende, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, Rt Hon. Uyi Igbe, Members of the National Assembly, businessmen among others.

CHANGING TIMES ... SANI YERIMA MUST READ THIS : 50-year-old man gets two years imprisonment for defiling 14-year-old girl ... DailyPost

A Minna Magistrates’ Court on Monday sentenced a 50-year-old man, Umar Garba, to two years imprisonment without option of fine for defiling a 14-year-old girl.
The convict was arraigned on one-count charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor.
The Police Prosecutor, Insp. Daniel Ikwoche told the court that one Rabiu Isa of Fadipo area, Minna reported the matter at the GRA Police station on April 22, 2014.

Ikwoche said the complainant had on April 20, discovered that his 14-year-old daughter was pregnant.
He said the girl told her father that the respondent was responsible for the pregnancy.
The prosecutor said the accused had sexual intercourse with the girl in his room when her step mum sent her to deliver porridge, locally known as fura, to him.
The prosecutor said the offence contravened Section 18 of the Niger State Child Right Act.
When the charge was read to Garba, he pleaded guilty, blaming the “devil” for his action, and asked the court for leniency.

The prosecutor thereafter urged the court to try him summarily in line with section 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
In her ruling, Magistrate Mariam King sentenced the accused to two years imprisonment without option of fine. (NAN)

WHAT IS DIEZANI AFRAID OF? : N10bn Chartered Jet: Diezani Wants Court To Stop Probe ... LeadershipNews

A Federal High Court in Abuja will this morning hear a suit filed by the petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, seeking to stop the House of Representatives from probing her over her alleged involvement in the spending of N10 billion to maintain a chartered Challenger 850 aircraft in two years.
The minister, Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNCP) had in a motion ex-parte on April 11 dragged the House of Representatives before the court, asking it for an order of interim injunction restraining them from summoning or directing her appearance before any committee, particularly the Public Accounts committee set up by the House.
The court also summoned the committee to appear before it over the probe.
She also wants the court to stop the defendants from asking her to present papers, notes or document before any such committee or the giving of any evidence by the relevant public officers.
The minister also wants the court to stop the defendants from issuing a warrant compelling her to attend the Public Accounts committee set up with regard to the investigative public hearing on the lease of aircraft by the NNPC pending the determination of the suit.
In his ruling on the matter, Justice Ahmed ordered the House of Representatives to appear before him and show cause why the request of the applicant should be granted by the court.
He however ordered the applicant to serve all the court papers on the defendants.
But the court processes were served on the office of the House speaker, Aminu Tambuwal , prior to yesterday (Monday).
Briefing newsmen on the development, House spokesman Hon. Zakari Mohammed described the court processes as “another demonstration of the frustrations faced from government” in the fight against corruption.
Mohammed (Kwara/APC) who briefed journalists alongside the chairman, Public Accounts Committee, Solomon Olamilekan (Lagos/APC), stated that the House will in the meantime put the probe on hold while seeking legal advice on the next line of action.
Mohammed said: “We expected that she (Alison-Madueke) should be here today. But we (House) have been served with court processes, notifying us that she and the NNPC have gone to court.
“The import of this is that, for us as legislators, it is our responsibility to expose corruption, but of course this is another demonstration of the frustrations we face from government.
“However, as a law-abiding arm of government, we would tarry a while and take legal advice about this issue. Maybe that was why she (Alison-Madueke) did not show face today (Monday). This is to tell you the kind of haste people go to condemn the legislature and the frustrations we face every day we embark on such investigations.
“This is a clear case of a matter which is under investigation, or supposedly will go into investigation, but is being frustrated. We are studying the papers and taking position.”
Meanwhile, the chairman, Public Accounts Committee, Solomon Olamilekan, at the media briefing  stated that it was curious that the petroleum minister decided to wait till the day scheduled to commence the public hearing to serve the court processes.
Olamilekan: “I don’t know what they are afraid of that they have gone to court. We wait and see.”
The PAC chairman stated that the NNPC and the petroleum minister have refused to provide to the committee information on moneys used in maintaining the chartered jets.
He however disclosed that the House committee was already in possession of flight details of the chartered jets.
“So far so good. For all the memos we have written, we got responses. We have received documents from Vistagate in London, and also responses from Execute Jet Hangers about the flight details and all that have also been served to the committee, as we speak. The only correspondence we have not received, which we were expecting to get upon their appearance, is that of the NNPC and the honourable minister of petroleum resources,” he said.
Alison-Madueke has allegedly not only used the said chartered aircraft(s) for official matters, but also private trips, an allegation the NNPC has debunked. The NNPC insists that the practice (chartering aircraft) is common and acceptable in the local and international business environment in which it operates.
The House was said to have come under pressure to drop its probe of the petroleum minister and NNPC over the chartered jets, but the Public Accounts Committee debunked it yesterday.
Investigation revealed that backers of the petroleum minister have employed multiple strategies to frustrate the House probe. The plot includes blackmail tactics on the House speaker and members of the Public Accounts Committee.
Already, the premises of the National Assembly has been besieged daily by unprecedented group protests (mostly faceless) calling for the cancellation of the public hearing.
Also, spin doctors have been hired to deflect attention to the fact that Tambuwal also routinely uses chartered jets for his travels.

CHIBOK GIRLS ... DAY 15 GONE AS THE NATION LOOKS ON WITH DISMAY : 15 Days After: Abducted Schoolgirls Ferried To Lake Chad ... LeadershipNews

Some of the schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls’ Secondary School (GGSS), Chibok, Borno State, have been ferried around Lake Chad basin by their abductors.
A Chibok youth leader, Dr Pogu Bitrus, who stated this during an interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), said there was a report that the girls were hustled to the neighbouring country.
He said, “We have a report that the sect might have divided the girls into different groups and separated them to make it impossible to get all the girls in one place.
“Since the girls were abducted from GGSS Chibok by the Boko Haram, we heard that the girls were separated. Some were detained in Sambisa Forest, some detained around Gwoza, Marte and Monguno axis.
“For almost two weeks the security forces left us in confusion regarding their glaring inability to rescue the schoolgirls and no information from the security that will calm the frustrated parents.”
Bitrus has accused the government of not doing anything possible to rescue the final-year students of GGSS Chibok, adding that even if the government is doing anything possible to rescue the girls, it is not being revealed to anybody.
The search for the missing girls was then left in the hands of their hapless parents who rented 150 commercial motorcyclists, got some volunteers with cutlasses and bows and arrows and went into the forest determined to rescue their wards or die trying.
In the end, even they were forced to abandon the search when a warning came from the terrorists that if they didn’t stop, they and their children would be killed.
When contacted, the spokesman of the state JTF, Col. Muhammad Dole, said he was not in the position to speak on the issue, and asked that the director, defence information, Brig-Gen Chris Olukolade, be contacted.
The military had earlier said that it was satisfied with the pace of its operations against Boko Haram extremists to rescue the abducted schoolgirls in Borno State.
“The morale of the soldiers is high and we are expecting to see more successes from the troops,” Olukolade said.
We seek Nigerians’ understanding – Military

The Defence Headquarters yesterday called for understanding on the abducted girls as efforts are being made to secure their freedom.
According to the spokesman of the military, Major General Chris Olukolade, every information received is under consideration.
When LEADERSHIP contacted Olukolade over the movement of the girls, he said: “The concern and anxiety from all quarters is quite understandable. Please be assured that much as the forces may not disclose details of action being taken to secure the freedom of the girls, every information received on the subject is duly analysed and acted upon as necessary.
“No information is being ignored in the concerted efforts to ensure the safety and freedom of the abducted girls.
“Though I may not be able to disclose details of action being taken to secure the freedom of the girls, I can assure you that every information received on the subject is duly analysed and acted upon as necessary.”

Chibok youths stage protest in Lagos
In a related development, youths from Kibaki community in Chibok town, where 234 girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram, yesterday staged a peaceful protest in Lagos to register their displeasure over the development
Scores of protesting youths which include women and children, under the aegis of the Lagos State chapter of Chibok Youth Association, marched to the office of the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), located in Alausa, Ikeja, area of the state.
The protesters urged Fashola to pass on their grievances to President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State to ensure the safe return of the abducted girls.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Mr Yahaya Chiwar said the decision to take their grievances to the Lagos State governor was borne out of his outstanding track record in the area of securing lives and property of residents of the state.
He said the group was worried that 14 days after the girls were abducted there has been no positive news from the government concerning their safety or any chance of their being rescued.
Chiwar noted that what was more alarming was that after the parents of the abducted girls took it upon themselves to conduct a search in Sambisa Forest, they located the camp where the insurgents were holding the girls and immediately reported to the appropriate authorities, but were dismayed when no action was taken.
According to him, “Our parents had no choice than to come back home to inform the security authorities where the girls were being kept, but, your excellency, their parents have communicated with us yesterday (Sunday) and there is no information whatsoever that these girls have been rescued or in the process of being rescued.
“Therefore we as their brothers, and we have sisters in Diaspora, we have resolved that we cannot remain silent; we are here because of your commitment to security of lives and properties in the state.
“We believe the nearest authority to us is you, who is the chief executive of the state; we believe we can express our grievances to you and you can forward our grievances to the relevant authorities, particularly to President Jonathan.”
While presenting a letter to Governor Fashola for onward transmission to President  Jonathan, he said, “We believe that you will help us to ensure that our voice will be heard.”
Governor Fashola, while responding in an emotion-laden voice, commended the members of the Chibok Youth Association for their courage and selflessness to stand for their daughters and sisters who were unfortunate victims of the nation’s porous security system.
The governor, who condemned the abduction of the girls, pointed out that the act of hostage-taking is unthinkable and dehumanizing.
He said, “One can only imagine the kind of horror and grief the parents of these girls must be feeling. I am a parent myself and I understand it. If my children are ill I know the kind of frustration, fear and anxiety that I go through when they are ill, not to mention indescribable emotion that the parents of these girls are going through to know whether they are alive and where they are and what conditions they might be in. Even the girls themselves — the kind of fear; it must be a traumatic experience for everyone involved.”
Fashola urged the protesters not to have the notion that nothing was being done to rescue the abducted girls, affirming that the authorities might be careful not to take steps that would harm the girls in the process of trying to rescue them.

Boko Haram: Nigeria in war situation – IGP
Meanwhile, the inspector-general of police, Mohammed Abubakar, has called on all Nigerians to be more security-conscious as the country is in a war situation.
Abubakar, who spoke through the deputy inspector-general of police in charge of investigation, Mr Peter Gana, during a stakeholders’ meeting on the security situation at the Police Officers’ Mess, Ikeja, Lagos, yesterday, said “we are in a war situation and we need to be mobilised. We want to urge all of you to be more security-conscious”.
Abubakar said criminals including terrorists are not spirits but human beings like us. “You are our eyes in the community and you are to give the police information because we are ever there for you.
“Everyone is supposed to police wherever he lives. It is better to raise false alarm than allow the worse to happen. We are happy with the Lagos State government who has highly mobilised the police; so whenever you suspect anything, contact the police immediately.”
He advised the hospitality industry to educate their staff on security matters. “The hotel management can help us police the state by reporting .Private security operators and National Union of Road Transport workers (NURTW) can help us police the state by giving us information.”
The DIG who was accompanied by the assistant inspector-general of police (AIG), zone 2, Mr Mamman Tsafe, and the commissioner of police in charge of Lagos, Mr Umar Manko, said the police high command was willing to take advice from the members of the public.

FOR THE RECORDS ... A WAKE UP CALL TO STOKE THE CONSCIENCE OF EVERY NIGERIAN AND OUR LEADERS : The Girls Of Chibok ... By Chris Aniedobe Esq (A MUST READ)

The Girls of Chibok

By Aniedobe

Within 24 hours after Nyanya Motor Park became a theatre of body parts strewn many feet away from the epicenter of a bomb-loaded bus, Nigeria treated the world to yet another gruesome theatre of violence. This time, on April 15, 2014, over 200 girls were abducted from their  all girls’ school in Chibok, Bornu State, and driven by lorry into the jungles of Sambisa forest before a stupefied world presumably by Boko Haram, a dreaded terror group, which has declared a war against Western Education.  

This is a story that has to end well that won’t end well and however it ends, will become a symbol for a Nigeria in a post modern age that is stuck in the middle ages. It is a story that captures everything bad about Nigeria and paints a graphic of a helpless Nation, serially served by terror, by a terror group that has abandoned any human conscience until the country became numb to violence. This is Nigeria’s new story, plot’s thickening with mind bending boldness, gripping, bloody, ruthless, and whose end, however it is written, will leave a deeply scarred Nation in its wake.

At Chibok, young girls were first stripped of their humanity, and driven, as Nigeria watched into a forest where every bit of their human dignity will be peeled off until disrobed of everything that makes them human, they will be forced to submit to terrorists as sex bounties or else die not by a well placed bullet designed to produce dignified death, but by submission to the cruel edges of a curved knife originally intended to be used only on cattles and goats.

No doubt, in the forest of Sambisa are heroic girls – girls who have elected death to sexual indignities and have no doubt been beheaded.  In there are girls who have submitted and are hoping that their nightmare will end in a successful rescue effort. In there are girls so stricken by terror that they are unwilling to neither die nor live. This is the story that is playing itself out while Nigerians sleep and the rest of the world holds her breath.

If Nigeria were not numb to violence, how does Nigeria; how do our leaders; how does the Inspector General of Police; how do our Journalist; how does the Speaker of the House of Assembly; how does the Senate President; how do the Service Chiefs; how does Governor Shettima; how does any responsible adult in Nigeria go to bed and sleep when the Chibok girls lie awake in terror; many of whom, no matter how this ordeal ends, may never sleep again. 

How do our leaders not wake up in the middle of the night, shuddering to think what has become of those girls and whether some have become impregnated by terrorists?

As the world watches, Nigerians go by their daily business. Motor park touts are still making brisk business. Politicians are still collecting from inflated contracts. Prayer contractors are still smiling to the banks with their tithes. Politicians are still hoarding cash ahead of 2015. Oil marketers are still carting away billions of Naira. Directors in the Civil Service are still collecting gratuities to shuffle papers along. The Mosques will be full on Friday and the Churches will over flow with patrons on Sunday. Nigerians will beseech Allah as usual, begging God in the name of Christ or Mohammed to give them electricity, cash in excess of what they need, and make their relatives win political offices so that they too will corral their own entitlement from the national cake.

We are a nation caught between crass violence and crass corruption. In a country that has not abandoned its conscience, Press men and women would go about making uncomfortable people whose comfort are not disturbed by the tradedy of the Chibok girls.  “Mr. President, exactly how many girls are in custody?” “Mr. Chief of Army Staff, do you have enough personnel to arrest the situation?”  “Mr. Inspector General of Police, have you made any arrests?” “Mr. Inspector General of Police, do you have plans to infiltrate their camp?” “Mr. Governor, can you assure the world that other schools in your State are safe?” “Mr. President, shouldn’t you head to Sambisa to direct the war against the terrorists?” “Mr. Senate President, what has the Senate done to ensure that this type of thing does not happen again?” “Mr. Speaker, is their any reason why the House has not expressed any solidarity with those girls?”  “Mr. National Conference Chairman, can Nigeria stay united in the face of terror?”

“Mr. Presidential Candidate, what is this President doing about terror that you will do differently?”  “Mr. Parent, congratulations on being lucky to have your child escape, what are your feelings about this matter?” “Mr. Iman, what do you think is happening to the girls right now and do you have a message for the terrorists?”  “Mr. Controller General of Immigration, what are you doing to secure our border from foreign grown terrorists?” “Mr. President, how would you feel if those girls were your kids?” “Mr. President, can you assure the world that Nigerians schools are safe?” “Mr. President, do you have any foreign technological assistance, and if not, why not?”  “Mr. Army Chief of Staff, are you using dogs, infra red surveillance technology, night vision goggles?” “Mr. Army Chief of Staff, have you narrowed the camp within one square mile, and if not, why not?” “Mr. Director General of SSS, after four years of terror, are you any where close to figuring out who is behind them? If not, why not?”

“Mr. Governor, how long have you known that Sambisa Forest is a terrorist stronghold and what have you done to deny them the use of that forest?”

This is how a Nation with conscience goes about her business. It takes committed citizenry; it takes committed leadership; it takes vision and courage; it takes religious leaders and lay leaders; it takes retired and active Military Officers; it takes every man, woman, and child in Nigeria to send a message to the terrorists that however long it takes, that this is a war whose outcome is certain - that Nigeria has decided to rise from the ashes of her divided past and forge ahead as one country and that after one hundred years, no terror can separate us and no violent politics can kill our will.

That is how you fight and win the war against terrorism. Chibok is not a Northeast affair; it is a Nigerian tragedy that should concern every Nigerian from the creeks of Opobo, to the plaintain farms of Shagamu, to the groundnut fields of Sokoto. It is a global tragedy of bare faced terror of the worst kind mixed with child abuse rolled into one by a Nation not afraid to mix politics and violence. It is a story whose end was scripted as the truck sped into the forest – the girls would either live as sex trophies or die if they dared refuse and whose rescue depended more on divine intervention than carefully calculated effort at rescue by politicians unwilling to risk their electoral chances for the unlucky girls of Chibok.

Some are of the view that the only chance to save the girls is to negotiate with the terrorists. Negotiation is a give and take between two reasonable parties.  Like their counterparts around the world, these terrorists believe that girls should not go to school and that women should only live to amuse men inclined to as many as seventy two virgins. Is this a negotiation Nigeria wants to make? Some believe that anything to make the terrorists release the Chibok girls should be done, including amnesty from prosecution, a separate Islamic Republic, and shut down of all schools in the North where Western Education is taught. Is this a negotiation Nigeria wants to make?

Nothing should be off the table, including negotiations, if the terrorists are inclined to offer terms that Nigerians can live by. The whole point of this article is that Nigerians and our leadership are not engaged enough in this crisis.  We seem to be waiting for yet another chapter in these serial tragedies to overshadow the Chibok story so that the world will shift its focus.

We need Nigerian leadership to spare no resources until we stand down the terrorists in Bambisa. Anything short of that is a further disservice to these young girls who forever will be a symbol of a Nation that failed them and fails many of her citizens who wake up everyday wondering where the next bloody carnage will happen.  

Mr. President, the world wants the Chibok girls out; their parents want them; concerned Nigerians are not sleeping until those girls come out; and for those little kids – their sun should not set until they hear signs of a rumble, army air crafts hovering over head, army dogs barking and being shot to death, a shoot out here and there, a panic in the captor’s camp, a knowing wink from an infiltrator, any glimmer of hope that after two weeks can give them assurance that the Nation has not abandoned them.