THAT OBASANJO INTERVIEW : Jonathan lived in denial, acted slowly to #BringBackOurGirls – Obasanjo ... PremiumTimes ... WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE

“The president did not believe that those girls were abducted for almost 18 days,” — Mr. Obasanjo.
‪Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan lived in denial about the abducted Chibok schoolgirls for more than two weeks, withholding valuable decisions that would have led to the rescue of the girls, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said.‬
‪The former president said this in an interview with Bloomberg TV Africa, aired on Saturday.‬‪
“The president did not believe that those girls were abducted for almost 18 days,” Mr. Obasanjo said in the interview. “If the president got the information within 12 hours of the act and he reacted immediately, I believe those girls would have been rescued within 24 hours, maximum 48 hours.”‬
‪Mr. Obasanjo said that rather than spring into action after receiving briefings about the abduction, “the president had doubts.”
He said the president’s initial action was to ask: “‘Is this true, or is it a ploy by people who don’t want me to be president again?’”‬
‪President Jonathan’s lethargic approach to the kidnapping was the “most unfortunate aspect of the whole issue,” the former president said.‬
‪The insurgent group, Boko Haram, kidnapped over 250 schoolgirls from their hostels in Government Secondary School Chibok, in the early hours of April 14, but President Jonathan only acknowledged it 20 days later, after international pressures mounted, ahead of the World Economic Forum for Africa.‬
‪The president first spoke about the abduction in a media chat where he blamed the parents of the schoolgirls for not volunteering information about the victims and the incident.‬
‪Mr. Obasanjo, who is currently in talks with mediators to help free the victims, said an equal lethargy by President Jonathan greeted his earlier efforts to end the insurgency three years ago.‬
‪Boko Haram, whose name means “western education is sin,” is thought to be waging a violent campaign to impose Islamic law in most of Northern Nigeria.
More than 4,000 people have been killed in the campaign since it started in 2009, with the highest number of killings occurring this year alone.‬
‪The Boko Haram insurgency has also been explained as political, especially by members of the President Jonathan administration, who often argue the group was set up to “destabilize” the regime, even though the group’s history pre-dates the current government.‬
‪In his Democracy Day speech, the president said he has ordered security forces to “launch a full-scale operation” and use any lawful means to defeat the group.‬
‪Mr. Obasanjo’s criticism of President Jonathan’s style is the second in less than one year.
In December, he wrote the president an 18-page letter where he accused Mr. Jonathan of serving the ethnic interests of his native Ijaw people and fostering divisions between the largely Muslim north and the Christian south in a bid to win re-election in 2015.‬
‪“I don’t believe he has performed to the expectations of many Nigerians, not just me,” Mr. Obasanjo said in the Bloomberg interview.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE ... Video of Interview

COULD THIS BE THE LAW OF KARMA ON DISPLAY .... FOR THE RECORDS : INVESTIGATION: How former Edo Governor, Igbinedion, lost N3.3 billion to Venezuelan conmen [Part 1] AND Igbinedion broke, his business in ruins after losing N3.3 billion to Venezuelan con men [Part 2] ... PremiumTimes Investigative Report.

Lucky Igbinedion

Mr. Igbinedion, who stole his state blind while he was governor, has now been scammed of billions by Venezuelan fraudsters in a classic 419 deal

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Nemesis may have finally caught up with ex-convict and former Governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion, as he has lost over N3.3 billion to Venezuelan fraudsters, in a deal that bears all the marks of a classic 419 scam, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively reveal.
Court documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES also suggest that Mr. Igbinedion may be insolvent, as two US-based law firms have walked away from a $600 million lawsuit he instituted against the alleged mastermind and the Venezuelan state owned oil company, Petroleos De Venezuela S.A (PDVSA), over his inability to pay retainer as low as  N627,000.00 ($3,800.00).
Mr. Igbinedion plundered Edo State treasury for the eight years he was governor. He escaped jail after he reached a controversial plea bargain agreement with the Farida Waziri-led Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, which dropped all but one of the 191 charges of corruption and money laundering against him.
In 2008, a Federal High Court in Enugu sentenced him to six months in prison with the option of a N3.5 million fine. The controversial plea bargain agreement he reached with the EFCC also required that he return N500 million and three of the houses he acquired with stolen public funds to the Federal Government.
But it’s not yet Uhuru for Mr. Igbinedion as the Court of Appeal in Benin ruled on April 9, 2014 that he has a case to answer over a fresh 66-count money laundering and financial impropriety suit brought against him by the EFCC. A Federal High Court had ruled in 2011 that it would amount to double jeopardy and abuse of court process to try him again after the plea bargain he entered with the EFCC.
He has been accused of stealing over N3 billion from Edo State’s treasury.

Two of a kind: James Ibori (left), Lucky Igbinedion (right). Both are confirmed thieves.

Classic 419-scam
In 2006, looking to cash in on the lucrative but fraud-tainted fuel importation business, the ex-governor’s front and Managing Director of Skanga Energy and Marine Limited, a company formed by Mr. Igbinedion and his brother, Bright, in 1992, Christian Imoukhuede, approached the then Venezuelan Trade Consul to Nigeria, Enrique Arrundell, about the prospect of importing petrol, aviation fuel, and diesel from the South American country.
According to documents filed with a US District Court in New York, Mr. Arrundell advised Mr. Imoukhuede that the best way to get fuel was to go through a PDVSA approved agent.
Mr. Arrundell then introduced Mr. Imoukhuede to Arevenca, a fraudulent firm owned by alleged notorious Venezuelan conman, Francisco Gonzalez.
That meeting with Mr Gonzalez marked the beginning of Mr Igbinedion’s woes.
Mr. Igbinedion and his front, Mr. Imoukhuede claimed in court that they did due diligence checks on Arevenca through the Venezuelan embassy in Abuja. They claim that embassy officials confirmed Arevenca as a reputable Venezuelan business concern and validated documents provided by Arevenca that supposedly showed a relationship with PDVSA.
But it has since turned out that Arevenca might be a complete fraud. PDVSA has since said in court that it has no records of any relationship with Arevenca.
Arevenca is a registered corporation under Venezuelan law but was most recently headquartered in Aruba. Its subsidiaries are: Arevenca AKTM, registered in British Virgin Islands; Arevenca SL, registered in Spain; and Arevenca Aruba Holding NV.
Others are Arevenca Bank, Arevenca Foundation, Fly Aruba Suriname, Arevenca Mining and Arevenca Petroleum Company registered in offshore tax haven, Suriname. There is Arevenca Finances Holding registered in Switzerland and Arevenca Ivory Coast.
Many of these subsidiaries are shell companies or exist only in names.
A Canadian-based freelance journalist, Steven Bodzin, who worked as an energy reporter in Venezuela and has written a number of exposés on Arevenca, revealed that Arevenca’s website is a repository of mind-numbing lies meant to hoodwink mostly unsuspecting international investors.
For instance, on its website, Arevenca claims to have a global refining capacity of 2.5 million barrels per day and plans to build a two million barrel per day refinery in Ivory Coast.
It also claims to have a fleet of 72 ships.
However, the company with the highest refining capacity in the world as at September 2013, Reliance Jamnagar Refinery, India, has a refining capacity of only 1.24 million barrels per day.
In fact, Arevenca is not listed among the top ten refineries in the world. The only Venezuela-based refinery in the top 10, Paraguana Refining Centre, belongs to PDVSA and has a processing capacity of just 955,000bpd.
And despite claiming to have 75 vessels, a PREMIUM TIMES search on Lloyds Ship Directories shows that Arevenca does not operate from any of Venezuelan’s 16 ports. There is also no proof that the company is building a two million barrel per day refinery in Ivory Coast as it claimed.
These are just few of the web of lies contained in Arevenca’s website. Other false claims made by the company to defraud investors can be found on Mr. Bodzin’s blog.
In October 2006, Mr. Imoukhuede, who was Mr. Igbinedion’s schoolmate, arrived at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas and was ushered into the VIP lounge of the facility and later given a luxury ride to the exquisite InterContinental Tamanaco, rated among the top three hotels in the country.
It was at Intercontinental Tamanaco that Mr. Imoukhuede had initial negotiation with Mr. Gonzalez and an unnamed Nigerian.
After the meeting, Skanga reached a tentative agreement to buy “petroleum products” from Arevenca. Arevenca also agreed to give Skanga the first right of refusal to buy its AGO (diesel), PMS (premium motor spirit) DPK (kerosene), Jet Al fuel, Bitumen and Fuel oil.
The deal was to take off with a 35,000 metric tones of AGO in the first instance and then grow into about three cargoes monthly, according to an official statement by Skanga.
Bank transfer documents show that Skanga paid $1.05 million of the $1.4 million cost of freight.
Skanga’s officials claimed during interrogation in court that their company made these payments ($580,000 and $470,000) based on the proof of certain “inducement documents which included an alleged PDVSA bill of lading.
After Skanga made these initial payments, it became trapped. The duping of the former governor and his corrupt clan began in full swing.
Igbinedion goes to Caracas
In January 2007, four months before the expiration of his governorship term, Mr. Igbinedion travelled to Caracas, ostensibly on an official visit and possibly lavishing Edo state money on the deal.  But our investigations indicate the visit was to put finishing touches to the deal earlier reached by his front three months earlier.
According to the Bolivarian News Agency (ABN), Mr. Igbinedion and his entourage were purportedly met by some of the influential “Chavista” politicians in the country, as supporters of the late Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chávez, are called: the Mayor of Central Caracas, Freddy Bernal, the Governor of Miranda, Diosdado Cabello, and Deputy Foreign Minister for Africa, Reinaldo Bolívar as well as other top Venezuelan government officials and businessmen.
It was an elaborate event accompanied by lavish photo op, expensive alcohol and dinner in the evening at the “Gran Melia Hotel, another top three luxury hotel in Venezuela, according to luxury hotel reservations website, Five Star Alliance.
Mr. Igbinedion was handed the key to the city of Caracas and announced as the “Alcaldía de Libertador”, the honorary Mayor of the central Caracas borough of Libertador. He also held a meeting with top officials of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry at their headquarters, the Yellow House.
But the whole fanfare was a grand charade and part of a well orchestrated confidence trick put together by some of the most devious conmen in Latin America.
It later appeared that Mr. Gonzalez received an intensive course on Nigerian niceties.  Emails from Mr. Arrundell and Gonzalez to Mr. Igbinedion have that uniquely Nigerian informality. Rather than write in a formal manner as one would have expected of parties in a multi-million dollar deal, they addressed Mr. Igbinedion as “My brother Lucky” or “Dear brother Lucky.”
One letter by Mr. Gonzalez, filled with grammatical errors, reads:

Dear brother lucky
I already send the dignity signed invoice.
You know what this mean.
Nobody do this, but I always honored my word, agins all the logical and normal status.
I prefer died that do not honored my word.
This is another demonstration that I am a honor man.
That mean that the product is yours.
I trust you like a brother I hope you do not let me down.
I do not want disappoint you, I hope you do not disappoint me.
Best regards, 
You brother and friend
Francisco JAvier Gonzalez

The geniality of Mr. Gonzalez’s letters coupled with the grand reception, some would say deception, he got during his “official” visit to Caracas apparently made Mr. Igbinedion even more trusting of the Venezuelan gang.
Nigerian thief, money launderer, is scammed
After a couple of other meetings later that year, Arevenca made Skanga a deal too good to be true: a consignment of 35,000 metric tonnes of diesel will be sent to Skanga.
All it needed to do was to prepay the charges for delivery and complete the full payment for the delivery in three months.
Mr. Igbinedion could not believe his luck. Skanga promptly transferred $19.6 million more to Arevenca’s Swiss bank account as freight charges and partial payment for two consignments of Petrol and diesel aboard two vessels named “Digniti” and “Ventur.”
The vessels never arrived.
The Nigerian Port Authority said it does not have any record of “Digniti” or “Ventur” entering Nigerian waters at the time it was billed to arrive.
In fact, PREMIUM TIMES investigation reveals that there are no vessels named “Dignitii” or “Ventur”.
Searches on Lloyds directories and other ship directories show that the ship don’t exist anywhere in the world.
All efforts made to contact the Venezuelan embassy to confirm the extent to which Mr. Arrundell, who has been posted out of the country, was involved in the scam was unsuccessful.
The embassy’s phone number seems to be out of order and emails were returned as undelivered.
Mr. Imoukhuede declined to comment when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES. He explained that since the case is in court, Skanga’s lawyer was in the best position to make public comments on the matter.
“You know the case is in court. I don’t think I am at ease to talk about it. I would have to talk to the lawyer. I can’t make any comment. The Nigerian legal system is different from the American system. The best thing is to talk to Femi Salu,” he said.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The remaining parts in this series will look at courtroom intrigues; how two of Igbinedion’s American counsel abandoned the case due to his inability to pay their retainer.
A part will look at the role played by MRS Oil Nigeria Limited plus interesting revelations in court while another will take a look at the role of the Venezuelan authorities in the entire scam.

Lucky Igbinedion

Although money laundering cases against him show that Lucky Igbinedion may have stolen several millions of dollar from the treasury of Edo State during the eight years he was governors, details from a court case he instituted againstVenezuelan state owned oil company, Petroleos De Venezuela S.A (PDVSA) and alleged conman, Fransisco Gonzalez, suggest that the scam may have caused serious damage to his finances.
In 2007 the ex-governor lost over N3 billion to Venezuelan fraudsters in a botched fuel import deal. He has since instituted a $600 million suit against PDVSA and Mr. Gonzalez in a U.S. District Court in New York.
Court documents seen by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that two Manhattan-based law firms previously contracted by Igbinedion’s company, Skanga Energy and Marine limited, have withdrawn from the case over non-payment of their retainer.
One of them, a personal injury law firm, Robert Dunne LLC, quit because of the inability of Mr. Igbinedion’s Skanga to pay fee as low as $3,800.00 (N627,000).
“Plaintiff has failed and refused to pay Dunne Firm fees reasonably earned for legal services rendered, although demand for such payment has been made several times,” an affidavit informing the court of its decision to withdraw for the case read.
The other law firm, Robinson Brog Leinwand Greene Genovese & Gluck P.C, also complained that efforts to establish direct communication with Skanga had been difficult as the company preferred to be reached through a Mississippi-based Nigerian owned “two lawyer” (husband and wife) law firm, Salu & Salu.

Two of a kind: James Ibori (left), Lucky Igbinedion (right). Both are confirmed thieves.

David Burger, a lawyer with the law firm of Robinson Brog, swore, amongst other reasons, in an affidavit that the ability of his law firm to represent Skanga is “being severely impeded” by “the continued inability of the my firm to have any adequate direct communication with Skanga, with delayed and inadequate communications only relayed through a two lawyer firm Located in Mississippi.”
According to David Burger, Skanga owes his law firm a total of $114,000 (N18,810,000) in unpaid fee.
Olufemi Salu, of Salu & Salu, also admitted to the court that the scam has rendered Mr. Igbinedion and his businesses insolvent. In fact, on 23 August 2013, it filed a motion asking the court to compel PDVSA to pay for the travel expenses and lodging of its estranged attorney, Mr Dunne, for the deposition of its own officials in Lagos.
“The action of PDVSA, subject matter of this lawsuit, crippled the business of Plaintiff. Plaintiff currently struggles to pay its attorneys. Court should take judicial notice that Plaintiff’s previous attorneys withdrew their representation over dispute regarding attorneys’ fees. Consequently, Plaintiff is unable to afford deposition scheduled in Nigeria,” he argued.
Now Igbinedion is stuck with Mr. Salu, a lawyer based in Mississippi-Tennessee. Though he claimed to have represented major international corporations like “Texaco, Mobil Oil, Chase Manhattan Bank, ship owners, and foreign governments”, his areas of expertise are personal injury, car accidents and fatal car accidents.
Pitching Mr. Salu against lawyers from upscale law firm like Foley Hoag LLP looks like a rigged contest. Foley Hoag is based in Boston, Massachusetts, with offices in Washington DC and Paris. Ranked number six in the “20 Best Law Firms To Work For In The Nation”, by U.S. company rating organisation, Vault, Foley Hoag was involved in Boston’s early civil rights struggle and won the 1970 lawsuit that brought desegregation to Boston public schools. In 2008, the firm successfully represented the government of Bolivia in the dispute over the nationalisation of telecom company, Entel.
This mismatch was apparent as Mr. Salu was literally taken to school by Lawrence Martin, a top partner from Foley Hoag’s Washington office. Mr Salu did not help his case as he made contradictory statements and his transcript appeared to have been written in a hurry.
In one utterly ridiculous instance, Mr. Salu, despite being presented with Skanga’s Statement of Annual Returns 2006-2008 certified as true by the Corporate Affairs Commission and the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, argued that Skanga directors weren’t aware that such filling has been made.
Clearly stated in the documents were the shareholders of Skanga and the number of shares they owned, yet Mr. Salu said, “Skanga’s Directors were not aware of these filings.”
Further, in a desperate attempt to discredit the defendant, Mr. Salu unwittingly revealed that Skanga might have been consistently submitting false statements of return to the CAC. He argued that the court should disregard Skanga’s CAC certified Statement of Returns presented by the defendant on the ground that the accounting firm employed by Skanga to audit its account, Dynamic Premier, has no listed address and “is not related to any professional entity as it is customary in Nigeria and the rest of the world.”
Mr. Salu did not reply written questions PREMIUM TIMES sent to him via email about his involvement in the case. He also did not return calls made to his office phone number.
String of misfortunes
The Venezuelan affair is one in the series of financial losses the mustachios ex-governor has suffered since he left office. A business stint gone awry in South Africa saw him losing millions of dollars. According to news reports, After the death of his South African partner in a joint venture, Mr. Igbinedion tried but failed to reclaim his investment in the business, which he did through his late partner to avoid South African regulators on the lookout for investors with dirty money.
Mr. Igbinedion then moved his business base to Sierra Leone where Skanga became one of the leading fishing companies in the country. It is alleged that Mr. Igbinedion also owns some of the most expensive real estates in the country. However, Sierra Leonean media reports suggest that Skanga may also be going through a difficult phase in the West African country. There was a report about violent protests against the company by dissatisfied youth.
The loss of over N3 billion to the fraudster in the oil import deal also appears to have sounded the death knell of Skanga operations in Nigeria. When PREMIUM TIMES visited Skanga’s official address in upscale Victoria Island, the premises had been overtaken by weeds and looked desolate. In fact, the Lagos State government has sealed the property for defaulting on land use tax and has placed a notice for an order to sell the property.
Intrigues and lies
True to the observation of Skanga’s first law firm, Robinson Brog, the company has approached the lawsuit in manner that left more to be desired. The firm has done everything to shield important persons involved in the case from testifying. In utter disregard of facts contained in officially verified documents, it has lied about the ownership of the company, and under curious circumstances, has alleged losing certain vital documents requested by defence counsels.
It seems Skanga’s approach to pursuing the lawsuit is to tell lies and which it further attempts to cover up by more lies.
During his deposition, which was conducted via Skype, Mr Igbinedion said he could not remember when Skanga was established. He also denied ever holding any shares in Skanga. But certified copies of Skanga’s Statement of Annual Returns show that Mr. Igbinedion was the principal shareholder of Skanga with 12 million shares.
Mr. Igbinedion also lied about his money laundering conviction. He said he was convicted for what he termed “political negligence.” He also lied that the Federal government seized none of his properties.
Mr. Salu further described Mr Igbinedion’s money laundering trial and conviction as “a corrupt political inquisition that is fairly common in Nigerian politics.”
“After he served his two terms in office and left office, political opponents instituted kangaroo criminal proceedings against him for ‘neglect’ in listing one of his personal accounts that had been dormant for a while. His fine was less than $20,000, that is, the amount in the account at the time,” he said.
Curiously, six years after it first instituted the lawsuit, Skanga has not served Arevenca and Mr González a notice of the suit and in fact has not made any effort to serve them, according to court documents.
Skanga also refused to share the record of its correspondence with Arevenca when requested by PDVSA lawyers. Managing Director of Skanga, Christian Imoukhuede claimed his Yahoo email account was hacked and he lost access to it. He said he lost the mails in his inbox, sent, trash and all his contacts after Yahoo restored the email. However, He said the emails in his inbox was “partially restored” after he changed his browser from Mozilla Firefox to Internet Explorer.
A computer scientist, Alexander Gessen, employed by PDVSA to do a forensic analysis of Mr. Imoukhuede’s laptop said his account of how he lost the emails was not “credible.”
“Merely switching internet browser is not an industry recognized method of recovering deleted emails. Nor does it offer plausible explanation why inbox items would be restored, but sent items would not be. I am not aware of any way in which merely switching Internet browsers would result in recovery of deleted emails,” he said.
Just like it did with Bright Igbinedion, Skanga also did everything possible to shield another director, Adebayo Osho from appearing as witnesses.  It particularly contested the deposition of Mr. Osho who was its Nigerian lawyer and a listed shareholder of the company with 2.5 million shares. Mr. Osho is the proprietor of the law firm, Adebayo Osho and Company, Skanga’s lawyers objected to the deposition of Mr. Osho on the ground that he was the company lawyer and might break the client-lawyer confidentiality during deposition.
Efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to interview Mr. Osho were unsuccessful. A lawyer who has an office at the same address as him said he vacated his office three years ago without leaving his new contact address. All the contact phone numbers on his website were also not functional.

The next part of this series will look at the involvement of  Nigerian oil firm, MRS, in the deal and the role played by former Venezuelan ambassador to Nigeria, Enrique Arrundell.

THAT ALL MAY BE WELL WITH US : Insecurity: Jonathan Invites Senegalese Clerics For Prayers In Aso Rock ... InformationNigeria

The need to seek divine wisdom and guidance for President Goodluck Jonathan as he explores available options towards ending the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria received a boost on Saturday as some Senegalese clerics on Saturday visited the Presidential Villa, Abuja and prayed for him.

The Islamic clerics, ten in number, were led to the State House, Abuja, by Khalifah Sheikh Ahmad Tijani Inyass, the grandson of late founder of the Tijjaniya sect, Shehu Tijani Ibrahim Inyass, on the invitation of President Jonathan.
The clerics met with the president for about an hour inside the first lady’s conference room where they offered prayers for an end to the security challenges facing Nigeria as well as peace and stability in the country.
Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, the spokesperson for the delegation, Ahmed Tijani Sanni Awalu said that the clerics, who were in Nigeria to attend the Maulud celebration of Ibrahim Inyass Gombe, were invited to the villa by President Jonathan for spiritual support.
According to Awalu, the meeting was symbolic since past Nigerian leaders like General Yakubu Gowon and Late General Aguiyi-Ironsi had also invited the sect to pray for the country in the past.
He said: “It is a historic visit because it has been done by his father with the then President, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Gen. Aguyi Ironsi.  So, the history is repeating itself and we come for the Maulud of Ibrahim Inyass Gombe and on his way going home, the President requested for a courtesy visit and Shehu granted that” (sic).
Speaking further, he said: “We put ourselves together; all Muslims and non-Muslims, in peaceful co-existence, prayers so that we can all fight this insecurity in this country.
“The main purpose of coming here is part of the prayers for peace in this country”, he added
Other clerics with him included Sheikh Muhammadul Makky Inyass, Sheikh Mansur Inyass, Sheikh Ahmad Tijjani Inyass, Sheikl Bashir Inyass, Inyass Mustapha Inyass, Abdullahi Muhammad Maigemu, Sheikh Ibrahim Dahiru Bauchi, Aliyu Ibrahim, and Khalifah Shehu Nasiru Hamisu.
Others present at the meeting were the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, Chief of Staff to the President, Brig-General Jones Arogbofa (rtd), Head of Service, Bukar Goni Aji; Minister of FCT, Bala Mohammed.

ROBBERS FROM THE PITS OF HELL ... MIND BOGGLING CONFESSIONS : How we robbed our victims —Robbery suspects ... TribuneNews

They belonged to different groups, but somehow for a long time, these groups had managed to have their members take part in some sorts of ‘joint venture’ heists, where such operations required multiple robbers. But like all things criminal, there is always a day that things end disastrously. And so it was for Bola Onasile, Sina Adebowale, Sherifat Bakare, James Isiwatu and Danladi Atiku, who are now in custody of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Ogun State, after they were arrested, some with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.

OLUWATOYIN MALIK was at SARS office to chat with the suspects. Below are their confessions:

Bola Onasile I am from Ijebu, Ogun State, but I live at Cow Lane, Bamgbose, Lagos State. I worked as clearing and forwarding agent at the port in Lagos State.

I joined robbery (gang) in 2013. I was invited for robbery by one Yemi. He used to ask me to link him with boys for robbery operation and also used to assist me financially. I went to Bariga and Ajegunle to look for boys that I knew at various joints. I have been to prison once after I was arrested at Abule Oja, along with others. I was working for land grabbers. I spent three months in the prison.

When I came out, I met Yemi who informed me that there was a N70 million job. He asked me to look for boys that would go for it. I got Allen and other boys, but I was not allowed to follow them. The group took two guns for the operation, but it was not successful because Yemi did not show them the place.

Recently, Yemi called me that he had a buyer if we could get vehicles to snatch. One Raji called me to inform me that there was a vehicle on ground. I called Yemi and told him, and he said I should negotiate the price with the boys having it, after which we should bring it to Oshodi. 

We were about seven in the vehicle but when we got to Oshodi, Yemi started directing me to other areas until we got to a place where we had an encounter with the police.

Sina AdebowaleI am from Ikole-Ekiti but reside at Irefin area, Ibadan, Oyo State. I was a driver before my arrest. I am married with two children. This is my first involvement in robbery. Our NURTW (National Union of Road Transport Workers) bosses used to raid those who pick passengers along the roads and some of my colleagues and I devised a means of going out before our bosses to make money. What we do is to ‘arrest’ any private car owner picking passengers, after which he would plead to settle us with some money so that we would not take him to our bosses.

On a day this month, Samson, Matthew and I went to raid as usual. We were at the Ibadan end of the Ife-Ibadan expressway where we apprehended the driver of a Toyota Sienna van picking passengers. The driver pleaded with us, saying that he would give us whatever we wanted after picking passengers. But Samson did not heed his plea, as he secretly told me that he would drive the car to Ketu, Lagos, revealing that there was a waiting buyer. We took over the vehicle with the owner and pretended as if we were taking him to our bosses.

We made a U-turn, and on getting to Brewery area, asked the driver to get down. The three of us went with the vehicle, but on getting to Ketu, the person we went to said there was no buyer. After a couple of days, Samson said we should go to Lagos Island to see his friend. We got a buyer and Samson negotiated with Bola, who said the buyer would pay N350,000. We were taking the car to the buyer when we were arrested.

Sherifat Bakare (24)I am from Kwara State but I live at Osborne Road, Ikoyi. I am hustler (commercial sex worker). I started in 2006 and used to go to beaches and clubs at night and would return to Osborne in the morning.

I got involved in robbery through one Baba Baki, who is my boyfriend and benefactor. He took me to a hotel and told me that some boys from Bariga (Akin and Spain) brought a N70 million job. He said I should give him N20,000 to rent guns but I gave him my gold chain to use in borrowing money because I did not have the money.

I also went to Mushin to inform someone I knew of the job and he said he knew James who could do the job. He called James and I went to meet him at Agege. I was told that I would sit beside Yemi as his girlfriend so that the gate of the house we targeted would be opened once they see a female with him. At first, I surveyed the street on foot but eventually the job could not be done. 

Baba Baki also called me one Tuesday and informed me that there was a vehicle and a buyer was needed for it. With the thought that I would get a share of the money, I helped in calling Bola so that he could inform Yemi of the vehicle. We were taking the car to the buyer when we had encounter with the police.

James Isiwatu (a.k.a. ‘Student’, 25)I dropped out of SS2 but I had been learning computer repair since my primary school days. I started working as a computer engineer. I was also into hemp sale at Abattoir, Agege.

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I started robbery this year. I went to prison twice over area fight at Martins area that resulted in the death of one of the members of the opposing camps; but members of my group were not the one who killed the person. When we were taken to court the second time, the judge ordered that we should leave Lagos Island. I returned to my mother’s place at Agege. That was 2005/2006. 

I was back in prison the third time from 2008 till 2013. I was wrongfully arrested because a young man, my former classmate who used to come to my hemp joint to smoke, was arrested for robbery and when interrogated by the police, he claimed he knew me. Though he used to play with me and give me money, I didn’t know the job he was doing. He told them I was not part of his gang.

The case was transferred to Panti and was charged to court. I was remanded in prison but the real suspect even got a bail before me. We learnt that he was dead and we were discharged in 2013. By the time I returned, my shop had been taken by others and my motorcycles could not be seen. All my efforts to get people to help me proved abortive.

One day, I went to Fela’s Shrine at Agindigbi where I saw one Alhaji, an ex-prison inmate. He was a buyer of stolen goods. He gave me his contact and promised to help me. As I was about leaving the Shrine in the early hours of the day, I saw a guy in a drunken state inside his car. He beckoned at me to help him drive his car home as he was helpless. It was a Volkswagen Golf 4.

On the way, I noticed he was asleep. I parked, dragged him down and went away with the car, his money and phones. I spoke with a friend, Alausa, and he introduced me to a buyer, Jamiu. The man paid N80,000 out of the N120,000 he promised. The car was very neat with factory-fitted air conditioner.

I called Alhaji and he took me to Cotonou. He gave me two locally made guns, asking me to snatch vehicles and bring to him. But the guns were not functioning well. I also got a boy, Sheriff, an okada rider. Very early in the morning, we would go to bus stops and attack people waiting to board vehicles. We would collect their phones, bags, jewellery and other valuables at gunpoint. ‘Yahoo! Boys’ were our victims too as we usually laid ambush for them whenever they were coming out of cybercafé early in the morning and would collect their laptops and other valuables. I also used the gun to snatch a Toyota Sienna van at Katangwa market area, which I took to Alhaji. 

There was a job I got from one guy called Samson (a.k.a. Owo) and two others but I almost got killed there. We trailed a man to his house while on two motorcycles, unknown to us that he already noticed us. He asked his gateman to allow us enter while he quickly went to take his gun. 

As we were about entering, he fired at us and one of us was hit. We ran away and one of the guns we had fell. I informed Alhaji and also gave the second one to Owo. It was then he gave me two good guns. He is yet to give me money for the Sienna. Alhaji is from Ajase in Cotonou and is a powerful man there. He has a building at Ajase.

Three days after my return from Cotonou, Yemi called me for the N70 million job. Samson, Sherifat and one person came to me at about 11p.m. I went to get cartridges from Jamiu. He sold eight for me for N10,000. I took my two guns but when we got there and saw that action was not taken immediately, I left in anger because we could be arrested. Atiku used to buy stolen laptops and phones from me.

Danladi Atiku (23)I am from Kwara State. I work as a cleric. I teach the Quran to children. I used to smoke Indian hemp before going to teach Quran because it helps me understand it well. Anytime I wanted to give lecture anywhere, I would smoke hemp and lick Tom Tom, and my performance used to be outstanding. I just got a scholarship to Saudi Arabia because of that.

I knew James was into robbery and he used to bring stolen phones and laptops to me. I used to help him take them to Computer Village at Ikeja to sell them at good prices. I had to do it because we were not treated well by our Islamic heads at Quranic school and I needed to survive.

Jamiu Rahman (41) I am from Abeokuta, Ogun State. I am a taxi driver. I was arrested because I bought a stolen vehicle and also helped in getting bullets for James. I knew one boy called Alausa. I knew him at Ijaye, Abeokuta. He was the one who directed James to me when he brought the Volkwagen Golf. I gave N80,000 and Alausa N20,000. I sold the car for N150,000. Alausa came to me again that James needed cartridges so I got in touch with one Raji who helped me get the bullets from those selling them.

Commenting on the arrest of the suspects, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, Mr Ikemefuna Okoye  commended the SARS operatives and their leader for a job well done, while he charged members of the public to always appreciate the police and collaborate with them in order to ensure safety of lives and property of the citizenry.

GOD NO DE SLEEP : Islamic Suicide Bomber Trainer Accidentally Blows Up His Entire Class ... TheUSPatriot

In Baghdad, a terrorist who was in the middle of conducting a training for future militants, accidentally blew up an entire class, killing 21 of his students, and himself. The group was part of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the terror group that has been participating in a string of attacks in the United States.
The incident may be viewed as a metaphor for the many lives lost in the wake of foreign and domestic terrorists’ relentless attempts to convert the nation into an extreme-religious state. In this turn of events, it appears that many innocent lives may have actually been spared. In fact, in one recent attack alone, 7 innocent people were killed.
According to recent reports, it was rumored that the instructor was in the process of showing his students how to use a suicide belt. As he was teaching, the live suicide belt actually detonated, resulting in mass fatalities.

HE PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE : “How Boko Haram Killed Emir of Gwoza” – Borno State Govt (SEE FULL STATEMENT HERE) .... Emir’s murder, a declaration of war – Governors (Yeye de smell)

The Borno State Government regrets to announce the unfortunate murder of His Royal Highness, the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrissa Timta. The Emir was killed around 9am today following a bloody attack by some gun men believed to be members of the Boko Haram along Tashan Alade on the way to Biu town, headquarters of Biu Lo‎cal Government Area in Southern Borno State. The late Emir was in company of the Emir of Askira, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibn Muhammadu Askirama and Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ali Ibn Ismaila Mamza, all of whom drove in the same vehicle as they headed to Biu to pick the Emir of Biu so they could all drive in convoy to Gombe ‎State to attend the funeral of the late Emir of Gombe who is scheduled for burial in Gombe today. The late Emir of Gwoza had visited his counterpart, the Emir of Uba ‎yesterday and passed the night in Uba ahead of their planned trip today. The two Emirs were this morning, joined by the Emir of Askira. The three drove in the same vehicle with the intention of going to Biu to be joined by their counterpart in Biu. Unfortunately as they were driving in convoy to Biu, they were ambushed by gun men around Tashan Alade, soon after passing Garkida. The gunmen came after the convoy,specifically targeted the vehicle conveying the three Emirs and opened fire. The Emir of Gwoza was unfortunately killed by the attackers while the Emirs of Askira and Uba escaped unhurt. A policeman in the convoy was shot by the attackers but he survived the attack.
The late Emir was in the first class status following his recent elevation by Governor Kashim Shettima. The late Emir was indeed a great man who worked very hard to promote peace and progress in Gwoza. He was a pillar and one of the rallying points in Borno State. He visibly worked very hard in the search for peace in Gwoza since the insurgency began. Borno State Government is terribly shocked by this incident. The Government prays that Allah admits the late Emir into al jannah Firadaus and give family, members of the Gwoza Emirate Council, ‎the people of Gwoza, the State Council of Chiefs and the entire people of Borno State the fortitude to bear this very traumatic loss especially at a time the State is still dealing with equally disturbing issues related with security challenges in the State. May Allah grant us accelerated and lasting peace in Borno State and rest of Nigeria.
Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda
Secretary to the Borno State Government
May 30, 2014.

The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) on Friday described the killing of Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrisa Timta, as irresponsible, callous and a declaration of war on the traditional institution.
It also expressed shock and disbelief at the assassination attempt on the lives of Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ismaila Mamza and Emir of Askira,  Alhaji Mai Abdullahi Ibn Muhammadu Askirama by gunmen believed to be members of the Boko Haram sect.
The Borno State first class traditional rulers were abducted on Friday while travelling to Gombe State for the funeral of the late Emir of Gombe, Shehu Abubakar, who died earlier in the week.
The condemnation of the dastardly act was contained in a statement issued in Minna by Israel Ebije, the Chief Press Secretary to the Forum’s Chairman Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State.
Aliyu, who described the killing as “irresponsible, callous and an affront on the traditional institution and collective heritage of Nigerians” lamented that the attack came at a time federal government has concluded plans to grant the sect amnesty.
The Forum said, “This is indeed a sad development for us as a region and the nation at large. This is happening at a time we are all doing our very best to rescue our over 200 secondary school girls abducted by the Islamist terror group Boko Haram, from their school in Chibok, Borno State last month.
“We are particularly sad and worried about these ugly developments. We are indeed sad over the killing of the Emir of Gwoza in the recent attack.
The Forum urged the sect members to embrace the amnesty offer promised by President Goodluck Jonathan, saying “dialogue remains the best option for resolving issues.”

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH MEN TODAY? : Deeper Life Bible Church Pastor, Eric Abakporo, Sentenced To Six Years For Real Estate Fraud In USA

A former Brooklyn-based civil attorney, and Pastor of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Ifeanyichukwu Eric Abakporo, was yesterday 28th May in federal court in New York sentenced to six years in a United States prison in a case of defrauding banks, mortgage lenders, property owners, and property buyers.
Mr. Abakporo was immediately remanded into custody by presiding U.S. District Court Judge, Shira A. Scheindlin. His wife and two children wept openly in the courtroom.  He was led away in handcuffs.
In addition to the six-year mandatory sentence, Abakporo will more than likely face deportation to Nigeria after serving his sentence, with the likelihood of a three-year supervisory probation release waved.
His co-defendant, Latanya Pierce, received a lighter, 30-month sentence.  In her closing statement, Pierce said she felt like the “biggest fool in the world.”
The legal fate of Abakporo and Pierce was never in doubt.  They were convicted in a wide-ranging series of illegal transactions in New York City over a nine-year stretch, dating back to 2003.

TRAGEDY ... ADIEU DEBOLA : Ex-Oyo gov, Ladoja, loses son in auto crash

A former Governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja, on Thursday lost one of his sons in an auto crash on the Eko Bridge in Lagos.
The deceased, identified as Adebola Ladoja, was driving a Golf saloon car, marked, AKD 107 CJ, and was said to be on his way to Lagos Island when a Daf truck, with number plate, JJJ 59 XA, driven by one Justice Oseghai, rammed into his car on the Eko Bridge.
An eyewitness said the driver of the Daf truck, who was on top speed, lost control of his vehicle, rammed into the median of the bridge, before he eventually crashed into the deceased’s car.
He said, “It took several hours before the victim could be rescued from the wreckage of the vehicle. He was trapped behind the wheels with blood gushing out of his head.”
The Lagos State Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the incident, added that it occurred at about 3.30pm.

She said, “At about 3.30pm on the Eko Bridge, Lagos Island, a Daf truck with number plate, JJJ 59 XA, driven by one Justice Oseghai, ran into a Volkswagen Golf saloon car, marked, AKD 107 CJ, driven by one Adebola Ladoja, the son of a former governor of Oyo State, Senator Rasheed Ladoja.
“The victim died on the spot. The corpse has been removed to the Lagos Island General Hospital mortuary for autopsy while the truck driver has been arrested.”

Some friends of Adebola took to Facebook to mourn the deceased
One of them, Kiri Phoenix Gray, wrote, “Omg I’m in such shock to find out my friend Dee CaKe Ladoja is no longer with us. I’ll never forget what such an amazing friend you were to me Dee and the only person I had when I first moved to London. I’ll miss you so much and I regret all the times we said we needed to catch up recently and didn’t. It was only a couple of weeks ago since we spoke and I won’t forget that conversation.

Another friend, Folarin Amosu, wrote, “Adebola Ladoja, my aburo, my good friend and ex colleague, Just heard the sad news about your accident that led to death. Why bro??? Still saw you two weeks ago when you visited me, we had a lovely time laughing and sharing business ideas.
‘‘You are the true legend Debola. Personally you will always be in my heart and I will always miss you.”

POLITICIZING AND DESTROYING ALL OUR INSTITUTIONS ... SHAME ON THESE POLITICIANS : DHQ Accuses Politician of ‘New Plot Against Operations Of Nigerian Military’ ... NewsDiary

The Defence Headquarters said it has been alerted of a plot by some interest groups to embark on a renewed campaign aimed at attracting international condemnation and indictment of the Nigerian military and its operations in the Northern part of the country.
A statement signed Friday by Defence Spokesman,Major General Chris Olukolade said “The campaign which is to rely heavily on doctored and falsified audio visual materials, some of which are already trending in the social media, is to be coordinated and funded by a prominent political leader whose state is presently under the State of Emergency.
According to the DHQ “The details of the plan which is already being fine-tuned by a group of media practitioners, is to be presented for the final ratification and funding by the political figure. The design is expected to forcefully whip up sentiments of genocide allegedly targeted against a particular religious group.
“The planners of this multi-media crusade also hope to use it to gain some mileage in the drive to secure international attention as they have not achieved this sufficiently despite previous efforts. The programme which is also meant to reinforce the ongoing media campaign against the military was adopted as an alternative by those who are bent on politicizing the ongoing counter terrorists operations in the northern part of the country.
“It will be recalled that a newspaper, apparently testing the waters, last week published some of the doctored pictures which the Defence Headquarters instantly repudiated, pointing out that they do not represent activities or operations of the Nigerian military,”the statement said.
Olukolade said “This Headquarters wishes to reiterate its rejection of pictures and video footages from unverifiable sources claiming to reflect activities or so called atrocities purportedly perpetrated by Nigerian security forces. They do not reflect or depict the true state of affairs or operations of Nigerian military or any of the security forces. The public is advised to watch out and not allow themselves to be hoodwinked by these acts of infamy orchestrated by this desperate group. “
“Once again, it must be emphasized that the dastardly acts of terrorism are against all Nigerians and all peace loving people all over the world. No amount of propaganda by apologists of terror group can justify the evil acts of terrorism by attempting to cast the Nigerian military and security forces in bad light”,the DHQ said.

THE CHEEK ... SUCH BRAZEN EFFRONTERY : Breaking: Boko Haram Kidnap 3 Emirs In Borno; Kills 1, Release 2 ... TheParadigm

Terrorists belonging to the dreaded Boko Haram terror group in the early hours of Friday abducted three traditional rulers in Nigeria’s north east state of Borno.
Two of the traditional leaders were later released by  the terrorist sect, but the third, Muhammadu Idrisa Timta, the Emir of Gwoza, was killed by the kidnappers.
Report reveals that the Boko Haram terrorist kidnapped the Emirs as they made a trip to Gombe, the capital of Gombe State, to attend the funeral of the Emir of Gombe, Shehu Abubakar, who died last Tuesday in London.
The two traditional rulers who were released are identified as the Emir of Askira, Abdullahi Askirama and the Emir Of Uba, Ismaila Mamza.

Emir of Gwoza sitting in his palace. Photo credit: Tuschman Blog

MORE ON "COULD THIS BE TRUE?" : “I Already Started Christ Embassy Before I Married Her” Pastor Chris Oyakhilome Divorces His Wife Anita .... ClemMag.Com

Arguably, one of the most famous couple-pastors in Nigeria is Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and his wife, Rev. Anita Oyakhilome of Love World Assembly, aka Christ Embassy Church.However, with the latest information emanating from the United kingdom, where the Oyakhilome’s resides, the couple may have divorced or separated secretly from their marriage.According to a report published in the UK on Wednesday, 28 May, 2014, most of the members of Christ Embassy Church in the UK are beginning to show concerns on why the couple has not been seen together both in the church and outside the church lately.

In an attempt to find answers to their worries, some members of the church have allegedly went to open a Facebook page which they call ‘Where is Rev. Anita Oyakhilome?The page administrators who are based in the United Kingdom and are strong members of the church, stated on the page that they are very worried about the absence of Rev. Anita Oyakhilome in the life of Pastor Chris.While demanding demanding to know her whereabouts, the members stated on the facebook page that they wondering what has become of the clergywoman.According to comments on the facebook page, Rev. Anita hasn’t been seen in the Christ Embassy Church where she pastors since November, 2013, and there were no explanations given, as to her sudden disappearance and the church has been left without a pastor since then.

In one of the posts on the page, the members want to know the real truth about her mental state as there are speculations she may not be really sound upstairs, while they are also wondering if their Senior Pastor had divorced the wife without the members knowing.
In another post, the group reported the summary of an earlier speech made by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, where he admonished his members not to question anything they see or air their opinion on any matter in the church.
He pointed out in the speech, that any church where the members air their views never grows.
Below is the summary of pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s Speech on 16/05/2014 in a meeting with all UK Pastors and Deacons at Christ Embassy, Bermondsey:
“I am here for your concerns about the ongoing domestic issue with my wife and I know it affects you directly, being the ones under her leadership. This is not an organisation or a political party, so it’s not a place for you to air your opinion or scrutinise what we do.
We had a vision, started and you joined us. If you don’t like what we do, you can get out. Churches where members air their views never grow. Some pastors wives think when they marry a pastor they are equal to the pastor.
My wife thinks so, as a matter of fact, Rev. Tom was her pastor before I married her and Rev. Ray and Evang. Owase were her leaders long before I married her. How come she thinks she’s senior to them now? I already started Christ Embassy before I married her.
I didn’t marry her and said we should start Christ Embassy. I was already pastoring. I already set my sail and knew my direction before I married her. I only said come and help me. Be careful of the friends you keep.
My wife keeps friends who bring out the worst in her and help her see the worst in people instead of keeping friends that will help her vision especially as the wife of a global pastor like me.
Bitterness is prolonged and accumulated anger. My wife is always angry and bitter. Allegations are either false or twisted information. The current situation is not as a result of what I did or what I didn’t do.
I didn’t do anything to have caused an upheaval. You don’t join a woman to fight her husband. I’m not teaching you what is wrong, at least I have 2 girls who will one day marry and I want to them to enjoy it

Source: gosippme.com