VINTAGE BUHARI : President Buhari Orders Arrest Of Wife’s Younger Brother Over Alleged Extortion ... SaharaReporters

resident Muhammadu Buhari has ordered Nigeria’s security agents to arrest his brother-in-law for allegedly extorting money from an unnamed businessman, a close confidante of the Nigerian leader told SaharaReporters. He said the suspect, named Musa Yola, was the immediate younger brother of Mr. Buhari’    
Alhaji Musa Yola
Our source disclosed that the suspect, also addressed as “Alhaji Yola,” reportedly received N300 million from a businessman after promising to provide his dupe with political access to secure an oil block from the Buhari administration. According to our source, Mr. Buhari personally ordered last Monday night that Mr. Yola be produced before him in handcuffs in the company of the businessman he duped.
After telling the businessman that he was stupid to part with such significant cash when he should know that he, Mr. Buhari, would not participate in fraud, the president ordered agents of the State Security Services (SSS) attached to Aso Rock Villa to thoroughly investigate the scam. He also ordered the SSS operatives to ensure that the businessman recovered his money from his brother-in-law.
An SSS source told SaharaReporters, “Alhaji Yola has refunded the money to the affected businessman.” He added: “Alhaji Yola has been released on bail.”

NOW THAT COMMON SENSE IS BEGINNING TO PREVAIL : I Regret Ekweremadu’s Emergence – Saraki ... LeadershipNews

The president of the Senate, Abubakar Bukola Saraki has described the emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as the deputy Senate president of the 8th Senate as painful and regrettable, saying no true party member would want to share his position with a member of other parties.
Blaming the absence of some All Progressives Congress (APC) senators at the inauguration session on that fateful day for the election of Ekweremadu, he added that all through the period when he and his team were strategising for his election to the Senate president’s seat, not even for once did they anticipate that a Senator from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will emerge as his deputy.
Speaking with some Senate correspondents yesterday, Saraki said it is not true that he entered into any pact with the PDP to sacrifice the deputy Senate slot for PDP’s support. “Never in our wildest imagination did we envisage that some senators would not be present on the day of the inauguration.
“In my own view, and in the view of some of those who worked closely with me, I worked hard for my election, I had direct contact with every single senator, one on one. Weeks leading to the election I did not rely on anybody. I worked hard; both in our party, the APC and out of it.
“I approached every senator, I talked to them…we built confidence, not only in the APC, but, also, in the PDP. I talked to them. That was why I laugh when people said I had a deal with Ekweremadu or I had a hand in the emergence of Ekweremadu.
“I didn’t need any deal to win. I had penetrated…There was no deal; I didn’t need any deal in the first place. I had worked hard such that every body who was a senator, I campaigned hard and canvassed for their votes and won their confidence.
“At one of the meetings held at Transcorp Hilton which Senator Godswill Akpabio co-chaired with Senator Ibrahim Gobir and a few others, which had both APC and PDP members, at that meeting, if you heard most of them there, the position they took was that ‘this is the Senate president they want.’
Across party lines, they believed in me that this is the Senate president that can lead us. There was no deal.
“Sometimes, I wonder how some of our colleagues found themselves at the ICC. If it had been a case that the CNA (clerk of the National Assembly) had made an announcement that the event had been postponed or it was no longer holding, plus, the invitation, it would have been different. I’m sure some are asking now,what really happened,” Saraki said.
Speaking further, he said “First of all, the PDP senators had announced to the public that they were supporting me without even meeting me because in their own meeting, the majority had decided to vote for me. In their own interest, strategically, they decided that, look, this is a fait accompli because 30 of their own senators were going to vote for this man anyway and the remaining felt it was better to join.
It wasn’t until 2:00am that they called us to tell us their decision. With regards to the deputy, when they told us that they had a candidate, we, too, told them we had a candidate for deputy Senate president in the person of Senator Ali Ndume. After our own meeting, it was our thinking that it was after the election of the Senate president that the two groups in APC would meet and we would agree on a candidate. We never in our imagination thought they would not turn up. By the time we got there, we were only 24 while the PDP was more than 40. In an election, there’s no way they would not have defeated us and that was what happened. And now, when people say it was a deal, I say that if the CNA had started the procedure in the House of Representatives first, and moved to the Senate thereafter, today, we, the APC, would have had a deputy Senate president.
“It is unfortunate that we have a PDP man as deputy Senate President. It is painful. It is painful for any APC member because when we went through the struggle, that was not what we signed for. But it has happened; but it is unfortunate and it is not fair to put the blame on one side because it is a combination of errors and miscalculations that led us to have, it that morning; some senators at another place instead of being here. So, to suggest that it was out of a desperate act to emerge is what I reject completely and those who followed the events would know that I didn’t have that deal to emerge, ” he said.
The Senate president also disclosed that he never shunned the invitation of the party to a meeting on the inauguration day, contrary to reports.
He explained that he got wind of plans to abduct him and keep him away from the National Assembly premises so that he will not be able to stand for election so he made plans to sneak into the complex early and was not with his phones till later that day.
“First of all, as regards the meeting (at ICC), on the morning of the inauguration, I didn’t finish meeting until 4:00 of that day and I had got information that efforts would likely be made to make sure that I didn’t get access into the chambers.
“So, as early as 4:00am and 5:00am, I had made contingency plans that I must get into the National Assembly because the plan before was that senators-elect should go to the Transcorp Hilton Hotel around 8:00 am and 9:00am to proceed to the National Assembly.
“But I was advised that it would not be safe or secure for me to do that because some people made sure…if I didn’t get into the chambers, it would t be possible for me too be nominated, for the nomination to be seconded and for me to accept the nomination.
“I can tell you today that I was in the National Assembly Complex as early as 6:00 in the morning and I stayed in a car in the car park, from 6:00 in the morning till quarter to 10:00am. This is the truth. I stayed there and I was there with no communication whatsoever.
“So, anybody who said they spoke to me to go to ICC was not true because I didn’t even know what was going on. All I was monitoring was how people were arriving the complex.
“It was at quarter to 10:00 that I got information that the clerk to the National Assembly had entered the chamber. So, I got out of the small car I was inside, stretched myself and put on my Babariga because I didn’t have it on before then.
“I walked from the car park into the chambers…That was why some of you would have seen that I looked very tired on that morning,” Saraki said.

WE NOW SEE HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT THE PRESIDENT BE ACCORDED HIS PARTY LEADERSHIP OF APC : Buhari: Ekweremadu as Saraki’s deputy unacceptable ... TheNation

•APC governors, state chairmen want Saraki, Dogara to accept party’s list on principal officers
•Ogbeh may head disciplinary committee
For President Muhammadu Buhari, the emergence of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member as deputy Senate President in the current dispensation is nothing short of a setback for his administration.
He is irked that some members of his own party, All Progressives Congress (APC), conceded the position to Ike Ekweremadu when the PDP never gave that much all through its 16 years in power between 1999 and last May.
But he is optimistic that the APC will overcome the setback.
President Buhari made his feelings known at a meeting with a delegation of the   Unity Forum at the Aso Rock Villa on Friday night.
The forum is the group of senators backing Dr. Ahmed Lawan, the APC anointed candidate for the Senate Presidency.
Buhari, at the meeting, reportedly pleaded for the understanding of APC Senators as the party explores reconciliation options.
However, the majority of the APC governors and state chairmen of the party are insisting that Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Reps Speaker Yakubu Dogara comply with the party’s directive on the choice of principal officers of the National Assembly.
The APC governors and state chairmen are encouraging the leadership of the party to enforce discipline to prevent it from collapsing.
Some party leaders, it was gathered, have proposed a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Audu Ogbeh, as chairman of the APC Disciplinary Committee to look into allegations of anti-party activities against some members.
President Buhari at the Friday meeting was said to have said there was no reason for the party to be divided over who heads the National Assembly.
“The President gave us audience and admitted that the development in the Senate was a setback but he expressed confidence that APC will overcome it,” a source at the meeting said.
“He said there was no basis for the split among APC Senators which led to the concession of the Office of Deputy President of the Senate to the PDP. He said PDP did not give the opposition such an opportunity in its 16 years in power.
“Buhari told Lawan and others not to take the law into their hands as the leaders of the party explore reconciliation options. He said peace and the survival of the nation’s democracy should be paramount more than any other thing.”
Asked to assess the President’s mood at the session, the source added: “He was not happy about the development in the Senate but he was hopeful that the situation is redeemable if some leaders can sacrifice their ambitions for the survival of APC and his administration.”
Another source said: “The session was cordial and reassuring. The President interacted with us individually and even had time to crack jokes with us before we receded into the business of the day.
“As for the Lawan group, it was Senator Barnabas Gemade who spoke on behalf of the 51 aggrieved Senators.
“Gemade said the Unity Forum is after justice since its members have demonstrated their faith in APC leadership and having been loyal to the party to a fault.
“Gemade restated the six demands of the group and the need to prevail on Saraki and Dogara to abide by the directive of the party on the nominees for principal offices in the Senate and House of Representatives.”
The source quoted Gemade as saying: “When the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo called a meeting to address the looming challenge, it was only our group that responded; we were the only group which participated in the party’s straw poll and even on June 9, we deferred to the party’s invitation to a meeting at the International Conference Centre.
“Before anybody knew it, the Like Minds went for the inauguration of the Senate and elected Saraki.
“We have proved our unflinching loyalty to the party. This is the time for the party to assert itself and enforce discipline or else members will continue to take the leadership of the party for granted.”
Ahead of the meeting of the National Executive Committee of the APC on Tuesday, there were indications last night that the governors elected on the platform of the party and state chairmen are pushing for Dr. Saraki and Hon. Dogara to comply with the party’s directive on the choice of principal officers of the National Assembly.
They said they will no longer tolerate the defiance of the party by the two leaders.
A member of the NWC said: “We are expecting a stormy session on Tuesday. Saraki and Dogara will have to choose between loyalty to the party or self-serving agenda.
“The only condition for moving forward is for these leaders to accept the list sent to them by the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.
Those  recommended by the APC for Senate positions are Sen. Ahmed  Lawan(Majority Leader)—North-East; Prof. Sola Adeyeye( Chief Whip)—South-West; Sen. George Akume( Deputy Majority Leader)—North-Central; and Sen. Abu Ibrahim(Deputy Chief Whip)—North-West.
The party’s list for the 8th House of Representatives  is as follows:  Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila( House Leader)——South-West; Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa( Deputy House Leader)—North-West; Hon. M. T. Monguno( Chief Whip)—North-East; and Hon. Pally Iriase( Deputy Chief Whip)—South-South.
It was gathered that if Saraki and Dogara refused to respect the party’s list, APC may resort to sanctions.
It was learnt that some forces in the party are pushing for the appointment of a former National Chairman of PDP, Chief Audu Ogbeh as the head of the party’s Disciplinary Committee.
A top member of the party said: “There is no doubt that Ogbeh is well grounded in party politics and he is a disciplinarian.  We are thinking of him to assist in unraveling the anti-party activities in the Senate and the House.”

THE AUDACITY OF A MOUSE IN A GAME FOR LIONS : I dropped my presidential ambition for Buhari — Saraki ... PunchNews

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has denied reports that he is nursing the ambition for presidency in 2019, saying he actually quit his presidential bid in the 2015 election for President Muhammadu Buhari.

Saraki stated that he contributed immensely to the emergence of Buhari as President and contributed greatly to his victory in the presidential election held on March 28, 2015.

The Senate President, who spoke to select journalists in an exclusive interview in Abuja on Saturday, also denied having plans to dump the All Progressives Congress due to the ongoing crisis in the party over his leadership of the Senate.

Rather, he said what remained paramount in his mind at the moment was how to support the Buhari-led administration to tackle the various social and economic problems confronting the country.

Saraki said, “I was the first person that stepped down his political ambition, once General Buhari announced that he was going to contest the presidential election. And since then, prior to the period of election, I worked tirelessly to support his emergence.

“Even some of my friends who are not supporting me now are doing so because I did not support them in their presidential ambition and that I supported President Buhari. That is why I find it funny that the same people are now claiming to love Buhari more than me. It is a very funny world.

“These are people that I was begging to leave the stage for Buhari to run since all of us are young. They are now the one going round to say that Saraki did not like Buhari but time will tell.”

The Presidency, however, faulted Saraki’s claim of stepping down for Buhari ahead of the presidential election.

Saraki had on October 13, 2014, announced the suspension of his presidential bid in the interest of the country and his party. He, however, did not state which of the other aspirants he was going to back.

Saraki’s statement then partly read, “I decided to step down my ambition because Nigeria’s political outlook for 2015 is very complicated and this is the time for every patriotic politician to situate his personal ambition in the context of the country’s overall interest.

“I don’t think our party can afford too much internal rancour going into next year’s election. I, therefore, think some of us need to make the sacrifice and be part of the solution rather than part of the problem of the party.”

This will be Saraki’s first personal response to the ongoing crisis that is trailing his controversial emergence as the President of the Senate on June 9.

Saraki had led a faction of APC senators, under the auspices of the Like Minds Senators, to defy the party’s choice of Ahmad Lawan as the Senate President.

In what many have described as a ‘coup’, the pro-Saraki group had allied with the opposition lawmakers in the Peoples Democratic Party to make Saraki leader of the upper chamber of the legislature in the absence over 50 APC senators.

A similar scenario had also played out in the House of Representatives where Yakubu Dogara opposed Femi Gbajabiamila, the choice candidate of his party, to emerge Speaker of the House.

Explaining what happened on the National Assembly leadership election day, Saraki said he smuggled himself into the chamber on the day the 8th Assembly was inaugurated when he became aware of an alleged plan to abduct and prevent him from standing for the Senate presidential election

The Senate President also defended his absence from the International Conference Centre venue of a proposed meeting between President Buhari and APC lawmakers on the day of the election.

He insisted that he did not receive any invitation for the meeting.

Saraki said, “As regards the meeting, on the morning of the inauguration, I didn’t finish meeting until 4am of that day and I had got information that efforts would likely be made to make sure that I didn’t get access into the chambers.

He said the plan before was that senators-elect should go to the Transcorp Hilton Hotel around 8:00am and 9:00am to proceed to the National Assembly.

The Senate President said he was, however, advised against going to the chamber at the scheduled time as there were plans to stop him from being part of the day’s proceedings.

Saraki said he got into the National Assembly Complex as early as 6:00am and stayed in a car in the car park from then till quarter to 10:00am. He noted that all through the period, there was no communication to him.

“So, anybody who said they spoke to me to go the ICC was not true because I didn’t even know what was going on. All I was monitoring was how people were arriving at the complex. It was at quarter to 10:00am that I got information that the Clerk to the National Assembly had entered the chamber.”

The APC, however, described Saraki’s non-invitation claim as a lie, saying all senators-elect were invited to the said meeting.

Saraki, a two-term ex-Governor of Kwara State and former Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, said it was at that point that he got down from the “small car” in which he was hiding and entered the chamber.

“Even when I was in the chambers, I didn’t know what had transpired earlier on. The only thing I observed was that it appeared that some of our senators were not in the chamber. But for the fact that my colleagues arrived in batches, I had the opinion that they were on their way. And by 10:00am, the programme started.

“Before I knew it, my election had come and gone. Even, my people were worried. It was only when I got into the chambers that they were relieved,” Saraki added.

The Senate President also dismissed his alleged pact with the PDP to elect Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President.

Ekweremadu of the PDP, who occupied same position in the last Senate, had been re-elected as Saraki’s deputy in the Senate that has the APC as majority.

The Senate President, however, insisted that that it was the absence of the APC Senators from the chamber that caused the emergence of Ekweremadu as his deputy.

He said, “Never in our wildest imagination did we envisage that some senators would not be present on the day of the inauguration. In my view, and in the view of some of those who worked closely with me, I worked hard for my election. I had direct contact with every single senator; one on one. Weeks to the election, I did not rely on anybody. I worked hard, both in our party, the APC, and out of it.

“I approached every senator, I talked to them. We built confidence, not only in the APC, but, also, in the PDP. I talked to them. That was why I laugh when people said that I had a deal with Ekweremadu or I had a hand in the emergence of Ekweremadu.”

Saraki stated that he did not need any deal to win the election, saying he had “penetrated everywhere.”

Speaking further on the penetration, he said, “One of the meetings was held at Transcorp Hilton and Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Ibrahim Gobir co-chaired it. Both the APC and the PDP members were present.

“At that meeting, if you heard most of them there, the position they took was that ‘this is the Senate President they want. Across party lines, they said that they believe in me and that this is the Senate President that can lead us. There was no deal.”

Saraki, who described Ekweremadu’s deputy Senate presidency as painful and unfortunate, maintained that it was caused by the absence of his APC colleagues. He recalled that the PDP senators had announced to the public that they were supporting him.

He further said, “With regard to the deputy, when they told us that they had a candidate, we, too, told them we had a candidate for Deputy Senate President in the person of Senator Ali Ndume.

“We never, in our imagination, thought they (other APC senators) would not turn up. By the time we got there, we were only 24 while the PDP was more than 40.

“It is unfortunate that we have a PDP man as deputy Senate President. It is painful. It is painful for any APC member because when we went through the struggle. That was not what we signed for.”

Saraki said it was unfair to put the blame on “one side” because it was a combination of errors and miscalculations that led having some senators at another place instead of being on the floor of the Senate on that day.

“So, to suggest that it was out of a desperate act to emerge (as Senate President) is what I reject completely and those who followed the events would know that I didn’t have that deal to emerge,” he stated.

Saraki also disagreed with insinuations that he went against the position of the party which had allegedly zoned the position of the Senate president to a particular region.

“At no time was any decision taken by the party to zone the position to any particular zone,” he stated.

Saraki also said he had had personal discussions with the Lawan and they had allegedly deliberated extensively on how to collectively move the Senate forward in the interest of the senators, the APC and members of the public.

He said, “I also have an opportunity to sit down and discuss with Senator Ahmad Lawan as part of our reconciliation efforts. I am confident that this matter will soon fizzle out because we are making serious efforts.”

Saraki further said serious arrangements were already ongoing to unite the various sides to the crisis, even as he hinted that he had reached out to the leaders of the party, President Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on how to collectively move the country forward.

“Regards to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; as you all know, he is one of the leaders of the party. I have great respect for him. We have worked closely together before. Unfortunately my group did not agree with him on this issue.

“However, we are both responsible and committed to the project of the party and Nigeria that we will overcome this and move forward. It is part of our plans, as part of the healing process, to meet with him and it will happen soon,” Saraki added.

Saraki did not step down for Buhari – Presidency

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, on Saturday, said there was no truth in the claim by Saraki that he stepped down for President Buhari in the APC presidential race.

Adesina, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said the issue of stepping down did not arise because the party conducted a free and fair presidential primary which Buhari won.

The presidential spokesman said all Nigerians know those who took part in the party primary.

Adesina said, “There was no issue of stepping down during the presidential race in the APC. There was a presidential primary that was plain, transparent, free and fair.

“We all know those who were involved in the primary; all Nigerians know those who participated in the APC presidential primary and President Buhari emerged the winner of that process.”

When asked if Saraki had reached out to the President as he claimed, Adesina said, “The President has always maintained that the party is supreme. The party started a process which was truncated.

“The President has always maintained that those who truncated or aborted the process were the ones who precipitated crisis.

“The President had said in earlier statements that he would work with anybody who emerged the Senate President, but then, that did not include those who will subvert (the process).”

‘Saraki snubbed Buhari to emerge Senate president’

A leader of the APC, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH on the condition of anonymity, said Saraki was only trying to be clever by half.

The leader of the party, who spoke in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Saturday, said Saraki had boxed himself into a corner.

“Saraki is simply trying to be clever by half. He is in a fix and he is trying to justify his illegal actions,” the source said.

He added, “Saraki is bound by the nation’s constitution to read the party’s list without any amendment. If the PDP had sent him their own list of principal officers, will he tamper with it or won’t the PDP send their own list?”

Insisting that the Senate President lied about not being invited to the ICC meeting, the reliable party source said Saraki was invited.

The source said, “He is lying if he said he was not invited to the ICC meeting. All National Assembly members-elect were invited via an SMS.

“He deliberately snubbed the President because he had already struck a deal with the PDP to actualise his inordinate ambition in defiance of his party’s position.

A MOSNTER UNLEASHED ON AMERICA AND THE REST OF THE WORLD : Millionaire gay couple is suing to force a church to hold their wedding ... TheLiberterianRepublic.com

The Antithesis of Freedom is Forced Association

DANBURY, U.K.–A wealthy gay couple has decided to launch a lawsuit to force their church to perform their wedding. The Drewitt-Barlows, a millionaire couple from the U.K, stated, “We’ve launched a challenge to the government’s decision to allow some religious groups to opt out of marrying same-sex couples.”
Both attend St. John the Baptist church, a branch of the Church of England, and have been in a civil partnership since 2006.
Barrie Drewitt-Barlow said that he and his partner Tony, “feel we have the right as parishioners in our village to utilize the church we attend to get married.
“It is no reflection on our local church, who have been nothing but supportive towards us. We understand their hands are tied by a higher group of people within the church.”
This reaffirms statements that Drewitt-Barlow made earlier this month, stating going to court was, “the only way forward.”
“It is a shame that we are forced to take Christians into a court to get them to recognize us. It upsets because I want it so much—a big lavish ceremony, the whole works. I just don’t think it is going to happen straight away. While same-sex marriage is now legal in the U.K. after a bill cleared Parliament earlier this year, the legislation still protects the right of churches to opt out of performing gay weddings, specifically the Church of England.
Drewitt-Barlow is not pleased with the law, and said, “As much as people are saying this is a good thing, I am still not getting what I want.”

EVEN PAEDOPHILES ARE NOW LINING UP SINCE THE FLOODGATES FOR SEXUAL PERVERSION HAS BEEN THROWN OPEN : It Begins: Pedophiles Call for Same Rights as Homosexuals... Excerpted from the Northern Colorado Gazette: .. PATDOLLARD.COM

Excerpted from the Northern Colorado Gazette:
Using the same tactics used by “gay” rights activists, pedophiles have begun to seek similar status arguing their desire for children is a sexual orientation no different than heterosexual or homosexuals.
Critics of the homosexual lifestyle have long claimed that once it became acceptable to identify homosexuality as simply an “alternative lifestyle” or sexual orientation, logically nothing would be off limits. “Gay” advocates have taken offense at such a position insisting this would never happen. However, psychiatrists are now beginning to advocate redefining pedophilia in the same way homosexuality was redefined several years ago.
In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. A group of psychiatrists with B4U-Act recently held a symposium proposing a new definition of pedophilia in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders of the APA.
B4U-Act  calls pedophiles “minor-attracted people.” The organization’s website states its purpose is to, “help mental health professionals learn more about attraction to minors and to consider the effects of stereotyping, stigma and fear.”
In 1998 The APA issued a report claiming “that the ‘negative potential’ of adult sex with children was ‘overstated’ and that ‘the vast majority of both men and women reported no negative sexual effects from  childhood sexual abuse experiences.”
Pedophilia has already been granted protected status by the Federal Government. The Matthew Shephard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act lists “sexual orientation” as a protected class; however, it does not define the term.
Republicans attempted to add an amendment specifying that “pedophilia is not covered as an orientation;” however, the amendment was defeated by Democrats. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fl) stated that all alternative sexual lifestyles should be protected under the law. “This bill addresses our resolve to end violence based on prejudice and to guarantee that all Americans, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability or all of these ‘philias’ and fetishes and ‘isms’ that were put forward need not live in fear because of who they are. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this rule.”
The White House praised the bill saying, “At root, this isn’t just about our laws; this is about who we are as a people. This is about whether we value one another  – whether we embrace our differences rather than allowing them to become a source of animus.”
Earlier this year two psychologists in Canada declared that pedophilia is a sexual orientation just like homosexuality or heterosexuality.
Van Gijseghem, psychologist and retired professor of the University of Montreal, told members of Parliament, “Pedophiles are not simply people who commit a small offense from time to time but rather are grappling with what is equivalent to a sexual orientation just like another individual may be grappling with heterosexuality or even homosexuality.”
He went on to say, “True pedophiles have an exclusive preference for children, which is the same as having a sexual orientation. You cannot change this person’s sexual orientation. He may, however, remain abstinent.”
When asked if he should be comparing pedophiles to homosexuals, Van Gijseghem replied, “If, for instance, you were living in a society where heterosexuality is proscribed or prohibited and you were told that you had to get therapy to change your sexual orientation, you would probably say that that is slightly crazy. In other words, you would not accept that at all. I use this analogy to say that, yes indeed, pedophiles do not change their sexual orientation.”
Dr. Quinsey, professor emeritus of psychology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, agreed with Van Gijseghem. Quinsey said pedophiles’ sexual interests prefer children and, “There is no evidence that this sort of preference can be changed through treatment or through anything else.”
In July, 2010 Harvard health Publications said, “Pedophilia is a sexual orientation and unlikely to change. Treatment aims to enable someone to resist acting on his sexual urges.”
Linda Harvey, of Mission America, said the push for pedophiles to have equal rights will become more and more common as LGBT groups continue to assert themselves. “It’s all part of a plan to introduce sex to children at younger and younger ages; to convince them that normal friendship is actually a sexual attraction.”
Milton Diamond, a University of Hawaii professor and director of the Pacific Center for Sex and Society, stated that child pornography could

be beneficial to society because, “Potential sex offenders use child pornography as a substitute for sex against children.”
Diamond is a distinguished lecturer for the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. The IASHS openly advocated for the repeal of the Revolutionary war ban on homosexuals serving in the military.
The IASHS lists, on its website, a list of “basic sexual rights” that includes “the right to engage in sexual acts or activities of any kind whatsoever, providing they do not involve nonconsensual acts, violence, constraint, coercion or fraud.” Another right is to, “be free of persecution, condemnation, discrimination, or societal intervention in private sexual behavior” and “the freedom of any sexual thought, fantasy or desire.” The organization also says that no one should be “disadvantaged because of  age.”
Sex offender laws protecting children have been challenged in several states including California, Georgia and Iowa. Sex offenders claim the laws prohibiting them from living near schools or parks are unfair because it penalizes them for life.

SOME BROTHERS ARE JUST GREEDY : Obama’s half-brother sells revealing letter from the president ... SixFiveNation.com

President Obama’s half-brother, Malik Abongo “Roy” Obama, has sold a handwritten letter from the president, penned 20 years ago, that reveals Obama’s reasoning for getting into politics including “to deal with some serious issues blacks face here.”

“Some colleagues of mine here have talked me into running for the Illinois State Senate (like being an MP for a province),” the future world leader wrote his kin in July 1995, before his political career began. “I have agreed, since I have an interest in politics to deal with some serious ­issues blacks face here,” Obama wrote.

The letter also reveals Obama’s disdain for meetings, saying,

“Of course, it involves a lot of campaigning, going to meetings and so on, which I don’t find so attractive.” He adds, “Anyway, if I win it will only be a part-time post, and I will ­continue my work as a lawyer.”

The letter, which we hear Malik sold as a package with a copy of a manuscript of Obama’s first book, “Dreams From My Father,” with handwritten notes also gives an update on First Lady Michelle and his late mother, who died later that year.

 “Michelle is fine, also busy with her work,” Obama wrote. “My mom’s health has been stabilized for now, but she is by no means cured and continues to undergo extensive treatment.” In the letter, signed “Much love, Barack,” the future president adds news that his brother’s “found a new wife,” “Man, I must say you don’t fool around!”

The letter was offered up to parties such as ­LA-based memorabilia dealer Moments in Time before it was bought by a collector.
Malik, who lives in Kenya, also sold two other handwritten letters from Obama for nearly $15,000 each in 2013.
Malik, who shares the same father with the president, has said they were best men at each other’s weddings. But earlier this year, he called Obama a “schemer” and said, “He’s not been an honest man . . . in who he is and what he says and how he treats people.”
The amount paid for the letter was not disclosed. The White House did not comment.

OF SPIRITUAL PROBLEMS IN A MODERN WORLD : Nollywood Actress Yetunde Akilapa arrested again for stealing ... DailyPost

Nollywood actress, Yetunde Akilapa has again been arrested for breaking into a beauty lounge after closing hours in Yaba where she works.
This is coming few months after she was beaten to coma for a similar offence.
Akilipa was accused of stealing from her boss; the lady who teaches her makeup.
It was gathered that Yetunde reportedly broke in at night after everyone had gone home with a master key, carting away some iphones and iPads before nemesis caught up with her.
She was accosted and immediately whisked away by some policemen.
After series of questioning, all that could be extracted from her was that she heard a strange voice urging her to go and steal.
The lady has insisted that the case must be taken to court even after several pleas from Yetunde’s sister.

NOW THAT THE WORMS ARE CREEPING OUT OF THE WOOD : Wike, Mrs Jonathan fingered In N180 Billion UBEC raud ... TheIcon

Rivers state governor, Mr Nyesom Wike and immediate past first lady Mrs. Patience Jonathan have been accused of involving in a multi-billion frauds at the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
The said fraudulent activities occurred in Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) under the supervision of Mr Wike, when he was minister of state for education.
A Lagos based whistleblower operating under the aegis of Nigeria Against Corruption Group (NACG) alleged in a statement issued and signed by its National Coordinator Mr Tayo Olusola that Mr Wike siphoned billions of naira under the UBE program when he was in charge of the Education ministry.
The statement reads: “Investigation conducted by us revealed that the Rivers governor and the former first lady, allegedly plundered over N180 billion from the UBEC purse using fronts in the commissions office.
“Sources confirmed that UBEC programs and contracts during the tenure of Chief Wike, were used as a facade to loot billions of naira for little or no work done.
“But the man who runs the operations on behalf of Wike and directs which account and fund to privilege is Mr. Hama, the so called SA to the executive secretary of UBEC.
“Sources at UBEC disclosed that, “the SA tag is just a camouflage because the man is the defector Executive Secretary of UBEC.
“The executive secretary, Dr. Dikko dares not take any decision or implement anything without clearance from Mr, Hama who is one of Mr. Nyesom Wike’s enforcers at UBEC.
“Any program or project that does not provide an easy avenue for stealing huge sums of money does not get any attention no matter how vital that project may be to the educational system.”
“Some of the fraudulent schemes used in stealing billions of Naira year in year out are:
Teachings: “Billions of Naira are stolen each year by arrangement of bogus teaching programs in luxury hotels where little or nothing is achieved but billions of Naira are budgeted and wasted as the monies finds its way into private pockets. One of such fraudulent teachings schemes that occurred under Mr. Wike is now being investigated by the EFCC.
“The investigation involves the top management of UBEC and one of the fronts used in siphoning the money but, was not settled according to plan. In the said case, over 100 million was siphoned from UBEC for a fraudulent teaching program but, all that took place was a jamboree in a five star hotel.
Vocational Schools: “Billions of Naira was budgeted for the building of vocational schools but in most cases not much has been done even though huge sums have been disbursed and vanished under the watchful eyes of Mr Wike.
Instructional Material Funds: “This is the biggest fraud that has been going on since the Jonathan administration came into office. During Wike’s tenure alone, over 60 billion has been on the dubious supply of free text books to students, but, actual amount of books supplied is not more than N5 Billion and the books in usable condition out there in the schools are not up to 200 million worth of books.
“The free textbooks supply scheme is a perfect cover for high yield frauds because billions of naira is budgeted to address a need that does not exist since parents are already providing these books for their wards.
“So nobody is clamoring for the books and nobody complains if they are not delivered. More importantly there is no way of verifying whether the supply was made since there is no standing stock as the books are assumed to be in the hands of the students.
“So each year the actual amount committed to supply of textbooks is about 10-15% of the budgeted amount, just for the purpose of launching the scheme in the states, the rest goes into private pockets. That is why the textbook supply is such a favored project in UBEC because everyone from UBEC headquarters to the SUBEBS are settled while the student and our education system are short-changed.
“The involvement of the former first lady and Gov. Nyesom Wike made the textbook contractors untouchable. So while our schools remain empty without proper learning, the yearly pillage of government money goes on.”
The group further called on President Buhari to make good his promises to strengthen the EFCC and empower it to investigate and prosecute government officials including former ministers who had stolen billions of Naira during their tenure, expressing confidence that doing so the president will recover a lot money to run the economy of the country.
Mrs Patience Jonathan and Mr Nyesome Wike are not new to unholy alliance. Both joint forces during the last general election to criminally supress the wish of the Rivers people as their thugs went on rampage across the state killing and injuring APC members.
And in fraudulent connivance with security agencies, state Resident Electoral Commission, both the presidential and governorship election results were written to favour both Jonathan and Wike.

TROUBLING REVELATIONS : EXCLUSIVE: Witness Describes How Soldiers In Delta State Murdered Police Informant In Cold Blood, Tells Of A Concentration Camp Hidden By Military ... SaharaReporters

When the witness recounted Benson’s murder he said “I was right there. We started hearing gunshots. We came out and we saw by the mechanic workshop. Five military men came out of the vehicle and started giving orders and at that moment they beat him mercilessly. They treated him not as a human but as an animal. They shot him directly in his tummy. The guy was lying down lifeless on the ground.”

SaharaTV spoke exclusively with a witness to the brutal murder of Benson Ogedegbe by soldiers attached to the 19th Battalion stationed at Koko Military Base in Ethiope West Area, Delta State.  The witness asked SaharaTV to not use his name, for fear of retaliation from the military and criminals in the area; and his voice was altered so that he could not be recognized by the public.
It was learned earlier this week that Benson Ogedegbe, the local Chairman of the Oghara Vigilante Group, was gunned down in broad daylight by Lance Corporal Obinna of the 19th Battalion. The extrajudicial murder was ordered by his Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Aminu Umar, and he was accompanied by a Captain Femi and three other soldiers.
It is now known that Benson Ogedegbe was assassinated by members of the 19th Battalion because he was a police informant giving information on how Lt. Col. Umar and his men were working with notorious crime boss Onoriode “Onos” Okerhibo. The 19th Battalion had been making money off of Onos’s illicit activities in the area, and had been providing him with protection when he kidnapped for ransom, murdered Delta residents, jacked vehicles, and stole oil from the pipelines running through the Oghara area.
The unnamed witness told SaharaTV that “before now [Benson’s murder] there has been a lot of set up against him [Benson Ogedegbe] by the military. The military wanted was for him to be out of their way.” The witness was referring to how the military had been hunting for Benson in the weeks before his murder, though Benson evaded capture by hiding in the police station. The military had even arrested Benson’s eldest son to lure him out of hiding.
When the witness recounted Benson’s murder he said “I was right there. We started hearing gunshots. We came out and we saw by the mechanic workshop. Five military men came out of the vehicle and started giving orders and at that moment they beat him mercilessly. They treated him not as a human but as an animal. They shot him directly in his tummy. The guy was lying down lifeless on the ground.”
He added that “Benson Ogedegbe’s [death was] a clear execution, it’s not as if they wanted to arrest him or investigate him. I have seen a soldier arresting an armed man before and he wasn’t executed. How can someone that has no weapons fight four men?”
The witness also confirmed the relationship between Onoriode “Onos” Okerhibo, the local crime boss, and the 19th Battalion. He said the military had been working “with a notorious criminal [Onos] that is from Delta State.” He later added that the criminal is from Otumara Area of Delta State.
He also mentioned that the entire community knows about a “concentration camp” at the Koko Military base and urged SaharaTV and SaharaReporters to “send a reporter to investigate, they will see it for themselves.” Other sources have told SaharaTV and SaharaReporters that there are sometimes around 30 people held unlawfully in this camp at the military base.
When asked what was needed to restore the safety of the community in Etiope West, the witness told SaharaTV that “the military must be investigated especially the CO Umar,” he added that the only way to have justice is for an intervention from powerful figures in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.

MAKING NIGERIA PROUD : 5 Anambra students to represent Nigeria at world debate in Singapore ... PremiumTimes

Five students from various secondary schools in Anambra will represent Nigeria at the 27th World Schools Debating Championship scheduled for Singapore from June 27 and July 3.
The students are: Adachukwu Onyekwena (Girls Secondary School, Amaenyi, Awka), Nnamdi Udoji (Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha) and Chinemerem Oguaba (Awada Secondary School, Obosi).
Others are: Chukwuebuka Obichi (Army Day Secondary School, Onitsha) and Nneka Chigozie(Mater Ammabillis, Secondary School, Umuoji).
The state’s Commissioner for Education, Kate Omenugha, in an interview in Awka on Wednesday said the students had qualified for the world competition.
She said that after coming tops in the various national debate competitions at the secondary schools level, the five students were now set to slug it out with their mates at the international level.
The commissioner congratulated them for being outstanding among their peers and urged them to be good ambassadors of the state while in Singapore.
Ms. Omenugha said their success was a positive manifestation of the premium Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra placed on education, which she said had been revolutionary.
She said the state government would provide all the necessary support to facilitate the students’ journey to Singapore, as well as ensure that they had a brilliant outing as she urged them to remain focused.
The successful students included three females and two males from five secondary schools in Anambra. (NAN)

TIME TO MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF OGBENI RAUF AREGBESOLA FOR FINANCIAL RECKLESSNESS : Assembly confirms judge’s call for Aregbesola’s impeachment ... PunchNews

Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam

The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salaam, said on Wednesday that the assembly had received a petition from Justice Folahanmi Oloyede, calling for the impeachment of Governor Rauf Aregbesola because of alleged financial recklessness.

Oloyede is a serving judge in the Osun State judiciary.

The judge’s petition read in part, “Consequently, the admitted inability of Mr. Governor and his deputy to pay pensions, salaries and allowances for periods ranging from eight to 11 months now as a consequence of their own decision to accumulate debts beyond the capacity of the state’s internally generated revenue, whilst the very ‘actors’, Mr. Governor and his deputy, continue to enjoy their security allowances in hundreds of millions, is a violation of their oaths of office.

“Their action in this respect is as illegal as it is immoral and unconscionable. It is an evidence of their inability to discharge the functions of their office. There is therefore no legal or moral basis for their continued stay in office.

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“To this end and for this reason, I am sure other well-meaning and concerned members of the Osun community are hereby calling on honourable members of the state House of Assembly to pick up the gauntlet and redeem themselves, by giving effect to the provisions of Sections 128 and 129 of the Constitution, which empower them to investigate and bring to justice, all those who have corruptly enriched themselves at the expense of Osun and her people.’’

Salam, who confirmed to our correspondent in an interview on Wednesday that the assembly had received the petition, said the House would write a letter of acknowledgement to the petitioner and write the governor to defend himself against the allegations contained in the letter.

The Speaker said, “Yes, we received the petition and we acknowledged it. But there is nothing we can do now because of the strike. Workers’ strike is affecting our sittings.

“We will send a copy of the petition to the governor for his defence. We will deliberate on it by the time the strike is over.”

The Clerk of the House of Assembly also confirmed the receipt of the petition in a separate interview with our correspondent.

Oyeniran said, “It is true we received a petition and we are working on it.”

The Minority Leader, Mr. Oladejo Makinde, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, said he was not aware of the petition but said the House would deliberate on it by the time the lawmakers started sitting.

Efforts to get the governor’s reaction to this allegation were unsuccessful as calls and text messages sent to his media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, were not responded to.

ABOUT TIME WE STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS FROM THESE MEN : EFCC begins probe of ex-Governor Akpabio over alleged N108.1bn fraud ... PremiumTimes

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has begun investigation into alleged theft of N108.1billion of Akwa Ibom funds by former Governor Godswill Akpabio.
The action followed a petition forwarded to the commission by an Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong.
Mr. Ekpenyong had on June 8 petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the EFCC, calling for Mr. Akpabio’s probe and accusing him of looting Akwa Ibom state treasury.
Investigationsby PREMIUM TIMES showed that several other indigenes of the state who have demanded the investigation of the former governor, have been invited by the EFCC to adopt their petitions.
On his part, Mr. Ekpenyong was summoned on Wednesday, June 17, to adopt his petition and provide more details to some of the allegations he made against Mr. Akpabio.
The former governor, now senator, was elected in 2007, at a time the nation enjoyed robust oil revenue.
Akwa Ibom State and Rivers State are Nigeria’s largest oil-producing states. The two states alternate as first and second top producers periodically.
The two states receive the highest funds allocation from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, monthly.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation indicate that under Mr. Akpabio, known for ostentatious spending, Akwa Ibom received a staggering N1. 6 trillion from FAAC between June 2007 and May 2014.
At the time he vacated office on May 29, the state received more, excluding other revenues like Ecological Funds, internally generated revenue etc.
In a new petition to the EFCC dated June 22, and copied to Mr. Buhari and the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, Mr. Ekpenyong gave details of some of Mr. Akpabio’s alleged financial recklessness.
He indicated that between January and December 2014, the ex-governor colluded with two of his top aides to steal a whopping N108.1 billion from the state’s treasury.
Mr. Ekpenyong told the EFCC that the former Government House Permanent Secretary, Etekamba Umoren, and the former Accountant General of the state, Udo Isobara, colluded with Mr. Akpabio to steal the funds.
“Between January –December 2014, it is on record that the trio of Godswill Akpabio, Mr. Etekamba Umoren and Mr. Udo Isobara, made illegal but substantial withdrawals of cash from a designated state government-owned account with Zenith Bank with account number: 1010375881 amounting to N22.1 billion,” he stated in the petition.
“It is worthy of note that reasons for such ungodly cash withdrawals against financial regulations and due process laws range between sundry use and unjustifiable expenditures by Godswill Akpabio and his numerous surrogates and proxies.
“For example, a whopping N18 billion was withdrawn fraudulently from the state FAAC account with the United Bank for Africa in trenches of N10 million and above by Mr. Isobara in a surreptitious manner to conceal their dishonest intention.”
For assisting Mr. Akpabio retire billions of the stolen funds, Mr. Ekpenyong said Mr. Umoren was rewarded with an appointment as Government House chief of staff and now secretary to the state government under Udom Emmanuel’s administration.
The legal practitioner went on to state that over N50 billion of Akwa Ibom funds were spent by the former governor during the last general elections.
During the period under review, he said Mr. Akpabio also withdrew a whopping N18 billion from the state coffers under the guise of special services, reception of very important guests and sundry items.
“The cumulative aggregate of these monies stolen by Godswill Akpabio from the coffers of government as pocket money is the annual budget of some states in Nigeria put together,” the petition reads.
He listed the bouquet of assets acquired by the former governor through surrogates to include a multi-billion naira mansion at Plot 5 Okogosi Spring Close, off Katsina-Ala Crescent, Maitama-Abuja, a multi-billion naira mansionette at Plot 28 Colorado Close, Maitama, Abuja and another multi-billion naira mansion at 22 Probyn Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Others include a multi-billion naira mansionette at Plot 23 Olusegun Aina Street, Parkview, Lagos and a multi-
billion naira 25 storey building at Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
“As earlier promised, more details of assets and graft-related funds illegally and fraudulently siphoned from Akwa Ibom State treasury and laundered to foreign destinations are in the offing. As usual, we will do the needful.
An EFCC source said senior officials of the commission held discussions with Mr. Ekpenyong on the petition on Tuesday.
“He also adopted the petition he forwarded to the commission and provided additional details about the alleged stealing of funds by the former governor,” the source said.
The source noted that many of those who have sent petitions to the commission against the former governor, now senator, have already been invited to adopt their document.
He confirmed that very soon the commission would invite the former governor for questioning.
Allegations, complete falsehood
Mr. Akpabio could not be reached for this story. Messrs Umoren and Isobara could not also be reached for comments.
But the commissioner of information during the administration of Mr. Akpabio, Aniekan Umana, described the contents of the petition by Mr. Ekpenyong as falsehood taken too far.
He said the petition betrays a lack of understanding of the workings of government.
“Every sum withdrawn from a government account is tied to a subhead and there must be a budgetary provision. To attribute fraud to withdrawals which had the full sanction of Government and was accommodated in the budget is strange, mischievous and untenable. More so, when one understands that there are checks and balances which guide all aspects of government financial administration,” he said.
He also said the allegation that the State Government spent N50 billion on the March General Elections falls flat on its face based on his explanations of the workings of government as regards financial transactions.
“There was no such provision in the budget of this year and such an amount could not have been paid as an extra-budgetary expenditure and yet salaries and other commitments were met. We challenge the petitioners to provide proof to support this wild allegation. Who was it paid to? How was it paid? Where was it paid? And when was it paid?
“Senator Akpabio does not own a 25-storey building in Victoria Island or in any part of the world, as alleged by the petitioner. It is also a patent falsehood that the house at 22 Probyn Road, Ikoyi belongs to Senator Akpabio.
It is a rented building which ownership can be verified from Lagos State Lands Registry.
“Senator Akpabio does not own the properties mentioned in the petition to belong to him. You can verify the ownership of the properties (5 Okokosi Close, Maitama and Plot 28 Colorado Close, Maitama) from the land registry in Abuja,” he said.
He also denied the state received over N2 trillion as oil allocation.
“Please do note that the idea that the Akwa Ibom State Government received over N2.5 trillion in the eight years of the Akpabio administration is an outrageous lie. What this suggests is that the State Government received an average of N26 billion monthly for the period. What a lie! From published accounts of disbursement from the Federation Accounts, Akwa Ibom State never received up to N26 billion in any month throughout the period.
Note that in some months like the April and May, 2015, Akwa Ibom State received about N8 billion only.”

WHAT A MAN CAN DO, A WOMAN CAN EVEN DO BETTER : Woman leads robbery attacks on Lagos banks ... IT ALL READS LIKE A MOVIE SCRIPT ... PunchNews

A damaged Zenith Bank rotor door (2) Victims of the robberies at the Ikorodu General Hospital (3) The burnt jeeps... on Wednesday

“AREa, Zico come and see money. See money wey we dey look for,” screamed one of the robbers.

In a jiffy, the robbers packed about N20m said to have been arranged for loading into the Automated Teller Machines at   a Zenith Bank branch in Ebute-Ipakodo in Ikorodu, Lagos, on Wednesday morning.

A bank official, who narrated how the robbery took place, said the ecstasy displayed by the robbers was only comparable to “what you see when a footballer scores a decisive goal.”

As some of the gang members held everyone in bank   hostage while looting additional cash from the   strong room, others were doing the same at the First Bank branch in the area.

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Satisfied with their bounty,   the gunmen stormed out   and challenged policemen, whose station is opposite the First Bank branch, to confront them.

[/media-credit] victim in the hospital

Even though no policeman was in sight, they displayed more bravado by setting three Sports Utility Vehicles which they drove to the banks, on fire. Before this, they had removed the number plates of the vehicles.

A young lady was said to have led the over one hour attacks which bore semblance of the March 12 robbery in Lekki, Lagos.

Four persons, including a teenage apprentice vulcaniser, simply identified as Rilwan, were injured by the robbers who fled through a jetty in the area.

It was learnt that the bandits, numbering about 16 invaded the banks, located directly opposite the Ipakodo Police Division, at about 9am and started shooting indiscriminately.

[/media-credit] victim in the hospital

They were said to have opened fire at the police station to scare the officers, after which they proceeded with their operation.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the robbers used dynamite to shatter the rotor doors of the two banks to gain entrance and order members of staff and their customers to lie down.

It was gathered that some of the gunmen were outside the banks firing into the air for over an hour.

Some security operatives, comprising policemen and soldiers, arrived the area around 1.30pm after the robbers had fled.

Our correspondent, who visited the Ikorodu General Hospital, where the injured victims were taken to, met an employee of the Zenith Bank   and a customer,who gave his name simply as Segun.

The banker (name withheld) and Segun   sustained injuries after hitting their heads on glasses while the teenage vulcaniser and the fourth victim, an okada (motorcycle) rider, were hit by stray bullets.

The bank official narrated the incident to sympathisers and our correspondent who found his way into the hospital.

He said the robbers carted away over N80m from Zenith Bank which “a bullion van was to transport out of the bank.”

[/media-credit] victim in the hospital

The banker added, “They shouted, ‘open the door, open the door’, but none of us answered them. Suddenly, we heard an explosion and the glass went down. I was wounded by broken glasses.

“One of them entered and when he saw about N20m that we had arranged to put inside our ATMs, he shouted, ‘Area, Zico see money. See money wey we dey look for.’ He started dancing. He pulled a lady among us and ordered her to pack the money inside the bags they brought. After packing the money, the robbers ordered her to lead them to the strong room.

“When the lady opened the strong room, the robber that shouted in the ATM room exclaimed again, ‘Eheeeee, Area, Zico give me bags! Give me bags.   Come and see money wey we dey look for. They packed everything in the strong room; more than N60m. We were expecting a bullion van to move the money before the incident happened.”

Segun, said, “I was at the ATM section of the Zenith Bank to withdraw money. Suddenly, there were gunshots. Two of the gunmen came in and one of them threw me on the floor. He wanted to shoot, but his colleague told him to leave me.”

Another eyewitness, Ikechukwu Oyenso, said, “I was at the First Bank at exactly 9am to use the ATM. It was my turn when we suddenly heard gunshots. I saw two of the robbers   shooting directly at the police station and the policemen ran away.

“Some gunmen came into the First Bank. A guy stood outside and two entered the bank.

“They used dynamite to destroy the door of the bank. They entered the banking hall and ordered everybody to lie down. These guys looked young. They were dressed in black and they wore caps. They did not use masks. They robbed for over an hour. It was terrible.”

A resident of the area, Chinedu Chapel, said the police were helpless, adding that it was a pointer that citizens were not secured.

He said, “From what happened today, it shows that Nigerians are not safe. It is a shame. The policemen hid at the back of Ipakodo Grammar School for more than one hour.”

[/media-credit] Scenes of the incident

A pastor at a Redeemed Christian Church of God parish in the area, Anayo Okpara, wrote his experience on his Facebook page.

“This(Wednesday) morning, between the hours of 9am and 10am, I was a few meters away from the scene of a bank robbery at Ipakodo, Ebute, Ikorodu. The robbers operated with guns for about 30 minutes right opposite a police station.

“Everyone took cover, including the policemen; not even the military officers at the other end could come to the aid of the citizens. We were more like in a war scene with gunshots roaring for the entire 30 minutes.

“About 20 minutes after the robbers were done and gone, the whole place became flooded with policemen, I counted about 10 pickups, two armoured tanks and one OP MESA pickup van. Except the Lord watches a city, the watchmen stay awake in vain!”

Another eyewitness, Ademola Fashola, said he hid somewhere around the jetty area while the robbers escaped.

He said, “I came to withdraw money from the First Bank ATM, but I changed my mind and headed for Ipakodo, near the jetty. I was there when I heard the gunshots. After they had robbed the banks, the gang leader, a woman, walked while their cars moved towards the Origin Gardens (the jetty area). She dared the police to come out and ordered her gang members not to shoot anybody. She is not up to 20 years. I saw five of them. They dragged the bags that contained the money inside the jetty. I heard one of them calling somebody to pick them. He was shouting ‘Taofeeq, Taofeek, come and pick us now’.”

Saheed, also an eyewitness, said, “Where I hid, I saw them carrying bags of money into the jetty. That short woman held the gun, while another guy took the money inside the jetty. When they were about to escape, they removed the number plates of their three cars, poured fuel on them and shot at one of them, which erupted in flames.

“Along that waterfront are naval officers. Where were they then?”

The head of security, Ipakodo Community Development Association, Femi Awode, said he called two police officers on the phone to no avail.

The workers at the gardens declined comments on the incident and told our correspondenst to come later.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, who visited the scene of the incident along with some military officers, said the command would get the robbers.

He said, “I am here with other service chiefs to have a joint coordinated approach to this incident. We are very positive that we are going to get to the root of the matter. Just give us time.

“The timing and conduct of the men (police officers) are also going into investigation. We are checking the operation of these jetties and the vulnerability of our waterways. Nobody died.”

The command’s spokesperson DSP Kenneth Nwosu said N5m would be given to anybody, who could avail the police with useful information to ensure the arrest of the robbers.

“The command will reward anybody with useful information towards the arrest of the bank robbers with N5m,” he said.

The spokesperson for the First Bank, Mr. Babatunde Lasaki, said he could not confirm whether the robbers made off with cash from the bank as he had yet to receive the details of the incident.

Calls made to the number of the Zenith Bank spokesperson, Mr. Akin Olaniyan, rang out. He had also yet to reply to a text message sent to him as of 9pm on Wednesday.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN IN NAIJA? : Chef arraigned for removing policeman’s tooth ... PunchNews

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti

The police have arraigned a 36-year-old chef, John Akpan, for allegedly removing a policeman’s upper tooth with a headbutt.

The incident occured during an argument between Akpan and the policeman, Inspector Atoe Frederick

It happened at about 5.50pm in the Olojojo, Oworonshoki area on Saturday.

The defendant was arraigned before a Chief Magistrates’ Court, Yaba, Lagos on Monday.

Akpan was said to have obstructed the police officer while he performed his duties.

It was learnt that Akpan refused to obey Frederick’s orders which thereafter degenerated into an argument between the duo.

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However, Akpan was said to have given Frederick a headbutt in the mouth.

This action was said to have resulted in the removal of one of Frederick’s upper teeth.

The defendant was subsequently arrested and arraigned in court.

Akpan was arraigned on one count.

The charge read, “That you, John Akpan, on June 20, 2015, along Olojojo, Oworonshoki, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did obstruct and assault AP No 154905 Inspector Atoe Frederick, attached to Oworonshoki Division while performing his lawful duty by giving him a headbutt resulting to the removal of one of his upper teeth, inflicting injury in his mouth and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 172 (B) of the Criminal Law Of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

The defendant pleaded not guilty and elected summary trial.

According to the Investigating Police Officer, Sergeant Femi Adesuwon, the victim was admitted at the General Hospital, Gbagada, Lagos.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. A. O. Soladoye, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N250, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

The matter was adjourned till July 22 for hearing.

YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE : Wanted Drug Baron Nigerian Senator Kashamu Flees From Aero Flight From Abuja To Lagos ... SaharaReporters

Buruji Kashamu, the Ogun east senator, wanted in the United States, may appear to be a tough guy, mounting a labyrinth of legal obstacles, to stall the moves by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to ship him out to Chicago.
Nigerian Senator Buruji Kashamu is wanted in the US for drug related offences
But we can report today that Kashamu is also a faint-hearted person, not willing to take any risk about his life.
Kashamu was billed to travel to Abuja from Lagos today, after he failed to commit the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the NDLEA for criminal contempt over extradition moves to the USA.
He had sat in the Business class of Aero Flight 127, Abuja-bound, along with his lawyers when the captain announced a minor problem with the plane. The captain said the light of an indicator had not come on brightly enough and that the Aero engineers are fixing the problem.
To keep the passengers at ease, the captain gave the assurance that the problem was nothing to worry about. And that the resolution of the problem will not take three minutes.
No sooner the captain finished talking, than Kashamu signalled to his lawyers, asking them to alight from the plane. Other passengers who had calmly listened to Captain Kunle’s explanation remained glued to their seats and burst out laughing when Buruji and his lawyers scampered away.
Aero Flight 127, which left Lagos at 14.45 landed in Abuja without incidents.

DOING AWAY WITH AN OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE SENATE TO SAVE COST OF GOVERNANCE : Tinubu calls for scrapping of Senate ... PunchNews

Former Lagos State Governor  Bola Tinubu has called for the scrapping of the Senate.

Tinubu spoke in Abuja on Tuesday at the 2012 Annual Conference and Awards ceremony organised by the Leadership Newspapers.

He said Nigerians should stop complaining about the cost of governance but step towards reducing it.

The former member of the National Assembly  argued that it would be better to allow the House of Representatives represent the people since its members are  closer to the grass roots.

Tinubu said, “We have kept complaining about the cost of governance and the recurrent expenditure.

“But we have never examined the structural problem of even the constitution that we are operating.

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“Why do we need two Houses of the National Assembly,  whereas  the House of Representatives representing the smaller constituencies is enough in the same number of population.

“Why not get rid of the Senate for a slim and better legislative activity? Let us start examining that.”

He  also backed the move by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to take total control of the commission by asking that he be allowed to pick the Resident Electoral Commissioners.

The Action Congress of Nigeria National Leader  said since Nigerians had given Jega  permission to act on their behalf, he should be allowed to pick his lieutenants. 

He said, “Once you say somebody is Chairman/Chief Executive of a corporation, you have given him all the powers and authority to act on behalf of the people.

“We gave INEC the power and authority to act on our behalf, to be an institution that will be transparent and independent and the commission is being funded directly from source, from allocation, from tax and expenditure from our commonwealth and the wealth of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Why would we not allow the buck to stop on the table of INEC Chairman so that if he messes up, we have somebody to blame.

“Why will an INEC chairman not be able to appoint those in the branches in the states – the Resident Electoral Commissioners who are representatives of IEC in the states?”

He said it was wrong for the RECs to be appointed by the President, who he said, belongs to a political party.

The ACN chief  said it was bad for President Goodluck Jonathan, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, a party he said had vowed that it would rule for 60 years or more, to be the one appointing the RECs.

He gave instances when some of those nominated as RECs were later withdrawn when there was public outcry against them since they were card-carrying members of the PDP.

Tinubu said, “If they are the one appointing RECs and card-carrying member of  the PDP, how would we have are liable electoral system?

“Whether you have executive opposition or not, power is not served ala carte. It is not like a menu in Sheraton Hotel.

“You have to struggle for it. Let us first of all straighten the institutions. This is my proposition.”

A TWISTED MIND OR A MIND SEARCHING FOR LOVE : Yoruba Girl who want to pay a man to marry her has been taken to Psychiatric Hospital ... Olufamous

The lady who offered House and a Car for marriage, Zainab Abdulmalik has been admitted at the Dawanau Psychiatric Hospital, Daily Trust learnt from her family and hospital sources.

A true Yoruba family can't allow their daughter engage in such shameful act, I know this would happen.

Zainab who lured hundreds of youth with a car and house offer last Wednesday was admitted on Sunday at the hospital as her family believes she is "mad" to have become so desperate for husband.

Last week Tuesday, she announced on a local radio station, her intention to offer a gift of car to any man who would marry her after her boyfriend ate her money and dumped her.

In an interview, the head of the hospital, Malam Abubakar Ibrahim confirmed the admission of the lady, saying she has been their patient for long. He told Daily Trust, “Yes she is on admission in our hospital but this is not the first time she would be brought here. She has been an outpatient for long but she was brought here at the weekend.”

One of her relatives said she was rushed to the hospital because her mental challenge worsened after she had picked one of the suitors that thronged to the freedom radio to marry her.

“She was stable until when she was betrayed by somebody who promised to marry her after collecting money from her last year. Since then she developed mental problem and she has been on and off at the psychiatric hospital.

“Her condition relapsed at the weekend that was why she was taken to the hospital. If you go there now, you will see her because she is on admission,” he said.

It was gathered from one of her neighbours in Ayagi area of Kano state that the person that jilted her has been sued to court. “The guy’s parents live in Gandun Albasa area of Kano. When he was taken to court, he promise to be paying N50,000 monthly to refund her money,” he said.

He added that “we grew up with her and she was not having mental challenge until when the guy betrayed her. I used to be accompanying her to the guy’s parents house,” Jazuli Rabiu said.

When Daily Trusted contacted him on phone for his reaction, her father hissed and put off his phone.