STILL UNDER SEIGE : SSS accuses CBN Governor, Sanusi, of financing terrorism ... PremiumTimes

A new twist has been added to the ongoing travails of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Lamido Sanusi, as the Department of State Security Service, SSS, has accused him of financing terrorism.
The SSS stated this at the Federal High Court, Lagos, while defending its decision to seize Mr. Sanusi’s international passport.
Mr. Sanusi’s passport was seized on February 20, as he arrived the Lagos international airport, hours after he was suspended as Central Bank Governor by President Goodluck Jonathan.
The new charge, which Mr. Sanusi’s lawyers described as false and baseless, tallies with a similar surreptitious but baseless allegation thrown at the bank chief by a presidential aide.
Reno Omokri, the Special Assistant to the President on New Media, had, on February 26, used a pseudonym, Wendell Simlin, to circulate an article that tried to link the recent spike in Boko Haram attack to the suspension of the CBN governor.
The embattled CBN chief was controversially suspended by the president based on allegations of ‘financial recklessness’ by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, FRCN.
Several investigative reports by PREMIUM TIMES had shown that Mr. Sanusi indeed approved some interventionist spendings from CBN funds, but he did so with adequate approval from the board of his bank and President Goodluck Jonathan.
Mr. Sanusi, in separate suits, challenged his suspension, and asked for an enforcement of his fundamental rights as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution.
During the hearing of the rights’ suit, which continued on Monday, the respondents – the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF; the Police; and the SSS – made different claims.
Sanusi sponsors terrorism
The fresh terrorism-related allegation against Mr. Sanusi came from the SSS.
The agency said it was investigating Mr. Sanusi for allegedly financing terrorism.
The SSS counsel, Moses Idakwo, said Mr. Sanusi’s interaction with SSS officials did not last for up to an hour and did not constitute a violation of his rights.
He said the provisions of Section 6 of the National Security Agencies’ Act empowered the Service to impound the international passport of suspects pending the conclusion of investigations.
It is not clear how this fresh allegation by the SSS is related to the dubious claims by Mr. Omokri.
PREMIUM TIMES and a few citizen journalists had exposed how Mr. Omokri, using a non-existent alias, Wendell Simlin, created a document linking Mr. Sanusi with financing the terrorist Boko Haram group.
The document was later shown to have been created by Mr. Omokri, with several Nigerians calling for his sack. The presidency has kept mum since the scandal was exposed.
On Monday, however, Mr. Sanusi’s counsel, Kola Awodehin, accused the SSS of falsehood in its new claim against the bank chief, saying the agency had no shred of evidence.
Dismiss Sanusi’s suit
The counsel to the AGF, Fabian Ajogwu, had objected to the suit, urging the court to strike it out for want of jurisdiction.
Mr. Ajogwu argued that the provisions of Section 254 (c) 1 (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) ousted the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
He noted that the case before the court borders on the applicant’s employment, saying that labour -related cases are within the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Industrial Court, NIC.
“Section 254 (c) 1 (d) of the Constitution vests exclusive jurisdiction on the National Industrial Court, with respect to civil causes or matters touching on employment, labour or industrial relations.
“We respectfully urge the court to hold that it has no jurisdiction to entertain the reliefs sought by the applicant,” he said.
The counsel urged the court to strike out the suit.
Mr. Ajogwu also argued that the applicant should not, by the suit, seek to restrain the respondents from performing their constitutional duties.
He argued that Mr. Sanusi was being investigated based on the FRCN’s claims. He said the suspended bank chief was being investigated in accordance with the provisions of the law, which the respondents had a statutory duty to perform.
Citing the dictum of retired Justice Niki Tobi of the Supreme Court in the case of Adeniran vs Alao, Mr. Ajogwu submitted that a perpetual injunction would be everlasting and could not be granted by
a court of law.
“The applicant’s suit is basically an action to shield him from the machinery of administration of justice, which has been kick-started by the respondents,” Mr. Ajogwu submitted.
Nobody reported Sanusi to us
While the AGF said Mr. Sanusi was being investigated based on the FRCN investigations, the police said it was not investigating the CBN boss.
The counsel to the police, David Abuo, said nobody ever reported Mr. Sanusi to the police.
He, however aligned with Mr. Ajogwu, saying the case should be struck out as it seeks to bar government agencies from performing their duties.
Sanusi reacts
Responding to the respondents’ preliminary objection, Mr. Awodehin submitted that the court was vested with the jurisdiction to entertain the suit.
He argued that the suit had nothing to do with the terms of employment of the applicant or industrial relations, since it was not a case of the applicant against the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He argued that the applicant never sought an order of perpetual injunction, adding that the reliefs he sought were qualified.
“It cannot be suggested that the applicant is restraining the respondents from performing their duties, but they must be restrained from doing so without due process of the law.
“The seizure of the applicant’s international passport by the third respondent is a derogation of his freedom of movement,” he said.
Mr. Awodehin also argued that the different submissions by the three respondents showed that laws were being violated in Mr. Sanusi’s treatment.
“The first to third respondents give conflicting reasons as to the complaint made against the applicant.
“This conflict goes to show that they acted without due process of the law,” he said.
The counsel also argued that the SSS’ claim of financing terrorism was bogus.
“The allegation against the applicant as to funding of terrorism is an afterthought by the respondents which is not backed by facts, as there is no reasonable suspicion that the applicant committed any crime,” he said.
He urged the court to dismiss the preliminary objection and uphold the case of the applicant.
The court had on February 21 granted an interim order, restraining the respondents from arresting, detaining, or harassing the applicant pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The interim order was sequel to an affidavit of urgency filed by the applicant on the same date. On Monday, the court adjourned ruling on the preliminary objection to April 4.
-Premium Times

TRAGEDY : Six Feared Dead After Drinking Local Beverage At Wedding Reception In Kano ...NAN

No fewer than six persons, between ages 20 and 22 years, died after allegedly consuming a local beverage, Zakami, at a wedding reception at Unguwa Uku, Kano State, a witness has said.
The police also confirmed the incident on Monday but could not confirm the casualty.

A witness, who was at the wedding, said the incident happened at about 10.30 p.m. on Sunday.
According to the witness, the deceased, all males, drank the substance at the party.
The deceased persons collapsed after consuming the intoxicating beverage and died on the way to the hospital.
The Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, Magaji Majiya, confirmed the incident.
He said the police had since commenced investigation into the matter with a view to finding out the cause of the tragedy.
“On receiving the report, we invited the groom; he is currently assisting us in our investigation.
“I cannot confirm the number of deaths until we finish our investigation”, he said.
(NAN)

JISOS!!! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH MEN TODAY? : Police corporal bites 19-month-old baby to death in Benin ... SunNews

A Police Corporal identified as  Corporal Abiola (surname withheld) has allegedly killed his 19-month-old baby after battering his wife in Benin City.
The incident occurred at Omorogieva Compound on Sam Enobakhare Cresent, Off St. Saviour Road in the Edo State capital.
He was said to have picked the baby boy identified as Ayomide from his bed and bit him severally before strangulating him.
Corporal Abiola was alleged to have pounced on the defenceless baby after his wife, whom he had beaten black and blue, miraculously escaped his aggression.
The policeman who hails from Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, was said to have impregnated another woman from Oghara town in Delta State.
The 26-year-old mother of the late child, Abigail,while narrating her ordeal, said on Tuesday, March 25, she and her baby were at home with her husband without any dispute, until about 6p.m when her husband’s countenance suddenly changed. She said when she tried to know the reason, he started to beat her.
Speaking in Pidgin English, she said: “He kicked me for belle, pressed my neck, slapped me, I run come out, he come carry my pikin, bite am for neck, belle and face. He come lock me out.”
Recalling in pains how her husband abandoned her at the hospital after having the baby through a Caesarian section, Mrs Abiola alleged that it took the intervention of some policemen at the hospital before her husband paid  for her discharge after spending more than a month in hospital.
Abiola’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Jani Omoruyi, said on hearing about the incident, she visited her daughter and discovered that she was battered by her husband who locked her out until after several knocks on his door.
The woman alleged that on entering the house, she saw her grandson writhing in pains on the bed with visible marks on his body, adding, “Abiola say he give the baby medicine because he no well.”
She said the child was swiftly taken to a private clinic where a doctor said the baby was brought in dead, adding that the child has since been buried.
When contacted, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital Dr. Jolly Nosakhare Iguma, stated that a mother and her daughter brought in a dead baby to his hospital few days ago.
“On close examination, the baby was pale, whole body yellowish and with tooth-bite injuries on his face,“ adding “since the baby is not old enough to fight with any person, I wondered who bit the baby.‪”‬
The Edo State Commissioner of Police,  Mr. Foluso Adebanjo, said he was yet to be briefed on the incident.

NO CAUSE FOR ALARM? : Attempted Jail Break: How Inmates Disarmed, Shot SSS Operatives ... LeadershipNews

There was panic around the presidential villa and the headquarters of the Department of State Services in the nation’s capital yesterday as gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect invaded the area in an attempt to free some of their members in the custody of the State Security Service.
It was alleged that one of the suspects had attacked an operative of the Service, disarming him by hitting him at the back of his head with his handcuff. Another operative was injured severely by the sect members.
At the end of the attack, 21 sect members lay dead: 18 died on the spot while three others died from severe gun injuries received during the attack. Also, two SSS men were seriously injured and are receiving treatment at an undisclosed location.
An eyewitness who spoke to LEADERSHIP on the condition of anonymity when our reporter visited the area explained that what happened looked like a military coup and “all the neighbourhoods were thrown into confusion due to the heavy gunshots”.  He said the SSS was practically overpowered as some of the sect members were seen running outside the area.
“It was the military men that were seen around, chasing and arresting some of the fleeing sect members and I cannot say how many people were killed, but there were definitely causalities,” he said.
An SSS source told SaharaReporters that the militants succeeded in freeing several inmates and were almost taking over the complex before reinforcement came from the Nigerian military. He said the detainees had held the detention facility under a siege for several hours, with security agents negotiating with them to end the tense stand-off. He added that the operatives, aided by soldiers, went on the offensive after the detainees who had obtained weapons had run out of ammunition. He said most of the dead detainees were shot as they fled the complex. According to the source, four fleeing suspects were shot dead at a park near the facility.
The source said he could not state if any suspect succeeded in escaping. He would also not comment on the number of casualties on the side of the security operatives.
Reacting to the attack, the deputy director, public relations department of the State Services, Ms Marilyn Ogar, described the attack as “attempted jail break”, in a statement sent to LEADERSHIP. She explained that “the Service suspect handler went to the detention facility within the headquarters to feed the suspects. One of the suspects attempted to disarm him by hitting him at the back of his head with his handcuff. His attempt to escape drew the attention of other guards at the facility who fired some shots to warn and deter others”.
She also confirmed that “it has been established that 18 casualties were recorded, while two Service personnel sustained serious injuries”.
“Three other detainees who sustained gunshot injuries during the incident have also died, while investigation is ongoing to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the attempted jail break,” Ogar said, explaining that “the gunshots attracted the attention of the military with whom the Service has an understanding of mutual assistance in the event of any threat”.
“The Army immediately deployed a team to reinforce our perimeter guards to forestall any external collaborators. The situation has since been brought under control.”
Later in the day, the roads leading to the SSS office, which had been cordoned off to prevent possible further attack, were opened and normalcy returned to the area. The roads have been opened for free movement of persons and vehicles.

Security beefed up in Abuja
Security was beefed up yesterday at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, venue of the ongoing 7th meeting of African finance ministers and other strategic locations in the FCT.
The development followed an attempted jail break at the headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria covering the African ministers’ meeting observed that additional security personnel had been deployed to the hotel.
The additional armed men, seen within the vicinity of the hotel, include soldiers, police and officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The armed men were supported by sniffer dogs as they took positions within and outside the hotel.
Security was also beefed up in and around military and other security offices in Abuja yesterday following the attempted jail break.
On the Shehu Shagari Road, where the Force Headquarters is located, the area had been barricaded with armoured personnel carrier; same for the Ministry of Defence, Area 10, Garki.

National Hospital waiting to receive corpses
Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP confirmed from undisclosed sources at the National Hospital, Abuja, that the hospital had received a call from the SSS headquarters that they were bringing some corpses down to the hospital’s morgue.
At press time, the corpses had not arrived.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the corpses could have been diverted at the last minute in order not to raise dust.

Embrace soft approach to counter-insurgency, NSA pleads
The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has urged all stakeholders to embrace the soft approach to insurgency as it  embarked on “Exercise Quick Think”, a crisis management exercise in order to continue providing strategic level training to stakeholders.
The exercise, which was coordinated by Gen. TT Waya, Director PC4, was to engage the participants from intelligence and security agencies in situation evaluation, execution of situation evaluation and crisis management.
It was also set to test participants’ abilities in intelligence collation, evaluation and dissemination as well as in intelligence sharing and joint operations planning.
According to a statement issued by the ONSA and signed by the special assistant (media), Karounwi Adekunle,  the exercise which took place last week (March 25-27, 2014) had participants from all security agencies including para-military outfits.
The NSA urges all patriotic Nigerians to rally round the programme that is aimed at restoring peace to the polity.
“It is apparent that the ‘Soft Approach’ ,a product of painstaking research and wide consultations, should enjoy the confidence of committed Nigerians,” he stated.

No cause for alarm  – Presidency
Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati yesterday said there was no cause for alarm after the attempted jail break by the Boko Haram sect at the SSS headquarters in Abuja.
“What happened at the SSS HQ this morning was an attempted jail break which has been effectively foiled. There is no cause for alarm,” Abati tweeted in a message he posted on his blog.
Noting that the president and his family were safe, the presidential spokesman further twitted: “What happened has nothing to do with the villa. President Jonathan is safe & well. Thank you for your concern and support.”

COUNTING THE COST OF A BH ATTACK OR JAIL BREAK ATTEMPT : 21 dead in Nigeria’s jailbreak attempt ... TribuneNews

Nigeria’s secret police said on Sunday that 21 detainees died during an attempted escape from custody at its headquarters, with unconfirmed reports that Boko Haram militants were involved.
A security breach at the facility in Abuja, particularly by the feared Islamists, would be an embarrassment for the government and raise fresh questions about its ability to tackle the extremists.
But there was no official confirmation of the involvement of the group, which has been waging an increasingly violent insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast this year.
Marilyn Ogar, spokeswoman for the Department of State Services (DSS) — Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency — said only that detainees had died during the attempt.

Nigeria’s SSS men

“It has been established that 18 casualties were recorded, while two service personnel sustained serious injuries,” she said in an emailed statement.
“Three other detainees who sustained gunshot injuries during the incident have also died. Meanwhile, (an) investigation is still ongoing to ascertain the immediate and remote causes.”

- Fears of outside help -
Ogar had said earlier that the incident happened at 7:15 am (0615 GMT) when one of its officers went to give the detainees food.
“One of the suspects attempted to disarm him by hitting him at the back of his head with his handcuff,” she said.
“His attempt to escape drew the attention of other guards at the facility who fired some shots to warn and deter others.”
No details were provided on the number of inmates involved nor the reason for their detention. There was no explanation either about how exactly the 21 died.
But Ogar indicated they acted in case the detainees had outside help, as roads leading to the compound were cordoned off “to prevent possible assistance from external collaborators”.
The DSS headquarters are near the presidential villa and nearby residents reported hearing gunfire on Sunday morning.
President Goodluck Jonathan’s spokesman, Reuben Abati, had downplayed the incident, writing on Twitter that the head of state’s residence was not affected and there was “no cause for alarm”.
“What happened at the SSS HQs has nothing to do with the (Presidential) Villa. President Jonathan is safe & well. Thank you for your concern & support,” he added.
The attempted break-out, especially if Boko Haram suspects were involved, will do little to instil confidence in the government’s security operations.
The government has previously been criticised for relying too heavily on conventional military means to tackling an enemy fighting a guerrilla war.
Many users of social media initially believed the presidency was under attack, given its proximity to the intelligence agency.
Nigeria’s military was brought in to secure the area surrounding the headquarters, which is known locally as Yellow House, and conduct searches.
“Normalcy has returned to the area as the roads have been opened for free movement of persons and vehicles,” said Ogar.
- Boko Haram link? -
A security source told AFP the officer involved was shot with his own rifle after the inmates seized the weapon.
A number of Nigerian newspaper websites and users of social media claimed that the detainees were Boko Haram suspects but did not quote sources.
The DSS had on March 3 paraded seven suspected Boko Haram members arrested on suspicion of killing a prominent Muslim cleric who had criticised the group before the media at their headquarters.
The seven were held over the murder of Adam Albani in the northern city of Zaria on February 1.
But it was not known whether the men, including the alleged mastermind of the attack and one of the gunmen, were still at the facility.
The Boko Haram insurgency has been raging since 2009 but has turned increasingly violent in the first three months of this year.
During that period, more than 1,000 people have been killed and some 250,000 displaced in the three northeastern states worst affected by the violence, according to agencies tracking the conflict.

STRANGE TIMES, STRANGER STATEMENTS ... CASTING SPELLS FOR 2015 : Jonathan Will Never Condone Any Act Of Corruption No Matter Who’s Involved – Presidency ... InformationNigeria

The Presidency on Saturday declared that President Goodluck Jonathan will never condone the cover up of corruption cases involving any official of government.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, who made the declaration in a statement issued in Abuja, denounced a report in one of the national dailies which he claimed gave the impression that Jonathan tolerates such cover ups over the ongoing investigation into the chartering of private jet by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by the House of Representatives.
According to the statement, “Jonathan had never and will never condone any act of corruption no matter from which quarters such may come from.
“This clarification has become necessary as a result of a mischievous publication by a National Daily which suggested falsely that my response to the planned probe by the House of Representatives on the hiring of a private jet by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation implied that the President was encouraging corruption.
“The true fact of the matter is that it is the House of Representatives that claimed to be in possession of certain documents relating to the leasing of Private Jets for which they decided to institute a probe”.

DISPELLING THE RUMOURS : Abuja Attack: President Jonathan is safe and well — Presidency ... PremiumTimes

The prolonged gun battle around the headquarters of the Department of State Services and the presidential villa did not endanger President Goodluck Jonathan in any way, a presidential spokesperson has said.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, said in a statement posted on his twitter handle [@abati1990] that Mr. Jonathan was unharmed in the shootout between the army and insurgents at the SSS headquarters.
The presidential villa, which has one of its gates overlooking the SSS headquarters, is a stone throw away from the scene of the attack.
“What happened at the SSS HQs has nothing to do with the Villa. President Jonathan is safe and well. Thank you for your concern & support,” Mr. Abati said.
He added, “What happened at the SSS HQ this morning was an attempted jailbreak which has been effectively foiled. There is no cause for alarm.”
The SSS issued a statement shortly after the attack claiming that the gun battle began after a detainee disarmed an operative and tried to effect a jailbreak.
But knowledgeable security sources are telling PREMIUM TIMES that the SSS narrative begs further questions because they are “untrue and misleading”.
The sources frame their doubts around the presumed impenetrability of the DSS facility and headquarters; the unusually huge military intervention force; the quality of ordinance deployed; and the prolonged period of gun exchange.
“The truth is that a jailbreak is impossible in the SSS headquarters,” one of our sources said.”It has two fences and is highly fortified. And there is no way a man on handcuff could launch an attack vicious enough to disarm an operative.
“Also our people need to tell the world whether it was only one gun taken from the disarmed operative that the detainees used in engaging soldiers and SSS operatives in sustained gun battle for about three hours.
“If it is about subduing one man who attempted a jailbreak, why did we need truckloads of fully armed soldiers and deployment of Armoured Personnel Carriers, RPGs and other sophisticated weapons?
“Also, why did the exchange of fire lasted for so long? Why did we have to deploy helicopter gunships to hover around the villa and Yellow House (SSS headquarters).
“Nigerians should demand the truth. I can tell you that a more serious incident happened than our people are willing to admit and there is a serious attempt at cover-up.”