Robbery confession in lagos

Two robbery suspects were arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command on Monday. They have been identified as Abdullahi Isiaka and one Abel. The duo, it was learnt used to be members of a four-man gang including Governor and Brigadier, who have since been arrested.

They were nabbed around Ijora-Badia in Lagos on Monday morning, while they were going for an operation on their motorcycle.
Unfortunately for them, policemen were raiding motorcycles flouting traffic laws in that axis, leading to their arrest and the recovery of a gun from them.
According to the police, Isiaka usually pleasured himself by fondling the bre*sts of his female victims before dispossessing them of their valuables. He was said to have confessed that caressing the breasts of his female victims before robbing them made him very happy.

The suspects, it was gathered, are currently in the custody of operatives of the Federal Anti-Robbery Sqaud ( FSARS), where they are revealing more about their mode of operation.
It was learnt that they usually slept near the railway and during work rush hours, waylay their victims, mostly lone walkers, who they trap in their midst and do all sorts to women.

Two killed as Akala boys, Mushin youths clash in Lagos

LAGOS — There was pandemonium, yesterday, at Idi-Oro area of Mushin, Lagos, as hoodlums from the notorious hotspot of Akala attacked residents of Railway Line and New Balogun Street, Idi-Oro, leading to the death of two of the attackers from Akala.

In the process, some residents from Railway Line and New Balogun Street repelled their attack, forcing them to beat a retreat.
The hoodlums, however, later regrouped and staged another attack which lasted four hours.

More than 10 houses along the Railway Line and New Balogun were looted and some of their female occupants raped.
It was learnt that the incident started around 1 am, when most residents had gone to bed after the Easter celebration. They were startled when sounds of gunfire and broken bottles from the Akala hoodlums reverberated.

An eyewitness told Vanguard that the hoodlums from Akala were chased out of a carnival they attended at Ojo Street, around Tollgate area, after they engaged some residents of that area in a fight, but on their way out, they attacked residents of Railway Line and New Balogun Street.
According to a resident, Shola Balogun, “When they came first around 1 a.m. some of our boys who were at the entrance of our street saw them attacking innocent people and dispossessing them of their phones and other valuables.
“They also broke into some shops and carted away goods. Our boys went after them and there was a clash.
“I was told that two of their boys sustained fatal injuries before they escaped.”

Harunna Ila, a resident of Railway Line, told Vanguard that his brother lost one of his eyes when the hoodlums attacked their house.
He said: “I was sleeping with my brother when they attacked our house. We ran out and discovered that our shop has been destroyed and all our goods scattered on the floor as we attempted to pick them, the hoodlums opened fire on us.
“I ran into the house but my brother, Isiaka, was not so lucky. He was shot in the face and he lost one eye.

“I took him to the hospital in the morning where he is currently receiving treatments.”
20 vehicles destroyed, women raped
However, more than 20 vehicles parked along New Balogun Street were not spared as the hoodlums smashed the windscreens. They also set fire on two commercial buses parked at the entrance of the street.
A resident, Adegbola Owolabi, said some houses were also looted and some women raped.

“The hoodlums after destroying vehicles parked along our street, broke into some buildings. They also raped some women and robbed people of their phones, laptops and other valuables.
“In my compound alone they looted about 10 mobile phones and carted away three laptops. They also attacked some buildings adjacent ours and injured a lot of people before robbing them of their valuables.”

According to him, about 15 Islamic clerics praying inside a mosque along the Railway Line were robbed of their mobile phones and cash, while a generating set valued at N45,000 was also carted away.

Delta Police kill three robbery suspects in gun battle.

The police in Abraka Community Delta State on Monday killed three robbery suspects in a gun battle.
Reports said the robbers had waylaid unsuspecting students of Delta State University in the community when the police, acting on a tip-off, moved onto the scene.

On getting to the scene along Obiaruku Express way, Abraka, the police engaged the robbers in a gun battle,
leaving three members of the six-man gang killed in the process.

Eye witness, Franca Oteh, said that the robbers had dispossessed the victims of their belongings, including female hand bags containing N200,000 at gun point and were almost leaving the scene when the police closed on them.
It was further learnt that three out of the robbers sustained severe injuries before they escaped into the bush.

Confirming the incident, the police image maker in the state, Mrs. Celestina Kalu, said that the robbers on realising that the police were on their trail open fire and left them with no option than to retaliate.

She said that items recovered on the killed suspects include, three cut to size guns, strange substance tied in black and red thread including different native chalks. She added that the police were on the trail of the fleeing robbers.

Outrageous: Read what robber did to this lady (photo)

Doctors are battling to save the lady’s life, even as she has lost an eye from the incident

Esther Oteri, is battling for survival at the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), reports Daily Post.

The 19-year-old National Diploma (ND), student of Otefe Polytechnic in Oghara, Delta state, had her face damaged by bullets while a robber raided a dry cleaner’s office.

It was gathered that the incident happened at about 7pm on Thursday, February 18, a night to Esther’s matriculation.

A source disclosed that Ms Oteri had gone out to retrieve her matriculation gown from a dry-cleaner.

Esther Oteri is said to be battling for her life as a robber shot and damaged her face.

On getting into the laundry shop, she saw a gunman right in the office.

Terrified, Esther screamed ‘Jesus’ and the robber reportedly shot in reflex, thinking he was under external attack.
The robber reportedly absconded after dispossessing her of her phone when she fell to the ground.

Witnesses say the 100 level student was rushed to DELSUTH by passersby.
A staff of the plastic surgery team at DELSUTH said the Maxilofacial and Ophthalmology team were battling to revive her,
The staff who pleaded to speak under anonymity, said Esther lost her left eye from the bullet wounds.

As of the time of filing this report, the police were yet to make a statement regarding the case.

President Buhari eulogises Pastor Adeboye at 74

President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a congratulatory message to Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) as he clocks 74 on Wednesday, March 2.

L-R: Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s vice president; President Muhammadu Buhari and Pastor E A Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) during a recent visit.

The president’s special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, who delivered the message, stated that the revered Christian leader has strong virtues of honesty, peace, patience, contentment, humility and diligence.
Buhari also said of the man of God, who paid him a courtesy call at the Presidential Villa on February 16, 2016 and whom he had interacted with many times before, that his attributes are the trademarks of a good believer.

President Buhari also commended the relentless efforts, sacrifices and the grace of God upon the life of the General Overseer, who he says has over the years, propagated the gospel around the world, organized large gathering of Christian worshipers and consistently counseled world leaders and different citizens on how to live right before God.
Also, Buhari hailed the social and humanitarian interventions of the RCCG leader in providing health and educational services to complement the efforts of governments and prayed that the Almighty God will grant Pastor Adeboye long life and more strength to carry on the good work.

Nigerians say No to high charges, shun banks today

NIGERIANS are boycotting banking activities today to protest against what they termed exorbitant deductions by banks, among other reasons.
A not-for-profit group, Consumer Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria (CAFON), dedicated to advocacy for consumer rights and protection is leading the protest.

Led by Sola Salako, CAFON and the Coalition of Nigerian Consumer Protection Associations have designated March 1, 2016, as a “No Banking Day”, calling on banks’ customers to boycott all forms of banking activities and banks.
According to Salako, the #NoBankingDay is aimed at persuading Nigerian banks to review their charges downwards. The group is also calling for a review of bank forms and contracts to include more protection for consumers and for consumer complaints to be resolved promptly and satisfactorily.

Other demands are that banks must clear fees with consumers before debiting their accounts and that CBN must review the new Stamp Duty Charge, Account Maintenance Charge and Debit Card Maintenance Fees.
However, The Guardian in a chat with some members of the public learnt that the protest is beset with low awareness.
Apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said that while the regulators are doing their own bit, bank customers must not only insist, but demanding that their respective banks give them good service and at affordable charges.
According to the CBN, it should equally be noted that bank-customer relationship is personal and contractual and should seek for redress when shortchanged.
“It therefore, remains the obligation of the bank customers to ensure that they are not short-changed, no matter how small. In the event customers failed to stop their banks from cheating them, the CBN had again went further to provide contact centre with telephone lines, email address to enable customers lodge their complaints with its Consumer Protection Department (CPD),” CBN said in a statement.

It however, pointed out that the various service providers who invested in different electronic and telecommunications platforms, which enabled safe and convenient financial transactions for bank customers should be entitled to equitable compensations as a reward for their services.
Meanwhile, the nation’s foreign exchange reserves has fallen to $27.8 billion as the CBN steps up its fight in the defense of the local unit.

Besides, the exchange rate yesterday steadied at N325 to the dollar at the parallel market, while the official and interbank market trended between N197.5 and N199.
There was a renewed pressure on the naira, after its sudden appreciation few days ago that was attributed to series of measures deployed by the apex bank to stem the sliding profile of the local currency.
The first of the measures, according to an operator from the bureau de change segment, is dollar auction, which serves as intervention efforts to bail the naira.
The reserves fell from the $28.09 billion as at February 1, 2016, losing $280 million, representing about one per cent decline.

As at January 4, 2016, the reserves had stood at $28.97 billion, which means a decline of $1.16 billion or 4.2 per cent.

Festivals enrich cultural experiences, promote tourism – NCAC DGNigeria

Nigeria’s cultural diversity is something that is cherished by many, more so, with the attendant festivals that it has given birth to.
This is evident from the array of festivals that are replicated and hosted across the country yearly, with quite a lot of them not even known to many Nigerians.
Yet, it is this multiple cultural festivities and celebrations of diverse nature and colours which had made the Nigerian creative industry one of the most resourceful and active but economically exploited that draws a lot of attention to the country, especially from foreign visitors who are always captivated by the fascinating and enchanting nature of many of these festivals.

Attempt has been made over the years to make the promotion of Nigeria’s arts, culture and festivals, as one of the products that the nation could use to woo tourists globally, but not much was done on this front as neither the government nor private sector was committed to this dream aside sloganeering.
However, that dream is about to be resurrected again following the pronouncement by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who now has responsibility for tourism, at a recent forum that his ministry’s agenda for the tourism sector is focusing on cultural tourism through the promotion of Nigeria’s festivals.
The Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Mrs. Dayo Keshi, whose mandate is to see to the preservation and promotion of the country’s arts and culture, appears to have latched on this to give vent to the promotion of these multi-layered festivals, however, through the prism of tourism.
And there could have been no better place for her to share her thoughts and plans on this score than the recently concluded 2016 tourism conference and annual general meeting organised by the Nigeria Association of Tour Operators (NTAP) held in Calabar, Cross River State where she, as one of the special guest speakers, spoke on the role of the creative industry in the development and promotion of Nigeria tourism with reference to NCAC’s mandate.

Besides speaking glowingly on NCAC’s mandate with particular reference to its flagship product, the National Arts Festival (NAFEST), she also announced what she described as a ‘‘very ambitious plan to introduce more specialised festivals between now (February) and 2017 by NCAC.
These, according to her, are: “the National Durbar Festival; the National Boat Regatta Festivals; the National Masquerade Festival; the Festival of Nigeria Contemporary Arts; the National Folk Songs Festival; and Traditional Textiles and Fashion fair.’’

She explained that “the rational for these are obvious or should be clear.
First, it is in fulfillment of the core mandate of NCAC, which are the coordination, development and promotion of the living arts and culture of Nigeria.
Secondly, festivals are today recognised as one of the fastest growing forms of tourism and a number of countries continue to effectively utilise their festivals to attract tourists to their countries.

This is so because cultural festivals are basic ingredients that animate and promote tourism. Culturally, festivals enrich cultural experiences and develop support and audiences for culture
. They engage with many arts forms, including discovering new ones, styles and genres and help to promote the cultural and creative industries.’’
Clearly, the former culture worker who really had spent most of her career as a civil servant in the culture ministry shows are fully grasp of the intricacies and economy of what she has set to champion when she further stated that: “Its social impact includes intangible things that cannot be quantified financially or with economic impact while preserving the heritage and strengthening local values and traditions as well as local community pride.

They promote cultural diversity and community cohesion. It economic impact has increased its potential and interest at all levels. Besides, it’s potential to create jobs, generate wealth and revenue, promote tourism; it increases knowledge of the country, state or region and possibilities for investment.
It drives the construction of new facilities and improves on local infrastructure.”
Mrs. Keshi emphasised the fact that the new festivals on the card by NCAC would not in any way compete with existing festivals or result in their extinct but rather would complement them and in fact not only the many the merrier “but would in due course upgrade Nigeria as a tourist destination like Edinburgh which annually, organises twelve festivals, attracting over one million visitors.
“For a nation with such a large population and diverse culture like ours, having as many festivals is in no way superfluous. With time and the value-chain in place, what the nation stands to gain on festivals alone in a year will be enormous especially in terms of local and international visitors with their spending powers”.

According to her, the most selling point of Nigerian festivals is their uniqueness, as most are rooted in the tradition of the people which most foreign visitors outside Africa are not familiar with.
“For many in Asia and Europe, it will be a new experience as Nigerian Festivals reveal the hidden treasures of Nigeria culture, its existence and diversity despite past efforts to obliterate the living cultures of Africa.

“This is why it is imperative to strengthen and promote not only existing festivals but to initiate new ones in close cooperation between the federal, states governments and the private sector.
Even more imperative and we must constantly bear this in mind, that tourists visit a country for particular reasons and we in this country must give tourists reasons to come to Nigeria by creating what they want to see and enjoy as well as conducive environment for tourism to flourish.

Etcetera supposes why Buhari won’t succeed

Editor’s note:
Almost one year ago Muhammadu Buhari was elected as the president of Nigeria. Many Nigerians continue to debate on whether or not the government of the new leader of the nation can succeed.
Etcetera, the singer who is famous for airing controversial opinion articles on various topics, shares his views on why Buhari’s administration can’t succeed with Nigerian judges.

Muhammadu Buhari during his inauguration and swearing in ceremony on May 29, 2015
Judicial corruption is invisible to the masses
One would be a fool to believe that there is in Nigeria a final authority to turn to in case one is seriously wronged. One would be a bigger fool to believe that critics of the Nigerian judiciary are merely sore losers or angry convicts, and perhaps judicial misconduct would be exposed by appeal courts or the mass media and corrected. Why guess our way without the facts? Such predispositions held by many otherwise educated adults like you allow pervasive institutional corruption of the judicial branch to remain hidden.
Judicial corruption is invisible to the masses because lawyers are trained and motivated to lie, deny and cannot safely speak of it, because mass media corporations agree with judicial prejudice and live in fear of judicial whims, because non-lawyers cannot obtain the facts without prohibitive cost and effort, and because the myth of judicial salvation has broad appeal and is propagated by the mass media. Judicial corruption is discovered by its victims and not even they can confidently speak of it in Nigeria without repercussions.

READ ALSO:
Buhari’s victory: Etcetera criticizes Nigerians
Nigerian lawyers do not speak against judges, on whom they depend for income stability and success. And of course, they aspire to be judges. They do not criticise the law practice and precedent, which they are selected and trained to accept regardless of validity, and which they could not otherwise use successfully. The persistent citizen can only see judgements written by the selected winner to sound plausible.
The judiciary has only become worse
The other facts and argument are costly to obtain, and mountains of cases must be studied in each area to see how rules are misapplied and facts fabricated, and how false “principles of law” are abstracted from bad precedents. After several years of trying to reform the judicial system, the judiciary has only become worse. Any honourable court would have jumped at the opportunity to defend the masses from obvious wrongdoing. But there are no honourable courts in Nigeria.
Living in the prison barracks in Kirikiri town and hearing my father and other prison warders discuss cases of prisoners, I understood how the Nigerian judiciary is utterly corrupt from bottom to top, so completely that I would rather seek alternative means of settlement than experience the staggering level of corruption of our judges.

The wealthy and powerful have little need for individual rights
Do not be deceived by the myth that the judiciary is the last hope of the ordinary man. Firsthand stories of people who had been in court will teach you not only the irrelevant laws and court procedures, but also about the corruption of the judicial branch than any written book.

It is very easy for a Nigerian judge to choose the wealthiest or most powerful party in a legal case, and the outcome which serves himself, and to allow or dismiss the case, corrupt the facts for his preferred side to win.

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As seen today in Nigeria, the wealthy and powerful have little need for individual rights; it is too much of a costly inconvenience in business: they can buy influence and respect, and their interests are granted as needed by sympathetic judges. Judges loudly declare their defences of constitutional rights for the rich and powerful, but scorn the same rights when asserted by the poor, the few, or those without a voice.

APC, PDP chieftains combine to float new party – report

The president before concluding his Saudi Arabia pilgrimage and departing for Qatar has ordered the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cooperate with the authorities of Saudi Arabia to provide improved terms and conditions for Nigerian pilgrims performing the Umrah and the annual Hajj.

President Buhari berates boko haram

President Muhammadu Buhari on February 28 berated the Boko Haram terrorists group, saying they are no longer in position to cause serious threat to his administration’s development programmes, The Punch reports.

READ ALSO: Buhari says he will not pay N5000 to unemployed Nigerians
In a statement issued by his special adviser on media and publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, Buhari admitted that the group’s activities had cut short several lives and displacement of innocent BNigerians.
The president boasted that since his assumption of office in May 2015, Boko Haram has been systematically decimated.
Buhari who spoke at a bilateral meeting he had with the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hammad Al-Thani, also spoke on the situation in the Middle East and commend the role Qatar is playing in resolving the present Syrian crisis, the Palestinian cause and efforts in reconstructing Gaza.
“The conflicts in Yemen and Syria with their attendant humanitarian crisis need genuine international effort to solve.
“Nigeria as a peace-loving country identifies with the State of Qatar in all her peace efforts in the world to end terrorist activities.
“Nigeria is a victim of terrorism. It is with heavy heart that I stand before you and say activities of Boko Haram have led to loss of many lives and displacement of innocent people in our dear nation.
“We, however, take pride to inform you that since our coming to power, Boko Haram has been systematically decimated and are in no position to cause serious threat to our development programmes.
“I wish to reiterate that Nigeria rejects violence and extremism in all their ramifications, and assure your Highness that we are with the State of Qatar in your efforts to fight terrorism and injustice in your region and in the world at large.”
The president also called for a lasting solution to the Israeli – Palestinian conflict , saying “we in Nigeria, like the State of Qatar, favour a ‘Two State’ solution, with the State of Palestine living side by side with the State of Israel.”