Opinion: Thank you Nigeria, Nigerians are now lawless

by Olisa Ezeanya

If I can provide my own water, provide my own electricity; if I have to pay for security and ‘ndi nche’; then, I can as well execute justice myself. Thus, jungle justice.

Yes, many of you have watched the video and probably seen the pictures of some UNIPORT students burnt alive by Aluu villagers in Rivers state, Nigeria for allegedly stealing phones, laptops in an off-campus hostel of the university.
Before I proceed further, I am warning you to stop if you don’t have eyes for the truth, just stop now, stop reading. I do not intend to mince words in this article, I do not intend to follow any rules of writing. I do not intend to mesmerise you with good sentences and big vocabularies. No time. I just want to say what I feel, the way i want to say it. And, yes, I don’t give a fuck whose ox is goared, yes I said ‘fuck’. The so called, well-mannered Olisa who speaks nicely and respectfully dare speak in a vulgar way. Fuck the manners. Yes, I said it and you will probably see lots of it in this write. So, if you choose to proceed, i’m not responsible for anything you read o. Ayaf talk my own.
Why isn’t anyone taking this matter seriously. Oh! You all think they were criminals and received their wage in death abi, but a cruel one. As much as so many watched this wicked act of justice and felt pity, atleast as humans, i’m sure that for some, that feeling of pity was for a moment. Later, the same people would have a contrasting reasoning and would feel satisfied on the treatment meted out to them. If you think they deserved such treatment. Can you honestly say why.
Do you remember years ago when there was a mass attack on the Igbo’s in the north, i think in 2006 precisely. Then, I had left Lagos for Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, my alma mater, to submit my Industrial Attachment report. I had spent the night in Onitsha and the next day decided to go to Awka. That was the same day the Igbo’s decided to retaliate in the east.
I was in Onitsha that day about to take another bus enroute Awka. It was pathetic to see how hausas were chased around and butchered like animals. I remember vividly how my bus climbed on bodies because the roads were all littered with dead bodies of ‘ndi-hausa’. One that has remained indelible in my mind is seeing one man hide behind a car. I watched him quietly from my bus, hoping that my gaze would not direct anyone towards him. I observed him tiptoe to a nearby bush away from the rear of that bus. He just hid there, watching how the Igbos cut his brothers to pieces. What could he be thinking, i tried to place myself in his situation. I tried to think his thoughts.
They made sure even the dead were not spared, they killed the already dead again perhaps hoping that even their souls may feel the pain of a matchete on their already decapitated body. Then i heard them say ‘rapu ya, anyi ga egbu ya. O chere na anyi afuro ya’ (leave him, we will kill him. He thinks we haven’t seen him). I felt sad when it dawned on me that I wasn’t the only one who had seen him, unfortunately he had been seen. Watching him die was worse than the death of these students, it was real, I had seen enough for the day, or so i thought. Our drivers had driven across so many bodies, I had seen many even jump into the river Niger below from the Niger-head bridge that joined Asaba to Onitsha, they drowed obviously, how many could swim. I saw corpes flaoting, it was enough.
Tears fell from my eyes, a woman had said to me, ”e n’ebe akwa and laughed’ (you are crying).
She then reminded me of how ‘our’ people who work tirelessly to build the economies of those states are killed by even their close friends and neighbours because they are either christians or ‘nyamiri’.
That hausa man was caught, his leg cut off, just one leg at first; then his fingers cut bit my bit. I wached his penis cut off, yet he groined in pain. Crying. His hand was cut also, they gave him all the time to feel the excruciating pain that would lead to his death.
Our bus suddenly filled up and we drove away, climbing on bodies and trying to avoid the ones we could. I was sure the hausa man was later beheaded. What was his crime? If he or they had commited any crime, couldn’t our courts have discharged the right justice.
Earlier in the week, I was praying and in my bible reflection was a very popular verse or perhaps a very popular story: ‘a woman caught in adultery’, from john 8: 1-11. She was caught in the act, obviously like those boys. And she was beaten by the mob, just like those boys were. She was about to be stoned to death and we all know what Jesus did here. In His exact words: ”all right, but let he who has never sinned cast the first stone”. He had given them the order, you all can go ahead and kill her if you wish to, there was no miracle here. Jesus didn’t send angels from heaven to guide the woman. He simply spoke to their conscience. Unfortunately for Ugonna, Tekana and Chiadika; Jesus wasn’t there to speak words and write on the ground. They we’re stoned to death or rather, the Nigerian should be, burnt to death.
Yes, we are all sinners. Irrespective of the gravity of our sins. We are all sinners. Then, how dare you join a mob to beat someone and you’ve advised your girlfriend to abort a pregnancy, you’re a murderer. Yes even you ladies, some of you also strip, prostitute, do aristo runs all for blackberry, school fees, fun and financial benefit abi dat one no be sin? So, you dare pick up a tyre to burn someone else and you’re gay, putting your dick in another man’s asshole and you shout ‘kill them, kill them them be thieves’. You, yes you, how dare you bring a lighter or matches and you’re fucking a goat. And you, you dare offer the fuel amidst the scarcity of fuel and you in a secret society that offer blood rituals. Fuck you all. Yeah. I said it. Fuck you.
What could be the reason for this sort of justice? Some have said it is simply because we believe more in jungle justice than our courts.
Therefore, I believe three groups must bear responsibility for these deaths: the Nigerian Police Force,the Judicial system and the Government. All must bear responsibility for any jungle justice meted out. The blood is in your hands. All those judges, justice and lawyers that have twisted the law to set a criminal free, may thunder fire you.
Also, the Nigerian system should also be blamed. What has happened to the Otedola and Lawan issue, where are those that stole our subsidy money. What has happened to the Abacha loot that was recovered; some individuals have assets declared to be in thrillions of naira, yet have no business, how come?
If Ibori wasn’t disgraced by a London court, perhaps our courts would have discharged and aquitted him plus embraced am join, like they’ve done the others.
Nigerian Police Force, please who really killed ken-saro wiwa; who exactly killed Dele Giwa. I heard that M.K.O was also killed, who killed Bola Ige, Who killed my friend Bassey, who killed my fellow King’s college old boy, Ugo Ozuah days after his wedding, who are the killers of the mubi students. Where are the killers. Please answer me.
Even the Col. Hamza Mustapha sef that was arrested for taking part in killing Alhaja Kudirat Abiola hasn’t been really charged since over ten years.
Those indited for fraud, the arrested boko-haram suspect, how long have they been in your custody. None has been charged and we’re all aware that Mutallab has been charged sharp sharp in America.
I have no words for the police force, ok, actually I do but words enough can’t quantify nor properly express my anger and disappointment. The only question I will ask is: why are you always present at the scene after the incident?
These and obviously more is the agitations that has culminated into a new imbibed character of the people, Nigerians don’t trust Nigeria anymore. If I can provide my own water, provide my own electricity; if I have to pay for security and ‘ndi nche’; then, I can as well execute justice myself. Thus, jungle justice.
The meander of justice and lawlessness of a supposed arbitrator, the Judicial system; the weakness of the governnent and the obvious misplaced priority and lateness of our Police has disseminated to the people.
Lawless breeds lawlessness.
YNaija.com

Credit to private sector reached N14.885tn in August

Banking sector credit to the private sector increased slightly to N14.885 trillion in August, reflecting a year-on-year slowdown of 36.9 per cent, data obtained from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) website has shown.
But THISDAY checks at the weekend showed that the amount represented a marginal increase by 4.9 per cent in the first eight months of the year.
Credit to private stood at N14.845 trillion in July and had reflected a year-on-year increase of 49.2 per cent. The CBN’s economic indicator also showed that broad money (M2), which generally is made up of demand deposits at commercial banks and monies held in easily accessible accounts, stood at N13.769 trillion as at August.
Commenting on the development, sub-Saharan African Economist, Renaissance Capital (RenCap), Yvonne Mhango, in report at the weekend anticipated that year-on-year credit growth would decline further to between 15 and 16 per cent at the end of 2012.
“Expect less volatility in 2013, as the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria’s (AMCON’s) distortionary effect fades. If we assume 2013’s credit will grow at the same rate as has in year-to-date (in month-on-month terms, on average), then we should expect early to mid-20s year-on-year credit growth.
“The near term risk of a slowdown in year-on-year credit growth and stronger Gross Domestic Product growth increases the small risk of a rate cut in the short term,” she stated.
RenCap had in a recent report argued that stabilising naira might support lending, saying that the CBN’s tight monetary policy stance will tighten liquidity and support credit growth.
“The naira was also supported by higher capital inflows and a recovery in oil prices, which we expect to remain firm. The exchange rate assumption for the 2013 budget (N160/$1, which is also our year end 2012 projection) indicates a stable naira in 2013. We think the CBN’s preference is for a stable and strong naira, partly to give investors a real return.
“Increased confidence in the naira will improve capital inflows, which we believe is the MPC’s intention, and bring down yields, thus encouraging lending. We believe the drop in yields since August is a significant step towards strengthening credit,” it added.
 BusinessNews

INEC confirms staff involvement in alleged electoral fraud in Ondo State

Ahead of October 20, governorship election in Ondo State, The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) today admitted that some staff of the commission have been engaged by politicians with a view to rigging the poll.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Akin Orebiyi, said the state Police command had arrested a junior staff of the commission who gave out unclaimed voters’ cards to a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Olaolu Oladapo, and his wife who were also apprehended last Saturday.
The couple were apprehended in Ondo, the home town of the LP’s governorship Candidate and incumbent Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
A statement by the INEC boss yesterday said the commission would cooperate with the state police command to investigate and prosecute those who were found to be involved in the matter.
Orebiyi said: “The attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been drawn to the arrest of a man with over a thousand voters’ cards issued by the commission purportedly given to him by a junior staff engaged as a security man by the commission, who has been arrested by the police.
“Preliminary investigation by the Commission indicates that some people did not collect their voters’ cards after the registration exercise of 2011. The unclaimed cards are in the custody of the Electoral Officers, who are the duly authorized officials to release same to the claimants of such cards, who must collect them in person.
“The Commission is determined to get to the bottom of this matter and is working closely with the Police Authorities to unravel it. it is its intention to vigorously pursue the investigation and ensure a robust, timeous prosecution of all involved, including its staff, in consonance with its resolve to prosecute all electoral offenders, regardless of their status, party affiliation or relationships.
The REC, however, re-assured the people of the state that the purchase or unauthorized acquisition of voters’ cards by desperate politicians would not yield any fruits.
He said: “INEC will however like to take this opportunity to re-assure the public that the purchase or unauthorized acquisition of voters, cards by desperate politicians will be to no avail, as they cannot be used for the election. Our officials have been trained and directed to closely examine each voter’s card scrupulously and ensure that the photographs on it match that on the voters, register and is in exact liking to the bearer of such card.”
Orebiyi, who commended the Ondo State Command of the Nigeria Police, promised that “we shall continue to co-operate with them and the other security agents and other stakeholders to ensure a hitch-free exercise.”
But it was gathered that top officials of the commission were involved in the sales of voters’ cards to politicians and that Orebiyi only held the unnamed security man responsible in order to save the credibility of the electoral umpire.
The INEC boss was said to have earlier denied that the security man was a staff of the commission, a statement in conflict with the claim of the state Public Relations Officer of INEC, Celina Beckley.

DailyPost

Obinna Akukwe: Babangida And The Politics Of Corruption And Boko Haram

Ibrahim Babangida has become the most criticized former leader of the Nigerian State specifically on account of corruption and recently alleged suspicion of being a Boko Haram sponsor. This Minna born General, said to have married his late wife Maryam according to both Islamic and Christian rites is widely believed to have institutionalized corruption in Nigeria.
This same General used the genius in him to dribble all the Nigerian politicians of recycling reputation in his never ending political transition which led to the proscription of all political parties in 2002 and the formation of NRC and SDP, two government parties with rightist and leftist leanings. Babangida made a mess of political ambitions of Adamu Ciroma, Bamanga Tukur, Arthur Nzeribe, Shehu Yar-adua among others and he dribbled them into the dustbin in the order of Diego Maradona.
The attempt to dribble MKO Abiola was the watershed that led to the fall of Babangida in 1993. The Nigerian people got tired of his dribbling skills and mobilized enough pressure that he had to abandon Aso Rock in August 1993 for Chief Ernest Shonekan under the security watch of late General Sanni Abacha.
During the Babangida era, corruption became so magnified that the Shagari era was described as Introduction to Corruption. When one of the military governors cornered state wealth to his pocket in a brazen manner, the then Chief of General Staff, Admiral Augustus Aikhomu , described the exercise as misapplication of public funds and not misappropriation. A whopping $12billion dollars of gulf oil windfall was said to have vamoosed under his nose such that an irritated General Sanni Abacha had to commission an enquiry to discover how the funds disappeared or was spent.
Babangida introduced discretionary award of oil block to Nigerians and Conoil was the first indigenous oil company to benefit from the largesse. Discretionary oil block involves a situation whereby a head of State after a sumptuous meal of amala and gbegiri soup could decide to reward the experienced cook with oil block as a compensation for satisfying his stomach with such a local delicacy.
Recently elder statesman Edwin Clarke at the 2nd State of the Federation lecture organized by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in Abuja alleged that Babangida is among the mask behind Boko Haram. According to Clarke ’’ IBB should have spoken on the Boko Haram issue long before now, why has he been silent all this while? Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has visited Maiduguri, why have IBB and General Buhari not visited the place?’’ Babangida promptly replied by calling clerk a senile man and in his defence he made a statement which appeared to be a reasonable defence . Acording to his spokesman “IBB has since left the political turf for the younger generation of Nigerians. He has said repeatedly that he will no longer be an applicant in the political industry in Nigeria until Allah calls him home. Rather than crucify General IBB for nothing, Chief Edwin Clark should blame the corruption in the system and the several incompetence and inadequacies of the present system”
Babangida had left office since 1993, almost twenty years now and successive regimes had the opportunity of reversing whatsoever wrong Babangida did. Abacha, Abdulsalami, Obasanjo, Yaradua and now Jonathan all had twenty years now to correct the ills of Babangida and yet the situation had not improved substantially. The Tony Elumelu Committee Report and the Farouk Lawan Committee Reports all alluded that N1.3 Trillion naira and N1.7 trillion naira respectively was wasted on power projects and subsidy bills and it was not under Babangida regime.
Babangida annulled the freest election in Nigeria in 1993 and successive regimes elevated annulment to the more you look the more your votes disappears in instances of monumental rigging. The 1999 elections widely believed to have been won by Olu Falae were rigged in favour of Obasanjo. The 2003 and 2007 presidential election which Buhari was believed to have won was rigged in favor of Obasanjo and Yaradua. What Babangida introduced in 1993 have been digitalized and amplified by successive regimes that Nigeria has become an experiment in rigging technology.
Olu Falae was robbed in 1999, Buhari was robbed in 2003 and 2007 and most states and local councils in Nigeria had public officials selected through flawed and fraudulent electoral processes and nobody appears to now have the solution. Babangida is certainly not behind these. The corrupt system brazenly elevated is frightening and threatening his presidential ambition.
Babangida increased fuel price by about 50kobo from 20 kobo in March 1986 to 70kobo in March 1991, while successive regimes have increased it from 70kobo from 1991 to N97 in 2012.
Babangida was alleged to have killed Dele Giwa through letter bomb. Under successive regimes including civilian regimes Bola Ige, Harry Marshal, Ugwu, Oyerinde among others were allegedly killed by politicians.
Therefore Babangida is not the major problem of Nigeria. Some regimes after him had proved worse than his. Obasanjo regime received in 2005 the same revenue Babangida got in his entire eight years. Some South South states have received in eight years the same amount Babangida received in eight years and yet all these funds are now hidden in foreign accounts.
The discretionary award of oil block first introduced by Babangida has been elevated to the level whereby mistresses are compensated for good night sleep with oil blocks worth billions of naira as though it is Keke Napep (tricycle) that is being distributed.
Babangida introduced corruption into Nigeria but it is obvious that we cannot continue to blame Babangida for all our woes when successive regimes had all the chances to reverse the ills and the challenges have overwhelmed them. Blaming the evil genius for increasing corruption in Nigeria is simply playing politics with corruption. Successive regimes should endeavor to move the nation forward and correct the ills of the past. If the Commander-in -Chief has evidence that Babangida has hand in Boko Haram activities, they should sanction him appropriately and stop all the politics or else hold their peace.
By Obinna Akukwe
 DailyPost

Burglars Raid Kwara Ministry of Finance, Cart Away All Documents of Saraki-era Transactions

Burglars have made an unprecedented break-in at the Kwara State Ministry of Finance, carting away undisclosed amounts of money as well as all documents, including their electronic backups, which detailed government transactions since 2003.
A top government functionary told SaharaReporters that the burglars first attempted to break into the Accountant General’s office in the Ministry in the early hours of Friday, September 21, but the guards and the burglary-proof doors foiled the attack.
The attackers returned on Saturday night armed with different tools grenades and even a power generator with which they broke into the offices where the documents and money were kept, the source said.
The burglary story first surfaced on Twitter, where a whistleblower mentioned it last Tuesday, prompting a terse response from Dr. Muideen Akorede, Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed’s spokesman, who dubbed the incident a “robbery” that is investigation.
Akorede also made tacit confirmation of the foiled first attempt when, in a tweet, he wondered why someone would break into a place and return two days later, and called the document theft an effort to blackmail the government and its officials.
He severally parried questions asked by the whistleblower and others regarding the incident. For instance, he was quiet on why the government has treated the matter like an official secret and why security was not beefed up after the foiled first attack.
More than a week after the incident, neither the state government nor the police have spoken officially on the matter and it is not clear whether any arrest has been made.
Our source observed that having failed in their first attempt, the burglars returned to the same place in the early hours of Saturday September 22, this time armed with sophisticated weapons and equipment including a power-generating machine and grenades with which they blew up the door and other encumbrances.
Furthermore, he said that in the course of forcing their way into the place, the attackers injured and disarmed the two guardsmen, one of whom jumped the fence and ran to the Police Command (that night) to seek help to ward off the invaders.  But rather than follow the guardsman to the place, the police reportedly directed him to go and report the incident at Division C at Oja Oba in Ilorin, then to Area A which is in charge of the place, before returning to the State Police Command.
In the end, the sophisticated burglars successfully broke into the safe, took away all the hard currencies and Naira kept there, and, most importantly, made away with all the documents regarding financial transactions since 2003. They also broke into the computer room and retrieved all the electronic backups of all the documents they had stolen.
The incident, according to another source, is fuelling speculations about official cover-up of certain transactions that have been the subject of public scrutiny such as local government joint accounts, contracts and SUBEB funds, with critics drawing a parallel with a similar occurrence at the SGBN a few years ago when the Nuhu Ribadu-led EFCC was probing the insider trading that wrecked the bank.
The burglary, coming amid numerous investigations into the tenure of former Governor Bukola Sarakis in Kwara State, the SUBEB funds, as well as police claims in the N9.2b loan scam that Saraki used shares bought with state funds to stand surety for his private company are lending credence to the speculations of a cover up.
Saraki has denied any wrongdoing in the case, which he labels as political blackmail being sponsored by his traducers. The police are yet to charge him in the case, but the Police Commissioner heading the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Mr Tunde Ogunsakin, was reported as saying recently that investigations into the case have reached top gear and that it will soon be charged to court.
  Saharareporters

PHOTONEWS: Aluu Killings: Faces of one of those involved exposed

The search for the those behind of the brutal killing of four UNIPORT students last Friday, is picking up tempo. Just yesterday, a video was circulated online that showed graphic details of how they were beaten to a pulp and then set ablaze by members of the Aluu Community in Rivers State.
From the video, a screen shot of some of the killers have been picked up. It is hoped that the images will assist the police in bringing the culprits to book.
DailyPost

Murder of 4 UNIPORT students: An exclusive story behind their death

The brutal murder of the Four students of the University of Port Harcourt has become a major source of worry to many Nigerians who feel that human lives have no value as far as the country is concerned.
Since the incident, many people have advocated for the immediate arrest of those behind the heinous act and possibly charge them if found guilty. While some have continued to advocate for death sentence, others advocate for life imprisonment.
However, Daily Post investigation reveals that none of the four murdered students was involved in robbery or any kind of pilfering. Our correspondent spoke with an anonymous colleague of the late Llyod and Ugo whom he said were aspiring musicians and his colleagues.
It was gathered from the source that Ugo and Lloyd were cousins. Someone was indebted to Ugo around the community and had vowed not to pay. Ugo who was popularly known as Tipsy had gone to meet with a fearless University guy (name-withheld) to help them track the debtor who had been on the run. The guy who was feared by many in the school had accepted to accompany his friends to get the debtor tracked down and get his own percentage of the money. They were joined by their room mate, Chidiaka. On their way to the place, they met one of their friends, Tekena, who knew nothing about the plan, and he joined, just for the hype as it’s normal with young boys of juvenile age.
They were actually 5 that got to the debtor’s compound. Unknown to the other four, the “Confra” guy who was contracted to intimidate the debtor just to get the money paid went with a gun .When they got to the guy’s house around 12am, fight ensued, as the debtor confronted them. A next door neighbour, a woman started shouting on top of her voice, that they were thieves, attracting other bad boys around the areas, whom they said were mainly “vickins”, rival cult group of the one on contract. They swung into action by tipping the vigilantee who confronted the boys, referring to them as thieves. At the process of beating the boys, and while they were trying to explain, the fifth ‘guy’,the cultist brought out his gun to scare the people, and he escaped, leaving the rest four at the mercy of the villagers.
The explanation they tried to give fell on the community’s deaf ears as the people insisted that they must be killed. Another close friend of Ugo and Lloyd had reacted by calling on the president to take action against those behind the murder of the four students. The young man who had pleaded that his identity be kept secret said: “Mr President those 4 boys who were killed at Aluu near Uniport were my young friends. I was their mentor. Two of them were promising rappers and singers. I am forwarding their work ironically titled “ain’t no love in the
city” http://hitplayonline.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/17-heart-of-the-city-ft-yetty-big-l-and-tipsy.mp3″.
This story got to dailypost as an eyewitness account from the 5th boy who escaped. He narrated this to Ugo and Lloyd’s friend who has pleaded that his identity be kept secret.
DailyPost