Desola Ade Unuigbe: Jungle Justice: I Am With Aluu Community

After seeing only two of the pictures that were being circulated about the 4 “innocent” boys murdered by the Aluu community, and hearing bits and pieces of the story surrounding their deaths, I did not even bother to watch the murder video as I again got angry at my country and tweeted a couple of things about how I had lost all hope in the country, and the countrymen.
One of my brothers immediately tackled me on bbm and tried to get me to see things differently. The truth is that I do. And my anger has simply been misinterpreted. And allow me admit here that my deep hatred towards
Nigeria has been overly convincing. I do not hate Nigeria and probably never will. I will probably always carry an unlit torch of hope for her in my heart. Because I am like a mother when it comes to Nigeria; your child does something bad and you want to punish her, let her know that it is unacceptable to treat people in certain ways. But then in the next minute of a positive achievement you are proudly displaying medals and showing her off to your friends.
I am that mother.
Let me start off by pointing out two things that this situation has made me become aware of, firstly, we obviously do not know the whole story about this alleged laptop and phone theft or cultism or armed robbery resulting in the murder of these four students of University of Port Harcourt. Secondly, the Nigerian people have become so confused that they now do not know where to direct their anger. Or humanity. Or inhumanity.
Just to be clear, I do not in anyway whatsoever support that gruesome murder, I do not support the video of that murder, I do not support the people circulating it, I do not support the people who where murdered, and I do not support the community that carried out the murder. But I understand that community.
I am that community.
Humans are by nature animalistic and barbaric people. Before education and literacy, we had no clue how to live, what to eat or what to wear. The only thing that has helped us achieve some sort of civilization and sophistication is education. So all of this, is just a cover up. Because inside of me, I am an animal, and if cornered, the only defense I have of myself and my family is too attack and attack blindly. Animals do not see reason.
It is because we are animals, dressed up as humans, that we have created the law. We need some sort of regulation and guide because if we are left to wander and control ourselves, we would hurt ourselves.
So we have put our faith in people that we have chosen, people that we trust to help us hear our voice and make sane decisions to profit us as a group of people. That is why we have the government. Not to rule us, but to guide us. Somewhere along the line, the Nigerian government must have gotten the wrong message about why they were put in the positions that they are in. I think it started with the oil, but that is another anger entirely.
I’m not going to focus on the empty promises that we have gotten over the decades, or the unfairness to most Nigerians in their own country, because I don’t even know their story. What I do know is this. The Nigerian people have now reached a point where our government is pointless to us. Our ears are filled with empty promises of change, quelled corruption, discovered secrets and hidden loot. We have heard it all, and we have seen it all.
We do not have a functioning police system. The legal system is flawed. The media is tilted in ways we can’t even begin to comprehend. And the government is king. So let me ask this, if there is a crime, a crime so painful and hurtful, one that personally affects you, one that there’s every possibility that the prepertartors will go free. And if you could, if you were given the opportunity to take matters into your own hands, what would you do?
That’s jungle justice.
If someone walks up to me and says to me, “See this man, he is the one that killed your father. We are not totally sure yet, but we have certain reasons to believe he is the one. And if we let him go now he will get away. So take him”. I will take him. I will hurt him. I will cause him pain in all the ways that I have felt pain. That’s jungle justice.
The law says that every man is innocent until proven guilty. True. But who is doing the proving? And how long is it taking? Nigerians are tired and are having to resort to their own hands for justice. And humanity is dead because we are not human, we are animals. The law should be the human, and Nigeria has no law.
So what do we do?
With jungle justice there is usually no fairness or patience to listen to sides. But even our legal system now has no fairness. Are there no innocent people in jail? Are there no innocent men who have been hung while the guilty ones who sacrificed them sit and watch? Nigeria needs jungle justice. And that’s why I am on the side of the Aluu community. Not because I have no emotions, and not because I am completely evil, but because we have gotten to a period where our actions can be our only words. And the government must be forced to hear.
The Nigerian people do not know where to direct their anger. We are now confused people. We should be angry at the system, and not just empty anger, we should be angry such that our actions are our words. And if we can kill ourselves for minimal reasons, why can’t we fight this bloody system? Because the system is bloody. The massacre in Mubi is still fresh off our lips and again we are dealt with another atrocity that the Nigerian government will slyly push aside till a more convenient time.
A lot of people are condemning the act. A lot of people are condemning the people who acted so barbaric and evil. I will not condemn. I am the people. I have been pushed aside and waited and waited for investigations to finish so that I could have justice. For decades. I am tired of waiting. I will take justice in my hand and pull it out whenever I please. I will misuse justice. I will spit on justice like I have been spat on. I will walk all over justice like I have been walked on. I will hurt whoever I have to hurt for the government to see that Nigeria is in chaos. And that they need to make a turnaround. I will poo on justice till the Nigerian government sees me and stops investigating long enough to actually act.
They are still investigating the Mubi Massacre.
They are still investigating the ABSU gang Molestation.
They are still investigating Boko Haram bombings.
They are still investigating James Ibori’s theft.
They are still investigating corruption in the power sector.
They are still investigating the Dana crash, Sosoliso crash, Bell View crash.
They are still investigating the death of Rotimi Williams.
They are still investigating elections MKO Abiola should have won.
They are still investigating the fuel subsidy scam.
They are still investigating the 2013 budget.
They are still investigating offshore accounts that Abacha had and we can’t find.
They are still investigating.
While they are investigating, let us take justice in our own hands, and channel our anger towards the government. Let them see that we have had enough and wont just mouth off for a couple of days and return to our lives. While they are investigating, let us take a moment to not reflect on the crime of Aluu community, but to reflect on what pushed them there.
That anger is also in all of us.
We are Aluu community.
Again, just to be extra clear on the matter, I do not in anyway whatsoever support that gruesome murder, I do not support the video of that murder, I do not support the people circulating it, I do not support the people who where murdered, and I do not support the community that carried out the murder. But I understand that community.
 DailyPost

Bakassi: Why Nigeria won’t appeal ICJ verdict, by govt

by: Yusuf Alli

Failed case will be diplomatically damaging, says Attorney-General
Advocates of a fresh legal action over Bakassi lost the battle last night.
The Federal Government last night declared that it will not appeal the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the ceding of the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.
The decision was communicated in a statement by Attorney General of the Federation Mohammed Adoke.
The nation’s number one law officer said after consultations locally and with an international firm, he decided not to explore the window of appeal because “an application for a review is virtually bound to fail.”
Besides, a failed application for review by Nigeria “will be diplomatically damaging to Nigeria”.
The government’s position reflects The Nation’s exclusive story last Friday that the government had decided not to appeal the ruling. It was a day that many newspapers reported that government had decided to appeal the judgement.
Government said yesterday that it did not have any new evidence to enable it successfully challenge the judgment.
The full text of the Attorney general’s statement is as follows:
“It will be recalled that on 10th October 2002, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered judgment in Land and Maritime Boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria, which covers about 2000 kilometres extending from Lake Chad to the Sea. It will also be recalled that before the judgment was delivered, President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR of Nigeria and President Paul Biya of the Republic of Cameroon gave their respective undertaking to the international community to abide by the judgment of the Court.
“The commitment and undertakings given by both Heads of Government were confirmed by the establishment of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC) pursuant to the Joint Communiqué adopted at a Summit Meeting on 15 November 2002 in Geneva. The CNMC is composed of the representatives of Cameroon, Nigeria and the United Nations and is chaired by the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for West Africa.
“The CNMC has held 29 Sessions since its inception and has peacefully, amicably and successfully:
(a) brought Cameroon and Nigeria back to negotiation table;
(b) supervised the handing over of 33 ceded villages to Cameroon and 1 to Nigeria in December, 2003 and received 3 settlements and territory in Adamawa and Borno States Sectors from Cameroon in 2004;
(c) initiated the Enugu-Abakiliki-Mamfe-Mutengene Road project as part of the confidence building measures between the two countries;
(d) supervised peaceful withdrawal of Civil Administration, Military and Police Forces and transfer of authority in the Bakassi Peninsula by Nigeria to Cameroon in 2008 in line with the modalities contained in the Greentree Agreement signed by Cameroon and Nigeria in 2006 which the United Nations, Germany, USA, France, UK and Northern Ireland witnessed; and
(e) commenced the emplacement of boundary beacons/pillars along the land boundary and initiated final mapping of the whole stretch of the boundary. It is instructive to note that about 1800 kilometres of the boundary have so far been assessed for Pillar Emplacement leaving only about 220 km to complete the assessment of the entire boundary.
“The Greentree Agreement was also signed by H. E. Paul Biya, and President President Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR, on 12 June, 2006, in Long Island, Greentree, New York, USA; reaffirming their willingness to peacefully implement the judgment of the ICJ. The Agreement contains the modalities for withdrawal and transfer of authority in the Bakassi Peninsula by Nigeria to Cameroon in pursuance of the ICJ Judgment.The Follow-Up Committee comprising representatives of Nigeria and Cameroon wasestablished to monitor the implementation of the Agreement and settle any dispute regarding the interpretation and implementation of the Agreement. Nigeria handed over the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon in 2008.
“The Statute of the International Court of Justice provides that the Judgment of the Court is final and without appeal. However, following the resolutions of both Houses of the National Assembly calling on the Executive to take steps to apply for a review of the judgment, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan called a Stakeholders meeting comprising the leadership of the National Assembly, the Governors of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, the Members of the National Assembly from both States, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director General, National Boundary Commission to review the situation.
“The Stakeholders Meeting after due deliberations constituted a Committee comprising the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Director General, National Boundary Commission and Members of the National Assembly namely: Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, Dr. Ali Ahmed and Nnena Ukaje to examine the issues in contention and available options for Nigeria including, but not limited to the application for review of the ICJ Judgment, appropriate political and diplomatic solutions.
“Although the judgment of the ICJ is final and not subject to appeal, the ICJ Statute provides for circumstances under which its judgment can be reviewed. The relevant provisions are:
(a) Article 61 (1) which provides that the Court can review its judgment upon the discovery of some fact of such a nature as to be a decisive factor, which fact was, when the judgment was given, unknown to the court and also to the party claiming revision, always provided that such ignorance was due not to negligence;
(b) Article 61 (4) which stipulates that application for revision must be made at least within six months of the discovery of the new fact, and
(c) Article 61(5), which provide that no application for revision may be made after the lapse of 10 years from the date of the judgment.
“The implication of the above provisions of the ICJ Statute is that a case for revision of the judgment of the court can only be successful if:
(a) the application for revision is based on the discovery of a new fact;
(b) the fact must have existed prior to the delivery of the judgment;
(c) the newly discovered fact must be of a decisive nature; and
(d) the party seeking revision (Nigeria) and the Court, must not have known of the fact at the time of the delivery of the judgment.
“The Committee proceeded to examine the case for revision against the requirements of Article 61 of the ICJ Statute and was constrained to observe from the oral presentations made to it by the proponents of the revision that the strict requirements of Article 61 could not be satisfied. This is because theirpresentation was unable to show that Nigeria has discovereda decisive fact that was unknown to her before the ICJ judgment, which is capable of swaying the Court to decide in its favour.This is more so as most of the issues canvassed in support of the case for a revision of the ICJ judgment had been canvassed and pronounced upon by the ICJ in its 2002 judgment.
“The Federal Government also retained a firm of international legal practitioners to advise on the merits and demerits of the case for revision. The firm after considering all the materials that were placed at its disposal against the requirements of Article 61 of the ICJ Statute came to the reasoned conclusion that “an application for a review is virtually bound to fail” and that “a failed application will be diplomatically damaging to Nigeria”.
11. In view of the foregoing, the Federal Government is of the informed view that with less than two days to the period when the revision will be statute barred (October 9, 2012), it would be impossible for Nigeria to satisfy the requirements of Articles 61(1) -(5) of the ICJ Statute.Government has therefore decided that it will not be in the national interest to apply for revision of the 2002 ICJ Judgment in respect of the Land and Maritime Boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria.
“Government is however concerned about the plight of Nigerians living in the Bakassi Peninsula and the allegations of human rights abuses being perpetrated against Nigerians in the Peninsula and is determined to engage Cameroon within the framework of the existing implementation mechanisms agreed to by Nigeria and Cameroon in order to protect the rights and livelihoods of Nigerians living in the Peninsula. Nigeria will also not relent in seeking appropriate remedies provided by international law such as the invocation of the compulsory jurisdiction of the ICJ; Petitioning the United Nations Human Rights Council and good offices of the United Nations Secretary General which has played pivotal role in ensuring the peaceful demarcation and delimitation of the boundary between the two countries and other confidence building measures and calls on the United Nations to continue to provide assistance to the affected populations.
“Finally the Federal Government wishes to assure all Nigerians especially the people living in the Bakassi Peninsula of its determination to explore all avenues necessary to protect their interests including but not limited to negotiations aimed at buying back the territory, if feasible, the convening of bilateral meeting of the Heads of State and Government to ensure protection and development of the affected population.In the meantime, we call on all well meaning Nigerians in the Bakassi peninsula to be law abiding and to allow the various initiatives being undertaken by the Federal Government to bear fruitful results.”
 The Nation

The Money-changers

By Femi Aribisala
God forbid that where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus, an offering should not be collected.
To be a successful pastor, you really have to learn the tricks of the trade.  This has nothing to do with preaching insightful and inspiring messages.  Neither does it have to do with ministering to the spiritual needs of the members of the church.  The pastor succeeds or fails according to his ability to pull a crowd and extort as much money as possible from his congregation.  If he fails in these vital areas, he is not likely to survive for long as a pastor.
The technique is simple but effective.  You tell your congregants that for every naira they give, they will get a hundredfold return.  Even those in debt are encouraged to get out of debt by giving out of their indebtedness.
Pastor Paula White of Without Walls International Church, Tampa, Florida (U.S.A.) is a master practitioner of this money-grubbing technique.  In one of her television broadcasts, she asked her audience to open their bibles to Psalm 66, verse 12.  This reads: “Through the fire, through the water, God brought us out into a wealthy place.”  Then she said: “God says he wants you to sow sixty-six dollars and twelve cents.  Or you can sow six thousand, six hundred and twelve dollars.”
Money activator
These are the voices of strangers who make merchandise of men by peddling the word of God.  Peter says: “These teachers in their greed will tell you anything to get hold of your money.” (2 Peter 2:3).  Indeed, pastors tell Christians that money operates like a “gel activator.”  The promises of God proclaimed in our messages are sealed until a “seed offering” is given to activate it.  Therefore, you are likely to see different members of our congregation suddenly get up in the middle of our sermons to throw money at our feet.  One pastor put it very succinctly.  He said: “Anointing without money is equal to annoyance.”
This makes the offering-time the focal point of our services.  Here, the pastoral imagination has run wild.  Just give the offering a highfalutin name and it becomes the commandment of God.  In those days when I attended part-time Zoe Ministries Worldwide in Victoria Island, Lagos; three offerings were collected in every service: one for “the Father;” another for “the Son;” and yet another for “the Holy Spirit.”
In one parish of Redeemed Church, the pastor counselled the poor: “If you don’t have an offering, borrow from your neighbour.”  Never mind that the promise of God says the believer shall lend to many nations but shall not borrow. (Deuteronomy 15:6).
Even though Jesus says when we give, our right hand should not know what our left hand is doing (Matthew 6:3); some pastors insist offerings must be held up for all to see, in the attempt to embarrass those not inclined to give, or those inclined to offer notes in the smaller currency denominations.  In the branch of Zoe Ministries I attended, the pastor proscribed altogether the giving of offerings in the smaller currency notes.  “My God is not a poor God,” he declared.
One popular convention requires everybody to march forward, one by one, to drop their offerings on a tray placed strategically in front of the pastor; so we can observe exactly how much they are giving and thereby intimidate them into giving more than they would like to.  It also serves to embarrass those who cannot give and stay behind.
At other times, we constrain our members to make public vows and pledges.  One of my former pastors used to say:  “Pledge more than you have; stretch your faith.” When the time comes to redeem the pledge, we will hit you with Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 which says if you make a vow and don’t redeem it God will destroy the work of your hands.
Blessing time
One technique is to take the offering early in order to ensure people don’t leave before the money can be taken from them.  But sometimes this strategy backfires.  In one of the services I attended at Pentecostal Assembly, the pastor noticed that some of the wealthier church-members came in after the offering had been collected.  So he insisted it should be collected again.  The reason he gave was a classic.  He said: “I don’t want anybody here to be denied the blessings of the day.”  Of course, God only blesses during offering times.
Yetunde Olanrewaju came up with what I presume is a parable.  She said one day, a swarm of bees descended on a church while a service was in session.  The people panicked and started running out of the building.  But the Pastor was up in arms.  “Wait, wait, please wait,” he pleaded to no avail.  “We haven’t yet collected the offering.”  God forbid that where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus, an offering should not be collected.
Charlene Animashaun was head of the money-counters in her parish.  While the offering was still being counted, the new pastor sent someone to collect a certain amount of the money.  Charlene sent word back that the count had yet to be completed.  The procedure was to document the amount and then lodge it in the bank.  That way, any withdrawals would have a paper-trail.
But the new Pastor would not be denied.  He barged into to the counting-room and kicked up a fuss.  He reminded all and sundry he was now the pastor.  What the pastor demands, the pastor gets; no questions asked.  He grabbed the money with the stern warning that his authority should never be challenged again.  Charlene got the message and quietly resigned her position as head of the money-counters.  She has since resigned from the church itself.
It is an open secret that pastors are not accountable for the monies we routinely collect.  Christians simply leave the policing to God, thereby giving us a free hand to be as honest or dishonest as our conscience permits.  This ensures that financial impropriety is widespread in churches and Christian ministries, but buried under the carpet.
Soul traders
The plan was to have many churches in Victoria Island, Lagos gather on a Sunday morning and go “prayer-walking,” under the aegis of the zonal Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria.  We would walk around the streets and claim them spiritually for Jesus.  But there was a logistical problem.  If we would not have services in our churches that Sunday, we would not be able to collect the offering.
Somebody finally came up with a solution.  We would meet briefly in our churches for the sole purpose of collecting the offering, and then assemble as planned.  But then another problem arose.  What would happen to those we convert to Christianity on the way?  Which churches would they be asked to attend?  Here again, a genius came up with the solution.  “At the end of the exercise,” she said, “we will seat down and share the souls.”
“Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come. And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold and silver,.. horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men.” (Revelation 18:10-13).
Vanguard

Nigerian Christians, Muslims Protest Against Common Enemy

Muslims pray while Christians form a protective human chain around them during a protest on common problems faced in Nigeria, January 10, 2012.

 

Heather Murdock

ABUJA — In the Nigerian city of Kaduna, which is known for sectarian violence, Muslims and Christians  rallied together Friday against a common enemy: the anti-Islamic video that has sparked protests around the world.  Religious leaders say they hate the video, but they are hoping it can help heal decades of violence between the two groups.

It’s been more than 10 years since the Kaduna neighborhood has seen violence between Muslims and Christians.  Locals say that’s because Christians stay away to avoid danger.  Muslims avoid other parts of the city for the same reasons.

Regardless, sectarian violence continues in many other parts of Kaduna, with nearly 100 people being killed in June.

But on Friday, religious leaders, both Christian and Muslim, marched together here, decrying a shared enemy and celebrating what they hope will be a step towards peace.

Abdulkareem Youssef, one of the organizers, says the issue hasn’t changed since mid-September when the protests erupted around the world after the YouTube release of a video, privately produced by an American, that desecrates Islam.

There was violence last month in Libya and Egypt, but protests in Nigeria have been peaceful.  Youssef says protesters want to tell the world not to release similar material or else there will be violence here.

“We don’t want this to happen again.  Otherwise, we will not take it easily to whoever, whoever tries to sabotage our prophet,” he said.

Most of the hundreds of protesters Friday were Muslims, chanting praise in Arabic for God and the Prophet.  But Pastor Yohanna Buru is one of many Christian leaders who parked their cars in the normally Muslim-only neighborhood to march with the group, which was surrounded by dozens of armed guards.

He says they joined the protest out of solidarity, because both groups are against materials offensive to either religion.

Anger over the video, he adds, has presented an opportunity for Muslims and Christians to re-establish ties.

Preventative protesting is also a factor, he says, urging Christians to condemn the video, lest some Muslims accuse them of supporting it, which could cause another round of violence.

“We are supporting this demonstration today because we know it will bring peace.  Because some of the Muslims, they don’t understand that we Christians are not supporting what they [the filmmakers] are doing,” stated Buru.

Kaduna is a “Middle Belt” city in the center of Nigeria and it's divided like the country as a whole, with mostly Muslims in the north and mostly Christians in the south.

Human Rights Watch says nearly 16,000 people have been killed in political or sectarian violence in Nigeria since 1999, and much of the bloodshed has been in the Middle Belt.   Over 800 people were killed in Kaduna in 2010 alone.

Sectarian violence here is usually about politics, resources or revenge but the fights are almost always along ethnic and religious fault lines.

Ibrahima Yakubu contributed to this report from Kaduna

VOA 

Self-Identified Nigerian Politician Questions Government Anti-Terror Strategy

Men believed to be members of Islamist sect Boko Haram are suspected of being involved in a series of bomb attacks, wait for the start of a court session at the Wuse magistrate court in Nigeria's capital Abuja, September 13, 2011.

TEXT SIZE

James Butty

October 09, 2012

A man, who identified himself as a Nigerian politician, an activist and opinion leader from northern Kano state, said the hunt for Boko Haram militants should not strictly be a military or security issue.

Instead, he said the government must involve Christian and Muslim leaders in the process.

He agreed to be interviewed by VOA on condition of anonymity because he fears Boko Haram and government security forces might harm him or his family.

The self-identified politician said northern religious leaders and politicians are not Boko Haram sympathizers.

“First of all, government officials and security agencies’ diagnosis of the reasons why Boko Haram arose was basically wrong. That prevented a lot of elites and elders from dabbling into it because the ones who attempted to do that were all shouted down.  They were labeled as sympathizers, sponsors and supporters,” he said.

The man said regular northerners were also isolated by the harsh modus operandi (methods) of the Joint Task Force [JTF’s].

“There was gross violation of human rights; there was no accountability, no oversight from anybody. They could just [go] into your house, pick you up without anybody holding to an account.  So, from this brief analysis, you can see that, from the top of the ladder to the lower end of the ladder, everybody was picked up for one reason or another.  If the government had involved the people in the community, I can guarantee you it would never have [been] raised to the level that it did,” he said.

He said northern politicians, religious and civil society leaders have been trying on the family level to end the Boko Haram menace.

“You cannot get involved because, even if you come up publicly to engage other members of the society, we don’t know who Boko Haram is.  They don’t wear its hat; they don’t wear a T-shirt that proclaims they are Boko Haram.  So, all you do is to talk to the younger elements in your family to be aware of these people. They should not join any group; they should watch their movement; just moral persuasion,” he said.

He said, contrary to reports and suspicion by government security forces, northern religious and political leaders are not supporters of Boko Haram.

“It is beyond question that I abhor, I detest, and I condemn Boko Haram in its totality, and I’m not the only one.  Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of all northerners are not in support of Boko Haram,” he said.

The anonymous caller’s comments came as witnesses from the northern city of Maiduguri Monday accused security forces of killing 30 people.

Residents said the violence took place Monday after a bomb exploded on an army patrol, wounding two soldiers.
              
Maiduguri is at the center of operations for Boko Haram, which is blamed for killing more than 1,400 people in recent years. 

VOA

Islamic cleric, bank driver arrested for robbing banks

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested eight persons for allegedly robbing Sterling Bank plc and Ecobank plc at different times. Among the suspects are two drivers attached to each of the banks, as well as an Islamic cleric.
The Ecobank driver, Rasheed Anifowose, however alleged that he was hypnotised by the Islamic cleric, Mufutau Eleduwe, to commit the crime.
Anifowose said he informed the gang to come at about 5.30pm, after the policemen attached to the bank must have closed for the day.
He said, “I had gone to his place for spiritual help for my mother’s health and other family problems. But along the line, he asked where I was working and when I told him, he said he would get me people who would rob the bank and at the end of the day he would give me money. I refused the offer.
“But he later told me to bring my picture for him to continue with the spiritual work and that was the end. The next time he called me, he told me to give some people details of how to get to the bank.”
Narrating how the suspects were arrested, the Commissioner of Police for the state command, Mr. Umar Manko, said the banks’ drivers were arrested by policemen from the Area D Command, Mushin on September 26, 2012, at Sterling Bank, Matori, during a shoot-out with members of one of the gangs which attempted to rob the bank.
He said, “They made confessional statements which led to the arrest of eight others and the recovery of one locally-made pistol with one live cartridge and the case was subsequently transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, for further investigation on October 2.
“The suspects were interrogated and they further confessed that their armourer and gang leader, Adedokun Yusuf and Ahmed Adelakun, were in Aiyetoro. Consequently, they led SARS operatives to Aiyetoro in Ogun State where the duo was arrested and two locally-made pistols with four live cartridges recovered.
“The suspects, who normally operate with the collaboration of insiders, confessed that they robbed Sterling Bank, Matori branch, Mushin, Lagos, on May 25, 2012, and carted away N8m and Ecobank, Isolo, on August 29, 2012. Investigation is still on.”
The Sterling Bank’s driver, Aremu Taiwo, admitted to have given the robber that stormed his bank information on how to get in.
He said, “I told them to come on that Friday at about 5pm. I told them to come in through the back door which would be opened by then. I had also gone home when they struck.
“That was to avoid any suspicion. But I warned them not to kill anybody. At the end f the day, they gave me N300, 000.”
The cleric, Muftau, however said he only prayed for the success of both drivers, adding that at the end of the operation at Sterling Bank, he was given N307,000.
 DailyPost

PRESS RELEASE UNIPORT STUDENTS KILLING: UNTRAMMELLED BARBARISM!

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) condemns, without any
reservation, the gruesome killing of four University of Port-Harcourt
(UNIPORT) students in Aluu community of Rivers State. This, coming so
soon after another brutal cutting down of scores of students in Mubi,
Adamawa state, is one killing too many!
Unconfirmed preliminary reports had it that the students- Ugonna,
IIyod, Tekana, Chidiaka- were embroiled in an argument with a man from
the community over money owed. Rather than settling amicably, the man
in question called a local vigilante group that came instantly. The
students, first stripped naked, were beaten into pulp before being
burnt to death. The footage of this act of untrammeled barbarism
reveals a sad commentary that in the current Nigerian state: death is
cheap and ubiquitous! It also reveals that studentship in Nigeria is
fraught with inherent danger because of the near absence of governance
in the Country.
The question is: where was the Nigeria Police while this fire of
primitive justice raged? Indeed, the Police was nowhere! The defective
organizational, crime-fighting thrust of the Nigeria Police is seen in
its reactivity rather than pro-activity. Globally, Policing is first
and foremost about maintenance of law and order. The Prevention of
crime comes to the fore in the discharge of this responsibility by the
Police. This is why the New-York Police Department (NYPD) officers are
seen patrolling the streets in all the five boroughs of the City of
New-York. In that way, crime is detected and prevented so that
societal equilibrium is not unduly discomfited. But the Nigeria Police
is hamstrung to do this efficiently because a considerable number of
its insufficient personnel is devoted for the protection of the
chieftains of the ruling PDP. Truly, arrests have been made in
connection with this heinous crime, we insist that there should be a
paradigm shift in the organizational strategy of the Nigeria Police to
Crime prevention.
The emergence and growing number of vigilante groups in the Nigerian
communities is an attestation to the waning public confidence in the
service delivery of the Nigeria Police. First, the spontaneity of the
response to distress calls is still a sore point in the performance of
the Police. Second, the delay or absence of prosecution and conviction
makes for eroded public confidence in the Police. There was the case
of a Man, arrested by the Police with evidential trappings of an Armed
robber that later found his way to as an elected senator of the
Federal republic of Nigeria, having escaped prosecution and
conviction. This may partly explain, but not justifiable reason, why
communities now mete out jungle justice to criminals or perceived
criminals. As a Party, we believe that all these institutional foibles
of the Nigeria Police are not enough for communities to resort to
self-help. In this vein, the operation of vigilante groups should
henceforth be structured to work in tandem with the Nigeria Police.
The kernel of the operation should be to effect arrest of accused
criminals and turn over to the Police!
As a Party, we commiserate with the Parents, siblings, family members
and friends of the deceased. Indeed, the gory pictures of the gruesome
killings evoke feelings of anguish. The murderous violence on these
young Nigerians should therefore elicit a collective desire in us as
Nigerians for a safer, tranquil and better-governed polity.
God bless Nigeria.

Rotimi Fashakin (Engr.)
National Publicity Secretary, CPC.
(Tuesday, October 09, 2012).

via Nasir El'Rufai