FG, Boko Haram hold secret talks in Senegal

by ALLWELL OKPI 

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Godsday Orubebe

The Federal Government and fundamentalist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, held a secret meeting in Senegal a few weeks ago in a bid to end the terrorism onslaught against the country, SUNDAY PUNCH authoritatively reports.

The governments of Mali and Senegal played significant roles in the peace talks with officials of the two West African countries serving as mediators during the negotiations, our correspondent learnt.

Mali and Senegal have majority Muslim populations and also have mainstream Islamic groups with strong ties to religious groups in Northern Nigeria.

SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that the Federal Government team to the meeting was led by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe. Orubebe is one of President Goodluck Jonathan’s closest associates. The newspaper also gathered that some senior Boko Haram commanders stood in for the sect.

A very reliable source in government, who pleaded not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter, disclosed that the leaders of the sect insisted that a ceasefire was only possible if their terms were met.

Pressed for more details, the source refused to disclose the terms Boko Haram gave for ceasefire, adding that the terms were “what the sect has always demanded.”

The terms that Boko Haram has been reported to have given government for a ceasefire include, the release of their detained members, the payment of compensation and the rebuilding of their houses and mosques demolished by government.

The source said the talks were successful but could not be sustained because hawks in the military advised President Goodluck Jonathan against accepting the terms.

According to him, the military advised the President not to give in to the demands of the sect with a promise that they would deal with the Boko Haram challenge.

Confirming the meeting in Senegal, the Convener of Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, accused the President of double standards.

Mohammed said the President could not claim that the sect was faceless because the Federal Government had interacted with some of them.

Mohammed said, “Yes, it is true. The minister travelled to Senegal where, on prior arrangement with Senegalese and Malian secret services, met some of the Boko Haram leaders.

“The Federal Government has been silent about meeting with leaders of Boko Haram in Senegal.”

Mohammed also flayed the price placed on the heads of leaders of the Boko Haram sect. He said the military’s action was aimed at frustrating the negotiations.

“After meeting with these people, you now say you are putting money on their heads. It is an act of bad faith. The mere fact that there was some kind of meeting clearly shows that what the military did was an act of bad faith.

“The decision to put money on the heads of Boko Haram commanders was a political decision. The Chief of Army Staff should stop making political statements.

“It is dangerous for soldiers to assume the power of taking political decisions in our democracy. It is also dangerous for the civilian government to be controlled by the military to an extent that 20 to 25 per cent of the budget expenditure goes to security; an average of one trillion naira a year. We can’t afford it.”

 Similarly, the Secretary of the Borno State Elders’ Forum, Dr. Bulama Gubio, said the recent conflicting signals from the Federal Government had left the North confused.

He said while they were hopeful that the Federal Government would resume negotiations with leaders of the sect, the announcement of a bounty on their heads had complicated the situation in Borno and neighbouring states, where Boko Haram attacks had been rife.

He said, “Right now we are even confused. We don’t know what is happening again. The Federal Government said they would negotiate with Boko Haram if they agreed to negotiate. And we have been pleading with these boys to negotiate with the Federal Government. Now, JTF has put money on the heads of the people they listed as Boko Haram leaders. The problem is that the President will say one thing and government agencies will say another thing. We don’t know what to believe now.

“We are still pleading with the Federal Government to go ahead and negotiate with Boko Haram members who have come out to say they want to negotiate. Government would keep saying they are faceless. The situation here is bad. Our people are dying.”

When contacted, the Army spokesman, Brigadier Gen. Bolaji Koleosho, declined comments on the allegation that the army advised the President against negotiating with the sect.

Koleosho said, “Army’s response to that is simply no comment.”

Attempts to get reactions from the Embassies of Mali and Senegal in Nigeria were futile. When SUNDAY PUNCH visited the embassy of Mali located in Maitama, Abuja on Friday, an official of the Embassy said those who were in a position to respond to the enquiries on the issue were out of the country on an official assignment.

The official, a protocol officer who did not give his name said, “The Ambassador, the 1st and 2nd Secretaries who may be in a position to answer your question are currently in Cote d’Ivore attending an ECOWAS meeting about the situation in our country.

“The only person around is the accountant who cannot speak on any issue. I am sorry.”

At the Embassy of Senegal located at Number 12, Jose Marti Crescent, an official asked our correspondent to return at 4:00pm on Friday to meet the Political Affairs Officer whose name was given simply as Mr. Loum.

There was no sign of human presence when our correspondent returned.

Efforts to reach the Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati,  on Saturday proved abortive as calls made to his mobile number did not go through neither did he respond to a text message sent to him by our correspondent.

Boko Haram has a presence in Mali as over 100 members of the sect reportedly joined forces with Mali’s armed militia, Mouvement National de Liberation de l’Azawad, to declare an Independent Republic in Northern Mali in April.

On Tuesday, the sect wrote a letter to the Federal Government, reaffirming its willingness to negotiate. It replaced Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who had declined the nomination as lead mediator with the Federal Government, with Imam Gabchiya, an official of the University of Maiduguri.

 The letter came less than 72 hours after a double suicide bombing led to the death of at least 17 people in Kaduna State and four days after the army had offered a N290m bounty for information leading to the capture of 19 leading members of the sect.

In August, Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, had told journalists that the government was already in talks with the sect through “backroom channels.”

Abati had confirmed the secret talk to The PUNCH, on November 12. He said, “I can confirm to you that talks are ongoing at the background. But the talks are not the kinds being envisaged by Nigerians. The ongoing talk is a back channel one in which those who know members of the group are talking with them on behalf of the government.”

However, during his latest Presidential Media Chat, Jonathan had dismissed Abati’s claims.

He said, “There is no dialogue between the Boko Haram and government. Boko Haram is still operating under cover, they wear masks and there is no face. They operate under cover.”

ThePunch

Justice Azinge Kidnap Saga Latest: Police arrest 3 officers, another on the run

*Judge resumes sitting after Sunday Vanguard story

*Service provider delays investigations – Police Commissioner
By Emma Ammaize
LAST week, we published an exclusive story of a judge of a Delta State High Court, Otor-Udu, Justice Flora Azinge, who was prevented from sitting for two months by kidnappers. She was sent a letter for N20 million ransom by a kidnap gang.
Accusing fingers were pointed at her police orderly and other police officers, currently cooling off in detention. Following our super story, Justice Azinge has resumed sitting. She started sitting on Wednesday, November 28. This is a follow-up.
THE police in Delta State have seized three police officers in connection with the N20 million-ransom demand from a judge of the  state High Court, Justice Flora Azinge, which went awry.
Mind you, because kidnappers fear no gender or status,  Azinge is the daughter of the Premier of the defunct Midwest Region, Chief Dennis Osadebey,
The fourth police officer is on the run and the police have mounted a manhunt for him.
Meanwhile, Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, explained to Sunday Vanguard in Asaba that the police would have completed investigations on the matter, but for the delay by the service provider, which had not made available the call history that was requested from it (See box interview).

Sunday Vanguard was abuzz with calls from concerned Deltans who read the story, last week, commending the paper for the in-depth investigations on the kidnap saga of the judge. Azinge herself was also inundated with calls from fellow judges, family members and well-wishers.
Judge resumes work
The judge declined to speak with Sunday Vanguard when we met her, on Monday, November 26, in her court. She did not sit on that day, but two lawyers, national chair of the Human Rights Defenders Organization of Nigeria, HURDON, Sir Casely Omon-Irabor, and national coordinator of the Forum for Justice and Human Rights Defence, FJHD, Barrister Oghenejabor Ikimi, disclosed that she started sitting on  Wednesday.
Police officer left duty post to collect ransom
Further investigations by Sunday Vanguard showed that the police officer, who was caught by soldiers when he came to pick the N20 million ransom, left his beat at the Federal Prisons, Okere, near Warri, between 10.00 pm and 1.00 am.
He was said to have begged an army captain to forgive him when he was caught, pleading that it was the handiwork of the devil.
Interestingly, he later changed his story, saying he was only passing by at that time.
But, he has not been able to give convincing reasons to police authorities on why he left his beat at that time.
His colleague, whom he left behind at the beat, gave statement to the effect that he left his gun and did not tell him where he was going.
Our dependable source said, “The police officer in question is known as The Don in the kidnap syndicate that wanted to fleece the judge. He introduced himself as The Don and called both the judge and her husband, Mr. Richard Azinge, on several occasions, threatening that harm would come to her if the N20 million ransom was not paid.
“On the day in question, not knowing that soldiers had been alerted, he was told by the husband of the judge on phone that he had collected the money from the bank, but could not come to Hospital Junction, Ekpan, to deliver the money as instructed because he was afraid. He begged to give the money to his houseboy. It was a Wednesday evening.
Soldier disguised as houseboy
“The houseboy turned out to be an army officer, who was instructed on phone where to bring the money to. At Ekpan, the houseboy was told to go proceed to Ugbuwangue market and warned that he was under watch and in the market, he was told to go to a particular broken-down trailer parked somewhere on the roadside, this was between 7.00 pm – 8.00 pm and drop the money in a bag by the back tyre of the trailer.
He also told the houseboy to pack grasses by the side and cover the loot”.
The source further revealed: “The Don told the boy to hold the phone very close to his ear. After he confirmed that the houseboy had dropped the ransom, he ordered him to leave the area immediately and switch off his phone. He (The Don) not only switched off his phone, but also wiped out all the calls that were made.
“He, however, did not show up at the venue to collect the ransom until about 10.00 pm or so when he left his duty post. It was learnt that as he bent down and lifted the ransom bag, one of the army officers, who laid siege to the area, accosted him and that was how the bubble burst.
“As a police officer, he understood the gravity of any text message relating to the judge being found on his phone, so he ensured everything was wiped out to obstruct any trace”. But Commissioner Aduba said whether his calls were wiped out or not,does not matter, as he was waiting for the call history from the service provider.
The police orderly that was the first to be seized also played a very fast one on the judge and her family when the whistle was blown.
Those who brought the ransom demand letter left it at the gate of  Azinge’s compound and, when the house cleaner brought the letter to her madam, she told her a boy delivered it, but when she asked him whom the sender was, he told her the judge would know after reading the letter in a foolscap paper.
Missing phone
Unfortunately, when the judge read the letter, she did not know the sender. It only compounded her day, as the kidnappers left a phone number, which they said would call her later to give her details of how to pay the ransom.
The judge reported the matter to the police in Warri and was advised to do same in Asaba. It was after this that a man, who identified himself as the leader of the group, The Don,called to tell her that the gang was aware that she went to the police and was just returning from Asaba. She was told not to put her trust in the police or she would live to regret it.
“He called up to nine times on Saturday. Madam did not pick the call. On Sunday, he called up to five times. It was just by a stroke of fate that a member of the household suggested that they should call one of the numbers, an Etisalat line. They did”, Sunday Vanguard source narrated.
“Behold, it was ringing within the compound. It was traced to the police orderly, who did not pick. The husband of the judge did not believe when he was told and he had to call the number himself. It rang but the orderly still did not pick it and he lured him to do some work in his car, where the phone rang severally. The orderly checked the phone, as it was ringing nearby, but did not answer the call”.
After the incident, the police orderly hid the Etisalat line and, by the time they were invited by the Area Commander, Warri, over the incident, the phone was missing. He initially said it belonged to his brother, that the said brother had traveled and, later, that the phone was lost.
Driver arrested
The driver of the judge was overheard by another aide telling somebody on phone that the judge is rich and they would make money if they kidnapped her. This was after he sighted some documents relating to financial transaction regarding to her father’s estate, of which she is the administrator, in her possession. The judge was alerted and she confronted the driver. He and another former driver of the judge were arrested, but the latter was later released.
Who removed orderly’s car?
It was days after the police orderly was arrested and it looked as if nothing was forthcoming from the investigations that The Don continued with the ransom demand and was entrapped by the army. Before then, the orderly did not know that he would be detained in Asaba and parked his car in front of the compound of the judge in Warri.
The police asked for the keys of his car, which were seized, but before they could get to the car in Warri, somebody had removed it from where it was parked.
It was suspected that at that time, the phone and other incriminating evidence could still be in his car; to play safe, he reportedly called a member of the gang to remove the car.
Police officer on the run
In the course of our investigations, we discovered that a police officer, said to be supplying guns and bullets to the syndicate, has gone AWOL – on the run. He was described as the police armourer, but Commissioner Aduba, who confirmed that the said police officer was actually on the run, said he was not a police armourer, but somebody attached to the armoury.
An intriguing thing about all the police officers involved in the sour deal, including the driver, is that they are all from Agbor and Abavo, Ika axis of the state.
Bring perpetrators to book – Omon-Irabor
Sir Omon-Irabor said, “Judges are like gods feared by the populace, so when kidnappers or criminals, who, ordinarily are supposed to be very wary of them, begin to send them threat letters or demand for ransom, you know it is not a trivial matter any longer. The question really is: Who are these kidnappers that have the temerity to dare a judge?
“No doubt, they must be insiders. Like I said, a judge is an enigma. For the judge to be threatened, it is serious, the police have to sit up and thoroughly investigate this matter. I must, however, add that judges should not, because of this, take any person accused of kidnapping arraigned before them as guilty. They should give them benefit of doubt and ensure fair trial before arriving at any verdict”.
Vanguard

War in Lagos: Ilaje, Ajah indigenes poised for bloodbath

Ajah, the hotbed of communal crisis for years, may not have peace in days to come as Ilaje youths, who were brutally attacked on Wednesday by Ajah indigenes, have vowed to avenge the death of their people. The clash occurred on Wednesday after a disagreement over tolls at motor parks, as the two parties laid claim to control of the parks.
Ajah indigenes alleged that the Ilajes are settlers and as such have no right over toll collection in the area, adding that they could only be co-opted through the indigenes permission. The argument led to a face-off whereby dangerous weapons were used. As the dust settled down, three people from Ilaje and about 12 houses were burnt by Ajah indigenes. Sunday Sun, however, gathered authoritatively that Ilaje youths were not happy over the death of their brethren and have vowed to unleash reprisal attacks. Sources among Ilaje youths, who preferred anonymity, stated that unless adequate compensations were paid for those killed, Ajah would boil again anytime.
“We will avenge our people’s death. We are all Nigerians. They can be claiming that we are still settlers in a place we have lived for many years and contributed a lot to its development,” said one of the sources. To ward off possible reprisal attacks, it was gathered that several meetings have been held by the Ilaje youths and some elders.
While the elders were trying to calm frayed nerves, the youths were said to be spoiling for war and even seeking firepower to confront Ajah youths, who attacked them with all sorts of dangerous weapons, including guns. “We will fight back with anything,” said one of the youths. It was however, gathered that the traditional ruler of Ilaje community is making frantic efforts to avoid a reprisal attack, while police from divisions within the area are on standby to forestall possible breakdown of law and order. Meanwhile, it was gathered that Ajah youths are not taking anything for granted, as they are also mobilizing for possible attack.
They were said to be specifically angry over the fact that a traditional ruler of Ajah, Chief Muka Odugbese Abereoje, was arrested and taken to State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti. Spokesman of the family, Chief Fatai Ojulari, said the traditional chief was going to make peace when he was attacked by some Ilaje youths, but was later arrested by the police who claimed he was among instigators of the crisis. “We are writing a petition to that effect,” Ojulari said.
While the crisis was on, a traditional ruler, Chief Ojupon of Ajah, was attacked and only escaped death by the whiskers. Paramount ruler of Ajah, Olumegbon of Ajah, Fatai Lawal, is said to have travelled out of the country, but is in constant touch with home since the ugly development. “He is in touch with us since the incident happened,” said a source.
TheSun

Ayobami Oyalowo: The Grand Larceny called the Jonathan Government

A wise and frugal Government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.
~Thomas Jefferson

During the 2011 electioneering campaigns in Nigeria, there were three major contenders for the topmost job in the land, namely General Muhammadu Buhari of the CPC, Nuhu Ribadu of the ACN and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the PDP. Of the three , it was clear Jonathan Was going to win and it had nothing to do with his “excellent” antecedents or track records. It was solely based on sentiments and the power of incumbency. The Jonathan team had, from the outset, primed itself to play on our famous religious and ethnic sentiments. No wonder he was at the RCCG camp, where he knelt down unabashedly and was prayed for.
He didn’t stop at that, he constantly drummed it into the ears of anyone who cared to listen, that he had no shoes, as a boy, he had no enemies to fight and he was not going to rock any boat. Little did the hordes of cheering fans realize the poignant truth in his , “no fight” cry. Indeed Jonathan is everyone’s ‘Mr Nice Guy’, corruption inclusive.
From his antecedents, Jonathan is corruption personified and I say this without a tongue bridging my cheek. However, intellectual laziness has blinded most of us from researching his past. Here is a little snippet into the past of Mr. Jonathan, a creation of the corruption he unashamedly tells people that he is fighting: In 2006, he was indicted for false declaration of assets by a Joint Task Force (JTF) on corruption that was set up by Obasanjo’s government. That powerful panel was headed by Nuhu Ribadu, who was then chairman of the Economic and Financial CrimesCommission (EFCC).
The Joint Task Force said Mr Jonathan was in possession of illegally-acquired property such as homes and exotic cars, all of which he could not explain within his legitimate income. While he was invited for hearing, he claimed he bought them from his “savings”. Meanwhile, he was alecturer preceding his becoming a deputy governor. Kindly see for yourselves, the worth of the properties which were bought from Mr Jonathan’s ‘savings’: a seven-bedroom duplex worth N18 million at Otueke Ogbia LGA acquired in 2001; a four-bedroom duplex, valued at N15 million at Goodluck Jonathan Street, Yenegoa, acquired in 2003; and a five-bedroom duplex, at Citec Villas, Gwarimpa II – Abuja, valued at N25 million, also acquired in 2003. There were also two cars: a Lexus Jeep valued at N18 million; and a BMW 7351 Series worth N5.5 million. If you check the dates the purchases were made from 2001, it was just two years after GEJ became a deputy to a criminal governor, Alamyeisigha, convicted for fleecing Bayelsa state dry.
Since Jonathan became the president, it has been one sad tale of corruption after another. While previous governments have even pretended to wage a war against corruption, Mr. Jonathan on the other hand, has no room for such pretense or luxury. He romances and dines with corruption and the corrupt. The Malabu scam comes into mind. N155billion paid into fictitious companies with fake or unknown addresses. Yet not one person has been brought to book as we speak.
The ministry of finance recently published a list of about 27 companies who received subsidy payments, but to the consternation of right thinking Nigerians, Pinnacle Construction was on the list released by the ministry. Further investigations revealed that about N2.7billion had been paid to that same construction company as subsidy payment! Investigations also showed that the company was not even registered with the CAC.
Various probes and commissions of enquiries have at different times shown the grand larceny being superintended over by the powers that be. It gets more nauseating when one considers that the report of such probes have at various times being either discarded or deliberately rubbished using individuals of questionable integrity. Nigerians are regularly mocked by those in government– they see trillions being misappropriated and the scoundrels have not only gone scot free, they are either rewarded with board appointments, national honors or are frequent callers in Aso Rock, the Nigerian seat of power.
A recent Gallup poll showed that Nigeria is the second most corrupt country in the world. Also according to International audit firm KPMG, the cost of fraud in the first half of 2012 alone is $1.5bn (N225bn), the highest on the African continent. And that is only because they have no real idea of what is going on in government circles. While Nigeria is ranked third behind the USA and China in backlogs of orders for personal private jets, the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) asserted that our nation is the worst place to be born in 2013 due to deteriorating indicators of human security. What a damning submission!
The power conundrum is another avenue for the grand larceny being committed against Nigerians. Billions have been spent on power but all Nigerians can see is darkness. It is so bad that the president had to come on National TV to lie to Nigerians about generating 5,000 megawatts. With no visible improvement in our various homes, one can only conclude that the megawatts he quoted are only being generated in his dreams. A quick math will suffice: let us assume that at N97/litre, Nigerians effectively burn N5.66 billion annually, with the attendant environmental and the accompanying health hazard to boot. Using our elementary mathematics, in 29years, Nigerians would have spent N5.66trillion or $354billion. How much do we need to generate proper and clean energy? I would have asked some of our Government officials to tell us, but I guess they are busy chasing some “evil spirits” those in government believe are the cause of our blackout. How laughable?
A research shows that Dubai is building a 1000 MW solar power plant that should be operational by 2013. The planned facility would stretch 48 square kilometers along the Dubai-Al Ain road and cost 12 billion U.A.E. dirham ($3.27 billion) to construct. What is therefore required to give Nigerians 24 hours of power supply will cost $160 Billion. Now allow for country specific variables, fund-mismanagement and country-specific price disparity and add some $20 Billion more, then we would have not only solved our power needs but would manage to keep a savings of $174 Billion from the amount constantly burned per litre of PMS, from using generators.
Recently, Punch Newspaper reported that a staggering N5trillion or $31billion has been reportedly stolen by the Jonathan government. Let’s put this into perspective. If a person lives for 100 years, he would have to spend the sum of $310m dollars a year for an entire century – near a million dollars a day, (weekends inclusive) to finish it all. To put things in context, if one spends one hundred thousand naira daily, it will take about 53 years to spend one billion naira! A billion dollars is of course some 150 billion naira. You can go ahead and do the maths.
Imagine what that amount, N5trillion, could have done. According to an MoU signed by government earlier this year, 6 refineries would be constructed in modular forms within 30 months at a cost of $4.5bn. Each refinery would process 30,000 barrels of crude per day with an output of 5 million litres of gasoline. This means that with $31bn about 41 new refineries can be built and if we used professor Tam David-West analysis, Nigerians would be buying PMS at the cost of about N35-40/litre. In other words, we could have built world class hospitals, refurbished the moribund railways and generally made life more bearable and comfortable for the generality of Nigerians.
But all the above will remain a pipe dream as long as the Jonathan government and his over bloated cabinet continue to fleece the country and fritter away her commonwealth. The government of Jonathan, going by the Punch newspaper revelation, is stealing an incredulous $1billion monthly. This is the same government that wants Nigerians to “sacrifice” to make the country better. The same government wants Nigerians to buy PMS at the cost of N140-150/litre. So that they can have more money for “capital and infrastructural” development. Who is fooling whom?
The larceny committed against Nigerians by this government, would have, in some climes, in the far east, earned the bare-faced looters the death penalty. But as it were, it is business as usual. It will be advisable for the Jonathan led government to heed wise counsel. Nobody hates Jonathan( and I say this because his hired goons and ‘voltrons’ sadly feed him this impression daily) . But a man who superintends over such monumental thievery is not only worthy of opprobrium, he must also be extremely callous and unconscionable to assume that all should be well.
The government must be told in no uncertain terms, that enough is enough. The stealing and gang raping of Nigerians and its resources is no longer sustainable. The facts on ground lead to this submission: this government is corrupt and lacks empathy. The government of Jonathan must reverse the trend and curb the massive looting being perpetrated by it’s officials and agents. Since the coming into power of Mr. Jonathan, Nigeria has become one big SUPERHIGHWAY of corruption, with the president unashamedly directing the traffic.
Until they stop stealing, we will not stop screaming. Not only shall we vehemently reject the proposed ungodly official increment in the cost of PMS all in the guise of deregulation or subsidy removal, we shall fight against it with the last drop of our blood. No longer shall it be said of Nigerians: “monkey dey work, baboon, dey chop.” Mr. Jonathan. Kill corruption, not Nigerians!!!
DailyPost

Unknown Gunmen Abduct Benin Businessman

Unknown gunmen on Friday evening abducted electronic magnate, Uyi Oloton, popularly known as Uyi Technical just some hours after a renowned Benin-based Estate Manager, Dan Odiete was kidnapped in the city.
The gunmen reports say laid siege on his Mission-Road office and attacked him around 6 pm.
The resurgence of kidnapping and violent armed robbery in recent times is raising fear in the people of the state as the Yuletide season approaches.
Mr. Oloton who is also a major dealer of KIA Motors, who usually close for work at 5 pm was said to have closed at about 6 pm.
Efforts by the two police aides attached to Mr. Oloton could not save him as they succumbed to the superior fire power of the gunmen who killed one of the policemen on the spot.
A sales girl in one of the electronic stores opposite Uyi Technical who gave her name simply as Amaka, told newsmen that the abductors shot sporadically into the air to forestall any resistance, adding that the resistance put up by the two police orderly could not withstand the superior fire power of the hoodlums who killed one of the policemen on the spot.
“When we first heard the gunshots, we mistook it for knockouts. It was when we came out we saw the kidnappers exchanging fire with the policemen guarding the man. One of them died on the spot, and one of his sales girls was shot on the leg,” Amaka said.
According to her, Mr Oloton was whisked away in a red Honda Sport Utility Vehicle.
A resident of Mission Road lamented that Benin City has suddenly come under siege by kidnappers and armed robbers, adding “these crimes were drastically reduced when Olayinka Balogun was in charge as Commissioner of police. But soon after he left, kidnappers appear to be let loose again.”
InformationNigeria.org

A Sad Loss… Pregnant Woman Dies in Hospital Over Husband’s Inability to Pay N20,000 Deposit

By Adeola Adeyemo

The practice of asking for a cash deposit in hospitals before administering treatment and the inability to pay the requested amount has been the sad cause of death of several patients. In Port Harcourt, something similar occurred recently when a lady, pregnant with her first child, died over her husband’s inability to pay the requested deposit.

PM News reports that on November 25th 2012, a 34 year old woman, Ijeoma Umumadumere, was rushed to the  Garrison Clinic in Port Harcourt when she complained of a sudden stomach pain and headache, while cooking.  She was five-months pregnant.

At the hospital, doctors insisted her husband must pay N20,000 before she was treated. However, he had only N5,000 on him and used it to  offset registration and other costs. But the doctors and nurses would not attend to his wife because he didn’t pay the N20,000 that was being demanded as a precondition for treatment. When he realised the doctors were not going to attend to his wife, he took her to another hospital but sadly, it was too late and she died.

The anger and frustration over her death was expressed by her brother, Uzoma Ahamefule who wrote a heartfelt letter to PM News. In the letter, Uzoma who lives in Austria said he couldn’t understand why doctors in a Nigerian hospital could have treated his sister that way.

“Her husband begged the doctor and the nurses to attend to her since they had collected about N5, 000 he had in his pocket in the name of registration and other little things while he would go home and bring money. He had also told them that because of the nature of the emergency and the way his wife had been shouting while on the ground that his mind had only been pre-occupied with the thoughts of rushing her to any nearby hospital and had not thought of money or any other thing as he had even forgotten to put on shoes, but all his pleading and explanations to the doctor and the nurses had fallen onto deaf ears. With her pains increasing and death knocking and the doctor and the nurses refusing to understand, there was no way he could have left her there unattended, to go home and bring money. He took her and headed to another hospital, but unfortunately my sister did not make it as the damage had already been done before the doctors in that second hospital could do something reasonable to save her life.”

“What a country, what a failure and what a loss! This is a sad story of the sorry state of the Nigerian health policy, how Nigerians are heartlessly and carelessly neglected because of money by doctors and nurses to die in hospitals, and how I lost my sister to a failed system.”

In a lot of private and public hospitals in Nigeria, this sort of deposit is usually demanded even in cases of emergency. Doctors and nurses would refuse to attend to a patient until the money is paid. In the event that this money is unavailable, the patient lies in pain and his or her health suffers.

Her death is really sad and calls for a discussion on this practice. What can be done to ensure that in our hospitals, the life of a patient is taken as priority? We understand that in most cases, the hospitals are trying to prevent a situation whereby a patient would be treated and they won’t get paid for the services rendered, however, losing a life over N20,000 is inexcusable. Are the doctors not obligated to render their services in emergency cases or is this a proper medical practice?

Let’s discuss.
BellaNaija

Power Intoxication: Rochas Okorocha’s ADC beat mobile policeman unconscious

inShare

by Isi Esene
A mobile police officer attached to the state government house in Imo got a beating of his life from the governor’s aide-de-camp  (ADC) for allegedly delaying opening the gate for the governor’s convoy.
The ADC to Governor Rochas Okorocha, identified as Omo Gabriel, with the help of two other police officers were said to have beaten the victim to a state of unconsciousness around 12:30am on Saturday.
The mobile policeman, Corporal Itere Ewedor, was said to have been on duty at the security post when the governor’s convoy drove in from an event to celebrate the state’s first lady’s birthday.
According to David Edhie, who claims to be a friend of the victim: “When the governor’s convoy got to the gate, the men of the civil defence corps and members of the Imo orientation corps, who were supposed to open the gate, were not around. So, there was a delay. Then my friend went to open the gate.
“When the convoy drove in, the ADC and some other police officers came down and asked him why he delayed. They wanted to collect his gun, but he refused. So, they started beating him. They beat him until he became unconscious, with bruises all over his face and parts of his body.”
After the assault on the mobile police officer, Gabriel reportedly took the victim to Shell Camp Police Station and requested that he be detained.
Edhie said, “The police officers at the station refused. They said they could not detain someone that was dying. Then Gabriel made arrangements for Ewedor to be taken to the Federal Medical Centre Owerri, where he was admitted. After sometime, he regained consciousness.”
He was discharged from the hospital around 5pm on Saturday.
The incident was, however, denied by the state commissioner for information and senior special adviser to the governor on media, Chinedu Offor.
He said, “The ADC to Governor Okorocha is a true professional, there is no way he could have descended so low to physically assault somebody. In order not to scare people away, we use men of the civil defence corps at the gate. We don’t use policemen at the gates of the government house.
So, if anybody says a policeman was beaten up for refusing to open the gate, it is false. I was at the government house around 12:30am. Such a thing never happened.”
YNaija.com