Chibok Girls: "If Obama can find Osama then Jonathan can find the girls' says Oby Ezekwesili

The campaigner for the "BringBackOurGirls" Oby Ezekwesili have said that the chibok girls can still be find if the government is willing and steadfast.
Furthermore, she said since Obama find Osama then Goodluck Jonathan can find those girls.

Suleiman Abba sacked, Solomon Arase in

Police chief Suleiman Abba lost his job yesterday, becoming the first major casualty of President Goodluck Jonathan’s electoral loss. He was immediately replaced by Mr. Solomon Arase.
No reason was given for Inspector-General Abba’s sack.
It was learnt last Saturday that Dr. Jonathan was under pressure to give Abba the boot—for alleged security and protocol breaches.
A statement signed by presidential spokesman Dr. Reuben Abati said: “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has relieved the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba of his appointment and duties with immediate effect.
“President Jonathan has also appointed Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase as Acting Inspector-General of Police, also with immediate effect.
“Until his appointment as Mr. Abba’s replacement, Mr. Arase was the Head of the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.
“Mr. Arase holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law, as well as  Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Political Science and Strategic Studies.
“He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence College.”
Presidency sources said First Lady Patience Jonathan played a pivotal role in the events leading to Abba’s sack.
Abba, it was learnt, had earlier been summoned by the President to defend himself against allegations by some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders and security chiefs regarding his role during the March 28 and April 11 elections.
Abba got the push because he rebuffed a presidential directive to make some “strategic moves” that would have favoured the ruling party in the two elections, the sources said.
One of them specifically mentioned Abba’s reluctance to redeploy the Assistant Inspector General in charge of Zone 6 Tunde Ogunsakin, from Rivers State to Cross River on the eve of the gubernatorial and Houses of Assembly elections.
The aim, it was gathered, was to enable the ruling party perfect what was described as its ectoral heist in some states in the Southsouth.
A source said when it became apparent that Abba was “using delay tactics” in carrying out the order, the First Lady, who was with some of her aides in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, instead of Bayelsa State where the President had gone to vote, called  Dr. Jonathan demanded an immediate implementation of the directive, it was said.
Miffed by what she considered to be an affront, said the source, the First Lady said Abba would regret his tardiness.
Said the source: “I can categorically tell you that Abba would have saved his job but for what happened on the eve of the governorship election when we were in Port Harcourt. Could you believe that despite an initial signal from the authorities that Ogunsakin should be moved to Calabar, Abba was playing games with the directives? He was apparently not in the mood to comply. The President had to call him directly before the order was carried out, following a complaint made to him by the First Lady.
“I am also aware that the authorities are not happy with his conduct during the presidential election, especially his seeming closeness to the president-elect and his presence at presentation of Certificate of Return to Gen. Buhari in Abuja.
He would have been allowed to stay on till the inauguration of the new government but for ignoring the wishes of the wife of the President.”
Asked if Abba explained his alleged reluctance to obey the order when he was summoned, the source said it would not have mattered as the President considered his action an act of disloyalty to constituted authority.
He said some of the security chiefs had also complained about Abba’s aloofness and “uncooperative attitude” during the presidential election in which he allegedly told his officers, including Assistant Inspectors-General (AIGs) and Deputy Inspectors-General (DIGs), to obey only orders emanating from his office.
Another source said Abba’s conduct since Buhari was elected showed evidence of disloyalty.
He was said to be behaving as if Jonathan’s tenure was over without minding the transition in place.
“His behaviour, especially his appearance at the presentation of certificate to Buhari, was described as ‘officially intolerable’,” the source said.
“There was no evidence that Abba was officially invited to the ceremony by INEC chairman to have warranted his presence. The Presidency felt he brazenly slighted the president and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“By shifting loyalty to the  president-elect, the IGP was alleged by the Presidency to have exposed other Service Chiefs’ careers to a ‘grave risk’ as it would appear to the President-elect as if they are disloyal.
“Jonathan was displeased that the IGP did not show much commitment to the team spirit with which all Service Chiefs went into the just-concluded general elections.
“By the sack, Jonathan offered to show Abba the exit way to prevent him from benefiting from any restructuring by the new administration.”
Responding to a question, the source added: “The sack of Abba was not about refusal to act a script during the general election because the President was magnanimous to concede defeat but it was sheer lack of loyalty to the system.
“Why will the IGP chart a partisan course? No government can condone this.”
Another source, who spoke in confidence, said the leakage of the redeployment of AIG Tunde Ogunsakin from Rivers State angered the President.
The source said: “When there was security alarm from Rivers State on the eve of April 11 governorship poll, the President invited IGP Abba to compare security notes. The interaction was only witnessed by the Special Adviser to the President on Domestic Affairs, Dr. Dudafa.
“It was shocking for the President to read about a ‘presidential directive’ in some newspapers on the redeployment of Ogunsakin.
“The President was taken aback and he asked who could have leaked the information to the press. Neither Abba nor Dudafa claimed responsibility for the leakage.”
It was gathered that the President decided to wield the stick to prove that he is not “ a weak leader”.
A source said: “The President initially chose to ignore Abba but he changed his mind to show that he is not a weakling.
“And Jonathan has demanded loyalty from all Service Chiefs  till he leaves office on May 29.”

Xenophobic: FG directs Nigerians to remain indoors in S’African over attacks

Foreign Minister Aminu Wali

Nigerians resident in South Africa have been directed by the Federal Government to remain indoors up until the ongoing xenophobic attacks in the country are put under control.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of a meeting he attended at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the directive was communicated to them by Nigeria’s mission in Pretoria.

The minister said,   “With the discussions I have been having with Nigeria’s Head of Mission in Pretoria, no Nigerian has so far been affected.

“They informed me that they have called members of the Nigerian community and addressed them and told them to close their shops, stay at home and keep out of trouble and obey the laws of South Africa.

“They have also confirmed that the South African authorities have moved in to take actions that would forestall any further disturbance in that country.”

Wali however said the government would not hesitate to evacuate Nigerians from the country if the situation worsened.

He said, “If it (the situation) gets worse, it is the duty of our country to make sure our people are brought back and we are taking that duty seriously. We are not prepared to allow any of our nationals to be subjected to such inhuman treatment.

“We are not being reactionary because this is happening to all foreigners, not Nigerians alone. We are monitoring the situation and will now take action according to the situation that develops.”

On the investigation ordered by the President on the recent diplomatic row between Nigeria and Morocco over the reported telephone conversation   between Jonathan   and King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Wali simply said, “We are still at it.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later issued a statement in which it called on the South Africa government to stop the attacks and put in place measures to   “prevent a reoccurrence. “Condemning the attacks which began two weeks ago,   it said Nigeria abhorred violence and also “stands firm in its conviction that no cause could justify taking innocent souls.”

The statement read in part, “The people and government of Nigeria stand in solidarity with the rest of the world to condemn these unprovoked attacks on fellow Africans who have left their countries to seek greener pastures and better livelihood for themselves.

“The government of Nigeria would like to use this medium to reiterate its abhorrence of violence and … therefore calls on the government of South Africa to live up to its responsibilities and take all necessary steps to stop the ongoing xenophobic attacks.

“It is gratifying to note, however, that the a South African President(Jacob Zuma) has condemned the attack. In addition, the city of Durban has also organised rallies against xenophobia.”

Also in Abuja, the   House of Representatives   asked the government to recall Nigeria’s Ambassador     for “consultations “over the widespread attacks and killing of non-South African blacks.

A motion debated by the members of the House in Abuja, highlighted the plight of African migrants in South Africa, whom they said were being “slaughtered like animals” by black South Africans.

The motion stressed that Nigerians were among the victims.

The House specifically requested South African President, Jacob Zuma, to immediately investigate the attacks and punish those responsible.

The motion was sponsored by the Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora Affairs,   Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

“Nigeria frowns on the spate of killings of Nigerians in South Africa and requests President Zuma to investigate the cases and bring the perpetrators to justice”, the motion stated.

Dabiri-Erewa noted that though Nigerians had suffered xenophobic attacks in the past in South Africa, the latest cases were ignited by comments credited to the Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini, who had reportedly asked migrant Africans to return to their countries of origin.

The motion read further, “The House notes sadly that the recent attacks which have left many dead, businesses and shops vandalised, many beaten up mercilessly, were incited by a statement allegedly made by South African Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini, who told African migrants to go home as they are no longer welcomed in South Africa.

“Son of President Zuma, Edward, allegedly echoed the same statement. This ignited a strong debate, and worse still, immediate backlash of violent reactions among the Zulus in Kwazulu, who unleashed terror on foreign immigrants, including Nigerians in Jo-bourg, Durban and Pretoria.

“They steal, break into their homes, businesses, take their properties, killing them.

“At least five have been killed in Durban, hundreds stranded and unable to return home.”

Many members, who contributed to the debate, expressed sadness over the turn of events in South Africa.

They recalled with pain, the sacrifices Nigeria made to free South Africa from the clutches of apartheid.

“What is happening in South Africa is a demonstration of the shortness of their memory,” a member from Enugu State,   Tobi Okechukwu, said.

Another lawmaker,   Abubakar Momoh,   advised South Africans to turn their anger against those who oppressed them in the apartheid era and not fellow Africans, who gave so much to secure their freedom.

The motion was passed in a unanimous voice vote at Thursday’s session, which was presided over by the Speaker,   Aminu Tambuwal.

A Nigerian based in South Africa on Thursday stress  that the South African Government was secretly promoting the   attacks on black Africans in their country.

“It’s horrendous. The government is secretly gingering them. The government wants all   illegal immigrants to be driven away but it went out of proportion. But our people are prepared. We are not running away.”

Kidnapping is our family business says nanny who abducted three kids

The nanny, who kidnapped three children in the Surulere area of Lagos State, has said her husband, Waheed Kareem, is the mastermind of the kidnap.

She added that Kareem was the head of a kidnap ring that involved some members of his family. It was gathered that Kareem escaped arrest.

The nanny, who adopted a pseudonym, Mary Akinloye, to deceive the Orekoyas, confessed that her actual name was Funmilayo Adeyemi, a 35-year-old indigene of Osun State.

As earlier reported that the Orekoyas had posted on OLX, an online sales portal, saying they needed a nanny for their children.

The suspect was said to have contacted the family and was employed immediately.

Barely 24 hours after she was employed, the nanny abducted three children of the family – Aderomola (11 months), Adedamola (4 years) and Demola (6 years).

Our correspondent reported that N15m ransom was initially demanded from the family, which was later reduced to N13 after much appeal by the victims’ mother.

As earlier reported that the family paid an undisclosed amount of money into the bank account of the kidnappers before the children were released on Tuesday.

On Thursday, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Kayode Aderanti, announced that the nanny had been arrested.

She was paraded at the Lagos State Police Command Headquatres in Ikeja.

The suspect told our correspondent that it was the second time she would be abducting kids in the state.

She confessed to have been responsible for the kidnap of two kids– Rapheal and Michael – in the Magodo area of Lagos State.

Adeyemi said her husband, four children and she were formerly living in the Ajah area of Lagos State, but relocated to Shasha to evade arrest after kidnapping the Magodo boys.

Adeyemi claimed that the victims’ parents paid N2m, adding that she was paid N30,000 by her husband.

She said she was contacted for maid jobs through her brother-in-law and his wife, who were always online to track posts.

On how she kidnapped the Orekoya children, she said, “On Wednesday, their father and mother went to work. I put the little one on my back, while I held the others by the hands, telling them that I wanted to buy them something. We boarded a vehicle to Ojuelegba and from there; I took another bus to Iyana Ipaja and contacted my husband.

“I took them home, where they stayed with me in one of the rooms. I bought cereal for the 11-months-old baby; he was always fed with pap at his mother’s place. I gave the others normal food. They always watch cartoon on the television; they never missed home.

“My husband told me that he wanted to collect a token from the parents, but the following day, I found out that the kidnappers demanded N15m.

“I challenged my husband for asking for such a big sum. He said I should shut up because I had already fulfilled my part and that it was time for them to do theirs. Later, I heard in the news that he had reduced it to N13m.”

The 35-year-old said she did not feel any remorse for her action until she saw the victims’ mother weeping on a national television.

She said she begged her husband to release the kids.

“But my husband said he would not release the kids until he collected the money. Later, he told me they had paid the money,” she added.

It was learnt that the kidnap gang consisted of four people– Adeyemi’s brother-in-law, Hakeem Kareem; her husband, Waheed Kareem; her sister-in-law, Ajoke Oseni, and herself.

She said when the police arrested her, she was at a fan repairer’s workshop, adding that her husband saw them taking her away and fled.

Adeyemi said she was a victim of bad marriage, advising parents to always investigate on the kind of man their daughters intended to marry.

She appealed to the Orekoya family to forgive her of her wrongs.

She said, “Mummy Damola, don’t be offended at what I have done. This is what bad marriage did to me. I only delivered the message of my husband.”

It was learnt that when the police arrested the suspect, a 16-year-old girl, Henrietta Odili, was equally apprehended.

Odili, an indigene of Delta State was said to be living with an uncle in Benin, when she saw a post on OLX that the gang needed a maid.

Odili, a Senior Secondary School pupil, told our correspondent that she ran away from home to work with the group and she was overwhelmed by the love they showed her.

She said, “I met this woman (Adeyemi) through OLX. I was searching for a job online when I saw that she needed a maid and I decided to work with her. When I got to their place in Lagos, they took my phone and said they would return it after one month. But they never did until after two months. When they returned it, they had removed my SIM card. I observed that all their things were done in secrecy.”

Asked if she saw the Orekoya kids when they were kidnapped, she said Adeyemi told her they were children of a popular artiste, Waje.

She said, “When she brought the first two kids– Michael and Rapheal – she said they were her family members and were on holiday.

“She told me that the new boys were Waje’s children and their mother asked her to take care of them. I never suspected I was living with kidnappers.

“But yesterday (Wednesday), we went to visit somebody. I just noticed she started running and I ran with her. The police caught up with us and said she was a kidnapper, and I was a suspect.”

The Commissioner of Police said the police got the suspect by tracking her telephone line.

He said, “Upon the rescue of the kids, I gave the directive that she should be arrested. We tracked her down through her phone, using the technological tools at our disposal. We arrested her at Shasha, where the children were rescued.

“Initially she denied that she was involved in the kidnap. But eventually she opened up. We are in hot pursuit of others and we will get them soon.”

Aderanti advised parents and guardians not to be in a hurry to employ house helps without doing background checks on them.”

When our correspondent visited the residence of the Orekoyas on Lawanson Road, he met the family in a joyous mood.

The children were seen playing around the house.

On their experience, one of the children, Demola, said, “Our aunty took us to our new house. She gave us bread, indomie and rice. They put us in a bag, like the one they put rice in, and put us inside the car.”

Their mother, Adebisi, said despite the criticism that had trailed her decision to hire a nanny on OLX, she did not think she was wrong.

She said by employing a nanny, she was also creating a job.

Their father, Leke, refused to disclose the amount paid to the kidnappers.

Xenophobic: Attack on shops owned by other Black Africans continue in South Africa

Despite the global condemnation over the recent Xenophobic attacks in South Africa on African migrants, Eastern Johannesburg yesterday night into the early hours of this morning recorded fresh attacks on shops owned by foreigners while a car and a building believed to be owned by a foreigner was set ablaze.

Over 200 foreigners had to run to the Gauteng province Police station where they are now taking refuge. 12 of the South Africans who carried out the attack have been arrested and according to the police, they will be charged to court. Meanwhile most shops owned by foreigners are still under lock and key as they wait for the South African government to bring the situation under control.

Plot to abduct Jega during presidential poll revealed

Fresh facts have emerged on the March 31 attempt by a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, to scuttle the announcement of the March 28 presidential election results.

The main part of Orubebe’s action, according to Reuters on Thursday, was a plot to use hired thugs     to kidnap the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and consequently stall the electoral process.

The news agency quoted unnamed pro-democracy advocates and a Nigeria-based diplomat as saying that one of Jega’s aides unearthed the plot.

It said that the aide had sent a text message to an independent voting monitor, “warning of an imminent threat to the electoral process.”

Reuters said it pieced the information together from the text message, events on the ground during the announcement of the results and interviews with pro-democracy advocates and diplomats in   Abuja.

It added that when the independent voting monitor sent the SMS, he hoped the outside world would hear of the plot and the text of the message .

“Fellow countrymen, Nigeria on Trial,” read the SMS sent on the morning of March 31 to the head of the Situation Room, an Abuja-based coalition of human rights groups and pro-democracy advocates monitoring the elections.

“Plans are on storm [sic] the podium at the ICC Collation Centre and disrupt the process. Nobody is sue [sic] what will happen. Please share this as widely as possible,” the text read further.

At that moment,   Jega was about to preside over the announcement of the results.

As tallies from around the country showed that the All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, was leading, “unidentified PDP(Peoples Democratic Party) hard-liners started to panic, seeking ways of manipulating the count,” the boss of the Situation Room and the diplomat said, citing political contacts in the Niger Delta and Abuja.

Realising they could not engineer an outright win,   the PDP agents set about doctoring the tally at collation centres in pro- (Goodluck) Jonathan areas to ensure Buhari failed to meet a requirement for 25 per cent support in two-thirds of the states, the head of the Situation Room said, citing reports from election monitors on the ground.

Reuters said its reporter witnessed and photographed one tally list in Port Harcourt, Rivers State with suspiciously similar totals for registered voters at polling stations: 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 450.

In another tally centre in the city, 17,594 valid votes were recorded out of a registered voter population of 11,757, the Reuters reporter said.

Foreign election observers also noted the peculiarities – and contacted diplomats in Abuja who called in international intervention.

The United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, and his British counterpart, Philip Hammond, who were in Switzerland for talks on Iran – issued a tough statement saying vote counting “may be subject to deliberate political interference.”

But   as Buhari’s lead grew, some PDP supporters from the Niger Delta, including Orubebe, decided on a final gamble: to create a disturbance in the main INEC hall and have “thugs snatch Jega from the stage, Reuters quoted the Head of the Situation Room and the Abuja-based diplomat.

What the group planned to do after the abduction was unclear, they   said.

“It was a desperate thing, mostly by a group of people from the Niger Delta who were in the room,” the Situation Room head said, describing events that unfolded publicly in the minutes after he received the SMS.

When Jega opened proceedings on the morning of March 31, Orubebe had grabbed a microphone and launched into an 11-minute tirade accusing Jega of bias.

“Mr. chairman, we have lost confidence in you,” he shouted, pushing away officials trying to make him surrender the microphone. “You are being very, very selective. You are partial,” he continued, surrounded by three or four supporters. “You are tribalistic. We cannot take it.”

At this point, according to the Head of the Situation Room and the diplomat, Jega’s security details were approached by unidentified individuals telling them to stand down but they declined.

“Some of the guards who had been guarding Jega for years demanded a written order,” the Head of the Situation Room said.

Jega later rebuked Orubebe, saying, “Let us not disrupt a process that has ended peacefully,” he said as Orubebe slumped in his chair.

“Mr. Orubebe, you are a former minister of the Federal Republic. You are a statesman in your own right. You should be careful about what you say or about what allegations you make,” he said.

Orubebe later congratulated Buhari on Twitter, expressing his “apologies to fellow Nigerians.”

Orubebe did not respond to requests by the news agency for comment on the details of the plot.

INEC, said the news agency,   also declined to comment and turned down requests for an interview with Jega,

   Reuters however said it found no evidence to suggest that Jonathan, who accepted defeat in the election, was involved in the plot.

The Chief Press Secretary to the chairman of the commission,   Kayode Idowu, told our correspondent that he was not aware of the alleged plot to kidnap Jega.

Idowu said, “I think somebody is imagining here. The chairman was not aware of any such plan, he didn’t conduct any investigation to know that. He was not under such threat during or after the announcement.’’

TIME names Buhari, Ezekwesili, Adichie, Shekau 100 most influential in 2015

President-elect Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has made the TIME’s list of 100 most influential people in the world.
Also included in the 2015 list are the advocate of the Bring Back Our Girls Group, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili; award-winning novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, and leader of the Boko Haram terrorist group, Abubakar Shekau.
The TIME 100 is an annual list of 100 most influential people in the world whose works are changing the world, regardless of the consequences of their actions.
Described as “a new choice for Nigeria,” TIME’s Africa Bureau Chief, Aryn Baker, said Buhari made history in March by becoming the first candidate to oust a sitting Nigerian President through the ballot box.
“Now he has to live up to voters’ expectations. From battling the Boko Haram insurgency to tackling endemic corruption, Buhari has many challenges ahead. The greatest may be overcoming his past as a military ruler, who seized power in 1983.
“Already the born-again democrat is demonstrating the inclusivity necessary to lead a nation driven by ethnic and religious tension. It’s a promising start for a President-to-be, who wants to leave a legacy to match the historic conditions of his election,” Baker noted.
Renowned Ugandan activist, Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, said of Ezekwesili, “It has been a year, and the girls(Chibok girls) haven’t been rescued, but she has made a difference by speaking about it. Not just speaking but shouting. I know some people will say she is too loudmouthed. The loud mouth is needed. People hear it.”
Adichie was also described as “conjurer of character” by the deputy Managing Director of TIME, Radhika Jones.
“It’s the rare novelist, who in the space of a year finds her words sampled by Beyoncé, optioned by Lupita Nyong’o and honoured with the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction,” she said.
The last Nigerian to make the list is Shekau. Described as the “scourge of Africa” by General Carter Ham(retd.), a former Commander of US Africa Command from 2011 to 2013.
Ham said Shekau was the “most violent killer” Nigeria (and Africa) had ever seen.
Shekau took over the Boko Haram group in 2009 after the group had been weakened by the Nigerian military.