We Will Ensure Transparent Management of The Funds- FG

The federal government yesterday recovered $311.7 million Abacha loot from the United States of America and the Bailiwick of Jersey.

The cash drawdown, which was confirmed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, forms part three of the cash stashed away by the former Nigerian head of state, Sani Abacha.

According to the AGF, the total cash haul amounted to $311,797,866.11, slightly higher than the original sum of $308million negotiated and agreed among the three states in the deal which was announced by his office on February 3.

READ ALSO, Nigeria Faces High Risk of Venezuelan, Zimbabwean Crisis- Utomi

The said  additional $3.7 million was the interest that accrued from February 3 to April 28, 2020 when the fund was transferred to the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Malami acknowledged in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Garba, that the litigation process for the return of the assets, entitled “Abacha III” commenced in 2014, while the diplomatic process that culminated in the signing of the Asset Return Agreement on February 3, 2020 by the federal governent, United States of America and the Bailiwick of Jersey, commenced in 2018.

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The statement read: “This Agreement is based on international law and cooperation measures that set out the procedures for the repatriation, transfer, disposition and management of the assets.  ‘’The recovery effort further consolidates on the established record of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government, which has a history of recovery of $322m from Switzerland, in 2018, which is being transparently and judiciously deployed in supporting indigent Nigerians as specified in the agreement signed with Switzerland and the World Bank.

‘’The Justice Minister, who led the negotiation team, noted that the tripartite agreement and the process towards the implementation represents a major watershed in International Asset Recovery and Repatriation as it seeks to provide benefit to the victims of corruption.

“In line with the 2020 Asset Return Agreement, the fund has been transferred to a Central Bank of Nigeria Asset Recovery designated account and would be paid to the National Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA, within the next fourteen days.  ‘’The NSIA is responsible for the management and execution of the projects to which the funds will be applied.’’

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Malami said the federal government has committed itself to the fact that the assets would support and assist in expediting the construction of three major infrastructure projects across Nigeria, namely the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, Abuja – Kano Road, and The Second Niger Bridge.

He said the government was in the process of establishing a project monitoring team to oversee the implementation of the projects and report regularly on progress made to the public. To ensure transparent management of the returned assets, the federal government will also engage a Civil Society Organisation with combined expertise in substantial infrastructure projects, civil engineering, anti-corruption compliance, anti-human trafficking compliance, and procurement to provide additional monitoring and oversight.

It will be recalled that the recovered funds were laundered through the U.S. banking system and then held in bank accounts in the Bailiwick of Jersey.

In 2014, a U.S. Federal Court in Washington D.C. forfeited the money as property involved in the illicit laundering of the proceeds of corruption arising in Nigeria during the period from 1993 to 1998 when General Abacha was Head of State.

In 2017, the federal government filed a case in the Bailiwick of Jersey to assert its authority as the owner of these funds and as the victim of the action of General Abacha.

The minister pledged that the Federal Government would ensure that the returned assets were transparently managed.

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Nigeria Recovers $311.7m Abacha Loot from US, Jersey

According to renowned economist, Professor Pat Utomi, Nigeria may just have saved itself from experiencing a Venezuelan, Zimbabwean crisis and a return to tough times in 1984 by seeking a $3.4 billion emergency funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Professor said Nigeria was at such a crisis stage that it needed to keep borrowing to pay its dues, keep up with international transactions and have a running economy.

But for borrowing, he noted that the nation was on a downward spiral, on its way to experience the Zimbabwean situation of a dollar being equivalent to N1,000, a Venezuelan crisis of hyperinflation, escalating starvation, crime and mortality rates and a return to 1984 where Nigerians had to be on long queues to purchase essential commodities.

READ ALSO, Disaster Averted As Tankers Collide in Lagos

He attributed the current situation of Nigeria “begging” to borrow to the failure of the Nigerian government over the years to save money in a Sovereign Wealth Fund, but rather governors asking for more money from oil revenues as they come in.

Utomi noted that the nation’s economy sank into its current crisis as a result of lack of foresight of the nation’s leaders, maladministration, too many bad judgements, the penchant for free cash from oil and lack of conscious efforts to move the economy away from dependence on oil.

Notwithstanding the current compulsion to borrow, Utomi said it was imperative for the nation to be disciplined in utilizing the loan by cutting down on an over-bloated government.

“Borrowing is a complex issue. It is not good or bad; it is a matter of survival. Where you are, you can’t function at all, so you have to find something to keep you running.

“The reason the IMF was created is to respond to this kind of crisis. Every member of the IMF has shares there, of course, some have more than others. From those monies, the IMF has this special drawing right from which they can help the struggling ones.

“When you get an adjustment loan from the IMF, you get certain conditions or behaviour. It’s those conditionalities that made the IMF very unpopular in the 70s when many war countries ran into structural problems. Nigeria ran into trouble, exactly in this same kind of situation that we have today.

“For two weeks in 1982, Nigeria could not sell one single barrel of crude oil and we ran into the kind of crisis we are having today and Nigeria needed to run to the IMF.

“There is a stage where you can’t help but borrow. You don’t have a choice right now. If you don’t borrow any money right now, you are dead as a country because you can’t pay for any of your dues, international transactions then you get to where Venezuela is; which is where we were in 1984 where you can’t find sugar, milk on the shelves. Back then in 1984, people were on a one-mile long in Lagos to buy one packet of sugar or essential commodities called essenco. Not to get there, you need to go through this kind of loans.

“But if you just get this kind of loan and you don’t get to the discipline of cutting the cost of government, cutting our coat according to our cloth, then we can go into a downward spiral, the kind of thing that Zimbabwe went through that at a point in time, what was one Zimbabwean dollar became equivalent to about one billion.

“What we have currently is an over-bloated government in which people pursue plunder economic rents in a matter that is preventing the ability to build an economy that is sustainable.

“If we don’t get this kind of loans to shore things up, the naira will get to about to a thousand,” Utomi said.

Amid post-COVID-19 consequences on the nation’s economy, Utomi said the current pandemic again offered the nation an opportunity to diversify away from its dependence on oil. This, he said should be done by the nation focusing on planning and identifying natural endowments which the nation is naturally competitive in and has a latent comparative advantage.

He particularly noted that the nation should focus on diversifying to agriculture to guarantee food security for the nation and provide millions of job for Nigerians. With businesses bound to experience shocks imposed upon them by COVID-19, he urged the government to trim down an over-bloated government to have an effective economy.

“This COVID-19 offers us an opportunity to diversify away from our dependence from oil. We need to do some planning, not in the communist centralized planning sense but we need to ask where are we going and how do we get there.

“My approach, through the years, is that we look to our latent comparative advantage, that is to say, we take a look at our natural endowments, where we are competitive naturally in. You can go to cassava, plantain, sesame seeds, cocoa and therefore say we want to dominate the global value chain in those areas.

“Very often, you hear people say that the most redundant line in Nigeria’s budget speeches is, 'Nigeria is committed to restructuring away from its monocultural dependence on crude oil.'

Yet, at the end of every year, you will see that absolutely nothing of significance was done to consciously move the Nigerian economy away from this dependence.

The reason is that we have a lazy political class, whether soldiers or civilians, who see government simply as the terrain of plunder where they can go and make hay rather than where they can build immortality of their names in history as nation builders. So, they really have lacked the discipline to pursue this course.

“So, instead of feeling pity, I feel the joy that this may cause us to rethink everything and as we do this, we must come to the fact that we need to have a lean and trim but effective government.

“Sometime last year, it was clear that Nigeria was going into a triple shock scenario. The first shock was from an increasing loss of confidence in Nigeria as an investment destination.

“You will recall late last year a Forbes magazine assessment that said Nigeria was a money-losing machine, that is, if you want to lose money, invest in Nigeria and it was really an attack on the regulatory risk of doing business in Nigeria. Government is the biggest problem of doing business in Nigeria.

“There was also the shock of oil prices already dropping before COVID-19 that by the time they were announcing the budget for 2020, oil prices were already below the projected price. And then, there is this story going around in Wuhan that there is something called coronavirus and it had the potential for a pandemic.

“In the middle of all of this going on that our economy was going to shut down, the National Assembly votes to buy themselves new luxury cars. In any normal country, they will stone such people in streets but we are not a normal country and the quality of our political class is poor,” Utomi said.

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Nigeria Faces High Risk of Venezuelan, Zimbabwean Crisis- Utomi

A potential major fire outbreak was averted on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, this morning, when two petroleum tankers collided and fell on their sides, discharging their contents.

The incident occurred on Otedola Bridge inward Berger, around 7am as both tankers were reportedly on top speed jostling over the Right of Way.

It was gathered that one of the tankers a Mack tanker with number plate AGB 447 AA and the second Mack tanker with number plate KRD 467XZ laden with 45, 000 litres of Diesel both fell on their sides after colliding with each other.

The subsequent impact led to the tanker laden with diesel subsequently spilling its content on the road. It was gathered that as soon as it occurred, people trooped to the scene scooping the content but the prompt intervention of emergency responders prevented further damages at the scene.

The incident did not record any casualty but the scene was cordoned off thereby hampering vehicular movement in the area as the Lagos State Fire service were on ground blanketing the affected areas in order to forestall the occurrence of any secondary accident.

As at 8am, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, The Nigeria Police and other authorities were on ground to compliment the effort of the fire service.

Disaster Averted As Tankers Collide in Lagos

The Osun State Joint Task Force (JTF), which was recently inaugurated by Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, has apprehended 27 illegal miners, comprising 17 Chinese nationals and 10 locals, including a local traditional chief (Baale).

They were arrested following a coordinated sting operation around Ilesa and Ife axis of the State.

READ ALSO, Civil Servants Should Not Resume Yet - Sanwo-Olu

Speaking on the development, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Abdullahi Binuyo, noted that no responsible government will fold its arms and watch its land being degraded by unauthorised persons.

He noted that aside the economic leakages, the illegal miners had also polluted the Osun River with poisonous metals, thereby making it unsafe for human consumption and irrigation.

Binuyo was, however, quick to add that apart from ensuring that those arrested are prosecuted, they will also be made to pay compensation.

“As part of the government’s economic reforms, solid mineral is a major sector we are looking to explore. For these reforms to work, it has become imperative on the reforms to stop illegal mining and step up enforcement activities. The result is what we are witnessing today.

“The people you see here neither have genuine mining licences nor are they registered with the government. What they claim to have is Exploration Licences, which does not allow them to mine, the way they are doing. So we will be prosecuting them and make them pay damages.

“Apart from flouting government’s Covid-19 Order, by refusing to stay at home, they have created an environmental disaster for us, by poisoning our River which is a major public health concern for us,” Binuyo added.

Earlier, one of those arrested, May Zam, who was the only one that could speak passable English among the Chinese, disclosed that she was not aware they were engaged in illegal mining.

She said she worked for different companies, saying she believed they should have mining licenses. She also added that the current company she works for, which she failed to name, has a Nigerian sponsor.

Osun Arrests 17 Chinese, 10 Locals for Illegal Mining

The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered all civil servants in the state to stay away from work on Monday, May 4.

The five-week-old total lockdown imposed on the nation’s economic capital terminated on Sunday night, May 3, and the new phase of gradual easing started on Monday, as ordered by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

READ ALSO, COVID-19: We Are in Trouble in Kano - Ganduje

But the governor in a statement on Sunday evening asked all its civil servants not to resume work immediately, noting that the delayed resumption is a deliberate attempt to prevent overcrowding in the state. He, however, added that emergency workers and those on essential duties would be allowed to work on Monday.

Sanwo-Olu said, “In amending the work guidelines earlier issued, which stopped members of the public service from Grade Level 1 to 12 from going to work; we have had to review this position and we are extending the directive to all civil servants, regardless of level. All civil servants must stay away from work on Monday.

“On Tuesday, only officers from Grade Level 15 and above have express permission to come to work. All other essential officers that may need to be at work will be informed by the Accounting Officer of each Ministry as may be required.

“From Monday on, there will be a curfew from 8 pm to 6 am and all movements within these hours are prohibited, except for people on essential services, which are agro-products, petroleum products, relief materials, and food supplies.

“We want to use this as a demonstration of our commitment to the gradual easing of the lockdown. We do not want people to rush out tomorrow and see the easing of the lockdown as an attempt to believe that the spread of the pandemic is all over.”

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Saturday night, of the total 2388 coronavirus infections reported in the country, 1068 cases were recorded in Lagos with about 30 attendant fatalities and 247 recoveries, the highest in any state in Nigeria.

Sanwo-Olu recently launched the #MaskUpLagos campaign to sensitise the about 20 million population of the state on the need to wear face masks while in public places, observe social distancing and practice good hygiene as part of collective efforts to curb the spread of the lethal virus.

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Civil Servants Should Not Resume Yet - Sanwo-Olu 

The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has stated that  the state is in trouble due to the presence of the coronavirus disease.

Speaking on Sunday at the presentation of a COVID-19 Mobile Testing Centre donated by the Dangote Foundation to the state, Ganduje said the delay in testing suspected cases was responsible for the exploding number of coronavirus infections in the state.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abba Anwar, the governor said the absence of functional testing centres in the state worsened its situation amid the pandemic.

Ganduje said, “There is no doubt that Kano is in trouble. And there is no doubt that we started on a shaky foundation. When samples were taken to Abuja for 7 hours and came back again in 7 hours, that was the shaky foundation I am talking about.

“We then lodged our complaint to President Muhammadu Buhari, who ordered for the establishment of a Testing Centre at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, which after take-off was shut down for some days if not weeks. That was what escalated the transmission of the disease up to community transmission.

“But with the coming back of the AKTH Testing Centre and the addition of Bayero University, Kano that has the capacity of testing about 200 samples per day now, and also with the coming of Dangote Mobile Testing Centre of 400 samples capacity, we are making headway in facing the crisis squarely.”

The Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, who was also present at the event, was quoted to have said, “I just want the people of Kano to understand that we have not left you. We are behind you hundred per cent.

“I want to assure you that, by the time we hear from the findings of Dr Nasiru Sani Gwarzo’s team from the Presidential Task Force, for the days they have been here, we will have more solutions that we will use in solving the problems from Kano.”

According to the NCDC, 329 coronavirus infections have been reported in Kano state.

COVID-19: We Are in Trouble in Kano - Ganduje

The Chairman of the Bwari branch of the Nigerian Bar Association in Abuja, Mr Clement Chukwuemeka, and three other members have sued the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, for the alleged violation of the COVID-19 regulations and protocols during the burial of the deceased Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/462/2015 was filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 30, by Chukwuemeka, two other lawyers – Olalekan Oladapo and Raphael Ogbe – as well as a civil society group, Wheel of Hope Human Rights Foundation.

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Other defendants joined along with Buhari and Mustapha in the suit are the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Ministry of Information.

The plaintiffs alleged that the handling of the burial of the presidential top aide violated the COVID-19 Regulations issued by Buhari and the guidelines issued by the World Health Organisation and the NCDC.

Kyari died of complications related to the COVID-19 on April 17 and was buried at the Gudu Cemetery in Abuja the next day. The burial drew a large crowd, including top government officials who reportedly failed to observe the recommended social distancing measures. This development sparked concerns about the possibility of an escalation of the spread of the dreaded COVID-19. Members of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 had apologised for the breach of the regulations and protocols at the burial.

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The plaintiffs alleged that Buhari, Mustapaha, who is the Chairman of the PTF  and other defendants failed to ensure public safety during the burial.

They alleged that the defendants also failed to abide by the provisions of the law and guidelines in respect of COVID-19 lockdown, stressing that they endangered people in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, by their action.

The plaintiffs also recalled how a Lagos-based actress, Funke Akindele, and Abdulrashid Bello were arrested, prosecuted, fined N100,000 each by the court and given 14 days’ community service for violating the stay-at-home and social distancing orders in Lagos.

They noted that over 1,000 persons had been arrested and tried in the FCT, for similar breaches, insisting that “Nigerians expect that having used certain persons as scapegoats, no one should be spared and no one is a sacred cow.”

They also wondered why Kyari’s corpse “was released to his family for burial in the first place, contrary to the claim by the Minister of Information and Culture,  Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a forum organised by the News Agency of Nigeria on April 3.”

According to the plaintiffs, the minister had said that “bodies of COVID-19 victims cannot be claimed for burial/internment due to their contagious nature.”

NBA Chairman Sues Buhari, SGF for Violating COVID-19 Regulations

Minister Begs Nigerians to Donate Buildings As Isolation Centres

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie  Ehanire, on Thursday, revealed that 113 health workers had been infected with COVID-19. Ehanire, who disclosed this at the press briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja,  said they included workers in the public and private health facilities.

He, therefore, reiterated his advice to health workers that it was dangerous to treat coronavirus patients without using personal protective equipment.

READ ALSO, Five Family Members Die Mysteriously in Enugu

The minister had, at the task force media briefing in Abuja on April 23, said about 40 health workers in the country had tested positive for coronavirus. Ehanire, who lauded health workers for their commitment to the war against COVID-19, warned them against treating patients without the PPE.

He said, “Please, do not treat any patient without using the PPE. Frontline health workers must undertake refresher training at intervals. This warning has become necessary due to the number of health workers, who have tested positive for COVID-19.  They are over 40 now and they have been quarantined.”

However,  the Nigerian Medical Association, through its National President, Dr Francis Faduyile, in its reaction, said most of those who contracted COVID-19 were not health workers treating COVID-19 patients, but personnel in other hospitals.

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On Thursday, the Minister of Health said the risk of being infected with COVID-19 was the reason why the task force warned health workers against treating patients without using the PPE.

He said, “The latest figure we have is that 113 health workers have been infected. They are not all public health workers. There are some from private hospitals. If you hear us speak frequently against treating coronavirus in private clinics, we are actually referring to people who do so without precaution and training. They risk infecting themselves and their families. Health care workers with no training have no business handling coronavirus.

“As for those who do not have equipment, we have said that we will provide protective equipment. Let me remind you that there is a global shortage. They (the pieces of equipment) are really scarce but we are doing what we can to make sure our frontline workers have the requirement. We also have a stockpile that we can send quickly. For example, we sent a stockpile to Kano.”

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The minister also stated that the country would be in a difficult position if infected persons continued to hide or seek alternative treatment instead of approaching government.

He added, “People should come out and seek treatment, not to hide. The ones that we worry most about are the people who hide and look for alternative treatment. They are lost to our counting.” 

The minister noted that health care workers went through a lot of pressure during a crisis period.  He called on those who could not handle the pressure to quit. He, however, said that government would continue to provide mental health and counselling support for those feeling the impact of the pressure.

He said, “It is very important for health care workers to realise that nobody is forced.  Everybody is a volunteer. Those who cannot handle it have the option of being asked to be excused and someone else will come in.”

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The minister allayed the fear of survival for those infected with COVID-19, saying that enough evidence had shown that the majority of infected persons would survive the virus.

“The recovery rate is 95 per cent or more. Out of 100 people that are infected, about 80 of them will have mild or no symptoms. Fifteen will have fairly severe symptoms, but not critical, while less than five per cent will have critical symptoms.

“What this means is that nobody really needs to be afraid. It is a dangerous disease that can affect a large number of people and bring health system to its knees. The five per cent can be so many,  but there is no need to have a stigma.”

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He said as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control aimed to test two million people in the next three months more buildings would be needed as isolation centres.

The minister stated, “I have appealed to citizens to make their property available temporarily for this purpose. I am sure that after that, there are many property owners who will come up and donate to state governments for a period of time to be used for this function.

“We are not out of space now but we are making the appeal ahead of time so that we have these facilities ready.”

Ehanire added that he was aware that the hazard allowance of health workers in the frontline of COVID-19 fight was being negotiated, but said that it did not include that of environmental health personnel. He also stated that test capacity of the 15 laboratories in Nigeria had reached 2500. He, therefore, called on Nigerians to take advantage of the facilities.

On a bill at the House of Representatives, the NCDC DG  warned against coming up with a health law in the middle of a crisis, stressing that it might not stand the test of time.

Health Workers Infected with COVID-19 rise from 40 to 113

The atmosphere was one of grief for residents of the Amaokpo suburb of Nike in the Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State  on Thursday as the corpses of five members of a family, who died mysteriously in their house, were recovered and deposited in the morgue.

It was gathered that the family of Onyekwere Chukwumalu of Eziowelle, Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra State, were last seen on Monday and were discovered dead on Wednesday morning with their bodies already decomposing. 

READ ALSO, Police Shoots Soldier Dead for Flouting Curfew in Delta

It was learnt that neighbours did not know of their death until a building contractor, who worked with Onyekwere, went to keep an appointment with him and found the house locked. However,  the family head’s vehicle was seen parked outside.

The contractor was forced to move closer when there was no response after he called Onyenekwere. It was afterwards that he discovered the corpses of members of the family in a heap as if they were praying.

Shocked neighbours had to break the incident shocked neighbours, who came together to break into the house to bring out the corpses which have since been deposited at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu. 

It was also learnt that the police personnel from Abakpa Nike; the Chairman of the Enugu East Local Government Area, Alex Ugwu; and the United Nations Rescue Mission visited the scene of the incident on Wednesday evening.

Eyewitnesses said in the process of bringing out the corpses, one of Onyekwere’s children, Arinze, 10, sneezed and shouted ‘Jesus’. He was thereafter rushed to the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozala, where he is reportedly receiving treatment.

Speaking to journalists at the NOH, the South East Zonal Commander of the United Nations Rescue Mission, Emmanuel Okoye, said the team went to the scene immediately after someone informed them of the death of a man and his family members were. 

Okoye said the team helped to evacuate the corpses to the mortuary since the police were nowhere to be found. He regretted that the police, which were supposed to be at the forefront of the evacuation and were properly informed, were nowhere to be found.

Ugwu, on his part, said Onyekwere was a good man and wondered how he and his family members died in that manner. He blamed the death on possible food poisoning since there was no generator in the house to suggest that it could be as a result of fumes from it.

“When I heard about the incident, I alerted the police and the state Ministry of Health to take charge. It was when the officials of the ministry were trying to evacuate the corpses that one of the man’s children sneezed and was discovered to be alive and he was rushed to the hospital,” he said.

However, the police spokesman in the state, Daniel Ndukwe-Ekea, said he was not aware of the incident. 

Five Family Members Die Mysteriously in Enugu

Tension as Citizens Fear Reprisal Attacks

A  soldier was reportedly killed, and a policeman shot, yesterday, in Bomadi town, headquarters of Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State. The incident occurred when  some soldiers clashed with policemen over the implementation of the dusk to dawn curfew imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the state.

It was also gathered that the incident occurred around midnight at a merry spot close to a military unit along NDDC Road in Bomadi.

A senior police officer who gave  details on the incident, said the policemen are operatives of the Eagle Net Formation. While enforcing the dusk to dawn curfew in the area, they had accosted some individuals at a merry spot in the middle of the night in violation of the curfew and demanded to know the reason for their action, leading to an altercation.

The security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “The police team unknowing that those at the spot were soldiers in company of some civilians had enquired to know why they were violating the order and drinking outside in the middle of the night.

“We are yet to ascertain if the soldiers identified themselves. We learnt that, angered by the action of the policemen, who insisted on dispersing those at the spot, the soldiers insisted that the policemen did not have the right to question those hanging out close to their unit.

“This led to an argument with one of the soldiers retrieving his rifle from the shelter nearby and shot one of the policemen identified as Sergeant Chukwudi Osuali in the stomach. Angered by the action of the soldier, a colleague of the shot policeman immediately opened fire on the soldier in retaliation and killed him on the spot.”

However, an indigene, who resides close to the scene of the incident, who also pleaded anonymity, said: The incident occurred around 1 am yesterday when SARS police patrol van came to the residential hotel premises of JTF officers.

“The JTF officers were on mufti busy drinking in front of their premises when the police patrol van came, asking why they were outside at such a time.

“Trouble ensued when the police officers insisted on seeing their ID cards after the military officers identified themselves, but refused to show their ID cards. The military officers became infuriated when the police officers insisted on taking them to the station, leading to exchange of blows and a police officer shot one of the military officers and fled.”

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There  was tension in Bomadi and environs when the news of the soldier’s death filtered into town as shops and business centres around the scene of the incident closed for fear of impending chaos yesterday morning.

The Commander, Sector 1, Operation Delta Safe, Col. Habib Manu, reportedly  moved to the area immediately to douse tension, as he assured that there would be no reprisal attack by the soldiers. He also noted that army high command would commence further investigations into the matter to ascertain the true position of what transpired.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, confirmed the incident. 

She said: “As it is now, it is too early to comment on the matter. More so, Delta State Commissioner of Police has met with the army head in the state to unravel the mystery behind the incident and there is going to be a joint investigation into the matter.”

Reacting to the incident, Pere of Kerebiri-Mein Kingdom, HRM Godspower Oporomo, said “Though the incident is unfortunate, the prompt reaction and intervention of the JTF Commanding Officer into the matter is highly commendable. This is a sign that he and his officers are alive to their duties.”

Police Shoots Soldier Dead for Flouting Curfew in Delta

Conduct Urgent Contact Tracing of His Family, Tinubu Advises

The number of people who attended the burial of Alhaji Lateef Raheem, a former Chief Security Officer of the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has sparked controversy between the Lagos State Police Command and a public affairs analyst, Jumu’ah Abiodun. It will be recalled that Tinubu had stated in a statement that Raheem died of COVID-19 complications. The deceased was buried in his house last Friday.

Abiodun, in a letter to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, claimed that 50 policemen attended the burial, calling for their isolation to check COVID-19 spread in the state. The letter was posted on his Instagram page.

READ ALSO, Fayemi Suspends Security Agent for Trivializing COVID-19 Measures

He said, “I think you know what it takes to bury somebody in an Islamic way? This includes Ghusl Mayyit; is full body ritual purification performed on dead Muslim, as well as spraying with perfumes.

“My sources disclosed to me that over 50, I repeat over 50 police officers were there at his Maplewood Estate residence on Friday, 24th April, 2020, till he was buried. Islamic clerics, politicians, family members, sycophants, among others, were all there.

“I am not a doctor, but here is my advice for you and your team Mr Governor. Urgent contact tracing of his wife, children and other members of his family that live in that house; politicians, who visited the deceased family before and after his burial; Islamic clerics who prayed and interred the body; all senior and junior police officers that entered the premises; family members and sycophants who visited the house.”

But the Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, on Wednesday said policemen deployed in the area were not part of the burial and only dispersed sympathisers who attempted to attend the ceremony.

He said, “We sent policemen who saved the day because we heard that a large crowd was going to attend the burial. We deployed policemen from Area G to block the route to the house. That was what we did: turning people back.

“We were even never at the house because he was buried inside his compound. Only those who were to bury him were allowed in. I am not sure they were more than 10. A very small number was inside the house; everybody was outside. The policemen were outside, turning people back.”

Tinubu's CSO's Burial Sparks Controversy 

Ekiti State Government has ordered the indefinite suspension of one Sola Durodola, a member of the Covid-19 Task Force over incompetence and highhandedness.

It was gathered that Durodola shot a video where he was making a mockery of the father, a former road safety officer who had come to report his son, for violating the stay at home order. In the video, Durodola who is not a health official also certified the suspect as free of covid-19, a situation that generated negative reactions.

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The Commissioner for Information and Value Orientation, Mr Muyiwa Olumilua, in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti yesterday,  frowned at the unprofessional conduct of the security agent, whom it said did not have the authority to make such statement.

The government statement reads in part, “The attention of the Ekiti State Covid-19 Taskforce has been drawn to a video clip in circulation where a man refused to allow his son, who just returned from a trip outside the state, into his house until he had been isolated for 14 days as stipulated by NCDC protocol for preventing community spread of COVID-19 in Ekiti State.

“The Taskforce commends Mr Femi Adeoye, for refusing to cover-up his son’s travel history and for denying him access into the house without confirming his COVID-19 status.

Mr Adeoye epitomizes the Ekiti ethos of selflessness, which places a greater premium on the collective good of the society above personal and emotional considerations. This is the core of the Values Orientation policy of the Fayemi-led Administration.

“We also consider it necessary to inform members of the public that the video was recorded about four days ago, by one of the security men attached to the Fajuyi Pavilion, where the Enforcement Taskforce uses as its base for coordination of daily operations.

The security man who recorded the encounter is neither a health worker nor qualified or authorized to determine the health status of the young man. So, none of his actions or misstatements reflects the capacity or preparedness of the State Taskforce to combat the COVID-19 virus.

”The officer in question has been suspended pending further investigations, for acting outside the jurisdiction of his scope of authority.

“Following the encounter, the young man has been in the custody of the State for the past 4 days and has since been taken to one of the designated quarantine centres, where he would be for 14 days, in line with a laid down procedure that dictates that anyone who sneaks into the State, would be quarantined for fourteen (14) days, at their own cost. His samples will also be taken for testing in order to ensure he has not been infected in the course of his travels to high incidence areas of the country.

“We implore members of the public to emulate the patriotic zeal of Mr Adeoye, and promptly report to the Ekiti State Covid-19 Taskforce, any out-of-State traveller who sneaks into their neighbourhood, or places of abode. This is to safeguard against the likely health hazard that such returnees portend for the larger society.

Fayemi Suspends Security Agent for Trivializing COVID-19 Measures 

Nigerian newspapers,on one page.