Tag Archives: THIEVES

Gang of armed thieves posing as police steal £12m from Johannesburg airport

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Robbers posing as police have stolen £12million of cash in an Ocean’s Eleven-style heist at a South African airport.

The money was taken when fake officers stopped security guards who were loading the money onto a flight bound for London on Tuesday night.

No shots were fired during the incident at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, and the thieves were said to have known exactly which boxes to target in a ‘slick’ operation.

A stock picture of OR Tambo International Airport where the heist took place Tuesday night

A stock picture of OR Tambo International Airport where the heist took place Tuesday night

The arrivals hall at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa

A police source at the airport said the heist happened at 7pm when the robbers, masquerading as police, drove into a restricted zone and headed straight to cash-laden containers unloaded from a cargo plane.

‘They told the security that they were carrying out an investigation and the security guards opened the boom gate for them,’ said the source.

The company that operates the airport, South Africa’s largest, confirmed in a statement that an armed robbery had taken place.

Hangwani Mulaudzi, spokesman for the elite police unit the Hawks, also confirmed the ‘robbery’ but refused to divulge details ‘pending investigations.’

Robbers targeted specific boxes of cash at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa

A statement from the airport stated the suspects were still on the run, according to Times Live, and that the guards who opened the gates were from the Guard Force team.

They are responsible for high risk cargo such as precious metals, diamonds and large amounts of money.

An independent source told the South African newspaper the gang arrived in a van with flashing police lights.

The source, who estimated the stolen money at being worth $15million, said: ‘They went for specific boxes. It’s clear that they knew what they were searching for.’

It was described by a second source as a ‘slick’ operation with individuals assigned to look for and snatch particular containers.

The second informant told Times Live the gang clearly had attained detailed intelligence on how the airport was run and added: ‘They knew how to get into the airport and how to get out’ which exits to use.’

‘Within minutes they were gone clear of the airport.’

The loot was in a number of foreign currencies which was being stored at the cargo section of the airport reserved for high value and high risk goods.

Opinion: Thieves, Madness and the Nation – By Jibrin Ibrahim

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…we should open a register in what should be called the NATIONAL HALL OF SHAME, where the names and the terrible deeds of mega thieves would be displayed. The information on the register should be used to teach this history to our children, now that we have decided to re-introduce the teaching of history in our schools.

Nigeria is suffering from a real crisis related to the scale of theft of public resources that is beyond all logic and can only be equated to madness. For decades, some public officials have been stealing billions of naira and subsequently some of them graduated into stealing billions of dollars. In the process, they have completely lost sight of rationality; that is, how much can you reasonably spend in your lifetime and the lifetimes of your children?! Two million dollars, for example, is over one billion naira and there is no way a family can reasonable spend one billion naira in their lifetimes. I say ‘reasonably’ because, of course, one can spend one billion naira renting planes and buying houses that are too big for a family to live in. It is the disappearance of reasonableness that I find extremely alarming.

We have it on judicial authority that the former Delta State governor, James Ibori, is a thief. Specifically, Mr. Ibori was convicted of corruption and money laundering on April 17, 2012, after five years of trial by the Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom, and sentenced to 13 years in prison. The whole world knows that, and yet he was bold enough to go for thanksgiving in his church and say that he is not a thief; that his enemies were simply maligning him. This happened when Mr. Ibori returned to Nigeria after serving a jail term in the United Kingdom for corruption and the theft of public funds. During the special thanksgiving held in his honour at the First Baptist Church in Oghara, Delta State last Sunday, Mr. Ibori said he was wrongly accused and that he was truly hurt by the anguish his people went through because of the long absence of their hero. He told them that: “They want me to go to the corner where I won’t be seen. Today, I have decided to speak for myself. I am not a thief; I cannot be a thief. Today is the day they say I should give testimony to God. For those who know me, you know that my life is a testimony itself. I have said it over and again that my life is fashioned by God, directed by God, sealed, acknowledged and blessed by God. I believe that since the day I was born.” This is the other element of madness that I find unbelievable. People will break God’s commandments, do the ungodly and confidently declare God to be on their side. I find it difficult for someone who believes in God to act this way because the first principle is that God knows what you have done, and although human beings can sometimes succeed in deceiving other human beings, they cannot deceive God. The only real explanation I can think of is that they do not really believe in God.

Just before starting to write this column, I saw a video clip distributed on WhatsApp by the friends and colleagues of Andrew Yakubu, the former Group Managing Director of NNPC, giving testimonies of his life as a good Christian and an excellent professional. I remember when I met him once in a mutual friend’s house, he spent a lot of time talking about his devotion to God. At the same time, he would see no contradiction in being found with almost ten million dollars, which had obviously been taken from public coffers. I remember that when the discovery was made, a number of people from his zone in Southern Kaduna were complaining bitterly that he had never done anything for his community, had no record of helping people, and yet was hiding all this money he and his family would not have been able to spend.

I now think this policy should be widely publicised so that more looted funds would be recovered. The whistle-blower policy is only about two months old and so much money has already been recovered. From all indications, only a very small amount of stolen money has been recovered so far. The capacity of some of our people to engage in mega looting is indeed scandalous.

The Federal Government announced a few days ago that its whistle-blower policy has started yielding fruits and has so far led to the recovery of US$151 million and 8 billion naira in looted funds. According to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the amount does not include the $9.2 million in cash found with Andrew Yakubu. The monies were recovered from just three sources through whistle-blowers who gave actionable information to the office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation. This means that relations and friends of looters of funds are releasing information so that they would get their slice of the cake, which is between 2.5 and 5 percent of the amount recovered. When I heard about this inducement, I had laughed it off thinking people would not take it seriously. As usual, I was underestimating the greed of some Nigerians. I now think this policy should be widely publicised so that more looted funds would be recovered. The whistle-blower policy is only about two months old and so much money has already been recovered. From all indications, only a very small amount of stolen money has been recovered so far. The capacity of some of our people to engage in mega looting is indeed scandalous.

I think some basic civic education is necessary for the Nigerian elite. The most important one is to send as many people as possible to long jail terms for corruption. That is the ultimate lesson that can teach people that corruption is bad. This approach is the most effective because many corrupt Nigerians are convinced that God is on their side, so lessons on morality and ethics cannot be effective. The second lesson would be for the National Orientation Agency to trace the home communities of all confirmed mega looters and organise seminars and rallies on how such people have done so much harm to the nation. Its difficult to succeed but seeing the way Ibori was received at home, we cannot fold our hands and say communities have the right to welcome thieves with a 21-gun salute and mega feasting. Finally, we should open a register in what should be called the NATIONAL HALL OF SHAME, where the names and the terrible deeds of mega thieves would be displayed. The information on the register should be used to teach this history to our children, now that we have decided to re-introduce the teaching of history in our schools.

 

A professor of Political Science and development consultant/expert, Jibrin Ibrahim is a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Democracy and Development, and Chair of the Editorial Board of PREMIUM TIMES.

Dino Melaye: Nigerians have opened a ledger for thieves in power

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Dino Melaye, a senator from Kogi west, has urged the senate to double its effort in exposing corruption because Nigerians are watching.

 

Raising a point of order on alleged contract infraction by the ministry of power, works and housing at the floor of the upper legislative chamber on Wednesday, Melaye said Nigerians had opened a ledger for thieves in power.

 

“I draw the attention of the country to some infraction and corruption between the ministry of power and the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP),” he said.

 

He alleged that the ministry and the BPP had colluded in ?inflating the cost of contracts for the rehabilitation and construction of bridges and roads across the country.

 

“Nigerians are watching; they have opened a ledger for thieves in power, and who are still in power,” he said.

 

He thereafter prayed the senate to give him the carte blanche to bring a motion on the issue to the chamber on Thursday.

 

The senate subsequently granted his request.

 

Source: The Cable

Thieves Pose As Mannequins, Steal Multi-million Naira Designer Clothes

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The thieves posed side by side with real mannequins, and waited patiently until the store closed. Then they went for the kill!

The following morning, the store owners watched the CCTV with horror as the thieves moved effortlessly through the aisles, selecting expensive clothes and other designer stuff that caught their fancy.

At the end of the heist, the thieves made away with clothes worth approximately £10,000. They left the store via a fire escape, setting off fire alarms.

The heist took place at a Beales store in Worthing, Sussex, United Kingdom.

Although Sussex Police have appealed for information that could lead to their arrest, the thieves have continued to be on the run.

Said a shop assistant, “They must have secreted themselves and pretended to be mannequins.

“They probably dressed in clothes identical to those worn by the mannequins and stood there, not moving a muscle till the shop shut and everyone went home.

“They took oilskin jackets, high-end designer clothes and the like.

“It showed incredible nerve — the store is equipped from top to bottom with sensor alarms and cameras.

“They must have stood there with the mannequins, not daring to move a muscle — imagine if they wanted to sneeze or had an itch they couldn’t scratch!”

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: “We are investigating after the break-in was reported at Beales store in South Street.

“Clothing was stolen and the burglars left the store through the fire escape, which set off the alarm. It is not clear how they got in.

“Officers are continuing to investigate. Anyone who saw anything or has any information is asked to contact police on 101 or on Crimestoppers anonymously.”

A Beales spokesman said: “We do not wish to comment now.”

Credit: punchng

No Peace For Corrupt Judges…You Can’t Jail Small Thieves & Be Covering Big Thieves- Prof. Itse Sagay

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Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), has justified the recent arrest of judges on allegations of corruption, categorizing acts of corruption by judicial officers as a serious crime against humanity.

Also on his part, Executive Secretary of PACAC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, called for the suspension of the judges arrested by the Department of State Services on allegations of corruption pending when they would clear their names.

The spoke at PACAC’s interaction with reporters on the first anniversary of the committee’s activities.

Responding to various criticisms from some quarters against the raids on the houses and the arrest of seven judges, Sagay said those critics failed to understand the implications of corruption.

He said an ordinary man could be guilty of corruption, but a judge should never be otherwise the system will collapse.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria stated, “Ordinary man like you and me can be guilty of corruption; a judge should never be guilty of corruption.

“Once a judge does that, he brings himself to our level and so, cannot complain if he is treated like you and me are treated. That is what has happened. Let us be objective and be fair to this country in our commentary and not be narrow-minded.”

Sagay said because of its tendency to inflame, resorting to self-help and ultimately breakdown of law and order, judiciary corruption could be described as a crime against humanity.

“Those who have criticized the DSS have not looked at the implications of judicial corruption. This is because at the end of the day, when there is corruption, who do they take the matter to, to the judge? The judge is the ultimate and if the buck stops at his table and that judge is complicit in corruption, then, that is the end of the fight against corruption. That is how awful it is.

“So, any judge who is corrupt is committing what I can even call a crime against humanity because it just destroys our confidence and the system, which will sustain the state in law and order.

“It encourages people to resort to self-help because there is no hope in taking the crime to court.

“Today, we have some governors who are sitting there who we know did not win an election. And because they killed on their way to the office, people are still dying to sustain them in office.

“Yet, some courts at the highest level gave approval to the process that brought those people to what I call their bloody seats on which they are sitting.

“If the judiciary is corrupt, if the only body, in fact, the only arm of government that has the power of life and death over Nigerians, is corrupt, then it is sad.”

He said people should be sad that “Billions” that were supposed to be meant for the construction of roads, building and equipping schools and hospitals were found in private residences.

“Isn’t it enough that billions of naira are found in private residences? Don’t we associate these billions of naira with the fact that our roads are in a state of disrepair; that our hospitals are under or ill-equipped; that schools are dilapidated; and that it affects your daily life? What of those whose salaries are not paid in the public service? All this money came from the public purse.

He blamed the arrest of the judges on what he described as the loss of moral authorities on the part of current Supreme Court Justices.

He said in the era of Justices of the “golden Supreme Court” such as the late Justice Kayode Eso, no government agency would dare to arrest them even when they delivered a lot of judgments against the then military administrations, including that of the Head of State, Gen. Buhari (now President).

“We need the judiciary, but we need an upright judiciary. Without that, all arms of government will collapse, democracy will collapse.”

Akpabio: Everybody thinks all former governors are thieves.

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Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom state and minority leader of the senate,  says it is difficult for a former governor to be respected outside Nigeria “because everybody believes that all former governors are thieves”.

Akpabio was speaking on the floor of the senate on Tuesday, during the deliberation of the upper chamber on the raid on the home of seven judges by the Department of State Services (DSS).

He urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to destroy the principles of separation of power, saying: “We know there is separation of power; we must bear in mind the need for the survival of democracy and our perception in the international community.

“We must be careful of the kind of image we give to the judiciary; it is difficult for a former governor to be respected outside this country because everybody believes that all former governors are thieves.

“If we carry that toga, everybody will lose confidence in the judiciary. Even if there is corruption, it should be handled carefully so that it does not jeopardise internal security.”

Earlier, the senate had implored the president to call all security agencies to order and direct the full observance of the rule of law in the discharge of their duties.

The call came after deliberation of a motion by Joshua Lidani, senator representing Gombe south, condemning the action of the DSS raid.

In the motion, Lidani prayed the senate to summon Lawal Daura, director-general of the DSS, for a briefing it on the issue. But his call failed as the lawmakers voted against it after three voice vote sessions.

Still, Chukwuka Utazi (PDP, Enugu north), said the action of the security operatives was wrong and would go a long way in giving the nation a bad name in the international community.

He said that it was condemnable to invade the house of any Nigerian, let alone serving judges.

“This should not have happened even under an unguarded dictatorship, let alone a democracy. Enough is now more than enough,” he said.

Ibn Na’Allah, deputy majority leader, said Nigerians supported the change agenda because of the promise to fight corruption.

He said that the senate was committed to supporting the federal government to fight corruption, but stressed that it must be done within the ambit of the law.

According Na’Allah, the NJC should have been left to do its job and the senate should be careful in condemning the DSS.

Bukola Saraki, president of the Senate, expressed the “total support” of the upper chamber to Buhari’s fight against corruption, especially in the judicial system.

“We must eradicate corruption in all spheres of our society and this is a matter that we must pursue,” he said.

“I think the national assembly has been playing its role to continue to support government in the fight against corruption.

“We must ensure that this fight against corruption is within the rule of law; any act of anti-corruption that goes against the rule of law does not help the corruption fight.

“That is why this action has been seen in this manner, and it is condemned by the senate; all agencies of government must ensure that they act within the rule of law.”

Employees Set Chinese Boss’ House Ablaze After Stealing His N450k

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months ago, Tom Wu, a Chinese businessman based in Benin, Edo State, employed Frank Chukwuneye, 30, and Abdullahi Zakari, 25, to serve respectively as his interpreter and security guard, on a
monthly salary of N70,000 and N30,000 respectively

But on December 29, greed got the best of them after Wu withdrew N450,000 from the bank and asked Chukwuneye to put it in his bedroom, after which he went out with him. Chukwuneye had conspired with Zakari to steal the money.

He gave Zakari the spare key to Wu’s bedroom and told him to set the house ablaze after stealing the money. He also promised to give him N100k. Upon learning that his house was on fire, Wu suspected foul play, so he went to report the incident to the police.

In the course of investigation, the trail led to the two employees and when properly questioned, they confessed to the crime. Wu, who felt deeply betrayed, said: “I was shocked to learn that the two Nigerians I employed and made them comfortable and also paid them regularly committed the crime.

I employed Frank as my interpreter and gave him everything he wanted, yet he betrayed me. He was the only person who knew that I brought N450k from the bank and put it in my bedroom. I want justice to be done and the police to recover my money from them.”

Name Ex Gov Thieves, Others, In N1.34tr Fraud; Fayose Tasks Lai Mohammed

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Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has challenged the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to make public names of the 15 former governor and 55 Nigerians that he claimed stole N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013 or keep his mouth shut permanently.

The governor, who also described as ‘disgraceful, bringing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh to court in handcuff’, said; “Even the masterminds of Mandala and Nyanya bomb blasts, Kabiru Sokoto and Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche were not handcuffed when they were arraigned in court.”

He continued, “The reality is that the All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government has destroyed the economy within eight months in power and rather than look for solutions to the problems facing Nigeria, Lai Mohammed and his cohorts are branding bogus figures about stolen money just to cover up their lack of solution to the country’s economic problems.”

The governor’s message was contained in a release issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka.

Governor Fayose also said it was funny that close to one year after it won the presidential election, the President Mohammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) federal government was still operating as if it was campaigning for votes.

The governor continued, “They are turning governance to Nollywood, such that when one movie is about to end, they release another one. As it appears that the $2.1 billion arms deal movie is getting to an end, Lai Mohammed introduced another movie titled; N1.34 trillion loot.

“Unfortunately for them this time around, Nigerians have become tired of watching the Federal Government movies, they now want reality. Nigerians are now aware of the scam in the $2.1 billion arms deal movie having seen that the amount those already charged to court were charged with is not more than N10 billion and $2.1 billion is over N600 billion.

“Therefore, Lai Mohammed must either tell Nigerians details of the 15 former governors and 55 people that he claimed stole N1.34 trillion, where the stolen money is kept and bring back the money or apologise to Nigerians for lying.”

Credit: DailyTimes

British Beauty Aged 26 Accused Of Burgling Luxury Homes In Buenos Aires

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A 26-year-old British woman nicknamed “the Barbie bandit” has been accused of burgling from 16 luxury homes in Argentina. Georgia Wawman has been arrested by police after exclusive homes and country clubs close to Buenos Aires were targeted.

According to local media, the burglaries took place in gated communities in the northern part of the bustling city. Wawman, who is originally from Marlborough in Wiltshire, has now been charged with 16 burglary offences. She was arrested along with her boyfriend – who reportedly has a previous conviction for robbery – and six other people.

As reported by Mail Online, a police source said: “In some cases the gang dressed up in police uniforms and cut through wires to enter properties.

“They used latex gloves to ensure there were no fingerprints.”

It is believed Wawman – who has a son – arrived in Argentina two years ago because her stepmother lives there.

She then reportedly began dating her current boyfriend who had a criminal record.

It is thought she played a minor role during the burglaries.

However, local media report that when the gang were arrested, she allegedly shouted” “Watch out what to say”.

RRS Use Drones To Recover Dele Momodu’s Stolen SUV

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The Lagos state Rapid Response Squad in a statement released this week, narrated how it used the drones available to them in recovering an SUV belonging to Ovation publisher, Dele Momodu. One of his staff was driving the car when it was snatched..Read the story below…

On Sunday night, the car of Mr. Michael Effiong, an Editor of the Ovation Magazine, with special number plate “Ovation 3”, was snatched at gun point in Maryland. Immediately, he reported to the RRS Commander, who in turn, sent radio signal to all Divisional Police Stations across Lagos state to track down the vehicle. For Mr. Effiong, the car has gone forever. But for the RRS Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP Olatunji Disu, it was a task that must be accomplished. Immediately, the Commander deployed the RRS drones and the use of GPS tracker. Eventually, the stolen vehicle was discovered where it was parked around an hotel. He led the operation to the scene of the stolen vehicle with the help of the contemporary information technology deployed to track down the jeep. The jeep was recovered beside a popular hotel, Kalesco Garden Hotel, Badagry. The joy of Mr. Effiong knows no bound when he was handed over his vehicle that was stolen back to him. He praised the Lagos State Police for their doggedness in recovering the vehicle.

Suspected Burglar Hiding From The Police Gets Attacked, Eaten By Alligator

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Authorities say a man who may have hidden as officers investigated reports of two suspicious men in a Florida community targeted by recent burglaries was killed by an 11-foot alligator.

Brevard County Sheriff’s Maj. Tod Goodyear says 22-year-old Matthew Riggins told his girlfriend he would be in Barefoot Bay to commit burglaries with another suspect. Authorities received calls Nov. 13 about two suspicious men in black walking behind homes and investigated. Riggins was reported missing the next day.

Goodyear said sheriff’s divers recovered Riggins’ body 10 days later in a nearby lake and the injuries were consistent with an alligator attack. Authorities said Riggins had drowned and the alligator, which behaved aggressively toward divers, was trapped and euthanized. They also claimed that parts of Riggins’ body were found inside the alligator.

Florida Today reports a second person has been taken into custody.

How We Use Juju To Rob Traders In Lagos Markets — Robbery Suspects

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It was payback time for a two-man robbery gang which specialised in raiding markets in Lagos and dispossessing traders of their wares and cash, following its arrest by the Police in Lagos.

The suspects; Saidi Olalekan (32) and Joshua Akinsola (20), who claimed to be a Nigerien, were arrested at Oshodi market during a foiled attempt to rob a textile shop owner of some lace materials and cash worth N2.5 million
Recovered from them were stolen lace materials worth N300,000 and cash of N2 million.

During an interview with Vanguard, the suspects revealed that information on their victims were
usually given by their sales representatives. They also confessed that they use charms to hypnotise their victims, a means they said made their operation easy.

But nemesis caught up with them after one of their victims who apparently was not affected by the charms raised the alarm which led to the arrest of Akinsola, the supposed Nigerien.
32-year-old Olalekan, an indigene of Ogun state who recently completed a two-year-jail term, said: “We do not use any gun or dangerous weapon during operation. What we used was a charm called atare and ohun. This charm was prepared by a herbalists in Apapa. That is what most 419 people use.

“Any time we were going for operation, we would put the charm in our mouth and another in the pocket. We would thereafter, enter any of the shops and order anyone there to bring the proceed for the day. We would also command them to bring as much yards of material they could lay their hands on. They will obey without complaining. Also, no customer will come to that shop as long as we remained there. After the raid, we would quietly leave the shop. Our victims usually regain consciousness several hours later.

“At the end of each operation, we would take the stolen materials far away from where we stole them and sell them at give away prices. For instance, if we steal material from Idumota , we will take it to Agege or even Sango in Ogun state to sell and share whatever was realised equally.”

My victim had a counter-charm
On his part, his alleged partner in crime, Joshua Akinsola, disclosed that they usually get information either from sales representatives of their victims, their managers or relatives.

Oshodi operation and counter-charm
On the Oshodi botched operation, he said his victim apparently had an antidote to charms that gave them away.
He said: “While Olalekan was in one of the shops, I was in another. He succeeded in carrying some wares and N2 million cash from his victim. But I realised that after making some incantations with the charms in my mouth and pocket, my victims did not succumb, and had I left the shop with some lace materials than they raised the alarm which attracted other traders at Oshodi.

“Before I knew it, some policemen arrived the scene and whisked me away. I led them to my colleague where the stolen N2 million was recovered. I am from Niger Republic but I live at Ogolo, around Benin Republic.”
The suspects according to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, will be charged to court soon.

Source: Vanguard

#Pausibility: Vote Of No Conscience.

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senate

Happy Independence Anniversary my people.

Exactly 30days ago, I embarked on a blogging hibernation. Though I did not envisage the break will last this long. I had thought the ministers would have been announced in September as promised by the Presidency. Though #TheList came on the last day of September after the weekly recess by the National Assembly had been announced.

Last night, I got a call from a very good friend. He had applied just like many other Nigerians for the DV Visa Lottery about four years ago, but last night he got an e-mail that he won. He was so convinced because the message chronicled his data just as he had filled in the form. My friend was excited as I could tell from his voice. I told him to forward the mail to me even though I already registered my consternation, “it can be nothing but a scam”, I said: a big one it is when I spotted the charade after I got the mail. My friend did not see the lapses as he already allowed his excitement to becloud his reasoning.

My friend is a graduate and has many years of experience in corporate Nigeria. But when we allow our longing for miracles to be crux of our existence, then we become easy preys to the man on the pulpit, podium and in the turban.

The action of my friend jolted me out of hibernation. Nigerians (masses) are worse off from the dearth of quality leadership in the land, not due to illiteracy but because of the quality of teeming elitist illiterates that are in every corner of the land. Despite our intelligence we allow these thieves to get away with whatever they deem right. No one of us dare challenge them as some of us will dare to rise up in their defence. The other day, I read a celebrity writer preaching that political victory is usually achieved through the hybrid of bad and good guys, therefore the bad guys should be given some cover under the new dispensation. I see that as one of the lamest alibis to be presented for continued reign of impunity. Will that writer allow the continued festering of injuries in his body after surviving an auto crash? Those that are for them are mostly unlettered idiots whom they buy with ‘passing smell’ of crisp naira notes; yet we are lazy to embark on that journey to recall our actions in order to avert these impending consequences.

When I saw Bukky’s rigmarole at responding to the ‘did you and did you not’ of the CCT, and the endorsement he enjoys from his colleagues cum the support of his IMMENSALLY deranged placard carriers, I was not in any way surprised. A chamber that is presided over by a pathological swindler, a chamber whose spokesperson is a serial abuser of womanhood( physically and otherwise), a chamber of paedophiles, forgers, ‘honorable’ thieves, drug peddlers and highest malfeasants in the world. If you expect anything good from that cesspit, then you should check yourself into a medical facility. A conglomeration of people of common vices. They will never organise an emergency meeting to discuss anything of good interest to the general public, but they soon form a quorum when it is the subject of endorsing inhumanness through their vote of no-conscience.

 

I see no reason why the chamber will not go active immediately #TheList got to them but as it is we will have to wait for “not business as usual” to begin in few hours.

In a chain of corruption, the small thieves will always secure themselves through alliances with the big thieves. The big thieves will always exert themselves in positions as long as the sheepish populace is divided through those indices of tongues, groins and loins. Not until the sheepish populace break the bondage of the quest for cheap avarice, they will continue to suffer at the whims and caprices of these presiding thieves.

Not until we all rise up, march to shout down these thieves and possibly pelt them with eggs they will continue to be at the top of the pyramid. And you know what that means, decadence! That is what the rest of the world will see each time they see a Nigerian.

 

 

 

 

 

Young Couple Lose Their Entire Property To Van Man

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Becky Szenk, 22, and Mark Higgins, pictured with daughter Ariyah above, had booked a removal worker advertised as Lee Green to move their possessions from their flat to the pub in Walsall, West Midlands, that Mr Higgins manages. But after the two workers loaded up the rental van, they drove off with the entire contents of the couple’s flat – including the fridge freezer and washing machine gifts – and were never seen again. The missing items include a wardrobe, a settee, the couple’s engagement gifts and clothing and medical records for Miss Szenk’s seven-month-old daughter.

The Facebook page advertising the removal service has since been taken down after they made complained to Facebook administration. The West Midlands Police are also investigating the alleged theft. As usual, a Gofundme page has now been set up to raise money for the family which has so far collected £880 worth of donations.

      

UK Detectives Find A Fleet Of 29 Stolen British Vehicles In Uganda!

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Detectives tracing a Lexus stolen from London have ended up tracking it to Uganda – where it was found alongside a fleet of British cars worth more than £1 million. The National Crime Agency was able to use a smartphone app to trace the journey of the stolen RX450h (top left) 6,000 miles to the Uganda capital Kampala, where they were stunned to find it alongside 28 other luxury cars which had been stolen from the UK by the car-smuggling gang. Luxury right-hand-drive cars are in great demand in land-locked Uganda. Locals still drive on the left as part of the British colonial legacy though. More photos below…

Man Steals Money From Church Twice, Gets Caught The Third Time

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A suspected church robber, Ehiosun Junior, has been arraigned before an Egor Chief Magistrate Court, over alleged attempt to steal the church offerings during its annual thanksgiving.

Testifying under cross examination at the resumed hearing of the case, the Pastor in charge of the church, Christ Apostolic Church, Rev. Igbinigie Anthony, said the alleged thief had broken into the church on 2 previous occasions and made away with N52, 000 cash.

The cleric told the court that he had a premonition that the thief would return to steal the thanksgiving collections, so he and the church’s Youth President, who was simply identified as Okoh, decided to sleep in the church that day.

He said

The first time the suspect broke into the church, he stole N40,000, but I asked the church to pray to God to forgive the thief.“On the 12th, they came back through the same place and stole N9,000 and other offering money. On the 23rd, 12 cans of malt were stolen.“After our thanksgiving on the 30th, I knew the thief will come back because we kept all the monies and items realized inside the church. At about 11:45 pm, I saw a shadow because we switched off all the lights in the church.“I pointed a torch at the person and he ran away towards the direction of the Youth President who caught him. The accused said he was the only one and we called the police who took him away to Okhoro Police Station,” Rev. Igbinigie told the court.

He told the court that they discovered that the accused was present at the church thanksgiving and was served food and drinks.

The suspect who was arraigned on a 4-count charge, pleaded not guilty.

The case has been adjourned to August 17 for further hearing.

PM News

Robbers Employ New Tactics To Rob At ATMs – Nigerian Police Warns

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The Police on Friday advised members of the public using ATM at various banks to be security conscious as some criminals now disguised as customers queuing to withdraw money.

This is contained in a statement on the Nigeria Police Force website exposing the antics of criminals.

The statement noted that on July 30, at about 12.10 a.m., a male bank customer went to withdraw money from one of the ATMs at the Central Business District (CBD), Abuja.

It stated that three young men who pretended to have come to withdraw money also were on queue with the plan to attack the man.

“The victim raised an alarm which attracted nearby Police Patrol team to the scene. The hoodlums took to their heels upon sighting the advancing policemen.

“One automatic pistol fell from one of the suspects and was recovered by the police and the victim was safely rescued.

“However, another male victim was unlucky as hoodlums attacked him and snatched the N500,000 cash he withdrew from ATMs on July 28.

“Police responded to his distress call and one of the suspects was arrested. Efforts is on to apprehend other gang members,’’ the statement said. (NAN)

Applicant Steals N50,000 From Prospective Employer During Interview

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A light manipulated job applicant blew his chances of a job he applied for after he was caught with the school proprietor’s missing N50,000.

The incident occurred Tuesday in Bwari Area Council at a school affiliated to a pentecostal church whose general overseer doubles as the school proprietor.

LEADERSHIP learnt that the applicant, a Benue indigene, whose name was given as David, had earlier worked as security man for the school but voluntarily resigned shortly before the last general election and went back to his state. Before leaving the security job he had introduced one of his fellow townsman to the school, who replaced him on the job.

The applicant returned to Abuja on Monday and went straight to the school to see if his job could be given back to him. He met with the school’s principal who quickly told him that the brother that replaced him performed his duty better and so they had no intention of taking the job from him. She however advised him to see the proprietor who was not around at the moment.

When the proprietor arrived at the school, Dave as he was called, who was squatting in the security house with the school’s security man was asked to go and see her. In the course of interview Dave noticed the safe where the proprietor kept her money.

A source in the school said they could not tell the exact time the applicant went into the proprietor’s office and stole the N50,000 from her safe. The proprietor returned to her office after going to inspector on-going work at the site of the school’s annex.

Shortly after she entered her office, she noticed that the money had been stolen and so she raised the alarm. All the staff were summoned to the proprietor’s office and informed about the missing money. Immediately, search for the money commenced. every office was searched and the bags and briefcases of the teachers were also searched.

The school’s authority eventually decided to take the search to the security house where the applicant also had his travelling bag. The security man who was combing the room, picked up Dave’s bag and opened it and to the amazement of everyone, the N50,000 fell out of the bag.

The proprietor who felt shocked but relieved that the money had been recovered immediately ordered the applicant out of the school’s premises.

The principal of the school who spoke with LEADERSHIP under condition of anonymity said the proprietor was advised to report the applicant to the police but decided against it saying she did not want the young man to languish in jail.

Armed Robbery Suspect Arrested On Wedding Day

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Oyo State Police Command  arrested a suspected  member of a robbery gang on his wedding day.

Olumide Asiyanbi, 42,  told newsmen that nemesis caught up with him when he was at the registry to sign the dotted lines.
A suspected offender being forcefully arrested by policemen attached to a task force team.

The police alleged he was a member of  a six-man-robbery gang who had  terrorised residents of Challenge area of Ibadan, the state capital.

The state Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Katsina, said the suspects included  a 62-year-old Ghanaian.

Asiyanbi  confessed that he had been involved in 10 different robbery attacks before he was arrested.

He said, “I was arrested on my wedding day. I met the gang leader, James Agba, last year. He told me  he knew how we could be getting regular money. He then initiated me into the gang. I have taken part in at least 10 operations since I joined them.

“We  used gun but I don’t know where James was buying them. Sulaimon and Alhaji, who are also in the gang, knew how the guns were bought for our operations. I have fired shots at our targets but nobody was killed.”

We Get Too Many Complaints Against Obasanjo Foundation – UK Commission

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United Kingdom Charity Commission says it has received many complaints about the Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation in London concerning allegations of financial misconduct and conflicts of interest.

The UKCC’s spokesperson, Sarah Hitchings, told Punch in an email that the commission had also started a broad investigation into the matters because the foundation had violated its regulatory standards.

She said, “We have received complaints about this charity and issues including alleged conflicts of interest and alleged financial misconduct. We currently have an open case in relation to this charity and have been in contact with the trustees.

“We have recently become aware of further information about potential wrong-doing at the charity which is of regulatory concern to the commission and we are currently considering this new information. We cannot comment further while our case is live.”

Meanwhile, the commission refused to comment on any actions taken against the recently sacked London-based Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Anne Welsh, on allegations of money laundering.

“We cannot give information about a charge on the chief executive officer – this would be a question for the Police,” Hitchings added.

The Chief of Staff to former President Obasanjo, Mr. Victor Durodola, had told Saturday PUNCH that Welsh was relieved of her duties due to allegations of money laundering activities.

“It is true and it is sad,” he said, while commenting on the sacking of the former chief executive.

SaharaReporters had earlier obtained a video footage, which showed that Welsh was allegedly involved in plotting a $4.9m (N980m) scheme to exploit the Ebola Virus Disease tragedy in West Africa through helping a group of “Lebanese businessmen,” who wished to donate money to the Obasanjo Foundation for some works in Sierra Leone.

The footage revealed that the group demanded that it would make a donation of $2m (N400m) to the foundation if it helped it launder the balance of $2.9m, which Welsh agreed to.

“I had to go through training, through president Obasanjo, political training for one year to become discreet,” she said in the video,” adding that, “Sometimes, we get dollars from people who give money to our foundation and they say they don’t want it to be known that they donated the money, but they want to have a letter on our letterhead and a letter from Obasanjo just to say ‘Thank you’ for your kind donations to the foundation for the work to support Ebola.’ That’s it. That is what we normally do.”

Welsh had also demanded from the group an interest of 30 per cent on the $2.9m.

“At least 30 per cent; think about the hard work I’m going to put into this, you will be so grateful to me,” she said.

The video evidence had also showed that the group agreed to give her the 30 per cent, which was $90,000 (N180m), and detailed how the money would be transferred via a Nigerian bank.

Pipeline Surveillance: Buhari To Revoke Jonathan’s Contracts To OPC, Ex-Militants

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Anyone who thinks that the administration of the incoming president, General Mohammadu Buhari would tolerate the surveillance of oil pipelines and waterways by private individuals or groups should better think again as there are now plans to discard the practice and revert to the use of conventional security agencies.

Saturday Vanguard’s investigations during the week indicated that already some highly placed persons in Buhari’s camp with military and security backgrounds have begun to fashion out ways that would facilitate the process.

President-elect Muhammadu Buhari (L) waves in Abuja on April 1, 2015. Nigeria's new president-elect Muhammadu Buhari hailed polls that will lead to the first democratic change of power in Africa's most populous nation as

It was gathered that the man behind the process was a Director in the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Organisation.

His briefs included to liaise with experts in the sector and other people with rich legal background to work out the template for the new surveillance policy.

When this is completed, the incoming administration, we gathered, would further equip the Nigerian Armed Forces, especially the Army and Navy, as well as the police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC and hand them over the job of protecting the oil pipelines and other installations both onshore and offshore.

The implication of this however, is that Buhari’s government would stop the contract with some former Niger-Delta militants or groups like the Odua People’s Congress, OPC in the South-west region which the Jonathan administration had awarded such contracts.

The contracts to ex-militants to police Nigeria’s waterways runs into billions of naira, the money, experts say should have been invested in the Navy to perform the role.

*Tompolo

In the build up to the last general elections in the country, the media was awash with reports that the outgoing president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan awarded a surveillance contract estimated at about N9 billion to the OPC. OPC leader, Gani Adams severally thanked President Jonathan for the contract.

Buhari had Wednesday, during his meeting with Rivers State chieftains of APC in Abuja warned that his government will not tolerate”an army within the army or a police within the police” in the country.

He had also, at a forum in Abuja, told Nigerians that he would upon assumption of office reopen the books of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC for proper auditing in a bid to ensure transparency in the oil sector of the economy.

Speaking in exclusive interview with Vanguard, a member of the Board of Trustees of APC, Chief Sam Nkire said that Buhari would have to tinker with the contracts if they were not properly awarded.

According to Nkire, the outgoing government of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, had a lot of underhand deals with some groups.

“Well, once a government has been swept away, it ceases to exist. The new government takes charge and whatever it decides to do, becomes the law. If the government or presidency of Buhari thinks those contracts were not properly given out or were not given to qualified people, of course, the government will cancel those contracts.

“And from what I know of the incoming president, he will not waste a day to cancel those contracts because these are the reasons why Nigerians rejected the PDP government. Because, they did things that should not be done. They did things without recourse to the law.

“They did things with impunity and knowing Buhari as a man who abhors impunity; a man we can say is one of the incorruptible persons, I will be surprised if he does not revoke contracts that were wrongly awarded if he sees them”, Nkire said.

Other areas the incoming Buhari’s regime would look into according to Saturday Vanguard’s investigations include the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, an agency responsible for the regulation of the activities of Nigerian shipping, maritime, labour and coastal waters and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS.

Gani Adams

Sources who spoke to Saturday Vanguard said that the two agencies stink with corruption and financial improprieties.

“ Two other agencies Buhari must look into are NIMASA and FIRS. Stories of corruption in those organizations cannot be ignored. For the incoming president to be taken seriously in his pledge to fight and win the war against corruption, he must sanitize these places. They stink,” a reliable APC source added.

My Girlfriend’s Love For Money Pushed Me Into Robbery – Armed Robber Confesses

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Guys, please don’t allow any girl push you into nonsense so you don’t end up in regrets. Some of these so called fine girls their own brothers are broke, yet other girls agree to marry them. So, any girl who can’t marry you for who you are, just let her go and live your life with a virtuous woman.

As you read this, operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Enugu State police command, have arrested Uchenna Ikwuegbu who was allegedly on the verge of launching a robbery attack on residents of Maryland axis of Enugu.

Uchenna was arrested on February 16, following surveillance reports. He was arrested with a locally-made pistol, cut to seize with two live cartridges.
In his confession, Uchenna said:
“I acquired the gun from a timber mill at Maryland. The urge to meet up with the demands from my girlfriend, Chinaza, living at Uwani axis of Enugu, propelled me into robbery.
“I had acquired the gun to unleash robbery attacks on residents of Maryland in order to dispossess them of their valuables. I was on the verge of carrying out the act when the operatives swooped on me. I do not know how they knew I was carrying a gun. I am so ashamed of myself now. I do not know what led me into this.
“My parents are crying their hearts out over this incident. They are so disappointed in me. I want to call on teenagers like me to shun robbery and other nefarious activities because the security operatives are always watching.”