Breaking: Master-mind of UBEC chairman’s abduction killed in gun duel with police
Kidnapping kingpin and notorious armed robber, who recently masterminded the kidnap of the UBEC Chairman along Abuja- Kaduna road has been killed.
The suspect, one Sumaila Sule, alias SHAHO, male (estimated be in his mid thirties), a native of Rijana village in Kachia LGA of Kaduna state is one of the most vicious and most wanted kidnappers that has been terrorizing citizens in Kaduna and its environs.
He died in the early hours of 18th May, 2019 following multiple bullet wounds he sustained during a deadly shootout with police operatives attached to Operation Puff Adder.
According to the Force Public Relations Officer DCP Frank Mba, the shootout took place in the evening of 17th May 2019, at the outskirts of Rijana village.
Mr Mba said, officers attached to Operation Puff Adder, were carrying out routine surveillance and raid of suspected criminal hide-outs, when they suddenly came under gun fire attack from a heavily armed criminal gang.
Meanwhile, acting on information elicited from the suspect before his death, police operatives, between the 18th and 19th of May 2019, carried out sweeping follow-up operations at different target locations. These coordinated operations led to the arrest of four other members of SHAHO’s gang and the recovery of three (3) AK 47 rifles.
The arrested gang members include: MUSA Hassan 26yrs, Yau Umar 25yrs, Umar MUSA 22yrs and Muhammad SANI 28yrs , all males and natives of Rijiana Village Kachia LGA Kaduna State. SHAHO and his gang members have been on the radar of the intelligence community for a while, as they have been implicated in several high level kidnappings and other heinous crimes along Kaduna-Abuja road and beyond.
In a similar vein, a combined team of Operation Puff Adder operatives, comprising of the IGP Response Team, the Technical Intelligence Unit, the Police Mobile Force and the Special Anti Robbery Squad have arrested another set of kidnappers who have been terrorizing citizens at Mubi axis of Adamawa state. One AK 47 rifle and twenty six (26) rounds of live ammunition were recovered from the gang.
The suspects arrested are: Umaru Ibrahim native of Yadi Buni, Yobe State ; Abdul Maina native of Maiha Adamawa State and Mohammed Abubakar native of Buni Yadi Yobe State. The suspects have all confessed to participating in numerous kidnapping and armed robbery operations within Adamawa State, including the kidnap and collection of a ransom of seven million naira from one Mallam Abdulahi Umoru of Hong L.G.A.
Investigations into these cases are on-going, while efforts aimed at arresting other members of the gangs still at large are being intensified.
While commending police operatives for their gallantry, as well as selfless service to the nation and humanity, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu NPM, has reassured Nigerians that the war against crimes and criminality will soon be won.
The IGP called for continuous support for the police and other law enforcement agencies, promising that the security agencies will not rest on their oars till normalcy is restored in every part of Nigeria.
Exclusive: N180m fraud rocks Oyedepo’s Covenant University
A senior lecturer in the IT Department of Covenant University, Otta Ogun State is cooling off in the custody of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) after he confessed to have fraudulently diverted not less than N180 million to his private coffers.
The diversion, it was learnt, took years during which nobody suspected the high-profile guru.
By the time the university woke up to his antics, he had succeeded in siphoning a whopping N180 million!
Before the bubble burst, not a few people were said to have wondered how the loved and trusted official was managing to get the funds with which he maintained a lifestyle the Chancellor of the university and Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, would call “riotous living.”
He was said to have bought some flashy cars which he kept in a mansion he bought with stolen funds in highbrow Lekki part of Lagos, even though he had a house in the school where he lived with his wife.
Every Friday, he would cruise with his wife to the posh house in Lekki to enjoy the weekend. But what really gave him away was the habit of flying back to his duty post in Otta in a chopper that landed at the premises of The Bells University, which is only a stone’s throw from Covenant University.
Tongues began to wag from onlookers who started to wonder who the big boy could be. Word about his lifestyle soon got to the authorities of Covenant University who decided to put him under surveillance and realised that he had stolen the university’s money amounting to more than N180 million.
The funds were mainly school fees paid by students. The fees were paid into the accounts of the university in designated banks but the disingenuous inventor found a means of diverting the money into his private account.
The discovery alarmed the authorities of the school. Oyedepo, sources said, was flabbergasted.
The IT guru was promptly reported to the police, who arrested him. Covenant University authorities expected the police to fast track his prosecution but that was not forthcoming. Words got to the university that the suspected fraudster was greasing the palms of the police.
Again alarmed by the development, the authorities sidelined the police and handed the suspect to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Upon interrogation, the suspect admitted stealing the said sum and even agreed to refund N56 million in cash immediately. Sentry will keep you posted on further developments.
Source: TheNigerian
$145.84m remittance default: NPA terminates intels pilotage contract
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has terminated its boats pilotage monitoring and supervision agreement with Intels Nigeria Limited after about two years of bickering, following non remittance of $145.84.
In a letter dated March 29, 2019, addressed to the Managing Director of Intels, which was obtained by THISDAY, NPA said the decision to revoke the contract was taken in line with Article 8 (C) of its agreement with Intels, dated February 11, 2011.
The letter signed by NPA’s Assistant General Manager, Legal Services, read in part, “We refer to the agreement dated 11th February, 2011 and 24th August, 2018 between the NPA and Intels Nigeria Limited for the monitoring and supervision of oil industry related activities in the compulsory pilotage districts of the authority (service boat operator).
“The NPA (the principal ) hereby serves on you Intels Nigeria Limited, (the Managing agent) notice of termination in line with article 8 (C) of its agreement with Intels, dated 11th February, 2011, which said notice shall expire three months from the date of this notice of termination.”
In a letter dated March 27, 2019, addressed to the Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman, NPA’s Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mohammed Bello-Koko, had accused Intels of non-compliance with the presidential directive and circular on implementation of Treasury Single Account (TSA) and Article 4.1 of the executed supplemental agreement by refusing to remit the sum of $145, 849,309.33 being outstanding service boat revenue generated from November 1, 2017 to October 31, 2018.
According to Bello-Koko, Article 4.1 of the executed supplemental agreement states, “The total revenue generated on behalf of the principal in each of the pilotage districts from the service boat operations shall be paid directly into the principal’s TSA at designated commercial banks which will be swept daily into the principal’s corresponding TSA at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).”
He stated that Intels neither remitted the sum of $55.72 million, which it pledged to remit in a letter dated February 12, 2019, nor the sum of $145.84 million, which it demanded via various letters.
The letter by Bello-Koko also stated, “Let it be clearly stated that Intels persistent refusal to remit all service boats revenue to TSA as clearly stated in Article 4.1 of the supplemental agreement and the sudden introduction of the ‘concept of reciprocity’ in your letter dated March 6, 2019 is worrisome. The concept of reciprocity is alien to the executed supplemental agreement.
“In a letter dated March 6, 2019, Intels alluded to the following as defence for its refusal to comply with terms of executed agreement: that the outstanding revenue of $145. 84 million, which covers the period of November 1, 2017 to October 31, 2018, is not true, that its pledge to pay the sum of $55.70 million as revenue for period from November 1, 2017 to March 31, 2019 is predicated on authority’s payment of $19.67 million. And added that the authority’s fulfilment of the payment is a prerequisite for the reciprocity of rights and obligations of each party in executed agreement.
“That the unreconciled amount of $145. 84 million included revenue expected from both clients under Intels agency and other agents.”
On NPA’s reaction to Intels assertions, Bello-Koko said NPA and Intels had jointly reconciled service boats transactions covering the period of November 1, 2017 to July 31, 2019.
He said, “That the reconciled and jointly signed report covered November 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018 and the associated outstanding reconciled revenue is $55.702 million. However, Intels persistently refused to transfer the agreed amount to TSA, instead, it introduced the concept of reciprocity, which is alien to the executed agreement.
“That the jointly reconciled report for the period of April 1 to July 31, 2018 has been submitted to Intels for signature. That this has not been signed till date. And the outstanding revenue for the period is $49.008 million, which ought to have been transferred to TSA by Intels.”
He added, “That the period from August 1 to October 31, 2018 was reconciled by the authority and forwarded to Intels for review to enable joint agreement. However, Intels has not responded and this has held down further reconciliation. The supplemental agreement stipulates that reconciliation should be monthly but the apparent delay to speed up the exercise appears inconsistent with agreement.
“That the executed supplemental agreement does not provide that revenue transfer to TSA be dependent on conclusion of reconciliation, it is worrisome that an average of 80 percent of revenue is being withheld by Intels while a meagre 20 percent is being paid to TSA. The authority by its letter of March 1, 2019, has given Interls a Grace period of five days within which to remit the outstanding revenue to TSA. However, it is worrisome that about 20 days after no payment was made as requested.”
It was on this ground that NPA decided to cancel the authority’s agreement with Intels Nigeria Limited.
This decision according a usually reliable source should have come much earlier but had wait to avoid giving the termination political colouration.
The source also admitted that NPA is owing Intels about $600 million which it intends to pay from the revenue source.
On how NPA intends to proceed with revenue collection going forward, the source stated that it was going to go through the process of engaging another company when the termination process is fully executed.
Airport safety: Enugu Govt Shuts Down Orie Emene Market
A day after the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) raised safety concerns in and around the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, the state government has commenced demolition of the Orie Emene market near the airport.
The exercise comes after the state executive council on Friday ordered the closure of the abattoir near the airport and the removal of all illegal structures encroaching on the airport land.
State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ogbuagu Anikwe, explained that the government had on October the 12th, 2018 approved funds for the relocation of the state broadcast mast on the approach of the runway to Okpatu Hill in Udi Local Government Area.
The Federal Government had also on Friday threatened to shut down the airport over poor positioning of the market and state broadcast mast, which it says is obstructing safe flight operations.
According to the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, the poor state of infrastructure at the airport, in addition to the siting of a free trade zone at the end of the runway, as well as an abattoir close to the airport, among other obstacles, necessitated the decision.
Nigerian peacekeeper killed in attack on UN in Mali
A Nigerian peacekeeper was killed Saturday in an attack on the United Nations’ stabilization mission in Mali, the UN said.
The victim “succumbed to his wounds following the armed attack by unidentified assailants” in Timbuktu, a statement said. A Nigerian peacekeeper was also injured.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “deeply saddened” by the assault, which he said could amount to a war crime.
In a separate incident Saturday, three Chadian peacekeepers were wounded when their mine-protected vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Tessalit, in Mali’s Kidal region.
The UN’s MINUSMA mission was established in Mali after radical Islamist militias seized the north of the country in 2012. They were pushed back by French troops in 2013.
A peace agreement signed in 2015 by the Bamako government and armed groups was aimed at restoring stability. But the accord has failed to stop the violence.
Since their deployment in 2013, more than 190 peacekeepers have died in Mali, including nearly 120 killed by hostile action – making MINUSMA the UN’s deadliest peacekeeping operation, accounting for more than half of blue helmets killed globally in the past five years.