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Responding to reports that he was bribed to approve of the controversial Malabu oil deal, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan released a statement on Tuesday denying any illegal involvement in the scheme.


Mr. Jonathan's spokesperson, Ikechukwu Eze, published the statement on Tuesday. It is reproduced below, courtesy of Premium Times:

Our attention has been drawn to news reports published mostly by online media which suggested through innuendo, rather than factual evidence, that former President Goodluck Jonathan received kickbacks in the $1.3bn OPL 245 oil block deal involving oil giants ENI and Royal Dutch Shell.

With regards to the publication, we wish to make it clear that former President Jonathan was not accused, indicted or charged for corruptly collecting any monies as kickbacks or bribes from ENI by the Italian authorities or any other law enforcement body the world over.

In the first place, we have to categorically state that the negotiations and transactions for the oil block deal predate the Presidency of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan which began on 6th May 2010 and ended on 29th May 2015.

It may interest those promoting this false narrative to know that all the documents relating to the transactions, issues and decisions of the Federal Government on the Malabo issue, during the Jonathan administration, are in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation/Minister of Justice.

As President of Nigeria, there is no doubt that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan met with executives of all the oil majors operating in Nigeria and urged them to, amongst other things, support the growth of the Nigerian oil industry by ramping up their investments and comply with the Local Content Act that he promoted and signed into law.

We however wish to state, for emphasis, that at no time did the former President hold private meetings with representatives of ENI to discuss pecuniary issues. All the meetings and discussions former President
Jonathan had with ENI, other IOCs and some indigenous operators were conducted officially, and in the presence of relevant Nigerian Government officials and were done in the best interest of the country.

We make bold to point out that the former President never sent any Abubakar Aliyu, as the innuendoes in the false report suggest, to ENI, the IOCs or any indigenous operator to seek favour or collect any gratification on his behalf.

We will like to point out for the umpteenth time that whether in office or out of office, former President Jonathan does not own any bank account, aircraft or real estate outside Nigeria. Anyone with contrary information is challenged to publicly publish same.

As the President who signed the Freedom of Information Act into law, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan lifted the veil on governance and encouraged transparency knowing that evil breeds in secrecy. It is the opinion of the former President that journalists and media houses should take advantage of this law in their investigative journalism, rather than rely on hearsay.

We hope that these clarifications will help guide future reports which should be factual.
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Workers of the erstwhile ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday, January 9 disgraced the factional chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff by refusing to attend a meeting with him.

According to a report by Punch, was to hold at Sheriff’s office at Maitama, Abuja for 10am but the workers were angry that the Sheriff faction invited journalists to the planned meeting.

It is believed that the planned meeting was supposed to be a follow-up to the meeting the workers had with members of the National Caretaker Committee under the leadership of Senator Ahmed Makarfi in Abuja on Friday.

It was gathered that all the 54 workers, who attended the meeting with Makarfi voted against having audience with the Sheriff faction.

Also reported was that the workers had given the Sheriff faction other conditions which were not met, hence their decision to stay away from the proposed meeting.

One of the conditions, it was learnt, was that Sheriff must start speaking against the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government, since he claimed to be leading a major opposition party.

The workers also demanded that the faction should support the unconditional reopening of the party’s national secretariat located at Wuse, Zone 2, Abuja.

One of the leaders of the Workers Welfare Association, Mr. Imafidon Samson said; “They invited us to a meeting, which would have been the first since the crisis started.

“But why would we go to such a meeting without issues to be discussed? We wanted a private meeting; he went on to call all the media houses in the country.
“We also said he should be speaking against the APC-led Federal Government and should also ask the police to vacate the national secretariat. But, there was no commitment from them.

“All of us, 54 of us who were at the meeting today, voted against going to the meeting. That was why we didn’t go.”
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Dr Abbas Tajuddeen, member of House of Representatives, has said more than N5 trillion government projects were abandoned across Nigeria.

Tajuddeen, representing Zaria Federal Constituency, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zaria, that the situation had caused huge losses.

He said that the Bill for the amendment to the Public Procurement Act which he sponsored was to address issues of abandoned projects among others.

“This is because, today Nigeria has more than N5 trillion worth of abandoned projects and if you trace the history of these projects, you will find out that they are predominantly caused by contractors’ neglect.

“We believe that by coming-up with an additional legislation to provide for additional fines and damages against contractors, issues of contracts abandonment will become history in Nigeria,” he said.

According to him, he has so far sponsored ten bills, six motions and presented two petitions with a view to effect positive change and improve the lives of citizens.

The bills included the one seeking to amend the National Universities Commission Act, to give the commission the power to regulate the conditions of service and procedure for engagement of academic staff.

“This a very significant bill, because it will amend the minimum standard for education and establishment of an institution, so as to provide a guideline for regulating conditions of service.

“It will also regulate procedures for engagement of visiting and part-time lecturers in our tertiary institutions.

“If you know what is happening in Nigerian universities today, you will agree with me that there is no better time for a Bill to regulate the activities of universities than now,” he said.

The lawmaker lamented that some senior lecturers of universities, under the disguise of visiting lecturer-ship were taking employment with up to six universities at a time.

“On the average, if a lecturer tries, he or she will stay, may be for a day every two weeks in their university of primary assignment.

“The rest of the 13 days of these two weeks will be spent going round the country to other universities lecturing on part-time at the expense of their original employer.

“The implication is that the university that engages them and pays their salaries and allowances is losing a lot as there is no commitment to the job.”

According to him, such acts negatively affects researches and project supervision, as well as the quality of university education in Nigeria, hence the need for the regulation.
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Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has lost 32 per cent of his wealth, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires’ Index.

Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that Dangote lost $4.9bn or one-third of his wealth as the combined effect of falling oil prices and the June devaluation of the naira pushed him to No. 112 on the billionaires’ list with $10.4bn. Dangote was the world’s 46th-richest person in June.

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud fell by $4.9bn, a 20 per cent drop, the report added.

Alwaleed had said in November that all of his stakes in public companies, including Citigroup Incorporated, were potentially for sale, reversing a longstanding policy that some of his most-prized shareholdings were “forever.”

Wealth creation in China turned negative for the first time since the inception of the Bloomberg index five years ago, with the country’s richest losing $11bn in 2016 amid a slump in the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 index and a seven per cent decline for the yuan against the dollar.

Alibaba Group Holding Limited’s founder, Jack Ma, closed the year with $33.3bn, adding $3.6bn in 2016. He dropped in and out of his place as Asia’s richest person for the first four months of the year before claiming it for good in May, after Alibaba’s finance affiliate, which is laying the groundwork for an initial public offering expected as soon as next year, completed a record $4.5bn equity fundraising round.

China has 31 billionaires on the index with $262bn, trailing the US, which has 179 billionaires who control $1.9tn, and Germany, whose 39 individuals have $281bn.

Russian billionaires also began to put the negative effects of the US and European sanctions behind them, reversing the combined $63bn declines for 2014 and 2015, and adding $49bn in 2016.

Wealth managers for the world’s richest are girding themselves for similarly frenetic start to 2017 as the seismic changes that voters demanded this year start to take shape.

“Expect the unexpected,” said Sabine Kaiser, founder of SKadvisory, which advises family offices on venture capital and private equity. “I don’t think family offices are overly concerned or getting too nervous but after Brexit and Trump, they’ve resigned themselves to market volatility.”

In a year when populist voters reshaped power and politics across Europe and the U.S., the world’s wealthiest people are ending 2016 with $237 billion more than they had at the start.

However, the Bloomberg Billionaire index revealed that the world’s richest made $237bn this year.

The gains were led by Warren Buffett, who added $11.8bn during the year as his investment firm, Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated, saw its airline and banking holdings soar after Donald Trump’s surprise victory on November 8. Buffett, who’s pledged to give away most of his fortune to charity, donated Berkshire Hathaway stock valued at $2.6bn in July.

The US investor reclaimed his spot as the world’s second-richest person two days after Trump’s victory ignited a year-end rally that pushed his wealth up by 19 per cent for the year to $74.1bn.

“The year 2016 has been event-driven with global news driving prices rather than fundamentals,” said Michael Cole, president of Ascent Private Capital Management, which has about $10bn of assets under administration.”
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Boko Haram fighters, fleeing an attack on their base last week might have used some of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped on April 14, 2014, as human shields to prevent being fired upon by fighter jets during the attack on Sambisa Forest.

The Theatre Commander of the military campaign, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Lucky Irabor, on Wednesday, showed journalists aerial footage he said was filmed during attack on Sambisa Forest that showed the terrorists moving with women and children.

“The haggard fighters were just using them as a shield,” Irabor said at a news conference in Maiduguri.

Irabor added, “That is why we did not engage them from the air. We had always believed and hoped that going into the Sambisa Forest would afford us the opportunity to get the remaining Chibok girls. What we can’t tell is whether those women we can see were the Chibok girls.”

The terrorists had kidnapped more than 200 girls from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, 2014.

President Muhammadu Buhari said on Saturday that the terrorists’ last enclave in the forest had been captured.

Irabor said the military was pursuing those who fled, adding that 1,240 people, suspected to be militants, their relatives or sympathisers, had been arrested in the past one week.

Meanwhile, the Nasrul-Lahi-L-Fatih Society has hailed the military for the recapture of the Sambisa Forest from Boko Haram, urging the military to sustain the war against the sect.

The group, in a statement by its President, Kameel Bolarinwa, asked the Federal Government to ensure improved welfare for the military personnel to boost their morale.

The statement added, “The fall of Sambisa Forest in the hands of our soldiers inevitably signposts a great landmark in the fight against terrorism in this country.

“Kudos must also be given to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for boosting the morale of the Army in terms of provision of the military equipment and adequate welfare, which assisted the Army to re-engineer its operations and strategies.

“The Army must be adequately funded such that no soldier, who is risking his life for peace and unity of our nation, is made to suffer any deprivation, hardship or denial of his entitlement.”

NASFAT, however, warned the military against complacency, adding that concerted efforts must be made to consolidate on the achievement.

“It is against this backdrop that we are gladdened by the decision of the leadership of the Nigerian Army to turn the forest to a training ground for the force,” the statement said.
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Families of the Nigerian "Chibok girls" freed by Islamist group Boko Haram say they are being closely guarded and were not allowed home for Christmas.

Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls in April 2014, but freed 21 of them in October after negotiations with the Red Cross.

The freed girls have been in government custody since their release but were brought home to Chibok for Christmas.

But family members told the BBC that the girls were kept in a politician's house and barred from going home.

They were also prevented from attending church services with their families.



The girls were take to the house of an assembly member in Chibok to be reunited with their parents but weren't allowed to go to their own homes. "I can't believe my daughter has come this close to home but can't come home," said one father. "There's no point bringing them to Chibok only to be locked in another prison. They couldn't even go to church on Christmas Day."

Another said a soldier had confiscated his phone when he tried to take a picture of his daughter. He said: "I snapped picture of myself and my daughter but the security guys came and grabbed me by shoulder and snatched the phone from my hands and told me to delete all the picture I took.

"I told him I'm taking a picture with my daughter who was away for more than two years. He said to me that's not his business, he deleted all the pictures including other pictures that were not taken there."

One mother said: "I can't believe my eyes that now my daughter cannot come home. How can I be happy when they don't have freedom?" The girls pictured in May 2014, shortly after their kidnapping A statement from the office of state governor Kashim Shettima acknowledged that "armed soldiers... escorted the 21 girls to Chibok and remain their strict guards throughout the Christmas".

Speaking earlier this week, one of the girls told Reuters news agency it was a "miracle" that she was home and she was looking forward to church on Christmas Day. "I never knew that I would return (home)," she said simply. "I had given up hope of ever going home." Of the 276 students kidnapped, 197 are still reportedly missing, and negotiations for their release are under way.

Many of the Chibok girls were Christian, but were encouraged to convert to Islam and to marry their kidnappers during their time in captivity. Ms Goni said some were whipped for refusing to marry, but otherwise they were well treated and fed until food supplies recently ran short.
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This Nigerian billionaire is legit – but what two women are saying about him might not be.

The sisters from Toronto, who have a sizeable Instagram following, reportedly were detained in Lagos, Nigeria after trying to extort and cyberbully the wealthy businessman.

Jyoti and Kiran Matharoo claimed they had evidence of Femi Otedola cheating on his wife and that they would post it on a sex-scandal website, the news site Politics Nigeria reported. Otedola – who earned his riches in the energy sector – is worth around $1.8 billion, a Forbes estimate revealed.

The sisters were arrested after an investigation, the website reported. A court document also stated that the sisters were accused of using several Instagram and Twitter accounts to harass around 274 people, “mostly based in the various regions of Africa.”

Global Affairs Canada told the Toronto Star that consular services were being provided to the two women. The sisters have a combined nearly 50,000 Instagram followers combined.
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Two suspected female suicide bombers who invaded the Kasunwa shanu cattle market in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital on Monday.

One of the suicide bombers was instantly killed in the explosion while the second woman was lynched by irate mob in the vicinity and eventually died. Security forces later detonated her device.
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A suicide bomber has killed herself and her accomplice in Kasuwan Shanu in Borno State, DSP Victor Isuku of the Borno State Police Command spokesman confirmed this on Monday.

The police spokesman said in a statement that one of the suicide bombers detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) strapped to her body, killing herself and her accomplice whose IED vest did not explode.
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The Indigenous People of Biafra on Sunday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to caution security agencies, whom it alleged were killing pro-Biafra agitators without provocation.

The group vowed to avenge the death of any of its member killed by the country’s security agencies henceforth.
It said that nobody should take the group’s non-violent philosophy for granted.

In a press statement made available to our correspondent in Awka, Anambra State, by the Media and Publicity Secretary of the group, Mr. Emma Powerful, the group said the era of killing its members with without provocation had gone.

It maintained that the members of the group had the right to self defence. The statement read partly, “Many have paid the supreme sacrifice at Igweocha, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; Aba in Abia State, Nkpor and Onitsha in Anambra State, which Biafra and posterity will never forget. We shall honour all those that fell on this long and painful march to freedom.

“Having said this, we will not hesitate to invoke the right to self defence, should the government of Nigeria attempt to kill even one peaceful IPOB protester.

“Biafrans are, naturally, law-abiding and peaceful people without the history of conquest like any other major ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.

“The European Union and and other internationally-recognised institutions in the world have taken time to study IPOB’s grievances and have come to the conclusion that the Nigerian government, headed by Muhamadu Buhari, is hell-bent on annihilating the people of Biafra.”


The group said it would not have any talk with the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari until the release of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

“IPOB worldwide and its leadership are pleased with every effort people are making towards the restoration of the Biafra nation. We are highly committed to making sure Biafra comes under the command of our ordained leader and prophet, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.


“We wish to clarify that there will be no negotiation talks until our leader, Nnamdi Kanu, and other members detained illegally are released unconditionally as two courts of competent jurisdiction have ruled in Abuja,” the statement said.
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An anti-riot policeman, Corporal Aliyu Hamisu, reportedly shot his colleague, Joshua Mathew, dead at a bank in Zaria, Kaduna State on Friday.

He also killed a young boy who was at the bank to withdraw money from an ATM and an Okada rider.

The circumstances behind the incident were hazy, but it was learnt that Hamisu and Mathew, a sergeant got into an argument which led to the former shooting the latter and two others.

There are different versions of the incident. While one version said Hamisu shot at Mathew, another version said it was the other way round.

But the News Agency of Nigeria reported that the quarrel between the two officers ensued following a discovery that the sergeant had been short-changing the corporal.

Northern City News gathered that Hamisu was shot on the legs by other policemen at the bank and subsequently mobbed by the crowd.

The incident caused pandemonium in the area and forced the bank to hurriedly shut down its operation as motorists and everyone scampered to safety on hearing gunshots.

An eyewitness, Prince Sam, who wrote about the incident on an online forum, Nairaland.com, said Hamisu of MOPOL 47, Zaria gunned down his colleague and two bank customers before he was killed by other policemen.

He wrote, “I was there when it all went down but I was afraid to take pictures of the incident with my phone. I woke up early this morning (Friday), made my way to the bank, Manchester Road precisely where GT Bank was situated. I got there, but there was no money at the ATM. In fact, I went round the whole of Zaria but none of the ATMs was loaded with money.

“I got to Diamond Bank roundabout and made my way to Zenith Bank. I got there but the crowd there was something else; so as I was about leaving, two of the MOPOLS (anti-riot policemen) guarding the bank were arguing. One of them asked the other to hand over his rifle to him or he would shoot him.


“Like a joke, the guy cocked his rifle. His name was Ayuba Hamisu while the other one was Joshua Matthew. Both of them were sergeants attached to Mopol 47 squadron Zaria. So Joshua handed over his rifle to Ayuba knowing that Ayuba had already cocked his rifle and anything could happen, while the rest of the MOPOLS were just looking in amazement. The next thing I heard was ‘lie down.’ At this moment, I knew something terrible was about to happen. So I left the premises of the bank, started my vehicle and drove off immediately.
“It was not up to 30 seconds when I heard a gunshot, people started running for their dear lives, I parked my car to know what was going on, then I looked down towards Zenith Bank and saw two people lying dead on the ground, including Joshua.”


Sam further narrated that after shooting three persons, Hamisu shot into the air, chanting Allahu Akbar. He was reportedly shot by his colleagues on both legs.

The Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, Aliyu Usman, confirmed the incident to NAN. He however said he had yet to get the full details.
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President Muhammadu Buhari has commended Nigerian Army troops on the capture of Sambisa Forest, widely regarded as Boko Haram's last enclave. The President made the commendation in a State House press statement issued on Saturday.



President Muhammadu Buhari has commended Nigerian Army troops on the capture of Sambisa Forest, widely regarded as Boko Haram's last enclave. The President made the commendation in a State House press statement issued on Saturday.

"I delighted at, and most proud of the gallant troops of the Nigerian Army, on receipt of the long-awaited and most gratifying news of the final crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave in Sambisa Forest. I want to use this opportunity to commend the determination, courage, and resilience of troops of Operation Lafiya Dole at finally entering and crushing the remnants of the Boko Haram insurgents at “Camp Zero,” which is located deep within the heart of Sambisa Forest," said President Buhari.


The President said he was informed by the Chief of Army Staff, Major-General TY Buratai, that the camp fell at about 1:35 pm on Friday, December 23 and that the terrorists no longer have a place to hide.

President Buhari urged the troops sustain the momentum by also ensuring that the terrorists are made to face justice and called on Nigerians to support the Armed Forces and other security agencies by providing useful information that will expose all terrorists hiding among the populace. He also called for the intensification of efforts to rescue the remaining Chibok girls.

"Further efforts should be intensified to locate and free our remaining Chibok girls still in captivity. May God be with them. I also want to congratulate and commend the able leadership of the Nigerian Army in particular and indeed, that of the Armed Forces in general, for making this possible," said President Buhari.
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South African telecom giant, MTN, has fired one of its top and most valuable staffers in order to avoid scrutiny by the United States government over bribes offered to Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari. Shortly after helping to resolve a hefty fine imposed by the Nigerian government, Amina Oyagbola was so important to MTN that the company gave her two strategic positions. Her corporate elevation saw her combining leadership of the Human Resources department with the post of "Director of Strategic Communications" at MTN.

South African telecom giant, MTN, has fired one of its top and most valuable staffers in order to avoid scrutiny by the United States government over bribes offered to Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Shortly after helping to resolve a hefty fine imposed by the Nigerian government, Amina Oyagbola was so important to MTN that the company gave her two strategic positions. Her corporate elevation saw her combining leadership of the Human Resources department with the post of "Director of Strategic Communications" at MTN.

Ms. Oyagbola and her husband were instrumental in resolving MTN's serious problem with the Nigerian Presidency culminating in a massive $5.2 billion fine imposed on the company for ignoring the Nigerian government’s directive to ensure that all SIM cards were registered as a strategy to curb Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria's northeast.

An insider within the company and other sources in Abuja told our correspondent that, once the fine was imposed, Ms. Oyagbola recruited a close friend, Femi Lijadu, to act as a consultant for “strategic advisory services.” In that capacity, Mr. Lijadu was a member of the team that negotiated with the Federal Government to reduce the fine to $1.7 billion. One of our sources said Ms. Oyagbola and Mr. Lijadu once worked with presidential Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari at the United Bank for Africa.

Once the fine was reduced to about a third of the original sum, Ms. Oyagbola’s corporate star seemed to soar. However, MTN last week told her to step down from one of her two corporate positions. A source at MTN claimed that Mrs. Oyagbola decided to resign.

However, another source within the company told Saharareporters that the once powerful corporate player was fired after MTN’s bribe scandal with Mr. Kyari came to the notice of the MTN's parent company in South Africa. The source added that the decision to relieve Ms. Oyagbola was taken in order to avoid the consequences of a global disgrace should US authorities ask questions related to the company’s reported offer of an undisclosed sum as bribe to Mr. Kyari before the senior presidential aide helped broker a deal that lowered the fine earlier imposed by the government.
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Mikel Obi has quizzed Chelsea legend Didier Drogba over a switch to Marseille. The Nigerian midfielder is heading out of Stamford Bridge. Mikel’s contract is up at the end of the season and he doesn’t look like getting a new one. He’s not played at all under Antonio Conte this season, and will want to get some games under his belt before the campaign is out. Marseille are one club credited with a new year swoop for the player. And the Evening Standard says Mikel has been quizzing pal Drogba about the French side. Drogba shone for Marseille before Jose Mourinho brought him to Chelsea for £24m in 2004. Mikel is said to respect the Ivorian’s opinion and has picked his brains about life at the Stade Velodrome. Marseille haven’t won the French league since 2010 and won’t be claiming top spot this term. They are lying sixth in the table, 16 points off leaders Nice. The club are regulars in European competition, though, which would allow Mikel showcase his talents in either the Europa League or Champions League if they qualify. Mikel is said to have a big-money offer from China, but is more keen on staying in Europe with his young family.
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The British High Commission in Nigeria has refused to comment on whether former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, will be extradited to Nigeria after serving his jail term in the United Kingdom. On Wednesday, the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders called on the Federal Government to initiate the process to extradite the ex-governor On Tuesday, Ibori was released from the UK prison after completing his jail term over criminal offences of money laundering. Speaking on the development, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, urged the government to ensure that Ibori does not escape justice in Nigeria. He said, “As far we know, Mr. Ibori has not answered to the allegations against him here in Nigeria. “In fact, we demand that the Federal Government should immediately make an official request to the UK for the extradition of the ex-convict to Nigeria to face trial over the corruption cases pending against him.” In response to our correspondent’s inquiry whether the UK government would accede to the extradition of Ibori, a spokesman for the British High Commission in Nigeria, Joe Abuku, said, “It would be inappropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings, but the UK is committed to returning assets.” Adeniran added, “We all know this man ‘escaped’ the Nigerian justice system but ended in the UK gulag over the same offences from which he had been exonerated of in our country. “Another sad tale in the annals of the nation’s history is that of corruption in the judiciary. It is really shameful that it was outside this country that Ibori was convicted, having wriggled through the labyrinths of our judicial system to escape justice. “We believe that Ibori’s case is one of those that informed the statement credited to the former UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, that Nigeria is ‘fantastically corrupt.’” Ibori admitted to fraud totalling about £50m and was jailed by the Southwark Crown Court after pleading guilty to 10-count charge of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud.
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Former Delta State Governor James Ibori was ordered released from Huntcombe Prison following the failure of a last-minute effort by the UK Homeland Office to keep in prison via a court application. The former governor will, however, be confined to a flat on Abbey Road, St. John’s Wood area in London, and pending a confiscation hearing scheduled for January. In the meantime, he will visit a police station in Croydon regularly. BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORKDEC 21, 2016 Former Delta State Governor James Ibori was ordered released from Huntcombe Prison following the failure of a last-minute effort by the UK Homeland Office to keep in prison via a court application. The former governor will, however, be confined to a flat on Abbey Road, St. John’s Wood area in London, and pending a confiscation hearing scheduled for January. In the meantime, he will visit a police station in Croydon regularly. Earlier today, Mrs. Justice May of the Royal Court of Justice Court 1 in London ruled that Ibori is released after he completed his money laundering jail term. His house arrest means he is far from being a free man, and will certainly not be spending the Christmas with his friends and relatives in Nigeria as has been peddled by some of his supporters for months.  Mr. Ibori, a former London store clerk who began a life of stealing and being convicted in that city, wants to return to Nigeria on his own terms but the Homeland Office wants him to be deported. Also, the UK government is pushing for confiscation proceedings on Ibori's illegally acquired properties. It would be recalled that in 2012, the former Delta State governor admitted 10 counts of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering, and was sent to prison for 13 years by the Southwark Crown Court for fraud totaling about $77m. Fleeing from the police in Nigeria, he had been captured in Dubai in 2010 and extradited to the UK, where he was prosecuted by the Metropolitan Police. Several possessions are involved in the confiscation hearings he faces.  They include mansions in Dorset, north London, and Sandton, near Johannesburg, as well as luxury cars of all kinds.   Following Ibori’s sentencing, it would be recalled that Sue Patten, who headed the Crown Prosecution Service central fraud unit, said Ibori’s illegally-acquired wealth had been "at the expense of some of the poorest people in the world."   The irony is that many of those people, in Delta State, are now being sensitized to welcome the thief and ex-convict back as a hero of some sort. In Nigeria, lawyers to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission say Ibori faces further legal challenges if and when he is extradited to Nigeria.
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The Federal Government has released the postings of the 47 ambassadors recently appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Ambassadors are currently undergoing a four-day induction which ends on Thursday. Below are the ambassadors and their postings: Abia: Obinna Agbugba (Togo), Adamawa: Salisu Umaru (Senegal), Paragalda Audu (Turkey), Akwa Ibom: Inyan Udo-Inyang (Gabon), Anambra: Okeke Nwunaku (Spain), Nonye Udo (Austria). Bauchi: Liman Munir (Congo), Benue: Ndem Ada (Sweden), Demenongu A. Agev (Equatorial Guinea), Borno: Mohammed Hassan (Kenya), Toko Gongulong (Sao Tome & Principe), Lawan Gashagar (Mali), Cross River: Martin Cobham (Thailand), Odeka Bisong (Zimbabwe). Delta: Janet Olisa (Jamaica), Edo: Itegboje S.Sunday (Permanent Mission in New York), Queen I. Worlu (Cuba). Others are: Ekiti: Olatunde Adesesan (Angola), Emmanuel Kayode Oguntause (Benin), Enugu: Lilian Onoh (Namibia). FCT: Adamu Shuaibu (Rwanda), Gombe: Manaja Isah (Israel), Habu Gwani Ibrahim (Zambia), Imo: Ngozi Ukaeje (Portugal), Kenneth C. Nwachukwu (Cameroon), Jigawa: Bello Kazaure Huessini (North Korea), Kaduna: Enoch Pear Duchi (Ireland), Kano: Garba Baba (Poland), Rabiu Akawu (Algeria). Katsina: Usman Aliyu (China), Ibrahim Hamza (Iran), Kebbi: Umar Salisu (Botswana), Kogi: Momoh Omeiza (Liberia), Kwara: Kadiri Ayinla Audu (Permanent Mission, Geneva) and Olufemi Abikoye (Ghana). Lagos: Balogun Hakeem (Indonesia), Nasarawa: Inusa Ahmed (Ethiopia), Niger: Ibrahim Isah (Australia), Ogun: Bankole Adegboyega Adeoye (Belgium), Sonaike Adekunbi Abibat (Philipines).
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An additional 1,880 women and children have been rescued from Boko Haram insurgents in the Sambisa Forest by the Nigerian Army. Maj. – Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, said this during a news conference at the Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri on Wednesday. Irabor said that troops also arrested about 504 Boko Haram terrorists while 19 of them willingly surrendered. He said that the Army had arrested about 37 foreigners who were currently undergoing interrogations to ascertain whether they were terrorists or not. “We also arrested about seven kidnappers and we are currently interrogating them. “Our troops have continued to make significant progress in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency. “I gladly say that our troops have successfully mop up all the areas in Sambisa Forest including gate one. “We are currently in camp zero; I am not going to tell you what we are doing there. “But I can assure you that we are recording remarkable successes.’’
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The 33-year-old man, Segun Ogunlusi, who allegedly killed his mother, Abimbola Ogunlusi, on Tuesday, December 13, 2016, has explained why he committed the crime. Ogunlusi claimed he decided to cut short the life of his mother because she was persistently asking him for sex. The suspect was paraded at the Ogun State Police Command headquarters, Eleweran, Abeokuta, on Tuesday by the state Police Commissioner, Ahmed Iliyasu on Tuesday. DAILY POST reports that the incident occurred at No. 16, Oketunde Street, Molatori, Ogijo, Sagamu Local Government Area of the state. Speaking with newsmen during the exercise, the suspect said he was provoked by his mother’s alleged incessant demand for sex. He said, “I killed my mother because she has been demanding sex persistently from me. She said if I had sex with her, I would be free. “On a particular Tuesday morning when two of us were at home, she was in the kitchen. I walked up to her and stabbed her in the stomach and she died. “I poured kerosene on her corpse in a bid to burn her, but the corpse did not catch fire. Later, I dumped the corpse in a soakaway.” Segun, however, looked remorseful, and said he regretted his action. “I regret everything I did,” he said.
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ABUJA – Ghana’s President-Elect, Nana Akufo-Addo has underscored the need for a deepened relationship between Nigerian and Ghana, saying it was important for the growth of Africa. Akufo-Addo made the remarks after a private meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday. He said that he was in Lagos for a function and decided to visit the President.
President Buhari with H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo and Mr Kenneth Ofori-Atta as he receives in audience President elect of the Republic of Ghana in State House on 20th Dec 2016
“I came on a private visit to Lagos on Sunday to participate in the Future of Africa Awards and I thought it is proper that I take that opportunity to come to Abuja to pay my respect to the President.” “I have been elected but I have not taken the oath of office. That will be taking place on January 7. But in the meantime, I have come to introduce myself to President Buhari so that we begin to know each other.” “The relationship between our two countries is so important for our countries, West Africa and Africa. I think those of us who are in positions of leadership need to know each other and have an understanding and address the main concerns of our populations.” “I had the opportunity to say a belated happy birthday to the President. His birthday is an important day in my life because that day is my late mother’s birthday.” “We had a very good exchange. We are determined to grow the relationship between our two countries.” Like President Buhari who won election on his fourth attempt from the opposition and was sworn in on May 29, 2015, Akufo-Addo was declared winner of the Ghananian Presidential election that held on December 10, 2017 on his third attempt in the race. He was also the leading opposition figure in the country. Akufo-Addo will take his oath of office on January 1, 2017.
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