Army arrests 31 Boko Haram members

The Nigerian Army has arrested 31 suspected Boko Haram members after a clash on Thursday. Punch reports that the suspected Islamists were arrested as they tried to flee to Cameroon through Taraba and Adamawa. According to the report, 11 insurgents were killed after exchanging fire with the troops. Turkish Press reports that arms including improvised explosive devises and rifles were recovered from the suspects' hideout.

Justice Minister Mohammed Adoke has demanded that the $458 million worth of assets that former dictator Sani Abacha stole should be returned to Nigeria.

The assets were recently frozen by the United States. Capital FM reports that the Nigerian government had been silent about the freezing of the asses until now.

According to the report, Adoke said he was impressed by "the efforts of the United States to recover the (funds) for the benefit of the people of Nigeria".

FRC suspends further hearing on Sanusi’s financial accounts

The Investigative Panel of the Financial Reporting Council, that is probing financial accounts of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, between 2011 and 2012, has suspended further hearing in the matter following an order by a Federal High Court Lagos stopping the panel.

Suspended Governor of the apex bank, Mallam Lamido Sansui had filed a suit before the court challenging his suspension from office by President Goodluck Jonathan and also prayed the court for an interlocutory injunction restraining the investigative panel from summoning him to appear before it The Council had invited Sanusi alongside the Acting Governor of CBN, Dr. (Mrs.) Sarah Alade, immediate past Deputy Governor, Operations, Mr. Tunde Lemo, Deputy Governor, Operations, CBN, Dr. Kingsley Moghalu; Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, CBN, Alhaji Suleiman Barau and the Managing Director/Chief Executive of Bank of Industry, Mrs. Evelyn Oputu to appear before it yesterday for questioning in line with investigation into the financial accounts of the CBN for 2011 and 2012. Sanusi and Alade did not honour the invitation of the Council. But Lemo, Barau, Moghalu and Oputu honoured the invitation and made explanations to clarify some of the issues raised by the FRC report on the 2011 and 2012 accounts. The panel commenced sitting in the morning with focus on donations made by the apex bank, the N500 billion real sector intervention fund, professional fees paid by the CBN, and non- compliance with the International Financial Reporting Standard, IFRS. But during the break, lawyers representing Sanusi emerged with advanced copy of application for interlocutory injunction against his invitation to the panel. This compelled the Chief Executive Officer of FRC, Mr. Jim Obazee to suspend the proceedings. In a letter announcing the suspension of the proceedings, Obazee said, “kindly find under cover of this letter, an advanced copy of the processes filed in the aforesaid suit on 26th March 2014, which is pending before Federal High Court Lagos. “In view of the pending application, for interlocutory injunction dated 26th March 2014, we advise that in line with the position of the law, where there is a pending action before a court of competent jurisdiction, and application for an injunction that status quo be maintained pending the interpretation of the injunction, further proceeding is hereby suspended. “We shall continue the investigation process at the CBN office, which is an administrative procedure of the FRC. But because of the documentations that have been sent, we will wait for the court papers and study the court papers before we invite as appropriate. “On that note, we would like to end this session until we read through and come out with definite position.” It will be recalled that Sanusi had filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, challenging his suspension from office by President Goodluck Jonathan. Consequently, his invitation to the FRC panel was considered subjudice. Meanwhile, prior to the suspension of the proceedings of the FRC panel, Lemo, Oputu and the CBN Deputy Governors made spirited efforts to respond to the queries raised by the Council with respect to the 2011 and 2012 accounts of the apex bank. The following exchanges took between Obazee and the quartet. On the N500 billion Intervention Fund investments in BOI, Obazee said, “We couldn’t find management approval for this and we did not understand the debenture certificate. The reason we didn’t understand the debenture certificate is because we did not believe there was a debenture issued. “We also want the Bol to confirm whether they are in custody of the N500 billion because we can still see monies coming out from the CBN.” But CBN in its defence said that it is the BOI that should give account for the money. The managing director of BOI, Ms Evelyn Oputu explained that the “fund had flown to where it should be,” that it had been disbursed to the benefiting Small and Medium Scale Enterprises. Obazee also wondered why the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, should be the beneficiary of the fund having received N26 billion. He insisted that the book of BoI should reflect the N500 billion if it actually received that amount from the CBN and also show how the money was disbursed to the beneficiaries. On the issue of CBN donations and interventions, and the alleged N10 billion spent on the renovation of five royal palace, Barau Barau said the palace is not true. I am speaking for the board of the CBN.Lemo said the N10 billion for five palaces can never be interventions.

Policeman runs amok, kills wife, 5 others, self

ABEOKUTA — PANDEMONIUM broke out in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital yesterday, when a police corporal, Sunkanmi Ogunbiyi, went berserk, shot dead his wife, a landlady, two year-old girl and three others before killing himself. After killing his estranged wife who was also a policewoman, Corporal Oluwatosin Faremi, attached to the Obantoko Police Division, the rampaging police corporal reportedly shot dead a commercial motorcycle rider, and five members of a family, before shooting himself dead immediately.The tragic incident which occurred at Akingbala area of Eleweran, Abeokuta, at 7:02 am reportedly forced some policemen to abscond from their duty posts. Also, residents of the area fled the place to avoid being caught in the mayhem. It was gathered that in the process, three other persons sustained gunshot injuries and were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba for treatment. Vanguard gathered that the killer policeman had in the past issued several warnings to the landlady, popularly called Iya Basira, to desist from harbouring his wife and children in her house whenever they had any misunderstanding and she moved out of his house. But the landlady who lived at 67, Ifelodun Street, Akingbala area, was said to have turned deaf ears to the warnings, preferring to shelter the policeman’s wife and two children. An eye witness who pleaded anonymity told Vanguard that the furious policeman stormed the landlady’s place at about 7:02 am and immediately shot his wife, the commercial motorcycle rider simply identified as Kunle and other four members of the family including a two-year-old girl, who was sleeping, to death. Ogunbiyi, according to findings, who had laid ambush for his victims in a nearby bush was said to have emerged from nowhere with his rifle, killing the commercial motorcycle rider who was about to pick the wife, already dressed for work, and their two children who were said to be in their school uniforms, in front of the house. CP visits scene; orders forensic investigation He then reportedly proceeded to the landlady’s six-room uncompleted building where he also killed the woman who was said to be sleeping. Vanguard gathered that Ogunbiyi also shot dead a daughter of the landlady, Basira, and her two-year-old daughter, Jesutofunmi as well as the landlady’s two sons, Taofeek, a Senior Secondary School II student of Nawar-u-Deen Grammar School, Obantoko and his elder brother, Sikiru. The state Commissioner of Police, Ikemefuna Okoye, was said to have visited the scene of the shooting incident to assess the situation. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement said that Ogunbiyi and his wife had been having domestic conflicts before the shooting incident . Adejobi, however, said the command had already commenced a thorough forensic investigation into the deaths, adding that the command would also ensure justice is done in the matter. He said, “the Ogun State Police Command has deemed it necessary to react to the killing of six persons by a police Corporal, Sunkanmi Ogunbiyi, attached to the Ogun State Police Command. “The unfortunate incident occurred this morning, Thursday, March 27, 2014 at 0758hrs when the said corporal, who had been having domestic conflicts with his wife, shot and killed six persons, with his rifle, including his wife, Woman Corporal Oluwatosin Faremi, the landlady, a two-year-old baby girl and two males and one female, while another three persons sustained injuries and are receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Idi Aba, Abeokuta. The said corporal, having killed these persons, shot himself dead immediately. “The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State, CP Ikemefuna Okoye, has described the incident as unfortunate, and has visited the scene with other senior police officers in the command to assess the situation and sympathize with relations of the deceased and members of the Akingbala Ifelodun Estate, Eleweran Area, Abeokuta, where the incident took place. “The command has, therefore, commenced thorough forensic investigation into the killing and promised to make sure justice is done in the matter. The Commissioner of Police, however, appeals to the general public to perceive the incident as one of the unfortunate social mishaps and not to judge the Police with the incident, as the Police is committed to protection of lives and property and will not tolerate any act capable of trampling on fundamental human rights of the citizens of Ogun State

Group of terrorists attempting to escape into Cameroon through Taraba and Gombi in Adamawa State have come under heavy fire from troops on patrol of the area in the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign. The Director, Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, noted that the terrorists had been trapped as a result of ongoing offensive by troops along the borders, were given out when some of them could no longer bear the hunger in their make shift camps in the forest. He added that “those who were apprehended led troops to other hideouts where fierce fighting ensued” and revealed that “seven terrorists died, while a large number of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and rifles were recovered including over 70 motorcycles”. He further stated that a similar encounter in Gombi also led to the death of 4 other terrorists. Meanwhile, sustained patrols and searches by the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) have led to the arrest of more terrorists including a heavily armed suspect who is claiming dual nationalities of Chad and Burkina-Faso. He was arrested with different calibre of arms and ammunition along the Chad borders and is currently helping in ongoing investigation by the Special Forces. Patrols are still ongoing around the Lake Chad including Kwatan, Kanwa, Kwatan Yobe and other Islands. The army supremo was speaking through a statement he released in Abuja on Thursday.

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ASUU strike: Ebonyi varsity promises normal academic calendar

Ikwo - The Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, says it will not embark on a rush of academic activities inspite of the interruption caused by the strike of university lecturers in the country. The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Francis Idike, said this on Saturday in Ikwo when he led the institution’s management on a visit to Gov. Martin Elechi. According to him, in spite of the interruption of the 2012/ 2013 academic schedule by the strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), the university will run a normal academic calendar. “Rushing academic activities would only worsen the situation but we would offer quality tutorials to cushion the effect of the strike,” he said. The Vice Chancellor noted that the institution would conclude the 2012/13 second semester in March 2014 and would start the 2013/2014 academic session immediately.“We hope to conclude the new session by November 2014 if no further disruptions are recorded during the session.” “Everybody must cooperate to achieve this goal as the only thing it would cost the students is to forgo their normal holidays,” he said.In his response, Elechi congratulated the university authority over various development projects and urged the management to ensure that the lost period caused by the strike was covered. - NAN

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Govt tasked on irrigation farming to check 'imminent' drought

Jonathan In Addis Ababa For AU Extra-Ordinary Summit

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan on Friday arrived in Addis Ababa for the 15th Extraordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the session, scheduled for Oct. 12, is being convened to consider the Relationship of Africa and ICC at the AU Commission Headquarters. The President, who arrived at the Addis Ababa International Airport at about 7.30 p.m. Ethiopian time, was accompanied by Sen. Emmanuel Paulker, among other dignitaries. Jonathan was received by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke; the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Muhammed; and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr. Lolo Bulus. Meanwhile, the Assembly is expected to consider the Progress Report on the implementation of its May 2013 decision on International Jurisdiction, Justice and the International Criminal Court and endorse the decision of the AU Executive Council, whose session is currently ongoing. The Heads of State and Government are also expected to endorse the election of the new AUC Commissioner for Peace and Security, Amb. Smail Chergui by the Executive Council. Chergui, 57, was unanimously elected, being the sole candidate presented by the countries of the North African region. Before his election, Chergui was former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Russian Federation and former Ambassador to Ethiopia.

He replaces Amb. Ramtane Lamamra, former AUC Commissioner for Peace and Security, now Algeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister.