Six-year-old boy dies in Lagos building fire

A six-year-old boy identified as Abiodun, lost his life after fire razed 11 rooms in a compound located on Ogundele Street in the Ifako, Gbagada area of Lagos State. Read more

The incident was said to have occurred around 9.30pm on Tuesday.

Although the actual cause of fire could not be ascertained as of press time, residents told our correspondent that they believed that the fire was caused by a lighted candle.

When PUNCH Metro visited the scene of the incident on Wednesday afternoon, smoke continued to emanate from some of the burnt items.

Burnt books, beds, doors, televisions and other items littered the area as residents toured the building.

A resident in the compound, whose room was not affected because it was detached from the main building, said the fire started during the premiership football match between Arsenal and Chelsea.

The occupant, Michael Olujimi, said most of them were at a viewing centre when the fire started.

He said, “Most of us were at a viewing centre in the next compound, watching the match when we saw smoke billowing from our compound. We all rushed back but the fire was already intense.

“The youths in the area got buckets of water and tried to douse the flames but it continued to rage. At that point, we did not know that  Abiodun was inside one of the rooms because most of us were outside.”

A resident, who did not identify himself, told PUNCH Metro that the little boy’s parents had gone to church while his elder brother did not inform them on time that the deceased was inside the room.

A landlord in the area, Sunday Ogundele stressed the  the need for government disaster management agencies to improve on its response time.

He said, “A fire truck from Lagos State Fire Service arrived but they left because there was no water. When the fire was about spreading to another compound, one of my tenants, who works at the Federal Medical Centre, Oyingbo, called the Federal Fire Service which is close to the hospital but they did not come.

“He then had to drive down to Oyingbo to lead them here. They finally came around 11pm and doused the flames but by then, the deed had been done.”

Abiodun was reportedly  buried at Atan Cemetery, Yaba.

Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Razaq Fadipe,  however, denied the allegations.

He said, “Two fire trucks from Ilupeju and Ikeja with 10,000 litres each responded. They were busy fighting the fire on their own. A journalist and a fireman that live in the area, were the ones that first called our attention to it and we have evidence to show that we responded on time.”

by Eniola Akinkuotu  

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N255m bulletproof car scandal: Oduah denies wrongdoing, blames NCAA DG, aides

The embattled Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah,   has been   accused by the  House of Representatives Committee on Aviation of approving  N564m for the purchase of 54 cars   beyond her power. Read more

The committee alleged that Oduah, who  finally appeared before it  on Thursday after  failing to honour  earlier invitations,  did not follow the budget approved for the Aviation ministry and its agencies  by the National Assembly.

  The minister, who wore a striped blue ankara dress with a matching blue head scarf, walked into the hall at 11.42am looking somewhat disturbed.  She also wore white beaded jewellery to complement her embroidered blouse.

Oduah   first walked to take a seat facing the committee  members and made to sit but changed her mind.  She    went halfway between her seat and the high table, where she exchanged pleasantries with the Chairman of the committee, Mrs. Nkiruka Onyejeocha.

After that she walked out of the hall, spending about 10 minutes before returning   to   her seat to make a presentation.

A few seconds after, the committee chairman while giving her opening speech,  tried to douse the tense atmosphere at the venue of the hearing.

“We are not mourning here, there is no aeroplane crash; I want to see everyone smiling. Please  feel  free and relax,” she counselled.

- Oduah on the hot seat

Thereafter, Oduah  was  called upon to testify on her role in the purchase of two bulletproof cars at a whopping N255m and other vehicles by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

She took an  oath,  promising to say  “nothing but the truth, the whole truth.”

  The  minister,  who seemed to have regained confidence   looked   the committee members   in the face and then   apologised for  her  failure  to  honour  their earlier summons.

She  denied that the NCAA  bought  the two   bulletproof cars   for her use.

Her audacity took the lawmakers aback a bit, as she also rationalised the action of the NCAA, claiming that its decision to buy  the  54 cars did not breach any law of the land.

She stated that the NCAA  bought  the bulletproof cars  for its own operations in line with the rising profile of Nigeria as an ICAO member.

The minister, who sounded impatient as she gave her testimony, added that there was a required international standard for state-of-the cars to provide security for visitors and certain category of passengers   visiting  any  country.

According to her, she was alarmed by media reports tying the purchase of the cars to her personal comfort.

She said, “It is not true that NCAA spent N255m to purchase the bulletproof cars for the minister.

“It is totally untrue; there is nothing reflecting my name.  The cars were not registered in my name.

“All I did was approve based on the proposal sent to me on lease financing by the NCAA.”

She defended the NCAA, saying that it bought the cars as part of its three-year budgetary plan to beef up its operational fleet.

But, there was a mild drama when the committee questioned her over the approval of  N564m  for the   54 cars above  the   N100m which ministers could approve.

Oduah said the expectation was that because the NCAA entered into a “lease financing” agreement with the First Bank of Nigerian  to span 36 months, the amount of money it would have paid to the bank by December was N100m.  According to her, the N100m is still within the spending limit.

The Head, Lagos Mainland branch  of First Bank, which handled the transaction, Mr. Seyi Ojefeso,  had on Tuesday told the committee that    the NCAA approached the bank for a loan to purchase vehicles for its management staff.

Ojefeso claimed that it was possible that the NCAA “got it mixed up” when it  described it as a lease agreement.

He explained that the NCAA applied for a loan package of N643m to finance the purchase of  54 vehicles.

For the bulletproof cars, he said there was a Coscharis pro forma invoice attached to the application in the value of N255m.

He added, “We offered an auto loan to the NCAA in May to purchase cars for its management staff.

“The application was for N643m; we financed the purchase of the cars based on the application they submitted to us.”

But the  committee observed that the original request of the NCAA to the  minister   was N564m, but First Bank eventually approved a loan of N643m.

 When asked to explain how the difference came about, Ojefeso said only the NCAA could answer the question since N564m was not in the agency’s communication with the bank.

When the committee members  accused her of giving anticipatory approval for expenditure beyond her power, Oduah  said  she expected the NCAA to go back and do “the needful” by complying with procurement regulations.

Leading the barrage of questions,   Mr. Jerry Manwe stated, “You did not follow the budget approved for you by the National Assembly because when you calculate the total expenditure, the  NCAA would have paid over N1bn for the 54 cars.

“The agency would have paid N160m which is above your approval limit  by December as part of the instalments and not N100m, which is  within your power.

“The committee refused to approve the N140m the NCAA proposed for bulletproof cars because we said you cannot use bulletproof cars to patrol  the perimeter fencing at the airports.

“Nowhere in the budget did we approve bulletproof cars, but you went ahead to spend money in anticipation of budgetary provision.”

But, the minister countered that the interpretation of her approval was that the NCAA should do the appropriate thing by complying with the requirement of procurement laws.

  “My memo says, approved. Please, do the needful; what does that mean? What does that tell you?”, Oduah asked Manwe.

She implied that her approval was not final, to the dismay of lawmakers.

There was more drama when the committee turned the heat on the bureaucracy of the Ministry of Aviation and the management of  the NCAA.

The  Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. George Ossi, and a former Acting DG of the NCAA, who supervised the transaction, Mr. Joyce Nkem-Akonam, both admitted that the approval implied that they were to comply with due process regulations.

Nkem-Akonam stated, “What the approval means is that we go through due diligence in our system.

“We did that in our procurement department and complied with the law.

“From the point the minister’s approval came, we went ahead with the mindset that we already had a budgetary approval by the National Assembly.”

In the ensuing buck-passing and confusion, the committee read out the portion of the 2013 NCAA budget where the National Assembly “clearly approved only N240m for the purchase of 25 operational vehicles.”

Manwe then  tried to blast the NCAA and the permanent secretary for allegedly “misleading the minister.”

He noted that they ignored the budgetary approval of N240m for 25 cars and made their own proposal of 54 cars for N564m which  was  “far above the approval limit of N100m” without recourse to the Federal Executive Council.

Another member of the committee, Mr. Adeyinka Ajayi, sought to know the date the Board of the NCAA approved the transaction, but there was no answer.

Neither Nkem-Akonam nor Osi could give the date of the approval. They promised to consult and get the date.

Adeyinka again asked, “Where are the bulletproof cars now since the minister has said they were not bought for her?”

Nkem-Akonam replied that the vehicles were “pool cars” that could be used by any officer, including Oduah.

“They are pool cars for VIP movement, including the minister; including you, honourable member”, he added.

- Minister apologises, says issues muddled up

Earlier, Oduah had apologised for her failure to appear before yesterday, blaming it on  her  trip abroad  to sign a Bilateral Air Services  Agreement   between Nigera and Israel .

She also admitted that attempts made by some officials to clarify the car scandal were “muddled up.”

She spoke further, “You may recall that there have been attempts at clarifying issues pertaining to this particular procurement. In the process, some of the issues were further muddled up.

“I mention in this regard the first attempt at clarifying the issue by the Coordinating Spokesperson for the parastatals when he was first confronted with the allegation, without recourse to the Minister or the Principal Officer of the Ministry and its agencies, described the information as a mere rumour.

“This was followed by the statement of my Special Adviser, Media, who was himself guided by his own perception of the duties and challenges of my office and possibly, even the danger to the person and office of the minister.

“This is made evident by the fact that his statement focused on my personal security and safety without recourse to procurement process and policy file to which he had no access.

“Although both inaccurate and innocently misguided, I understand the urgency and aggression considering the sources the information was breaking from.

“The last official intervention in this matter came from the Director-General of NCAA, the agency charged with the oversight of the aviation sector and the agency that actually undertook the procurement.

“Whereas the DG was right in saying that the vehicles were not bought for my office, the anticipated positive effect of this correct piece of information was marred by remarks credited to the DG suggesting that the agency was more concerned about issues of administration and information security that had no bearing on this issue.”

Meanwhile, Coscharis Motors insisted on Thursday that the cars it supplied were the same quoted on the transaction documents.

Lawmakers, who  inspected the bulletproof cars at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport on Tuesday, reported that they bore different chassis numbers from those quoted in the transaction documents.

- Coscharis says “transposition error” occurred

However, on Thursday, the Chairman of the company, Mr. Cosmos Maduka, and his team blamed the discrepancy on “transposition error.”

“The cars you inspected are the correct cars. There are 12 cars on the end-user certificate and the DW68011 you are referring to is one of them”, he said.

Amidst heated disagreement between the two sides, Coscharis offered to access the BMW factory online, using the chassis numbers to prove that they were the right cars.

But the committee members   overruled  him  and directed  Coscharis  to produce more documents to defend  his claim.

Having heard from all the parties to the controversy, the committee made what sounded like a preliminary report.

- We’ve established some facts – Committee

Onyejeocha, who closed the session, said, “Facts speak for themselves.

“We have listened to the NCAA, Coscharis, First Bank, Customs and the minister.

“It has been established that N240m was budgeted by the National Assembly for 25 cars; we have seen that N255m was used to buy bulletproof cars.

“We have seen another approval of N643m for the purchase of 54 cars.

“We will consider all our findings to see whether they are in line with extant laws and financial regulations and  then write our report.

“We assure Nigerians that we will report to them.”

Oduah too spoke briefly with reporters on her way out. She  thanked  the House for giving a “platform for my own side to be heard on this issue.”

She said she was happy that the “truth” came out that bulletproof cars were not bought for her.

by John Ameh

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22 Lagos pupils faint after inhaling gas

There was confusion at Ogba Junior Grammar School, Lagos, on Thursday after about 22 pupils fell unconscious. Read more

PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident was caused by a gaseous substance emitting from a neighbouring laboratory, close to the school. The chemical was said to have engulfed the entire school.

When our correspondent visited the school premises, it was deserted. However, a security guard, who did not identify himself, said the incident occurred around 1pm.

He said, “I was just by the gate when I perceived this offensive smell. I quickly ran to a corner and covered my nose with my shirt.

“Pupils came running, saying some of their colleagues had fainted. When the smell subsided, teachers rallied around and rushed them to a hospital.

“I don’t know the exact number of pupils affected but they were over 20. A few minutes later, emergency officials came around to attend to the victims.”

Panic-stricken teachers reportedly fled in different directions, using clothes to cover their nostrils so as not to be affected by the foul smell.

Moments later, the teachers rushed four of the pupils to Blue Cross Hospital, Ijaiye Road, Ogba, Lagos, while the others were attended to by emergency officials.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the rescue officials went around the compound in a bid to identify where the smell emanated from.

Our correspondent learnt that the odour was traced to Ogba Shopping Arcade, Ijaiye Road, which shares a fence with the affected school.

Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Razaq Fadipe, said it was discovered that a photo laboratory located in the complex was emitting the substance.

He said, “On getting to the school, 22 students were unconscious. LASAMBUS was able to revive most of them and their parents took them home.

“Four were not alright and had been taken to Blue Cross Hospital. We were able to trace the odour to the complex which shares a fence with the school.

“We spotted the laboratory where the smell was coming from and the place has been cordoned off. Investigations are still on.”

When asked why it was only those in the school that were affected by the chemical, Fadipe said it was probably because the lab faced the school directly.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the matter had been reported to the police while the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency had taken up the case.

An official of LASEPA, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “We will revisit the laboratory on Friday (today). If it is discovered that the laboratory was run illegally, then those running the place will be prosecuted.

“However, it is too soon to jump into conclusions; we will inform the public of our findings.”

When our correspondent visited Blue Cross Hospital, a nurse on duty said the pupils had been revived and transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

“Four children were brought here and we were able to stabilise them before transferring them to LASUTH. We don’t know the nature of the chemical they inhaled,” she said.

by Eniola Akinkuotu
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Jonathan, Amaechi, Dickson hold secret talks

THERE were indications that President Goodluck Jonathan, the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and his Bayelsa State counterpart, Mr. Seriake  Dickson, on Thursday had a closed-door meeting in Rivers State. Read more

The venue and agenda of the meeting were not clear as at the time of sending this report.

However, sources said the ongoing feud between the Peoples Democratic Party and the seven rebel governors loyal to the New PDP could be part of the discussion.

It was gathered that Amaechi and Dickson flew in the same chopper with Jonathan from the Port Harcourt International Airport to Okrika in Rivers State, where the remains of the President’s wife’s foster mother, late Mrs. Charity Oba, would be buried today (Friday).

A Government House source said Jonathan, Amaechi and Dickson might have met in the private residence of the President’s wife, Patience.

The source explained that the President, Amaechi and the Bayelsa State governor could cash in on the opportunity provided by the burial of Jonathan’s in-law to resolve their political differences.

Also, the Chief Press Secretary to the Rivers State Governor, Mr. David Iyofor, told The PUNCH that only Amaechi and Dickson, who were at the airport to receive the President, flew with him (Jonathan) in the chopper to Okrika.

Iyofor, however, said he could not ascertain if the President and the two governors had gone into a closed-door meeting when they got to Okrika.

“Governor Amaechi and the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, received the President at the Port Harcourt International Airport and the two governors joined the President in a chopper to Okrika.

“I am aware that they (Jonathan, Amaechi and Dickson) flew to Okrika in a chopper, but what I cannot say for now is whether they went into a closed-door meeting,” Iyofor said.

The PDP had been embroiled in a lingering crisis, which led to the emergence of the Alhaji Kawu Baraje-led New PDP.

However, ahead of the burial of the late Oba, security was beefed up around Okrika Local Government Area with soldiers, policemen and security operatives from other agencies stationed at different points to forestall any possible breakdown of law and order.

  by Chukwudi Akasike 

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Naval ratings pummel teacher in Ogun school

Panic gripped students and civilian employees of the Nigerian Navy Secondary School, Onikolobo, Abeokuta, on Wednesday when six Naval operatives descended on a teacher in the school and beat him to a pulp over a minor disagreement. Read more
The victim, Rashid Ibrahim, who has been teaching Food and Nutrition in the school in the past 13 years, was said to have almost lost his life during the assault.

Ibrahim, who reportedly fainted from the beating, was said to have been rescued by the Commandant of the School, Captain M. A. Olatunji.

The victim, after allegedly sustaining serious injuries in the attack, was first rushed to the school’s sickbay before the commandant ordered that he should be taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, for better treatment.

An eyewitness, who is also one of the teachers in the school, told PUNCH Metro that trouble started for the teacher following an argument which ensued between him and one of the ratings, identified as Aliyu.

The argument was said to have later degenerated into a fight between the ratings and the teacher, who fainted due to the beating he got from the military personnel.

The eyewitness, who craved anonymity, said, “I saw them arguing; they argued for a short time. I thought that it was a minor argument, so I did not intervene. It happened around 7.15am and at that time, I saw Aliyu trying to drag Ibrahim out of his car.

“Oyerinde (another rating) later instructed Aliyu to beat him (Ibrahim) and that was how the thing started. Another officer, Shodiya, came out from his vehicle and joined the other ratings to pounce on Ibrahim. They beat him with their thick belts to the extent that it got torn into pieces. All my attempts to pacify them were rebuffed .

“This was not the first time this would happen; this is the sixth time in two years that civilians working there (Navy school) have been brutalised and nothing has  been done.”

Speaking on his sick bed at the FMC, Ibrahim said he was attacked by the ratings  because one of them had accused him of hurling abuses at him.

Ibrahim said, “When I got to the gate of my office this morning, normally when you get there, a rating checks your car. I waited for them to do this but they didn’t come out.

“There were two buses at the gate blocking the entrance. I called one of the ratings, Aliyu, to ask what was going on. Instead, he just flared up and started abusing me.

“Another rating, Oyerinde, who was at the security post, threw a stone at my car. They were later joined by the most senior rating, Shodiya, who ordered that the ratings should beat me up.

“They used their iron belts to beat me, dragged me on the floor, used sticks and every other available thing to beat me up. People who were there tried to stop them but they refused until the commandant came out to stop them and by that time, I had already fainted.

“Almost all the parts of my body are aching. My head and back have been seriously battered, my ribs are affected and I have bruises in my mouth.”

When contacted on the telephone, the Commandant of the School, Captain M. A Olatunji, said he was not competent to speak to the press on the matter.

Olatunji, who later visited the victim at the FMC, said, “Before I can talk on any incident, I have to get a clearance from the authorities and I also need to see the person I am talking to.”

BY SEGUN OLATUNJI
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Colleagues arrested over engineer’s death in ‘robbery’ attack

Four employees of Linksoft Communications Systems, an Abuja based computer software company, have been arrested by the Force Criminal Investigation  Department Annex, Alagbon, Lagos, in connection with the death of their colleague, Tochukwu Aneke, under controversial circumstances. Read more
The suspects -Justus Ogbuagwu, Micheal Falode, Rapheal and a fourth yet -to-be identified person- were allegedly arrested more than a month after Tochukwu’s death on July 10, 2013. The arrests were said to have been based on a petition to the Inspector General of Police, on behalf of Tochukwu’s wife, Rita, and the deceased’s father, Crescent Aneke, by their lawyer, Mr. Victor Opara.

Tochukwu allegedly sustained a gunshot injury at one side of his head, around Zuma Rock, Suleja, in an alleged attack by armed robbers.

His family, however, claimed that no bullet or pellet was found in his head during an autopsy neither was there gunshot holes on the vehicle in which Tochukwu was said to be travelling with his colleague.

Rita told PUNCH Metro that she had only been married to the deceased for two years.

She said, “Tochukwu was the Technical Service Manager for the company before his death; he was 34. On the day he died, Tochukwu had travelled for an official meeting in Kano. Usually, attendance at the meeting was rotated among officials in Tochukwu’s department.

“He wasn’t meant to go this time but his boss, Falode asked him to. Early on July 10, 2013, Tochukwu left home; he had planned to take public transport to Kano. He later called to say that he was travelling with Ogbuagwu in his car instead; he had met Ogbuagwu at Karo junction, Abuja.

Around 5pm, Rita said she got another call from her husband that the meeting was over. They were on their way back to Abuja; this time, Tochukwu was the one driving. Four hours later, Rita got another call from Tochukwu. They had just arrived at Banawa, Kaduna, where they planned to spend the night.

She said, “Tochukwu had a particular hotel where he passed the night whenever he travelled that way. He told me he would call after he had checked in.  Unfortunately, he never did and I fell asleep while waiting for him.

“The following morning, I woke up suddenly at 5am and checked my phone. There were no missed calls from my husband. I called his phone but his lines were switched off, both his personal and official lines. Because I did not have Ogbuagwu’s number, I had to call another colleague of Tochukwu, Rapheal.

“I explained to him that I couldn’t reach my husband and asked for Ogbuagwu’s number. Rapheal sent the number to me but despite calling repeatedly, there was no response.”

An hour after she had spoken to Rapheal, he called at 7am and asked to speak with her brother-in-law, Okwudiri, who lived with her. At the time, Okwudiri was away at a job interview. Rita called him on the telephone and asked him to meet with her. When he arrived, she told him to call Rapheal and find out what he wanted.

Okwudiri was informed by Rapheal that Tochuwku had been involved in an accident and was at the Suleja General Hospital. He was advised to proceed there immediately with Rita.

Unaware that Tochuwku was already dead, Rita advised Okwudiri to go back to his job interview; she would go alone to the hospital.

“Right from the moment I met Rapheal at the hospital, he was dodgy.  No one could explain how Tochukwu, who was supposed to be sleeping in Kaduna, got shot at Suleja that same night. It was a lady doctor, who finally came to tell me that Tochukwu had died of a gunshot wound, sustained during an attack by armed robbers,” Rita said.

While Tochukwu was said to have died on the spot, Ogbuagwu allegedly escaped to a nearby army formation after taking control of the vehicle and parking it off the road. Tochukwu’s corpse was reportedly taken to the Suleja General Hospital by the army personnel. The case was later reported at the Suleja Police station.

The deceased’s father, a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police, said, “I had just left Lagos for Enugu when the call came in. I quickly terminated the journey and went to the company’s Lagos office at Ikoyi to find out what happened.

“All they did was apologise to me on the incident and offer me an envelope which I believe contained money. I rejected it. Till date, Ogbuagwu never told us himself what happened. All the explanations we got were from other employees of the company.”

Opara, the family’s lawyer, said he wrote a petition to the IG on August 2, 2103, and received an acknowledgement on August 15, 2013.

He said, “The FCID, Alagbon immediately took over the case. When the police demanded an autopsy, Tochukwu’s body was taken to the University Teaching Hospital, Enugu, at the family’s request.

“Four autopsies have been done and we have yet to get a single result. All we were told by the doctor was that there was no bullet in Tochukwu’s brain. The IPO also saw Ogbuagwu’s car, there were no bullet holes on it.

“There are lots of unanswered questions. Although, we are aware that four persons have been arrested, the police have yet to explain what exactly led to the death. All the family is asking for is justice.”

When PUNCH Metro contacted the Police Public Relations Officer of the FCID, Alagbon, Mr. Archibong, he said he had yet to get details from the Officer-in-Charge.

Linksoft’s legal adviser, Mr. Chima Ojinnaka, said, “I am aware that four of our employees were arrested based on a petition by Tochukwu’s family. His death was unfortunate as he was well loved by everyone at Linksoft. We want the police to do their job and that those responsible for his death, be brought to justice. Tochukwu was already a manager before his death and had a bright future.”

 BY COMFORT OSEGHALE
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Cop nabbed for raiding police station

The Oyo State Police Command has arrested a policeman for forcefully entering a police station and attempting to seize a motorcycle from the station. Read more
The policeman, Boyi Sambo, who is attached to unit 39 in Ibadan, allegedly stormed the Eleyeile Police Station with a rifle which had 29 rounds of live ammunition and attacked Quadri Babatunde, a vehicle inspection officer at the unit after his demand for the motorcycle was turned down.

The incident, which happened on October 23, resulted in a free-for-all as Sambo threatened to attack more policemen at the station.

He was alleged to have shot his rifle into the air while two accomplices, that had yet to be identified, forcefully took the motorcycle away from the police custody.

Sambo, however, failed in his attempt to escape from the scene as he was overpowered by the policemen on duty and detained.

His rifle was said to have been seized while he had been detained while investigation is ongoing.

Confirming the arrest, acting Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Ignatius Inyang, said Sambo’s action was unacceptable and that he was being investigated over the incident.

BY OLUFEMI ATOYEBI
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More facts emerge on Oduah car scandal

More cans of worms were thrown up  on Wednesday in Abuja  during  the public hearing  by  the House of Representatives Committee on Aviation on the controversial N255m bulletproof cars purchased by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Read more

But the woman at the centre of the scandal, Ms Stella Oduah, dared the committee   as she again reneged on her promise to honour an invitation earlier extended to her.

Her absence however  led to  a near  disagreement between the Committee Chairman, Mrs. Nkiruka Onyejeocha, and a member, Jerry Manwe.

Manwe had complained that the committee started proceedings without first clarifying why Oduah, who is the Minister of Aviation,  was absent.

He said, “We adjourned  (on Tuesday)to take the minister today (Wednesday). Why is she not here?

“She should have been the main issue today (Wednesday).

“The  absence of the minister (Oduah) is a slap on the face of the House.”

Responding, Onyejeocha argued that the hearing was not about Oduah alone.

She overruled Manwe and moved on to  hear  the officials of the  Nigerian Customs Service, Coscharis and First Bank Nigeria Plc  state their roles in the purchase of the cars for Oduah by the NCAA.

 The committee chairman  later read  a   letter from the Ministry of Aviation  in whicn the  minister explained why  she   could not make   the public sitting.

Onyejeocha   told her colleagues that the Aviation ministry wrote to inform the committee that Oduah was on “transit” from Israel to Nigeria.

In the letter,  the minister, who had allegedly failed to honour 12 invitations by the House,  claimed that she would arrive in Lagos late on Wednesday and  applied to appear  before the committee on November 4.

• Oduah must appear today, says committee

But, Onyejeocha   directed that the minister   must appear on Thursday (today).

She  said, “If she fails again, we take it that she does not want to appear. We are saying this in the spirit of fair hearing.

“Thursday (today)  is  sacrosanct and we will turn in our report whether she comes or not.”

The  committee had on Monday  issued a statement in which it insisted that  the minister must appear before it on Wednesday.

It warned that it would not hesitate to take necessary actions against her if she  failed to turn up on Wednesday.

The House spokesman, Zakari Mohammed, had also told The PUNCH on Tuesday, that sanctions that could be imposed on the minister if she failed to appear before  the committee, included issuing a bench warrant to facilitate her arrest by security agents.

• Fresh revelations on the deal

But even with her absence, the committee,   the NCS,  Coscharis Motors and First Bank Nigeria Plc  made fresh revelations  on the controversial cars.

Among the fresh revelations made public at the hearing  was  the  difference in the chassis numbers of the cars inspected by the committee members and those in the transaction documents between the NCAA and Coscharis.

Another  is  how the  Federal Ministry of Finance and the National Security Adviser were made   to believe that the  two vehicles  were for   the 18th  National Sports Festival (Eko Games 2012) hosted by Lagos State.

 The  Customs Service was the first to blow the lid when it told the  committee   that no duty was paid on the cars because Coscharis obtained a duty exemption certificate from  the Federal Ministry of Finance.

According to the Customs, the government lost N10.1m  due to the waiver, which covered 300 vehicles, including the two  controversial bulletproof  cars.

The Deputy Comptroller-General (Modernisation and Economic Relations), Mr. Manasa Jatau, who testified before the panel, disclosed that the Ministry of Finance granted the waiver after Coscharis wrote that it wanted  to import 300 assorted vehicles for the EKO Games.

 He added that the “end beneficiary” of the cars, including the two bulletproof  vehicles  was the Lagos State Government.

However,he hinted that  the waiver was later used as a cover to import the bulletproof cars to evade the payment of import duty.

He revealed that there was also a third bulletproof car imported by Coscharis.

The Customs chief who did not name the owner of the third bulletproof car,  added  that the office of the NSA  issued a security clearance for the two bought for Oduah.

Asked whether a waiver granted for a specific purpose, could be transferred to a different end-user, he replied, “To the best of my knowledge, end-user certificate is not transferable.”

The DCG   said, “N10.1m was the duty payable on the 300 vehicles; but no duty was paid because there was an import exemption certificate issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

 “The waiver was for a period of one year.

“The waiver showed there were 300 vehicles for the sports festival, hosted from November to December, 2012.

“Only three of the vehicles were bulletproof and the NSA gave security certificate for their clearance.”

 Coscharis Motors was represented at the hearing by its Chairman, Mr. Cosmos Maduka, and the Managing Director, Mr. Josiah Samuel.

 The company admitted that it got a waiver to import vehicles for the games, saying that “it is the usual practice for government to approach us to supply vehicles for major events.”

 However, efforts by the committee to establish how the waiver was used to cover the bulletproof cars, did not yield results.

 Samuel parried questions and chose rather to advertise BMW cars to members at the hearing.

• Coscharis accused  of connivance

The committee however accused the company of conniving with  the NCAA to inflate the cost of the cars. But Coscharis denied the accusation.

On the price of the cars, Samuel claimed that the BMWs were “7 Series, B7” security cars, which were costlier than their equivalent quoted by “independent amourers” on the Internet.

He argued that the cars in question had factory-fitted armour, as against buying a plain car before taking it to an independent firm to rebuild.

 The Managing Director  stated that the factory price for the grade of BMW cars it supplied   the NCAA was €418,000, excluding  other charges.

 On how the company gets and utilises duty waivers, Josiah said most times, the waivers would come too close to the date of the event they were meant to cover.

 “So, what we do is that we sign a Memorandum of Understanding with government to release the vehicles we have in our showroom.  We then use the waiver to replace the vehicles we have supplied”, he added.

But, his response angered   Manwe, who accused Coscharis of committing “fraud.”

Manwe said a quotation he received  from an American firm showed that the same car sold for N42m.

He  said,  “We are not fools; you have been taking us for a ride.

“You imported the cars without paying duty, why are you selling one for over N127m?  Are your own bulletproof cars manufactured in the moon.

“You got a waiver to import cars for the National  Sports Festival, but you ended up using it to import bulletproof cars for  the NCAA.

 “You have been lying to us. You ripped off the people of Nigeria through the NCAA.

 “That is the summary of what is before us here, so what are you saying?”

But, Maduka protested, saying his company did a legitimate transaction.

 He said the whole scandal was “politically-motivated” for reasons he could not explain.

 Maduka added,  “We followed all the processes required.  We sold vehicles to the NCAA and First Bank financed it.

“We were interviewed by the SSS(State Security Service), the NSA; we didn’t do any wrong.”

 • More drama

But, more drama played out when the Aviation Committee’s Sub-Committee on Inspection, reported that the armoured cars Coscharis supplied were different from the ones quoted in its letter to the NSA.

The committee had visited the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport on Tuesday to inspect the cars.

However, members discovered that the chassis numbers were different from the ones quoted in the transaction documents.

The leader of the inspection team, Mr. Ahmed Chanchangi, said, “We sighted the cars at the airport yesterday (Tuesday).

“The chassis numbers do not correspond with what you said you supplied. It looks like Nigeria was shortchanged here again”, he stated.

However, Maduka disagreed and insisted that a member of his staff ought to have accompanied the team to the airport to ascertain the  cars they inspected.

The discrepancy in the chassis numbers was left unresolved.

• Our role –First Bank

First Bank which  was the  financier of the transaction,   confirmed that it entered into a loan agreement, “not lease agreement” with the NCAA.

The head of the bank’s Lagos Mainland branch, which handled the transaction, Mr. Seyi Ojefeso, recalled how the NCAA approached the bank for a loan to purchase vehicles for its management staff.

Ojefeso claimed that it was possible that the NCAA “got it mixed up” when it  described it as a lease agreement.

He explained that the NCAA applied for a total loan package of N643m to finance the purchase of  54 vehicles.

For the bulletproof cars, he said there was a Coscharis proforma invoice attached to the application in the value of N255m.

He added, “We offered an auto loan to the NCAA in May to purchase cars for its management staff.

“The application was for N643m; we financed the purchase of the cars based on the application they submitted to us.”

The committee observed that the original request of the NCAA to the Minister of Aviation  was N564m, but First Bank eventually approved a loan of N643.

 When asked to explain how the difference came about, Ojefeso said only the NCAA could answer the question since N564m was not in the agency’s communication with the bank.

• FAAN also bought cars for Oduah

The Senate Committee on Aviation  also said  that four of the   202  ‘operational’  cars   bought by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria for its top officials are armoured vehicles.

It added    in Abuja on Wednesday, that  two of the armoured vehicles were for the Minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah and two for the Managing Director of FAAN,  Mr. George Uriesi.

“FAAN did confirm that among the operational  vehicles they purchased, four of them are armoured vehicles, two for the Managing Director  and two for the minister,” the committee Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma, told journalists on the sidelines of the investigation  into the crises in the aviation industry.

Uriesi had while appearing before the panel on Tuesday  said  the  operational  vehicles included two Lexus limousines   and two Toyota  Prado jeeps.

But the  FAAN chief did not state who the armoured vehicles were bought for. He   said the limousines were bought  for  N60m each and not  N70m being insinuated.

Uriesi, who   said  he did not have details of the cost of the Prado jeeps, also claimed that the  vehicles were still in the custody of the bankers wthat  funded their  purchase.

He  also  did not give the names of the     persons / company(ies)  that ordered the vehicles  and those they were meant for.

But   Uzodinma  told  journalists on Wednesday that   Uriesi  had confirmed on oath that FAAN   bought operational vehicles.

He said, “Investigation is still on-going and it will not be fair for me to preempt the outcome.

“We told them to go back and put everything in writing and make  comprehensive statements on all vehicles purchased. Until they come back on Monday, we cannot rush into conclusion.

“The MD FAAN said they did a funding arrangement with a commercial bank.This investigation will be a very deep one so that at the end of the day, we do a holistic approach and look at how the sector will be repositioned so that all anomalies will be corrected.”

The Director-General of the Nigeria Metereological  Agency,  Mr. Anthony Anuforom;  and his counterpart in the Accident and Investigations Bureau, Captain Muhtar Usman, told the committee that  they  were not involved in the purchase of armoured vehicles.

The Uzodinma-led  committee will also  inspect theN255m bulletproof cars bought for Oduah by the  NCAA before the end of the week.

BY JOHN AMEH AND SUNDAY ABORISADE ABUJA

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Man held for beating mother of three to death

The Lagos State Police Command has apprehended a 35-year-old man, Mukaila Sumonu, for causing the death of his neighbour in the Ikorodu area of the state. Read more

PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect, allegedly flogged the deceased, Fausat Ajibola, at their compound located in Araromi Village.

According to Police authorities, the suspect inflicted deep wounds on Ajibola, who lives in the same compound with her husband and three children.

It was said that the mother of three died a day after the flogging.

The suspect was said to have been arrested and then transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos.

Close to tears, Sumonu told PUNCH Metro that he had only meant to discipline the deceased and not kill her.

He said, “I was sitting on my own in the compound when she (Ajibola) accused me of cutting branches off the mango tree in our compound. She held me by the shirt and was almost strangling me so I wrestled free but she continued to chase me.

“Ajibola is mentally challenged so I picked up a cane and threatened to flog her with it but she continued to harass me, so I just flogged her a few times. I did not inflict a lot of wounds on her like the police are claiming.

“I was surprised the following day when residents accosted me and accused me of killing her. This is the devil’s handiwork.”

The suspect, pleaded for pardon, saying, “I have two wives and four children. Who will take care of them if I am sent to prison?”

The police however faulted Sunmonu’s claims. A source at the SCID said Ajibola’s corpse was marked with bruises all over.

The source said, “Sunmonu is claiming that he was attacked first and that Ajibola was mentally deranged. This was a woman that was taking care of three children, cooking for her husband every day. Although, the killing may not have been deliberate, he (Summonu) still has a case to answer,” he said.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the telephone, said the suspect would soon be charged to court.

BY ENIOLA AKINKUOTU 

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FG marks New PDP HQ for demolition

The Federal Government has, through the Federal Capital Development Authority, marked the  national secretariat of the New Peoples Democratic Party at  the Maitama District in  Abuja for demolition. Read more

Inscriptions on the wall and the gate of the building   on 4, Oyi River Crescent, show    that it was marked on October 11, 2013.

Our correspondent, who visited the area on Monday, noticed  that an agency of the FCDA, Development Control, used red ink to inscribe the demolition notice on the wall and the gate of the building.

However, an Armoured Personnel Carrier, hitherto  stationed close to the building  and  a Police Monitoring  van   have  been  removed.

Only a riot policeman was seen  moving  round the area when our correspondent visited.

However, the FCDA has unsealed the Adamawa State Governor’s Lodge, where the New PDP relocated after its Oyi River Crescent office was sealed off  by the police.

 Investigations by our correspondent showed that the FCDA took the action when the  New PDP  said it had accepted the ruling of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja,which on Friday ordered it to stop using the name,  PDP,  in its activities.

 The lodge is located on Katsina Ala Street in Maitama District of Abuja.

 It was   sealed off  two weeks ago by the FCDA on the grounds that the New PDP   was using it for political activities, an action it said was against the approval granted for  the  building of the lodge.

 A private security man, who spoke with our correspondent at the lodge, said that policemen drafted to the building left last weekend.

“The policemen stopped coming since Thursday last week and we don’t know why they stopped coming. But we have not seen them since then,” he said.

 Five riot policemen were drafted to the building by the FCDA in a move aimed at stopping the faction of the PDP from using the building for its meetings.

 Speaking on the plan to demolish the secretariat, the spokesperson for the New PDP, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze,  said it was an attempt by the Minister of the FCT, Sen. Bala Mohammed, to satisfy his paymaster.

 He also said the minister was determined to weaken the opposition, an action he said would fail.

 Eze said, “This will show the level of desperation  which the PDP officials and the FCT  Minister   want to use to attack and kill opposition in the country. But it will fail. It can’t weaken us.  “What is the reason   for the move to  demolish a building that has its plan and other documentation that are intact, including the certificate of occupancy. This is nothing but desperation.

 “But it is expected. A government that has no value for the rule of law can go to any extent to perpetrate any evil. We wait to see what would happen next.”

 Perhaps, in order to weaken the opposition, the Federal Government started using the FCDA to threaten the members of the New PDP some weeks ago.

The FCT administration had   revoked the Certificate of  Occupancy of a building belonging to   Alhaji Rabiu  Kwakwanso,  one of the seven governors behind  the New PDP.

An  event centre, A-Park, owned  by Sen. Aisha Al-Hassan, a staunch member of the   faction  has also  been marked for demolition.

The event centre is located near the OAU Quarters in Maitama District.

A former Governor of Gombe State, Sen. Danjuma Goje,   had his  security details withdrawn for allegedly showing support to the PDP faction.

The  security details of a former Governor of Kwara State, Sen. Bukoka Saraki, who is also  a member of the faction,  were withdrawn by the Police authorities.

Saraki is also being  investigated by the Special Fraud Unit, an arm of the Police, over alleged bonds he took while in office.

It was also gathered that the Police in Bayelsa State had declared  the chairman of the faction in the state, Chief Richard Kpodo, and secretary, Sivi Godswill,  wanted.

 Apart from them, other high ranking members of the party in the state were said to have been declared wanted for allegedly belonging to a political party alien to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

BY OLUSOLA FABIYI, ABUJA

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20 killed in renewed Boko Haram attack in Borno

No fewer than 20 persons have been killed in a renewed attack on villagers in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State by suspected Boko Haram insurgents dressed in military camouflage. Read more

The attack, according to security sources and fleeing residents, occurred at about 6am yesterday at Logomani and lasted till about 9am, as the suspected insurgents shot at residents who were savouring the morning chilly weather in their houses, after the early morning Muslim (Subuhi) prayers.

“They operated till about 9am; shot dead about 20 people, while many were injured,” a police source said.

Fleeing residents claimed 10 people were injured, adding that the attackers fled toward Gamboru/Ngala bushes, while they were being pursued by soldiers.

Some of the fleeing residents claimed there was rumour of strange movement of persons around the area a week ago, heading toward Marte area, though it was not clear at press time whether the residents informed security agencies in the area.

“We were told that some of the Boko Haram sect members came around and warned some people, but left almost immediately towards Marte. The people, who said they had seen them warned that people should stop coming to the area, where trucks drivers usually came to park and rest before continuing their journey towards Ngamboru/Ngala and Tchad,” Bukar Gana, a resident of the area told journalists yesterday in Maiduguri.

He also alleged that the insurgents exhorted money from residents and fled with some women.

One of the fleeing residents and a passenger in a commercial vehicle, who narrowly escaped being killed by the sect members, said the attackers stopped the vehicle he boarded yesterday, shot dead three passengers and slaughtered 14 other persons. “Soldiers were alerted, but they fled into the bushes along Gmaboru/Ngala, some on motorcycles,” a source claimed.

“They stopped passengers and the passengers thought they were soldiers because they wore military camouflage until they began to ask them (passengers) to come out of the car; it was then they realised they were Boko Haram,” the source said.

Dikwa, a major town in Borno, located in the eastern part of the state, is about 120 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the state capital. It borders Konduga and Bama Local Government areas, where troops from the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army claimed they killed over 40 insurgents during raids to prevent planned attack on the area by the insurgents.

Yesterday incident came as the army commenced movement of troops to strategic areas and swapping of personnel, in what military sources called routine exercise.

From TIMOTHY OLANREWAJU, Maiduguri

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Oduah’s car more expensive than British PM’s car

Each of the two armoured BMW 760 Li cars bought for the Minister for Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah, by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority is more expensive than the British Prime Minister, David Cameron’s car. Read more
While Oduah’s cars go for $800,000 (about N127.5m) each, Cameron’s armoured Jaguar XJ X351 car costs £200,000 (about N52m).

The aviation minister’s media aide had said the cars, manufactured in Germany in 2008, were acquired “in response to the clear and imminent threat to her personal security and life.”

An online news portal, Sahara Reporters, reported that the NCAA paid about $1.6m (about N255m) for just two pieces, which was enough to buy eight pieces of same BMW model and spec elsewhere.

Cameron’s Jaguar car, according to Daily Mail, “is specially modified for carrying Cameron and contains many features to stop a potential terrorist attack.”

Even at the N52m-price, Cameron’s car reportedly has more sophisticated features, including special bullet and bomb-proof security armour, run-flat tyres, bullet proof glass and a self-contained oxygen supply.

To prove that the price of Oduah’s cars might have been inflated, Sahara Reporters reported that Vista BMW in Florida, United States of America, sold a fully armoured BMW 760 Li car built to withstand AK 47-7.62×39 ammo and lower calibre weapons, for only $162,195 (about N26m).

Similarly, the armoured car ballistic division of the International Armouring Corporation in Utah, USA, said the cars could have been sold for $200,000 (about N32m) each, shipping to Nigeria inclusive.

 BY LEKE BAIYEWU WITH AGENCY REPORT
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Enugu Prison turns cash and carry

■Quality cell space rental between N10,000 and N200,000
■Inmates pay N2,000 for court appearance
■Allegations false, unfounded –DCP

A freed inmate has made startling revelations about how the Enugu Maximum Prison authorities allegedly force prisoners to pay N2,000 fee for each of them to be transported from the prison to court to attend to their various matters. The inmate who recently regained freedom from the prison also alleged that inmates paid between N100 to N150 for a bucket of water. Read more

 However, the Deputy Comptroller incharge of the prison, Mustapha Attah dismissed the allegations as an attempt by mischief-makers who, he said, were out to undermine his outstanding contributions to the growth and effective control of the prison. In a chat with Sunday Sun, the former inmate who would not want his name in print said: “You must pay before you are taken to court; if you don’t pay nobody takes you to court and that is why many prisoners don’t come to court; they say the money is for the Black Maria, and it’s N2,000 each.”

 The source who said he didn’t have the money to pay the day he was granted bail narrated how he begged and assured that warders that he would collect money from his people in the court premises before he was taken to court. He was granted bail in court and, therefore, he refused to pay the fee. But by the time he returned to the prison, waiting for the perfection of his bail, he was locked up in what he called the back cell or punishment cell for three days.
He said he was later transferred to Oji-River Prison for more punishment but was saved by the quick intervention of his lawyer who facilitated his release. Other alleged irregularities from the Enugu Prison include the practice of making prison inmates pay rent for cell space they occupy while in detention.
According to the source, the inmates pay N10,000, N25,000 up to N200,000 depending on the quality of the cell. The prisoners were further alleged to have contributed money sometime in April this year with which the cells were painted when a top prison official visited the Enugu Prison.

 The prisoners were also allegedly allowed access to their GSM phones inside the prison yard, a rare privilege, which they in turn contributed money to pay officials for whenever there was an inspection of the cells. Also despite the availability of a well, the source alleged that prisoners were made buy a bucket of water for between N100 and N150 naira. Furthermore, it was learnt that only about two to three cups of drinking water were rationed to each inmate on a daily basis. Those who wanted more water had to allegedly to pay.

 
There were also stories about a task force made up of prisoners themselves who wore green shirts with inscription of ‘Task Force’ at the back. They were alleged to be the eyes of the prison boss and even feared by warders. Reacting to the allegations, the Deputy Comptroller of Prisons, (DCP), Mustapha Attah said all the allegations were false and unfounded. He said that even Nigeria Prisons Service headquarters in Abuja had sent officials to investigate the same allegations and found out that they were baseless.

 
“Somebody is just there trying to run down the good job we are doing here. They sent a petition on these same issues to Abuja and they came here to find out.” Attah who was posted to Enugu in October 2009 faulted the allegation that prisoners were paying N2,000 fee before being taken to court, stating that the number of prisoners who attended court had risen significantly since he came to Enugu Prison.
“If they don’t go, the judges will complain but here I have been getting praises from both the chief judge and attorney-general.” On the issue of use of phone in the prison, DCP Attah noted that the Comptroller General had sent circulars on that, insisting that Enugu had never deviated from that directive. On water he said Enugu Prisons had a water tanker supplied since 2008; “it has to go up to 9th Mile to buy water.

 I provide the money for diesel for the tanker to bring water three times a day because the last time Water Board gave us water was five months ago. So how can I buy water and sell the same water to inmates? It’s unthinkable.

“How can people stay and formulate things. They said inmates contributed money to paint the cells. It’s like telling a suspect in a police cell to pay for the painting of the cell, how can it work?”

From PETRUS OBI, Enugu

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