Boko Haram attacks polling units in Yobe and Borno states

More reports of Boko Haram attacks in the North...

Police arrest man with snatched 300 PVC, others in Ebonyi

ABAKALIKI- MIDDLE aged man, Ozemena Odeta among others
have been arrested at Ekawoke Ward in Ikwo local government
area of the state while distributing Permanent Voters Cards,
PVC allegedly snatched from Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC staff during the last distribution exercise in
the area.
Addressing newsmen immediately after his accreditation, the
state Deputy Coordinator, Goodluck/Sambo Presidential
Campaign Organization, Ambassador Franklin Ogbuewu stated
that the suspect disappeared from the community after
stealing the cards but resurfaced during the election.
He noted that the suspect was arrested by the police when he
was allegedly distributing the PVC to voters who agreed to
vote the candidate of his choice.
According to Ogbuewu, the reports reaching him from different
parts of the state has it that the Card Reader failed to
authenticate most voters.
“I want to inform you that the person that snatched about 300
PVCs from INEC staff during the last distribution exercise has
been arrested by the police; you see immediately after the
theft, the guy disappeared from the community but resurfaced
during the election”.
A police source which further confirmed the development
added that the police in the area had commenced
investigation into the matter to ascertain the involvement of
any other suspects

Taraba PDP chairman, 700 others denied voting

The chairman Peoples Democratic Party Taraba state chapter
Hon. Victor Bala Kona and 700 others were denied been
participated in the presidential and National Assembly
election.
Victor Bala and the 700 others were denied participation in the
election by INEC for not having their names on the voters
register even though they were with their PVCs.
The Electoral officer of Ardo-Kola local government area,
where Victor Bala and the 700 others came from, Mallam
Garba Inua confirmed the incident to Vanguard, he also said
the hitches occured in three other polling units of the local
government.
Bala Kona while briefing journalist at his house in Sunkani
said he was protesting along side the 700 others for been
disfranchised by INEC in an election that matters so much to
Nigeria.
He stated that after visiting INEC office in Ardo-Kola he also
proceeded to Jalingo the state capital to meet with the INEC
resident commissioner to register his protest.
“I went to REC at Jalingo office of INEC and he has taken the
responsibility because there it was confirmed that my PVC is
INEC own”
“I have to rush back home and calm the situation here
because the tension was getting tensed up”
“Am disappointed and my people are disappointed with the
way we were denied of our civil responsibility”
He call on the INEC to find a way for giving him and the 700
others who he claimed they were his relatives to vote for the
elections.

INEC official, one other killed in Benue

MAKURD – A female adhoc staff of the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC, (name withheld) and a
commercial motorbike operator were reportedly killed on
Saturday morning, along the Obussa-Ebonyi road, in Oju local
government area of Benue state.
Vanguard learnt that the INEC staff had boarded the motorbike
to Oju town where she was posted for election duties when
she, alongside the bike operator, met their untimely death.
According to the source,”they were riding on top speed at
about 7:45 when the front part of the motorbike suddenly
pulled of leading to the fatal accident and the instant death of
the INEC staff.
“Though the bike rider survived after sustaining seriously
injuries he later died before receiving medical attention.”
Reacting to the development, the Public Relations Officer, PRO,
of INEC in Benue state, Mr. Louis Ochai confirmed that the
deceased official was an adhoc staff who was moving to her
place of assignment when the accident occurred.
“We have already sent people there to give us a detailed
report on the matter for further action.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO,
Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Austin Ezeani who confirmed
the incident said the victims were on election duty when they
met their untimely death.
“I also want to state that aside this accident, we have not
recorded any ugly incidents in the state, so far it has been a
peaceful exercise in Benue state.”Ezeani said.

Explosion: NYSC urges corps members to remain calm

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged corps
members participating in the Presidential and National
Assembly elections in Enugu State to remain calm as their
safety had been guaranteed.
The Director of Corps Mobilisation, Mr Anthony Ani, made the
call in Enugu on Saturday in an interview with the newsmen
while reacting to the car bomb blast in the state capital.
Ani said that security agents had beefed up security in and
around the state to forestall further incidents. “I am urging
corps members in the state to be calm and careful as security
agents have assured us of your safety. “Do not be
discouraged. We are monitoring the situation and everything is
on course. I am impressed with the performance of corps
members in the election.’’
Ani, who is in Enugu to monitor the elections, expressed
satisfaction with the peaceful conduct in the state in spite of
the bomb blast. The director, however, decried poor
performance of the card readers and urged INEC to improve
on it.

Voting starts

1:30pm – Senate President, Senator David Mark, cast his vote
on Saturday, at about1:30pm , at the Otukpo Club Township
Ward One polling Unit in Otukpo
2: 33 -Voting started in Alimosho in ward D unit 44 in Lagos
at 2:33pm
Kogi State dep gov, Yomi Awoniyi, cast his votes at Ileteju 11
in Mopa, Kogi State.
Eligible voters on queue in Goni Gashiya of Bulunkutu Area,
Jere council area of Borno state.
Bayelsa Deputy Gov, Rear Admiral John Gboribiogha Jonah
cast his vote in Nembe
Has voting started in your polling unit ?

INEC restores website

The website of the Independent National Electoral Commission
has been restored after it was hacked by Nigerian Cyber Army
earlier in the day.
It will be recalled that the website of the Independent National
Electoral Commission was hacked by a group that parade
itself as Nigerian Cyber Army. The hacking was confirmed by
INEC on its Twitter handle, @inecnigeria

INEC suspends election in Delta community over insecurity

The Independent National Electoral Commission has
suspended election in Udu Local Government Area of Delta
State after the police said they could not guarantee security in
the area.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Anidi Ikowak, said
in Agbor that some stakeholders in the area did not allow
electoral officers to move voting materials to polling units.
He said the initial complaint was that they wanted to see the
constituency collation form.
He said, “But even when the form was brought, they did not
still want the materials moved.
“So the police had to advise that for security reasons, the
election should be suspended.”

Unknown group hacks INEC website

The Independent National Electoral Commission’s website,
inecnigeria.org, has been hacked by an unknown group.
On the website, the group, which displayed an election cartoon
of President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu
Buhari, identified itself as the Nigerian Cyber Army.
The INEC in its Twitter handle, @INECNIGERIA, confirmed the
hacking, adding that it was working to rectify it.
Details later…

Hoodlums shoot at police, soldiers escorting Corps members

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Explosion rocks Anambra polling unit

Less than an hour that a bomb exploded at a polling unit in
Enugu, a similar incident has occurred in Awka, Anambra
State.
The Anambra explosion took place at Atom a polling unit at
Umuokpara Primary School, Awka ward one.
Details later…

Who becomes Nigeria’s first lady: extrovert patience or introvert Aisha?

Patience Jonathan and Aisha Buhari
The Nigerian constitution does not recognise the office of the
First Lady which is a title for the spouse of the head of state
or president of Nigeria. However, the office has remained one
of the most funded and staffed since independence and the
First Lady is addressed by the title Her Excellency.
Nigeria has had several first ladies since independence but the
late Maryam Babangida, wife of Nigeria’s military president
from 1985 to 1993, General Ibrahim Babagida, began the
trend.
As first lady, she launched many programmes to improve the
lives of women. The “Maryam Phenomenon” became a
celebrity and “an icon of beauty, fashion and style,” a position
she retained after her husband’s fall from power.
When her husband became Head of State in 1985, Maryam
Babangida moved into Dodan Barracks in Lagos. She was said
to have arranged for considerable renovations to make the
rooms more suitable for formal receptions. As First Lady of
Nigeria between 1985 and 1993, she turned the ceremonial
post into a champion for women’s rural development. She
founded the Better Life Programme for Rural Women in 1987,
which launched co-operatives, cottage industries, farms and
gardens, shops and markets, women’s centres and social
welfare programmes. The Maryam Babangida National Centre
for Women Development was established in 1993 for research,
training, and to mobilise women towards self-emancipation.
She also established a glamorous persona. Talking about the
opening of the seven-day Better Life Fair in 1990, one
journalist said “She was like a Roman empress on a throne,
regal and resplendent in a stone-studded flowing outfit that
defied description…” Women responded to her as a role model,
and her appeal lasted long after her husband fell from power.
But the current First Lady in the person of Dame Patience
Faka Jonathan is one woman who shares the political space
equally with her husband, regardless of what the constitution
says about her office.
If her husband is re-elected, Nigerians may not see much
difference from what Mrs. Jonathan has done as their First
Lady for the past six years. But if General Muhammadu Buhari
of the All Progressives Congress gains the upper hand, then
Nigerians would then have a new experience with Mrs. Aisha
Buhari as the First Lady.
Dame Jonathan is reputed as a woman who holds court,
summoning ministers, even governors for meetings. Dame
Jonathan is not your regular first lady that is content with the
glamour of office; she is as active, if not more, than her
husband in the politics and politicking of the Peoples
Democratic Party of Nigeria.
With her influence, so many people have been appointed
ministers, permanent secretaries, ambassadors, name it. In
fact, through her, many governorship candidates have received
endorsement to contest in their home states.
Mr. Evans Bipi, a member representing Ogu Bolo State
Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, described
the first lady as his Jesus Christ. When he was asked why he
calls her mummy even when he was no way related to her nor
come from her local government, he said, “Have you forgotten
that she is from Okrika? So, whoever attains the position of
the First Lady, what would you call the person? You call her
mummy. She is the mother of the nation and she is the
mouthpiece of Okrika people. She is the mother of Okrika
people. So, every Okrika person calls her mummy. Ogu Bolo is
Okrika. They are all Okrika people. It is like Ikwerre and Obio/
Akpor; they are all Ikwerre. It is only the local government
area that split them. So, as an Okrika woman, who has risen
up to that position, everybody calls her mummy.”
He also justified why he called her his Jesus Christ on earth,
“Let me say this. Man is God to man; it is in the Bible. You
must not see God; you will see God through somebody. God
said, see me through Jesus Christ. That is why we are seeing
God through Jesus Christ. This woman (Patience Jonathan) is
everything in my life. She made me what I am today.
Politically and otherwise; I can say it anywhere. I can say she
is my Jesus Christ because she has made me who I am
today. That is the truth and I can defend that anywhere.
“Babangida’s wife was from Delta State. Her people called her
mummy. Yar’Adua’s wife is from Katsina, all the people from
Katsina call her mummy. Even Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s
wife, the people call her mummy. When a woman attains such
level, everybody calls her mummy. It is a form of respect. But
to me, my mummy (Patience Jonathan) is special because she
brought me up to this level.”
His testimony is not different from that of her other
beneficiaries and she wields enormous power.
On her own, she anointed Nyeson Wike, the present
governorship candidate of the PDP in her home state, Rivers,
to dislodge Rotimi Amaechi, after falling out with the
governor. Because of the respect the Bayelsa State Governor,
Mr. Henry Seriake Dickson had for her, he made her a
permanent secretary in July 2012 even after a long time
absence from work. But when she fell out with the governor,
she resigned from the office to show her annoyance. She then
handpicked the Special Assistant to the President on Domestic
Matters, Mr. Waripamowei Dudafa to take over from Dickson
in 2016 irrespective of the governor’s aspiration for a re-
election.
The likes of Chief Christopher Alao-Akala, a former governor
and deputy governor of Oyo State, would not forget in a hurry
the role Dame Jonathan played in the politics of the PDP in
Oyo State when she summoned their leaders and advised
them to make the former governor of the state, Chief Rashidi
Ladoja, the PDP flag bearer, even after the latter had since left
the party and become the founder of Accord Party. Akala is
today the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Oyo
State.
She is a woman who makes no pretence about her views.
After a long absence from the country amidst speculations
that she was down at a German hospital, the presidency and
her office kept on assuring the citizens that she had merely
travelled to rest after the rigours of the 2011 elections and
hosting of the African First Ladies Summit.
But on February 17, 2013, she came out to tell the stunning
story of how she rose from death after being dead for a week
during a thanksgiving service in Abuja. She debunked the
stories dished out from her husband’s office completely
without scruples.
Punctuating her testimony with praise songs, Patience, who
refused to read from a speech prepared for her, narrated to the
congregation how she underwent nine surgeries within one
month in London.
“It was not an easy experience for me. I actually died; I
passed out for more than a week. My intestine and tummy
were opened.
“I am not Lazarus but my experience was similar to his own.
My doctors said all hope was lost.
“People are always afraid of operation (surgery) but in my
own case, while my travail lasted, I was begging for it
(surgery) after the third operation because I was going to the
theatre every day.
“It was God who saw me through. I did eight or nine
operations within one month. It was not an easy one.”
When the Chibok girls were abducted by the dreaded Boko
Haram terrorists, Dame Patience beat her husband to take
action by summoning to Aso Rock those she believed could
explain what happened.
The video recording of the meeting in Abuja went viral and
trended so much, particularly the part where she discarded the
English language for her preferred pidgin and launched into a
tirade against the principal of the school and the Borno State
governor and his wife.
That was where she asked the principal, ‘Na only you waka
come?’ She broke down in tears and told the state governor
and those who wanted to rubbish her husband’s government
that, ‘There’s God o.’
Dame Patience Jonathan is more at home in her native
language and pidgin English, irrespective of the occasion.
Yet, the First Lady was sufficiently educated.
Born in Port Harcourt, she earned her school certificate in
1976, and passed the West African School Certificate
Examination in 1980. In 1989, she obtained the National
Certificate of Education in Mathematics and Biology from the
Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt. She
then proceeded to the University of Port Harcourt and studied
for a B.Ed in Biology and Psychology.
For Mrs. Aishat Buhari, wife of the presidential candidate of
the APC, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the office of
the First Lady could turn out to be a completely different
experience if her husband wins the election and becomes the
president.
When her husband became the head of state in the 80s, she
had not yet appeared in the picture as she was said to have
got married to the General in 1989. At a time during the
electioneering, the ruling PDP made it an issue that Maj.-
Gen.Buhari might not have a place for a woman in public life.
As a former head of state, his then wife remained anonymous
throughout.
And when he started the current campaign, there was no sign
of a woman with him, creating the fear that he might not be
women friendly. That was when the picture of his wife
appeared on the social media and she turned out to be a
stunning beauty.
The opposition was still not satisfied. In fact, critics concluded
that the General must be less enamoured with women by
refusing to pose for pictures with his family.
When Buhari’s campaign train hit Abeokuta, Ogun State, early
this year, the major highlight was the unveiling of his wife. In
fact, both Buhari and his running mate, Professor Yemi
Osinbajo, used the occasion to pose with their wives and with
the way the pictures trended on the social media, many
Nigerians were impressed by the images of the potential First
Lady and her deputy.
Of course, all the major newspapers splashed the pictures on
their front pages the following day.
Aishat Buhari was drawn out to the public glare and as such,
observers are still trying to assess her to see the kind of First
Lady she will turn out to be if her husband is victorious at the
polls.
One thing is sure though, Maj.-Gen. Buhari has a softer side
represented by his gorgeous wife, Aisha.
Mrs. Buhari obtained a diploma in Beauty Therapy at Carlton
Institute of Beauty Therapy Windsor in United Kingdom; she
also obtained a certificate course in French Beauty School,
Esthetique Academie Dubai. She is also a member of UK’s
Vocational Training and Charitable Trust and the International
Health and Beauty Council.
Aisha also holds National Certificate in Education, a Bachelor
of Arts Degree at Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma and Masters
in International Affairs and Strategic Studies from Nigerian
Defence Academy, Kaduna. She is the founder/Managing
Director of Hanzy Spa and Principal of Hanzy Beauty Institute.
Though Aisha has managed to limit her public gaffes, what
she said about Edo women has drawn the wrath of the people
of the area. Aisha had said that if her husband is elected, he
would make sure that there were enough jobs so that young
women from Edo State would no longer take to prostitution.
The women group in the state took her up on this. She must
have learnt some lessons from the criticisms that trailed her
comments.
Nevertheless, she has said, “For me, I will perform my duties
and role as the wife of the President of Nigeria traditionally.”

na wa o monkey theft

The suspect
The police in Lagos State have arrested a 27-year-old robbery
suspect, Mohammed Nafiu, who specialised in using monkeys
and snakes to dispossess people of their money and
valuables.
One of the monkeys was also arrested and is presently in
police custody.
Nafiu told the police that apart from the conventional tool
(gun) used by most robbers, the sight of a snake or monkey
unsettles and scares people. He said he was able to
dispossess his victims of their valuables when confronted with
these animals, especially fully grown ones.
The Kano State-born Nafiu, and his accomplice, Nura, who is
still at large, said they initiated this method of robbery
operation some years ago.
“We trained the animals to obey our instructions. On a single
command, the animals attack whoever we want to rob and we
are able to take whatever valuable they have on them,
especially money,” Nafiu said.
Nafiu, who is married with three children, was a farmer and
native drug vendor until he came to Lagos about 10 years
ago.
“I learnt there were many Hausa people in Lagos, so I decided
to come with my monkey which I had been using for monkey
shows in Kano,” he said.
A police source said on the day Nafiu was arrested, he and his
accomplice had two monkeys in their Nissan Primera and
were trailing a man who had just come out of a popular bank
in Ogba area of the state. The man was said to be holding a
nylon bag containing money.
On sighting their next victim, they quickly went after him,
unleashed their two monkeys on him and dispossessed him of
N230,000 cash.
Nafiu said, “When we attacked the man, he was overcome
with fear, so we collected the money from him. As we were
about leaving, having realised what was happening, people
started throwing stones and several objects at us. Nobody
could move near because they were also afraid of the monkey.
Only Nura could escape. When the stoning became too severe,
I could not escape and eventually, police came and arrested
me and my monkey.”
He said he could have released the monkey to protect himself,
but he was afraid that the monkey would injure a lot of
people. “I had to endure the attack because of this. I felt safer
in the hands of the police than being stoned to death right
there,” he added.
He explained that while Nura was escaping with the money,
the victim was chasing him, but that in order to stop the man,
he took part of the money and threw back the remaining at
him so he could get busy picking the few naira notes while he
escaped.
Nafiu admitted that he had been using the monkey to rob for
some years and that it had injured a lot of people including
himself. He showed scratches on his hands which he said
were from the animal’s teeth and nails.
“I have made a lot of money using this strategy but this
N230,000 was the highest amount I ever got from a single
operation. And now I regret what I have done. If I can be set
free, I won’t do such again,” the suspect said.
But a police source pointed out that another person had
reported to the police that the same gang (Nafiu and Nura)
once attacked him with a “big” snake and dispossessed him of
some money.
“Nafiu admitted that they had two snakes and two baboons,
which they used to scare and harass their victims. One of the
monkeys has been arrested and we are still trailing the other
suspect and the other animals,” the source said.
As of the time of filing this report, Police Public Relations
Officer, Lagos State Command, Mr. Kenneth Nwosu, had yet to
reply the message our correspondent sent to him.

Robbers operate haulage business, steal multi-million naira goods

The suspects
Twenty-eight-year-old Emeka Nathaniel, a truck driver who
specialised in interstate and intrastate haulage of goods had
hoped to get his usual service fee of between N200,000 and
N350,000 (depending on how large the cargo is) when he was
contacted by one of the clearing and forwarding agents who
gave him such businesses.
Price was agreed and there and then, 222 large Jumbo tyres
used by trailers were loaded into his truck. In total, N11m
worth of tyres were handed over to Nathaniel, whom the
contractor believed could not possibly do anything shady with
the goods. Destination was a warehouse at Kirikiri area of
Lagos.
But by nightfall on February 27, 2015, Nathaniel had
disappeared with the goods.
Operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad,
Department of Investigation (Annex), Adeniji-Adele in Lagos,
who had been tipped off many days later about a shady
business going on at a warehouse in Ikeja area of the state,
stormed the place and succeeded in recovering the entire
goods.
A police source involved in the investigations at the FSARS,
told our correspondent that when Nathaniel who drove the
truck was arrested along with his conductor, 32-year-old
Haruna Saidu, information emerged about how they met a
member of a syndicate who specialised in diverting goods and
selling them off.
“Recent cases have shown that the operations of this
syndicate have become common in Lagos now. They are on
the prowl around the Nigerian Port in Apapa and other parts of
Lagos. The members target those who need haulage services
to transport their goods from one part of the country to
another. They simply take the goods, collect the transport fee
and disappear with the loads,” the police officer said.
The member of the syndicate, Azubuike Olumba, promised
Nathaniel an offer he could not resist.
“He promised that I would be paid N8m as soon as I delivered
the goods at Ikeja,” Nathaniel told the police.
However, Saidu (conductor) still thought they were indeed
going to deliver the goods at Kirikiri until they started to
unload the goods at Ikeja.
“He said when he queried his driver why they were unloading
the goods at the wrong destination, the driver quickly gave
him N150,000 to keep him quiet. Nathaniel still believed he
was getting N8m out of the deal,” the police investigator in
charge of the case said.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that as soon as the truck disappeared
and the owner of the goods learnt that it had not arrived at
the delivery point as scheduled, he reported at the Area B
Police Command in Apapa. But the police at the station had
no clue. Soon, the owner of the tyres lost all hope that the
goods would ever be found until he got a call from FSARS
operatives.
Four other suspects are in custody over the robbery – Kelechi
Igbokwe (43) and Peter Eigbogbo (46), who escorted the
vehicle to Ikeja and two potential buyers – Eze John and
Kennedy Okoye who were tyre traders called in to buy some of
the goods.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that after a successful operation, the
robbers destroy their number plate and repaint the vehicle.
The police eventually traced the truck to the office of the
Lagos State Traffic Management Authority.
“The suspects parked the vehicle at Mile 12, having removed
the number plate and left it there. LASTMA officials who saw
it there later impounded it and towed it to their office,” the
police said.
Meanwhile, operatives of FSARS also recently apprehended
another cartel with a similar modus operandi.
On January 9, 2015, 37-year-old Taye Adejumo, an Oyo State
transporter, who runs a supposed haulage business, took
delivery of 1,200 30-litre kegs of vegetable oil, which he was
supposed to deliver in Abuja.
The vegetable oil was worth N7m.
But unknown to the contractor, through whom Adejumo got
the transaction, the N250,000 haulage fee, was never his
target.
In fact, according to the police, Adejumo bought his DAF 85
truck solely for stealing and diverting goods.
That day, rather than proceed to Abuja and collect the
N120,000 outstanding part of his fee, Adejumo, who believed
he could become a millionaire from the venture, colluded with
his driver, 34-year-old Taoreed Kasali, and his conductor, 39-
year-old Ibrahim Saheed, and diverted the goods to Ikorodu,
where they began to sell the oil to traders at cheaper price.
With the help of an accomplice who posed as sales agent of
the company that manufactures the oil, the robbers
successfully sold N4.5m worth of the oil to unsuspecting
traders at Ikorodu Market who believed they were lucky to get
the product cheaply.
Adejumo said when he started the business of diverting
goods, he started with fuel.
He told the police that he successfully diverted and sold off a
tanker-load of fuel. But after many months of investigations
by the police, he was caught and he was forced to pay back
the worth of the fuel to the owner.
“At the time, I was still renting the tanker I used to transport
the oil. I paid N600,000 to the man I rented the tanker from
but made millions of naira from the business until I was
arrested at Sagamu. After I paid off the money to the owner of
the oil and I was released, I later bought my own truck for the
purpose of diverting goods,” he said.
He explained that each of the kegs of vegetable oil he diverted
was supposed to be sold for about N5,850 but they sold it for
N5,500 and after making about N4.5m, he paid Kasali
N350,000 and Saheed N280,000.
“After we caught them, only 182 of the 1,200 kegs of
vegetable oil could be recovered along with about N1m,” one
of the police investigators in charge of the case told Saturday
PUNCH.
Spokesperson of the FSARS, Mr. Lekan Ogundare, a deputy
superintendent of police, said these cases should serve as a
lesson for businessmen not to patronise roadside haulage
businesses.
“We would advise Nigerians to ensure that anytime they hand
over their goods to any haulage service, there should be
proper documentation about the identity of the haulage
company and about the chain of custody of the goods. This
would allow them to have enough information to work on in
the eventuality of a problem as we have seen in these cases,”
Ogundare said.

Death toll in Owo bank robbery hits 20

Premises of the robbed banks | credits: Tunde Ajaja
No fewer than 20 persons have lost their lives in the bank
robbery operation that engulfed Owo town in Ondo State, on
Thursday.
A reliable source at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, who
pleaded anonymity, said 18 corpses were brought to the
hospital at about 8:20pm on Thursday, while additional two
were brought in on Friday morning.
“Now as I speak to you, we have 20 corpses in the morgue.
We received 18 bodies last night and additional two this
morning. They were all casualties of the robbery incident that
happened the previous night. We also have about 25 people,
with varying degree of injuries, receiving treatment in the
emergency ward.
Armed robbers at about 5pm on Thursday attacked four
banks, namely, Wema Bank, Ecobank, First Bank and Skye
bank. Eyewitness accounts put the number of the hoodlums
that carried out the operation at about 40 and that they
arrived in about ten vehicles.
When Saturday Punch visited the community on Friday, there
was an uneasy calm as the residents, in clusters, lined major
roads in the ancient town discussing and analysing the
tragedy that had befallen them the previous night. None of the
banks opened for operation, but our correspondent learnt that
the staff were in the bank trying to put things in order.
It was learnt that the branch manager of Wema Bank, a staff
and a security officer attached to the bank were killed in the
premises. There were still splashes of blood on the floor of the
pavement at the frontage of the bank as of Friday morning.
There was also an abandoned Mercedes Benz E320 4MATIC
wagon, with registration number APP 574 DG. Also, the only
security door at the entrance of the bank was blown open.
An eye witness, who identified himself simply as Seun, said
the manager was instructed to fill one of the vehicles with
cash, and that after obeying the directive, he and two others
were shot outside the banking hall.
“After filling their vehicle with cash inside, they told him to
drive the car out of the park, and they shot him. They also
shot another staff, popularly known as Wale and then a
security guard. Adjacent the bank, two brothers, one of whom
was selling cassette, were killed. Those robbers went away
with a lot of money,” he said.
At Skye Bank, many payment tellers and office files littered the
entrance while a pungent smell of fire still engulfed the area.
The security door at the entrance was also blown open while
gunshots pierced the glass windows on the first floor. Part of
the building was also burnt. It was leant that huge sum of
money was also carted away.
At the Ecobank located at Mobil roundabout, our
correspondent found that gun bullets shattered the glass walls
at the entrance of the bank while one of the two security
doors was blown open by the robbers. A source, who pleaded
anonymity, said the bank had closed for operations and that
they were busy balancing their accounts when the incident
happened.
“It was around 5:14pm. They stationed one person outside
while two others were carrying out the operation inside. They
made away with a lot of money but they didn’t kill anyone,”
the source said.
[/media-credit] Premises of the robbed banks
At First Bank, gunshots also shattered the glass walls while
the security door was also blown open. It was leant that the
robbers made away with bags of cash, while killing two
persons, including a man using the ATM and a small boy who
was found stealing a glance at them.
As if these were not enough, two armoured tanks belonging to
the police were also attacked with traces of gunshots on one
of them with registration number NPF5234C, which was also
driven into a gutter in front of the PHCN office in the area. A
bus belonging to the PHCN also had its rear glass shattered
while a few bullets decorated pierced the glass window of the
three-storey building.
It was gathered that the Nigeria Police Medical Services, Area
Command headquarters, was also attacked by the robbers
and that about four policemen were killed while the mobile
phones of others were seized.
A resident, Mr. Tunji Olude, told Saturday Punch that it took
the efforts of some soldiers to mount a barricade at the exit
point of the robbers, where about five of the robbers were
killed and two were arrested.
Reacting to the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in
Ondo State, Mr. Wole Ogodo, confirmed the incident, saying
two of the robbers were arrested. He added that the
commissioner of police would later in the day brief the press
on the incident.

Voters should avoid violence at polling units –Oyetibo

Mr. Tayo Oyetibo
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo, tells FISAYO
FALODI in this interview why arms-bearing policemen should
stay off the polling units on election days among other issues
Are you satisfied with the level of preparation by the
Independent National Electoral Commission for the general
elections?
We may not know until the election day (today). There are
sensitive and non-sensitive materials that must have to be
distributed. So, one may not have information on the level of
the INEC’s preparedness until the elections are conducted
because it will be presumptuous now to say INEC is not
prepared. INEC does not have any excuse not to conduct the
election properly on March 28 because the electoral
commission has been given enough time to prepare. It was
clear enough that INEC could not have successfully conducted
the election on February 14. So, the claim that INEC was
ready then had been proved to be wrong; the commission was
not ready then because about 30 million Nigerians had yet to
collect their PVCs. An election in which 30 million people
would have been disenfranchised would not have been
considered as valid. If for example the election had been
conducted on February 14 and one of the candidates emerged
as winner with one million votes over the other, the loser
would have lodged a complaint that if the remaining 30 million
PVCs had been distributed, he would have won. This is a valid
ground to challenge the result of the election. But in a
situation whereby INEC has distributed substantial number of
PVCs and what we have now are people who have not come
forward to collect their PVCs, nobody can be blamed for that.
INEC can take the census of those whose PVCs are not ready
but have their TVCs and allow them to vote.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Abba Suleiman, said
recently that the police would use fire arms with caution
because it is believed that the election may be tension-
soaked. How do you react to this?
Why should tension rise? Voters should come to polling
booths, do their accreditation and step aside. When it is time
for voting, they should go back to the polling booths to cast
their ballots. If these procedures are followed, there will be no
need for tension to rise; though that is one of the reasons
security agencies are well represented at each polling booth to
take out those who may want to cause problem.
What about the use of firearms?
A policeman without firearm is like a civilian, but those who
bear firearms should stay away from the voting process. They
should only be invited when there is crisis. We cannot rule out
the fact that policemen need firearms to deal with some
peculiar situations. The level of response by the police will
have to be determined by the situation. Any attempt to
completely keep away arms-bearing policemen from election
may be dangerous because you can only use armed policemen
to tackle armed thugs. But the police must be kept away from
the polling booths; they have no business at the polling
booths. They must be kept at strategic locations in case there
is need for their services.
Some people have expressed the fear that voters with genuine
PVCs may be disenfranchised because the result of the mock
test carried out recently on the card readers was not reliable.
How do you react to this?
INEC should have a ‘plan B.’ For example, if a voter has
genuine PVC and the card reader cannot read the card, the
voter should not be denied his or her right to vote. In such a
situation, INEC should fall back to manual system of
accreditation.
As a lawyer, what do you think voters whose eligibility to
vote is questioned by INEC officers can do?
Electoral officers have no power to challenge voters’ right to
vote. The electoral officers are to ensure that the cards voters
are bringing to the polling booths are genuine. But if it is
proved that the cards voters are bringing are not genuine, the
voters should re-examine themselves. In case the PVCs are
genuine, it then means that the card reader is faulty. That is
why INEC needs to provide an alternative way of accrediting
voters with genuine PVCs.
What do you think will happen if INEC fails to provide
alternative way of accrediting voters in case the card reader
fails?
It may be an invitation to crisis. I do not see any reason why
a voter with genuine PVC arrives at the polling unit at the
appointed time and is prevented from voting. Such a situation
can lead to crisis. So, INEC should ensure that such a
situation does not arise.
In previous elections in Nigeria, it was alleged that
politicians used money and other gifts or sometimes used
force to influence voters’ decision. How can this practice be
prevented now?
There is abject poverty in the country. As a matter of fact,
voters should know that a politician who offers them money
to vote for him will steal public fund to recoup his money. I
believe any contestant who offers money to potential voters to
be able to secure votes is likely to dip his hands into the
public fund in order to recoup his investment; that is why we
have been emphasising that those who give money to secure
votes, if they are caught, should be disqualified. If they are not
caught, those who collect the money should not vote for them
because they are voting against their conscience. The moment
voters collect money from politicians before voting, the
politicians become unaccountable to the people.
Politicians have, on many occasions, asked their supporters
to vote and ensure that their votes count. Can voters use
force to defend their ballots even if it is clear that the votes
are being stolen?
Two wrongs do not make a right. Voters cannot resort to
force to ensure that their votes count. If it is obvious that
there are issues, voters can lodge complaints to the
appropriate authority for immediate action. But it will not be
right to use violence to correct perceived irregularity at any
polling unit.
Do you support suggestion that policemen that will be
deployed in supervising the election should be subjected to
psychiatric test?
The police authorities should have a way of profiling the
policemen that are being used for election duty because if a
policeman is not mentally sick and is allowed to bear arms in
the midst of a crowd; and he is not trained in crowd control
technique, he may misuse the arms. I will not go as far as
saying they should be subjected to psychiatric test, but they
could be profiled and put through a special induction course
to ensure incident relating to accidental discharge is
prevented.
What appropriate measure do you recommend to the police
authorities in selecting policemen for the election
supervision?
Experience is very important in this area. The police
authorities should find out whether such policemen have
participated in similar exercise in the past and there was no
report of misconduct against them. Secondly, there should
have been a short and serious programme before the day of
the election to educate them on the limit of their involvement
in the poll. Those who will carry arms should also be trained
specifically that they are not supposed to harass or intimidate
voters. They should know that they are not supposed to
interfere in the voting process; their major duty is to promote
law and order. They can only be called for intervention if there
is crisis.
All security agents, including the para-military will be
represented in the supervision of the election. Don’t you
foresee conflict of interest among them?
It depends. When you have interplay of security agencies,
there will be a leader and the leader would have been given
operational guidelines. So, all other security personnel
operating under the leader would have been subjected to
induction course specifically set up for the purpose of
achieving a common objective. For example, if a unit is being
led by a policeman or a soldier, it is the duty of all the men
belonging to the unit to obey the directive of the unit’s leader.
All the security personnel that will be involved in the election
supervision are on special duty, so, the security personnel are
not going to impose the code of their particular agencies on
the other agencies that are participating in the exercise for the
purpose of ensuring peace.
How then do you advise security personnel for effective
service delivery?
They should keep their distance from the voting process; they
should be attentive and be at alert as well as ensure that their
arms are not handled recklessly so as to prevent accidental
discharge. Even if there is a little disturbance, it is a not
enough for arms-bearing policemen to come to the area at
that stage. Those without arms could intervene first. It is
when the disturbance is beyond the capacity of the non-
armbearing officers that his counterparts with arms can be
called upon.
It appears that INEC has not made special provision for the
physically-challenged persons. Who do you think should be
responsible for assisting them while casting their ballots?
It is a very sad situation in the country. The situation is not
peculiar to INEC; Nigeria has not done well for the physically-
challenged persons. If INEC can make provision for them, it
will be okay. Every aspect of our nation has failed in taking
the physically-challenged into consideration. In some
countries, there are public transport firms that will lower the
steps of their vehicles to make them accessible to the
physically-challenged persons, but we don’t have such facility
in Nigeria.

Long, tortuous road to Aso Rock

President Goodluck Jonathan, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
(retd.)
Ahead of today’s presidential election, it has been a busy
period for the two leading political parties – Peoples
Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress. ERIC
DUMO in this piece examines the major highlights leading into
the contest
Today is the day of reckoning for the Peoples Democratic
Party presidential candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and that
of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
(retd.), as they test their popularity and acceptance among
the people of Nigeria.
Described as the most important poll in the country’s history
by events watchers, today’s contest is between a man who
has performed creditably well, according to his supporters,
and another whose record as a military Head of State between
December 1983 and August 1985 is paving way for and also
haunting in similar measure.
While Jonathan, the incumbent, whose message of
transformation and continuity has been marred with
accusation of underperformance by a host of critics – local
and international, Buhari, who clamours for change on the
heels of his prudent and strong disciplinary regime, is battling
to convince critics that he is far from the religious extremist
and ruthless leader he has been painted to be.
For both men, it has been a very hectic marketing campaign
to sell themselves to a disillusioned electorate grappling with
social and economic challenges on several fronts.
After both emerging their respective parties’ candidates late
last year, Jonathan and Buhari quickly turned on the heat on
each other in attempts to win over more converts. It was the
beginning of a long battle on the pages of newspapers, the
airwaves, Internet and other publicity platforms across the
country.
In a front page advertisement on some notable newspapers on
January 19, Nigerians were asked to choose between life and
death in either voting for a fit and healthy Jonathan or a
Buhari who is not “so fit” to face the rigour of the office of the
President. The advert, sponsored by Ekiti State Governor, Mr.
Ayodele Fayose, insinuated that if elected into power, the
retired general could kick the bucket like some Northern former
Nigerian leaders who were either killed or were consumed by
natural forces while in office.
The publication provoked not just the Buhari camp but many
Nigerians who felt it was a distasteful way to rubbish and
wish an opponent in a major battle death.
Reacting, the APC campaign organisation, in a statement
signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba
Shehu, said, “This is the height of desperate tactics by the
PDP, which is capable of degenerating into unnecessary
bloodshed and destruction. They are choosing death for us.
This is not politics. We are therefore asking our supporters to
stay calm and be law-abiding.”
The party further alleged that the entire scenario was a ploy
to eliminate Buhari before or after today’s election.
As if that was not enough, words started going round that the
retired General had gone in search of medical help in the
United Kingdom and not on a working visit to the Royal
Institute of International Affair, Chatham House, London, as
claimed by the APC. What started as mere talk soon grew into
a full-blown verbal war with Fayose accusing the opposition
of hiding the truth about Buhari’s health from the world.
Fayose had through his Special Assistant on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said, “The
truth is that Buhari travelled out to seek medicare in the
United States. If the APC people are saying otherwise, let
them publish the picture of Buhari boarding the plane and
granting interview to aviation correspondents at the Abuja
Airport.
“While I am happy that the APC people that are packaging
Buhari finally hearkened to my plea that they should allow him
seek medical care abroad, I must say that it was evil for the
APC to have lied that Buhari travelled on a working visit.
“These APC political merchants should say the truth and save
Nigeria from the possibility of another Yar’Adua experience.
They should tell Nigerians that Buhari is actually sick and lack
capacity to rule Nigeria and that they are only packaging him,
hoping that he will become incapacitated if he becomes
president so that they can take over power by proxy.”
Buhari, who spoke later at Chatham House in a paper entitled
“Prospects for Democratic Consolidation in Africa: Nigeria’s
Transition,” said that he wanted to be president “because the
work of making Nigeria great is not yet done.”
Apart from the controversy generated by Buhari’s health and
trip to Chatham House, other events also heated things up on
the road to today’s election for both men.
Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, once a staunch ally of
Jonathan but now a major backer of the 72-year-old former
military Head of State, alleged that Jonathan gave pastors
across the country about N6bn to vote against the APC’s
candidate. Though the Presidency and PDP quickly dismissed
the allegation, a Borno State-based clergy, Kallamu Musa-
Dikwa, soon revealed that the money was actually N7bn and
not N6bn as initially claimed by Amaechi.
Musa-Dikwa, who is the Executive Director, Voice of Northern
Christian Movement, told journalists in Kaduna that the money
was channelled through the Christian Association of Nigeria.
He said CAN got N7bn on January 26, 2015 and disbursed
N3m to each state chairmen of the association across the
country. Though the allegation has yet to be proven, it
remains one of the most scandalous episodes and major
highlights leading into today’s battle.
In an attempt to sell his candidacy across the country,
Jonathan embarked on a nationwide consultation of prominent
traditional rulers. Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi; Ooni of Ile-Ife,
Oba Okunade Sijuwade; Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi
and Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu, were among those visited
by the President.
Jonathan described the visits as private. The move, no doubt,
charged up the atmosphere with news emerging shortly after
that large sums in foreign currencies were doled out to the
monarchs. Events preceding today’s election were
characterised with hate campaigns, mudslinging with many
analysts concluding that the political campaigns were the
dirtiest and most indecent in Nigeria’s history. There are
diverse accusation and counter-accusations.
For instance, a former Governor of Lagos State and leader of
the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, claimed that Jonathan had
promised him a vice-presidential slot in an interim government
arrangement, if he stopped supporting Buhari.
In a swift reaction, Jonathan denied meeting and offering
Tinubu any such role, describing the allegation as baseless
and false.
Issues surrounding Buhari’s certificate also added interesting
side attractions in the build up to the poll. While the former
Head of State insisted that his certificates were with the
military, the Presidency and PDP claimed otherwise. It took
weeks of accusation and counter-accusations before the APC
candidate finally obtained a copy of his result from Cambridge
and showed the world. Even after that, there were doubts over
its originality. The matter, which has yet to fully subside,
remains one of the major high points leading into today’s
presidential election. It adds to a long list that has combined
to provide tension and entertainment weeks ahead of the epic
battle.
Not only that, the APC candidate refused to participate in a
national debate claiming the PDP planned to use the debate
against him.

Poll: All eyes on the North-East

Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh | credits:
http://www.mydailynewswatchng.com
The much-awaited presidential election holds today amid
threat by the leader of the violent Boko Haram sect, Abubakar
Shekau, to disrupt the poll in the troubled North-East, FISAYO
FALODI writes
Today’s presidential election has been described by some
observers as a major exercise that will determine the
continued existence of Nigeria as a country.
The observers believe that the torrent of the challenges,
especially the insecurity confronting the country’s North-
eastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe is a potential
threat to Nigeria’s survival after the presidential election.
A former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter
Carrington, stressed this point not long ago when he said that
if Nigeria could conduct free and fair elections, tackle
corruption and bring the ongoing war against insurgency to an
end, the country would realise its potential.
Over 13,000 Nigerians were said to have been killed and over
one million people displaced from their homes since the Boko
Haram sect began its violent attacks on the country six years
ago.
As eligible voters, however, file out today to participate in the
process that will lead to the emergence of a new president,
the observers have raised concern over the fate of the
residents of the violent-hit North-Eastern states of Borno,
Adamawa and Yobe.
Though it was said that the military has recorded appreciable
success in the fight to contain the activities of the Boko
Haram sect with the recovery of no fewer than 36 towns
hitherto taken over by the terror group from it, observers said
the recent threat by the sect leader, Abubakar Shekau, to
disrupt today’s poll because “it is un-Islamic” should not be
taken with kid gloves.
Shekau, who in a video released recently, had said, “This
election will not be held even if we are dead. Even if we are
not alive, Allah will never allow you to do it.
“Allah will not leave you to proceed with these elections even
after us, because you are saying that authority is from people
to people, which means that people should rule each other,
but Allah says that the authority is only to him, only his rule
is the one which applies on this land.
“And finally we say that these elections that you are planning
to do, will not happen in peace, even if that costs us our
lives.”
But the observers said the recovery of the towns might have
weakened the activities of the terror group, the military should
ensure that the insurgents were prevented from carrying out
their threat in order to ensure that the electorate cast their
votes without fear or favour.
A former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Tsav, in an
interview with Saturday PUNCH tasked the security personnel
mobilised to the North-East to make two issues their focal
points – ensure the safety of voters and the electoral officers
and protect other residents from being attacked by insurgents.
Tsav said, “If elections could be successfully conducted in
countries that had one time or the other been hit by violence,
the people of the three states under the Boko Haram siege
should be protected to freely participate in the election as
soldiers have told Nigerians that they had liberated the
troubled region from terrorists.”
He also asked the security agents to frustrate Shekau’s threat
to disrupt the poll.
A former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Alani Akinrinade, saw the
conduct of the poll as an exercise that must not be allowed to
be disrupted by any terror leader or group.
He said though the terror leader had served notice to disrupt
the poll, the nation’s Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces
must equally rise up to prove to him that the collective
interest of Nigeria is superior to the parochial interest of an
individual.
Akinrinade said, “Shekau might have served a notice to cause
trouble on the election day, the Commander in Chief of the
Armed Forces should serve him a notice that democracy is
superior to the violence the terror leader is promoting.
“The Commander in Chief should let him realise that we intend
to have the election on Saturday (today) and that he should
do everything humanly possible to ensure that the threat is
frustrated.”
The insecurity caused by the Boko Haram sect in the North-
eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa was cited as the
major reason behind the postponement of the general
elections from February 14 and February 28 to today and April
11.
The presidential election is majorly between the Peoples
Democratic Party candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and that
of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
(retd), though there are other less popular presidential
candidates.
However, the urge to conduct the election in the troubled
region by the Independent National Electoral Commission was
believed to have been spurred by the headway the military is
making in the battle against insurgency.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, stressed this belief when
he said recently at a forum organised in Abuja by the African
Policy Research Institute that the commission was working
hard to limit the number of Nigerians that might be
disenfranchised as a result of the insurgency.
The INEC boss buttressed his point by saying that the
electoral body had received adequate assurance that security
would be provided for the March 28 and April 11 elections in
every part of the country.
“We are getting over 700,000 ad-hoc staff and we cannot put
the lives of 700,000 people at risk. We have received full
assurances that security will be provided for the elections,” he
said.
The assurance of the security agencies gave the Internally
Displaced Persons in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states the
opportunity to participate in the poll through the special
polling centres created for them.
According to Jega, arrangements have been made in the three
states to ensure that the IDPs vote.
He had said, “When the methodology for the IDPs was
designed, it showed that there were fewer people in camps
and more outside and so it was recommended that voting
centres for IDPs should be outside the camps, while in Borno
State, it was recommended that the voting centre should be
inside the camps.
“This makes it easier for us because my team has made an
assessment to know those that have collected their PVCs. The
polling unit will be set up in accordance to the local
government that corresponds with the number of people in the
camps.”
To achieve the objective, INEC raised a task force chaired by
the National Commissioner, Mrs. Thelma Iremiren, to get the
IDPs exercise their civic responsibility. Members of the task
force include Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states Resident
Electoral Commissioners.
Specifically, the terms of reference of the task force are to
examine the legal, political, security and administrative
challenges in achieving IDP voting during the general election;
evaluate the standards and recommendations emerging from
conferences and workshops by international and local
agencies on IDP voting, and determine their applicability to
Nigeria for the polls.
Others are reviewing the experiences of other jurisdictions in
dealing with the challenges of IDP voting; evaluating the
adequacy of existing electoral legal framework for resolving
the challenges of IDP voting; determining what the
commission can do to ensure that IDPs are not
disenfranchised, if the existing legal framework is inadequate
and determining the scope of IDP participation that is
practicable in the general election.
But residents of Madagali and Michika towns in Adamawa
State are not likely to vote in today’s election despite the
efforts made by relevant stakeholders to ensure that all
eligible voters participate in the exercise.
INEC said it would not deploy its staff to conduct elections in
the two towns because it had yet to get clearance from
security operatives. But INEC’s position differs from claims by
some groups identified as Michika elders that Madagali and
Michika are safe for elections.
An expert in security management, Dr. Ona Ekhomu, believes
that no matter the number of measures put in place, the
terrorists might still carry out their threat because they are
ready to die.
“The fact of the matter is that terrorists are going to strike on
the election day no matter what anybody does to prevent the
attack. The terrorists are going to attack voting venues with
the use of improvised explosive devices, especially where
there is large number of voters,” he said.
According to him, the relative success being recorded by the
military in the anti-terror war is not enough to guarantee that
election should hold in the troubled parts of the country.
Ekhomu said, “The terrorists have become a full grown threat
to the nation’s security; they are not going to do anything
less than carrying out Shekau’s threat to disrupt the election.
“It is rather fool hardy for INEC to contemplate having election
in the troubled states; it demonstrates some measure of
insensitivity on the part of the electoral body that it must hold
election in those states when all is not going to be well with
them in terms of security.”
He also flayed the idea of creating special polling units for the
IDPs. Ekhomu compared a situation in which the IDPs were
asked to vote at the special polling centres with asking a
resident of Edo State to leave his ward without fault of his
own to travel many kilometres to Lekki area of Lagos State to
exercise his civic responsibility.
“It is electoral fraud on the part of INEC to ask the IDPs to
vote outside their wards or local government areas. Special
polling centre does not exist in the Electoral Law,” he said.
In spite of his opposition to the conduct of the election in the
troubled states, Ekhomu wants the security personnel
deployed in preventing breakdown of law and order to be more
vigilant.
He also expressed fear that states such as Bauchi, Gombe
and Kano that have had fair share of the Boko Haram attacks
in the past are not immune from any possible strike by the
terror group.

Everybody is in politics for selfish interests–Adams, OPC National Coordinator

Gani Adams
In this interview with ADEOLA BALOGUN and GBENRO
ADEOYE, the National Coordinator of a pan-Yoruba group,
Oodua Peoples Congress, Chief Gani Adams, talks about
politics and the contract secured by the group to guard oil
installations and pipelines in South West Nigeria
You used to accuse Dr. Frederick Fasehun of running after
politics but since you returned from the confab, you’ve also
become a politician.
We have had our own impact in most of the politics being
done in Nigeria. In 2003, we contributed to politics. As a
matter of fact, we supported (Asiwaju Bola) Tinubu (a
chieftain of the All Progressives Congress) in his bid to
become governor at the time. Then, the Peoples Democratic
Party wanted to take over the South West and we realised
that he was our ally. I was the one who went to Ibadan to
seek Baba Adewale Thompson’s support. That was when I
connected Baba Thompson to Rauf Aregbesola (now Osun
State Governor). I played a lot of roles for them to succeed in
2003. When you have followers, you may not be fully partisan,
but you will have a role to play to elect a leader. When you’re
talking of power, if you don’t know the essence, your enemy
will come from the back door to use it against you. Also in
2007, we played a role. In 2011, we also played a role but
now, you can’t expect us to continue that way in 2015. As an
organisation, there will always be some changes in pattern
and strategy at certain levels. We realised that if we kept
quiet, we wouldn’t be able to inform Nigerians about the
candidate of our choice. Some parties that don’t believe in us
or love us will go behind us to hijack our grassroots structure.
Inasmuch as we didn’t tell the world where we were going,
our grassroots people would not be punished because they
would say they didn’t know the direction we wanted them to
go. That’s one of the reasons why we have been making
political statements than in previous years. It’s not as if we
have joined any party. Even now that we are supporting
President Goodluck Jonathan, have you ever seen me at a
PDP rally? I select whoever I want to support based on the
individual and not his party. For example, I’m a friend of
Aregbesola, the Osun State Governor, but I may not be a good
friend to his boss, Tinubu.
Then why did you fall out with Tinubu if you helped him in
2003 as you said?
Before 2003, we saw Tinubu as a Yoruba hero and we thought
that he would be a future Yoruba leader if Yoruba people
could groom him. We dissipated all our resources. In the
process, he helped us too. Anytime Olusegun Obasanjo
(former Nigerian President) wanted to hit us, he would lend
his voice and he also refused to say any negative thing about
us. But we contributed a lot. In the process of supporting him,
we paid the price because one of the reasons that PDP took
us as its staunch enemy was because the party members felt
Gani Adams and Tinubu were inseparable. So, most of our
arrests at the time were politically motivated. They felt by
arresting us, they would clip the militant wing of Tinubu so
that they could get to him. I remember vividly in 2005, when
people went to Obasanjo to ask ‘why are you detaining this
boy? The crisis that occurred at Iyana-Ipaja had nothing to do
with Oodua Peoples Congress and a Lagos court had freed
them, why then did you arrest them?’ He said, ‘I want to clip
his wings.’ He said he didn’t know what was wrong with me.
At the time, I had only one house, so he felt why was I
supporting Tinubu and not him? He wondered how much
Tinubu could be giving to me that he couldn’t do 10 times. So
that was one of the reasons Obasanjo kept me in detention in
2005. His plan was to keep me there until the end of the
election in 2007 but miraculously, there was a court
judgement on December 19, 2006. So we just saw a certain
change of attitude in Tinubu; he didn’t want to empower us.
Anytime we had a programme and we sent him a proposal, he
had a nonchalant attitude to it. When we wanted to see him,
he started closing his doors. And I’m not a politician or a
regular visitor to the government house. I may not see the
governor of the state I live in for two years because I’m not a
contractor, but we realised that if we suffered for them to get
a mandate, by the time they were sharing positions, they
would not take us into consideration. Although I may not need
an appointment but I have some of my friends or followers
that say ‘ oga , if there is a political position, please kindly give
to us.’ I remember we supported Olusegun Agagu (a former
Ondo State Governor) and he promised to give me a position
as special adviser if he won for second term. I was in Brasil
when he was being sworn in in 2005. His brother called and
asked for the CV of the representative I wanted for the
appointment. I sent the CV of one of my friends who was not
even a member of the OPC. Something similar happened in
Gbenga Daniel’s government too. But no matter what you do
for Tinubu, he will not empower you or give you the benefit of
your struggle. There was an election period, I think 2007, we
sent a proposal to him. Politics is about local interest. If
anyone says he’s in politics without thinking of his interest,
he’s a liar and a product of deceit. If you want to be in any
party, the first thing you ask is which position in the executive
will you give me? When you get an executive position, if you
win the election, how many commissioners will you give me?
That’s why any politician who is intelligent will negotiate. So
we wrote a proposal saying, if you win this election, give us a
commissioner, special assistant or adviser. He threw the
proposal away. He would only call you to go and support his
party. So we realised that he was not keen to support this
organisation anymore. We got information authoritatively that
his late mother told him not to empower our group because
the group would go to a higher place in future. Yes, quote me.
About the national conference, you and some others have
been supporting President Jonathan because you believe the
confab report will be implemented. If he has not done it all
this while, why will he do it if he wins the election?
Did you expect any sitting president to implement anything
while we were in the peak of electioneering in August? We
finished the national conference in August, 2014 and the
political campaigns started in October. Some of the politicians
had been tactically campaigning since July. Even majority of
the people at the conference were politicians who had to go to
their various communities to prepare for 2015 elections. So it
was not easy to agitate for implementation at the time
because most of the members of the National Assembly were
concentrating on how to win back their tickets at the
primaries. The President wanted a second term so that period
was close to the beginning of the campaigns. So we relaxed
to see who would win the election and implement the report
of the conference. We felt Jonathan was the one who
organised the conference despite some impediments on his
way. You know when Jonathan was about to organise the
conference, Tinubu described it as diversionary tactics. While
returning from the United Kingdom, without consulting the
stakeholders in Yoruba land, he organised a press conference
and started knocking and kicking against what Mr. President
said. Gen Muhammadu Buhari also kicked against it. A lot of
people said N7bn was too much to spend on it. How much is
the National Assembly spending in three months and we are
talking of people that would produce a document to move this
country forward and bring us out of insecurity and crisis? So
with everything, we felt Tinubu was no longer part of us.
Immediately Jonathan started his campaign, he said he would
implement the report of the National Conference. Who do you
want me to support?
Before now, pan-Yoruba groups have accused the President
of not doing enough for the South West. But he has
practically relocated here since the postponement of the
elections, don’t you think this is all a political trick?
Who said he didn’t do anything for Yoruba people in six
years? What did Obasanjo do as President for eight years?
This man gave us a sea port in Badagry. Do you know that a
sea port will be constructed in Badagry and it will be the
largest in Africa? He gave us an airport in Lekki, another sea
port in Lekki, a free trade centre with the collaboration of
Lagos State in Lekki, Lagos-Ibadan Road is being constructed
and Sagamu to Benin Road also. He said he injected more
than N20bn into the infrastructure and he gave us a
university. Although, getting one university out of 12 is not
okay but most of the private universities are in this region. He
gave Ondo State another polytechnic. Most of the governors
benefited from this man but they wouldn’t tell you. Governor
Babatunde Fashola (of Lagos State) and the President were in
good terms until a year to the elections. There was nothing
Governor Fashola wanted from Mr. President that was not
given to him, underneath. Apart from playing politics, he gave
Governor Ibikunle Amosun Commander of the Order of Niger,
even as an opposition governor. The only person I know he
has problem with is Aregbesola. I know they are not on good
terms. Dr. Kayode Fayemi (former Governor of Ekiti State)
knew his way with Jonathan when he was governor. He was a
product of the villa. He was one of the technocrats they
normally used in the villa. Even when Obasanjo was there, he
wrote speeches for him and worked as a research person.
Truly, we were one of the people who criticised President
Jonathan at that time. We told him we needed the position of
Chief of Staff and he gave it to Yoruba. He removed the man
from Edo State. We have some Yoruba people in very good
positions in government. But you won’t know them. They
won’t show themselves. When you go to them and speak
Yoruba to them, they will speak English to you. So, sometimes
you will be reluctant to fight for them because if they become
ministers, are they useful to you? But because of parity, we
insist that there must not be disparity in appointments. Now
people will blame me for not supporting Tinubu, did Tinubu tell
me when he was endorsing Buhari as his candidate? Did he
consult me? Have I had interactions with him in the last three
years? He underrated me because I shied away from politics.
He underrated my charisma and strength.
At a time, you and Dr. Fasheun fell apart but it seems you
are back together because of Jonathan.
No, it does not mean that we have come together. We have a
common interest. We can come together when something
happens or when we are sensitising people about the National
Conference and after that, everybody will go back to his base.
That does not mean that we are together as one. Dr. Fasehun
is a person that will be very difficult for me to deal with. He’s
a father to me but we don’t share the same spirit.
Before, you accused him of going into politics because of
pipeline security contract. So, you’ve schemed for your share
of the contract now?
No, mine is quite different. It’s different from partisan politics.
He has involved himself in full partisan politics by resuscitating
the Unity Party of Nigeria and being the Chairman of the
party. I still remain nonpartisan in politics and the
organisation does not belong to any political party. But as
human beings, we are political animals. My opinion matters in
this society. Even if I don’t want to talk about politics, the
media will ask me. It started on my way to Cyprus. I was
asked who I would support and two days before then, we had
decided that we would vote for Jonathan. So I said that we
would vote for Jonathan. On getting to Turkey, on my way to
Cyprus, the internet and the newspapers had reflected that
Gani Adams was supporting Jonathan. By the time I returned
from the trip, the heat was on and I started responding. I
don’t need to lie.
People say the protest you recently led in Lagos was to
justify the money given to you by President Jonathan.
Is it people that are saying that or the All Progressives
Congress? It’s not people, we should not deceive ourselves.
When we were to organise a protest the next day, you sent a
press release that we got a pipeline contract of N9bn. What is
the meaning of that? We got the contract truly. And the
contract had been in the process. We had sent the proposal
but the issue was heated at the time. You know Yorubas;
most of the rich people would not want you to eat. We
wanted to get the contract to empower our followers who
don’t have jobs. It’s not about the money, it’s about giving
jobs to our followers. I said on a radio programme that we are
ready to give 10-15 per cent of the strength of the job to non-
OPC members. By the time they realised that Dr. Fasehun was
talking about the matter, Mr. Wale Oshun of Afenifere Renewal
Group spoke to Sahara Reporters that Dr. Fasehun had got a
contract of N9bn, a pipeline contract. The second day, Lai
Mohammed issued a press statement. Obasanjo issued his
own statement too. So I kept quiet. The file was given to the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and it started the
processing. The processing was on and most of the people
involved in it couldn’t renew their contracts, so it was put on
hold. Now NNPC has realised that the damage it was
recording was huge. How much will they pay us to secure the
pipelines? It’s not up to one per cent of the money they are
losing. It will give jobs to almost 30,000 people in the South.
And people are dying daily at Arepo, Akute, and other places in
Ogun State. Most of the pipes have been damaged and are
wasting fuel. So that was one of the reasons the process was
activated and they now approved the contract. I was not in
the country and didn’t even know that the contract would be
awarded again.
Don’t you think it’s a strange coincidence that the contract
was awarded by the President at the time the elections are
about to hold?
Whether it’s a strange coincidence or not, empowerment is
empowerment. We are citizens of this country. I have paid my
dues and I never got this opportunity in my life. I had never
got a job from the government. When your brother fails to give
you a job and somebody from South South gives you a job,
then your brother should be ashamed. The budget of Lagos
State is a lot and we never benefited any kobo from the Lagos
State Government; meanwhile, our presence here is a security
advantage to the state. Ogun State, instead of recruiting our
members, went and recruited people who are non-OPC
members as vigilantes. The Lagos State Government created
Neighbourhood Watch to frustrate our goal but God did not
allow it to work. You did not empower us and somebody does
that and you say it’s strange. What is our Yoruba people
doing to support OPC? We have lost about 7,000 members to
this struggle. Many people have been handicapped, lost legs,
arms, some are in detention and some have been frustrated.
The Niger Delta people have been gaining amnesty for the
past four years with billions of naira- and we refused to join
amnesty because we believe we didn’t commit any offence.
Now this is not amnesty, it is about a job we have been doing
free of charge and by getting peanuts on the streets.
Somebody says he will give about 5,000 youths jobs with the
least paid getting N50,000 a month. The supervisor should not
get anything less than N70,000; that was the standard NNPC
gave us. We can’t throw that opportunity away.
So how much is the worth of the pipeline security contract
given to you by the government?
The figure APC has been brandishing is a lie. But the worth of
the contract is not meant for public consumption. It’s after
three months that we will get to know the full package
because there are many things involved: the vehicles to be
used and so on. But I cannot tell you the worth of the
contract since I’m not the only one involved.
During your protest, you claimed to be calling for the removal
of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral
Commission but your men were armed. How do you relate the
two?
That is why I showed you the picture. There was nothing like
arms. The problem with APC is that they are jittery. I told
them that we have six million members. I got it from reliable
source that Tinubu told some members of the APC that ‘it’s a
lie, Gani does not have up to that number in OPC.’ The protest
was because of the shortage of Permanent Voter Cards.
So why destroy APC banners in the process?
Wait. The reason was about PVCs. We still have almost five
million PVCs not yet given to their owners in the South West,
South South and South East. In my house, we have about 20
persons who have not got their PVCs and election is just a
few days to go. Secondly, there is the issue of registration of
underage persons in the north and thirdly, the 30,000 polling
units that were illegally created by INEC Chairman, Attahiru
Jega despite criticisms. Those were the main reasons for the
protests and we started from Toll gate peacefully. The protest
lasted for four and a half hours. We provided more than 1,200
security men and we contacted the police. I called the police
commissioner about it and explained to him. He said he hoped
there would not be any problem and I said no. He linked me
up with the Deputy Commissioner of Police, who said he
would provide us with 16 patrol vehicles because he didn’t
want any trouble as elections were approaching. I said six or
seven would be okay. But that we needed police presence
there so that they would attest to anything we would do
there. And they were in the front, in the middle and in the
back. No crisis, nothing. Nobody touched the billboard of APC.
We have pictures that say otherwise.
Wait. The picture on the website is not from the scene of the
protest. Look at the picture. If somebody vandalised the
billboard, he’s not our member. Look at the picture of the
crowd at the protest, how can you see another picture where
one person was hitting a billboard? There was no space for
that. When our people moved to other roads, we had to be
pushing them back. The crowd was too much; about 200,000
people. All these things you see are fabricated. They are all
fallacy. There was nothing like a gun (there). Nothing like that
can happen in my presence. It’s not in our culture for the past
12 years. You will be dealt with if you’re caught brandishing a
gun. What is the monitoring committee of our group doing?
There is a code of conduct. When there was no war, why
should we hold guns? All the pictures are fallacies and were
meant to discredit the purpose of the protest. And I wonder
why APC has been defending Jega. Let Jega defend himself.
Jega has said it will be a disservice for him to leave. I’m
saying it will be a disservice for him to create 30,000
additional polling units for the North as against the South.
Is it a coincidence too that the Movement for the
Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra held a similar
protest in the South East, calling for Jega’s sack some days
before OPC held its own in the South West?
When last did you see me and Chief Ralph Uwazurike
together? It’s been a long time. I saw him three or four years
ago. He’s my friend. He’s somebody who believes in justice.
He will not sit down at home and allow 30,000 units to be
created by INEC in the North. It’s the beginning of rigging.
You may take it as a coincidence but it’s the beginning of
rigging. It depends on how passionate you take the elections.
Some of you journalists just want the election to hold and are
not interested in seeing the nitty-gritty of the election. At the
end of the day, there may be crisis and you will be selling your
newspapers because of the crisis. But we freedom fighters
who want change will be detained. The issue is that I don’t
know the source of Uwazurike’s move but if you have been
following me for the past few months, you will know that I’ve
been criticising Jega on the issue of PVCs. And what triggered
this protest was the statement of Arewa Consultative Forum.
It gave the idea that it was backing Jega on illegality. So we
decided to protest.
Even before the protest, we already heard that President
Jonathan would use groups like OPC, MASSOB against INEC
and APC and it came to pass.
Did Tinubu not relate with us before? Was he not close to
Asari Dokubo before? Dokubo normally went to ACN rallies.
Does Tinubu want to tell me that Henry Okar has not visited
him at Bourdillon (his residence) before? Was I not close to
him before? But now that he has made money, he’s so
arrogant to relate with his old friends and Jonathan hijacked
that. Jonathan came to South West relating with kings one
after the other. You sit down in Bourdillon, issuing statements.
In politics, you don’t believe you have won. Elections have not
come, you thought you had won. You are assessing your
winning process through the Internet, through some people
who don’t even have PVCs. They will just be editors on their
own. We have many editors in Nigeria now. When you have
your phone, you are the editor of your Facebook page. So you
believe all these internet parasites that will say Sai Buhari.
Jonathan got in touch with YCE, Afenifere and most of the
civil society groups. And most of them said they would
support him because of his promise to implement the report
of the confab. They say Yoruba people are good fighters but
not good at negotiating. Now, we are negotiating. We will give
you power and you will implement the outcome of our
National Conference.
Speaking of negotiation, earlier you said people are in politics
for their interests and that Tinubu did not give you positions
in his government. Have you negotiated ministerial or senior
advisory roles with Jonathan?
No, we don’t go to that level. When Nigeria is being
restructured, there will be less concentration at the centre.
That is our position. If we have true federalism, some of our
politicians will prefer to be governors than to be the president.
It’s not as if the president will not be powerful but the
resources you will spend to be the president will be too much.
You will concentrate on becoming a senator or a member of
the state House of Assembly because most of the states will
be buoyant and highly economically independent. So all this
will change with the implementation. There will be less
attention on the Federal Government and more on the state
level of governance.
You have confirmed that you got a pipeline security contract
but you have not said anything about allegations that you
collected billions of Naira from President Jonathan when you
met him in Marina, Lagos, for mobilisation?
Did Jonathan have a bank in Marina that was printing money
for everybody? Do you know how many people go to Marina
to see him? It wasn’t about collecting money. That was not
the first time I would see him. I see him virtually every six
months. If I want to see him almost every month, I would see
him. But what he requested for which I have done was to see
the leaders of the group to appreciate their support because
we stood by him in 2011. And I took about 50 of our leaders
there. He spoke to them and said he was not campaigning
but only wanted to thank them. You know politicians and their
tactics. We knew it was politics. We spoke for about 45
minutes or one hour and he shook our hands. That was what
impressed the leaders of the organisation- the presidential
handshake. Most of them are not poor, they may not be
multimillionaires but they are okay in their own right. But for
the recognition the president accorded them, they were highly
impressed. So it is not about money at the Marina. If the
president wants to give you money, is it until you go to
Marina? Are they not transferring money? I have been in
touch with him since he was the Vice President. It’s not until
I go to him and he gives me $100,000 (N20m), how much is
that? It’s about relationship. Even if he wants to give you
money, it won’t be on that day; there were lots of people
there on that day. Jonathan is a smart person, people think
he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He knows what to do at
the right time.

What would you do if your spouse prevents you from voting?

Usually, many couples look forward to spending their
weekends with their families after a long week at work. Some
of them believe they would not have a better time to do such
as they spend the rest of the week in their offices. Now that
an election is coming up today, SATURDAY PUNCH asked
some people what they would do if their spouses ask them to
spend time with them rather than go out to vote
I have to exercise my civic rights
Semilore Akinbola
It is important that I play my part in building the future of this
country, especially now. If I fail to go and vote, the bright
future of Nigeria that I have been clamouring for would not
come to fruition. This is the time to make it happen – by my
vote. I expect my wife to understand that I have civic rights,
which include the right to vote, and do it for whoever I want.
She should respect that and not hinder me from voting.
I can’t discuss Nigeria if I don’t vote
Mercy Ihwiwi
My husband is surely the head of the family but that has
limitations. In an ideal situation, I expect every man to
encourage their spouse to go out and vote for who they want
to be their leaders. Doing so, we are securing the future of our
children. Talking about my husband, he has to allow me to
perform my civic responsibility so that if people are discussing
Nigeria anywhere, I would have the boldness to say
something because I voted. I cannot talk or complain about
our leaders if I don’t vote.
She has to bear with me for that day
Thompson Abolade
We can always have many other Saturdays to spend time
together after the elections have come and gone. If she
understands the meaning of ‘sacrifice’ for the future, she
would not have any problem with me not being with her on
that day. As a matter of fact, I expect her to even encourage
me to exercise my right to vote as a citizen of Nigeria. I
expect her to also go out and vote and let us sacrifice
romance at least for that day.
I don’t even have a PVC
Oyinkan Esther
To start with, I do not have the Permanent Voters Card. After
many attempts to collect it and I could not, I did not disturb
myself again because it occurred to me that some caucuses
have already decided the winners and losers of this election
whether Nigerians vote or not. This is not right. Our electoral
process, including the collection of the PVC, should not be so
tedious as this. It makes people like me frustrated. Assuming
I got my PVC, I would have gladly loved to vote despite any
circumstance.
We’re going to vote together
Adeleke Adekoya
What would she be doing at home while I’m out there to vote
on Saturday? I will definitely not allow her to do anything else
when people are casting their votes, deciding the future of the
country. I will persuade her to also perform her civic
responsibility. The election is about her, I and our children’s
future, so she has to be prepared to vote with me.
He has to take me along to vote
Ajayi Adesewa
“Anywhere he goes she goes” is the beauty of marriage. So if
my husband is voting, I expect him to encourage me to also
do even when I don’t feel like doing so. Discouragement
comes when people vote and see no results for their voting. I
have also been discouraged because all these years that I’ve
been doing so, I have not witnessed the kind of
transformation I want in this country. Corruption and some
other evil deeds are the order of the day, which is not normal.
All these have frustrated me. However, if my husband still
wants to vote, he can take me along.
I’ll decide based on the situation of things
Oluwafikayo Ajayi
One cannot readily have an answer for this type of question,
especially in the face of insecurity and thuggery which had
always been associated with our elections in the past. Though
I don’t pray for such to happen this time around, if I suspect
something like that, I may tell her not to go out. As a man, I
can go out to vote while she takes care of the children at
home. It’s about protecting my family.
My civic rights prevail over his order
Mary Aborisade
On matters like this, my civic rights prevail over my husband’s
order of not going out to vote. It is a man with no
understanding that will prevent his wife from voting. My
husband is no such and so I believe he would allow me to go
and vote. There are many other weekends that we will enjoy
together after the elections have come and gone. So I’ll
persuade him to stay calm.
There’s no turning back on voting
Mohammed Abba
As for the 2015 elections, especially the presidential one, I
cannot miss it. I must register my presence by voting for my
candidate of choice. There is no U-turn on this because it has
been decided. So, nobody can prevent me from voting, even
my wife. Even if my candidate loses, at least I would know
that I have played my part. Meanwhile, I do not pray for any
incident that would discourage me from voting to occur. For
instance, if one’s spouse falls critically ill on that day, there’s
no way one would leave her and go to vote. Family comes
first before any other thing.
If he insists, I may not vote
Jelilat Oyeronke
A little issue at times could degenerate into something
unpalatable, especially when it comes to marriage. That is
why as a wife, I have to be very cautious of my actions, even
when I know I am right. Perhaps my husband fears that there
could be violence during the course of the election, he may
ask me to stay indoors. I have to obey him as he is doing his
first duty, which is to protect his wife. However, I don’t pray
for such to happen. I want to not only witness this election, I
want to be a part of it and I hope it would come and go hitch-
free.