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“And when you prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” ~ Matthew 6:5-8
In the four verses of our text, we can learn important thruths about prayer directly from our Lord Jesus Christ:
Prayer is not a question of “if you pray” but “when you pray.” Every believer that will be successful needs to pray. You must believe in the efficacy of prayers. Many people pray with the mind that, “If I pray hard enough, I will change the mind of God. If I pester God enough, I will change the mind of God.” No, you can’t change the mind of God! The Bible says God is not a man that He should repent (Numbers 23:19). To repent means to change your mind. God does not change His mind.
Many believers pray with that wrong mentality because they don’t know the mind of God before they start praying. One of the keys to effective and successful prayer is to first of all find out what is the mind of God on an issue before you start praying. Praying against the will of God is a fruitless exercise; His will is perfect. He doesn’t need improvement and does not need to change His mind on whatsoever matter.
Jesus said, “And when you pray…” You need to know when you should pray and how to pray. That’s important! Most people pray, but their prayers are not answered and my focus is to bring you to a place of prayer power that not only will you become a prayer warrior, but you can do your own praying and get answers for yourself and be a blessing to other people.
LET US PRAY:
Lord, I thank You for your word that reveals Your mind to me. I cooperate with Your mind and counsel in all that concerns me in Jesus name. Amen.
Although there is no art to decipher the cunning of crooked cops, DCP Abba Kyari gave us many red flags to cause us to be suspicious of his policing, but many people ignored it. I, for one, have an abiding suspicion of people who are given to gratuitous self-congratulation and ostentation, who are aggressively self-promotional, and who perpetually have a need to invite the public to witness their good deeds.
I think excessive showiness often betrays an inner emptiness at best and an artful concealment of untoward impulses and deeds at worst. This sentiment is encapsulated in such enduring pieces of folk wisdom as “Empty vessels make the most noise,” “Still waters run deep,” etc.
This isn’t universally true, of course. Some genuinely ethical and kind people may be outwardly flashy and given to offensive displays of self-importance. And some businesses thrive on vulgar outward displays, so people who are in these kinds of businesses can’t help but be showy out of a professional imperative.
But policing is no show business. Governance isn’t, either. Nor is morality. And so on. For the most part, it is my experience that people who are overly exhibitionistic in the performance of morality and of such run-of-the-mill duties as policing and governance are often shady and use exhibitionism to conceal their shadiness.
Although he has been accused of being a brutal SARS operative in Lagos, Abba Kyari clearly has his good sides. I have read many accounts of his kindness to total strangers, of his pan-Nigerian cosmopolitanism, and of his dogged sleuthing that resolved knotty criminal cases. His admirable detective work attracted notice and approbation. But then he got intoxicated by praise and attention, and made it his life’s calling to hanker after the limelight— in a job that should be done in the sedate quietude of the background.
He routinely invites cameras and press people to record him doing his job. One of the absurd extremes of his exhibitionism, for me, was when he invited journalists, videographers, and photographers to show him looking for kidnappers in the bushes. Of course, he apprehended no kidnapper because those crafty monsters of depravity aren’t imbecilic sitting ducks waiting for Abba Kyari to capture them on camera. He just wanted to showboat.
And he got a lot of reputational mileage from this dumb stunt. I didn’t see any groundswell of discursive repudiation against a famed sleuthhound ignoring detective work that is central to the fight against kidnapping and instead staging a fatuous media show.
What is worse, the man who earned a reputation as a ruthless annihilator of criminals started to openly cavort with people that, at the very least, he should be suspicious of. He has been photographed with people whose source of wealth is questionable and whose conspicuous consumption should put them on his investigatory radar.
Now we know why. FBI’s charge sheet against Ramon “Hushpuppi” Abbas revealed phone chats that Kyari and Abbas exchanged in which Abbas instructed Kyari to arrest Abbas’ rival in internet fraud. It is reasonable to draw the conclusion that the wealthy but dodgy people Kyari frolics with use him as a cudgel against their enemies and rivals.
The FBI’s affidavit implicating Abba Kyari in Hushpuppi’s fraud captures this sentiment. It reads: “Kyari is a highly decorated deputy commissioner of the Nigeria Police Force who is alleged to have arranged for Vincent [Abbas’ rival in crime] to be arrested and jailed at Abbas’ behest, and then sent Abbas photographs of Vincent after his arrest.
“Kyari also allegedly sent Abbas bank account details for an account into which Abbas could deposit payment for Vincent’s arrest and imprisonment.”
In other words, Kyari was probably initially a good cop whose excellent work earned him plaudits from his superiors, plausive publicity from the news media, and veneration from a grateful public. Then he gradually started to seek out the news media, insert himself into public consciousness, and promote opportunistically self-serving narratives about his unparalleled detective machismo with a predetermined motive to profit from it.
He parlayed his popularity and carefully cultivated larger-than-life media image into “big-men-protection” security gigs. He obviously not only protects “big men”; he also torments their less connected rivals and victims for financial gain, as the FBI’s court documents indicate.
But the fact that he flaunts his association with flashy, questionable characters without fear of consequences from his superiors suggests that he is not alone. He obviously has powerful backers in the police establishment who also benefit materially from his ethically stained exploits.
Given how morally rotten the institution of the police is in Nigeria—and the rampant crab mentality in its ranks—the fact that the only “consequence” Kyari has faced for his unconventional, publicity-seeking, show-and-tell policing and open cavorting with suspicious personages is a meteoric climb up the promotional ladder is an indication that the police establishment is in on what he does.
Unfortunately for the police establishment, Kyari’s transgressions have now transcended the bounds of Nigeria and can’t be dismissed with the same blithe impunity with which previous indiscretions were treated. For instance, on October 28, 2020, TheCable reported that a Lagos businessman by the name of Afeez Mojeed accused Abba Kyari of defrauding him of up to 41 million naira.
In a petition to the judicial panel set up by the Lagos State government to address abuses by SARS, Mojeed alleged that Kyari and his SARS team forcefully broke into his home in 2014, accused him of being an internet fraudster, seized 280,000 naira from his wardrobe, another 50,000 from his car, which they took away and never returned, detained him for 14 days, and later charged him to court but never showed up or brought any witness against him, forcing the court to strike out the internet fraud charge against him.
Mojeed also alleged that Kyari forced him to reveal the password to some of his bank cards, sign checks, and electronically transfer money to designated bank accounts, which added up to tens of millions. When Mojeed’s lawyer reached out to Kyari to resolve the matter, the petition alleged, Kyari told the lawyer that Mojeed was an internet fraudster, and that he proposed a deal with the lawyer to help him get another 15 million naira from one of Mojeed’s bank accounts. Kyari allegedly offered the lawyer a 5-million-naira reward as compensation for his cooperation, but the lawyer declined the offer.
Neither the EFCC nor the ICPC even acknowledged, much less acted on, Mojeed’s petition for a redress of what he said was gross injustice against him by Kyari. And Kyari didn’t even find it worth his while to respond to TheCable’s request to hear his own side of the story.
So, clearly, Kyari is habituated to immunity from the consequences of his transgressions and indiscretions. That happens only when you have powerful backers. But it’s different this time around. You don’t mess with the FBI and get away with it.
Court documents quote the FBI to have pointedly said Abba Kyari, “together with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, knowingly conspired to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343.” This leaves no room for rigmarole. I think the game is over for the “super cop.”
I also think the Nigerian society should take some blame for nurturing personas like Abba Kyari. Our insatiable but often unmet hunger for heroes predisposes us to be susceptible to frauds masquerading as saviors. We can avoid this if we take as a rule of thumb the idea that most people who have a compulsive need to be overly showy and self-congratulatory about a virtue or a deed often have something to hide.
About 25 graduates posted to Gombe state for the NYSC have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus Dr Habu Dahiru, the state’s commissioner for health, said the prospective corps members have been moved to the isolation centre The commissioner added that those affected will not join their corps members until they fully recover
Akko LGA, Gombe state – No fewer than 25 prospective corps members have tested positive for COVDI-19 at the NYSC campground located in Amada, Akko local government area of Gombe state. The Punch reported that the Gombe state commissioner for health, Dr Habu Dahiru, confirmed the matter on Saturday, July 31.
Dahiru said the 25 corps members were tested in the last three days, adding that they have been moved to the state-owned isolation centre in Kwadon.
They were among the 1,291 that were tested using the Polymerase Chain Reaction, Ayatutu Reporters gathers. Infected corps members to stay at isolation centre until recovery. The commissioner said the corps members will be managed at the isolation centre until they are negative and they will be returned to join their fellow corps members.
He said provision has been made for their feeding and medication, adding that police operatives have been deployed to provide security to the place. Dahiru urged members of the public to observe the protocols, adding that the virus is still raging. He added that the details about the states and local governments of the infected corps members have been collected for contact tracing.
His alluringly innocuous baby-face baring a look that bellied the inimitability of his conquest over fear. “While Revolutionaries as Individuals can be murdered, you cannot kill ideas.”
~ Thomas Sankara
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
~ John C. Maxwell
“The key to change… is to let go of fear.”
~Rosanne Cash
On April 22, 1990, when Major Gideon Orkar made his broadcast, it was ecstasy for me and I had thought that, having been born in April, I got the greatest birthday gift of my life, at least for the next twelve hours until the deleterious empire re-took charge.
Anyone familiar with the details of events in the hours leading to the execution of the April 22, 1990 Revolution (I used this word advisedly in place of the word “coup” which actually means the same as “revolution”, but in recent times and in certain parlances, has come to connote “an illegal act.” Attempting to overthrow an illegal and oppressive government is not an “illegal act” but a “revolutionary act”), would agree with me that Gideon Orkar was and still remains one of the most courageous human beings that has ever lived. I have lined him up with several great men in history of the world and of all ages, he stands shoulder to shoulder with them.
Even, in captivity, he was bolder than Daniel, as he exuded robust and uncommon courage, unconcerned about injury or death to his body but buoyed by his ideals of fairness and justice. His alluringly innocuous baby-face baring a look that bellied the inimitability of his conquest over fear. He was not afraid to die for what he believed but for which he was killed. Orkar represents the triumph of the spirit over body. He represents the conquest of sacrifice over crass opportunism. He represents the victory of self denial over gratuitous self indulgence. He represents the triumph of an idea, especially a type “whose time has come” over the stagnancy of thought of the subjugating sentries of the status quo.
Orkar still lives and would live on as an ideal of fairness and justice for which his body was taken but for which his spirit remains unconquerable. When Nigeria eventually accosts its destiny of dismemberment, Major Gideon Orkar would still remain a hero to the majority of all peoples that would eventually be the citizens of the different Nations that would emanate from it. This is because he represents an idea that transcends the rivers, the mountains and the valleys of his Tiv land. He represents an idea – justice and fairness – that transcends the abhorrent boundaries of the geographical expression called Nigeria.
In his determination to speak for the disadvantaged and the dispossessed, the denigrated and the dehumanized, the subjugated and the subverted within the contrived country called Nigeria, St. Gideon Orkar ended up speaking for humanity. Those who murdered him thought they got rid of him, but unfortunately for them, Gideon Gwaza Orkar is not dead. He lives on in our hearts; his defiance, our clarion call; his courage, our inspiration; his sacrifice, our motivation; his vision, our dream; his words, our elixir; his mission, our goal and the imminence of the realization of his dream, our consolation while his name remains our buoy as we march on.
Let all the protagonists of NIGERIA AT ALL COSTS hear loud and clear –The ethnic nationalities of this forced marriage would not be held in permanent bondage. We know this to be true and self evident. Restructuring Nigeria is a stale demand. Majority of those held captive within it’s borders are demanding its total dismemberment. The political slave drivers and economic pillagers are anxious and afraid. Their only source of confidence is the state control of violence. At the H – hour of the peoples’ judgment, forces of state would be toothless and powerless. State violence would not be able to deter the surge to freedom. They would not be able to stem the tide.
Protagonists of “One Nigeria at all costs” are panicky and disoriented. They are nervous and scared. It is very easy to fathom and discern. They are confused and befuddled. The levers of power and control have become slippery in their hands. Their anxiety is palpable. The slave is about to break free. The taskmaster is bewildered and jittery. Frightened rats whose only ability is to be parasitic. They are vile predators with noxious bile. They are fake nationalists that derive sadistic satisfaction from the woes of others. Logic is alien to greed. Greed is oblivious of danger.
Pity not the latter day nationalists with fake “common humanity” concept. They shout UNITY for Nigeria during the day and they go about defiling and raping her at night. They are often undemocratic and very afraid of the people. They are often holier than thou supposedly with all the wisdom of the world, yet they could only exude nauseating stupidity when they communicate. They are foxy, merciless, nasty, brutish and greedy. They have lost control over their own destinies. Yet, they want to control the destinies of others.
But their days are numbered as oppressors. The shackled shall be freed. The memory of Gideon Orkar is an attestation to this. And if the fake nationalists refuse to let the captives go, they would have deserved the judgment the people deemed fit for them. The judgment of the people is like the mill of God, it grinds very, very slowly, but very, very certainly.
The National Assembly is billed to hold talks with the United States Congress over the stoppage of weapons sale to Nigeria, PUNCH report.
The Senate and the House of Representatives may be sending different delegations to meet with their American counterparts on how to successfully procure attack helicopters and other arms and an munition in a deal valued at $875m (N360bn).
Chairmen of different security committees in the National Assembly, in separate interviews with one of our correspondents between Wednesday and Friday, confirmed knowledge of the deal’s stoppage and their readiness to seek legislative and diplomatic interventions.
The US lawmakers are holding down a proposed sale of warplanes to Nigeria amid mounting concerns over the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s (retd), human rights record as the country grapples with multiple security crises.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee of the Congress has reportedly delayed clearing a proposed sale of 12 AH-1 Cobra fighter jets and accompanying defence systems to the Nigerian military.
The proposed sale also includes 28 helicopter engines produced by GE Aviation, 14 military-grade aircraft navigation systems made by Honeywell, and 2,000 advanced precision kill weapon systems – laser-guided rocket munitions, according to information sent by the State Department to Congress and reviewed by Foreign Policy Magazine.
A report by the magazine on Tuesday said the behind-the-scenes controversy over the proposed arms sale illustrated a broader debate among Washington policymakers over how to balance national security with human rights objectives.
The hold on the sale also showcases how powerful US lawmakers want to push the Joe Biden administration to rethink US relations with Nigeria amid overarching concerns that Buhari is drifting toward authoritarianism as his government is besieged by multiple security challenges, including the Boko Haram insurgency.
Western governments and international human rights organisations have ramped up their criticisms of the Buhari regime, particularly in the wake of its ban on Twitter, systemic corruption issues, and the Nigerian military’s role in crackdowns on #EndSARS protesters last October.
The details on the proposed sale were first sent by the US State Department to Congress in January before then-former Vice President Joe Biden was inaugurated as president, according to officials familiar with the matter.
Nigeria recently took delivery of six out of the 12 Super Tucano fighter jets purchased from the US government.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume, noted that the US lawmakers had expressed concerns over rights abuses in Nigeria.
He recalled that the American government raised similar concerns when Nigeria ordered 12 Super Tucano aircraft, part of which had been delivered.
Ndume said, “When we resume at the National Assembly, after consultations, we will know what to appropriately also do as the Nigerian National Assembly that appropriated such amount of money for those purposes…even if it requires our intervention… Definitely, this is based on information that was given (to the US) by one side.”
Asked if the National Assembly would engage the US Congress on the matter, the lawmaker said, “Yes, that is possible. That is what is right. If it requires that, we would do it.”
Ndume added, “What is going on (in Nigeria) and what the arms are needed for, every Nigerian knows. We are not acquiring arms in order to abuse human rights; we are acquiring so the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies can be armed because of the security challenges we are facing. These are two different things. Human rights and the fight against terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminality are different things entirely.
“So, I am surprised that the US Congress is mixing up the things. If it requires that they should hear from the side of the Nigerian Government – not even the executive because the Nigerian Government which we are in collectively is fighting against banditry, insurgency, which is terrorism, and which the American Government has even placed bounty on some of their (insurgents’) heads – they will.”
Speaking on funding for the Armed Forces, the lawmaker said it “is adequate for now, based on the resources at the disposal of the Nigerian Government.”
The lawmaker, however, stated that the country had serious challenges in terms of adequate equipment and platforms for the Forces “while the government has appropriately responded.”
He also noted that the American Government had offered to assist Nigeria in the fight against insecurity.
Abba Kyari is an enigma. A detective who craves the limelight.
A replica of James Bond with the guns and guts, but without the women and drinks, perhaps. Someone said Abba would have solved Funso Williams and Bola Ige. When a hard nut falls on our head, we look to Abba Kyari and his team to crack it. I must confess, after solving the billionaire kidnapper Evans and helping to diagnose the Unknown Gunmen in the southeast, I will remain eternally grateful to Abba Kyari. My soul weeps.These are not great times for the super cop. A certain Ramon Abbas, alias HushPuppi, who lived more flamboyantly than any Saudi Sheikh while fleecing businesses and persons of hundreds of millions dollars in wire fraud, has been spilling the beans. Now singing like a canary and rolling on the floor for the FBI, hoping for leniency in a plea bargain, Hushpuppi has roped in the great Abba Kyari. Well, the noose on Abba Kyari’s professional neck could be the string of details in Hushpuppi’s mobile phone.
Abba Kyari has dismissed the allegations. But his response hasn’t been as professional as his handling of the elusiveness of Kidnapper Wadume. Rather than confront the issues, he has taken a page from politicians’ playbook and moaned about haters, sensationalism and fake news. Abba Kyari said the money linked to him was N300,000. He said Hushpuppi, who lived vanity and exhibitionism on Instagram, had liked his dress and sought his tailor. So the money was paid to the tailor for five dresses for Hushpuppi. That story sounded reasonable until the court documents revealed the extent of the rot.
Abba Kyari’s involvement in the Hushpuppi Mugu processing factor, though tangential, is damning. In 2019, Abba Kyari travelled to Dubai. On that trip, he met Hushpuppi. Huspuppi gave him milk in a car and a chauffeur. In 2019, every child in Nigeria knew that Hushpuppi lived a questionable life. But Hushpuppi also hosted a few politicians. Between then and 2020, when the shit hit the fan, Abba Kayri shared personal pictures and professional attainments with Hushpuppi, and Hushpuppi thanked God for bringing Abba his way.
In February 2020, Hushpuppi called on his friend, Abba. A certain Vincent Chibuzo was on the verge of diverting a Qatari mugu and fraud money away from Hushpuppi. Vincent Chibuzo had helped Hushpuppi create a dodgy website to expedite the fleecing of the Qatari. Vincent had felt cheated by Hushpuppi and decided to let the man know Hushpuppi was a fraudster and hijack the scheme. Hushpuppi, it would appear, hired Abba Kyari to take Vincent out of circulation for a while. Long enough to enable Hushpuppi milk his victim in some peace. Abba could claim ignorance of Huspuppi’s motive, but if he does, he can’t explain why he kept Vincent in a cell for a month as requested by Hushpuppi. The top dog had become Huspuppi’s lapdog.
The dirty details didn’t end there. A month after sidelining Vincent for Hushpuppi, Abba Kyari informed Hushpuppi He had made a Job out of Vincent Chibuzo. He sent him a picture of Vincent ravaged by skin lesions. The super cop was seeking the empathy of a super-criminal to release his bruised prey. Abba Kyari could claim he was investigating the purported death threats made against Hushpuppi’s family by Vincent. That’s a nice alibi. But how would he explain his typed response to this piece of comedy?
When Vincent was in Abba’s cell, Vincent’s girlfriend was made to believe the sum of N1,000,000 could buy Vincent freedom. So the poor but devoted girl ran from pillar to post, trying to raise the ransom. Because Vincent probably didn’t know who the complainant was, his girlfriend took her fund-raising effort to Hushpuppi. Hush didn’t hush her. He promised to contribute 100,000 naira. When Hushpuppi relayed to Abba Kyari the story, Abba responded by saying that the girl thought it was a “normal arrest” which money could solve. In one sentence, Abba removed the veil of ignorance.
I want all terrible eggs culled from the police force. But I will mourn the fall of Abba Kyari. When Vincent was to be released, Hushpuppi made another request. He wanted Vincent Chibuzo’s gadgets confiscated permanently. Abba Kyari acceded to this request in a text and knotted the noose of conspiracy around his neck. Sequestered Vincent was to be released, Hushpupi wanted him wiped clean off all strings to the Qatari cash cow.
Money is the root of all evil. I agree. Otherwise, why would a man who has taken more risks than most others to combat violent criminals succumb so cheaply to the enticement of a naked rogue? The dalliance between Nigerian police officers and cybercriminals necessitated the birth of the EFCC. Hushpuppi let Abba Kyari in on the nature of the business. On every occasion, Abba replied tersely. And when Hushpuppi sounded a little cryptic, Abba Kyari avoided asking questions. But one question he asked has left him naked. He asked Hushpuppi to detail his involvement with Vincent Chibuzo so that he would know how to handle the suspect. So Hushpuppi told him the details of the “job” and, with a heavy dose of indignation, relayed how Vincent Chibuzo wanted to mess things up.
The Nigerian police have commenced an investigation. Cavorting with celebrity rogues could be deemed poor judgment. But a senior police officer, working for a rogue, helping him outwit his victims, is diabolical. While Vincent Chibuzo was in the cell, Huspuppi and his accomplices collected a few more hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Qatari prey they had in their net. Perhaps, some elements in the police share the sentiment of a popular Nigerian musical artiste who once justified cybercrime as repatriation. Otherwise, why do people who treat armed robbery and kidnapping with disgust attend to established cybercriminals with indifference and occasionally loving affection?
Abba Kyari had shone like a million stars. He delivered difficult results. He has enemies within and without the police. But he has more fans than haters. He has alluded to naysayers and envy. I don’t think this problem is the handiwork of witches and wizards. My prayers are with him. His positive exploits will never be forgotten. But he must confront this matter with courage and honesty. We never thought he was a saint. He was bolder and more methodical than most others. We knew SARs officers did some of these things. We had built heroes and excused their warts. I had prayed for him as I had prayed for Usain Bolt against doping. We will wait for the results of the investigations.
The faction of the Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress loyal to Senator Magnus Abe has announced a boycott of the party’s ward congresses beginning on Saturday (today).
Members of the faction accused the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, of masterminding the exclusion of their supporters from participating in the exercise.
Abe, a former senator representing Rivers South-East at the National Assembly, made the accusation in Port Harcourt on Friday, while addressing his supporters across the 23 local government areas of the state.
He said, “There is really no crisis in this party. The crisis in the party is that the minister (Amaechi) said anybody who is with Senator Abe is no longer a member of the APC and cannot be entitled to any opportunity or privilege within the APC.
“I want to say I have had a series of meetings with the national leadership and it is determined that there will be justice for party members in Rivers State. Don’t take the law into your own hands. Since you were not given forms and allowed to take part in the congresses, leave it.
“We will follow the party process and we will formally complain to the national leadership that this is what has happened. Since they didn’t give you forms, don’t go and waste your time. Remain calm. We will get to where we are going. We will follow the directives of the national leadership of our party.”
He noted that he had always been an advocate of inclusiveness in the affairs of the party at the state level and would remain one.
In response, the state APC spokesman, Ogbonna Nwuke, dismissed the allegations. Nwuke, who is Amaechi’s close ally, said, “The whole thing is a complete hoax and lies coming from a man who is well-placed like Senator Magnus Abe.
“The APC has promised to provide a level playing field for all. That means members of Abe’s faction who equally bought forms to participate in the congresses are free to do so.
“But we are aware that because the senator knows that this time, he is merely a paper tiger who has no support at the grassroots, it becomes necessary for him to tell all kinds of lies in an attempt to create a wrong impression of a peaceful process.
“So, for us, we think that the public, particularly our supporters and all well-meaning people who are part of the APC, should ignore the call by Senator Magnus Abe.”
In Osun, some party members staged a peaceful protest against alleged refusal of the congress committee overseeing the exercise to hold a meeting with all stakeholders.
The protesters, led by an ex-parliamentarian, Rasheed Raji, insisted on going to their various wards to hold congress, as against the plan by the Ileri Oluwa-led group, said to enjoy the support of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, which is insisting on a consensus arrangement for all positions.
They armed themselves with placards with inscriptions such as ‘We say no to consensus,’ ‘Osun progressives’ women and youths demand APC Congress forms,’ and ‘We say no to imposition.’
The demonstrators, who protested along Osogbo/Gbongan road, said they decided to change their plan to march to the party secretariat because hoodlums had been stationed near the premises to attack them.
Addressing journalists, Raji said, “A consensus arrangement is no longer possible in Osun. We have obtained forms but our members have not been invited to any meeting. We insist that there must be an election.”
In a similar vein, party supporters under the aegis of The Osun Progressives called on security agencies in the state to protect their members.
The Chairman of the group, Lowo Adebiyi, who spoke to journalists in Osogbo, expressed fear that some members of the group might be attacked.
However, the state Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, Gboyega Famoodun, announced the adoption of a consensus arrangement for the election of ward leaders.
Famoodun spoke in Osogbo on Friday at a meeting of the congress committee for the state with the party stakeholders in Osun Government House.
He said, “As recommended by the National Secretariat, we have adopted a consensus mode in Osun for the smooth running of the exercise. Things have been properly done; our homework has been done properly.
“Our fathers and leaders have scrutinised the 332 wards that we have in Osun. We have concluded the exercise that will lead us to a very good congress tomorrow.”
In his brief remarks, the Chairman of the Congress Committee for the state, Mr Gbenga Elegbeleye, said he arrived in the state Friday evening and dismissed insinuations that the committee had been prevented from meeting all stakeholders.
In his goodwill message, Oyetola assured party members of adequate security across the state and called on all stakeholders to ensure a hitch-free ward congress.
Also, an Ekiti State governorship aspirant on the platform of the party, Reuben Famuyibo, on Friday, expressed fear that parallel ward congresses could take place because forms were being sold by two different sources.
Famuyibo, who spoke to reporters in Ado Ekiti, said, “In view of what is going on, there may be question marks on the credibility of our congress in Ekiti State, based on how they arrived at the names and who got the forms.”
He added, “Even based on the Supreme Court judgment on the Ondo State governorship election where the court has said you cannot be the chairman of a party when you are governor, something has to be done. This is the same person that is conducting the congresses. I think the best thing would have been to put a hold on this election and do a proper thing.
“On Saturday, we may have two conflicting groups. As at today (Friday), people who have forms got such from either Fayemi’s aides or from the Abuja group. There is likely to be a parallel congress.”
But the APC State Publicity Director, Sam Oluwalana, argued that Famuyibo’s claims were untrue. He said, “What those people say is false. What they planned was for them to have access to some forms and conduct a parallel congress, but they failed.
A northern group has reacted to defection in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying that the political party would return in the 2023 presidential election.
On Thursday, a northern group reacted to the defection going on in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying that the political party would return in the 2023 presidential election.
Recently, there have been lots of reports that some politicians under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have defected to their counterpart All Progressive Congress ( APC).
Governor Matawalle Bello of Zamfara State; Jibrin Danbarde, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Senator Muhammad Hassan Gusau representing Zamfara Central Senatorial District of the People’s Democratic Party PDP; Governor Ayade of Delta State; member of the House of Representatives from Nasarawa State, Jonathan Gbefwi Gaza, and other defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC). Reacting to this the northern group identified as Northern Youth Advocate For Atiku (NOYAA), claimed that PDP would come back during the 2023 presidential election.
The group’s statement was reported on Friday, July 30, 2021. On its official Facebook page the Northern Youth Advocate For Atiku (NOYAA), while posting a speech made by Atiku Abubakar, said that the people’s Democratic Party (PDP), would return in 2023.
It said, “We’ll present our policies to Nigerians. As Official Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Nigeria, we reduced unemployment, had the highest economic growth in Nigeria’s history, and had the best foreign reserve. We can do it. Give us the chance.”
While making the statement it said, “PDP will Return in 2023. Even after the detection.”
“I came here to reconcile with the governor on party affairs and how we can ensure that there is unity and stability in the party. So, that we can take over the government in 2023. I believe that Nigerians can’t wait for 2023 to come so that PDP will return.”
A Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa has stopped the APC from conducting its ward congresses scheduled to hold on Saturday (today) across the state.
The presiding judge, Justice Iniekenimi Uzaka, issued the order on Friday pending the determination of a motion on notice before the court.
Uzaka adjourned the matter to August 9 for hearing.
The state chapter of the APC is polarised along two factions loyal to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and a former Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri.
While the Sylva faction is chaired by Jothan Amos, the Lokpobiri’s group is headed by one Ebierien Fala Itubor.
Before the court gave the order, the two factions were busy preparing for the congress at their parallel secretariats near Baybridge Road junction and Dimrose Road, respectively, in Yenagoa.
Also, participation forms had been distributed to each ward at the two secretariats to be filled and submitted by candidates.
Both Itubor and the acting Secretary of Sylva’s camp, Alabo Martin claimed that their camps had the backing of the APC National Committee.
Martin had also claimed that stakeholders of the party met and adopted consensus option of affirmation to elect the ward executives.
The Police Service Commission has said it will determine the fate of the Commander of the IGP Intelligence Response and Monitoring Team, Abba Kyari, a deputy commissioner of police, indicted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for alleged involvement in a $1.1m Internet fraud.
The commission also noted that Kyari might face dismissal or demotion, and criminal prosecution if found culpable in the fraud perpetrated by an Instagram influencer and fraudster, Ramon Abass, popularly known as Hushpuppi.
A Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal complaint lodged at the United States District Court in California had listed Hushpuppi and Kyari among six suspects indicted in the international fraud conspiracy.
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The other suspects include AbdulRahman Juma (Abdul); Vincent Kelly Chibuzo (Kelly); Rukayat Motunrayo Fashola (Morayo); and Bolatito Tawakalitu Agbabiaka (Bolamide).
Kyari, who is popularly known as ‘super cop,’ had received rapid promotions and a commendation from the National Assembly for his exploits in crime fighting.
His arrest of several notorious criminals, including alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudi Onuamadike, commonly known as Evans, among other notable arrests, shot him to the limelight.
On Wednesday, however, an unsealed 69-page court document showed that he had been under investigation by the FBI for his alleged link to Hushpuppi, who had pleaded guilty to fraud.
In the case marked 2:21-cr-00203, USA vs Abba Alhaji Kyari dated April 29, 2021, the FBI asked a US District Court in California to order Kyari’s arrest.
The US Department of Justice in a statement said Hushpuppi admitted during interrogation that he paid bribes to Kyari to have one of his rivals arrested and jailed in Nigeria following a dispute over a $1.1m fraud involving a Qatari businessman.
According to the FBI, Hushpuppi asked Kyari to arrest a fellow fraudster, Kelly Chibuzor Vincent, after both were involved in a dispute over the $1.1m loot.
It was stated in the court document that in September 2019, Kyari travelled to Dubai and was picked by Hushpuppi’s driver.
Following the US court arrest warrant, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, ordered a review of the information on Kyari.
But speaking to our correspondent on Friday, the Commissioner in charge of Media on the board of the Police Service Commission, Mr Austin Braimoh, said the PSC would not be bound by the IG’s review of the allegations against Kyari, noting that the commission would carry out further probe on whatever findings the police authorities made on Kyari.
Braimoh stated that the commission’s findings would determine Kyari’s future in the police force.
He said, “The commission won’t say anything until we get the official report. We are the final decision-maker on his fate as a police officer. Everything concerning his indictment can be investigated and the criminal aspect of it can be sent to the law court but on the official aspect concerning discipline; no other body has power to do anything to him as a police officer, it is only the commission that has such powers.
“So, the commission is awaiting the full report of investigation and his indictment and we will treat it officially; we would apply the law. The law will determine the various punishments that we can award against him. He can be dismissed depending on the gravity of the offence; we can demote him, reduce his rank; we can suspend him.
“Many things are laid out before us pertaining to various offences and after that, the criminal aspect would be referred to the court for prosecution. It depends on how the report is coming; whether it is coming to us directly for us to extricate the criminal aspect and treat it or they want to treat it and refer the official one to us to discipline him.’’
Giving an insight into the disciplinary process the embattled DCP would go through, Braimoh explained that Kyari would be queried after which he would be interrogated by the Force Disciplinary Committee.
He noted, “We don’t always believe the police should investigate the police (personnel) except through the commission. But the important thing is that whatever thing they decide to do, we are not obliged to accept their investigations. So, our investigation department would still go further to get the facts.
‘’What we know they would do is that a query would be issued based on the complaints against him, he would be asked to defend himself and then, he would face what we call the Force Disciplinary Committee which would interrogate him and the report is passed to the DIG in charge and from there to the IG.
‘’The IG would basically forward the final findings and recommendations to the commission. The commission would now carry on with their own investigation; we have to re-investigate what they have done to ensure that they comply with the rule of law and what is expected.
‘’Our lawyer would look into it, he would check the facts and if we feel there is negligence and that some things are not done, we would do a thorough job and eventually, we would have recommendations from the standing committee to the plenary for a final decision and our decision is final on his career.’’
When asked if Kyari should be suspended pending the investigation’s outcome, Braimoh said this was the normal thing to do.
He, however, observed that the US court had not criminalised the IRT commander, noting that Kyari would have to step aside once the allegations against him were established.
The commissioner added, “The way we look at it is that the court has given an order that he should be arrested, the court has not criminalised him yet; he has not been convicted.
‘’Since, there is little hope, or what you call beyond reasonable doubt, he may be found clean. The issue of stepping aside in Nigeria may be different. The facts of the allegations would be made available to the force, and I’m sure the needful would be done. ‘’
Meanwhile, there is uncertainty over the setting up of the panel that would review the allegations against Kyari.
Although the IG announced on Thursday that the force would review the allegations against Kyari, It could not be confirm if this had been done on Friday.
The force spokesman, Frank Mba, did not respond to inquiries on the composition of the review panel and the deadline for the submission of its report.
Ayatutu Reporters 