Buhari’s daughter says she didn’t know DSS arrested anybody for using her old SIM

Hanan Buhari says nobody should be detained for using a SIM previously used by another person. (Premium Times)
President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter, Hannan says she was not aware that the Department of State Service (DSS) detained a trader Anthony Okoli for using a telephone line previously used by her.
Okoli, who was detained for 10 weeks said he was released after Hanan refused to show up to clear him. He said this in an interview with Punch after his release.

The trader thereafter, sued the DSS, Hanan and company, MTN for his 10-week ordeal in the detention of the secret police officers.

However, in a counter-affidavit to the originating motion filed by Okolie, Hanan said she did not know Okoli was detained because she didn’t report the matter to the DSS in the first place.

The President’s daughter in an affidavit deposed on her behalf by by one Idris Abdullahi said she shouldn’t have been joined in the suit because she didn’t know Okoli was arrested, Punch reports.

The affidavit read in part, “I was informed by the 2nd respondent (Hanan) in our office on February 15, 2020, around 4pm… that she never made any complaint against any Mr. Anthony Okolie to any officer in State Security Service or any other law enforcement agency.

That she was not privileged to even know anybody with the name Anthony Okolie and has never reported him or any other person to any law enforcement agency in Nigeria or any other country throughout her life.

That although she was not happy with the public complaint that someone had been using her old SIM card to solicit for financial assistance using her name, she never complained to any authority and she was not aware that the person’s name was Anthony Okolie until the media published it.”

Hanan added that she didn’t have the power to order the DSS to detain anyone, adding that no one should be punished for using a SIM card that was previously owned by another person as long as he didn’t use it for fraud.

Prosecute killers of Aso Rock director – NCWS

The National Council of Women’s Societies, on Saturday, called on the Federal Government to ensure that killers of Ms. Laetitia Dagan, were fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law.

The National President of NCWS, Mrs Gloria Shoda, said in a statement in Abuja that the murder of Dagan, the Assistant Director of Administration in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, was one too many in recent times.

“’The number of people killed every day is alarming, and nobody knows who will be next.

The government owes its citizens the right to protection of lives and properties, so we expect that the government does more in this area.

“We cannot continue to fold our hands and watch fellow Nigerians murdered in cool blood daily.

“We want all Nigerians to join hands with us and call on the government to do all that is necessary to stop these senseless killings,” Shoda said.

She, however, commended the Nigeria Police Force for its quick response, and the arrest of one of the suspects, but urged them to do more.

It will be recalled that the late Dagan was reportedly killed by unknown assailants in her home in Abuja.

She was reported to have worked in her office at the State House till about 8pm on Monday when she left for home.

The 47-year-old Dagan was, however, attacked and killed at about 11pm the same day.

Buhari mourns Col. Ogbebor, the first NDA cadet

President Muhammadu Buhari has described the life and time of the late Col. Paul Ogbebor (Rtd.), as one well spent and marked with indelible prints.

President Buhari recalled that Col. Ogbebor was the first cadet to be enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), following which he dedicated his life to a memorable military service.

President Buhari, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, also recalled that the late Ogbebor emerged a hero of the Nigerian Civil War.

“It’s the end of a life well spent, with footprints indelibly printed in the sands of time, says President Muhammadu Buhari of Col. Paul Ogbebor  (Retd), who passed on at 80.

“The President recalls that Col Ogbebor was the first cadet to enroll at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), and pursued an illustrious military career, during which he emerged a hero of the Nigerian Civil War.

“President Buhari salutes the community spirit of the departed, who was in the vanguard of the socio-cultural group, Edo Leaders of Thought, and chieftain of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).

“The late Col Ogbebor had documented his professional life through a book, Nigerian Defence Academy: A Pioneer Cadet’s Memoir, which the President says is one of the vital resource materials on the pioneer military training institution in the country.

He commiserates with the family, friends and professional colleagues of the departed, urging them to take solace in the fact that Col Ogbebor lived a distinguished life, signposted by many achievements”, the statement said.

Council Suspends Iwo Monarch For Six Months Over Attack On Traditional Ruler

Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has been suspended for six months by Traditional Rulers’ Council in Osun State.

His suspension followed an emergency meeting of top monarchs across the state including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, in Osogbo, the capital.

A committee headed by Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Adedotun, was also set up to further investigate the assault case involving Oluwo and another monarch in Iwo land.

How our husband chained us up, put pepper in our private parts– Katsina housewives locked up for 10 months

Two housewives, whose husband, Samaila Musa, allegedly locked up, chained and subjected to inhuman treatment for 10 months in the Rimi Local Government Area of Katsina State, recently urged a Katsina Upper Sharia Court to dissolve their marriage to the man. Fatimah Salisu, 25, and Hadiza Musa, 20, are currently seeking to divorce Musa for alleged cruelty and maltreatment. The Katsina Police Command had in January arrested Musa, 30, over allegations that he locked up the two women in a room where he chained them and meted out all sorts of maltreatment on them for 10 months. The two wives tell OLAIDE OYELUDE about the alleged ordeal in 10 months. Their counsel, Kabir Nelule of Hamisu Lawal Malumfashi Chambers, Katsina interpreted the interview done in Hausa

Tell me about your family background.

Hadiza: I’m from Kanyan Ubandaba village in the Rimi Local Government Area of Katsina State. I’m the fifth and last daughter of my parents. We (children) are one man and four women. All the women are married.

Fatimah: I’m from Marke in Mani Local Government Area of the state.  I’m the fifth child of my parents.

What do you do?

Hadiza: I’m a trader; I’m into petty trading.

Fatimah: I’m a tailor.

How did you meet your husband, Samaila Musa?

Hadiza: We met while I was hawking my goods. Later, he came to our house but my parents initially rejected him. My uncle, Isia, told my parents he investigated him (Samaila) and found out that he was not a good man.

But he kept coming to our house, promising that he would take care of my parents and me. So, my parents eventually agreed and consented to the marriage.

Fatimah: Samaila was introduced to me by a man who claimed to be his friend, Alhaji Garba. He had told Allahji Garba that he needed a wife, so he was brought to our house where I was staying with my three-year-old son that I had from my previous marriage.

How long was your courtship before marriage?

Hadiza: A week. He came and paid N20,000  as bride price to my parents and we got married few days later.

Fatimah: A week. He paid N20,000 as bride price and we married nine days after.

How long have you been with him?

Hadiza: It is getting to two years now.

Fatimah: I’ve been with him for 10 months.

What attracted you to Samaila?

Hadiza: When we met, he was generous to me and promised to take care of me and my parents.

Fatimah: Whenever he came to our house, he always gave me money and he promised to do more if I married him.

When did he start to maltreat you?

Hadiza: Two weeks after we got married, he started restricting my movements in the house. Later, he locked me up in a room and chained me up.

Fatimah: He started beating me four days after we got married. He also started calling my parents names. Later, he locked me up and chained me up in the same room with Hadiza.

What did he do to you after chaining you up?

Hadiza: He shaved off my hair and pubic hair. He also cut my fingernails and ground them together. He mixed them up with my food and ordered me to eat it. He also put pepper in my eyes and private parts. And whenever he wanted to have sex with me, he would do it in the presence of Fatimah in the room where we were being locked up. (Fatimah tries to remove her clothes to show the wounds on her back before she was prevailed upon not to do so). My back is full of scars from the wounds I sustained from the beatings he always gave me. He would also not allow us to go out. We were doing everything inside that room. We bathed, defecated, and slept in the same room. He would have sex with us there.

Fatimah: He shaved off my hair and pubic hair too. He also cut my fingernails as he did for Hadiza, and forced me to eat the food he mixed those items with. He also put pepper in my private parts and eyes. He also had sex with me in the presence of Hadiza. Everything he did to her, he did it to me.

But why was he doing those things to you? Was he on drugs?

Hadiza: We did not offend him and I can’t say whether he was on drugs or not. All I know is that he always went out in the night when he presumed we were asleep. He always locked the doors of the house whenever he was going out. Nobody visited him and since we were locked up, we did not have the opportunity to see our friends or relatives to tell them how we were being maltreated.

How did you gain your freedom?

Fatimah: Remember I said I have a three-year-old boy from my previous marriage. One day, Samaila returned the boy to my mother in our village without my knowledge. It was the boy who told my mother about our ordeal. So my mother came but she did not raise the issue. She asked me whether everything was alright and I said yes.

My mother visited again 21 days later. When she arrived, she told Samaila that the boy was sick and that she wanted to get my sewing machine so that she could sell it and raise money for his treatment.  Samaila refused and manhandled my mother. My mother then went to Rimi Divisional Police Station to report the matter.

When the police came, he refused to open the door for them. Later, the divisional police officer led another team to the house, which forced the door open and found us where we were chained up. He was subsequently arrested.

Hadiza, is this true?

Yes.

Do you have children for him?

Hadiza: No. Fatimah also has no child for him.

What lessons have you learnt from your experience in Samaila’s house?

Hadiza: I thank Almighty Allah who helped me escape. I now know that appearance could be deceptive and one needs to investigate whoever one wants to marry before consenting to the marriage.

Fatimah: It was circumstances that put me there and I will only advise other women to face their jobs and have longer courtships before getting married. I will add that women should also seek the assistance of outsiders to help in investigating any man they want to marry so that they will know the kind of person he is.

Now that you both want to divorce your husband, what happens if your request is granted?

Hadiza: I will face trading and if any man comes my way and is ready to wait for me, life goes on. But what matters to me now is picking up the pieces of my life again and trading. I will welcome any assistance from the government, organisations and any kind-hearted individual who would not attach conditions to such assistance.

Fatimah: I will also welcome any assistance for me to pick up the pieces of my life again. You know I’m a tailor and if I get assistance, I will concentrate on my business to take care of my boy and myself.

EU gives Nigeria N32m to fight Lassa fever

The European Commission said on Thursday it had allocated €80,000 (about N32m) to assist Nigeria to fight Lassa fever and cater to the families affected by the outbreak.

The EU said the funds would go towards “supporting the Nigerian Red Cross in promoting hygiene practices and disease transmission control” as well as helping to identify suspected cases.

A statement on Thursday by the union quoted the EU as saying, “The funding forms part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In the two most affected states, Ondo and Edo, the main actions will focus on health education on signs and symptoms, prevention measure and behavioural change in food storage and handling; and pest control activities.

“In four states of Bauchi, Ebonyi, Taraba and Kano, awareness-raising initiatives will be launched for the general public, including the distribution of educational materials and informative radio messages.”

The EU recalled that since the first week of January 2020, more than “680 suspected cases have been reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, of which over 250 were confirmed as positive.”

The Union noted, “While Nigeria is prone to Lassa fever outbreaks during the dry season of November to April, the number of affected people, both suspected and confirmed, this year is higher than in previous years.”

No new case, says LUTH CMD

The Chief Medical Director of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos Prof. Chris Bode, has said there is no new case of Lassa fever in Lagos State.

Bode, who spoke through the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of the hospital, Prof. Wasiu Adeyemo, in an interview with our correspondent on Thursday said the only recorded patient was responding to treatment.

He said, “The patient is doing well, he is getting better; no new case from those placed under surveillance.

The Ministry of Health and the Lagos State Government have started the contact tracing; so far we’ve not heard anything new. The patient is doing well, we’ve started his treatment.

Prime Minister fails to appear for murder charge on medical grounds

Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane, who was due to be charged with the murder of his estranged wife, failed to appear in court on Friday on medical grounds, an aide said.

“He is not attending court, he has gone for a medical check-up in South Africa,” his personal secretary Thabo Thakalekoala told AFP, adding it is a “routine” medical check.

Thabane left the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho on Thursday, the same day that police announced he was due Friday to appear before a magistrate for murder charges to be formally read out to him.

Earlier on Friday the PM had announced on the state broadcaster that he would quit office by the end of July due to old age.

The 80-year-old is accused of having acted “in common purpose” in the June 2017 killing by unknown assailants of Lilopelo Thabane, 58, then his wife.

The killing occurred two days before the premiere took the oath of office following elections.

His current wife Maesaiah Thabane, 42, who he married two months after Lipolelo’s death, has also been charged with the same murder of her rival.

The death shook the landlocked kingdom of Lesotho, which is entirely surrounded by South Africa.

In his inaugural speech, Thabane described his wife’s murder as a “senseless killing

El-Rufai made success of our privatization program – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Sunday eulogised the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai at 60, saying he made success of his administration’s privatisation programme between 1999-2003.

El – Rufai was the first Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (PBE), established by Obasanjo when he was President during his first term between 1999-2003.

In a congratulatory message to mark the 60th birthday of the Governor, Obasanjo noted that El-Rufai also turned around the infrastructural and socio-economic development of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), when he was the Minister of the FCT.

The message, which was made available to The Nation by the Ex – President’s Media Aide, Kehinde Akinyemi, described Governor El – Rufai as a Nigerian, who has demonstrated rare qualities of commitment and courage in the public service in various capacities.

Obasanjo stated:  “Over the years, I have followed, with keen interest, your modest inspiring career as a Professional architect, community leader, administrator and politician. And I note, with special delight your demonstration of rare qualities of commitment and courage in the public service in various capacities.

Under my watch as a democratically-elected President of Nigeria, you made a great success of our privatization programme as the Director-general of Bureau of Public Enterprises, which resulted in the liberalization of our nation’s economy and our being able to meet some of the challenges of globalization and tackling the problem of poverty in our land.

I must also applaud the giant strides in terms of infrastructural and socio-economic development which the Federal Capital Territory FCT, recorded under your focused administration as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.  I salute the uncommon sense of duty and patriotism demonstrated by you at enhancing sanity in the physical development at the FCT.

Without any doubt, as the incumbent governor of Kaduna State, you have contributed to the well-being of your people, especially in the implementation of populist programmes and infrastructural development in the state.

I can only implore you not to rest on your oars and to re-double your efforts as the Chief Executive of one of the most politically restive States in the North West of the country to ensure peace, stability and security in the state until we collectively, propel our dear country to the promised land.

I trust you will continue the good work you are doing to the glory of God and to the benefit of our people

David Lyon was sacrificed to compensate PDP over Ihedioha’s sack – Barrister Bamgbose

The National Coordinator of the Concerned Advocates for Good Governance, CAGG, Barrister Olusegun Bamgbose, has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, sacrificed the Bayelsa State governor-elect, David Lyon to pacify the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the loss of Imo State.

He, however, said that the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomole, was kept in the dark as to the APC plan to surrender Bayelsa State to PDP as a form of ‘compensation’.

It was reported on Thursday that a five man panel of the Supreme Court held that Lyon’s deputy, Degi-Eremieoyo presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

For this reason, the governor-elect and his deputy were sacked by the apex court a day to their swearing-in as the fifth governor of Bayelsa State.

Supreme Court sacks Bayelsa Gov-elect, Lyon, declares PDP winner

For Barrister Bamgbose, the ruling was arranged by the ruling party to calm the nerves of the opposition in Imo State.

 O

n Monday morning, the Lagos-based senior lawyer, said, “The Supreme Court judgment in favour of PDP candidate Duoye Diri, Bayelsa State, was a calculated and a strategic attempt to pacify PDP for the loss of Imo State.

“The judgment was a big shock to PDP because they possibly thought they have lost out in Bayelsa.

“However critical appraisal of the judgment has shown clearly that it was meant to calm down nerves and pacify PDP for the loss of Imo State to APC recently at the Supreme Court.

“Ihedioha can as well fort forget about returning to Government House as Governor of Imo State. The review sought by him, no matter the weight, won’t see the light of the day.

“Let him bid goodbye to his ambition for now. One seriously doubts the feasibility of reviewing the matter in his favour. The APC was highly instrumental in perfecting this plan.

“The International Community have been showing interest in the case but as it stands now, the game is over.

“PDP has been ‘politically settled’ and certainly they won’t be protesting even if it loses at the Supreme Court in respect of the review case.

“Oshiomole was actually kept in the dark as to the APC plan to surrender Bayelsa State to PDP as a form of ‘compensation’.

“However it should be stated here that this is not good for our political growth.

“The Judiciary should be independent. There should be no interference whatsoever in the discharge of its functions and responsibilities. There must be clear separation of powers.

Buhari didn’t accuse Borno residents of colluding with Boko Haram – Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has denied President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), ever accused the residents of Borno State of colluding with Boko Haram.

Shehu said this on NTA’s ‘Good Morning Nigeria’ programme on Monday.

Buhari had at a sympathy visit to Maiduguri last week stated, “Boko Haram or whatever they are cannot come to Maiduguri or its environs without the local leadership knowing, the local leadership is in charge of security in their own respective areas.

We are working for you in this country; as Commander-in-Chief, I am dealing with the security institutions and I believe there is an improvement in security. I urge the people of the state to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies; let us deny Boko Haram access to our loyal citizens and encourage displaced people to go back to their land.”

But Shehu said the President’s words were misrepresented, adding that he also received a backlash of social media because of the comment.

The President’s spokesman said, “I am happy that Isa (Gusau) raised the issue. When the President left Maiduguri, he stressed the need for more intelligence and more support for security and we received a backlash on social media that the President had raised questions about the commitment of the people of Borno in the war against insurgency.

“Never would the President have said such a thing. But as I just said, quality intelligence is a conditio sine qua non for the success of any war.”

The Special Adviser to the Borno State Governor on Public Relations and Strategy, Isa Gusau, who was also on the same programme with Shehu faulted the allegations by the President that Boko Haram was succeeding due to the collaboration of residents.