ACTING GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING 7 DIVISION ESCAPES AMBUSH

The leading elements of the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu’s leading convoy  was about 8.30am this morning ambushed by suspected Boko Haram terrorists enroute to visit troops in Bama.

Although 1 soldier loss his live and 2 others were injured, they were able to clear the ambush, killing some of the terrorists and recovered  vehicle and weapons from them. The recovered items include a Toyota Hilux vehicle, 2 AK-47 rifles and several ammunitions.

The Acting GOC has continued his operational visit to Bama, while the body of the late soldier and the wounded have been evacuated to Maiduguri. The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai has also spoken with the GOC.

The Nigerian Army wish to reiterate its unalloyed commitment and determination to continue to clear the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists  wherever they might be hiding.

FG Loses Bid to Try Dasuki Secretly … As Court Orders FG to Allow him Access to Lawyers, Family

The Federal Government today lost its bid at the Federal High Court Abuja to conduct secret trial of former National Security Adviser, Colonel Muhammad Sambo Dasuki (Rtd) in the charges of unlawful possession of firearm and money laundering brought against him in September 2015.

The court said that there was no point for the witnesses billed to be called to testify in the matter to wear masks and bear pseudo names and addresses so as to facilitate their protection.

Delivering ruling in an application for secret trial of former NSA, Justice Adeniyi Ademola held that the federal government had in its charges listed the names and addresses of 11 witnesses to be called to testify against Dasuki and made same available to the general public and as such there was no basis for any hide and seek game in the trial.

Justice Ademola in the ruling that lasted over one hour, rejected the plea by government that the court during Dasuki’s trial be sought against the general public except the lawyers involved in the trial and accredited Journalists.

Justice Ademola said that there was no basis to grant the request of government to make the witnesses wear special mask, bear pseudo names and addresses because the charges against Dasuki was not terrorism related and that there was no information that the life of any of the witnesses billed to be called was being threatened by anybody of group.

The Court held that although, it has a discretion to look into such issues of protection of witnesses in a criminal matter but that such discretions must be judicially and judiciously used only in cases where threat to life has been established by the prosecution.

In the instance case, Justice Ademola said that government failed to establish any fact that life of its witnesses was being threatened and as such no court of law would accede to such requests without established reason.

The Judge had earlier ordered the Federal Government and its agent the Department of States Security Service (DSS) to henceforth allow the detained former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki have access to his lawyers and family members in the interest of justice and the rule of law.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola issued the order following complains by counsel to Dasuki, Mr Ahmed Raji SAN that his client was being held incommunicado since December 2015.

The judge who was not comfortable with the complaints of Dasuki’s lawyer gave a ruling in which he ordered that Tuesdays and Thursdays be set aside for Dasuki to have free access to his lawyers and family members for at least two hours of the day.

The court ordered that the meeting of Dasuki with his lawyers and family members should take place at the Interview Room of DSS Headquarters and the Federal High Court premises in Abuja unhindered. In the order, the judge granted the defendant access to four lawyers and two members of the family on the dates and venue chosen by the court.

Justice Ademola after issuing the order, which he said must be complied with by the Federal Government adjourned the trial of the former NSA till May 18-19, 2016 at the instance of lawyers in the matters.

In another development, the judge also refused to discharge Dasuki and prohibit the federal government from prosecuting him on the ground of the refusal to allow him enjoy the bail granted him.

In his ruling, Justice Ademola said that Dasuki ought to have filed contempt charges against the federal government for the disobedience to lawful court orders made last year admitting him to bail and permitting him to go abroad for his medical check-up.

The court said that since due process was not followed by a way of contempt charge, there was no way the court would have discharged the defendant and prohibit his trial by the federal government. 

Raji had complained that his team could not prepare adequate defence because the DSS has rebuffed all efforts to see the client. The counsel told the judge that the uncooperative attitudes of the DSS got to the peak when  the 95-year-old father of Dasuki and former Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki along with other family members were denied access to their son in custody.

False Robbery Alarm: Family Of Six Escape Death

If not for the wealth of experience of Police Inspector, Christian Onawona, attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of Lagos State Police Command, six innocent people including two children, would have been shot and mistook as robbers by operatives at Ogudu Ori-Oke, Ogudu, Lagos.

A woman, Lauretta Ehon, suddenly ran to inform RRS operatives patrolling the axis at about 17:30 hrs over the weekend, that some armed robbers just snatched her Toyota Camry car 2012.

Immediately, the police officer followed her to give the supposed fleeing robbers a chase.
On the trail of the robbers, there was a hectic traffic but in order to catch up with the thieves, the officer alighted from his official vehicle and mounted a motor bike to chase the acclaimed reported robbers.
However, the occupants of the car, which was being chased never had an inkling that they were on the verge of being mistook for robbery and that the police was trailing them.
In order to prevent the robbers from taking the vehicle with registration number, EP 932 KRD away, the officer shot into air. Upon hearing the gunshot fired by the officer, the driver of the vehicle applied the brake instantly.
Then, the police officer cautiously approached the supposedly stolen vehicle only to discover that the occupants were three female, one male and two children. At this point, the police officer got to know that the complainant raised a false alarm.

The occupants of the vehicle were, Sekinat Sanni, Wasiu Balogun, Bisola Balogun and Rukayat Joseph. The little children were, Sameer Balogun and Motunrayo Joseph of one and two year old respectively, all family going on social outing.

The story later turned out to be faraway from the truth.

What really transpired between the woman that raised false alarm and the owner of the 2012 Camry car was a mere business transaction which occurred about six years ago.
The husband to the woman who raised the false alarm and the owner of the car transacted a business which had to do with clearing of a Tokunbo car from oversea.
Unfortunately, the vehicle went into demurrage after the client (Mr Ehon) paid the clearing agent, (Mr Balogun). And between the duo, they have settled the matter amicably for both of them worked in the same company in Apapa.
But to his paranoid wife, she had promised that she will collect the money from the clearing agent whenever she
sets eyes on him.
On the day of incident, the woman saw him and started threatening to snuff life out of him. But unknowingly to the woman, the man was not inside the car when she raised the false alarm but his family members were the occupants of the car.

In her reaction, one of the lucky occupants of the car, Bisola Balogun, who was visibly elated said that she was full of praises to the officer who pursued them for not have misused his firearm.
“In fact, I am still at shock. If it were to be another police officer, it is possible that he might shoot our car and anything could have happened. We thank God and appreciate the officer for applying uncommon wisdom in handling the matter”, she added.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Dolapo Badmos, the police officer showed experience and bravery in handling the issue, if not for him, the entire event could have turned against the police.
The woman has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, for prosecution.

LECTURER STRIPS NAKED TO PROFESSORIAL HER EVICTION FROM OFFICE

 A lecturer at Uganda’s Makerere University, Dr. Stella Nyanzi is the best example of crazy. The controversial activist cum lecturer took to social media to protest eviction from her office at Makerere Institute for Social Research (MISR).

Drama started when the institutes director Prof Mahmood Mamdani asked Nyanzi to vacate her office because she had refused to partake in a PhD 
programme at the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR).

According to the MISR website, Stella Nyanzi is a medical anthropologist with a PhD from the University of London.

Before stripping, Nyanzi shared photos of her locked office terming it as “oppression” and threatened to “UnCloth herself to the Unclad”.

Now that her office had been closed for three days today, Dr. Stella Nyanzi decided to take action by proceeding to Mamdani’s office where she undressed and deposited her pieces of clothing at the door.

“My clothes are on the floor. I want my office. If you have locked me out with one padlock…Mamdani, I want my office,” protested Nandi on Facebook after removing her clothes,and posted the photos and the rather explicit video on Facebook.

EFCC ARRAIGNS AMERICAN FOR DEFRAUDING NIGERIAN OF $2.3m

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arraigned an American businessman, Marco Ramirez, alongside his companies — Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP and USA Now LLC — on eight counts bordering on obtaining money by false pretences to the tune of $2.3m.

Ramirez was arraigned before Justice Peter Affen of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, sitting in Maitama on Monday, according to a statement by the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren.

According to the complainants, Prince Ejikeme Mgbemena and Frank Egbon, the suspect allegedly promised them that he would invest the money under the Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Based Fifth Preference (EB-5).

The complainants further alleged that the suspect promised to provide American Green Card for members of their families below 18 years.

The charges read in part, “That you Marco Anthonio Ramirez, being the Manager of Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP and USA NOW LLC and you EAGLE Ford Instalodge Group LP and USA Now LLC on or about May 21, 2013 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud obtained through an account titled Eagle Ford Instalodge Group LP domiciled at Wells Fargo Bank USA the sum of $55,000 from one Ejikeme Mgbemena under the pretext of investing for him under the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) Regional Center Program with pretence you knew was false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.’’
The accused person pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel, Samuel A. Ugwuegbulam, asked the court for a date for trial.

Consequently, Justice Affen adjourned the case till May 21, 2016 for the hearing of bail application and ordered the accused to be remanded in the EFCC custody.

Panama Papers: Wale Tinubu Operated 12 Shell Companies In Tax Havens

Last October, Nigeria’s biggest indigenous oil and gas company, Oando Plc, made history for the wrong reason when it announced a loss of N184 billion in the 2014 financial year. The loss was the biggest ever recorded by any Nigerian company.

While its shareholders bore the brunt of the bleak financial year, the company’s group chief executive, Wale Tinubu and his deputy, Omamofe Boyo, might be doing just fine as they had for years incorporated and operated a cluster of shell companies in notorious offshore jurisdictions.
Mr. Tinubu seems to be making so good a return from his shell companies that in 2008 he agreed to pay a front as much as $20,000 monthly to manage all of his offshore transactions.

Details of the offshore assets of the two top bosses at Oando Plc were among the revelations contained in the leaked massive internal data belonging to Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca.

The revelations are products of an investigation, spanning over a year by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and more than 100 other global news organizations across the world.

PREMIUM TIMES is the only Nigerian media organisation involved in the investigation.
Documents obtained by PREMIUM TIMES from the huge database linked Mr. Tinubu to at least 12 shell companies.
Mr. Tinubu, documents show, secured the services of Mossack Fonseca to help him incorporate the companies in Seychelles, one of the fastest growing offshore jurisdictions in the world and notorious tax haven, the British Virgin Islands (BVI).

The documents also reveal that Mossack Fonseca coordinated the operation through its offices in Geneva, the British Virgin Islands and Panama.
The documents show that Mr. Tinubu is director in the following companies incorporated in Seychelles and the BVI.

Sigma Technology Inc.
Techventure Inc.
Anglesey Management SA
Caine Trading Corp
Keligh Engineering Corp
Hud Trading Corps
Meridian Procurement International Services Ltd
Lynx Shipping Ltd
Equinox Shipping Ltd
Everglade Oil Inc.
Framlingham Ltd
Triton Trading Ltd

Investigation reveal that Mr. Tinubu is either sole director of most of the companies or has unlimited powers to make decisions.
For Instance, files from the data revealed that on November 26, 2009, after a meeting of the “board of directors” of one of his shell companies, Keligh Engineering Corp, Mr. Tinubu was granted a general power of attorney as the sole signatory of the company.

The “board meeting” where this decision was made was attended by three nominee directors, – Yvette Rogers (Chairman), Jaqueline Alexander(secretary), Verna de Nelson, who are actually employees of Mossack Fonseca.

Nominee directors are appointees used in offshore tax havens to hide true owners of shell companies.
Mrs. Rogers had also served as nominee director in Stanhope Investment Ltd, Seychelles, one of the shell companies used by the imprisoned former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, to steal the resources of his oil-rich state.

As part of its #PanamaPapers series, PREMIUM TIMES had revealed how Mossack Fonseca helped Mr Ibori, who is serving a 13-year jail term in the United Kingdom for money laundering, hide funds stolen from Delta State treasury through a web of offshore companies.
In May 2007, Just like Mr. Ibori, the Oando boss also secured the services of Swiss asset management firm, Clamorgan SA, to help him incorporate Techventure Inc., Anglesey Management SA, Caine Trading Corp and Keligh Engineering in Seychelles while appointing Mossack Fonseca Geneva as registered agent and administrator for the shell companies.

On May 2, 2007, Sebastien Thierry of Clamorgan S.A, who had acted as signatory for one of Mr. Ibori’s shell companies, wrote a letter to Sonia Scampa of Mossack Fonseca, thanking her for verifying and assisting in registering the companies, as well as granting Mr. Tinubu the power of attorney.

“Following my mail yesterday and our conversation today, I reiterated the confirmation sent yesterday morning taken the following companies – Anglesey Management SA, Caine Trading Corp., KLeigh Engineering Corp. Thank you for making a power of attorney for Mr. Wale Tinubu for three companies,” he wrote in French.

It remains unclear why Mr. Tinubu hired the same offshore consultants used by Mr. Ibori to run his offshore companies. But in September 2013, British prosecutors told a court that Mr. Ibori confessed to owning “significant” shares in Oando Plc.

According to crown prosecutor, Sasha Wass, a Queen’s Counsel, while opening an account at Swiss bank, PKB, through a shell company called Stanhope Investment, Mr. Ibori told the bank he owned 30 per cent of Oando.

Oando had denied that Mr. Ibori’s wealth was hidden in the company. The company at the time circulated a statement claiming that Mr. Ibori only had 443 shares of the company’s 6.8 billion ordinary shares.

The documents also revealed that apart from relying on nominee directors appointed by Mossack Fonseca to hide his ownership of shell companies in tax havens, Mr. Tinubu also hired a paid front who acted on his behalf in some of the offshore companies.

In a December 10, 2008 email to Marie-Ange (an employee of Mossack Fonseca in Geneva) Sebastien Clamorgan of Clamorgan SA revealed that Mr. Tinubu hired a front, Patrick Bastin, to act on his behalf in his offshore companies.
According to the email, Mr. Bastin was handsomely rewarded for this role. He was paid a salary of $10,000 monthly and given a corporate visa card which allowed him to spend up to $10,000 monthly.
Mr. Bastin was paid from Everglade Oil Inc’s account with a private bank in Beirut, Lebanon.

“It is agreed that M. Patrick Bastin will be acting as director for certain of Mr J.A. Tinubu companies and in this capacity will be managing all upcoming administrative commercial and financial tasks, inclusive the relationship with the several banks the companies may have bank accounts with,” the email reads.

“For this task M. Patrick Bastin will be compensated by a monthly payment of US $10 000,00 (ten thousand US $) to be paid to the bank account he will indicate.
“The account of EVERGLADE OIL INC No 239783 with Audi Saradar Private Bank seal in Beirut Lebanon will be responsible to set up a standing instruction for those payments to start on November 1 -2008.
“In addition, M. Patrick Bastin will be entitled to a Corporate Visa card from EVERGLADE OIL INC for expenses up to SS 10,000 per month to be justified after to M. J A Tinubu.

“This agreement can be terminated at any moment by M. JA. Tinubu with one month notice.”

The documents also showed that some staffers of Oando Plc were in on some of Mr. Tinubu’s incorporation of shell companies.
After the resignation of one Kirk Thompson, who is believed to be the original nominee director for Mr. Tinubu in Everglade Oil Inc., on December 14, 2007, Daniel Boyo (it is not clear whether he is a relative of Omamofe Boyo), a London-based business development consultant with Oando Trading Limited, a subsidiary of Oando Plc, sent an email on January 11, 2008 to Mr Thierry instructing him to contact Everglade Oil agents in Seychelles to draft a new certificate of incumbency for the company, mentioning Terry Cunningham as its new single director.

Documents show that Seychelles is particularly an attractive offshore destination for several top Nigerian businessmen.
Several shell companies owned by Nigerians in tax havens were incorporated in the small Indian Ocean country, with a population of just under 90,000 people. They were registered as International Business Companies (IBC).
Seychelles IBCs are among the most popular IBCs in the secretive world of offshore jurisdictions. IBCs incorporated in the Seychelles are prohibited from doing businesses within the country or owning real estate. They are not required to pay taxes, submit financial details or carry out audits on their finances.

An email sent from Mossack Fonseca’s office in Seychelles to Saria Rahme Kali of Afrex and Mr Clamorgan requesting details of the bearers of the shares of a cluster of IBCs domiciled in Seychelles revealed the extensive involvement of Nigerians in offshore tax havens.
The document revealed that Sayyu Dantata, the half-brother of Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, is linked to seven IBC – Appelby Holding Ltd, Juno Equities Incorporated, MRS Holding Ltd, MRS Oil and Gas, Nisco Holding Ltd (60 per cent), and Oval Refining S.A, Ovlas S.A (50 per cent).

Similarly, Adetokunbo Sijuwade, the son of the late Ooni of Ife, Okunade Sijuwade, is the director of Mandhari Water Investment Inc. and Izwelethu Aluminium and Steel Inc.

Mr Tinubu’s deputy, Boyo, was listed as director in three IBCs- Everglade Oil Inc, Meridian Procurement International Services, and QVS Ltd.
Nigerians Abiose Eldred Ogan-Cole and Mojisole Adeniran both own 50 per cent share each in Qaisar.
Messrs. Wale and Boyo are yet to respond to an email sent by PREMIUM TIMES through the corporate communication manager of Oando, Alero 

Ms. Balogun and the company’s head of corporate communications, Ainojie Irune, had promised that responses would be provided to our questions. But several days later, no response has come from the officials.

RAPE: Reasons Why Relying On Signs And Not Consent Before Having Sex Can Be Misleading

It will be egregious if we want to always depend on demeanours and gesture of a partner and not his/her consent before wanting to sleep with him/her, Medley posited on Nairaland.com.

1. A sweater may be just the right answer.

This reason might sound funny, but give me the chance to corroborate my point. Most ladies whether they tell you or not,want guys to always treat them with tender care and not some point and sex creatures or sex symbol. Yes she came to your house, it was raining and she set-off by calling you that she is coming under the cold weather and all over your heart you think she want sex and that's why she called and she is now with you all alone. She may just want to wait somewhere until the rain stop or she just might have not had some talk time with you and that time just seem perfect. When she is in your house and she said she is cold, may be you giving her a sweater or blanket might be all she wanted.

2. She came and demanded alcohol.

She has never demanded for alcohol and this time she came and she is on her third bottle and you have concluded she want to sleep with you, this can be misconstruable! Have you asked her how she spent her day? What events have transpired in recent times? You may be preying on her vulnerability at that moment all in the name of thinking she wants to have carnal knowledge with you.
If you have sex with her and she leaves for her home you haven't solved her problems and she will know what is more important to you in the relationship.

3. He/she apriori asked his/her freind to leave the room.

And so what? Most of the time i live the room of my friends if their lady friend come visiting except what am doing there can't be done else where. next time if his/her friends live the room, it might be because they think you need your space and the guy/lady may even want sometime with you unencumbered so you could have a stronger relationship. sex can and will never make two partners be more bonded than time spent together. 

4. He/she demanded you don't bring your friend(s)

In every relationship trust must be built, he/she might want to know if at the relationship life-cycle you currently are if you now truly trust each other, if you misconstrue it for sex appeal only for him/her to feel disrespected when you try to push, you may have succeeded in killing that relationship.

5. She came in with short and revealing wear and she lay her hands on you.

Yes! As indicating as it seems, the sign alone may not be what you should rely on. First, what stage of the relationship are you on. She may seem to look sensual in her outlook but have you asked what she want in her heart. Have you known her so well to know how she dresses in the day and night? What if she went somewhere and was locked out? What if she was feeling so hot inside that day she visited and decideded to dress that way. 

If you don't seek the consent of anyone before trying to sleep with him/her you may find yourself battling a case of sexual assault when this was done uncosciously - one of you was not consenting. Or you may even be embarrassed if he/she is still weighing options or path to be taking in the relationship.
Relying on signs has been major reason why rape cases are growing by the day