Monday, 11 July 2016
Graphic photos:Six killed in herdsmen attack in Benue state yesterday
Bullets can’t kill me, suspect tells police
A suspected cult leader, Andrew Awalebi, has told operatives of the Rapid Response
Squad of the Lagos State Police Command that no amount of bullets can pierce
through his body.
Awalebi, a suspected member of the Eiye Confraternity, reportedly told the police
that a charm he got from an herbalist made him to be invincible to bullets.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the 35-year-old suspect was arrested on Friday at a pub
in Jakande Estate in the Ajah area of Lagos State.
Our correspondent gathered that the RRS operatives had got information
on Awalebi’s movements from a member of the gang, Michael Thompson, who had
earlier been arrested for robbery.He was said to be in company with three other
suspected members of his gang when the police swooped on them around 8am.
Awalebi, in his statement to the police, allegedly said he worked for a popular
landowner in the Lekki area, adding that he earned N40,000 monthly for securing
the landed property of his boss.
He explained that his protective charm against gunshots was prepared for him by
an herbalist in the Ijebu-Isiwo area of Ogun State, adding that the charm was to
save him from gunshots of land grabbers in Lekki.
“I was initiated into the Eiye Confraternity in 1996 by one Banji. Later in 1997, I was
promoted as its topmost leader after the death of Banji.
“We were eight members in the cult group. We meet very early in the morning or late
at night. I was arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad sometime ago when my
cult group caused mayhem in Jakande Estate, inflicting injuries on passersby in the
area,” he added.
The indigene of Ilaje Local Government Area, Ondo State, was reportedly given
out by Thompson of the same cult, who was arrested for robbery at the National
Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
Thompson, in his confessional statement, had allegedly said Awalebi was the leader
of the group.
Also arrested alongside Awalebi were Koffi Kwame (17), Daniel Olayiwola (36) and
Tosin Issac (26).
The police claimed that the suspects all confessed to being members of the Eiye
Confraternity.
The RRS said information from the suspects led to a raid on a hotel in the Ikorodu
area on Saturday, where it made another set of arrests of suspected members of
the group, which included Adegoke Adeleke and Kehinde Adebogun.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Dolapo Badmos, who
confirmed the arrests, appealed to parents and guardians to help the police fight cultism.
She said, “Parents should help the police to tackle cultism by properly monitoring the
activities of their children. They should also report to the nearest police station if they
suspect any unwholesome attitude of any friend of their children. This will help thepolice
to nip cultism in the bud.”
Badmos said the suspects had been transferred to the Lagos State Department of
Criminal Investigation for prosecution.
Actor Damon promises plenty of action in 'Jason Bourne' movie
SEOUL - Hollywood star Matt Damon on Friday promised some "great action" in the highly-anticipated upcoming "Jason Bourne" film, citing fight scenes and a huge car chase as he reprises the role of the super spy.
Damon starred in box office hits "The Bourne Identity," "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum." He is joined in the latest production by British director Paul Greengrass who was at the helm for "Supremacy" and "Ultimatum."
"To be reunited with Paul Greengrass was really the main reason for making this movie for me," Damon told reporters in Seoul. "There's great action in this movie. There are some really great fight sequences that we worked really hard on...and also we've got a car chase in this movie that is bigger than anything we've ever done."
"Jason Bourne" hits cinemas worldwide from July 27.
Portugal stuns France with late Eder strike in Euro final
Portugal found an unlikely hero as Eder's thunderous finish deep into extra time secured their first European Championship title after they overcame the early loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to snatch a 1-0 victory over hosts France on Sunday.
The substitute picked the perfect time to score his first competitive goal for his country, marauding forward before letting fly with a bullet shot from 25 meters in the 109th minute.
It was a magic moment for the 28-year-old, who plays for French club Lille after a largely unglamorous career, and a cruel blow for France and their coach Didier Deschamps.
His side had dominated the match, but squandered a number of chances, in front of their devastated home support, who arrived at the Stade de France hoping to celebrate a third European crown.
The trophy was lifted triumphantly by Portugal captain Ronaldo, who broke down in tears at the final whistle after his own game had come to a frustrating end after 24 minutes when he was carried off the pitch on a stretcher with a knee injury.
The script had been written for him to produce a performance to match his status as one of the game's greats, but he had to settle for a back-stage role after Dimitri Payet's challenge left him in a heap on the floor.
So much of the build-up had focused on Ronaldo and his hopes of crowning a glittering career with the only achievement missing from his CV, a piece of international silverware.
That was achieved, but, with Eder stealing the limelight and his own role reduced to that of a cajoling cheerleader, it was probably not how Ronaldo would have envisaged his evening panning out.
Yet having been part of the Portugal side that were stunned in the final as hosts by Greece in 2004, he celebrated wildly with his team mates as ticker tape rained down from the rafters.
Coach Fernando Santos, whose side had won only one match inside 90 minutes out of seven at the tournament, hailed a perfectly executed tactical display.
"This is one of the happiest moments in my career," he said. "I've always said I wanted to win a trophy with the national team and make history. And I did it. Thank God, things went well for us."
"We were as simple as doves and as wise as serpents," he said.
"Wherever we've gone there have always been Portuguese fans. This lifted our souls. It's hard to describe the players' emotions -- it's incredible."
$1.5m Dubai mansions: Buratai should resign or be sacked –Falana, Junaid, others
Some prominent Nigerians on Sunday demanded that if the Chief Army Staff,
Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, failed to resign from his position following the revelation
that he bought two houses in Dubai, worth $1.5m, he should be sacked
by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Those who called for the Army chief’s resignation or sacking are human rights
lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN); another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike
Ozekhome; and Second Republic House of Representatives member, Dr. Junaid
Mohammed.
Others are the Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, and the
National Publicity Secretary of the National Advance Party, Mr. Tosin Odeyemi.
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, said people who were
found guilty of stealing public funds, should not just be fired or allowed to resign
but should be made to return such money.Ozekhome specifically demanded
that Buratai should be tried before he would be allowed to resign.
Odumakin, who said it was not in the culture of Nigerians to resign for wrong-doing,
however, believed that the posture of the Buhari administration on the allegation
against Buratai cast a serious doubt on the anti-corruption war of the administration.
But a SAN, Mr. Yusuf Ali, and the Executive Director of the Socio-Economic
Rights and Accountability Project, Mr. Adetokunbo Mumumi, believed that the
allegation against Buratai should be thoroughly investigated before he would be
asked to resign or be sacked.
Falana said in a statement that despite Buratai’s commendable feat of leading the
Nigerian Army to defeat Boko Haram in the North-East, the war on corruption was also
a must-win for the Buhari administration.
The lawyer described as a “cock and bull story” the explanation by the
Nigerian Army authorities that Buratai paid for the properties in instalments
through his personal savings.
He regretted that the name of the Nigerian Army had been “illegally” used to defend
Buratai in the unfolding scam.
While he condemned the involvement of the Nigerian Army in defending Buratai, he
said no one had yet to explain to Nigerians how an army General could manage
to save $1.5m.
He added, “In view of the ban on the opening and operation of foreign accounts
by public officers, the Code of Conduct Bureau should be involved in the investigation.
“If the Chief of Army Staff does not deem it fit to resign forthwith, President Buhari
should not hesitate to remove him in the interest of national morality.”
Falana commended the Buhari administration for putting on trial military officers,
allegedly involved in the diversion of the sum of $15bn, meant for the procurement of
arms.
He said the alleged diversion led to the killing of about 25,000 Nigerians by the Boko
Haram sect while two million others, including children, had been displaced.
‘‘How an army General managed to save $1.5m has not been disclosed to Nigerians.
Since the General was in charge of procurement for the Nigerian Army at the
material time, the cock and bull story of the military high command has been called
names,” the SAN stated.
Mohammed called on Buratai to honourably resign or be fired by Buhari.
Speaking with one of our correspondents on Sunday, the Second Republic lawmaker
noted that some of Buratai’s predecessors from other parts of the country were currently
facing trial over their roles in helping themselves to funds meant for the procurement of
arms.
The medical practitioner argued that it defied logic that Buratai, who was in
charge of procurement when these men held sway, had not been asked to give
account of his stewardship.
Mohammed added, “The fact that he was a long serving Director of Procurement at
Defence Headquarters when some of the nastiest procurements were made, not only
for the Army but for the Armed Forces, makes it incumbent on him to vacate his seat.
“The manner of his leaving will require tact, which this administration has never
demonstrated from day one, but I believe that the options are clear: One
which is my suggestion is for Buratai to retire to go and leave his life quietly in
Buratai, his village, or elsewhere, he has tried in the fight against insurgents.
“If Buratai does not want to go that way honourably, he should be compulsorily
retired or sacked outright by the Commander-in-Chief.
“Nobody with any sense of decency or justice can leave Buratai in service.”
In his reaction, Ozekhome, believed Buratai should not be removed without trial.
He said the government should make the Chief of Army Staff to undergo trial while
still serving as a military officer to prove that its anti-corruption war was not
targeted at profiled opponents.
Ozekhome said, “I will rather urge that he be first tried through our criminal
justice system trial, which is accusatorial and not inquisitorial. When found guilty,
he can then be dismissed or court-martialled.
“Let the government for once prove us wrong that its so called anti-corruption war
is not targeted at profiled opponents by putting him through trial as a serving military
officer. Just for once, I want to be proved wrong.”
Odumakin stated that the position of the COAS had become “untenable” against the
backdrop of the illogical defence of Buratai by military authorities.
The Afenifere spokesman added, “His position has become untenable with that expose
and very weak, feeble and sloppy defence. It is preposterous to ask the Federal
Government that cleared him, to now fire him. And resignation is not in the
dictionary of Nigerian officials but he obviously is a blight on the anti-corruption war.”
In his reaction, Cardinal Onaiyekan said a proven allegation of corruption against the
Army chief would seriously pollute the anti-graft war of the present administration
if not addressed.
The cleric stated, “Let me say that the allegation of stealing public funds does not
hide; it will come out eventually. And like anybody else, he will face the music;
whether he should be punished now or retired should not be the issue.
“I am not one of those who believe that when somebody has stolen a lot of money,
you simply retire or sack the person. That is not what it should be; if it is stealing,
he should be made to return the money. It is not a question of sacking somebody and
you feel that is the punishment.
“What I am saying is that if there is a case of misuse of public funds, he should be
treated that way. But like I told you, I don’t have the full picture of what is
involved, apart from what I read in the newspapers. Personally, I will want to give
the benefit of doubt to the government that it knows what it is doing.”
In the same vein, Odeyemi, who spoke in an interview with one of our
correspondents in Osogbo on Sunday, said Buhari should order a thorough probe
to ascertain where Buratai got such huge amount of money to buy the properties.
The NAP spokesperson alleged that Buhari had refused to investigate those in his
cabinet for corruption but had been chasing others especially those from other political
parties.,
“I believe Gen. Buratai should resign immediately. Where did he get such money to
buy the properties in question? How much has he earned since he joined the Army?
Does he have another business?
“He should first resign and a proper investigation should be conducted to ascertain
the truth. Thank God he is already at the pinnacle of his career. If he is found guilty,
then he should be prosecuted. But he should be honoured and probably elevated if he
is found to be guiltless.”
Expressing a different view, however, Ali said the call for Buratai’s resignation or
sacking was premature when the allegations had yet to be substantiated.
Ali added he was not aware of any law in Nigeria which prohibits a public official
from owning foreign properties except the properties were acquired with stolen public
funds.
The SAN said, “In the first place, is it an offence for him to have properties outside
of Nigeria? What I know our law prohibits is for a public official to have foreign
accounts. I am not aware of any law that prohibits a public official from having
properties outside of Nigeria.
“So, except those who are calling for his sacking could establish that it was public
money that he wrongly took; but then, that would also have to go through the court
and not by argument and newspaper attacks. So, for me, I think the call is a bit
premature.”
Mumumi, said the position of SERAP was for the allegation against Buratai to first be
thoroughly investigated by the anti-graft agencies, after which necessary actions could
follow.
The SERAP boss added, “Our position is let the anti-graft agencies – the EFCC and
the ICPC – conduct a thorough investigation into the matter and let their findings
be made public. If you dismiss everybody based on allegations, that will be too
dangerous if eventually the person is found not guilty.”
The Catholics Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Father Matthew Hassan Kukah,
declined comment.
“No comment. Thank You,” he told one of our correspondents without giving any reason.
Pokemon game adds $7.5 billion to Nintendo market value in two days
Shares in Japan's Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.T) soared again on Monday, bringing market-value gains to $7.5 billion in just two days as investors cheered the runaway success of Pokemon GO - its first long-awaited venture in mobile gaming.
The game, which marries a classic 20-year old franchise with augmented reality, allows players to walk around real-life neighborhoods while seeking virtual Pokemon game characters on their smartphone screens - a scavenger hunt that has earned enthusiastic early reviews.
In the United States, by July 8 - two days after its release - it was installed on more than 5 percent of Android devices in the country, according to web analytics firm SimilarWeb.
It is now on more Android phones than dating app Tinder and its rate of daily active users was neck and neck with social network Twitter, the analytics firm said. The game is also being played an average of 43 minutes a day, more time spent than on WhatsApp or Instagram, it added.
As the game took the U.S. by storm, Nintendo's shares surged by a quarter in value on Monday to their highest level since November. They have gained 36 percent since Thursday's close with the initial momentum coming from the game shooting to the top of free app rankings in Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) U.S. iTunes store.
The game has been released in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Launches for other countries including Japan - one of the world's biggest gaming markets - are due soon.
Pokemon GO may not prove an immediate boost to Nintendo's bottom line: it is free and Nintendo is not the sole investor or creator.
The game itself was created by Niantic, spun off from Google last year, and Pokemon Company. Nintendo owns a third of Pokemon Company and both have undisclosed stakes in Niantic, which had already developed a similar augmented reality, multi-player game in 2012.
Some analysts have been upbeat about the money-making potential for Pokemon GO, largely from small purchases made while playing - and the positive signs for other mobile gaming launches planned by Nintendo for 2016 and 2017.
"If nothing else, Pokémon GO has shown that there are 'dormant' Nintendo fans eager to trial its content for smartphones," Deutsche Bank analysts said in a note.
But others cautioned that there were still large question marks over whether Pokemon GO will be able to generate the kind of sustained excitement that would significantly boost Nintendo's earnings - particularly given that the company now has to contend with a sharp strengthening in the yen.
Real change, those investors say, would have to come from the core console business.
"Now if we were talking about its next generation console becoming the core platform for gamers, then that would be something to get excited about - but at the moment, this alone is not enough," said Yoshihiro Okumura, general manager at Chibagin Asset Management.
($1 = 100.77 yen)
Ese Oruru: Yunusa Dahiru released on bail, reunites with his mother in Kano (photos)
Yunusa Dahiru, who is standing trial on five count charges of criminal abduction, sexual exploitation, illicit sex, and carnal knowledge of a minor, has been released on bail after six months in prison without fulfilling bail conditions. The case was adjourned till September 13.
A Federal High Court sitting in Yenagua, the capital of Bayelsa state granted him bail but due to the stringent conditions laid down by the court, Yunusa could not meet the conditions until last Friday.
"I have learnt my lessons. This case has taught me a lot of lessons and shaped my life. I would be cautious on how to relate with others in my future life.," he said in an interview with Daily Trust. "Though I was sent to prison but Muslims brothers from the north under the auspices of Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN) are always helping me. I thanked everybody that directly or indirectly assisted me in this case. I am the happiest person today because I am reuniting with my family after spending six months in prison. Though the case is not over but I am confident the truth would prevail." he added.
Yunusa's lawyer, Barrister Huwaila Muhammad Ibrahim, said, over 100 lawyers have volunteered to stand for Yunusa with Sheikh Alhaji Yunusa Usman (SAN) leading counsel.
"I never thought of defending men’s right as an activist but from the narration of Ese, I realized that there is need for me to come in and protect his right. We have been following the case up till this moment and we will continue following it until justice is prevailed."
Bin Laden's son threatens revenge for father's assassination: monitor
The son of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has threatened revenge against the United States for assassinating his father, according to an audio message posted online.
Hamza bin Laden promised to continue the global militant group's fight against the United States and its allies in the 21-minute speech entitled "We Are All Osama," according to the SITE Intelligence Group.
"We will continue striking you and targeting you in your country and abroad in response to your oppression of the people of Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and the rest of the Muslim lands that did not survive your oppression," Hamza said.
"As for the revenge by the Islamic nation for Sheikh Osama, may Allah have mercy on him, it is not revenge for Osama the person but it is revenge for those who defended Islam."
Osama bin Laden was killed at his Pakistani hideout by U.S. commandos in 2011 in a major blow to the militant group which carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Documents recovered from bin Laden's compound and published by the United States last year alleged that his aides tried to reunite the militant leader with Hamza, who had been held under house arrest in Iran.
Hamza, now in his mid-twenties, was at his father's side in Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks and spent time with him in Pakistan after the U.S.-led invasion pushed much of al Qaeda's senior leadership there, according to the Brookings Institution.
Introduced by the organization's new chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in an audio message last year, Hamza provides a younger voice for the group whose aging leaders have struggled to inspire militants around the world galvanized by Islamic State.
"Hamza provides a new face for al Qaeda, one that directly connects to the group's founder. He is an articulate and dangerous enemy," according to Bruce Riedel of Brookings.
Sunday, 10 July 2016
Let Buratai resign or sack him, Falana tells Buhari
Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), on Sunday urged President Muhammadu
Buhari to sack the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, if the army chief fails to voluntarily resign following the revelation that he purchased properties worth $1.5m in
Dubai.
Falana said in a statement that despite Buratai’s commendable feat of leading the
Nigerian Army to defeat Boko Haram in the North East, the war on corruption was
also a must-win for the Buhari Administration.
The lawyer described as a “cock and bull story” the explanation by the Nigerian Army authorities that Buratai paid for the properties in installments through his personal
savings.
While he condemned the involvement of the Nigerian Army in defending Buratai, he
said no one had yet to explain to Nigerians how an army General could manage to
save $1.5m.He regretted that the name of the Nigerian Army had been “illegally”
used to defend the Buratai in the unfolding scam.
He added, “In view of the ban on the opening and operation of foreign accounts by
public officers, the Code of Conduct Bureau should be involved in the investigation.
“If the Chief of Army Staff does not deem it fit to resign forthwith President Buhari
should not hesitate to remove him in the interest of national morality.”
Falana commended the Buhari Administration for how it has handled cases involving
military officers allegedly involved in the diversion of the sum of $15bn meant for
procurement of arms.
The diversion of the fund, he explained allowed the Boko Haram insurgents to kill
about 25,000 Nigerians and displace two million others, including children.
He also said since the administration had assured Nigerians that there would be no
sacred cow in the fight against corruption, Buratai should step down and allow a full
scale scale investigation by the Arms Procurement Panel and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
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