EFCC conducting investigation by 'trial and error' – Fayose

Press statement from Ekiti state governor, Ayo Fayose, Read below...

Ekiti State Government has said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has promoted its vendetta against opponents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Mohammadu Buhari, especially the State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose to the level that the anti-corruption agency was now carrying out investigations by trial and error.

The government disclosed that “officials of the EFCC stormed a popular Guest House on Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja today to seal off the property believing that Governor Fayose owned the Guest House only for the EFCC officials to be confronted with the fact that operator of the Guest House leased the property from its owner for ten years.”

In a statement signed by the Special Assistant the State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the government said it was only in Nigeria that anti-corruption agency will first arrest suspect first before looking for evidences to prosecute the suspect.

The statement read; “Today, the EFCC demonstrated that it has been lying against Governor Fayose and other Nigerians all along by the failed attempt it made to seal off a property located on Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja that is being used as Guest House just because the governor used to lodge there. “It was at the point of sealing off the property that the owner of the Guest House told the EFCC officials that he only leased the property for ten years from its owner, a former Chief of Defence Staff, who was also a one-time Minister of Defence.

“The EFCC operatives moved to the next building to the Guest House, which is the residence of the retired army general and they were told by the general’s wife that the building being used as Guest House as well the one next to it belonged to the general and not Governor Fayose.

“It is shocking that in its desperate bid to nail Governor Fayose so as to satisfy their paymasters, EFCC is going about claiming that properties owned by other law abiding Nigerians are owned by the governor and the result of this investigation by trial and error by the EFCC is the embarrassment it faced at Gana Street, Maitama, Abuja when its operatives went there to seal off a property belonging to a retired army general thinking that it belonged to the governor.

“That was the same way they told Nigerians that they discovered mansion in Asokoro, Abuja owned by the governor. Unknown to the EFCC, the mansion being referred to is a property rented by the Ekiti State Government and being used as Governor’s Lodge.”

While insisting that whatever properties owned by Governor Fayose were acquired thorough legitimate means, the government said like every other Nigerians, the governor reserved the rights to own properties and can also receive money from people to fund his election.

Photos: Woman buys her hubby a Rolls Royce convertible as Fathers day gift

Wife of American motivational speaker, Holton Buggs, Earlene Buggs, bought him this Rolls Royce convertible as a Fathers day present last Sunday. See more photos of the car after the cut...


Showing off the car, the wife wrote;

Papa's got a new whip... Happy Father's Day to the love of my life and the most AMAZING father on the planet!!! I don't know which one of you is sexier...YOU or the exquisite new Rolls Royce DAWN❗️❗️❗️ You've got my vote everyday of the year!!! Enjoy your beautiful new automobile. I love you, 💗EB

Court order summons served on Senate Pres. Saraki & Ike Ekweremadu pasted on National Assembly notice board

The Court Order summons served by the Federal Government on Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy president, Ike Ekweremadu, on alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules, has been publicly pasted on a notice board in the National Assembly. Photo Credit: Sumner Sambo

Military arrests 19 Niger Delta Avengers, foils attack on Agip pipeline

The Joint Military Force deployed to protect oil installations in the Niger Delta, Operation Pulo Shield, on Friday said it foiled an attack on Agip’s oilfield and arrested 19 suspected vandals in several operations in May and June 2016.

Col. Isa Ado, Spokesman of the force, said in a statement said that troops have intensified patrols to forestall further destruction of oil facilities following renewed attacks in the region.According to Isa, troops while on patrol on June 9 along Brass water ways of Bayelsa foiled an attempt by suspected pipeline vandals to destroy Agip’s oil pipeline at Okpoma Community.

     He explained that the suspected vandals had dug and planted dynamites beneath the pipeline location in a swamp for detonation before the troops foiled the sabotage operation.The joint force recovered two dynamite detonators, cable wire and battery.Ado said that on May 28, troops of the force deployed in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa along Ebelebiri and Agba communities arrested six suspected pipeline vandals and oil thieves.

Eight Cotonou boats loaded with illegally acquired crude oil were destroyed while the suspects were handed over to the prosecuting agency.

      “On same day, troops in continuation of its raid on suspected pipeline vandals’ camps carried out cordon and search operation in Oporoma Community of Delta.

“Ten suspected pipeline vandals were arrested during the operation, one pistol, 195 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 14 handheld radio set, 30 detonating cords and several phones with SIM cards were recovered.“Other items recovered include diving equipment, one personal computer, Ipad, mobile phones and other items,” the statement read in part.

Ado further stated that in a similar development, the Maritime Component of the Joint Force, the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta on May 26 and June 14, respectively, arrested three suspected coordinators of several pipeline bombings across the region.

       The spokesman added that one of the arrested suspects reportedly confessed to being part of the group that bombed the Nigerian Petroleum Developing Company (NPDC) crude oil pipeline at Escravos, Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta.

The new militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, had claimed responsibility for the NPDC attack at Escravos crude export pipeline.

Ado said that several bomb related items were recovered from the vandals who bombed the Escravos facility.

SEX SCANDAL: US REVOKES LAWMAKERS’ VISAS, HOUSE BEGINS PROBE

Following allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against three Nigerian

lawmakers by the United States government, the visas of the trio of Hon
Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi), Mark Gbilla (APC, Benue) and Samuel
Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom, has been revoked by the US Embassy in Nigeria.

One of the accused members, Hon. Mark Gbillah, confirmed the revocation.
He said he “received correspondence from the US Embassy on Wednesday, June
15, 2016 indicating the denial of their US visas and requesting that they
bring their international passports with current US visas to the Embassy.”

Consequently, the House of Representatives has commenced a probe of the
allegations.

The US government had accused the lawmakers of attempted rape,
solicitation for prostitutes from staff of Cleveland Hotel in Ohio during
a recent visit of the lawmakers for a leadership training programme.

The ambassador had alleged that “Mohammed Garba Gololo allegedly grabbed a
housekeeper in his hotel room and solicited for sex. While the housekeeper
reported this to her management, this incident could have involved local
law enforcement and resulted in legal consequences for Representative
Gololo.

“Mark Terseer Gbillah and Samuel Ikon allegedly requested hotel parking
attendants assist them to solicit for prostitutes.”

The envoy had also hinted of the possibility that their visas would be
revoked.

“Such conduct could affect some participants’ ability to travel to the
United States in the future. U.S. visa holders are expected to observe
U.S. law while in the United States. If it is determined visitors have
violated U.S. law, their visas can be revoked, even if their behaviour did
not result in arrests or convictions, he had said in the letter to the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

Speaking on the development, Chairman of the House Committee on Media and
Public Affairs, Abdulrazak Namdas, said the House has begun a probe into
the matter noting that the members remained innocent until proven guilty.

“Ten of our members went to Cleveland, Ohio, US to participate in an
International Visitor Leadership Programme on good governance in April.
However, we are in receipt of a letter from the Ambassador of US where he
alleged that some of the members were involved in misconduct.

“As a responsible parliament, the leadership has received this letter and
is doing its own investigation. When investigations are concluded, we will
brief you further.”

“Nobody has been convicted; none of them is before any court of law and
once it’s an allegation, it remains an allegation until investigations
are over,” Namdas stated.

Meanwhile, two of the accused members have written the US Ambassador and
threatened court action over what they described as false allegations
against them.

A letter written by Hon Mark Gbillah reads:

“It has come to my attention that via correspondence from your good self
to His Excellency, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria (a copy of which I also received) you made very
serious allegations against me and other members of the House of
Representatives’ group that visited the United States in April 2016 as
part of the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP).

“In your letter, you claimed that I was identified as one of the members
of the aforementioned group who asked for the assistance of a hotel
parking attendant to solicit for prostitutes at the Residence Inn Downtown
Cleveland Ohio.

I am extremely shocked, upset, irked and embarrassed by your letter and
want to categorically state that these allegations are completely false,
unfounded, malicious and a calculated attempt to malign and cast aspersion
on my reputation and character as a Nigerian citizen and honourable member
of the House of Representatives and to bring disrepute to the hallowed
institution of the National Assembly and the entire nation of Nigeria.”

“I have visited the US and several countries in the world countless times
over the last several years and have stayed at countless hotels all over
the world and want to dare the US government to find any instance where I
have previously solicited for prostitutes from a hotel employee even when
I was not a married man.

“I am a member of two of the rewards programmes of the parent hotel brand
of the Residence Inn (Marriott Rewards and Ritz Carlton Rewards) and the
record of my previous stays at all the hotel brands can be obtained to
ascertain whether or not I have ever solicited for prostitutes from any
hotel employee.

“Although it is very easy to obtain the previous travel history and track
record of accused members, it is obvious the US State Department and the
US Embassy have presumed our guilt without proper investigation because of
the disdain and disrespect they have towards the average Nigerian citizen,
even when such citizens are members of the Nigerian House of
Representatives, a treatment they will never mete out to an ordinary
American citizen who is not even a member of the US Congress.”

“A member of our group made a formal complaint to the organisers of the
programme about his being defrauded to the tune of about $100 at the
Renaissance Hotel Dupont Circle Washington DC, but neither the US State
Department nor the US Embassy in Nigeria has deemed it fit to take any
action or initiate any investigation in this regard.”

Dino Melaye calls for the scrapping of "State of Origin" as a political requirement

Senator Dino Melaye has called for the scrapping of the "State of Origin" requirement for political offices contestants in Nigeria. Speaking at a ceremony to unveil the logo/medal of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN), in commemoration of its 18th anniversary, Melaye said state of residence of prospective political aspirants should be focused on.

According to him, this would promote peace and coexistence in Nigeria as anyone who has stayed in a place for more than a particular number of years can vie for any political office.

“Ethnic bigotry should be shunned. There should be a replacement of the state-of-origin to unite the country. Any responsible person that has lived in a particular place for a certain number of years can aspire to any political position, including that state’s governor seat. There is also the need for the review of the educational system so as to teach more morals, values and culture with a view to building falling walls.” Recall that the immediate past senate president, David Mark, while in office, canvassed for the scrapping of the state of origin requirement. According to David Mark, anyone who had stayed in a place for as long as 20 years should be able to contest election without any resistance as he has over the years contributed his quota to the development of his state of residence.

Photos: Thugs stand guard at the gate of PDP Headquaters in Abuja

And the Drama continues! Thugs reportedly loyal to embattled PDP National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff have camped at the gates of PDP Headquaters in Abuja. The thugs who came equipped with sticks and other weapons, have vowed that nobody except Ali Modu Sheriff and his loyalists would be allowed into the premises. See more photos after the cut...

Source: Sahara Reporters

Human Trafficking: 18 Somali migrants suffocate in a cramped container trunk (graphic)

A total of 18 Somali nationals have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo after traveling from neighbouring Zambia in a container truck packed with fish, in an apparent case of human trafficking gone wrong, Zambian police say.

The Truck registered AFB 496 from Kasama was carrying over 50 Somalians suspected to be trafficked from Tanzania.The final destination of the victims is unclear at this stage. The photos are so sad! *viewer discretion advised*

The Truck carried bags of beans in front but had Somalians hidden behind. Apparently passers-by are said to have forced the driver to open the truck when they heard noises coming from the truck.

At the scene, 20 Km from Levy Mwanawasa Bridge in Chembe, bodies were found strewn on the ground and over 30 survivors narrated that they were transferred from another truck and were picked from Kasama but the new truck had no ventilation which made their colleagues suffocate to death. The driver is detained by Police on the Congo side.

Hudson Namachila, the Luapula province police commissioner, said 11 suffocated to death in the truck while another seven later died after the authorities in DR Congo rejected help from Zambia.

In Chembe, bodies were found strewn on the ground and over 30 survivors narrated that they were transferred from another truck and were picked from Kasama but the new truck had no ventilation which made their colleagues suffocate to death.

Speaking to BBC’s Kennedy Gondwe in Lusaka, Mr Namachila said that DR Congo had now shut the border with Zambia and had arrested the two Zambian drivers and the Somalis who had survived the journey