Just before you go to bed, here are the major political and crime stories you missed today. Fulani herdsmen murder first class monarch, driver in Plateau
Suspected herdsmen have killed a first class traditional ruler in Plateau State, the Saf Ron Kulere, and Chairman of Bokkos Traditional Rulers’ Council, Sir Lazarus Agai.
Until his assassination, Agai was the traditional ruler of Bokkos, the home town of a former governor of the state, Chief Joshua Dariye.
The traditional ruler was killed while returning from his farm in Sha, along with his driver.
Details of the incident remained sketchy as of the time of filing this report.
Confirming the incident to Punch, the member representing Bokkos Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Mr. Sunday Muchen said the monarch was killed on Monday by unknown gunmen.
The Police Public Relations Officer of Plateau State, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Tyopev Terna, who also confirmed the incident, said that no one had been arrested in connection with the crime.
Remi Tinubu begs IGP for protection says Dino Melaye has killed a lawmaker before [LETTER]
Remi Tinubu, wife of National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has written to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, seeking police protection.
Senator Tinubu (APC-Lagos), in a letter dated Monday July 18 explained to the IGP that she made the request following threat by Senator Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi).
Part of the letter reads “During the proceedings on July 14, 2016, I had cause to contribute to a matter of national importance. Apparently dissatisfied with my contributions, Senator Dino Melaye threw caution to the winds, resorted to vulgar abuse of my person and wanted to assault me.
“It was the timely intervention of a number of my colleagues which prevented Senator Melaye from unleashing physical attack on me”.
Remi Tinubu lamented that the Senate leadership refused to call Melaye to order.
She added that “In view of Senator Melaye’s antecedent, particularly in the House of Representatives, where a brawl led by him had led to the untimely death of a lawmaker, I have decided not to ignore his threat to my life.”
Remi Tinubu’s letter to IGP
………………….Dino Melaye alleges Remi Tinubu has released N75m to sponsor a protest against him in Abuja
Senator Dino Melaye has alleged that Senator Remi Tinubu has released N75 million to sponsor a protest against him. He made the allegation in a post on his Facebook wall this evening. He wrote; A civil rights movement, Committee for the Defence of Women’s Rights, has uncovered a plan by the wife of a former governor of Lagos State and chairman, Senate Committee on Women Affairs, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu to sponsor a protest against Senator Dino Melaye this coming Wednesday in Abuja. The organisation said she has released N75 million to Lagos State APC Woman Leader, Mrs. Kemi Nelson through one of her sisters simply identified as Funlola. The National President of CDWR, Prof. Taibat Majekodunmi, made the revelation in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja. Already, the protesters have stormed Abuja and have booked for 300 rooms in many Hotels in hotels in Abuja. She said, “We have it on good authority that N75 million has been released by Senator Okuremi Tinubu to Mrs. Kemi Nelson through Mrs. Tinubu’s sister called Funlola. The money is to organise a protest in Abuja on Wednesday against the chairman, Denate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dino Melaye, with 1,000 protesters from Lagos. “The protesters have booked for 300 rooms in some in hotels in Abuja. Why did she not organise a protest against the hardship of Nigerian women and widows. As we speak, Alade market in Ogba area of Lagos has been destroyed and all the women rendered shopless. Oluremi Tinubu did not organise protest about that. “Against the provisions of the constitution of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kemi Nelson doubles at the State APC Women leader in Lagos and also the zonal women leader of APC in the South West. This will show her greediness and why the Tinubu dynasty has taken over Lagos. “Women were killed in Kano and Abuja and Mrs. Tinubu is the chairman, Senate Committee on Women Affairs. She did not organise protest over these killings. Mrs. Tinubu has not protested against the skyrocketed price of tomatoes in the market. In the same vein, kerosine is now over N200 per litre and she didn’t organised any protest to that effect. “Instead, she has taken advantage of the prevailing poverty in the land to hire hungry women in the land to partake in an unproductive protest against Dino Melaye. Women like Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, Hajiya Gambosa Sawaba, Sarah Jubril, fought for woman race without attacking any man. Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu should emulate the likes of Margaret Thatcher, Indira Ghandhi, Benazir Bhutto and our own dear Dora Akunyili. “You can imagine what N75 million will do in the lives of widows and hungry Nigerian women. We dare Mrs. Tinubu to go ahead with her planned N75 million protest in Abuja. We will also mobilise Nigerian women against this ostentatious display of wealth while the average Nigerian women wallow in abject poverty.” NFF names Le Guen Super Eagles Technical Adviser The Nigeria Football Federation on Monday named named Frenchman Paul Le Guen as Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser. Le Guen will be assisted by Nigerian Salisu Yusuf, who takes the role of Chief Coach. The 52-year-old steered the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals. He led Cameroon to the 2010 World Cup and has coached top French clubs Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as Scottish side Rangers, with his last job being with Oman, who sacked him in November 2015 after a difficult start to their World Cup qualifying tournament. Le Guen has been linked with the Nigeria post for several months after Sunday Oliseh walked out on the Super Eagles in February, following what the former Nigeria skipper claimed were several breaches to his contract, including the non-payment of his salary for several months. The NFF have assured a regular payment of the new coach’s salary, believed to be about $50,000 a month, as it will be covered by a private company after the government said it would not bankroll it. The immediate task for Le Guen, who led Lyon to three Ligue 1 titles between 2002 and 2005, is to help the Super Eagles qualify for a sixth World Cup, beginning in October with a tricky visit to Zambia. The coach takes over a team that failed in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying for the second successive time in March. Yusuf, capped at U20 level by Nigeria, led the Super Eagles in interim capacity for two international friendly matches in Europe at the end of May, which the Eagles won. Enugu Rangers gaffer Imama Amapakabo and former Super Eagles’ goalkeeper and skipper Alloy Agu, who served as assistant coach and goalkeeper trainer for the games against Mali and Luxembourg in May, retain their places in the technical crew. The new crew’s immediate challenge is a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania in the first week of September – a dead rubber, but which would serve as ample preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match away to Zambia on October 3. The Committee has also recommended to the NFF Board, the appointment of one –time Super Eagles’ assistant coach Bitrus Bewarang as the new NFF Technical Director. Bewarang, who is president of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, will replace the late Coach Shaibu Amodu. There is also a recommendation that former Super Eagles’ defender Nduka Ugbade be restored to the U17 National Team as assistant to Coach Manu Garba. The appointments are subject to agreement of contract terms with the NFF Executive Committee. Okocha, Kanu trapped in Turkey Nigerian football legends, Nwankwo Kanu and Austin Jay Jay Okocha got stuck in Turkey following a failed coup which happened in the country on Friday, July 15. Kanu and Okocha were in Turkey for the charity game organised by Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o which was scheduled to hold on Saturday, July 16 in Antalaya. Eto’o has now postponed the charity game-which is to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of his Fundación Privadao- following the unrest in Turkey. An attempted coup on Friday, July 15 which left several hundreds dead had the whole country in disarray leading to the postponement of the match. The Nigerian greats alongside a number of football stars were already in Antalya to support Eto’o when the failed coup was staged. Ghana’s Stephen Appiah and Michael Essien and Ivory Coast’s Kolo Toure were some of the African football stars already in the country. The football stars are all safe and are currently returning to their respective bases. Marcel Desailly, Carles Puyol, Deco and former England manager Fabio Capello were also in Turkey for the game. The likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez, Diego Maradona, Eden Hazard, Didier Drogba and Arda Turan were all scheduled to play in a game between a World Stars side and Turkey Stars team. Eto’o’s Fundación Privada was created 10 years ago as a non-profit organisation striving to raise awareness of the needs of the African continent. Woman sells siblings’ children in Calabar A 26-year-old lady, Gift Etim Ikono, and her two sisters, Esther Etim Ikono and Florence Victor Ikono, are currently in police custody in Calabar, Cross River State, for allegedly selling their babies to yet-to-be identified persons. The Akwa Ibom State-born suspect, Gift, who resides at 8th Mile, Calabar, was arrested on June 28 for allegedly selling two children belonging to Esther and Florence, her sisters. It was gathered that Gift harboured Esther and Florence in her apartment while they were pregnant, and sold their babies at birth. According to Mr. Jimoh Obeh, Cross River State Commissioner of Police, “the two girls got pregnant and when they gave birth, the babies were sold out by the suspect (Gift) to unknown buyers.” The principal suspect, along with her sisters, according to the Police Commissioner, would soon appear in court after investigations are completed. Dasukigate: Court of Appeal puts Dasuki’s appeal on hold The Court of Appeal on Monday put on hold hearing on an appeal filed by Sambo Dasuki, seeking discharge of all the criminal charges against him by the Federal Government. The presiding Judge, Justice Abdul Aboki, held that the appeal was not ripe for hearing since parties had failed to file all relevant process before the court. “As you have all seen, the respondent’s brief is not before us which means the process that should give room for the hearing of the appeal is not concluded yet. “We shall not be giving parties any date again until the proper thing is done,’’ Aboki held. The applicant (former National Security Adviser) headed to the appellate court over his prolonged detention by the Department of State Services (DSS). Dasuki had prayed the appellate court to set aside a judgment by an Abuja High Court that refused to stay proceedings of his trial following his prolonged detention. It would be recalled that Dasuki had been detained by the DSS since December 2015. He further urged the court to absolve him of the pending charges on account of the federal government disobedience to a court order which granted him bail. His re-arrest by the security agency came after Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the Federal High Court, Abuja, granted him bail from the custody of the EFCC. In his appeal, he also sought the stay of proceedings on his trial pending the obedience of three court orders granting him bail by the government. Dasuki said the Abuja High court which refused his earlier application for stay of proceedings of his trial erred in its ruling. The applicant is standing trial for alleged misappropriation of more than two billion dollars meant for arms purchases for the country’s military to fight the Boko Haram insurgents.
Scam Alert: EFCC on the trail of suspected ATM fraudster Akinade Tofunmi The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday released a statement addressing the rise of identity theft in Nigeria. Photos of a suspected female fraudster on the run was also shared. Read below. The much talked about ATM fraudsters are not resting on the oars. They are all over the place laying siege to any susceptible victim. These criminals go about fleecing unwary members of the public with their ingenious, ever-changing modes of operations. The latest being the infamous identity theft.
Before now, cloning and PIN harvesting through electronic chips cleverly concealed in the Automated Teller Machine (ATM), was the universal mode. Over time, the tricks and decoys to entrap their victims keep changing and have assumed a disturbing dimension. The Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is on the trail of a suspected ATM fraudster, who goes by the name Akinade Tofunmi. Her trade in stock is identity theft. Her duty post is any ATM Point and Point of Sales (POS) machines across the country. However, she does not ‘work’ during the official hours of the week rather; she operates late in the night when all bank transactions had closed and preferably over the weekend when her ‘prospective’ victims might not be able to alert the banks for any unauthorised transaction. In her last operation, within twenty four hours; this fraudster who operates with the identity of her victims succeeded to have raked in about three million (N3m) within 24 hours. Dateline was Friday, June 3rd, 2016, at about the close of work. A woman simply identified as Alhaja and her husband who was waiting in the car wanted to use an ATM somewhere in Ibadan, Oyo State, when Tofunmi noticed that the woman limps. Pretending to be polite and cultured, she offered to assist her with the transaction on the ATM. Unaware of the intention behind the pious approach, she gave the fraudster her ATM card and divulged her PIN. Smartly, the fraudster quickly checked the balance in the account which had one million, seven hundred and forty nine thousand, twenty six naira and seven kobo (N1, 749, 026. 07). After the intended withdrawal of N20, 000:00, the fraudster swapped the card and gave Alhaja a fake ATM card. Oblivious of the swap, she left with her husband. Shortly before midnight, the fraudster started the ‘harvest’ of her booty. She withdrew one hundred and thirty thousand naira. Having exceeded the daily withdrawing limit for that day, she waited for a few minutes to the following day which was a Saturday. Shortly after midnight, she made another rounds of withdrawals to the tune of one hundred and fifty thousand naira which was also the daily limit for that day. However, Alhaja and her husband had no one to run or call that night to save the situation when the debit alerts start coming in torrent. In a desperate need of where and how to empty the balance in the account, she went to a night club where she met a motorcycle transporter, popularly known as Okada whom she approached for a help. Her decoy was that she had enough money in her account but could not access it having exceeded her daily withdrawal limit. She showed the bike man her balance and pleaded with him to give her his ATM card, account details and PIN for a quick teller transfer from her (Alhaja’s) account to the bike man’s account. With that, she has been able to secure some of Alhaja’s money in the bike man’s account thereby stealing the identity of the unsuspecting bike man. At the early hours of that Saturday morning, she asked the bike man to take her to a hotel with an intention to further steal the identity of the hotelier for another movement of the money. At the hotel reception while paying for her accommodation which was N10, 000 (Ten thousand naira) for one night, she deliberated credited the hotel’s account with one hundred and one thousand naira (N101, 000) feigning a mistake and demanded a refund of ninety-one thousand naira (N91, 000) balance of an overpayment. This was also done with Alhaja’s ATM card through the POS machine at the Hotel. To further conceal her identity, she provided fake personal details in the hotel and gave the hotel the bike man’s account detail when the hotel management requested for an account to deposit the refund. All these happened on Saturday; hence, Alhaja and her husband are still in dilemma with no help in sight to stop the transactions in the account. By Sunday, Alhaja’s money had moved to the fraudster both in cash and through transfer to the bike man account domicile in the same bank. All these while, the fraudster was in possession of both Alhaja the first victim and the bike man, the second victim’s ATM cards. Later the following day, Monday, the bike man could no longer reach the fraudster on phone; he (the bike man) then went to the bank to request for another ATM card. It was later discovered in the bank that part of Alhaja’s money was transferred to the bike man’s account. He was arrested by the bank and He’s now helping the EFCC operatives to track down the fraudster. Investigations have revealed that this same fraudster had stolen the identities of other victims earlier and had absconded to, Ilorin, Kwara State. Instances of Tofunmi’s nefarious activities have also been spotted in other parts of the country particularly Port Harcourt City. The Commission is hereby seeking the cooperation and support of public spirited members of the society to please help unveil the identity of this fraudster. Her face, though with different disguises, is on display for anyone who knows her to please contact any of our offices across the six geopolitical zones and Abuja. She must be apprehended, who knows the next victim? Besides, it is imperative to reiterate the need to be careful with our ATM cards and PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PIN). On no account should we divulge any information about our account details to anyone. The criminals, ATM fraudsters are on the loose, taking advantage of people’s insensitivity and carelessness. Pictures show Akinade Tofunmi as captured by CCTV Of the bank and Hotel she operated from. David Mark visits President Buhari
Former Senate President David Mark visited President Buhari at the state House Abuja today July 18th.