Patience Jonathan: Ozekhome, EFCC’s lawyer clash over representation

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome and counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Rotimi Oyedepo, clashed at the Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday.
The disagreement was over the representation of four companies that pleaded guilty to laundering $15.5million allegedly belonging to former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.
While Ozekhome is claiming to have been validly appointed to represent the firms, another lawyer, Luke Aghanenu, also claimed that he was briefed by the companies to represent them.
The companies are – Pluto Property and Investment Company Limited, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited, Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited and Avalon Global Property Development Limited.

The EFCC arraigned them with a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to President Jonathan, Waripamo Dudafa, a lawyer Amajuoyi Briggs and a banker, Adedamola Bolodeoku.
Unlike the companies, Dudafa, Briggs and Bolodeoku pleaded not guilty to the 17-count charge.
Aghanenu filed a motion for change of counsel, praying the court to hold that he was validly appointed by the companies’ directors to represent them, not Ozekhome.
The motion was argued before Justice Babs Kuewumi.
While Ozekhome urged the court to dismiss the application for change of counsel, Oyedepo said he was not opposed to the motion.
There was a heated exchanged between Ozekhome and Oyedepo when the SAN accused EFCC of trying to determine which lawyer would represent the companies.

Ozekhome said EFCC being the prosecution should not be interested in who represented the companies.
He said: “Because we want to set aside the guilty plea of the companies, they arranged with the EFCC to change counsel. We’ll not allow that to happen. They’ll continue to contend with my face.
“It already show your interest, that you (EFCC) have an interest in who represents the defendants you’re prosecuting.”
But, Oyedepo described Ozekhome’s comments as prejudicial, saying they were unfair to him and EFCC.
“The allegation made by the learned SAN is totally unmeritorious. It is not in the interest of justice. It’s prejudicial to us. It’s unfortunate.
“This not the only case we are both involved in, so why would I not want to see his face?  My prayer is that he should be busy, that people should contact and give him briefs,” he said.
Oyedepo said it was wrong for Ozekhome to “scandalise” him, but the SAN insisted that the EFCC had a preference for the lawyer who would represent the firms.”

Edo reopens job portal March 1

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has disclosed that the state government is finalising arrangements to reopen the EdoJobs portal on March 1, 2018.
In a statement on Thursday, in Benin City, by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, the governor said the reopening of the portal would extend the window of opportunities for more youths to be captured in the state’s jobs database.
The governor reassured youths in the state of his administration’s commitment to fulfil his campaign promise of creating 200,000 jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.
According to Obaseki, “The reopening of the job portal is to capture more youths in the state, who are to undergo employability and capacity building training. After their training, these youths will be matched with employers of labours, who have indicated interest in employing young people.

“It is clear that we have a crisis of youth unemployment and we are making frantic efforts to address it. There are various options the applicants on the jobs portal can choose from.
The EdoJobs initiative trained a batch of 500 youths late last year, and also supplied over 4,000 people trained by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) this year.
EdoJobs is an employment initiative of Godwin Obaseki-led administration to train and retrain graduates with post-secondary school certificates on business writing, workplace ethics, problem-solving skills, emotional intelligence and managing conflicts, among others. The initiative gives applicants the opportunity for job placements in companies across the state.
The portal provides the state government with data of applicants, which it uses for planning skills training for the job seekers in collaboration with companies requiring skilled labour.

Buhari loses sister in-law

A sister in-law to President Muhammadu Buhari, Hajiya Aisha Mamman, is dead.
Mamman, 75, died in the early hours of Thursday.
The Information Officer of the Daura Local Government Council in Katsina, Alhaji Salisu Haro, made the disclosure in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Daura.
He said the deceased died at 11:30 a.m. at the Federal Medical Center in Katsina after a brief illness.

Haro said that the deceased was the wife of the late Alhaji Mamman Danbaffale, the elder brother to Buhari.
He said that Mamman was survived by eight children, including Fatihu Mamman, a staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission and Hajiya Rbiya Mamman, a nutrition officer with the Katsina State Government.
Haro said the deceased had since been buried in Daura in accordance with Islamic injunction.

Mugabe to go on exile

President Robert Mugabe last night agreed to step down.
A new government is to be formed within 48 hours, a twitter handle claiming to be speaking on behalf of the provisional government of Zimbabwe said.
Mugabe will then proceed on exile to South Africa.
Fresh elections will be held in the spring of 2018 once order and peace have been established.

The likely presidential election date is April 18, 2018, Zimbabwe’s independence day.
“The structure of government will remain the same under the provisional government of Zimbabwe. However, the introduction of new posts, such as ‘prime minister’ are being negotiated. “The new, provisional government of Zimbabwe will be formed within the next 48 hours. It is likely that vice presidential posts will remain vacant.
“Comrade R.G Mugabe is not going to be prosecuted for his actions and crimes throughout his tenure as Prime Minister (1980–1987) and President of the republic (1987–2017). He has accepted H.E Jacob Zuma’s offer and will depart to South Africa after the resignation.
“Mugabe is currently negotiating with the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. The provisional government will soon address the nation to update you all with the current situation.”
Mugabe’s wife Grace and two key figures from her G40 political faction are under house arrest at Mugabe’s “Blue House” compound in Harare and are insisting the 93-year-old finishes his presidential term, a source said.
The G40 figures are cabinet ministers Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere, who fled to the compound after their homes were attacked by troops in Tuesday night’s coup, the source, who said he had spoken to people inside the compound, said.

Zimbabwean intelligence reports seen by Reuters suggest that former security chief Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was ousted as vice-president this month, has been mapping out a post-Mugabe vision with the military and opposition for more than a year.
Fuelling speculation that that plan might be rolling into action, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has been receiving cancer treatment in Britain and South Africa, returned to Harare late on Wednesday, his spokesman said.
He urged President Mugabe to resign in the interest of the country.
“In the interest of the people, Robert Mugabe must resign and step down immediately,” Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, told a news conference, reading from a statement.
The opposition called for the intermediate installation of an interim government.
“At the moment the transitional government is the best way to go,” said Douglas Mwonzora, Secretary-General of Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party.
“We back the military move but the country should quickly go back a constitutional government.”
Armoured vehicles that were stationed at key government buildings during the political upheaval on Wednesday remained in place.
The soldiers appeared relaxed, even smiling and chatting with onlookers.
Most people were going about their daily business and children went to school.
Special envoys sent by South African President Jacob Zuma were holding discussions on Mugabe’s fate with Zimbabwe’s leaders.
Officials from the Southern African Development Community were also meeting in Botswana’s capital Gaborone yesterday to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe.
“What is needed is an inclusive government to run the affairs of Zimbabwe until a time it is right to have elections,” said Didymus Mutasa, a long-time minister in Mugabe’s government, who was fired in 2014 for backing Joice Mujuru as the president’s successor.
Jacob Mafume, a spokesman of the People’s Democratic Party led by Tendai Biti, said that any interim government “should be inclusive of all the stakeholders, including the church and all parties.”
While the army has said Mugabe is safe, there were mixed reports in the media about his wife Grace Mugabe’s whereabouts, with some saying she had fled the country.
Speculation had been growing before the coup that 52-year-old Grace was preparing to take over from her husband.
The potential ascendency appears to have faced resistance from senior military officials.

There was an uneasy calm on the streets of Harare, after initial jubilation on Wednesday when the army announced it had seized control from Mugabe.

2018 budget: Govt votes N1b for State House Clinic

No details of National Assembly’s N125b
The Executive has proposed to spend N1,030,458,453 on the State House Clinic under the Presidency’s total estimate of N51,445,678,808 in the 2018 Budget proposal.
The clinic came under focus recently when the President’s wife, Hajia Aisha Buhari, criticised it for being without “ordinary syringe” and unable to treat anyone.
The breakdown of the State House Medical Centre’s expenditure includes the proposed allocation of N408 million for medical equipment, N146 million for the completion of the dental wing’s extension and N120 million for construction of two blocks of 24 units three bedroom flats.

The National Assembly is expected to begin the screening of the budget next week. Approval is likely to be end of the year so as to return the country to the January-December budget cycle.
The details of the National Assembly’s N125 billion estimate remain undisclosed. That has been the case since 1999 in spite of the leadership’s transparency promise.
Some expenditure to be undertaken at the Presidency include N145 million for food stuff / catering materials supplies, N165 million for maintenance of motor vehicle / transport equipment, N132 million on fuel & lubricants, N67 million for vehicles’ fuel, N45 million for generator fuel, N18 million on gas, N135,668,651 on refreshment & meals while honorarium & sitting allowance is to take N478,313,996.
Also, ongoing rehabilitation work on the Presidency’s animal enclosure and procurement of its veterinary  lab equipment is to cost N12,489,655, upgrade of the presidential villa ranch and construction of wildlife mini-zoo is proposed at a cost of N28,908,625 while N24 million is for local flowers’ nursery, irrigation and upgrade of a helipad grass field.
Also, annual routine maintenance of mechanical/electrical installations at the Presidential villa is proposed for N4,860,392,146, outstanding liabilities on routine maintenance and other services for 2016 is allocated N565. 6 million while N83. 7 million is allocated for the purchase of tyres for bullet proof vehicles, trucks, jeeps, ambulance and other utility vehicles.
The routine maintenance of State House Lagos facilities (Dodan Barracks, VP Residence/Guest Houses at Ikoyi) is to be undertaken at a cost of N145,869,150 under the 2018 national budget.

Also proposed is over N25.5 billion to be spent on surveillance activities across the country.
Nigeria will be strengthening its security architecture with some high tech surveillance infrastructure in 2018.
In the vanguard of this intense surveillance operation is the Directorate of State Security Service (DSS) that plans to purchase a social media minning suite for N2,213,456,360.
Also in 2018, the DSS has proposed to spend N 1,006,200,000 on surveillance drones with precision camera and IMSI payload capabilities.

Soldiers chased weapon-laden truck into Kanu’s home, says Buratai

•Court hears case on Kanu’s whereabouts
Soldiers chased a truck laden with weapons into a house said to belong to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu’s father   in Afara-Ukwu Ibeku, Umuahia, Abia State, on September 14, Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai has said.
Gen. Buratai said owners of the truck detonated the explosives on the day Kanu was last seen in public.
He said the suspects’ intention was to frustrate the move to arrest them by the troops

Gen, Buratai stated these in a counter-affidavit he filed in reaction to a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja in Kanu’s name by his lawyer Ifeanyi Ejiofor.
The suit seeks, among others, an order to compel Gen. Buratai, listed as defendant, to produce the IPOB leader, who the plaintiff claimed was in the custody of the military.
IPOB claimed, in the suit filed shortly after Kanu went missing, that the soldiers, who allegedly invaded his father’s house on September 14, took him away.
But, in the counter-affidavit deposed to on his behalf by Col. A.A Yusuf, attached to the COAS’s office at the Army Headquarters, Abuja, Gen. Buratai denied the plaintiff’s claim. He said the soldiers had no contact with Kanu
He said: during “a peaceful movement” which was part of the “Operation Python Dance II” on September 14, some soldiers saw a truck and flagged it down, but the truck and its occupants ran over Army’s barricade and defied soldiers’ order stopping them to be searched.
He said the soldiers pursued the fleeing truck, loaded with arms and ammunition, into a compound.

Buratai said the compound turned out to be the one Kanu later claimed, in the suit, to belong to him and his father.
He said soldiers, who pursued the truck into Kanu’s father’s  house, did not fire any shot but that the occupants of the fleeing truck deliberately ignited the ammunition in the truck.
“It was the legitimate attempt by the officers and men of the Nigerian Army to arrest the fleeing occupants of the truck and impound the truck that precipitated the deliberate igniting of the ammunition in the truck by persons now believed to be IPOB members.
“The act of the IPOB members resulted in sporadic explosions within the said applicant’s compound.
“The applicant (Kanu) is not and has neither being in our custody nor in the custody of any person, officer or institution receiving instruction directly or indirectly from him.
“The applicant was not at any time whatsoever arrested, taken into custody or detained by the Officers and men of the Nigerian Army.
“The officers and men of the Nigerian Army did not have any contact whatsoever or confrontation or any operational engagement with the applicant on September 12 or 14, 20l7 or any other date thereafter, contrary to the  allegations in the affidavit in support of the  application.
“The allegation of invasion of the South-Eastern part of Nigeria by officers and men of the Nigerian Army, especially the applicant’s home and or residence is totally false,” the COAS said.
He added that his men, acting in compliance with “approved Rules of Engagement and Code of Conduct which prohibit any form of human right abuses” did not kill scores of people during the military operation in the South East as alleged in the suit.
“The allegations of firing of live bullets on the applicant’s relatives, killing of scores of persons, wounding and arrest of many, attack and invasion of applicant’s home, barricade at Isialangwa, arrest and torture of civilians by officers and me of the Nigerian Army, as stated by the deponent, are a figment of his imagination as same are not true,” he said.

The case is expected to come up today for hearing before Justice Binta Nyako.

Maina: Senate seeks sack of Malami, Danbazau, others

SENATORS resolved yesterday to probe the controversial return of Abdulrasheed Maina to the civil service.
The Public Service, Anti-Corruption, Interior and Judiciary  committee is to investigate the recall  of the former Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, who is on the wanted list of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged N2 billion pension fraud, among others.
The committee is to determine how Maina was reinstated and promoted to director.
The upper chamber said the development became even curious, especially when Maina is wanted for alleged fraud.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance raised by Senator Isa Hamma Misau (Bauchi South).
Misau said the circumstances of Misau’s return and reinstatement service had become a huge embarrassment to the country.
Many of the senators who contributed to the debate asked the Senate to resolve to ask President Muhammadu Buhari to sack those linked to the development.
The lawmakers singled out Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami and Interior Minister Abdulrahman Danbazzau as two public officials that should be hammered by President Buhari for their alleged roles in the Maina matter.
Misau said: “Right from day before, you will see the story of somebody who has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).  We read how the man who was declared wanted and was said to be abroad came back to Nigeria miraculously.
“Going by the newspaper publications, somebody wanted by the EFCC left the country for so many years. He was dismissed from the service. He was out for a long time, but smuggled into the service. He left the country as an assistant director. Today, he is a director.

“We even heard that he goes about with police escort. I wonder how a government that claims to be fighting corruption will be involved in a matter like this. This is a big embarrassment for this country. The people around the President are not helping matters. It appears that the President is the only one talking about corruption. Other people around him are protecting corrupt people.
“The AGF was mentioned and other people were mentioned. We investigated this case in the 7th Assembly. I am calling on the Senate to investigate this case again.”
Chief Whip Olusola Adeyeye said: “I remember what happened then. It got to a point when the former President of the Senate, David Mark, told the former President Goodluck Jonathan to choose between Abdulrasheed Maina and loyalty to the country. It got so bad that Maina had over 30 police officers attached to him.
“It got so bad that he was always on the front row whenever the former President travelled. At some point, we thought that he was being protected. I remember one of us was blackmailed and called names. He was accused of taking billions as bribes. Today, that lawmaker was cleared and he is here.
“Some principalities in power then ferried Maina to neighbouring countries. There is a procedure when it comes to promotion in the civil service. This is an insult on the part of civil servants who have worked so hard.
“As a member of APC, it is a sad moment. We cannot say that we want to fight corruption and have this approach. Jesus Christ said it is difficult for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle.
“This saddens me and I am sure it saddens all of us. I am glad that following the outrage from the public, the President acted swiftly. We read in the papers that the rules of the civil service were bypassed.
“It appears there are people in this government who want the President to fail. Every patriot and member of APC in this house must stand out and ensure that the President does not fail.
“Papers have reported that two Ministers were involved. Those Ministers must be brought to justice. The President must ensure that those Ministers are sacked. Corruption is not only about stealing money. Incompetence too is another form of corruption.
“I hope that this Senate will not forget its past resolutions on Maina. On it, we still stand. He must be made to stand and face the law. He is not above the law. Steven Oronsaye was accused. He did not leave the country. He stayed back and cleared his name. Maina must do same.
Senator Kabiru Marafa said:
“I want to appreciate the person who brought this motion by exposing some dubious people in government. No family can boast of having 100 per cent good people. APC is not an exception. We cannot attribute everything to the President. He should be commended for rising to the occasion.
“Reinstating Maina is a crime against Nigerians. We should approve a full blown investigation into what happened. We must not allow this thing to go unnoticed.
Senator Atai Idoko said: “We are looking at the symptoms; we are not looking at the cause. Maina is too small to go back to office. Somebody brought him back to the office. Maina is too small. He is not the issue. We should look at those who returned Maina.
“As we were told, the person who approved this thing is the AGF. The simplest thing the President could do was to terminate the appointment of Maina. That is not the issue. The AGF brought him back. The AGF has a history of doing things like this. The President should tell us what he will do to the AGF.
Senator Albert Bassey Akpan would like the Senate to “investigate and bring to book any person who wants to bring this country to disrepute”. “We will stand with the Senate to ensure that the right thing is done,” he said.
Senator Tayo Alasoadura cautioned his colleagues not to call names of people who have not been indicted. “We should not duplicate. If the executive has set up a committee, we should not do the same thing. We must not set up committees every time”, he said.
Senator Dino Melaye, “the whole unfolding affair is pathetic”. He said: “Should we continue in sin and ask grace to abound? The AGF time after time has abused his office. Maina did not get himself back. We should talk about the integrity of the AGF and his office. If the number one law officer is breaking the law, where is the hope?
“The AGF started with the forgery case against Saraki and Ekweremadu. Something happened we have not noticed. Two public officers had issues and the AGF chose to support the Inspector-General of Police against Senator Isah Hamman Misau. Today, it is Senator Isah versus the Federal Government.
“Tomorrow, if I commit any offence against the friend to the AGF, I will be arraigned. We should not encourage the setting up of investigative committees. The President is surrounded by worms who are bent on destroying the country.
“There are so many committees that have been set up by the President and the resolutions of those reports may not be implemented until after rapture. Enough is enough. We cannot have this forever. This is wrong. The Senate needs to do something.
“We must recommend to the President that the AGF has erred in discharging the affairs of his office. If we do not check it, the AGF will plunge us into trouble.
Senate President Bukola Saraki asked the joint committee to do a thorough job.

Metuh: Court summons Jonathan, Dasuki

A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja has insisted that former President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-National Security Adviser (NSA) Mohammed Dasuki must appear today to testify for the defence in the ongoing trial of ex-spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh.
Justice Okon Abang gave the directive yesterday despite the pending motion by Dasuki, challenging the witness summons issued on him and the uncertainty over whether or not Jonathan has been served with the subpoena issued by the court on Monday.
At the resumption of proceedings in the trial of Metuh and his company, Destra Investment yesterday, Justice Abang took argument from lawyer to Dasuki, Ahmed Raji (SAN) and other lawyers in the case on the motion by ex-NSA.
Arguing his client’s motion, Raji contended that there was no way Dasuki would testify in Metuh’s trial without implicating himself because the issues in the case and the three pending charges against him (Dasuki) were interlinked.

Raji prayed the court to set aside the subpoena issued on Dasuki or suspend the execution of the court summon until he (Dasuki) was released from prison.
He argued that his client’s long detention by the Department of State Service (DSS) since December 2015 has deprived Dasuki of ability to meaningful participate in Metuh’s trial
Raji said the DSS continued to detain Dasuki despite being granted bail by three separate municipal courts and also an order to be released by ECOWAS Court.
He said with his client’s continued detention, the ex-NSA had no access records that could enable him to give meaningful  evidence.
Raji argued that from the nature of the charges instituted against Metuh, Dasuki could be said to be an alleged co-accomplice.
He said the ex-NSA would “not be able to give evidence in the case without incriminating himself.”

Raji contended that Dasuki, as an alleged accomplice, was a competent witness, but not a compellable witness.
He stated that compelling Dasuki to give evidence would violate Section 36(2) of the Constitution, which guaranteed the right of a suspect to remain silent when arrested or detained.
Raji said Dasuki was not served personally with the subpoena, as such, the service of the subpoena through the Director-General of DSS was invalid.
Prosecuting lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir and lawyers representing Metuh and Destra, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) and Tochukwu Onwugbufor (SAN) opposed Dasuki’s motion.
They argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the application.
Tahir, Ikpeazu and Onwugbufor argued that granting the application by the court would amount to a violation of Section 287(2) of the Constitution, which they said prohibited a lower court from reviewing or varying the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which on September 29, ordered Justice Abang to sign the subpoena.
On Raji’s argument that his client, being an alleged accomplice could implicate himself, Tahir argued that such contention was without basis.
He said, “The applicant said he is an accomplice and his evidence will be self-incriminating
“That argument is contrary to section 198 (1) of the Evidence Act.”
On points of law, Raji said by virtue of the provisions of section 36 (11) of the Constitution “nobody standing trial shall be compelled to give evidence”.
He added none of the respondents had challenged “the fact that we have no access to records and we are not in right mental state to give evidence in this case”.
Justice Abang has reserved ruling on Dasuki’s motion till today.
He  said: “The outcome of the ruling will determine which step to take about the first subpoena(issued on Dasuki), but the orders compelling His Excellency, former President Goodluck Jonathan, and Col. Sambo Dasuki, to appear in court on Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at the instance of the first defendant (Metuh) still stand.”
Justice Abang had issued separate subpoenas on Jonathan and Dasuki upon applications by Metuh, who had requested the two men to testify in his defence in his ongoing trial.
The judge confirmed that the subpoena on Jonathan was issue upon the receipt of Metuh’s application for the summon to be served on the ex-President at about 3.59p.m. on Monday.
Justice Abang said: “In line with section 241(1) of Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, and having regard to the subsisting judgment of the Court of Appeal in the appeal, CA/A/159C/2017, between Olisa Metuh and Federal Republic of Nigeria  dated September 29, 2017 to the effect that it will be tantamount to violating the right of the first defendant (Metuh) to fair hearing not to sign the subpoena, I have no option  other than to sign a subpoena to compel former President Goodluck Jonathan to appear in court on September 25, 2017 (Wednesday)to give evidence at the instance of the first defendant,” he said.
When asked if Jonathan has been served with the subpoena, a registrar of the court said the bailiff of the court was yet to serve the subpoena on Jonathan as at yesterday morning.
Metuh and Destra are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a seven-count charge of money laundering involving alleged cash transaction of $2 million and fraudulent receipt of  million meant for procurement of arms from the Office of the NSA.
The EFCC alleged in the charges that Metuh and his firm used the N400 million for PDP’s campaign activities during the 2015 presidential election.

Maina probe widens as EFCC seals more houses

Senators seek sack of Malami, Dambazau, others
How did wanted civil servant Abdulrasheed Maina sneak into Nigeria? Who gave him the police and other security personnel he had?
These are some of the questions in government and security circles, following the scandal sparked by Maina’s reinstatement and promotion.
The dismissed chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms Task Team has been in the country in the last six months after sneaking in. He is wanted for alleged N2b pension funds fraud.

His police and other security personnel have been withdrawn.
More queries were said to have been issued yesterday to all those implicated in Maina’s reinstatement.
According to a source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, Maina was “smuggled into the country from Dubai (UAE) by some powerful forces”.
The source said a review of the suspect’s itinerary indicated that he had been under “Special Protection” in the last six months.
The source said: “It is still a puzzle to the government on how a suspect, who was watch-listed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and placed on Red Alert by the INTERPOL, beat security system to return to the country from Dubai.
“Relevant agencies are probing clues on how Maina had stayed in the country unnoticed in the last six months with police details and some security attaches.

“What happened was a breach of the nation’s security, a slap on inter-agency cooperation, and a pointer to some compromise.”
The source, who pleaded not to be named, listed the puzzles:

• From which point of entry did Maina enter Nigeria?
• Who authorised police details for Maina?
• When and how did he apply for police details?
• Which agency provided security personnel for the dismissed deputy director?
• Who put Maina in a safe house before his resumption?

Responding to a question, the source added: “President Muhammadu Buhari is really angry by the turn of things; he is not taking the issue lightly. He was so furious that he wanted to clean up the system on Monday but he decided to give all those implicated the benefit of the doubt.
“This is why you can see everyone in a panic mood. No one knows the mindset of the President. We are all in suspense.”
As at press time, there were indications that Maina had been stripped of his police and security details. Besides, his whereabouts remain unknown. It was not immediately clear who ordered the withdrawal of the police and other security personnel.
But fresh facts emerged yesterday that more queries had been issued to all public officers and institutions connected with the reinstatement of Maina.
A government official, who pleaded for anonymity spoke of how more officials and agencies had been directed to explain their roles in the “deal” which led to Maina’s recall.
“The Presidency is digging deeper on this issue. I am sure all those complicit will pay for it,” the source said.
A letter from the Ministry of Interior indicated that Maina resumed duty on September 28 but his resumption was not communicated to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation till October 16.
The letter, which was signed by Deputy Director(Permanent Secretary’s Office),  Salihu A. Bala for the Permanent Secretary, said:  “I am directed to acknowledged(sic) the receipt of your letter Ref. No. 4029.82/Vol. III/ 179 of 18th September, 2017 on the above subject and inform you that the reinstated officer, Abdulrasheed Abdullahi Maina, Deputy Director(Administration) has resumed duty at the Ministry of Interior on Thursday, 28th September 2017. Please, accept the assurances of the Permanent Secretary’s warm regards.”
The presidency has directed all the key actors and agencies implicated in Maina’s recall to stop passing the buck.
The directive affects all the ministers “implicated”, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, government officials and agencies.
“No one is allowed to either issue a statement or talk officially to the press until the investigation is concluded,” a source said.

Maina family rises in defence of son

Barely 24 hours after his properties were sealed by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Kaduna, family members of the embattled former chairman of Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina have cried out that their son is being persecuted by corrupt elements in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.
They said, the ongoing ‘persecutions’ of Abdulrasheed Maina, was the handiwork of a cabal in government, which is witch-hunting him because he did not allow them steal pension fund.
The Maina family however threatened that, Abdulrasheed will soon open the can of worm, as regard facts in his possession which they said are capable of nailing the cabals in his pursuit.
The Abdullahi Maina family said that their son is not a fraudster but someone who worked diligently to save pensioners from thieves, adding that his recent sack by President Muhammadu Buhari was because Mr President was misinformed. The family lamented that the ongoing persecution by a government that preaches the rule of law is bad, but noted that Abdulrasheed is in possession of documents and facts that would vindicate him and show the true intention of his persecutors.

Addressing the media Wednesday in Kaduna, spokesman of the Maina family, Malam Aliyu Maina, who was flanked by Salihu Maina and Ladan Abdullahi, said that the marking of the houses they inherited from their father in Kaduna by the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is wrong, but they are ready to take legal recourse to protect their fundamental rights.
They said that Abdulrasheed left Nigeria following threats to his life, only for President Muhammadu Buhari to invite him to come and help his administration. “You must have noticed the recent attempt by some cabal to ridicule and tarnish the image of the Maina family in the media. Were our brother, Abdulrasheed Maina has been blackmailed as a fraudster.
“The cabals have gone to the extent of marking our house in red paints with an inscription of E.F.C.C under investigation. The EFCC is wrong in their action because Abdulrasheed inherited so many properties from his late father in Kaduna and Abuja, some of them were built before he was born so how could he have acquired them fraudulently.
“The entire family of Abdullahi Maina is categorically stating that our son is not in any way a fraudster, rather he is a messiah who brought reforms into Nigerian Pension Scheme, whose effort saw the disappearance of pensioners roaming the streets of Abuja and other state capital in Nigeria.
“It is on record that Abdulrasheed Maina’s reform put to a stop the fraudulent withdrawals of huge sums from both the Nigerian Pension Board, the Nigerian Police Pension Board etc. Perhaps it is this noble effort that made him enviable to the present administration when they came into power to convince him to come back and assist in its “Change” agenda.”
According to the family, the recent actions may have been targeted at not Maina but high above, “we are aware that all this act of calumny is not targeted against Abdulrasheed Maina alone but against the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria and the office of the Attorney General. We have contacted our lawyers Messr Mamma Nasir & Co and instructed them to act appropriately.

“We equally know that Abdulrasheed Maina is in possession of many facts that is against the cabal and interesting to the Nigerian populace, which he will disclose very soon,” the family noted.

BREAKING: Retire quietly or we open the Pandora box – VON DG to Jonathan

Director General of the Voice of Nigeria and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ostia Okechukwu has asked former President Goodluck Jonathan to quietly retire to any part of the country of his choice and stop challenging the APC and the Buhari government to a public debate, threatening to open the pandora box on the former president.
Okechukwu told The Nation in a telephone interview that the former President cannot challenge the current government to any public debate because his government failed the nation, leaving major infrastructure to decay, while public funds were freely diverted.
He challenges the former President to show the nation any project that he was able to complete during his six-year in office as President, adding that even the development he did at the nation’s airport was not commensurate with the money voted for such projects.
Okechukwu who was reacting to a statement by the former President that the APC won the 2015 election using lies and propaganda and challenging the party to a public debate in its achievement in office said “Mr President was very clear that the man left almost an empty treasury, consequent unpinned which we have a huge infrastructure deficit.