DEALERS: Fatai Akinwowo, herbalist (left) and alleged suppliers of human parts. On the ground are suspected mixture of ground human head and local gin in a bottle alongside a human finger, allegedly recovered from the suspects.

One of them, Agboola Kolawole, who blamed his indulgence on poverty and inability to pay his children’s school fees, disclosed that he had so far sold four heads of his deceased siblings to a herbalist, who in turn sold to some persons they identified simply as Alhajis.

The Alhajis, as gathered, offered to pay one of the suspects N40,000 to get a live human being, only for the suspect, Sanni Kazeem, to be apprehended during his search for prey.

Recovered from one of the arrested herbalists, identified as Ajibade Rafiu (40), who the suspects said they supply with the human parts, was a dried human finger suspected to be that of a lady, and a concoction, which he said was made from ground human head mixed with local gin.

The concoction, according to Rafiu, was to fortify him against spiritual attack.

Arrest, confession

Their arrest, according to the Command’s spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, followed a tip-off from the officer-in-charge of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, Abba Kyari, that one of the suspects, Jamiu Adeleke, was at the verge of selling a human hand for N21,000.

The operatives, according to Braide, who paraded the suspects before newsmen, stormed Owode town, Ogun State, where Adeleke was arrested while attempting to sell the human hand to a buyer.

She said: “Adeleke confessed that one Sanni Kazeem sold it to him for N6,000. When Sanni was arrested, he also confessed to the crime, adding that he had supplied two human heads to a dealer named Akinwowo Fatai (30), who was also arrested.

Akinwowo, on his part, confessed to have received the human heads and another four human heads from another supplier, one Agboola Kolawole (40), who was later arrested in the same Owode town.”

Sources of ‘goods’

“Kolawole confessed that he cut the heads of his two late brothers and two late sisters buried in private graves in their compound and sold them for N8,000 each. The final buyer/receiver, one Ajibade Rafiu (30), a herbalist, was also arrested.

“During interrogation, the suppliers said they got their human parts from various grave yards in Ogun State, while the middlemen doubled the prices and sell to the herbalist, who is the end user.

“Sanni Kazeem also confessed that two popular Alhajis in the same Owode town had bought one head from him before and also requested for a live human being for N40,000.”

She added that the first suspect arrested, Adeleke, jumped out of a moving vehicle in his attempt to escape and sustained fatal injuries, which later resulted in his death, adding that effort was still on to arrest others indicted in the business.

‘Am in it for school fees’

One of the suspects, Agboola Kolawole, said: “Yes, I sold my dead siblings parts for N8,000 each. I was tempted to do that because of poverty and inability to pay my children’s school fees.

“Just as I was thinking of how to pay their school fees, a friend approached me and asked why I should be suffering when there was a way out. When I asked how, he said I should go and get some human parts that he would pay me.

“That was how I went to my late brother’s grave at night, exhumed the bodies of two of them and cut off the heads.

“When I took them to the friend, he gave me N16,000 and told me to get him four hands. This time around, I went to my late sisters graves and cut off their hands. I was paid N8,000 for a set of hands.”

‘I was offered N40,000 to get a human being’

Kazeem Sanni said he usually went to cemeteries to exhume dead bodies and cut off the needed parts.

He said: “The cemetery I usually frequent is CMS. I usually go there at night when the guards would have slept.

“I sell skull for N8,000 to Alpha Jamiu (Muslim cleric). So far, I have gone to the cemetery thrice to cut off human parts.

“Two weeks ago, he called to say that his clients needed a human being, promising to pay me N40,000. When I asked him how that was possible, he said he would give me a charm that would hypnotise the victim to facilitate his/her abduction.

“I told him I would think about it. But I never went back to him again because I felt I could not do that.”

However, it was gathered that Alpha Jamiu, the middleman, pays the supplier N8,000 but sells the parts thrice the amount to end users.

The herbalist, Ajibade Rafiu, told journalists that he bought a human head for N8,000, with an intention to prepare a fortification concoction for himself.

He said: “I burnt the human head and later ground it, poured it inside a plastic and added local gin and other roots. I prepared the concoction for myself.

“It is to fortify me against any attack because in this job if you are not fortified people may attempt to throw spiritual arrows at you. But with this, if anybody tries it, it will backfire.”

Source: Vanguard

Hundreds of people were at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to receive the body of late literary giant, Chinua Achebe; even as major burial plans scheduled to involve top Nigerian government officials were shelved.

The late Professor’s body which arrived in the early hours of Tuesday aboard a British Airways flight was received by the Governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Anyim Pius Anyim; and the Minister of State for Abuja, Olajumoke Akinjide.

The programme of activities for the burial had suggested that Mr. Achebe’s body “will be received upon arrival by a delegation of Nigerian Leaders. Diplomatic and [that] Cultural representatives from African Nations shall be in attendance to pay their respects. Cultural troupes from different parts of the African continent shall perform at the airport reception”.

But at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, most government officials were not in attendance. The only cultural troupe that performed at the reception was from Mr. Achebe’s kinsmen, the Ogidi Union Nigeria, Abuja chapter.

The only notable programme that took place at the Airport was the prayers offered; while Mr. Anyim spoke briefly eulogising Mr. Achebe and what he stood for.

Thereafter, one of the sons of the late Professor, Ike Achebe, thanked all who attended the event and expressed the family’s gratitude for “the warm welcome and reception” since arriving the country earlier in the morning.

No reception at the National Assembly

The programme had also stated that after the Airport reception, Mr. Achebe’s body will be conveyed to the National Assembly, Abuja for another reception. However, shortly after the performance by the Ogidi traditional group and a light refreshment for guests, no effort was made to convey the body to the Senate as scheduled. Instead, Anambra Governor, Peter Obi, was seen frantically trying to make arrangements for a flight to transport the body to Enugu.

The governor succeeded in getting the services of an Overland Airline and the body was flown to Enugu with no explanation from any quarters as to why the National Assembly reception was shelved.

However, sources close to the family informed PREMIUM TIMES that the family felt embarrassed by a PREMIUM TIMES report which showed displeasure by some family members and friends at a seeming government hijack of Mr. Achebe’s burial allegedly for pecuniary gains.

Mr. Achebe was a major critic of government ineptitude and failure at providing basic necessities of life. He also condemned the corruption in Nigerian governance. Friends and family had questioned why his family would allow the same government Achebe roundly criticized to take charge of his burial.

A family source said the family was so embarrassed that it decided to limit to the barest minimum, the federal government’s involvement in the burial.

Source: Premium Times

DSP Alamieyeseigha

““Well, it (state pardon) started during the late President Yar’Adua’s
reign,” he said in Lagos yesterday. “It was a pardon that was negotiated. People who don’t know what happened are the ones talking.”

The ex-convict held back on what the deal was, but boasted that President Jonathan was his deputy as Bayelsa State Governor, and was part of the entire deal that he would disclose in a memoir he is writing.

“Like I said, the pardon was negotiated and if I fulfilled my own part
of the bargain, why shouldn’t the Federal Government fulfill its part?” he asked.

“President Goodluck Jonathan was part of the negotiating team. There
is no person in this country that knows issues surrounding
Alamieyeseigha better than Mr President. He was my deputy governor and
all that transpired were known to him. I am already writing my memoir. At the appropriate time, you will know that my pardon was in order.”

Reviewing the comment today, a political observer in Abuja described Alamieyeseigha “a balloon of hot air.”

He told SaharaReporters, “There is nothing that an individual convict could have negotiated with the federal government by which to obtain pardon. Alams did not negotiate anything and could not have negotiated anything. This is like IBB telling Nigerians he will soon disclose the reason for annulling the 1992 elections. IBB has been making that promise for 20 years now, but he cannot fulfill it because words cannot frame the depth of his betrayal of Nigeria. Alams took advantage of a weakling in presidential office that used to be his Deputy Governor, that is all. I feel sorry for Nigeria and Nigerians.” 

Saharareporters gathered that Alamieyeseigha has begun moves to throw
his full questionable weight behind President Jonathan’s 2015 presidential ambitions, as that is the only way the ongoing hoax can survive.

Source: Sahara Reporters

The paramount ruler of Seimbiri Kingdom in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief Pere Charles Ayemi-Botu, who gave the charge, however, described as courageous the declaration of state of emergency in three states of the federation by the president.

He disclosed that in the light of the pressure from certain quarters on Jonathan to stop hesitating on such crucial matters, many felt the emergency rule declared in the states was long overdue and that even the declaration was ‘watered down’.

He urged the president to continue with the state of emergency spirit, stressing that he should be bold and care less whose ox is gored when certain critical decisions are needed to be taken in the national interest, including stepping on the toes of the high and mighty.

Ayemi-Botu, who is erstwhile chairman of the Association of Traditional Rulers of Oil Producing Communities of Nigeria (ATROMPCON) was speaking at Okpokonou, when he received a delegation of Ijaws in the Diaspora.

He then called on the president to encourage the convocation of a ‘sovereign national conference’ of all Nigerian ethnic nationalities in order to permanently end mutual suspicion among the different groups and to enhance national unity.

Ayemi-Botu also advised the President to revoke all licences for oil blocs without further delay, saying it was in the interest of the Nigerian economy.

The Ijaw leader stated: “I congratulate the president for his courage in holding the bull by the horns, by declaring the state of emergency, though we had been calling on him to come out and step on toes.

“He seemed to be fidgeting; where some group of persons say they want to islamise the country, they are saying they abhor western education, you could see that they have no cogent reason, that they are masquerading.

He alleged that those from Northern Nigeria opposed to Jonathan were so because they want to take over the control of oil money from the Niger Delta region rather than in the interest of the nation.
“They are doing all these things simply because they don’t want Jonathan as Nigerian President. A state of emergency declared should involve those in the neighbouring states, stepping down this emergency state declaration is not a full-force declaration,” he said.

He opined that by not tampering with the political structure of the states in question the state of emergency did not go far enough by excluding other flashpoint states.

“If the governors of the states support the Boko Haram Islamic insurgents, leaving them in their position won’t work. What about Kano, Zamfara and Kaduna States. He should behave well, what about Nasarawa, Benue and Jos?

“He should have included these states. It as been predicted that in 2015 Nigeria will break into many parts, if he doesn’t wants all these doomsday prophecies, as the Commander in-Chief, he should damn them and declare a full state of emergency.

“In my opinion these boys can move to the nearby states; so the president should place these states on standby. The step is not enough but he should brave it. He should declare it courageously and deal with them adequately. He should step on toes.

“Has the Northern Elders gathered together to talk to the Boko Haram sect all this while? They are doing this to rock Jonathan’s government; they want their person to be there so that it can be business as usual.”

According to him, “they want to continue to chop our oil money, they have 83% of oil blocs; it is like a family affair to them, but our people are suffering. Let them call for a sovereign conference and decide whether to stay together, let us know where we will go, let everyone go and manage its resources.

“We should prepare for 2015, if it is Jonathan that will be the last President then let it be so. We practice a presidential system, we should practice true federalism. Let the people control their resources and pay royalties to the centre. No wonder they are fighting the PIB bill.

“Jonathan should step on toes, revoke all the oil bloc licences, Nestoil belongs to late former President Musa Umaru Yar’Adua. Posterity will not forgive Jonathan if he fails to revoke the oil licences, 50 per cent should go to the Niger Delta. Oil is exhaustible; we want to control it and see how to invest the money before it is finished. They are angry that Jonathan is there now, they want their person.”

Source: Thisday

He said: “The unimaginable massive projects going on across all sectors have created fear in them.”

Aregbesola spoke at the Sodik Adeleke Central Mosque in Osogbo, the state capital, after the Jumat service on Friday.

He debunked the allegation by his critics that his administration borrowed N300 billion.

Aregbesola said: “We have prayed to God to make us the example of His government on earth and that is why we are making headway. They were here for seven-and-a-half years and they destroyed the system. But because God has been with us all the while, we have been able to achieve what we have achieved.

“The maximum allocation accruable to the state is N240 billion, but they are alleging that we have borrowed N300 billion. Does that make sense at all?

“What Osun State can earn in the four years of our tenure cannot cater for the projects we are embarking on. But because we believe in God and His love for us, we are succeeding in all what we are doing.

“Because they could not point at anything they achieved in their seven-and-half years in power, our massive projects have created fear in them. What we have done is enough for a government to say it has done enough, but in our case, we have just started.”

Source: The Nation

It described the performance of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governors as “unprecedented”.

In a statement by its National Coordinator, Mr. Festus Omoniyi-Bello, the group said the governors are a blessing to the Yoruba race.

It said it was convinced that Fayemi and Aregbesola would be reelected because of their outstanding performance.

OYC said: “We are happy that the era of gangsterism is gone in the two states, as well as other Southwest states.”

It chided the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Communications, Dr. Doyin Okupe, for his comment that ACN National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari were liabilities to the country.

The group said: “Tinubu is the architect of the transformed Lagos State. He is a pacesetter and great achiever. Buhari is a statesman with zero tolerance for corruption, which has become endemic in the country.

“In 2015, we will know if Okupe can win his unit in Ogun State for President Goodluck Jonathan with his boasting. Then, the people will determine who is a political liability.”

Source: The Nation

A couple of decades ago when the almighty West African Examinations Council was truly conducting its yearly tests foolproof, many of us in college had an uphill task passing. But tragically painful as it were, we drew consolation in the fact that we could resit the examination after each disastrous attempt. Each year, we would dust our books, ready for another titanic confrontation with the body. We had books to dust. In the Osun State of Aregbesola era, Opon Imo has replaced our old reliable books.

The privilege of having books to turn to after leaving school is precisely what critics of Opon Imo educational innovation in Osun State have against the project. Other short-comings, as enumerated by Ayo Aluko- Olokun in an article published in The PUNCH on Thursday, May 16, are challenges posed by epileptic power supply and inability of the scheme to accommodate printing of materials. While post-college referral is a challenge the scheme has to contend with at the moment (this is surely an area the Aregbesola administration would have to address urgently), the twin issue of printing of materials as well as electricity challenge are not much of a task.

Pupils need not print out any material from the devise because each school pupil owns one that can be assessed at any time desired.

A tablet in the scheme is an all-inclusive little technology containing all a pupil needs to navigate college academically. 750,000 units have already been distributed to all pupils in Senior Secondary School 1 to 3. Each of the units, in terms of configuration, is designed in a way that no pupil needs any text book except exercise books. Each unit has three components – eBook library, integrated test zone and virtual learning. The eBook library section contains 66 text books, 56 of which are subject based while the remaining ten are for other developmental engagements including entrepreneurial, leadership, civic education, health hints and guidance among others. The integrated test zone, on the other hand, boasts 10 years past questions and answers of Senior Secondary Certificate Examination, (SSCE), NECO, UTME and so on. In the virtual learning segment, users are treated to high powered electronic teaching and learning classroom experience with a teacher in charge.

The moment a pupil resumes in class at SSS1, he or she takes possession of one of the tablets and such would remain with the pupil until graduation from college three years after. Every pupil lives with the devise twenty four hours of the day. Any material required by pupils is therefore only a key-tab away. Why should anyone need a printer when a pupil would only lose possession of the devise on completion of studentship?

Along with the gadget, each pupil also takes possession of two charging devises-electricity and solar. Solar charging accessory, given to every school user, comes handy where electricity is not available. On full charge, an Opon Imo would run for five hours of intense usage.

Through the Opon Imo initiative, an unusual feature has been introduced into the Nigerian school system, throwing up an entirely e-Book community of students. More remarkable, it is edifying that the technology is being introduced to a very poor, largely rural human setting — a pointer to the fact of its adaptability anywhere and capability to help pupils leapfrog the challenges of poverty and illiteracy.

•Sola Lawal is Publicity Secretary, Action Congress of Nigeria, Ogun State

Source: The Punch

Eyewitness said the mad man emerged from nowhere and entered the market where he met the palm oil trader(name withheld) attending to a customer and allegedly grabbed her from behind trying to remove her wrappers when the local security officials descended on him, beating him to stupor.

LEADERSHIP learnt that the mad man’s attempt to rape the housewife attracted hundreds of traders who rushed to the scene to catch a glimpse of him but met him severely beaten with injuries all over his body.

One of the local security officials, Stanley Mokogwe, confirmed that the mad man was taken to the “A” Division Police station where it was established that he was mad.

At the “A” Division, some of the police officers who did not want their names in print confirmed that upon close examination it was discovered that the man was mad and was later released.

Source: Leadership

Detaild soon

It was also gathered last night that the president has allegedly dumped the rumoured choice of Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Shema, as a replacement for the erstwhile chairman of the forum and governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and settled for Bauchi State governor Isa Yuguda.

Impeccable sources informed LEADERSHIP that, in the last few days, precisely since Thursday, a few governors have been guests of the president at the presidential villa to sign and endorse the “election” of Yuguda as the new chairman of the Governors’ Forum.

Close watchers of the development have begun to question the move since the Governors’ Forum is a fluid organisation that includes governors of different political parties.

“How far or how low can a president go or descend in order to settle scores with a perceived political opponent?” queried a PDP chieftain who would not want his name in print.

This move, it was learnt, was a final desperate effort by the president to checkmate Governor Amaechi and ensure that he is not re-elected.

The source further disclosed that, in the voting sheet memo allegedly hatched by Jonathan, the strategy is to conduct the voting in the villa by inviting the governors individually and demanding their signatures in support of the new candidate, Isa Yuguda.

The execution of the plan, it was learnt, began on Thursday last week after the National Economic Council meeting in Abuja when some of the governors were “ambushed for the ‘signing ceremony’ in the villa”.

Information gathered exclusively by LEADERSHIP through a governor who reported the matter to his state caucus indicates that some of the governors that have allegedly signed were Kebbi governor Saidu Nasamu Dakingari, Kwara governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and Yobe governor Ibrahim Gaidam.

Nonetheless, some of the governors, it was revealed, pointedly refused to sign and rather pleaded for some time to reflect on the matter.

A source also disclosed that a governor who reported to the LEADERSHIP of his state caucus mentioned details of the circumstances and revealed further that almost all the governors have been complaining about the intimidation and harassment, and indeed blackmail, from the presidency all in an effort to force them to dump Governor Amaechi.

“Nigerians must be shocked to know that, in the last few days, the election of the Governor’s Forum was being conducted from the villa with a sitting president presiding over what is apparently the rigging of Rotimi Amaechi out of the office of chairman of Governors’ Forum. This unprecedented move was decided upon after all the lobby and pressure put on most of the pro-Amaechi governors to dump him failed,” the source lamented.

LEADERSHIP findings revealed that the plot currently being executed is to secure the required signatures from the governors to back Jonathan’s new candidate, Isa Yuguda, ahead of the May date of the elections.

LEADERSHIP further learnt that the Katsina governor, Ibrahim Shema, was dumped after Jonathan was advised that Shema candidature “would not fly”.

“The presidency is said to have been rattled by the continued support enjoyed by Rotimi Amaechi amongst his colleague governors; thus, it is employing every conceivable strategy to make sure that Amaechi never returns as chairman,” the source stated.

Source: Leadership