Kidnappings Continue in Warri
Gunmen kidnapped four foreign workers Friday in Nigeria's lawless southern oil heartland, snatching the expatriates on land and spiriting them away into the swamps in speedboats, officials said.
The latest in a massive upsurge of abductions of expatriates happened after dawn on the outskirts of the southern city of Warri, said Brig. Gen. Lawrence Ngubane, a military commander in the region.
He said the targets were believed to be three Chinese and one Polish national.
Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers map out strategy to curb hostage taking
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the strategy is also intended to salvage the socio-economic life of the region from imminent collapse.
Governor Celestine Omehia of Rivers gave the hint about the new arrangement between the three states on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, after receiving two Indian hostages that were kidnapped by militants last month.
Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa brought the two freed hostages to meet Omehia in Port Harcourt.
Omehia, who praised Sylva for personally ensuring the release of the expatriate workers, said the three states were working "to ensure that all negative tendencies inhibiting the socio-economic growth of the region were neutralised."
He assured the international community that hostage-taking would be tackled decisively because it remained the biggest threat to investments, industrialisation and socio-economic development of the region.
"The commendable personal commitment of the Bayelsa governor in ensuring the release of the hostages is a manifestation of the commitment of the three states to this new resolve," he said.
He also assured foreign investors that the Niger Delta was still the most investment-friendly region in Nigeria, despite the ugly incidences of kidnapping and hostage-taking.
Omehia promised that the three states would make additional security arrangements in the region to curb the activities of social miscreants.
Also speaking, Sylva said the Bayelsa State Government had fashioned out what he called a "3E Approach" in checking the menace of hostage-taking.
He said the approach involved the engagement, education and empowerment of the militants, adding that he had secured assurances from some of the hostage-takers to desist from the act.
NAN reports that the two hostages, Debasish Katoky and Sunil Dare, are officials of Indorama Petrochemicals in Eleme.They were abducted last month and taken to Bayelsa.
The Movement of the Niger Delta People which claimed responsibility for taking the Schlumberger workers hostage has while hailing the release on bail of Alhaji Mujahid Asari Dokubo said the stage was now set for negotiations on the release of the hostages soon.
A statement sent online by the spokesperson of the group, Mr. Preye Amazo said though there were still some dangerous conditionalities to the freedom of their leader, it was still motivational enough for them to consider the release of the hostages.
The hostages taken from Schlumberger yard on June 1, 2007 are Mr. Jan Van De Mortel (Netherlands), Mr. James Thorburn (Edinburgh, Scotland), Mr. Massaoud Ahmadi (France), and Mr. Salman Ahmad (Pakistan).
The group blamed the combative and uncaring attitude of former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the escalation of the crises in the region which later degenerated into hostage taking and other forms of restiveness.
They however counseled President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to include Dokubo in the team of negotiators from the Niger Delta so that the real interest of the people will be well taken care of.
On the release of the hostages, they said that though they were not making firm promises they were going to do something positive but asked for the unconditional release of former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreiye Alameiseigha.
Dokubo - Asari regains freedom
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday ordered the release of the Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Alhaji Mujaheedeen Asari-Dokubo, on health grounds.
His release on bail came barely a week after some governors in the Niger Delta appealed to President Umaru Yar‘Adua to free him because of his ill health.
The same court and the Supreme Court had previously refused requests by Asari-Dokubo for bail, citing national security.
Ruling after a special application by the counsel for the NDPVF leader, Mr. Festus Keyamo, presiding Justice Peter Olayiwola, said, “I‘m convinced the accused is not playing to the gallery.
“The accused is ordered to be released on health grounds.”
Olayiwola, who had absented himself in court two consecutive times, ordered the Ijaw youth leader not to engage in any political activity. He added that Asari-Dokubo’s movements should be monitored.
After Keyamo presented the special application for NDPVF leader’s release, the Director of Public Prosecution, Mr. Salihu Aliyu, was asked if he had any objection.
He stunned the court by not opposing the application. Instead, he asked that three conditions be attached to the bail.
One is that Asari-Dokubo should not participate in political rallies and demonstrations. Two, he must report to the Department of State Security Service whenever he travels from his base to anywhere in the country.
And three, he must seek SSS‘s permission before he travels abroad; and when he arrives in any country, he must report first to the Nigerian embassy.
Olayiwola acceded to the conditions and also asked him to produce two eminent citizens as sureties.
In less than an hour, the proceeding was over, with the judge adjourning the case until when Asari-Dokubo is fully fit to stand trial.
While the proceeding lasted, the NDPVF leader was not brought to court. There was, however, heavy presence of security operatives.
While arguing the application to get Asari-Dokubo released on bail, Keyamo told the court that he (Dokubo) ”has a history of hypertension and diabetes.”
“His condition has deteriorated while in custody,” he added.
Asari-Dokubo was arrested in 2005 and charged with alleged plans to overthrow the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, among other offences.
He was arraigned on October 6, 2005 at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and applied for bail.
His trial never started in the real sense of criminal one before the court ordered that he be released on Thursday.
One of the offences said to have been committed by the Asari-Dokubo is that on August 28, 2005 at SAMSY Hotel in Benin, Edo State, he conspired with other people at large to remove Obasanjo from office by unconstitutional means.
He was also accused of planning to wage a war to compel Obasanjo to change his policies.
The above, which formed count one of the charges, amounts to an offence contrary to Section 41 and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Chapter 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.
Count two is that on or about August 28, 2005, he committed treasonable felony by belonging to militant groups known as the NDPVF; Congress for the Liberation of Ikwere People; and Chikoko Movement, which threatened to take up arms in order to intimidate and overawe Obasanjo and his government.
The act, according to the charge sheet, is contrary to, and punishable under Section 41 of the Criminal Code Act Chapter 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.
Leaders of the Niger Delta, who spoke with our correspondent, expressed happiness over the development and praised Yar‘Adua for heeding their plea for the release of the Ijaw youth leader.
The Ijaw National Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, said the release of Asari-Dokubo would lead to the restoration of peace in the region.
He said, ”I congratulate the new President and his deputy, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, for taking this magnanimous decision. Now that he has been freed, peace will return.
“We are very happy and every Nigerian is happy. It is not an Ijaw matter alone. If you are practising democracy, you should not detain people unjustly. The man did not commit any offence. It was a political issue which must be treated politically.”
Clark, who urged youths in the region to give peace a chance, said, ”Everything they (youths) required will be given to them within the next 100 days. They will be surprised that the Federal Government will make concrete development in the area for the people to see.”
The Pere of Seimbiri Kingdom, Mr. Charles Ayemi-Botu, said the release of Asari-Dokubo was a testimony that Yar‘Adua‘s administration was not a puppet of Obasanjo.
Ayemi-Botu commended the President for heeding the voice of reason.
The Chairman of the South South Peoples Assembly in Delta State , Dr. B. K. Adansen, said the release of the youth leader would create an enabling environment for the development of the region.
Adansen, who is also the Secretary of Delta Elders and Stakeholders’ Forum, added, “I believe that a beautiful atmosphere for development has been created in the Niger Delta.”
The President of the Niger Delta Oil Producing Communities Development Organisation, Chief Saturday Eregbene, described the detention of Asari-Dokubo as oppressive.
Eregbene said his release indicated that the Federal Government was ready to develop the region.
The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Public Utilities, Mr. Tokpido Amanana, said the detention of Asari-Dokubo was the cause of the problems in the region.
“His release is a good thing because the presence of Asari-Dokubo behind bars was a problem in the Niger Delta. It is a thing of joy to the people of Ijaw nation and people of Niger Delta,” he added.
Oil Marketers Begin Strike
Ahead of planned nationwide strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Monday in protest of the recent hike in the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol, from N65 to N75 per litre and the sale of Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries, oil marketers under the aegis of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigerian (IPMAN) and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) have today begun an indefinite strike on the same reasons.
The current strike is coming on the heels of the one embarked upon by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in protest of a Federal Government directive barring their tanker drivers from parking along the roads, which was called off last week.
The IPMAN and NARTO strike, industry analysts say, would cripple economic activities across the country, as their members are the major chain of petroleum products distribution.
At a crowded press briefing yesterday in Lagos, IPMAN and NARTO said they decided to embark on the strike, as labour cannot totally represent their interest even when their members constitute the bulk of the labour union in the country.
Besides, the oil marketers, who spoke through the Western Zone Chairman of IPMAN, Chief Tunji Aderoju and NARTO Executive Secretary, E. B. Kanawa, said they have over N250 billion investments in the oil industry and as such should be accorded some level of recognition by the government in the scheme of things in the industry.
The independent marketers revealed that they have a bulk purchase with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), saying by that they should have been there when the sale of the refineries were sealed as it would affect their business.
They berated the government, saying it is operating a system where nobody is regulating anything, expressing dissatisfaction in the deregulation of the downstream oil sector.
They disclosed that after their National Executive Meeting (NEC)/Central Working Committee (CWC) on June 7, this year, they wrote the government on pressing needs they wanted addressed, but the government paid them a deaf ear.
Consequently, they said: "The national body of IPMAN has directed all its members nationwide to abide by the directives of the IPMAN NEC/CWC to withdraw their marketing services with effect from Friday, June 15th, 2007."
The marketers, therefore, directed their western zonal executive council to ask all its depot
executive council and members in the South-West to ensure the full compliance of the strike until their demands are met by the Federal Government and the regulatory bodies.
Lagos Cops Crack Down on Crime
IJANIKIN:
At least three persons including a member of a dreaded cult group were Monday, injured in a bloody clash between two rival cult groups at the campus of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Ijanikin over a fight for supremacy in the institution. Reports said there had been a lingering feud between the two rival groups over the years on who is in control of the campus.
Sources however, said the fighting broke out around 5pm on Monday between the two rival groups over an undisclosed rift. Dangerous weapons like guns and cutlasses were reportedly freely used during the fracas. The incident threw the entire campus of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education and it’s environs into confusion as policemen from Ijanikin Police station swiftly raced to the scene and arrested three suspected members of the two warring cult groups.
Recovered from the arrested trio who were identified as Seun Akintola of 11, Aina Street, Itire, Taofeek Akintola of 26, Ogu Opara Street, Victory Estate, Iba Town and Muyiwa Simon who sustained bullet wound in his right hand, were eight live cartridges and one locally made short gun.
ALAKUKO:
The police in Lagos Monday, arrested seven suspected armed robbers who had been terrorizing residents of Abule-Egba and Alagbado areas of the state. Reports said the robbers were robbing their unsuspected victims at Kollington Bus Stop when policemen from Alakuko Police station received a distress call around 5pm that some robbers were dispossessing passers-by of their valuables. The bandits however met their waterloo when a team of Anti-Robbery Policemen from the station swiftly raced to the scene and arrested seven member of the robbery gang.
Items recovered from the robbers included one handset, one cutlass and cash of N750 naira.
Police spokes person in the state, Mr. Olubode Ojajuni (SP) who confirmed both incidents in a press statement, said that the arrested suspects had made useful statement and that the cases are under investigation.
IKORODU:
The police in Lagos have arrested a leading member of a notorious catch-on-the air armed-robbery gang popularly called one chance at Asolo along Ikorodu expressway while two others escaped.
Reports said the armed bandits boarded a commercial bus with registration number XB 271 DGB which was said to be heading for Ikorodu bus stop and robbed the unsuspecting passengers of their personal effects ranging from assorted handsets, jewelries, wristwatches and cash including the N6,500.00 which the bus driver and his conductor made for the day.
One of the victims reportedly put a distress call to policemen in the area who swiftly raced to the scene and intercepted the bandits. The robbers on sighting the police however, took to their heels but luck ran out of one of them simply identified as Shile Akinsola who resides at No.44, Ikosi Road, Ketu as he was caught and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, Yaba. One locally made pistol was recovered from the bandit.
OKO-OBA:
At least two persons lost their lives while several others sustained varying degree of injuries in a fatal road accident which occurred at Awoni bus stop along Lagos /Abeokuta Express way last wekend. The tragic incident which occurred around 7am on the fateful day involved a commercial 911 Mercedes Benz bus popularly called molue with registration number XE 354 KJA. Among the victims was the bus conductor who died instantly due to the graveness of the injuries he sustained when the unfortunate incident occurred.
Eyewitnesses said the commercial bus was over speeding and when it tried to avoid another commercial bus that jumped into the road from the adjacent road, he reportedly lost control of the bus and hit the pavement by the side of the road consequent upon which the vehicle tumbled.
It took the efforts of other commercial drivers and commuters at the bus stop to rescue trapped passengers and the corpse of the bus conductor and one other middle-aged man in the bus.
APAPA:
A middle-aged man escaped death by the whiskers in the hands of armed-robbers who normally operate with motorcycle popularly known as okada at Westminister bus stop along Apapa/Oshodi Expressway last Friday. Sources said the victim was coming from one of the new generation banks in the area where he reportedly went to make some withdrawals and was heading towards Mile II when the armed bandits attacked him after which they ordered him to surrender all that he had on him.
The victim was said to had obeyed the robbers as ordered but was reportedly shot by one of them after surrendering all he had. A team of policemen from Trinity Police Station who were attached to one of the new generation banks in the area, on hearing the gun shot, raced to the scene and engaged the bandits in a gun battle. In the ensuing gun duel said to have lasted for over 15 minutes, the robbers reportedly surrendered to the superior fire power of the police and were forced to escape, abandoning the unconscious victim and a bag containing the total sum of N639,600.00, one Nokia hand sets and two identity cards bearing one Adelani Wasiu.
The victim was later rushed to an undisclosed hospital where the officials confirmed him to be alive.Police image-maker in Lagos, Mr. Olubode Ojajuni also confirmed the incident to City Scope and said that the recovered items have been taken to the station and the victim is responding to treatment in the hospital. He also said that the case is under investigation.
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