Mimiko inaugurates electoral commision

Ondo State
Governor
Olusegun
Mimiko
yesterday
swore in the Ondo State
Independent Electoral
Commission (ODIEC). It
comprises eight members.
The committee which is
expected to conduct election
into the 18 local councils in
the state is headed by a
university don, Dr. Gbenga
Ige. they have 150 days to
prepare for the poll.
Speaking at the inauguration
in Akure, the state capital,
Mimiko charged the members
to ensure fair, credible and
transparent elections into the
chairmanship and
councillorship positions in the
local government councils
after all legal issues would
have been resolved.
Mimiko also told them: “You
will all recall that before the
inception of this
administration in February
2009, a long legal battle was
fought to reclaim our stolen
mandate. Therefore, for an
administration that came into
power through the
instrumentality of the law, we
find it absolutely necessary
not only to ensure regard for,
but also, sustain the rule of
law.”
Apparently likening Ige, the
ODIEC boss and immediate
past ASUU Chairman, Adekunle
Ajasin University, Akungba
Akoko, to INEC Chairman, Prof
attahiru Jega, the governor
said: “We believe that your
tenure will pay us like that of
the former ASUU National
President. We went to pick
somebody from the academia,
somebody who has the
background of activism and
who we all don’t expect to
compromise or do anything
other than ensure fairness.
“Your manifest non-
partisanship in any of the
existing political parties or
interest groups, will engender
people’s trust and confidence
in the affairs of the
Commission and particularly,
in the conduct of free and fair
local government elections.
Unlike in 2007 when we
witnessed all manners of
electoral malady, the 2011
election was a major
improvement over the past. A
typical evidence of this
improvement was that after
the 2007 elections, about 68
election petitions were filed in
the court, but in 2011, only 8
petitions were filed which
was a testimony to the
credibility of the election.”
While reiterating his
administration’s commitment
to foisting an era of credible
polls on the state political
landscape, Governor Mimiko
declared that “on the part of
the Labour Party government,
it bears repeating here that
we will not seek for any
undue advantage over and
above any party or individual,
but that we shall only give the
necessary moral and financial
support in accordance with
the Constitution”.
Responding on behalf of
other members, Ige pledged
that with the sincerity and
support of the political class,
the Commission would
entrench a culture of free, fair
and credible elections in Ondo
State.
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SSS AREST BOKO HARAM UN EXPLODER

The StateSecurity Services(SSS)yesterday confirmed
that an al-Qaeda trained Boko
Haram member, Mamman Nur,
and two others masterminded
last Friday’s bombing of the
UN House, Abuja.
The SSS has declared Nur
wanted.
It also claimed that it got
intelligence report on planned
attacks on major installations
in Abuja by Boko Haram as
early as August 18.
The alert led to the arrest of
two suspects, Babagana
Ismail Kwaljima (a.k.a Abu
Summaya) and Babagana Mali
(a.k.a Bulama), the SSS said in
its first official statement on
the UN House bombing.
It was signed by its Assistant
Director, Public Relations,
Marilyn Ogar, msi.
The statement said:
“Investigation has revealed
that one Mamman Nur, a
notorious Boko Haram
element with al-Qaeda links
who returned recently from
Somalia, working in concert
with the two suspects,
masterminded the attack on
the United Nations (UN)
building in Abuja.
“Further investigation has also
revealed that the car used for
the attack was a Honda car
with Kano State registration
number AV38NSR. It was
purchased on 3rd September,
2002 and registered on 3rd
December, 2002.
“The vehicle identification
number is
1HGCBA7400A100748, Engine
number, F22A72000540.”
The SSS, however, claimed that
contrary to insinuations, it
took preemptive measures,
following intelligence reports
on likely attack on some public
buildings in Abuja.
It added: “Owing to various
speculations and
misrepresentations in the
media arising from the bomb
attack on the United Nations
(UN) building on 26th August,
2011 in Abuja, the
Department of State Services
(DSS), on behalf of other
security agencies, wishes to
state as follows:
“On 18th August, 2011,
precise intelligence was
obtained by this Service that
some Boko Haram elements
were on a mission to attack
unspecified targets in Abuja in
an ash-colour Toyota Camry
vehicle with registration
number AA539GBL
“On 21st August, 2011 about
1300 hours, joint operations
by all security services led to
the arrest of two notorious
leaders of the Boko Haram
extremists’ sect, namely,
Babagana Ismail Kwaljima
(a.k.a Abu Summaya); and
Babagana Mali (a.k.a Bulama).
“Following their arrests,
security was further beefed
up in Abuja and its environs.
Meanwhile, the suspects have
made valuable statements and
are being held at a military
facility.”
The SSS assured Nigerians of
their safety and it restated its
determination to ensure a
peaceful and secure
environment.
It added: “The security
services wish to reiterate their
commitment to ensuring that
we have a safe, peaceful and
secure environment. We want
to reassure Nigerians that we
have no other country and we
must all strive to maintain its
unity, which is currently being
threatened.
“We implore all Nigerians to
be more security conscious
and vigilant, while urging the
general public to co-operate
with security agencies by
providing useful information
that could lead to the arrest of
Mamman Nur, who is hereby
declared wanted.
“Any person with useful
information, which could lead
to the arrest of the suspect
and other accomplices, should
report to the nearest Police
station, military formations or
any other security agency.”
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The State
Security
Services (SSS)
yesterday
confirmed
that an al-Qaeda trained Boko
Haram member, Mamman Nur,
and two others masterminded
last Friday’s bombing of the
UN House, Abuja.
The SSS has declared Nur
wanted.
It also claimed that it got
intelligence report on planned
attacks on major installations
in Abuja by Boko Haram as
early as August 18.
The alert led to the arrest of
two suspects, Babagana
Ismail Kwaljima (a.k.a Abu
Summaya) and Babagana Mali
(a.k.a Bulama), the SSS said in
its first official statement on
the UN House bombing.
It was signed by its Assistant
Director, Public Relations,
Marilyn Ogar, msi.
The statement said:
“Investigation has revealed
that one Mamman Nur, a
notorious Boko Haram
element with al-Qaeda links
who returned recently from
Somalia, working in concert
with the two suspects,
masterminded the attack on
the United Nations (UN)
building in Abuja.
“Further investigation has also
revealed that the car used for
the attack was a Honda car
with Kano State registration
number AV38NSR. It was
purchased on 3rd September,
2002 and registered on 3rd
December, 2002.
“The vehicle identification
number is
1HGCBA7400A100748, Engine
number, F22A72000540.”
The SSS, however, claimed that
contrary to insinuations, it
took preemptive measures,
following intelligence reports
on likely attack on some public
buildings in Abuja.
It added: “Owing to various
speculations and
misrepresentations in the
media arising from the bomb
attack on the United Nations
(UN) building on 26th August,
2011 in Abuja, the
Department of State Services
(DSS), on behalf of other
security agencies, wishes to
state as follows:
“On 18th August, 2011,
precise intelligence was
obtained by this Service that
some Boko Haram elements
were on a mission to attack
unspecified targets in Abuja in
an ash-colour Toyota Camry
vehicle with registration
number AA539GBL
“On 21st August, 2011 about
1300 hours, joint operations
by all security services led to
the arrest of two notorious
leaders of the Boko Haram
extremists’ sect, namely,
Babagana Ismail Kwaljima
(a.k.a Abu Summaya); and
Babagana Mali (a.k.a Bulama).
“Following their arrests,
security was further beefed
up in Abuja and its environs.
Meanwhile, the suspects have
made valuable statements and
are being held at a military
facility.”
The SSS assured Nigerians of
their safety and it restated its
determination to ensure a
peaceful and secure
environment.
It added: “The security
services wish to reiterate their
commitment to ensuring that
we have a safe, peaceful and
secure environment. We want
to reassure Nigerians that we
have no other country and we
must all strive to maintain its
unity, which is currently being
threatened.
“We implore all Nigerians to
be more security conscious
and vigilant, while urging the
general public to co-operate
with security agencies by
providing useful information
that could lead to the arrest of
Mamman Nur, who is hereby
declared wanted.
“Any person with useful
information, which could lead
to the arrest of the suspect
and other accomplices, should
report to the nearest Police
station, military formations or
any other security agency.”
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YOUTHS KILLED THREE HUMAN IN JOS VIOLENCE

Three persons were reportedly
killed in Abattoir area of Jos
North when some youths
attacked an indigenous
settlement on Wednesday
morning.
The armed youths literally took
over some of the checkpoints.
The whole stretch of Terminus to
old site of the Jos University
Teaching Hospital, Muritala
Mohammed Way, through British
American junction down to
Dogon Karfe became impassable
for the most hours of the day.
Shops were vandalised along
Muritala Mohammed Way, while a
medical doctor narrowly escaped
death while on his way to the old
site of JUTH
Because of the situation, the
whole of the metropolis was
deserted as residents stayed
indoors. Those who dared to go
out did so with great trepidation.
A resident, who simply identified
himself as Musa, wondered why
security agents watched
hoodlums killed people and
vandalised shops without trying
to stop them.

Police man brutalize me because my wife refuse to mary him

With an injury at the back of his
head and bruises on his body,
Afolabi Ojediran cut the picture
of a man who was attacked by
hoodlums. But he was not.
Rather, he was beaten up by a
riot policeman and a soldier.
He was not only beaten, his
clothes were torn and he was
detained for two days at the
Ikotun Police Divisional
Headquarters, Lagos. To
compound his woes, his niece
and her children were arrested
and detained, including an eight-
month-old baby. He was told to
cough up N25,000 before he
could be released.
PUNCH METRO gathered that
Ojediran’s predicament was as a
result of a friction between the
policeman, who was later
identified simply as Vincent and
Ojediran’s wife, Florence. It was
learnt that Vincent had been
making sexual advances to
Florence but had been turned
down on several occasions
which caused the friction
between the two.
Things however reached the
peak on Saturday, when Vincent
dragged Ojediran into the
problem.
Narrating how it all happened,
Florence said the policeman had
been on her neck to be his lover.
She added that the fact that both
of them were married did not
dissuade Vincent who seemed
bent to have his way at all costs.
She said, “Vincent has always
been making advances at me
even though he has a wife but I
never gave in. On several
occasions, he had threatened to
arrest me.
“I sell recharge cards, kerosene,
soft drinks and I’m also a tailor. I
have a lot of customers who
patronise me.”
She said she first had a minor
problem with Vincent on August
12, 2011. “That day, Vincent’s
wife came to my shop and she
met an old friend of hers whom
she greeted warmly before they
parted.
“Later that day, Vincent, came to
my shop accusing me of trying to
destroy his marriage by looking
for a man-friend for his wife. He
dragged me and the man in
question to the Ikotun police
station that day. We paid
N15,000 as bail.”
Florence said since the incident,
she tried as much as possible to
avoid Vincent and his wife. But
the measure was not enough to
stop the Saturday incident from
happening.
She said, “On Saturday, Vincent
came to my shop and started
making a nuisance of himself. I
shouted at him to go away.
Instead, he grabbed a 25-litre
keg of kerosene which was for
sale, and emptied it on the floor.”
PUNCH METRO learnt that when
Ojediran returned from work, his
wife reported the incident to him
and in the course of trying to
settle the matter, he got into
trouble.
Ojediran told PUNCH METRO that
he went to Vincent’s house to
ask him to let his wife be. He
said, “After my wife told me what
Vincent had done, I went to his
house to see how I could lay the
issue between him and my wife
to rest. But I was told by his wife
that he was not around. I went
to his landlord and told him
about the matter before going
back home.”
He said it was a furious Vincent
that came to his wife’s shop an
hour later. Ojediran added that
the policeman rebuffed all
attempts to make peace.
“I was sitting in front of my
wife’s shop at the time. Vincent
came with a man to the shop
and refused all my efforts to
make peace. Instead they started
to beat me.
“They tore my clothes and hit my
head against the edge of a fence.
They pushed me to the floor and
generally gave me the beating of
my life.
“I was supposed to deliver petrol
to a depot the following day and
the company had given me
N131,000 to deliver to someone
on the way. The money fell on
the floor as I was being beaten
and till now, I don’t know what
happened to it.
“When the residents came to my
rescue, I seized the opportunity
to escape from the scene
because they had threatened to
kill me,” he said.
After leaving the scene, Ojediran
and his wife went to the Ikotun
police station to report the
incident. They made their
statements to the police and
were told to return the following
day. But on the the following day,
things did not go as planned.
Ojediran said, “The following day,
which was Sunday, I went with
some policemen to Vincent’s
house, but on getting there, his
wife told us that he was in
hospital receiving treatment for
injuries he had sustained the
previous day.

At least 102 died in Ibadan food-red cross

Friday’s flooding in Ibadan, Oyo
State killed at least 102 people,
the Red Cross said on
Wednesday, the Associated Press
reports.
Some 1,500 people remain
displaced by the downpour,
officials of the humanitarian
agency said.
The major area hit hardest by the
floods remains the state capital,
Ibadan. Heavy rains on Friday
made a local dam in the area
overflow, sending water
crashing through the informal
settlements surrounding the
river banks.
The water also damaged three
bridges in the area, trapping
people in their neighborhoods,
said an official with Nigeria’s
National Emergency Management
Agency, Tunde Adebiyi.
Many homes, which were poorly
constructed, were washed away
when the water rushed through,
said Umar Mairiga, an official
with the Nigerian Red Cross.
“I think in the process a lot of
them were washed away by the
rainwater and others were
trapped in collapsed buildings,”
Mairiga said Wednesday.
Mairiga said it took time to get a
proper casualty figure as water
levels in some areas remain high
as seasonal rains continue.
NEMA had warned that rains
would be heavier this year than
last year.
In an assessment after the
flooding, the agency said more
flooding would be likely in areas
with inadequate drainage and
improperly disposed trash.
Last year, some 500,000 people
were displaced nationwide by
floods in the country.
Nigeria’s rainy season lasts
roughly from June to September.
The rains paused for most of
August this year, however, only
starting again within the last
week.
However, residents of the areas
worst-hit by the flood continued
to battle with relocation as most
of them have been displaced.
Many houses constructed in the
flood-prone areas collapsed
while a large number of
uncompleted buildings were
reduced to rubble at Odo-Ona
Elewe and Apete
A resident of Apete, Mr. Julius
Akintomide, said. “Look at all
these places, it is like a bulldozer
went through the area. That
structure over there used to be a
four-bedroom flat.