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PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, January 19, met with the embattled Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

  The meeting is the second between the President and the CBN governor, as Emefiele was part of the earlier audience granted the Arab Bank for Economic Development team by Buhari at the Presidential Villa.

  Emefiele, who returned to the country on January 12, after spending his yearly leave abroad, had been in the news over allegation of corruption and terrorism financing. There have been reported attempt by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) to arrest him.

  Earlier, DSS officers had sought a court order to arrest him, but the request was turned down by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

  The DSS had asked the court to order Emefiele’s arrest over alleged “acts of financing terrorism, fraudulent activities and economic crimes of national security dimension.”

  On October 20, last year, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja had summoned Emefiele over $53million judgment debt arising from the Paris Club refund and ordered him to appear before it on Wednesday, January 18 as the hearing date.

  However, Emefiele filed an appeal against the ruling, saying Justice Ekwo erred in law and occasioned a miscarriage of justice when he made an order compelling his attendance in court for the $53million debt.

  Wednesday’s proceedings could not go on as planned when the matter was called, making the court to adjourn the case until March 20.

• ‘Corruption Tamed In The Police’

AGAINST public service rule that puts retirement age at 60 or 35 years of service, as well as the ambition of some senior Police officers seeking to succeed the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, the authorities have revealed that the current Police boss would not be retiring midway into the general elections, as there exist an appointment letter extending his term in office.

 Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi, who disclosed this to journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, on Wednesday, January 18, explained that the Police Act 2020 has changed the rules.  

  There were speculations in the media that Baba would clock 60 on March 1, 2023, and was expected to honour the rule that compels public servants to go on retirement at that age.

  But fielding questions from journalists, Dingyadi said: “I don’t know where you got your record, but let me say that by the provision of the Police Act 2020, the IGP is now supposed to have a kind of four-year period and Mr. President has already given him letter of appointment in that regard. 

  So, the issue of IGP going out during this election period does not arise.”

  Baba was appointed acting IGP in April 6, 2021, while the Police Council confirmed him as the substantive IGP in June 2021.

  There have been concerns over the expected retirement of the IGP, three Deputy Inspectors General of Police (DIGs), many Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs), Commissioners of Police (CPs) and 290 other policemen in the first quarter of this year.

  Dingyadi also disclosed that FEC approved draft bill for an Act to establish Nigeria Police Institutions, which he said is to provide legal backing to the existing training institutions across the country and not to build new ones.

  The minister also affirmed that the level of corruption within the Nigeria Police has drastically reduced as a result of the sundry reforms initiated by the All Progressive Congress (APC) administration.

  He said: “I must say that even before this Police proposal or Bill, our findings have shown that the level of corruption has drastically reduced because of this government reforms.

  “It is worth it to note that as part of Mr. President’s reform of Nigerian Police ecosystem, the ministry is championing Police reforms with the strong backing of the Presidency and stakeholders to address observed gaps in the training and retraining of Police officers. 

  “They have rehabilitated and upgraded available Police training institutions and facilities nationwide, tackled lack of funding to take care of the training institutions and created a robust structure for effective management and administration of the institutions. 

  “In consideration of the above, the FEC has today, graciously approved the draft Bill for an Act to establish Nigeria Police Force College Training Schools and Institutions to serve as centres for professional training of officers, Nigerian Police Force and other related matters. 

  “It has also directed the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Minister of Justice to transmit the draft Bill to National Assembly for enactment into law. 

  “Distinguished ladies and gentleman, by the time this draft Bill is passed by the National Assembly, it is expected to change the narrative in our institutions.

  “In addition to giving legal backing to this institutions and financial autonomy, it will also have to mobilise the much-needed technical and financial support from within and outside the country for the modernisation of Police training facilities towards improving the quality of officers that are produced for deployment, in furtherance of federal government’s agenda on Police reforms for effective policing in the country.”

ONE of the principal suspects in the resumed trial of Offa bank robbery case at the Kwara State High Court, Ilorin, Ayoade Akinnibosun, on Wednesday, January 18, told the court how the former commander of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) squad, Mr. Abba Kyari, offered him N10million to implicate former senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, in the armed robbery case.

  Besides, the suspect said Kyari promised to give him a visa to any country of his choice if he implicated Saraki, which he said he turned down.

  Five suspects, Akinnibosun, Ibikunle Ogunleye, Adeola Abraham and two others were charged to court by the Police for criminal conspiracy to rob the banks, murder of nine policemen and other citizens and illegal possession of firearms. 

  It is recalled that about 10 persons were killed in the incident, while other residents of Offa sustained serious injuries.

  However, during cross examination at the court by the defence Counsel, Mr. Mathias Emeribe (SAN), Akinnibosun said he was offered N10million to claim that Saraki asked them to carry out the bloody robbery operation.

  “He said I should admit and say Saraki was the one who asked us to go and rob. I told him I won’t do that; that I will rather die for what I didn’t do than to lie against an innocent man.

  “He asked me to think over his offer very well. At this point, he ordered officers Hassan and Mashood to return me to the cell, a separate one different from where others are and that they should stop torturing me,” he said.

  The suspect stated that he was not allowed to write any statement in Ilorin, except his bio data, until they were conveyed to Abuja in a tinted bus, where he was later kept in a place called “abattoir.”

  There, he said he was mercilessly tortured and shot in the leg in order to implicate Saraki, maintaining that Saraki has nothing to do with the robbery case.

  “We were like 15 to 20 taken to Abuja. I only know few of them. We were put outside and served meals, but I couldn’t eat, because my hands were paralysed due to the torture I went through in their hands in Ilorin. They asked Kunle Ogunleye to feed me. They separated five of us, put us in the generator house.

  “I was asked me to stretch my legs and they shot my right leg. He shot the second leg, but when I tried shifting the leg, it hit my tomb,” he said.

  The defendant then went ahead to show the gunshot wound on his legs to the court, adding that one of the robbery suspects, Michael Adikwu, was shot dead in his presence, a situation that got him terrified and made him agree to implicate Saraki in a prepared statement before the press.

  The presiding Judge, Justice Alimat Salman, thereafter adjourned the case until February 13, 2023.

Gov Bello: ‘We Are All Not Safe’

BANDITS, in the early hours of Sunday, January 15, killed a Catholic priest in an attack on Kafin Koro Community in Paikoro Local Council of Niger State when they burnt the building where he was living.

  The bandits burnt Reverend Father Isaac Achi of Saint Peter and Paul Catholic Church to death when they invaded the community around 1 am and began shooting sporadically as they heading to his uphill residence.

  According to a resident of the community, the bandits divided themselves into two groups, with on e group going to the Catholic priest’s official residence, while other stayed in the town, shooting to wade off any intervention or resistance. 

  The source said when the bandits couldn’t gain access to the late priest’s residence after several attempts, they set the building ablaze, with Achi inside, and waited until it burnt to ashes. 

  The Divisional Police Officer was said to have been reached almost immediately, but he couldn’t get to Achi before he died. 

  Achi’s body was found among the charred parish building, according to the Catholic Diocese of Minna. 

  Another priest at the rectory, Rev. Father Collins Omeh, escaped the building, but sustained gunshot wounds and was being treated in a hospital. 

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcyon.minnadiocese.7%2Fposts%2Fpfbid036yc66fiwaPf74bnYkPdBnwopbeFoDt5dQw2d7xuee5V6W531GfPDbL6g2pC759Uxl&show_text=true&width=500   In his reaction, Governor Sani Bello Abubakar, described the attack as “ungodly and inhumane,” lamented that nobody was now safe in the state.

  He noted that targeting a religious centre is the worst form of attack perpetrated by terrorists and directed security agencies to pursue the attackers and bring them to account, adding that the country was unsafe for everyone if a priest could be killed in such a manner.

  Bello, in a statement, said: “This is a sad moment, for a priest to be killed in such a manner means that we are not all safe. These terrorists have lost it and drastic action is needed to end this ongoing carnage.”

  The governor, while condoling with the Christian community and Catholic Church over the death of the priest, assured that government would intensify efforts to ensure the terrorists were apprehended.

  He prayed for the quick recovery of the other priest who sustained an injury, adding that security operatives would adopt new strategies to avert such attacks.

TERRORISTS, around 7am on Sunday, January 15, kidnapped about 25 worshippers when they attacked New Life for All Church in Jan-Tsauni, Gidan Haruna community, Kankara Local Council of Katsina State as they gathered to commence service.

  According to Reverend Ishaya Jarau, the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Governor Aminu Masari, who disclosed the incident to journalists on Sunday afternoon, “the terrorists abducted 25 worshippers and left the church pastor with injuries.”

  He said nine of the abducted persons later managed to escape from the terrorists and had returned back to the community, adding that following the incident, security personnel in the state had heightened effort to secure the release of the victims.

  While confirming the incident, spokesperson of the state Police Command, Gambo Isah, said the pastor was shot and wounded during the attack, adding, however, that only five persons, all females, were abducted. He gave their names as Rabi Isiaku, 15; Rabi Saidu, 36; Rabi Baba, 49; Nooseba Shuaibu, 13 and Saratu Hadi, 27.

  ”The terrorists stormed the church in large numbers at 7am and abducted five worshippers who were all women. They shot and wounded the pastor, identified as Pastor Haruna.  They did not go away with him, but they abducted the women,” he stated. 

*Vows To Serve Nigeria Until Last Day 

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has declared that nobody can blackmail him on inexplicable wealth and illicit enrichment while in office, insisting: “I do not have one square-inch outside Nigeria.”

  He advised Nigerians to remain patriotic, saying: “As I said more than 30 years ago, we have no other country than Nigeria, we must all stay here and salvage it together.”

  Speaking at a State Banquet in his honour on Monday night, January 9 in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, Buhari restated his commitment to serve God and Nigeria until his last day in office and beyond, noting that the most critical security challenge inherited by his administration nearly eight years ago was the potent and pervasive threat of terrorism and expressed delight that normalcy has returned to affected states in Northeast.

  The President recalled that the threat was particularly pervasive across the Northeast geopolitical zone, with Yobe State as one of the most hit by the terrorists, expressing fulfillment of the commitment he made to Nigerians in his May 29, 2015 inaugural address to frontally and courageously tackle Boko Haram terrorists and stabilise the country.

  “In the Northeast, God has helped us to clear Boko Haram, the economy has picked up and some people are asking me about the achievements of my promise to fight corruption.

  “Well, under this system, fighting corruption is not easy. When I was in the military, as head of state, I locked up some people because the constitution says you must declare your assets and people who couldn’t explain the differences in their assets, I locked them up.

  “In the end, I was also locked up. So, if you want to serve this country, you must be prepared for the worst. But one thing that I am grateful to God for is that nobody can blackmail me. I do not have one-square inch outside Nigeria and I intend to stay in Nigeria when I retire from public office.’’

  Reflecting on his journey to the Presidency and re-election, Buhari said: “Between 2003 and 2019, I visited all the local government areas in this country. In 2019 when I attempted a re-election, I visited every state and the number of people that came out to see who this Buhari is and was is more than what anybody can pay or force.

  “So, I thank God that Nigerians understood me and I made a promise that I will serve God and Nigerians.”

  He commended Governor Mai Mala Buni for taking advantage of the return of peace and security in the state to execute people-oriented projects, describing him as very competent and courageous, adding that he was lucky to have him in the saddle as the political leader in the state, supporting the federal efforts to decimate Boko Haram terrorist group.

  The President also acknowledged the cooperation of Nigeria’s neighbours in the fight against insurgency, recalling that his first visit outside the country in 2015 was to Niger and Chad to garner support on tackling the misguided sect. 

  In his remarks, Buni expressed delight at the President’s inauguration of landmark projects in the state, including the Yobe International Cargo Airport, Damaturu ultra-modern market, Maternal and Child Health Complex at the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital, the 2600 Housing Estate in Potiskum and the Damaturu Mega School at new Bra-Bra.

  He appealed to the President to approve the takeover of the Yobe State International Cargo Airport by the Federal Government and the refund of N38 billion expended by the state government on the project.

  The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba Alkali, thanked the President for inaugurating a purpose-built, ultra-modern and fully furnished State Command Headquarters; Police Secondary School; and Tertiary Police Hospital during the visit.

  He assured the President and Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force was fully prepared for the coming general elections and would remain apolitical in compliance with the presidential directive.

  He disclosed that Police Constables who recently passed out were being posted on field operations to their local government areas of origin in line with the President’s directives and ahead of their deployment for the general elections. 

‘‘In furtherance to this, we have exposed our personnel to specialized election security management trainings, developed Code of Conduct Handbook to guide the Police and other national security agencies that will be involved in the exercise,’’ he said.

He added that the Force has also perfected the logistics and manpower mobilization framework, and fine-tuned the Election Security Operational Action Plan in conjunction with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Military, Intelligence Community, and other Sister Security Agencies.

The IGP thanked the President for the annual recruitment of ten thousand police Constables over a five-year period, adding that the Presidential consideration has significantly bridged the manpower gap in the Force and broadly strengthened their capacity to effectively police the electoral process.