Manipulated? Woman Kills Her Mother-in-Law With Pestle

A woman identified as Mrs. Chioma Ibina (45 years) has allegedly killed her mother-in-law identified simply as Mrs. Ibina (75 years) by hitting her on the head with a pestle without any fight…

The ugly incident occurred last Friday night in Ebyia Unuhu in Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Narrating the incident before newsmen, the son of the deceased, who is equally the husband of the suspect, Mr. Maduabuchi Ibina, said that some of the family members, on the fateful day, noticed some unusual noise like that of a wheelbarrow at about 12 midnight.

He said that the noise attracted one of his stepmothers, who opened her door to find out what was wrong.

He said, “Neighbours from nearby compound informed her that it was the suspect (Mrs Chioma), who pleaded to use their wheelbarrow that night.

“At that point, one of the neighbours followed my stepmother and they trailed the sound of the wheelbarrow to a point where they sighted Mrs. Chioma displaying suspicious behaviour, which prompted them to question her on what she was doing with a wheelbarrow at 12 midnight.

“They noticed that Chioma’s body was soaked with blood and this gave them more reason to be worried; they then forced themselves into the room and saw my mother in a pool of her own blood with her head crushed with pestle.

He narrated that by the time the stepmother and the neighbour had time to recover from the shock after observing what happened, the suspect (Chioma) had escaped.

Mr. Maduabuchi wondered why his wife would indulge in such a dastardly act as there was no misunderstanding between his mother and her.

“I was not in the house that fateful night the incident occurred; I attended a burial in the village and returned in the morning to learn of this development.

“The next place I saw my wife was at Nkwegu Police Station where she narrated how she committed the crime, attributing it to the handwork of the devil.”

Maduabuchi further disclosed that his wife cried profusely at the Police Station stating that she was hypnotised while she slept, leading to her picking up a pestle and hitting the mother-in-law twice in her room.

He continued, “My wife told us that the same spirit directed her to carry wheelbarrow, which she did before family members came to the scene.”

When contacted, the Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, Lovet Odah, confirmed the incident to Punch, stating that the suspect has been arrested and was now in police custody.

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Five Police Cadets On Holidays & A Lady Die In Fatal Accident

No fewer than five police cadets at the Nigeria Police Academy, Kano, and a civilian were killed on Sunday in an auto crash at Maraban-Gwanda, along Kano-Zaria Expressway.

Three others were also said to have been injured, while one of the two vehicles involved in the crash, which happened around 8.30am, was burnt.

It was learnt that the cadets were on holidays and travelling to their respective destinations when a Golf car ran into a bus conveying them.

It was gathered by The Punch that officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and some policemen rescued the survivors and took them to St Lukes Hospital, Wusasa, Zaria.

A colleague of the deceased, Suhail Saulawa, shared the tragic news on his Twitter handle, @cadet_suhail.

One of the deceased, according to his name tag, was identified as A.M. Bello, while Saulawa gave the names of three others simply as Ayisha, Dabiri and Yamad.

He stated that Dabiri posted on Instagram a few hours before the incident, lamenting that the deceased was an advocate of better policing in the country.

He wrote, “Surely, every soul shall taste the bitterness of death. Today (Sunday), we lost four of our junior cadets on their way back home on break, along Kano-Zaria Expressway.

“Dari, a highly reformed gentleman officer; his dream for better policing will never go in vain. We will continue from where you stopped #RIP, my gentle and loyal boy. See you in a better place.

“At About 22:30hrs (10pm on Saturday), late Dari passed by me while he was dashing and late Yamad was the man of the match in yesterday’s (Saturday) football match. But that’s the irony of life; may Allah forgive them all. RIP.”

In another tweet update on the incident, Saulawa put the number of the deceased policemen at five.

“We have lost the fifth cadet; may Allah bless and forgive his gentle soul,” he tweeted.

The Corps Public Education Officer of the FRSC, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, who confirmed the crash, said the corpses of the victims had been handed over to their families.

He said the corps received a distress call at 8.40am and mobilised its men to the scene immediately, adding that nine persons were involved in the crash.

He said, “The accident was caused by speed violation; while two vehicles – a Ford transit white bus with the number plate, KMC 274 YW, and a black Volkswagen Golf – were involved. The number plate of the Golf car could not be ascertained because the whole vehicle was burnt.

“Nine people (eight males and a female) were involved. While three males were injured, six persons – five males and a female – died. Five of the deceased were policemen. The injured victims were taken to St Lukes Hospital, Wusasa, Zaria, and the dead bodies were handed over to the relatives.”

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Jimoh Moshood, said the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, commiserated with the families of the late cadets, adding that they (the families) had been informed about the incident through the commandant of the police academy.

He said, “It was an unfortunate incident and everybody is sad. The commandant informed me this morning (Sunday). The Inspector-General of Police and the entire Nigeria Police Force commiserate with their families and colleagues.

“The IG has equally directed a full scale investigation into the accident and the Kaduna State Police Command is doing so. They were on holidays; a J5 car ran into a vehicle they were travelling in.”

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"Babangida Sacked Me Seven Days To My Wedding"

A former General Manager of the Plateau State Publishing Corporation, Jonathan Ishaku, has recalled how, as former Editor of The Nigerian Standard in 1985, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, popularly known as IBB, sacked him in 1985 for being very critical of his administration seven days to his wedding.

Ishaku told Punch, “The story of my sacking by IBB was a very long one. It was a struggle between the then military government and the agitation for democracy, press freedom, journalism and human rights.

“We weren’t at fault; the military felt that we were exposing them too much and we shouldn’t have been exposing them. That was seven days before my wedding and the wedding still went ahead because we felt that we would give them too much joy to postpone it. He wanted to deny me of my wedding, but I continued with my plans.

“They felt that we shouldn’t have written what we were writing, especially editorials and news reports that were so critical of some of the atrocities of the military. They claimed to come to correct the past errors of the civilians but ended up doing worse things.

“We were not happy with IBB in our editorials, especially when IBB said he was going to restore freedom, after toppling the administration of then Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. He came, was criticised for some of his policies. IBB didn’t accept it; we wrote an editorial in support of the position being canvassed by the managing directors of some banks concerning his economic policies. Before this, IBB had already sacked those bank MDs. We affirmed their freedom to speak; IBB therefore slammed a dismissal on us.”

Ishaku, who later became Editor of The Champion Newspapers, said IBB felt that The Nigerian Standard was speaking the minds of some top military officers from the Middle Belt “who may be plotting a coup against him and who may be using the mouthpiece of the Middle Belt.”

“That was why he was very sensitive to whatever Nigerian Standard Newspapers wrote. In fact, he insulted his Chief Press Secretary, Duro Onabule, and gave a stern directive that whenever Nigerian Standard arrives, it should be one of the first newspapers he should see and read.

“That was after we wrote an editorial criticising his wife, the late Maryam Abacha, for sewing a dress which portrayed his (IBB’s) pictures. We told her that she shouldn’t model her husband for us because if Nigerians wanted her husband to continue to lead as President, it should be done through the democratic means,” he said.

He said although The Nigerian Standard was in northern Nigeria, it had a lot of influence and was being reviewed every morning on The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.

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PDP Replies Osinbajo: You’re A Product Of Corruption

The Peoples Democratic Party has accused Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) of being a beneficiary of corruption.

It said that Nigerians, particularly the younger generation, were thoroughly disappointed in Osinbajo for allegedly allowing himself to be used to divert public attention from what it called the failures of the APC government.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, that as “a professor of Law, and an occupant of the exalted seat of the Vice-President of our country, Osinbajo should know better than allowing himself to be used to bandy figures and make unguarded statements at public events.”

He cited the comment made by Osinbajo at the APC ward congress in Lagos on Saturday, where he allegedly described everyone else as “thieves.”

Osinbajo had claimed at the congress that unlike its predecessors, the present government would not steal government money.

Ologbondiyan alleged that the Vice-President had refused to bring honour to his office with his utterances.

He said, “We note that Vice-President Osinbajo has refused to heed wise counsel and accord respect to his office by desisting from such unguarded comments only because he has been sucked in and entangled in the propaganda, deception, impunity and sleaze that not only brought the administration to power, but have become its trademark in the last three years.

“We specifically invite Nigerians to note that all the assertions by the Vice-President, especially on the performance of the Buhari administration as well as his allegations and bandying of figures against the opposition, have remained unsubstantiated.

“Moreover, Nigerians have noted that Prof. Osinbajo, in his ‘sanctimony,’ has been silent on the exposed corruption under the Buhari administration, including the leaked memo detailing N9tn corrupt oil contracts at the NNPC, exposed sleaze in oil subsidy deals, diversion of Internally Displaced Persons’ intervention funds.

“These include the probe of a misappropriated N18bn in the National Emergency Management Agency under his direct supervision as well as other looting in government agencies such as the National Health Insurance Scheme.

“The Vice-President is also ominously silent about the prevailing high-handedness and human rights violations and the aloofness of government resulting in daily bloodletting in various parts of our country.”

Ologbondiyan urged Osinbajo to take heed, retreat to the inner room, and conduct a soul searching.

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Our Pains Over Non-passage Of 2018 Budget

These are not the best of times for real sector operators, particularly manufacturers. For a sector struggling to bounce back after a debilitating recession forced it on its knees, the delay in the passage of the N8.6 trillion 2018 Appropriation Bill by the National Assembly (NASS) may have added to its litany of woes.

Not a few operators who spoke with The Nation lamented that the delay in the passage of the budget has naturally slowed down economic activities. To them, critical business decisions have been put on hold. Some of them believed key capital/infrastructure projects would be delayed or abandoned.

The Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Muda Yusuf, said the delay in the budgetary process would entrench the vicious cycle of poor budget implementation.

On the likely effect of the budget delay on its implementation, especially its capital component, Yusuf said: “The risk is that recurrent spending will be fully implemented while capital projects suffer the usual implementation deficiency.”

Strategic planning, for many organisations, takes a cue from the budget structure and the policies that come with it.

The National Assembly reneged on its promise to pass the N8.6 trillion 2018 Appropriation Bill on April 24, 2018. The “Budget of Consolidation”proposal was on November 7, last year, presented for consideration and approval to the joint session of the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari. But, the executive and the legislature have been trading blame for the delay in its passage. The chambers again raised the hopes of operators and Nigerians that the budget will be passed this week

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, Abdulrasak Namdas, told reporters in Abuja: “By the grace of God, we will lay the budget on Tuesday (tomorrow) and then try to pass it that same week. Actually, we’ve been working hard so that we can beat the deadline, and hopefully this time around, I can assure you that by next week (this week), everything about the budget will be concluded and passed.”

His assurance followed that of the Senate spokesman, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.

If both chambers make good their promises this time, it means that the implementation of the budget will begin five months into the fiscal year.

The delay, according to Yusuf, has implications for planning in both the public and private sectors of the economy.

“To the extent that the budget is not in place, uncertainty and associated business risks are heightened,” the LCCI chief said, adding “this is surely not good for investors’ confidence, either from a foreign investor’s perspective, or from domestic investor’s standpoint.

Equally worried is the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). Its President Frank Udemba Jacobs said: “As a key player in the real sector of the economy, MAN can boldly say that the delay in passage of the budget would have dire consequences on the economy.

“This is chiefly because the delay in the passage of the budget would make implementation of the capital expenditure component of the budget for the year an uphill task and these capital expenditure components are needed for sustainable economic growth as against our present growth rate that is premised on improved oil production and increase in crude oil prices in the international market.”

He described the annual budget as a vital compass expected to give stakeholders in the economy information on the likely flow of the economy as well as income and expenditure in a given year.

He also said the budget is a strategic indicator that helps domestic and foreign investors and businesses to plan their economic activities, decisions, projects and expenditures for the year.

Dr. Jacobs, therefore, said that the late passage of the budget slows down economic activities.

He said: “Critical to the private sector is the expectation that the budget shows the direction the government aims to take for the year in terms of provision of incentives, infrastructure development needed for the smooth operation of businesses and procurement of goods and services.”

The MAN chief pointed out that the delay would negatively affect the job creation capacity of government contractors.

Those job losses, he added, would worsen the purchasing power of the populace, with its resultant effect on the economy and the manufacturing sector in particular.

Stating that the delay has dire consequences for the economy generally, he said: “For an economy such as Nigeria, a budget is more than just a plan; it a fiscal tool that has been empirically used for the development and growth of economies in many other climes.

“In fact, national budget provides the link between public sector activities and that of the private sector needed for the growth of the economy. Taking the budget expenditure angle for instance, through public procurement for government capital projects, particularly locally-made products, the entire sectors will be stimulated as liquidity expands.

“Expansion in these activities stimulates growth and development in terms of employment creation and poverty reduction.

“Early passage of national budget therefore ensures early commencement of implementation and full-blown economic activities.

“Conversely, the late passage of the budget as we are witnessing in Nigeria at the moment causes sluggishness in the economy, which affects all economic actors and agents negatively.”

The non-passage of the 2018 budget is affecting sales of goods in warehouses of many manufacturing firms. Since the budget is yet to be passed, there has been no money in circulation, leading to low purchasing power of Nigerians.

With lots of unsold goods, manufacturers are hurting. Their production targets have been disrupted.

The MAN president said: “What the National Assembly is doing presently by not finishing up with the 2018 budget is causing a major challenge to the economy because the disposable income is not there for Nigerians to spend at will.

“It is only when this budget is passed and implementation begins that the public will have money to spend freely. As long as they don’t have money to spend freely, the manufacturing sector will continue to have large stock of unsold inventory of goods and these could decay and be at production risk.”

Jacobs also expressed worries over the proposed budgetary deficit of N2.22 billion, which the government intends to finance to the tune of about 42.4 per cent from domestic borrowing.

According to him, this would crowd out private sector borrowing, particularly the manufacturing sector.

Jacobs argued that with debt service charges rising to N2.014 trillion, accounting for 24.7 per cent of the 2018 budget, this portends imminent danger. Besides, high debt profile, he said, leads to debt over-hang, which discourages investment, particularly foreign investment.

the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) warned of the dangers in delayed passage of the budget was dangerous for the economy.

Conveying NECA’s concern at the end of its recent Governing Council meeting in Lagos, its President Larry Ettah said the development could drag the nation into a state of inertia.

He said: “It appears to have become a tradition in this democratic dispensation for the budget to be unduly delayed, thereby plunging the economy into a state of inertia, particularly in the first quarter of the year.”

He recalled that in December 2016, the President presented the Appropriation Bill for last year to the National Assembly, but lamented that the lawmakers did not pass the bill until May 11, 2017, almost six months after it was presented.

Ettah, also recollected that the President presented the 2018 budget to the legislators in November 2017 and expressed dismay that the budget is yet to be passed.

He implored the two arms of government to mutually agree on a time frame that would ensure that the budget for the following year is passed into law before the end of every current fiscal year.

The Nation learnt that the delay in the passage of the budget was caused by the alleged refusal of heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to appear before the chambers to defend their votes.

The refusal, or late appearance of some heads of MDAs was said to have made the sub-committees of both chambers to also submit their budget reports late to the Appropriation Committees.

By Tuesday last week, when the National Assembly failed to pass the document as promised, reports of sub-committees were reportedly still being collated by the Appropriation Committees for onward submission to the Senate and House in plenary for passage into law.

But, Jacobs blamed the delay on administrative challenges, saying: “From all indications, it appears that the reason for the delay of passage of the 2018 budget is due to administrative challenges.”

According to him, economic activities have been dampened and the private sector that grows the economy in real terms could not find any impetus and direction, which the government is supposed to provide through the passage of the budget.

On the efforts made by the manufacturers to end the cycle, Jacobs stated that in various representations, MAN has always advised the government to begin early budget preparation in the preceding year.

He said in doing that, all administrative hiccups would have been resolved early before the current year.

“I hope the National Assembly and the Presidency quickly resolve the current quagmire and move on to pass the 2018 budget,” he said.

NLC President Ayuba Wabba blamed the delay on lack of synergy between the executive and the National Assembly. He called on the executive and the legislature to expedite action to pass the budget.

Pointing out the implication of the long, Wabba noted that the implication of not passing the budget five months into the year translates to delay in delivering on infrastructure development and dividends of democracy.

The unionist said: “Based on facts in the public domain, the position of both arms of government was wrong-headed and does not warrant holding the nation to ransom.

“We find it rather unwarranted to play politics with such issue and refuse to carry out their statutory functions. We call on the Senate and the Federal Government to bury their hatchet to expedite the passage of the budget.”

According to Wabba, there must be synergy in the work of the three arms of government through meaningful consultations, constant communication and collaboration for the common good of the people.

Echoing the labour leader, Yusuf said: ”They need to be on the same page with regard to the fundamental principles of the budget.”

The LCCI the boundaries of responsibilities between the executive and the legislature in budgetary appropriations should be clearly defined to avoid the recurring problem of delays.

Noting that the ruling party has a role to play in this matter, especially when it has the majority in the legislature, he added that a judicial pronouncement is necessary to lay the matter to rest.

He said: “It is important as well for all arms of government to demonstrate an unmistakeable commitment to the spirit and letters of the Nigerian constitution and other complementary legislations.

“It is worrisome that many agencies of government are not complying with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

“Compliance with this Act would improve the budget process and enhance the capacity of the NASS to discharge its responsibilities with regard to the appropriation,” Yusuf told The Nation.

The Federal Government had in 2017, made a commitment to an early submission of the 2018 Appropriation Bill for early passage before the end of 2017. The idea was to return the nation’s budget cycle to the regular January-December.

Subsequently, the 2018 budget, which was put at N8.612 trillion, was presented to the National Assembly by President Buhari on November 7, 2017.

But five months into the year, the budget is yet to be passed, as lawmakers accuse the executive of refusing to submit the 2018 Finance Bill, which it said traditionally accompanies the budget proposal.

The parliament was said to have requested the submission of the finance bill as part of its working tools, saying that it was necessary as it guards against revenue leakages and inconsistency in government fiscal policy.

As it is, the controversy over submission of the 2018 budget and budget defence by ministers and directors has continued to hold the nation to ransom, with predictable consequences for businesses and the economy.

The situation, according to experts, is hurting the country’s quest for both local and foreign investors.

Because budget approval and implementation are critical to investment decisions and enhanced economic activities, experts believe that the nation’s recovery from recession on a sustainable would have been accelerated had the 2018 budget been passed on time.

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14 Notorious Traffic Robbers Arrested In Lagos

Officials of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) have arrested 14 suspected traffic robbers on the Marina in Lagos.

The suspects were apprehended during an operation codenamed, Jedi-Jedi, which was initiated to rid the axis of miscreants, who waylay motorists at night.

According to the agency’s Chairman, Israel Ajao, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), LNSC had received complaints that motorists were usually robbed at that axis at night, especially by the State House on the Marina.

He said LNSC officials went undercover and pretended as motorists, whose vehicles broke down.

“Over 100 officers were deployed in decoy raid. Some were inside vehicles, which seemed to have broken down. As soon as the urchins saw the broken down vehicles, they went after them in a bid to rob the occupants.

“Fourteen of them were pursued and arrested. Some weapons recovered. They have been handed over to the task force for further action. Some of our officers sustained minor injuries. This operation was successful because of the quality of intelligence received from the public.

“People should have confidence in giving us information and we would rout out all criminals from all the nooks and crannies of Lagos State.”

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Rampaging Bandits Kill Over 45 People In Kaduna

Barely three days after Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris visited Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State over the spate of killngs, bandits at the weekend killed over 45 people, including women and children.

Condemning the attack, Governor Nasir El-Rufai said the Federal Government’s plan to establish an Army battalion in Birnin-Gwari would soon be implemented.

During his visit, the IG ordered immediate deployment of additional 200 policemen in the area.

The bandits stormed Gwaska village around 2:30pm on Saturday, killing 45 people and setting many houses ablaze.

Kaduna State Police Commissioner Austin Iwar, in a telephone interview with The Nation, confirmed the 45 casualty figure.

The CP also confirmed that the incident occurred in Gwaska, a Birnin Gwari village close to Zamfara State.

Members of the Birnin-Gwari Vanguard for Security and Good Governance, who pleaded for anonymity, said the gunmen came in from Zamfara State.

“The armed bandits came from neighbouring Zamfara State and encircled Gwaska up to neighbouring Kuiga village, shooting sporadically,

“Most of those killed are even women and children,” a source said.

“We will continue to appeal to the authorities to take urgent steps to forestall further attacks and extinction of communities in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area.”

The source said many people were still missing and that the injured would be evacuated.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan, El-Rufai commiserated with Birnin Gwari Emirate over the “fatal” attack.

He said “to contain the situation, the military will be stationing a permanent Army battalion in Birnin-Gwari”.

El-Rufai said he was concerned by the incessant banditry and had been engaging the Federal Government on the matter.

Said the governor: “The Kaduna State Government has received with sadness reports of the murder of our citizens by armed bandits in Birnin Gwari. The government has sent a message of condolence to the people of Birnin Gwari Emirate.

“Kaduna State Government is deeply committed to overcoming the unfortunate criminality and banditry being carried out against innocent citizens in Birnin Gwari Local Government.

“The engagements between the state and federal governments have yielded results. President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of a permanent battalion of the Nigerian Army in the Birnin Gwari general area.

“The new security arrangements also involve policing. The Inspector General of Police has already announced the creation of the Birnin Gwari Police Area Command and two new Divisional Police Headquarters.

“The State Emergency Management Agency has also been directed to provide relief materials with immediate effect to the affected communities.”

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