#BringBackOurGirls: 30 days after, parents identify 77 girls in video

Seventy-seven of the more than 200 schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram terrorists, a month ago, have been identified from the video released Monday by the sect.

This came as the United States disclosed that it is flying manned surveillance missions over Nigeria in an effort to pinpoint the location of the abducted schoolgirls.

Following release of the video by sect leader, Mallam Abubakar Shekau showing scores of the girls wearing hijabs and reciting the Holy Q’uran, Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima ordered mass production of the video to be shown to the parents of the abducted girls for identification.

After the identification exercises, which Governor Shettima said, yesterday, was on-going, he confirmed that 77 of the girls have been identified in the video. Addressing the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners at the Borno State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, where he released the names of the girls, he announced that he would not relent in the efforts to rescue the girls until they were all safely re-united with their respective families.

According to him, the process of identification was still on-going and, therefore, expressed optimism that more of the abducted students could be identified.

Chibok: Don’t turn it into religion issue, FG warns CAN, JNI

Federal Government, yesterday, warned religious bodies to desist from turning the recent abduction of female students in Chibok, Borno State, into religious matter.

The Coordinator of National Information Center on the abduction of Chibok’s abducted girls, Mr Mike Omeri gave the warning, while briefing newsmen on the update on the rescue efforts in Abuja.

Omeri, who is also the Director General of National Orientation Agency, called on the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and the Jama’atul Nasril Islam, JNI, to ask their members, to stop making inflamtory statements capable of aggravating the situation on ground.

“The federal government appeals to religious bodies, especially the leadership of both JNI and CAN, to restrain their members from being misled by unscrupulous person into reducing the current situation into a religious conflict,” he said.

Nyako fault Jonathan’s request for extension of emergency rule in N-East

Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State has again opposed the move by President Goodluck Jonathan to further extend the state of emergency currently in force in his state and two others in the North-East.

Nyako’s opposition followed Jonathan’s request to the National Assembly to grant him power to further elongate emergency rule for six more months. Jonathan’s request, dated May 2, 2014, was read to members yesterday.

Reacting to the request, Nyako described the action as ill-advised and a wrong step in quelling rising insurgency in the North-East.

According to the governor, who made his position known through his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Ahmed Sajoh, there is no need for the imposition of emergency rule in the state, as it has not mitigated the level of attacks by terrorists.

The governor pointed out that there had been even more attacks in the state since the declaration of emergency rule by President Jonathan last year than when there was no emergency in the area.

He said: “We still hold our position that there was no need to declare a state of emergency in Adamawa in the first place, because the level of attacks in the state has even increased with the imposition of emergency rule.

Grandmother saved from lynching over false kidnap alarm

A 50-year-old grandmother escaped death by the whiskers yesterday, in the densely populated Ajegunle area of Lagos, after she was attacked by a mob that thought she stole a day-old baby.

The woman, whose identity could not be immediately ascertained, was reportedly seen cuddling the day-old-baby whom she wrapped in a cloth.
Some curious persons were said to have raised alarm that she kidnapped the baby which made the mob surround her.

She reportedly tried in vain to explain that the baby was her grand-child and that the mother was still recuperating in the hospital, as the mob descended on her.
An eyewitness, who identified herself as Ubani Amara, said: “When they asked her at first where she got the baby from, she ignored the question.

“That gave room for suspicion that she could have kidnapped the baby because of the spate of kidnappings in Lagos. Again, she looked  too old to give birth.
“A man among the crowd was the first to hit her, followed by slaps. That was when she said the baby belongs to her daughter. Nobody believed the claim because they expected to see the mother with her.

“The mob even tried to take the baby from her but the woman held tight to him, causing the baby to start bleeding from the cord.”
The swift  arrival of policemen from Ajegunle division saved the woman from being lynched.

Preliminary investigation, according to sources at the division, revealed that the child was indeed the woman’s grandchild.
Sources disclosed that the medical  doctor at an undisclosed private hospital around Aiyetoro where the grandmother claimed her child was, was  invited to ascertain the claim.

According to the source, “when the doctor arrived, he confirmed  that  the biological mother was still in the hospital, explaining she developed some complications after birth.  The doctor said she also could not breast feed the baby and advised  the grandmother  to take the baby home in order to give him proper bath and water, while the mother was being treated.

“The doctor said the baby was delivered around 8.45 a.m. and that any attempt by his mother to breast feed him could lead to her death because she has lost so much blood and was weak and pale.”

Chibok Girls:Obasanjo blasts Jonathan

Former Nigeria’s President, Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, condemned the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State.

Obasanjo spoke in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the state government on the adoption of a junior secondary school and a primary school in Kudai, Dutse.

Obasanjo, however, faulted Federal Government for its lackadaisical attitude towards saving the lives of the abducted students.

Speaking shortly after the signing of MoU between Jigawa State government and Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation, at Government House, Dutse, Chief Obasanjo said the delay by the government over the matter led to their being moved away from the school, adding that if urgent rescue action was taken, the girls could have been saved from their current hardship.

“The Federal Government could have acted quickly when the news broke so as to save the innocent girls, but nothing was done,” he lamented.
Obasanjo described the abduction of the girls as unfortunate and pathetic, considering the future of their lives.

“Their future is significant as such everything possible must be done to rescue them,” he  said.
He, howeverm said that, “whatever might have been the grievances of the group of people behind the adoption of these girls, whatever might have been their anger or objectives, it was uncalled for, considering the importance of these girls.”

He said his foundation has established itself in four countries in Africa among which Nigeria, Liberia and Ghana are beneficiaries.
Governor Sule Lamido thanked the former president for his wisdom in establishing of his foundation.

Oil bribe: Farouk has a case to answer-Court

The Court of Appeal in Abuja, yesterday, declined to quash the criminal charge preferred against the former Chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Fuel subsidy probe, Farouk Lawan, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.

In its ruling, yesterday, the appellate court, held that there was enough prima-facie to warrant the trial of both Farouk and the erstwhile Secretary of the probe committee, Boniface Emenalo.
Consequently, the two lawmakers were ordered to return to the lower court and defend themselves over the allegation that they demanded and collected $3 million bribe to pervert the course of an investigation that was instituted by the House of Representatives.

The duo were specifically accused of demanding and collecting bribe from the Chairman of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, Femi Otedola, as an inducement to remove the name of his company from the report of the Ad-hoc committee on monitoring of fuel subsidy regime.

ICPC alleged that they demanded an aggregate sum of $3 million, with a view to ensuring that the company escaped prosecution even though the probe committee had ab-initio found it culpable in the fuel subsidy fraud.
Farouk was said to have pocketed  $620,000 which was part payment for the illegal deal.

The anti-graft agency further alleged that Emenalo, while being a public officer, an Assistant Director and Clerk of the Committee on Education of the House of Representives, sometime in April 2012, while acting as the Secretary of the Committee, was offered gratification by Otedola, but failed to report the offer to any officer of the ICPC or any police officer.

The offence, according to ICPC is contrary to Sections 17 (1) (a);  8(1) (a) (b) (ii), and 23 (i) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under Sections 8 (1) 17 (1) and 23(3) of the same Act.
Meantime, the appellate court has ordered an accelerated hearing of the charge against them

I have information on abducted girls – Borno governor

The governor of Borno State, Kashim Sheetima, said he has information on the whereabouts of about 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by the Boko Haram sect.

Shettima, according to the BBC, said he had passed reports on the sightings of the girls to the military for verification.

The governor added that he did not think the girls had been taken across the border to Chad or Cameroon.

Meanwhile, President Jonathan said an Israeli counter-terrorism team would arrive in Nigeria to help in searching for the schoolgirls, who were abducted last month in Borno State.

Both the United States and United Kingdom distanced themselves from suggestions that they would send soldiers to take part in the military operation in the northern part of the country.

“There’s no intention at this point to be putting any American boots on the ground” said U.S Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel on Sunday.

UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, said it was unlikely Nigeria would ask for British troops to help, but he added: “I said to President Jonathan where we can help, please ask, and we will see what we can do.”