Senator Uba Denies Arrest Warrant

Senator Andy Uba, the Senator representing Anambra South, has debunked story making the rounds that a Federal High Court in FCT Abuja issued an order of arrest against him.

According to a statement obtained from his media team, the news is described as a mischievous and malicious propaganda sponsored by Uba’s former counsel Victor Uwajeh.

“Uwajeh has the selfish aim of tarnishing the reputable image of Senator Uba,” the statement said.

Uba gave a true picture of the development in the statement describing the news of his arrest as misleading.

“The court under Justice Binta Nyako, declined jurisdiction of the case but instead ordered that the Attorney General of the Federation be served.

“Justice Nyako therefore requested that the Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum (ACIF) serve the Attorney General first before presenting the case in her court.

“It is important to note that ACIF is a group allegedly used by Uwajeh in perpetrating his blackmail and extortion of money from his victims,” the statement added.

According to investigation, Uwajeh has no certificate or document to back-up his claim against the senator as a UK private investigator or anywhere in the world as claimed by him.

He is currently standing trial on a four count charge bothering on fraud, impersonation and forgery.

The statement further said: “Uwajeh, also attempted to swindle Senator Uba and so many others.

“He is currently into hiding after being investigated by the police and eventually charged to court over forgery, theft, documents falsification.

“We read with much dismay the fake malicious news that a court of law had issued an arrest warrant for Senator Andy Uba, our principal.

“We therefore enjoin all Nigerians and supporters of Senator Uba to disregard this report.”

It would be recalled that Senator Andy Uba is standing trial over alleged school certificate forgery brought against him by his former attorney, Victor Uwajeh.

Senator Nnamani Denies Endorsing Kenneth Okonkwo For Enugu Guber, Insists on free and fair primaries

Following the alleged endorsement of Kenneth Okonkwo by former Senate President , Dr. Ken Nnamani for the office of Governor of Enugu State, news reliably has it that at no point in time did Ken Nnamani endorse Kenneth Okonkwo ‘s ambition for the office.

This was made known to us by an aide of the former senate president who said that contrary to information that Nnamani had endorsed Okonkwo, the issue of endorsement never did arise.

The aide, Mr. Purji Yiltawe emphatically denied the issue of endorsing Okonkwo or any other candidate saying that Ken Nnamani was a democrat and did not believe in endorsing or imposing candidates on the party.

“ I can categorically tell you that at no point in time did the idea of the former Senate President in the person of Ken Nnamani endorse the candidature of Kenneth Okonkwo arise, please dispel the talk, Kenneth Okonkwo came to the Senate President’s office and knelt down asking him to endorse his candidature, the former Senate President said that there was nothing wrong in his ambition but asked him to go into the field and work, stating that under President Buhari, no candidate would be imposed on the party or on the people; he cited cases like Anambra and Sokoto to him, buttressing the fact that elections under the Buhari administration was a different ball game, where no candidate would be imposed on the people.”

Ignore Uwajeh's Blackmail, Prosecute Him in Court, Group tells IGP

A group, Nigerian Lawyers Renaissance Forum yesterday commended the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, SAN, to initiating prosecution against self acclaimed united Kingdom private investigator, Chief Victor Uwajeh before a federal High Court in Abuja. 

The group also called on the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris  to disregard all distractions emanating from certain quarters and prosecute with immediate effect one Mr. Victor Uwajeh for fraud, forgery and possession of false documents.   The group made this known to press statement  yesterday at its secretariat in Abuja calling on the Attorney General as the Chief Law officer of the Federation to follow up the matter in court to its logical conclusion.  

OurVoiceTV recalled  that Mr. Uwajeh had in attempting to blackmail Senator Andy Uba had alleged that the Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial district had forged his WAEC certificate.  Senator Uba promptly responded to the news by reporting the matter to the police who invited Uwajeh to present his own part of the case.   The Case was then investigated where it was discovered that the documents tendered by Uwajeh were  Forged resulting into the serving of a criminal  summons by the l government upon Mr. Uwajeh early this year.

The criminal summons constituted a four count charge before Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja over allegations bordering on fraud, possession of false documents and forgery.  However, Mr. Uwajeh has since then been on the run as the government through the prosecuting counsel has not been able to serve Uwajeh with the criminal summons. A.K Alilu told newsmen then that Mr. Uwajeh had disappeared and had even opted for an out of court settlement with Senator Uba.  It was thus to this end that the Nigerian Lawyers Renaissance Forum made its Appeal to both the minister of Justice and the IGP to go ahead with the prosecution of Mr. Uwajeh who it said was a known scammer and serial blackmailer.  

In its statement, signed by Barrister Jide Oyekan  and Barrister Nnamdi Ugbojikwe, the forum commended the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami,SAN, Senator Uba and the IGP Ibrahim Idris for not bowing to Uwajeh's tactics as he was known to have blackmailed several Nigerians with such tactics using  forged documents .  We urged the AGF and IGP to ignore all forms of distractions such as petitions written by groups, as these persons were usually in cahoots with the likes of Uwajeh.

The statement read as follows “ It has come to our notice that with the intended prosecution of one Victor Uwajeh who is perhaps Nigeria’s King of blackmailers and forgers, the country  may just be rid of such elements who have taken blackmail as their stock in trade. We wish to note that several distinguished Nigerians of repute have fallen victim to this criminal and have complied not because the blackmail had any substance but because they didn’t want any form of bad publicity. Thankfully, for us and for many others who will never again fall victim to such a fellow, Senator Uba stood his ground and even reported the matter to the Inspector General of Police, who ordered an investigation and found out that documents and allegations tendered by Uwajeh were false and obtained via forgery which the federal government has already charged him to court. This was followed with the serving of a criminal summons to which Mr. Uwajeh has artfully dodged knowing that the game is over.

Sadly, owing to the fact that we have some bad eggs still in the legal profession as does every other profession, we were surprised when we read in the news offered by online media that petitions had been written accusing the IGP of scuttling the investigation in favour of Senator Uba. We are much saddened by this move as it appears to be an attempt to wear upon Uwajeh the toga of a victim whereas he is the predator.  We are therefore calling on the IGP and other interested parties to shun such distractions and carry out their conventional duties. If indeed Uwajeh does not have a case to answer, why then is he on the run? Why is he avoiding been served the sermons? Like it is said, a clear conscience fears no accusation, Uwajeh should make himself available for service of the criminal summons.  We are also forwarding a petition to the Nigerian Bar Association's disciplinary committee to sanction some of these lawyers who are smearing the legal practice"

Police Indict Uwajeh Says Documents Presented Against Andy Uba was forged

The self-acclaimed private investigator, Chief Victor Uwajeh, who has being involved in series of blackmail and extortion cases has landed into fresh trouble for not appearing in court yesterday. Justice John Tsoho of the federal High court Abuja said he would issue a warrant of arrest if Uwajeh fails to appear before the court on the 13 February, 2018 to take his plea on charges bordering on forgery, impersonation and fraud.

The Federal Government had filed charges against the Uwajeh for allegedly trying to obtain money through fraudulent means against a serving Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District, Senator Andy Uba. 

Embattled Uwajeh whose extortion plan of £1.9 million failed, opted to blackmail and tarnish the reputable image of Sen Any Uba by fabricating false documents and credentials against him.

Following police thorough investigations and forensic analysis based on the petition Senator Uba wrote to the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, the police investigations indicted Uwajeh by stating that the signature and letterhead are all fabricated documents.

According to the forensic report the documents he paraded as credentials of Sen Uba were allegedly forged by him in his bid to blackmail and extort money from Sen Uba.

At the last proceedings  before the federal government filed charges before a federal High court Abuja, presiding judge, Justice Sylvester Origi, said that the matter could not proceed as the plaintiff lawyer asked the court to adjourned the matter to enable all the parties settled out of court which Sen. Uba insisted that he is not disposed to the arrangement urging the court to do the needful.

The judge further adjourned the suit on the instance of the plaintiff (Uwajeh) for the outcome of the out of court settlement and report back to the court .

3 Igbo Siblings Convert To Islam in Imo [SEE PHOTOS AND NEW NAMES]

A report making the rounds online has it that three brothers of the same parents from Chokoneze in Ezinihitte Mbaise LGA, Imo State, accepted Islam 2 days ago.

Their names were also changed after the change of religion; Chinonso now Hassan, Chika now Musa. Chibuzor now Abdulrahman.
They are now in Islamic school in Kaduna state to have basic Islamic education.

7-year-old Boy Burnt To Death For ‘Stealing’ Garri in Lagos [GRAPHIC PHOTOS]

A 7-year-old boy was beaten to pulp and later burnt to death in Badagry Lagos State for attempting to steal garri.

The yet to be identified boy was on the verge of stealing garri from a shop in Badagry but he ran out of luck. The 7 years old boy was beaten black and blue, tied up and set ablaze by the angry mob.

It's Not Buhari’s Job To Address Herdsmen Crisis – Obasanjo

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Tuesday, maintained that it’s not the “job” of President Muhammadu Buhari to address the lingering crisis between farmers and Fulani herdsmen across the country.

He made the remark at the 23rd Annual LAPO Development Forum with the theme, ‘Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities’, organised by the Lift Above Poverty Organisation in Abuja.
According to the former President, “Some of the words that have been coming out from our leaders, particularly from state governors are not helpful! This issue is not a federal issue and another thing I don’t like about it is that when you talk of Fulani herdsmen, people talk of the President.
“Now because the President of Nigeria is a Fulani man, you expect him to solve the problem immediately, that is not his job. And when people make comments like this, it annoys me.
“They say the President hasn’t said anything about this, that he used to be the patron of something…, but I believe that the ranching thing failed because the states and the local governments failed to do what they ought to have done.”
“I need to state that it is the responsibility of local governments to take care of them. Now, states should have even done a lot better, but they haven’t, and then when you have cattle rustling, herdsmen and farmers conflict, you try to make it a national issue. But it is not really a national issue.”

 

2 New Supreme Court Justices were confirmed by the Nigerian Senate

The Nigerian Senate today confirmed Hon Justice Ejembi Eko JCA and Hon. Justice Amina A. Augie JCA as Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

President Buhari Appoints 2 New FAAN Directors

President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government has appointed two new Directors for the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
FAAN’s Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, in a statement on Tuesday, gave the names of the new appointees as Mrs Nike Aboderin and Mr Sadiku Rafindadi.
Yakubu said that Aboderin was appointed Director of Finance and Accounts, while Rafindadi was appointed as Director of Commercial & Business Development.
She said: “Aboderin is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (FCIB). She holds an M.Sc degree in Banking and Finance of the University of Lagos.

“Her over 23years experience in the financial services industry exposed her to both public and private exploits at different institutions including multinationals.
“She is an Advanced Management Programme (AMP) graduate of Lagos Business School and also holds a post graduate certificate in Global Strategic Management (GSM) of the Harvard Business School, Boston, USA.”
According to Yakubu, Aboderin is married and blessed with children.
She said that Rafindadi is a 1985 graduate of Economics of the University of Pittsburgh and also holds an MBA in Finance of Clark Atlanta University, USA.
“He attended Kaduna Polytechnic, where he obtained Certificates in Management Studies.
“Rafindadi is a seasoned amiable Manager who started his career as a young officer and rose to the pinnacle through diligence and commitment.

China Launches Astronauts on Month-Long Mission to Experimental Space Station

China’s space program took another small step towards parity with the Russian and American efforts today, when the Chinese space agency launched two astronauts on the country’s longest mission yet—a month-long residency aboard a nascent space station.

Astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong left Earth at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time on Monday, the Associated Press reports, departing for orbit aboard a Shenzhou 11 space capsule launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. On Wednesday, the two will rendezvous with the Tiangong 2 space station, which was launched last month, where they will spend 30 days conducting medical and technological experiments, according to Wu Ping, deputy director of the country’s manned space agency.

The mission marks the sixth manned trip to space for China’s space program, which is a relative newcomer to the stellar scene, having first launched people into space in 2003. Still, in an era when government-backed space travel seems largely in the doldrums, China is pushing forward with an ambitious agenda of exploration; in addition to the aforementioned larger space station, the Chinese have stated they intend to send a rover to Mars by 2020, and have expressed interest in launching a manned mission to the moon by 2025 or so.

The Tiangong space station is a temporary orbital outpost designed as a testbed for a larger, more complex station China intents to open in 2023, known as Tianhe-1. The Tiangong is also, for lack of a better term, a fishbowl in space: at 34 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 60 tons of mass, it’s a fraction of the size of the International Space Station and less than half as big as the Skylab station NASA lofted into low Earth orbit in 1973.

The Shenzhou spacecraft used by the astronauts is somewhat similar to the Soyuz capsule that has served as the mainstay of the Russian space program since the mid-1960s. The orbital module, which connects to the Tiangong, adds about 280 cubic feet of space to the station while attached. And if those two names seem oddly familiar to you, that might well be because you remember the spacecraft and station from the end of the 2013 film Gravity.

President Buhari laments - Inability to Pay 27 States Salaries

 President Muhammadu Buhari has lamented over inability of 27 out of the 36 states in the country not able and still battling with payment of salaries.
President Buhari stated this yesterday at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja while meeting with ICRC President, Mr. Peter Maurer.
He commended the role played by the International Committee of the Red Cross in last Thursday’s release of the 21 abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

According to the president, “It is a difficult time for Nigeria. About 27 of our 36 states couldn’t pay salaries when we came last year, and we are still struggling with that. But we will get out of it.”
In his remarks, Maurer described the ICRC’s operation in the Lake Chad region as the second largest in the world after Syria, saying “there are nutritional, health, water and sanitation issues in the North-east, in addition to rebuilding of infrastructure.”
The ICRC president declared that his organisation was ready to engage and play supportive role in responding to crisis in Nigeria. 

Tension Over Plans to Sack 247 Workers Recruited by Jonathan

There is crisis in the Nigerian Civil Service as 4,904 workers who were appointed by the Goodluck Jonathan administration are in danger of losing their jobs.
The problem started when the Acting Executive Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Dr. Shettima Abba, wrote a letter to the Federal Civil Service Commission, stating that the recruitment, which took place between 2013 and 2015, was characterized by a flagrant abuse of the Federal Character principle.
He pointed out that the South-South got 33.6 per cent of those employed as against the 26.2 per cent allotted to applicants from the North-East, North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones. The issue should be corrected in the next round of recruitment, he said.
As a result, the job of 247 of the workers were reportedly declared irregular, null and void by the FCSC.
Angry, the workers staged a protest. The ICPC has been called and has intervened. 

Punch