News Report: Al Mustapha And Co-Convict File Appeal

Al Mustapha(Middle)

Former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to late General Sani Abacha, Nigeria’s military ruler from 1993 to 1998, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Mr. Lateef Sofolahan, former aide to late Mrs. Kudirat Abiola have appealed the Lagos High Court judgment presided over my Justice Mojisola Dada which on Monday, 30^th January, 2012, sentenced the duo to death by hanging for the assassination of the late Kudirat.

chidi opara reports learned authoritatively that the duo filed their notices of appeal today at the Court of Appeal in Lagos.

In the appeal notices Al Mustapha and Sofolahan described the judgment of the Lagos High Court as “unreasonable, unwarranted and cannot be supported for having disregard to the totality of evidence before the trial court.”

The duo anchored their appeal on the following grounds; that the trial Judge erred in law by ruling that the contradictions in the evidence by Barnabas Jabila Mshelia  and Mohammed Abdul Katako were immaterial.

That the trial judge erred in law by relying on the evidence of Dr. Ore Falomo, who said that the bullet extracted from late Kudirat was a special one. The duo said that Dr. Falomo is not an expert in such matter.

That the trial judge exhibited bias against them by rejecting portions of Rogers’ and Katako’s evidences which they claimed favoured them, while accepting portions which they say were unfavourable to them.

News Report: Nigeria’s New Police Chief Once Faced Criticism For Not Stopping Violence That Killed 1,000

Mohammed D. Abubakar

Credit: Associated Press

Nigeria’s president has selected a new officer to lead the nation’s police force as a radical Islamist sect increasingly targets the force, but that man already has a past tarnished by allegations he allowed religious and ethnic violence that killed 1,000 people to spiral out of control.

Mohammed D. Abubakar served as police commissioner in Plateau state in 2001, leading up to rioting that saw Muslim and Christian groups armed with machetes and firearms attack each other in the restive central Nigerian city of Jos. And while some victims burned to the death in the street, civil society groups said Abubakar refused to send officers into the street to stop the violence.

“The police commissioner kept saying everything was under control while the whole town was on fire,” one local human rights activist told Human Rights Watch after the rioting.

Abubakar took over Thursday as inspector general of the Nigeria Police Force, an agency still roughly organized and as maligned as it was when the British colonial government created it in 1861. Today, more than a fourth of its officers serve as personal attendants and drivers to the oil-rich nation’s elite, while others extort bribes from motorists at checkpoints.

Abubakar, who previously served as police commissioner in Lagos, found himself appointed to the position after President Goodluck Jonathan forced Inspector Gen. Hafiz Ringim to retire several months early Wednesday. Criticism had grown over Ringim’s management after a series of attacks by the sect known as Boko Haram, including one that saw the force’s headquarters bombed in June. The final straw appeared to be the sect’s coordinated assault last week in the northern city of Kano that saw at least 185 people killed.

Yet in 2001, Abubakar served as the top police official for Jos as the city edged closer to violence. Civil rights activists accused the commissioner of ignoring warning signs and their messages asking him to mediate the growing turmoil. On Sept. 7, 2001, the city erupted in violence, pitting Christians against Muslims in violence that has repeated itself in years since.

The attacks killed about 1,000 people, Human Rights Watch said, violence that went unnoticed on the world stage as the Sept. 11 terror attack happened soon after. Some of the violence could have been averted by the police — including one instance where officers turned away a Muslim man trying to find protection for a Christian later killed, Human Rights Watch said. Officers also did not deploy to stop attacks at the city’s university.

Abubakar was transferred to Abia state in November 2001.

In a statement Wednesday announcing Ringim’s ouster, the presidency described Abubakar’s appointment “as a first step towards the comprehensive reorganization and repositioning of the Nigeria Police Force to make it more effective and capable of meeting emerging internal security challenges.” Presidential spokesman Reuben Abati did not respond to a request for comment, nor did a federal police spokesman.

It remains unclear what effect Abubakar’s leadership will have on police, though he has been lauded for his anti-robbery campaigns in the time since the 2001 Jos violence. Nigeria’s police force remains under-equipped and unable to investigate major terror attacks like those carried out by Boko Haram.

Boko Haram wants to implement strict Shariah law and avenge the deaths of Muslims in communal violence across Nigeria, a multiethnic nation of more than 160 million people split largely into a Christian south and Muslim north. The group, whose name means “Western education is sacrilege” in the Hausa language of Nigeria’s north, has now killed at least 262 people in 2012, more than half of the at least 510 people the sect killed in all of 2011, according to an Associated Press count.

News Release: New Appointments In The Nigerian Police

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the appointment of Mr. Mohammed D. Abubakar as Acting Inspector General of Police as a first step towards the comprehensive reorganization and repositioning of the Nigeria Police Force to make it more effective and capable of meeting emerging internal security challenges. 

Mr. Abubakar who is currently an Assistant Inspector General of Police replaces Mr. Hafiz Ringim who proceeds on terminal leave with effect from today, 25th January 2012. 

Born on May 5, 1958, Mr. Abubakar   enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force on July 30, 1979. He was the AIG in charge of Zone 12 Headquarters in Bauchi, before his new appointment.  

President Jonathan has also approved the retirement of all Deputy Inspectors General of Police with immediate effect. These are: Mrs. Ivy Uche Okoronkwo, DIG POL 2i/c Force Headquarters, Abuja, Mr. Azubuko J. Udah, DIG Administration (“A” Dept), Mr. Sardauna Abubukar, DIG Training (“E” Dept.); Mr. Audu Abubakar, DIG Operations (“B” Dept); Mr. Saleh Abubakar, DIG Works (“C” Dept.) and Mr. Mohammed A. Yesufu, DIG Planning and Info-Tech (“F” Dept.).

The President has also established a Special Committee to oversee the urgent reorganization of the Nigeria Police Force. The committee is to be chaired by the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Mr. Parry B.O Osayande, DIG (rtd).
Other Members of the Committee are:
1.Mr. Casimir T. Akagbosu, AIG (rtd.), mni
2.Mr. Bashir A. Albasu, AIG (rtd.), fwc.
3.Major Gen. S.N. Chikwe, rtd.
4. Prof. S.D. Mukoro
5. Dr. Fabian Ajogwu, SAN
6. Aisha Larai Tukur
7. Solicitor General of the Federation
8. Permanent Secretary, SSO, Office of the SGF to serve as the Secretary to the Committee 

The Committee’s Terms of Reference are as follows:
1.To identify the challenges and factors militating against effective performance in the Nigeria Police Force and make recommendations for addressing the challenges.
 2.To examine the scope and standard of training and other personnel development activities in the Police to determine their adequacy or otherwise.
3. To determine the general and specific causes of the collapse of public confidence in the police and recommend ways of restoring public trust in the institution.
4. To examine records of performance of Officers and Men of the Nigeria Police Force with a view to identifying those that can no longer fit into the system due to declining productivity,  age, indiscipline, corruption and/or disloyalty;
5. To make any other recommendations for the improvement of the Nigeria Police Force.
The Committee’s recommendations shall be implemented along with those by previous committees set up by Government on the reform of the Nigeria Police Force.       

Reuben Abati
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)

Speech: Quotes From President Obama’s State Of The Union Address

President Obama On State Of The Union

 (1)“Think about the America within our reach:  A country that leads the world in educating its people.  An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs.  A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world.  An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded. “

(2)“The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive.  No challenge is more urgent.  No debate is more important.  We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by.  Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.  What’s at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values.  We have to reclaim them.”

(3)“As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum.  But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place. No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits.  Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last – an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.”

(4)“Let’s never forget:  Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a government and a financial system that does the same.  It’s time to apply the same rules from top to bottom:  No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts.  An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody.”

Report: “Bring Attackers To Justice, Step Up Security” Human Rights Watch Tells Nigerian Government

The campaign of violence by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, including attacks on churches and suicide bombings in the first three weeks of 2012 that killed more than 253 people, is an indefensible attack on human life, Human Rights Watch said today. The January 20, 2012 attacks in the northern city of Kano left at least 185 police and residents dead and resulted in the highest death toll in a single day since Boko Haram began its violent campaign in July 2009. More than 935 people have been killed in some 164 suspected attacks by the group during this period, Human Rights Watch said.

The group has claimed responsibility for bombing churches, police stations, military facilities, banks, and beer parlors, in northern Nigeria, as well as the United Nations building and police headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Suspected Boko Haram members, often riding motorcycles and carrying Kalashnikov rifles under their robes, have gunned down numerous Christian worshipers, police officers, and soldiers, and assassinated local politicians, community leaders, and Islamic clerics who oppose the group.

“Boko Haram’s attacks show a complete and utter disregard for human life,” said Corinne Dufka, senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Nigerian authorities need to call a halt to this campaign of terror and bring to justice those responsible for planning and carrying out these reprehensible crimes.”

The group Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, commonly known as Boko Haram, has carried out increasingly deadly attacks, including suicide bombings, which killed at least 550 people in 115 separate attacks in 2011. In the first three weeks of January 2012 alone, more than 253 people have been killed in 21 separate attacks.

Human Rights Watch has tracked media reports of attacks by suspected Boko Haram members over the past two years. The vast majority of these incidents have taken place in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, where the group had its headquarters, but attacks by suspected members of the group have also been carried out in Abuja and at least 10 other states in northern Nigeria.

Many of the attacks in the past month have specifically targeted Christians and southern Nigerians living in the north, including the Christmas Day 2011 bombing of a Catholic church in Madalla, Niger State, which killed at least 40 people.

In response to the escalating attacks, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency on December 31, in parts of Borno, Niger, Plateau, and Yobe states. Boko Haram responded on January 2 with a three-day ultimatum to southern Nigerians, most of whom are Christian, to leave the North.

Three days later, on January 5, suspected members of the group attacked a church in Gombe State, killing six people, including the pastor’s wife. On January 6, Boko Haram gunned down 12 members of the Igbo ethnic group, from southeastern Nigeria, during a community meeting in Mubi, Adamawa State, and attacked a church in Yola, the state capital, killing 12 Christian worshipers. At a filling station in Potiskum, Yobe State, on January 11, suspected members of the group opened fire on a commuter van full of Igbo passengers leaving the north, killing four of the passengers.

Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, in a video released on January 11, claimed that the group carried out the attacks on Christians in retaliation for the killing of Muslims by Christians in central Nigeria, including Kaduna and Plateau states.

“Boko Haram is targeting and killing people in northern Nigeria based on their religion and ethnicity,” Dufka said. “The Nigerian government has an obligation under international law to protect its citizens. The authorities need to step up security, with additional police and regular patrols in communities at risk.”

The Nigerian police, on January 14, announced the arrest of a suspect in the Christmas Day church bombing in Madalla, but he escaped from police custody the following day. Several other Boko Haram suspects have escaped from custody in the past months in suspicious circumstances.

Boko Haram expanded its methods of attack in 2011 to include the use of suicide bombers, including the August 26 attack on the UN building in Abuja, which killed 25 people and injured more than 100 others. The group carried out a series of similarly coordinated attacks on police stations, banks, and churches in Yobe and Borno states on November 4. The attacks left more than 100 people dead.

The January 20 attacks, including apparent suicide car bombings, targeted the state and regional police headquarters, three local police stations, and a police barracks in Kano, the largest city in Nigeria’s north, as well as the offices of the State Security Service and the immigration department. Armed men gunned down police officers and shot wildly at random passers-by, then engaged the police and soldiers in running gun battles. According to a police statement and media reports, the dead included numerous Kano residents, one Indian, two Nepalese nationals, a journalist working for Channels TV (an independent Nigerian television station), twenty-nine police officers, three customs and immigration officers, and three State Security Service agents.

Boko Haram seeks to impose a stricter form of Sharia or Islamic law in northern Nigeria and end corruption. News media reported that a spokesperson for the group, Abul Qaqa, took responsibility for the attacks in Kano, saying the group carried out the attacks because the government refused to release Boko Haram members who had been arrested.

Violence by Boko Haram, which means “Western education is a sin” in the Hausa language of northern Nigeria, can be traced to five days of clashes in July 2009 between the group and members of the security forces in Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, and Kano states that left more than 800 people dead, including at least 30 police officers. The police summarily executed the captured Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf, along with several dozen of his followers in front of the police headquarters in Maiduguri. Boko Haram has said that its attacks on the police are in revenge for these killings. 

News Release: United Kingdom’s Current Travel Advice For Nigeria

On 20 January, a series of co-ordinated terrorist attacks took place in Kano targeting police and other government buildings. Reliable reports indicate that more than 100 people were killed.  The Islamist group, Boko Haram, has claimed responsibility.  As at 1200 hours (local) on 22 January the city is calm. 

The Nigerian authorities have lifted the post-attack curfew in Kano city during daylight hours on Sunday 22 January, but have announced the curfew will be in force from 1900 hours on Sunday 22 January until 0600 hours on Monday 23 January.

In the light of Friday's attacks, we are currently advising against all but essential travel to Kano city and for those in Kano city to remain vigilant and to exercise caution.  DFID and British Council have limited their operations in Kano pending further assessment of the situation.

 Nigeria’s two main trade unions, the Trade Union Congress and the Nigeria Labour Congress, called an indefinite general strike which, commenced on Monday 9 January 2012, to protest against the removal of the subsidy.  The declared aim of the strike was to close all offices, airports and seaports, banks, markets and petrol stations. The strike was officially called off on 16 January, but the possibility of further protest and disruption exists.

There have been demonstrations and rallies in a number of Nigerian towns and cities against the removal of the petrol price subsidy.. Some of these have resulted in clashes between the police and demonstrators, with fatalities reported. You are advised to avoid all such demonstrations.

A number of curfews are being enforced across Nigeria.  British nationals are urged to comply with all curfews.

On 31 December, following the recent bombings claimed by the Islamist group, Boko Haram, the Nigerian Government declared a State of Emergency in some areas of the country. The State of Emergency covers the following: Five Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Borno State - Maiduguri, Gamboru-Ngala, Banki-Bame, Biu, Jere; Five LGAs in Yobe State - Damaturu, Geidam, Potiskum, Buniyadi-Gujiba, Gasua-Bade; Four LGAs in Plateau State - Jos North, Jos South, Barkin-Ladi, Riyom; Suleja LGA in Niger State (which includes Madalla). The exact ramifications of the state of emergency remain unclear but it is reported that the international borders of these states have been closed.

There is a high threat from terrorism in Nigeria.  Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places such as markets, hotels, shopping centres, places of worship and other areas frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.  Government and security institutions as well as international organisations have been attacked by Boko Haram.

25 December 2011 A series of bomb attacks took place in Nigeria on two churches in Madalla (Niger State) and Jos (Plateau State) resulting in a reported 32 deaths and many other injured. Three separate attacks also took place in northern Yobe State which left four other people dead. The Islamist group, Boko Haram, has claimed responsibility. Reprisal attacks cannot be ruled out so extreme vigilance is advised especially in the Jos area.

Localised outbreaks of civil unrest can occur at short notice.  You are advised to avoid large crowds, demonstrations and obvious political gatherings.  Trouble on the streets can be spontaneous, and can quickly lead to violence.  Details and advice are circulated via the British High Commission's Community Liaison Officers' network.  We advise British nationals staying in Nigeria for three months or more to register with the British High Commission.

There is a threat of kidnapping throughout Nigeria. Westerners have been the target of kidnaps. On 12 May 2011, a British national was kidnapped alongside an Italian national in Kebbi State.

In recent months the Movement of the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has threatened to carry out attacks on oil and gas assets in the Niger Delta. The latest such threat was issued on 6 June 2011.

Curfews are used on a regular basis in Nigeria following incidents and unrest, and can be imposed with short notice.  You should be aware and take notice of any curfews. We advise that you pay attention to local media to find out about curfews that are being enforced.

Nigeria experiences heavy rainfall during the wet season (June - September) and flash flooding can occur.  Water-borne disease poses a greater risk during the rainy season.

52 British nationals required consular assistance in Nigeria in the period 01 April 2010 - 31 March 2011. Violent crime is also prevalent in the south of the country, including Lagos.

You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.