Trump, fox news and friends of XKPMG (3)

i.) Front page report in “Daily Sun” newspaper of November 13, 2017
Headline:“Corrupt soldiers, security personnel selling arms to criminals, DSS tells Reps”
• Names Nasarawa, Benue, Taraba, Plateau as sales points
The Department of State Security (DSS) has blamed the worsening insecurity in the country on corrupt members of the armed forces and other security agencies, who allegedly sell arms to criminals.
Speaking at a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives joint committee on Customs and Excise and National Intelligence, investigating the “frightening influx of small arms and light weapons into the country,” Director of Operations at the DSS, Godwin Eteng, claimed some agencies had, over the years, recruited former cultists and armed robbers, who get involved in illegal activities, including arms sales to criminals.
“We have conducted more than 27 operations and arrested more than 30 persons involved in the supply of arms and ammunition and some of them are serving security men,” he disclosed.
He said there was a case in one of the armouries belonging to one of the armed forces, where many pistols got missing with quantities of ammunition and all the pistols were new.
“In the armoury, no place was broken into, but the weapons were missing. And we’re interested in knowing what happened.”
The director listed four states in the North-Central zone as the major sources of illegal arms.
“When we did our studies, we discovered that three-quarter of the arms used to cause the crisis in Southern-Kaduna, in Zamfara and Plateau states are coming from the following states: Nasarawa, Benue, Taraba and Plateau states.
“We found out that if you can carry out serious operations to affect the supplies, which is coming from these areas, it will seriously limit part of what is happening there,” the DSS director said.
On interventions to counter criminal gangs and prevent violent attacks, Ekeng disclosed that seven tactical teams were conducting the operation to apprehend culprits associated with the arms sales, an operation, which, according to him, is ongoing.
On how to solve the problem of illegal arms, he suggested legislations on prohibited firearms, more extensive vetting of those recruited into the security agencies, release of funds for logistics for border patrol personnel, electronic manning and deployment of cameras at borders and review of crisis management at local government levels.
Damgaiadiga Abubakar, Deputy Comptroller, who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali, disclosed that there were 1,100 illegal entry points into the country, with only 97 approved border posts.
He said the Customs was short of equipment needed to stem the flow of weapons into the country, revealing that 2,671 pump action rifles had been seized from January to date, just as Customs personnel found culpable in the import of 661 pump action rifles had been dismissed from service and handed over to the DSS for prosecution.
According to him, lack of operational vehicles, fast moving boats, cutting-edge technology and advanced scanning machines at airports, seaports and border points were limiting the effectiveness of the Customs.
ii.) Front page report in “ThisDay”Newspaper of November 10, 2017
Headline: “Court sentences two men to death for stealing handbag, phone”
A Judge in Anambra State High Court, Justice Okey Onunkwo, has sentenced two men to death by hanging or firing squad for stealing a lady’s handbag containing a phone, money and other items.
Onunkwo, who presided over the High Court sitting at Ihiala Local Government Area of the state, said there were sufficient evidence to convict the duo.
THISDAY gathered that the suspects, Anene Maduka, Ikenna Obi and Osadebe Ezeh, on February 2, allegedly stole a mobile phone, a handbag and N10,000 cash belonging to one Miss Chinonye Ogujiuba of Eziama Uli.
The Nokia phone was valued at N15,500, while the handbag was estimated at N2,500.
The judge said: “There were eye witness evidence against the convicts as the victim had raised alarm after the robbery, leading to the arrest of the culprits at Umudimogo Ihiala after which they were handed over to the police.”
Justice Onunkwo thereby sentenced them to death by hanging or firing squad.
One of the suspects, Anene Maduka charged with the other suspects was however discharged and acquitted for lack of evidence.
The identity of Maduka, who was the first defendant in the case, was made an issue in the trial and the court agreed that he (Maduka) was not properly identified even though the victim gave evidence that he was waiting for the others on his commercial motorcycle while the robbery lasted.
In his submission, the defence counsel for the convicts, Calistus Ohanusi and Enright Okilie, had argued that the burden of proof on criminal matters rests on the prosecution who he said did not prove that their clients robbed, or took part in robbing the victim, maintaining that there was no sufficient evidence to convict them.
The prosecution counsel, Charity Madukife, submitted that the burden of proof had been discharged by calling eyewitnesses, adding that the defence could not fault the evidence adduced.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Onunkwo, said there was no sufficient evidence against the first defendant (Maduka).

Most excruciatingly damaging is the video of a Nigerian entrepreneur whose lamentations were on the front page of the “Daily Sun” newspaper of October 30, 2017
Headline: “Running business in Nigeria is like swimming against the tide” – Manny Igbenoba
He had pioneered so many products in Nigeria, so when he talks, it’s actually out of experience. Engineer Manny Igbenoba, Managing Director, 7T Microns Powder Limited, relayed several difficulties and challenges manufacturers go through in setting up businesses in Nigeria. From the importation of raw materials, the Customs, taxes, getting funds from banks, documentation down to the officials, they are mind boggling. Not even the present policy on the Ease of Doing Business by the present administration has lessened the burdens of Nigerian manufacturers.
But in spite of all these challenges, Igbenoba who recently pioneered another product, a thermoplastic road marking paint that will save Nigeria over $113 million foreign exchange annually said local production is just the way to go if Nigeria must develop.
He however tasked the Federal Government to put proper monitoring in place to ensure proper implementation of its policies just as it is in Ghana, where he says some Nigerians manufacturers are now relocating to because of the conducive environment.
• Concluded

 

Bashorun J.K. Randle