(Nineth in the series of an address delivered at the Rotary Foundation dinner/dance at the MUSON Centre, Marina, Lagos on 8th February 2020)
Putting regulators on their toes
There have been claims of non-remittance of taxes by lottery operators in the past few years just as there are insinuations that some officials of the NLRC are in league with the operators thus resulting in non-compliance.
Responding to these allegations, Ekechukwu, Assistant Director, Public Affairs, NLRC, said, “If you seek to confirm the said insinuations you talked about, no one will hesitate to tell you out rightly that the alleged insinuation is a complete falsehood.”
The task before us is to evaluate the impact of philanthropy and the ideals of Rotary on a society that is crumbling from serious bombardment by sheer brutality and primitive wickedness.
Front page of “The Vanguard” newspaper of January 31, 2020; Headline: Man conspires with friends to kill, burn, bury girlfriend in Taraba.
“Taraba state police command has arrested the principal suspect of a conspiracy that led to the killing and burning of a lady, Imbajuri Ambisi, in Taraba State.
The principal suspect, Munda Bala, was yesterday paraded with other suspects for various criminal offences at the Police headquarters in Jalingo.
Spokesman of the police command, DSP David Misal said the principal suspect conspired with two of his friends to kill, burn and bury Ambisi, who he was cohabiting with.
He further explained that efforts are on to arrest Bala’s accomplices, who are currently at large.
According to him, “investigations revealed that Munda Ahmed Bala is a boyfriend to the deceased.
“He with is two friends now at large conspired and kill the girl, burnt her to ashes and buried her remains in the bush.
“Efforts are on to arrest the fleeing culprits, while the principal suspect will be charged to court.”
He further urged members of the public to supply the police with reliable information that would enhance internal security in the state.”
I would urge all Rotarian to read Karl Maier’s book: “This house has fallen – Nigeria in crisis”
Although it was published by Penguin Books in 2000, you would think the book was written last week (to quote the inimitable Eric Teniola). The only items missing are Boko Haram and kidnapping as a low-risk commercial enterprise.
From “Vanguard” Newspaper of January 14, 2020 we are provided with evidence that even the Church is not immune to pervasive evil.
Headline: “Church accountant get 18 years in jail for stealing N15.5 million tithes, offerings.”
A Federal High Court in Yola, Adamawa State, has sentenced Ibrahim Aku, accountant of the Church of Brethren in Nigeria, to 18 years in prison for fraud.
Nathan Musa, the judge, gave the order while ruling on a six-count charge riled against the accused yesterday.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had accused Aku of defrauding the church of N15.5 million between 2016 and 2018.
According to the anti-graft agency, the money was generated by the church members through offerings, donations and tithes.
Delivering the judgement, Musa convicted Aku on charges of forgery and obtaining money by false pretence. The church accountant, who pleaded guilty to the charges, was sentenced to 18 years in prison without an option of fine.
The judge also ordered Aku to pay back the money as restitution to the church, adding that the proceeds of the crime recovered in the course of the investigation should be sold and the funds should be remitted to the church.
Reacting to the judgement, Bello Bajoga, an EFCC official, said: “The convict was entrusted with church money and ended up diverting same and forged tellers, which he presented as genuine, to serve as evidence of remmitance.”
Neither are the oceans/high seas safe from the wickedness that has engulfed the land.
Headline: “Four naval ratings killed by pirates in Ondo.”
“Four naval ratings have been killed in Gbagira village, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, while rescuing three foreigners from pirates.
The suspected killers also went away with four military rifles and seven magazines.
Vanguard gathered that the victims were deployed to rescue three foreigners that were kidnapped by the pirates in the community.
The community and its neighbours have been under tension following the invasion by security operatives.
Confirming the incident; Commanding Officer, Forward Operating Base in Igbokoda, Commodore Danjuma Ndanusa, said he had directed community leaders (baales) to produce the weapons or face dire consequences.
One of the pirates was reportedly apprehended in a suburb of Awoye community after the naval ratings were shot dead.
The suspected kidnappers reportedly came from Bayelsa State via the high seas, through which some escaped with gunshot injuries, following a gun battle with the naval ratings. Commodore Ndanusa said one of the pirates that was apprehended confessed that the missing rifles are in the community, adding that the rescued foreigners corroborated his claim.
His words: “We intimated them on what is at stake. It is like sleeping on a time bomb. I told all the baales to get all their youths and speak with them.
“That was why we did a total search and we found four telephones and one walkie-talkie belonging to the foreigners. I made this known to the four baales from the community.
“We also made a search on the boat they came with from Bayelsa and recovered empty magazines from guns on the floor of their boat.
“We placed a curfew in the four communities and on the activities on the waterway by putting pressure on them to produce the arms, because it is a threat to the innocents in the community.”
Meanwhile, the communities have cried out that they were under siege and that both economic and social activities have been paralysed.”
