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US Government freezes $458million Sani Abacha cash

The United States government said it had ordered a freeze on $458 million in assets hidden in European accounts by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his conspirators.

PM News reports that the Justice Department said the corruption proceeds, stashed away in bank accounts in Britain, France and Jersey, were frozen at Washington’s request with the help of local authorities.

Abacha died in office in 1998, but his surviving relatives still include some of the richest and most influential figures in Nigeria.

According to a civil forfeiture complaint unsealed in the US District Court in Washington, the department wants the recover more than $550 million in connection with the action.

“This is the largest civil forfeiture action to recover the proceeds of foreign official corruption ever brought by the department,” said Mythili Raman, acting assistant attorney general.

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Two sex workers docked 3 months for loitering in Lagos

A Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced two sex workers to three months imprisonment each for loitering and disorderly conduct.
The convicts are Blessing Esu, 28, and Rita Ume, 36.
The women had pleaded guilty to the charges of loitering and behaving in a disorderly or indecent manner in public place.
The Magistrate, Tokunbo Omoyele, who did not give the sex workers an option of fine, said the court had no option than to sentence them since they had admitted committing the offences.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Daniel Ighodalo, told the court that the two women committed the offences on March 1 at 2.30 a.m. on Victoria Island, Lagos.
He said the offences contravened Sections 166 (a) (i) and (ii) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

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To Sadiq Abacha - on behalf of Wole Soyinka by Ayo Sogunro

Ayo Sogunro	Sadiq Sanni Abacha

Sadiq Sani Abacha gets the first reply to his open letter to Prof. Wole Soyinka from writer/activist, Ayo Sogunro. I do not know you personally, but I admire your filial bravery - however misguided - in defending the honor of your father, the late General Sani Abacha. This in itself is not a problem; it is an obligation in this cultural construct of ours for children to rise to the defense of their parents, no matter what infamy or perfidy the said parent might have dabbled in. The problem I have with your letter, however, arises from two issues:
(i) your disparaging of Wole Soyinka, who despite your referral to an anecdotal opinion that calls him as “a common writer” is a great father figure, and a source of inspiration, to a fair number of us young Nigerians; and
(ii) your attempt to revise Nigerian history and substitute our national experience with your personal opinions.
Continue... Read More

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Sadiq Sani Abacha writes open lecture/letter to Prof. Wole Soyinka

Prof. Wole Soyinka	Sadiq Sani Abacha

Sadiq Sani Abacha is one of the sons of late military dictator Sani Abacha. Below is an open letter he wrote to professor Wole Soyinka days after the Nobel Laureate said it was an insult to share an award with his late father, Sani Abacha. Sadiq says Prof Soyinka attacking his dad is an act of cowardice...

If you want to think, speak and act logically then you should know all three.

1. The law of identity

2. The law of excluded middle

3. The law of non-contradiction.

Now let's look at each one of these and see what they mean in practice.

The law of identity

The law of identity means that things are what they are, which at first doesn't seem very illuminating, but wait; it implies also the following, that things are what they are, whether you like them or not, it implies that things are what they are whether you know them or not, it implies that things are what they are whether you agree with them or not. Continue...... Read More

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Abacha’s children attack Soyinka

The daughter of late dictator, Sani Abacha, Gumsu, has attacked Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, pointing out that she was a lover of books written by Soyinka at her younger age but now, she finds Soyinka’s comment as “foolish, stupid and insignificant”.

She was reacting to the recent statement by the World-acclaimed writer that he rejected the centenary awards offered by President Goodluck Jonathan to celebrate the 100 years of the amalgamation of Nigeria because Abacha was also included in the list. Soyinka described the decoration of Abacha with a National honour as an insult.

Gumsu took to her facebook page to react to the statement, stating that “someone tell Soyinka I liked his books when I was younger but that is where it ends. Today I reject his stupid, foolish insignificant statement”.

In a related event, Sodiq Abacha, one of the sons of the late dictator also berated Soyinka for criticizing successive governments without proffering solution or offering himself for an elective position.

His open letter shared by Gumsu, reads in part:

“Sir, I believe brilliance is not perfection. I have grown and watched you criticize regime after regime and at that young and naive age I was thinking why wouldn’t this man just contest to be president so that Nigeria can be saved, I would have defiantly voted for Mr Soyinka if it would have brought an end to Nigeria’s woes. To my utter surprise, I heard about your FRSC leadership and how funds were misused and a great deal of it unaccounted for. “Oh my God! In the end he turned out to be just the same as everybody else” were my next thoughts. My hopes for you, all ended up in great disappointment”.

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Pastor in trouble for testing church member’s virginity

Pastor in operation

Thirty four-year-old Pastor Adekunle Kayode has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly fingering a member of his church (name withheld) to confirm her virginity.
The incident was said to have occurred on Sunday within the premises of the Jesus is the Way Evangelistic Ministry, Olorunsogo, Abeokuta.
A father of one, Kayode, was arrested by police detectives attached to the Kemta division after the victim allegedly narrated her ordeal to her father who informed the police.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the arrest.
He said, “Kayode was arrested at his home on Okediyi Street, Abeokuta. Another suspect, Onatade Oluwasegun, 23, of Sheriff Onatade Street, Obantoko, was also arrested for conspiring with Kayode to use the victim for ritual purposes.
“The victim, who is 20 years old, alleged that Kayode also had indulged in this ungodly act for years.
“She also accused Kayode of fingering her several times even while she was on her monthly periods. She alleged that last Sunday, the pastor fingered her again to confirm her virginity while she was in the church for a programme.
“The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikemefuna Okoye, has directed that the matter be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.”
Adejobi said Oluwasegun, who is Kayode’s accomplice, allegedly used a charm on the victim with the intention of raping her, possibly for ritual purposes.
The charm, which has been recovered from Kayode, was said to have been hidden on the church premises.

In another development, a man – Bisi Onigogo – allegedly beat his 12-year-old daughter, Yemisi, to death while trying to correct her for a misdeed.
The incident was said to have occurred on Monday around 4.10pm.
Adejobi said, “Immediately Onigogo noticed that his daughter was dead, he ran away. Efforts are on to apprehend the suspect.”

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NIGERIA: Jonathan approves retirement of suspended Justices

Goodluck Jonathan

Abuja—President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the compulsory retirement of Justices Gladys Olotu and U. A. Inyang of the Federal High Court and FCT High Court respectively with effect from February 3 2014.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, who confirmed this to State House correspondents, said the compulsory retirement is in accordance with the recommendation of the National Judicial Council.

It would be recalled that the NJC last week announced the suspension of the justices for gross misconduct after which it forwarded a recommendation for their compulsory retirement to President Goodluck Jonathan.

Giving details of the misdemeanor of the affected justices, the Acting Director of Information in the NJC, Soji Oye had explained that the council, headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar “recommended the compulsory retirement from office of Justice G.K. Olotu of the Federal High Court and Justice U. A. Inyang of High Court of Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, respectively for gross misconduct.”

He said the recommendation for compulsory retirement of the two judges was based on findings made by the NJC after investigations into allegations contained in petitions brought against them.

The NJC found that Justice Olotu “failed to deliver judgment on Suit No. FHC/UY/250/2003, 18 months after the final address by all the counsel in the suit, contrary to the constitutional provisions those judgments should be delivered within a period of 90 days.”

Also, Justice Olotu “admitted before the Fact Finding Committee of the Council that investigated the allegations that she forgot she had a pending ruling to deliver in an application for joinder.”

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