Buhari To Revoke Jonathan’s Pipeline Contracts To OPC And Ex-militants

There were certain elements in Jonathan's administration that did not speak good of his leadership qualities or his stand on bringing law and order through constitution medium. Most people believe the administration of the incoming president, General Mohammadu Buhari would not tolerate the surveillance of oil pipelines and waterways by private individuals or groups should better think again as there are now plans to discard the practice and revert to the use of conventional security agencies.


Saturday Vanguard’s investigations during the week indicated that already some highly placed persons in Buhari’s camp with military and security backgrounds have begun to fashion out ways that would facilitate the process.

It was gathered that the man behind the process was a Director in the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Organisation.

His briefs included to liaise with experts in the sector and other people with rich legal background to work out the template for the new surveillance policy.

When this is completed, the incoming administration, we gathered, would further equip the Nigerian Armed Forces, especially the Army and Navy, as well as the police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC and hand them over the job of protecting the oil pipelines and other installations both onshore and offshore.

The implication of this however, is that Buhari’s government would stop the contract with some former Niger-Delta militants or groups like the Odua People’s Congress, OPC in the South-west region which the Jonathan administration had awarded such contracts.

The contracts to ex-militants to police Nigeria’s waterways runs into billions of naira, the money, experts say should have been invested in the Navy to perform the role.

In the build up to the last general elections in the country, the media was awash with reports that the outgoing president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan awarded a surveillance contract estimated at about N9 billion to the OPC. OPC leader, Gani Adams severally thanked President Jonathan for the contract.

Buhari had Wednesday, during his meeting with Rivers State chieftains of APC in Abuja warned that his government will not tolerate”an army within the army or a police within the police” in the country.

He had also, at a forum in Abuja, told Nigerians that he would upon assumption of office reopen the books of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC for proper auditing in a bid to ensure transparency in the oil sector of the economy.

Speaking in exclusive interview with Vanguard, a member of the Board of Trustees of APC, Chief Sam Nkire said that Buhari would have to tinker with the contracts if they were not properly awarded.

According to Nkire, the outgoing government of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, had a lot of underhand deals with some groups.

“Well, once a government has been swept away, it ceases to exist. The new government takes charge and whatever it decides to do, becomes the law. If the government or presidency of Buhari thinks those contracts were not properly given out or were not given to qualified people, of course, the government will cancel those contracts.

“And from what I know of the incoming president, he will not waste a day to cancel those contracts because these are the reasons why Nigerians rejected the PDP government. Because, they did things that should not be done. They did things without recourse to the law.

“They did things with impunity and knowing Buhari as a man who abhors impunity; a man we can say is one of the incorruptible persons, I will be surprised if he does not revoke contracts that were wrongly awarded if he sees them”, Nkire said.

Other areas the incoming Buhari’s regime would look into according to Saturday Vanguard’s investigations include the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, an agency responsible for the regulation of the activities of Nigerian shipping, maritime, labour and coastal waters and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS.

Sources who spoke to Saturday Vanguard said that the two agencies stink with corruption and financial improprieties.

“ Two other agencies Buhari must look into are NIMASA and FIRS. Stories of corruption in those organizations cannot be ignored. For the incoming president to be taken seriously in his pledge to fight and win the war against corruption, he must sanitize these places. They stink,” a reliable APC source added.

-- Source

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OPC Officer Mistakenly K*lls Popular Alhaji While Performing Gun Salute

The Lagos State police, have commenced investigations into the murder of a 72-year-old man, Alhaji Abdulkareem Kadiru, in Ijora Badia area of Lagos State.

 According to the police, the victim was k*lled by an Oodua Peoples Congress(OPC) member, Ismaila Rahmon, who was in charge of security at a school where a Ramadan event took place.

 Rahman allegedly k*lled the Alhaji with a gun he seized from an armed robber but failed to turn it over to the police.

 We learnt that on August 4th, 2013, Rahmon and another OPC member, identified simply as Obasanjo, had gone to provide security for the victim and other dignitaries at the event.

 It was gathered that Kadiru was a generous man and because of his nature, touts usually surrounded him and sang his praises so that he would give them money Rahmon was said to have opened fire in a bid to disperse the touts.

 It was learnt that after the hoodlums fled, the suspect started hailing Kadiru, shouting Tuale (a local slang to show respect). He allegedly shot into the air again to salute the victim. The bullet, however, k*lled Kadiru mistakenly.

 The 30-year-old suspect said, "I sell shirts at Oluwole and I am also a part-time Yoruba movie actor.

 I have starred in three films but I do not get paid because I am an apprentice.

 In order to make ends meet, I joined the OPC and I earn N12, 000 a month.

 "On the day Alhaji was killed, Obasanjo and I went to a secondary school in the area to provide security for influential personalities who came there for Ramadan benevolence programme where they donated items to members of the community.

 "When Alhaji arrived, I escorted his vehicle into the compound and touts stormed the school in order to extort money from him.

 I had been told that area boys would come so I came to the school with a gun.

 When I attempted to disperse the hoodlums and they refused to go, I shot into the air.

 I also attempted to give Tuale (salute) to Alhaji with another gunshot because I wanted him to give me money. It was in the process that the bullet hit him in his head."

 The native of Kwara State said after Alhaji fell to the ground, area boys gathered and beat him up.

 Our correspondent learnt that the area boys would have lynched him if not for the timely intervention of policemen.

 "The area boys beat me up and collected all the money on me which was about N20,000.

 They seized my phone, kicked me in the joystick many times and inflicted wounds on my head. It was the police that saved me from death.

 The policemen that came arrested me and took me to their station," he said.

 When asked if he was licensed and trained to use a weapon, the suspect said, "I was trained by OPC to use weapons. But I have never used a gun publicly before the incident.

 The gun did not belong to me; it belonged to an armed robber that I arrested some months ago."

 The suspect, who claimed to be the breadwinner of his family, pleaded with the police to let him go as he did not kill the victim deliberately.

 "I have three children and my wife sells bread. I am pleading with the police and Alhaji's family to forgive me," he said.

 The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the k*lling.

 She said, "The matter is under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba. The suspect would soon be charged to court."

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OPC Offers Help To Federal Government To Help Combat Boko Haram

Kwara State Chapter of Odua People’s Congress (OPC) has asked President Jonathan to accept their help in the fight against Boko Haram. The Coordinator of OPC in Kwara, Moruf Abdulsalam, while speaking in Ilorin on Sunday, said that the group had discovered new scientific way of handling bomb blasts. 

 "When the time comes, the congress will not hesitate to put it into use to protect the lives and property of innocent citizens being wasted by the Boko Haram." Abdulsalam stressed that the congress was ready to ensure that no life was wasted in the state by the Boko Haram terrorists. 

 According to him, the main objective of the OPC, with over 19,000 members, was to protect lives and property of citizens. Abdulsalam said the congress had ordered its branches in the 16 local government areas to extend their tentacles to the grassroots to monitor suspicious movements that could pose security risk. 

 "The congress has also mandated the local government branches to recruit more youths as a way of preparing for emergencies," he said, "We don’t pray that they should attack any of us in Yoruba land, but we are not leaving any stone unturned. In spite of appeals from well meaning Nigerians and foreigners, this sect has not listened." Can they bite?

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OPC member kills Etisalat employee, Chukwuma Eze, over N10 toll

A suspected member of the Odua Peoples Congress known by the pseudonym “Ultimate” on Monday allegedly killed an employee of Etisalat, Chukwuma Eze, in the Ejigbo area of Lagos State during an argument over N10 toll.



PUNCH Metro learnt that N10 toll was collected by the OPC members at a footbridge that links Ejigbo with Ajao Estate.
It was gathered that the deceased told the collectors that he had only N1, 000 denominations with him and offered it to one of the collectors who asked him to come back for his balance.

Eze was said to have agreed but was shocked when on his return a female member of the group insisted that the deceased did not give N1,000 to the collectors.

The telecoms employee was said to have been angered by the denial resulting in a fight between him and the female member of the group.

Sensing that the female member of the group could not match Eze’s strength, “Ultimate,” was said to have brought out an object suspected to be charm and hit the telecoms employee with it on the chest.
Eze, who is to marry in April, reportedly slumped and died on the spot.

It was learnt that immediately words filtered in that Eze had died, his kinsmen in the area carried out a reprisal and attacked some members of the OPC found at the footbridge.

A source told PUNCH Metro that in the ensuing pandemonium, a member of the OPC was also killed, while some motorcycles and a generator belonging to members of the group were vandalised.

The spokesperson for the state police command, Mr. Joseph Jaiyeoba, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone confirmed the incident but said facts about the incident were still sketchy.

He said, “One Chukwuma Eze was allegedly killed by some people collecting money at a footbridge but we cannot say for sure if the collectors are members of the OPC or the local government revenue collectors.

“The incident caused a stir as some friends of the deceased confronted and fought with the suspects.

“The details of what exactly transpired are still sketchy because the incident occurred at night but another corpse, identified as one Sumonu, was also found at Ajao Estate later. We (Police) do not know if his death is related to Eze’s killing.”

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Shot Dead… Bullet Proof Charm Fails OPC Leader

It was a sad end for Yisa Anifowose, the leader of the Odua People’s Congress, OPC, at Shasha, Akowonjo, Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, when his friend, John Taju, shot him dead while testing the efficacy of his newly acquired bullet-proof charm.

The charm could not prevent bullets from penetrating into his body as he reportedly boasted before he was shot. He slumped and died as a result of the injury he sustained during the shooting. His corpse has been deposited at Igando General Hospital, for autopsy. 

The late Anifowose was married and had six children. Anifowose, 54, popularly called Baba Kazeem, was shot in the chest by his friend and member of OPC, Taju, a one-eyed man. The suspect has been arrested. The incident happened at the OPC tarmac, Zone 5, Orisumbare, Shasha, Lagos, the family home of the deceased.

On returning to Lagos, he was invited by his friends who are members of the OPC, to their base to celebrate his newly acquired power and the purchase of a new car by one of his members. It was while they were celebrating that Baba Kazeem asked Taju who had a locally-made gun on him to shoot him to test the efficacy of the new charm. Taju reportedly shot Baba Kazeem and the bullet tore his chest. He died on the spot. 

His death threw the residents into confusion and his friends fled the scene. Some residents of the area quickly locked up their houses and shops and relocated from the area to avoid being arrested by the police. The matter was reported at the Idimu Police Station. But before the police arrived the scene, Taju had escaped. Policemen at the station confirmed the story, adding that the suspect was later arrested, interrogated and transferred to the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos.

She lamented the death of her husband and appealed to the police to investigate the incident and bring the culprit to justice. “I cannot just stay and watch my husband killed like a chicken. The government should intervene and arrest those involved in his death,” she cried. A brother of the deceased, Adedeji Ajanaku, described the deceased as a courageous man. He called on the government to release his corpse to the family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.

Following the death of the OPC leader in this circumstance, we talked to some traditionalists on the efficacy of the so-called bullet-proof charm and whether such exist or it is just in the realm of the imagination of the believers. Dr. Bunmi Omosehindemi, Chairman, Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board said he has been hearing of the existence of such a charm but quickly added that he has not seen it. “Some people say it exists but I have not seen it.

I am a scientist,” he said. A traditionalist, Chief Samuel Oluwasola Dedeigbo, however, confirmed that a bullet-proof charm indeed exists, adding that it is not easy to come by. “Bullet-proof charm exists but it is not easy to come by. On the OPC leader that was killed as a result of using the charm, the one they did for him was fake. He should have tested it first on an animal before asking someone to shoot him,” he stated.

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