An airport source told ireports-ng.com a few minutes ago that the bomb was discovered after passengers who just arrived the airport had cpmpleted their arrival formalities, headed to the baggage reclaim section and retrieved their bags,leaving a particular bag untouched.

This immediately created a panic while officials of the police anti-bomb squad attached to the airport terminal were alerted at about 10pm local time.

After scanning the bag with their equipment, the security agents which immediately cordoned off the area concluded that the luggage was laden with explosives and went ahead to defuse it before doing great damage.

The warning notice which was uploaded Emergency Message for U.S. Citizens

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria issues the following emergency message for the attention of all U.S. citizens in Abuja, Nigeria.

The U.S. Embassy has received information that Boko Haram may be planning attacks in Abuja, Nigeria, including against hotels frequently visited by Westerners. The U.S. government has no additional information regarding the timing of these possible attacks. The Nigerian government is aware of the threat and is actively implementing security measures.

The Embassy reminds U.S. citizens to exercise additional caution. Please maintain a high state of vigilance and personal security awareness, particularly in and around Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, near Nigerian government facilities, diplomatic missions, large gathering places, hotels, markets and malls, and places of worship. We advise all U.S. citizens to review their personal security plans, remain aware of their surroundings, including local events, monitor local news stations for updates, and report specific incidences of targeted violence to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or the U. S. Consulate General in Lagos at the numbers below. For additional information, please refer to “A Safe Trip Abroad.

U.S. citizens who travel to or reside in Nigeria are strongly advised to enroll through the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). U.S. citizens without Internet access may enroll directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By enrolling, you make it easier for the U.S. Embassy or Consulate to contact you in case of emergency.

U.S. citizens should contact the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos for up-to-date information on any restrictions. The U.S. Embassy in Abuja is open Monday – Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos is open Monday-Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The U.S. Embassy in Abuja can be reached by telephone, including after-hours emergencies, at +234(9) 461-4000. The U.S. Consulate General in Lagos can be reached by telephone, including after-hours emergencies at +234(1) 460-3600 or +234 (1) 460-3400.

Current information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States or a regular toll line at-1-202-501-4444 for callers from other countries. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays). You can also stay up to date by bookmarking our Bureau of Consular Affairs website, which contains the current Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts as well as the Worldwide Caution. Follow us on Twitter and the Bureau of Consular Affairs page on Facebook as well.”

The 200 page probe report accused 69 oil companies of embezzling N229,706,023,200 between 2006 and 2011, in addition to extra funds stolen by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) bringing the figure to N241 billion.

The committee in its recommendation has asked that the total sum be refunded to the federal government by the indicted companies which were also recommended for further investigation and prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The report further said that “The office of the Accountant General of the federation should account for N213.678b being total of excess payments made by it over and above what PPPRA identified as paid in 2009 and 2010.”

The panel ordered that the EFCC and ICPC should ensure that” the Accountant General’s office accounts for the over-recovery figures of N2.76b and N5.27b respectively.”

On NNPC, the report said “In addition to CBN’s payment of N844.944b as represented on the federation accounts components statement, NNPC made a direct deduction of N847.942b as subsidy in 2011, bringing all claims by the NNPC on subsidy in 2011 to N1,692.886 trillion.”

Part of the panel’s recommendations also states that Integrated Oil & Gas should cough out N13,252 billion as refund while Conoil is to refund over N3 billion of the looted fund.

The SPG Oil owned by Jonathan’s Aviation minister is also to refund over N1billion, precisely N1,019,571,609, and Total Oil the sum of N1.931 billion.

iReports-ng.com had in an exclusive report detailed how the speaker who is at the moment facing money laundering charges filed against him and his Personal Assistant by Nigeria’s anti-graft police, the EFCC, has set out to engage in another fraudulent venture outside his legislative duties by organising seminars for all councillors and chairmen in the 57 council areas in the state for a whooping sum of N300 million.

By the time the scam was reported, the first phase of the seminar had been held for councillors at “The Event Centre”, Alausa area of Ikeja while the council chairmen were to attend the second phase slated for Ghana this week. Some members of the Assembly who protested against the wasteful venture had threatened in an interview with ireports-ng.com to report the scam to the EFCC.

Investigations by ireports-ng.com revealed that the second leg of the seminar which is being coordinated by Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi was to kickoff last Wednesday, March 14 but was hurriedly suspended by the embattled speaker due to public outcry that followed the story as published by ireports-ng.com.

One of the lawmakers who confirmed the latest development told ireports-ng.com today that “the whole thing changed after your last report on this matter. In fact, the speaker suddenly became nice to members but as things are now the trip to Ghana which was slated for Wednesday has been suspended but our fear remains that will the over N300 million that has been taken out of our account for this purpose be returned to the treasury? We are watching and ready to intimate the EFCC on this as we earlier promised”

Our earlier report on the scam runs below:

Three weeks to the commencement of trial in a money laundering and fraud case instituted against him by Nigeria’s anti-graft police, EFCC, the embattled speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Sabitun Ikuforiji has been fingered in another fraud of diverting over N300 million tax payers money through frivolous seminars for local government chairmen and councillors.

The latest revelation is coming even as ireports-ng.com gathered that Mr Ikuforiji has begun a structured payment of a bribe of $1 million USD to Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the federal high court, Lagos where the EFCC last week re-arraigned Ikuforiji and his Personal Assistant, Oyebode Atoyebi for stealing public funds totalling over N273 million and laundering same through their bank accounts.

The first instalment of the bribe money, $500,000 was allegedly paid by Ikuforiji to Okeke at a location in Ikoyi last week after a prominent former governor of Lagos brokered a meeting between the embattled speaker and the trial judge on Bourdillion road, Ikoyi penultimate saturday. The meeting had dragged on into the wee hours of sunday during which our source revealed that Justice Okeke almost emptied a full bottle Moet Rose champagne.

The judge was said to have struck an agreement with the accused to fast track the case and dismiss it for lack of sufficient evidence to warrant conviction. It is after delivering the final ruling that he’s to take delivery of the final installment of $500,000.

Just as the schemes to get Ikuforiji out of the web of criminal trial are intensified, the embattled speaker has again been fingered in a fresh N300 million scam. The speaker who inspite of his trial still collects a whooping N500 million as monthly running cost as first line charge from the state revenue collections, has perfected another way of stealing the Assembly funds.

An aggrieved member of the Assembly told ireports-ng.com today that the Speaker has hired a former member of senate and until recent a Commissioner in Lagos, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi as a consultant to organise seminars for councillors and chairmen of the 57 local government councils in the state to be held in Lagos and Accra, Ghana.

ireports-ng.com gathered that already, the seminar for the councillors had been held in Lagos last week while the one for the chairmen is to be held in Accra, Ghana next week. The Speaker is taking out of the state tax payers funds a whooping N300 million for the two seminars, a venture that should not cost tax payers more than N20 million .

Another member of the state Assembly who spoke to ireports-ng.com few minutes ago said of the seminars,”the speaker has not learnt anything please. The seminars he’s taking our money to organise is not the responsibility of the state house of assembly. That is purely the responsibility of the state local government service commission or the ministry of local government. This is purely being done to siphon our scarce resources. Please we need the public to know what we are seeing here.It is really annoying and fraudulent”. The two lawmakers who spoke to ireports-ng.com vowed to report the latest scam to the EFCC.

Ikuforiji was last week arraigned for alleged money laundering before a Federal High Court in Lagos by the EFCC. The Speaker and his Personal Assistant, Mr. Oyebode Atoyebi, who were arraigned on an amended 20-count charge before Justice Okechukwu Okeke, pleaded not guilty and were granted bail. While Ikuforiji got bail on self recognition, the Clerk of the Lagos Assembly, Mr Segun Habiru, stood as surety for Atoyebi.

The arraignment came almost a month after Justice John Tsoho, who was slated to take the case withdrew. Tsoho said his action was on “personal grounds.”

EFCC’s lawyer Godwin Obla informed the court of the existence of a charge against the accused persons and requested that it should be read to them. The defence team, led by Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), did not object to the request. The charge was read to the accused and they pleaded not guilty.

After the arraignment, Oyetibo urged the court to grant bail to the accused persons on self recognition, the Speaker being the third citizen of the state. Obla did not oppose the bail application, but urged the court to attach conditions to Atoyebi’s bail.

Justice Okeke granted bail to Ikuforiji on self recognition and directed that someone stands as surety for Atoyebi. Trial has been slated to start on March 26. Ikuforiji and Atoyebi are being accused of accepting payments, amounting to N273,303,780 from the Assembly without going through a financial institution, an offence contrary to and punishable under Sections 16 (2) (b) and 18 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.

The offence was allegedly committed between April 2010 and July 2011.

The governors are Ibrahim Idris (Kogi), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Timipre Sylva (Bayelsa), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) and Liyel Imoke (Cross River) who are all members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).The decision was taken by a seven-member panel of the supreme court chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Mudsapher.

Other members of the panel are Justices Mahmud Mukhtar, Walter Onnonghen, Chukwuma Ene, Ibrahim Coomasie, Olufunlola Adekeye and Mary Peter-Odili.

The judgement followed an appeal filed by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The appellants are challenging the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which upheld the decision of an Abuja Federal High Court that extended the tenure of the five governors beyond May 29,2010.

Two of the three legal experts-Amicus Curiae (friends of the court) – invited by the apex court have called for their removal. They are a renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) and Olukanyinsola Ajayi (SAN). But a former Attorney- General of the Federation (AGF), Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN) advised the apex court to uphold the decision of the Court of Appeal. 

Adopting their written briefs, Marwa’s counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), urged the court to allow the appeal and set aside the verdict of the two lower courts. 

Justice Adamu Bello of the Federal High Court, in his consolidated judgement had ruled that the tenure of the governors started in 2008 when they took a fresh Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office after their victories in the rerun elections conducted by INEC. 

The rerun elections were conducted by INEC after the Appeal Courts nullified their victories in the April 14, 2007 general elections.

The Judge held that since the 2007 elections were nullified and set aside by competent courts, the oaths of office and allegiance subscribed to by the governors had been nullified. 
Details of the judgement will come shortly…

From L to R - Murtala Nyako, Aliyu Wamako, Timipre Sylva, Liyel Imoke & Ibrahim Idris

WEF is an independent international organisation that provides a forum where Heads of Governments interact with business leaders and woo investors for their respective countries.

According to sources in the presidential villa in Abuja,Mr Jonathan who had actually sent an initial team to Switzerland was to leave Abuja for Davos on Wednesday evening after attending the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, however decided this evening to cancel the trip because of the series of intelligence reports on more threats by boko haram capable of destabilising the country in his absence.

Consequently, the president was said to have immediately directed that the team already in Davos should return home while another advance team that was scheduled to leave Abuja this evening aboard a Lufthansa flight was asked to return to base.

“It was more compelling for the president to cancel the trip because it was actually an opportunity to woo investors but no one is in doubt that no investor will be willing to come to Nigeria now because of the state of insecurity in the country due to the activities of boko haram and more so that the president has promised to cut down on all overseas trip”, a presidential aide told ireports-ng.com today.

Boko Haram has upped its activities across Northern states in the country, killing hundreds of people. The latest attacks were carried out in Kano where more than 250 persons were killed last Friday and Bauchi where 11 persons died within a space of 48 hours.

Though the Minister admitted operating the bank accounts quoted in our earlier report in his statement of defence today, he however failed to disclose how much money is in those accounts now, confirming our reports of Friday that efforts were on going to deplete the balances in the accounts as it is the tradition of Nigerian banks to cover tracks for their high net worth customers.

In the statement, the Minister also woefully failed to refer to, confirm or deny his investments in bluechip companies listed in our second report especially on his link to Oando Oil and Eterna Oil that have both benefitted more than N230 billion between January and August, 2011 from the nation’s contentious fuel subsidy funds.

We therefore wish to state emphatically that we stand by the two reports published by us in the last 48 hours on the Minister and challenge him to step down for a proper investigation by reputable civil society groups and professional bodies like the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA.

Though Mr Adoke has invited the police to probe his accounts when he’s still in a position to influence their investigation, we will however ensure further details still held back now will be published if they make further attempts to twist the facts and figures of already published reports.

His statement of defence which circulation is being coordinated by a reporter attached to Tribune newspaper in Abuja is reproduced below:

RESPONSE TO THE RECENT ATTACK ON THE HONOURABLE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION AND MINISTER OF JUSTICE, MR. MOHAMMED BELLO ADOKE, SAN, CFR

1.      The attention of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, CFR has been drawn to Reports making the rounds in the social media including Sahara Reporters, Point-blank News, I-Reports etc, to the effect that he maintains accounts with First City Monument Bank, Diamond Bank and Zenith Bank Plc into which lodgements running into several Millions of Naira, Dollars and Pound Sterling have been made.

2.      While these spurious allegations/reports would ordinarily have been ignored, the tendency for Nigerians to believe such blatant lies and malicious stories has necessitated this response so as to put the records straight and re-assure all well meaning Nigerians especially the Attorney General’s friends, close associates and relatives who are worried and greatly saddened since these allegations began circulating in the social media.

3.      We wish to categorically state that while the Attorney General maintains accounts with Diamond Bank and First City Monument Bank, the balances in those accounts are certainly nowhere near the outrageous figures quoted in the publication. It is instructive to note that Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, has been a Legal Practitioner for 26 years and was in recognition of his achievements elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2006. As an investment lawyer, he made careful investments which yielded good returns. At the time he was invited to serve as Attorney General of the Federation, he was by the grace of God, a successful legal practitioner, by every standard.

4.      It is also instructive to note that the Attorney General of the Federation declared his assets including all his accounts on assumption office as Attorney General of the Federation. Mr. Adoke further directed that no money should be paid into all his accounts except the salary account he maintains with Intercontinental Bank Plc. Consequently, the authentic balances in the accounts maintained by Mr. Adoke only reflect his earnings as a legal practitioner/investor before he took public office. We therefore advice anyone interested in knowing the net worth of the Attorney General to check his asset declaration with the Code of Conduct Bureau.

5.      It should also be appreciated that no allegation of wrongdoing has been made against the person of the Attorney General of the Federation. It is therefore clear that the objective of the publication was to damage his reputation and expose him to public odium. The Attorney General has therefore lodged a formal complaint to the Inspector General of Police and has called on the Inspector General of Police to cause a painstaking investigation to be carried out on the allegations made in the publication and the Report made public.

6.      This is necessary to prove to Nigerians that the Attorney General has nothing to hide and can account for his earnings and wealth. Mr. Adoke has maintained a consistent lifestyle in the last 15 years and will by the grace of God continue to maintain his cherished values of honesty, probity and accountability in public office.

7.      Finally, we make bold to state that if the motive of the publication was to discourage and distract the Attorney General of the Federation in the discharge of his duties and commitment to the development of this country, such endeavour has clearly failed.

Ambrose Momoh
Chief Press Secretary to the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice
e-mail-umolaojoegbabu@gmail.com
+2347061894448

A rundown of the documents made available to ireports-ng.com indicate that Adoke is a major investor in Oando Oil which has taken over N228 billion out of the N1.4trillion shared by about 100 oil marketers between January and August, 2011. The Minister has about N1.5 billion investment tucked in Oando Oil PLC. Apart from Oando, available documents also show that Adoke is equally a major investor in Eterna Oil which has within the same period benefitted about N5.57 billion from the fuel subsidy cake. He is said to have about N1 billion investment in the company, with another N2 billion tucked in a company called Novasys Ltd.

It has also been discovered that the Minister has his hands and hidden investments in major banks in the country. Some of them include about N400 million in Oceanic Bank; aboutN200 million in UAC properties; about N20 million in Guaranty Trust Bank; about N360 million in Access Bank; about $400,000 US dollars in MTN; about N1 billion in Japaul Oil& Maritime; about N15 million in Bank PHB; about N100million in First Bank; about N20 million in FCMB and aboutN6 million in Unity Bank PLC among others.

One of our sources hinted that the Minister has already begun moves today to begin the process of depleting funds in the four bank accounts exposed in our earlier story in collaboration with the account managers

As Nigeria’s nationwide strike enters its fifth day amidst heightened international concerns and consequent rising oil prices, it has emerged that a prominent Christian pastor had accurately predicted the current events three months earlier.

T.B. Joshua, the controversial pastor of The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) based in Lagos, Nigeria, has released a video via his YouTube channel with the words he is purported to have spoken on Sunday 16th October 2011. “I say to you – there will be economic crises,” Joshua began, speaking in a church service broadcast live via the popular Christian television station Emmanuel TV. “You will see every nation, every country will come out and go on the street protesting. Those who rely on oil and mineral resources – they should look beyond these because there will not even be enough money to buy oil,” he said.

Speaking specifically concerning Nigeria, Joshua said to the over 10,000 sombre congregants present, “You will soon see Nigerians carrying placards everywhere. People will be protesting from street to street, from state to state. It will come to a point where they will be looking for rich people around, millionaires – standing in front of their houses.” He continued, “The people that really make this economy work are the grassroots. They will soon be on the street and we’ll see how your company will work, you big men, whether you can do the job by yourself.”

Joshua claimed the way out was to involve godly counsel in the economic decision making of the country. He went further to assert the economic crises were a time to be humble before God. “There is something God wants to achieve concerning this. God wants to achieve humility to the core. He wants everybody to be on their knees – every nation to be on their knees. After that, the solution will come,” he added.

Since Monday 9th January, Nigeria has united in its condemnation of and protest against the government’s removal of fuel subsidies, one of the only perceived benefits for the general public from Nigeria’s vast oil reserve and export. Workers in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry have threatened to shut down all production from Sunday if the government fails to reverse its decision to end fuel subsidies. Scores have been reported dead or injured across Nigeria in protest-related clashes. The unrest comes amidst a new wave of violence from the Islamist insurgents Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria.

T.B. Joshua has a reputation for accurate predictions. His ministry website claims he has prophesied numerous major international events such as the death of iconic musician Michael Jackson. He is also well known as a philanthropist, giving foodstuffs and millions of Naira to several less privileged communities affected by Boko Haram attacks in Northern Nigeria over the Christmas period.

by Ihechukwu Njoku,
freelance Nigerian journalist

Nigerians, both at home and abroad seem to have found unison in decrying the lack of progress in the development of their country. Continuous corruption, a lack of leadership, lack of security, the menace of Boko Haram terrorism, unemployment, a disengagement between the rulers and ruled. Nigerians all over the world including in the United States of America have had enough. They are expressing solidarity with their country folks, from New York to Texas to California to the state of Georgia. Here today is a tip of the iceberg, at the recent “Occupy Nigeria, Atlanta.

Pictures say a thousand words

There seem to a consistent theme across the board; Nigerians are tired of being second class citizens in their own country

Nigerians from across all tribes, from all works of life

Nigerians are tired and they are not going to take it anymore

Protected by the American Police; not abused, beaten or harassed