Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare Dashes Nigeria's Medal Hopes After Qualifying for Finals

Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare and Tianna Madison of the United States in the third semi of the women’s Olympic 100m on Saturday both timed 10.92sec to qualify for the finals.
Okagbare however, did not end up in the medal zone in the finals of the Olympics 100 metres in the race concluded a few moments ago. She came 8th with 11.01secs.
Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce successfully defended her Olympic women’s 100m crown, clocking 10.75sec to edge America’s Carmelita Jeter by just 0.03sec.
Jamaica’s Veronica Campbell-Brown took bronze in 10.81sec. We will keep you posted.

Commercial Bus Crushes Two Street Sweepers to Death In Aba

Two female street sweepers may have been crushed to death by a commercial bus on Friday in Aba.
Mr. Rabiu Dayi, Aba Police Area Commander told newsmen that someone called to inform him about the incident. Dayi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, however, said he had yet to get full details of the incident.
An eye witness under condition of anonymity told Greenwich news that the victims, Oluchi Onyembi and Chioma Onyembi were co-wives.
He said that they were hit by a 14-seater Mitsubishi bus with registration number EBONYI: XP 775 AKL at the popular Onwuka Nails Junction, beside Concordia Filling Station, Abayi, along Aba- Owerri road.
He said the victims, who hailed from Iheorji in Aba were busy sweeping the road when the bus hit them.
It was gathered that while Chioma died on the spot, Oluchi was rushed to the Abia State Teaching Hospital (ABSUTH), Aba where she gave up the ghost. It also gathered that the corpses were deposited at an undisclosed mortuary in the city.

Port Harcourt Chief Petitions CBN After Loosing N8million to Fake Abuja House Agent

CBN Governor

I never knew he was a fraudster, he seemed so genuine that I had no doubt when I entrusted him with my money,” laments Chief Noble Emeka Ogbu, who was hoodwinked into parting with N8million by a bogus house agent in Abuja.
The story of Chief Emeka who resides at No 8 Shell Location Road, Orazi, Port Harcourt, is a recurring decimal in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, where many have fallen prey to the uncanny antics of fraudsters, with some of them even issuing fake Certificates of Occupancy to their unsuspecting victims after collecting huge sums of money from them.
Nevertheless, the peculiarity in the instant case is that the victim has petitioned the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, alleging that some bank officials connived with the fake house agent to defraud him. Meanwhile, the said agent has vanished into thin air with the money.
In a petition dated July 30, 2012, which has been served on the Governor of the Central Bank, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi through solicitors to the victim, led by Barrister George Orji, it was alleged that some bank officials helped the said fake House agent who gave his name as Shola Damiro, to open a special account for the sole purpose of effecting the illicit transaction, after which the entire N8m was withdrawn and the account closed.
According to the petition, a copy of which was made available to Saturday Vanguard by counsel to the victim, “our client on the 20th June, 2008, raised a Zenith Bank manager’s cheque in the value of N8, 000, 000 (Eight Million Naira Only) in favour of one Shola Damiro (the agent). Find a copy of the cheque annexed hereto. The said manager’s cheque was raised pursuant to the purchase of a property in Gwarimpa for which the agent claimed he had a power of Attorney to act for the landlord.
“When the agent was discovered to be impersonating, our client contacted his bank (Zenith Bank), discovering that the cheque has been cleared, he also wrote to notify Skye bank Plc of the development and asked that the account be pegged, but disbursements on the account were never restricted.
“In a bid to trace the agent now absconded, our client notified the police and the management authorities of Skye Bank Plc, investigations revealed that the agent’s account is domiciled at the Garki, Area 8 branch of Skye Bank. The account being a new one was opened on or about the date on which our client issued him the cheque, thus it was primarily opened for the purpose of clearing the cheque of our client.
“It was further revealed that the contact address in Jos, Plateau State which the agent used in opening the account is non-existent; also the referees to the account were sourced for the agent by his account officer.
“It is our firm and strong opinion that Skye Bank Plc neglected the Know Your Client (KYC) Rule, a duty that that behoves on them to exercise most diligently when opening an account; such negligence has made it elusive for our client to trace the agent and retrieve his money.  And all our efforts to get Skye Bank Plc to view the scenario in this perspective and do the needful, have proved abortive.
“We urge you to intervene, use your good and regulatory office to debit Skye Bank Plc, conclude your findings on the instant and restore to our client.”

Gunmen Storm Oil Ship, Two Dead, Four Kidnapped.

Nigeria's navy has joined the search for the gunmen off the Niger Delta. Two navy sailors, among a group providing security, were wounded in the raid.
It is not yet clear which country or countries the foreigners are from.
In 2009 an amnesty for thousands of militants brought peace to the Niger Delta after years of violence.
The ship that was attacked belongs to Sea Trucks Group, based in Rotterdam.
The heavily polluted delta is Nigeria's main oil-producing region. Oil output has risen since the amnesty took effect, but critics say the peace deal remains precarious.
The militants targeted foreign oil companies, drawing on local support in a region still blighted by poverty despite huge profits for the multinational energy corporations.
Local people wanted to see more of that wealth used to improve their housing and services.

China Hits Back at West After Syria U.N Vote.

Barrack Obama

China hit back on Saturday at criticism of its stance over the crisis in Syria following a vote at the United Nations which overwhelmingly condemned the Syrian government, repeating Beijing's position that outside interference will not help.
The special session of the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly approved on Friday the Saudi-drafted resolution, which expressed "grave concern" at the escalation of violence in Syria and condemned the Security Council for its inaction.
As expected, Syria's staunch ally Russia was among the 12 countries that opposed the resolution in the assembly, where no country has a veto but all decisions are non-binding. Others that voted against it included China, Iran, North Korea, Belarus, Cuba and others nations that often criticize the West.
Western diplomats said the vote highlighted the isolation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's supporters Russia and China.
Speaking at a hastily arranged news conference in Beijing, Wang Kejian, deputy head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's West Asian and North African Affairs Department, said China continued to support efforts at a peaceful, political solution for Syria.
"We should not easily close the window to a political solution let alone start military intervention," Wang said.
"China understands the desire of Arab countries and the Arab League for a swift resolution of the Syrian crisis.
"We have on numerous occasions stressed to various parties that the legitimate demands and aspirations of the Syrian people for change and for safeguarding their interests deserve respect," Wang said.
"The Syrian government should adopt concrete measures to respond to these demands and requests. We have repeatedly stressed that the future and destiny of Syria should be determined by the Syrian people independently.
"Those countries which have made unfounded criticism about China's position on Syria ... have, in pursuit of their own geopolitical interests in Syria, tried to hinder or undermine the political settlement process and are trying to shift responsibility for the difficulties onto other countries," he added.
Russia and China voted down a Security Council resolution on Syria last month, the third time the two countries have used their veto power to block resolutions designed to isolate Assad and end the 16-month conflict that has killed thousands.

Truck Crushes Six FCE Students to Death in Abeokuta.

Muyiwa Adejobi

Tragedy struck at the Federal College of Education (FCE), Osiele Abeokuta, Ogun state, as six students of the College were crushed to death.

Eyewitness said the ill-fated truck, loaded with granite, rammed into a taxi conveying the students from their institution to the town.

The affected students were said to have died on the spot. This immediately caused unrest as their colleagues stormed the ever-busy Abeokuta/ Ibadan road and barricaded with bonfires.

The four similar trucks ran into the rampaging students and were set ablaze.

The protest led to a traffic gridlock on the highway as motorists and commuters could not proceed to their respective destinations for hours.

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Muyiwa Adejobi on Friday night, said some miscreants hijacked the students’ protest.

Adejobi, who stated that only two students have been confirmed dead at press time, said there was conflicting reports on the number of victims involved in the accident.

He said the police had to disperse the protesters when their protest was spiraling out of control.

Adejobi added that the Police Commissioner, Ikemefuna Okoye, attempted to calm the protesters who, however, defied all entreaties.

He said, “The protest was hijacked by miscreants; it was not just a student protest again. The CP tried to address the protesters but they went on the rampage.

The police had to dislodge them with teargas.

“Most of the students retreated when the management tried to address them but some hoodlums who hijacked the protest continued, threatening to burn all the tippers at Asero motorpark.

“As to the number of victims, there are conflicting reports. The command is yet to be briefed by the DPO (in charge of Obantoko Division) who is busy maintaining law and order in the area.”

Adejobi, however, assured that policemen were on ground to ensure normalcy returns to the area.

Davido Beats up Taxi Driver Over Girlfriend

A taxi driver, Femi Ajibola, will never forget July 1, 2012 in a hurry. At about 5.30 pm on that day, he received a phone call from a young woman in the Lekki area of Lagos and had quickly answered the subsequent invitation to pick her up.

“The lady introduced her as Susie. She called me to come and pick her and her friend. They told me to come pick them up at Mobolaji Estate near Lekki Second Roundabout. Later, I took them to a hotel at Lekki Phase I to meet one of their friends.

“From there we left for Beni Apartment in Victoria Island. They said that I should wait for them and promised to be back soon. Not long afterwards, one of the girls began to scream as she was coming towards my car. Behind her, I saw David Adeleke (Davido) and four of his bouncers.

 “The girl was running towards me. I think they men had assaulted her. She said I should open the door for her so that she would enter. I opened the door for her; as she was about to enter the car, Davido caught up with her and slapped her face,” Ajibola said.

In a bid to save the girl from further assault, Ajibola switched on the engine of his cab and was about to drive off when the youthful singer suddenly dealt him a slap.

The cabbie said, “He left the girl and faced me. He said I was the one that brought the girls, that I am their boyfriend. He knocked my face against the steering wheel of the cab. This made blood begin to come out from my ear drums. He seized my car keys and in the process, injured me.

“Before I knew what was going on, his four bouncers began to beat me up. They beat me severely and took my car keys from me and chased me away. This happened around 11 pm. I went to report the matter at the Bar Beach Police Station, which was the nearest one. I was asked to come back the next morning to report the case.”

Unfortunately, Ajibola had just taken delivery of the vehicle he was using for his transport business and had not paid the dealer in full before the incident. He said that the balance of N100,000 was in the car before the incident had happened. In the whole confusion, he could not pick the money as he was ordered to leave the car by the bouncers.

“I had taken delivery of the vehicle about two weeks before the incident. I had paid my dealer N50,000 and the other N100,000 was in the car because I could not pay it in the bank. The money was in the car and since they had sent me away from the car, I could not retrieve it.

“The following day, I did not find the money in the cab. They did not even let me wind the car windows up before they chased me out. I noticed that the car was ransacked. I managed to obtain Davido’s phone number and called him. But he did not pick his call. So I sent him a text message. Thirty minutes after I sent him the message, someone picked up the call and promised to pass the message to him. I did not get my car key throughout that day. I went to the police station to file a report,” Ajibola said.

“When all efforts to contact Davido proved futile, the police had to go to Susie. Unfortunately, she was of no help.”

“On the fourth day, I went to Susie’s house with the police. The ladies said they were not the ones that beat me. They said the only help they could render was to give me Davido’s address and that they had since settled their differences. The whole point of the police visit was to use the girls to get to Davido, but the girls made a phone call to an aunt of theirs and the policemen left them, saying that they were not the ones that assaulted me,” the cab driver said.

Greenwich news learnt that the genesis of the fight was because the singer was allegedly caught cheating on his girlfriend.

Ajibola continued, I learnt that Davido was dating one of the girls I picked up. They went to his hotel room and caught him with another girl who was their friend. This is what I learnt caused the fight. The police collected Davido’s phone number and called him, but he kept asking them if they knew whose son he was.

“He warned the policemen not to threaten or intimidate him. They in turn told him that they were just inviting him for questioning and not to arrest him. Since then, the effort to get him has not been forthcoming.  I had to go to the hospital because I was really injured. Davido gave me a blow to the ear which made it to bleed.

“One day, the DPO of the station assured me that they would make sure they get him. He was irritated by Davido’s boasting that he was immune to arrest. On July 13, one Sharon Adeleke asked me to come and collect the key of my car at 1004. I told her to come and meet me at the police station. She did not turn up till the DPO intervened.

“The DPO invited the Sharon Adeleke, she eventually came to drop the key of the car. I told them that I could not just collect the key of the car without documentation that they gave me the key of the car without a penny, though I lost money and my car got damaged. When I said this, the DPO told me that I did not look like someone that was worth N100,000.

“He said I have no proof that there was money in the car and that all he was after was to retrieve my car keys for me. He said that if I wanted to do anything I should go to court and he ordered me out of his office. Till this moment I have not received my car keys or an apology from the singer,” Ajibola said.

When contacted on the telephone, both Davido and the Divisional Police Officer of Bar Beach police station, Fakeye Adegoke, refused to answer their calls nor did they reply the text messages sent to them.

But Davido’s publicist, Valerie Obaze, denied her client’s involvement in the incident.

“Davido has no knowledge of any incident involving the assault of a taxi driver or the illegal seizure of his car. He does not condone violence of any sort and will not be commenting on this untrue allegation,” she said via email

Car Bomb Explodes In Tripoly, injures one.

A car bomb exploded near the offices of the military police in Tripoli early today, a senior security source said, the first such attack in the Libyan capital since the start of a revolt that toppled the regime of Muammar Gaddafi last year.
The source said the blast slightly wounded a Tunisian national, but it could not say who might have been behind it.
A Reuters witness said police had cordoned off the area around the blast's location.
Several violent incidents have rocked Libya in recent days but these have been mostly confined to the eastern city of Benghazi.
Also in Benghazi, seven Iranian relief workers were abducted on Tuesday by an armed group just as they started an official mission as guests of the Libyan Red Crescent Association, which is still seeking to get them released.

Police Concludes Investigation on Farouk Lawan and Femi Otedola' $3Million Dollar Bribery Scandal.

Indications emerged yesterday in Abuja that Police authorities of the Special Task Force investigating the $620, 000 bribery scandal involving the collection of same amount of money by erstwhile Chairman of the House of reps subsidy probe panel, Hon. Farouk Lawan from oil magnate, Chief Femi Otedola has concluded the investigation, written its final report and submitted the case file to the Attorney- General’s office.
Consequently, Greenwich news gathered that Hon. Farouk Lawan who has been in the eye of the storm over the bribery allegation, is set to face a 15 count charge of conspiracy, bribery, corruption, and lying under oath among others.
But contrary to the widely held belief among many legal luminaries concerning the interpretations of the law as it affects the giver and taker of bribe being liable to face criminal charges, Greenwich news gathered that Chief Femi Otedola who gave the bribe might be a prosecution witness if the recommendations of the investigation report is approved by the Attorney-General.
While intimating newsmen of a watertight case file owing to the fact that painstaking steps had been taken to plug any envisaged loophole in the report, sources disclosed that it will be difficult for the defence lawyers to arm-twist both Farouk Lawan and Boniface Emenalo the secretary of the committee from complicity in the allegation.
Greenwich news gathered that among new addition to the charges included in the case file, were attachments detailing how Farouk Lawan collected and concealed the bribe monies from both the House Committee on Subsidy probe and the ploy to deceive investigators that he handed over the money to the chairman of the Financial Crimes Committee for safe keeping.
Asked if the non recovery of the hard cash of $620, 000 would not stand in the way of nailing the culprits in the scam, a source said, the Police is very optimistic that even though the $620,000 was not returned to be used as exhibit, there is overwhelming evidence to get conviction for the duo.
Recall that Hon. Lawan claimed in his statement to the Special Task Force (STF) that the $620,000 bribery money was handed over to the chairman House Committee on drugs and financial crimes, Adams Jagaba. Jagaba however rubbished the claim and challenged Lawan to prove how the money was given to him which he (Lawan) has so far failed to do.
Though Hon. Lawan has continued to report to the STF every two days with a promise to return the $620, 000, the money was not returned before the police concluded its investigations and report.

Privatisation of PHCN: Bidders Ask FG for Deadline Extension.

As the deadline for the submission of bids for the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) GENCO and DISCO assets expired last Tuesday, interested firms have implored the Federal Government to extend the time frame in order to ensure proper participation of companies.
The bidders who made this appeal in letter to the Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprise Ms Bolanle Onagoruwa at the weekend noted in dismay that of the one hundred and eleven pre-qualified bidders for the PHCN successor distribution companies, only fifty-four of them successfully submitted their bids within the time.
Against this backdrop, the bidders urged the Presidency, the National Council in Privatisation (NCP) and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to jointly reconsider granting  a 48-hour concessionary timeline that will elapse  5 p.m. August 31, 2012.
According to them, such gesture will give the pre-qualified bidders for the six generating companies  and the eleven distribution firms as announced by the BPE at the pre-qualification stage the opportunity to make and/ or complete their submissions.
The group expressed fear that of the 25 bidders who submitted for the GENCOS, about 14 of them representing 56% may be disqualified for lack of complete documentation including but not limited to the required bid bonds.
A breakdown of the bidders, showed that across board, each of the GENCOS recorded a submission rate of 60% as Ughelli Genco which recorded 56% tops the list.
Conversely, the bidders disclosed that the Shiroro Genco recorded only one submission by all regards a failed bid ab-initio.
The bidders posited that the total population of EOI’s harvested for both the successor generating and distribution companies amounted to 190 but only 79 of them submitted their bids, adding that this translates  to a submission rate of 41.5 per cent.
They however averred that global standards suggest that for such a process to be considered effective and truly competitive, at least a 60% submission rate should be recorded in a best scenario and at worst 50 per cent.
“In individual successor company terms, at least five bidding companies and at worst three should be evaluated for positions of “preferred,” ‘reserved’ and ‘alternate.’ They said that this allows for proper evaluation flexibility.
The bidders stated that the deadline for the submission of the bids for the DISCOs  was 5p.m. last Tuesday and various consortium along with other bidders missed the time limit by just seven minutes with very valid reasons.
They recalled with pain that the conditions for the bid were constantly being changed by the personnel managing the process for the Bureau, adding that this was evidenced by the multiple deadlines set by the Bureau.
“With every change came the onerous tasks of adjustments and re-strategising and the consequent toll it took on the participating firms,” they said.
The bidders also lamented the non existence of multiple collection centres as would have been expected for investment of this magnitude as what recently obtained in the energy sector.
In the light of the above, the bidders enjoined the Federal Government to ensure that the power sector becomes vibrant once again by allowing the participation of credible Nigerian companies who have demonstrated genuine capacity to deliver in the face of daunting economic challenges in the company.
The bidders however stated that the country as a whole has so much at stake by ensuring that Nigeria’s destiny is in the hands of Nigerians rather than foreigners.

Man Flatten 8 Police Cars With A Tractor

A man driving a farm tractor ran over eight vehicles in the parking lot of a Vermont police station in an apparent revenge scheme, according to local reports.

Police said Roger Pion, 34, of Newport, Vt., flattened seven marked police cruisers and one unmarked personal vehicle at the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department in Derby, Vt., around 12:40 p.m. Thursday.
“We came out and sure enough there was someone who had run over our cruisers with a tractor,” Chief Dep. Philip Brooks of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Dept. told WCAX.
Not only were their roofs and hoods caved in, but “the radios are ruined, the radar detectors, the cages in the cars … We’re going to have to get the jaws of life up here to pry the trunks open and see about the rifles and shotguns,” Sheriff Kirk Martin told the Associated Press.
With the vehicles crushed, police had no way to pursue Pion after he drove off in the tractor.
“It felt like I was in a Monster Jam rally or something,” witness Rene Morris told WCAX.

BREAKING NEWS: Suicide Bomber Target Emir of Fika

Emir of Fika and Chairman of Yobe state Council of Chiefs, Mohammed Abali Ibn Idrissa, escaped a suicide bomber's attempt on his life this afternoon.

The bomber - who had the explosives strapped to his body - had tried to get close to the chief after the Friday prayers at the Potiskum Central Mosque located at the Emir's palace but was stopped by a police aide to the Emir.

Eyewitnesses told newsmen that the suicide bomber then brought out a gun when he saw he was going to be prevented from reaching his target. However, the bomb exploded before he could make further progress, hurling parts of his body all over the place.

3 people have been confirmed injured from the blast. 

More details soon.

Nigeria Set to Land First set of Medals at London 2012 Olympics As Morton, Others Qualify

Nigeria’s Amaechi Morton on Friday qualified for the semi-finals of the London 2012 Olympics Games 400m men’s hurdles.
Morton placed third in a time of 49.34secs.
Regina George and Omolara Omotosho also qualified for the semi-finals of women’s 400m race.
Regina won the heat race beating five other athletes in a time of 51.24secs.
Omotosho emerged fourth in Heat Three in a time of 52.11secs.
The semis hold on Saturday at the Olympic Stadium in London

Kidnappers of Traditional Ruler Demand 100 Million Dollars

The abductors of Igwe Chukwudilim Eze, the traditional ruler of Ukpo Community in Dunukofia local government area of Anambra, are demanding a ransom 100 million dollars for his release.

A source close to the monarch’s family said in Ukpo yesterday that the kidnappers also insisted that the ransom be paid in dollars.

“They called a cousin to the Igwe (traditional ruler) and insisted that they should be paid in dollars and they are demanding that they should be paid 100 million dollars”. According to the source.

Eze was abducted on July 30 at his palace at about 11.20 a.m. after returning from church service at St. Mary Anglican Church.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Raphael Uzoigwe, said preliminary investigation by the police revealed that four gunmen carried out the attack but that no life was lost.

In his reaction to the demand of the abductors, Uzoigwe said it was not in the character of the police to negotiate with kidnappers.

“We do not have knowledge of such ransom being demanded by the abductors; it is not our duty to negotiate with kidnappers. Ours is to arrest them and I can assure you that we are working toward arresting them,” Uzoigwe, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said.

Eze, a first class traditional ruler, was the fourth traditional ruler to be kidnapped in the state in the past two years.

In his reaction to the kidnapping of traditional rulers, the traditional ruler of Enugwu-Ukwu, Chijioke Nwankwo, urged the government to take proactive measures to save the traditional institution in the state from embarrassment and ridicule.

“We have become an endangered species in this respect,” he said, adding that kidnappers should be made to face the full wrath of the law to serve as a deterrent to others.

Nigerian Banker-runner Withdraws from London 2012 Olympic marathon

Also known as the “Running banker” Obiekwe said “I am heartbroken, but I realize these incidents can happen, particularly when training in darkness in new surroundings. I severely twisted my ankle on the 25th of July when jumping off an elevated curb and now my knee and ankle hurts and cannot take the impact of running”.

As the only amateur slated for this race my sole aim is to depict the Olympic slogan which is to “inspire a generation” Obiekwe said.

Obiekwe has participated in several of the world marathon majors as the sole Nigerian representative, including Berlin and Boston Marathons.

She was tapped by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) as an exempt (non-qualified) participant in the marathon.

A teary eyed Obiekwe said she is taking the decision to protect the interest of her country.

“Given my times relative to the Olympic field, it is crucial I step to the starting line at peak fitness, so I represent my country with pride and honour. I now recognise I am unable to ensure this. It would be selfish of me to insist on participation in this physical condition for 42 kilometers. I have always said that the name on the front of my team uniform (Nigeria) is more important than the name on the back (Obiekwe)”. She said

Rep Wants UN to Caution Cameroon Over Bakassi Killings

A House of Representatives member from Cross River State, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo, has raised alarm that Nigerians eking out a living are being killed and maimed in the disputed Bakassi territory every day, saying the United Nations and other concerned authorities should urgently intervene.

She raised the alarm at the first international symposium on Save Bakassi organized yesterday to further raise awareness on the plight of the people in order for the International Court of Justice verdict to be revisited.

“It is important that concerned authorities as well as the United Nations should now show concern at what the Cameroonian army and gendarmes are meting out to Nigerians at the disputed territory. Every day they are maiming and killing Nigerians who are still living and making a living from the waters,” she said.

Cameroon authorities, according to her, are also forcing Nigerians in that territory to not only change their names, but to carry the Cameroonian flags and wear their symbols while those not willing are clamped into Cameroonian cells and tortured.

“As I speak to you now, there are many Nigerians languishing in many cells in Cameroon because of no offence of theirs.

Oil Stolen By Sophisticated Cabal in Niger Delta Cost Nigeria Billions

A sophisticated criminal network has stepped up its operations in Nigeria’s Bayelsa State, costing state and oil companies as much as a billion dollars per month.

Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company’s Nigerian subsidiary said in a recent report that between 150,000 and 180,000 barrels of oil are stolen each from its pipelines and wells. Government estimates have put the number of stolen oil as high as twice this amount.

The trade in stolen oil involves international traders who provide oil at discounted prices to refineries in other parts of the world.

Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow, reporting from Nigeria's Bayelsa State, said the impact of oil theft on the environment was devastating.

Adow witnessed what he called "effectively a crime scene" and "rivers covered by thick films of oil" while on a helicopter tour of the region,

"Vegetation in this once heavily forested region is also devastated by frequent spills and explosions," Adow said.

Philip Mshelbila of Shell Oil in Nigeria told Al Jazeera, "cleaning up what has already occured would be futile unless you stop more from happening".

Meanwhile, the men responsible for the oil theft say they will cease their actions only if the government offers support to the people of the oil-rich region of western Africa.

"It's stealing, we know, but if the federal government can help us then we will leave this [job] entirely," said Ibegi Alakoroa, an oil thief in Bayelsa State.


On Friday, Amnesty International said investigations into Shell Oil spills were a "fiasco", alleging the company repeatedly blamed sabotage in an effort to avoid responsibility.

"No matter what evidence is presented to Shell about oil spills, they constantly hide behind the 'sabotage' excuse and dodge their responsibility for massive pollution that is due to their failure to properly maintain their infrastructure," Audrey Gaughran, director of global issues at Amnesty, said in a statement.

She said "the investigation process into oil spills in the Niger Delta is a fiasco", referring to the region that is home to Africa's largest crude industry.

The London-based rights group accused the Anglo-Dutch oil giant of ignoring evidence that the latest spill in the Delta's Bodo Creek area, discovered in June, was caused by pipeline corrosion.

Bodo Creek saw two major oil spills in 2008 over which the Anglo-Dutch petroleum giant is being sued in a London court by 11,000 Bodo residents.

An official from Shell's Nigerian subsidiary told the AFP news agency the company was not ready to comment on the latest allegations.

In the statement, Amnesty said it hired the US company Accufacts to examine pictures of the Bodo Creek pipeline over the June spill.

According to Amnesty, the company said it noticed a "layered loss of metal on the outside of the pipe," which is "a very familiar pattern" consistent with corrosion.

"Shell have said locally that the spill looks like sabotage, and they completely ignore the evidence of corrosion," said Stevyn Obodoekwe of the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development, which co-authored the Amnesty statement.

Sharia Court Summoned By Zamfara State Chief Judge over Ruling

The Zamfara State Chief Judge, Justice Kulu Aliyu, yesterday summoned the judge of the High Shariah Court in Faru, Maradun Local Government Area of the state, Mallam Aliyu Mohammed Madachi, to appear before it over a ruling.

The chief judge summoned him during her tour to the Talata Mafara satellite prison when an inmate, Aliyu Musa Dankande, alleged that the Shariah Court judge ruled that he should pay N45,000 for a sheep.

“Yes, I stole my uncles sheep and sold it for N19,000, anad when I was arrested, the police recovered N15,000 from me. Despite that, the judge went ahead and ruled that I should pay N45,000. The judge also ordered that my farmland be sold to raise the N45,000. It was sold as directed and at end of the day, the judge sentenced me to five months in prison and ordered that I should be given 50 strokes of cane. So far, I have spent three weeks in prison,” he said.

Following the inmate’s statement, the Chief Judge summoned the judge. When he appeared, she asked him why he valued a sheep which he did not see at N 45,000, and whether he could pay N45,000 for a sheep. In his defence, the judge said his ruling was based on the inmate’s confession.

“I did not see the sheep, but the police valued it at N60,000.  Because the amount given by the police was on the high side, I asked sheep sellers around to give us an estimate and they gave us N45,000. That is why I ruled that he should pay that amount and his family paid,” he said.

Responding, the Chief Judge asked the judge to always have the fear of God when administering justice. She then discharged and acquitted the inmate.

The Grand Khadi of the state, Mallam Lawal Abubakar Gummi, who was among the team, also summoned the Shariah Court judge to appear before him in Gusau over the issue.

Investigation on Fuel Subsidy Scam will be Concluded in Two Weeks - Mba

The ongoing investigation on the bribery scandal involving the former chairman, House Commitee on Fuel Subsidy Probe, Farouk Lawan, and oil magnate, Femi Otedola will come to a close in two weeks.


Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, told news men that the Special Task Force handling the matter was close to concluding its investigations.

Though he declined to give a definite date when the STF would wrap up its probe, Mba gave assurances that the team had been connecting the missing links in the bribery scandal and would soon present its final report to the Inspector-General of Police and the Attorney-General of the Federation for further action.

He said, “The police were not under any pressure to drop the case as people have been insinuating. The STF is close to completing its investigations and in a couple of weeks, say two to three weeks, the team would conclude investigations.”

Asked if the police had received from the State Security Service the video of the purported sting operation it carried out against Lawan and Boniface Emenalo, Mba said the police had all they needed on the case.

It will be recalled that Chairman of Zenon Gas and Oil, Femi Otedola blew the whistle on the former chairman of the House Commitee on Fuel Subsidy Probe, Farouk Lawan alleging that he requested the sum of $3 million to delist the name of his (Otedola) company from the list of indicted companies in the subsidy probe.

Otedola claims it was a sting operation involving the State Security Service. He also claims there is a video evidence to prove that Farouk has collected part of the agreed

LGA Care - Taker Committees: INEC Intervenes, Insists on Elections

JEGA

At last, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria (FOSIECON) has called on state governors that are yet to conduct local government elections in the states to as a matter of urgency conduct one in compliance with the constitutional provisions.

As at the last count, over 25 states are yet to conduct the local government elections. 

INEC and FOSIECON decried the situation where only 13 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have elected local government chairmen in place while the other state have caretaker chairmen and sole administrators.

According to a  communique at their joint Second Annual Conference at the Kwara Hotel, Ilorin, on Wednesday, August 1, 2012 with the theme credible local government elections: It is Possible.’

They noted that “the one-day conference, aware of the centrality of local government elections in Nigeria’s efforts at deepening democracy; committed to learning from national and global electoral best practices; recognising the critical need for regular local government elections as provided for by law and the importance of the autonomy of Electoral Management Bodies, the conference extensively deliberated on the issues and observed as follows:

Other issues in the communiqué of the meeting include that the independence and financial autonomy of state Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) is critical to their capacity to conduct free, fair and credible elections;

The communiqué listed the nine states in the federation have not duly constituted SIECS to include Nasarawa, Bauchi, Kano, Bayelsa, Delta, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo and Anambra.

It also said that out of the 36 states and FCT, only 13 have elected local governments namely: Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Sokoto, Cross River, Rivers, and Ebonyi. Others are Kwara, Taraba, Jigawa, Ogun, Niger and Zamfara;
The communiqué said that security of elections has visibly improved but  there is yet a need to further address recurring incidents of violence in elections;

It also said that voter education is still inadequate as evidenced in the high number of voided ballots in both national and local elections, as well as low levels of voter consciousness about basic operations of the electoral process;

The communiqué said that there is a need for a model state electoral law that can serve as a benchmark for the conduct of elections by SIECs.

Also, it said that there is a need for increased capacity building and professionalization of Electoral Management
Bodies; and that development partners are playing a significant role in the effort to consolidate and deepen democracy in Nigeria.

The conference recommended that having made the foregoing observations, the conference, desirous of repositioning electoral management in Nigeria to be more professional, efficient, and credible, makes the following recommendations:

INEC and the forum further said that there is an urgent need to amend relevant provisions of the law to strengthen the independence and financial autonomy of SIECs;

Other details of the meeting include that  states that do not have duly constituted SIECs are strongly urged to establish same without further delay; and that  there is an urgent need for states where caretaker committees or sole administrators are at the helm of affairs in local governments to proceed with plans for elections in accordance with constitutional requirements;  It also called for a strategic partnership between INEC and SIECs in collaboration with all Security Agencies should be forged to enhance the security of elections and thus their transparency and credibility.

Cultists Cause Mayhem In Delta Community, Kill One.

IGP

WARRI— CULTISTS have taken over Okurowe community in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.
Meantime, the police have launched an attack on cultists at Aladja community in Udu Local Government Area of the state and arrested 14 suspected cultists, who have been charged to court.
Spokesman of Delta State Police Command, Mr. Charles Muka, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects said: “They have all been remanded in Prisons in Warri.”

In Okurowe community, Greenwich news learnt that the rampaging cultists were invited by some indigenes of the community involved in sand dredging business to allegedly intimidate elders and leaders of the town for daring to stop their dredging operations, which is affecting the ecology of the town.
It was learnt that the cultists had terrorised the people, forcing many of them to flee to neighbouring towns.
However, on  Wednesday, men of 3 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Effurun,  swooped on the community on a rescue mission.
Commander of the battalion, Lt. Col. Otu, told news men that he received a distress call that cultists had taken over Okurowe community and directed his men to go to the community and restore peace.
Our source said a gun battle ensued between the soldiers and cultists, when they got to the community and at the end of the crossfire, one of the cultists was gunned down, while others fled.
Lt. Col. Otu said two suspects were arrested during the raid, adding that soldiers would remain on ground in the community to ensure that   peace reigns.
It was gathered that peace had returned to the community with the deployment of soldiers.

Immigration, Customs Accused of Exploiting Passengers at Lagos Airport

Dikko

 Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) operating at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos (MMIA) has been accused of forcefully collecting $1,000 (N160, 000) from foreigners, especially Chinese and Indians whose Nigerian visa expired as at the time they were leaving the country.

Also, the Nigeria Customs Services has been alleged to be collecting money from Nigerian traders who bring in goods from ECOWAS countries. They are made to pay N10, 000 for every luggage they have, including hand luggage.

An inside source told Journalists that since more than two months ago Chinese and Indian passengers with expired visa leaving the country through the Lagos airport are being made to pay a fine of $1000 to the NIS without which they were not allowed to board their flights.

The consequence was that those who could not afford to pay the money were left stranded at the airport as they missed their flights.
  Greenwich News learnt that the money was collected in cash and there was no indication that it was remitted to the coffers of the Nigeria Immigration Service.

“So the question is: Are they remitting the money to Immigration? If they are what law is backing that they should be collecting the money? As far as I know there is no law in the statute that authorised such collection and I know that the National Assembly is yet to pass the amended Immigration law, which has been there for eight years,” an inside source told news men.
It is reported that everyday 30 to 40 Chinese and Indians leaving the country were stopped at the Immigration profiling section and they either had to pay the said amount of money or not board their flights.

“The Chinese and Indians usually have boarding passes but would not be allowed to pass. We know that visa is done on reciprocity. By asking them to pay this money as penalty is not bad if it is backed by law and if the money is remitted to Immigration because I know how they treat Nigerians who over stay their visa. They usually deny them boarding of their flights and at the end deport them as illegal immigrants”

The source also explained that why this involved largely Indians and Chinese was because most of them come to Nigeria to work, but they hardly obtain Nigerian work permit at the Nigerian embassies overseas, “so they come with business visa or tourist visa which only last about three months and they usually stay behind to work for a long time after the expiration of their visa and are forced to pay that $1000 “penalty” by the Immigration at the airport.

  Journalists spoke with the Public Relations Officer of Immigration at the airport, simply identified as Mr. Olaniyan, a superintendent of Immigration and when he was questioned whether the money was remitted to Immigration he answered: “It is out of courtesy that I decided to allow you come into my office. We have not known each other before so I didn’t want to appear rude or to embarrass you.

Officially I am not supposed to tell you anything as long as this uniform is on me. So I cannot tell you even A.”
For the Customs, the officials claimed what they collected on traders’ baggage are duties.

A Nigerian woman who travelled to Senegal and bought goods told news men how she was forced to pay N10, 000 for her hand luggage.
“When we arrived from Dakar early in the morning on July 10, 2012 we waited for our luggage. Mine did not arrive that day but I had a handbag, which a Customs official insisted I must pay for. I protested that this was my hand luggage, but he asked me to open the bag, which I did, so he looked inside and insisted that I must pay N10, 000.00.

“He said that it was what they were asked to do. I paid the money at (one of the banks) and they gave me a receipt, but it was not a bank teller. They used to ask us to pay N5, 000 before but now it is N10, 000 for each bag. So if you come with 10 bags you pay N100, 000.”

Reacting to the allegation, the Spokesman of  Customs at the Lagos Airport, Odun Saturday, told news men that what the women were asked to pay was official duty charged by Customs.

“Customs made the duty uniform and we charge them that duty because they bring in imported goods from outside West Africa, although they go to Dakar to buy them. If it is those materials that are made in Ghana we don’t charge duty on them but this one is embroidery, which you know is imported into Senegal, so value has been added and it is based on that value that we charge duty on the goods.”

Saturday also explained that although trade liberalisation is encouraged among West Africa countries, but importing manufactured goods from outside the sub region should be discouraged. He added that if a person travelled outside this country and buy personal items he cannot pay duty on them.

USA Basket Ball Team Beat Nigeria's D'Tigers,Set New World Record

The United States team of NBA stars set a record for most points in a single Olympic men's basketball game by defeating Nigeria 156-73 on Thursday in a preliminary round game.

The old Olympic record for points by a team in a game was set by Brazil in 1988 at Seoul in a 138-85 preliminary round triumph over Egypt. Brazilians also had the prior mark from a 137-64 victory over India in 1980 at Moscow.

Andre Iguodala sank the record-breaking 3-pointer with 4:36 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the US squad 139 points.

The Americans also eclipsed their own Olympic team record for points in a game, set in a 133-70 victory over China in 1996 at Atlanta.

Assets Of Former Intercontinental Bank MD to Be Sold - Sanusi

Sanusi

The Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has said “assets belonging to Erastus Akingbola, the former Intercontinental Bank chief, will be put on sale to recover the N164 billion Mr. Akingbola has been ordered by a UK court to refund.”

Mr. Sanusi said this in London on Wednesday where he attended the Nigeria Business and Investment Summit. The remarks were not made as part of the meeting.
“We have a ruling for N164 billion against Akingbola. This means that we can sell all the assets he has in the world until we recover the money. So if he doesn’t have that fund to be refunded, we will sell everything he has to get that,” Sanusi said.
The London court ruling, delivered on Tuesday as the climax of a long-running case, found the former Intercontinental Bank plc, now Access Bank, guilty of mandating a fraudulent scheme of the bank buying its own shares, leading to heavy losses.
The judge, Justice Burton, held that the share fraud contributed significantly to the collapse of Intercontinental bank, which was acquired early 2012 by Access Bank.
The judge ordered that the former bank chief refund N164 billion, being the proceeds of the share deal.
Mr. Akingbola has said he was disappointed by the ruling and denied the court ordered he should make payment. He said in a statement he was innocent of the charges, and promised to appeal the judgment.
Reacting to the judgment, Mr. Sanusi said the verdict would send signals to other bank chief executives that depositors’ funds should not be tampered with.

P Square's mum Laid To Rest

 
Late Mrs Josephine Okoye; mother of pop twin stars Peter and Paul Okoye and their siblings  Ifeanyi, Henry, Jude, Lilian, Tony and Mary has been Thursday, laid to rest in her Ifite-Dunu house, Akwa Village, Anambra State.
A  church service was held for her at St Gabriel Catholic Church after a lying-in-state which took place at Umunachi, Umudioka Village, Anambra State.
Her grieving husband and children stood broken at her graveside as she was slowly lowered.
Also in attendance was Square Records’ act May D.

41.3% Of the 2012 Budget Has Been Implemented - Okonjo-Iweala

The Minister of Finance Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has confirmed that 41.3% of the 2012 capital budget has been implemented so far and that the implementation of the 2012 budget began in April after it was passed into law.
The Coordinating Minister of the Economy made this known while speaking at an interactive meeting with members of the Senate Committee on Appropriation on Thursday where she stated that President Goodluck Jonathan had been leading the drive for higher budget performance.
According to the Minister, the sum of N1.3 trillion was appropriated for capital expenditure in the 2012 budget and out of this; the ministry has released N404 billion with N324 billion cash backed.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala also stated that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) have used 56% of the funds cash backed for capital expenditure leaving 44% of the funds unused.
“So far, 56 per cent of the capital budget had been utilised while 44 per cent was still outstanding.”
“There is more room for utilisation. 56 per cent of the funds that has been released, has been used, meaning 44 per cent is still available for implementation” she said.
The Minister explained that, “if you measure what’s been implemented over the entire budget you get 13.7%. But because we’re talking about 4months, the implementation is 41%”
“The Federal Ministry of Finance is not holding back any budgeted funds. The CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) can confirm that” she added, denying that there has been selection of projects.
The ministry had been providing funds to Ministries, Departments and Agencies “in bulk” she said.
“We release resources to MDAs in bulk. There is no discrimination. We don’t have a selective approach” she added.
She added that the ministry has so far released N1.6 trillion for recurrent expenditure.
The Minister claimed she was misquoted by the media and that the figures being thrown around on the level of budget implementation are not true.
Constituency Projects
Ahead of the meeting, the Senators had been displeased at remarks purported to have been made by the Minister blaming the tardy fund releases on Constituency Projects added into the appropriation act by the legislators.
On her alleged statements on constituency projects, Dr Okonjo-Iweala clarified her position saying it is not true that the president has told ministries not to implement constituency projects.
According to her, ministries have already launched the procurement process for the constituency projects.
She assured that the execution of the budget would be kept within January-December, adding that the current practice of extending it to March of the following year should be discontinued.
She also promised that the 2013 budget would be submitted to the National Assembly by September this year.

US Nuclear Bomb Manufacturing Facility Shut Down After Being Attacked By Activists

The U.S. government's only facility for handling, processing and storing weapons-grade uranium was temporarily shut this week after anti-nuclear activists, including an 82-year-old nun, breached security fences, government officials said on Thursday.
WSI Oak Ridge, the contractor responsible for protecting the facility at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is owned by the international security firm G4S, which was at the center of a dispute over security at the London Olympic Games.
Officials said that the facility was shut down on Wednesday at least until next week after three activists cut through perimeter fences to reach the outer wall of a building where highly-enriched uranium, a key nuclear bomb component, is stored.
The activists painted slogans and threw what they said was human blood on the wall of the facility, one of numerous buildings in the facility known by the code name Y-12 that it was given during World War II, officials said.
While moving between the perimeter fences, the activists triggered sensors which alerted security personnel. However, officials conceded that the intruders still were able to reach the building's walls before security personnel got to them.
Ellen Barfield, a spokeswoman for the activists who called themselves "Transform Now Plowshares", were arrested and charged by federal authorities with vandalism and criminal trespass.
She said the three, identified as Megan Rice, 82, Michael R. Walli, 63 and Greg Boertje-Obed, 57, were being held in custody. They are scheduled to appear in court in the next few days.
Barfield forwarded a statement from the group in which they said they had passed through four fences and walked for "over two hours" before reaching the uranium storage building, upon which they hung banners and strung crime-scene tape.

NUCLEAR MATERIALS "NOT COMPROMISED"

Officials said that the storage building itself, which was built after the September 11, 2001 al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington, was designed with extra and modern security features and that its contents were not compromised.
WSI Oak Ridge, the private firm employed by the U.S. Department of Energy to provide security at Y-12, is a subsidiary of the giant international security firm G4S.
G4S drew sharp criticism for failing to provide the number of security personnel it promised to protect the London Olympic Games, forcing the British government to deploy extra army troops.
A spokeswoman for G4S declined to comment and referred inquiries to government spokespeople.
The security failure was an embarrassment both for the security firm and for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the Energy Department branch which operates U.S. nuclear weapons plants. "It was obviously a pretty serious incident," NNSA spokesman Joshua McConaha told Reuters.
"We're taking this very, very seriously," added Steve Wyatt, a spokesman for the NNSA office in Oak Ridge which supervises the activities of Y-12 contractors.
The NNSA officials said that the activists cut through two chain link fences surrounding the sprawling facility and a third fence surrounding the ultra-secure enriched uranium stockpile building, known as the "Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility."
Wyatt said that the building serves as the U.S. government's only "warehouse" for storing highly enriched uranium used in nuclear weapons.
Highly enriched uranium is a radioactive material used in the core of bombs to produce a nuclear detonation. The Oak Ridge plant is one of the most important government installations involved in the maintenance and production of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

INCIDENT REVEALED NUCLEAR RISKS

Although the security breach occurred overnight last Friday, officials confirmed that the shutdown - which applies to "all nuclear operations" at the Y-12 site - did not begin until Wednesday. Officials said that it was expected to continue into next week.
In the meantime personnel at the facility would be given additional security training.
Peter Stockton, a former Congressional investigator and security consultant to the Energy Department, expressed skepticism at government claims that the nuclear material was not at risk.
"It is unbelievable this could happen," Stockton said. "The significance is outrageous. If they were terrorists, they could have blown open the door and got inside."
Stockton said that the security breach was the "worst we've ever seen". He said it was more serious than the case of Wen Ho Lee, a Taiwan-born scientist who was suspected of espionage at the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory. He pleaded guilty in 2000 to a less severe charge when the case against him collapsed.

Kofi Annan To Step Down As UN Envoy to Syria

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is stepping down as the U.N.-Arab League mediator in the 17-month-old Syria conflict at the end of the month, U.N. chief, Ban Ki-moon said in a statement on Thursday.

"Mr. Annan has informed me, and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Mr. Nabil Elaraby, of his intention not to renew his mandate when it expires on 31 August 2012," Ban said in a statement, adding that he and Elaraby were in discussions on appointing a successor to Annan.

"Kofi Annan deserves our profound admiration for the selfless way in which he has put his formidable skills and prestige to this most difficult and potentially thankless of assignments," Ban said.

REVEALED! America's Secret Agencies were Authorised by Obama to Help Rebels Remove Syria's President.

President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, U.S. sources familiar with the matter said.

Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding," broadly permits the CIA and other U.S. agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad.

This and other developments signal a shift toward growing, albeit still circumscribed, support for Assad's armed opponents - a shift that intensified following last month's failure of the U.N. Security Council to agree on tougher sanctions against the Damascus government.

The White House is for now apparently stopping short of giving the rebels lethal weapons, even as some U.S. allies do just that.

But U.S. and European officials have said that there have been noticeable improvements in the coherence and effectiveness of Syrian rebel groups in the past few weeks. That represents a significant change in assessments of the rebels by Western officials, who previously characterized Assad's opponents as a disorganized, almost chaotic, rabble.

Precisely when Obama signed the secret intelligence authorization, an action not previously reported, could not be determined.

The full extent of clandestine support that agencies like the CIA might be providing also is unclear.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor declined comment.

A U.S. government source acknowledged that under provisions of the presidential finding, the United States was collaborating with a secret command center operated by Turkey and its allies.

Last week, Reuters reported that, along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Turkey had established a secret base near the Syrian border to help direct vital military and communications support to Assad's opponents.

This "nerve center" is in Adana, a city in southern Turkey about 60 miles from the Syrian border, which is also home to Incirlik, a U.S. air base where U.S. military and intelligence agencies maintain a substantial presence.

Turkey's moderate Islamist government has been demanding Assad's departure with growing vehemence. Turkish authorities are said by current and former U.S. government officials to be increasingly involved in providing Syrian rebels with training and possibly equipment.

European government sources said wealthy families in Saudi Arabia and Qatar were providing significant financing to the rebels. Senior officials of the Saudi and Qatari governments have publicly called for Assad's departure.

On Tuesday, NBC News reported that the Free Syrian Army had obtained nearly two dozen surface-to-air missiles, weapons that could be used against Assad's helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Syrian government armed forces have employed such air power more extensively in recent days.

NBC said the shoulder-fired missiles, also known as MANPADs, had been delivered to the rebels via Turkey.

On Wednesday, however, Bassam al-Dada, a political adviser to the Free Syrian Army, denied the NBC report, telling the Arabic-language TV network Al-Arabiya that the group had "not obtained any such weapons at all." U.S. government sources said they could not confirm the MANPADs deliveries, but could not rule them out either.

Current and former U.S. and European officials previously said that weapons supplies, which were being organized and financed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, were largely limited to guns and a limited number of anti-tank weapons, such as bazookas.

Indications are that U.S. agencies have not been involved in providing weapons to Assad's opponents. In order to do so, Obama would have to approve a supplement, known as a "memorandum of notification, to his initial broad intelligence finding.

Further such memoranda would have to be signed by Obama to authorize other specific clandestine operations to support Syrian rebels.

Reuters first reported last week that the White House had crafted a directive authorizing greater U.S. covert assistance to Syrian rebels. It was unclear at that time whether Obama had signed it.

Separately from the president's secret order, the Obama administration has stated publicly that it is providing some backing for Assad's opponents.

The State Department said on Wednesday the U.S. government had set aside a total of $25 million for "non-lethal" assistance to the Syrian opposition. A U.S. official said that was mostly for communications equipment, including encrypted radios.

The State Department also says the United States has set aside $64 million in humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people, including contributions to the World Food Program, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other aid agencies.

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury confirmed it had granted authorization to the Syrian Support Group, Washington representative of one of the most active rebel factions, the Free Syrian Army, to conduct financial transactions on the rebel group's behalf. The authorization was first reported on Friday by Al-Monitor, a Middle East news and commentary website.

Last year, when rebels began organizing themselves to challenge the rule of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Obama also signed an initial "finding" broadly authorizing secret U.S. backing for them. But the president moved cautiously in authorizing specific measures to support them.

Some U.S. lawmakers, such as Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, have criticized Obama for moving too slowly to assist the rebels and have suggested the U.S. government become directly involved in arming Assad's opponents.

Other lawmakers have suggested caution, saying too little is known about the many rebel groups.

Recent news reports from the region have suggested that the influence and numbers of Islamist militants, some of them connected to al Qaeda or its affiliates, have been growing among Assad's opponents.

U.S. and European officials say that, so far, intelligence agencies do not believe the militants' role in the anti-Assad opposition is dominant.

While U.S. and allied government experts believe that the Syrian rebels have been making some progress against Assad's forces lately, most believe the conflict is nowhere near resolution, and could go on for years.

FUEL SUBSIDY: Oil Marketers Stop Importation Of Fuel

Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) says it has stopped importation of petroleum into the country because of government’s failure to pay subsidy claims to its members.
Executive Secretary of the association Obafemi Lawore  told our correspondent that the Federal Government owes his members several billions of naira since January this year.

He refused to say how much in figure the debt is. The Federal government said it has ordered the payment of subsidy claims to marketers. The government is currently investigating subsidy payments irregularities.

“We have not been importing fuel because government has not paid us since January. If we don’t have money there is no how we can continue to import product,” Lawore said.

He was, however, silent on how his members got supply of product since the suspension of importation.

Asked whether MOMAN will embark on strike in order to force government to pay the subsidy claims, Lawore said the association will continue to hope that its financial indebtedness will be settled by its debtor.

MOMAN members consist of Conoil Plc, Forte Oil (formerly African Petroleum Plc), Mobil Oil Plc, MRS Plc, Oando Plc and Total Plc

Last week, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) and Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners of Nigeria (JEPTFON) embarked on a three-day strike to protest the debt government owed them under the Petroleum Support Fund.

Lawore also spoke on the scarcity of kerosene in the country and said his members could not rescue the situation because it is not profitable to import the product.

He said: “It is not profitable to import kerosene because the landing cost of the product is N149.50 per litre. Government expects us to sell at the domestic rate of N50 per litre whereas subsidy on kerosene is N110 per litre. So, who will bear this loss?

“It is only the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation that can bring in the product profitably and distribute to other petroleum marketers.”

Fuel Subsidy Scam: Lagos Court Grants Arisekola - Alao's Son Bail

A Lagos High Court on Wednesday, granted a N100 million bail to Abdullahi Alao, son of Ibadan businessman, Alhaji Abdulaziz Arisekola-Alao.

The junior Alao is standing trial for making fraudulent claims in the fuel subsidy payments.

Abdullahi and his company, Axenergy Limited, were on July 26 arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on seven counts of collecting about N2.64 billion from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as subsidy payment for the purported importation of 33.3million litres Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

Presiding Judge, Justice Habeeb Abiru granted Mr Alao the bail in the sum of N100million with two sureties in like sum.

He held that the EFCC failed to give cogent reasons to warrant the refusal of the bail application.

The judge adjourned the matter till October 22, 2012 for commencement for trial.

Alao, who also faces a separate charge along with Mahmud Tukur, son of the incumbent National Chairman of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Alex Ochonogo and Eterna Oil and Gas Limited, had earlier on July 27, been granted bail by another Lagos High Court, judge, Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo.

‎​But he was remanded with the EFCC so that Justice Abiru will determine whether to grant him bail or not for the second charge filed against him by the anti-graft agency.

University Of Abuja Medical Students Protest, Ask For Transfer.

University of Abuja medical students have sought for transfer to other universities, saying they have lost faith in the Vice-chancellor Professor James Adelabu.
The students, who were at the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja yesterday, said they were deceived by the Vice-chancellor into believing most requirements needed to accredit the medical course would have been provided in three months but that was yet to happen.


President of the medical students association Uche Anyanwu told journalists that no new equipment had been brought in, staff had not been recruited, the multipurpose laboratory was yet to be completed and students were yet to be moved into the hostel. He said these were the requirements needed to get the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Medical & Dental Council of Nigeria to accredit the programme.


Anyanwu said they had approached the Vice-chancellor who initially granted them audience but in recent times has refused to see them.


He said the students would spend the night at the ministry to further press their demands.


He said the students were at the ministry to report back to the Minister of Education Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i after three months based on the agreement reached on April 12 and pleaded with her to order their transfer to other universities.


The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Ben Ibe, who addressed the students, told them that the minister had travelled to Katsina while the Minister of State Barrister Nyesom Wike was out of the country, noting that he was not in a position to speak on the matter.