In Indonesia Govt orders execution process for Nigerian, Ghanaian, others

In Indonesia Govt orders execution process for Nigerian, Ghanaian, others



Ten persons imprisoned for drug trafficking - from Nigeria, Australia, France, Brazil, the Philippines, Ghana and Indonesia are to face firing squad simultaneously, after their appeal for presidential leniency was denied.


The government of Indonesia ordered their execution despite pressure and criticism from the international community, calling for the convicts not to be killed.


The spokesman for Indonesia’s attorney general’s office, Tony Spontana, said officials in charge of execution have been ordered on Thursday, April 23, to “make preparations for an execution.”


“This order has been issued so that the officials make preparations concerning their role,” Spontana told AFP.


It was gathered that prisoners are expected to be given 72 hours of notice before they are executed, but Spontana said the convicts have not been notified yet.


No date has been set for their execution.


Appeals by two of the convicts, Frenchman Serge Atlaoui and Martin Anderson from Ghana were rejected on Tuesday, April 21.


Australia has also intensified its diplomatic  campaign to save the two Australians on death row.

Stay away from politics,’ APC urges new Police IG

Stay away from politics,’ APC urges new Police IG


The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the new Acting Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, to be professional in his job and not attempt to curry favour from the ruling party of incoming President, Muhammadu Buhari.


The APC also urged Arase to shun crass partisanship in the discharge of his duties.


The party’s comments were made via a statement released on Thursday, April 23, 2015, by by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed.


The statement reads:


“We do not know the reason for the sack of the immediate past IGP, but we have read, just like other Nigerians, that it might not be unconnected with the role he either played or did not play in the last general elections.”


“What we do know is that the police force under the former IG was a major actor in the massive rigging and violence that characterized the elections in some parts of the country, especially in Rivers ,Akwa Ibom Sokoto and Gombe states just to mention a few.”


“Now, Mr. Arase faces perhaps the biggest test in his new capacity with the supplementary elections coming up in Abia, Imo and Taraba. We do hope he will not allow the police under him to be used to thwart the will of the people in those states or to give cover to those who will engage in violence”


“Any IG worth his salt does not need to pander to the President or the ruling party in carrying out his duties. All he has to do is to make sure the police carries out its statutory duties in accordance with the law and without fear or favour.”


“When Mr. Arase’s predecessor issued an illegal order directing Nigerians to vote and immediately vacate polling units during the last elections, he knew he was acting against what the law stipulates, but he chose to do so anyway to please his masters. However, armed with the position of the law, Nigerians simply ignored the illegal order, voted and stayed behind to defend their votes.”


“When that unlawful order is placed side-by-side with other acts that ran contrary to the maintenance of law and order under the immediate past IG – including the cover given to the OPC to wreak havoc in Lagos, the illegal withdrawal of the security details of House of Representatives’ Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, whom he (former IG) refused to recognize as Speaker in a clear usurpation of the role of the judiciary, and the shameful role of the police in the Osun Governorship election last year, during which hundreds of APC members were arrested and detained without cause – one will realize to what extent the police was dragged into partisan politics under him.”


“But in the end, those for whom the IG desecrated the police had no qualms about humiliating him out of office. We hope Mr. Arase will learn a lesson from this, toe a different path and not run the police like his private company and a tool in the hands of unscrupulous politicians.”


Arase was appointed on Tuesday, April 21, after the sack of former IG, Suleiman Abba

Terrorists have run out of arms, ammunition,’ DHQ says

Terrorists have run out of arms, ammunition,’ DHQ says



The Director of Defence Information, Chris Olukolade, has said that members of the Boko Haram sect in Nigeria have run out of arms and ammunition.


Major General Olukolade stated further that the terrorists’ numbers had dwindled due to the army’s recent attacks on them.


The defence spokesperson made the comments on Wednesday, April 22, 2015, while speaking to journalists in Abuja.


“The Boko Haram terrorists have run out of arms and ammunitions as the military have intensified attacks on Sambisa Forest,”Olukolade said.


“You can find more than 500 of the insurgents with only few of them having rifles and even when one or two of them have rifles, they have no ammunitions. It is just like somebody holding a stick…, as they have run out of ammunitions, because the usual supplies they get are not forthcoming,” he added.


“I am optimistic that the military will succeed by killing many of these sect members who have been terrorising residents in the past three years from the forest,” Olukolade said.


National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki had earlier stated that the military would succeed in clearing out Sambisa Forest, a Boko Haram stronghold, before May 29, 2015, when a new government would be sworn in.

Senate Orders FG To Recall Nigeria’s High Commissioner In S/Africa

Senate Orders FG To Recall Nigeria’s High Commissioner In S/Africa


The Senate has asked the Executive arm of government to recall Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa following the spate of xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other African nationals.
The Senate also asked the Executive to file a suit at the International Criminal Court against the Zulu King, Goodwill Zwethilini, whose comments allegedly set off the xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

However, the influential Zulu King on Monday during an address claimed that his comments were misconstrued and described recent anti-immigrant attacks as “vile”, defending himself against claims that previous comments he made about foreigners had fuelled the unrest.

At least seven people have been killed in the latest wave of anti-immigrant violence to hit South Africa, which began almost three weeks ago in Durban, a coastal city in the Zulu heartland.

The Zulu King addressed a traditional gathering called Imbizo at the Moses Mabhida Football Stadium in Durban. The meeting was schedule days ago, as one of the strategies that the South African government is exploring to end the wave of attacks.

“We need to make sure no more foreigners are attacked. We must stop these vile acts,” Zwelithini told thousands of supporters at the stadium on Monday.

While he spoke, some hostile sections of the crowd were singing and calling for immigrants to leave and booed an earlier speaker who said foreigners had a right to live in South Africa.

Zwelithini has been accused of fuelling the xenophobic attacks after local media quoted him as saying that foreigners should leave South Africa.

He said his comments were taken out of context.

Sen. Ita Enang noted that the xenophobic attacks in South Africa is a setback for the goal of integration especially in South Africa which has investments in different countries in Africa.

He warned that South African businesses in Nigeria have been taking Nigerians for granted with their business operations.

The South African government is reported to have deployed soldiers to volatile areas in Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal in a bid to quell anti-immigrant violence.

The deployment was made on Tuesday, as xenophobic attacks that have left at least 7 dead begin to reduce.

The South African government also promised to deal with those behind the recent looting of businesses, and xenophobic attacks on African immigrants.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba, says 300 people are already being questioned for their roles, and if found guilty, the strength of the law will come down hard on them.

Please Forgive Me -Sacked Police IG Begs Nigerians

Please Forgive Me -Sacked Police IG Begs Nigerians


Suleiman Abba, sacked inspector-general of police, has begged Nigerians to forgive him for all the wrongs he may have committed while in office.

THE CABLE reports that Abba made the plea during his handover ceremony in Abuja. He said, ''I want to move on with my life believing that life has more steps and journeys. I want to appeal to those who we offended, maybe owing to poor judgement, for understanding. For those who feel offended, find a place to forgive us. It is God who judges.

Abba thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for “appointing him and seeing him out at this time”.

Victory For Nigeria :Army Slaughters Top Boko Haram Commander

Victory For Nigeria :Army Slaughters Top Boko Haram Commander


Abu Mojahid, a top boko haram commander has been killed by the Nigerian army.

Director of Defence Information, Major Gen Chris Olukolade revealed this in a statement released on Wednesday. The statement said, ''A notorious top terrorists commander, Abu Mojahid, was among the terrorists that died in their encounter with troops in the outskirt of Alagarno on Tuesday morning. The terrorists had staged a daring attack on troops, who were on patrol of the area.

''Meanwhile, the military operations are continuing in the form of offensive action on identified terrorists in some forest locations. Aggressive patrols, mopping up as well as cordon and search are also continuing in the other locations in search of weapons and terrorists. Improvised Explosive Devices planted by the terrorists to deter the comprehensive offensive by the advancing troops are also being carefully cleared as troops continue to pursue fleeing ones.

APC Starts Zoning Of National Offices

APC Starts Zoning Of National Offices


The members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC) have met at the Rivers state governors lodge in Asokoro, Abuja over zoning main national offices.
The meeting is likely to approve a formular for sharing main national offices.
The president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, and vice president-elect, Yemi Osinbanjo, are appearing at the meeting, expected to finish early today, April 23.
Those who also attending the meeting was all serving and elected APC governors.
The party, which won the presidential poll on March 28, is to approve the zoning of all top offices in the country.
The offices will be spread among the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
The most significant posts comprise the Senate President and deputy, Speaker of the House of Representatives and deputy, Secretary to the government and others.
Together with the presidency, the APC also received majority of seats in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
Wednesday’s meeting will also consider the structure of the transition committee that would work with the one put in place by the presidency to ensure a smooth handover of power by May 29.
Meanwhile, the party recently advised Nigerians to dismiss the wild speculations making the rounds concerning the appointment of ministers and the zoning of offices under the incoming Buhari administration.
It should be also mentioned that the federal government changed its mind on the earlier plan for President Jonathan to formally hand-over power to the president-elect, Buhari on May 28 as against the May 29, Democracy Day, date initially scheduled.
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