[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested a 60-year-old fish-farmer, Muyiwa Otuyalo, for attempting to smuggle in substance believed to be hard drug for his son, Damilola Otuyalo, who is currently in the custody of the Commission’s Ibadan zonal office.

He has been on the wanted list of the International Police, Interpol, before the petition was filed at the EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Office.

Officers of the Nigerian Interpol were already in contact with the Commission in respect of the said case before the suspect’s father attempted to smuggle in the hard drug for him.

Further investigations are ongoing, even as the Commission intends to hand him over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, for possible prosecution of the suspected narcotic case.

[dropcap]M[/dropcap]en of the Lagos State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (SCIID), Panti Street, Yaba have arrested 53-year-old owner of a drinking bar, Obioma Dennis, for allegedly stabbing one of his customers to death. Dennis who is waiting for his arraignment in court, told newsmen that he regrets his actions and believes he was under a spell cast on him by his enemies. Dennis said the deceased and two of his friends had come to his shop located in Alausa and were about to smoke banned substance, Indian Hemp, when he challenged them. The argument that ensued degenerated into a fight that led to him stabbing the deceased. “In rage, I grabbed hold of the chair they were sitting on, which is mine and threw it inside my shop.

While I was inside my shop, one of the guys who I later identified as Emeka started destroying my electronic appliances.He smashed my television. To save what was left of my belongings, I pushed him out of my shop. The next thing I saw was that Ifeayi grabbed a bottle of beer and smashed it on my head. I ran into the inner part of the shop where we prepare food. I grabbed one of the kitchen knives and stabbed Ifeanyi on his chest. He fell down in a pool of blood holding his chest. “I regret my action now because Ifeanyi is like my younger brother. I contributed cash when his father died three years ago. If I was not gripped by anger, I don’t think I would see myself killing anyone” he said  The police said the suspect was arrested and detained at Alausa Police Station but that the case was later transferred to SCIID, Panti for elaborate investigation.“It is a clear case of culpable homicide. The case would be charged to court at the end of investigation’, the police said.The post I stabbed my customer to death out of anger- Bar owner arrested in Lagos says (photo) appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Anambra State has arrested one Obi Okafor for suspected ownership of an Indian hemp farm inside a school compound in the state.

The 45-year-old suspect was said to have been arrested at 12:00 hours for allegedly attacking, macheting and injuring one Mathias Ajoagu, a 71-year-old security guard in the school.

Addressing journalists in Awka on Tuesday, the State Commandant of NSCDC, Mr. David Bille, said the suspect was arrested for stabbing a security guard in the school during an altercation following the discovery that he planted the substance in a large expanse of land in the school compound.

He said: “Following credible intelligence report, operatives of the NSCDC arrested a 45-year-old man from Uruofo village, Nri, Anaocha LGA of Anambra State.

“The suspect confessed to the crime and took the NSCDC operatives to the location where the cannabis is being planted on a yearly basis.”

Bille reeled out exhibits recovered from the suspect to include, fresh leaves suspected to be Canbabis Sativa, machete, and other incriminating items.

According to him, the corps had commenced an investigation to ascertain how the suspect came about cultivating the illegal substance in the compound.

He said that the suspect would be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for prosecution adding that the command had declared a total war against Indian hemp cultivation and supply in the state.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law (Intersociety) has called on Anambra state government to allow traders elect their leaders and stop endless imposition of government appointed
caretaker committees in the markets.

The group made its demand known in a letter to Gov. William Obiano, the
State Commissioner of Police, Director of SSS and others, insisting that
traders of the Onitsha Drug or ‘Ogbogwu’ Market must be allowed to
choose their leaders through popular and credible election.

Intersociety also further demanded strongly for scrapping,
discontinuation and abolition of all forms of direct and indirect
Government extortions in the Market.

The letter, a public interest dated Feb.10, 2020 was signed by Emeka
Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman and other members.
.

It insisted that popular and credible elections into markets across the
state are a core foundation for peace and stability and must be promoted
and ensured by government at all times.

“In other words, sustainable peace and stability are found in markets
when their leaders are popularly and credibly elected or chosen by their
members.

“Where there are sustainable peace and stability in the markets,
security of lives and properties are generally ensured and relationship
between government and markets including loyalty and revenue drives
becomes popular, stronger, transparent and credible.

It stated that it further maintained that imposition of caretaker
leaderships or committees and ‘procured’ extension of their ad hoc
tenures as done by the present state government expressly breed rancor
and acrimony and threaten the general security of lives and properties
within the market and in the larger environment or society.

It noted it also promote social vices and criminalities, including
rampancy of trafficking on fake and illicit drugs and consumption of
same in the Onitsha Drug Market.

It pointed out strongly that considering the vulnerable nature of the
Onitsha Drug Market on human health and environment, the all-important
Market ought to and must be governed at all times by the popularly and
credibly chosen market leaders.

“From background checks done by Intersociety, the last time the Onitsha
Drug Market had an election for its leaders was in 2014, which ended in
2018 with four-year tenure and since then till present, it has been one
caretaker committee after the other, courtesy of the Government of
Anambra State.

“Today, it is most likely correct to say that the all-important market
is catapulted back into the cave and has been polarized, privatized,
personalized, deeply divided, corrupted, debased, devalued, mangled and
manipulated.

“It is also now reduced to ‘a Government Pit for sundry extortions’;
with Anambra State Ministries of Health and Commerce (if not including
Environment) and Office of the Chief of Staff having a field day,
struggling to out-smart one another using covert and overt extortion
brigands.

“From our several checks, the all-important market (Onitsha Drug Market)
has become ‘a den of sundry Government extortion’ perpetrated under
different branded canopies and one of such extortionist instruments
regularly in use is a SIENNA car, branded: “Anambra State Government
Taskforce on Fake Drugs & Control, Adulterated & Counterfeit Products”;
with registration number: FKJ 268 EW,” it added.

The Intersociety stated  that the state government has fixed what looks
like a kangaroo elections for the Onitsha Drug Market on Feb 28, a move
that has made most traders in the Market to entertain strong fears of
exclusion and likelihood of being visited with an imposed and unpopular
leadership.

Intersociety clearly recalls that by the existing electoral guidelines
for conduct of elections into Anambra collegiate and direct market
leaderships, adopted for use by the Anambra State Central Market
Association (i.e. AMATAS/ASMATA), Option A4 and 4-year tenure are in
use. For instance, in the Power Tools & Allied Market direct Election of
2017, Option A4 was used. In the Electronics Market direct Election of
2018, same was used and in the Bridgehead mother Market indirect or
Electoral College Election of 2019, same Option A4 was used.

“In direct market leadership elections, voters are accredited from the
Line Register. To ensure that, each line rep is invited during an
election to call the names of his or her line’s ‘up-to-date’ members.

“This is done one after the other till the last line rep is invited. At
the Onitsha Drug Market, membership registers are maintained by each
line which also meets from time to time. In its last election of 2014,
voters were accredited using same method.

“In the election under demand, it is our call and insistence that same
method be used or applied. This shall forestall the non-consensus among
members regarding a generally binding by-law or constitution; or
reported attempts by some persons with vested interests in the Market to
import and impose a discredited by-law or ‘constitution’ for purpose of
using same to skew and manipulate the said election and impose an
unpopular leadership,” it stated.

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]undreds of truck drivers on Tuesday blocked the Onitsha -Enugu expressway to protest alleged imposition of taxes, intimidation and violation of court judgement by the agents of Anambra State government.

The situation made commuters to suffer hectic time at Onitsha as security agencies battled in vain to appease the protesters.

They protested under the aegis of Animo Tipper Drivers’ Association of Nigeria, God’s Own Tipper Owners, Drivers’ Association, and the Ihiala LGA Tipper Workers Association and drivers.

They carried placards bearing various inscriptions like “Governor Obiano rescue us from the hands of illegal agents of government”, “We are not slaves”, ” We want to take care of our business without interference” and “Respect Court judgements.”

The protesters said the government was yet to address their grievances despite various appeals, correspondences and visitations to decision-makers.

They claimed that drivers with six cubic tippers and 12 cubic tippers were respectively taxed N100 and N200 daily during the tenure of former Governor Peter Obi but the current administration allegedly taxed them N700 and N1400 per trip of laterite, gravel, sands or stones.

As a result, they approached a Federal High court sitting in Awka in a suit number FHC/AWK/CS/104/2017.

The court held that the Anambra state government, officials of the state ministry of environment, their agents and privies and other persons acting by or through them, had no right to make laws or rules, formulate policies, impose taxes or levies and or charge and collect dues or revenue on sand, stones, laterite, gravel and the like.

However, addressing reporters during the protest, Emmanuel Ezeokafor, the Coordinator, Anambra Tipper Drivers Association, alleged that the state government neither obeyed nor appealed the judgment since 2018.

Rather, it was employing the services of law enforcement agents in intimidating and harassing his members to be paying the ‘obnoxious’ tax, he said.

Mr Ezeokafor said the drivers had on several occasions sought audience with the governor but all was in vain.

He added that they had written petitions where they requested to be allowed as a union to tax their members as they (the drivers would agree to pay) and remit same to the government monthly as other transporters do but their plea fell on deaf ears.

An activist and coordinator, Recover Nigeria Project (RNP), Osita Obi, who joined the protest, condemned the alleged intimidation, harassment and collection of levies from tipper drivers

“It negates section 4(2), section 4(3) and item 39 in the Exclusive Legislative List in the second schedule (part) of the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999,” he said.

“Section 1 and section 164 of the Nigeria Mining ACT 2007; section 1 and section 2 of the Taxes and levies (approved list for collection) CAP T2 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria; and could also lead the drivers into banditry, kidnapping, among other crimes.”

The President General, Great Tippers Association, Anambra state chapter, Ebuka Orakwe, said the protest which was the eighth, had been held across major towns in the state.

He said it would continue until the state government hearkened to their demands as the obnoxious taxation had caused most of its members to relocate from Anambra to other states in the South-East geopolitical zone.

When the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C Don Adinuba, was called for reaction, his line was not available.

But one senior aide to Mr Obiano said the government would look into it

The aide, who did not want to be quoted, said Mr Obiano had not instructed anyone to be collecting such taxes from the tipper drivers, adding that some people were just dropping the governor’s name to tarnish his reputation.