Crime

“Spike in IPOB Attacks in Enugu Shows Mbah Isn’t Ready for Leadership”, CSO Declares

Published

2 years ago

June 28, 2023

The current spike in attacks by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Enugu since the state governor, Peter Mbah, announced an end to the Sit-at-home order in the state three weeks ago has been attributed to the lack of preparedness for leadership by the new helmsman.

According to a civil society organisation based in Enugu, the Oriental Lawyers for Justice (OLJ), the worsened security problem has seen at least eight kidnappings in the capital in the last two weeks plus the attack on the New Haven station of the Pinnacle Oil and Gas Company owned by the governor in the early hours of Wednesday last week “show that, contrary to the assertions of those who packaged him for the recent election which he nevertheless lost, Mbah is just another politician and wheeler-dealer rather than a clear-headed leader with a focus on how to get our dear state cracking in the right direction”.

Commercial drivers protested in their hundreds on Tuesday (yesterday) against the new spate of kidnappings on the Enugu–Nsukka Road, as three kidnaps were recorded on Thursday, last week, alone.

If he had prepared himself for high office, the OLJ said in a statement signed by JohnBosco Aninwede, its president, and Mrs Ifeoma Ejike, the secretary, he would have learned from the experience of Governor Chukwuma Soludo of neighbouring Anambra State who in his inaugural speech in March, 2022, announced a war against so-called freedom fighters in the bush, only to face an unprecedented rise in attacks by IPOB members throughout the state, especially in his Isuofia hometown and Aguata Local Government Area whose headquarters was bombed.

“There is no doubt that IPOB has been responsible for the attack on Mbah’s private petroleum firm, as the perpetrators came in a large number of tricycles and armed with rifles, charms, and the notorious red headband worn by the Eastern Security Network (ESN), IPOB’s military wing”, declared the OLJ.

“And everyone knows that Pinnacle is targeted because of Mbah’s moves against IPOB”.

The nongovernmental organisation said that Simeon Ekpa, a top IPOB leader based in Finland, has openly mocked Mbah for lack of legitimately because he didn’t win the Enugu governorship election.

The lawyers argued that no serious leader would announce the cancellation of the stay-at-home order which is enforced with savagery throughout the Southeast every Monday without providing enough security forces on the ground and without constituting his cabinet because tackling profound insecurity is not a one-man show.

“By the time he announced an end to the order by the nonstate actors, the new governor had appointed only the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, and no other person into his administration”, noted the Oriental Lawyers for Justice.

“It was after he had begun to implement the order which failed spectacularly on the first Monday that it occurred to him to consult stakeholders in the state like traders, transporters, religious leaders, traditional rulers, students, town union officers, and the rest to brief them on his plans”.

They added that Mbah was marketed beyond his knowledge and skills by his handlers who “tried to mesmerise our people with his personal wealth and his manifesto promise to increase Enugu’s economy from $4bn to $30bn within four years, even though he has never supplied information on how he plans to achieve this feat”.

The lawyers observed that though they are against IPOB for its streak of violence and such illegal acts as the curfew it imposes on the Southeast weekly, “Mbah has gone about cutting down the secessionist group to size the wrong way because of his poor poor skills as a public leader.

“If he had genuinely won the March 18 gubernatorial election, he would have acted more rationally, and not in this knee-jerk manner meant to get accepted by the Enugu people who rejected him and his Peoples Democratic Party resoundingly in the 2023 general elections.”

Crime

BREAKING: 20 suspects arrested over hacking of 2025 UTME results

Published

1 day ago

May 23, 2025

Charles Flames

The Department of State Services, DSS, and the Nigerian Police Force, have arrested at least 20 suspects over hacking of the 2025 computer-based test, CBT, Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.

The 2025 UTME was conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.

According to reports, the suspects are part of a syndicate believed to have over 100 persons who specialise in hacking of the computer servers of examination bodies like JAMB and the National Examinations Council, NECO.

The report also confirmed that the suspects have confessed to sabotaging the CBT system in order to discredit JAMB and discourage students from using CBT for future examinations to be conducted by NECO and the West African Examination Council, WAEC.

“The syndicate would install an attacking software on the examination body hardware. The software, in turn, would remotely hack JAMB servers at any targeted CBT centre,” the source quoted one of the suspect as confessing.

The entire hacking process was to influence high scores for special candidates who paid between N700,000 and N2 million.

The report further added that preliminary investigations revealed that several members of the syndicate own private schools and colleges, and make huge sums of money from their special centres.

Crime

JUST IN: IGP condemns unprovoked attack on IRT operatives in Edo State

Published

3 days ago

May 21, 2025

Charles Flames

….Orders Investigation into Oyo Tragic Traffic Incident‎‎

The Inspector General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun has condemned the recent unprovoked attacks on police operatives in the early hours of Monday, 20th May 2025, at Okhuimwun Community in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.‎‎

In a press statement made available to Ohibaba.com, and signed by ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, ‎Force public relations officer, ‎at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, ‎on the 21st May, 2025, the IGP also condemned the alleged killing of an SSCE student by police personnel in Ibadan.

The statement reads: “The Nigeria Police Force strongly condemns the unprovoked attack on police operatives in the early hours of Monday, 20th May 2025, at Okhuimwun Community in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.

‎‎The operatives, who are members of the Force Intelligence Department – Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT), were in transit from Lagos through Edo State when they encountered a mob that had blocked the road immediately after the University of Benin (UNIBEN) axis.

The mob, in an unlawful display of aggression, descended on the officers with stones, sticks, and other dangerous objects, inflicting serious injuries on two police personnel.

‎‎It is noteworthy that despite the provocation and threat to life, the officers exercised commendable restraint by not resorting to the use of force.

The injured officers are currently receiving medical attention and are in stable condition.

‎‎The Nigeria Police Force warns against acts of lawlessness and unprovoked aggression against its personnel who are committed to maintaining law and order and hereby assure the public that investigations have commenced, and appropriate legal actions will be taken against those found culpable.

‎‎In a separate development, the Inspector-General of Police has ordered a comprehensive investigation into a tragic incident in Oyo State involving personnel of the Oyo State Police Command and the Oyo State Traffic Management Authority (OYTMA), which led to the unfortunate demise of a 14-year-old boy, Kehinde Alade.‎‎

The Inspector-General of Police condemned the incident and assured that the officer involved in the shooting has been taken into custody while a full-scale investigation is underway.

He equally reiterated that the process will be transparent, and its findings will be made public to ensure justice is duly served as he expressed heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased young man.

‎‎The Nigeria Police Force reiterates its commitment to the protection of lives and property and urges citizens to remain law-abiding and to channel grievances through lawful and peaceful means.‎‎‎

Crime

JUST IN: ICPC uncovers account used for six-week degree scam

Published

4 days ago

May 21, 2025

Charles Flames

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has uncovered a bank account operated by a foreign national allegedly used to collect payments from Nigerians seeking to obtain a questionable six-week bachelor’s degree abroad.

The discovery was announced by ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, during a stakeholders’ advocacy event on asset tracing, recovery and management held Tuesday in Abuja.

The event was organised by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CeFTPI), with support from the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).

“Within some weeks, we were able to discover that a foreigner opened an account in Nigeria while Nigerian students were paying money into the account to obtain that six-week degree,” Aliyu revealed.

“We were able to track the account and obtain a civil forfeiture order. We have been trying to ensure that the culprits are brought to book, especially those that are beyond our shores.”

He called for greater synergy among anti-corruption agencies to ensure that perpetrators of financial crimes are not allowed to enjoy the proceeds of their actions.

Also at the event, Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Dr. Abdullahi Bello, disclosed that an ongoing audit of over 10,000 public servants’ asset declarations has revealed that about 20 percent of them are false.

On a broader continental scale, the Director-General of GIABA, Edwin Harris, lamented the growing trend of illicit financial flows out of Africa.

Citing a report by former South African President Thabo Mbeki under the auspices of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Harris noted that while $50 billion was previously estimated to be lost annually, the current figure now stands between $88 billion and $94 billion.

CeFTPI Executive Director, Umar Yakubu, said the event brought together key stakeholders from anti-graft institutions, civil society, the judiciary and international partners to develop innovative mechanisms for transparency, citizen engagement and accountability in asset recovery efforts.