''I am not a Kidnapper'' -Evans Withdraws all His previous Statements to 'the' Police

The trial of alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike popularly known as Evans, took a new twist yesterday, Tuesday September 11th after the suspect denied ever making any assertion to the police, confessing to be a serial kidnapper.



At the resumed hearing of his trial at the Ikeja high court, Evans via his counsel, Chino Obiagu, made the denial following an attempt via the state Prosecuting counsel, Adebayo Haroun, to tender documents containing the declaration of the 1st defendant (Evans) as exhibits before Justice Hakeem Oshodi.



Evans, through Obiagu, said the purported statement was not written by him neither was it voluntarily made as claimed by the police.

The 5 suspected members of his gang namely: Uchenna Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu (the only female in the  gang) and  Ex-navy officers, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Chukwunonso Aduba, who also are  standing trial with him, denied ever making any statement to the police.



Their counsel, argued that the statement sort to be tendered by the prosecutor was written by a policeman, Inspector Idowu Haruna attached to Inspector general of Police Intelligence response team.



Obiagu additionally objected to the tendering of a video clip, during trial within trial, displaying Evans confessing to the crime on the police station considering it does not corroborate with section 84 of the evidence Act.

“I object to the admissibility of this report because the 1st defendant didn’t make them voluntarily and i am also yet to be served with a duplicate of the video or the certified true copy.”Obiagu told Justice Oshodi



The police officer, Inspector Haruna, who the suspects accused of writing the false statements, informed the court that he wrote the statement on behalf of Evans, after he was arrested on June 2017, due to the fact he claimed he didn’t complete Secondary school and therefore couldn't write properly in English language.



Haruna, while being led in evidence, said that Evans and his gang members all volunteered their statements under caution after being charged with the offence of criminal conspiracy and kidnapping.

“I got to know the defendants when they were arrested for the kidnap of one Mr Donatus Dunu- the managing Director of Maydon pharmaceutical agency, who escaped from their custody at Igando area, Lagos.

While the matter was stated my department at the IGP response team, we immediately visited the scene where the abductors had held him and observed it was a well fenced and furnished bungalow with  flats; similar to any normal building.

Having observed that their victim had escaped, they gang abandoned the house before we got there. We performed a search and discovered numerous Ak47 rifles (military version) and pistols which they left behind.

It was through our investigation and items recovered from the building that we arrested Uchenna Amadi, who had ran to seek refuge at Port-Harcourt. Amadi, in the course of interrogation, confessed that Evans was the mastermind and leader of their gang.

This information brought about the arrest of Evans at Igando area when he was about to run out of the country to Ghana.

During Evans testimony, he referred to other members of his gang like Ifeanyi and Aduba, who're former army officers; Nwachukwu aka “Congo”-who is the agent and informant that sold information of victims to kidnap; Uchenna Amadi and his wife Ogechi.

My team also made a video recording of Evans confession and narration of all his kidnapping activities before and after he came to Lagos in 2013.

After volunteering their statements, it was read to them and they signed. I, however, signed as the recorder. A number of the suspects recorded their statements by themselves however I personally recorded the statement of Evans and Victor Aduba.

Their statement was further read to them again by a superior police officer, CSP Philip (former DSP) and all of them agreed to have volunteered without duress. Evans, however, informed us that he in no way imagined he could ever be caught because he has no other means of livelihood aside from crime-kidnapping and armed robbery,” the witness stated.

Justice Oshodi thereafter adjourned the case until October 26 for ruling on admissibility of documents and continuation of trial within trial.

Atiku Lists Out President Buhari's Sins

President Muhammadu Buhari and previous VP Atiku Abubakar were exchanging heated words between themselves.

The Presidency had in a statement  on Wednesday resolved to stay “uncompromising”, mainly in the combat against corruption. This announcement was a response to Atiku’s claim that the President was power-drunk.

Atiku Abubakar defected from the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, to the PDP under which he's now a presidential aspirant.

As a form of sarcasm, he took it upon himself to list out what he considers as corruption cases in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration after he claimed to be 'uncompromising'.

He said: “If the above is real, then why did the presidency do nothing as the attorney-general of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, went to court to secure a kangaroo court order to stop the Senate of the national assembly from investigating who recalled, reinstated and double promoted Abdulrasheed Maina?

 “If President Buhari is ‘uncompromising in cleaning the rot Nigeria was consigned into pre-2015’ then how come the latest Corruption perception Index by Transparency international reveals that Nigeria is more corrupt today than she was in 2015, having moved 12 steps backwards in Transparency international’s Corruption perception Index, moving from 136 in 2014 under the PDP to 148 today?

 “Once more, we ask how uncompromising a president can be while he allows a minister accused of forgery to remain at her job?” Abubakar then alleged that Buhari is surrounded by officers who do not tell him the truth.

 “It seems that the president is surrounded by people who have become his echo chamber and are telling him what he desires to hear, otherwise no one in his proper mind would call an administration that elevated the price of petrol while at the same time paying greater subsidy at the product than the preceding government, which it accused of ‘subsidy scam’, uncompromising against corruption.

 “It is only common sense that if the rate of petrol increased by 68 per cent from N87 per litre to N145, then the cost of fuel subsidy have to also reduce, specially because the price of crude oil also decreased. however, by some odd mathematics, the Buhari administration pays a whopping N1.4 trillion on subsidy per annum according to the Minister of state for Petroleum.”

War Of Words Between Bianca And Ojukwu's Sons Over Senatorial Ambition

Bianca Ojukwu 

Bianca Ojukwu is currently seeking  to represent Anambra South Senatorial District in the Senate under the All Progressives Grand Alliance ticket.

However a number of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu, her late husband’s older children have vowed to oppose her candidacy, should she emerge as APGA’s candidate for the election.

Some members of the Ojukwu family, along with Dr. Ike Ojukwu, Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu Jnr., and chief Debe Odumegwu- Ojukwu, reportedly mentioned that it would not be right to allow a woman from Ngwo, in Enugu state, to represent Anambra South Senatorial District.

Siblings of Dame Bianca Ojukwu, widow of late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu- Ojukwu, have scolded some of the children of the former Biafran leader for opposing Bianca’s senatorial ambition.

Bianca Ojukwu hails from Ngwo town, in Enugu state, but was married in Nnewi, Anambra state.

They're opposing her seeing that they do not consider her as one of their very own, casting doubts on her marraige to their late father Ojukwu.

Some other purpose was they feared that Bianca, could in the future, marry a man from any other state.

However, Bianca’s siblings have answered to the assault on their sister.

Dpeaking on behalf of the family of the late C. C. Onoh, (Bianca’s father), Bianca’s brother, Dr Josef Umunnakwe Onoh, stated that Ojukwu’s children were blind to the Nigerian laws.

Onoh also dismissed the Ojukwu children’s claims that the marriage between their father and Bianca was not contracted in the right process.

Bianca’s brother insisted that the opposition from Ojukwu’s children would not prevent Bianca from winning the election.

Every Nigerian Owes China N15,000

For the N3 trillion Nigeria has obtained from China within the last 4 years, every Nigerian now owes China N15,000 in debt.

That’s just N3,000 short of minimum wage.

The debt comes from two huge tranches of aid from China: $3.1 billion in 2014 and $6 billion for infrastructure in the last 3 years, in line with political analyst Theophilus Abbah.

Simple mathematics. Divide the combined total, just over N3 trillion, by the 198 million population Nigeria always talks about: that’s a nice N15,000 in debt to China for each Nigerian.

And that doesn’t even encompass the loan agreement signed this week in Beijing in which China pledged $60 billion in credit facilities, a quarter of it interest free.

Analysts say getting governments indebted to China is the republic’s way of outsmarting the us and the UK in Africa trade

“They are active in Liberia, Ghana, Angola,” minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, told Bloomberg.

“They're throwing money where their mouth is and in very many respect is one area where they have beaten both the us, european and British in things like this.

“Africa requires lots of development funds; China is able to offer it. not just provide in terms of money but offer with adequate technology.”

The implication is Africa may be unable to resist chinese trade and international politics.

Recently, at the world health assembly, the united states proposed watering down recommendations against breastmilk substitutes and threatened all nations who opposed its stand with sanctions.

Only Russia stood up to america and saved the recommendation.

A usa lawmaker, Rep Chris Smith, chairman of the foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, said in a recent opinion article that China also uses foreign aid as a “bargaining chip” in corrupt African countries with plenty of natural resources for them to exploit.

“AidData, a research laboratory at the university of William and Mary, argued in written testimony submitted to my committee that China efficaciously buys the votes of African governments on the United nations; they concluded that if African countries voted with China on the UN an extra 10 per cent of the time, they could acquire an 86 per cent bump in assistance,” the lawmaker stated.

Nigeria has common the chinese Yuan as a reserve currency, which will begin to compete with the us dollar.

The usa lawmaker lamented that the chinese in-road into Africa may be dangerous.


“All of those trends—rising levels of debt, shoddy infrastructure projects, and funding that allows human rights abusers to consolidate their influence and power—point to critical risks for the future of the African continent.”

Dozens of elephants killed close to Botswana wildlife sanctuary

Carcases of almost 90 elephants have been discovered near a well-known wildlife sanctuary in Botswana, conservationists say.

Elephants Without Borders, which is carrying out an aerial survey, said the size of poaching deaths is the biggest seen in Africa.

The spike coincides with Botswana's anti-poaching unit being disarmed.

Botswana has the world's biggest elephant population, but poachers have been breaching its border.

Some readers may find the picture below distressing

The scientist carrying out the extensive wildlife survey stated most of the 87 dead elephants have been killed for their tusks just weeks ago - and that 5 white rhinos have been poached in three months.

"I am stunned, i'm completely astounded. the scale of elephant poaching is by far the biggest i've seen or read about anywhere in Africa up to now," said Dr Mike Chase from Elephants Without Borders.

HIV infection on the rise among youths

Sicily Kariuki

The Ministry of health has raised concerns over the upward push in new HIV infections among the youth, terming it a drawback in the fight against the disease.

Health cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki said over 40 per cent of all new HIV infections occur amongst adolescents aged 15-24 years.

She stated the 2018 global progress report by UNAids confirms that attainment of 90:90:90 goals by 2020 may be an uphill project if interventions are not scaled up, especially in regard to new infections and stigma levels.

Ms Kariuki made the remarks in a speech read on her behalf by the health chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman during the 10th anniversary of Aids Healthcare foundation (AHF) Kenya.

AHF Kenya is an NGO working in the HIV/Aids sector in areas of treatment, testing, condoms programming and advocacy.

TESTED 3 MILLION KENYANS

The organization works in Makueni, Mombasa, Nairobi, Murang'a, Kilifi, Kwale, Turkana, Nairobi and Homa Bay counties and serves more than 50,000 people.

AHF Kenya chairman Stephen Karau stated they have examined over 3 million Kenyans and distributed 18 million condoms free of charge.

He stated the NGO has enjoyed good partnerships with each tiers of government and is happy to make contributions toward the big 4 agenda, specifically in providing universal health coverage to all Kenyans.

Dr Karau stated AHF Kenya will continue to offer suitable services and work intently with applicable government agencies just like the national Aids control Council, the national Aids and STIS control Programme and the civil society in the fight to reduce the HIV/Aids spread.

HIV PREVENTION

“This is remarkable progress which we have achieved in the brief ten years. We will keep working with our partners and all stakeholders to make sure that we obtain the country's HIV/Aids goals,’’ stated Dr Karau.

In the meantime, Ms Kariuki stated Kenya has, over the past decade, made deliberate efforts towards HIV prevention. Those consist of embracing of biomedical tactics along with test and start strategies, condom programming and high-impact interventions in the direction of the elimination of mother-to-child HIV and syphilis transmissions.

Ms Kariuki cited other projects including the Linda Mama programme and first lady Margaret Kenyatta’s beyond zero campaign, that have contributed to successes in healthcare provision.

New U.S. general arrives in Afghanistan with peace nevertheless distant

General Scott Miller 

U.S. army general Scott Miller assumed command of NATO forces in Afghanistan on Sunday, arriving as Washington faces growing questions over its approach to force the Taliban into talks to give up the 17-year battle.

Miller, former commander of the U.S. military’s Joint special Operations Command, takes over at a time of mixed hope and fear for the Western-sponsored government in Kabul.

“To achieve success, we have to continually learn and adapt to the enemy and the surroundings,” Miller stated at a change of command ceremony at the headquarters of the NATO-led Resolute support mission in Kabul.