President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday in Abuja condemned what he called “the dastardly attack on UN aid helicopter in the Northeast on Saturday by the Boko Haram terrorists”.
In a reaction to the reports of the incident, Malam Garba Shehu, one of the president’s spokesmen, quoted Buhari to have said:
“This latest cowardly attack on the UN humanitarian helicopter is yet another desperate rear guard action by the Boko Haram terrorists who have been under intense pressure from the Nigerian military.
“Let me reassure the international community and Nigerians that this latest cowardly attack on a UN helicopter, which claimed the lives of two people, including a five-year-old baby, would not go without severe consequences.
“Boko Haram terrorists are clearly on the back foot and their increasing attacks on innocent civilians, including UN humanitarian workers, was part of their desperation to prove that they are strong in order to cover up their dwindling fortunes,”Buhari said.
According to the president, the security of foreigners and Nigerians remained the top priority of his administration, adding “we shall leave no stone unturned until we eliminate these remorseless enemies of humanity”.
Buhari however, underscored the need for all humanitarian and other aid workers in the region to, at all times, properly coordinate movements – air or land, with the Theatre Commander and other military authorities. (NAN)
The Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (KRPC) generated no revenue in 2018, the first audited financial statements of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) after 43 years of its operation have shown.
Details of the report showed that the refinery, however, incurred an operating loss of N64.5 billion, throwing up concerns over the continued operation of refineries by the corporation.
The newly released annual reports and financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2018, were for 20 of the state-owned national oil company’s subsidiary companies operating within and outside the country.
The companies covered in the reports published in the corporation’s website last Friday included the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Warri Refining & Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC), Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), Kaduna Refining & Petrochemical Company (KRPC), and Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL), Nigerian Products and Marketing Company Limited (NPMC), Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Company (NPSC).
The others include the National Engineering & Technical Company Limited (NETCO), Nigerian Gas and Marketing Company Limited (NGMC), Duke Oil Services (UK) Limited, Duke Global Energy Investment Limited, Duke Oil Incorporated, NNPC Retail Limited, National Petroleum Investments Management Services (NAPIMS), The Wheel Insurance, NIDAS Shipping Services, NIDAS UK Agency, and NIDAS Marine.
Refineries
Details showed that Kaduna refinery spent N24 billion in direct costs to record zero revenue and an operating loss of N64 billion for 2018, as against N2 billion naira revenue and N112 billion losses in 2017.
A breakdown of the direct costs and administrative expenses showed that it incurred N447.7 million in Training Expenses, Security expenses of N230 million, Communication expenses of N37.3 million, and Consultancy fees of N843 million.
For the Warri Refining Company, the audited financial statement showed that the company earned N1.98 billion as revenue while it incurred N12.74 billion as cost of sales, resulting in a gross loss of N10.57 billion and an operating loss of N45.39 billion.
The Port Harcourt Refining Company recorded total revenue of N1.45 billion in 2018 with expenses of N24.04 billion, resulting in a gross loss of N22.58 billion.
Directors’ Payments
Meanwhile, a breakdown of the payments made to directors at the Kaduna Refinery showed that total employee cost was put at N23 billion in 2018, compared to N27 billion in 2017. The payments include salaries and wages, death benefit, administrative expenses, among others.
Aside that, details showed that in 2018, there were a total of 32 higher-paid employees of the company, other than directors, whose works were done in Nigeria. The remuneration for this set of employees range from those who earned between N100,000 and N1 million and those who earned N15 million and above. Earlier in 2017, the number of this category of staff was put at 1,022, representing about 340 percent difference in both years.
As per the directors’ remuneration for 2018, excluding pension contributions and certain other benefits, the figure was put at N109 million, as against N249 million in 2017.
Also, the highest-paid director earned N33 million in 2018, as against N27 million in 2017.
Should Refineries be sold?
Details of the NNPC financial statement have raised concerns yet again about the continued operation of refineries by the NNPC.
Earlier in 2018, a PREMIUM TIMES’ report showed that none of Nigeria’s refineries worked up to 50 per cent of their capacity at any time during 2017, according to official figures from the NNPC.
The NNPC has four major refineries, two in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, which combines to form the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) with a combined installed capacity of 210,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd); the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (KRPC) with an installed capacity of 110,000 bpsd; and the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC) with an installed capacity of 125,000 bpsd.
All the refineries have a combined installed capacity of 445,000 barrels per day.
For 2017, the Warri refinery functioned highest in January, utilising 42.6 per cent of its capacity. The Port-Harcourt refinery, for the year, functioned at its peak in December, utilising 41.7 per cent.
The Kaduna refinery had the worst performance in terms of capacity utilisation in 2017. It functioned most in February utilising just 34.4 per cent of its capacity.
Last year, Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 general elections, said that he would privatise the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC).
He said that the NNPC had failed to serve the purpose for which it was established in 1977 and selling-off the Corporation and all the refineries was the best option for the country.
But Mele Kyari, the Group Managing Director of the corporation, made a case for change in management of the refineries. He said the refineries would no longer be managed by the NNPC after rehabilitation. Speaking in April, he said a company would be engaged to manage the plants on an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) basis upon the completion of the rehabilitation exercise.
The rehabilitation of the four refineries in the country have gulped billions of naira since 1999 but none of them is yet to operate at full capacity.
Against the background of resources expended on Turn Around Maintenance over the years despite their moribund state, many Nigerians have called on the government to shut down the refineries and sell them to willing investors.
Other Subsidiaries
Meanwhile, details of the NNPC financials show that the Pipeline Product Marketing Company (PPMC), NNPC’s supply and refined petroleum products marketing subsidiary, reported revenue of N29.5 billion in 2018 as against N113 billion in 2017. It reported a profit after tax of N9.3 billion in 2018 as against a loss of N27 billion that was recorded in 2017.
The Wheel Insurance, another of its subsidiaries, experienced a decrease in insurance liabilities from $9 million in 2017 to $8.2 million in 2018.
With total assets valued at N18.6 trillion, the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) posted revenue of N5.04 trillion in 2018 and profit of N1.01 trillion,
The National Engineering and Technical Company (NETCO) recorded a profit after tax of N4.5 billion for 2018, up from the N2.4 billion reported in 2017 while the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) recorded gross profit of N24.3 billion in 2018.
, Mark Geragos for defense in court…to help wriggle out of multi-million dollar scam, reduce 20-year-jail term * Defense lawyer expected to convince United States Department of Justice officials on how suspect can help track similar internet crimes around the world for the government * Suspect’s inner circle friend, music producer, singer, Samklef confirmed the up-coming legal firework plan on Instagram, saying: “This movie go sweet pass Netflix… he might not even spend all his time.. he will work with the government and regain his freedom” * America’s famous attorney in highbrow case earlier represented celebrities like Winona Ryder, Chris Brown, Colin Kaepernick and Scott Peterson * Naija Standard Newspaper editors reached out to defense lawyer, Principal Attorney at Geragos & Geragos law chamber located on 644 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, LA 900 17 left an urgent voice mail message on subject matter at: +1-213-625-3900 while awaiting response *GEORGE ELIJAH OTUMU/AMERICA Foreign Bureau Chief.
Sexual and Gender-based Violence, SGBV, is on the increase in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, despite the domestication of Violence Against Persons Prohibition, VAPP Act signed in 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari. Seun DUROJAIYE reports the travail of victims of SGBV during the lockdown in Abuja.
Photographs and video by Uthman SAMAD.
One too many: In Abuja, sexual and gender-based violence happens frequently but perpetrators often walk free
Priscilla Ubani – Domestic violence victim CREDIT: The ICIR
Sexual and Gender-based Violence, SGBV, is on the increase in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, despite the domestication of Violence Against Persons Prohibition, VAPP Act signed in 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari. Seun DUROJAIYE reports the travail of victims of SGBV during the lockdown in Abuja.
Photographs and video by Uthman SAMAD.
ON May 10, in Nyanya, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja, during the COVID-19 lockdown period, 14-year-old Angela Hosana picked the phone of her guardian, who was observing siesta and dialled a number. After a brief exchange, she hung up, stepped out of the house and stood by the gate. She remained there for several minutes, agitated.
It was a Sunday.
As she waited, one of the other girls in the house noticed her anticipation and asked why she was outside.
“Nothing,” she responded, adjusting her red dress as she looked away while still waiting.
Hours passed. Then, a car pulled up. Hosana recognised who it was and she climbed into the front seat. Once the door was shut, Anna’s friend, 31-year-old Emmanuel Kamalu, drove off.
The car came to a stop as they approached a lonely road. Kamalu advised that they move to the back seat and Hosana obliged. As they sat together at the back of the car, Kamalu raped her.
“He pulled my dress. Then he removed my pants. He pulled his trouser also and he held me tight and put me on his legs,” Hosana told The ICIR.
It took several hours before she returned home to her guardian, Joy Ogbonna, who had been worried about her whereabouts. After long persuasion, Hosana revealed that Emmanuel Kamalu, a neighbour of theirs, had slept with her.
Ogbonna needed a confirmation and Kamalu, who is married, with a son never denied he raped the minor. At her insistence, he agreed to visit a hospital with Hossana for tests.
On the way to the hospital, they were intercepted by military officers who were enforcing the lockdown curfew. Upon hearing the case, the officers, driven by moral rage, descended on Kamalu, only releasing him after he had sustained several bruises and cuts.
“The officers made him strip and they started beating him up. They asked him to submerge himself in a pool of dirty water and didn’t want to release him. They asked if I could drive and when I said yes, they asked me to go without him.
“But I refused because he also had to get tested so we could gather evidence. We spent over three hours at the checkpoint before they released us,” Ogbonna recalled.
When they arrived Nyanya General Hospital hours later, they were greeted by another obstacle. The doctor on duty refused to attend to them, demanding that they first get a police report. It was around 10:00 pm.
As regular practice, following an implicit rule of the Nigerian police, hospitals often demand a police report before treating victims of assaults or accidents, even in cases of emergency, a practice which Anjuguri Manzah, FCT Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), describe as outdated.
Hospitals are now mandated to treat all patients including those with gunshot wounds without a police report, he said.
Manzah told The ICIR that hospitals are only required to report cases after commencing treatments and not before.
Ogbonna was not privy to this information, else she would have tried harder to convince the doctor. She however managed to reach a friend who intervened and got a doctor to help them out.
“It took several pleadings and the intervention of a doctor friend of mine whom I called before they agreed to test Hosana. The doctor was pissed and asked why I had to go through back channels to compel him to do his work. He said under normal circumstances, they are required to get a police report before doing anything.
“Even at that, they couldn’t do most of the required tests because they didn’t have the equipment. The examination room was dark because there was no light and the doctor had to use a flashlight,” Ogbonna said.
According to Ogechukwu Dike, a medical doctor at Chivar Specialist Hospital and Urology Center, tests such as Hepatitis B and C, HIV, syphilis, a swab (vaginal if possible) for microscopy and culture are routinely carried out on rape victims to establish the absence of preexisting infections before the incident, and thereafter, post-exposure prophylaxis is commenced to prevent certain diseases.
But only a physical examination and urine tests were carried out on Hosana that day.
After the examination, the doctor told Ogbonna that Hosana’s hymen was broken but further tests would need to be taken to determine if the secretion from her private area was semen. He directed them to the laboratory for more tests but the nurse on duty at first declined to attend to them.
“She said most of the tests couldn’t be carried out because they didn’t have a rape kit for testing.”
The nurse also said the time (around 12.00 AM) in which they came was only for emergencies and that Hosana’s case wasn’t an emergency. However, she agreed to do a urine test, advising them to return at another time for the other tests to be carried out.
By daytime, Kamalu was taken to Karu police station, where the case was reported. The police confirmed that he was a repeat offender and had previously been arrested for molesting two young girls but got bailed after spending a few days in detention.
Again, he was detained and asked to write a statement.
In his statement, Kamalu described Hosana as his girlfriend, saying that he was friendly with everyone including underaged girls in the neighbourhood.
“Hosana and I are very close. I’m a free man in the neighbourhood, I’m always free,” Kamalu said.
Kamalu also said he has no bad intention towards Hosana. However, when asked if he would accept if another person rapes his own child, he said no.
“I won’t take it if another man does it to my child but I can forgive him if I know he is sorry for his actions,” Kamalu said, pleading for forgiveness.
It is eight weeks since Kamalu had carnal knowledge of the teenager, yet police said the case is still under investigation, as at the time of filing this report.
The ICIR in an earlier report found that only 65 suspects have been convicted of rape in the whole country, in the last 46 years.
Of all these convictions, 32 took place in 2015 and the years before, while 33 took place after 2015, the report highlighted.
The low convictions directly reflect how the police have handled the administration of criminal justice concerning SGBV victims in Nigeria. But the Nigerian police is not the only law enforcement agency that records low conviction of sexual crimes. The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, which has the mandate to protect women and children also appears to have performed below expectations.
For the year 2020 alone, NAPTIP has only convicted 11 out of 22 sex offenders, representing 50 percent of all verified reported cases. Though local media report cases of rape and domestic violation almost daily, only few of these cases are successfully prosecuted.
The abuse of Destiny Ejike, a 17-year-old student is one of those that may not go to trial because of the way it is being handled by NAPTIP.
Ejike and her older jealous lover
In October 2019, Ejike met Job Ikan, a mid-thirties businessman, while she was closing from work in Lugbe area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Ejike recalls that he approached her with confidence and convinced her to share her phone number.
He never stopped calling and Ejike, feeling wanted, agreed to be his girlfriend. Within a short period of knowing her, he started promising marriage and a lifetime of happiness. And at the time, Ejike was seeking admission into university and thought he could make her dreams come through. He showered her with attention and promised to sponsor her education.
True to his word, he gave her money to enrol in a state university in the north. However, once she resumed school, he became possessive.
Ejike narrating how Ikan subjected her to several forms of violence. CREDIT: ICIR
According to Ejike, he would call every time, demanding her exact location in the school premises and when he felt uncomfortable with her response, he would show up at the school unannounced and demand to see her. The first time it happened, he made her spend the night with him at a hotel.
“He didn’t care if I missed lectures, he made me spend the weekend at the hotel he booked. We had sex and he disvirgined me,” Ejike recalled.
All the while, Ejike kept her love affair a secret from her parents, only opening up when it became too rough to handle. Once they started sleeping together, Ikan became even more obsessed with Ejike. He had the contact details of security men at her school and would grease their palms for information about her movement around campus.
His care metamorphosed into abuse. He would show up at the school, take her to a hotel and beat her up, accusing her of cheating on him. When she tried to end the relationship, he got suicidal.
“I told him I was no longer interested in the relationship and wanted to break up and he started threatening to commit suicide and, on several occasions, he attempted suicide.
“He always said that he would kill himself and make sure that it was only both of us in the room, so that if he died, people would think I killed him and I would be jailed for the rest of my life,” Ejike recounted.
The semester ended and Ejike planned to surprise her parents. When she shared her plans with Ikan, he offered to pick her from the bus stop and drop her home.
On the day, he showed up with a car and convinced her to follow him to his apartment. At his house, he locked the door and forced her to spend the night with him.
“He said I wanted to come to Abuja without visiting him. That he would kill himself if I don’t spend the night at his house. He didn’t let me go home that day,” Ejike said.
He eventually released her but the abuse went on for seven months.
Ejike started seeking a way out and told her parents about her affair with Ikan. Her parents reported the case to NAPTIP and as the case was being investigated, Ikan became a human camouflage. He sought the goodness of Ejike’s parents, promising that he was going to marry their daughter and ease them of their financial burden.
He started showing up at their home. When Ejike’s parents voiced their uneasiness with him coming over, it angered him and he recruited them as new victims.
“He would shout and abuse my parents and siblings. He said they were standing in between our love,” Ejike said.
Ejike’s parents again reached out to NAPTIP for help. This time they were assured that he would be stopped.
Emeh Magnus, head of NAPTIP’s Rapid Response Squad (N-RRS) in Abuja, told Ejike and her parents to reach out to him anytime they sensed danger. He told them the case was being investigated and, sooner than later, the suspect would be apprehended.
Weeks after the case was reported, Ikan was still a free man.
In fact, during an interview with the family in their home on May 10, Ikan showed up with a friend, pleading to be forgiven and demanding that the case be withdrawn from NAPTIP.
Ikan described Ejike as his betrothed to The ICIR. When questioned about the abuse and violence, he suspected he was being recorded and refused to answer questions.
“The case is with NAPTIP and I can’t discuss it because it is under investigation,” the accused told The ICIR before he left the house in anger a few moments later.
Afterwards, a call was placed to his cell and when he realised who was on the line, he ended the call abruptly.
As at the time of filing this report, Magnus told The ICIR that the case is still under investigation and things were moving slowly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the accused has continued to have unfettered access to Ejike and her family.
Aside from the challenges that COVID-19 pandemic presents, NAPTIP commonly struggles to secure justice for victims of SGBV.
According to Godwin Morka, Director of Research and Programme Development in NAPTIP, it takes about three to six months for cases to be addressed in court due to ‘sensitivity’ of the issues.
However, most cases never get to court for a myriad of reasons. For Priscilla Ubani, a domestic violence victim, justice was a luxurious option.
She found the man of her dreams but he wouldn’t stop hitting her
Priscilla had a tough childhood. From a tender age, she fended for herself and had to engage in menial jobs to pay for her university education.
Right after secondary school she secured admission into a University in her hometown but struggled due to meagre funds. To get money she worked as a hair stylist and did neighbourhood promotions for local brands.
She then decided to reach out to her dad.
“He advised me to find a man and get married. He said once I find someone to marry, the person would support me with my education and that was the end of that discussion,” Ubani recalled.
In 2008, Ubani met Joseph and after dating for a few months, she took in and they decided to keep the child. They got married in a small ceremony just before she put to bed.
While pregnant, Ubani secured a job as a teacher and almost very quickly was made to start footing bills for the family.
“The little money I was earning was used for feeding both of us. My husband at the time was taking professional exams and so all his earnings were diverted to his professional development,” Ubani recalled.
When she finally put to bed, it was another mouth to feed. Ubani suggested they start a business that would fetch more money and Joseph agreed with her. They settle on beginning a transportation business.
“We opened a joint account and began saving towards buying a car. We were able to save over N400,000 and we used it to buy a small Mazda car,” Ubani told The ICIR.
But it was never used for transportation business.
“The car became another burden. He would collect money to fuel the car and return home with nothing. All I kept hearing was ‘I fuelled my car, I took my car for maintenance’,” Ubani recalled.
In the same period, Joseph asked Ubani to quit her job. He had complained of her closing hours and demanded that she stopped working in order to take care of their child at home and she agreed.
Not long after he got fired from work, he got into a fight with a colleague and was reported to the police. It was his ninth year on the job as a Mathematics teacher.
“The owner of the school locked him (Joseph) up for beating up a staff member and said he had enough because it wasn’t the first time he was fighting in the school. So he was fired,” Ubani said.
Joseph, however, told The ICIR that he didn’t get fired. He said he resigned because he was planning to get another job which his wife had promised him. At the time, Ubani was a jobless, stay-at-home mum.
Their living condition worsened.
“He asked me what I had done to him. He said people get married and progress but things are even tougher for him as a married man and I must be the cause of his struggle,” Ubani said with teary eyes.
Most times, he would blame her for their struggles and quiz her about it. When she couldn’t respond, he would beat her up. The violence never stopped and Ubani, wanting to save her marriage, kept it a secret.
“I would tell people I brushed my arm on a hard surface by mistake. I was also wearing long sleeves and extra clothing to cover up the marks,” Ubani said.
One night, he approached her as usual and asked her to think deeply about her family origin and what they must have done in the past to worsen his luck.
“The beating that day was severe. He wouldn’t stop and I tried to reach my phone to call my neighbour for help but as I tried, he smashed the phone on the floor. It was one of the worst days,” Ubani recounted.
She survived the night.
Through the help of her neighbour, she got a job as a secretary and started earning N50,000 monthly. The job was lucrative. Aside from her monthly earnings, she got tips from visitors who came for meetings at the office.
As she worked to keep her family afloat, the beatings continued.
Some days it was a slap on the face and other days, it was several punches in different parts of her body.
In January 2019, Ubani approached the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation whose core mission is to protect, promote and preserve the rights of women and children in Nigeria, to seek help.
“I went to FIDA to get help but on getting there, I met with Barrister Chinwe Okenwa and she asked me to bring N150,000. I told them that I didn’t have any money and if I did, I would use it to help myself. Money has always been my problem,” Ubani said.
The ICIR reached out to Okenwa through her mobile phone and though she said she couldn’t recall Ubani or her case, she disclosed that many cases come to their office and each peculiar case (or victim) is expected to pay a litigation fee, based on its subject and the court it will be tried.
However, on its official website, the group states that it “actualizes its objectives through free legal representation for indigent women and children,” a far cry from what Ubani says she experienced.
The ICIR reached out to FIDA’s National president, Rhoda Prevail Tyoden, and she promised to get to the bottom of it, iterating that FIDA offers pro bono services for victims of SGBV.
“What you saw on our website is what and who we are. Since I have a name, I will transfer to the Fida Abuja Branch for verifications. Thanks for bringing up. Will get back to you with my findings,” Tyoden said in a WhatsApp message.
As at the time of press, she was yet to share any findings.
For Ubani, the police appeared to be a cheaper option.
When she visited Efab Estate, Lokogoma Police Station for the first time in February, she filed a report against Joseph and sought custody of the kids.
Officer Juliana, the female officer who heard the case and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Yunisa Mutari, the head of the unit, both intervened and made Joseph sign an undertaking, promising to seek permission before visiting his kids.
They let him go after he dropped his signature.
“We took down her statement. So we intervened and called the husband (Joseph) to sign undertaking that he will not go to the house to see the kids until he gets permission.” Officer Juliana told The ICIR in a phone interview.
She further explained that though Ubani reporteda case of domestic violence, it wasn’t a recent incident and they couldn’t do much except settle amicably.
As at the time of filing this report, Joseph still walks around as a free member of the society and he believes he has been dealt a blow. According to him, he has only ever hit his wife, Ubani, once in 2018.
“I have only hit my wife once and that was in 2018. I don’t know why she is punishing me for that singular action which I regret everyday of my life.
He admitted that he did so under the influence of alcohol and pressure, and he couldn’t fathom why she hadn’t forgiven him.
“Since that time, she sent me out of the house and I have waited for her to come back to her senses but she never did, even as I’m talking to you right now,” Joseph said during an interview with The ICIR.
For Joseph, alcohol was the trigger. Same is for David, who abused his wife for a decade and finally pulled the camel’s back during the COVID-19 lockdown period.
10 years of domestic violence
Ebere Owens in an interview with The ICIR described the pattern of abuse she suffered in the hands of her husband. CREDIT: ICIR
“The abuse started from the moment I got pregnant with our first child,” Ebere Owens, a young mother of two, told The ICIR couched on the bed in her single room apartment.
Owens migrated to Nigeria from Cameroon in 2009 and when she met her husband, David, she believed he was her knight in shining armour. They began dating and during the course of their relationship, she got pregnant and had their first child.
“Most times, he comes back home drunk and after drinking and smoking, the next thing is to start beating me,” Owens narrated.
By the time she had her second child, he had started laying his hands on her kids too.
“You can ask them, if it’s beating, he beats them (the children) very well,” She said.
The final straw happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They took a trip to her hometown and when she was asked about her husband, she blurted that they were no longer together.
“I rejected him because the abuse was too much. There are many times he has beaten me and I will be unconscious,” Owens recalled.
For rejecting him, Owens got the beating of her life. For two months he didn’t show up in the house. On the day he finally showed up, it was during the lockdown period, his presence startled the kids.
“As he came back, he was drunk and he pounced on me. He was angry that I denied our relationship and when he was done, he started throwing my things out of the house,” Owens narrated.
At that point, she went to the police. The police intervened and arrested David. Days later, he was released on bail, according to Owens.
“I haven’t seen him in four months and I don’t know where he is. I’m afraid that he might come back,” Owens told The ICIR.
The police closed the case.
Sexual and gender-based violence prevalence in Nigeria
Not less than 80 million Nigerian women and girls are victims of sexual and gender-based violence in the country. According to a Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) 2013 report,28 percent of women and girls experience some form of physical abuse and sexual violence, while 11 percent experience sexual abuse, 62.6 percent are forced into child marriage and 25.3 percent women suffer female genital mutilation.
The NDHS survey also showed that 45 percent of the women who had experienced violence never sought help or told anyone about the incident. It was found that among women aged 15–49 who have survived physical or sexual violence, only 31 percent sought help from any source, and 12 percent told someone about their experience but did not seek help.
In a 2019 World Bank report on Gender-based violence in Nigeria, it was highlighted that one in “three surveyed women agree that a man is justified in beating his wife in some cases, including if she burns the food, argues with him, goes out without telling him, neglects the children, or refuses to have sexual intercourse with him.”
Due to cultural beliefs and tradition, most cases of SGBV in the country are tolerable. According to a Lancet Global Health 2015 report, tolerant attitudes represent the highest correlated risk factor contributing to the incidence of intimate partner violence in Nigeria.
In some other cases, justice-sector institutions, such as the police and the judiciary, lack the knowledge, understanding, or capacity to address cases of GBV with a survivor-centred approach. It was found that the police often refuse to intervene in cases of intimate partner violence and often describe it as a ‘domestic issue’ or a ‘family matter.’
In defence of the police, a senior officer who does not want to be named because he is not the force spokesperson, said that Nigerians cannot blame the Police Force for failing in the fight against SGBV, as it is not equipped to do so.
“It is easy to blame the Nigerian Police but is it equipped to fight gender based violence? Does the police budget have special sub heads to enable it do forensic investigations? Yes, there is now a gender unit, but are its officers given any special training in the psychology of handling such cases?,” he queried.
The officer stated that for the police to be able to properly handle SGBV cases, it has to have special funds to conduct forensic investigations, “to examine evidence such as body fluids, semen, blood and so on to determine the culpability of an accused person”, noting that one of the biggest challenges of prosecuting rape cases is the lack of forensic evidence.”
Besides, he said that officers of the force, not just those of the gender unit, have to be trained and re – trained “in the special area of handling such cases (SGBV), even in the psychology of dealing with victims.”
The Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act
The VAPP Act, signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019, is a legal framework which transcends the criminal and penal code in guaranteeing justice and protection of rights and properties of victims of sexual and gender-based violence in the country.
However, of the 37 states in Nigeria, including the FCT, only 14 have domesticated the law, while 23 states are yet to adopt the Act. Majority of the states are in the north.
Inactions which Lemmy Ughegbe, a children’s advocate and Director of Make a Difference Initiative, concludes is “incalculable damage to the efforts to rid the society of sexual abuse, child sexual abuse and Gender-based violence.”
“We must point out that whereas the constitution recognises that no one under 18 years can lawfully and validly consent to sex, the Penal Code as operated by Northern Nigeria says a girl of 14 years or who has attained puberty can be engaged in a sexual relationship,” Ughegbe said in an interview with The ICIR.
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) bridging the gap
Against all odds, CSOs such as Dorothy Njemanze Foundation (DNF) exist to bridge the gap. With a mission to end sexual and gender based violence through direct support for survivors, DNF uses a community-based approach to provide responses to cases of SGBV. According to Dorothy Njemanze, founder of the organisation, real time responses aren’t provided to SGBV victims and that’s where DNF comes in. “We liaise with law enforcement agencies and as much as challenges arise ever so often, things are picking up. For instance, the police hospitals are more inclined to help victims and doctors in these hospitals offer to testify in a situation where the case gets to court. “However, we have funding challenges. Most times we fundraise for victims through social media and rely on the donations received from well-meaning Nigerians,” Njemanze said.
Nevertheles, The ICIR found that the VAPP Act is a good law on paper, but poorly enforced by the police.
And this is the reason why the likes of Hosana, Priscilla, Ebere and other victims of sexual violence may not obtain justice before they are violated again.
The National Assembly makes laws for the Federal Capital Territory. Among the laws operational in Abuja is the Hospital Fees Act. The Act has been in existence since 30th August 1917 and has not been repealed.
By the said law, an employer is liable to pay all monies charged for treatment of his servant in government hospitals, in line with any scale of fees and Regulations made by Minister for health. However, an employer can not be held liable to pay for attendance on or treatment of his servant for more than three (3) months. Workers here means servants and servants in the Hospital Fees Act, include artificers, messages, carriers, hammockman, laborers, domestic servants and apprentices.
A careful study of the National Health Act 2014, the National Health Insurance Scheme Act 1999 and the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund Act 1992, shows that they did not repeal or amend the Hospital Fees Act.
My authorities are:
1. Sections 1, 2, 3 and 5 of the Hospital Fees Act 1917, (Chapter 512) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990 and similar laws operational in states across Nigeria.
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Controversies still continue to trail the face-off between the Independent Corrupt Practices & Other Offences Related Commission (ICPC) and Mr. F. Baba Isa over an alleged 550 million money laundering case levied against him.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian Bar Association has equally waded in cautioning the ICPC from further harassing him.
However, he has released a press statement debunking all the assertions of the ICPC in response to the statement issued by the NBA.
Meanwhile, this is contained in a statement signed by him which was made available to TheNigeriaLawyer.
He revealed that ICPC procured a court order to remand him on false statements contained in the affidavit before the Court.
Besides, he noted that the statement of ICPC tagging a lawful Court order as “mere agreement” is an affront to the rule of Law. Furthermore, he contended that he is not a suspect but merely acted as a Legal Practitioner.
Also, he noted that at all time, whenever ICPC issues any statement, he would be replying same in order to put the facts on a straight record.
The statement reads:
F. BABA ISA, ESQ: ICPC RESPONSE TO NBA; ANOTHER ROUND OF MISREPRESENTATION, DISTORTION AND CONCEALMENT OF THE REAL FACTS AND LAW
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, has released a statement, signed by its chairman, in response to the Press Release issued by the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, cautioning them from harassing me. (Find the ICPC’s response attached).
2. In a desperate effort to gaslight the NBA that bravely stood up for me, the ICPC concealed and misrepresented some facts I will hereby put straight as briefly as possible. I’m not holding brief for the NBA. The NBA put up their statement after going through court processes, records of proceeding, the judgment and other documents. I know it was a well-considered statement. I just have to put the facts straight.
3. First of all, the fact that in many places in their response, the ICPC, stated clearly that they think I am guilty of an offence that I have not even been tried for is an unjust bias I will leave for others to comment on. In Paragraph 1 of their response, the ICPC stated that they were not aware of the terms of settlement that was adopted and entered as a consent judgment of the Federal High Court. And I ask? How is that my fault?
4. The Terms of Settlement was filed on the 13th of May, 2020 and the Motion for Discontinuance was filed on the 14th of May, 2020. How come ICPC got the Motion but did not get the Terms of Settlement? Even if the Court Bailiff failed to serve them the terms or any other court process; how is that my fault? The terms was in the court file, not in my house nor my office. It is a public document. Or are they saying I hid the document in a court file so that they would not see it?
5. They admitted that they were also in court the day the terms were adopted and entered as judgment, nothing stops them from drawing the court’s attention to the fact that they were not served the terms even after they had been struck out. The court is not a firing squad. The judge would have listened to them and take heed if any wrong was about to happen. But they did not say anything. They would have even asked the judge to hold off on the adoption of the terms so that they could bring an application to set aside their striking out. They did not do this. They chose to challenge the judgment by sitting on appeal on it and arresting lawyers who represented parties.
6. In paragraph 2 and 3 of their Response, ICPC admitted that the consent judgment was gotten through a valid court proceeding where they were struck out by the Court. That is why I do not understand why they will say in this same publication, the penultimate paragraph, that the restriction on the account was lifted pursuant to a mere agreement between my client and GTB. Is a judgment of court now a “mere agreement” in the estimation of ICPC? Wow.
7. In same paragraph 3; how can ICPC say that a valid court proceeding which they were part of and did not oppose the discontinuance against them is a fraudulent means of accessing the funds? What stopped them from opposing the discontinuance against them? The judge – off records – asked them 3 times if they were not opposing the discontinuance and they insisted they were not, yet they say they were excluded as if someone forced that situation on them?
8. Again, off record, before proceedings commenced, before ICPC were even struck out, the judge also read a letter I wrote to the Chief Judge asking for a date or that the matter be reassigned, this letter mentioned the terms of settlement clearly. The judge read this letter because the judge was not happy that a letter was written to the Chief Judge creating the impression that he did not want to hear the case. I apologised profusely to the judge and I promised writing another letter to the Chief Judge to clear that impression, which I did. (Find both letters attached).
9. ICPC was aware of that terms of settlement.
10. I also personally told their lawyer, Ephraim Otti, Esq., when I went for a meeting in their office on 1st of June, 2020. Even if it is true that the court bailiff failed to serve them, it is not our fault. It is the duty of their lawyer to find out the status of a case and all documents filed before a hearing. That is not my job.
11. ICPC has no powers to sit in their posh offices and decide that a judicial process against them is fraudulent. They have no powers to declare a judgment of a Federal High Court a “mere agreement”. They cannot sit in their office and question the exercise of the judicial powers of a judge. This is an attack on the judiciary. This is a classic case of abuse of power that the NBA talked about in their press release.
12. ICPC said I am being invited as a suspect not a Legal Practitioner that handled a case for a suspect and is still handling a case against them for the same suspect they have in their custody. But do the facts of the case say so? No, they do not.
13. So, why am I a suspect? Reading the statement issued by the ICPC here attached, you will see that I am a suspect because ICPC arrested my client since October, 2019 and released her without charging her to court nor getting an order to forfeit the money in her account to the Federal Government, yet they claim that they knew since October, 2019 that the money is a proceed of crime.
14. I am a suspect because the woman briefed me in February, 2020, almost 4 months later after she was arrested and released by ICPC; I am a suspect because when I was briefed I reasoned that since ICPC has not charged her for over 4 months, maybe the woman is telling the truth that they have nothing against her but some ICPC officers just wanted her to part with some of her money; I am a suspect because I approached the court on behalf of my client to get her account unfrozen.
15. I am a suspect because ICPC claims they did not get served the terms of settlement by a court bailiff who is not under my control; I am a suspect because the ICPC lawyer – who is being paid by tax payers – failed to do his duty to find out about all the processes filed in the court file before a date for hearing; I am a suspect because ICPC did not object to being struck out from the suit; I am a suspect because I got judgment to lift the restriction from my client’s account; I am a suspect because my client transferred money into our law firm client’s account which lawyers are permitted by law to have and hold client’s money; I am a suspect because I carried out my client’s instruction to transfer her money in our law firm’s client account into three accounts she gave me.
16. Read ICPC’s response to the NBA again and you will see that these are the facts they stated therein for why I am a suspect.
17. But am I a suspect in this case? No, I am not. I am a lawyer who represented a client and ICPC do not have the powers to invite nor arrest me without a court order. And I would not be emotionally blackmailed into honouring their illegal invitation just to prove that “I have nothing to hide”. That is how illegality gets institutionalised. I would not be a part of that. Lawyers cannot just be invited nor arrested to breach attorney-client privilege just by tagging them “suspects”. Is the Honourable Judge also a “suspect” for entering the judgment?
18. I have approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, vide an Originating Summons challenging their illegal invitation to me. I will let the court decide. ICPC has been served with the court processes and if they are a law abiding institution, which they ought to be, they will also not take any action until the question of if they have the powers to invite me without a court order is settled in court. (Find attached the Originating Summons).
19. ICPC told a big lie in their statement, paragraph 5, when they stated that the letter of invitation extended to me is not intended to arrest me. This not true. ICPC went to my house and office to post this letter of invitation on the 19th of June, 2020; a day before that, they had already filed an application before an FCT High Court to obtain a remand order for me. (Find attached the letter of invitation and the application they filed in court to get a remand order for me).
20. Their entire prayers and affidavit was intended to mislead the Honourable Court that I was in their custody; this is because they know that a remand order can only be granted when a suspect is in custody. The section of ACJA (section 293) they premised their application on clearly stated thus. Section 294 of ACJA made it abundantly clear that the Court has to examine the reason for the arrest before granting a remand order but they misled the court into granting a remand order, while the court, thought by looking at their affidavit it was actually examining a real reason for an arrest… an arrest which never happened.
21. Section 294 of ACJA made it clear that before a remand order is granted by the court, the court will examine the reason for the arrest and be satisfied that there is reasonable grounds to believe that the suspect has been involved in the commission of the alleged offence. In this case there is absolutely no offence. I simply did my job as a legal practitioner, obtained a valid court judgment for my client, held money in client’s account for my client, carried out client instructions to transfer money and earned my fees. All these are legal.
22. So, when they said it was just an invitation, it is not true. They planned to detain me for 14 days and compel me to breach attorney-client privilege. They had already procured a remand order before they sent out their purported invitation letter. A remand order gotten before arrest is not just illegal but malicious and vindictive. I have also filed a motion before the same court to vacate the said remand order and restrain them from arresting me pending the determination of the originating summons challenging their invitation. This is what you do if you are sure an order of court is illegal: you approach the court to set it aside not arrest the lawyer. (Find my application to quash the said remand order attached).
23. Finally, I see that ICPC is concerned about the press releases I am issuing. They said that in their statement. Well, they should be concerned, because I don’t just issue mere words, I back it up with verifiable documents and hard core evidence. That is why NBA issued that statement in my support, they are not just shielding me, they are shielding the rule of law and the sanctity of the judiciary from the jackboot of those who are bent on trampling upon it.
24. Let ICPC not, also, forget that they came to the media first. For over a week after they rearrested my client and froze all my accounts, I didn’t say anything, I wanted to even go to their office on my own without any invitation, until I found out they had procured an illegal remand order, until they issued a press statement on the 19th of June, 2020. Then I responded on 22nd of June, 2020, I hereby put them on notice that for every press release they issue, I will respond. I must tell my side of the story backed with evidence where a false and misleading position has been put forward by them.
25. I thank the NBA, I thank all lawyers, I thank Nigerians for their immense support. God bless you all.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted an order of interim forfeiture in relation to 46 property including houses and parcels of land suspected to be owned by former Chairperson of the Board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Mrs. Ngozi Juliet Olejeme.
Justice Taiwo granted the order in a ruling on a motion ex-parte, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/538/2020, argued on Tuesday by Ekele Iheanacho, a lawyer with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Taiwo ordered the EFCC to publish the order in a national daily to enable anyone who is interested in the affected property to show cause within 14 days why the assets should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.
The judge fixed July 27 this year as the return date.
The 46 property, listed in documents filed in court, are said to be located in Abuja, Bayelsa and Delta states. The EFCC claimed, in a supporting affidavit, that Olejeme acquired the said property with public funds she allegedly diverted while serving in the NSITF between 2009and 2015.
One of the property is identified as N0: 2 Kainji Crescent, off Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama, Abuja (also known as Plot 738 Cadatral Zone AO5, Maitama, Abuja, the which the EFCC claimed she acquired in 2012 at N1.3billion.
The EFCC alleged that Olejeme acquired the property using funds received as kickbacks from contractors, through third parties.
It stated that “During Mrs. Olejeme’s tenure as aforestated, she collected a cumulative sum of USD $48, 485,127.00 from Chuka Eze (her Account Officer in First Bank Plc), Henry Sambo Ekhasomi (the Director of Finance of NSITF), Aliyu Zubairu (Director of Corporate Affairs -NSITF), Adebayo Aderibigbe and Abubakar Umar.
“The said sum of USD $48, 485,127.00 represents the dollar equivalent of kickbacks paid to BDC (bureau de change) by contractors/consultants of NSITF on Mrs. Olejeme’s instructions as well as payments to the BDC operators directly from NSITF account.
“The personal account of Mrs. Olejeme in First Bank Plc also received a total in-flow of N22, 200,000.00 from Hybrid Investment Advisors Ltd, a contractor to NSITF.
“Excellent Solicitors & Consultants is one of the firms engaged by the NSITF as consultant.
“In the course of time, the firm received over N1,000, 000, 000.00 from the NSITF under the guise of rendering consultancy services, its proprietor Max Ozoaka withdrew the monies and either gave same in cash to Mrs. Olejeme or did transfer to her proxies under her instructions.
“Within the same period, the sum of N5, 984,059,110 was paid by NSITF under the guise of consultancy services to Fountain Legal Services and Fountain Media Consults being the firms owned by Adebayo Adebowale Aderibigbe (a staff of NSITF). “As the said payments were made by the NSITF to his firms’ accounts, Mr. Adebayo Adebowale Aderibigbe gave Mrs. Olejeme a total cash sum of N505,000,000.00 and US$11,488,550.00 in dollars.
“Mrs. Olejeme procured the services of bureau de change operators through Mr. Chuka, who provided the bank accounts of the BDC operators to her.
“Several consultants/contractors to NSITF transferred money to the bank accounts of these BDC operators in naira for Mrs. Olejeme while the dollar equivalent of each naira lodgment would be collected by Mr. Chuka and handed over to Mrs. Olejeme in her house or through bank transfers.
“Mr; Chuka was interviewed on various dates including 23rd August, 2016, 19th December, 2016, 4th April, 2017, 2nd May, 2017, 17th July, 2017 19th December, 2017, 27th December, 2017 and 17th May, 2018 and he consistently narrated the details of the numerous United States dollars he couriered to Mrs. Olejeme as well as other financial dealings he carried out for her.
“The BDC Operators which provided the currency exchange services for Mrs. Olejeme through Mr. Chuka include Majia BDC, Alim BDC and Ashanbrak .BDC.
“In addition to giving the currencies to Mr. Chuka for Mrs. Olejeme, there were occasions where the BDC Operators transferred some of the funds directly to Mrs. Olejeme’s controlled bank accounts.
“For instance Mrs. Olejeme received the sum of N350,000,000.00 from the BDCs into her private company Able Jes Nigeria Ltd’s account in GTBank Plc in two days i.e (29th and 30th April, 2013).
“In fact on 29th April, 2013, only Adamu Musa of Majia BDC made cash deposits into the same account totalling N236,350, 000.00. She (Mrs. Olejeme) is the sole signatory to the said account.
“Mrs. Olejeme used the huge funds referred to in the foregoing paragraphs, which funds did not form part of her lawful income, to acquire property referred to.
“She used third parties in making payments for all the property so as to conceal and or avoid the properties/funds from being easily traced directly to her.
“Mrs. Olejeme hired the services of one Mr. Ifeanyi Njokanma, who is a property manager to purchase and acquire, on her behalf, most of the property,” the EFCC said.
AWKA – Female lawyers in Anambra State have risen against alleged sexual harassment of girls working in an Onitsha-based company by Chinese expatriates working in same company.
The lawyers wondered why a female employee should be terminated without payment of any benefits for refusing sexual advances.
They alleged that the expatriates always entice the girls, adding that anyone that refuses to yield to their intimidation and harassment would be sacked.
A petition to the police written by the lawyers under the aegis of “Stand Up Women Society” was signed by Adaobinna Edozie and Nkolika Ebede, Chairperson and Secretary respectively.
The petition titled “Cases of Sexual Harassment, Human Rights and Labour Violations by the Expatriate Workers” partly reads: “Termination of one’s appointment without any justification and without payment of any benefits, exposure of the young girl to harsh weather with the attendant health risks, are also serious infringement of her fundamental rights.
“We seriously view these issues especially the manner and situation in which they occurred as breaches and harassment of the highest order by these expatriates.
“We hereby pray, that you use your good offices to proper investigate into these atrocities and impunity with the aim of bringing the culprits to book.”
The state Commissioner of Police (CP) John Abang, who confirmed receipt of the petition said: “The matter is under investigation.” (News Express)
EKO HOT BLOG NEWSPaper Trail: How FBI Tracked Hushpuppi, Cohorts Via Their Google, Apple AccountsPublished 10 hours agoon Jul 5, 2020.By Afolabi Hakim FacebookTwitterEmailWhatsAppShare More revelations have begun to emerge concerning the daredevil fraudulent exploits of internet celebrity, Ramon Abbas, better known as Hushpuppi, and his accomplices. Hushpuppi was arrested in Dubai in June but later extradited to the US following a plethora of criminal activities which he allegedly masterminded.
The internet celebrity has been charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering in the United States, he was in court on Friday for commencement of his trial for which he could spend twenty years in prison if convicted.
Following his arrest, many averred that hushpuppi’s flamboyant, opulent lifestyle and his unbridled display of wealth on social media were his undoing and might have contributed significantly to the unravelling of his sharp practices and his subsequent arrest.
But new revelation has shown that there’s more to the uncovering of hushpuppi’s intricate and mind-blowing criminal endeavours than his social media glamour, recent documents from America’s intelligence agency show that painstaking and onerous investigations that involved cracking of encrypted messages were deployed to clip the wing of the cyber carpetbaggers.
According to documents from the office of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which are seen by EkoHotBlog, hushpuppi’s Google and Apple accounts are some of the things that made it easy for the intelligence agency to track him and his Cohorts.
In a document signed by Andrew Innocenti, a special agent of the FBI, three people — Abbas, co-conspirator 1 and co-conspirator 2 — were accused of participating in fraudulent schemes involving hundreds of millions of dollars. According to the FBI, an analysis of the iPhone and online account belonging to co-conspirator 1 showed that messages were exchanged with Hushpuppi, requesting accounts into which funds realised from the money laundering schemes could be sent to. “Based on records from Instagram received in June 2020, the Instagram account was subscribed with the name “RAY,” the email address, [email protected], and the verified phone number +971502818689 (“Phone Number 2”),” the document read. “The Instagram account was created on October 10, 2012, and recent account history from 2020 showed logins from Internet Protocol (“IP”) addresses located in the U.A.E.2 (ABBAS lives in the U.A.E., based on information from his email and social media accounts, financial records, and internet research). “Based on subscriber records from Snap Inc., the Snapchat account “Hushpuppi5” used the phone number +971565505984 (“Phone Number 3”) and the email address [email protected] (i.e., the same email as the Instagram account). “The Snapchat account used the display name “The Billionaire Gucci Master!!!,” which was the same Snapchat contact name saved in Coconspirator 1’s phone for the Snapchat account “Hushpuppi5.” The document also gave details of records from Apple Inc., as well as his Gmail account, which showed invoices, tenancy contract, flight itinerary, Dubai visa, a Nigerian passport, among other documents all directly linked to Abbas. Details of a conversation between the suspects were also divulged.
“On February 12, 2019, Co-conspirator 1 told ABBAS: “Wire is completed… We did it [500k euros]… Should be on ur side by now.” In the ensuing conversation, Co-conspirator 1 reportedly told Abbas that there was only one wire to the account in Romania. “Sender name : tipico group limited. Country : [Foreign Financial Institution Country] Amount : 500k euro… “It’s there now my other crew confirmed it’s there as well.” Later, while trying to confirm whether the wire was successful, co-conspirator 1 was said to have added: “They did me 3 wires (2 to euro 1 to USA)… Bank it came from is :[Foreign Financial Institution]. The document added that the sender wrote: “Brother, we still have access and they didn’t realize, we gonna shoot again tomoro am.”
The criminal complaint filed against Abbas is published here
ne of the major reasons why the Central Bank of Nigeria has prevented financial institutions in the country from paying United States dollars to persons receiving money from friends and family members based overseas has been uncovered.
The CBN, it was gathered, was warehousing the dollar component of remittances in foreign banks, thereby making it impossible for the naira to appreciate against the dollar in the foreign exchange market.
Blowing the lid off this seeming goldmine for the CBN leadership, the Femi Falana chambers through Mrs Funmi Falana on February 10, 2020 wrote to the apex bank, demanding to know the accurate remittances for 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively.
This request, according to the law firm, became necessary after it was discovered that the CBN had quoted a misleading figure in order to downplay the volume of money sent home by Nigerians in the Diaspora.
For instance, in February 2019, the Nigerian Government disclosed that the remittances received in the country in 2016, 2017 and 2018 were $19.6bn, $22bn and $25bn respectively.
However, the management of the Central Bank of Nigeria faulted the figures, going ahead to claim before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Diaspora that contrary to the World Bank’s report, the official financial inflow was $2.6bn for 2018.
Therefore, to the clear the air on the matter, Falana chambers in the letter to the CBN said, “At the 2019 National Diaspora Day held at Abuja in July 2019, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, revealed that the remittances received by Nigeria stood at $19.6bn, $22bn and $25bn in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
“According to Mr Mustapha, ‘The money is currently utilised as social security funds to families (school fees, feeding allowances, hospital bills and so on). Some of it is invested in housing and estate development, hospital projects, schools and commercial enterprises but are not properly documented and analysed for impact.’
“Springing from the above statement from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, we request to be furnished with the official figures of remittances received by Nigeria from the Diaspora for 2016, 2017 and 2018.
“Please be informed that this request is anchored on the Freedom of Information Act, 2010.”
But in a response to the request on June 29, 2020, more than four months after the seven days required by law for FoI requests to be responded to, the CBN in a letter signed by its Director of Corporate Secretariat, Mrs C.E Olonta, said it could not respond because the information sought was already on its website.
Further findings by SaharaReporters revealed that even though all remittances are recorded by the CBN on a daily basis, the management has refused to disclose the real figures.
“It is pertinent to let the public know that apart from hiding the fact that revenue from remittances are far more than oil revenue, all foreign aids and Foreign Direct Investment, the CBN wants to continue to sabotage the national economy through dubious regulations and that was why it banned banks and other foreign exchange dealers from paying foreign currencies to recipients of foreign remittances.
“Thus, by warehousing the dollar component of remittances in foreign banks, the CBN has made it impossible for the naira to appreciate against the dollar in the foreign exchange market.
“In view of the decision of the Federal Government to mobilise the huge diaspora remittances to serve as a catalyst for economic development in line with the provisions of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Act, the CBN should be restrained from hoarding information on the money sent to the country by Nigerians living abroad,” a financial expert with deep knowledge of the fraud going on in the apex revealed.
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