President Muhammadu Buhari

Charter airlines operating in Nigeria have been losing at least half a billion naira monthly since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power and started his anti-corruption crusade, findings by Saturday PUNCH have shown.

In the last four months, investigation reveal that 10 charter airlines have lost a combined revenue of $10.395m (N2.048bn).

Subsequently, some of the charter airlines, which used to enjoy the robust patronage of serving and non-serving top government officials, cronies and contractors, are now at the verge of closing shops following a sharp drop in business turnovers.

Sources in the charter airline sub-sector of the country’s aviation industry disclosed to our correspondent under the condition of anonymity that Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign had made most of their clients to boycott flying charter jets.

It was further learnt that serving governors, politicians, immediate past ministers, ex-presidential advisers, top government contractors including subsidy scheme beneficiaries and top civil servants, who used to charter airlines, had all stopped flying private jets.

Findings also revealed that associates of these serving and non-serving government officials, and their associates and family members, both close and distant, had also stopped renting private jets, a usual practice in the past.

A director in one of the aviation agencies who is close to charter jet operators at the Lagos airport, said, “Immediately Buhari took over, charter jet business started witnessing a gradual decline. But it became very worse when Buhari started the anti-corruption crusade.

“The fear of probe by the new government made most of our clients to run away. You know most of our clients are serving and non-serving top government officials, top government contractors and subsidy scheme beneficiaries.”

The CEO of one of the top local charter companies, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, also confirmed the development.

He said most operators were already returning some of the planes they leased from foreign leasing companies following the development.

He said, “The charter businesses have all been affected so badly, I used to do an average of 50 hours in a month. And this is the average for most of us the main operators. Now, I hardly do 10 hours in a month, it’s that bad.”

“I do about 60 hours per month at my peak, and about 43 hours per month at periods before the emergence of the new administration,” he added.

According to him, the condition has made some operators to return planes leased from foreign leasing companies in South Africa and United States back to them.

“Many of us (charter airlines) could not afford lease rentals (fees operators pay on planes to their owners) anymore because businesses are down, I mean virtually down completely.

“The law allows us to lease aircraft that because Nigeria has domesticated the Cape Town Convention. That was even the reason they released the planes to Nigerian operators in the first place.”

Following the downturn in business, he said each operator had returned between one and four aircraft to their owners overseas depending on the number of planes they leased from them.

Findings by our correspondent show that there are about 10 licensed charter airlines operators in Nigeria.

These are Austria-based Vistajets, United Kingdom-based Hanger 8 Aviation, Top Brass Aviation, Skyjet Airlines, Jed Air, Overland Airways, SkyPower Express, Arik Air, King Air and Associated Airlines.

However, there are still a number of charter flights operated by some helicopter companies which also have one or two private jets for charter in their fleet.

Also, there are still a number of companies which do charter under the licences of some of the licensed charter operators.

Further findings from government agencies and chief executive officers of some charter airlines showed that each of the main operators made an average of 50 hours per month before Buhari took over and began the anti-corruption crusade.

Specifically, charter airline operations ranged from 35 to 65 hours per month before the advent of the Buhari administration. This may come from an average of about three or four flights per week with each flight lasting for about two to three hours on the average.

According to the CEOs, the charter airlines charge between $5,000 and $8,000 per hour for the flights or services.

However, businesses have become so bad that most operators do between five hours and 20 hours a month, according to some CEOs who spoke to our correspondent under the condition of anonymity.

Using an average fee of $6,500 per hour and an average of 50 hours per month for each operator, It means that the 10 licensed charter airlines were generating a revenue of $3.25m (N640.25m) every month before the emergence of Buhari.

However, with the downturn in business, it means using an average of 10 hours per month for each operator, the 10 licensed operators are now making approximately $650,000 (N128.05m) every month.

This means that the charter airlines are losing about $2.6m (N512m) in revenue every month with the sharp decline in their business.

This means that between May and September, charter airlines have lost about $10.4m (N2.048bn) in revenue.

The development has made some charter airlines to begin sacking some of their employees.

It was authoritatively gathered that Vistajets had sacked some of its employees in the aftermath of the sharp drop in its business.

Early last year, it was reported that the immediate past Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Alison Madueke, allegedly flew Vistajets for several months and accumulated huge sums of bills that could almost reach half of the amount a private jet is sold.

Vistajets, which parades some of the best upscale and almost brand new Bombardier jets in its fleets, enjoys perhaps the best patronage prior to the downturn in the charter business market.

The Austria-based charter airlines, which used to have about five private jets deployed in Nigeria during the peak of business, had reduced it to just two with only one being in active service, according to a government official close to the company.

The official said a number of workers were laid off after the company redeployed some of its aircraft to other African countries.

The Vistajets’ representative in Nigeria, Mr. Kola Aluko, could not be reached for comments. Calls and text messages sent to his telephone line did not go through.

The CEO of Skypower Express, one of the charter airlines, Capt. Joji Muhammed, said the downturn in the charter business market could be linked to several factors including the downturn in the economy and the fact that elections were over.

Joji, who confirmed that some operators had returned their aircraft overseas, said when planes were no more in use due to low business, it was normal that they would be taken away.

An aviation industry analyst and Chief Executive Officer, Group Captain John Ojikutu (retd), said Buhari needed to investigate those who had used government funds and corrupt money to fly or buy private jets.

He said it was obvious that most of the people who used to fly private jets got the money through corrupt means.

“All the government contractors, ex-government officials must all be investigated; they have stopped because a new government that is interested in seeing how people spend money is in power.”

Industry watcher and CEO, Finum Aviation, an aviation consultancy firm, Mr. Sheri Kyari, said, “People who used to display wealth are no more doing so because they don’t know what will happen next. This is why the charter business market is down. Except there is an economic boom, the charter market may not recover too soon.”

Saturday PUNCH also learnt that some top government officials and beneficiaries of oil subsidy scheme who bought private jets were selling them for fear of being probed.

Some who did not sell them were said to be hiding them in foreign countries. It was gathered that those who leased private jets directly from foreign companies for their private flying had returned them.

An aviation industry analyst and member of the Aviation Round Table, an industry pressure group, Mr. Olumide Ohunayo, said the growth and boom the charter airline sub-sector experienced before the emergence of Buhari was funded by stolen and excess government funds.

He said, “Things have not been done properly in the charter airline sector. For instance, a lot of the operators are not paying taxes. We have some people also offering illegal charter services. You saw how the NCAA recently impounded two foreign planes for doing illegal charter services in Nigeria. Now, a new sheriff is in town and the fear of the new sheriff has slowed down activities in that sector.

“We have come to the time when everybody has to account for their actions and inactions. Before now, you see ministers and top government officials flying private jets and forcing government agencies to foot the bill. That is no longer happening now because all the top civil servants are afraid of Buhari’s probe.”

Ohunayo further explained that. “We used to see a situation where some top government people, their family members or cronies will charter private jet to Dubai or South Africa on a Friday to relax and come back on a Monday. That can no longer happen again so the sector must experience the lull. People must account for things and the fear of probe is making many people to run away now even though they still have the money.”

Industry watcher and former Assistant General Secretary, Airlines Operators of Nigeria, Alhaji Tukur Muhammed, said many top Nigerians with links in government who used to fly private jets now fly business class in commercial planes. He noted that the development had made commercial airlines to be making good revenue in their premium classes.

Muhammed said, “People are being forced to change their lifestyles. Come and see the business class cabin of First Nation, Aero contractor and other airlines on the Lagos-Abuja route now, you see the big names that used to fly charter jets there. The fear of Buhari has made everyone to change their lifestyles. I think it is good for the country. However, people who stole money must account for it.

“For the charter airline market, we will start facing the reality now. Private jet is not for everyone. It is for those few who can afford it, and not those who stole government money.”

Senate President, Bukola Saraki

There were indications on Friday that members of the Senate Unity Forum had started wooing senators loyal to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki.

Saturday PUNCH reliably gathered that the move was part of fresh efforts to change the leadership of the Senate.

The group comprises senators, who were opposed to the emergence of Saraki as senate president.

It was learnt that the SUF members, who contacted the pro-Saraki senators, hinged their argument on the ongoing trial of the Senate President at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

It was gathered that the group might have succeeded in securing the support of 12 pro-Saraki senators, mainly the Peoples Democratic Party members.

Investigations showed that the anti-Saraki group sought the support of the senate president’s loyalists because it had become obvious that the senate president could not be removed without the support of some senators that were sympathetic to him.

At the inauguration of the Senate on June 6, 57 out of 109 senators were reported to have voted for Saraki.

However, members of the SUF, who were supporting Senator Ahmed Lawan were at a meeting with the party leaders when the election was held.

Investigations revealed that some of the senators who supported Lawan’s bid had allegedly met with some All Progressives Congress leaders on the need to remove Saraki.

It was gathered that they started meeting with the leaders shortly after the Senate went on recess.

Specifically, a member of the group, who spoke with our correspondents on conditions of anonymity, explained that series of meetings had been held with APC leaders like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and Chief Bisi Akande.

A member of the group from the South-West geopolitical zone, who also craved anonymity, confirmed to one of our correspondents that the SUF members had started reaching out to their colleagues who had joined the camp of Saraki.

He expressed optimism that the group would be able to muster enough support from other senators to get the required 73 members needed to oust the senate president.

He said, “We know that getting the required figure to carry out an impeachment at the moment would be a herculean task but honestly we hope to achieve it very soon. Already there has been a serious move to get our former party members who are with Saraki now back to our camp.

“I can also confirm to you that we have the support of about 12 Peoples Democratic Party senators who are ready to support any move against Saraki. Don’t forget that some ranking PDP senators are still aggrieved over the emergence of freshers as their principal officers.”

Further checks by one of our correspondents also revealed that some of the APC leaders who met with the SUF members had asked the anti – Saraki senators to work on some influential PDP senators who could get their colleagues to support their course.

A source said, “I am not in Abuja now, we shall resume on Monday. I don’t have specific information at the moment but what I can assure you of is that our leaders have said that it is fight to finish.

“We learnt that the like minds senators are already working on some of their supporters in the PDP camp to reject the ministerial list by refusing to screen them but we are also ready for them. I won’t disclose our strategy for now.”

One of our correspondents further learnt that the SUF were also working on a political solution to execute its agenda since it would be difficult for its members to dangle financial inducements to their colleagues because of the anti – corruption posture of the Buhari administration.

One of them confided in one of our correspondents that Saraki might want to save his face from the impending embarrassment at the end of the CCT trial by opting to step aside.

He said, “We know that he might want to give conditions like a settlement of his CCT case out of court, withdrawing of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission charges against his wife and an end to his former manager’s trial for alleged fraud at the Société Générale Bank. We could help him in this regard to have a soft landing and avoid disgrace. “

Senate spokesperson, who is also a die-hard supporter of Saraki, Senator Dino Melaye, did not pick his call when contacted for comments on Thursday

Also efforts to get reaction of the SUF’s spokesperson, Senator Kabiru Marafa, did not succeed as calls to his mobile telephone did not go through.

Also some senators contacted across the two camps, declined official comments but a PDP senator from the South-South geopolitical zone, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “We are watching events as they unfold. I won’t say more than that.”

The source explained off the record that since the trial of the senate president centered on corrupt enrichment as a public officer, the SUF would appeal to the conscience of Nigerians and the international community to prevail on Saraki to step aside and clear himself of the allegations preferred against him by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Part of the strategy, the source added, would include sponsoring of a motion by a member of the group to draw the attention of the red chamber to the trial of Saraki and plead with him to safe himself from unnecessary distraction by stepping aside for adequate concentration at the tribunal.

He said, “Nigerians should not see the on-going trial of the senate president as a witch-hunt, rather, they should rather try and find out whether it was true that he included a multi – million dollar property he bought in 2006 as part of his assets as of 2003.

“We should stop playing politics with everything in this country. The mantra of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is anti – corruption and it will not be proper to have a morally deficient person presiding over the affairs of the legislature being a critical arm of government.

“The prosecution counsel had promised to shock Nigerians with the revelations of witnesses who had testified against the senate president at the CCT. The implication of this is that all the charges were not fabricated or invented to spite him. He should therefore go and face his trial. “

Attempts to get the reactions of the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed as well as that of the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, were unsuccessful.

The National Chairman of the party could not be reached as calls to his mobile telephone indicated that it was switched off.

Repeated calls to the mobile telephone numbers of Mohammed and Tinubu’s Spokesperson, Mr. Sunday Dare, were neither picked nor returned.

A response to text messages sent to them was still being awaited as of the time of filing this report at 8:45pm.

A pro-Saraki senator confided in one of our correspondents that the seat of the Senate President was not threatened because the Code of Conduct Tribunal had no jurisdiction to try Senator Bukola Saraki for any criminal offence.

He said, “The idea that members of the SUF are reaching out to pro-Saraki senators in the senate does not arise because majority of the members of the upper chamber had freely elected their presiding officers and would not be in a hurry to remove them because of any politically motivated trial by a tribunal which lacks jurisdiction to do so.

“Nobody can impeach or arrest the Senate President, and the lawyers are there to argue out the competence or otherwise of the CCT to try the case preferred against him. More than 80 senators had signed a document with which they unanimously passed a vote of confidence on their president.

“No senator had approached any of us on any issue of impeachment because they know the answer already. They cannot get 73 senators to impeach the Senate President. They are playing games and we are also ready for them. “

Attempts to speak with Senators Dino Melaye, Eyinnaya Abaribe, Hope Uzodinma, James Manager, Mao Ohuabunwa, Ali Ndume, and Bala Ibn Na’Allah, to get their views on the development failed as they neither picked their calls not react to text messages sent to them.

The phone of the Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, was also switched off when one of our correspondents dialed his number on Friday evening.

Policemen on patrol

It was a public holiday they all looked forward to. And as the weeks faded into days, they prepared themselves, packed their bags, prepared enough edible items that could last them for the duration of their journey.

Fortunately for the Ayanfes, the holiday was a Thursday, which marked the beginning of a long weekend, hence, they converted their trip from mere family treat to a vacation, which was to run from Thursday to Sunday. They had their plans well laid out and they had really prepared for it, both psychologically and financially.

Eventually, the day they had all been waiting for came. At about 10am, they left their house in Orisunbare, in Shasha, Akowonjo Local Government Area of Lagos State, and were heading to a resort centre in Osun State. With a slow music in the background, the Ayanfes traded comic banters, cracked jokes and revelled in the loving atmosphere.

They all appeared to be in a good mood, having been deprived of such a quality family time in the past because of work. While the man, Gbenga, took the position of the driver, his wife, Esther, sat beside him while their two children rolled from one side to the other on the back seat, playing and wishing they could get to their destination in less than no time.

But that joyful moment was soon cut short when they were stopped by some policemen from the Shasha police station in Afonka Sreet, at an illegal checkpoint along the Shasha – Orisunbare Road. It was an unpleasant experience that they would likely not forget in a hurry. Not only did they spend their vacation at the police station, they went back home with pockets of frustration and anger.

According to Mr. Ayanfe, what started as a friendly chat between them and the policemen soon snowballed into an argument. He explained that one of the policemen walked up to the car and asked for everything he could possibly ask for, which he produced. Trouble started when he was asked to produce the receipt of his number plate.

“I gave him everything he wanted but I was surprised when he asked me to produce the receipt of my number plate. I felt it was a joke, so I even teased him, saying ‘Oga how do you want me to get the receipt of a number plate that I have been using for years?’ Besides, there is no special receipt for number plate. It comes with other documents from the Road Safety office. But he got angry. In fact, he slammed the butt of his gun on my bonnet and said I should come out. At that point, my little girl started crying, because of the way they held their guns.

“My brother, it was like a dream. For God’s sake, where was I to get the receipt of my number plate? It was even the old number plate which I had been using since I bought the car about three years earlier. I didn’t know what to say. One of his colleagues came around and asked what was happening. I was shocked when he told the other man that I was rude to him and that I said he didn’t know his job. I was shocked. My brother, I was lost. I screamed, and reminded him he was lying against me. I was even trying to explain to the other policeman but he told him to take me to the station.”

Still confused and not knowing what to do, Ayanfe recalled that he brought out his identity card to show that he is a responsible citizen, but his explanations fell into their deaf ears. Knowing the journey ahead of him, he said he came out of the vehicle and requested to meet their boss, who was seated in a blue van with no number plate.

He said his surprise took a new dimension when the boss said he should go and clear himself with those he had problem with or they should go to the station to settle it.

“At that point, I knew there was trouble because I have always known that police station is the worst place to go to in Nigeria. They make people miserable there because it’s their terrain.

“In spite of all the persuasion, they insisted that we should go to the station. So, one of them ordered my wife to go and sit at the back while he would sit in front. Initially, she objected, but this policeman said he would deal with her if she didn’t oblige. I had to plead with her to go and sit at the back, because they were brandishing their guns as if they were ready to shoot. So, we went to their station at Afonka.”

Ayanfe explained that their ordeal in the hands of the policemen at Afonka, Shasha, took a turn for the worst when they got to the station and they deflated the car tyres and he was told to write a statement on why he was driving a “stolen car.”

If not for the intervention of Ayanfe’s friend, a lawyer, whom he had to call to rescue him, he said he could have spent the night at the station, even though he left the place around 6pm. “They delayed us and told us to either produce the receipt or stay till someone would come and bail us,” he explained.

Not only did the Ayanfes miss their anticipated vacation, they went back home deflated, sad and discomfited.

Ayanfe’s story is just a brief reflection of what residents of Shasha, Egbeda and Ikotun areas of Alimosho Local Government said the policemen from the Afonka police station have been subjecting motorists and okada riders in these areas to.

Some residents pointed out that instead of harassing innocent victims to make money, these policemen should rather invest their energies in tackling the numerous criminal activities in the area. Some of them even pointed out that a policeman in the division had been tagged ‘I’ll shoot you’ because he was always threatening to shoot anybody who disobeys his orders or tries to claim to know his or her rights.

Some road users who spoke to our correspondent maintained that the policemen from the Afonka division had become “notorious and brazen” in the way they harass citizens, especially motorists and okada riders.

A commercial driver, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of being harassed, lamented that there was a limit to the extent to which people in the area could defend their basic rights because of the way the policemen brandish their guns and threaten people.

They added that they would rather go through the suffering, delays and even part with money than lose their lives, considering the increasing rate of accidental discharge or extra-judicial killings by policemen.

The Ayanfes could have missed a vacation for falling into the trap of the Shasha policemen, but beyond the appointment that Mrs. Nwaoji Beatrice missed occasioned by her encounter with these policemen, she got a query and three days suspension from her boss at her place of work.

Beatrice recalled that she was to join her boss for a meeting with some guests somewhere on Lagos Island, hence, she said she left her house early enough and headed for the Island. According to her, the appointment was slated for 12pm, but because of traffic congestion and any unforeseen issues, she left the house around 9am.

She said, “It was an all-important meeting, so I left my house at Idimu around 9am. I knew I would not be late even if there was traffic. But when I got to Egbeda, I met these policemen. They were about five. They all raised up their guns and told me to pull over. I was scared. It was a narrow road, and there was a little space to my left, so I just had to quickly swerve, because it was close to a corner and I didn’t see them on time.

“While I was trying to pull over carefully so as not to end up in the gutter, one of them shouted at me to answer them before they would deal with me. I was surprised they were that hostile. When he came to me, he said, ‘madam wetin dey worry you na. You no wan park abi, you think say na play we dey play here? I was surprised at such a foul language.

“I challenged him to talk to me with respect but the situation got even worse. He asked for my papers, which I gave him. And then he asked for my driving licence, I gave him the photocopy that I had. He rejected it and said he needed to see the original.”

Beatrice explained that in spite of her pleas and the explanation that she had a meeting Lagos Island, he insisted on seeing the original licence. She added that the policeman, assisted by some of his colleagues, told her to either go back home or call someone to bring it for her.

“I was confused and I knew there was no time to waste. Then, he told me we should go to the station if I was undecided. He told me to open the door but I refused. But when he pointed his gun at me, I had to open it. He said I should settle but I had just N5,250 on me. I offered him N4,000 but he said he would collect not less than N10,000. I didn’t have that kind of money to waste and I didn’t even have it at that time, so I had to call someone at Ikotun to go to my house, meet my house help and bring the licence for me.

“It took some time before the person brought it, so, I left there around 11am. I called my boss but he didn’t pick. Eventually, I was late to the meeting and my boss didn’t take it lightly with me.”

These and many more examples give an insight into the activities of what has become a norm in the Nigeria Police. While armed robbers, cultists, land grabbers and ritualists perpetrate their criminal activities and put the people under intense fear, those who are paid to protect them seem to have added theirs to the whole debacle.

Mr. Niran Komolafe would not mind sharing how he spent several hours at this same Afonka police station for claiming his rights. It was on a Friday evening while he and his wife were on their way to a programme. Akomolafe said the policemen stopped them somewhere in Shasha and because he didn’t feel safe, more so that the policemen wore sweaters, covering their names and identity numbers, he was reluctant to stop.

Due to his reluctance, he said one of the policemen pointed his hand to his head, indicating that something must be wrong with his head.

“The signal was that my head is not correct, which he didn’t hide. I took an exception to being insulted. So, I stopped, pulled over and asked what he meant by that. He asked if I wanted to beat him. He then said he would deal with me. So, he asked for my proof of ownership, and I challenged him to lift his sweater so I could see his name and number. He flared up and called me names. He wanted to open the rear door so he could enter my car, but I locked the door. My wife even tried to talk to me but he told her to shut her mouth, saying, “in their village, women don’t talk when men are talking.” And these are people with guns.

“It was getting late, so I called one of my friends in the Force who wanted to talk to him but he refused to take the phone from me. Eventually, they took me to their station at Afonka, where they delayed me for about two hours before one of their senior officers asked for my proof of ownership of the car, which I showed him, and told me to go.

“I even tried the number of the Divisional Police Officer written on the board but the number was not available. Sometimes, I wonder if the police hierarchy has lost a firm grip of its men, because they would even tell you that if you like you could call the Inspector General of Police and that nothing would happen.”

These and many other frustrations are what Nigerians, especially motorists go through in the hands of policemen who are paid to protect lives and security on daily basis. Motorists and okada riders in the area confided in Saturday Punch that they sometimes live under the fear of harassment by these officers. And because of the killings by policemen here and there, they said they could not challenge them or claim to be acting on their rights.

“One of them even told me that ‘who tell you say you get right. C’mmon, start the engine and drive to the station,’” a motorist who operates in the Shasha and Akowonjo area told our correspondent.

The motorist added, “I was once their victim. They stopped me and asked for everything you can imagine. Eventually, they said I didn’t have the reflective sticker. And I had but it has bleached. I had to part with some money so they wouldn’t take me to their station, because that would be the worst.”

Also, an okada rider told Saturday Punch that going to their station was the worst thing that could happen to anybody because of their brutality.

When our correspondent visited the police station during the week, it was not a fancy site to behold. In fact, it looked like a den, filled with fierce-looking policemen. While some roamed about with their guns on their shoulders, some sat under the tree, all looking very intimidating.

There were some persons hanging around the station, standing in their twos and threes, all wearing a sad look, while some others sat inside a makeshift waiting room in the premises. Findings showed that unlawful arrests and detention are few of the activities that go on in the station.

At intervals, some people would come in a bid to bail their relatives, and while some would go back home happy, others would go back frustrated. In fact, when our correspondent entered the station, the way some complainants were being attended to by the officers on duty gave some impression of their hostility.

Our correspondent gathered from a source that one of those in the cell was being detained because his motorcycle, which was on hire purchase, was stolen, and that he had since been detained even when the owner said he had forgiven him.

The source said, “In fact, the boy who rides the okada came to report the case at the station by himself that the motorcycle was stolen, but he ended up being locked up. When the owner of the motorcycle was called, he said he wasn’t interested in any case and that he had let go. The owner even promised to buy another one but the police are saying that the family of the boy should come and bail him. The money is what the family of the boy is looking for at the moment. If he had known the owner would forgive him, he wouldn’t have gone to the police to report.”

Notably, this kind of experience is what obtains in many other locations and police divisions across the country. While policemen are paid from taxpayers’ money to protect their lives and properties, findings showed that some of these men have swapped this national assignment with something else, geared towards putting citizens under pressure, intimidation and fear.

In some other climes, the appearance of a policeman or the patrol vehicle gives comfort and a sense of cover to residents, but in Nigeria, especially in recent times, some people have said that sighting policemen unsettles them and puts them under fear of imminent brutality or attack.

“It is either they drive you off the road with their rickety vehicles and sirens, or they extort, harass and intimidate you, or they take you to their station and come up with false allegations, not to even talk of the scourge of accidental discharge,” a resident of Shasha told our correspondent.

Even though the IGP, Mr. Solomon Arase, has banned checkpoints on roads, the policemen seem to have converted the stop and search strategy to a money-making venture and a golden opportunity to harass people. From Gowon, Pen Cinema, to Ikeja, these are very evident, as observed by our correspondent.

When confronted with the allegations of activities of the men in his division, the Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Sirajo Salisu, who was initially reluctant to comment on the issue “because only the PPRO talks to the press,” said anyone who was being harassed by any of the policemen from his division should call him to complain.

He explained that he had just been transferred to the station and that since he came he had been making efforts to ensure there was discipline.

He pointed out that it was not impossible for some other officers from different formations to operate within his jurisdiction without his knowledge.

“Anyone who is being harassed should copy my number on the board and call me. I’m always available. The Police Public Relations Officer is in charge of matters relating to the press. He will speak to you,” he added.

Also, the PPRO, Lagos State Command, Mr. Joe Offor, said he would investigate the matter and get back to our correspondent which he had yet to do as of press time.

Lecturers in higher institutions owned by Osun State have said they would not resume classes against the announcement made on radio that they should resume on next Monday.
The lecturers under the aegis of the Council of Academic Staff Unions of Osun State-Owned Tertiary Institutions in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Friday said they would not allow the state government to coerce them to resume without addressing the issues which caused the strike.
The statement was jointly issued by the CASUOSTI Chairman, Lasisi Jimoh; secretary, Olusegun Lana; Chairman Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, Iree, Dotun Omisore; ASUP chairman, Esa Oke, Adesola Akande; COEASU Ila-Orangun Chairman, Segun Onifade and COEASU Ilesa Chairman, Oladele Ojo.
The secretary of the CASUOSTO said Governor Rauf Aregbesola had only paid them one month salary out of nine months despite the release of N34.988bn to the state for that purpose. They stated that the government had paid three months salaries to other categories of workers but left them out.
The statement read, “We find this announcement very violent, ridiculous, malicious, lawless and ill-advised. It is the most unexpected response to the peaceful and lawful demand for our legitimate rights from a democratic Government installed by the Rule of Law.
“The ongoing strike by the entire academic staff Unions in Osun State-owned Polytechnics and Colleges of Education is a duly declared “dispute of right” that began on 11th June, 2015, after a five-month long warning strike, two-day per week and all other efforts to make the State Government to honour existing collective agreements and resolve festering issues failed.
“Unfortunately, Government has not deemed it fit to open dialogue or make any lawful attempt to address the festering issues up till now, contrary to the impression of ongoing negotiations falsely made on the generality of the students.
“Withholding our salaries under any guise will not work just as any other form of intimidation and coercion has never worked and will never work in addressing legitimate industrial agitation of informed trade unions like ours

The European Union’s diplomatic chief and Iran’s foreign minister met Saturday in New York to discuss the war in Syria ahead of a UN push for peace talks.
A key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, Iran has been kept out of UN diplomatic efforts to end the four-year war that has killed more than 240,000 people.
EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif “underlined the need to bring the war in Syria, which has caused so much suffering, to an end,” said an EU statement.
“They expressed their readiness to cooperate within UN-led efforts and exchanged views on how to contribute to that end,” it added.
US Secretary of State John Kerry is also due to meet with Zarif on Saturday in New York as is Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday.
The United Nations had hoped to get a new round of peace talks off the ground this month, but Russia’s military build-up in Syria threw a spanner in the works.
The UN peace talks led by envoy Staffan de Mistura would be coupled with the creation of an international contact group that would for the first time include Iran, but Saudi Arabia opposes the plan.
A flurry of meetings on the sidelines of this year’s UN General Assembly meeting will seek to forge a new consensus on the way forward in Syria where fighting has driven four million people from their homes.
US President Barack Obama will sit down with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday for talks that could prove crucial in charting the way forward.
The foreign ministers of the five permanent Security Council members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — will meet Tuesday with De Mistura and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Russia — which along with Iran is one of the few remaining backers of the Damascus regime — has sent troops and warplanes to Syria along with fresh arms supplies to Assad’s forces.
Moscow wants the West and Arab countries to cooperate in the fight against the Islamic State jihadists that have seized swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria.
But the West maintains that there can be no cooperation with the Assad regime, which they argue has killed more civilians in the war than the jihadists.

President Muhammadu Buhari has welcomed Friday’s announcement by the World Health Organisation that polio is no longer endemic in Nigeria.
The President’s reaction to the development was contained in a statement on Saturday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina.
The president expressed delight over the announcement, which followed the absence of any case of the wild polio virus in Nigeria since July 24, 2014.
He applauded the concerted efforts of government officials, health workers, volunteer groups, civil society, religious leaders, traditional rulers and international partners, which resulted in this historic achievement.
Buhari, who joined other Nigerians and the global community in celebrating Nigeria’s removal from the list of polio-endemic countries, urged continued vigilance to ensure that “Nigeria maintains this new status.”
The President directed all government ministries, departments and agencies involved in the polio eradication effort, to remain proactively engaged and on guard against the re-emergence of the polio virus in Nigeria.
He assured the WHO and the global community that the Federal Government would ensure that immunisation and surveillance activities continued across Nigeria, to keep the country polio-free

The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, on Saturday described as an offence against God the disruption of the Eid-el-Kabir prayer at the Ilorin Eid ground on Thursday.
Sulu-Gambari, who is the Chairman, Kwara State Council of Chiefs, spoke when he paid the annual Eid-el-Kabir visit to the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, in Ilorin.
Some protesters reportedly  threw sachet water, stones and other objects at dignitaries, including Senate President Bukola Saraki and the emir among others during the Sallah prayer on Thursday.
The Emir said the attempts by the miscreants to defile the sanctity of the place of worship and deny Muslims their right of worship were condemnable and a possible invitation of the wrath of Allah, whose abode, he noted the the miscreants invaded.
The monarch added that the development was despicable and unfortunate.
Sulu-Gambari urged parents to train their children not to tarnish the good image of Ilorin Emirate and Kwara State as a peace loving and united entities.
Ahmed, in his response, said despite that the September federal allocation had not been received, his administration had paid the state civil servants and facilitated loan for local government areas to offset local government workers’ salaries.

Sani Usman

The Nigerian Army has said that more than 200 insurgents have surrendered to the military following the capture of the strategic town of Banki along the nation’s border with Cameroun on Thursday.

Banki is famous as the centre of a growing international trade between Nigeria, Cameroun and other countries of the Central Africa.

The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, said in a short text message that the insurgents surrendered to the troops in Banki on Sallah day.

“Over 200 Boko Haram terrorists have just surrendered to our troops in Banki.” He said

The Acting Army Spokesman, who described the development as unprecedented, said that the insurgents had run out of ammunition and other logistics and were in disarray.

He attributed the victory and its fallout to a renewed vigour on the part of the military, the government and the citizenry in the fight against the terrorists.

He said, “I can tell you that the figure is more than 200 and this is quite unprecedented. This is in line with what we have been saying that the Boko Haram terrorists have run out of ammunition and other logistic supplies.”

Usman had said in a late night statement on Thursday that the troops who captured Banki also destroyed seven Boko Haram camps, in addition to detonating seven Explosive Devices in the town.

Speaking to journalists in Maiduguri on Friday at an interactive session, the Theatre Commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole (Peace is a Must) in the North East, Maj.-Gen. Yusha’u Mahmud Abubakar, confirmed the development.

He said most of the areas that were hitherto in the hands of the insurgents can now be occupied by members of the public.

Abubakar said, “We have started sending our engineers to repair all the destroyed bridges. Already our engineers have started reconstructing the destroyed bridges along Gamboru-Ngala- Maiduguri, Gombi- Garkida- Biu Roads among others and very soon, the menace of Boko Haram will be over.

“But this can never be achieved without the full cooperation of the media and the general public.”

The Army chief further revealed that a major disaster was averted in Maiduguri during the Sallah as a suspected terrorist, who had allegedly planned to plant a bomb in a mosque, was apprehended on the eve of Eid-el-Kabir.

He said the suspect was undergoing interrogation and helping the security agencies with vital information that would assist in arresting those responsible for Sunday’s multiple attacks on Maiduguri, in which 54 persons were confirmed dead.

There are indications that politicians in the country have begun to lobby the Code of Conduct Bureau in a bid to amend some of the information in the asset declaration forms that they had earlier submitted.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the development is because of fear of arrest as this is coming in the light of the ongoing trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged false declaration of assets.

Investigation by Saturday PUNCH showed that state CCB offices have become busier following Saraki’s ordeal at the CCT, but sources told our correspondents that it was too late for politicians to change the information they had earlier given to the bureau.

For instance, sources in the CCB office in Delta State disclosed that some politicians, including senators and members of the House of Representatives, have been lobbying officials of the bureau to grant them permission to amend the asset declaration forms they had submitted.

According to the source, politicians in the state had until now taken the exercise for granted, believing that they could never be prosecuted over it.

The source said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption stance and the trial of Saraki at the CCT seemed to have jolted the politicians.

Confirming that politicians have begun lobbying CCB officials, the source, who did not want to be named, added that officials of the bureau have recently had to take their security more seriously as a result of the fresh attention drawn to it by Saraki’s prosecution.

The source said, “The Saraki trial has caused politicians to become jittery. They have been gripped by fear of arrest because of the recent political events and some of them have been secretly visiting our offices to lobby some of us. They include senators and members of the House of Representatives.

“Some of the politicians that have been coming are highly placed. Before now, they took everything for granted, knowing that they are in the same party with the government at the centre. With the recent developments, many of them are now rushing to amend the information given on their asset declaration forms.

“They say there might be errors in their forms and that they are willing to make the necessary adjustments.”

Our correspondents also learnt that politicians in Ondo State have been approaching officials of CCB to assist them in amending the forms they had submitted to the bureau.

One of the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, informed one of our correspondents that some politicians in the state, who were believed to have lied about their assets in the disclosure forms, have been pleading with officials of the bureau to allow them to review their information.

He said, “Some of them have been coming to us to amend some information on their forms, but there is nothing we can do about their request, because the forms had already been forwarded to Abuja and there is no way we can retrieve them again, at least from our own end here. I don’t know of any other means.”

The source, however, denied that officials of the bureau have been conniving with politicians to cover up for those who declared false assets, saying, “That is criminal, everybody is now very careful. This is an era of change and nobody wants to play with his job again.”

But a source at the CCB office in Enugu admitted to one of our correspondents that politicians sometimes want to review information they submitted in their forms, attributing it to their ignorance.

He said nobody is allowed to review information already put in such asset declaration forms.

He, however, regretted the possibility of some officials of the bureau conniving with politicians to make illegal amendments in the forms.

“Anything is possible,” he said, adding that “It is also possible that some staff of the bureau would conspire with politicians” to rectify completed assets declaration forms.

In the same vein, he revealed that, most times, officials of the CCB assist politicians in filling their asset declaration forms.

He said the CCB usually works with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, disclosing that the bureau recently aided the anti-graft agency by making the asset declaration form of a former governor of the state available for corruption charges.

The official said, “The CCB is usually involved in the investigation of corruption cases, particularly those involving elected public office holders.

“I know for a fact that when the EFCC brought charges against a former governor of this state (Enugu), we made input in the investigation because the assets declared at the beginning of the tenure were taken into consideration before the case was filed.”

In Rivers State, an official of the CCB, who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, however, described efforts by politicians to lobby the bureau’s officials as a waste of time.

The source also told Saturday PUNCH that once asset declaration forms were filled and submitted by politicians, it would be criminal for any official of the CCB to allow an amendment to the document.

Explaining that the filled forms were always sent to the CCB headquarters in Abuja after submission by politicians, the official insisted that such forms would not be returned even if they were still in the state.

The source said, “We have their (politicians) slips and completed forms, which have already been sent to the CCB in Abuja. Since the politicians had already sworn to oaths that whatever they filled in the forms as their assets is correct, they cannot come for amendments.

“It (amending or altering asset declaration) is not right; it is not possible and it is a criminal offence. It is not possible for any of us here to be involved in anything like that.”

The Ekiti State Director, CCB, Mr. Akinfolarin Feyisola, said there has been no lobbying of officials of the bureau by politicians in the state, adding that any official found wanting would be prosecuted.

He said, “We don’t have such cases here. The state office does not have the power to investigate and verify assets declared by anyone, except with the authorisation of the Federal Commissioner.”

A source at the CCB office in Osogbo told one of our correspondents on Friday that asset declaration forms filled by political office holders in Osun State had since been submitted to Abuja.

He said there was no way any politician could return to the state office to ‘rectify’ any falsehood in the asset declaration forms already submitted to them.

The State Director of the CCB in Akwa Ibom, Mr. Ime Obot, disclosed that when public officials in the state declare their assets, his office lacks the power to work on the contents or even view them.

According to him, as soon as a public official declares his assets in the form, which is enclosed in a sealed envelope, the agency’s duty in Uyo is to forward same to its headquarters in Abuja for further actions.

On politicians lobbying some workers of the agency to manipulate the contents of the documents in their favour, Obot said such situation does not exist in the state since his office does not have power over asset declaration.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau, Sam Saba, said he was not aware that politicians had started lobbying officials of the agency to rectify their asset declaration forms.

He said this in a text message in response to inquiries made by our correspondent in Osogbo on Friday.

Saba said, “As a matter of fact, verification of assets and liabilities of governors, lawmakers and others is a shared responsibility between the headquarters and state offices.

“Teams to verify are drawn up at the headquarters including staff from respective states. The teams are headed by Federal Commissioners on a zonal arrangement.

“I am not aware that politicians have been lobbying officials of the CCB to block loopholes in the forms filled that are already in its custody. Such requests have not reached our Abuja office.”