Corruption: EFCC grills sacked Justice Olotu for 7 hours

BY SONI DANIEL

Barely two weeks after being dismissed from office, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, yesterday, interrogated sacked Justice Gladys Olotu for over eight hours over corruption-related issues.

The embattled female judge, who has already challenged her untimely removal from office in court, was accompanied by two of her sisters and lawyer to the EFCC’s Intelligence and Special Operations Section following an invitation by the anti-graft agency.

Olotu, 55, who wore a Polka-dot dress and arrived the office at 9am, was still being interrogated by the operatives of the anti-graft agency as at the time of filing the report.

But there were indications she could be granted bail on self recognition by the operatives.

A top source at the EFCC said Justice Olotu was invited to clarify issues relating to property and bank accounts allegedly traced to her by the anti-graft agency.

The source alleged that many judicial officers, including Olotu hold a huge amount of monies, personal property and bank accounts in and outside the country.

A competent source hinted that when Justice Olotu arrived the EFCC’s office, she was immediately confronted with a catalog of property and accounts said to be owned by her.

Among Olotu’s alleged myriad of landed property, which the Commission is investigating include an uncompleted three-bedroom Town Hall located at City Scope, Lagos.

The property valued at N20 million was acquired in 2006; a four-bedroom bungalow located at Karshi, Nasarawa State, acquired from the Nigerian Navy in 2009 valued at N10 million; a plot of land at Kjah Nasarawa State valued at N2.5 Million in 2010; a plot at Kuruduma Abuja acquired in 2012 at N2.8 million.

Other properties alleged to be owned by ex-Justice Olotu are: six plots of land at Ogba Village, Benin, Edo state at N480, 000 in 2005; three plots of land located at Oben Village, Benin valued at N2.2 million; blocks of 4 six-bedroom flats acquired in 1979 valued at N16 million; one uncompleted twin 5-bedroom duplex, via a Lagos State government Allocation at N10 million; one block of 4 three-bedroom flats via Edo State Government Allocation valued at N10 million.

Others are: a plot of land at Guduwa Estate acquired in 2001 via FCDA allocation at N800, 000; a plot of land located at Lugbe, Abuja at N200, 000 and a plot of land at Ugbor, Edo State acquired via Edo State Government allocation at N600, 000.

Ex justice Olotu’s alleged shares being investigated include: Shares in Ossimo Investments Limited, a private family company. As at December 31, 2012, her estimated value of investment in the company was put at N825 million; shares in Unity Nominees Limited, a private family Company valued at N165 million as at December 31, 2012.

Others are 1, 030 units of shares in GTB; 20, 890 units of shares in Oando. She is also alleged to be a partner in Investment Company Limited, which has shares in Access Bank, First Bank, GTB, Julius Berger Nigeria, Oando and UBA.

Sources at the Commission told our correspondent that the embattled judge, who was on February 27, 2014 ordered to vacate her office after the National Judicial Council found her guilty of judicial misconduct, could be granted bail on self recognition.

Head of Media and Publicity of the Commission, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren could not be reached to confirm the story; but a competent source at the Commission’s headquarters confirmed that “it is true the retired judge was with us to answer some questions”.

Her ordeal followed a petition dated September 10, 2013, by Civil Society Network against Corruption. Titled: “Demand For Investigation Of Financial Accounts and Assets of Judicial Officers”.

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Iraq to enact new law that will allow men marry 9 years old girls

The proposed law would allow men to marry girls as young as nine and give husbands license to force their wives to have sex with them without consent. The legal age for marriage in Iraq is currently 18

Human rights advocates are up in arms about a proposed law in Iraq that could allow men to marry girls as young as nine and give husbands license to force their wives to have sex with them anytime.

“It’s a provocative act that’s gotten a lot of attention, and blatantly violates Iraq’s constitution,” Erin Evers, an Iraq researcher based in Baghdad for Human Rights Watch, said in an interview.

The law, called The Jaafari Personal Status Law, still hasn’t been approved by Iraq’s parliament, and likely won’t be until after April’s elections, the Associated Press reports. Based on a school of Islamic law, it was introduced last year and unexpectedly approved last month by the Cabinet of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

“I certainly haven’t heard anyone defend it except the minister who introduced it,” said Evers. “But I never thought it would get as far as it did.” She calls the bill, which stoked protests in Baghdad on March 8, International Women’s Day, a major step back for women’s rights and the country as a whole.

The legal age for marriage in Iraq is currently 18. The proposed law does not explicitly set a new age limit for marriage, but it defines when girls become women at about age nine. Critics decry this provision as a backdoor to making child-marriage legal.

The bill also states that a man can have sex with his wife regardless of her consent. It says a woman cannot leave the house without her husband’s permission, and that only fathers can accept or refuse a marriage proposal on behalf of their daughter. It also lays out complicated rules for divorce, giving men more flexibility to to divorce their wives than women are afforded, the Associated Press reports.

Iraqi Justice Minister Hassan al-Shimmari’s office defended the proposed legislation, and has introduced a bill to go along with it that would route marital disputes into special religious courts. According to the Associated Press, he said the new law would actually prevent abuse. “By introducing this draft law,” he said, “we want to limit or prevent such practices. Follow @wingrassnews

THE IMO SPEAKER MUST GO RALLY

The Youths Against Human Rights Violations and Corrupt Practices [YAHVCP] postponed the Imo Speaker Must Go Rally Scheduled for March 17th 2014. The Rally was  postponed due to security reasons. A new date will be announced soon.

We  also  totally  condemn the March 8th invasion of  the Egbema   residence of  our National Cordinator  Mr Kenneth Uwadi by  armed uniformed  officers. The invaders stormed  Mr Uwadi’s place in a crude military-like assault asking for him  and ransacking his  place. Uwadi’s  residence was invaded on the excuse that he  wrote articles  alleging that the Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly Hon Benjamin Uwajumogu looted Imo  tax payers monies  and that  he was  planning a mass protest  to call for his  resignation.

This unwholesome action is a flagrant abuse of fundamental human rights. It   violates Nigerian constitution and international norms on freedom of expression. YAHVCP   cannot and will not keep  quiet  and watch the Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly  walking freely  after stealing  over N3billion naira Imo tax payers money In a state where more than 80 percent of the population do not have access to potable/pipe-borne water supply. We condemn strongly   the insensitive looting of  Imo monies  by  the Speaker  against the background of mass misery afflicting the vast bulk of  Imo people. This anti-poor and self-serving conduct is why  thousands of Imo youths are unemployed today. To us what this has also shown is that the problem of lack of youth employment in Imo State  is not  due to  lack of funds to pay salaries but gross mismanagement  and looting of our resources.

We  are insisting that Hon Benjamin Uwajumogu should be investigated and removed as Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly. Uwajumogu does not feel that something is wrong with his colossal looting  of public resources to gratify his lust for luxury. We are also calling for the  investigation of 4 other members of the Imo House of Assembly for road contract scam. The members are Hon Stan Dara, Hon Ikechukwu Amuka ,Hon Ugonna Ozurigbo (OZ-B) and The Speaker’s Chief of Staff Kodichi Anamekwe.

 YAHVCP is aware that Hon Stan Dara, Member Representing Osu Constituency in the Imo House of Assembly And House Chairman of State And Rural Roads Monitoring Committee with his own loot from road contract scam has built a multi  million naira Massive  Farm at Irete in Owerri West LGA. Dara is also presently from his loot building a multi million naira Asphalt plant in Owerri and also owns several duplexes at Egbeada Housing Estate in Owerri. Dara’s duplexes at Egbeada are painted  dark green.

We are  also aware that Hon Ikechukwu Amuka ,Member representing Ideato South Constituency  and House member of State And Rural Roads Monitoring Committee with his own loot from road contract scam has built a multi million naira hotel (Eastern Emirate Hotel) located at World Bank Housing Estate in Owerri. Amuka is also building a second multi million naira hotel.We are also aware that Hon Ugonna Ozurigbo (OZ-B) of Nwangele LGA  has from his loot  in the contract scam turned his Kelvic Hotels Owerri of 12 rooms into a multi million naira Hotel.

We are also aware that  the Chief of Staff to the Speaker Kodichi Anamekwe has with his own loot from contract scam bought  30 plots of  land in Owerri and has built a multi million naira mansion at Achike Udenwa Estate near Concord Hotel. Anamekwe’s landed properties can be verified at the ministry of land and survey in Owerri.He is presently building a Hotel in Owerri. All the road contract papers of road  contractors in Imo State   were  signed by him. Who authorized the  Chief of Staff to the Speaker to sign road contracts? You can see why  the House members are silent in the face of massive fraud rocking the House .

YAHVCP  is calling  on all Imo people  in Nigeria and Abroad  to support us in every way as  we fight this corruption in the Imo House of Assembly. We are giving the Imo House of Assembly  2 weeks to set up a probe panel to investigate this Uwajumogu-gate.In two weeks time we will release more information about the stinking smell coming out of the Imo Assembly. We  cannot keep silent to this capitalist looting when our unemployed youths in their  thousands  have become a wild and homeless lot and  socially disinherited.

 WE WANT AN  IMO STATE  WHERE:

 Government will LISTEN to the PEOPLE

 Government will meet the needs and expectations of the people

 Government will promote and defend the welfare of the people

 Those in government will put public interest above their selfish and personal

interest

 Those in government will stop looting our monies and be mocking

us by calling us paupers and never do wells

 The Police , Judges and the Courts are not politically used to oppress the

people

We call on the good people of Imo  State to rise against this  Uwajumogu House of thieves masquerading as Assembly Members , a House that is neck-deep in corruption. As for us in YAHVCP, despite all this repression we remain undaunted.

Aluta continua! Victoria acerta!

 Signed

Kenneth Uwadi

National Coordinator

YAHVCP

 Amaka Didanda

National Media Affairs Director

YAHVCP

Crimea has always been part of Russia, says Putin

MARCH 18, 2014 BY CNN 3 COMMENTS

   

Never mind what the West thinks — the Kremlin says Ukraine’s Crimea region is now part of Russia.

A signing ceremony Tuesday between Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister of Crimea and the mayor of the city of Sevastopol made it official, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Crimea and Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Sea fleet is based, are now part of the Russian Federation, it said.

The step follows a contested referendum held in Crimea on Sunday with only 10 days’ notice.

Putin hailed the ballot in an address to a joint session of Parliament Tuesday, saying the nearly 97% of its residents who voted to join Russia was “an extremely convincing figure.”

In an hour-long speech, he argued that the vote had been entirely legitimate and stressed the historical and cultural ties between Russia and Crimea.

“In our hearts we know Crimea has always been an inalienable part of Russia,” he said.

Crimea is an autonomous region within Ukraine with a majority Russian-speaking population. It has its own parliament, but the Ukrainian government had veto power over its actions.

With political instability and demonstrations rocking Ukraine in the past several months, President Viktor Yanukovych was pushed out of office and observers charged that Russia saw its chance to annex the strategic territory. The hastily called referendum Sunday resulted in 96.7% of the region’s voters saying they wanted to become part of Russia, according to the Crimean Electoral Commission.

Putin denied that Russia had been militarily involved in Crimea, despite what has been stated by authorities in the Ukraine capital and international observers.

“We have not used our armed forces in Crimea,” Putin said.

He also said that Russia’s military forces did not enter Crimea in the current crisis, but “were already there” in accordance with previous international negotiations. He praised the 22,000 Russian troops in Crimea for avoiding bloodshed.

Russia’s Black Sea fleet is based in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol but the movements of its forces within Crimea are supposed to be agreed upon with Kiev.

Putin, who was greeted by a standing ovation and whose remarks were punctuated by regular and enthusiastic applause, also accused the West of “double standards” and cynicism in its response to the crisis in Crimea, citing Kosovo, which split from Serbia, as an example of a precedent.

“It’s absolutely in favor of their own interests — black today, white tomorrow,” he said.

Crimea is a strategically important territory and must be kept strong — something only Russia can do, he added.

Follow @wingrassnews

Anambra: Reactions trail Obiano’s assumption of office

Obiano

More reactions have continued to trail the swearing in of Governor Willie Obiano and his deputy Dr Nkem Okeke in Anambra State.

The Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Mrs. Chinwe Nwaebili while speaking with the NationTuesday in Awka said that Anambra had witnessed a huge success during former Governor Peter Obi’s administration.

“I give God the whole glory for answering our prayers, what has happened has never occurred in the history of Anambra since its creation that a sitting governor will handover in a colorful ceremony.

Also, Governorship candidate of the Progressive People’s Alliance (PPA) Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, congratulated the newly sworn Governor of Anambra Chief Willie Obiano as the 5^th democratically elected governor of the state.

He said that Anambra was a state blessed with numerous resources both human and material enough to take the state to map of   total civilization and development to an enviable level.

“Anambra is the heart base of the Easterners by virtue of personalities from the state, nothing absolutely  nothing would be hard to achieve if all resources are pulled together with one might”.

“I will ask the governor to put behind all that happened during electioneering and pick the egg heads in the state that would help him pilot the affairs of state creditably”.

“He said that the time has come for us all to join hands with our leader to pull, nit and move our dear state toward a pinnacle of developmental growth,” he said

Ezeemo said the core areas of life like improvement of power to encourage industrialization and mechanized farming should not be down played adding that the youth must be engaged meaningfully to fight crime in the state.

Chief Nathaniel Uzoma, state chairman  Ohaneze Ndi Igbo  group in Ekiti state and president South West of the group said that the peaceful  inauguration was a sign of greater things to come in Igbo land.

Uzoma said that Igbo had come of age and would take their political life by their hands by aligning with things that promote Igbo interest.

He said that Anambra had shown that there was strength in unity and called for all Igbo to be united where ever they live.

Also, Mr. Alex Ezeobi Ohaneze National Youth leader said that the ceremony called for more unity among the Igbo, knowing that if united that they could achieve more landmarks in political life of the Ndi Igbo.

He called on Igbo youth to be responsive and sensitive to issues affecting their race and to be politically enlightened in order to face the challenges of the present day.

Furthermore, Mr. Ikechukwu Umeh, a member of the Anambra house of assembly and chief whip collaborated the opinion of the speaker and others.

He added that the legislature would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that development growth were recorded and sustained in the state.

He called on the people and residents of Anambra to cherish and nurture the state for the common good of all adding that political difference should not be allowed to divide the state.

Speaking further on behalf of Anambra in Diaspora, Mr. Allison Anadi, President of Anambra Indigenes in America (ASA-USA) said that the ceremony had shown that the state had attained a height.

He said that the group would give every support to the government of Anambra at every point to ensure that the state grows from strength to strength.