Customs Seizes 17 Items, Arrests 18 Suspects In Owerri

CAC Muhammed Uba Garba

In a bid to stem the tide of smuggling contraband goods into the country, the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘C’, Owerri of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 17 prohibited items with 21 underpayments recovery of N194.6million in  January. 2017 reports Vanguard.
The Unit swiftly arrested 18 suspects in connection with the seized items. The Public Relations officer of the Unit, Assistant Superintendent of Customs, Onuigb Ifeoma Ojekwu , disclosed this in a chat with Sunday Vanguard, explaining that the above figure is a combination of overall Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N122.2million and a recovery underpayment of N72.3million.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC) in charge of the Unit, Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba said that the seizures were made along Owerri, Benin, Enugu and Calabar axis. He said, “We intercepted nine vehicles worth N35,900,920.00; 382 used tyres valued at N6,288,000.00 and 3,077 bags of 50kg foreign rice estimated at N80,093,300.00.
"Rice smuggling has the capacity to depress the nation’s economy, as it reduces government’s revenue, stifles domestic rice industries in addition to distorting supply and consumption data usually applied by the government as references for sound policy making and planning”.  
Garba justified government ban on used tyres, stressing that such items in advanced nations are usually compressed and discarded for use in their countries of manufacturing, but later find their way into the country as a result of the activities of smugglers who in turn sell them to members of the public because of their perceived cheap prices.
He therefore warned those who are still trapped in illicit business of smuggling despite the obvious implications to purge themselves of this obnoxious business, which is detrimental to the nation’s economy.  He noted that the unbridled use of imported second-hand tyres  continues to wreck havoc on the nation’s highway with many lives being lost and others seriously injured.
He added, “NCS would remain steadfast in its resolve to ensure that no prohibited item gets across the nation’s borders, assuring that the Service is now more than ever fortified, trained and mobilised to meet its challenges. I appeal to Nigerians with classified information about smugglers, their collaborators and agents to always make such information available to our officers and men for necessary action. NCS is not interested in witch-hunting or victimising anybody, group or association who are into legitimate business of importing and exporting, but would not entertain economic sabotage through illegal business of any kind.”

Sting, Timberlake, Legend, Miranda To Perform @ Oscars

Justine Timberlake

This year's Oscar telecast will have some big Grammy Award winners: Sting, Justin Timberlake, John Legend and Lin-Manuel Miranda all slated to perform the tunes nominated for Best Original Song.

Timberlake will perform "Can't Stop The Feeling" from the movie "Trolls" and Sting will perform "The Empty Chair" from "Jim: The James Foley Story," the Oscar-nominated song he co-wrote with three-time Oscar nominee J. Ralph.

Legend will perform both "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" and "City of Stars" from "La La Land" and Miranda will team up with Auli'i Cravalho to perform the Oscar-nominated song "How Far I'll Go" from "Moana."

The Oscars air Feb. 26 on ABC, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.


   

Woman In Court For Slapping Employer’s Mother

 A 32-year-old female employee, Sarah Oboh, who allegedly slapped and tore the clothes of her employer’s mother was on Friday arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

Oboh, a resident of Surulere area of Lagos State, is being tried for breach of peace, damage and assault.

According to the prosecutor, Insp. Clement Okuoimose, the accused committed the offences on Feb.1 at Bolaji Street, Ikeja, Lagos.

He said that the accused assaulted Mrs Olubunmi Jeyibo, by slapping her and tearing her clothes.

“The accused gave the complainant a slap and she also tore her clothes valued at N25,000,” he said.

He said that the complainant was assaulted when she went to her late son’s company to check the well being of staff and discuss with the accused who was managing the company.

“She went to her son’s company to have discussion with the accused who is in charge after the demise of her son.

“During the discussion, an argument ensued and the accused slapped the complainant on her right cheek.

“She went further by tearing her clothes,” he said.

The offences contravened sections 166, 170 and 348 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Section 170 prescribes a year imprisonment as penalty for assault.

The accused pleaded innocence of the offences and was granted bail in the sum of N20,000 with two sureties in like sum.

The Magistrate, Mrs Y.O Ekogbule, adjourned the case to March 1, for mention.

Man Marries Own Mother After Impregnating Her

Wife (mother), Betty Mbereko (r) and husband (son), Farrai Mbereko (l)

A woman married her own son yesterday. The woman and her son claim to be in love with each other and they decided take their relationship to the next level and get married considering that the mother, Betty Mbereko (from Mwenezi in Masvingo) is now six months pregnant and expecting her son’s child, and her grandchild.

Mbereko, 40, has been a widow for the past 12 years and has been living with her 23-years-old son Farai Mbereko.

She confirmed that she is six months pregnant and that she has decided it is better to “marry” her son because she does not want to marry her late husband’s young brothers, whom she says are coveting her.

Betty stunned a village court last week when she said the affair with her son had begun three years earlier.

She said after spending a lot of money sending Farai to school following the death of her husband, she felt she had a right to his money and no other woman was entitled to it.

“Look, I struggled alone to send my son to school and no one helped me. Now you see that my son is working and you accuse me of doing something wrong.

“Let me enjoy the products of my sweat,” she told the village court council.

Farai said he was more than prepared to marry his mother and would pay off the lobola balance his father had left unpaid to his grandparents.

“I know my father died before he finished paying the bride price and I am prepared to pay it off,” he said.

“It is better to publicise what is happening because people should know that I am the one who made my mother pregnant.Otherwise they will accuse her of promiscuity.”

But local headman Nathan Muputirwa says: “We cannot allow this to happen in our village, mashura chaiwo aya, (This is a bad omen indeed). In the past they would have to be killed but today we cannot do it because we are afraid of the police.”
He warned them to immediately break off their marriage or leave his village. They chose the latter and have since left the village for an undisclosed destination.

Presidency Mismanages Buhari’s Ill-health Matter, Says Cleric

President Mohammadu Buhari

The Bishop of Calabar Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Bishop Tunde Adeleye, has taken a swipe at the presidency for mismanaging information on the ill-health of President Buhari, The Guardian.

Adeleye, who spoke in Calabar, yesterday, said the media team of the President was churning out falsehood as regards the true health condition of the President and this has resulted in all manners of speculations and confusion and at the same time keeping Nigerians at sea. Citing the case of how former United States President Ronald Reagan ill health was managed, he lamented that in Nigeria, everything is shrouded in secrecy.

Commenting on the current economic crunch, he called for true federalism in the country so that power would not be concentrated at the centre, a situation where “the centre is too powerful,” it does not augur well for the country and also proposed a part time service for the Nigeria parliamentarians in order to reduce government spending.

Giving his opinion on whether or not Nigerians should give the federal government time to change the harsh economic narratives, he said, “Our economy is very disturbing and very frightening. Something must be done urgently. The mistake this government made was to promise Nigerians ‘change’, and it was on this basis of ‘change’ that the people voted for them. Nigerians are now holding them to those promises. “They presented themselves as if they had a plan to bring about the ‘change’ but unfortunately, there was no plan. They have now turned around and are blaming the people for complaining.”

Mayowa Ayilaran, MCSN, Others Face New Criminal Cases @ Federal High Court

MAYOWA AYILARAN, MCSN DG

Barely a week after a judge of the Federal High Court, Mrs Mojisola Olatoregun-Ishola adjourned the criminal trials of Mr Mayo Ayilaran, CEO of the unapproved Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN) and six members of his staff to March 28 and 29, 2017 in three separate cases, Mr Ayilaran and his staff were docked again on February 8 before another Federal High Court judge, Hon Justice Babatunde Kwewumi to face another set of criminal trials in three other separate cases. Each of the six cases is related to different activities of the accused persons bordering on the collection of various sums of money from unsuspecting individuals and organizations by the accused while purporting to be officers of a copyright collecting society which organization had no approval of the Federal Government as required under Nigerian law.

Any hope that Ayilaran and the other accused persons had placed in the Court of Appeal to give them some relief was shattered on October 19, 2016 when the court unanimously delivered a judgement which judgment reaffirmed several earlier decisions of the court that MCSN, Ayilaran & Co were acting illegally and in fact had no locus to go before the Federal High Court to seek any relief.

In the dock with Mr. Ayilaran were Mr. Louis Udoh, Miss Omolari Banjo, Mr Yusuf Benson, Mr Halim Mohammed, Ms Gladys Njoku and Mr. Olukayode Ajayi. Each of them has spent time in prison custody and are presently on bail.

When the case was called, Mr James Ujah for the defence sought to move an application for an order directing the Nigerian Copyright Commission to release the files, documents and materials seized from the accused by officers of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) during a raid in 2012.

As happened in each of the three cases before Hon Justice Olatoregun-Ishola, Mr Obi Ezeilo leading the prosecution team which included Mrs Linda Durugo and Mrs Chioma Ihedioha objected to the applications. According to Mr Ezeilo, the defence was aware that the Judgement of Justice Mohammed Yunusa on which the applications were based had been completely set aside by the Court of Appeal judgment of October 19, 2016. Following Ezeilo’s objection, the defence Lawyer, Mr. James Ujjah had little choice but to withdraw his applications as was done by Mr. Wale Adesokan SAN in the earlier three cases before Justice Olatoregun-Ishola. Consequently, the applications were struck out.

Justice Babatunde Kwewumi consequently set definite trials in the cases for April 10 and April 11, 2017.

The six cases in which Ayilaran and his team are due to face trial are Charge no FHC/IKJ/CR/18/2012, Charge no FHC/IKJ/CR/19/2012, Charge no FHC/IKJ/CR/20/2012, Charge no FHC/L/351C/2012, Charge no FHC/352C/2012 and Charge no FHC/363C/2012.

Reacting to the developments, Chief Tony Okoroji, Chairman Copyright Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) who was in court to witness the proceedings said that those who think that the law does not work in Nigeria may need to rethink.

According to the former President of PMAN, “Regardless of how smart, how cunning or how talented you may think you are in manipulating the law, the day of reckoning will come and your manipulations will catch up with you. The law is patient. That is why we speak about ‘the long arm of the law’ This is a classic case of the long arm of the law at work. Anybody who has followed this saga closely knows that for about 30 years, some of the accused persons, none of whom is a musician or with any stake in the music industry had milked the music industry at great cost to Nigerian musicians, the Nigerian music industry and the Nigerian nation.
"They had become masters of manipulating the law to promote lawlessness. They also manipulated the news media with propaganda. They practically resided at the Federal High Court and many times, they manipulated an innocent Court of Justice to do injustice. We begged and begged them and they knocked our heads together and traumatized us. We offered every kind of compromise but they would not listen. They were arrogant and sure that they were unassailable and smatter than everyone in Nigeria. Anyone who cooks for the community and smiles, will realize the difference the day the community cooks for him.  I wish them luck.”

Femi Kuti on Tu-Face-Led protest: "I AmbCareful With What I Take Part In"

Afrobeat musician Femi Anikulapo-Kuti has once again denied claims of him being against 2Face Idibia’s proposed nationwide protest.
The eldest son of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti took to Instagram today, February 4, 2017 to clear the air for the last time.
According to the 'Sorry Sorry' scrooner, he is only being careful with what he takes part in.
In his words, "People have misinterpreted and even gone as far as editing a video fabricating what I said. I tried to clear this on twitter. Some have even insulted me calling me names etc. I am NOT upset or angry but feel the need to clear things here.
I am NOT against the protest .
I am against hearing on social media there was going to be a protest and the Shrine was going to be the meeting point. ( this was announced before venue and date was changed ).
Pls do u all think it's right that a protest of that magnitude and importance should be announced using the Shrine ( at first before venue and date was changed ) without informing us there.
I was shocked.

Now after taking part in occupy Nigeria out of a clean heart ( I was contacted by campaign for democracy ) and to hear it was politically motivated I was upset.
As I took part because I felt increasing the petrol will make life more difficult for the people.
Now I am extra careful with what I take part in.
I want to know totally who's involved etc.
Pls MY OBJECTION is simple
My elder Sister or myself should have been contacted before announcing the Shrine as a venue.
2face is like family I NEVER Insulted him. If I have a problem with him I will tell him to his face.
I DO NOT BELIEVE he personally made the first announcement of using the Shrine He would NEVER do that I believe.
But whoever did HAD NO RIGHT TOO.
Femi Kuti @ the Afima Music Villageplay
Afima Music Village

The Shrine has been labeled with different bad names like criminals , armed robbers , drug addicts , traffic pollution and the government in the passed has tried to find any reason and every reason to close the place. Is why we are extra careful.
Next we will hear if we don't take action is the Shrine has been closed for disturbance and riots we knew nothing of. So it seemed like a setup to me.
Lastly if we were contacted and we agreed to be involved and the Shrine is closed , we would have NO problem ( we would be involved as we were contacted ) and we would fight as we have been all our lives there.
For those of u who do not know
All my songs and what I say at the Shrine is about fighting against corruption and injustice.
I have done this all my life.
Let me stop here,
Thank u for taking the time to read."
One thing is for sure though, Femi Kuti will not be at the protest come Monday, February 6, 2017.