The Nigerian newspapers for Monday, September 25, 2017, lead with the federal government’s action against proscribed IPOB among other stories.
A Nigerian suspected to be operating the account of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Paris, France, has been uncovered by Nigerian security agencies.
A government source told the Nation newspaper that the funds which were raised from the diaspora Nigerians donation and other sources are remitted to an account in Paris from where it is disbursed for the organisation’s activities.
The Nation newspaper for Monday, September 25, 2017, photo credit: snapshot from ZENITHBLOG.com
However, the Nigerian government is yet to release the name of the account holder, pending more investigation into the issue.
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“Security agencies are still conducting more checks before releasing the details on the fellow running the Paris, France account on behalf of IPOB and its leader,” the source said.
“When the necessary investigation is completed, the findings will be presented to the French government for appropriate action in line with the laws in France.
“These agencies will also trace other accounts in some jurisdictions where funds were remitted into the Paris account.”
In other news, a group of pro-democracy activists famous for championing the cause of democracy during the military era have condemned military operations against the IPOB in the southeast and the planned attempt to repeat it in other zones in the southern region.
Guardian reports that the group in a statement after a meeting of NADECO chieftains said Nigeria is back to dictatorship.
The Guardian newspaper for Monday, September 25, 2017, photo credit: snapshot from ZENITHBLOG.com
The group said: “In Abia State, the soldiers invaded communities, tortured civilian population, over-awed the constitutionally elected governor and civil institutions of the state, and declared the IPOB a terrorist organisation, in defiance of the judgment of the Federal High Court.
“All of these actions are unconstitutional and represent an illegal takeover of the functions of the National Assembly, the Abia State House of Assembly and the legal authorities.
“The Army High Command has announced further that the ‘Operation Python Dance’ will be a regular event and that another similar activity named ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ will be carried out in the south-south and south-west.
“The actions of the military, we restate, are inconsistent with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and may be the beginning, if not checked, of the unwitting or witting subversion of democracy in Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the federal government’s 2017-2020 Economic and Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) may be hampered due to inadequate and unstable power supply in the country.
Vanguard reports that an investigation it conducted showed that the nation’s power sector was haunted by many problems, including poor and limited facilities, inadequate gas, vandalism, energy theft and lack of funds.
The Vanguard newspaper for Monday, September 25, 2017, photo credit: snapshot from ZENITHBLOG.com
It showed that even if these challenges, especially lack of funds were solved immediately, it would still require between three to five years to design, construct, import and install new power plants and other infrastructure needed to increase power generation, transmission and distribution in the nation.
In another report, all efforts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to interrogate the immediate past minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in the United Kingdom, where she has been staying since 2015 when investigation into her tenure began has met a brick wall.
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The Punch reports that the EFCC in a counter-affidavit filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, stated that that Diezani’s lawyer, John Binns of BCL Solicitors refused to allow the commission’s team of investigators, led by Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, to meet with the former minister in the UK earlier in March this year.
The Punch newspaper for Monday, September 25, 2017, photo credit: snapshot from ZENITHBLOG.com
A detective with the commission, Mr. Rufai Zaki said immediately Alison-Madueke got to know that the EFCC had commenced investigations in respect of her alleged illegal financial activities while she was the minister of petroleum resources, she absconded from Nigeria in order to escape the investigation.
He said: “That upon realising that the applicant is in the United Kingdom, we made efforts to schedule a meeting with the applicant in order to interview her in respect of her involvement in the activities leading to this charge and many other alleged financial crimes linked to her but up till now, she had always avoided having any meeting with members of our team.
“That the applicant’s lawyer in the United Kingdom, one John Binns of BCL Solicitors, informed the members of the team of investigators headed by Abdulrasheed Bawa, when they visited the United Kingdom in March, 2017, that the team would not be permitted to meet the applicant for any interview in view of the fact that she is not within the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“That while in the United Kingdom, the applicant had been invited by the Metropolitan Police, who are investigating her for several other financial crimes. She has been released on bail in the United Kingdom but could not leave the United Kingdom as their investigations have reached advanced stages.”
In the video below ZENITHBLOG.com TV asked some Nigerians if they want the operation python dance in southeast be canceled
Source: Zenithblog.com
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