Bizman denies accusing judicial officers of collecting N40m bribe

There is now new twist in the alleged N40 million bribe controversy between an Onitsha- based transporter, Chief Godwin Okeke and two top Judiciary officials in Anambra State as the former has denied ever accusing the officials of collecting money from him.

There had been a running battle between Chief Okeke and the two officials following the accusation that the two officials collected N40m bribe to release some of the suspects who kidnapped him in August 2009.
The judicial officers however denied the allegation.

Addressing newsmen, yesterday, in Onitsha, Chief Okeke, said what he stated in his petition to the Anambra State House of Assembly and his statement in court in Awka, was that one of the kidnap suspects who had been calling him on telephone threatening to kill him if he did not withdraw the court case against them, told him that he spent N40m to secure his release.

He further said he told the court and the House of Assembly that one of the suspects who was brought to the court in a wheel chair from the prison and released on health grounds went to Asaba few days after his release and threw a party for his friends even as he boasted that they were regrouping to eliminate him.

He said: ”I actually raised that alarm that the case was being frustrated by the office of the Attorney-General but there was no time I said that he collected any bribe. I still maintain that the Attorney- General and his DPP are frustrating the case and the Attorney-General and the DPP were trying to shift the blame against one another during our separate meetings with the House Committee; so that confirmed my suspicion but I never accused them of collecting any bribe, so if their conscience is judging them now there is still time to do the right thing.

Reuters: Nigeria opens indirect talks with Boko Haram

Nigeria’s government has in the last week held its first indirect peace talks with Islamist sect Boko Haram, meeting mediators to discuss a possible ceasefire, political and diplomatic sources told Reuters on Thursday.

Newsmen had reported that the group had given conditions for the discussions, some of which are the release from detention of its members and concrete guarantee that the members would not be harassed after peace talks.

Reuters said two persons close to Boko Haram have been carrying messages back and forth between the sect’s self-proclaimed leader Abubakar Shekau and government officials, the sources, who asked not to be named, said.

It was not clear whether any mediators met with President Goodluck Jonathan himself. A presidency spokesman said he could not immediately comment.

Boko Haram has said it wants to impose sharia, or Islamic, law across a country split equally between Christians and Muslims. The group has killed hundreds this year in bomb and gun attacks, mostly in the majority Muslim north of Africa’s top oil producer.

“BH (Boko Haram) has mentioned a conditional ceasefire but it wants all its members released from prison. The government sees this as unacceptable but is willing to release foot soldiers,” a traditional leader and civil rights activist involved in the talks told Reuters, asking not to be named.

“It is the first time a ceasefire has been mentioned, so it is a massive positive, but given the lack of trust a resolution is still a way off,” he added.

Jonathan’s national security adviser, General Owoye Andrew Azazi, told Reuters in January that Nigeria
was considering making contact with moderate members of the shadowy Boko Haram via “back channels”.

A source at the presidency confirmed that efforts are being made to reach out to the sect’s negotiators, but that direct talks had not yet begun. A well-respected Islamic cleric has been contacted to reach out to them, he said.

S’Africa rules out compensation for deported Nigerians

South African Government has ruled out the possibility of compensating the 125 Nigerians who were recently denied entry into the country.

Minister of Correctional Services, Mrs. Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, made known the position of her government in Abuja on Thursday.

Mapisa-Nqakula was in the Presidential Villa as the leader of an eight-man special delegation sent by President Jacob Zuma to formally apologise for the incident, which caused a diplomatic row between the two countries.

She said, “The issue of compensation is out of the question. We don’t understand why South Africa will have to compensate.

“We believe that it is enough that we have come out and apologised. It is enough that we have demonstrated our goodwill to the government of Nigeria; it is enough that the President has sent a special envoy to reiterate his commitment to the bi-national with Nigeria and to improve working relationship with Nigeria.”

She however said her country had commenced investigation into the activities of the airport officials who turned back the Nigerians on the gound that their Yellow Fever Vaccination Cards were fakes.

Senate passes N4.8trn 2012 budget

The Senate, yesterday, passed the budget of N4,877, 209,156,933 for the 2012 fiscal year, just as it plans to sue the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, over repeated failure to submit its budget to National Assembly for approval.

The new budget passed was N229 billion higher than the revised budget of N4.648 trillion sent to the National Assembly in February by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The budget includes an upward review of oil benchmark of $70 bpd proposed by President Jonathan to $72 bpd which is to help reduce provision for deficit budget of N1.162 trillion by N98 billion.

It also includes N888 billion funding for oil subsidy programme, beside another N180 billion provided for Subsidy Re-investment Programme, SURE.

Senators, during the clause-by-clause consideration of the budget after its presentation by chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Ahmad Maccido underscored the poor performance of the 2011 budget.