Indonesia executes four Nigerians, others for drug offences

Indonesian authorities on Tuesday executed four Nigerians and four others for drug-related offences despite pleas by the United Nations, the European Union, Amnesty International and the Federal Government.

The Nigerians were identified as Martin Anderson, 50; Silvester Nwolise, 47; Okwudili Oyatanze, 41, and Jamiu Abashin, 50.

The convicts were reportedly taken to the Nusakambangan Island where they were executed by firing squad on Tuesday evening.

According to a report by the UK Guardian, Abashin was said to be homeless in Bangkok when a new “friend” offered him $400 to take some clothes to Indonesia.

Jonathan, Sambo, others to get N3.24bn severance pay

                                                                                                Sambo and Jonathan

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, Vice-president Namadi Sambo, non-returning federal lawmakers, ministers and   presidential aides will collect N3.24bn as severance allowances, investigation by The PUNCH has shown.

The severance allowances   are contained in the Remuneration Package   put together by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

According to the package, Jonathan, who will hand over to the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, on May 29, is entitled to 300 per cent of his annual basic salary.

The President’s annual basic salary is put at N3, 514,705 and therefore his severance allowance will be N10, 544,115 after May 29.

Military rescues 293 girls, women from Sambisa Forest

                                                             Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade

The Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, has confirmed that the troops of the Nigerian Army rescued 200 girls and 93 women during a raid on Sambisa Forest on Tuesday.

When the news of the rescue was broken on the tweeter handle of the military on Tuesday, many Nigerians had gone online to speculate that the freed ladies included the Chibok schoolgirls.

However, Olukolade did not confirm whether or not the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram on April 14, 2014 were among the rescued ladies.

The Defence spokesman told our correspondent on the telephone that the tweets were the true position of the army on its operations in Sambisa Forest.

Controversial sacking of police IG

                                                                                President Goodluck Jonathan

DISPLAYING utter contempt for the 1999 Constitution he swore to uphold, President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked Suleiman Abba as the Inspector-General of Police. He replaced him immediately with Solomon Arase, a Deputy Inspector-General, in an acting capacity. Both the dismissal and the acting appointment are gross violations of the 1999 Federal Constitution, Nigeria’s supreme law.

Without citing any cogent reason, the President unceremoniously fired Abba, who assumed office nine months ago. Sadly, however, these actions are in keeping with the trend of impunity in the Jonathan administration, which has consistently conducted itself in an imperial manner, to the detriment of the rule of law, the common good and growth of our democratic norms. They have all the trappings of using power for selfish end.

Banks use female marketers to woo senators, Reps-elect

                                                                               National Assembly building, Abuja

Commercial banks have sent marketers, mostly females after newly-elected senators and members of the House of Representatives in Abuja to open discussions on investments and other business deals.

The energetic, sweet-talking and mostly female marketers, flooded the International Conference Centre, venue of an ongoing induction course for the new arrivals on Monday.

Investigations by The PUNCH showed that the target of the banks largely was to woo the lawmakers to open accounts with them.

Some of the smartly dressed marketers also offered loan opportunities they claimed their banks could guarantee with “friendly repayment terms.”