‘No pending extradition case against Senator Kashamu' - Aide

Read the press statement below...

Our attention has been drawn to yet another mischievous report credited to the Public Relations Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, in The Punch newspaper of today, Friday, February 5, 2016, purporting that Senator Buruji Kashamu is still facing some extradition proceedings. Nothing could be farther from the facts and truth.

 Notwithstanding the misleading impression being created that the agency intends to allow the rule of law prevail, we are aware that its ex-Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Giade, who is now the Special Assistant to the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) on Narcotics is set to arm-twist the NDLEA to resort to yet another extra-judicial move.
The misuse of the word “extradition” by NDLEA is a euphemism for the illegal rendition they actually are planning. Let it be reiterated that Senator Kashamu is not worried about extradition proceedings being brought against him in accordance with Nigerian Laws. He knows that can never succeed in view of the decisions of the English courts that have exonerated him and has confirmed by several judgments of competent Nigerian Courts.
What Senator Kashamu is complaining about is the plan to abduct and ship him out of Nigerian without resort to due process or the Rule of Law, an illegal venture that is known as “rendition” not extradition as the NDLEA misrepresents to the public. For the avoidance of any doubt, extradition proceedings have already been brought against Senator Kashamu by the previous Attorney General of the Federation in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/479/2015 and was dismissed on the 1st of July, 2015.
The AGF has not appealed against that dismissal. In its judgment in that extradition proceedings the court expressly held that, “This suit is hereby dismissed…The Applicant (i.e the AGF), being an office created by the Constitution (see Section 150 (1) of the Constitution 1999 As Amended) has a greater obligation, by its act and conduct, in the context of its very extensive constitutional powers…to be seen to be law abiding and to give maximum and unqualified respect to every judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, regardless of its opinion as to whether the Court was right or wrong until such decisions are set aside by the appellate Courts.
To do otherwise is to further deepen an incipient culture of disobedience of Court’s orders and of unmitigated acts of unbridled impunity to judicial process even by the citizenry and the proverbial ‘common man’ whose last hope lies in the Judiciary.” It is highly mischievous for anyone to claim that “there is a pending appeal by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Justice to extradite Kashamu to the US for him to face trial.”
The appeals in question are in relation to other judgments and orders that restrained them from taking any steps against Senator Kashamu on the basis of the same allegations that he had been exonerated from. Mr. Ofoyeju and his co-travellers should acquaint themselves with the basic facts and details of a case before making pronouncements that could further cast the NDLEA as a lawless organisation in the eyes of right thinking members of the society, and among the comity of nations.
As we have often said, based on the Extradition Treaty between Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States, two British courts heard extradition proceedings against Senator Kashamu at the instance of the US authorities and found that it was a case of “mistaken identity”, and released him.
The same NDLEA that Mr. Ofoyeju claims to be speaking for had sent two of its top officials – the then Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, Mr. Femi Oloruntoba and one Umaru Dan Asabe (former Director of Operations) – to London to give evidence (confirming that Senator Kashamu was not the person sought for by the U.S. authorities) with the approval of the then Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation.

It is on the basis of these two British judgments that several Nigerian courts have held that the NDLEA cannot take any further steps against Senator Kashamu. And when they did, in spite of the subsisting orders and judgments of the court, the action was dismissed. It is noteworthy that in the same report, the current Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who is the Chief Law Officer of the Federation has given indication that his office would not be a party to any illegality.
His position as expressed by his media aide is in tandem with global best practices in the comity of nations where any country that lacks regard for the rule of law is seen as a lawless society. There can be no extradition without the courts only illegality. Finally, our advice to Mr. Ofoyeju and Alhaji Giade is that they should leave Senator Kashamu alone.
He does not have any extradition case to answer. A dismissal is a bar to any further action before the court and it is therefore clear that when NDLEA says “extradition” what it actually means is “rendition” since it cannot go back to any Nigerian court after the dismissal. NDLEA should be called to order to avoid being used to perpetrate illegality, political vendetta and blackmail.
Signed
Austin Oniyokor
Media Adviser to Senator Buruji Kashamu

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Man screams "you stole my blood" after stabbing ex-girlfriend to death in health store

A supposedly mentally ill man stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death as she finished work in a health food store, a court heard.
Shane Smyth, 29, is believed to have been suffering from a psychotic illness when he allegedly murdered Mairead Moran, 26, in May 2014.
Smyth, from Evans Lane, Kilkenny, pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Moran by reason of insanity in court on Tuesday, the Irish Mirror reported.
Prosecution counsel Mr John O’Kelly SC said the factual evidence of the case would not be disputed and the “major factor in the case” is whether or not Smyth was suffering from a mental disorder at the time.
He said that two consultant psychiatrists had prepared reports indicating that Smyth was suffering from a form of psychosis.
Mr O’Kelly told the court that the evidence in this case will be that Smyth attacked Ms Moran with a knife and stabbed her repeatedly at the Market Cross Shopping Centre in Kilkenny City.
The court heard that Shane Smyth had known Mairead Moran “years earlier” in their late teens when they went out together for a “brief period of seven months” after which they went their own ways.

Counsel said Ms Moran was away for some time and when she came back to the area, she started working in the Holland and Barrett store.
The court was told that Smyth had been diagnosed in 2005 as suffering from schizophrenia, he had treatment for a number of months at the time in a psychiatric hospital and since then “was back out in the community.”
Mr O’Kelly said in the months leading up to May 2014, Smyth had become aware of where Ms Moran was working and there had been a previous occasion when he had confronted her.
He said:
“He had in fact spat at her and this was disturbing for her, she was upset about it.”

At 8pm on the evening of May 8, 2014 counsel said Smyth came into the shop and started speaking to her “quite aggressively.”
Counsel said:

“You will hear evidence from people saying they heard Mr Smyth asking a question to the effect of ‘why do you want my blood’.”

The court was told that Smyth had a verbal altercation with Ms Moran but was sent away from the shop by a security guard.
Counsel said that “within five minutes”, Smyth was back in the shop again and “this terrible attack took place.”
The court heard Ms Moran was “stabbed repeatedly” with a knife which Smyth had brought to the scene and then dragged outside.
Smyth fled the shopping centre and got a taxi to his cousin’s home, the court heard.

Counsel outlined that Smyth told his cousin he had stabbed “his ex-girlfriend”.
A report compiled by psychiatrist Dr Brenda Wright outlined to the court read:

“He believed he was being persecuted and people were conspiring to harm him and Ms Moran was part of this conspiracy.

“He delusionally believed he was being victimised and his life was in danger and Ms Moran was part of the plot against him.”

During the trial on Monday, Mr Coffey who is the security guard said that Ms Moran told him that Smyth had accused her of “kidnapping him and stealing his blood”.
The security guard then ordered the accused to leave the shopping centre immediately, the court heard.
The court heard after Mr Coffey radioed a colleague in the centre to tell him Smyth was not welcome there again, he got another call on his radio.
Mr Coffey said:

“All I heard on the radio was Holland and Barrett, I heard the girl crying out ‘Oh my god, Oh my god, I don’t believe it’.”

Ms Moran was slumped at the door of the shop and Smyth was standing a couple of feet away.
The court heard Smyth had a “complete blank look on his face”.
Another witness Seamus Walsh told the court he heard screams coming from just inside the Holland and Barrett shop.
Mr Walsh said the man shouted twice at the girl “you stole my f**king blood”.

The trial continues.

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Texas Zika case raises concerns that virus can be transmitted sexually

A case of the Zika virus being transmitted between sexual partners reported on Tuesday in Texas has raised new concerns about the transmission of the disease, which is typically spread by mosquitoes and can cause birth defects. 

The patient, whose gender has not been released, was the first person confirmed to have been infected with the virus in the US.
Cases of Zika being spread by sexual contact have only rarely been reported, and health authorities had previously treated the idea that sexual transmission was possible as theory rather than documented science.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Tuesday that the patient had contacted the virus after having sexual contact with someone who had travelled to a country where Zika is present.

 

The Dallas County health department said the sexual partner had travelled to Venezuela, but that the patient had not left the country, and had been infected in Texas.

"Dallas County Health and Human Services has received confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the first Zika virus case acquired through sexual transmission in Dallas County in 2016," the department said a statement.

Zachary Thompson, the health department's director, said the case proved that Zika could be transmitted sexually.

“Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others,” he said. “Next to abstinence, condoms are the best prevention method against any sexually-transmitted infections.”

A total of 31 people in the US are believed to have been diagnosed with Zika in the US in the past 12 months, but all of those cases originated in Central and South America, where the virus is more prevalent.

Symptoms are typically mild in adults, but babies whose mothers have contacted the disease can be born with smaller heads and brains.

Brazil has been the country worst-affected by Zika, though the virus has been reported in more than 20 countries.

Source: The Telegraph

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Ezekwesili urges Pres. Buhari to tell Nigerians the truth about the war against Boko Haram

Former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili who is championing the Bring-Back-Our-Girls campaign has urged President Buhari to tell Nigerians the truth about the war against Boko Haram.

She said:

“The government cannot afford to go to the old ways where lies were fed to the people. Let there be truthfulness. Government should not create a trust deficit syndrome because it will be difficult to mend. Everything that the government is doing concerning the war, they should tell the truth. We will get used to it and join in the solution.”

“What drove us out of our comfort zone is that we got tired of not doing anything. We will continue with our core value. No matter what anyone want to do, this advocacy will continue. A pledge is a pledge. We made a pledge to parents of the Chibok girls and will not fail in this pledge.” 

“We have gone through a lot. But what we have gone through is little of what the 219 girls are going through in the hands of the Boko Haram sect. Let nobody succeed in making us feel we should not continue. We will continue until the girls are back. The girls deserve justice and they have not been given justice. We are unhappy that they are spending close to two years in the hands of the terrorists.” 

“I have not lost hope. There is no basis to lose hope. Though we might be depressed sometimes, we won’t lose hope. We will stand for the girls. We will hold on to the commitment the president made to the Chibok girls’ parents and Nigerians. We believe that he will keep his promise and bring the girls back.” 

“Some people have been vocal about our Chibok girls, but now they feel the Chibok girls are distractions. Our Chibok girls are not distractions”.

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Hoodlums kill 2 policemen; injure 9 others in a Police station in A-Ibom

An inspector of Police and a corporal have been reportedly shot dead, while nine other policemen were injured after a Police station located at Okoroete, the in Akwa Ibom State, was invaded by armed youths suspected to be from Andoni, a neighboring community, in Rivers State.
It was gathered that over 10 thugs invaded the police station and tried to disarm the dead police officers, but met resistance, which caused them to shoot the officers, killing two of them instantly.
No reason for the attack is known yet but there are reports that the place has been a hotbed for violence following the communal clash between Amazaba community in Eastern Obolo and Ikot Akpan Udo in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area.
A chieftain of the area, Chief M. W. Ujile, said:

“I do not know what might have propelled the hoodlums to take such action against the police.”

So far, one suspect has been arrested, the PPRO implored members of the public to report any info they have about the thugs to the police.

Vanguard

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Shakira celebrates 39th birthday with makeup-free selfie

Gorgeous! Shakira took to her social media account on Feb. 2 to tell her 16 million followers that its her birthday.
"Birthday bun / Una ducha y a celebrar mi cumple! Shak," the 39-year-old captioned the photo showing her with her curly up.
In her image, the singer was makeup free, smiling and looking as beautiful as ever. It's as authentic a photo as you'll see of any international superstar.
Late January/early February is a special time for Shakira, as she shares a birthday with her husband Gerard Piqué.

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Direct Sale-Direct-Purchase of crude oil products eliminates the middleman and saves the FG $1 billion- Dr. Kachikwu

The Minister of State for Petroleum/Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Ibe. Kachikwu, yesterday appeared before the House of Representatives’ Ad-Hoc Committee set up to investigate the NNPC’s offshore processing and crude swap arrangement for the period from 2010 to date stating that the Federal Government did not pay any subsidy on petroleum products in January 2016.
He also said that the country would save $1 billion from the newly introduced  Direct-Sale-Direct-Purchase, DSDP, arrangement in Nigeria’s crude oil for products transaction which is supposed to start next month
He explained that the DSDP was adopted to replace the Crude Oil Swap initiative and the Offshore Processing Arrangement in order to introduce and entrench transparency in the crude oil for product transaction by the corporation in line with global best practices.
Kachikwu stated that the DSDP option eliminated all the cost elements of middlemen and gave the NNPC control of sale and purchase of crude oil transaction with its partners, thereby saving one billion dollars for the Federal Government.
He said:

“When I assumed duty as the Group Managing Director of NNPC, I met the Offshore Processing Arrangement (OPA) and like you know, there is always room for improvement.

“I and my team came up with the DSDP initiative with the aim of throwing open the bidding process. This initiative has brought transparency into the crude-for-product exchange matrix and it is in tandem with global best practices.”
Vanguard

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