PDP vows to expose DSS over arrest of chieftain, Babatunde Gbadamosi

The Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has condemned the arrest of its chieftain and ex-governorship aspirant, Babatunde Gbadamosi by the ‎Department of State Service, DSS.

It has, therefore, vowed to expose the government agency

The party also accused the rulung All Progressives Congress, APC, of masterminding the arrest, saying it was all about the forthcoming council poll in Lagos.

According to the party, “the whereabouts of the kidnapped or arrested chieftain is still unknown and the only clue known is that some men identified as DSS officials forced their ways into the chieftains compound at about 1am, ransacked his home and assaulted all who cared to know reasons for his arrest at that odd hours.

“This arrest has confirmed intelligence report from within the security agencies that the DSS and some other government agencies have their lists of some Lagos state PDP members and supporters whom they plan to arrest between now and June and under various false allegations, with a view to silence us or disorganise our strategies for the council polls now slated for June this year.

“We are crying out to the world to ‘Save Our Soul’. We are no more safe in our own land. The security agencies have been mandated to go after us and harass us, unless we stop criticising the APC government. This arrest of Gbadamosi is unwarranted. He has not been mentioned in any of the alleged stolen funds. He has only been speaking out for the masses. He is not a government contractor.

“The DSS has obviously become a bully! Set out to harass, arrest and liquidate our persons and businesses. We cannot be cowed, rather we shall be more dogged, resolute and our skin thickened against this APC led disgraceful DSS and government.

“We give the DSS reasonable period of 48 hours to release Gbadamosi and cease from further harassment of 

Read More »

Stop acting like armed robbers – CACOL carpets Customs

The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, through its executive Chairman, Mr. Debo Adeniran has tongue-lashed officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, for carrying out their operations in what he called an “armed robbery-like” manner.

He described the actions of the officials from the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) who went to Sango area of Ogun State, broke into shops at midnight to seize bags of rice as “barbaric and totally condemnable.”

“Now, assuming without conceding that items seized from Sango, (a town that’s about 50 kilometers from the Nigerian borders manned by the NCS with several check posts on the highways at different intervals) are banned items, the questions to ask will be – how did the items pass through the nets of NCS check posts before getting to Sango? How can a potential buyer, identify whether food items such rice and vegetable oil is smuggled or not?The CACOL Chairman said “the modus operandi displayed in the Sango raid by the FOU and the circumstances is replica of the last seizure of pump action rifles at Mile 2 Expressway, Lagos where illegal items are discovered at several kilometers from their entry points.

“It is irresponsible of the NCS that have to continued sustain ineffective methods of tackling smuggling to turn round to abuse innocent and law abiding Nigerians with the ‘armed robbery-like’ manner the operatives of the Service were reported to have invaded the Sango rice market.

“The truth is that occurrences like the Sango episode has always been rampant across the country to such a ridiculous levels that men of NCS harass Nigerians in Abuja for instance over vehicles allegedly illegally imported through the Benin – Nigeria border!

“The borders of most countries with security consciousness are very well monitored to control and nip in the bud incidences like this. The porosity of any country’s border determines what can get in or out of such country.“This crude and failed mode of manning our borders is at the very heart of the incessant and unnecessary clashes over banned items with the seeming undying nature of illegality called smuggling.

“It is time that the corrupt elements in the State agencies, establishments, Services etc are weeded out because they abet and even help contrive the illegalities that takes place at our borders to a very large extent.

“On occasions where smugglers beat the NCS operatives at the border, there are more intelligent and non-violent ways that could be deployed by the NCS operatives based on their training as Custom officers to apprehend and prosecute the criminal elements behind smuggling of illegal items into the country.

“To achieve this FG and NCS must be pro-active in working to genuinely kick corruption out of the rank and file of the Customs services. The NCS must also reprimand the men who carried out Sango rice market invasion as a failure to do this would only encourage the festering of the ineffective ways that had been repeatedly deployed by the Service.

”

Read More »

CAN says Osinbajo is up to the task of governing Nigeria

The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Samson Ayokunle on Thursday declared that the Acting President, Yemi Osinbanjo is “up to the task” of governing Nigeria in the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Ayokunle insisted that there was no vacuum in government contrary to insinuations in certain quarters.

“The Church should also continue praying for him for divine wisdom, knowledge and understanding as he discharges his constitutional responsibilities.”The statement sent to DAILY POST on Thursday said, “We don’t see the need for any hue and cry being made by some people that his unprecedented absence could create a vacuum in the Presidency since President Buhari has done what is needful by transferring power to the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo who is up to the task.

Ayokunle also urged the Christians to continue praying for the President until he returned back to the country hale and hearty from the United Kingdom, UK.

The President who has been on medical Vacation in the UK had extended his 10-days vacation, citing health reasons.

In a swift reaction to the new development, Ayokunle, reminded Christians that it was their responsibility to “pray for the country and her leaders in season and out of season.”Earlier in the week, Buhari through his media aide, Femi Adesina revealed that a series of medical check-ups he carried out in the cause of his medical vacation had necessitated his prolonged stay in London.

The statement added, “I call on all well meaning Nigerians, especially Christians not to cease praying for President Muhammadu Buhari as he takes further rest as advised by his doctors until he returns back to the country hale and hearty to continue his good works.

“It is needless reminding you that as Christians, our responsibilities include but not limited to making supplications, prayers, and intercessions, and giving thanks for our leaders and for all that are in the position of authority, ‘that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour…’” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).”

Ayokunle also urged security agencies to rise up to the security challenges in the Southern Kaduna by “flushing out the hoodlums who are still killing innocent people despite the presence of policemen and soldiers in the area.”

He said, “We call on the security agencies in the country to stop the killings in Kafanchan despite their presence in the area, we heard of recent attacks in Atakar and Kaninkon villages of Kaura and Jema’a local government areas in the state.

“All hands should be on deck to flush out those criminals from their hideouts in order to restore a permanent peace to the Southern Kaduna communities once and for all.”

Read More »

Never again will a corrupt man become Nigeria’s president – Oba of Lagos

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, has warned aspirants with questionable characters never to come to him for endorsement.

The monarch, who vowed to work against any corrupt individual from leading the country in future, prayed God to let President Muhammadu Buhari complete his tenure.

Oba Akiolu took this stand ‎at the launch of Nigerian Women Against Corruption (WAC), in Lagos, on Wednesday.

The monarch attributed reasons for corruption to some government polices such as lack of security of tenure and inadequate mobilisation of contractors for public projects.

“Never again will a corrupt man become Nigeria’s president. There is no room for somebody who spent the first three years of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration making money and turning many companies to his own to come back to be the president of this country again. I mean it and by God’s grace, it shall be so.

“If a man can achieve this much in office, under two years, it shows clearly that there is still hope for this country and whether we like it or not, we should thank God and commend Asiwaju Bola Tinubu”, he said.

Read More »