Ikeja Electric decries spate of violence against staff

Ikeja Electric (IE) on Monday, January 30, decried the increasing number of violent attacks on its staff while performing their lawful duties.

Mr Felix Ofulue, the Head, Corporate Communications Unit of the company, expressed the company’s concern in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos.

He said that the company was shocked at the level of violence, citing a recent incident at Akowonjo, Lagos, where an aggrieved woman allegedly stabbed a staff of IE.

“It is quite disheartening that a customer will resort to such levels of violence under any circumstance, to express her grievance without even considering the enormity of the action, which could have easily resulted in murder if the staff had died.

“This is appalling and totally unacceptable,” Ofolue said.
He said that field staff were often attacked by aggrieved customers on matters which were completely beyond their control as workers of a distribution company.

“The company has created several channels for aggrieved customers to present their complaints, but rather, some chose to vent their anger on the workers, which is criminal.

“Some of the issues they are complaining about are beyond our control.
“For instance, there is poor power supply, which is as a result of certain known challenges that cut across the value chain and we are the last arm of the chain.

“These challenges are beyond our control, so there is no point directing your anger at any of our staff because they are also customers of a network where they reside,” he said.

Ofolue said that the aggression by the customers was misdirected since the company could only distribute the allocation it gets from the national grid.

He warned that any customer who attacks any IE staff would be made to face wrath of law.
“We are appealing to customers to exercise patience and restraint.

“We are also appealing to community leaders to sensitize their people,” he said.
(Source: NAN)

Culled From The Sun

Fayose cautions DSS over planned detention of Apostle Suleiman, Bishop

Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, Mr Ayodele Fayose has warned the Department of State Services (DSS) over the planned detention and trial of Apostle Johnson Suleiman of The Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide and the General Overseer of Living Faith Church Worldwide International (Winners’ Chapel International), Bishop David Oyedepo, describing it as indirect invitation to religious crisis in the country.

Governor Fayose alleged that; “There is plan to charge Apostle Suleiman and Bishop Oyedepo for incitement and attempt to cause public disorder on Friday, and make sure that they are not granted so to get them remanded in Kuje Prison perpetually.”

He said this plan was to humiliate these men of God as well as silence them and create fear in other people that may want to speak against the heinous crime against humanity being committed daily while perpetrators are being shielded by the federal government.

In a statement issued on Sunday by is Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said the DSS should tell Nigerians how many of the Fulani herdsmen that killed thousands of Nigerians across the country have been arrested before going after Nigerians who merely expressed their frustration over the to failure of the federal government to protect them.

The governor said; “Even though the DSS has allowed commonsense to prevail by properly inviting Apostle Suleiman as against the gestapo manner with which the service attempted to abduct him last week Wednesday, it is still questionable that the DSS is more interested in a man who threatened to defend himself against any attack by Fulani herdsmen rather than those herdsmen that murdered thousands of Nigerians.

The governor said; “it is sad and worrisome that after muzzling opposition politicians, judiciary and the press, the APC led federal government has taking its desperation to suppress dissenting voices in the country to the House of God.”

Governor Fayose maintained that; “If the DSS had acted swiftly like it is doing on Apostle Suleiman so-called inciting comments when people were being killed by herdsmen across the country, so many lives would have been saved.”

He advised the government and the DSS not to go ahead with these plans as it will heat up the polity and threaten the peaceful coexistence of Nigerians, calling on well meaning Nigerians to prevail on the federal government to desist from acts capable of throwing the country into further crisis.

Governor Fayose, who reiterated his call for the release of the head of Nigeria’s Islamic Movement (IMN), Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who has been in detention since late 2015 despite that the court ruled that he should be released, affirmed that “he will continue to stand for Nigeria and its people, not for any religion and it is my position that rights of all Nigerians must be respected and protected.”

The governor urged the APC led federal government to pay attention to the economy it destroyed, with the aim to revamping it and saving Nigerians from the hunger ravaging the land. “Nigeria is already being ravaged by war of hunger, economic recession, job loss and lack of leadership direction.

It will be disastrous for the country to be plunged into religious crisis. “Apart from during the civil war, Nigerians have not been badly divided as a nation as we are under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. Killings under this government in 18 months are more than what was witnessed in the last 20 years,” the governor said.
Source:Vanguard

Mum from hell

Abandons hubby in jail, dumps baby in orphanage, moves in with 4th husband

‘Fugitive mum lied at orphanage home’

What could have led a 28-year-old lady to abandon her husband’s home, dumped her two-year-old daughter in an orphanage only to move in with her fourth husband? This and more are the questions the police in Abuja are working on to find answers to, after a 34-year-old jail returnee, Paul Jubril reported that his wife, Blessing Ochonogor killed their daughter Ifeoma and fled to live with another man.

Saturday Sun gathered that the live-in-lovers were living on Jaja Street, Kubwa area of Abuja, with their two kids before Paul went to jail for an unknown offence. Upon return from Suleja prison about two weeks ago, Paul, from Etsako LGA, Edo State, discovered that Blessing who hails from Benue state had fled their apartment with their two kids.

Speaking to Saturday Sun at the police station, Paul said, “I went to Suleja prison. When I came back in January 2017, I couldn’t find my wife and two kids. It was later I heard that my daughter Ifeoma was at an orphanage home at Arab Road, Kubwa Abuja.” While trying to consider what could have led Blessing to do what she did, Paul said,  “I remember we had a misunderstanding in 2015 but I didn’t know she would pack out of the house with our two children, Peter Smith who is seven years old and Ifeoma who is two years and three months.”

Police findings show that after leaving her husband’s home, Blessing who had had two kids for two men before moving in with Paul, took her baby to an orphanage home where she lied to them that the baby’s parents had died. After dropping the baby at the orphanage, she was said to have moved in with another of her suitors as her fourth husband.

It was not long before the baby began to grow lean and sick. Efforts by the orphanage to treat the baby led to the discovery that she had been infected with HIV. This prompted officials to search for ‘the good Samaritan’ who brought the baby. When the baby was eventually returned to her, it was almost too late as she died soon after.

“I have to report the case at Kubwa phase 4 police station Abuja. I didn’t believe that my child could die of HIV. When I was going to prison in December 2016, my child was in good health. I don’t know why my child will die of HIV. I don’t have HIV, likewise, my seven years old son, Peter Smith. I want to know the cause of death of my child.

“My child is now at the mortuary at Kubwa General Hospital. Before I bury my child, I am still insisting to know what killed her. It is my girlfriend who is responsible for the death of my child”, the angry father lamented.

In her own account, Blessing Ochonogor told Saturday Sun that she was not legally married to Paul, adding, “myself and Paul Jubril merely had boyfriend and girlfriend relationship.” According to her, “Suddenly, I discovered I have got two children for him.”

While justifying why she had to move out of Paul’s home, she said, “Whenever I have a quarrel with my boyfriend, he used to beat me to a state of coma. When I couldn’t bear it anymore, I have to pack out from the house to sleep in an uncompleted building for three days.”

“When I could not bear it, I took my child Ifeoma to the orphanage home at Arab Road, Kubwa Abuja. I deceived them that the parents of the child are dead. It’s true, I didn’t go there to check my child, and I went only once. Later, I went to marry another man.

“Suddenly, the orphanage home called me that the child I brought to them was ill. I refused to go there initially but later I went and took the child to Gwarimpa General Hospital and they diagnosed her of HIV and we were referred to the National Hospital but in the process the baby died on December 2016”, she added.

Pleading innocence on the death of the baby, the Benue State-born mother of four added that, “I never killed my child. It was frustration that prompted me to take the child to orphanage home. My Father and Mother are not living together.

There is nobody I can handover my child to when I was in predicament. Since I am no longer with my boyfriend, he has threatened to kill me. Since the death of my child, my boyfriend has been accusing me of killing our child with HIV.”

“It is not possible to kill my own daughter. When life is so difficult for me, I have to marry another man. My boyfriend didn’t give us rest of mind since he came back from prison. My boyfriend has frustrated my life and I am not going back to his house again”, she stated.

When contacted, the FCT Police Commissioner, Mr. Mohammed Mustapha told Saturday Sun that his Command would encourage the duo of Paul and Blessing to settle their differences and burry the baby abandoned in the morgue.
Source:Saturday Sun

Nigeria risks total blackout over loss of 2,518MW in 3 days

 …Generation tumbles to 112.20MW

Except urgent measures are taking by the Federal Government to rescue the power sector, the country may soon be thrown into total blackout, Daily Sun investigation has revealed.

Latest generation statistics from the Electricity System Operators website, a sub agency of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) indicated that the country lost 2518MW in just three days (January 23-26).

This was so because power generation dropped from 2,662MW on January 22 to 2,630.30MW on January 23, translating to a loss of 32 MW in one day. But as at yesterday, power generation had dropped to an all time low of 112.20MW, bringing the total loss to 2518.

The development may not be unconnected with the inability of the power generating companies to clear outstanding invoices to gas producing firms.

According to  NBET, invoices from the 22 power generation plants for September 2016, was N36.49 billion while payment to them based on receipt from the Discos was N8.99 billion, representing 24.64 percent.

NBET further explained that total energy sent out in September 2016, was 1.97GWh, as the 11 Discos consumed 92.49 percent of the total energy sent out in September, while international customers and other off-takers consumed 7.50 percent.

Chairman of Transcorp Group and United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr. Tony Elumelu, had on Wednesday described Nigeria’s power sector  walking corpse, which may collapse soon if no urgent action is taken.

Speaking to CNBC Africa, Elumelu maintained that the agency of government that has responsibility for ensuring that the sector delivers on its potential is not doing well enough because it was owed a lot of money.”

“Transcorp Power Holdings is owed almost N50 billion. When we put in the invoice for this month, we should be owed almost N54 or N55 billion. How do you survive in business like this? How? Other GenCos I know are actually dying.

“We are struggling because of our diversified resource base, what about others? Something urgent and drastic must be done. It is as urgent as yesterday.

“The truth is that Transcorp power, as a key operator in the sector, is struggling. And if we are struggling, you can imagine what others are going through.”

Elumelu went on to ask the government to allow it generate its own   gas, adding that “where we are located, we are sitting on a lot of gas”. Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing,  Mr. Babatunde Fashola, attributed power sector collapse to liquidity issues, vandalism, among other constraints.

This was even as he said power generation had risen to 2,900 megawatts after the system collapse left parts of the country in darkness last week.
Source:The Sun

Why MMM boss, wife fled Nigeria

The hope mavrodians have of retrieving their ‘investments’ and ‘profits’ from the Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (MMM) Ponzi scheme continues to dim by the day, as Nigeria’s top guider, Chuddy Ugorji, has reportedly fled the country.

It was gathered that Ugorji, left Nigeria with his wife to the Philippines.
He fled the country when many investors were waiting to be paid their money with the accrued interest, the News Agency of Nigeria reported.

Chuddy’s relocation came barely 24 hours after he released new conditions for payment of participants.

He had given the impression that the Ponzi scheme had started paying outstanding money to participants of the scheme. But the payment is just symbolic.

Meanwhile, the ponzi scheme issued new guidelines on Wednesday.
It said, “As a necessary measure, we decided to set limit to withdrawal this week thus the N31,000 maximum withdrawal on your PO.

“We are still committed to prioritise paying smaller amounts first and gradually increase the amount to higher ones. The system does the calculations and knows how to calculate everyone’s mavros.

“Between Friday that we opened and today, hundreds of thousands of GH orders have been matched.
More and more GH orders will be matched as time goes on. If you see error notification when trying to GH, just keep trying.

“PH to GH is still a suggestion to be tabled before Sergey Mavrodi for consideration. Disregard any info suggesting that you must PH to GH till further announcement in your PO. Freezing of bonuses for now is another suggestion to be tabled before Sergey Mavrodi for his consideration.

Which means if approved, you will only be able to GH your personal contributions for now until the system recovers and stabilises.”
Source:Punch

One year after, family cries for justice over slain mother of 3

LAGOS—A year after the murder of a mother of three, Mrs Helen Peters, by a security guard and six other suspected accomplices in Lagos, her family members are crying foul, alleging a grand design to deny them justice.

On January 19, 2016, the security guard was alleged to had lured the deceased to his house and, with the help of six others, including an uncertified nurse, bound Mrs Peters’ limbs, gagged her and injected her with an unidentified substance, which led to her death.

While the security guard is currently cooling his heels at the Kirikiri Prisons awaiting trial, the Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP, in his legal advice dated June 6, 2016, exonerated the nurse and four others, describing them as “victims of circumstance in the criminal act perpetuated by the security guard” and ordering their release from police custody.

Late Helen’s husband, who spoke to Vanguard at the one year remembrance service of his late wife, appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State to order a review of the case, saying “the conspicuously influenced DPP’s legal advice which, when contested, was also upheld by the Attorney General is injustice. “Justice has been compromised.

The witnesses to my wife’s murder have been exonerated and could decide to abscond. Is it not obvious that this case has been killed? Even the phone call the security guard reportedly made to some people, saying the show had ended as the woman had died, was not investigated by the police.”

In his argument also, Prosecuting Counsel to the Plaintiff, Mr. Emenike Onuamah, said the security guard’s accomplices had actually confessed to the crime before the police and therefore should be charged for at least lesser offences, having aided and abetted the crime.

The incident

Mr. Peters told Vanguard his wife had informed him that the security guard, who used to be a guard at Gowon Estate, Lagos, where they reside, approached her at her shop within the estate, saying he was planning his wedding but had only N200,000. 

He said: “The guard claimed he needed my wife to stand as surety for a hall he will use. On January 19, 2016, both of them proceeded to see the hall.

“But according to police investigation, he told her he wanted to collect money from his house at 36, Fashola Street, Papa Ashafa, in Agege area of Lagos, so he could pay for the hall immediately. “From the confessional statements of one of his accomplices to the police, I learned that my wife sat outside, while the guard went inside.

Then he came from behind, gagged her while the other boys tied her up and dragged her inside his house where the said nurse injected her. “He had told them that she was his sister and was mentally deranged; that he needed to take her to the village.”

However, the landlady’s son, who noticed strange movements around the guard’s apartment, called the police and Mrs. Peters was subsequently taken to Orile-Agege General Hospital, where she was confirmed dead, leading to the guard’s arrest by officers from Dopemu Police Station.
Source:Vanguard