IMMIGRATION TRAGEDY - EFCC GRILLS EX-COMPTROLLER GENERAL DAVID PARRADANG FOR EIGHT HOURS.

For about eight hours yesterday, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) operatives quizzed a former Comptroller-General  of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Mr. David Parradang.

He was grilled over alleged N650million fees collected from job seekers last year.

The EFCC invited Parradang to explain how much was collected and the whereabouts of the funds.

FIRS BARS CONSULTANTS FROM COLLECTING TAX.

Tax consultants have been barred from assessing and collecting tax revenue on behalf of the Federal Government.

This clarification was given yesterday by the new Acting Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Mr. Babatunde Fowler in Abuja when he met with members of the Joint Tax Board (JTB).

Fowler admitted that consultants will be engaged by the FIRS to gather data only. He said the FIRS has under 1,000 staff in audit function. “So, you can imagine 1,000 staff trying to review or audit the books of 450,000 companies, it just won’t work, to improve the levels of transparency and accountability these consultants will only gather data, the law does not allow them to do assessment or collect revenue on behalf of government they’re just to assist our staff to collect data,’’ he said.

NEW OONI TO BE PICKED IN OCTOBER FROM THE GIESI FAMILY.

The 16 Ife kingmakers yesterday named Giesi as the only ruling house qualified to present candidate (s) for the vacant Ooni stool. They said the new Ooni would emerge in the next 40 days.

Addressing reporters at the Ooni’s palace, the Obalufe, Oba Folorunso Omisakin, said the 1980 Ife chieftaincy declaration will be used in selecting the next Ooni.

He said: “We, the kingmakers, hereby unanimously declare, affirm and confirm that the 1980 Ife chieftaincy declaration is the one in existence now and we affirm as follows:

PROTESTS AS "LA CASERA" SACKS 700 WORKERS OVER UNIONISM.

Scores of workers at Lacasera Company Plc staged a protest on Monday in Lagos, moments after about 700 workers received their sack letters, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The company, however, described the protest as an invasion of its premises by “hoodlums.’’

NAN reported that the crisis began after the workers arrived at the company premises in Amuwo Odofin Industrial Estate, Mile 2, Lagos, and found the gate locked against them and a notice of disengagement pasted at the entrance.

NIGERIA POLICE FORCE (@POLICENG) BEGINS INVESTIGATION INTO AKWA IBOM GOVERNOR'S DRIVER IMPERSONATION SCANDAL.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has commenced investigation into the alleged police impersonation of a driver to the state Governor, Emmanuel Udom, Mr. Edet Bassey.

This is just as the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress faulted the state government for disrespecting the rule of law.

The Force Police Public Relations Officer, acting ACP Olabisi Kolawole, told one of our correspondents that the state Commissioner of Police, Murtala Mani, would get back to police authorities with the investigation report.

It was reported on Monday that Bassey, from Cross River State, allegedly impersonated a policeman while discharging his duties.

THE HOPELESSNESS OF OUR ANTI-CORRUPTION WAR - YINKA ODUMAKIN.

“The fight against corruption mobilizes all of us because we want to do away with evil and injustice.  But we should remember that casting the bad into the sea does not imply the sudden appearance on our shores of the good that we need.”

-Prof. Ricardo Hausmann, Faculty  Chair  of Leading Economic Growth .

I will never forget that sunny afternoon at the Polo Ground Ibadan sometime in 1984 as we all massed to watch the public execution of three armed robbers who were condemned to deatth.

RIVERS APC FAULTS WIKE'S PLAN TO BORROW ANOTHER N10BN.

Rivers State chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, has faulted alleged plans by Governor Nyesom Wike to borrow another N10 billion from banks in the state, accusing him of borrowing recklessly without consideration for the present and future generations of the citizens.

The party, in a statement by the Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, said APC was saddened at the level of borrowings going on since Nyesom Wike took over the saddle of power in the state less than four months ago.

He said: “Till date, the governor has collected N100 billion comprising federal allocations, Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, balance in the Reserve Fund and other sundry sums left in the state’s various accounts with the banks by  May 29. The aforementioned sum is exclusive of the earlier N30 billion loans obtained from banks by the governor since he assumed office.

ABDUCTORS OF SUN NEWSPAPER'S DEPUTY MD'S WIFE DEMAND N100M RANSOM.

Gunmen, in the early hours of  yesterday, stormed the Okota, Lagos residence of the Deputy Managing Director of The Sun Newspapers, Mr Steve Nwosu and abducted his wife, Toyin.

The abductors had established contact with the distraught Nwosu at about 4p.m. and demanded N100 million before his wife would be released.

The gunmen, numbering about seven as gathered, stormed Bale Street in Ogundiaro Bashorun Sunmonu Akanwo Estate, Okota at about 1a.m. They were said to have gained entrance into a building close to Nwosu’s house with the aid of an abandoned ladder used to paint the building. But on sighting them, owner of the building was said to have scaled the fence to another street, where he sought refuge

DRAMA AS OAU STUDENT UNION EXECUTIVES BUDGET N1,837.550 FOR PHONE CALLS.

Student Union executives and legislators at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, have budgeted N1, 837, 550 to make official phone calls between August, 2015 and January, 2016.

In a copy of the Student Union budget made available to reporters and debated by members of the OAU Student Representative Council on Sunday evening, the leaders also had a separate budget for internet facilities and sending of bulk Short Message Service.

The sum, which did not also include the one for purchase of phones, was budgeted by the leadership of the Central Executive Council and Students’ Representative Council led by Mr. Omotayo Akande and Mr. Adebari Aare respectively.

IMPERSONATION SCANDAL - AKWA IBOM GOVERNOR'S OFFICIAL DRIVER IMPERSONATES NIGERIA POLICE FORCE (@POLICENG) DEFRAUDS @ZENITHBANK.

SaharaReporters has learned that the official driver for the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has been brazenly impersonating a Nigerian Police Force officer by wearing a full police uniform and with the knowledge of Governor Emmanuel. This highly criminal and fraudulent act has continued with impunity for a long time, according to sources.

Sources close to the Akwa Ibom State Governor told SaharaReporters that the driver, Mr. Bassey Edet Bassey, who hails from Cross Rivers State had worked with the Governor since he was a senior management staff with Zenith Bank Plc. On further checks, it was learned that his employer, Zenith Bank, usually detailed Mr. Bassey to serve the Governor whenever he visited Akwa Ibom State.

I LEFT N287BN ABACHA LOOT IN TREASURY - OLUSEGUN OPBASANJO.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said he left in the national treasury over N287bn, made up of $2bn, £100m and N10bn in cash and property, being the loot recovered from the late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha.

Obasanjo left office as President in 2007 after serving two terms of eight years and handed over to the now late former President Umaru Yar’Adua.

The N287bn figure was arrived at using an average exchange rate of N125.88 to a dollar in 2007 and an average exchange rate of N247.99 to a pound in the same year.

AGONY OF 2 SISTERS AGED 14 & 16 WHO WERE RAPED FOR 3 YEARS BY DAD. #SAYNOTORAPE.

At the end of a rugged street in Ikotun area of Lagos, house No 40, a gated storey building stands shoulder to shoulder with other houses, bearing the signs of age and numerous tenants.

But in this building inhabited by an elderly landlord, Mr. Sikiru Okunola along with his elderly wife, Bose, and their tenants, one of the greatest crimes a father can commit against his own child, has happened.

Pa Okunola and his wife, who were both alarmed when they were hinted about an incestuous act of one of their tenants, summoned his children, 14-year-old Bisi and 16-year-old Biola to confirm from them whether it was true that their father had been violating them.

SHAME OF A RAPIST - UNILAG LECTURER ACCUSED OF RAPING HIS FRIEND'S 18-YR-OLD DAUGHTER FAILS TO SHOW UP IN COURT.

Observers that filled a Lagos Magistrate’s Court to capacity were let down last Wednesday as Dr. Akin Baruwa, who reportedly raped an 18-year-old University of Lagos admission seeker, failed to show up in court.

It was learnt that Baruwa, a lecturer at the university’s Distance Learning Institute, who had been in remand at the Kirikiri Prison since August 7, reportedly declined to follow the prison officers while they were coming to the court with other inmates.

The defendant had been in trouble since August 3, when he was arrested by the police for allegedly raping his friend’s daughter inside an office at the institution’s Department of Accounting.

DETAILS OF WHY DSS SACKED 65 PERSONNEL.

Details have emerged why about 65 personnel of the Department of State Services who were evicted from the service training school in Lagos were asked to leave the service.

A senior officer of the service who spoke with reporters in Abuja Sunday evening said the trainees were sent out because “their  recruitment did not follow laid down procedures of choosing personnel into the service.”

It will be recalled that DSS 65 cadet officers of the service who were undergoing training at the State Services Academy, SSA, in Lagos, including a sibling of the sacked former spokes person of the service, Marilyn Ogar were asked to leave earlier this month, few weeks to their passing out.

WE ARE FOCUSED ON ELIMINATING CORRUPTION. - PRESIDENT BUHARI.

Presidentt Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration remains focused in the fight against corruption because it is a battle to regain Nigerai’s soul.

Buhari, who stated that corruption was endemic in the country, explained that graft was the main reason a potentially prosperous country like Nigeria was struggling to feed itself and provide jobs for its citizens.

The President, who made this remark on Sunday at the second plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria held at the Catholic Pastoral Centre, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, lamented that hundreds of thousands of deaths from communicable diseases recorded in the country could be traced to the greed and corruption of a few.

CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP WARNS AGAINST DROPPING THE UNICAL LAW LECTURER RAPE SCANDAL..

Two civil rights organisations, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice and the Nigerian Feminist Forum, have expressed concerns over the increase in the incidence of rape by some members of the academic staff in Nigerian universities.

The group called on relevant authorities to take actions to stop the trend.

They were reacting to the allegation against the Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, who was accused of alleged sexual assault on a 20-year-old 400-level Law student in the institution.

 Read previous reports HERE, HERE & HERE.

MINISTERIAL LIST - DSS SCREENS UTOMI, OYINLOLA, FALANA, WALE EDUN & ODIMIEGWU.

A former Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Limited, Mr. Festus Odimegwu and a former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, are among the ministerial nominees that have been screened by the Department of State Service, 

Those already said to have been screened as nominees for President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet also include a former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; and a Lagos-lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN).

Also on the list are a former Chief of Army, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazu (retd.); an ex-chief executive of the Federal Inland Revenue, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okaru; a former finance commissioner in Lagos State, Mr. Wale Edun; and a former National Legal Adviser to the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

(VIDEO) THE SEX TAPE THAT TORE A SCHOOL APART - STAFF & PUPIL CAUGHT HEADMASTER & CHEMISTRY TEACHER 5 TIMES.

HEADMASTER GRAHAM DANIELS

A teenager walks silently along the red-carpeted corridor of a large building. As he goes, he switches on the camera on his phone and begins recording. Heavy breathing can immediately be heard in the background of the resulting internet video clip.

It is coming from behind an office door straight in front of the youngster. The breathing and other audible indications of sexual activity get louder the closer he gets to the door.

Then, moments before the grainy footage ends, a female voice utters what sounds like: ‘Oh, yes.’ The tape, or rather soundtrack, lasts little more than 30 seconds. The repercussions of it, however, have been far reaching.

CARNAGE IN MECCA - OVER 107 DEAD & 238 INJURED AS CONSTRUCTION CRANE COLLAPSES ON GRAND MOSQUE.

At least 107 people were killed and 238 injured when a crane crashed through the ceiling of the Grand Mosque of Mecca amid high winds and thunderstorms today. 

Dramatic footage shows the moment the crane toppled in heavy rain, with another video capturing the chaos and confusion inside the building as people ran for cover after the devastating impact.

Photos posted on social media sees the polished tiled floor of the mosque covered in rubble, bodies and pools of blood, and people fleeing the area bleeding and covered in soot.

ASSETS DECLARATION - WE WON'T FOLLOW BUHARI'S EXAMPLE - APC GOVERNORS.

Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress have said they will not follow the example laid by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in declaring their assets publicly.

The governors, said it is not compulsory for them to declare their assets publicly and that they would not be pressured to follow the president’s action.

According to them, there is no law mandating the governors to publicly state their worth in terms of property and cash.