Boko Haram, police in gun battle

Suspects arrested in connection with attack on Students’ hostel in Jos, Plateau State... on Sunday.

Suspected members of the radical Islamic group, the Boko Haram, attacked a police checkpoint in Maiduguri on Sunday, setting off a gun battle that led to the killings of a policeman and two of their colleagues.

The Commissioner of Police, Borno State Command, Mohammed Abubakar, made this known just as hoodlums killed a policeman and injured another during their attack on a students’ hostel in Jos Plateau State.

Abubakar, who also disclosed that 19 people had been arrested in connection with the assasination of a governoship candidate and six others in Maiduguri on Friday, told the Associated Press that the gun battle between the Islamic militants and the police started in the morning.

“One of our policemen was killed today (Sunday), while two members of the Boko Haram gunmen were also gunned down during an exchange of gunshots at the Pompomari Housing estate in Maiduguri,” Abubakar said.

“Our men have also killed two of the attackers whom we believe are members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect,” he added.

The police commissioner said the attack had caused the Force to deploy more policemen to each of the city’s 25 checkpoints with at least 10 policemen at each.

Although the group has not claimed responsibility for the attack, the modus operandi of the latest attack was similar to other previous ones by the group.

Suspected Boko Haram members have used motorcycle-riding gunmen to attack soldiers and policemen manning checkpoints throughout Borno state, as well as those who publicly oppose the group. But much remains murky about Boko Haram’s intentions, and whether all the killings in Maiduguri are due to the group’s re-emergence.

Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sacrilege” in Hausa language, has attacked churches and engineered a massive prison break in recent months.

The group was thought to be vanquished in 2009, when the military crushed its mosque into concrete shards, and its leader was arrested and pronouced dead in police custody.

The Borno State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Malam Lawal Abdullahi, had also on Sunday confirmed that “19 persons believed to be behind the recent serial killings in the state had been arrested in different parts of Maiduguri.”

“The suspects have been assisting us in investigations and I believe it is just a matter of time for us to charge those found culpable to court,’’ Abdullahi added.

In Jos the crises in the city escalated as another policeman was killed and his body set ablaze by hoodlums who attacked a students’ hostel.

It was learnt that the policeman was part a five-man patrol team that responded to a distress call that the hostel inhabited by some students of the University of Jos was under attack.

The attackers , who also injured another member of the team, were said to have slit the throat of the policeman before setting his body on fire.

The Commander of the Special Task Force, Brig Gen. Hassan Umaru,who confirmed the development, said that 35 suspects were arrested in connection with the attack.

He added that another team of policemen that raced to the scene also found out that the other policeman in the first team was injured.

Umaru said, “We received a distress call that students of the University of Jos were under attack. Somehow, they (policemen) could not have access from the general area where the attack was coming from.

“They had to access the place through Naraguta Village and on getting there, they were under a serious attack where they discovered that a policeman had already been killed.

“But my men stood firm where they made contacts with me and I asked them to raid the village without delay and they were able to make some arrests and recovered some weapons.”

Umaru said that one of suspects who slashed the throat of the riot policeman, was found with a canister of tear gas.

Our correspondent learnt that residents of Chobe Junction Area in the city panicked also on Sunday as rumour of the discovery of a bomb in a dumpsite in a makeshift market spread.

There was also tension in Apata, Laranto and Enugu Road, extending up to Gada Biu and Zaria Road following sporadic gun shots from men of the STF.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdulrahman Akano, attributed the development to the arrest of a man with a polythene bag containing some explosives.

He explained that when some angry youths barricaded the road after the suspect had been handed over to soldiers.

This, according to him, made the security agents to shoot their way through.

No fewer than 42 people have been killed by gunmen and herdsmen in different parts of Jos in the past two weeks.
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Fresh troubles for Igbinedion over N25b fraud

Fresh troubles await former Edo State governor, Lucky Igbinedion, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has prepared over 100 fresh charges against him.

former Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion

The new charges border on a fresh case of N25b fraud and the former governor may be dragged to court on Monday (tomorrow).

Already, a manhunt has been declared for Igbinedion, who is said to have been on the run since December.

The fresh charges, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt, include the alleged conversion of the state’s Afribank shares worth over $6.2m to Igbinedion’s personal use.

A reliable source within the anti-graft commission told our correspondent that the EFCC had launched a discreet investigation after a fresh petition was written against the former governor.

She said, “Unfortunately, I can’t tell you the name of the person that wrote the petition but we have finished this investigation and it has to go to court on Monday. All the charges involve the conversion of government resources to private use.

“We have been looking for him since December and if he refuses to show up on Monday, we may be forced to contact the INTERPOL like we did in James Ibori’s case.”

Our correspondent further gathered that Igbinedion will also be charged for the alleged conversion of the state’s government shares worth over N120m in Access Bank to himself and the diversion of government funds to purchase the Sheraton hotel in Benin, Edo State, worth over N300m.

The source further confided to our correspondent that Igbinedion would also be in court for the alleged acquisition of mansions in Abuja, Benin, Sierra Leone and London.

The spokesman of the EFCC, Femi Babafemi, who was reluctant to divulge information said, “I am aware that we are investigating a fresh petition against him, but I’m not aware that there are fresh charges.”

When asked whether the fresh charges were related to the former ones, Babafemi said, “It is a completely different case. Don’t forget that we are appealing the former court judgment that gave Igbinedion an option to pay a fine of N3.5m.”

In 2008, Igbinedion stood trial in the case of money laundering and other corrupt charges brought against him by the EFCC at the Federal High Court, Enugu.

Similarly, Kiva Corporation Limited, which was accused of receiving millions of Naira belonging to the state government on behalf of one Patrick Eboigbodin, was also convicted.

Igbinedion’s conviction followed a guilty plea to the amended charges of 191 to the one-count charge of neglect to declare his interest in a GTBank account in which he had N3.5m and 23 count charges against Kiva Corporation in which the latter also pleaded guilty.

But the EFCC had rejected the court verdict on Igbinedion, saying it would appeal against the judgment.

Justice Abdu Kafarati, in his judgment, said following the plea of guilt, the court was convinced to convict Igbinedion and Kiva as charged.

He ordered Igbinedion to pay a fine of N3.5m, which was found in his GTB account and which he was accused of neglecting to declare.
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Jos latest: 14 students shot, many killed, 20 houses burnt

 

NO fewer than 14 students of the University of Jos were shot in a protest by the students over the killing of one them on Friday, while several people were also killed on Saturday in a related protest by aggrieved people within the university community.

It will be recalled that one of the students was stabbed on Friday, close to the university main gate by a group of irate youths returning from a burial and this led to a protest by the students which attracted the attention of the Special Task Force (STF) men.
Sunday Tribune learnt that in the process of trying to curtail the unfortunate situation, the STF shot into the air and 14 students were hit by stray bullets and taken to the Bingham University Teaching Hospital for treatment.
On Saturday morning, the women within the university environment staged a protest over the shooting of the students while students also joined, denouncing the STF’s action.
An eye witness told Sunday Tribune that the protest was hijacked by youths within the vicinity and turned to a rampage, leading to killing and burning of property at Farin-Kada road. In the rampage that ensued, about 20 houses were burnt, while business premises including filling stations on the route were set on fire.
Sunday Tribune learnt that along the route where the incident occurred on Saturday, four corpses were picked by men of the Red Cross Society, while other people sustained various degrees of gunshot wounds.
As at the time of filling this report, tick smoke still enveloped the air, but unlike the previous crisis within the state capital which often spread accross, the incident was restricted to just the Farin-Gada area of the state capital, while there were normal business activities in other parts of the city.
Speaking with Sunday Tribune, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdulraahman Akao, who confirmed that 14 students of the University of Jos were shot on Friday, added that two of the irate youths who carried out the provocative attack on the students were killed by men of the STF.
Speaking with newsmen, the State Commissioner of Information, Mr. Greg Nyelong, blamed the STF for the incident, adding that the Task Force did not manage the students’ protest effectively.
The commissioner said the protesting students were harmless and deserved no treatment meted out to them by the Task Force, adding that shooting at the women and students as done by the STF was wrong and deserved condemnation by all.
Ulama/Elders council condemns fresh outbreak
The Ulama/Elders Council has condemned the fresh outbreak of hostilities in Jos and frowned at the way the security men on ground handled the incident.
According to a statement signed by the Assistant Secretary of the Council, Barrister Garba Ahmed, made available to Sunday Tribune in Jos, it pointed out that Farin Gada Vegetable Market was completely razed down.
Other property mentioned were four petrol filling stations belonging to Muslims, Sardauna Memorial College burnt for the third time, some trailer parks, also belonging to Muslims were also said to have been burnt down.
It stated that the blackmail of the Plateau State Government against the Special Task Force (STF) appeared to be forcing the outfit into inaction, adding that Plateau State police command appeared to be stepping in not to stop the carnage, but to satisfy the state government.
The council called on the leadership of the University Students’ Union and the authorities of the University of Jos not to allow themselves to be dragged into the crisis in Jos.
It however, commiserated with all those who lost their dear ones and their life earnings in the recent outbreak of the crisis, saying that it will not relent on its prayers for a lasting peace in Jos and Plateau State at large.
Jos killings may escalate to tribal conflict - CNPP chieftain
FOLLOWING the escalating killings in Jos, Plateau State, the National Secretary of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Chief Willy Ezugwu, has warned that the crises could assume ethnic colouration if steps were not taken to halt the trend.
This came as he also called for the overhauling of security apparatus in the state, from the Police Commissioner to the Commander of the Special Task Force, if the confidence of the people on security could be restored.
Speaking against the backdrop of the reported killings of 43 Igbo traders in Jos, the CNPP chieftain maintained that there was need for a decisive action to be taken by the Federal Government to help the state government stem the crisis from escalating to a tribal conflict.
Making the case in Jos while addressing Igbo traders during a meeting between the state governor, Jona Jang, and the Igbo leaders in the state, Chief Ezugwu faulted the indifference of other state governors, especially those from the South-East, to the plight of the people and government of Plateau State.
He condemned the call by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for the declaration of a state of emergency in the state, arguing that NLC should rather suggest ways of bringing peace to the state.
According to him, “this is the time when other governors should rally round Governor Jang and help intervene in the efforts to return normalcy to the state capital.
“If we call for a state of emergency in Plateau State, we should call for same in Maiduguri where the Boko Haram sect has been holding sway, Abuja where security has almost collapsed with the spate of bombings and in Bayelsa State where militants are being used to terrorise political opponents at will.
“This situation is a delicate one. The governor, as a retired military man, understands what could be done but he is the Chief Security Officer of the state and can’t control even a sergeant. The security agencies are controlled from Abuja, how then do you expect the Chief Security Officer to perform?, he querried.
“The issue of alleged connivance of military men deployed to keep peace in the state should be investigated thoroughly as the people in the villages appeared to have lost confidence in the soldiers.”

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Family seeks justice over activist’s murder

Umuahia
MEMBERS of late Comrade Chidi Nwosu  family, who was murdered on the night of December 29, 2010, in his house at Ameke Abam in Arochukwu council area of Abia State, have called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, and the Abia State Police Commissioner, Mr. Bala Hassan, to thoroughly investigate the matter with a view to ensuring that those who killed the civil rights activist were apprehended.
The killing of Nwosu had sparked off demonstrations in the community by  youths even as they pointed  fingers at  some community leaders in the area.
Already, six  suspects have been arrested and are now in police custody, but Nwosu family are not  satisfied as according to them two prime suspects they are fingering in the gory incident of December 29 incident were yet to be arrested.
Ifeanyi Nwosu, the younger brother of the slain activist, who strongly suspected the duo, said  they were still walking  the streets free, almost one month after the incident.
According to him, the six suspects handed over to the police were caught by the village youths within the village and the neighbouring village where they had fled at the time of the incident.
However, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge Criminal Investigation Department [CID] Abia State, Mr. Joseph Micloth, when contacted, confirmed the murder but said that the family members had  not come forward with any information at their disposal that would assist the police in their investigation.
Micloth explained that the police were working on information available to them and will not go about arresting people indiscriminately without any evidence linking them to the incident. According to him, the six suspects in their custody would be charged to court soon as the police have concluded investigation. He called on the family to come forward with information available to them.
In his account of the ugly incident, the father of the late human rights activist, Chief Nwosu Oko Nwosu, said: “1:30 a.m on the 29th of December 2010, I was awakened by a deafening noise of the  shout of Chidi. I ran to his house about 1km from the village [his father’s house]. When I went into his house I saw my son lying in a pool of blood. In the morning a locally made pistol was found at the scene with two barrels and a cap whose owner was identified to be among the villagers. These were handed over to the police that morning.
The police at Ozu Abam police station were alerted at about 2 a.m. but they could not come until 9 a.m. It was about 12 noon that he was carried to the mortuary.
He said the matter is being investigated by the police and appealed to the police authority to ensure that justice was done by prosecuting all the people indicted in the murder no matter how highly placed.

By ANAYO OKOLI,
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Court Suspends Rhinelander Attorney Over Sex With Client

Lawyer Suspended For Nearly 5 Years

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a Rhinelander lawyer for nearly five years for allegedly having sex with a client and harassing her.

According to the court's order, a woman claimed Frederick J. Voss had a sexual relationship with her while he was representing her in a number of matters in the early 2000s.
The woman said Voss sexually assaulted her in July 2006. He warned her family he would embarrass her in court if he was charged. He later filed a memo detailing the woman's sexual and mental health history.
Voss said in an interview he was never charged and he disagrees with the suspension. He declined further comment, saying the matter has been sealed.
Online court records show a case involving Voss has been sealed in Oneida County.

 

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Lawyer suspended for sex claim

Discipline includes $145,000 charge

A North Woods lawyer who court records say maintained a sexual relationship with his mentally disturbed client, then tried to intimidate her family and legal officials into not bringing charges over his misconduct, has been suspended from practice for almost five years.
Frederick J. Voss of Rhinelander also was ordered to pay more than $145,000 in costs to the lawyer discipline system, a figure the Supreme Court called "staggering" but was mostly due to Voss' aggressive litigation of the matter.
The state Supreme Court announced the discipline Wednesday in an opinion that describes how vulnerable Voss' former client was, and details how Voss exploited her situation. The court said it considered revoking Voss' license.
Voss said Wednesday he doesn't agree with the discipline but said he can't comment because the underlying materials in his case have been sealed.
According to the opinion:
Voss, 57, was appointed by the public defender to represent the woman, now 45, in a criminal case in 1996, went on to represent her in other criminal, civil and mental health commitments through 2003, and assisted her in non-court matters as well. He was even the payee for her Supplemental Security Income benefits.
From the early 2000s to the middle of 2006, they had a sexual relationship. In 2001, the woman told a therapist, who notified the Office of Lawyer Regulation, but the woman would not pursue a complaint at that time.
The woman told another therapist in July 2006, after a long period of not having sex with Voss, that he asked her on a car ride, took her to a motel and assaulted her.
Sheriff's deputies investigated and referred the case to prosecutors, who never filed charges. At the same time, the opinion explains, Voss began a campaign to get the woman to recant. He contacted her family and threatened that if the case went to trial, a lot of damaging information about her would get mentioned.
Voss sent unsolicited records to two circuit court judges, arguing there was no merit to possible criminal charges, and attached records of the woman's sexual history.
In November, he called the woman at the mental institution where she was housed and told her she should stay there if she wanted to remain protected.
Voss was never charged in relation to the July 2006 claim. But in January 2008, the Office of Lawyer Regulation hit Voss with six counts of professional misconduct. In his response, Voss said he never had sexwith the woman while acting as her attorney. At a subsequent hearing in the case, he took the 5th Amendment in response to questions about whether he had sex with the woman on certain dates, and denied relations on some other dates.
Voss contended that he alone determined when the attorney-client relationship existed.
"The OLR said this is a self-serving interpretation of the Supreme Court rules and in this fact situation, it is particularly egregious and predatory," according to the opinion.
In a post-trial brief, Voss stated that the woman wanted to be in the relationship.

By Bruce Vielmetti of the Journal Sentinel

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Lady Gaga engaged?

Appears Lady Gaga is going to be a Mrs.
Word is the pop star is engaged to Luc Carl, an ex with whom she reconciled lately.
The pop diva has already met his family in Nebraska, reports Life & Style. Spies there said she wore vampy boots and fishnet stockings to a bowling rink near his family's home outside of Omaha. We can't wait to see the ring.

SING YOUR HEART OUTHad enough of Christina Aguilera yet? Well, here's more. She'll sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in Texas on Feb. 6.

Xtina has xperience -- she was part of the halftime show during the 2000 Super Bowl (the Black Eyed Peas have that honor this year).

NEW DANCE PARTNER?Now we know why Bristol Palin wants son Tripp to not have Levi Johnston's name. She's moved on.

The 20-year-old daughter of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin confirmed on an Anchorage radio show that she's dating a new guy, a pipeline worker.
When the hosts brought up the subject of a new man, Palin was at first defensive, but when they said that her not answering would cause others to insert their own answer, she said, ``Yeah, I'm seeing a guy, and he's really great, and Tripp loves him, and we're having a good time.''

JUST PALSFor those who think Lindsay Lohan is dating UK hunk Tom Hardy, think again.

``Tom Hardy is just a friend of mine . . . The tabloids are wrong,'' the actress tweeted.
Lohan, 24, left rehab earlier this month when rumors of her supposed romancing of Hardy began to spread.
The Inception scene stealer -- who has a 2-year-old son from a previous relationship -- is engaged to English actress Charlotte Riley. He has battled addiction issues as well and may be just lending an ear.

SUDDENLY SINGLEScarlett Johansson seems to be moving on nicely from Ryan Reynolds.

Her new flirt fixation? SNL funnyman Jason Sudeikis, who recently parted ways with January Jones.
Life & Style spotted the newly single 26-year-old getting cozy with Sudeikis, 35, at an upscale Santa Monica pub. It was kind of a double date: The two met Jason's fellow SNL star Will Forte and another woman for burgers (yes, Scarlett eats).
A spy told the mag Sudeikis reached across the table twice to grab the Lost in Translation star's hand.

GIVE 'EM THE BOOTJersey Shore is headed to the Motherland.

The popular MTV reality TV series starring a group of hard-partying Italian-Americans will film its fourth season in Italy, the network said Tuesday.