457 Nigerians languishing in Brazialian prisons--Dabiri-Erewa

457 Nigerians languishing in Brazialian prisons--Dabiri-Erewa


Rep Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora,  has said  457 Nigerians, including a 72-year-old woman, Fausat Abosede, are languishing in various prisons in Brazil.
Dabiri-Erewa told the Newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, that the committee had visited Brazil and was  touched by the pitiable condition of the inmates. “We were touched by the psychological traumas that the inmates were going through, despite the cleanliness and orderliness of the prison environment,'' she said.
She said the visit was prompted by a hint it got from a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Youth Without Borders, led by two Nigerians, Taiwo and Kehinde Afolabi. 
The lawmaker said out of the figure, 14 of the inmates were female, who were been kept at Sao Paulo Women Plenipotentiary Prisons.
She said one of the women had completed her term and was undergoing a rehabilitation training.
Dabiri-Erewa said the delegation was, however, disturbed by the predicament of 72-year old Abosede , who told the delegation that she went to Brazil for medical treatment, through a Nigerian.
She added that the woman decided to return to Nigeria when she realised that the treatment she was promised was not forth coming.
Abosede was, however, arrested at the airport in September 2011, with drugs in a bag she claimed was given to her by an acquaintance, named Patricia, to deliver in Nigeria.
The lawmaker faulted the Brazilian authorities for keeping the old woman in prison, contrary to the laws of the country,which stipulates that a suspect of her age be kept in house arrest pending sentence.
Dabiri-Erewa said the committee had formally presented Abosede’s case and those of other inmates to the Director, Department of Immigrations of Ministry of Justice of Brazil, Dr. Izaura Miranda, who had expressed surprise on the woman’s case.

Major Asian Industries Express Interest in Nigeria

Major Asian Industries Express Interest in Nigeria

*As Jonathan promises incentives

Major stakeholders of the Asian Tigers economies yesterday indicated interest to set up business in Nigeria after President Goodluck Jonathan held closed door meetings with them where he assured them of review of incentives to investors willing to set up or increase their business stakes in Nigeria.

Those who met Jonathan and agreed to commence investments and capacity building in Nigeria include Daewoo Industries, Samsung and Hyundai Heavy Industries Limited who secured private audience with him at the Sheraton Hotel in the highbrow Walkway district of the country.

This is as he also said there was need for Nigeria to partner with Korea Electricity Power Company (KEPCO) to fast track achievement of the power Master plan and ensure that it worked expeditiously to deliver power without which the needed industrialisation would be a mirage. He met with officials of the company also.

 Jonathan separately told the companies that he met with that he has already directed the Ministry of Trade and Investment to review incentives for companies willing to invest in the country, adding, “We are willing to support you to establish industries in Nigeria, and I have instructed the Ministry of Trade and Investment to review the incentives available for investors coming to the country”.

He said that apart from his desire to see to the rapid industrialization of the country, he also aims to create jobs for the teeming population of the country most of who were youths, pointing out that one area he wanted to ensure its workability for that purpose was the implementation of the Local Content Law that will add capacity building to job creation.

President and Chief Executive Officer of Samsung Heavy Industries, Mr. Mr. In Sik Roh, commended the President for giving them the opportunity to construct the Bonga Oil platform and assured that his company was commencing the training of 20 Nigerians next month in skills transfer and capacity building.

 Jonathan had in a separate audience with Daewoo Engineering and Construction Company stressed the need for the gas infrastructure of Nigeria to be upgraded to speedily attend to the urgent need for industrialization and regretted that though the country was blessed with abundant gas resources evacuating them to meet needs was a problem.

He called for the development of bankable packages that would attract international funding while he commended the company for agreeing to fund infrastructural development in Nigeria at agreeable terms.

Responding, Daewoo’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jong-Uk Seo assured of the confidence and willingness of his company to continue business in the country where he said they have been operating since 1978.

Other conglomerates that met with Jonathan were Hyundai Heavy Industries, led by Senior Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of the company, Mr. I. S. Chun; and a delegation of JD International, led by Mr. David Lee, President/Chief Executive Officer.

While meeting with KEPCO, the President assured that every mechanism would be put in place to pave way for their investment in the power sector to which its President and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Joong-Kyum Kim, replied his company desired to strengthen their investment in the Nigerian power sector, adding that they had a robust partnership with Nigeria’s Sahara Oil. He boasted of having requisite experience and capacity to participate actively in the development of any facet of Nigeria’s power mix.

He also met with and reviewed solar power production proposal by Shinsung Solar Energy which expressed readiness to establish a plant in Nigeria as it boasts of better and cheaper rural electrification with an added advantage to reach rural areas without high maintenance cost and promised incentives to make them start.

Chairman of Shinsung Solar Energy and leader of the delegation, Mr. Lee Wan Keun expressed readiness of his company to extend provision of solar power which his company was already working on for telecommunication companies in Nigeria, adding that it will free conventional power from being overstretched and set aside for industrial use.

No Gunshot at US Embassy’s Office – Police

No Gunshot at US Embassy’s Office – Police

Contrary to the report that there was a gunshot yesterday at the United State Office, where they said two people were arrested in connection with the shot, the Police authority has denied such claim and said no arrest was made.

The US embassy had issued a release that there was a gun shot in their office in Abuja, adding that two people that were arrested in connection with the shot were in police custody.

The statement read thus: “We believe there were shots fired in the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy. The Nigerian authorities have two individuals in custody. We refer you to the Nigerian police for further information.”

But in swift reaction, the police in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) said there was no such thing and that the masses should treat such report with levity.

The FCT Police Command’s spokesperson, Moshood Jimoh, said if there had been any gunshot, the police would have been alerted immediately and bring the situation to order.

“As I am talking to you right now, we have armoured tank, Mobile Policemen, and other security on ground right in the US embassy’s office. How come then anybody is saying that there was a gunshot in such a very tight security area. We don’t have such report and there was no arrest made. Nobody is under our detention over a gunshot at the embassy”, Jimoh insisted.

At the US embassy’s office, the security was tight and no Journalist was allowed to move close to the place.

Security Agents Uncover a Bomb Factory in Kogi

Security operatives in Kogi have discovered Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), including five hand grenades and other chemicals for manufacturing such devices, in an uncompleted building in Kabba in Kogi.

The discovery was made yesterday in an uncompleted four-bedroom flat at Asunta Quarters, behind Baptist Primary School in the ancient city of Kabba.

A combined team of the State Security Service (SSS), police and the soldiers acting on intelligence report, cordoned off the building at about 2 p.m.,
They forced the iron doors open and with the aid of the Police Anti-Bomb Squad, recovered the devices.

Other items recovered included NPK brand of fertiliser, and other chemicals that are basic raw materials in the manufacturing of explosives.

Also recovered are army camouflage cap, saw, cables wires, transistor radio, batteries of different sizes and video CD players, used for testing the devices, but no arrest has been made.
The Commander, Police Anti-Bomb Squad, Mr Cletus Nzeji, said that all the recovered items would be taken to their laboratory for analysis.

He confirmed that the recovered five hand grenades were of high capacity capable of bringing down a three storey building

He said that investigations would reveal whether the devices belonged to armed robbers or Boko Haram religious sect, but promised that the suspects would be tracked down.

Nzeji said that the building where the items were discovered would be demolished, while the owner of the building would also be identified.

The landlord of the next building, Mr Hezekiah Omodamori, expressed shock at the discovery, and said that he never knew that the building was being used for criminal purposes.

Omodamori, a retired Chief Nursing Officer, also said that the owner of the house was not known to him and appealed to security agents to get to the root of the matter.

  It was gathered that in the last six months, there has been increased rate of attacks on police stations and banks in Kabba and environs involving the use of explosives.