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Ned Nwoko’s Assassination Story , a Hoax

Published

4 years ago

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. The truth of the matter by Gabriel Ogbechie

 

My attention has been drawn to several publications in the print and social media wherein Ned Nwoko alleged that a plan to assassinate him is being sponsored by me. I also refer to a recent press conference held by the same Ned Nwoko wherein he alleged that the prisoner who told him of the plan to assassinate him has mysteriously died. He also accused me of being responsible for the death of the alleged prisoner/informant. I categorically state again that these allegations are completely false and a figment of Ned Nwoko’s infantile imagination. I have not planned nor sponsored any plot to assassinate Ned Nwoko.

 

In a petition to the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Abuja dated 12th of November 2020 and titled ‘LEAKED INFORMATION ON DANGEROUS PLANS TO ATTACK/KILL ME’ Mr. Ned Nwoko stated and I quote:

 

I was reliably informed by my wife, Regina Daniels who was also informed by one Wale Jana that the suspects who were arrested and remanded at the Kuje Correctional Center in connection with the murder case in my village are plotting to cause me harm and possibly kill me. From the information made available to me the evil plot is being sponsored by one Chief Gabriel Ogbechie. I came to this conclusion because according to the report sent to my wife by Wale Jana, it said an inmate in the same room with the suspects at the correctional facility who pretended to be sleeping heard them plotting to harm me. From what he heard, the sponsor of the planned attack owns a filling station and is in the business of Oil and Gas and hails from a community around. As far as I know, the only person who fits that description is one Chief Gabriel Ogbechie.

 

Screenshots of the purported WhatsApp messages between Regina Daniels’ informant and the random prisoner were attached to the petition.

On the 4th of December 2020, I had audience with the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command where I read the said petition and pointed out the fact that same was speculative with three layers of hearsay: The prisoner telling Wale Jana, Wale Jana telling Regina Daniels who then tells Ned Nwoko the tale of an alleged plot. Interestingly, the prisoner and/or Wale Jana never mentioned my name. The conclusion that “the only person who fits that description is one Chief Gabriel Ogbechie” is entirely that of Ned Nwoko.

 

The moment I stepped out of the office of the FCT Police Commissioner, Ned Nwoko and his social media trolls went into frenzy that I have been arrested for plotting to assassinate Ned Nwoko. That was false, I was NEVER arrested. I have it on good authority that in his bid to rub my name further in the mud, Ned Nwoko allegedly placed a frantic call to a member of staff of a popular television channel, asking him to carry the fake news of my arrest as breaking news. Abiding by the ethics of his profession, the gentleman refused despite being offered a blank cheque to propagate this evil on my person.

 

Regardless, the FCT Police Command thoroughly investigated the case. They visited the prisons, interviewed the actors and they reached the conclusion that the petition was spurious and frivolous. Suddenly, the Police Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID Abuja) asked that the case be transferred to them.

My lawyers wrote a petition to the Inspector General of Police on the 22nd of December 2020 requesting that his office take over the case to thoroughly investigate it.

The IGP Monitoring Team invited Ned Nwoko for questioning. He was asked to produce the prisoner who told him and Regina Daniels of the plot to kill him. Ned Nwoko suddenly declared that the prisoner who told him/Regina Daniel of the plot is one Ossy Biose and that he was released from prison and died soon afterwards! How? When? Ned Nwoko had no answers to any of the questions. When the IGP Monitoring Unit asked him to provide details of the family of the alleged deceased, he declined!

 

As soon as Ned Nwoko stepped out of the Police Office, his social media trolls went wild with the news that the prisoner who told him that there was a plan to kill him has died mysteriously and that I am being fingered as the likely suspect.

 

The alleged prisoner, named Ossy Biose, is known only to Ned Nwoko and Regina Daniels. At his press conference, Ned Nwoko mentions that he knows the prisoner’s family and also provided explicit details of Ossy Biose’s sojourn to prison. This leads me to believe that he had a pre-existing relationship with him. Only Ned Nwoko knows the cause of death and he is the only one in a position to explain why the person known only to him and his wife suddenly passed.

The name Ossy Biose, the now allegedly deceased prisoner was only mentioned for the first time by Ned Nwoko at the IGP’s office when he was asked to substantiate his allegation and as at this time, Ossy Biose was already deceased, according to Ned Nwoko. Pray tell: how can someone be responsible for the death of someone whose name was only mentioned after he was dead and whose identity Ned Nwoko still refuses to disclose to the Police?

 

Frankly, the truth of Ned Nwoko’s allegations is that they are all a work of fiction, a poor movie script that has reached its end.

Also, Ned Nwoko in his petition stated that the prisoner shared the same room at Kuje Correctional Facility with two boys from Idumuje Ugboko. This puts the location of the alleged plot squarely at Kuje Correctional Facility. Quite to the contrary, the two prisoners from Idumuje-Ugboko who are in prison on account of Ned Nwoko are NOT in Kuje Correctional Facility. They are, infact, held at Suleja Correctional Facility, fifty-two kilometers away from Kuje Correctional Facility. They were arraigned on the 26th of August 2020 and the Judge ordered that they be remanded in Kuje Correctional Facility. However, due to the COVID 19 pandemic, they were remanded in Suleja Correctional Facility since the 26th of August 2020 and have remained there till date. These are the people that Ned Nwoko, in his hallucinatory state, accuses of conspiracy to assassinate him and who are allegedly being sponsored by an oil magnate.

 

In writing his work of fiction, Ned Nwoko could not do his simple due diligence to even ascertain the location of the two people who are in prison on his account and he is now maligning my integrity and reputation.

 

In the alleged WhatsApp exchange attached to the petition, one of the prisoners from Idumuje-Ugboko was mentioned as Cheta and the exchange stated that Ned Nwoko put them in prison. I do not know Cheta, neither have I met nor interacted with him. My preliminary checks revealed the full names of the said prisoners to be Cheta Okolo and Onyisi Esuzor. They are both members of the Vigilante Group in the village. In the course of their duty, they accosted a miscreant vandalizing street lights in the village. The person so accosted turned out to be Ned Nwoko’s acolyte in the village. At the behest of Ned Nwoko, Cheta Okolo and Onyisi Esuzor were promptly arrested and arraigned before the courts in Delta State for ATTEMPTED MURDER. The courts discharged and acquitted them as no case was established against them. Dissatisfied, men from FCID Abuja came all the way to Idumuje-Ugboko, arrested these boys on the 30th of July 2020 and locked them up for three weeks at the FCID. On the 26th of August 2020, they were arraigned before a judge in Abuja, this time charged with TERRORISM! They have been in Suleja Prison for five months now and counting. This is all on account of Ned Nwoko, according to the WhatsApp message exchange between Regina Daniels and her informant.

 

Ned Nwoko and I are from the same community, Idumuje Ugboko, Aniocha North Local Government Area, Delta State. Ned Nwoko desires 100 hectares of land to build a University in the community, a noble gesture by all means. The King and Ned Nwoko, who are first cousins, have differing opinion on how best to acquire the land needed for the University. Sometime in 2017, I had an extensive meeting with Ned Nwoko in his house in Abuja and I appealed to him to allow peace to reign in the community. I spelt out what I believed was a clear road map for him to acquire the 100 hectares of land he needs to build his University. Ned Nwoko wants 100 hectares of land, contiguous to his existing 33 hectares of land on which he built his private residence. Part of the 100 hectares of land belongs to the Community but most of it are owned by private individuals. The King simply requests that Ned Nwoko follows due process; put in an application for the land, pay the token that is due to the community and gets the land. With regards the land that belongs to private individuals, he was advised to engage the owners of the land and take the necessary legal steps to acquire it. However, Ned Nwoko wants none of it, he believes he is above the laws of the community and is not ready to conform to simple dictates of communal living.

 

I am in support of the University. The King is in support of the University. The community is happy to host the University. The King, His Royal Highness Obi Chukwunonso Nwoko who ascended the throne about four years ago desires his Staff of Office. Ned Nwoko has used every subterfuge in the book to ensure the King does not get his staff of office. To no avail, I have appealed to Ned Nwoko on numerous occasions to follow due process in the acquisition of his desired portion of land and to also allow the newly installed King be presented his staff of Office.

In the last four years alone:

a.         The King, His Royal Highness Obi Chukwunonso Nwoko, who is currently 70 years old has been accused of killing his father, the immediate past King who died at the ripe old age of 91 years.

b.      The King and twelve other members of the community have been accused and charged to a court in Abuja on account of terrorism.

c.      Policemen, at the behest of Ned Nwoko, have invaded the Palace in the dead of the night, picked up the King like a common criminal and locked him up in Asaba. It took the intervention of the Government of Delta State to get the King out of the needless harassment.

d.      Two members of the community were accused of murder of someone known only to Ned Nwoko. Despite their strident denial they were locked up and charged to court. They spent three years in prison before the courts threw out the case for lack of evidence. Regardless three years of their lives have been lost.

e.      Three members of the community are currently held at Suleja Prison on account of Ned   Nwoko on an alleged charge of terrorism.

f.          In the past two years, more than 8 members of the community have spent time at prisons   in Abuja and some up to 14 months on account of alleged terrorism

Idumuje Ugboko, a small agrarian and peaceful community on the fringes of Delta State has been dragged into the national and public space by Ned Nwoko all for the wrong reasons. He has accused indigenes of terrorism or murder and is now hallucinating over a purported plan to assassinate him.

Having observed with revulsion, the great lengths Ned has gone to launch a heinous smear campaign against me, I am now completely doubtless that Ned Nwoko is very much capable of strategically executing plans and actions to bring about a desired result. I have severally engaged and admonished him to use his wealth to facilitate the economic progress of the bright minds in our community. Once again, I urge him to channel his talents to bring about an amicable end to the ongoing community conflict instead of waging a campaign of oppression. Hapless members of the community have been dragged before judges in Abuja and given very stringent bail conditions; some asked to bring sureties with assets of fifty million naira and above including houses in Abuja. This is way beyond what a lot of them can fathom or afford, so they simply rot in prison in Abuja. I have seen poor village women, most of them farmers, donate as little as five hundred naira into the pool of funds to raise the millions of naira needed to bail their children from jail in Abuja on account of Ned Nwoko. Despite the fact that I have no relationship with most of the oppressed and accused persons, I have provided the much-needed assistance for bail as much as I can. I have also made provisions for first-rate legal representation for the King and some of the accused persons.

Ned Nwoko has severally asked me to stop supporting the King as he believes my intervention prevents him from having his unrestrained way in the community. All these attacks and fabricated falsehoods against my person are to scare me into allowing him continue his harassment and intimidation of poor and defenseless members of our Community. This is wrong!

I have tried severally to reach out to him to arrange a forum of dialogue to resolve whatever he believes is conflict between us. He has evaded and sabotaged every single attempt I have made. Instead, he keeps fabricating and weaving a web of lies around me. I understand his family is in the show business and it is necessary they remain in the news to maintain the smokescreen of media hype. However, I urge him to keep me out of his social media antics and refrain from using my name as content. I simply have no desire to be a part of the fictitious drama borne out of the figment of his colorful imagination.

My lawyers have written to Ned Nwoko demanding a retraction, apology and payment of damages for the scurrilous statements and publications made by him and very soon, he would have his day in Court.

I shall continue to  take legal steps to protect my hard earned reputation and integrity. Ned Nwoko is not above the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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FALSE CLAIMS STEMMING FROM MISINTERPRETED BOARDING VIDEO POST

Published

13 hours ago

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December 21, 2024

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Our attention has been drawn to a video circulating online and on social media on the boarding of Air Peace passengers on flight P47123 from Abuja to Lagos on December 20, 2024. This report is false, mischievous and misleading.

The false video post was designed by some faceless individuals with the intent of misleading the flying public to cause confusion and distraction for management of Air Peace and its stakeholders including the regulators.

On the day in question, there were flight delays because of poor weather conditions, specifically harmattan-induced haze and fog, which is common at this time of the year, and which significantly limits visibility and impacts flight operations nationwide.

To ensure that passengers continued their journeys with minimum disruptions, Air Peace deployed three aircraft to Abuja to evacuate all the passengers. While processing them for their flights at the boarding gate, passengers overwhelmed both the FAAN and boarding officers and rushed to the airside. Duty managers and ramp officials then had to mount barricades in front of the motorized step to differentiate passengers on flights.

While we empathize with you, our loyal customer, we condemn in very strong terms the misinformation, insults and deliberate falsehood disseminated in the video post. Such representations are not reflective of our values or operations.

There is no truth in the allegation, and we urge the public to disregard the report in all its entirety.

We appreciate your understanding and patience during this period and sincerely regret any inconvenience these delays may have caused you. The safety of our passengers and crew is our utmost priority.

At Air Peace, safety is not just a priority but a fundamental precondition for all our activities. We remain committed to maintaining safe and timely operations.

For further assistance or inquiries, please contact us via callcenter@flyairpeace.com.

 

 

SIGNED

Dr. Ejike Ndiulo

Head, Corporate Communications

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Christmas, Cash Scarcity and Attacks against CBN’s Proactive Stance – Toni Kan

Published

2 days ago

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December 20, 2024

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Let us look at a few figures……..

Nigeria’s population is put at a little over 200 million people while the UK population is about 68 million. This means that the Nigerian population is about three (3) times that of the UK.

As at June 2023, the UK banking system had about 49,421 Automatic Teller Machines and almost 2.3 million Point of Sales Terminals.

By contrast, the Nigerian banking system had a little over 22,600 ATMS according to TechCabal and is projected to reach 29,000 by 2029 according to Statista. Conversely, Nigeria boasted 1,665,664 POS terminals as at December 2022. Meanwhile, figures attributed to Inlaks, which is described as Nigeria’s biggest ATM operator, suggest that Nigeria needs at least 60,000 ATM machines to serve its population of over 200 million.

Where is all this going? Well to borrow a phrase from the comedian, Jeff Foxworthy; hold my beer, sir!

Those who know me well know what my favourite Igbo proverb is. It goes something like this in translation – “the disease that gives you warning, does not kill you!” It is a proverb that underlines the imperative of proactivity, what the Igbo people might call igba mbo.

So, I was really pleased when I read that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was taking a proactive step to ensure that there is no cash scarcity this Christmas.

Nigerians love cash and that love can become obsessive and reach fever pitch at festive periods. Have you been to Abeokuta during Ojude Oba? Or to Kano during the Durbar? Or Onitsha during Ofala? Those are regional festivities. So, you can imagine what happens at Christmas!

All efforts at driving a cashless policy and economy seem to collapse when festivities come around the corner and this year, the CBN was quick to take proactive action weeks before the festivities reach fever pitch. But the apex bank’s interventions seem to be having unintended consequences even though as at the time of writing this, the apex bank had put out three (3) different circulars and one press release around the issue.

First, is a not-so-surprising pushback from the banks and then a seeming lack of understanding by the general public no thanks to rampant mis-information.

The issue of cash scarcity around the Christmas period worsened under the sway of Godwin Emefiele at the CBN. The fall-out from the disastrous naira redesign he superintended over at the apex bank continues to haunt our banking vaults but Olayemi Cardoso and team are focused on making sure we turn that dark corner.

Let us begin with the first circular dated November 29, 2024: “Cash Availability Over the Counter in Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).” The circular had two sections: DMBs were directed to ensure efficient cash disbursement to customers Over the Counter (OTC) with the CBN insisting that it will enforce the directive and ensure compliance.

Secondly, members of the general public were encouraged to report instances where they are unable to get cash Over the Counter or through ATMs. The CBN ended with a list of 37 email addresses and phone numbers across the 36 states and FCT for reporting issues.

On paper, it looked like Nigerians and the cash worries were all sorted this Christmas but it didn’t take time for the expected pushback to occur. News reports began to circulate of long queues at banks and of ATMs struggling to dispense more than N10,000. “NAN reports that long queues have emerged at ATM stands around the city as residents struggle to have access to cash…Meanwhile POS operators are currently taking advantage of the situation to demand exorbitant charges on transactions.”

While Nigerians were still trying to make sense of the reason behind the long queues, another report had an official of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institutions (ASBIFI) pointing fingers. According to the report, “ASSBIFI President, Olusoji Oluwole, told the Punch that “Banks have only two sources of cash: the CBN and retailers. The CBN has not met banks’ demands, and retailers often sell cash for profit, making it harder for banks to access funds.”

As if in response to the charge, the apex bank responded “with their full chest” as we say on social media with a December 13, 2024 circular – Updated Penalty on Inappropriate Cash Disbursement Practices by Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in which it condemned the “illicit flow of mint banknotes to currency hawkers and other unscrupulous economic agents that commodify naira bank notes thus impeding efficient and effective cash distribution to banks’ customers and general public.”

Giving bite to the circular the CBN said any bank found culpable of “facilitating, aiding or abetting, by direct actions or inactions, illicit flow of mint banknotes” would be fined N150m and then hit with the full weight of the relevant provisions of BOFIA 2020.

This time no pointing fingers were seen but the CBN was not done. Eager to completely squelch rumours around “the validity or lack thereof of the old ₦1000, ₦500, and ₦200 banknotes” the refusal of which was contributing to the long queues, the CBN issued a press release shutting it down: “The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has observed the misinformation regarding the validity of the old ₦1000, ₦500, and ₦200 banknotes currently in circulation….the CBN wishes to reiterate that the subsisting Supreme Court ruling granted on November 29, 2023, permits the concurrent circulation of all versions of the ₦1000, ₦500, and ₦200 denominations of the Naira indefinitely.”

The third circular from the CBN which it said was in line with its “ongoing efforts to advance a cash-less economy” seems to have hit a raw nerve among Nigerians who, as we have already noted, love their cash even though it is now an offence to spray the naira.

News outlets also seemed to also get it wrong. The CBN circular of December 17, 2024 did not put a limit on how much cash you and I can withdraw from banks. The limits imposed in the circular titled – CIRCULAR ON CASH-OUT LIMITS FOR AGENT BANKING TRANSACTIONS – are “for agency banking operations” and as reported by TheCable is among interventions intended to address “identified challenges, combat fraud and establish uniform operational standards across the industry.”

Now, can I have my beer back as I attempt to outline how easily well-intentioned policies are rubbished by that euphemistically named malady known as the “Nigerian factor”.

The ASBIFI official was quick to point fingers even though simple logic can show that Over the Counter cash scarcity and at ATMs has little to do with the CBN or its cash distribution operations but with our Nigerian any-how-ness.

Let’s consider this. How is it that banks cannot fill up 22,600 ATMS, most of which are within or in close proximity to their branches but can afford to give cash to 1.6m PS operators? Doesn’t this seem to suggest that someone is out to make sure that the ATMs don’t have cash while the PoS operators continue to make a killing?

And why does it seem right that Nigerians should continue to pay between N250 and N400 per N10,000 withdrawals to PoS operators when ATM charges are far lower at N35 and only after you have made multiple withdrawals from other bank ATMs?

Oh, bankers have said ATMs are difficult to maintain on account of several factors and this takes us back to the figures we shared from the UK. Of the 49,421 ATMs in the UK, “78% were free to use” during the period under reference. So, why do we always talk about maintenance when it comes to Nigeria? Imagine if we paid N10 per ATM transaction, wouldn’t that be better than paying N250 to a PoS operator for every N10,000 withdrawn?

And for context, in 2014, data on various e-payment channels indicated that Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) remained the most patronised payment mode in Nigeria accounting for 89.7% of all electronic transactions with PoS transactions accounting for just 4.58 per cent. Today, the reverse is the case and the question to ask remains; what changed? The answer has something to do with financial inclusion but that is a topic for another day.

As you ponder that poser, ask yourself why is it always difficult to get mint bank notes over the counter in the banks meanwhile, step into any event center and you will see some hawker waving bright new notes in your face. Surely, they don’t get those notes from the CBN.

When the CBN referenced the Supreme Court ruling granted on November 29, 2023 to the effect that the old notes are still legal tender, their X Formerly Twitter page was filled with bile. But what many are failing to contend with is that the current leadership is only trying to make sure the mess they inherited doesn’t get worse.

As we prepare for Christmas and the New Year the advice is simple; go to your bank and ask for your money or withdraw from the ATMs and if you suspect any funny business, email or call the hotlines provided by the CBN.

Say no to any-how-ness this yuletide.

 

Toni Kan is a PR expret and financial analyst.

 

 

 

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Aviation Minister Leads Delta APC Leadership To National Chairman, Advocates Unity Ahead of 2027 Elections

Published

2 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Olorogun Festus Keyamo SAN, today, led the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, to the National Chairman of the APC, His Excellency Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, at the APC National Headquarters in Abuja.

 

During the meeting, the Delta APC leaders briefed the National Chairman on the current state of the party in the state and the ongoing efforts to reconcile party members. They presented the report of the Reconciliation Committee, which has been approved by the Delta State APC State Working Committee (SWC) and earlier submitted to the National Chairman.

The delegation emphasized the importance of collaboration, stating that the era of a one-man leadership style in Delta APC is over. They reaffirmed their collective commitment to working as a united team to reposition the party and strengthen its prospects ahead of the 2027 general elections. This new direction was evident in the composition of the high-powered delegation that visited the National Chairman.

 

In his response, the National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, commended the Delta APC leadership for their efforts to foster unity and ensure the party’s victory in future elections. He assured them of his commitment to work with Delta APC leaders, including those absent from the meeting, to build a united and formidable front. During the meeting, Dr. Ganduje also spoke with Delta State APC Chairman, Elder Omeni Sobotie, who was unavoidably absent due to health reasons, and wished him a swift recovery following his recent surgery.

 

The delegation to the meeting comprised prominent leaders of the Delta APC, including: Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, OON-Founding Leader of APC in Delta State,

Elder Godsday Orubebe- Former Minister,

Senator Ede Dafinone,

Senator Joel Thomas-Onowakpo,

Rev. Francis Waive- Member, House of Representatives and

Hon. Victor Ochei-former Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly.

The meeting was concluded with a renewed sense of purpose among the Delta APC leaders and a shared commitment to repositioning the party for electoral success in 2027.

 

 

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