FCT Abuja

By Uzair Adam Imam 

Armed thugs have assaulted and restrained officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State in the 2023 general elections, Siminialayi Fubara.

The incident that surprised many took place Tuesday at the Port Harcourt International Airport when Fubara, alongside other PDP chieftains, arrived at the airport from Abuja.

The Daily Reality gathered that Fubara jetted to Abuja to receive his certificate of return alongside some of the PDP chieftains. 

The thugs, who were believed to be his supporters, reportedly thwarted the EFCC officials from arresting him.

The EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that the operatives of the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the EFCC were restrained from arresting Fubara.

Uwujaren condemned the development, describing it as a blatant attempt to obstruct justice.

He, however, warned that the commission’s civility should not be taken for granted. 

The Daily Reality recalls that the EFCC had declared Fubara wanted over alleged N117 billion fraud.

By Ibrahim Nasidi Saal

The Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned Professor John Kester Ifeanyichukwu over allegations of bribery and inducement of officers of the Commission.

In a single-count charge brought before Honourable Justice A.O. Otaluka of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), High Court 12, sitting in Apo, Abuja, ICPC is accusing the Professor of issuing a cheque valued at $40,000 to a staff of the Commission.

The cheque was part of the $50,000 and a house in Abuja, promised to the officer to compromise the investigation by retrieving the accused person’s devices, Macbook S/N Ciml8bugdty3, Macbook S/N W80204j7atn and iPhone Pro11 which were in the custody of ICPC for investigative activities.

John Kester Ifeanyichukwu had earlier been reported to the Commission by the Presidency for alleged acts bordering on corruption, extortion and money laundering.

ICPC, in a charge No: CR/025/2022, informed the court of how the defendant induced one of its operatives to smuggle out a particular iPhone and a laptop and replace them with a dummy that was to be provided by his personal assistant.

The accused person’s action is contrary to section 18 (B) and punishable under section 18 (D) of the corrupt practices and other related offences act, 2000.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him. Therefore, he was admitted to bail in the sum of N10 million and two sureties in like sum. The sureties must be residents within the court’s jurisdiction, and one of them must have a landed property n Abuja.

The trial judge also ordered that the defendant’s international passport and other valid travel documents must be submitted to the court before the next adjourned date; otherwise, his bail will be revoked.

The case has been adjourned to June 21, 2022, for the commencement of the hearing.

By Ibrahim Nasidi Saal

Justice M.N. Mayana of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court Abuja, has convicted and sentenced Daniel Prosper Nwabueze to one-year imprisonment for a romance scam.

Nwabueze was arraigned on a one-count charge bordering on impersonation. That is contrary to Section 320(b) of the Penal Code, Laws of the Federation (Abuja), 1990 and punishable under Section 322 of the same Laws.

Nwabueze pleaded guilty to the charge.

Based on his plea, prosecution counsel, Joyce Audu, prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly. However, defence counsel: Anoture Akpofure and Rachel Ogbebor pleaded that the court temper justice with mercy “as the accused is a first-time offender and has shown remorse”.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The police in Lagos State have confirmed being on the trail of one Ahmed for allegedly conspiring with one Uchenna Daniels to abduct his girlfriend, Hannatu Kabri.

The Daily Reality learnt that Daniels reportedly abducted Kabri in Abuja on March 31 2022.

After her abduction, Daniels took Kabri to Lagos, a catastrophic situation that put her family in a dilemma.

In an attempt to save Kabri, her parents had no option but to pay the ransom of two million naira for her release. 

The case was reported to the police, and a search was launched for the suspects, leading to Daniels’ arrest.

Addressing journalists on Thursday at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos, the spokesperson for the command,  SP Benjamin Hundeyin, stated that the police were making efforts to arrest Ahmed and one Biliya who allegedly participated in the crime.

He added, “Operatives of the command tracked and arrested the suspect, Uchenna Daniels, at Allen Avenue, Ikeja. 

“The suspect revealed that the victim’s boyfriend one Ahmed and one Biliya planned the kidnap with him and collected a ransom of N2 million in Kaduna through a Bureau de Change from the parents of the victim before she was released.

“The suspects used a toy gun to commit the crime. An investigation is ongoing to arrest other fleeing suspects,” he added.

By Uzair Adam Imam 

President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan over the death of his two personal staff in a road accident.

A statement signed Friday by the presidential media aide, Garba Shehu, contained the commiseration. 

The President expressed gratitude to Almighty God for having the former president escape unhurt from the accident.

However, he also advised Jonathan not to be distracted from his frequent local and international travels. 

Reports disclosed how the former president’s convoy was involved in an accident in the vicinity of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The accident that took place Wednesday had claimed the lives of two orderlies.

By Usama Abdullahi

Two things are so sure in life. The first is we are all going to die someday. The second is a person is most likely to suffer for being honest at all times. However, in this recent case of Sheikh Nuru Khalid, we can attest to the second fact.

You don’t expect anything good from people who hate hearing and being told the truth. It doesn’t surprise me to see Sheikh Nuru Khalid being unfairly relieved of his role as the Chief Imam of the Apo Legislative Mosque by the Mosque Committee under the chairmanship of Senator Dan Sadau.

For that’s what you get when you decide to stick with the truth. My fear is not him being fired for speaking against the cruelty of this present government but how politicians manipulate our religious leaders. They use them as baits to help tame or silence the veracious clerics who speak truth to power. This has been the norm for many years now. What makes it look appalling is that those easily manipulated clerics reduce themselves to mere sycophants.

Aside from getting lured into misquoting the Holy Books and preaching only what best suits the hearing of their political godfathers, they try to persuade their followers to believe all the rubbishes they preach. So, to be sincere, I wasn’t surprised when I learnt of the dismissal of the “Digital Imam” over his true statement about the government. It’s not like what the media paints. His sermons weren’t anti-government. 

Yes, his Friday sermon was just a simple reminder and awareness of how to call our hardened and irresponsible government to task. Sheikh Nuru Khalid doesn’t speak for himself alone. He represents the voice of the oppressed masses who brought this government to power through their votes. Only the patriotic and religious ones will fully understand what he preaches. They are the only ones who will realise that this government doesn’t care about the plight of the poor citizens who voted them to power.

It’s so disappointing that he got sacked because of his intestinal fortitude and truthfulness. I saw this coming, considering how fierce he’s lately been in criticising this government for their failure to secure the lives of the people they had sworn to defend. I see his calculated dismissal as more of a  politically advised plan to compel him to complete silence so that they will continue to suppress us by being neglectful regarding safeguarding our vulnerable lives without him chastising them for their ugly sins.

What frustrates me more is knowing that his dismissal letter was full of grammatical inaccuracies and negotiated by people who are said to be genuine Muslims. Yet, their actions betray their faith and academic standings. Islam neither promotes nor tolerates such despicable acts. It’s the religion of peace. Hence, there’s no room for what they did in Islam.

We should be happy that he still breathes because we have seen how some of his likes were slain for saying the same thing. In case you forget, truth-telling cost Sheikh Jaafar and Albany Zaria their noble lives. So, it’s little wonder that the Digital Imam was just sacked. We’ll never get it better by hiding under the pretence of religion to promote and cover up the faults and interests of those usually self-seeking politicians. Accordingly, it’s unfair to deny our clerics the podium to speak truth to power simply because of political gains. 

Usama Abdullahi wrote from Abuja, Nigeria. He can be reached via usamagayyi@gmail.com

By Khairat Suleiman Jaruma

I sat down in the car, slightly annoyed that the Corolla 2003 didn’t have a Bluetooth connection. I love to listen to music when travelling and I was tired of using my AirPods. I was travelling from Kano to Kaduna, and the driver had stopped at Zaria to pray. We parked inside an obsolete filling station.

I was getting bored in the car, so I decided to get out and stretch my legs. So, I walked to the roadside; many people were standing. They seemed to be waiting for travelling cars, so I went closer and figured they were all going to Abuja. Considering the road condition, especially these days, I wondered why someone would be heading to Abuja from Zaria by 4 pm. Anyway, I walked back to the car and sat down, and the driver came, and we continued our journey.

We kept on seeing more people that would scream “Abuja” if the car slowed down. Finally, I could not hold it anymore, so I decided to ask the driver since he travels a lot. I asked him why there were so many people (mostly youths) desperately going to Abuja at this unsafe hour. He said they were all “yan cirani,” meaning unskilled “migrants”.

I kept quiet for a moment, then I went ahead to ask him where they were migrating from, and he said most of them were youths from Zamfara and Sokoto who had lost their families and means of livelihood. Some were even students who could no longer afford to pay tuition fees or even feed themselves. I felt a sharp pain in my heart.

But then, I was wondering why Abuja? We all know the cost of living in Abuja is high; why not Kaduna or Kano? Unfortunately, I have not been able to answer these questions. The main point here is that you will agree with me that there are no jobs for these people in Abuja. The number of people I saw was alarming, and I was told by the driver who plies the road every day that sometimes there are even more people than this number. These people are most likely to become a nuisance to society if they eventually arrive in Abuja and are forced to face the reality of unemployment.

Another sad part is that these are youths that are expected to push this country forward with their innovative ideas. These are the young people we want to see as part of governance. But these young people have been failed and abandoned by their government. So while trying to end insecurity, it is imperative that the government addresses unemployment and creates an effective post-conflict reconstruction for affected areas. Prevention, they say, is better than cure.

Khairat Suleiman Jaruma wrote from Kaduna via khairatsuleh@gmail.com.

By MMuhammad Sabiu

Office of the Head of Service of the Federation has announced to civil servants that work would Tuesday be closed at 1:00 am so as “to mobilise support for the Nigerian Team [Super Eagles]” ahead of its World Cup Qualifier against Ghana.

This is contained in a circular signed by Dr. Ngozi Onwudiwe, Permanent Secretary (Service Welfare Office), on behalf of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The circular reads, “As you are aware, the Super Eagles of Nigeria will be meeting the Black Stars of Ghana in continuation of the 2022 FIFA World-Cup Qualifier, Playoff, (Return Leg).

“Consequently, I am directed to inform you that all offices will be closed at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, 29th March 2022.”

Dr. Ngozi also urged Permanent Secretaries to disseminate the information contained in the circular more widely.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A Federal High Court sitting at Abuja on Monday, February 21, refused a bail application brought by counsel to the embattled Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.

Kyari’s Lawyer, Cynthia Ikenna, brought the ex parte application on health grounds. 

Mr Kyari has been held by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on allegations that border on aiding and abetting drug pushing and running his own drug cartel since February 14. 

While ruling on the application, the trial judge, Inyang Ekwo, ordered the defence counsel to put the NDLEA on notice to that effect. He also adjourned the suit till February 24 for a hearing. 

Shortly after court proceedings, Ms Ikenna reportedly told journalists that her client is diabetic and hypertensive.

The allegation by the NDLEA came some months after Kyari was indicted in an internet fraud case involving him and the popular Instagram sensation Ramon Abbas alias Hushpuppi by a U.S. court. The U.S. government had been interested in Kyari’s extradition since then.

By Tijjani Muhammad Nura

Bleaching has been in practice for a long time worldwide. However, it doesn’t specifically side with one gender, although women are more than men. Nonetheless, in a report referred to by the World Health Organisation in 2016, Nigeria was reported as the country with the highest number of women that bleach their skin in the whole of Africa. 

While there is no reliable data to confirm which state bleaches the most in northern Nigeria, we cannot deny that Kaduna, Abuja, Taraba, and, most importantly, Kano will top the list in Nigeria. In addition, a few Nigerians are naturally light-skinned, while some are naturally raven. To this end, bleaching is more prevalent among women than among men.

In (northern) Nigeria’s meaning of the word “bleaching,” it’s a process where people apply skin-lightened products to their skins, regardless of the route through which they are administered, intending to change their complexion or skin colour to impress or comfort themselves. From most people’s viewpoints, this bleaching as a thing is influenced by the victims’ desire to impress and attract attention to their opposite gender, from women to men and men to women.

Bleaching products are available in different forms, and some come in the form of creams, oils, serums, and lotions. It still comes in tablets, and some bleaching products are also available in injectable form. The lightening creams encompass a broader spectrum of products designed to bleach and lighten the skin. The effect occurs by targeting cells producing melanin, thereby reducing its functions. The majority of the creams are made available to treat abnormal conditions like acne scars on the skin, not for bleaching the skin.

However, many users are ignorant of the damaging effects of the products on their health. They are dangerous to their skin and a threat to their health in general by affecting the functions of the kidney, liver, and immune system because they work by reducing a pigment called melanin in the skin.

Most bleaching products have an active ingredient called mercury, making them more dangerous because mercury is a toxic agent that can cause serious psychiatric, neurological, and kidney problems. In addition, pregnant women who use a skin lightener with mercury can pass it to their unborn children.

Nonetheless, there are several healthy ways to maintain healthy skin. And that includes avoiding using bleaching creams, using baby’s soap that does not damage the skin, using moisturizing creams during the harmattan seasons. Other ways involve applying sun creams that can boost skin protection from the sunny sun, drinking enough water daily, eating well-balanced food in its diet, and stopping applying perfumes to the skin. These, among others, would help maintain good, healthy, and super bright skin.

With all the above being said, this article aims to notify people about the dangers associated with using creams or any other bleaching products to bleach the body, especially the facial skin. It, therefore, aims at calling the attention of parents to caution their children to avoid it or order them to immediately stop using it if they have already started using it.

Tijjani Muhammad Nura holds a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacology. He writes from the Hardawa district of Bauchi State and can be reached via tijjanimnura@gmail.com.