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EXCLUSIVE: SARS Operatives Unlawfully Arrest Four Men At Night Club In Port Harcourt, Refuse To Disclose Whereabouts To Relatives Two Months After

The petition

Four young men in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, remain missing two months after being unlawfully arrested by personnel of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

The four were arrested at Boss Lounge, a popular nightclub along Woji Road in GRA, Port Harcourt, on Sunday, January 5, 2020 around 8:00pm and their whereabouts have remained unknown since that period.

Efforts by their family members to locate the four persons have been rebuffed by the police, who deny having a hand in their ordeal.

Narrating the incident to SaharaReporters, Mr Ezekiel Tariuwa, elder brother of one of the missing young men, Kingsley, said a Mobile Police officer in charge of security at the lounge, gave access to the SARS officials into the facility to effect the arrest of Kingsley and the three others.

According to Tariuwa, the police in Rivers have denied ordering the arrest and claimed not to be aware of the incident and whereabouts of the young men.

He said, “My brother, Kingsley Tariuwa, was arrested alongside three others at the Boss Lounge, on Sunday, January 5, 2020, at around 8:00pm by SARS.

“The SARS officers were actually cleared by a Mobile Policeman named Elisha Hassan, who is in charge of security at the facility.

“Someone at the lounge, who recognised my brother, had to call someone that alerted one of my siblings to the fact that Kingsley had been arrested.

“We tried calling his phone number from around 9:00pm, it was ringing but there was no response until around 11:30pm when someone picked up the call but all I could hear were voices of police officers ordering them to write statements.

“The line soon dropped and up until this moment, the number had remained switched off.”

Speaking further, Tariuwa disclosed that he had been to the SARS headquarters in Port Harcourt several times to search for his brother but the officers deny carrying out any arrest the previous night each time he went there.

He stated, “I met one officer named Supol Amanze Onyegbula, who sent a junior officer to check their cells if the persons I was looking for were there.

“The officer came back and said they were not in their custody.

“He then advised me to go to radio room at the state police headquarters so that they could help me do a radio search for my brother instead of walking from one station to another.

“I went there, the lady on duty radioed all the stations around but none of them confirmed to have them in custody. I was there for more than two hours and it was still negative.

“The lady at the radio room advised me to go and confirm once again from the policeman at Boss Lounge about which people actually made the arrest.”

Tariuwa further revealed that in the course of his findings, the identity of the SARS official, who led the operation was revealed, adding that the man indirectly confessed to killing the four persons.

He said, “The Mobile Police officer at Boss Lounge told me that it was men from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad that made the arrest and that one of the SARS officers gave him his number.

“He then called the number of the SARS officer, put it on loudspeaker so that I could hear what the man would say while I was standing next to him.

“When the SARS officer picked the call, he then told him that he was the Mobile Policeman at the night club where they arrested four young men the previous night and that their relatives were there with him.

“The SARS officer then said in pidgin that, ‘Forget them! Them don come our office today, commander tell them say no be we arrest the boys. In fact we don travel those boys, we don clear them, no where he reach, nothing go happen’.”

Tariuwa disclosed that after running a check on mobile application, Truecaller, with the SARS officer’s number, the name was revealed as Francis Nwankwo.

He said that a petition had been sent to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mustapha Dandaura, who directed the DCP, CIID, to oversee the matter.

He added that during the course of investigation, all parties concerned were invited for interrogation and while they honoured the invitation, the SARS officer refused to visit the state CIID.

Tariuwa also revealed that the Mobile Police officer at Boss Lounge was detained by the command.

According to the aggrieved man, Nwankwo, the SARS officer, denied arresting anyone at Boss Lounge when he was called by the investigating officer at the state CIID.

Irked by the slow pace of investigation by the Rivers State Police and ludicrous cooperation of the SARS, Tariuwa lodged another complaint at the Police Complaint Response Unit, which he said triggered some results.

He said, “After I petitioned the Police CRU in Abuja, two days later, the SARS officers showed up at the state CIID, gave their statements but did not show up with my brother and others arrested.

“The day that the DCP gave us to update us on their final investigation was the day that the OC, General Investigations, told us that the case had been transferred to Abuja.

The petition

“The result of their investigations has not been relayed to us, no words on the whereabouts of my brother.

“The only thing the OC, General Investigation, said was that SARS had agreed that they arrested my brother but they have not told us his current state or the other three men.”

Apart from family members of Kingsley Tariuwa, relatives of the three other young men unlawfully seized and arbitrarily detained by Rivers State SARS officials are demanding justice.

Over recent months, SARS officials have been behind many unlawful arrests, detentions and even killings across Nigeria. For instance, on February 22, 2020, SARS officials arrested a player of Remo Stars Football Club in Sagamu, Ogun State, named Tiyamu Kazeem after accusing him of being an Internet fraudster. While taking him away in their van, the policemen pushed him from the vehicle on motion and on to an oncoming car which crushed and killed him instantly. The incident led to violent protests all across Sagamu, forcing authorities to ban the activities of SARS in the area.

In April 2019, personnel of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad shot dead a young man named Kolade Johnson in the Mangoro area of Lagos while he was watching an English Premier League match. The policemen claimed to be chasing cult gangs when the bullet from their gun hit and killed the young man. The list is indeed endless.

Though police authorities announced a handful of measures put in place to check the excesses of SARS operatives, nothing significant has changed about the unit as they continue to torment innocent Nigerians.

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March 21, 2020
Supreme Court To Announce Date For Review Of Zamfara Judgment

The Supreme Court in Abuja on Tuesday reserved ruling on the All Progressives Congress’ application for the review of its judgment nullifying the party’s victories in the general elections held in 2019 in Zamfara State, a report by PUNCH said.

A five-man panel of the apex court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, said the date of the ruling would be communicated to the parties.

The CJN made the announcement after the parties to the case concluded their submissions on the application on Tuesday.

The APC and the faction of the party in Zamfara State led by former Governor Abdulaziz Yari had filed the application for the review of the May 24, 2019 judgment, which nullified their victories at the general elections barely four days to their inauguration.

In the said May 24, 2019 judgment, the Supreme Court had declared that APC failed to conduct valid primaries and, therefore, had no candidates in the 2019 general elections.

The apex court had declared the votes polled by the APC in the elections as wasted.

The Peoples Democratic Party and its candidates, who polled the next highest votes in the elections, were declared winners of the exercise and eventually inaugurated.

The APC’s application for the review of the May 24, 2019 judgment was opposed by the Senator Kabiru Marafa-led faction of the party in the state.

APC’s lawyer, Chief Robert Clarke (SAN), on Tuesday urged the court to grant his clients’ application by setting aside the consequential order directing that candidates with the next highest votes be sworn in.

He urged the apex court to order the APC to conduct fresh primaries.

He argued that the previous orders of the apex court were made without jurisdiction.

But the Marafa faction’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), urged the apex court to dismiss the application and award huge and punitive costs against the applicants’ lawyer.

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March 21, 2020
Azilah’s review application hearing remains on April 20

PUTRAJAYA: The hearing of former police commando Azilah Hadri’s (pix) review application to set aside his conviction and death sentence for the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu in the Federal Court remains as scheduled on April 20.

Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s application to intervene in Azilah’s review application is also fixed for hearing on the same day, according to the court document relating to the case sighted by Bernama.

According to document, the Attorney-General’s Chambers were required to submit their respective affidavits in reply to the review application and to Najib’s intervener application by March 26, and Azilah must file his respective affidavit-in-reply by April 10 for both applications.

Parties in the case were also required to submit their respective written submissions before April 6.

During case management on Tuesday, lawyer J. Kuldeep Kumar for Azilah told media that his client is objecting to Najib intervening in his review application.

Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Azmi Mashud, who appeared for the prosecution and who also attended the case management, meanwhile had said his instruction was to object to Najib’s intervener application and also oppose to Azilah’s review application.

Azilah who is currently on death row at Kajang Prison, filed his review application on Dec 5, last year together with his 32-paged statutory declaration which he claimed that the order to kill Altantuya had come from the former prime minister (Najib) who was deputy prime minister then.

Azilah, 43, is seeking to set aside his conviction and death sentence imposed by the Federal Court on Jan 13, 2015 and an order for a retrial.

In December, last year, lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the media that his client, Najib had totally denied everything that had been alleged by Azilah.

Azilah and Sirul Azhar Umar , 47, were convicted and sentenced to death by the Shah Alam High Court in 2009 for Altantuya’s murder at Mukim Bukit Raja in Shah Alam between 10 pm on Oct 19 and 1 am the following day in 2006.

They were however discharged and acquitted by the Court of Appeal in 2013 which allowed their appeal to set aside their conviction and death sentence.

In 2015, the Federal Court overturned the acquittal of the two police commandos and restored the High Court decision to find them guilty for the offence. — Bernama

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March 20, 2020
Dracunculiasis eradication: intensifying surveillance amid continued zero human cases in Ethiopia and Mali

A total of 54 human cases of dracunculiasis (guinea-worm disease) were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019, with Chad reporting 48 out of the 54 cases.

In Chad, Ethiopia, Mali and South Sudan, trained volunteers are supporting surveillance and detection of infections in domestic dogs and cats. Surveillance has been heightened, as evidenced by the increase in reports of rumoured human cases which in 2019 peaked at 108 207 out of which 106 678 were investigated within 24 hours.

“We are working with the broader scientific community to understand the epidemiology of animal infections, mainly in dogs in Chad, where the highest number of human cases were reported in 2019,” said Dr Dieudonné Sankara, who leads WHO’s eradication and elimination team in the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. “Interestingly, there have been no human cases in Ethiopia and Mali, and 4 human cases in South Sudan in 2019, compared with 10 in 2018.”

In Mali, the number of animals infected with Dracunculus medinensis (the guinea-worm) has decreased from 20 animals in 2018 to 8 dogs and 1 cat in 2019. However, insecurity remains a challenge to freely accessing some endemic areas in Mali.

Conversely, Chad reported 1935 infections in dogs and 46 in cats in 2019, an increase of 85% from 2018, and a 176% increase among humans.

Angola reported only 1 human case in 2019. Community-based surveillance is being reinforced mainly in Cunene Province where a case was reported in 2018.

In South Sudan, integrated surveillance activities have been carried out with the trachoma and onchocerciasis control programmes, in accordance with WHO’s recommendation that programmes collaborate, integrate and co-implement activities, whenever possible, to strengthen surveillance.

In order to strengthen cross-border surveillance, WHO led a mission to Cameroon in November 2019 to investigate circumstances around an “imported” case in the country’s Far North Region. Discussions were held with the health authorities to establish active surveillance in all villages in the area, including training for application of temephos.[1]

Also, in 2019, and with the support of trained field workers, vector control was intensified to larvicide ponds and water sources in more than 400 villages, compared with 72 villages in 2018.

In late 2019, WHO supported cross-border meetings with officials of national dracunculiasis eradication programmes from Mali, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa; between Ethiopia and South Sudan in East Africa, and between Angola and Namibia in Southern Africa, to share experiences and plan joint surveillance activities across the borders to prevent transmission of the disease.

The disease

Dracunculiasis is a crippling parasitic disease caused by infection with D. medinensis, a long, thread-like worm. It is usually transmitted when people drink stagnant water contaminated with parasite-infected water fleas.

WHO works with Member States and in partnership with The Carter Center and the United Nations Children’s Fund to support efforts to eradicate the disease. WHO provides technical guidance, works with national programmes to coordinate surveillance in dracunculiasis-free areas, and monitors and reports on the progress achieved.

WHO is the only Organization mandated to certify countries as free of transmission of the disease following the recommendations of the International Commission for the Certification of Dracunculiasis Eradication.

Since 1995, WHO has certified a total of 199 countries, territories and areas, including 187 Member States, as free of dracunculiasis transmission.

[1] Temephos is a cyclopicide used to kill water fleas (cyclops) that carry the infective guinea-worm larvae.

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March 20, 2020
Novel system allows untethered high-quality multi-player VR

Virtual reality headsets and application programs for VR are not gaining traction with users because of a chicken-and-egg dilemma, lack of VR content and slow market penetration of custom-made VR units.

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March 18, 2020
Cross-technology communication in the Internet of Things significantly simplified

Whether networked vehicles that warn of traffic jams in real time, household appliances that can be operated remotely, “wearables” that monitor physical activity, or industrial plants that detect possible production errors in time and notify technical support, the number of intelligent products that communicate wirelessly with other devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) age has increased rapidly in recent years. However, not all of these devices are compatible with each other because they use different wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (low energy) or ZigBee, depending on the requirements and application. More than that, many devices often have the same radio frequencies and interfere with each other. This delays data transmission, data can be lost, energy consumption increases and battery life decreases.

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March 18, 2020
Bung Moktar said Finance Minister recommended RM150m investment: Witness

KUALA LUMPUR: A member of the Felcra Berhad Board of Directors told the sessions court here today that Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin informed the then Finance Minister to recommend Felcra to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual Berhad Unit Trust in 2015.

Dr Habibah Suleiman, 72, said she did not know that the amount of investment sought was RM150 million as the sum approved at the board meeting was only RM50 million.

Bung Moktar was then the non-executive chairman of Felcra.

“The board did ask YB Datuk Bung Moktar about the difference in amount that was invested in the Public Mutual Trust Fund. YB Bung had stated that he took along a Felcra application letter to meet the Finance Minister for his approval. YB Bung told the board that the Finance Minister recommended to him to invest RM150 million.

“I assumed that he (Bung) had changed the amount of RM50 million to RM150 million after that recommendation,” she said during a key examination by deputy public prosecutor Roslan Mat Nor at a corruption case trial involving by Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar and his wife Datin Seri Zizie Ezette A. Samad.

The fifth prosecution witness said that based on the reply from the Minister of Finance Incorporated (MKD), it (MKD) had no objection to Felcra’s application to invest RM150 million.

“Other details (in the letter) also stated that the board of directors (Felcra) had to ensure that Felcra Berhad continuously monitored the investment’s performance so that early risk mitigation can be carried out in the event of any clear decline in the equity market,” she said.

She said a letter was submitted to the board after the investment had been made and the board also knew nothing about the amount (RM150 million).

Asked by Roslan as to when she first knew that the investment had been increased from RM50 million to RM150 milion, Habibah said “During the board of directors’ meeting in April 2005.”

Roslan: Why didn’t you object against the decision?

Habibah: The decision to raise the investment sum to RM150 million was made by the (then) Finance Minister, so who am I to object to it?

Lawyers M. Athimulan and Datuk K. Kumaraendran are representing Bung Moktar and Zizie Ezette, respectively.

According to the first charge, Bung Moktar, 60, who was at that time the non-executive chairman of Felcra, was accused of taking a bribe of RM2.2 million in cash from Public Mutual’s investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid, 38, through his wife Zizie Ezette.

He was accused of committing the act as a reward for obtaining approval from the Minister of Finance II for Felcra to make a RM150 million investment in Public Mutual unit trust products.

The offence was allegedly committed at Public Bank Berhad, Taman Melawati Branch, No. 262-265, Jalan Bandar 12, Taman Melawati here, between 12.30pm and 5pm, on June 12, 2015.

For the second charge, Bung Moktar was accused of taking for himself a bribe of RM262,500 in cash from the same individual (Madhi) through an account of the bank’s investment product Public Islamic Treasures Growth Fund (PITGF) numbered 044797816 and registered under the name of Zizie Izette for the same purpose.

Bung Moktar was also accused of taking for himself a bribe of RM337,500 from Public Mutual’s investment agent, Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar, 42, through a Public Ittikal Sequel Fund (PITSEQ) account numbered 044797824 registered under the name of Zizie Izette for the same purpose. Both offences were allegedly committed at the same location at 12.16pm and 12.28pm, on June 19, 2015.

The charges are framed under Subsection 17(a) of the MACC Act and punishable under Section 24(1) of the same Act which provides for imprisonment of not more than 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000 whichever is higher, if convicted.

Zizie Izette, 41, a former actress, pleaded not guilty to three counts of abetting her husband on the same offences, at the same places, dates and times under Section 28(1)(c) of the MACC Act and punishable under subsection 24(1) which provides for imprisonment of not more than 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000 whichever is higher, if convicted.

The hearing continues before judge Rozina Ayob tomorrow. – Bernama

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March 16, 2020
E-wallet scammers offer cash as latest modus operandi

ALOR STAR: E-wallet scammers are now resorting to offering cash amounting to RM100-RM300 to those who submit their identity cards to open their e-wallet accounts

Kedah Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK) head Supt Elias Omar said the scammer-appointed agents would prey on victims from low-income groups or drug addicts before asking for their identity cards to help register e-wallet accounts.

“Prior to that, the victims will be promised instant cash of between RM100 and RM300 if their e-wallet registration application is successful, thus compelling the victims to handover their identity cards willingly.

“The agent will fill out the application form using the victim’s name and identity card while the phone number and address will be filled with the scammer’s information. This is to make it easier for scammers to obtain their victim’s Transaction Authorisation Code (TAC) number and have access to the victim’s bank account,” he told a media conference here today.

He said the scammer would then contact another victim and impersonate the police or the court before directing the victim to transfer some money into an e-wallet account that was opened using an identity card obtained from the previous victim.

“The scammer will contact the victims and inform them that they are involved in a drug case and to avoid having their assets frozen, the victims will have to transfer all their money into the e-wallet accounts provided. The scammers use this e-wallet method because it is difficult for the police to detect.

“From Jan 1 to Feb 29, 25 investigation papers involving such cases have been opened involving a loss of RM600,000,“ he said.

He said up to 50 individuals had provided their identity cards for e-wallet account registration but were unaware that their identity cards and personal information have been misused by scammers out for a profit.

Meanwhile, Elias said acting on information, police have arrested two 23-year-old men who were soliciting public identification cards in early March in the Kuala Muda district.

“One of them is a scammer-appointed agent and for each successful identification card, the agent received RM50 as payment. Six mobile phones, 13 telco sim cards and six ATM cards were also seized.

“We are looking for another 34-year-old who is believed to be able to assist with the case and people with information can also contact the Kedah JSJK or the Kuala Muda JSJK. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code,“ he said. — Bernama

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March 15, 2020
Simulating the stars at exascale requires HIP solutions

As GPU architectures have become the standard for scientific computing, application teams have had to retrofit their scientific codes to run on new systems. Even teams with codes that have been re-engineered for GPUs must continually adapt them for new architectures.

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March 13, 2020
SETI@Home ends its public phase, hunt for aliens continues

For the general public, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is almost over. On March 2, SETI@home revealed its crowdsourced supercomputing application will go into hibernation on March 30 of this year.

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March 6, 2020