16 Russians Arraigned Over Arms Importation

Sixteen Russians were this afternoon arraigned at Federal High Court on four count of criminal charge of illegal importation of arms into Nigeria.

The suspects are: Zhelyazkov Andrey, 53, Savchenko Sergay, 36, Chichkanov Vasily, 49, Varigin Igor 48, Komilov Alexandr 32, Lopatin Alexey 38, Baranovskly Nikolay 50, Mishin Pavel 31, Lia Shubov 33, Dmitry Bannyrn 40, Alexander Tsarikov 44, Kononov Sergel, 44 Korotchenko Andrey 23, Vorobev Mikal 40, Stepan Oleksuik 52, and their ship (MV Myre Seadiver)

According to the third criminal charge filed by the court by Principal State Counsel from the Attorney General of Federation Office, Mr. E.A. Ezebilo, it was alleged that the sixteen Russians on or about  18 October, 2012 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court  did without a license import into Nigeria a cache of firearms and ammunition prohibited for importation under section 18 of the firearms act.

The captain of the ship, MV Myre Seadiver used for the importation of the arms and ammunition was arraigned separately  for unlawfully entering Nigeria through Nigeria’a territorial waters without due clearance and declaration of the goods carried on board of ship.

The Russians who could not understand English brought an interpreter from the Russian Embassy to interpret the charge to them. They all pleaded not guilty. Consequently, their lawyer, Chike Okafor and two other lawyers told the court that they have filed bail application and the prosecutor has been served.

However, the prosecutor, Mr. Ezebilo, told the court he was served this morning, therefore, he needed two days to file his response. The presiding judge while acceding to the request of the prosecutor, adjourned till 25 February when the bail application will be heard. The Russian ship was seized on October 19 off the coast of Lagos by a naval patrol. Weapons found on the vessel included 14 AK-47 rifles with 3,643 rounds of ammunition as well as 22 Benelli MR1 rifles with 4,955 rounds of ammunition. The intended destination or planned use of the arms was not clear.

In December, Russia’s foreign ministry said it had reached a deal to secure the release of the sailors, explaining that Nigeria had agreed to drop the case to preserve cordial relations between the two nations. That pact, if it ever existed, appears to have been sidelined. The vessel was said to have left the Cook Islands in the South Pacific and arrived in Nigeria’s waters without permission. It reportedly belonged to the Moscow-based Moran Group and was flying a Dutch island flag at the time of its seizure.

Family of 7 kidnapped in Cameroon, near Nigeria

Ansaru group; another abduction?

Seven French tourists, members of the same family—three adults and four children, were kidnapped Tuesday by unidentified men in northern Cameroon, near the border with Nigeria, a source close to the French embassy in Yaounde said.
President Francois Hollande of France believed the Nigerian Ansaru terror group, the same group that kidnapped seven foreigners at a construction site, run by SETRACO in Jama’are, Bauchi state of Nigeria, was behind the latest abduction. “Seven French tourists were captured today by men, apparently on motorbikes, in the Cameroonian locality of Dadanga on the frontier with Nigeria,” the source said. “Clearly the tourists were returning from the Waza natural park.”

A security source in the area told AFP the kidnapping “involved three adults and four children,” adding that security forces were hunting for the kidnappers the length of the border with Nigeria.
An anonymous source in Waza park said the tourists went to visit the park yesterday. “They slept in the park’s tourist camp where they left this morning,” the source said. It’s the first time that Western tourists have been kidnapped in Cameroon, although hostage taking frequently occurs off the Cameroonian coast, the last incident dating back to February 8.

President Francois Hollande confirmed that seven French tourists from one family, including four children, were kidnapped Tuesday in northern Cameroon and said he suspected a Nigeria group was responsible.
“What is most probable is they were taken to Nigeria,” Hollande said, adding that they were seized by a Nigeria-based “terrorist group that we know well”.

TVC To Launch 24-Hour News Channel

On 28 February,  Continental Broadcasting Services, CBS, will launch the first ever pan-African 24-hour news channel, TVC News.

The new channel, already test-transmitting, will be competing with international broadcasters for viewers, Nigel Parsons, Chief Executive Officer, TVC News, told P.M.NEWS during a facility tour of the station’s ultra-modern studio Tuesday.

“Part of the reasons for the coming of this channel is to bring a change to the coverage of death and disaster in Africa by many of this foreign channels. There are a lot of positive things happening on the continent and many good events to celebrate in Africa,” Parsons, who is a former managing director at Al Jazeera English, said.

TVC News will be based in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, with offices in Abuja and Port Harcourt.
The station will also have offices in Johannesburg, Nairobi, Accra and Dakar. The channel has secured agreements to air on Startimes in Nigeria, and British Sky Broadcasting Group Plc, BSkyB in the United Kingdom, while other countries will follow before April.

Parsons pointed out that the new channel projects that revenue will come from a mix of sponsorship and advertising, as well as being supported by CBS’s existing stations like TVC Entertainment channel, Radio Continental and Adaba FM.

Nigerian Pastor Arrested With Human Parts

The police in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, have arrested a pastor and his accomplice with fresh human parts. They allegedly concealed the human parts in two bags at the time they were arrested.

 The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, on Monday confirmed the arrest of the pastor and his accomplice. Manko also told NAN that the suspects caught with human parts were arrested on Saturday and currently in detention at the State Criminal Investigations Department, SCID, Panti, Yaba, for further investigation.

According to him, fingers, heart, liver, kidney and intestines were all concealed in two bags, which were discovered during a stop-and-search operation by policemen from Ikotun Police Divisional Office.
Manko disclosed further that two bottles filled with what was suspected to be human blood, were also recovered from the suspects.
However, the police boss did not disclose the identities of the suspects.
Manko also said the police have commenced investigation into the killing of an Asst. Supt. of Customs, who was allegedly shot dead by his colleague on duty post.

The Police Chief, who confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the suspect, a Deputy Supt. of Customs, was being detained at the state Criminal Investigation Department.
NAN investigation at the department revealed that at least eight persons, all customs personnel, who were on duty with the deceased on Saturday when the incident occurred along the Lagos-Badagry highway, had been invited by the police.

NAN gathered that the police had also requested for the release of the vehicle containing the contraband the deceased and his colleagues wanted to impound during the shooting.

Colleagues Mourn Bombed Sand Dealer

Colleagues of the late Oladele Pius, who died Monday as a result of an explosion at Festac area of Lagos, have continued to mourn the deceased, who was Chairman of Sand Dredgers Association in the Amuwo-Odofin area, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

The explosion occurred under the FESTAC/Mile 2 Link Bridge. A police inspector, Akin Sunday, was also seriously injured. Some of his colleagues while extolling his virtues said they are yet to come to terms with the reality that he is no more.

Peter Adeola, while commenting on the demise of Pius, said there is nobody that came across the late Ondo State-born businessman that had any cause to say negative things about him because he was generous to a fault.

Tayo Popoola, while speaking of the deceased nicknamed “Apase”, said it was really a painful exit because he had listening ears and was always ready to help. Oladele Pius “Apase died a painful death, those who carried out this act don’t know the implication of what they had done because he was a philanthropist,” Popoola said.

Another colleague of the deceased, who was very close to him cried uncontrollably.
He said: “it is possible that the late Pius was assassinated. They have killed him now, and I know those that killed him did so because he does not like people to be cheated, maybe he had running battles with some people and they decided to take his life.”

Sheu Adamu said words are not enough to describe his late boss. “I had nothing when I came to Lagos from Adamawa State. It was this man that housed and fed me. It was under this bridge that I saved money to rent an apartment and achieved other things in life. It is really a sad day for a number of us you see here today (Monday) because he was accommodating till he died.”
Meanwhile, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko,  who was at the explosion scene a few hours later, tried to play down the incident.

“The experts in that are already there. The impression there is not what all of you might be thinking, it is so minor. It is not the type that everybody is thinking about,” Mr. Manko said. “It is not the type of explosion that Nigerians are used to of recent. Just somebody trying to play games here and thereby using common battery put in a torchlight, that’s what we found there,” he added