The Senate will investigate the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (HOSF) on funds disbursed to it for the payment of pensions.

Sen. Aloysius Etok, Chairman of the senate joint committee on Establishment and Public Service and that of States and Local Governments Administratio nnn made this known in Abuja on Friday while briefing journalists.

Etok said the investigation was part of the ongoing probe of the administration of pension payments in the country.

The chairman added that the investigation would determine how some of the funds were allegedly traced to private accounts in some commercial banks.

He disclosed that the committee's zonal hearings had come up with a common complaint on pension matters, especially the harmonisation of the old Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) and the new contributory pension schemes.

According to him, the various states in the country are also complaining of the failure of the Federal Government to remit to them its share of the pension.

“The committee observed that the federal government was indebted to almost all the states that have made presentations. The endless verifications had not helped matters either.

“For instance, the decision of the federal government in 2002 to stop State Governments from paying federal share of pensions, led to mounting of arrears of pension and gratuities of pensioners with federal share.”

Etok held that the task force set up by the office of the HOSF on the matter, had also compounded the plight of federal government pensioners.

“The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) alleged that the Desk Officers in the office of the Head of Service were not sympathetic to the plight of the pensioners.??

“They were inaccessible, arrogant and brutal especially the chairman of the Task Force.”

He announced that the committee was collating facts and figures from the states on how the pension funds were disbursed.

“Details, figures and facts would be disclosed during the public hearing in Abuja.

“When you are investigating issues like this, you have to go to the states and Local Governments to get the facts which we are going to verify at the Abuja hearing.”

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Al Qaeda's affiliate in Iraq claimed responsibility for a wave of coordinated attacks that mainly targeted police forces in Shi'ite areas and killed at least 60 people across the country on Thursday.

In a statement seen on Islamist websites on Friday, the group said it carried out the attacks in revenge for what it called a “torture and liquidation campaign that Sunni women and men are being subjected to in Baghdad's prisons and other areas”.

Thursday's attacks hit at least 14 cities and towns across Iraq, highlighting the threat al Qaeda and other militant groups continue to pose to security forces after the withdrawal of U.S. troops in mid-December.

Thursday's violence, along with a suicide car bombing outside a Baghdad police academy the week before, broke weeks of relative calm as Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Sunni politicians sought to resolve a political crisis that stoked sectarian tensions.

The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group said on Friday the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group for al Qaeda-linked Sunni insurgents, announced it had struck Iraqi officials and military headquarters in a statement posted on Islamist websites on Thursday.

“The operations came in a simultaneous way and on targets that had been observed and selected with precision, and they included security headquarters, military patrols and political, judicial and administrative leaders,” the statement said.

“All thanks be to God (for) completely surprising the enemy in most of the country's provinces despite the size and scale of the attacks executed.”

Many of Iraq's minority Sunnis, once dominant under former dictator Saddam Hussein, suspect Maliki is trying to grab more power from them for the benefit of Shi'ites, who are a majority.

In October Iraq arrested at least 240 former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party and former military officers, many of whom are believed to be Sunni, in a move some senior officials described as a plot to seize power after U.S. troops completed their withdrawal.

Officials said the arrests were made to foil a Baathist plot to launch sabotage attacks and topple Maliki's government.

A day after U.S. troops left the country, Maliki ordered the arrest of a Sunni vice president and sought to dismiss a senior Sunni deputy, moves that escalated sectarian tensions and which coincided with a wave of attacks against Shi'ite targets.

That violence and Thursday's attacks have revived fears of a return to the brutal sectarian warfare that killed tens of thousands of Iraqis in 2006 and 2007, especially as security forces continue to be the weakest link in establishing long-term stability in Iraq.

Late on Thursday and early on Friday, a number of attacks targeted police forces in Baquba, Iskandariya, Baghdad and Samarra.

At least three members of the security forces were killed and seven wounded.

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Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, has released six players out of the 22 in camp, to their various club sides ahead of this weekend’s Nigerian Premier League games.

Ben Alaiya, Super Eagles Media Officer, in a statement on Friday in Abuja said that the players were released onThursday night.

Alaiya added that the release effectively ruled out the six players from those likely to make the team to play Rwanda in Kigali on Feb. 29 in the 2013 African Nations Cup qualifier.

The officer quoted Keshi as saying that the released players would be recalled for two upcoming friendlies being planned by the Nigeria Football Association for the month of April.

Those released are Henry Uche of Enyimba International, Heartland’s trio of Uche Oguchi, Kingsley Salami and Kabir Umar, Osasco Omoma of Sunshine Stars and Niger United’s Daniel Essien.

“It was a painful decision, but it must be done for the sake of the nation and because we have our brothers coming from Europe.

“But it is not to say the players are not good, they are very okay.

“We will call upon them soon again when we have friendlies lined up for the national team,” Keshi said while releasing the players.

The players have since left camp for their various clubs.

The coach promised that he would continue to monitor the players for discipline and how regularly they feature for their teams.

According to Keshi, this will form the basis of their recall to the national team.

Meanwhile, the 16 players left in camp have intensified the battle for shirts in the national camp, with no one showing signs of dropping out for the other.

Players still in camp were Chigozie Agbim, Okemuteh Odah, Godfrey Oboabona, Juwon Oshaniwa, Papa Idris, Azubuike Egwueke, Gabriel Reuben, Uche Ossai and? Sunday Mba.

Others were Bathlomew Ibenegbu, Barnabas Imenger, Obinna Nwachukwu, Izu Azuka, Ejike Uzoenyi, Solomon Jabason, and Uche Kalu.

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The EFCC on Friday dragged former Bayelsa governor, Mr Timipre Sylva to a Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged misappropriation of N6.46 billion public funds.?

The anti-graft agency in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/23/2012 claimed that Sylva and others now at large, committed the offence between October 2009 and February 2010.?

However, it was reported that the case is yet to be assigned.

The former governor and others now at large were accused of fraudulently obtaining a loan facility of N4 billion from the Union Bank.

The loans were allegedly obtained under the guise of using it to augment workers’ salaries.

The EFCC also alleged that Sylva with others now at large, had between October? 2009 and February? 2010 converted? properties and resources of the Bayelsa government amounting to N2 billion.

They were also alleged to on Jan. 22, 2010, converted N380 million worth of government property through a Fin Bank account No. 221433478108 belonging to one Habibu Sani Maigida, a Bureau De Change Operator.

It further said that Sylva and his accomplices, had on Feb. 5, 2010 converted N50 million of the state's funds through a First Bank Account No. 6152030001946 of Enson Benmer Limited.

The anti-graft agency said the offences contravened the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2004.

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Nigeria's Amos Adamu has lost his appeal against a three-year ban from football.
He was sanctioned by football's world governing body Fifa after allegations of corruption in the run-up to the decision on who should host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
He took his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which has rejected his appeal.
“CAS considered the sanction was not disproportionate,” the court said.
?“The panel was satisfied that [Dr Adamu] was far from actively and unambiguously refusing the improper offer”
Court of Arbitration for Sport
“[The ban] was even relatively mild, considering the seriousness of the offence.”

Adamu was filmed by reporters from a British newspaper, the Sunday Times, who posed as lobbyists for a consortium of American companies that wanted to bring the World Cup to the United States.
He was offered $800,000 to build four artificial football pitches in Nigeria, a breach of Fifa's ethics rules.
“The CAS panel stressed that it was of crucial importance that top football officials should not only be honest but should evidently and undoubtedly be seen to be honest,” the judgement said.

“With respect to the behaviour of Dr Adamu, the CAS panel was comfortably satisfied that he was far from actively and unambiguously refusing the improper offer set forth by the alleged lobbyists.”
He has always maintained his innocence and has pursued this appeal as far as it can go.
The CAS judgement says Adamu argued that the evidence against him should have been rejected because “the journalists would have violated the Swiss Criminal Code” in gathering their material.
But the court rejected that claim, saying it was “an international tribunal sitting in Switzerland” and as such is not bound to follow the rules of the Swiss courts.
It also said no judge had declared the evidence was unlawfully obtained and “it was not even sure that the Sunday Times journalists acted illegally”.
WWW.BBCSPORTS.COM

The Managing Director of the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Mr. Haruna Momoh, has said that all issues that led to the initial hitch in the petrol supply chain have been resolved.

This is as he allayed fears of fuel scarcity, assuring that there was enough fuel in strategic reserves to last for more than a month.

“There were a number of issues like the Petrol Tanker Drivers (PTD) strike in Kwara, Rivers and Edo States which have been resolved.

There was also the issue of marketers’ reluctance to import products as a result of the uncertainty about subsidy payment which has also been resolved with the recent appropriation for subsidy included in the 2012 budget by the President,” he said.

He assured that marketers have now resumed importation, adding “there is enough fuel in strategic reserves to last until their cargoes start arriving.”

The PPMC boss further urged Nigerians to avoid panic buying as there was enough fuel to go round.

The Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) had earlier debunked reports that it had stopped processing subsidy claims from genuine importers.

Gov Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State on Thursday approved the dissolution of the state executive council.The council’s dissolution was announced via a statement signed by Alhaji Hassan Maccido, the governor’s Director-General of Media.

The statement said that the governor's Special Assistants and Special Advisers were also relieved of their appointments.

It thanked the political appointees for their contributions to the state’s development and wished them well in their future endeavours.

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Mr John Haruna, the outgoing Commissioner of Police in Benue, has warned police officers in the state against indiscriminate allocation of arms to policemen.?

He gave the warning on Thursday when he visited the Police Area Command in Otukpo.???

Haruna enjoined the officers to always scrutinise their subordinates before giving them arms.??

He stressed that some police officers were not fit enough to handle arms because their conduct indicated some mental instability.?

He noted that such officers were the ones who unleashed terror on the people without thinking of the repercussions of their action.?

Haruna also warned policemen and officers against allowing criminals to disarm them, stressing that they should always display gallantry even when confronted by criminals.?

He noted that if criminals got hold of the powerful arms in the officers’ possession, they would commit more atrocities.?

He disclosed that arrangements were underway to allow Commissioners of Police to unilaterally promote deserving officers and men within their commands.?

Haruna, nonetheless, bemoaned the breakdown of discipline within the police force, saying that it was a bad omen.?

He stressed the need to restore discipline in the force, urging officers and men to accord due respect to their superior officers at all times.?

He also advised policemen and officers to be courteous while dealing with the public, stressing that they were employed to serve the citizens diligently and not to molest them.?

Speaking earlier, Mr Samuel Dra-Koji, the Area Police Commander in Otukpo, thanked Haruna for encouraging police officers and men in the area to fight crime.?

He, however, solicited more logistic support to enable them to “comb the area very well in order to fish out criminals”.

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The Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) has allayed fears of fuel scarcity in the country, saying that oil marketers have resumed fuel importation.

The PPMC gave the assurance on Thursday in Abuja in a statement signed by Dr Levi Ajuonuma, the Group General Manager (Public Affairs) of the NNPC.

The statement said that Mr Haruna Momoh, the Managing Director of the PPMC, also assured the citizens that all the issues that led to the initial glitch in supply of petroleum products had been resolved.

“There were a number of issues like the strike of the Petrol Tanker Drivers (PTD) in Kwara, Rivers and Edo States, which have been resolved.

“There was also the issue of marketers’ reluctance to import products as a result of the uncertainty about subsidy payment, which has also been resolved with the recent appropriation for subsidy included in the 2012 budget by the President.

“So, marketers have resumed importation, and we have enough fuel in our strategic reserves to last until their cargoes start arriving,” Momoh was quoted as saying in the statement.

The statement added that Momoh urged the citizens to refrain from panic buying since there was enough fuel for the entire country.

It recalled that the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) had also debunked reports that it had stopped processing subsidy claims from genuine importers.

Queues at filling stations had resurfaced in Abuja and environs as a result of the fuel scarcity.

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The Niger State House of Assembly on Thursday adopted a motion urging the executive to appoint the chairman of its committee on security as a member of the state security council.

It said that such appointment would keep the House abreast of the security situation in the state.

Deputy Speaker Ahmed Bello moved the motion calling for the inclusion of legislators in security meetings in the state under the Matter of Urgent Attention and the motion received the unanimous support of the lawmakers.

Bello said that the House could no longer continue to move motions on security and insecurity without fully knowing the issues involved.

?“We need to know what the Commissioner of Police is doing to protecting the lives of the police and the people in general.

“If there is insecurity in the state, there will be migration. In fact, people have started migrating out of Niger State; in less than a week, Minna alone has lost four policemen with their riffles taken from them.

“If robbers could kill policemen in uniform who are fully armed; what about the defenseless civilians on the streets?

“It is out of place for emirs to attend security meetings, leaving legislators out of it. We want to know the blueprint of the police in efforts to contain the situation in Niger State,” Bello said.

Assemblyman Jacob Gana noted that the nation's borders were too porous; stressing that radical measures should be taken to beef up security at the borders.

Assemblyman Isah Kawo bemoaned a situation in which the chairman of House committee on security was not invited to attend security meetings in the state and called for urgent steps to redress the anomaly.

The House also resolved that the media should be involved in efforts to sensitise of the people to the need to be more security conscious.

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The Och' Idoma,? Chief Elias Obekpa, has appealed to Mr John Haruna, the outgoing Commissioner of Police in Benue, to provide adequate security for him and his palace.?

Obekpa made the appeal on Thursday in Otukpo, while receiving Haruna who came on a courtesy visit.?

The traditional ruler said that he was calling for adequate police protection around his palace because of the bitterness expressed by some individuals who failed in their efforts to acquire traditional titles in his domain.?

He alleged that such people considered him as their enemy.?

“They are usually bent on fomenting trouble and unrest in my domain to such an extent that it is now difficult for me to sleep unperturbed,” he said.?

Obekpa, nonetheless, expressed appreciation for the efforts of the police to safeguard the people’s lives and property in Otukpo, adding that the relative peace enjoyed in the area could be attributed to the police.?

He commended Haruna for his humility and noted that his recent promotion to the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police was due to his hard work and dedication to duty.?

He wished Haruna well in his future professional assignments and urged him not to jettison the virtues which enabled him to become accomplished in life.

Earlier, Haruna commended the efforts of the traditional ruler in promoting peace and stability in his domain.?

He stressed that Obekpa’s peace-building efforts had significantly reduced the burden of the police and other security agencies in ensuring peace in the area.?

Haruna assured the traditional ruler that the new police reforms would engender adequate security for the people’s lives and property.?

“The primary motive behind the reforms is to redeem the lost glory of the police and reposition it to be able to discharge its duties efficiently and effectively,” he said.?

The police in Imo have introduced a motorised system of operation; follow the recent directive by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Muhammed Abubakar, to dismantle all road blocks.

Samuel Oodee, the command's Public Relations Officer, disclosed in an interview with newsmen on Friday in Owerri.

The PPRO said that since the directive, Imo command had been making effective use of the vehicles donated by the state government as part of its “Rescue Mission Agenda”.

Oodee said that with the introduction of the motorised policing, vehicles were being distributed to police stations in the state to enable them to checkmate activities of hoodlums in their areas.

Gov. Rochas Okorocha had donated 61 vehicles to the police to aid their activities in the state.

According to him, the state has not experienced any ugly incident after the order, adding that the command was more fortified, adding that the personnel will remain committed in fighting crime.

Eddy Akanno, the state's Chairman of National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), said the IG’s directive was a big relief to the union members.

He said that since the directive became effective, the union members no longer complained of alleged intimidation and demand for money by some policemen.

Akanno promised that the union members would partner with the police in the state to fight crime.

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