Did Osinbajo, Dambazau....snub bereaved journalist petition?

Written by: Blessed Mudiaga Adjekpagbon and Onabamiji Adediwura


A bereaved journalist has been wondering why the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo; Ibrahim Dambazau – Minister of Interior; and the Deputy Controller of Medium Security Prison, Apapa, Lagos State are yet to respond to a petition he wrote them about the illegal release of a “man slaughter” culprit from prison.
During an interaction with Bulkybon Periscopes, the journalist, Onabamiji Adediwura presented a photocopy of a petition he wrote to Osinbajo, Dambazau, Justice Oke – the Chief Judge of Lagos State and co, concerning the injustice meted on him and his family by the Nigerian Medium Security Prison, Apapa, Lagos and the Police.
The petition dated January 21, 2019 starts with a heading thus: “Re-Sudden disappearance of defendant (Ayuba Musa) from prison custody and blatant refusal of the prison authority to arrest and produce the defendant in Charge No: B/26/2010, before his honour: A. Ipaye Nwachukwu.” The journalist/petitioner who is incidentally the complainant in the case, clearly states his reason for writing the petition. He posits that: “I am a journalist, complainant and one of the administrators of the Estate of Enock O. Onabamiji (a senior PHCN official), who was killed on the 30th of March 2010 in a motor accident that involved a trailer-tanker with registration number XZ 155 KJA driven dangerously by one Ayuba Musa.
“The said Ayuba Musa was charged to court at Sabo by the Police, based on the DPP’s advice on the 19th of June, 2010. A copy of the charge sheet is hereby attached.”
The complainant who has been solely responsible for the upkeep of the family of the deceased further avers that: “Curiously, the said Ayuba Musa who has been facing trial in the above case could not be produced in court which prompted the presiding Magistrate to issue a reproduction warrant, only for the prison authority to inform the court on the 17th of December, 2016 that Ayuba Musa has been mistakenly released. They pleaded with the court for a short time to re-arrest the defendant, which till date have not taken effect.”
According to the journalist, a copy of the court order for the re-arrest of the defendant and an order by the trial court for the arrest of the defendant’s employer for refusing to produce the defendant were also attached to the petition he wrote to Osinbajo,
As at the time of publishing this report, the Vice President and some other aforementioned personalities who were served the petition over three months ago have not responded. Only Justice Opeyemi Oke, Chief Judge of Lagos responded by ordering the Police and the Prison authority to re-arrest the defendant. But the Police is still dragging feet to re-arrest Musa, suspected to have bribed both the Prison authority and the Police based on the Nigerian factor of corruption.
The questions now being asked by some reasonable folks concerned about the case include: “Why is the Vice President silent over Adediwura’s petition? Who is to be held for the irreparable damage, and made to pay compensation to the family of the bereaved if the defendant can no longer be re-arrested? The world is waiting for Osinbajo and co to respond. The Interior Minister, Deputy Controller of Medium Security Prison, Apapa, Lagos and the Police are expected to act now if they want the general public to continue to regard them as responsible beings.

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Police robs Police

By Blessed Mudiaga Adjekpagbon

An aggrieved police officer has cried to the attention of Bulkybon Periscopes, about what he calls “injustice and robbery perpetrated by some powers that be in the Nigeria Police” organization against him and other junior officers. During his chat with Bulkybon Periscopes, he said “Police officers that are promoted from one level to another were usually owed three months salaries arrears of their previous rank while processing the documents for their new ranks. When they finish the process of clarification to their new rank, the outstanding salaries will then be paid in bulk as soon as they complete the process, and occupy their new positions.

“It is the difference between the salaries of your old rank and the new rank they failed to offset. Those promoted in 2018 from Sergeants to Inspectors have no issues as theirs have been paid, while the older ones 2014-2014 and 2015-2016 were partially left out. Salaries arrears of 10 months, 6 months and 3 months as at the month of promotion are still not yet paid.

“They paid 2013 and 2014 but omitted some and promised to pay since 2017 Feb. But have not paid arrears for 2015 and 2016. Only paid 2017, but went ahead to pay 2018.

“Some of us went to the Mechanized Salary Section (MSS) to find out why some were paid and some are yet to be paid till date. It was then we were informed that an order from above has stopped the payment of such outstanding salaries arrears.” 

He also added that upon visiting the Police Budget Planning Board in Abuja as directed by the MSS, he and other affected officers were told by the officers in charge that they were instructed to start paying only those promoted in 2018 and leave those that are still outstanding from the aforementioned years. He informs that a lot of officers promoted between 2014 and 2016 are yet to be paid the difference between their old and new salaries arrears, and were reliably informed that some powers that be within the police organization might have pocketed their money. He also disclosed that there are irregularities in the police institution with the way some officers are being promoted. 

“If you are a Sergeant, you will be asked to pay between N150,000 to N200,000 to get promoted to Inspector. If you are an Inspector and wants to be promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), you will be asked to pay N500,000, depending on the connection you have,” he lamented.
He posits that this type of dubious act of promotion has been causing serious crisis within the police profession in Nigeria, as some hitherto junior officers that were able to pay the said sum were promoted and became superiors to their previous bosses. He therefore wants the new Inspector General of Police to look into the issue of the unpaid salaries arrears of all affected promoted officers and the promotion racket that has turned the police into a kind of business cartel.

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