Aminu-Sadiq – Sudan government refuses extradiction of Nyanya bomb blast attacker

The extradition of the mastermind of the April 14, 2014, bombings of Nyanya-Abuja Motor Park that claimed the lives of about 100 people, Aminu-Sadiq Ogwuche might take longer than expected.

For now, it has hit the rock.

This is because the Sudanese government was said to have refused to cooperate with the Nigerian officials in their effort to extradite the suspect.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that Sudan’s refusal to extradite Ogwuche followed the alleged intervention of a powerful Nigerian in one of the traditional institutions in Nigeria. He was was said to have moved in to stop the extradition of Ogwuche using the instrumentality of his Alma Mata, African International University, in Sudan.

Apart from this, Sudan whose President, Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, ICC, for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, has no bilateral agreement with any country in the world on extradition of criminals.

Reliable security sources in Abuja said that the Nigerian, who has used the Alma Mata on several occasions to recommend and secure admission for some willing Nigerians youths in Sudan, is believed to have used his influence to reach out to some old students of the university to frustrate the extradition of Ogwuche possibly to prevent Nigerian security from getting details from the suspect on some of the financiers of Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria.

According to the sources, a team of Nigerian officials including security agents who travelled to Sudan with the aim of effecting the extradition or bringing back Ogwuche were turned back on the claims by the Sudanese officials that there was no court order for the arrest of the suspect.

It was learnt that when the officials of the Nigerian security agencies arrived Khartoum, Sudan last week for the hand-over of Ogwuche by the Sudanese authorities, they were faced with conditions that were unknown to them particularly against the backdrop of the fact that Sudan was not a signatory to any convention on the extradition of criminals and terrorists.

Saturday Vanguard further gathered that the Sudanese authorities pointedly told the Nigerian security officials that they needed the Court papers particularly the charge sheet detailing the offences for which Ogwuche was being tried and declared wanted.

Ogwuche’s wife, who is based in Sudan is believed to be the interface between the Nigerian Emir and her husband’s lawyer that are battling to get the suspected terrorist out of the hook in Sudan.

The failure of the officials to bring Ogwuche back to the country was said to have informed the arraignment of Ogwuche (in absentia) along with some of his accomplices for terror related offences in an Abuja court last Tuesday.

Ogwuche was declared wanted by the Department of State Services, DSS, after linking him to the deadly blast in Nyanya which claimed over 75 lives.

However, the arraignment of Ogwuche in absentia was again allegedly questioned by the Sudanese government which also doubted the genuineness of the allegations against the suspected terrorist, saying that he (Ogwuche) could have been framed.

The Police Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, had shortly after the Nyanya bomb blast hinted that Interpol had issued a red alert for the arrest of Ogwuche, who was once arrested on suspicion of terrorism but released following pressure from human rights groups and the father of the suspect. Also, the Director General of the National Orientation Agency, NOA and Coordinator of the National Information Centre, NIC, Mike Omeri, had said that Ogwuche, who had been on the wanted list of the security agencies was arrested in Sudan.

Omeri, who was surrounded then by spokespersons of the military, the police and the Department of State Services, DSS, said the security agencies in the country were working with their counterparts in Sudan to extradite the suspect, who was a deserter of the Nigerian Army, back to the country.

Deputy Director in charge of Public Relations at the DSS, Marylyn Ogar, had also hinted that the security agencies discovered that Ogwuche had escaped to Sudan, when his father could not produce him.

The discovery of the Ogwuche’s escape to Sudan while five others were arrested prompted the DSS to declare him wanted alongside with one other suspect.

“Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche who was earlier declared wanted has been arrested in Sudan with the efforts of the Army, DSS, the National Bureau of the Interpol based at the Nigerian Police Force Headquarters and security operatives in Sudan.

“The efforts of the interpol, Nigerian Police and the DSS led to his arrest,” Omeri said.

He promised that further information on him and the second suspect would be communicated to the public as they come in.’’

Ogwuche, an Army deserter was said to have dropped out of university in Britain. He served in a Nigerian intelligence unit.

The University of South Wales confirmed that he studied at the institution between 2007 and 2010, when it was known as the University of Glamorgan, but said he failed to complete his course.

WalesOnline, a Welsh news site, reported that Ogwuche was a member of the university’s debating society and wrote on an online professional profile that his goal was “to be a successful businessman.”

But it said the Business Science student had made increasingly radical postings on his Facebook page in 2010 and 2011, under a profile picture with the word “Asadullah”, meaning “Lion of God.”

The university told the site in a statement: “Aminu Ogwuche was a student at the former University of Glamorgan between 2007 and 2010 but didn’t go on to complete his studies at the university.”

It said the institution was “surprised” to hear of his alleged involvement with Boko Haram, saying: “There were no reported indications of extremist behaviour during his time as a student.

“There has been no contact between Mr Ogwuche and the university following his departure in 2010,” the institution stated.

 

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Aminu-Sadiq – Sudan government refuses extradiction of Nyanya bomb blast attacker

Mastermind of Nyanya bomb blast arrested - President Jonathan

President Jonathan has revealed that the mastermind of the  deadly bomb that two place in Nyanya Motor Park in Abuja, have been arrested and is currently assisting the security forces to trace their financiers.

The President disclosed this while answering questions from journalists after the 24th World Economic Forum (WEFA) held in Abuja which ended yesterday.

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President Jonathan revealed that anyone who thinks that the rate of bombing and other devasting activities carried out by Boko Haram sects in Nigeria would force his government to negotiate power with the insurgents or their financiers should have a re-think as such situation would never happened.

He added that he had declared war against the dreaded Boko Haram and ready to rout it out of existence in the country. He revealved that the Federal Government had earmarked $10 million as a matching grant to the efforts by the International community to rescue the 230 abducted female students in Chibok.

He stressed that with the successful hsoting of the WEFA in Nigeria despite the threat by the insurgents shows that their days in Nigeria are numbered and they will soon be extinct with the help of the international community and made to face consequences of their evil deeds.

He said ”Boko Haram is a terror group and as journalists you should know the meaning of terror. Before the 9/11 no body in the US or UK imagined the dimension of terrorists in the world. You can not be too sure of what ideology that drives their leaning. Sometimes, it is from the religious sentiments… but   we need to combine so many factors to underscore their driving spirit . But I want to advice that the terrorists should also know that they don’t do certain things and get away with it because most of these activities are criminal offenses and they should know that when they are caught, they would pay dearly for it. ‘’For instance, I can tell you that the masterminds of the last Nyanya bomb blast have been arrested and would face the long arm of the law.

”I want to assure also that sooner than later, the abducted Chibok school girls would also be rescued with the help of the global community and we will use remote sensing technology to smoke them out to face the consequences,” Jonathan added.

Meanwhile, the US Marine in Nigeria have made their first arrests at Anyibe in Logo Local Government ARea of Benue State, taking two male suspects into custody after they were found in possession of arms and ammunition during a targeted search.

The Director of Defence revealed that the suspects, including a teenager and an elderly man, were arrested during a search operation and found to be in possession of firearms.

Weapons found in their possession included two rifles, three locally fabricated pistols and 61 rounds of special ammunition.

Earlier, at a separate briefing by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minster of Finance, Dr.( Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala and former British Prime Minister, Mr. Gordon Brown among other WEF Officials, had expressed the desire of both the Nigerian government and the international community to continue with the agitation of the Bring back the Chibok Girls campaign.

Brown described the adoption of the school girls as ‘’disgusting and devilish’’ but assured that the international community would not stand by and watch the senseless action by Boko Haram to scuttle the educational desire of innocent girls. He further said that the global community was already mobilizing million of dollars to combat the menace.

”There is nothing going to stand between the Nigerian children from going to school. There will be multi- million pounds from the international community to ensure that every boy and girl has opportunity to go school in Nigeria through the save school initiative launched by the Nigerian Private Sector Initiative,” NPSI.

On her own part, the Okonjo-Iweala expressed satisfaction over the successful hosting of the WEFA and adding that Nigeria used the opportunity of the forum to canvass for investments and other networking between local businessmen and the foreign investors that attended the meetings.

”We are grateful for the first WEF in Africa. The attendance was very strong with over 1000 delegates from all over the world. The forum was a success because it enabled us to mobilize the support to bring back the girls. We also managed to mobilize the international support and the local ones too,’’ She said.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/05/masterminds-nyanya-bomb-blasts-nabbed-jonathan/#sthash.epF50JX1.dpuf

Mastermind of Nyanya bomb blast arrested - President Jonathan

Nyanya Bomb Blast: Lead instead of shifting blames - APC tells President Jonathan

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as cowardly and incomprehensible Thursday’s repeated bombing at Nyanya in Abuja, saying nothing in the world can justify the mindless, senseless and barbaric killing of innocent people by a group of demented people masquerading as ideologues.

apc

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also said the fact that the dead-enders can bomb the same area twice in as many weeks has given a fillip to the widening call on President Goodluck Jonathan to provide much-needed leadership instead of shifting blames.

”That almost the same spot can be bombed twice in close proximity is the height of devilish audacity by those who perpetrated the evil act. But it is also a poke in the eye for the authorities, considering the closeness of the scene to the seat of power.

”If these insurgents are gaining in strength and audacity, it is because President Jonathan has allowed them through failure of leadership. If these insurgents are back in Abuja after almost three years of their last attack in the city, it is because they have seen a soft target in a President who has failed to lead,” it said.

The APC said the time has come for the President and Commander-in-Chief to earn his epaulet by providing purposeful leadership at such a critical juncture in the history of the nation, rather than quietly egging on those who stupidly believe these insurgents are being sponsored by the opposition and some other ill-defined people to discredit the government.

”It has been argued in certain quarters that the resurgent attacks and the shameless abduction of the over 200 school girls are aimed at discrediting the Jonathan Administration, especially ahead of this week’s World Economic Forum on Africa. What these evil theorists have forgotten, conveniently, is that the activities of the insurgents tar every Nigerian, whether in the ruling or opposition party, with same brush and that no Nigerian, ultimately, benefits from these barbarous insurgency.

”Therefore, Mr. President, rise above the fray and seize this moment in history to assert your leadership and stop whinging about this insurgency. The buck stops on your desk, so stop pushing it to other people. If indeed you believe in the lies being peddled by your genuflecting and capricious party officials that the opposition is behind these attacks, what prevents you from ordering the arrest and prosecution of these sponsors if you have concrete evidence of their involvement?

”In any case, how did these tales-by-the-moonlight sponsorship allegations prevent your government from frontally tackling this all-consuming insurgency? Does the head of a household refuse to put off a fire set on his roof because some arsonists are behind it? Mr. President, this is your battle to win or lose, and you are the one history will judge over the outcome, not those self-serving members of your party,” the APC said.

Meanwhile, the party says the government has made a laughing stock of itself by setting up a fact-finding committee on the missing girls some clear 17 days after the girls were abducted.

”That this government waited for all of over two weeks after the girls went missing before deciding to set up this committee has shown why it has not made much progress in tackling this insurgency. This action is akin to shutting the pen after the chicken has bolted.

”Why did it take this long for the President to act on an issue that has attracted the attention and concern of the global community? What ‘fact’ can any committee find now that the girls are reported to have been ‘married’ by their abductors and taken to several locations? Should we be engaging in fact-finding now or be pursuing the abductors of the girls? Is this not another instance of the governance-by-committees that this President has engaged in, to no positive outcome? What kind of father is that who will wait for 17 days after his daughter has gone missing before seeking information on how it happened?” it queried.

The APC called on President Jonathan to shake off his lethargy and head to Chibok immediately to provide support and succour to the families of the girls, and then declare a nationwide emergency until the girls are safely reunited with their families.

 

Nyanya Bomb Blast: Lead instead of shifting blames - APC tells President Jonathan