Boko Haram claim responsibility for This Day offices bombing

The Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal — Jihad, popularly known as Boko Haram, said yesterday that it attacked Thisday newspaper's offices in Abuja and Kaduna to send a strong message to the media that it would no longer condone reports misrepresenting it in the press, or blaming it for acts it knows nothing about.

Abul Qaqa, spokesperson for the sect told Premium Times, in an exclusive interview, that his organisation was fed up with the deliberate misinformation being peddled about it in the Nigerian and foreign media.

"We have repeatedly cautioned reporters and media houses to be professional and objective in their reports. This is a war between us and the Government of Nigeria; unfortunately the media have not been objective and fair in their report of the ongoing war, they chose to take side," Mr. Qaqa said.

He identified three instances where he claimed his group was deliberately misrepresented by the media. The first, according to him, was the rumour of his capture by the Nigerian intelligence agencies.

"Some reporters are aware that I am Abul Qaqa, they know my voice through our long interactions and they also know the role of Abu Darda who heads the enlightenment committee and sometimes facilitates interviews; yet they (media) go by the unsubstantiated view of government that Abul Qaqa is in custody and I am the new spokesman or number two," he said.

Premium Times had continuously reported that Abul Qaqa was not arrested contrary to reports and that it was Abu Darda, another member, that was arrested.

The second misrepresentation, according to Mr. Qaqa, was the reporting on the kidnappings of foreigners in the Northern part of Nigeria.

"Another issue was the recent kidnappings in the north; we were clear with our position as a group during a teleconference with reporters but we were shocked the next day when newspaper headlines added a lot of things which I never said during that interview."

The third example, Mr. Abul Qaqa said, is the mistranslation of the video the group posted recently.

"Another example is the recent video posted on YouTube by our Imam; I challenge every Nigerian to watch that video again. There is no place our imam either said he will crush President Jonathan or issued an ultimatum to the government in Nigeria; but nearly all papers carried very wrong and mischievous headlines."

When asked why ThisDay appeared specifically chosen for the attack, Mr. Qaqa said ThisDay's "sins" are more grievous.

"It is not only THISDAY that has been engaged in negative media campaign, fictional stories and constantly promoting fake stories by the JTF to give an impression that they are making headway against us yet there is no time the media investigated further as an objective and responsible bystander in this war.

"But the sins of THISDAY are more," he said.

"They once insulted the Prophet Mohammed in 2001 and we have not forgotten. They recently said our Imam executed me which is false. Here I am speaking to you, I am alive and healthy."

Expect more media attacks

The group's spokesman further warned of more attacks on the media.

"We have just started this new campaign against the media and we will not stop here, we will hit the media hard since they have refused to listen to our plea for them to be fair in their reportage," he said.

Mr. Abul Qaqa also said his group would give further information on biases by the media.

"In the coming days we will give details and instances where the media have not been fair to us and why we are going to attack them as well."

Media should be neutral

"The media in Nigeria are not a problem to us if they will do their job professionally without taking sides," Mr. Abul Qaqa said.

"But each time we say something, it is either changed or downplayed. But when our enemy says something even without logical proof, it is blown out of proportion."

"We have repeatedly asked some reporters to retract some stories or even give us the right of reply but none of these requests were given to us."

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This Day publication offices hit by suicide bombers

ThisDay’s editorial board  chairman said has confirmed that the explosion at a newspaper office in the capital Abuja on Thursday and where at  least six people people were killed was a suicide attack.

“The suicide bomber came in a jeep,” Olusegun Adeniyi told reporters at the scene. “(Security guards) opened the gate for them … The guy drove in through the gate and rammed into the building and exploded.”

The two guards were killed in the blast along with the bomber, he said. Five support staff were wounded.

“Fortunately the newsroom is a bit far from the back of the building,” said Adeniyi. “So all the people in the newsroom … are all safe.”

The privately owned newspaper is one of Nigeria’s most prominent and influential. It is based in the economic capital Lagos, but has a major operation in the capital Abuja.

Another bomb attack at roughly the same time in the northern city of Kaduna targeting a complex that also includes a ThisDay office left at least three people dead as well, making a total of six.

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President Goodluck Jonathan will not spare culprits of subsidy fraud

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday threw his weight behind the report of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee which probed the management of subsidy funds, assuring that any proven culprit would not be spared.

Similarly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it is endorsing the petroleum subsidy probe being undertaken by the House of Representatives, adding that all guilty persons must face the music.

The House of Representatives, meanwhile, yesterday concluded the consideration and adoption of the 62-clause report of the ad-hoc committee with the recommendation that former ministers of finance Dr. Mansur Muktar and Dr. Olusegun Aganga be prosecuted for their involvement in the extra-budgetary expenditure under the Petroleum Support Fund, PSF, Scheme between 2009 and 2011.

The president, who also assured that there were no moves to scuttle the report of the ad-hoc committee, stated that both the executive and the legislative arms of government were on the same page on the issue and would collaborate towards ensuring that any rot in the oil sector was fully addressed.

Jonathan, who spoke through his special adviser on National Assembly matters, Senator Joy Emordi, told a press conference in Abuja that it was a wrong claim "in some quarters of uneasiness in the administration over the recommendations of the House ad-hoc committee on the utilisation of petroleum subsidies."

She said: "The issues that led to the investigation predated President Jonathan's administration. The president is poised to sanitise the oil sector and give it a new breath of life through enhanced probity, transparent governance and zero corruption.

"But for the fact that Mr. President ab initio initiated the move to rid the petroleum industry of the rot because the bane of this society today, the bane of maladministration in the petroleum sector is nothing but corruption.

"The fact that he appointed a person like Mallam Nuhu Ribadu to head another panel looking into the rot is a clear manifestation that Mr. President is determined to rid the sector. He is not going to spare anybody, otherwise, why would he appoint Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the ex-EFCC chairman and his very rival in the last presidential election? I am sure of that; he is not going to spare anybody found wanting and there are no moves... I am the special adviser to Mr President on National Assembly matters.

There is no slightest moves against the report here, of course. If there is any, I would be the channel. I am sure no move is being made and Mr. President has zero tolerance for corruption."

The House of Representatives, while recommending that former ministers of Finance Dr. Mansur Muktar and Dr. Olusegun Aganga be prosecuted for their involvement in the extra-budgetary expenditure under the PSF Scheme between 2009 and 2011, also demanded the prosecution of the recently sacked accounting and auditing firms of Akintola Williams, Deloitte and Olusola Adekanola & Partners for professional negligence on the particular assignment of recommending firms for payment for products supplied.

The House also moved that the firms be blacklisted from being engaged by any federal ministry, department or agency, for a three-year period and an independent auditor appointed to take over the job.

The lawmakers however exonerated the present Governor of Gombe State Ibrahim Dankwambo, who was the accountant-general of the federation, from involvement in the 'unusual' payment of N999 million for 128 times within 24 hours on January 12 and 13, 2009, recommending instead that the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) should be investigated by relevant anti-corruption agencies for authorising the payment.

The recommendations were amended from the original recommendations of the committee during the consideration and adoption of the report in the Committee of the Whole presided over by the deputy speaker, Hon Emeka Ihedioha.

Explaining why Governor Dankwambo should be excused from the recommendations, chairman of the ad-hoc committee Hon. Farouk Lawan informed his colleagues that the Central Bank of Nigeria, the PPPRA and the governor had written separately to the speaker of the House of Representatives, each stating that the payment for which he was being indicted was authorised by the PPPRA and the payments cleared duly by the CBN in their various clearing houses before payments were made via 128 cheques.

Armed with this information, the legislators substituted the accountant-general's name with that of the PPPRA and adopted it.

Also among the recommendations adopted by the House was that the National Assembly should commence the process of making specific laws that would criminalise extra-budgetary expenditure as the specific provision does not specify the exact penalty to be applied.

This section created a stir among some lawmakers who argued that there was no need to compel the lawmakers to do what they already know is their responsibility and advised that it should be deleted, but, after some arguments, the recommendation was adopted.

Just like it did in the previous day's consideration, the House went soft on marketers who it had earlier asked to return funds to the federal treasury for making discharges that suffered one or more infractions which were adjudged as not sustainable and therefore not good enough to attract subsidy.

Chairman of the Business and Rules Committee Hon. Albert Sam-Tsokwa noted that some of the names reflecting on the list of the disqualified claims companies which is in the tune of N230,184 billion also appeared on the list of companies which filed to appear to defend their involvement in the PSF scheme and therefore falls under the category of those re-invited to defend their involvement.

He therefore prayed the House to include the 71 firms in the two-week grace to give them an avenue for fair hearing before action is taken on whether they should refund the monies and be prosecuted by the relevant anti-corruption agencies or not.

Earlier, some notable PDP big-wigs like former chairman Ahmadu Ali and petroleum minister Diezani Allison- Maduekwe have been recommended for prosecution by the House.

Leadership

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Nigeria fuel subsidy report shows $6.8bn lost due to fraud

Nigeria’s parliament has discussed a report said to reveal that $6bn (£4bn) has been defrauded from the fuel subsidy fund in the past two years.

The debate, which was televised live, made official findings that have been widely leaked in recent days.

The fuel sector probe was set up in the wake of angry nationwide protests in January after the government tried to remove a fuel subsidy.

Nigeria is a major oil producer but has to import most of its fuel.

“We are fighting against entrenched interests whose infectious greed has decimated our people,” House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said as he opened the two-day debate.

“Therefore, be mindful they will fight back and they normally do fight dirty.”

The 205-page parliamentary report uncovers a long list of alleged wrongdoings involving oil retailers, Nigeria’s Oil Management Company and the state Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation.

According to the leaks, a total of 15 fuel importers collected more than $300m two years ago without importing any fuel, while more than 100 oil marketers collected the same amount of money on several occasions.

The leaked report also says that officials in the government of President Goodluck Jonathan were among those who benefited from the subsidy fund.

Many of the people named in the document have denied any involvement in fraud, with some taking out full-page adverts proclaiming their innocence in local newspapers.

The BBC’s Bashir Sa’ad Abdullahi in Abuja says at least some of the findings are likely to be adopted by Nigeria’s lawmakers because of the huge public anger over the attempt to withdraw the subsidy.

Many Nigerians were livid when they were told by their government that the fuel subsidy was economically unsustainable – only to now find out the scale of fraud in the operation of the fund, our correspondent says.

Despite being a major oil producer, Nigeria has not invested in the infrastructure needed to produce refined fuel, so has to import much of its petrol.

The annual $8bn subsidy means prices are lower than in neighbouring countries – and correspondents say many Nigerians see cheap fuel as the only benefit they get from their country’s oil wealth, much of which is pocketed by corrupt officials.

After a week of street protests and a general strike, the government agreed to restore some of the subsidy – and reduce the pump price of petrol to 97 naira (about $0.60) per litre after it had doubled to 140 naira when the subsidy was removed without warning on 1 January.

But President Jonathan defended the subsidy cut, saying Nigeria must either “deregulate and survive economically, or we continue with a subsidy regime that will continue to undermine our economy.”

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