Former President Olusegun Obasanjo today said the allegations of budget padding by Speaker Yakubu and thirteen other members of the House of Representatives shows that the lawmakers are thieves and have proven his comments in 2012 when he described the National Assembly as an institution filled with rogues and armed robbers. Speaking in a telephone interview with Premiumtimes, Obasanjo said President Buhari should not release funds for the constituency projects of the lawmakers. 

"That is criminal and they should be held accountable for it. There should be a showdown between what is right and what is wrong. After such a showdown, what is right will definitely prevail and the criminals will be put to shame. They are the contractors, the jury, the judge and prosecutors. 

They put the projects in the budgets and they do the projects by themselves or through contractors they nominate. Where is integrity? Where is honesty? Who supervises the job? Who ascertains that the job has been done? It is not in their place to execute projects. It is illegal. They are thieves. I have always held the view that they are thieves, can you all see it now?” he said

The Ebonyi State Police Command has arrested a notorious syndicate who specialized in child stealing/ trafficking.

State Commissioner of Police, Peace Ibekwe Abdallah said the suspects, who were arrested on July 16, 2016 at Uburu Ohaozara LGA, came to the area with a Toyota Camry car with registration No. BEN-173-AU to unleash their wicked act on the people. Their names are; Anthonia Okeke, Chukwuka Muonye and Raphael Kanwei (pictured with other arrested suspects)

 

"In the course of investigation, one Esther Agbowo of Nkalagu in Ishielu LGA in company of her father reported that she was lured with her two children to Delta State by one Ekene who claimed to be a Pastor in the guise of marriage after introduction rites to her people," Ms Abdallah said. 

"While she was with him at Asaba, she was abandoned by the man and her two kids were taken away from her and sold off. The operatives of Anti-kidnapping team of the command swung into action with Raphael as a pointer and in the process the suspects who took the kids either passed through in the course of selling and those that bought them were apprehended," she added.

Source: The Nation