British Woman Aid Worker Kidnapped And Murdered In Nigeria After Being Snatched From Party

Faye Mooney image via The Sun

BY JON ROGERS

KADUNA, NIGERIA (THE SUN, UK) -- A BRITISH woman has been kidnapped and murdered in Nigeria after she was snatched from a party in the northern city of Kaduna.

Faye Mooney, 29, from Manchester, was working as an aid worker in the African country when she was abducted from Kajuru Castle.

 The kidnappers also abducted and killed a Nigerian man and abducted three others.

Kidnappings are rampant in Nigeria, where both locals and foreigners are targeted mostly for ransom.

Faye travelled from Lagos as a tourist and was attending a party before the incident happened, police said.

Faye was named by the British High Commission but added it would not speculate on the motive or nature of attack.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the incident and the kidnappers have yet to be identified, police said.

Faye was employed in Nigeria by a non-governmental organisation called Mercy Corps.

Her next of kin have been notified, the British High Commission said.

"Some suspected kidnappers armed with dangerous weapons gained entry into a recreational resort called Kajuru Castle in Kajuru local government area shooting sporadically and in the process shot dead two persons, including an expatriate lady, and took away three others," Kaduna state police spokesman said.

The police did not name the other person killed.

Faye had worked for Mercy Corps since October 2017.

'WE ARE UTTERLY HEARTBROKEN'

She gained a first in history at UCL in 2010 and then studied a MSc in Social Policy at the London School of Economics.

CEO of Mercy Corps Neal Keny-Guyer said in a statement: "We are utterly heartbroken.

"Faye was a dedicated and passionate communications and learning specialist who had worked with Mercy Corps for almost two years, devoting her time to making a difference in Nigeria, supporting our teams and the communities we work with to tell their stories of impact, and leading efforts to counter hate speech and violence.

"A graduate of University College London and the London School of Economics who had taught in Iraq and worked in Kosovo to combat human trafficking, Faye was deeply committed to fostering cross-cultural collaboration and was an inspiration to us all."

"We extend our deepest sympathy to those who have been affected by this senseless tragedy, including her family, friends and all of our team members in Nigeria who knew her and loved her.

"Our programme operations in Nigeria will continue, but our priority focus at this time remains on the care of the family of our beloved team member and our team in Nigeria."

Northern Nigeria is plagued by a Boko Haram and Islamic State insurgency as well as clashes between farmers and herders in which hundreds have died.

NIGERIA: Yero Sworn-In As Governor Of Kaduna State

Kaduna - Alhaji Mukhtar Yero was on Sunday sworn-in as the new Governor of Kaduna State by the state Chief Judge, Justice Rahila Cudjo.

The ceremony conducted at Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna was witnessed by members of the state Executive Council, government officials and traditional rulers.

Yero replaced Patrick Yakowa who died in a helicopter crash on Saturday in Bayelsa.

In his acceptance speech, the governor pledged to continue with the transformation agenda laid by his predecessor.

"I sincerely desire to build on the good foundation that my boss had laid,’’ he said, adding that he would ‘’secure, unite and develop the state’’.

He paid tribute to Yakowa for his outstanding contributions to the development of the state and humanity.

"He invested so much on this and had started reaping the fruits of his labour.

"His wish was to consolidate and advance on the achievements so far made and hence, tagged Kaduna State’s 2013 budget as Budget of Consolidation and Advancement.’’

The governor commiserated with the family of the deceased and people in the state over the loss of "a humble and dedicated person''.

"His humility, dedication to duty, fairness to all and a high sense of humour, endeared him to many, near and far, irrespective of religious, tribal or sectional inclinations, ‘’ he added.

Yero said the occasion called for sober reflection, adding that it was time to mourn "a good man'' and to adopt strategies to ensure continuation of his legacies.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Yero, 44, was born in May 1968 in Zaria.

He attended LEA Primary School Kaura-Zaria between 1974 and 1980, Government Secondary School, Ikara between 1980 and 1985 and Government Day Secondary School, Zaria from 1985 to 1986 for his West African School Certificate and GCE O' level. 

The governor was at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria where he obtained a Diploma in Banking in 1988, Bsc Accountancy in 1991 and Masters Degree in Business Administration in 2003. 

He was also at the College of Accountancy, Jos for Certificate in National Accountancy between 2003 and 2004. 

Yero did the mandatory national service under the National Youth Service Corps Scheme (NYSC) at Ogun State Bulk Purchasing Corporation, Abeokuta between 1991 and 1992. 

The new governor began his public service career as a Higher Executive Officer at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1992 before joining the defunct Nigeria Universal Bank Limited in 1993. 

Yero also worked at NALADO Nigeria Limited, Kaduna as Chief Accountant between 2002 and 2007. 

In 2007 he was appointed Commissioner for Finance, Kaduna State and later in 2010 as the state Deputy Governor. 

A keen horse rider and polo enthusiast, Yero is married to Hajiya Fatima and has six children.

........NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA

Nigeria: Easter Car Bomb Explosion In Kaduna kills 38

People gather at the site of a bomb explosion at a road in Kaduna, Nigeria on Sunday, April 8, 2012. An explosion struck Sunday in Kaduna central Nigeria that has seen hundreds killed in religious and ethnic violence in recent years, causing unknown injuries as diplomats had warned of possible terrorist attacks over the Easter holidays.





"The explosion badly damaged the nearby All Nations Christian Assembly Church and the ECWA Good News Church as churchgoers worshipped at an Easter service, the possible target of the bomber. Witnesses said it appeared the explosive-laden car attempted to go into the compound of the churches before it detonated, but was blocked by barriers in the street and was turned away by a security guard as police approached."

READ FULL STORY

Naija in Brief, Early Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008

After being slammed for laundering funds totaling four billion Naira plus, former Edo State Governor, Lucky Igbinedion was granted bail in Enugu where he had been remanded in custody since January. Igbinedion's bail has some strings attached to it. He is required to pay ten million Naira to the court and must provide two sureties who are permanent secretaries, and are credible with good track records of paying their taxes.

Well, I'm not sure if this is just a gimmick, a tactic to fool the public that justice and the rule of law is taking its full course. Who is fooling who here? What makes the High Court sitting in Enugu to assume the accused will go through hell in order to come up with the conditions of his bail? It's no big deal. These guys got money stashed somewhere. I'm not saying they shoudn't be granted bail. After all, what Igbinedion is accused of is a bailable offense, but my problem with the whole thing is this: will this guy be prosecuted to the limit of the law when he appears in court for trial considering how he looted public funds? I hope the courts pays attention to what he did to his people, leaving his poor folks empty and dry, wallowing in poverty.

Enter James Ibori who was also granted bail on Monday in the sum of fifty million Naira. Justice Mohammed Lawal Shuaibu in Kaduna High Court also required Ibori to provide sureties with properties in like sum as conditions of his bail.

But I do have a problem with Ibori's unnecessary compassion thanking all and sundry for their support since his incanceration two months ago. Listen to this:

My thanks also go to all Nigerians from all walks of life, who personally visited me in Kaduna, sent representatives or offered prayers — for their solidarity, support and unsurpassed love throughout these two months of detention. I particularly thank all the good people of Delta State. I extend such thanks too to politicians of various backgrounds and from all over Nigeria, most especially the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leadership and political family, for their unwavering support, uncommon confidence and huge out-pouring of love. I also wish to use this opportunity to assure Nigerians of my preparedness to pursue this case to its final conclusion for the growth and development of our nascent democracy. My confidence in the Nigerian Judiciary remains unshaken and I trust that at the end of this ordeal, justice will prevail.

Who cares about his pussyfooting. It's late and he must pay for his sins that caused the people of Delta State pain and sufferings. Of course, Ibori wishes to enhance the nations democratic fabric by justice prevailing for a man who looted his own state's treasury with impunity as chief executive. The thing is I hope EFCC and the judicial system lives up to its creed by dealing with all the corrupt politicians to the limit of the law.

Here they come again. According to a report by Emeka Anuforo of the Guardian Newspapers, Umaru Yar'Adua's administration has taken a bold step to revive the rural areas of the country with an initial amount for the project to cost about two hundred and eighty four point sixty four billion Naira. The idea is projected to take out thirty million Nigerians from the poverty line by 2011.

The question here is, how are they going to effect such a gigantic project when the local government chairmen are on standby waiting for any revenue that crosses their way? The possibility of such a task is far fetched considering what these local government chairmen have done in the past. They are not worried about going to jail like their predecessors. All they care is "money in my pocket first" and jail later. That's how it works in a corrupt and failed state. There are no two ways to go about it. So forget it Mr. President.

The News reported that officials of EFCC and journalists were attacked in a training seminar organized by the Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Journalism. This is craziness when one considers how we writers and journalists help keep the government in check and yet hoodlums and democratic gangsters would not let press freedom to prevail. Just read The News and other Naija papers including the tabloids and see the kind of nonsense that has taken shape in that banana republic.

The Hype of Arrests and Corrupt Politicians in Nigeria

I am just laughing my black ass off taking a look at what the jokers have turned Nigeria into. Reading today's news, I'm still cracking up and I think it's now affecting my ribs. Today you will hear that one "vagabond in power" is arrested for stealing public funds and on the next breath the story dramatically changes, and the so-called vagabond in power is released on bail never to be charged again. Then, the media hype trails the story and when one vulnereable journalist or arranger gets paid, the whole brouhaha dies, just like that. The arrest of former governor of Delta State, James Onanefe "Odigborigbo" Ibori shouldn't be any different from the arrests of Orji Kalu, Joshua Dariye, Jolly Tevoru and the rest former rogue politicians who were bent on stealing public funds. As Ibori would be probably charged today in a Kaduna Court and probably remanded in custody or granted bail, it is most likely that a deal would be struck in his favor, as long as he's got the cash that would enable him get back on the streets. No big deal! Kalu is out there still talking with no sign of his case popping up in the courts anytime soon.

But one begins to wonder, of all the arrests and threats to arrest, no one including Mallam Ribadu's EFCC has mentioned or given the public a clue why the former governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa, shouldn't by now be arrested for the damages and pains he caused to the people of Imo. Udenwa stole from all angles and yet he is scot-free and nobody is mentioning his name for looting the treasury of Imo State. If one should take a closer look, Ibori is a saint compared to Udenwa which makes the whole arrest thing a big joke and a mockery of Nigeria's fledgling democratic fabric. I'm not sure if the nations top cop, Ribadu, is taking a closer look judging from public opinion when he is making all these arrests and leaving out the culprits who destroyed every aspect of civil liberty.

Let's just take a look at charges levelled against public officials since the beginning of the Fourth Republic. It's too numerous to mention, but the fact of the matter is none of the subjects spent time in jail with the exception of the former police chief, Tafa Balogun.

And while Ibori's arrest is all over the news, a sitting governor in one of the North Western states is said to be under the microscope of EFCC for inflated contracts in the said state. Idowu Samuel of the Nigerian Tribune reports:

A governor from one of the North West states is said to have attracted the attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) by awarding contracts running into several billions of naira without recourse to due process. The state governor, who himself had probed his predecessor for alleged corrupt enrichment, according to Nigerian Tribune investigations, is now being probed by the EFCC following tips from aggrieved members of his cabinet. A petition by some members of his government now before the anti-graft agency was said to have alleged that the governor had been using his relatives and fronts in the award of contracts. The petitioners had prayed the EFCC to investigate the governor for money laundering. They claimed that all the contracts being handled by the fronts and relations were not listed in the budget. They also claimed that the contracts did not pass through the tenders’ board, thereby violating Due Process in the award process. A top source at the EFCC confirmed that the governor was one of those being investigated.


Ending up this note, it has been confirmed that Ibori bribed EFCC officials with $15m. Imagine, and Desmond Utomwen and Adi Femi of The News reports from the High Court sitting in Kaduna:

Details of how former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, attempted to subvert justice by bribing EFCC officials with $15 million (about N1.8 billion) emerged this morning at the Federal High Court, Kaduna, where he is being tried for alleged money laundering.

Ibori and four others were this morning arraigned on a 103-count charge of money laundering and abuse of office.

The EFCC, in one of the charges, alleged that Ibori on 26 April, 2007 made a cash payment of N1.8 billion ($15m) to EFCC investigators in order to influence their investigation.

According to the EFCC, the offence is contrary to and punishable under section 15(2) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.

The EFCC also alleged that Ibori on 31 December, 2004, collaborated with Lipopo Nigeria Limited to conceal the genuine origin of the sum of N280 million to buy Afribank shares in the names of fictitious persons.

Another charge accused him of collaborating with Kent to conceal the genuine origin of N220 million by using same to buy Afribank shares in the name of fictitious persons.

Ibori was also alleged to have transferred the sum of N5 billion from the account of the Delta State government to buy shares from Afribank with a fictitious company.

He was alleged to have also transferred N5 million to his personal account at Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) illegally from the account of the Delta State government, “and which you knew represent the proceeds of crime with the aim of concealing the nature of crime”.

Another charge against him reads: “That you, James Onanefe Ibori on 10 November 2004, transferred N1 million to your personal account at GTB which forms part of the fund from the account of the Delta State government.”

The presiding Judge, Justice Mohammed Lawal Shuaibu, refused to grant him bail based on the submission of the EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, that he might jump bail.

Jacobs buttressed his argument with the fact that Ibori had been convicted twice in England for fraud related charges and that he might abscond if granted bail.

Even though Ibori’s counsel, Daudu, pleaded with the court to grant him bail, Justice Shuaibu declined to do so and ordered that he be remanded in EFCC custody until Monday, 17 December, when the court is expected to further consider his application for bail.

Security was tight at the premises of the court as armed anti-riot policemen frisked lawyers and judicial staff moving into the premises.

Despite the tight security, some protesting youths were seen with placards commending the EFCC for a job well done.

The inscriptions on some of the placards read: “ICPC, EFCC, CCB, Well Done’; ‘No Hiding place for corrupt leaders’; ‘With leaders like Ibori, Niger Delta Doesn’t need an enemy’; ‘No To Black Market Rule of Law’, etc.

Ibori was arrested yesterday by officials of EFCC at about 11 a.m. at his Asokoro residence in Abuja and taken to the EFCC office where he is currently being interrogated.

He was said to have escaped to the Kwara State government lodge in Abuja when he discovered the presence of EFCC officials around his house.

His arrest brought to an end the cat and mouse game between him and EFCC officials who have been trying to bring him to book to answer charges bordering on alleged financial impropriety while he was governor of Delta State between May 1999 and May 2007.

The London Metropolitan Police had earlier arrested his wife, Theresa Nkoyo, while she was about to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to Lagos.

The police said her arrest was “in connection with an ongoing money laundering enquiry.”

Ibori has been the subject of money laundering investigation in the UK, where his assets, worth N5 billion, have been frozen.

The investigating team of the Metropolitan Police has made several visits to Nigeria on the matter.

Also under arrest were some of Ibori’s associates, including Adebimpe Pogoson, described as Ibori’s special assistant, who is said to control a number of companies and bank accounts in Nigeria and several other countries; Christine Ibori-Ebie, James Ibori’s sister and Udoamaka Okoronkwo Onuigbo, said to be James Ibori’s banker.

Under probe are companies and properties said to belong to Ibori, such as Haleway Properties Ltd., Gibraltar; the property at 7, Westover Hill in the UK, valued at over 4 million pounds; the property at 42, Great Ground Street, Shaftsbury also in the UK and the company called Telston Quaye Ltd., (British Virgin Island).

Among allegations levelled against him were that he paid $20 million to Bombardier Inc. of Canada, an aircraft manufacturer, for the purpose of buying a plane.

Also being investigated is a London Barclays Bank account in the name of MER Engineering.

About 2.3 million pounds in deposits were traced to the account as payments by Chevron and NNPC.

The saga continues!