Swiss Conspiracy:Swiss court awards Haiti funds to Baby Doc Duvalier

At least $4.6m (£2.9m) in Swiss bank accounts must be returned to the family of Haiti's former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, a Swiss court has ruled.

A lower court had previously awarded charities the money - but that decision was overturned on 12 January and the ruling released on 3 February.

However, the Swiss government has blocked the release of the money until a law is passed to return it to Haiti.

The exile, known as Baby Doc, allegedly looted millions. He denies wrong-doing.

The court decision was made hours before the Haiti earthquake killed at least 150,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless.

The three-week delay before the ruling had been released was a common feature of Swiss courts, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The Federal Supreme Court reversed the lower court's ruling that the money should go to aid groups in Haiti because the statute of limitations on any crimes committed by the Duvalier clan expired in 2001.

Nigeria: Use Restraint in Curbing Jos Violence-Investigate Killings and End Discriminatory Policies-HRW

Nigeria should ensure that its security forces use restraint and comply with international standards on the use of force in responding to the latest deadly outbreak of inter-communal violence in the city of Jos, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should also investigate and prosecute those responsible for the killing of at least 200 people during the violence, the latest of several deadly outbreaks in Nigeria, and address the underlying causes. This latest violence comes just over a year after Christian and Muslim clashes and the excessive use of force by the security forces responding to the conflict left more than 700 dead in Jos, the capital of Plateau State in central Nigeria.

“This is not the first outbreak of deadly violence in Jos, but the government has shockingly failed to hold anyone accountable,” said Corinne Dufka, senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Enough is enough. Nigeria’s leaders need to tackle the vicious cycle of violence bred by this impunity.”

Clashes between Christian and Muslim mobs reignited in Jos on Sunday morning, January 17, 2010. There are conflicting reports of what triggered the violence. Civil society leaders report that it began with an argument over the rebuilding of a Muslim home destroyed in the November 2008 violence in a predominately Christian neighborhood. The Plateau State police commissioner, Greg Anyating, said the trigger was an attack by Muslim youth on Christian worshippers in the Nassarawa Gwom district of Jos, an allegation that Muslim leaders deny.

According to credible reports from civil society leaders, and national and international media, the violence was carried out by sectarian mobs armed with guns, bows and arrows, and machetes. Roving gangs are reported to have burned and looted houses, cars, and shops, as well as several churches and mosques. There are also several credible reports that the military and police used excessive force in responding to the violence.

How Babangida killed Maryam

Only God knows how painful Maryam Babangida's death has been to her husband of 40 years, Ibrahim. From all indications, it must have been very painful. They had never been separated for four decades, living together through the good, tough and bad times. When Babangida annulled a free and fair election in 1993 and was given the boot, he found comfort in his wife. She was never known to have failed to render him unconditional love and support. Even when Babangida character as a ruthless dictator was in play, Maryam never spoke badly about anything her husband did. Contrarily, she used her husband's position to her greatest benefit.
How bad it must have been for Ibrahim to have spent the last few months like an ordinary human being attending to a sick wife in the United States? One of Nigeria's richest and most crowding-drawing leaders must have been humbled, going back and forth in an American hospital to care for a sick wife. Babangida was not ordinary. He had lots of money. He could have bought the hospital where his wife died and all the medical staff, if he wished, and shipped them to Minna. What went wrong? This did not happen, did it? Nigerian leaders know when they leave the shores of Africa, they lose the air of importance accorded at home. Quite often, they drive their own cars and are treated with courtesy but with none of the 'rankadede' accompaniments in Nigeria. When they eat their snacks, they have to throw the wrap in the bin like everyone else. When they go to the post office, they have to wait in line as everyone else. When they get to the airport, they must obey the rules. It must have been very humbling for Ibrahim Babangida to have gone through the 'disrespect' of the American life while at the same time tendering to a seriously ill wife.

How Ohakim loots Imo State-National Daily

EFCC begins probe • Gov.’s Aides, top contractor panic • Petitioner alleges threat to life. WHAT is the true identity of Governor Godson Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State? Take one: New Face of Imo State? No. Take Two: New Rogue of Imo State? Addendum: Only the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the court of law can establish whether Ohakim is a saint or devil. Indeed only the Law court can judge between Ohakim and his traducers who have accused him of monumental fraud even as he bestrides the South-East chest-thumping his achievement as an action governor across the Niger.
This curious question is also knocking from all corners; Is Ohakim guilty or innocent of crunching the bone hung on his neck by unbridled looting of Imo State treasury? No matter what Ohakim's defense may be, the document on his alleged misdeed available to National Daily is damnable. National Daily influence revealed that Governor Ikedi Ohakim is today a subject of investigation by the EFCC following series of petitions forwarded to the commission's office in Abuja accusing him of offenses bothering on contract inflation and money laundering. Ohakim is said to have bilked Imo State of monies amounting to Billions of naira. For instance Ohakim was accused of perpetuating fraud in the award off the N8 billion dredging of Nworie River. The contract was said to have been awarded to Ruodo Nigeria Limited owned by Chief Tony Chukwu. He aligned with the Ohakim government to defraud Imo State of colossal sums through inflated contracts. The Ohakim-Chukwu dubious partnership was said to have started over two years ago and climaxed in the N8 billion Nworie River dredging contract awarded in March, 2009. It was learned that over 50 per cent of the contract sum has already been paid to Tony Chukwu as “mobilization”.

Nigeria Shocker; Bank Chiefs looted N1trillion!

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has hired 10 forensic analysts to trace the whereabouts of about N1trillion looted by sacked Chief Executive Officers and directors of eight banks. Our investigations have revealed that out of the total non-performing loans owed the 10 troubled banks which stood at N1.189.2 trillion, the EFCC has only recovered N135 billion, leaving an outstanding of over N1 trillion.
This ugly development gave the authority of the EFCC great concern and it consequently resolved to make use of forensic analysts in this regard.The forensic analysts, who are already in the country, will join eight other forensic experts who are staff of the anti graft commission. The audit of 24 banks in the country by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN has led to the removal of eight Managing Directors and many Executive Directors. While four ex-MDs had been arraigned in court, four others are awaiting trial. Those yet to be arraigned are a former Executive Vice-Chairman of Intercontinental Bank Plc, Mr. Erastus Akingbola, ex-MD of Bank PHB, Mr. Francis Atuche, former MD of Spring Bank Plc, Mr. Charles Ojo, and the sacked MD of Equatorial Trust Bank, ETB.
It was however learnt that the enormity of the fraud uncovered in the eight banks has forced the EFCC to engage 10 forensic analysts to look into the records of these banks.

Rise and reclaim your country, Achebe challenges Nigerian youth

ChinuaAchebe, the author "Things Fall Apart," one of the world’s most popular novels, says the time has come for Nigerians to challenge their bad leadership, or be doomed.
The famous teacher and writer was speaking last Thursday at a meeting with the former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu in his quiet home Bard College at Redhook/Annadale-on-Hudson, a two-hour drive from New York. As what was originally planned as an informal meeting blossomed into a wide-ranging conversation about the state of the Nigerian nation, Professor Achebe said those looting Nigeria needed to be stopped, and urged Ribadu to reach out to young Nigerians to rise up to the challenge of halting the corruption and ineptitude of the nation's rulers.“We should feel we have come around and that we missed the bus the first time and that the correction of the situation in our country is in our hands. We can’t call the British back even though some people have suggested that. But we can’t allow this to go on any longer. Already our people are getting used to living in that ugly style,” the professor of literature said.He declared: “This is the time to bring an end to it. If we do nothing, we are doomed.” The meeting with Ribadu, at the exclusive liberal arts college founded in Annandale–on-Hudson, started at about 2 p.m. and lasted for several hours. After 15 years as the Charles P. Stevenson Professor of Languages and Literature at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, Achebe will be leaving the school at the end of the year to join the faculty of the Brown University as the David and Marianna Fisher University Professor of Africana Studies.