The on-going labour crisis in the State which has degenerated into
strike action embarked upon by the Nigerian labour Congress (NLC) and
Trade Union Congress (TUC) Imo State branch since the past one week
will any moment from now be a thing of the past. Reason, the Speaker
of Imo State House of Assembly , The Rt. Hon. Benjamin Uwajumogu has
stepped in to resolve the crisis which has crippled civil service
activities since the past one week.
In a meeting held at the Assembly Conference Hall on the 23rd
September 2011,Speaker Uwajumogu thanked the Nigerian Labour Congress
and Trade Union Congress Imo State branch for the matured manner they
conducted themselves throughout the negotiation process. Rt.Hon.
Uwajumogu who was represented at the meeting by Hon Brother Stan
Dara(member representing Orsu constituency )declared that Gov. Rochas
Okorocha was the first Governor to accept the payment of N18,000
minimum wage because He (Owelle Rochas Okorocha) knew that civil
servants deserves better treatment. Uwajumogu therefore pleaded with
the labour union to allow government work out modalities on how to
handle the minimum wage crisis by calling off the strike action,
insisting that the Government and her people were the losers due to
the indefinite strike .Hear Mr Speaker, โโโโWe have had executive
session on how to tackle this problem and by the grace of God ,Imo
State will wriggle out of this N18,000 wage bill crisis. This is a
listening Government .The Governor means well for this state .The Imo
State House of Assembly will assist to solve this problem and we have
the capacity to do so .Please I plead with you to call off the
strikeโโunquote
In his speech the Commissioner for Justice and the State
Attorney General, Barrister Soronnadi Njoku thanked all the people
present but pleaded for understanding from the labour union .He
specifically thanked the proactive speaker for initiating the
negotiation between the state government and the labour union. Said he
โI am the chairman of the Joint Committee, that is, the government and
the labour. The Committee has the mandate of the Executive Governor to
work out modalities that is acceptable both to the Government and
labour. We must arrive at our destination which is to resolve this
strike imbroglio. We, the government are ready to pay the recommended
N18,000 . The labour is aware of this and they have confidence in this
committee, this strike will be called off.
Also in His speech, the Chairman of Trade Union Congress (TUC)
Comrade O J Onyekawa thanked the state government for accepting to
pay the N18,000 minimum wage .He equally revealed that the Traditional
Rulers and other prominent leaders in the state have intervened on the
matter expressing hope that the strike action will soon be a thing of
the past .He however cautioned the press for publishing sensational
articles bordering on the N18,000 minimum wage ,saying that no
political party was sponsoring them.
The State Secretary of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade
Austin Chilakpu declared that the labour force in Imo State supports
His Excellency The Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. He also thanked
Rt. Hon. Ben Uwajumogu for initiating the negotiation between the
State Government and the labour Union. Hear Comrade Austin
,โโโโโWe were directed by our apex body that any state that
does not resolve this problem of minimum wage by 31st of August2011
should be followed up with strike. But because the State Governor is
doing his best in this State, we decided to shelve the strike in
August 2011 .Infact during the electioneering campaign, Owelle Rochas
Okorocha visited us on three occasions and promised to have a
harmonious relationship with us. We understand the challenges of the
present administration and the problems facing it ,but please Mr
Speaker we are now hoping on you to help us. .Please Mr Speaker
,(ably represented by Hon Stan Dara) help us tell the State Government
to implement their own side of the agreement.
In his remark, the Head of Service (Mr Evans Uzokwe)
pleaded for understanding from the labour union, insisting that every
problem usually have solution. He specifically thanked the Speaker of
Imo State House Of Assembly for initiating and facilitating the
negotiation between the State Government and the labour
It is hopeful that the strike action embarked upon by the
state labour union would be called off .Other honourable members who
attended the meeting includes; Hon Kingsley Dimaku ,Hon Simeon Iwunze,
Clerk of the House, Chief B C Duru ,Chief of Staff IMHA Hon kodichi
Anamekwe, SA Protocol Hon Chukwunenye Irouno, SA General duties Hon
Emeka Ahaneku, amongst others.
โ-
IMO STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY THANKS THE LABOUR UNIONThe Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Benjamin
Uwajumogu on behalf of himself, and other Honourable Members thank
most immensely the leadership and members of Labour Union in Imo
State led by the Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress
and also Chairman Joint negotiating committee for listening to the
plea of the IMHA to shelve their strike action embarked upon few days
ago .The Imo State House of Assembly is not unmindful of the
challenges and problems facing the civil servants in the state hence steps have
been taken to genuinely implement the minimum wage for them .We also
thank all the Labour Union for partnering with us and also for a successful
negotiation.
.
SIGNED
Citizen Ikenna Samuelson Iwuoha
Special Adviser on Media to the RT. Hon. Speaker, IMHA
INTRODUCTION In recognition of the salient objectives connote by Independence, Vis a Vis the imperative of burning issues in the Education sector crying for urgent and deserving attention, the above named union conveyed an extra-ordinary congress with over 700 students across various campuses in Nigeria in attendance. The following were extensively deliberated upon forming the AGENDA of the CONGRESS. STATE BURSARY. The congress consolidated on the Press Release of Governor Kayode Fayemi reported in THE NATION NEWSPAPER on February 10 2011, and expressed their grievances that the State Government has not been responsive to the agitations of the Students. The congress further opined that the argument in some quarters that the State bursary has been merged with that of the Local government is no longer tenable as we canโt be fooled. So long that the local govt bursary and state bursary exists on a separate platform in other parts of the country, then ours canโt be different. The congress expressed willingness to use the last means of Studentocratic agiation to press home our demand for a comprehensive state bursary to be paid by Ekiti State Government. STATE SCHOLARSHIP. The congress noted with heavy displeasure that the almost one year of Dr Kayode Fayemiโs administration has failed to pay the pending scholarship, this we hold in categorical terms as condemnable. The delay tactic employed by the ministry of education to this effect is glaring enough for the blind to see, needless to even mention is the high degree of sharp practices that the schlarship scheme is ridden with, this we believe is due to the huge amount involved, the nepotism attached to the scheme has also made it become short of acceptability. From all objective points and analysis, it could be discovered that the scholarship scheme has failed to bridge the needed gap, hence, the congress called for its replacement with a comprehensive State Bursary Scheme. STATE OF TERTIARY EDUCATION IN EKITI STATE. The congress took cognisance of the merger of the three Universities in Ekiti State, but expressed serious resentment that Students movement were not duly carried along in the process of renaming the University. The congress chided the State Government for her absolute intolerance towards genuine studentocratic agitation as reflected by the proscription of the Students Union Government of the College of Education Ikere Ekiti and lately the Ekiti State University owing to pockets of peaceful demonstration. The congress viewed the clampdown on Students Union structures as barbaric, Undemocratic and self serving and call for an immediate reversal of the policies to avoid a more decisive commotion with the Students combatants. The congress issued the following resolution; 1) The Congress issued a 7 DAY ultimatum to Ekiti State Government to re-instate the State Bursary for the rank and file of Ekiti Students in tertiary institutins across the globe. 2)We call for an immediate review and total overhauling of the Scholarship structure as we again reiterate our preference for state bursary. 3)We demand immediate and unconditional re-reinstatement of the proscribed Students Union of the College of education Ikere Ekiti and Ekiti State University. 4)We demand that the management of Ekiti State University honour their initial agreement with the 200level students as any thing contrary is an invitation to perpetual anarchy. DECLARATION; We declare unequivocally that the grace/of seven days given to the government to accede to all the above listed demands expires on Thursday 30th September 2011. Meanwhile, we call on all our students and sympathisers to get prepared for a mass rally to protest the unbecoming trend of events. Details of this shall be appropriately communicated at the expiration of the stipulated ultimatum.
The last twist in the Abia State University gang rape of a young girl by five young men of the Abia State University, Uturu โ have not been seen judging by the latest information gathered by 247ureports.com through the Police Commissioner in Abia State, Bala Abdullahi Hassan.
In an earlier telephone chat with the Police Commissioner while confirming that the Police detective had picked up the gang rape suspects, also cautioned that the police department in Abia under his care were only making the arrest because their names where mentioned in the internet [247ureports.com] as suspects. In his words to 247ureports.com, โthe persons only arrested because their names where mentioned in the internet as suspects. They may be innocentโ. He stated this while confirming that the suspects were still in police custody. When asked whether the girl [victim] was alive, the commissioner responded that he has โnot seen her yetโ.
A source within the Abia Police command discounts parts of the Police Commissioners statement. He adds that the Police Commissioner had already concluded on the matter โ that he nolonger has any interest in further investigations into the gang rape. Particularly, following the knee-jerk dismissal by the Police Commissioner of the gang rape video as not involving Abians โ and thus not within their jurisdiction of duty.
When 247ureports.com raised the concern with the Police Commissioner of the perception that the Police was pressured into making an arrest by online publishers, the Police Commissioner hanged the phone and refused to pick our calls. And the Police Public Relations Officers, Mazi Ogbonna has been sanctioned from commenting further on the gang rape matter.
Our source reveals that the suspects maybe released soon. But Gov T. A. Orjiโs absence from the State may delay their release.
Speech By Chief Ralphs Okey Nwosu, Guest Speaker on the Induction Ceremony of Rotarian Lawrence Chimezie Chukwuka as President of Rotary Club of Lagos West on Saturday September 17, 2011.
Protocols.
First let me congratulate Rotarian Lawrence Chimezie Chukwuka, who will be invested this day as the president of Rotary Club of Lagos West, District 9110, Nigeria. I have known Rotarian Chukwuka for some time now; He is a focused, committed, hardworking young man. Since I knew him, he has displayed good habits of the mind, character and integrity which I consider most essential elements for a leader in the modern time to be successful. I therefore believe that the Rotary and especially his colleagues at this district were insightful in electing him to lead. I hope that he will render good stewardship. However, leading at this modern time does not require one all knowing superstar or heroic figure; to accomplish any meaningful result requires effective teamwork. I therefore would like to call on all those elected to pilot the affairs of Rotary in this district with Chukwuka and in fact the entire membership of this great humanitarian club to note that the only way the Lagos West Rotary could become a leading light is if all hands and all heads pull together as one of my mentors The Rt. Hon Dr Chuba Okadigbo of blessed memory says, it is โall hands on deckโ for a winning result.
Rotary in Nigeria turned fifty years only a few months after we celebrated Nigeria at 50; however, the successes achieved by the two are divergent. For while Rotary has recorded outstanding results, our nationโs fortunes took a downwards dive. I commend the men and women who have shepherd the activities of this great humanitarian society. To have transformed Nigeria to one of the most active Rotary nations in the world; and to have grown Rotary to almost 250 clubs from one Rotary Club of Kano which got its charter in April 28th, 1961, I salute you. It takes a lot of sacrifice to do this in Nigeria; in a system where clubs are created as a result of sound leadership vision, and voluntary, active, participatory and disciplined membership with a cake-baking, caring and philanthropic philosophy rather than dictatorial โcome and chopโ โsingsongโ speaks volume. Everyone will agree that the leaders of Rotary Nigeria need our commendation. It is on record that your Rotary history which is merely 50years has produced the first African and black president of Rotary International. More Kudos to the leadership of Rotary Nigeria, especially Rotarian Jonathan Majiyagbe; he has been an active Rotarian since 1967, he became Rotary President of Kano 1973, and International President of Rotary worldwide 2003 to 2004. With men like him, and all you great Rotarians seated here today, Nigeria has made a giant stride in Rotary; our fatherland could reenact a new and redefining chapter and glow for the world with exquisite and economically-alluring radiance.
National transformation may have many colorations; leaders may take it from different angles. One thing I know is that Nigeria is well endowed to pursue a vision it focuses well on; and we are overdue and truly over age and should be able to stamp renaissance authority on the global space. Time may be running out on us. Transparency International, Berlin based anti-corruption watchdog, in their most current Corruption Perception Index (CPI) showed that Nigeria still remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world ranking 134 out of 178 countries including war torn and disease ravaged countries like Afghanistan, Somalia and Chad. Transparency International claims that corruption remains an obstacle to achieving much needed progress; as money meant for development get frittered into private pockets. In its 2011 Failed States Index, the United States-based Fund for Peace said Nigeria retained the 14th position out of 177 countries analyzed, the country was only ahead of the worldโs 13 most miserable places namely: Somalia, Sudan, Chad, Congo(DR), Haiti, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Iraq, Cote dโ Ivoire, Guinea, Pakistan and Yemen. Indicators used include security, state legitimacy, factionalism and group grievances. Nigeria appeared to the Fund for Peace researchers to be close to the 2005 prediction by acclaimed security/intelligent experts that the country could break up by 2015. The recent ranking of the country as the 14th โmost failedโ state in the world therefore underscores the precarious national condition as well as the imperative of taking immediate measures to arrest the downward slide. Weak state institutions, corruption, sectarianism, economic adversity and contest for political power were factors cited capable of breaking up Nigeria by 2015. The World Bank similarly published reports in 2006 and 2007 ranking Nigeria among 15 โfragile statesโ in the world. The American Bipartisan Centre on May 12, 2011, also listed Nigeria among the worldโs fragile states. Concerned fellow country men and women, I guess we should be horrified at our regular rating as a failed state.
However, if we start now we can still lead the world because our people have the energy, verves, tenacity and resilience. President Goodluck Jonathan got me on his side when he espoused his readiness to pursue a transformation agenda. He must have felt the way many well meaning Nigerians feel; Nigeria is good for a major overhaul, and if he is willing we shall work with him.
Nigeria has for long been described as a corrupt, backward nation with weak infra structures, epileptic power supply, and decaying educational systems. Across the globe we are cited as a country whose leaders lack the character and are least prepared to transition into a forward looking global market or the black/African epicenter for a new world. To transform means to change and pull ourselves out of these negatives. Defrost our present stupor and make the bold moves towards making Nigeria the epicenter of Africa reemergence; like the roaring Asian Tigers, Nigeria must kick start the flight-engine to power the soaring โEagle-craftโ.
As it goes, to begin this process the chief executive must encapsulate the vision, define the course, and ask me and you to come along; even though the road may be turbulent and at times tragically-challenging I believe Nigerians are too tired and ashamed of their past and present state of being that they are willing to work with any leader who comes across as authentic. Are Nigerians willing to follow and work with Jonathan? They answered that question with their votes with great equanimity.
CREATIVE Leadership is described by thought leaders and scholars asthe ability to shed long-held beliefs and come up with original and at times radical concepts and execution; and it requires bold, breakthrough thinking. However complex the Nigeria situation may appear creativity remains the most important leadership quality required to nip its continued regression and redirect its fortunes. Again,I do not mean having one super creative architect at the top; rather I mean constructing an ecosystem of creative leadership within the entire government architecture to own and drive the vision/agenda. Collectively they will take more calculated risks and invent innovative solutions that could upset the status quo, counteract the forces of complacency and inertia, while conscientiously and deliberately taking steps to boost the confidence of the people in the ability, care and concern of the government. This would unleash a potent force and attract majority of Nigerians to partner with their government. Once this cord is established, I say that with masterful handling the transformation takes root and the African Eagle will soar.
There are practical and creative solutions which I have encapsulated; if any one of them is well applied changes Nigeria. And if we are able to psyche ourselves up enough to work on all of them simultaneously, Nigeria will emerge among the most progressive, prosperous and respected nations in the world by 2020/2025.
If the federal government commits itself to fight corruption genuinely, Nigeria will experience unprecedented development in that the available money for investment will be adequately utilized and this will show in the level of developments. This will equally boost investorsโ confidence in Nigeria and more meaningful investors will flood the country because of the opportunities that do exist here.
If the federal government adequately restructures our educational structures and systems, make the needed investments and restore the quality and standard of our universities, the over 100,000 Nigerian students who seek admission overseas yearly, will plough the foreign exchange into the Nigerian system. Secondly, citizens of West Africa, Africa and other nationals will storm Nigeria in droves; this too has its potency and multiplier effect. In 10 years this country will have a wellspring of the most educated, articulate, creative intellectuals in almost all spheres. When we marry these pools with the Nigeria robust spirit, and the infinite opportunities and untapped possibilities this country cannot but excel.
Non availability of electric power, roads, communal and social infrastructure have dealt a whooping gape in the countryโs ability to build a viable manufacturing sector, grow businesses, develop its agro-potentials, and leverage on its native and cultural elements and potentialities of its youths. Lack of sustaining electricity hinders myriads of activities that could engage the youths and give this country the great advantage which its population and special geographical location bestow on it. The federal government is investing heavily in electricity, so too are the states, and the local governments. The parastatals and agencies of these three tiers of government equally plough so much into electric generation. Outside government, the money invested by big corporate organizations; small businesses; international organizations including embassies, NGOs; and private individuals is mind boggling and would astonish any one. Can anyone imagine what it takes each one of the telecommunication companies currently operating in Nigeria to run their offices across the nation, power their masts and substations, accommodate their expatriates and Nigerian experts and executives? They will be importing thousands of special generating sets to do their business. When we run this across the different networks, across our banks with all their branches, hotels, factories, embassies, government agencies, the military, police, other security outfits; state and local government and their paraphernalia, we will not go far to figure out the vampire that is sucking the blood. We produce none; so each generator in this country and its spare parts are denominate in foreign currency.
Ask the bureaucrats and officials in Power Holding Corporation of Nigeria and their Ministry counterparts how much money the country needs to solve their immediate electricity needs; they will say too much. These people may be clueless because of their fixation and limited knowledge of multi-frame solution sources. Governments, public and private sectors and individuals can collaborate to fast track the provision of electric power by consensus and creative partnering for development arrangement. Every year, apart from the official government investments to generate and distribute power for the national grids, the governments and its various arms, agencies, and parastatals, businesses and individuals spend well over one trillion Naira in acquiring alternative power generating sets. We design a creative solution involving all stakeholders Nigeria will solve this problem and witness a catalytic boom in every directions of its live.
Nigerians are deeply religious people; they also appear to cherish their tribes or ethnic heritage. Every Sunday, we have more Christians in our churches than any other place in the world; and every Friday we possibly have more Moslems in the mosques than in any other part of the world. These are fine attributes if we genuinely channel them. If we can count on the ability of our religious clerics; priests, imams, pastors and scholars to mobilize and galvanize their faithful to uphold their piety, this becomes a very credible channel to aid government; collaboration could enrich and stabilize the education, healthcare, and agriculture sectors; promote cooperatives, and make poverty alleviation projects more eventful. Its either the deceit of the elites will be unveiled or partnering with these institutions for nation building will enable the country to gain from the richness inherent in diversity which many organizations and countries are today tapping and benefitting from. The tenets of our different religions are good will, discipline and values; and all ethnic groups pride themselves with richness of conscience and hard work. Therefore government has to creatively find a way to challenge Nigerians of different ethnicity and religion to prove their mettle for the unity and advancement of the country. A country where hatred pervades the air all the time cannot make progress. No matter how hard we try.
The sacrifice required may be a short time of endurance from everyone while government strategically repositions to put things right. Government may opt to supply power 24/7 to all manufacturing concerns; big businesses and could barter electricity to all organizations and persons who could invest about half a million dollars up annually in alternative electric generating sets. While others make the sacrifice for a short time since this process will ensure that businesses and the very productive sectors are up and running and giving collateral benefits of employment, cost reduction and essential social responsibility support, and feeding government with electric and tax money to make our sacrifice bearable and short time.
I am certain that Nigerians are ever willing to make sacrifice for their country when there is trust that their governments are on the right course, and will reciprocate by being more imaginative, transparent, fair and trustworthy. If people with political power could lead with integrity and character, they will be able to engage the energy and untiring spirit of Nigerians.
Standing up for oneโs nation; devotion and commitment to our fatherland; and making sacrifice so that the country can move forward and excel is Patriotism. While surfing the net recently, I came across this great but little known lady, Major Heather Penney, as a lieutenant in 2001 she was of Washington DC National Guards and an F-16 pilot who scrambled on 9/11 to prevent another attack on the US capital. Amidst concern than another hijacked airliner was barreling towards Washington, she was prepared to ram her plane into the hijacked aircraft, because there was no time to arm her plane with missiles. Up until September 11, 2001, the threat of an attack on US soil was seen as such a remote possibility that the 121st fighter squadron at Andrews Air Force base outside Washington had no fully-armed fighter jets on standby. While on what would have been her last mission on earth, she was all completely concerned for her country โI knew if I took off the tail of the aircraft, that it would essentially go straight down and so the pattern of debris would be minimized.โ She continues โMy concern was how do I minimize collateral damage on the ground.โ โIt wasnโt so much that I kept my emotions in check. It was that they didnโt even exist.โ As she took the plane down the runway, she said she believed it would be the last take-off of her life, however, โThere was significant adrenaline. It was really just, dear God please donโt let me screw up.โ In the end, she did not have to make that ultimate sacrifice; Flight 93 never reached Washington, other โpatriots-martyrsโ โ passengers in the plane had to attack the hijackers in the cockpit, so they volunteered to perish with embers of patriotism (as the plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania) rather than disgrace America by blowing up the Whitehouse and costing more American lives.
This is a story of unusual courage and patriotism. As I end my speech, I sincerely hope that this act of patriotism and sacrifice would minister and make meaning to us all. I wish all conscientious Nigeria citizens, all of us seated here could emulate, Heather. We could do this in our own little space; little corner seats as policemen, soldiers, custom officers, businessmen, clerks or cleaners. Where ever we work; whatever our professions there are ways we can prevent the further decay or abuse of this great nation. If only our adrenalin can run so high for the good of the nation as to overpower our tribal emotions, urges to conform to the status quo, get rich, or build something for our own personal gains. Wherever you may be, let that adrenalin of love for country flow in you.
God bless you.
Ralphs Okey Nwosu. Ikolo Dike Orabueze Awka. National Chairman, African Democratic Congress ADC.
Confirmatory information reaching 247ureports.com indicate that a special task force of the Nigerian Police swooped in on three of the rapists at their hiding place to arrest them.
According to the information received two of the rapist were arrested first in the evening of Friday September 23, 2011 โ and following information gathered from the arrested suspects, the third individual was picked up today.
Also, the identity of the girl [victim] in question were said to have been confirmed to be Nneoma โ who is not a student of Abia State University.
The police remains tight lipped on the arrests.
Governor T. A. Orji had issued a hard directive yesterday for the suspects to be fished out and arrested.
It is estimated that a woman born in South Africa has a greater chance of being raped than learning how to read.[87] One in three of the 4,000 women questioned by the Community of Information, Empowerment and Transparency said they had been raped in the past year.[88] A survey conducted among 1,500 schoolchildren in the Soweto township, a quarter of all the boys interviewed said that โjackrollingโ, a term for gang rape, was fun.[88] More than 25% of South African men questioned in a survey admitted to raping someone; of those, nearly half said they had raped more than one person, according to a new study conducted by the Medical Research Council (MRC).[89][90] It is estimated that 500,000 rapes are committed annually in South Africa.[91] A 2010 study led by the government-funded Medical Research Foundation says that in Gauteng province, home to South Africaโs most populous city of Johannesburg, more than 37 percent of men said they had raped a woman. Nearly 7 percent of the 487 men surveyed said they had participated in a gang rape.[92]
South Africa has some of the highest incidences of child and baby rape in the world with more than 67,000 cases of rape and sexual assaults against children reported in 2000.[93] Welfare groups believe that the number of unreported incidents could be up to 10 times that number. The largest increase in attacks was against children under seven. A number of high-profile baby rapes since 2001 (including the fact that they required extensive reconstructive surgery to rebuild urinary, genital, abdominal, or tracheal systems) increased the need to address the problem socially and legally. In 2001, a 9-month-old baby was raped by six men, aged between 24 and 66, after the infant had been left unattended by her teenage mother. A 4-year-old girl died after being raped by her father. A 14-month-old girl was raped by her two uncles. In February 2002, an 8-month-old infant was reportedly gang raped by four men. One has been charged. The infant has required extensive reconstructive surgery. The 8-month-old infantโs injuries were so extensive, increased attention on prosecution has occurred.[94] A common myth holds that sexual intercourse with a virgin will cure a man of HIV or AIDS. Child abusers are often relatives of their victims โ even their fathers and providers.[95] According to researcher Suzanne Leclerc-Madlala, the myth that is not confined to South Africa.
Fellow AIDS researchers in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria have told me that the myth also exists in these countries and that it is being blamed for the high rate of sexual abuse against young children.ย[96]
The sad reality is that rape statistics for South Africa in particular have gone up instead of done over the past 5 years. This is on trend with the rest of the world. But is this a trend we want to see grow ? In South Africa in 2006 there were close 55 000 reported rape cases. There are an estimated 450 000 rape cases that go unreported. Here is some more statistical information on rape worldwide.
Rape South Africa
Rape is an occurrence which, according to official statistics occurred approximately 16,000 times annually during the 1980s. By 2006 the official figure for rape was over 55 000 , unofficially, based on the premise put forward by the National Institute of Crime Rehabilitation that only one in twenty rapes are reported, the figure is over 494,000 a year.
This means that on average approximately one thousand three hundred women can be expected to be raped a day in South Africa.
A study by Interpol, the international police agency, has revealed that South Africa leads the world in rapes.
A woman was raped in South Africa every 17 seconds. This did not include the number of child rape victims. It was estimated that one in every two women would be raped.
Between 28 and 30 percent of adolescents reported that their first sexual encounter was forced.
Of South African men who knew somebody who had been raped, 16 percent believed that the rape survivor had enjoyed the experience and had asked for it. According to a recent study police estimated that only one in 36 rape cases was reported and of those only 15 percent culminated in a conviction.
The following information is from the Crime Statistics for South Africa 2010:
With regard to sexual offences, it was already stated in the Annual Report of the SAPS for 2008/2009 (p 4) that ยFully valid comparisons pertaining to the sexual offences will only become possible after the period 1 October 2009 to 31 March 2010ย. However, it can be accepted that the comparisons of figures for the period 1 April 2009 ย 31 March 2010 with those recorded from 1 April 2008 ย 31 March 2009 will be much more valid than those in the 2008/2009 Annual Report, which indicated a 10,1% increase. This report for 2009/2010 indicates a ratio decrease of -4,4%, from 144.8 sexual offences per 100 000 of the RSA population in 2008/2009 to 138.5 sexual offences per 100 000 in 2009/2010. This represents a decrease of 2 182 cases, from 70 514 to 68 332. The main reason why historical comparisons between these figures of 70 514 and 68 332 cases and the figures of previous years are extremely difficult and even impossible, is that sexual offences as presently defined differ substantially from those recorded in the past ย prior to December 2007. These now include a widened definition of rape (encompassing the formerly exclusive concept of vaginal rape, as well as adding oral and anal rape ย and thus also male rape ย which previously fell under the category of indecent assault). However, it then goes further to add a whole range of offences which never previously formed part of rape or indecent assault ย such as sex work, pornography, public indecency and human trafficking. The addition of these sexual offences mainly generated by police action (at least 13 000 cases), makes it impossible to compare the present sexual offences figures as portrayed in table 1 with figures for rape and indecent assault recorded in the past. If all sexual offence cases registered in 2009/2010 which would have qualified as rape and indecent assault cases before 16 December 2007 are identified and counted, the result adds up to 55 097 cases. If this figure is compared to the last combined rape and indecent assault figures recorded for 2006/2007, which stood at 61 984 cases, a decrease of -11,1% is actually noted. This implies an average annual decrease of -3,7% from 2006/2007 to 2009/2010.
In future (from 2010/2011) a special effort will have to be made to separate sexual offences between those reported by the public (which basically comprise rape or sexual penetration and indecent assault) and sexual offences which are generated by police action (such as those relating to sex work or prostitution and pornography), in order to depict the figures separately
2.1.1.4 Crimes Against Women and Children The number of counts of social contact or violent crime committed against adult women and children of both genders under the age of 18 (meaning up to the age of 17 years, 364 days, 23 hours and 59 minutes) are provided in tables 4 and 5 respectively. These tables indicate significant (actually shocking) increases of 42,3%, 36,1% and 14,5% respectively in the incidence of attempted murder, all sexual offences and murder against children between 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. The reader should be aware that the increases in attempted murder and murder against children are indeed real, but that these are based on relatively small numerical values. Attempted murder against children increased by 331 cases, from 782 to 1 113 and murder by 122 cases, from 843 to 965. The 36,1% increase in sexual offences against children, as well as the 19,8% increase in sexual offences against adult women (which represent 7 276 cases committed against children and 5 969 cases against adult women) are mainly due to an age and gender attribute problem that occurred during the implementation of the new sexual offences codes on the Crime Administration System (CAS) during December 2007. Basically there had been a period during which the gender and age attributes applicable to sexual offences were not recorded, because these were not compulsory fields on the CAS. This was only rectified during August 2009. It can be accepted that at least a proportion of the increase in sexual offences against children and women is indeed real and can in all probability be linked to a new awareness of sexual offences accompanying the implementation of the sexual offences legislation at the end of 2007. Government and the public should take note of the serious increase in murder, attempted murder and sexual offences against children, as well as the increase in sexual offences against adult women. It should also be emphasized that according to various previous analyses pertaining to crimes against children according to age, most of the crimes are committed against children between 15 ย 17 years old (see e.g. the 2008/2009 SAPS Annual Report, pp 13 ย 14). These indicated that 54,9% of murders, 59,6% of attempted murders, 70,8% of assaults GBH, 63,1% of common assaults and 39,5% of sexual offences committed against children were committed against those in the age group of 15 ย 17 years. However, it is disturbing to notice that in the case of the most prevalent crime against children, namely the 27 417 cases of sexual offences against children, 60,0% were committed against children below the age of 15 years. It is even more worrying to note that 29,4% of these sexual offences involved children aged 0 ย 10 years. (Note: This is disgusting, sickening, sad, enraging, 0-10 years ? 29.4 % ??? )
The following is an updated raw figure total of REPORTED sexual related crimes from the SAPS 2010 total Crime statistics โ I hilight โREPORTEDโ as the majority of rapes go unreported. The SAPS say that it has decreased by 3.1% โ however this decrease is not significant given the sheer numbers.
2003/4 โ 66 079
2004/5 โ 69 117
2005/6 โ 68 076
2006/7 โ 65 201
2007/8 โ 63 818
2008/9 โ 70 514
2009/10 โ 68 332
United States of America
Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every 2 minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
In 1995, 354,670 women were the victims of a rape or sexual assault. (National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.)
Over the last two years, more than 787,000 women were the victim of a rape or sexual assault. (National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S.Department of Justice, 1996.)
The FBI estimates that 72 of every 100,000 females in the United States were raped last year. (Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Statistics, 1996.)
SILENT VICTIMS :
One of the most startling aspects of sex crimes is how many go unreported. The most common reasons given by women for not reporting these crimes are the belief that it is a private or personal matter and the fear of reprisal from the assailant.
Approximately 28% of victims are raped by husbands or boyfriends, 35% by acquaintances, and 5% by other relatives. (Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994)
The FBI estimates that only 37% of all rapes are reported to the police. U.S. Justice Department statistics are even lower, with only 26% of all rapes or attempted rapes being reported to law enforcement officials.
In 1994-1995, only 251,560 rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement officials โ less than one in every three. (National Crime Victimization Survey, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.)
An overwhelming majority of rape service agencies believe that public education about rape, and expanded counseling and advocacy services for rape victims, would be effective in increasing the willingness of victims to report rapes to the police. (Rape in America, 1992, National Victim Center with Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center.)
LIVING IN FEAR :
According to the U.S. Department of Justice: (All statistics are taken from: Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994.)
One of every four rapes take place in a public area or in a parking garage.
31% of female victims reported that the offender was a stranger.
68% of rapes occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
At least 45% of rapists were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In 29% of rapes, the offender used a weapon.
In 47% of rapes, the victim sustained injuries other than rape injuries.
75% of female rape victims require medical care after the attack.
NOT JUST A FAMILY MATTER :
Family violence and abuse are among the most prevalent forms of interpersonal violence against women and young children โ both boys and girls. The sexual abuse of a child should never be โjust a family matter,โ but many children are afraid to report an incident to the police because the abusers are too often a family friend or relative.
Approximately one-third of all juvenile victims of sexual abuse cases are children younger than 6 years of age. (Violence and the Family, Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, 1996.)
According to the Justice Department, one in two rape victims are under age 18; one in six are under age 12. (Child Rape Victims, 1992. U.S. Department of Justice.)
FACE OF AMERICA :
About 81% of rape victims are white; 18% are black; 1% are of other races. (Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994.)
About half of all rape victims are in the lowest third of income distribution; half are in the upper two-thirds. (Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994.)
There were 71 forcible rapes per 100,000 females reported to United States law enforcement agencies in 1996. 2
Data from the National Womenโs Study, a longitudinal telephone survey of a national household probability sample of women at least 18 years of age, show 683,000 women forcibly raped each year and that 84% of rape victims did not report the offense to the police.3
Using Uniform Crime Report data for 1994 and 1995, the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that of rape victims who reported the offense to law enforcement, about 40% were under the age of 18, and 15% were younger than 12.4
In a national survey 27.7% of college women reported a sexual experience since the age of fourteen that met the legal definition of rape or attempted rape, and 7.7% of college men reported perpetrating aggressive behavior which met the legal definition of rape.5
The National Crime Victimization Survey indicates that for 1992-1993, 92% of rapes were committed by known assailants.1 About half of all rapes and sexual assaults against women are committed by friends and acquaintances, and 26% are by intimate partners.1
Risk factors for perpetrating sexual violence include: early sexual experience (both forced and voluntary),6 adherence by men to sex role stereotyping,7,8 negative attitudes of men towards women,6,9,,10,11,12, alcohol consumption,8,13 acceptance of rape myths by men.8,9,12,14,15
Non-forceful verbal resistance and lack of resistance are associated with rape completion.1,6
The adult pregnancy rate associated with rape is estimated to be 4.7%. This information, in conjunction with estimates based on the U.S. Census, suggest that there may be 32,101 annual rape-related pregnancies among American women over the age of 18.17
Non-genital physical injuries occur in approximately 40% of completed rape cases.18 As many as 3% of all rape cases have non-genital injuries requiring overnight hospitalization.19
Victims of rape often manifest long-term symptoms of chronic headaches,18,20fatigue20, sleep disturbance20, recurrent nausea,20 decreased appetite,21 eating disorders,22 menstrual pain,18 sexual dysfunction,23 and suicide attempts.21 In a longitudinal study, sexual assault was found to increase the odds of substance abuse by a factor of 2.5.24
Estimates of the occurrence of sexually transmitted diseases resulting from rape range from 3.6% to 30%.18,22 HIV transmission risk rate from rape is estimated at 1 in 500,22,25 although a few probable cases have been documented in Sweden and Great Britain. 26,27
Victims of marital or date rape are 11 times more likely to be clinically depressed, and 6 times more likely to experience social phobia than are non-victims. Psychological problems are still evident in cases as long as 15 years after the assault.28
Fatalities occur in about 0.1% of all rape cases.29,30
A study examining the use of health services over a five year period by female members of a health maintenance program found that the number of visits to physicians by rape victims increased 56% in the year following the crime, compared to a 2% utilization increase by non-victims.31
The National Public Services Research Institute estimates the lifetime cost for each rape with physical injuries which occurred in 1987 to be $60,000.32 The Comfort Women : Japanโs Brutal Regime of Enforced Prostitution in the Second World War .
United States
Main article: Rape in the United States
U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (1999) estimated that 91% of rape victims are female and 9% are male, with 99% of the offenders being male.[8] Some types of rape are excluded from official reports altogether, (the FBIโs definition for example excludes all rapes except forcible rapes of females), because a significant number of rapes go unreported even when they are included as reportable rapes, and also because a significant number of rapes reported to the police do not advance to prosecution.[64] According to United States Department of Justice document Criminal Victimization in the United States, there were overall 191,670 victims of rape or sexual assault reported in 2005.[65] Only 16% of rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police (Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. 1992 and United Nations Populations Fund, 2000a).[66][67] Factoring in unreported rapes, about 5% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail.[68] 1 of 6 U.S. women has experienced an attempted or completed rape.[69] More than a quarter of college age women report having experienced a rape or rape attempt since age 14.[70]
The U.S. Department of Justice compiles statistics on crime by race, but only between and among people categorized as black or white. It should be noted that the โwhiteโ category in the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) includes non-black Hispanics.[71] There were 194,270 white and 17,920 black victims of rape or sexual assault reported in 2006. Out of the 194,270 cases involving white victims, 50.6% had white offenders and 16.7% had black offenders, while the 36,620 black victims had a figure of 43% black offenders, the remaining being of other or unreported race, with a negligible number of white offenders.[72] Gary LaFreeโs rape data for the 45-year period revealed that blacks were arrested for rape an average of 6.52 times more often than whites.[71]
Drug use, especially alcohol, is frequently involved in rape. A study (only of rape victims that were female and reachable by phone) reported detailed findings related to tactics. In 47% of such rapes, both the victim and the perpetrator had been drinking. In 17%, only the perpetrator had been. 7% of the time, only the victim had been drinking. Rapes where neither the victim nor the perpetrator had been drinking were 29% of all rapes.[9] Contrary to widespread belief, rape outdoors is rare. Over two thirds of all rapes occur in someoneโs home. 31% occur in the perpetratorsโ homes, 27% in the victimsโ homes and 10% in homes shared by the victim and perpetrator. 7% occur at parties, 7% in vehicles, 4% outdoors and 2% in bars.[9] From 2000-2005, 59% of rapes were not reported to law enforcement.[73][74] One factor relating to this is misconception that most rapes are committed by strangers.[75]
The most frequently cited research was conducted by Statistics Canada in 1992, which involved a national random sample of 12,300 women (Johnson and Sacco, 1995). The research found that over one in three women had experienced a sexual assault[dubious ย discuss] and that only 6% of sexual assaults were reported to the police.[78]
Australia
The Australian Womenโs Safety Survey conducted by the Bureau of Statistics in 1996 involved a random sample 6,300 women aged 18 and over. It produced incidence finding of 1.9 per cent for sexual assault in the previous 12 months. Known men accounted for over two-thirds of assailants (68%). Only 15% of the assaulted women in the sample reported to the police.[79]
United Kingdom
According to a news report on BBC One presented in 12 November 2007, there were 85,000 women raped in the UK in the previous year, equating to about 230 cases every day. According to that report one of every 200 women in the UK was raped in 2006. The report also showed that only 800 persons were convicted in rape crimes that same year.[80][81]
Cambodia
In Cambodia, rape is estimated by local and international NGOs to be common [82], but only a very small minority of these assaults are ever reported to authorities, due to the social stigma associated to being the victim of a sexual crime, and, in particular, to losing virginity before marriage (regardless of how this happened).[83] From November 2008 to November 2009, police had recorded 468 cases of rape, attempted rape and sexual harassment, a 2.4 percent increase over the previous year.[84] Breaking the Silence ย Sexual Violence in Cambodia is a report produced by Amnesty International, and released in 2010, which examined the situation of sexual violence in Cambodia. The report found that, in the small minority of rapes which are reported, a very common response is for law-enforcement officials, including police and court staff, to arrange extralegal out-of-court โagreementsโ between the victim and the perpetrator (or their families), in which the rapist pays a sum of money which is shared between the authorithies and the victm (and her family), after which the victim has to withdraw any criminal complaint against the perpetrator, and public prosecutors close the case. When a rape is investigated, a complainant is generally expected to pay an extralegal sum of money to the authorities, to ensure that the court investigates the case, othrerwise progress is slow, and it may take over two years for anything to happen. During the pre-trial period, there is allways a risk that the perpetratorยs family will pay a bribe to secure his acquittal or reduced charge.[85]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
In eastern Congo, the prevalence and intensity of rape and other sexual violence is described as the worst in the world.[86] It is estimated that there are as many as 200,000 surviving rape victims living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo today.[53][54] War rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo has frequently been described as a โweapon of warโ by commentators. Louise Nzigire, a local social worker, states that ยthis violence was designed to exterminate the population.ย Nzigire observes that rape has been a โcheap, simple weapon for all parties in the war, more easily obtainable than bullets or bombs.โ
Information available to 247ureports.com from sources close to the activities in the Abia State government indicates that persons within the Abia State government appears to be undermining the investigation to nab the already identified rape suspects in the persons of Ifeanyi Ogu Justin [new but unverified information indicate that Ifeanyi Ogu Justin may not be among the suspected rapist] , Zaki and Jonah Uche and the remaining two who are yet to be identified.
The source states that top personalities in the Abia State government are determined to prove that the rape did not happen in Abia State โ and are willing to go to any extent to โsave faceโ. The source notes that the personalities are fully aware of the identities and whereabouts of the 5 males who raped the girl in the video that has widely circulated the internet since the upload date of August 17, 2011.
The State government of Abia who had previously gave a blanket denial that the rape did not occur at the University in Uturu told 247ureports.com yesterday that they made the statement based on the information it received from the Vice Chancellor of Abia State University, Prof Ogbuagu, the DPO covering the area, the head of the Student Union. But our source [who is also an official of the State government] refutes the government position statement โ citing that the statements from the DPO, the Vice Chancellor and the Student Union were sanctioned by the State Government and not the other way around. The source stated that the statements of the three bodies were drafted by the Abia State Information Commissioner and the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.
The source continues to add that the State Government was also aware of the true identity and whereabouts of the young victim [girl] prior to the revelation of the identities of the rape suspects. The source hinted that the top persons in Gov. Orjiโs cabinet were making settlement moves toward the family of the victim prior to the revelation.
247ureports.com is uncertain if the Governor is aware of ongoing attempt to undermine the hunt to fish out the already identified suspects but it is certain [through our highly credible source] that the administration as a whole has chosen an alternate route to resolving the Abia State University gang rape.
The source notes that it has become more complicated for the State government following the National Assemblyโs order to fish out the suspects and to report back to them. He adds also that since the location of where the rape took place has been uncovered as โMaranatha Lodgeโ, [an off campus hostel] โ that the troubled persons in Orjiโs cabinet has ratcheted up their attempts to keep the victim โquietโ. Our source highly suspects that the victim may have been settled by the Orji government โ and that the suspects may have been โallowedโ to relocate to a safe hiding place.
247ureports.com reached out to the Chief Press Secretary to Governor T. A. Orji, Bonny Iwuoha, regarding the efforts of the Abia State government regarding fishing out the already identified suspects, he stated that he had been in Abuja and was on his way to Benin for a meeting โ that he has no information regarding the suspects โ and that the government is not commenting on the matter.
The politicking for the 2015 presidential elections among the northern elites in Nigeria has begun to take form. And the various political camps have also started the divisive demarcations. This is as 247ureports.com has gathered through reliable sources in Kano that the current People Democratic Party [PDP] Governor of Kano State, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has launched what many consider the prep work towards his 2015 presidential aspiration.
Gov Kwankwasoโs 2015 ambition has however tossed his administration and his person into shark infected waters. The pre-existing political block consisting of the former governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, Arc Namadi Sambo, Emir of Kano, in the Kano-Kaduna environs, find Kwankwasoโs 2015 ambition an unnecessary obstacle. And has thus set off a silent but disruptive war between the camps.
As gathered, the former All Nigerian Peoples Party [ANPP] presidential candidate in the 2011 general elections, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, following his failed attempt at the presidential polls, took a stock of his political options, noting that he had fallen out with the former flag-bearer of the ANPP, General Buhari, chose to act to avert his political irrelevancy. He opted to join forces with what appeared the only feasible and available choice, the PDP Vice President of Nigeria, Arc Namadi Sambo. As gathered, the Vice President welcomed the decision with open arms, and together the two politicians launched what is now silently understood amongst select quarters as the Namadi Samboโs political machinery against a likely 2015 presidential drive.
With the addition of Shekarau into the political machinery of the Vice President, the Vice President was inevitably drawn into the local politics of Kano State. The duo of Shekarau and Sambo simultaneously found themselves working against the 2015 aspirations of Gov Rabiu Kwankwaso and by extension the Kwankwasoโs administration in Kano. It is not news that Malam Ibrahim Shekarau and Gov Rabiu Kwankwaso are not best of friends, privately and politically.
Exploiting the bad blood between the present governor and the former governor [Shekarau and Kwankwaso], Vice President Sambo staged the former governor of Kano State, Shekarau to be ever present in the media and social scene in Kano State. This is believed by political pundits to frustrate Gov Kwankwaso and to โstealโ the political limelight from Kwankwaso. Vice President Sambo believes Shekarau enjoys a higher political acceptability from the people of Kano over Kwankwaso.
In the effort to remain ever present in the Kano limelight, Malam Shekarau, as gathered, has retained his media group and has continued to observe a hectic media schedule โ that has kept him a regular in the pages of the Newspapers and in the electronic media. One of the recent incidents where the state security services [SSS] had to express safety concerns to the former governor โ was on his return from HAJJ.
Shekarau had his media team set up a massive welcome party at the Aminu Kano International airport. The large number of crowd caused a worry to the men of SSS, who warned Shekarau to consider the current security atmosphere in the country and to tune down his โrazzmatazzโ. But Shekarau did not heed the warning. His recent marriage to a fourth wife and the noise around it is said to be a part of the strategy to remain in the limelight. Malam Shekarau is scheduled to receive an honorary doctorate degree from a university in Ilorin next month.
On the other flank is the Emir of Kano. The Emir makes no apologies of his preference of Shekarau over Kwankwaso stemming from the 2003 gubernatorial elections when the Emir openly throw his weight behind the then ANPP candidate [Shekarau] over the candidacy of the PDP incumbent governor [Kwankwaso]. Through this effort, the Emir is reported to have thrown his weight behind Shekarauโs media blitz and by extension, Vice President Samboโs agenda for 2015.
A recent incident in Kano between the Governor of Kano and the Emir depicted the bad blood between the political camps. As per Islamic tradition, at the end of Salah, the Emir of Kano would take a majestic ride on horses around the city and would pay a courtesy call to the governor of the State. But with this Salah, there was a twist. The Emir reported that he was sick and would not take the ride this year. This message was conveyed to the Governor. And the governor agreed. But on the day on the supposed ride around the city, the Emir rose and got upon his horse and began his majestic tour around the town โ skipping the courtesy visit to the Governorโs office โciting that he was too sick to make a stop at the governorโs office.
The infuriated governor reacted by telling the Emir that since he was fit enough to make the tours around the city, that he is being โaskedโ to pay the governor the visit. The Emir who found himself caught between a rock and a stone did not know how not to disobey a seating governor while not disappointing the Emirโs cabinet members who are said to despise the governor. It took the intervention of the President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Jonathan for the matter to be resolved. The Emir, after the matter was resolved, paid the governor the courtesy visit. But the visit was not with the customary horse and pageantry, the Emir and his cabinet drove in their vehicles to the governorโs office.
The political trio led by the Vice President has spewed the squalor into the cabinet of the Kano State government with the intent to destabil
WASHINGTONโA former captain in the U.S. Army Reserve stationed in Afghanistan was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for soliciting $1.3 million in bribes from contractors involved in U.S.-funded reconstruction efforts and participating in a conspiracy to traffic heroin from Southeast Asia.
The sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Departmentโs Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Sidharth Handa, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga in the Eastern District of Virginia. Handa was also ordered to pay $315,000 in restitution. Handa, of Charlotte, N.C., pleaded guilty on June 21, 2011, to soliciting and accepting bribes while serving as a public official and to conspiring to distribute a kilogram of heroin.
โMr. Handa used his official position assisting the United Statesโ reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan to line his pockets,โ said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. โHe promised multi-million-dollar contracts to Afghan businessmen in exchange for cash. He was so meticulous about collecting his bribes that he kept track of them on a spreadsheet. We will not tolerate this kind of fraud and abuse. Todayโs sentence reflects the disgracefulness of Mr. Handaโs conduct.โ
โThis case is the largest bribery prosecution to date from our mission in Afghanistan,โ said U.S. Attorney MacBride. โFrom the day he stepped foot in Afghanistan, Mr. Handa negotiated a staggering amount of bribes from contractors in a blatant breach of the trust our military put in him. His actions brought shame to our mission, harmed our reconstruction efforts, and defrauded American taxpayers who funded the contracts he looted.โ
According to court records, Handa was stationed in Afghanistan from March through November 2008 and served as the liaison to the local governor and engineers on the Kunar Province Reconstruction Team (PRT). In that position, Handa assisted in awarding reconstruction project contracts funded by the U.S. government to local contractors through a competitive bidding process. Handa admitted that almost immediately upon his arrival in Afghanistan, he became engaged in a scheme to secure bribes from contractors who sought to secure large PRT construction projects. With the help of an Afghan interpreter, Handa typically solicited bribes equal to 10 percent of the overall contract value, though the actual bribe payment was negotiated based on the contractorโs ability to pay. The total value of bribes contractors agreed to pay amounted to $1,323,000, and Handa and the interpreter collected $315,000, which they split evenly.
Handa admitted that after leaving Afghanistan, he tried to collect over $1 million in bribe money that contractors had pledged to pay. A cooperating witness (CW) offered to help Handa collect the money, and through 2010 and early 2011 Handa provided the CW with details of outstanding bribes and other relevant facts to help secure the promised bribes. During the course of these conversations with the CW, Handa indicated that he knew people in the drug business and he and the CW developed plans to sell kilogram quantities of Southeast Asian heroin to Handaโs drug contacts.
According to court documents, on April 7, 2011, Handa met with the CW and an undercover officer in a northern Virginia hotel, where Handa received what he believed was $500,000 in collected bribe payments and acknowledged that he knew the right people to receive the kilogram of heroin the undercover officer showed him. Law enforcement arrested Handa as he was leaving the hotel with the bribe money, a loaded handgun and a spreadsheet detailing specific bribe amounts paid and outstanding.
This case was investigated jointly by member agencies of the International Contract Corruption Task Force, including the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the FBIโs Washington Field Office and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and also by the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Senor Trial Attorney David Bybee of the Criminal Divisionโs Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kosta Stojilkovic and Dennis Fitzpatrick of the Eastern District of Virginia
The re-appointment of most commissioners who served with Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi in his first tenure has drawn the anger of the Rivers State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
Reacting to the confirmation of the recent 10-man list submitted by the governor to the state House of Assembly, the ACN in a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Jerry Needam faulted the development as lacking in vision and goodwill for the millions of qualified and capable Rivers sons and daughters who have not had any chances of serving their state.
The ACN wondered what interest and foresight Governor Amaechi has in recycling political appointees with abysmal performance so poor in his first tenure who failed the state beyond pardon, with several questionable dealings, clear instances of fraud and disservice to the state.
The party particularly lambasted the governor for returning the former health commissioner, Dr Sampson Parker to his cabinet despite his numerous atrocious manipulations of the health ministry and failure to implement any government policy to a logical and successful conclusion.
The ACN not only called, therefore for a re-examination of the appointment, but a comprehensive probe of the commissionerโs misdeeds of the past years, especially on the Justice Karibi-Whyte Specialist Hospital and other scandalous contracts to Clinotech Nigeria Limited which only sieved billions of the state fund into waste pipes without one benefit for Rivers people.
On the state of the Braithwait Memorial Hospital (BMH), the ACN questioned Governor Amaechiโs satisfaction with the persistent decline in the hospitals capacity to tackle the health problems of the people, while infrastructure and facilities of very high standard put in place at the hospital progressively deteriorated to the shame they are today, all under the tenure of Dr. Parker as health commissioner in the State.
To crown the era of gross abuse, the ACN noted, was the US$20 million fumigation programme which the commissioner in his first tenure promised Rivers people to rid the Port Harcourt City of mosquitoes.
The ACN noted that, not even the World Health Organization (WHO) would make such promises or engage in such deceitful, utopian programme, adding that there are now more mosquitoes in Port Harcourt than was the case when the promise was made.
The ACN, therefore urged Governor Amaechi to initiate an urgent judicial probe into the fumigation programme to determine what became of the huge amount sunk into it, as this is the only way to restore the peopleโs confidence in his leadership of the State.
