How Nigerian pupils cheat during WASSCE through websites

While some youths sweat and rack their brains for answers to questions at the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination, others have perfected the art of getting cheap grades through some websites which obtain questions before the start of exams.


An investigation carried out revealed this on Tuesday.

Our correspondent had pretended to be a candidate sitting for the WASSCE being administered by the West African Examination Council.

He subscribed for answers to Commerce (Objective and Theory) from five of the result-peddling websites – naijaclass.com, examcrown.com, examsort.com, waecexpo.com and guruslodge.com.

While naijaclass, examcrown, examsort and waecexpo demanded N400 MTN recharge cards to send a link to the answers of the exam and N800 for direct answers to phones, guruslodge demanded N800 to send the answers directly to candidates’ phones.

Candidates were, however, urged on the websites to make subscriptions for all the papers and pay into certain account numbers provided on their websites in order to get discounts.

Provisions were made for “Very Important Persons.”

There were alleged testimonies of some candidates who had passed their exams after using the services of the websites.

They also displayed excellent WASSCE results of some candidates, whose names were deliberately blurred to conceal their identities.

After our correspondent sent recharge cards to designated phone numbers on Monday, the operators of the websites, after some hours, sent confirmation texts.

Before Tuesday, the date of the exam, the operators had started sending links to the answer websites through text messages.

They said the answers would be uploaded on the sites.

By past 1pm on Tuesday, some of the websites said they had got the questions and were solving them.

They supplied our correspondent with Personal Identification Numbers with which to access the sites.

By 2.07pm, answers to the theory questions started streaming in, and in less than 45 minutes, the theory and objective answers had been supplied.

While guruslodge sent all its answers through text messages, others sent links based on the subscription of our correspondent.

Our correspondent, while trying to verify the answers to the theory questions at the end of the exam at 5pm, learnt that WASSCE candidates submitted the question papers with their answer sheets.

We however, contacted two candidates who wrote the exam to ascertain the questions asked by the examiners.

Candidate A, who wrote the exam in a public school in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, recalled answering questions bordering on division of labour, contract, reasons for consumer protection, second tier security market, calculation of working capital, among others.

Candidate B, another public school pupil, who wrote his exam in the Somolu area of Lagos, gave a similar highlight.


He said, “We had eight questions and we were asked to answer five. Some of the questions are: State three disadvantages and five advantages of division of labour? State the differences between public enterprises and public company? What is contract? Calculate the account of…”

A look at the answers provided by the websites showed they had the questions correctly.

For instance, examsort answered the questions on second tier market, which it claimed was the 6th question on the paper. It also defined contract.

Examcrown highlighted the reasons for consumer protection, which it said was question number 7.

The others also addressed the questions stated by the pupils.

However, a look at the objective questions showed that the website operators had conflicting answers.

Naijaclass: 1-10 DCBABDDBBB; 11-20 ABDBDCCCD; 21-30 BACCABABBC; 31-40ABCADDDADA; 41-50 CCBBCAAABB.

Examcrown: 1-10 DCBCCADBBB; 11-20 ACDADBDAAD; 21-30 BABCDAAABC; 31-40; ABABDBCADA; 41-50: CCBBBAACAB.

Examsort: DBBCCB DBBBABDADBDD DBACDBDDCADACCBB DABCAC.

Guruslodge:DCBAB DDBBBA BDBDCCCCDA B CADDDADAABCADD

DADACCBBCAAABB.

A teacher, who did not want to be identified, said he was shocked to discover such services were freely advertised on the Internet.

He expressed disgust while recounting how he came by the websites.

He said, “I was telling my younger brother of how I heard of a certain science teacher in my locality who went online to get answers to Physics practical experiments last year, instead of conducting the experiments with his pupils; and they all failed when the results came out.

“My brother remarked, ‘He didn’t get his answers from the right site.’ He further enlightened me on several sites on the Internet where by sending recharge cards of N400, pupils can have access to questions and answers of the exams they were writing in real-time.

“These sites always have all the exam papers, probably a day or two before the exams. And they have the solutions too. There are many of them advertising and competing for patronage like legitimate business. On these sites are the testimonies of Nigerian students. I saw the testimony of a student on examcrown.com who got 7 A1s and a B3 after using their service.

“I went to one of such sites and in front of me were solutions to the Physics exam that pupils were sweating in the hall on. The solutions online were posted on the 19th of April, a day before the exam.

“Students typically have access to the solutions a few minutes to the commencement of the exams, of course to make maximum sales, as PINs could be shared if the answers were released earlier. Several of these pupils still need the cooperation of invigilators and their schools to use their phones in the exam halls to access the answers, while others take advantage of large examination centres to do their thing surreptitiously. It breaks my heart as a teacher.”

He noted that answers to the National Examination Council’s questions were usually online two days before the exam, as some of the websites gave pupils NECO answers free.

He lamented that the situation had affected the standard of education in the country.

“So, we have pupils getting eight distinctions now and 300 in UTME, yet having no substance in their heads. These ones will gain admissions into university and block the chances of good students who legitimately got their five credits and 220 in UTME. My John James could not gain admission with a score of over 260 in UTME last year. Godstime is a great student, but he will be lucky to gain admission with the 280 he scored this year.

“Why are we so messed up as a country? Who are these Nigerians who are destroying this system for pecuniary gains? Aren’t they the same Nigerians who complain daily of the state of this country? Aren’t they the youth who should be the future of this country? The same young people who cry daily of how our father’s generation failed us?

“The rot in education is particularly sad because it has ripple effects, spreading across all sectors. Imagine students using these sites to get eight distinctions and 330 so they can go study medicine and surgery to become doctors. Imagine them wanting to become engineers, scientists, lawyers, etc. They will most likely have to oil their way through school and come out deficient in whatever fields they find themselves in…even with great results. Are our exam bodies aware of these sites?” he added.

The spokesperson for WAEC, Demianus Ojijeogu, said the exam body was aware of the website operators, adding that their activities  were a sad comment on education in Nigeria.

He said, “It did not start today. We have been following up on it for a while now. Our investigations have, however, shown that sometimes they recycle old questions or supply fake questions. And even if they are correct, it is after the examinations have commenced. We have asked the supervisors to be our eyes.

“The supervisors are not our workers; they are supplied by the ministry of education. We have asked them to help us and prevent the students from entering exam halls with mobile phones. We have also upgraded our security facilities and we are deploying technologies as well.

“This situation is not peculiar to just WASSCE, other examinations are affected as well and it is sad for education in Nigeria. It is sad because it means if I can just sit down and someone will supply the answers to me, why then do I need to read?

“Our manpower has been overstretched. We have some of our workers working on day and night shifts. We are working round-the-clock and we urge the cooperation of other stakeholders to stop this ugly trend.”











































































Rainbowgist

Convention: Buhari meets APC govs, seeks support for Oshiomhole

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday evening met with state governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress

The meeting was held behind closed doors inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to a Presidency official who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity, the sole item on the agenda of the meeting was how the governors would work towards the emergence of a former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, as the party’s national chairman.

The party’s national convention where new members of the party’s National Working Committee will emerge has been slated for May 14 in Abuja.

It is not clear yet if the party’s current chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, will be seeking re-election at the convention but the President has resolved to support Oshiomhole’s candidature.

“The President called this meeting with the APC governors to ask them to back Oshiomhole’s candidature. That’s the purpose of the meeting administration that is the President’s position,” the Presidency source said.

The APC has decided to retain the current zoning formula for its national offices.

Both Odigie-Oyegun and Oshiomhole are from Edo State in the South-South where the position of the APC national chairman is zoned to.

Meanwhile, Odigie-Oyegun has described the purported endorsement of Oshiomhole as the next chairman of the party as childish.

Odigie-Oyegun, who was also a former governor of the state, however, said he had yet to decide on whether or not he would seek re-election at the party’s national convention or not.

The chairman of the ruling party spoke with some journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said he had concluded his consultations on whether he would seek a re-election or not.

He, however, did not disclose the outcome of the consultations.

There have been speculation that both Odigie-Oyegun and Oshiomhole among others, are in the race for the office of the national chairman of  the APC.

But reacting to the development in a short interview with journalists, Odigie-Oyegun said that the action of those who endorsed Oshiomhole was childish.

“It was childish. Absolutely childish! The voting is done at the convention and not in state houses, not in government houses,” he said

When asked to comment on his rejection by the Edo State chapter of the APC, Odigie-Oyegun said, “They have their reasons for what they did and you have to respect their own reasons, however, wrong it is. Don’t bother about this teaser; I will give a comprehensive interview, to speak with you when the time comes.”

When reporters insisted that he should confirm whether he would re-contest his office or not, he simply said, “The consultations, I think is concluded. Well, I’m going to know when the convention committee announces their programmes, then when I’m going to buy a form, if I will re-contest I will let you know.”

Also, some state Chairmen of the APC in the South-South geopolitical zone said they had rejected attempts by the Zonal Vice-Chairman, Prince Hilliard Eta, to force some members of the party to adopt Oshiomhole as a chairmanship candidate from the zone.

The party chairmen explained that though any member from the zone was free to aspire for the position, it was necessary to give Odigie-Oyegun right of first to contest the national chairmanship position at the forthcoming national convention of the party.

The state APC chairmen; Chief Davies Ikanya (Rivers), Mr. Etim John (Cross River), Dr. Amadu Attai (Akwa Ibom) and Deacon Joseph Fafi (Bayelsa), made this remarks in an electronic mail made available to one of our correspondents on Monday night.

The party chairmen issued the statement at the end of the APC state chairmen and South-South Zonal Executive Committee meeting at Government House, Benin, Edo State.

They said, “The aforementioned four state chairmen out of the six chairmen of the zone and the executive committee members from their states reject attempts by the South-South APC Zonal Vice-Chairman, Prince Hilliard Eta, to railroad members present in the meeting into adopting the former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, as the candidate of the South-South zone for the national chairmanship position at the forthcoming national convention.

“It is our conviction that whereas Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and indeed all qualified members of the party in the zone are free to offer themselves for service to our great party, the zonal committee believes that for the sake of justice and fairness, as always expressed by our leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, on all matters,  the incumbent Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, should be given the first choice of refusal to contest the national chairmanship position at the forthcoming national convention of our party.”

 Also, the Delta State chapter of the APC has disowned the alleged endorsement of Oshiomhole, by the leadership of the South-South.

 In a statement signed by the state Deputy Chairman of the party on Tuesday, Chief Cyril Ogodo, the Delta APC condemned the development, describing the adoption as a desperate and despicable move capable of disuniting members of the APC ahead of the 2019 elections.

 The South-South zonal leadership of the party led by Eta in a meeting in Benin, on Monday, threw its weight behind Oshiomhole, who is seeking to replace Odigie-Oyegun.

 They insisted that Odigie-Oyegun should be given a right of first refusal to seek re-election for the position before endorsing other candidate for the position.

 It noted that they were part of those who walked out on the South-South zonal caucus meeting on Monday in protest against what they said were plans by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and Eta to adopt Oshiomhole as the zonal candidate of the party for national chairman.

 Similarly, the leader of the party and the 2015 governorship candidate of the APC in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, also distanced himself from Oshiomhole’s adoption.

 Emerhor, who expressed shock at the action, said leaders and stakeholders of the APC at no time deliberated on adopting Oshiomhole as their candidate.









































































Rainbowgist

Why Sleep Deprivation Is Dangerous To Your Health

Whether one’s physical or economic activities are involved or not, the need for sleep cannot be over-accentuated. For one of the reasons that it is necessary to living a healthy life, sleep also plays a role in the balance to a mental health. I can also tell you that having to work late into the night is not encouraging for a good sleep pattern. A deficiency in sleep is known as ‘sleep deprivation’. Sleep deprivation can be acute or chronic condition. Now, this is especially dangerous:

Chronically sleep-deprived people do not realize that they are working at a deteriorated level. In a circumstance that entails survival, it is likely you imagine the many diverse reasons why you might suffer from inadequate sleep such as strange environments, rise in responsibilities, tiredness from activities and accumulation from previous stress will combine to largely soar the prevalence of this medical issue.

Sleep deprivation can pose a threat to the brain function. There are noticeable negative effects on awakening and performance which are very likely due to a drop in activity in selective parts of the brain associated in advanced thought processes. Thus, you may become incapable of placing events into their proper perspective and taking the right measure. This questions one’s addition to a survival group. This transpires to reason that a good number of car accidents and workplace hazards are caused by lack of sleep. When you do not sleep for the right number of hours, recovery is delayed and the increased amount of muscle passivity leads to the corresponding value of physical injury.

Besides the repercussions of the events occurring in the brain, the failure to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night causes many signs and symptoms as named below:

Depression
Irritability
Puffy/bloodshot eyes
Tremor
Headaches
Disarray
Memory loss
Muscle aches
Hallucinations
Micro sleeps
Negative feedback to the control of Diabetes and blood pressure
Weight loss or gain
Other psychotic symptoms
The lack of significant sleep aggravates mood and decreases intellectual ability. Deep sleep is also necessary to allow natural enzymes to restore damage caused by ‘free radicals’ i.e. molecules amenable for aging and tissue damage.

The remedy of sleep deprivation depends on the cause. The best start is to consider a concept referred to as ‘sleep hygiene’. Sleep hygiene is improving the behavior to maximize the amount of restful sleep one gets.

You should consider:

Sticking to a standard bedtime (and even wakeup time)
Making your environment as comfortable as possible.
Avoiding Nicotine (i.e. tobacco, cigarettes), caffeine and alcohol before hitting the sheets.
Exercising regularly, but not before going to bed.
Eliminating as much light as possible in the room at bedtime.
Clearing the mind of worrisome thoughts at night.
Staying away from heavy foods for at least 2 hours before going to bed.















































































Rainbowgist

Herdsmen attack Catholic Church, parishioners, kill 2 Catholic priests

The Catholic Diocese of Makurdi has confirmed the killing of two of its priests, Rev Fathers Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, in an early hour attack on St Ignatius Quasi Parish, Ukpor, Mbalom in Gwer West Local Government Council of Benue.

 A statement by its Director of Communications, Rev Fr Moses Iorapuu, said that the attacks were perpetrated by herdsmen who stormed the Mbalom community and killed the two priests during the morning mass at the church.

The Diocese expressed regret at the nonchalant attitude of the security agencies in containing the killings.

It said the herdsmen, who stormed the community, burnt down houses, destroyed crops and killed people.

The church, therefore, urged the relevant authorities to stop the killings in the Benue valley.

Iorapuu said the Diocese had been active in providing food and relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s) since the onset of hostilities in the state and wondered why it could be marked as a target of attacks.

“The attack on the priests is an attack on everything that we ever stood for and believed in.”

Meanwhile, concerted efforts to get reaction from the Benue Police Command failed as its Public Relations Officer, ASP Moses Yamu, was not forthcoming with remarks.

Rev. Fr. Gor had before the attack written on Facebook; “Living in fear. The fulani herdsmen are still around us in Mbalom. They refuse to go. They still go grazing around us. No weapons to depend on ourselves”.

Herdsmen in the early hours of the morning attacked a Catholic Church and parishioners who went for 5.30 a.m. mass.

Reports say the bodies of the dead have been taken to St. Theresa’s Hospital Makurdi.

































Rainbow

Finally, No More Difference Between Bsc/hnd Graduates – FG Announces

The difference between Bsc/HND graduates has been put to an end by the federal government

– Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Head of Service of the Federation (HOCSF) on Sunday, April 22 issued a circular containing the presidency’s resolve on the age-long disparity

– The Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE) urged government at all levels to set up monitoring groups to see that the decision is implemented

Beneficiaries of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cancellation of the difference between university and polytechnic graduates in the civil service have praised him for his actions.

While the disparity had before now restricted polytechnic graduates to certain Salary Grade Level (SGL) in the civil service, it took the intervention of the National Council on Establishment (NCE) to address and solve the issue in their favour, Daily Trust reports.

Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Head of Service of the Federation (HOCSF), in a statement dated Monday, March 26, relayed the the decision of the NCE to all concerned and solicited their support for implementation.

The circular indicated that NCE approved entry point of SGL 08 for HND holders in the civil service. It also encouraged serving HND officers to fulfil all specified conditions as contained in scheme of service and extant rules for career progression beyond SGL 14.

Ahmad Yabagi, the head of the umbrella body of the beneficiaries, the Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE), informed journalists on Sunday, April 22 in Abuja, that the decision has paved the way for career building.

Yabagi said: “We are glad that this monster called dichotomy that has been a big threat to the development of technology in Nigeria has been defeated. NATE has therefore resolved to support and partner with the Federal Government in the quest to bequeath entrepreneurial skills to Nigerian youths as a means to turn around the economic fortune of Nigeria.”

Yabagi, however, advised all government agencies to see that the resolve contained in the circular is implemented throughout the country.

Meanwhile, it was  reported that Dr Ramon Adedoyin, the executive chairman of the Polytechnic, Ile-Ife, had called for the outright scrapping of the Higher National Diploma (HND) programme, and its replacement with a Bachelor’s degree in Technology, as obtainable in advanced countries.

Adedoyin made his comments during a chat with newsmen; against the backdrop of the federal government’s recent removal of the dichotomy between the holders of HND and university degrees.




















































Rainbowgist

Police arrest Lagos security man for impregnating daughter

A security guard in Obadore, in the Igando/Ikotun Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, Taiwo Oyelabi, has been arrested by the police after allegedly raping  his daughter for seven months.

The 50-year-old reportedly impregnated the 21-year-old daughter while the incest lasted.

It was  learnt that Oyelabi and the victim’s mother divorced when she was two-year-old.

Before the separation, they had had a set of twins together which included the victim.

It was learnt that Oyelabi’s younger sister took custody of the twins and she later travelled to Cote D’Ivoire with them.

Our correspondent gathered that the victim relocated to Nigeria about seven months ago and started living with her father.

It was said that some residents of Community Road, Obadore, where the suspect and his daughter lived, got wind of the incest and reported to the police.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, who paraded Oyelabi on Monday at the command headquarters in Ikeja, said the report was found credible after an undercover investigation was conducted.

The CP said people became suspicious of Oyelabi as he always took his daughter along whenever he was going for his night work.

 Edgal said, “This strange behaviour attracted the attention of the community and they reported the case at the Igando Police Station on April 16, 2018. After a preliminary investigation at the division, the matter was transferred to the Gender Section of the state command on April 18 for in-depth investigation.

“The suspect divorced his wife when the twins were still infants. The twins were taken to the suspect’s younger sister. However, sometime in November 2017, the suspect took the now grown daughter from his sister and brought her home to live with him.

“The suspect had been having sex with his daughter and the result of this unholy alliance is pregnancy. The suspect blamed the devil for his act.”

Edgal added that the suspect would be charged to the Special Court for Sexual Offences in Ikeja.

Oyelabi, while confessing to the crime, said  that he slept with his daughter five times.

The native of Ejigbo, Osun State, said it was the daughter who tempted him into the act, adding that he was not responsible for the pregnancy.

He said, “Her mother and I separated when she and her twin sister were two years old. My sister took them to Cote D’Ivoire. Seven months ago, my sister sent her back to Nigeria.

“She started living with me. One day, I was relaxing at home when she suddenly grabbed me and forcefully kissed me. I tried to beat her, but I did not know what came over me; I had sex with her.

“I went to a church and explained what happened to a pastor. He said some evil persons were after us and that I had to be prayerful. I slept with her five times. It was my landlord who reported the case to the police.

“I didn’t meet her as a virgin. She told me that she had a boyfriend who also slept with her. She said it was the boyfriend that impregnated her.”

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, while briefing journalists on recent operations of the command, said suspected robbers were rounded up at different parts of the state.

He said on April 20, 2018 around 5.30pm, one Raphael Oluwanishola, who was on a motorcycle, was flagged down along Ile-Iwe Road, Meiran, during a stop and search by the anti-robbery team from the Meiran division.

“Upon questioning him, he said he was a thrift collector. He offered the officers the sum of N5,000 to let him continue his journey. When the officers refused his offer, he jumped down from the motorcycle and fled.

“He was chased and apprehended. His bag was searched and three locally-made cut-to-size pistols and 11 cartridges were recovered from him,” the CP added.

Edgal stated that operatives from the Area D Command, Mushin, also apprehended an ex-convict, Chukwuemeka Okafor, on April 19, following an intelligence report from the Lagos State Neigbhourhood Security Corps that a gang to which the suspect allegedly belonged was defrauding unsuspecting members of the public.

 He said investigations revealed that Okafor and his gang members intercepted one Juliet Etim on April 14 around Cele bus stop while she was driving to Ejigbo and dispossessed her of money.

He added, “During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime. He mentioned one Capol Alhaji as the leader of the gang. Exhibits, including eight pieces of 10,000 CFA Franc, four pieces of 1,000 CFA Guinea, 17 notes of $1,000 and four pieces of £50 – all suspected to be fake – were recovered from them. The suspects will be charged to court.”



































Rainbowgist

There’s a plot to kill me, Melaye says as police lay siege to Shanga Street,

Armed riot policemen on Monday laid siege to Shanga Street, Maitama, Abuja residence of Senator Dino Melaye to arrest him.

The security operatives blocked one end of the street with a Toyota Hiace bus with tinted glasses and Abuja number plate, RSH 193 TP, and a pick-up at the other end.

They also prevented persons in the building from going out, but later allowed family members, friends and guests to enter and exit the premises.

Melaye had, in a hushed tone on the telephone, told one of our correspondents about the police siege at 1.43pm.

Immigration officers had earlier in the day arrested, detained and attempted to seize the passport of the senator at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on his way to Morocco.

The operatives claimed that they were acting on the advice from the police, which had asked them to detain the Senator who is representing Kogi West at the Senate.

In an interview at the airport, Melaye said he was on an official trip to Morocco along with some senators.

He said, “The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and I, as well as other senators, were to be on an official trip to Morocco but while some went through the Lagos airport today (Monday), others are to depart tomorrow (Tuesday).

“As soon as I got to this airport, I was checked in and was already at the lounge waiting for departure when immigration officers invited me that there was a directive from the police that I can’t travel; that I am on their watch list.

“I said it was not true; that the INTERPOL said it did not issue any alert against me. I opened INTERPOL’s website and showed them the denial, but the immigration officers insisted that it was based on the directive from the police.

“I was asked to come down and told to go to their office (at the airport). They took my passport, but I snatched my thing back from them. I am still here with them. They told me that they were waiting for further instructions from the police,” he said.

Melaye was said to have ‘escaped’ from the airport in a curious manner, causing no fewer than 30 policemen to invade Shanga Street, where his house was located.

About 10 additional policemen were deployed in the house around 4.30pm.

Not long after their arrival, about eight Volkswagen Golf cabs loaded with men and women arrived at Melaye’s mansion, to protest against the police presence.

The people, who were later identified as Internally Displaced Persons from Kuchingoro Camp, Abuja, sat down in front of the embattled lawmaker’s mansion while railing against the police move to arrest Melaye.

After some minutes, another group of women and children arrived on the street.

The children could be heard chanting “Sai Dino” as they marched in front of the building.

The leader of the IDPs, Philemon Emmanuel, said he would not allow the policemen to arrest Melaye, whom he described as a philanthropist.

“He gave us foodstuffs and sent our children to school. That is why we came here; we will not allow anything to happen to Senator Dino Melaye. We want them (authorities) to allow him to move freely. He has been helping the IDPs and we want the government not to restrict his freedom of movement,” he said.

A young man handed over some bags of sachet water to the protesters who sat on the tarmac while criticising the police.

No fewer than five senators and members of the civil society organisations visited Melaye’s residence.

The lawmakers are the Minority Whip, Senator Philip Aduda; Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi; Senator Aidoko Ali, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim and Senator Isa Misau.

The senators interacted privately with leader of the police team.

After the interaction, Olujimi said, “I came to check on him, only to find out that the place has been barricaded. I am going to make enquiries and see what is going on. I asked them what happened and they said they have the instruction to come here.”

Aduda also said, “As a principal officer, I have come here to see what is happening here with a view to reporting back to the presiding officers and the body of principal officers on what I have discovered and seen.

“I will report appropriately what I saw. But I don’t think this should have happened.”

The policemen were still at the senator’s residence as of 8pm when The PUNCH left the area.

The Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, Adeniran Aremu, said the lawmaker was indicted for possession of illegal firearms and had refused to honour police summons over the alleged crime.

“We have invited him twice, but he refused to honour our summonses, that is why we have sent our men to arrest him. They are at his residence and they will not leave until they have apprehended him,” he said.

The police had alleged that Melaye contracted one Kabiru Seidu and his gang as political thugs, adding that the lawmaker met with the suspect on Airport Road, Abuja, inside his car in December 2017 and gave him a bag containing an AK-47 rifle, two pump action guns and N430,000 to share with his boys.

Reacting to the siege, the Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights expressed concern over the freedom and safety of Melaye, in a statement issued by its Executive Director, Mr. Frank Tietie.

Tietie said CASER recognised Melaye as “one of the only few persons in authority in Nigeria who have distinguished themselves by constantly and consistently speaking truth to power on behalf of the Nigerian people.”

He recalled that Melaye had recently, with boldness, denounced the seemingly intractable state of insecurity in Nigeria and had challenged the President Buhariadministration to arrest the situation or consider calling the international community to provide security for Nigerians.

The statement by the group read in part, “CASER views the desperate moves by the authorities to arrest and take Senator Melaye to Kogi State, either for trial at the Federal High Court or for questioning, as a ploy to exterminate the irrepressible voice of the masses in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“CASER is worried that if a distinguished Senator can be so harassed to the point of being deprived of his fundamental human rights to life, liberty, freedom of movement and freedom of expression, wherein lies the hope for the ordinary citizens to enjoy their rights?

“CASER hereby calls on the Nigerian Senate to abort its Tuesday sitting in solidarity with the Nigerian people and Senator Dino Melaye.

“Until his fundamental rights are recognised and enforced by the Nigeria Police who must immediately stop the siege on his house, the Senate should no longer sit to conduct legislative business.”

Melaye, in a series of tweets on his twitter handle on Monday evening alleged that the police had arrested his brother, Moses, and his friend.

He said they were arrested in front of his house.

The senator also alleged that his police orderlies had been withdrawn, adding that there was a plan to kill him.

The tweets read, “All my policemen have been taken away with their arms.

“One CP came and took them away. There is also a plan to set me up again. But in God I trust. Truth will always prevail.

“We are in a civil society. No warrant and case is in court, yet this lawlessness.

“I’m a responsible Nigerian and law-abiding. There is a plan to kill me and I know about it. We are not in a banana republic. I cannot be silenced.”




























































Rainbowgist