07042018 - Investigate your ministers

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, APRL 7, 2018
Murder of Nigerian artist, daughter:
Suspected Killer-husband transfered to SCIID
*As murdered artist’s manager calls on NIS to be on the alert
By Evelyn Usman
NIGERIAN based
Danish man who
was arrested Thursday, by
the Lagos State Police Command
, over an alleged
murder of his Nigerian wife
and four -year- old daughter,
at their Banana Island
residence in Lagos, has
been transfered to the State
Criminal Investigation and
Intelligence Department,
SCIID, Yaba for further investigation
into the murder.
The suspect, Peter Nielsen,
who hails from Denmark
Copenhagen, has
however , insisted that he
had no hand in the murder,
claiming that he woke
up to find them stone dead.
The deceased, Zainab
Alizee, (29) , a rising artist
and their four -year-old
daughter Petra, were reportedly
murdered Thursday.
However, late Zainab Alizee’s
employer, Petra Entertainment
Limited, has
called on the Nigerian Immigration
Service to be on
the alert, since the suspect
was a foreigner, even as it
called for a discreet investigation
by the police.
As at yesterday, Police
authorities in Lagos were
yet to establish if it was a
clear case of murder as they
stated that investigation
was still ongoing.
But report had it that the
artist and her daughter were
strangled. An account of the
report also had it that the
little girl’s body was found
lying on her mother’s chest.
The late sensational singer
who hailed from Kogi
state, started her music
Late Zainab Nielsen
career shortly after her secondary
school , by writing
songs and improving her
vocal skills.
She had released three
singles before her untimely
death.
The rising music artist
who was known by her
stage name Alizee, hooked
up with ace producer and
hitmaker Del’b and had on
January 10th 2018, released
her latest song , Alhaji
Musa. Part of the promotions
of the song was to
be performed at Harrysong’s
‘Kingmaker Concert’
at the Warri Stadium,
Delta state ,on April 29th,
before the unexpected occurred.
An official statement issued
by management of
Petra entertainment, the late
artist’s manager, clarified
that late Zainab Nielsen’s
widower was a Danish and
not an Italian as was widely
reported earlier.
The statement reads,”
Petra Entertainment Limited
has received with shock
news of the sudden demise
of our artist Nielsen Zainab
Joy (aged 29) and her
daughter Nielsen Petra
Deceased with suspect
Nielsen
(aged 4) at their Banana
Island, Lagos home on the
5th of April 2018.
The late Nielsen Zainab
Joy (also known as Alizee)
was a Nigerian citizen married
to Nielsen Peter Schau
a Danish citizen resident in
Nigeria.
“ While we exercise restraint
in making public
comments on the circumstances
surrounding the
demise of Alizee and her
daughter, – in order not to
prejudice on-going police
investigations – it has become
important to correct
some misinformation presently
circulating in the media
space.
“ In this regard, we state
that the husband of the late
Nielsen Zainab Joy who is
also the father of the late
Nielsen Petra is Nielsen
Peter Schau. Nielsen Peter
Schau is a Danish citizen
and not an Italian or Asian
as has been reported by
several media outlets.
“We call all law enforcement
agencies to speedily
unravel the circumstances
surrounding the demise of
these vibrant Nigerians and
bring all complicit persons
Late Petra Nielsen
and/or entities to justice.
“ In the light of reports
suggesting that Alizee’s
husband may be under Police
investigation in connection
with these painful
deaths, we particularly call
on the Nigerian Immigration
Service to remain vigilant
at this time and urge
the cooperation of all foreign
missions in the country. Our
thoughts and prayers go out
to the relatives of the late
Zainab and Petra.”
Spokesman for the Lagos
State Police Command,
Chile Oti, who confirmed
the incident, stated that “ the
Commissioner of Police,
Edgal Imohimi, has deployed
investigators to the
crime scene to pick evidences
that would help in the
investigation.”
Oti added that the command
had written the Denmark
embassy , to intimate
it on the incident.
Looters’ list: Secondus
drags Lai Mohammad to
Court for defamation
*Demands N1.5 billion in damages
By Dirisu Yakubu
THE National Chairman of the Peoples Dem
ocratic Party (PDP) Prince Uche Secondus
yesterday dragged Information and Culture Minister,
Alhaji Lai Mohammed to court for alleged
defamation of character.
The Minister had a fortnight ago, mentioned
Secondus on the list of those he claimed, looted
the nation’s treasury alleging that he collected
N200 million from the former National Security
Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd).
However, Secondus denied collecting a dime from
the former NSA through his lawyer Emeka Etiaba
SAN, and promptly wrote a letter to the Minister seeking
the immediate retraction of his name on the list,
payment of N1.5 billion in damages and public apology
within 48 hours.
The letter urged Alhaji Mohammad to note that if
he fails to meet the demand after 48 hours, “ We shall
within 72 hours from today, proceed to a court of competent
jurisdiction to ventilate our client’s right under
the law and shall further seek the protection of
the court against you.”
Having failed to meet the demand, Prince Secondus
yesterday made good his threat and filed a suit
at the Port Harcourt, High Court, Rivers State praying
among other things that the court awards to him
the sum of N1.5 billion being damages for humiliation,
castigation, vilification attack on his person and
integrity as a result of the publication.
According to a statement from the PDP National
Chairman’s media office signed by his Spokesperson,
Ike Abonyi, Secondus in the suit is also claiming
that Lai Mohammad’s publication is defamatory and
is asking the court to direct him to retract the said publication
and apologize in writing.
The statement further tasked the Minister to “Publish
the retraction and apology in all the social media
including but not limited to the following newspapers,
the Nation, Thisday, Vanguard, The Sun, Guardian
and Punch as well as in NTA and Channels Televisions
among others where the defamatory story was
published.”
Secondus is also asking the court for a perpetual
injunction restraining the defendant (Lai Mohammed)
from further publishing defamatory materials against
him.