Soundcity's Juliet's Marriage Canceled Over Money...

Hello Friends!

There is always two sides to a story.

No one seems to know what led to the crash of the marriage of Juliet: former Sound City TV Presenter.

This is kind of an eye opener for many Nigerian ladies who fall in love with a guy because they believe he's loaded with cash and within a few weeks they are already talking about marriage.

According to the story, the model, Juliet met Chima Ojukwu, a US-based guy in September 2011 and within a week they were already engaged. Less than a month into the relationship they had their introduction. Chima followed it with a traditional marriage the next month and they planned their white wedding in the US but that never held, the reason, we gathered, is money palaver and the wedding was unceremoniously called off and the love birds parted ways.

Juliet who has since changed her facebook status from married to single said in an interview, "we parted ways over irreconcilable differences. We were incompatible. At a point, being in the marriage became life threatening. If I was still in it, my enemy may have been dead by now, all in the name of trying to make it work and to avoid what people will say.

"I had to cancel the wedding in America because here in Nigeria where my family and his family are, there were verbal and domestic abuse. Going to a foreign land where I knew no one would have been worse. So, there was no need for the American wedding since it was already failing in Nigeria."

MTN Tackles ID Theft With New Solution...

Hello Friends!

In an effort to arrest the growing trend of identity theft in the telecommunications sector, MTN Nigeria has introduced a 16-digit security number solution that would make it impossible for hackers and scammers to clone or control subscriber’s identity with intent to commit fraud using a mobile phone line.

Re-launching the MTN Security Number, which had been in existence before, Customer Relations Executive for MTN, Mr. Akin Braithwaite, said the motive behind the fresh campaign for security number, was to let the customer know that MTN cherished their comfort on the network, since they were the reason for the continuous existence of MTN as a telecoms company in Nigeria.

The security number, according to Braithwaite, would protect all MTN customers’ data on the MTN network, in such a way that thieves would no longer commit crime of impersonation against any subscriber on the MTN network, who has fully registered his or her SIM card.

MTN, he said, has had several cases of identity theft, where people pretend to be the owners of other customers’ lines, do SIM swap on them and use the SIM to commit crimes unknown to the actual SIM owner. Some, he said, steal customer details under false pretence. He explained that the security number would address all of that and keep customers in a comfortable zone, where thieves would no longer have access to their SIM cards.

UNILAG student jailed for internet love scam...

P.S. Photo Does Not Represent Story...

Hello Friends!

For allegedly defrauding an American lady, Kathy Lunsford through the internet under the pretext of marriage, a University of Lagos student, Michael Opaleye has been sent to jail by a Lagos State High Court. Opaleye was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment today by Justice Aishat Opesanwo for defrauding Miss Kathy Lunsford, of 9,200 US dollars under the pretext of getting married to her.

The convict who is studying computer science at UNILAG had pleaded guilty to the charge of obtaining by false pretence and forgery. He had entered into a plea bargain deal with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) and offered to pay back the money to his victim.

The judge in her judgment, said the sentence would commence on 15 March when he was first arraigned before the court. She also ordered Opaleye after his release from prison,to pay N100,000 monthly to the victim through the EFCC until he refunded the total amount involved in the scam.

The convict is also to forfeit the electronic appliances and other items purchased with the proceeds of the crime, which were recovered from his house during the investigation, to the EFCC. EFCC counsel, Mr Anselem Ozioko said Opaleye had between 2008 and 2011, swindled Lunsford by making a phoney marriage proposal to her through e-mail.

Mother of twins jumps into river in Osun...

Hello Friends!

A woman, Mrs. Sekinat Akewusola, on Thursday jumped into Osun River.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the woman jumped into the river from the bridge located at Oke-Gada, Ede, minutes after giving money to some beggars.

Some of the beggars said they saw the woman when she jumped into the river.

Head, Disaster Management Unit, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Olaniyi Babalola, confirmed the development.

He told our correspondent that the slippers and a veil worn by the deceased described as a devout Muslim were recovered from the bridge, adding that the search for her corpse was still in progress.

Babalola said, “Her husband said that there was no crisis in the family. He said her wife was taking their first child to school when the incident happened. We gathered that she prayed on the bridge before jumping into the river.”

It was gathered that some passersby and beggars stopped the husband from jumping into the river when he visited the scene. Babalola said, “Investigation to determine the cause of the suicide is on. We will leave no stone un turned in the process to unearth the cause of the incident.

“We are still looking for her corpse and we have intensified our search in that regard.”

Culled from The Punch Nigeria.

xoxo

Simply Cheska...

Corper denies robbery allegation, threatens to sue SSS...

Hello Friends!

A member of the National Youth Service Corps, Alli Bello, has threatened to sue the State Security Service for allegedly detaining him for nine days.

Alli, who is observing his one year national service in Lagos State, also said he would sue Mr. Kolawole James, for causing his detention after he accused him of robbing him.

The corps member said he was quizzed by the operatives of the SSS on September 17 and detained at the Lagos office of the agency for five days and at the Abuja office for four days.

Alli, a graduate of Mathematics, University of Ibadan, said he was shocked on September 21 at the SSS Asokoro office when James said he robbed him.

He said, “On September 17, three SSS operatives arrested me in Agege area of Lagos and drove me down to their office in Shangisha. “When I was taken to Abuja SSS office, James who I had never met in my life accused me of robbing him at the Abuja Airport area after taking him and an Alhaji on a ride.

“He accused me of being the leader of a three-man armed robbery gang that dispossessed him of N250, 000, an iPAD, a BlackBerry phone, ATM cards and other personal effects.”

Alli said he was rattled by the allegations as he had neither been to Abuja nor driven a car all his life. He added that on August 15, the day the he purportedly robbed James, he was at his place of primary assignment where he taught students preparing for General Certificate of Education Mathematics lessons and also slept at his Lagos residence.

He said it was discovered that he was a victim of mistaken identity when James claimed he added him on BlackBerry Messenger and got his pictures from there.

He said, “During examinations and re-examinations it was revealed that James who had worked with my sister-in-law, Toyin Bello, in Lagos was once a contact on my BlackBerry phone which she (Toyin) gave to me.

The terrifying world of child brides: Devastating images show girls young enough to be in pre-school who are married off to older men...

Disturbing: Faiz, 40 (left), and Ghulam (right), 11, sit in her home prior to their wedding in the rural Damarda Village, Afghanistan on September 11, 2005.

Hello Friends!

At age 11, Ghulam was married off to 40-year-old Jaiz in a rural Afghan village, making her only one of more than 10 million young girls who are being forced to wed men old enough to be their fathers or grandfather every year.

In an effort to start a global conversation about the devastating effects of early marriages, which are currently practiced in more than 50 developing countries, the United Nations designated October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child this year.

To mark the occasion and draw attention to the problem of child brides, photojournalist Stephanie Sinclair teamed up with National Geographic to create a series of heart-braking photos depicting girls as young as five years old being married off to middle-aged men in countries like India, Yemen and Ethiopia.

Minors: Tahani (front), 8, is seen with her husband Majed, 27, and her former classmate Ghada (rear), 8, and her husband outside their home in Hajjah, Yemen.

Voiceless: Sumeena Shreshta Balami, right, 15, leaves her home to meet her groom, Prakash Balami, 16, in Kagati Village in Nepal, while Sarita, left, 15, is seen covered in tears and sweat before she is sent to her new home in Rajasthan, India.

Vulnerable: Young girls sit inside a home outside of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, in 2010.

Although child marriage is against the law in many countries, and international treaties forbid the practice, it is estimates that about 51 million girls below age 18 are currently married, often under the cover of darkness and in secret. In Afghanistan alone, it is believed that approximately 57 per cent of girls wed before the legal age of 16. 

Various factors drive parents of child brides to marry off their daughters, from the community’s pressure to confirm to age-old cultural customs to economic considerations. In poor, developing nations, it is not uncommon for families to settle debts by offering their daughters as payment. 

Beside India, where girls are usually wed to boys who are only a couple of years their senior, the husbands may be decades older than their prepubescent betrothed. It is not uncommon for men to kidnap girls and rape them first before trying the knot.

Ex-minister’s son dies in power bike accident...

Hello Friends!

Mohammed, the first son of ex-Minister of Power and Steel, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, has died in a power bike accident. PUNCH Metro learnt that 34-year-old Mohammed died on October 1 on his way to Abuja after participating at a bikers’ convention in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital.

Mohammed, according a source, had told his driver to drive along while he rode on his power bike.

Although there were reports that he fell from his bike before he was crushed by two oncoming vehicles, findings show that a trailer actually hit Mohammed from behind before he was crushed by an oncoming vehicle.

A source, who claimed that her boyfriend also took part in the convention that was held between September 29 and 30, said Mohammed, who was often referred to as Mr. D among fellow bikers, put on his full kit when the accident occurred.

The source said, “Mr. D was on his bike and put on his full kit when a trailer hit him from behind. Another vehicle that was coming from the other side of the road later crushed him and dragged him into the bush.

“Mohammed died on the spot. The vehicle mangled his body. His remains were flown in a chartered plane back to Kano, his home town, and he had since being buried according to Islamic rites.”

Culled from The Punch Nigeria.

xoxo

Simply Cheska...

I wish Ronaldo’s injury was more serious – Capello...

Hello Friends!

Russia manager Fabio Capello on Thursday said that he intended to reverse the squad’s knack for losing big matches by taking the game to Portugal during their top-of-the-table 2014 World Cup qualifier in Moscow. Friday’s showdown at the nearly sold-out Luzhniki Stadium has been billed as a “decider” by a Russian media that is ominously recalling the 7-1 thrashing Portugal delivered in another 2006 World Cup qualifier in 2004.

The Italian veteran acknowledged that Russia had a history of losing big matches that must be instantly reversed. “We should not be calling this match a decider,” Capello said through a Russian translator. “But we have all the incentive – we should be ready to win a big match.”

Both Russia and Portugal boast a maximum six points from their opening two matches and stand five points clear of their four group rivals.

Russia have not given up a goal in their wins against Northern Ireland and Israel while Portugal will be keen to see back Cristiano Ronaldo after the super-striker suffered a shoulder injury in Real Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Barcelona last weekend.

Capello said he was expecting a “quality” match and called Ronaldo’s current form the best of his life.

They labelled my son a thief to kill him – Chidiaka’s father...

Hello Friends!

ONE of the parents of the slain UNIPORT students, Mr. Steven Biringa, has insisted that his son, Chiadika, was labelled a thief by his assailants so that they could find a reason to kill him.

Biringa told our correspondent in Port Harcour, Rivers State on Thursday that his son had a good upbringing.

He said it was unfortunate for members of the Aluu community to kill his son “over spurious claims”. Biringa, from Obowo Local Government of Imo State, said Chiadika was always contented with what he had and would only plead with his parents to get what he needed.

He said, “I have always said that if you have seen me, you have seen my child. My child was full of humility. The issue of stealing or being an armed robber is unimaginable. He is dead and would not be here to defend himself.

“They (slain students) were supposed to be trained to take charge when we leave the stage. So why would somebody get up one day and give them a bad name and kill them? It’s just like giving a dog a bad name in order to kill it.

“It is not just killing the young men, but the manner which they did it is more annoying. I know my son will die one day just like you and I, but why now and why should it be in the most unacceptable form?

“I don’t see Chiadika going to pick somebody’s thing. It is unfortunate that he is being labelled a thief or an armed robber or whatever name they must have given to him.

“But I know that till tomorrow, if I meet him after this planet earth, I am sure he would remain what he has always been. Chiadika is never a thief and will never be a thief.”

SHOCKER: Dino Melaye Is A Potential HIV Carrier, He Gave Me Syphilis--Upcoming Actress Alleges

Hello Friends!

The 'dirty water' controversial former Kogi State federal lawmaker, Dino Melaye may have found himself swimming in has taken a new turn. If what we are now getting is anything to go by, then, more troubles await the husband of Tokunbo Melaye. This is because the 'activist' has now been dragged into another controversy, which may be messier than the pregnancy mess he is in with beautiful Yoruba actress, Bisi Ibidapo Obe. 

According to what BON reported, an up and coming Yoruba actress has accused the father of three of infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease called Syphilis. She also alleged Dino to be a potential carrier of the dreaded disease called HIV. 

BON reported that a budding actress (name withheld) sent a mail to them. A copy of the mail is presented below. 

"My name is ——–, I am an upcoming actress and I have featured in over 20 Yoruba films mostly as waka about. Last year, I met one of the big names in the industry who lives in Magodo and she became my friend and we were relating on sister level basis. She was very nice to me and she even gave me a role in her movie directed by Muyideen and shot in Omole Estate.

On my birthday last year (2011), she (the big actress) used my picture on her bb (BlackBerry) and Hon. Dino saw it and begged that she should hook us up. She did but told me plain that she was not asking me to date him that the choice was mine. 

SAD NEWS: Sultry Actress, Ini Edo Loses Pregnancy?

Hello Friends!

According to what Encomium magazine reported, Nollywood actress, Ini Edo has lost her pregnancy. Ini Edo's pregnancy has recently become a controversial issue when pictures of the talented actress taken at recent events, shows a 'table flat' tummy. This has made some people wonder if she is still pregnant. 

At most events Ini went to in recent times, she is pictured wearing a big belt around her stomach area, which raised further eyebrows. At the US launch of her fashion line and other events, she was so spotted. 

Ini's pregnancy became more controversial when Mercy Johnson, who was also reported to have been pregnant almost the same time with Ini, flaunted her pregnancy recently. 

An excerpt of what Encomium reported is presented below;

"Pretty actress, Ini Edo recently suffered a loss. She lost the pregnancy she was carrying for hubby, Philip Ehiagwina. The actress, a few months back, confirmed to an online magazine that she was indeed on a nine month course and ignited the fury of fans who felt she had first denied and then confirmed. 

"According to insiders, the actress, who was spotted looking every inch a super star (at the 32nd birthday party of Actress Stephanie O-Linus), also spotted a table flat tummy. 'If she has not lost the baby, she would be almost ready to bring it to bed by now. Here is wishing her all the best as she tries again.'

Ben Affleck admits to staying in touch with Jennifer Lopez: ‘I like her’...

Hello Friends!

The first "Bennifer" period of Ben Affleck's life may be one he'd like to forget — remember when he kissed Jennifer Lopez's famous backside in her "Jenny From the Block" music video?! — but he doesn't look back at it with regret. "There was only one way to handle a situation like that: Go straight through it," the "Argo" director, who is now married to another Jennifer (Garner) and the father of three beautiful kids, tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Although he has redeemed himself from "Gigli"-gate (the 2003 J.Lo project that earned a paltry $7 million at the box office and earned itself a spot at the top of Yahoo! Movies' Bottom Rated Movies of All Time list) and successfully carved out a respectable career as both an actor and director, he hasn't turned his back on his tabloid-fixture past — or the woman responsible for it. In fact, Affleck, 40, admits that he and Lopez still talk.

"We don't have the kind of relationship where she relies on me for advice," he says, "but we do have the kind of relationship where there'll be an e-mail saying, 'Oh, your movie looks great.' I remember when she got 'American Idol.' I said: 'This was really smart. Good luck.' I touch base. I respect her. I like her. She's put up with some stuff that was unfair in her life, and I'm really pleased to see her successful."

Whitney Houston’s 19-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, confirms engagement to Nick Gordon...

Nick Gordon and Bobbi Kristina Brown.

Hello Friends!

It turns out that the blinding bling Bobbi Kristina Brown has been wearing on her finger is an engagement ring. The 19-year-old is planning to marry her controversial boyfriend Nick Gordon.

In a promo for "The Houstons: On Our Own" — the reality show about how Whitney Houston's family has been coping after her death — Brown giggles as she breaks the news that she is engaged to 22-year-old Gordon. Let's just say the reaction isn't celebratory — it's more of a stunned silence. Brown's aunt Pat Houston, who was Whitney's manager and best friend, says, "Engagement? This is unacceptable."

Brown's relationship with Gordon — which began after Whitney's death — has raised eyebrows for multiple reasons. First, there's the age factor. Brown is still a teenager. Plus, she's mourning the loss of her mother, who died suddenly in February. But a bigger issue — as you'll see in the clip — is that Houston took Gordon in as a teenager and raised him as her own, alongside Brown. So the family is uncomfortable that the relationship has turned romantic.

"No one knew that from a godson you would turn into a boyfriend," Whitney's brother, Gary Houston, says while confronting Gordon in the clip. Gordon shoots back, "Nobody has to be in my business." Brown's beau goes on to say that the family has wrongly made him out to be "a bad person."

Gordon himself isn't doing much to help his reputation. Late last month he took to his Twitter account to post a photo of himself behind the wheel of a car while pointing a handgun in the air. The photo was later removed from the social media site. In the new issue of People he addressed the controversy, admitting it was a mistake in judgment.

Pakistani doctors remove bullet from girl shot by Taliban...

Hello Friends!

Pakistani surgeons removed a bullet on Wednesday from a 14-year-old girl shot by the Taliban for speaking out against the militants and promoting education for girls, doctors said.

Malala Yousufzai was in critical condition after gunmen shot her in the head and neck on Tuesday as she left school. Two other girls were also wounded.

Yousufzai began standing up to the Pakistani Taliban when she was just 11, when the government had effectively ceded control of the Swat Valley where she lives to the militants.

Her courage made her a national hero and many Pakistanis were shocked by her shooting.

General Ashfaq Kayani, chief of Pakistan’s powerful army, visited her in hospital and condemned her attackers.

“The cowards who attacked Malala and her fellow students, have shown time and again how little regard they have for human life and how low they can fall in their cruel ambition to impose their twisted ideology,” Kayani said in a statement.

The military said it had a simple message, which it wrote in capital letters in the statement to add emphasis: “WE REFUSE TO BOW BEFORE TERROR.”

Doctors said they were forced to begin operating in the middle of the night after Yousufzai developed swelling in the left portion of her brain.

They removed a bullet from her body near her spinal cord during a three-hour operation that they finished at about 5 a.m. (1:00 a.m. British time).

“She is still unconscious and kept in the intensive care unit,” said Mumtaz Khan, head of a team of doctors taking care of Yousufzai in a military hospital in the north-western city of Peshawar.

One of the girls wounded with Yousufzai is in critical condition and the other is recovering and out of danger.

We made millions selling stolen fuel – Suspects

Hello Friends!

Some suspects arrested for alleged oil bunkering, have said they made millions of naira from the illegitimate business.

The suspects, were on their way to deliver petrol to a Chinese-owned rubber processing and manufacturing company in Ikorodu, Lagos State when they were nabbed by operatives of the Police Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism Unit, Force Headquarters annex, Lagos.

PUNCH Metro learnt that a truck, with registration number XX574APP, laden with 33,000 litres of petrol, was recovered from the suspects.

The suspects are Alison Vitus, Polycarp Ajeh, Amechi Iloama, Onekule Roman and Chukwuebuka Ezema.

Vitus, who is based in Delta State, said he was into genuine oil business before he was introduced to bunkering by a man he identified only as Papa.

He said, “I felt it was a better way of making money when Papa who I met in the course of my business, told me that I can make much gain in this business undetected.

“He is the one who organises the boys that vandalise the pipelines. My duty is to bring my truck close to an agreed spot and they would load it with any available product.

“Sometimes, he supplies me crude oil popularly known as black oil. All we do is to pick it up at Auchi, Edo State. Normally my driver, Chukwuebuka, would drive my truck to meet papa at Auchi where the truck would be loaded with 33,000 litres of crude oil. I would wait at Owo, Ondo State where I consider safe enough to take delivery of the product.

Church provides streetlights for Gbagada residents...

Hello Friends!

Incessant attacks and molestation of residents by hoodlums have prompted the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Zone 7 to light up Lateef Shofowora Street, Gbagada in Lagos State.

Speaking shortly before the inauguration on Sunday, the church’s pastor, Ade Omokorede, said the initiative was taken to protect residents from avoidable attacks whenever there was outage in the area.

He said, “There is a directive from the office of the General Overseer to provide community services in the area where our churches are located and by the grace of God, we have been doing this. “When we moved in here, there were cases of robbery at nights and we thought we could do something in that direction. We inaugurated streetlights on Ifelodun Street in February and we are doing another one on Lateef Shofowora Street.

Youth corps member donates borehole, toilet to community...

The corps member, Williams with others during the inauguration of the borehole. 

Hello Friends!

Imo is a rustic community located within Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital yet its people do not have access to basic amenities such as potable water and good toilet facilities.

This, it was learnt, has been the condition of the area since 1827 when their forefathers migrated from Orile-Imo homestead to their present place within Abeokuta metropolis.

As far as the people are concerned, there is nothing like dividends of democracy.

Concerned by the plight of the people, a member of the National Youth Service Corps, Mr. Igbigbi Williams, from Delta State, donated a borehole and a four-room modern toilet facilities worth N1.3m to the community. Williams, with service number OG/11C/2554 came into the community last March and saw the need for the community to have potable water and modern toilets.

He said he got in touch with some prominent indigenes of the community and told them about his plan. Williams, a graduate of Geography and Meteorology from the Enugu State University of Technology told our correspondent that he was encouraged by the enthusiasm exhibited by the leaders of the community when he informed them about his plan.

This, according to him, made him to ensure that the project was completed within seven months through direct labour. Williams said, “Today marks a very important day in my life because it is a day I have fulfilled a part of my heart desires, which is putting smiles on people’s faces. When I was posted to this community, I took my time to go round in order to find out the most pressing needs of the people.

“In the course of doing this, I discovered that their most collective and pressing needs were modern toilet facility and potable water. “Immediately I went to discuss my intention of providing these facilities with the head of the community who gladly accepted my proposals and gave me a portion of land where I eventually erected the projects.”

Kidnappers demand N200m ransom for Osun Speaker’s wife...

Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Honourable Najeem Salaam.

Hello Friends!

Less than 24 hours after the kidnap of Muiba, wife to Osun State House of Assembly Speaker, Mr. Najeem Salaam, her abductors have demanded N200m ransom for her release.

A source told our correspondent in Osogbo on that the suspected kidnappers phoned the Speaker on Wednesday to make the demand.

It was learnt that the hoodlums assured him that his wife would be released as soon as the money was paid. Investigation showed that the suspects told Salaam to call them back between 11am and 12 noon on Wednesday, assuring him that his wife was in safe.

But the Speaker told our correspondent that he would not comment publicly on the matter.

He said, “People have been telling me about N200m ransom; you know, people would come up with various versions but I’ve not been contacted by the kidnappers.”

Meanwhile, investigation has revealed that the six-man gang trailed Muiba, who is in her 40s, from her shop in Olota’s compound to the Speaker’s residence in Oke Oyo area.

Accoirding to reports, she was driving home in a Honda car with the state House of Assembly number plate when she noticed the suspcious movement behind her car.

She quickly alighted at the front of her house and made a dash into the compound but the gunmen caught up with her and forced her into their waiting car before speeding off.

The state House of Assembly has described the kidnap as “strange, barbaric and criminal”.

A statement by the Press Secretary to the Speaker, Mr Goke Butikakuro, said the incident might be aimed at disrupting the peace in the state.

Patience Jonathan to return today – Report...

First Lady: Patience Jonathan...

Hello Friends!

Patience Jonathan has been scheduled to return to the country today (Thursday) after about six of undergoing treatment abroad, Sahara reporters, reported.

The report said a presidential jet was scheduled to fly out of Abuja on Wednesday night to bring back President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife home.

Sahara reporters quoted presidency sources on Wednesday as saying that the wife of the President would return to the country early today barring any unexpected developments,.

According to the report, Patience was flown overseas nearly six weeks ago after developing complications from a cosmetic procedure she had undertaken in Dubai.

It further said that upon returning to Nigeria from Dubai, the President’s wife was allegedly flown to Germany in an air ambulance following an emergency which was allegedly diagnosed her with “food poisoning”. Sahara Reporters said its investigation revealed that her condition was more complicated and precarious. Among others, in the early stages she lost her power of speech for four days.

Aircraft, truck collide at Lagos airport...

Hello Friends!

A Kano-bound IRS Airlines plane departing the Lagos airport on Wednesday morning collided with an abandoned truck beside the taxiway, forcing the pilot to cancel the flight.

The wing of the Fokker-100 aircraft, it was learnt, collided with the truck which fell into a drainage on Tuesday.

The truck belongs to a Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria contractor.

The 91 passengers on board the flight were later disembarked and put in another plane which left for Kano three hours later. 

A statement by the Managing Director of IRS, Mr. Yemi Dada, confirmed the incident.

The statement quoted Dada as saying “This morning our flight LVB 3306 taxied out on a Lagos to Kano flight with a transit stop at Abuja. The aircraft taxied out at 7:48am with 91 passengers. While taxing on the taxi way the Captain observed a FAAN truck in a ditch. There were no marshals around it neither was there any marking to indicate that it encroached into the taxi way. There was no Notice To Air Men (NOTAM) issued to that effect as well.”

He added, “The captain continued on his taxi and the wing tip hit a protrusion from the truck towards the rear of the truck. This made the captain request a return to ramp from the tower and also notify the tower of the incident and the danger posed by the truck.

“The passengers were disembarked and accommodated in another aircraft which departed Lagos at 10:15am. The incident has been reported to Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and we await the clearance of the NCAA to effect repairs and return the aircraft to service.”

A FAAN statement also confirmed the incident. 

Policemen present at my son’s lynching – Mother...

Rivers State Commissioner of Police Mohammed Ndabawa.

Hello Friends!

Chinwe Biringa, mother of Chiadika, one of the four undergraduate students of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, who were lynched on Friday for allegedly stealing laptops and BlackBerry phones in Aluu community has said that policemen were present during the killings.

Chinwe who spoke in a telephone interview during a public affairs programme onChannels Television on Wednesday said she was disappointed with the way and manner the policemen looked on and did nothing to stop the gruesome murder of the four boys.

She said, “Eyewitnesses accounts revealed that policemen were at the scene of the incident. Besides, policemen at the police station confirmed to one of the bereaved parents who visited them that policemen were there.

“And the explanation they gave was that they were overwhelmed by the crowd and that they had insufficient bullets in their guns and all that thrash to confront the crowd.

“But those people were only with sticks not with guns. If they really wanted to work they would have worked. If they had done what the Joint Task Force did by firing warning shots into the air when they wanted to collect the corpses, things wouldn’t have gone awry.”

While insisting that the four murdered boys were not robbers, Chinwe said, “We don’t have security in this country. We don’t just have and our children and wards are all over the country. We are only living by God’s grace everyday, because this can happen to anybody any day.

“God knows best because nothing stops Him from doing something extraordinary to save them. But may God judge all those who had a hand in the killings.”

Culled from The Punch Nigeria.

xoxo

Simply Cheska...

UNIPORT killings: Community counts losses after students’ rampage...

Vandalized vehicles. Inset:Ahanonu in his burnt house.

Hello Friends!

THE people of Omuokiri Aluu Community have begun to count their losses barely 24 hours after students from the University of Port Harcourt embarked on reprisals to avenge the killings of their colleagues. The angry students had on Tuesday stormed the community, burnt some houses, cars and other property over the torture and murder of the students on Friday.

Four undergraduates of UNIPORT were lynched by a mob comprising members of the community for allegedly stealing laptop computer and a BlackBerry phone.

The students were Biringa Chiadika of the Theatre Arts Department; Ugonna Obuzor of Geology Department, Mike Toku Llyod of Civil Engineering Department and Tekena Erikena.

When our correspondent visited the community on Wednesday, few of the indigenes were seen bemoaning their losses.

One of the leaders of the community, Sunday Ahanonu, said he had lost all he laboured for to the students’ reprisals.

Ahanonu, whose house was torched by the students, expressed shock that security agents could not stop the rampaging students when they stormed the community.

Sixty-five-year-old Ahanonu and father of 15 children, worked at UNIPORT for 35 years before he retired.

He appealed to the state government and the management of the university to compensate him for the destruction of his property, adding that he and members of his family were not involved in the killings of the students.

Ahanonu said, “I am a retired civil servant. I worked with UNIPORT for 35. But all I have achieved for many years have been destroyed by students from the university. I don’t know where my family and I will lay our heads when my only house has been burnt.

“I lost the sum of N850,000 cash, which I kept in my house. I could not take the money to the bank because I was not feeling okay and went to the hospital. It was at the hospital that I learnt that my house was burnt by the students.”

Lesbianism finds a fertile ground in Calabar...

Hello Friends!

Mrs. Janet Ishi of Orok Orok Street, Calabar, capital of Cross River State, is currently a worried woman. The source of her bother is her eldest daughter, Eno, whose sexual preference is less than conventional. Eno is a member of the city’s growing tribe of lesbians. And they are found everywhere–civil service, army, police as well as secondary and tertiary institutions. Queen, a dark-skinned beauty, told TheNEWS that lesbians usually seek partners among teenage secondary school, polytechnic and university students. Places like Halls 8 and 9 (Winnie Mandela Hall), Female Medical Students’ Hostel and the School of Nursing Hostel–all at the University of Calabar; Cross River University of Technology female hostel, Federal Government Girls’ College hostels and female hostels in private schools are pools where lesbians go to fish.

Ufot, a 19-year-old girl Law student, told this magazine that several girls approached her at the University of Calabar’s Winnie Mandela Hostel, but she rejected their overtures. However, while visiting Abuja during a semester break, she was introduced to lesbianism. “My sister’s neighbour kept coming to our room to woo me each time my sister was out. She was the one that bought this Nokia X3 phone for me and often gives me money. Each time I made a move to return to school, she would weep and discourage me from going back. It was when she travelled that I left Abuja,” she said.

Lesbians, as heterosexuals do, also keep regular partners and get jealous the same way.

Floods victims battle for survival in Bayelsa...

Scenes Of Flood In Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

Hello Friends!

Endurance Smart, a week-old baby is battling for survival at one of the camps for flood victims in Bayelsa State. The toddler who hails from Agbobi, Biseni, in Yenagoa Local Government Area, was born in a pool of water by a traditional birth attendant at the community.

Her mother, Blessing, was trying to change her napkin when PUNCH METRO visited the Sports Complex, Yenagoa, which had been turned into a refugee camp by the state government.

Blessing said, “We named her Endurance because of the circumstances surrounding her birth. She was born in a pool of water when flood began to cover our community.

“We thought it was a joke. But six days after her birth, the water level had risen to my hip. I had to abandon my properties and carried her to the refugee camp.”

Like Blessing and her daughter, other victims who came for succour at the camp had similar agonising stories. Their homes have been submerged, their farmlands washed away and their properties destroyed by the ravaging flood. Communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area such as the Niger Delta University and Amasoma have been submerged.

Most of the settlements in Ogbia, the Local Government Area of President Goodluck Jonathan have been sacked. The woman Representative of Governor Seriake Dickson in the area, Mrs. Unity Ototo, said the entire constituency two comprising over 19 villages had been taken over by the flood. “Oloibiri, the community where oil was first discovered, has been wiped out. The Kolo Creek, Otuogid, OluEbum and even Otueke are all affected,” she said.

Many people, she said, were trapped in the flood because they could not flee the affected area.

Ototo said, “They have no access to communication. They don’t even know that a camp has been set up. The communication gadgets in the area have been shut down.

Kidnapped expatriate’s body found in bush...

P.S. Photo does not represent Story...

Hello Friends!

A Lebanese body who was kidnapped by hoodlums three weeks ago in Rivers State, was found dead in a bush near Shell Road in Omuawa community of Ikwerre Local Government Area.

Security agents had been searching for the whereabouts of the Lebanese in the past three weeks.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the decomposing body of the foreigner was found by women in the the community.

The women had perceived an offensive odour while in the bush and later found the corpse of the expatriate, who was an official of JMS Construction Company in the state.

It was learnt that the women abandoned their mission in the bush and reported the matter to members of their community in Omuawa.

An eyewitness, who spoke with our correspondent on Tuesday, explained that the expatriate, whose name could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, was abducted while on duty on Azuaha Road in Ikwerre LGA. The eyewitness said, “One of the women, who usually go to the bush to get Okazi leaves, told us that they were uncomfortable about the odour around the bush. They (the women) said they thought it was a dead animal.

Britain's top black woman judge Constance Briscoe is arrested at her home...

Arrested: Top judge Constance Briscoe was questioned by police.

Hello Friends!

Britain’s most high-profile black woman judge, Constance Briscoe, has been arrested by police.

The 55-year-old was questioned by Kent Constabulary before being bailed pending further inquiries.

‘A 55-year-old woman was arrested in Clapham, south London, on Saturday October 6. She was interviewed by officers,' Kent Police said in a statement. 

Her arrest means that she will not be able to sit as a judge while being investigated concerning matters which cannot be revealed for legal reasons.

A spokeswoman for the Office for Judicial Complaints said in a statement: ‘The Lord Chief Justice and Lord Chancellor have suspended Constance Briscoe from the judiciary pending the outcome of the police investigation into the allegations against her. It would be inappropriate to comment further whilst the investigation is active.’

Ms Briscoe has been a controversial figure and was unsuccessfully sued by her own mother over revelations in her autobiography.

The leading barrister and part-time judge wrote ‘Ugly’ a memoir about her grim childhood in Kennington, South London, which charted in agonising detail her difficult younger years. 

Controversial: Ms Briscoe's memoir 'ugly' made her famous and led to her mother unsuccessfully suing her for defamation.

In the book, Ms Briscoe alleges that her Jamaican mother Carmen and stepfather Garfield Eastman regularly beat her as a child and repeatedly criticized her looks, once refusing to buy her school photograph with the words: 'You is ugly.'

Once her mother allegedly said: 'Look at those lips - you didn't get them from my side of the family. Why don't you use them to clear out the blocked sink?'

Ms Briscoe also describes the extraordinary lengths she has gone to not to be 'ugly' any more in the sequel to her memoirs, Beyond Ugly, published in 2008. 

She has had cosmetic operations to narrow and straighten her nose, to slim her lips, to remove eye bags, to whiten her teeth and narrow her feet.

She had two children, Martin, 24, and Francesca, 22, from a 12-year relationship with Adam Wilson, a lawyer.

Relationship: Until 2010 Ms Briscoe was with Anthony Arlidge QC.

Corps member bags chieftaincy title...

.

Onuoha with the bin

Hello Friends!

A youth corps member with the National War College, Abuja, Dr. Pascalina Onuoha, has been honoured with a chieftaincy title by the Galadimawa community, Abuja, for donating a bin for evacuating waste. Until she donated the N1.6m roll bin, residents dumped their waste by the road that leads to the community and were at risk of an epidemic.

The optometrist was given the title, Bazhim Gbagvinu 1 (woman commander) of Galadimawa by the District head, Alhaji Musa Barde, at a colourful ceremony attended by a large segment of the community. Before the bin was inaugurated, Onuoha visited the district head and explained her plan to assist his people to manage their waste in a more responsible and environmentally-sustainable way.

She also went round the community and spoke to the residents about the need to keep their environment clean and dispose their litter in a proper way.

The youth corps member told PUNCH Metro that she was motivated to donate by the unsanitary condition of the area, having observed the poor manner the residents disposed their waste.

“I discovered that the community didn’t have a proper waste management system; residents simply dumped waste at a spot by the road and this is the fastest way to provoke an epidemic,” Onuoha said. According to her, the residents are happy about the donation because the bin has met a major challenge in the community.

Onuoha said, “With an outside broadcasting vehicle from Abuja Environmental Protection Board, I went around the community on a Saturday and enlightened the people on the need to keep their environment clean and the importance of proper waste management.

“The youths joined me to evacuate the waste into the roll bin and everyone was happy because the bin has solved a major problem of the people.”

Traffic law: Lagos destroys 3,000 seized okadas...

Hello Friends!

The Lagos State Government has commenced the process of crushing 3, 000 motorcycles, popularly called okada, impounded from their owners for violating traffic law.

Officials of the state Taskforce on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit on Tuesday dismantled the okadas at the task force yard in Alausa.

The Taskforce Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, an Assistant Superintent of Police, said after the end of the dismantling exercise, the iron parts would be taken to the state Crushing Plant in Oshodi, where they would be crushed and recycled.

He said the action was to show that the government had stepped up its enforcement of the state traffic law, adding that the crushing of the okadas would serve as deterrent to other commercial motorcycle operators.

Sulaiman said, “These are okadas impounded since the new traffic law was signed into law. There are 3, 000 of them. Okada riders must obey our traffic law. They are fond of driving against traffic, on kerbs and several unauthorized places. The law has been passed and gazetted and there is no going back on its enforcement.

“We are dismantling the okadas now to separate the parts that are crushable from the ones that are not crushable. After this, we will take the crushable parts to Oshodi crushing plant, where they will be crushed and recycled. The non-crushable parts will probably be auctioned, but not in the state.

“The Taskforce has not started enforcing the law fully. But this should serve as a warning to them because we won’t hesitate to impound any okada caught on the restricted roads in the state.”

Sulaiman, however, said there were no riders to be prosecuted because the owners of the 3, 000 okadasabandoned them on sighting law enforcement officials.

Boko Haram denies Mubi killings...

Hello Friends!

Boko Haram has denied killing about 40 students in Mubi, Adamawa State, last week an online publication, Premium Times reports.

Gunmen invaded the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi and the state university located in the town and killed 40 of the students. The killings were condemned across the country.

A man, who claimed to be a senior member of the Islamic sect, told PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday that his group had nothing to do with the killings.

“We have no business with students or student politics. If students are our target we would have killed them randomly on sight and in their school and not sneak on them in the creeping darkness in an area occupied by both students and residents,” he said.

The man, who PREMIUM TIMES’ investigations revealed to be a member of the group, said if the sect wanted to attack educational facilities, it would have gone for structures and not students.

He said, “What would have been our target as far as I am concerned would have been the building and property of the institution, since it is owned by the government. At least, by now other students elsewhere would have been attacked if students are our concern.”

He said the mode of attack was not characteristic of the sect’s numerous attacks.

“Several statements by our spokesman and Imam in the past have made it clear who our enemies are. I don’t have to repeat it here. I don’t think anybody among us has the time to draw up a list or read it out before executing the students.”

Wife of Osun Speaker kidnapped...

Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Honorable Najeem Salaam

Hello Friends!

Unknown gunmen in Ejigbo, Osun State, on Tuesday, kidnapped the wife of the Speaker, Osun State House of Assembly, Mr Najeem Salaam.

Muiba, the first wife of the Speaker, was kidnapped in the Bamagay Square area of the town shortly after she had left her shop where she sold bags of rice, semovita and groundnut oil.

Her Honda car was overtaken by the vehicle of a six-member gang. The gang reportedly forced her Honda car to stop along Union Baptist Road in the Oke-Oyo area of Ejigbo, the Speaker’s hometown. Our correspondent learnt that Muiba, who alighted and attempted to run from the kidnappers, was stopped and forced into a waiting car.

Chairman, House Committee on Regional Integration and Special Duties, Mr Femi Fafiyebi, confirmed the development, saying the news was “shocking.”

“I just heard about it a few minutes ago. Osun is a very peaceful state. We are the only state that checked flooding and created the most enabling environment in the south-west. I don’t know why this should happen in our dear state,” Fafiyebi said.

Police Public Relations Officer, Osun Command, Mrs Sade Odoro, who promised to get across to our correspondent over the development failed to do so.

Her phone was switched off when our correspondent called her back for confirmation.

Our correspondent reports that it is in Odoro’s character to ignore inquiries by journalists over crime matters in the state.

Culled from The Punch Nigeria.

xoxo

Simply Cheska...

Lynching: UNIPORT students burn houses, cars in protest...

Students of UNIPORT during a protest against the killings of four of their colleagues in Port Harcourt ... on Tuesday, October 9, 2012. 

Hello Friends!

Angry students of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday invaded Aluu community where four of their colleagues were killed on Friday.

By the time security operatives restored order to the troubled community, many houses and cars had been torched and about 30 students injured.

But the students’ action came with a cost: The UNIPORT authorities shut the 37-year-old institution indefinitely.

While the community boiled, the National Assembly condemned the UNIPORT and Mubi Polytechnic killings. The House of Representatives went a step further by summoning the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, over the rising insecurity in the country.

Four second year undergraduates of UNIPORT – Biringa Lordson of Theatre Arts Department; Ugonna Obuzor of the Geology Department; Mike Toku of Civil Engineering Department; and Tekema Erikena -were lynched in Aluu for allegedly stealing a laptop computer and BlackBerry phone. The lynching was also videotaped.

Last week, gunmen had also invaded the off campus hostel of the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi with a hit list and butchered more than 40 students.

A source in Choba told our our correspondent in Rivers State that irate students who gathered under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Students had barricaded the East-West Road, vowing not to leave until the UNIPORT Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ajienka, addressed them.

Some the students later moved to Aluu and began to set houses and cars ablaze until security operatives came to disperse them. The immediate past student union president, Mr. Rhino Owhorkire, said that 30 students were injured during the incident that took place at about 4.30 pm. Owhokire, who hails from Aluu, stated that he tried to calm the students and stop them from going ahead to torch the buildings to no avail.

“I am from Aluu and I tried my best to calm them down and stop them from burning houses . The initial plan was for them to make bonfire on the road and not to burn houses,” he said.

NANS Treasurer, South East and South-South, Mr. Iyere Onono, urged government to address the grievances of the students.

As the tension rose, the management of the university ordered the immediate closure of the university to forestall the breakdown of law and order on the campus.

Its Public Relations Officer, Dr. Williams Wodi, who spoke with The PUNCH on the telephone, said, “The University of Port Harcourt has been shut down indefinitely and students have been told to vacate their hostels until normalcy returns to the institution. We will reopen when normalcy returns.”

Ex-PMAN President Tee Mac Apologizes To Bishop Oyedepo...

Hello Friends!

As a follow up to Tee Mac's utterances towards Bishop David Oyedepo, find below his recent remarks:

"I was angry when I saw on a FB site bya CKN the Challenger Bombardier plane(Mike Adenuga has one too, sold by my partner to him) owned by Bishop Oyedepo. In Nigeria at the moment millions do not know where to take the money from to buy their next meal; millions go to bed hungry and then this opulence by a "Man of God"! I may have been a bit harsh and somehow regret that I even responded to that FB message, but I am a bit out spoken and don't mean bad. 

I have seen Pastors and Men of God in Nigeria who carry bags of rice on their shoulder to help the Hungry, who drive cheap second hand cars and their office is a small cubicle, because they believe the money given to them by their congregation is given to them to distribute to the poor. I know a man of God who heals hundreds and doesn't ask for one Naira, no he will even give the poor and sick transport money to go home. 

My partner and myself tried to sell him a second hand cargo plane so he can fly food and blankets to disaster areas, but that man of God stated: “I can not own a plane, even if you prepare a good lease/ repayment schedule, what will my congregation think? The money they put into the envelops on Sunday must be used to the last Naira for charity only".

If my statement about Bishop was offensive to him and his followers, 

I render herewith a sincere apology.

Culled from NigerianFilms...

xoxo

Simply Cheska...

Tee Mac Calls Oyedepo A Money Grabbing Fraud...

Hello Friends!

Former PMAN president and popular musician, Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli, has surely stirred up some controversy with his comments about Bishop David Oyedepo. 

Tee Mac took to Facebook to pass across an opinion about the General Overseer of the Living Faith Church Worldwide.

Tee Mac Omatshola Iseli (MFR) is a popular musician and former PMAN president. Below is what he wrote on Facebook about Bishop David Oyedepo when an issue was being discussed about the man of God.

Culled from NigerianFilms.

xoxo
Simply Cheska...

Chidi Mokeme returns as Gulder Ultimate Search anchor...

Chidi..

Hello Friends!

One of Nollywood’s talented actor Chidi Mokeme returns to the stage as the anchor of the popular Television reality show – Guilder Ultimate Search.

The decision to bring back the first anchor of the show after nine years was announced at a selection party held at the Eko Hotel and Suits, also revealing the 12 finalists.

The finalists are Female: Kofya Brown, Bornford Patience, Ayo Ojueromi, Uzor Osimkpa, Udodi Onyinyechukwu, and Ezeh Priscillia.

Others are: Male: Ujam Emmanuel, Nuhu Haruna, Ogbuefi Michael, Ifet Iniobong, Ojezele Paschal and Adah James.

This year, over 30,000 young and agile Nigerians registered to participate for the search. They all went through several physical and mental exercises at locations in Owerri, Benin, Makurdi and Lagos. Out of these, 30 contestants were selected and invited to Lagos for the final selection process.

Last night, 12 were selected to proceed to the Usaka Forest in Obot Akara Local Government area of Akwa Ibom State, where this year’s edition of Gulder Ultimate Search will hold.

The reality show has been in existence for 9 years and this year the GUS 9 winner will walk away with a cash prize of N9 million, N500,000 wardrobe allowance and a brand new SUV worth N10 million.

Culled from Channels Television.

xoxo

Simply Cheska...

M.I composes poem for murdered UNIPORT students...

M.I.

Hello Friends!

Nigeria’s talented rapper Jude Abaga popularly known as M.I has condemned the killings of the 4 University of Port-Hacourt students who were beaten and burnt alive in front of a crowd.

The young men were accused of stealing laptops and mobile phones before being burnt to death.

In reaction to this, M.I wrote the poem below:

The hope is the worst part of it.

The way they lay there, beaten and broken, battered and bruised. Knowing their end had come for certain. Knowing that the crowd meant to see this through to the end. And yet, in the midst of all this certainty, in some small corner of their hearts, hoping. That something would happen, some miracle perhaps.

I am speaking of course, of the #Aluu4, students of University of Port Harcourt who were beaten and set ablaze last week.

I’d heard the news sometime last week and devoted all of 10 seconds of thought to it. I wondered briefly who the students were, and what could possibly have driven them to steal. I briefly wondered if they were really guilty but my mind quickly shied away from where that road could lead. I remembered all the stories I grew up hearing about thieves and the instant justice meted out to them, and mentally shook my head.

That would have been all, I suppose, but for the video. It is probably the most gruesome thing I have ever seen, and the worst I ever hope to see.

Hope.

There, I’ve said it again. Somehow it seems there is no escaping it.

Because when things like this happen, it seems our default reaction is to hope it will never happen to us or any one we know or love. Then we hope that our religion and hard work and luck will exempt us from senseless suffering. Sometimes we hope that right thing will be done, the wrong doers brought to book, and the victims receive some sort of justice.

Every day we hope the country we live in will be a better place for us and for our children.

And that is the problem with hope.

That we have allowed it to cripple us and render us inactive.

You , me, all of us who sit by hoping and doing nothing to change.

The question is not whether or not the 4 boys stole anything. That is quite besides the point.

Let us ask instead: What do I need to ensure my children do not grow up hearing stories like these?

What would it cost to make this country and are we willing to pay the price?

Because if I were there that day, would I have spoken up and done my best to put a stop to it? Or silently stood by, condemning the actions in my heart, but doing nothing? Would I have been seized by the bloodlust and fear and anger myself, and spurred them on with my shouts, and cries for blood, maybe tossed in a rock or two for good measure.

Uniport identifies, mourns slain students...

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Joseph Ajienka.

Hello Friends!

THE Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Joseph Ajienka, said on Monday that the institution had begun a seven-day mourning of the killings of their students by a mob.

Ajienka, who said this shortly after identifying three among the deceased as students of the university, said the flags were already being flown at half mast as a mark of honour to the slain students.

Speaking with newsmen at the university, the vice-chancellor also explained that the Students’ Union Week, which was to begin on Monday (yesterday), had been put off indefinitely.

He said, “As is to be expected under the sad circumstance in which we now find ourselves, the university is in a mourning mood in honour of the murdered students.

“As a result, the 2012 Students’ Union Week, which was to have commenced this morning, has been put off indefinitely. Flags are already being flown at half mast as a mark of honour to the deceased students of the university.

Ajienka identified the slain students as Biringa Chidiaka Lordson (Year 2, Theatre Arts), Ugonna Kelechi Obuzor (Year 2, Geology) and Mike Lloyd Toku (Year 2, Civil Engineering).

He stated the fourth person, Tekena Erikena, had not been formally identified as a bonafide member of the institution, saying, “Erikena did Basic Studies, but we need to confirm his department and matriculation number.”

He added that pre-emptive security measures had been initiated by authorities of the institution to secure lives and property on campus, adding that a joint security patrol team had taken charge of the affected area.

Things are gradually falling apart in Nigeria...

Hello Friends!

Yet another sad news with the reported massacre of over 20 innocent students at the Federal Polytechnic Mubi in Adamawa State. These are indeed troubling times for Nigeria. We have not trod this path before. There is a palpable sense of anxiety, if not fear over where the country is heading. Terrorism, kidnappings, armed robbery, ritual killings and assassinations are now common place, with no signs of abating. 

Businesses in the north have almost ground to a halt because of the incessant bombings. Agitations by tribal groups to go it alone, that were once quiet mutterings are now getting louder and bolder. Cases of tribal and religious intolerance are on the increase as Nigerians are beginning for the first time to question openly the basis of our federalism. 

States are at loggerheads on the fairness of the current revenue sharing formula as the debate rages on how the nation’s wealth is shared. Cracks are appearing in the bond that once held us together as a nation. Things seem to be falling apart and the centre is struggling to hold. The president of the Senate, David Mark, captured the mood of the nation, in his summation of the dire state of the nation in his welcome address to his colleagues, from their summer recess. The message was honest, it was blunt, it was timely and needed to be said from the high echelons of power.

Paradoxically, the emergence of Boko Haram seems to have awakened northern leaders from their slumber. For decades, this elite group of individuals paid little attention to the developmental aspirations of their people. 

They were content for their people to forage for crumbs falling from their table, whilst they lived sumptuously from state revenue allocations and oil patronages. They learnt nothing from the selfless leadership of their forebears, such as Ahmadu Bello and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Apart from a few progressive governors in the South, the story is the same; the story of greed, graft and incompetence. Driving through Asaba, Delta State’s capital, it is hard to believe that this state gets more than four times the revenue allocation of Edo State where so much is happening in infrastructure development.

The Gambia claims cure for HIV

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh

Hello Friends!

The Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has said that dozens of HIVand AIDS patients in the tiny West African state have been cured using his secret concoction of boiled herbs, Reuters reports.

Jammeh first announced he had found a natural remedy to cure HIV and AIDS in 2007, stirring anger among Western medical experts who claimed he was giving false hope to the sick.

“Who am I to expect that everybody would praise me,’’ Jammeh said in a state television broadcast on Sunday evening, announcing that 68 patients had been cured and discharged from a treatment centre.

“Just as the Prophet Mohammed prevailed and established Islam, I have also prevailed to cure HIV/AIDS to the point that 68 are being discharged today,’’ he said.

The World Health Organisation and the UN have said Jammeh’s HIV/AIDS treatment is alarming mainly because patients are required to cease their anti-retroviral drugs making them more prone to infection.

Soldiers go haywire …kill 30, burn 50 houses in Maiduguri to avenge army officer’s death

New Chief of Defence Staff, Vice Admiral Ola Ibrahim

Hello Friends!

OPERATIVES of the Joint Task Force, made up of soldiers, on Monday went haywire in Maiduguri, Borno State, and killed 30 persons in reprisal for the attack on their patrol vehicle in the town.

Most of the victims, The PUNCH learnt, were civilians.

The soldiers were also said to have burnt at least 50 houses, shops and vehicles in the Gwange area of the town.

Some of the victims were reportedly burnt inside their houses beyond recognition.

An Improvised Explosive Device believed to have been planted by member of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, hit the JTF vehicle in the early hours of Monday and killed the leader of the patrol team, an unnamed Lieutenant and injured other members of the patrol team.

The incident occurred along the popular Lagos Street in the Borno State capital town. Maiduguri is believed to be the base of Boko Haram

In retaliation, tens of soldiers were said to have stormed the street and shot indiscriminately at the residents and motorists on the busy road leading to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

The PUNCH learnt on Tuesday that some of the dead victims were killed inside their houses while their corpses were set on fire by the angry soldiers.

About 50 vehicles parked along the street and in front of houses were also set ablaze.

Maiduguri witnessed a similar incident last Sunday when soldiers reportedly killed and indiscriminately set properties on fire to avenge the murder of two soldiers, one of them a Lt.Col.

Reports indicated that some members of Boko Haram died in the soldiers’ rage on Monday but no one could give a specific figure even as the area was cordoned off.

My son’s killing will always haunt me –Llyod’s mum...

Mr. and Mrs. Toku in Port Harcourt ... on Monday

Hello Friends!

My Thoughts: I have severally via various mediums (twitter , Facebook and blackberry messenger), expressed my pain, disgust and disappointment in respect to this incident. I am certain that what Nigerians are experiencing now, is a clear show of a decaying society! 

A Society without regard for human life nor Law! A Society where children are taught that "killing of a man, is acceptable whenever you get angry at something you probably do not even know nor understand!  I am still pained at this happening and my heart goes out in prayer to the 4 families in mourning at this time. 

Mrs. Jane Toku, the mother of Lloyd, one of the four undergraduates of the University of Port Harcourt that were lynched at Aluu community in Rivers State, says her son’s death will always haunt her. She also expressed shock that the crowd could watch how her son and his friends were gruesomely murdered.

Jane spoke with our correspondent amid tears on Monday in Port Harcourt.

Jane said, “When we got there, one of them was still breathing. He was gasping for breath, but the crowd…they were all there watching while my baby (Lloyd) was butchered. Come to my area and ask questions about my child; the child I trained.

“Penultimate Sunday, we went to church, Salvation Ministry; that is where he worshipped. We all went together for the second service. He stayed back for the remaining service. When he came back, he started preparing to go to school. I can still see him as I talk to you.

“He brought out a book; ‘How Faith Works’ by David Ibiyomie and he said ‘Mummy, read this book and you will know what faith is all about. By the time I come back on Friday, you will tell me what faith is all about.’

“Ever since, I have been moving around with that book, so that I could read and not get him angry when he comes back from school and ask me about what I learnt from the book.

“Thursday was his daddy’s birthday. He (Lloyd) called him and wished him happy birthday. When his daddy asked him if he would be coming home to celebrate the birthday with the family, he (Lloyd) promised to be back on Friday after lectures.

“But on Friday morning, we got the call that my son was being beaten. How can I erase the fact that my son was lynched from my mind? He studied very hard and got admission into the university.”

Meanwhile, the community was like a ghost town on Monday as the inhabitants of the area left their homes to avoid being arrested by security agents.

The Accused UNI PORT Students...

Shops, restaurants and mini supermarkets were also shut by their owners who felt students of the university were planning a reprisal on the community.

Four students were on Friday morning lynched by suspected members of the community for allegedly stealing laptops and mobile phones.