Manager, housemaid, kill boss, take over business

Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide

Hello Friends!

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a manager and a housemaid for killing their boss, Alhaja Sikirat Eko, in Omole Phase 1, Lagos State.

Eko was said to be running a restaurant and bar in her compound, where she lived alone with the maid.

According to the police authorities, the suspects allegedly killed Eko at her home located on 5, Babatunde Ladega Street and kept her corpse within the premises.

The suspects were said to have continued to run the restaurant, giving neighbours and customers the impression that the deceased had travelled.

The two were said to have run out of luck when relatives of the deceased came on a visit. When the suspects could not provide a satisfactory answer, the matter was said to have been reported at Area G Command, in Ogba.

A police source who preferred to remain anonymous, told our correspondent that the manager threw Eko into a well inside the compound along with a generator.

The manager was said to have taken her phone which he used in impersonating her.

“The manager was using the deceased’s phone and assumed her identity. Sometimes, he would send text messages with her phone, telling people that all was well”, he said.

It was learnt that when the house was thoroughly searched, Eko’s corpse was found in a decomposing state.

Reps threaten to order arrest of Okonjo-Iweala, Aig-Imokhuede...

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

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For failing to appear before it twice, the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, on Thursday, threatened to order the arrest of the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede.

The committee, which is headed by Mr. Uzo Azubuike, said the two were needed to help resolve the N20bn fuel subsidy dispute between the Chairman of Coscharis Motors Limited, Mr. Cosmas Maduka, and the Managing Director of Capital Oil, Mr. Ifeanyi Uba.

The committee had postponed sitting last week to Thursday due to the absence of the minister and the Access Bank GMD.

But on Thursday, Azubuike was angry that they “shunned” the committee again.

He said though the committee was aware that the minister’s mother was kidnapped, it was not a reason to ignore the invitation.

Azubuike added that since the invitation was for the Ministry of Finance, the minister ought to have mandated a representative to present the position of ministry.

He warned that if a representative was not sent to the next sitting of the committee, a warrant of arrest would be issued in the name of the ministry.

It will be recalled that Aig-Imokhuede headed the Presidential Committee on Verification of Subsidy Payments.

On Thursday, his lawayers wrote the committee, saying he no longer functioned in that capacity.

He claimed that his committee had already completed its assignment and submitted a report to the Federal Government.

The Access Bank GMD added that he had no legal authority to appear before any committee in the capacity of head of the presidential panel.

He also pointed out that there were several court cases on the matter the committee was investigating, hence it would be prejudicial for him to speak on it.

Royal prank nurse was found hanged – Report

Condolences: Flowers and personal messages (right) are pictured outside the King Edward VII Hospital apartments where Jacintha Saldanha (left) was found dead in central London last week..

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The nurse found dead after a hoax call to the hospital treating the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was found hanged, the Guardian of London reported on Wednesday.

Jacintha Saldanha, 46, a mother of two from Bristol, was discovered unconscious at her nurses’ flat near the private King Edward VII hospital in central London on Friday morning.

A postmortem has been carried out, with the results expected to be officially announced at the opening of the inquest into her death on Thursday morning at Westminster coroners court.

The Guardian confirmed a report on Sky News that she had been found hanged. Scotland Yard would not comment on the reports.

Saldanha was the nurse who answered a hoax call to the hospital from two Australian radio DJs in the early hours of Tuesday last week, just hours after the Duchess of Cambridge was admitted for acute morning sickness. The nurse, who had worked at the hospital for more than four years, was discovered at around 9.30a.m on Friday morning.

Reports that she left a suicide note have not been confirmed.

The death is not being treated as suspicious, and the inquest is expected to be opened and adjourned on Thursday as inquiries continue.

Man attempts suicide twice over eye problem...

Muraina...

Hello Friends!

Taofeek Muraina never had it good as a child. His adulthood is not even better. This, perhaps, explains why the 40-year-old bricklayer thought it wise to die rather than being put to shame by friends and neighbours.

Twice this year, he has attempted suicide. The first time, PUNCH Metro learnt, was about five months ago, while the second one was on December 5.

On December 5, he had wanted to poison himself when a neighbour arrived on time and raised the alarm.

Muraina has been battling with an acute eye condition since when he was a child. As he grows, his condition worsens, making life unbearable for him.

Explaining reasons for attempting suicide, he said, “Life is unbearable for me. I was born with an eye problem. My wife, Tawa, left me and dumped our 10-year-old son with me. I learnt that she has got married to another man.

“I attempted to commit suicide by poisoning myself while my son and neighbours were not at home but my landlady got home while I was preparing the mixture.

His landlady, Mrs. Aminat Oseni, who said that Muraina had been her tenant for five years, explained that it was the second time that he attempted taking his own life.

Oseni said, “He (Muraina) is a friend to my son, Fatai, who is a welder. My son appealed to me that we should accommodate him when he came begging for accommodation.

“According to him, he was sent packing by his former landlord on the ground that the landlord’s family wanted to make use of the apartment. But he said the landlord only ejected him because of his eye problem.”

Pope Benedict XVI posts first tweets, admonishes followers..

Pope Pope Benedict XVI...

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Pope Benedict XVI lived up to his promise on Wednesday by posting his first set of tweets to hundreds of thousands of followers.

The Vatican had indicated on December 3, 2012 that the pope had opened a major Twitter account in English and others in Italian, French, German, Polish, Portuguese, Arabic and Spanish.

The Vatican also said the Catholic pontiff would begin tweeting on December 12 via @Pontifex.

The 85-year-old pope pronounced a blessing in the first 140-word tweet.

He wrote, “Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart.

As at the time of posting his second tweet, the account had risen to 709,610 followers.

USA Today reports that he launched his first tweet at the end of his weekly general audience.

The text of the tweet, in Italian, flashed on the jumbo screens in the modernist Pope Paul VI Hall, where the audience was held.

Then, about an hour later, he answered the first of thousands of questions sent to him in the past nine days.

Hoodlums raze church in Kwara...

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Some yet-to-be-identified people set ablaze a church building belonging to Living Faith Church Inc, aka Winners Chapel, along Airport Road, Ilorin about 2.30am on Wednesday. Church property worth several millions of naira were also said to have been destroyed by the fire.

It was gathered that the plastic chairs in the church were removed to an unknown place while the building sited opposite the International Aviation College Ilorin on Ilorin-Ogbomoso Road was burnt. It was also said that a security man attached to the church had been missing since the incident, fueling speculation, that he could have been abducted.

The Kwara State Government, in its reaction, called on parties to the alleged disputed plot of land not to take the law into their hands but to refer the issue to the court of law for adjudication.

The government, in a statement on Wednesday by the Secretary to the Kwara State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold, condemned the destruction of the building.

Gold commended the Muslim and Christian leaders in the state for maintaining a harmonious relationship.

‘I took to crime because of Christmas’...

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A suspected oil pipeline vandal, Muritala Kareem, who was recently arrested by the Police Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism, Lagos, has said he took to crime because of the lavish spending required of him during Christmas.

Other suspects arrested alongside Kareem in Konu area of Ikorodu, Lagos, are; Musiliru Ashiri, Ahmed Lamidi, Jelilat Olalekan and Elizabeth Folorunsho.

Kareem, 41, who lives in Awori village in Epe, said Olalekan introduced him to the business.

He said, “I was a happily married and contented man till the day I met Jelilat (Olalekan). She came to my shop one day with a proposal that she wants to introduce me to oil business.

“I told her that I was not interested in illegal product but she insisted that it was genuine and I joined her in the business. I was introduced to Florunso and one Taye, who sold 50 litres of Diesel for N4, 800.

“It was later that I discovered that I was buying illegal products. Initially I wanted to stop but because Christmas is fast approaching, I decided to do one more deal. It was while we were on our way out of Konu that the police on patrol arrested us.”

Gov Lamido’s son arrested for money laundering

Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido.

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Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Nigeria Customs Service on Wednesday at Mallam Aminu Kano Airport arrested Aminu, the eldest son of Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, over alleged money laundering.

Sources at the airport said Aminu was arrested in the process of boarding an Egypt Air to Cairo by 12.30am by officials of the EFCC.

It was learnt that the son of the governor declared $10,000 at the counter, while further search and interrogation led to the uncovering of another $40,000, which was concealed in his luggage.

He was promptly arrested by the EFCC officials.

Spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigations were completed.

Pastor Chris Okotie Dragged To Court

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My thoughts: Well....I suggest that Dafiaghor  presents a Letter of employment stating that he was not to be paid for his services. He must have had a reason for falling out of favour with Pastor Chris...Hmm

A former member of the Household of God, one Mr. Dafiaghor Okiotor popularly called Dafie has dragged the highly controversial Pastor, Rev Chris Okotie to Court for alleged debt. 

The flamboyant head of the Household of God Church International, Chris Okotie, is expected to appear before an Ikeja Magistrate Court on February 5, 2013,

Dafiaghor Okiotor, a former keyboardist at the church before he fell out with Mr. Okotie in 2009, over what he called unpaid salaries, said that the money covers the 14 years he worked for the church without being paid. The church, however, insisted that he was working for God.

xoxo

Simply Cheska...

Striking workers raze Plateau commissioner, lawmaker’s houses

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ANGRY striking workers in Langland South Local Government, Plateau State, on Tuesday razed houses belonging to the Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr. Barko Donfa; representative of Langtang South in the House of Assembly, Mrs. Joyce Ramnap; and the Chairman of the Transition Committee, Mr. Nanman Darko.

The workers joined others in the state to paralyse business activities as they made good their threat to embark on total strike over wage dispute with the state government.

The workers had given the state a 10-day ultimatum to pay their salary arrears as well as implement the new national minimum wage.

The ultimatum expired on Monday.

Gates to government offices and banks were locked in obedience to the order of the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state, Mr. Jibrin Bancir.

In a statement in Jos on Tuesday, Bancir said the state government had refused to yield to the workers’ demands.

In Jos, workers gathered at the gate of the Joseph Gonwalk Secretariat, where they were addressed by union leaders and the new Police Commissioner, Mr. Chris Olakpe.

Found: The tiny shrimp-like creatures that are 425 MILLION years old...

A reconstruction of a tiny shrimp-like creatures 425 million years old that was found in Hertfordshire...

Hello Friends!

For tiny shrimp-like creatures that are 425 million years old, they look in pretty good shape.

The two 'special' fossils unearthed in Herefordshire include not only the animals' shells but also their soft parts including body, limbs, eyes, gills and guts.

Luckily for the scientists who found them, the ostracods were preserved by a fall of volcanic ash at a time when Britain had a subtropical climate.

Professor David Siveter, from the University of Leicester, said: 'The two ostracod specimens discovered represent a genus and species new to science, named Pauline avibella.

RECONSTRUCTING A SHRIMP

The centimetre-long fossils were 'reconstructed' using a technique that involves grinding each specimen down, layer by layer, and photographing each stage.

Researchers were then able to build up a complete 3D version od the tiny animal using existing computer software.

'The genus is named in honour of a special person and avibella means 'beautiful bird', so-named because of the fancied resemblance of a prominent feature of the shell to the wing of a bird.

'Ostracods are the most abundant fossil arthropods, occurring ubiquitously as bivalved shells in rocks of the last 490 million years, and are common in most water environments today. 

'The find is important because it is one of only a handful preserving the fossilised soft-tissues of ostracods.'

The tiny animals were virtually reconstructed using scanners which photographed each 'slice' of the fossil...

They were named Pauline avibella, which researchers say is after a 'special person'..

The centimetre-long fossils were 'reconstructed' using a technique that involves grinding each specimen down, layer by layer, and photographing each stage.

Details of the discovery appear today in the Royal Society journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Prof Siveter added: 'The preservation of soft-parts of animals is a very rare occurrence in the fossil record and allows unparalleled insight into the ancient biology, community structure and evolution of animals - key facts that that would otherwise be lost to science.'

Culled from The Daily Mail UK.

xoxo

Simply Cheska...

Nine-year-old girl, one other need N2.5m to fight cancer...

Eniola and Onibudo...

Hello Friends!

Although nine-year-old Eniola Adepitan and 22-year-old Omolara Onibudo, are not relatives, fate has brought them together in their quest for good health.

Adepitan suffers from cancer of the bone, Onibudo has cancer of the lip.

Speaking with PUNCH Metro on Monday in Magboro, Ogun State, Onibudo said her guardians had spent hundreds of thousands of naira on her yet her problem persists.

She said, “In May 2010, I discovered that I had a wound on my upper lip then I started bleeding from the affected lip. I sought medical attention at the Epe General Hospital, Epe, Lagos State, before I was referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

“After undergoing different tests and medical examinations, I was diagnosed with cancer of the lips. Due to the fact that my parents are aged and have since stopped working, my siblings are the ones doing the running around for me. They have spent hundreds of thousands of naira they borrowed from people and unfortunately, there is no hope of getting more money.”

Onibudo, who spoke in hushed voice due to the fact that her upper lip had protruded, said she needed to undergo fresh tests prior to another surgery.

Comfort eating, Rob? Kim and Kourtney Kardashian join rotund brother for his first public appearance since Rita Ora drama...

Comfort eating much?: Rob Kardashian stepped out in Miami looking rather swell days after his ill-advised Twitter rant directed at ex-love Rita Ora...

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My Thoughts: Common! Nothing's wrong with Rob...He's just a chubby cutey teddy bear....

His name was splashed over headlines last week after he seemingly trashed ex-girlfriend Rita Ora.

But Robert Kardashian had the chance to get some sisterly advice (or maybe an earful) from Kourtney and Kim on Monday.

The Kardashian trio was pictured out in Miami, where they enjoyed lunch - making sure to keep cameras rolling for the family's reality show.

Rotund: Rob Kardashian arrived in Miami to promote his new sock line on Monday...

Sisterly love: Kim and Kourtney Kardashian took their younger brother to lunch...

The sisters are currently shooting Kourtney & Kim Take Miami in the city, and Rob is in town to promote his new sock line, Arthur George. 

The 25-year-old looked downcast - and a little rotund - in a black button down, black denim and white sneakers.

Like some of his sisters, Rob's weight has fluctuated over the years and now he seems to have regained some of the pounds he shed while competing in Dancing With The Stars last year.

Meanwhile, Kourtney matched in a black lace top which made her bra visible, black slacks and nude pumps. And Kim, trailing behind the two as they made their way to Serafina restaurant, wore unflattering wide-leg pants with an elastic waist in a shade of dusty rose.

Not her best look: Kim wore unflattering wide-leg pants...

My husband’ll return as gov 2014

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose...

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Wife of a former governor of Ekiti State, Mrs. Feyisetan Fayose, on Monday predicted that her husband, Ayo, would return to the Ekiti State Government House as the elected governor in 2014.

The former governor’s wife said this in Ado-Ekiti during a meeting she had with the women wing of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state.

She said Fayose was the best aspirant in the PDP, adding that he would win the governorship poll. Fayose promised the women in the state that she would fight for their interest by the time she would return as the first lady of the state.

She said, “I have served as the wife of the most active, action-packed, hardworking, courageous man and friend of the common man- Mr. Ayo Fayose, your former governor and the incoming governor come 2014.

“I can authoritatively say today that history will repeat itself with your cooperation. My husband, Ayo Fayose, will return to the Government House Ekiti to finish his divine assignment.

“You know him to be a selfless man who is committed to Ekiti course. He believes in Ekiti so much. I have come today to announce to you that God has promised to restore him for our deliverance in 2014.”

‘Neymar will surpass Messi’...

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Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho says his former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi will one day be overtaken as the world’s best player by Brazil’s promising star Neymar.

Ronaldinho said he expected Messi to win the Ballon d’Or for a record fourth consecutive time in January ahead of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo but Neymar will be the best in the future, reports Xinhua.

“Cristiano has been making history for many years now, but Messi is the best in the world, and one day Neymar will be the best,” Ronaldinho said.

At 20, Neymar has already scored 54 goals from 102 first-team appearances for Brazilian top-flight club Santos. He has also netted 17 times in 27 matches for Brazil’s national team.

Ronaldinho paid tribute to Messi, who Sunday became the highest goalscorer in a calendar year by surpassing German great Gerd Muller’s record of 85 set in 1972.

“For me Messi is the best in the world,” he added. “For the last few years he has played at a level of football we have never seen before.

Okonjo-Iweala’s mom: Police dismiss $1bn ransom phone call...

PROF. Kanene Okonjo, mother of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala...

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The police in Delta State have dismissed reports that abductors of Kanene Okonjo, mother of Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, are demanding $1bn as ransom.

The state Police Commissioner, Ikechukwu Aduba, on Monday said the police were not aware of the speculated demands. Reuters reports that Police said someone, purporting to be one of the kidnappers, had phoned on Monday to make some demands, but it was impossible to say whether the call was genuine.

“We have to identify the source of the call. Anybody can make spurious calls and demands,” said Delta State Police spokesman, Sergie Ezegam, without giving details of who was contacted or what was demanded.

“We still don’t know the reason for her abduction. What we know is that this is a crime, the woman’s life is in danger and we are making frantic efforts to rescue her.”

The mother of the Finance Minister was kidnapped Sunday afternoon from her home at about 1.30pm by eight gunmen who invaded her husband’s palace at Ogbe-Ofu quarters in Ogwashi-Uku.

Parents of girl who ran off to France with her teacher recovering in hospital after 'attempted suicide' ...

Care: Eastbourne hospital where the couple were taken from their home after an emergency call...

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The parents of a schoolgirl who ran away with her teacher are in hospital recovering from suspected suicide attempt, it emerged today.

They were carried out of their home on stretchers by an ambulance crew, reportedly suffering from a drugs overdose.

Last night the couple were said to be in a stable condition at Eastbourne Hospital, East Sussex.

A hunt for their teenage daughter was launched last September after she vanished with her teacher.

They were found safe in the south-west French city of Bordeaux where he was arrested on a European warrant and the pair were returned to Britain.

Five police cars and two ambulances arrived at the parents' home in Eastbourne, on Wednesday night after the girl's mother rang the emergency services.

A neighbour told the Sun: 'The dad and his wife left on stretchers. Then there lots of camera flashes inside the house and evidence bags were carried out.

'A friend who lives close by was told by police they believed two people at the house had suspected overdoses.'

Held: The teacher hidden under a coat is led away from the magistrates court by French police after his extradition was agreed...

Couple arrested for dumping day-old baby inside bush

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The police in Ekiti State have arrested a couple, Mr. Dada Ojo and his wife, Adejoke, for allegedly dumping their newborn baby inside a bush.

Our correspondent learnt on Sunday that the woman and her husband were arrested on Friday.

A source in the community said the cry of the baby in the bush attracted residents of the area, who alerted officials of Ikere Local Government Area.

It was learnt that Adejoke, 26, gave birth to the baby at home last Wednesday without anybody’s assistance because she could neither afford hospital bills nor patronise the local birth attendants.

She was said to have dumped the baby inside a bush in Ikere-Ekiti where the couple lives.

The woman reportedly blamed her action on poverty, saying the family was having great difficulty raising the three children they already had before the arrival of the new baby.

'Shattered, gutted and heartbroken': Tears of Australian DJ as hoaxers go public for the first time after 'suicide' of nurse at Kate hospital...

'Heartbroken': DJ Mel Greig broke her silence for the first time today in a tearful interview following the death of nurse Jacintha Saldanha...

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With tears streaming down her face, radio DJ Mel Greig told for the first time early today of her horror at hearing the news that a nurse had committed suicide days after her prank call.

The pair described themselves as 'shattered, gutted, heartbroken' in an emotionally-charged interview due to be shown in full on Australian TV later this morning.

'The first thing I asked was: "Was she a mother?"' Miss Greig said in an interview she and co-host Michael Christian gave to television presenter Clare Brady in Sydney.

Jacintha Saldanha, a 46-year-old mother of two, was found dead on Friday morning – 48 hours after the broadcast of an early-morning prank call in which Miss Greig and Michael Christian, two Australian DJs, posed as the Queen and Prince of Wales.

Prank: DJ Michael Christian spoke out in an emotionally charged interview in Sydney...

The DJs - who were not paid for today's interview - were attempting to reach the Duchess of Cambridge, who was admitted to hospital with severe morning sickness after it was revealed she was pregnant.

'We want to say that we are thinking of you and if we could call you we would want to reach out to you'

DJ Mel Greig when asked about contacting Jacintha Saldanha's family

Mrs Saldanha put the call through to Kate’s ward at the King Edward VII Hospital in central London, where an unnamed colleague gave details of the duchess’s treatment for severe morning sickness.

The pair said they believed they would never get past the switchboard and wanted to be hung up on. Instead, to their absolute astonishment, they fooled experienced nurse Jancintha Saldanha into putting them through to the nurse treating the Duchess of Cambridge.

In a partial transcript of the duo's pre-recorded interview with A Current Affair, screening on Australian television shortly, a tearful Mel Greig, who impersonated the Queen in the prank call, said: 'I've thought about it a million times. I want to reach out to them and just give them a big hug and say "Sorry".'

'I hope they're OK. I really do.'

Mr Christian said he hoped Ms Saldanha's family get the love, support and care that they need.

The pair escaped a tough grilling, with interviewer Clare Brady questioning them in a relatively soft and sympathetic fashion.

At one point she said to Miss Greig: 'I feel in you Mel, that you're all but frozen, is that correct?' 

Ms Brady wound up the interview by telling the pair: 'You've been very brave for talking and I just hope that people are caring for you guys too.'

Miss Greig was shown in a brief preview clip with her mascara running down her face as she tearfully recounted the events that have resulted in her and Christian being inundated with savage comments about their behaviour.

They are both receiving counselling in case they attempt self harm.

Greig added that hearing of the nurse's death 'was the worst phone call I have had in my life.' 

The boss of the radio station said today that his staff had tried to call King Edward VII Hospital five times before the prank was aired.

Rhys Holleran, chief executive officer of Austereo, said his team had attempted to contact the hospital to discuss what had been recorded before it went out on the radio.

Hoax: Michael Christian and Mel Greig made a prank call to the hospital where the Duchess of Cambridge was being treated for morning sickness...

Missed: Jacintha Saldanha pictured with her husband Ben Barboza...

Miss Greig went on to say: 'There is not a minute that goes by where we don't think about her [Mrs Saldanha's] family and what they must be going through. 

'The thought that we may have played a part in that is gut wrenching.'

She said phoning the hospital was such a silly idea and not for a second did they expect to speak to Kate or anyone else at the hospital.

It was revealed today that the family of the tragic nurse believe she died of shame.

'

'There’s no malice in the call. There was no digging. There was no trying to upset or get a reaction'

DJ Michael Christian in an interview today

Mrs Saldanha’s brother Naveen told the Daily Mail that his devoutly Catholic sister was a ‘proper and righteous person’.

She would have been ‘devastated’ at unwittingly assisting a colleague in breaching medical confidentiality over the condition of the Duchess of Cambridge.

Okada rider electrocuted to death in Lagos....

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A man suspected to be an okada rider was on Saturday evening electrocuted to death in Ejigbo, Lagos State.

The deceased, identified as Oche Samuel, was said to have met his death at the shop of a motorcycle mechanic in the area.

It was learnt that the deceased had taken his bike for repairs before the sad incident.

An eyewitness, who identified himself only as Kayode, said as Samuel entered into the shop, a Power Holding Company of Nigeria high tension cable sparked and fell on Ailegun Road, off Ronik College.

Kayode said when the incident happened, tension was heightened in the area, resulting in residents running helter-skelter.

He said in the ensuing confusion, Samuel marched on some of the fallen cables and he was electrocuted.

The eyewitness said fear of being electrocuted prevented sympathisers from giving Samuel first aid. He said by the time an official of the PHCN arrived the scene for on-the-spot assessment, Samuel had died.

Gunmen kidnap Okonjo-Iweala’s mother...

PROF. Kanene Okonjo, mother of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala...

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PROF. Kanene Okonjo, mother of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was on Sunday abducted at the gate of the palace of the traditional ruler of Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, Prof. Chukwuka Okonjo, who is her husband.

The 82-year-old monarch’s wife was said to have been abducted at about 1.47pm by a gang of armed men who seized her at the gate of the palace at Ogbe-ofu and took her away, when her husband travelled out of the town.

But the Police command in the state has said a man, who was said to have left the palace a few minutes before the incident, had been arrested.

The man was said to have informed the housemaid that he was in the palace to take the octogenarian to somewhere in the town.

The kidnappers, numbering about 10, were said to be lurking around the palace until the woman and her maid came down to offer some drinks to workers at the gate.