The students of University of Lagos (UNILAG), in continuation of their protest over the renaming of their institution after Late M.K.O Abiola, disrupted traffic on the 3rd Mainland bridge, Lagos, this morning.

The students of University of Lagos (UNILAG), in continuation of their protest over the renaming of their institution after Late M.K.O Abiola, disrupted traffic on the 3rd Mainland bridge, Lagos, this morning.

 
Pics:saharareporters
A pregnant woman and many workers on their way to work in Lagos Island were seen stranded on the bridge with the protesting students blocking some sections of the road with seized BRT buses.



Pics:saharareporters
The students marched from their main campus at Akoka, Yaba through Herbert Macaulay Street to the Adekunle link on the bridge, demanding the reversion to the original name of the university.

Pics:saharareporters
The students are also occupying areas in Alagomeji, Yaba, Sabo and the University’s main gate. Few lecturers and Alumni of the school joined the students in the protest.

Pics:saharareporters



Pics:saharareporters
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, who led a team of police officers to the scene of the protest, asked the students to return to their campuses and stay calm until the government finds a solution to the problem.

President Goodluck Jonathan in his 50-minute Democracy Day address to Nigerians on Tuesday had changed the name of the institution to Moshood Abiola University, Lagos.

His announcement of the name change did not go down well with the students, who insisted that Mr Jonathan should have named another national monument after the late Abiola.

Although they said they had nothing against Abiola, who died on July 7, 1998 while fighting to validate his June 12, 1993 presidential mandate, they said UNILAG was not the most appropriate institution to be named after the late politician.

Meanwhile, the University board through its radio station said on Wednesday that it has suspended all its academic activities for the next two weeks. The board also asked all students to vacate the school premises before 11am.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Breaking News: Charles Taylor jailed for 50 years

 Former Liberian president,Charles Taylor convicted of aiding war crimes last month, has been sentenced to 50 years imprisonment.

The prosecution at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague, led by former US military prosecutor Brenda Hollis, had asked for a sentence of not less than 80 years.

The sentence is likely to be served in a British jail, as the UK is the only country that has indicated it is willing to house Mr Taylor.

Pics:googleimage

Mr Taylor and his defence counsel had called the requested sentence “manifestly disproportionate and excessive”.

Mr Taylor’s counsel, British barrister Courtenay Griffiths, asked that Mr Taylor not be forced to serve his time in Britain, saying he would be “culturally isolated”.

Mr Taylor was convicted on 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for having aided and abetted the rebels in the civil war in Civil War from 1998 to 2002.

He provided the rebels with arms and was involved in planning military operations that led to atrocities.

He received in exchange shipments of diamonds from Sierra Leone mines.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange accused of rape

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has lost his final appeal in a British court and faces extradition to Sweden where he is accused of rape and sexual assault.

But his lawyer Dinah Rose, QC, asked the UK Supreme Court court for two weeks in which to consider the judgement and possibly to request that proceedings be re-opened as she believed part of the judgement was based on a legal question that had not been raised during the hearing and which she had not had a chance to argue on. She said this related to the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.

The court gave Mr Assange a stay of 14 days on the extradition order so that Ms Rose could make the application. Mr Assange did not appear in court.

 

 

 

In a majority decision of five to two, the judges decided that the European Arrest Warrant issued by Sweden asking for Mr Assange’s extradition was legal and should be enforced.

If the court does not allow its proceedings to be re-opened, Mr Assange’s only other legal avenue would be the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. If that court should agree to take his case, he would be allowed to remain in the UK until the hearing.

The Australian-born Mr Assange has been on bail with an electronic security monitor on his leg for more than a year after having been detained in December 2010 on a European Arrest Warrant. In this appeal to the Supreme Court, his legal team had argued that the warrant was not valid because it had been issued by a prosecutor and not a judge.

A prosecutor was not a “judicial authority” as required by law, they said. Lord Justice Phillips said the question had been difficult to resolve but the majority decided there was a presumption that Britain’s Extradition Act was based on a European framework in which “judicial authority” was intended to include prosecutors such as the one who issued Mr Assange’s warrant.

The European Arrest Warrant was introduced after the September 11 attacks in the US to make extradition easier. Critics say it allows people to be moved from one European country to another without any requirement to show evidence.

The sex allegations relate to a visit to Stockholm Mr Assange made in August 2010 when he had encounters with two women. One later complained to police that he had not used a condom, despite her insistence, and another that he had had sex with her while she was asleep. Mr Assange strongly denies the claims and says the encounters were fully consensual.

One of his lawyers had previously argued that he was being persecuted, not prosecuted, because governments had been embarrassed by an avalanche of secret documents released by Wikileaks. But a Swedish lawyer for the two women rejected the claim of politicisation and said the women were victims.

Mr Assange’s legal advisers are believed to fear that if he goes to Sweden he could then be extradited to the United States, where authorities are considering a range of charges against him over Wikileaks including espionage and conspiracy.

American authorities link him to the case of US Army Private Bradley Manning, who faces court martial over 22 alleged offences, including “aiding the enemy” by leaking classified government documents to Wikileaks.

UA prosecutors reportedly believe that Private Manning dealt directly with Mr Assange and “data-mined” secret databases “guided by Wikileaks list of ‘Most Wanted’ leaks
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

News in pictures-Funke "Jenifa" Akindele's wedding pictures

All pictures culled from 247nigerianewsupdate

Imo workers to begin strike today

BARRING last minute suspension, Imo State workers will today commence an indefinite industrial action over unresolved industrial dispute with the state government.

The threat was contained in a statement by the State Public Service Negotiating Council, SPSNC, Trade Union Side, signed by the State Chairmen of Joint Negotiating Council, JNC, and Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Coleman Okwara and Dr. Reginald Anyadike respectively and four others.

The circular read: “Labour has observed with dismay and consternation that government, in its usual disposition, has reneged by refusing to sign the agreement jointly reached with labour.”

The labour leaders argued that “this singular act portends high level of distrust, deceit and neglect to the principle of collective bargaining.”

They directed that “from the foregoing, workers under the Imo State Government employment are hereby called to sit at home from Wednesday, May 30, 2012”.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Nigeria’s Shortest Woman — Now Observing NYSC

Indeed,there is ability in disability.

In a society where special human beings are stigmatised, Evelyn Ochepe fought her way through to the top level of educational hierarchy (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary education).

Evelyn Ochepe is one of the special humans one would not have expected to attain the level of education she now has.

Now a graduate and serving her fatherland through the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Abuja, Evelyn is truly a lesson to some whole-bodied men and women roaming about the streets begging.




It would have been a tough battle for Evelyn getting to her present educational qualification. Competing with tall friends, receiving abuses because of her height, etc must have been frustrating but in all, she survived them.

What a huge lesson to learn from Evelyn from able-bodied humans wasting their talents. If Evelyn can do it, nothing should stop them from achieving more.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

JAMB to monitor 2011/2012 admission processes

 Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, the Registrar of JAMB says that the board would soon start to monitor universities to ensure that they complied with 2011/2012 admission regulations.

Ojerinde made the statement when the Senate Committee on Education visited the office of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Bwari on Monday as part of its oversight functions.

He said the 60:40 per cent ratio admission for science and arts courses must be adhered to by the universities.

Ojerinde said although most universities attributed the delay in admissions to fuel subsidy removal, “the board would still monitor the admission processes.’’

He said the board would start monitoring from state universities to ensure strict compliance with ratio and quota regulations.

The registrar added that all applicants would soon get the opportunity to be admitted to any Nigerian university, although not their first or second choices.

He said this was to prevent them from staying without admission as their courses of choice could be studied in other universities.

Ojerinde announced that there were no more special centres as the board had abolished all special centres since 2008.

He added that centres for examination increased from 2,872 to 3,052 in 2012 with improved security.

He said 1 per cent of the overhead cost of the board would be devoted to buying of books, stressing that the Test Development Unit of the board was purely academic.
Culled:Vanguardnews

Communal clash: 40 feared dead, village head, 4 policemen beheaded

OVER 40 persons are feared dead, while four Mobile Policemen and the village Head of Ntan Obu Ukpe in Eniong, Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State, were allegedly beheaded in a renewed communal clash between the Ntan Obu and the Ikpanya in Ibiono Local government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

Already, about 2,000 indigenes of Ntan Obu are now refuges in nearby communities of Odukpani council, while houses, including churches were destroyed by the invaders, who allegedly had the help of Fulani herdsmen.

Confirming the report, Chairman of Odukpani council, Mr. Stephen Asuquo, said the people of Ntan Obu were attacked by the Ikpanaya neighboring community of Akwa Ibom State, last week.

Asuquo said: “The remote cause, I can say, is the struggle by people from the Ikpanya for the land that belongs to the Ntan Obu. Ikpanya is in Ibiono council of Akwa Ibom State while Ntan Obu is in Odukpani council in Cross River State.

“Something similar took place last year and the deputy governors of the two states met and agreed that everything should return to what it was before the crisis, while they looked into it and the Supreme Court judgment had ruled that the land belonged to Odukpani and the people of Odukpani are Cross River State indigenes.

“So people from Ikpanya had tried to lease out Ntan Obu land to cattle rearers. You can appreciate it because it is a flop play; once the rain subsides and the water recedes, the land leaves alluvial product on the surface which acts as a natural fertilizer to the vegetation. So I am appealing to the cattle rearers, we don’t mind cattle rearers being there but they must recognise the overlords and not that of the neighbouring community.”
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Bomb Found, Defused In Kaduna

A bomb planted and timed to explode on a Kaduna street was sighted by a vigilant resident along Katsina road in the metropolis.

The special bomb unit of the Nigerian police force was immediately called in to defuse the bomb via controlled detonation. No injuries were reported.
Culled:saharareporters

NTA Newsline TV Broadcaster Sele Eradiri Dead At 57

Sele Eradiri, the Nigeria Television Authority broadcaster who featured on a weekly popular program "Newsline" is dead.

 Ms. Eradiri died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital early this morning according to former colleagues.

A former colleague who did not want to be named told newsmen that Eradiri had been laying sick at LUTH after her condition deteriorated shortly after returning from a successful surgery in India a few months ago.

Born on March 13, 1955, Ms. Eradiri attended the Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton from where she graduated in 1983 ·
Culled:saharareporters

UNILAG students protest school's change of name

 


 




A decision announced earlier today by President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria to rename one of Nigeria's most prestigious universities after deceased politician, Moshood Kashimawo Abiola has backfired as students on the institution engaged in mass protests in Lagos to resist the name change.
The students shut down the school’s entrance gate, preventing vehicles from entering the campus as they gather in numbers to march on campus protesting the change of the institution’s name from University in Lagos, University of Lagos [UNILAG] to Moshood Abiola University of Lagos [MAU]
By the early morning Democracy Day broadcast by President Goodluck Jonathan today, University of Lagos popularly known as [UNILAG] will now change to Moshood Abiola University of Lagos [MAU].
Culled:saharareporters

Security detail of Dankwambo’s wife beheaded

The chief detail to HajiyaAdamaDankwambo, wife of the Gombe State governor, has been found beheaded in Potiskum, Yobe State.

Sakina Idris was 32 and her remains have been buried according to Islamic rites.

Report says the chief detail, who was an operative of the State Security Service (SSS), has been declared missing by the family since penultimate Monday after she travelled to visit a sister in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State.

A source close to her family house said the family has been disturbed by failure of the deceased to return home as expected after spirited calls to her mobile phone in vain.

He said the family resorted to fervent prayers after all effort to locate her whereabouts has not been successful.

Four days after the search and prayers, her lifeless body was located in a bush along Potiskum-Fika road with her head missing and her fingers chopped off.

Meanwhile, Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo said the killing would be investigated.

Culled:Dailytrust

Tragedy: Hair dresser electrocuted as storm cuts PHCN live wire

…Customers escape death
A-23-year old woman, Blessing Eyo Okon, was, on Friday afternoon, electrocuted when a Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, cable cut and fell at the corridor of her hair dressing shop as a result of a stormy rain in Calabar, Cross River State capital. The incident occurred at 25, Mount Zion Road, Calabar
.

Meanwhile, the remains of the deceased have been deposited at the Calabar General Hospital mortuary.
A colleague of the deceased, who gave her name as Grace, said Blessing was attending to customers when the heavy rain began to fall and “suddenly the NEPA cable over her shop cut and fell on the floor and since the floor was tiled and wet, it began to shock those in the shop.”
Grace said Blessing was the most affected because her legs were wet, adding that the incident set the shop on fire. According to her, the flame was so much, it was “as if somebody poured petrol inside fire and Blessing had burns on her stomach and legs but those of the stomach tore open her stomach and left her intestines gushing out.”
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Calabar Distribution of PHCN, Mr. Fred Obi, said no such report had been brought to the knowledge of the company, but sources at 25 Mount Zion Road said some PHCN staff visited the scene of the incident soon after it happened.
The Public Relation Officer of Cross River State Police Command, ASP Hogan Bassey, said the command had not been briefed on the matter.
At press time, yesterday, the cut cable was still dangling from the pole while part of it sprawled on the road at the scene of the tragedy.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Air Nigeria plane refuses to start

Passengers aboard an Abuja-bound Air Nigeria plane at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MM2) panicked on Sunday as the engine of the aircraft refused to start.

All had been set for the first flight for the day by Air Nigeria to Abuja, when after several attempts, the pilot was unable to start the engine.

The pilot then explained to the passengers that the development was caused by the fact that the ground power could not ignite the engine. However, after three different ones were brought and the aircraft engine still failed start, the passengers demanded that the aircraft crew open the door so they could disembark.

One of the passengers, Ismaila Umar, who was visibly angered by the situation, was the first to express his disappointment.

Others followed, especially some of the women headed to Abuja to attend the visiting day at their children's school. Their anger was that with the situation of things, it could be impossible for them to get to see their children and also return back to Lagos if they wait for the airline's next scheduled flight which was slated for 3.45pm.

They argued that the management of the carrier should have, upon noticing the fault with the aircraft, made alternative arrangements to convey the stranded passengers who had reported to the airport as early as 6am to be able to catch the 7am flight.

Attempts by Air Nigeria Duty Manager, Jerome Oyebanji, to resolve the issue failed to appease the passengers. The passengers refused to be put on other flights going to Abuja and demanded a refund of their fare.

The management of the airline apologised for the situation and refunded the passengers.
Culled:dailytimesnigeria

Skydiver Becomes First To Land Without Chute

A stuntman has entered the history books to become the first skydiver to land safely without using a parachute.

Gary Connery , 42, leapt 2,400ft from a helicopter while wearing a specially made "wing suit" and swooped towards a "runway" of 18,600 cardboard boxes in an Oxfordshire field.

The incredible moment Gary Connery became the world's first skydiver to land without a chute. Photo: Reuters

Five seconds before he hit the target he flared his suit to decrease his descent and glide angle before plunging into the boxes to break his fall.

"It was so comfortable, so soft," Mr Connery told Sky News immediately afterwards.
"My calculations obviously worked out and I'm glad they did."

Gary Connery prepares to land among cardboard boxes in Henley-on-Thames. Photo credit: Reuters

His flight lasted approximately 50 seconds, during which he was cheered on by hundreds of supporters, including his son Cali, 14, and wife Vivian, who said she was "relieved it's all over".

The jump, which was recorded by dozens of journalists and camera crews, is expected to be watched all over the world.

It had taken 100 volunteers and friends six hours to build the landing strip, which was 350ft long, 40ft wide and 12ft high.

On the approach to the runway the words "Go Gary" were spelled out with cardboard boxes.

The daredevil jumped from a helicopter at 2,400 feet. Photo credit: Reuters
The stunt had originally been planned to take place in April, but weeks of wet weather forced Mr Connery, from Oxfordshire, to postpone the jump.

His team had to obtain special permission from the Civil Aviation Authority .

Following Mr Connery out of the helicopter was fellow wing suit pilot Mark Sutton, who filmed the stunt up until the last moment before deploying his parachute and landing safely.

As part of the preparations, Mr Connery, who has performed stunts in films such as Batman Begins and The Beach, studied the flight of kite birds and how they use their tail to control flight.
Culled:skynews/reuters

Chinese billionaire willing to pays 5 million to find a ‘pure’ wife

At a match-making event titled “Multi-Millionaire Seeking Spouses in Ten Cities Show” that debuted in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, a billionaire says he is  ready to pay 5 million yuans to the event organisers for playing cupid and getting him a ‘pure’ wife.

About 320 beautiful ladies were short-listed from a total of 2,800 applicants. The competition organisers say will be  fierce and excitement escalated when the billionaire made his intentions clear.

All that money would be handed over to the matchmakers if they were successful at playing cupid, the billionaire said at the event, reports a Chinese website Chinasmack.



Pics:googleimage

The billionaire had set a criteris for the matchmakers. They include: the girl should be aged between 20-26 years old; height: 162-170cm; weight: within 50kg; education: above junior college education; have a simple family condition, good-looking, good figure, body pure (no sexual experience).

Most of the participants were fine with the billionaire’s terms, however, one of the participants said that a physical examination to prove the contestant’s ‘purity’ would be ‘insulting’.

The billionaire’s background information reveals that the man is “divorced, not yet 50 years old, billionaire, well-known Chinese entrepreneur, enjoys golf, body’s healthy and strong”.

The matchmakers have even advertised to meet the billionaire’s requirements.

According to the website, the special “Talent Scout Award” claims, “if you know a girl who meets the standards, please recommend her to “Chinese Entrepreneurs Single Club”‘.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Crazy World: Hospital to keep baby till mum can pay for delivery

 A Greek hospital has threatened a new mother that it would keep the infant till the mother cleared the dues racked up during child delivery.

The case comes as no surprise in austerity-stricken Greece as the hospital asks that the payment of 1,200 euros (£970) be made in full before the baby is discharged.

Hospital denies the claim, but campaigners say it is merely the latest in a spate of cases,report says.

The woman, named only as Anna, told newsmen ‘The hospital asked us for a lot of money and the man at the administration office told us we had to pay the whole amount or they would not let the baby leave the hospital with me.

‘Who wouldn’t be scared by that? You have just given birth and they want to keep hold of your baby if you can’t afford to pay? Don’t these people have children of their own?’

After the woman was threatened, she went to a campaign group for help. Women Against the Debt campaigns against government-imposed austerity measures affecting women. The head of the gorup called the head of the hospital who allowed her to take her baby home.

However, the hospital insisted that she pay her bills, albeit in instalments.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Top 8 worst female health habits

Hi ladies,as beautiful and endowed that the Almighty has created us,we love to look good and make the very good use of our God-given potentials. There isnt any harm in doing this,but it is necessary to be health conscious and remember that this very precious life of ours has got no spare. 

There are certain habits that we ((ladies) sometimes engage in; habits that we do not realize are harmful to our health,below are some of these habit which in the long run can cause more harm than good..............Enjoy


1. Wearing heels
High heels affect our posture, put pressure on joints, and can lead to a range of conditions including arthritis, hammer toes, back pain and tendon injuries. To minimize damage, limit your heels to 1.5 inches for daily wear, and wear insoles to help reduce the pressure on joints.

 
 Pics:googleimage


2. Carrying a heavy handbag
With the rising number of gadgets and accessories the majority of women haul around, many of us are carrying around several pounds of weight on our shoulders every day. While you may not feel the effects right now, lugging around a heavy handbag can lead to serious back problems and neck pain as well as poor posture. Don’t wait until the damage is done – do your health a favour and try clearing out all non-essential items and switching to a smaller bag.



Pics:googleimage

3. Sleeping in makeup
Leaving makeup on overnight – along with the dirt and oil that naturally accumulates on skin throughout the day – is a quick route to clogged pores, congested skin and spots. Sleeping with mascara and eye makeup on can also affect your health by causing eye irritation, bloodshot eyes or even infection.


Pics:googleimage


4. Wearing the wrong bra size
It is thought that more than 70 per cent of women are wearing the wrong bra size. However, wearing a badly fitted bra can not only affect the look of your clothes, but research suggests it can cause a range of health problems including back, neck and breast pain, breathing difficulties, poor posture, skin irritation, circulation problems and even irritable bowel syndrome. Rather than guessing your size, make sure you get measured to ensure you are getting the support you need.



5. Worrying and harbouring regrets
Stress is damaging to both our physical and mental health, and women are twice as likely as men to suffer from stress-related disorders, as well as having higher rates of depression and anxiety. Worrying about the future and dwelling on regrets can also add to our problems, with research suggesting that women are more than twice as likely as men to harbour regrets over lost loves and broken relationships.


6. Obsessing over appearance
Many women tend to overly obsess over their idea of the “perfect” body. Research findings have shown that 16 per cent of the normal or underweight women studied believed themselves to be overweight, while 90 per of women wanted to change at least one aspect of their appearance. Body insecurity not only affects our mental health, but it can also lead to physical damage caused by extreme diets, yo-yo dieting, eating disorders and cosmetic surgery.

7. Not getting enough sleep
Unluckily for women, statistics suggest that sleep problems affect more women than men, while a study by the University of Michigan found that women are more than twice as likely to give up sleep to care for others. Unfortunately, sleep has been found to affect women’s blood pressure and mood more than men’s, making it imperative that you do your best to get a good night’s sleep.

8. Putting yourself last
Not only are women more likely to compromise their sleeping habits to care for children and others, they are also prone to putting their own wants and needs at the bottom of a hectic to-do list of chores and obligations. To avoid running yourself into the ground, learn to sometimes say no to those requests and commitments that are less than essential, and make sure you set aside some “me” time each week to do something enjoyable just for you.
Culled:channelstv

Janet Uduak cuts her husband manhood for demanding too much sex

A 28 year-old woman, Janet Uduak, has been dragged to a customary court in Lagos by her husband, Kolawole Richard, for using a kitchen knife to slice his manhood when he attempted to sleep with her.

Janet, a mother of one, allegedly carried out the act because her husband demanded for sex against her wish.

The incident, which happened at 19, Jagun Street, Okokomaiko, on the outskirts of Lagos, got Richard seriously injured, causing him to lose his ability to have erection.

Richard is asking the Ijanikin Customary Court to dissolve his marriage with Janet.

He alleged that Janet was violent and does not perform her matrimonial obligations, which include allowing him to have sex with her.

He told the court that he paid N50,000 bride price on Janet at her her village in Akwa Ibom State. He said despite marrying her legally, Janet never allows any sexual intimacy between them.

“There is usually trouble in the bedroom anytime I wanted to sleep with her,” he said.

Richard, a teacher, from Ondo State, told the court that he is no longer in love with her.

He tendered a photograph of his severed manhood before the court. He also asked the court to grant him the custody of their only daughter.

But the remorseful woman begged for forgiveness, promising that she will fulfil her obligations as a wife including allowing him to have sex any time he wanted.

But Richard insisted that the marriage should be dissolved.

The President of the court, Mr. S. K. Hussain, noted that the relationship has completely broken down.

He consequently dissolved the marriage and ordered Richard to pay Janet N26,000 as alimony.
Culled:dailytimes

Father arrested for selling day-old son for N350,000

Shock and disbelieve could best describe the expression on the faces of residents of Alagbado area of Lagos State last week, following the arrest and startling discovery that one of their neighbors, Mr Abraham Olaniyan, sold his day-old baby to an Anambra State business woman for N350,000.

Before the arrest, sympathizers and close relatives of the Olaniyans had thronged their apartment to console them on the death of their baby.

Report said the suspect’s wife , Mrs Nkechi Olaniyan was pregnant for the fifth child. But the family, as gathered, had been going through financial difficulty which led to the suspect’s inability to care for his immediate family.

 On the day of delivery, the suspect, a bricklayer, reportedly took his wife to a private hospital around Alagbado where she was delivered of a baby boy.

Report says that trouble started Mrs. Olaniyan regained consciousness, an hour after the delivery, and she was informed that her baby had died. She reportedly demanded severally to see the remains of her baby, only to be told that he had been buried already.

Suspecting a foul play, she reportedly contacted the police and expressed fears that the purported story of her dead child was shrouded in unfathomable circumstance. The Police immediately arrested the husband, a development that initially sparked up reactions from different quarters.

But preliminary investigation, according to Police sources, revealed that the 26-year-old father allegedly connived with some medical staff to sell the baby, following his inability to cater for him and his siblings. According to the sources,“ we arrested the man based on his wife’s disclosure that he had one time threatened to sell one of their children.

She said when she was pregnant, her husband asked her to terminate the pregnancy because of their financial state but claimed she refused. So, after she regained consciousness and was told the baby had died, she insisted on seeing the corpse and when they did not, she concluded her husband could have made do his treat.

“ At first , her husband denied . But he later confessed that he sold the baby for N350,000 to a woman in Anambra State who had been been looking for the fruit of the womb for fifteen years. His confessional statement led to the arrest of the doctor of the hospital and two nurses, who during interrogation, told us the man gave them his consent and that the woman was aware of the whole plan”

Investigation, as gathered, further revealed that the woman was anesthetized immediately she put to bed, apparently to prevent her from knowing when the illicit transaction would take place.

On how the business woman was arrested in far away Anambra, police sources said, “ she was called on the phone by Abraham who said he wanted to see her. A place was booked for the meeting and when she showed up, we arrested her.”

Meanwhile , back in Onitsha , the apartment of the business woman simply identified as Rachael was agog with celebration. One of her relatives was already in her house to help her massage her body and also bath the child.

The joy between her and her husband over the arrival of their baby knew no bounds , owing to the several years of waiting for a child of their own. It could however not be ascertained whether she revealed the source of the baby’s arrival to her husband.

But their joy was short lived following her arrest two weeks after the purported arrival of their long awaited baby .
Culled:dailytimesnigeria

Many feared dead as vehicle plunged into river in Bayelsa

TRAGEDY struck in the early hours of yesterday along the Bayelsa State stretch of the East-West road when an unidentified passenger vehicle plunged into the Okoso river following a collision with another vehicle travelling in the opposite direction.

It was gathered that the poor state of the road may have been partly responsible for the tragic accident coupled with likely fatigue on the part of the drivers as well as poor visibility and lack of road signs to warn drivers of the deplorable state of the of the road.




Though the number of passengers is yet to be identified and commercial car which plunged into river could not be ascertained but the driver of the other vehicle, an old Honda car with Rivers State plate number AG 188 KHE who sustained serious injuries was rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Yenagoa.

The Okoso Bridge, scene of the tragic accident was besieged by sympathizers and other motorists who stopped by to see what assistance they could rendered to the victims.

Armed policemen and other security operatives travelling through the route were also on hand to render assistance and help direct traffic on the road to prevent gridlock given the near chaotic situation on the route.

But some of the sympathizers at the scene told Vanguard that some public spirited persons had been diving into the river in search of the vehicle and possibly survivors but to no avail.

They noted with concern that nobody had been able to identify the make of the vehicle or the number of passengers travelling in the vehicle when the accident occurred between Monday midnight and early hours of Tuesday.

According to them, only the driver of the Honda who was unconscious when he was rescued could narrate what actually happened and the fate of the occupants of the other vehicle that plunged into the river.

A resident close to the scene of accident said, “We heard a loud bang but it was difficult to describe what actually happened. When we rushed to the scene, we only saw the badly damaged Honda lying off the bridge with no sign of the other vehicle.

“The injured driver was rushed to hospital and we searched to no avail in the darkness for the other vehicle and continued again at daybreak hoping that we will rescue somebody.”

Also, one of the local divers searching the river for the other vehicle and its occupants said all they were encountering were concrete slabs that were used to protect the side of the river from erosion caused by the strong incident current.

He showed our correspondent who visited the scene at about 7am a long bamboo pole that was used to prod the water in the course of their search stressing, “as at that time, there was no hope of finding any survivors as the victims would have been inside the river for over eight hours.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Shrinking Lake Chad threatens 18m Nigerians

About 18million Nigerians whose livelihoods depend on Lake Chad are being threatened due to the shrinking of the lake which has also forced them into competing over water.

Water Resources Minister Sarah Reng Ochekpe stated this while marking the ‘Lake Chad Day’ in Abuja.

She also called for concerted efforts to save the lake and restore its dwindling fortunes which have shrunk by 90 per cent, going from 25,000 square kilometres in 1963 to less than 1,500 square kilometres in 2001 due to climate change, population increase and water demands.

“Lake Chad is believed to be host to over 30 million inhabitants out of which over 50 percent are Nigerians whose livelihoods is now threatened due to the drying up of the lake”, she explained.

She said causes of the sever shrinkage include climate change, the decrease in rainfall pattern in the region and water demands for agricultural activities and other human needs.

Also speaking, House Committee Chairman on Lake Chad, Abubakar Wambai, noted that the lake retains only 5 percent of its original size hence the need for concerted efforts to revitalise the lake.

Culled:dailytrustnigeria

Man and woman found dead in car

Decomposing remains of a man and a woman believed to be lovers were found in a car at the premises of a hospital in Kano on Monday evening, two months after a similar incident in the city.

The corpses of Najib Aliyu and Nadiya Abdullahi Gwammaja were traced to a Nissan Avalanche car after complaints of a putrid odour by passers-by and patients at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, officials said.

No one could say for sure as at yesterday what caused the death of the two, who were in their early 30s and said to have met through social networking on Blackberry cell phones.

The late Najib made this last post on his Facebook wall on Friday at 7.28am: “On my way to Kano, friends I need ur prayers.”

Over the weekend, his friends and family shared a Blackberry message announcing his disappearance: “A man by the name Najeeb Aliyu Yunusa has been missing since Friday evening.

 He was last seen in Kano. He is from Kano and one of the managers of Azman Petroleum Abuja. All efforts to trace him proved abortive as his lines were also off. Please copy and share, let’s try and see how we can help. You may be saving a life as you do this.”

A hospital official said  that after patients complained about the some strange smell, workers traced the source of the odour to the car in which the decomposing bodies were found at about 7pm on Monday.

People who saw the corpses before they were evacuated said there was no sign of physical injuries or violence on them.

Spokesman for the hospital, Alhaji Aminu Inuwa Ringim, confirmed the incident.

“It was the bad odour coming out of the car that attracted the attention of passers-by, who later reported the matter to the management of the hospital,” Ringim told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

“The deceased were suspected to have died since Friday when they came there and parked, only God knows what happened,” he added.

A relation of the late Nadiya told journalists in Kano yesterday that the two were not “lovers” as was being rumoured but “mere Blackberry friends” who met through social networking on Blackberry cell phones.

“We discovered that she obtained the contact of the deceased man from one of her closest female friends in our area,” he said.

Nadiya was a divorcee who had married twice and had a 6-year-old daughter from the second marriage.

For his part, Najib was a manager with an oil company in Abuja who was also married and had two children.

“After her marriage ended she came back to stay in our family house which is located near Gidan danBuzu in Gwammaja area,” Nadiya’s brother said.

“Our family lost contact with my sister since Friday after she claimed she was visiting her younger sister’s home where the deceased man picked her.

“When Nadiya was about to leave for her sister’s home she told us she was expecting a visitor from Abuja. We later learnt that the visitor picked Nadiya and her sister and drove them to the house of one of her ex-husband’s relatives where she paid a condolence visit.

“From there she told her sister that her visitor would escort her to collect some new clothes from a tailor and would return shortly. That was how we lost contact with her until we heard over the radio that she was found dead with a man inside a car at Aminu Kano Hospital.”

Deputy spokesman of the Kano Police Command, ASP Magaji Musa Majiya, who confirmed the incident, said samples for post mortem had been taken from the corpses before they were released to their families for burial.

This was the second time in as many months that dead people were found in cars in Kano.

On March 14, a man and woman in their 20s were found dead inside a Peugeot 406 car at Kundila quarters in Kano, which incidentally is near the hospital where Monday’s incident happened. The man was identified as Abubakar Abba while the lady was Ummul Khair Muhammad. They were also said to have met via Blackberry messaging.

Culled:dailytrustnigeria

Man prostrates in court to save marriage

 

A 44-year-old man, Oladoye Oyinlola on Tuesday, prostrated before an Agege Customary Court in Lagos, in desperation to save his marriage.

Oyinlola told the court to dissuade his wife, Afusat, from dissolving their 20-year-old marriage.

Afusat had urged the court to dissolve the marriage, after accusing her husband of adultery, assault and battery.

The petitioner told the court that coping with Oyinlola's excesses in the last ten years had become unbearable.


Pics:googleimage


"He beat me whenever he became drunk. I have spoken with his family about it, yet there is no improvement. All I get after I advise him is beating," said the mother of three.

Afusat also told the court that she was seeking divorce because she wanted to prevent their children from taking after their father.

"If I don't leave, he might end up killing me because he is always very drunk. I don't love him anymore and no amount of pleading will make me change my mind," she added.

Afusat also described her husband as an adulterer with many female friends, including married women.

Oyinlola however claimed to still love his wife, promising to be a better husband and father to Afusat and their children.

"I want her to give me the last chance as I do not drink again. Ever since she left my house, I have not been able to think properly," he said.

Oyinlola also asked to be put on probation, which the court president, Emmanuel Sokunle granted.

"I will give the couple a long time to effect changes and if the man does not change, the union will be dissolved," he said.

 The case was adjourned to August 5, 2012, for further hearing.

Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Insecurity: Jonathan In Crucial Meeting With Sultan, CAN Leaders

President Goodluck Jonathan has urged the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), the umbrella body of the two major religions in the country, to take a united position to commend or condemn actions and utterances of groups and individuals that may threaten the peace of the nation.

Jonathan stated this  when he held a closed-door meeting with the two co-chairmen of NIREC, the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) president Mr. Ayo Oritsejafor, who led members of the executive committee of the council to the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to the president, such joint action would show the teeming adherents of both religions, especially the youth, that there is unity and love among their leaders.

Acknowledging the security challenges confronting the country, he said government would continue to do its best, adding that this was a passing phase in the nation’s development.

Jonathan assured NIREC that government would continue to consult with them and seek their advice as necessary.

Earlier, NIREC submitted recommendations to President Jonathan about various national issues in the country.

After the meeting with the president at the villa, secretary-general of NIREC, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, told State House correspondents that, at the meeting, the two religious heads in the country and other members of NIREC presented suggestions to President Jonathan on how to tackle the security challenges in the country.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

IG advocates N50,000 minimum wages for policemen

The Acting Inspector- General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has advocated a N50, 000 minimum wage for a constable in the police force, saying such will go a long way to boost morale and promote efficiency.




The acting IG, who was on his first official visit to Lagos State on Monday, said he had already made proposal to the Federal Government and making a “serious representation” for the actualisation of the new salary structure for the police.

He said apart from salary, other welfare packages like housing, training, mortgage policy and efficient cooperative society were being restructured to make sure that every policeman benefitted.
He said, “We have started with the 500 housing unit in Abuja. The Rank and File will benefit from the housing policy first because they are the men on the field during the rain and the sun. I will pay attention to the Rank and File.”

Abubakar warned his men to henceforth stop any form of harassment of journalists and other Nigerians, saying if reports were made, culprits would face the law.

He, however, urged them to protect their stations and other public building. Abubakar said, “The era of attacking police station or government building is over. Anybody who attacks such is dead; you should not allow him to go. You must defend yourselves and you must defend government property.”

Earlier at Governor Babatunde Fashola’s office, Abubarkar said 50,000 policemen would soon go on course to boost response capacity to security challenges and crisis management.

According to him, 16,000 policemen out of the 50,000 will go for intelligence training, while 10,000 will go for detective training. He added that the newly promoted Assistant Commissioners of Police were undergoing a two week management course in Lagos.

Abubakar said following the dismantling of road blocks, the police had ordered for 300 patrol vehicles to be deployed in all the major roads in the country for effective policing and safety of the people on highways.

Governor Babatunde Fashola in his response, commended the leadership of the present police administration for its commitment to ensuring the security of lives and properties of residents.
Culled:247nigerianewsupdate

Parents face arrest for refusing polio vaccine

Immunisation officials in Kebbi have threatened to arrest parents who refuse polio vaccine for their children.

The threat comes after field vaccinators reported persistent noncompliance (refusal of vaccine) in pockets of the capital Birnin Kebbi.

In one ward, officials reported noncompliance affecting 128 children on the second day of ongoing immunisation.

Same day, 44 children in another ward at Gwadangwaji could not get vaccinated.

Arrests—detention for only hours until parents release their children for vaccination— have been a means of dealing with habitual noncompliance in parts of the state for several past rounds of vaccination, often with tacit approval from authorities and the traditional council.

But officials of international health organisations monitoring the exercise are worried it might be counterproductive.

Pregnant woman dies, several injured as fans celebrate Chelsea’s victory in Lagos

At least one person was reportedly killed while several others sustained serious injuries during Chelsea victory celebration on Saturday.


The deceased, who was identified as a pregnant lady, was killed in the Ikotun area of the state by gunmen who took advantage of the jubilation to rob innocent residents.

According to residents “The entire area was rowdy after the match and some gunmen, who stormed the area, went into the shop of one pregnant lady and robbed her. They shot her before fleeing. She was rushed to a nearby hospital but died soon afterwards.”

In Somolu area, a man was reportedly stabbed in the eye after being unable to pay up his bet.
An eyewitness, Mr. Adewunmi Brown, “Before the match began, I already knew there would be trouble because the last time Chelsea won, there was pandemonium. So, on Saturday, I was at a pub on Kadupe Street. After Chelsea won, two guys began arguing about money and before we knew it, one stabbed the other in the eye. I quickly ran away into my compound and locked the gate but the entire area was filled with jubilation. Some of the fans, who were obviously drunk, took off their clothes and were roaming the streets naked.”

Pics:googleimage


According to Punch newspaper, another man, Obi, was also stabbed in the eye for mocking football fans in Orile area of the state. A resident, Matthew Ajie, said after Chelsea had won the match, Obi was insulting the fans, calling them hooligans for the manner in which they were celebrating.
In Ojota area, some jubilant fans were said to have blocked a part of the Ikorodu Expressway to extort money from motorists.

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joseph Jaiyeoba, said he was not aware of any death or pandemonium associated with the match, saying that the police had put in place measures to forestall the breakdown of law and order.
Culled:dailytimesnigeria

PHOTONEWS: A Suicide Attacker John Akpabu Arrested At The Radio House In Abuja

A man  this morning tried to smuggle hand grenades and rifle ammunition into Nigeria’s Information Ministry where ministers were attending a news conference.





Report says the man apparently made it past the gate of the Radio House compound in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, heading toward where the ministers were meeting before being stopped. Footage aired on the state-run Nigerian Television Authority showed the man sitting on the ground next to a woman’s handbag that contained the rifle rounds and the grenades.




As journalists shouted questions at the man after his arrest, he said that he had come from a neighboring state and was trying to give the bag to someone else inside the ongoing ministerial conference.

The conference, aired live on state television Monday, continued uninterrupted.

Local police spokesman Jimoh Moshood declined to immediately comment. A federal police spokesman did not answer a call for comment.










John Akpabu, the would-be suicide bomber of ministerial briefing , arrested with 386 granade, and other explosives at the the National Press Centre, Radio House in Abuja today.






All pics:saharareporters
Culled:Saharareporters/247nigerianewsupdate