Believers Ready For 'Apocalpse'

Hundreds of people across the world have been preparing for what they believe will be the end of the world on December 21.

The date is the apparent end of the "long count" calendar of the ancient Mayan civilisation.

Believers have gathered in Mexico near

Nollywood Actress Nkiru Sylvanus Regains Freedom

Nollywood actress Nkiru Sylvanus who was kidnapped last Sunday by Unknown gunmen was released yesterday Thursday. The actress was kidnapped when she was returning from a movie location.

while in captivity, the kidnappers demanded for a ransom of 100 million naira. however it is not certain if any amount was paid for her release.
 Slyvanus is also the Special Assistant to Imo State Government on Public Affairs

Principal Suspended For Conducting Virginity Test On Students

The plague of moral decadence troubling the society is compelling some untoward actions aimed at redeeming the young folks from self-destruction. It is probably in a bid to ensure a high moral standard among her pupils that the Principal of Ajuwon High School, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunke Aladeojebi, took an unusual action earned her an indefinite suspension from the state government.

Aladeojebi, who is widely regarded as a strict disciplinarian, subjected some female students in her school to a virginity test, drawing the ire of their parents who reported the matter to the police for carrying out such a test without consulting them.

According to some of the affected students, the principal was said to have called in a nurse who, together with the principal, dipped their fingers into the students’ organs to ascertain whether they are still virgins or not.

One of the students explained that of the about 300 female students in SSS1, 38 of them who are still virgins were marched into the principal’s office for the test.

She said: “They subsequently divided us into three groups of 10, 15 and 13 and I was in the second group. The principal later addressed us and threatened that any student who fails the test would have her name written in the school’s black book and would be suspended.

“When my class captain emerged from the room, I asked her why was everyone that came out of the office looking depressed? I was held spellbound when she told me that the principal and the nurse dipped their fingers, in turns, into their private parts, adding that she had started bleeding as a result of the penetration.

“Two of my friends who had similar experiences burst into tears as they narrated what happened.”

The state government yesterday announced her suspension over the incident, after a panel set up to investigate the matter turned in a preliminary report and verdict that the principal had no right to conduct such a test on her students.

The state Commissioner for Education, Mr. Segun Odubela, said the ministry had interrogated the principal to give her fair hearing, adding that a five-man panel consisting of officials of both the ministry and Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) has been set up to further investigate the case and make appropriate recommendations on how to deal with the matter.

Commenting on what further action that could be taken against the principal, Odubela said the panel has 14 days to submit its report, noting that "the government is always concerned about the welfare and interest of the students and therefore will not tolerate any act that will compromise their fundamental rights or jeopardise their future”.

He added: “We equally believe in the need to maintain discipline in our schools and to follow due process in the handling of this particular case. We appeal to the parents of the students involved to be patient and allow us to handle the case as dictated by the law of the land and service rules.”

His counterpart in the Ministry of Information, Alhaji Yusuph Olaniyonu, said the government would follow due process in handling the matter.

A sexual abuse expert, Mrs. Princess Olufemi-Kayode, condemned the principal’s action, saying: “It’s inappropriate to subject pupils to a virginity test. It’s a barbaric act that should not be tolerated or accepted. A broken hymen is no longer medically proven as evidence of sexual activities.

“I don’t know what law exists in Ogun State in this regard, but if it happens in Lagos State, she would be sued. She actually overstepped her bounds. The pupils were molested. It is simply an abuse.”

Olufemi-Kayode said: “Virginity test is a growing phenomenon in sexual abuse. Statistics from the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) shows that over 25 per cent of adolescents in Nigeria have had their first sexual intercourse by age 15.”

Another NGO, Child Protection Network (CPN), in Abeokuta, described the issue of conducting virginity test on students as wrong.

Its state Coordinator, Mrs. Olapeju Osoba, said: "I don't see a situation whereby a principal will check whether a child is a virgin or not. I do not think any principal has a professional capacity to do that kind of test.

“I don't think I will ever give my consent for anybody in that capacity to conduct a test on my child because that person is invading the privacy of that child, it is not acceptable, I won’t accept it."

Speaking on the implication of such a test, she said there were emotional implications, adding: "children are psychologically traumatised".

She further explained that such children would need to undergo some therapy to overcome the trauma.

On the possible effect of the test on the students, a psychologist, Mr. Olawale Meduoye, said: “Pupils subjected to violation in this manner find it hard to cope in life. They live with the experience for the rest of their lives''

Obasanjo: I'm Still Alive

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday dispelled rumours about his death, saying, "am still alive anyway”.
He made the denial when he met with the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur in Abeokuta.
Obasanjo expressed worry why people should spread death rumour about him.
He said that keeping quiet on issues of national importance was not the best option for him because of his love for Nigeria.
“Because, if there is no Nigeria, there will not be a party and if there is no party, there will be nothing to govern on the platform of the party.
“If there is anything that requires my own comment, position or views I will say it.
"It is my passion, patriotism and love that will continue to make me say my own. If I see something that is inimical to the growth of the party, I will talk,” he said.
Obasanjo expressed his delight over Tukur's visit, describing the PDP chieftain a respected leader.
“It is always a delight to have our oga visit us to see what we are doing and what we are not doing.
“To know our anxiety, aspirations and concerns. And also to disabuse the minds of the rumour mongers. The President is my President. Those who want me and the chair to quarrel; this visit will keep them quiet.

"Without Nigeria there will be no party even when I was in prison I was not quiet," he said.

Tukur said that the main purpose of his visit was to appreciate the former PDP Board of Trustees chairman for his persistent and consistent role not only for the party but for the country and the international community.

"Your support has never been relenting and I have come to say" thank you sir,” he said.

Tukur, however, affirmed the leadership of the Dipo Odujirin-led executive in the state, declaring that the party only

recognised the elected executive.

“Whoever the people have elected as far as I am concerned, is the chairman of our party in Ogun,” he said..
But Odujinrin’s chairmanship was opposed by a faction of the party who claimed a court ruling was in their favour.

"I have come here because of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is the leader of our party and I'm now the chairman.

Okonjo-Iweala's Mother kidnapped

The 83-year-old mother of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was kidnapped Sunday afternoon by unknown gunmen from the palace of the traditional ruler of Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area, Delta State, Obi Chukwuka Okonjo, who is also her husband.

The 83-year-old Kamene Okonjo, who is also the queen mother of Ogwashi-Uku and a retired Professor of Sociology, was abducted at about 1.47 pm by a gang of armed men who seized her at the gate of the palace at Ogbe-ofu, Ogwashi-Uku, and took her away, when her husband was out of town.

Confirming the kidnapping, the Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, condemned the incident, saying it is most unfortunate that a woman as old as Professor Kamene Okonjo, could be traumatised.

He said he had directed the Delta State Police Command and the Special Task Force to rescue the minister’s mother immediately, as her kidnapping was a major embarrassment to the state.

He said no demand had been made by the kidnappers for ransom, but that Delta State Government was focused on recovering the minister’s mother alive and unharmed as quickly as possible.

Also, speaking to on her mother’s abduction, the minister, who arrived the country last night from the United States of America, said she was informed of the incident the minute she switched on her phone at the airport.

She said she was distraught when she got the news, but had to remain calm for her father’s sake.

The minister said the sketchy information made available to her showed that the police orderlies who normally guard the palace were not present at the time her mother was abducted.

She confirmed that her father was in Nasarawa State Sunday or a meeting and one of her priorities last night was to reach him to inform him of his wife’s abduction.

In a statement by the minister's spokesman, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, he said: "It is difficult to say whether those behind this action are the same people who have made threats against the Co-ordinating Minister in the recent past or other elements with hostile motives. No possibility can be ruled out."

He said this was a very difficult time for the entire Okonjo family, "but the family is hopeful of a positive outcome as it fervently prays for the quick and safe return of the matriach."

However, the police in Delta State were said to have arrested a man who allegedly left the compound a few minutes before the incident took place.
The man was said to have informed the housemaid that he was in the palace to take the minister’s mother somewhere in town.

It was gathered that the kidnappers numbering about 10 were lurking around the palace until the woman and her maid had come down to serve soft drinks to some construction workers who were fixing interlocking tiles at the gate.

Eyewitnesses said as soon as the woman came down from the main building towards the gate, the criminals moved quickly, grabbed and pushed her into a waiting Golf Volkswagen car.

“The abductors when they walked into the compound were heavily armed. They were about 10 in number.

“They bundled up the men fixing the interlocking tiles and asked them to lie face down. Immediately they saw her, they bundled her into a waiting Golf Volkswagen while another car was parked outside,” they said.

One of the assailants, said eyewitnesses, braced the odds and went upstairs to collect the woman’s handbag. Another eyewitness said another maid, who sighted the kidnapper upstairs, hid herself in the kitchen

Why Northern Governors Stayed Away From Meni Jonathan's Burial

Contrary to earlier insinuations that governors of the 19 Northern states boycotted the burial of President Goodluck Jonathan’s brother, Meni, at the weekend in Bayelsa State, over unresolved political issues, Daily Sun gathered that the governors may have acted based on the body language of the President’s family

. Initial speculations had it that while the Northern governors stayed away from Otuoke as a result of strained relationship with the President over a number of issues, including revenue sharing, the security challenge in the region, and his rumoured re-election plans for 2015, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governors also stayed away to protest what they might have considered the President’s “bad faith” after the 2011 elections they helped him to win.

Lagos, a key ACN state, is still smarting from the President’s recent stoppage of a $600 million World Bank loan. Penultimate week, Governor Raji Fashola (SAN) dragged the President to the House of Representatives, appealing to the lawmakers to resolve the loan impasse. Similarly, they were said to have cited the issue of timing of the burial, coming at a time when many of them had made commitments and given their words to attend the wedding of Vice President Namadi Sambo’s daughters slated for the same day.

However, a close aide of the President who does not want to be named, told Daily Sun that nothing can be further from the truth. According to him, the family never intended a big ‘celebration’ for the demise of a man who died 45 years of age. “Remember, his mother is still alive. He has an elder brother. If anything, I think his death was untimely and that is not the type of burial you would want to celebrate and invite all the dignitaries,” the source said.

Rather than celebrate, he said, the Jonathan family simply wanted to mourn their loss quietly. “If you also notice that the late Meni left behind two wives, nine very young children and a grand child, the wisest thing for now would be to soberly reflect on what to do to assist the very young family he left behind and not to be insinuating political undertones to the event.” He said it was in keeping with the desire to mourn quietly that the family did not event print any formal invitation cards for the burial.” They only took paid advertorial to announce the funeral program.”

Even at that, the source said, it would be wrong to say that the governors abandoned Jonathan. He noted: “Virtually all the governors had visited the President at Aso Rock to commiserate with him. It was there that they got the “message” that the burial would not be a carnival. In fact, the little “noise” that was made about the burial was probably because the President’s family was involved. “However, many of them, including the governors of Kogi and Benue states actually sent their deputies to the burial in Otuoke at the weekend, while the governors from the neighbouring states in the South-East and South-South attended.” According to him, “many journalists do not even know deputy governors, so they could not differentiate them from the crowd.

That was why they hurriedly concluded that their states boycotted the burial.” He said it was most “inhuman” and “insensitive” to attach any political meanings to the pattern of attendance at the rural, noting that but for the fact that President Jonathan was directly involved, he probably would have attended the Kaduna wedding himself. Interestingly, Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who allegedly was one of the ACN governors who boycotted the President’s function, made it to Sambo’s daughters’ wedding, in Kaduna.

The burial of the President’s brother, coincided with the wedding of Sambo’s two daughters – Huwaila and Aishat – in Kaduna. Besides former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari and ex-military president, Gen Ibrahim Babangida, Governors of Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Katsina and Gombe States were by Sambo’s side. Also at the Vice President’s event were governors of Bauchi, Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara and Taraba states. Wife of the Benue State Governor, Mrs Yemisi Suswam represented her husband. At Otuoke, however, were Senate President David Mark, Speaker, House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal, his deputy Emeka Ihedioha, as well as governors of Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Rivers, Delta and Abia states

The Sun

Army Closes In On Boko Haram's Political Leaders

The General Officer Commanding 1 Division,
Nigerian Army, Maj- Gen. Garba Wahab, yesterday
said that the military was closing in on politicians,
who sponsor terrorism in the country.
He also said the Police alone cannot handle the
security challenges facing the country.
"If we are told by the political leadership of Nigeria
to leave the streets today, it will take me just a few
minutes to order my soldiers back to the barracks.
But the police cannot handle the situation alone;
that is why we were called in the first place.
"My fear is that if we dismantled the roadblocks
and leave the scenes, the situation might take a
turn for the worst. We are enjoying peace and
safety in Kaduna State because of the coordinated
effort of Intelligence and the Nigeria Army," he
said.
Wahab spoke when he received the executive
members of the Correspondents Chapel of the
Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna led by
its chairman, Mr. Luka Binniyat, at the 1 Div
Headquarters. Kaduna. He said the Army would
leave no stone unturned in ensuring that Nigerians
live in peace and are well secured.
"Terrorism is based on fear; the Army would do
whatever it takes to make Nigerians sleep with
their two eyes closed. The Army has a mandate to
do whatever is within the ambit of the law to
provide security for the people and ensure that the
country remains united," he added
Wahab explained that every operation, which had
been carried out by the Army was based on
information provided by the State Security Services
(SSS).
"We are dealing with terrorists, who operate a
complex command chain and understand their turf
very well. Some of them who we have arrested are
just the foot-soldiers, who do not even know one
another. We believe that they have spiritual and
political leaders and we have started getting at
them.
"These people have well -stocked arms but we do
not want to create panic in the public with
revelation of arms we have recovered from them.
In Zaria alone, in the house of the an influential
man, we engaged these terrorists on several hours
of gun battle before we subdued them. We
discovered a pile-up of explosives, maybe about a
tonne. We had to evacuate the entire area before
removing the explosives."

Medical Expert Warns About Self Medication During Pregnancy

medicating during pregnancy could cause serious
complications to the expected baby.
Self-medication is the practice of consuming drugs
not prescribed by a qualified medical expert. It is a
common practice in the Nigerian society.
The experts told NAN in separate interviews that
self-medication by pregnant women could cause
serious side-effects, such as malformation in
children or hindrance in normal growth of the baby.
Dr Akinyemi Olaleye, a consultant obstetrician and
gynaecologist, said that pregnant women should
always choose to see a doctor instead of arbitrarily
purchasing drugs over the counter.
"Pregnant women should never indiscriminately
purchase drugs. Although, ordinarily, self-
medication should be about Over The Counter
drugs (OTC). However, for a pregnant woman there
may be more to just a headache.
"Some drugs which a pregnant woman has been
taking prior to being pregnant can negatively have
an effect on the health of mother and child if taken
this time around.
"Simply put, multivitamin that is taken at this stage
without prescription can be disastrous. We all know
that no pregnant woman completes her gestation
without a cold, cough, fever or any other minor
ailments.
"But, whatever is the case, it is better for the
pregnant woman to consult her doctor before
proceeding to take any medications," Olaleye said.
Dr Olusola Togunde, a medical officer at the
Ikorodu General Hospital, disclosed that so many
pregnant women were involved in self-medication
which has been resulting in many complications.
"It's a common belief that pregnant women can be
helped with home-made remedies. But are we really
sure about its composition, especially with regards
to the peculiar nature of each pregnant woman?" he
asked, while stressing that drinking 'grandma's
concoctions is definitely not safe for a pregnant
woman.
Dr Motunde Ajayi, another obstetrician and
gynaecologist, said by self-medicating, a pregnant
woman puts the foetus at risk.
"Defects in the development of the reproductive
organs are common side-effects of self-medication
by pregnant women ," he said.
Ajayi said genital diseases are also associated with
self-medication in pregnancy. "Cases of urinary
retention and other problems with the urethra have
been linked with self-medicating in pregnancy," he
said.
Another Lagos-based consultant paediatrician, Dr
Sylvaline Nwizu, also said mothers should resist the
urge to indiscriminately self-medicate for their
children.
"Many mothers assume that a child has malaria,
simply because of a fever. But a child can run a
fever as a result of various conditions, such as
bacterial or viral infection, even pneumonia," she
said.
Nwizu advised mothers to maintain the standard of
seeking an expert's advice regarding the health of
their children.
NAN

Jonathan Felicitates With Gowon At 90

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has praised
former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon,
for what he observed was his "unflagging
dedication to peace, national unity, good
governance and the well-being of all Nigerians."
He noted in a congratulatory letter to General
Gowon on the occasion of his 78th birthday, that
the former head of state had continued to
"engender bridges of love and harmony across
the country" after leaving office many decades
ago.
A presidency statement issued by Dr Reuben
Abati, Special Adviser to the President (Media &
Publicity) in Abuja, on Thursday, quoted the
president as saying in the letter that: "on behalf
of my family, the government and people of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, I wish to express
warm felicitations to you on your 78th birthday
which comes up on Friday, the 19th of October
2012.
"It is gratifying to note that after decades of
worthy service to our fatherland, you continue
to use your exalted position to engender bridges
of love and harmony across the country;
unwaveringly pursue the cause of good
governance, and work dedicatedly to promote
the welfare and well being of all Nigerians.
"As you celebrate another year of distinguished
service and personal fulfillment, I join your
family and friends to wish you a richly deserved
happy birthday."

NYSC Batch C Members Pass Out Today

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)
passes out its Batch C 2011/2012 corps
members today across the country. The day is
usually marked by a passing out parade and
issuance of certificates but the flooding and
security challenges in some parts of the country
will however make P.O.P impossible.
Overall, it has been a tough year but thank
goodness for some, they have successfully
completed the mandatory 1-year of national
service and join the already over-bloated labor
market.
Therefore, as Batch C corps members pass out
today, we want to say a big thank you to them
for service to their fatherland and wish them
success in their future endeavors.

Cameroon Takes Bakassi Peninsula With Heavy Security

BARELY 24 hours to the expiration
of the window of opportunity to appeal against
the International court of Justice, ICJ, ruling that
ceded the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula to
Cameroon in October 10, 2002, there are influx
of stern looking men believed to be security
operatives from Cameroon
The increased presence of security operatives
from Cameroon according to Nigerian Sources
at the island was to ensure that the country
takes absolute control of the area following
Nigeria's failure to appeal against the judgment
or call for a review.
The Sources also claimed that in the past few
weeks, Nigerian indigenes resident at the
disputed island have not been able to reach at
their relations in Nigeria through phone calls,
while the Cameroon government had infiltrated
families of Nigerians at the area causing
division among them.
A highly placed Bakassi Local Government
Council official who spoke with Vanguard on
condition of anonymity alleged that some
Nigerians doing business at the Peninsula had
complained of harassment by the Cameroon
security agents.
The official also said that there had been many
strange faces suspected to be security
personnel coming in groups in preparation of
taking complete control of the place.
Meanwhile, President of Academic Staff Union
of Universities, Dr. Nasir Isa has said that
Nigeria made a mistake in handling the matter
and that the federal government also made a
great mistake by committing herself to hand
over Bakassi to Cameroon, adding that children
in Bakassi have the right to decide where to
belong.
Also commenting over the federal government
refusal to appeal against the ICJ ruling, the
governorship candidate on the platform of Hope
Democratic Party, HDP, in the February 25,
2012 elections in Cross River State, Dr. Theo
Onyuku said that the tragedy, the pains and the
subterfuge of the loss of Bakassi Peninsula to
Cameroon following an unenforceable ICJ ruling
will forever hunt the Nigeria nation.
Onyuku who is a medical consultant turned
politician alleged that, "The ignoble,
irresponsible, deceitful and self-serving roles of
former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the
former Cross River State governor, Mr. Donald
Duke and all the elected and appointed leaders
of Cross River extraction will hunt them to their
graves.
"In 2006, before the first phase of hand over of
Bakassi to Cameroon, we warned against the
dire consequences of ceding the territory to
Cameroon without recourse to the national
assembly, the dire security and socio-economic
implications, but the PDP leaders in the state
branded us as faceless opposition group.
"Today they are now shouting. Have we
forgotten that the self-acclaimed Mama Bakassi
was the special adviser President Obasanjo on
national assembly, what did she do for the, she
suddenly became blind, deaf and dumb.
"She was active in the seat of power, she did
nothing and betrayed the Bakassi people to
secure her job and today she is protesting, what
an apostate.
"Ex Governor Duke traded off the island for a
selfish presidential ambition. Why, Obasanjo
ceded Bakassi unconstitutionally in obedience to
a useless Green Tree Agreement because he
wanted international support for his third term
gambit and noble prize for peace," he alleged.

Source vanguard

JTF Kills Boko Haram's Second In Command

Nigerian military has killed 30 suspected members
of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, including
its second-in-command, arrested 10 others in
northern Yobe state.
One of those killed was Boko Haram's second-in-
command Bakaka, military spokesman Lt Eli
Lazarus said today.
Nigerian military working as Joint Task Force had
raided a hideout of the Islamic group and killed
Bakaka at the Hotoro while arresting several
others, he said.
Boko Haram wants to establish an Islamic emirate
in northern Nigeria and practice Sharia
government.

EU Condemns Attack On Peacekeepers In Darfur

EU High
Representative Catherine Ashton Thursday
expressed deep concern about the recent increase
in serious security incidents in Darfur.
She strongly condemned the attack on UNAMID
peacekeepers that left four Nigerian peacekeepers
dead and eight others injured in an ambush in El
Geneina, West Darfur, her spokeman Michael Mann
said in a statement.
Ashton called on Government of Sudan to work
closely with UNAMID to bring the perpetrators to
justice.
The High Representative is also deeply alarmed at
reports of a violent incident in Hashaba in North
Darfur, which appears to have cost the lives of
large numbers of civilians, including through aerial
bombardment, noted the statement.
She called for UNAMID to be allowed immediate
access to the area and urged all parties to end the
cycle of violence in Darfur and to pursue a
comprehensive and inclusive peace settlement.

Jega: INEC Is Broke, Can't Pay Staff Salary

Independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC, is so broke that it may not be able to pay
staff salaries from next month.
Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega,
disclosed this to bewildered members of the
House of Representatives Committee on
Electoral Matters, who visited INEC
headquarters in Abuja, yesterday.
Dr. Abdulkadir Sulaiman, who represented Prof.
Jega, said: "If we don't do anything about it on
time, we may not be able to pay salary by next
month."
Following this development, the chairman called
on the legislators to quickly intervene and save
the situation, else the commission's aspiration
of conducting the 2015 general election in line
with international best practices would be a
mirage.
He also told the visiting legislators, led by the
Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Jerry Manwe,
that the paucity of fund had drastically slowed
down the pace of work on all the capital
projects being executed by the commission.
According to him, no other release has reached
INEC as the second quarter release did not
come directly to the commission.
Jega said: "Of the N35 billion earmarked for the
commission in the 2012 budget, only N10 billion
was released to the commission in March. That
was seven months ago.
"The second quarter of the money was released
to the commission last month, September."
"However, it was not sent directly to the
commission, it was lodged in the Treasury
Savings Account under the office of the
Accountant-General of the Federation. The
commission is yet to access this fund.
"It has sent complaint to the Minister of
Finance, requesting for exemption from the TSA
scheme in view of the autonomy granted this
commission in the 1999 Constitution and the
2010 Electoral Act.
"The commission is still awaiting the Minister's
response. And in view of the fact that the N10
billion released to the commission is quite low,
the commission has to suspend most of its
projects, pending the time the remaining money
is released.
He said the projects include renovation of INEC
offices nationwide, printing of permanent voter
cards, purchase of 100 KVA power generating
sets in INEC offices nationwide, construction of
residences of INEC Resident Commissioners,
and electrification of state offices of INEC.
He commended the House of Representatives
Committee on Electoral Matters for finding time
to visit the commission to find out things for
themselves.
Jega said the commission was ready to
cooperate with relevant bodies in ensuring that
its operations were carried out as spelt out in
the constitution.
Manwe said the revelation about the state of
the commission by its leadership was
worrisome.
He said his committee condemns Federal
Government's handling of the affairs of INEC in
totality, stressing that an urgent letter would be
sent to both the Minister of Finance and
Accountant-General of the Federation to appear
before the House to explain reasons behind the
Federal Government's position.
He said the committee was totally committed to
assisting the commission conduct hitch-free
elections in 2015.

Jonathan Appoints New Service Chiefs

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday
approved the appointment of new service chiefs
for the Armed Forces.
According to a statement signed by the
president's Special Adviser on Media, Dr
Reuben Abati, the newly appointed chiefs
include the Vice Admiral O.S. Ibrahim (Kwara)
for Chief of Defence Staff; Rear Admiral D.J.
Ezeoba (Delta) as Chief of Naval Staff; and Air
Vice Marshall A.S. Badeh (Adamawa) as Chief
of Air Staff.
The incumbent Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen.
O.A. Ihejirika (Abia) retained his position.
President Jonathan thanked the outgoing
service chiefs for their meritorious and
commendable service to the nation and wishes
them well in their future endeavours.

Girl, 20, Auctions Her Virginity, Has Already Raised N24 million

First of all I am glad she is a virgin, or so she
claims. I am also elated that she wants to help
the poor but her approach is just not so
appropriate. Virginity and sex are two sacred
things that shouldn't be trivialized or monetized
for whatsoever reason. If it wasn't towards a
'noble' cause, I'd call it pornography right away
but then, it's her body, her conscience and
integrity at stake and so she can do as she
please.
In order to assist poverty stricken families by
helping them build better homes, Catarina
Migliorini, a Brazilian student, is auctioning off
her virginity to the highest bidder for cash.
The 20 year old physical education student is
set to plough the money – currently standing at
$155,000 (£95,400) – into a non-governmental
organisation which will construct modern
houses in her southern Brazilian home state of
Santa Catarina. Already been labelled a
prostitute, she rejected the toga as she said she
still believed in love but saw the opportunity to
make a positive difference to the world.

Despite her explanations, her intention has
sparked controversy because she will be
followed every step of the way by an Australian
film crew for a documentary film called "Virgins
Wanted."
Catarina, who is of Italian descent said : 'I saw
this as a business. I have the opportunity to
travel, to be part of a movie and get a bonus
with it. If you only do it once in your life then
you are not a prostitute, just like if you take one
amazing photograph it does not automatically
make you a photographer."The auction is just
business, I'm a romantic girl at heart and
believe in love. But this will make a big
difference to my area,' she told Folha
newspaper.
Catarina had signed up to the project two years
ago when she saw an advert by Thomas William
Productions looking for a virgin to film. Director
Justin Sisely will record her emotions before
and after her first sexual encounter. A male
virgin called Alexander is also being followed.
She will receive $20,000 and 90 per cent of the
final auction sale price, which ends on October
15.
The winner will be tested for sexually
transmitted diseases prior to the encounter
which will take place on an aeroplane, leaving
from Australia to the US, in a bid to circumvent
prostitution laws.A condom will be compulsory,
with Catarina saying she was prepared to prove
to any sceptics that she has not had sex before.

Security Officers Arrested Over Boko Haram Links

The JTF said it had arrested a
number of security personnel over links to Islamist
extremist group Boko Haram, whose insurgency
has killed hundreds of people.
The arrests came after soldiers from a special
military unit deployed in the northeastern city of
Maiduguri arrested an immigration officer, Grema
Mohammed, for allegedly being an active member
of Boko Haram, a military spokesman said.
Boko Haram is blamed for deadly attacks that have
killed more than 1,400 people since 2010 as part of
an insurgency in northern and central Nigeria.
The arrest "led to further arrests of some other
security personnel that had been participating in
various terrorist attacks in Borno and Yobe states,"
Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said of the two
states in northeastern Nigeria, where Boko Haram
has been based.
He did not specify how many arrests had been
made.
"He confessed to being an active member of the
Boko Haram terrorist sect which he joined long
before the 2009 crisis," Musa said in a statement in
reference to a 2009 uprising by the group.
"He also confessed to having been trained
alongside 15 other members of the sect on weapon
handling, assassination and special operations in
Niger republic," Musa added, referring to the
neighbouring nation.
Grema was arrested over a month ago at a
checkpoint while allegedly impersonating an army
lieutenant, Musa said.
The suspect also confessed to the killings of some
senior civil servants, security personnel and
politicians who had spoken against the sect in Yobe
and Borno states.
He had also participated in attacks on police
stations, a prison and the burning of public schools,
Musa said.
There have previously been accusations of
involvement of some security personnel in the
attacks, which have grown increasingly
sophisticated.

Man Caught With N1 billion At The Airport

A 24 year old Nigerian , Abubakar Tijani Sheriff
was arrested by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) for attempting to travel
to Dubai with the sum of $7 million Dollars (About
one billion Naira).
He was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed
International airport,Lagos.
Authorities said that the money was proceeds from
illegal deals and he suspect a money laundering
courier. He has already mentioned 20 prominent
Nigerians who are the owners of the money.

Court Sentences Police Corporal To Death

An Ikeja High Court in Lagos on Thursday
sentenced an ex-police corporal, Ikechukwu
Nwabueze, to death by hanging for killing a three-
year-old girl, Kasufara Muritala. Justice Olabisi Akinlade found the 35-year-old former policeman guilty of the murder charge preferred against him.
Nwabueze, who was arraigned on June 15, 2010 by
the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions
had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, the Director of Public
Prosecution, said that Nwabueze on April 5, 2009 at
a police check-point at Ketu-Alapere, Lagos, shot at
a Nissan Sunny car conveying the deceased and her
parents.
Ogungbesan said that the incident occurred at
Obanle Aro bus stop, Ketu-Alarape at about 9.30p.m
when Kasufara and her parents were returning
from a naming ceremony.
She said the father of the deceased, Saliu Muritala,
was hit on his hand while the little girl, who was
sitting on the back seat with her mother, was shot
in the head.
The DPP said the five policemen from Alarepe
Police Station, including Nwabueze, fled from the
check-point after the father came out of the car
with the lifeless body of the deceased.
In her judgment, Akinlade held that the prosecution
proved its case against Nwabueze beyond
reasonable doubt.
She said the defendant in his confessional
statement to the police after his arrest, had
admitted shooting at the rear of the car but not with
the intent to kill the deceased.
The judge held that Nwabueze's attempt to deny
that the statement was not made "voluntarily as an
after-thought aimed at misleading the court.
"It is trite law that a confessional statement of a
defendant is relevant and should not be discarded
merely on the basis that he had retracted the
statement during trial." the judge said.
Akinlade said the testimony of the Chief
Pathologist, Lagos State University Teaching
Hospital, Prof. John Obafunwa, who conducted the
autopsy on the deceased, was not contradicted
during the trial.
The judge said Obafunwa had testified that the
cause of death was as a result of missile injuries to
Kasufara's skull.
She said the ballistic report presented by another
witness, Sgt. Tamimu Jerimiah, confirmed that the
deceased was killed from the bullet fired from an
Ak-47 rifle calibre 7.62 mm, assigned to Nwabueze.
Akinlade said, "If indeed he shot the car in the rear,
the bullet would not have hit the occupants of the
car.
"In my view, by virtue of the defendants training as
a police officer, he cannot claim that he did not
know the probable consequences of his action.
"I, therefore, hold that the defendant had the
intention to kill or cause grievous bodily harm to the
occupants of the car when he fired at the back
windscreen of the car.
"I find him guilty as charged.''
The judge also dismissed an appeal by Nwabueze's
counsel, Mr A.O. Omodele, for the court to temper
justice with mercy and be lenient in its sentence.
She noted that the defendant had murdered the
little girl in cold blood, stressing that it was a clear
example of recklessness being perpetrated by
policemen on innocent citizens.
She added, "Only God knows what, Kasufara
Muritala, would have become in future. I hope
members of the Nigerian Police will learn a lesson
from him and stop extra-judicial killings.
"The sentence of the court upon you Nwabueze is
that you be hanged by the neck until you are dead
and may the Lord have mercy on your soul."

Kano: Police Seizes Arms Cache

Sahara Reporters: Patience Jonathan Battles Parkinson Disease

Nigeria's First Lady, Patience Jonathan, is
battling an onset of Parkinson's disease
that has complicated her recovery from a
surgical procedure in Germany, several
reliable sources have disclosed to
SaharaReporters.
SaharaReporters broke the news that Mrs.
Jonathan was flown to a hospital in
Wiesbaden, Germany close to a month ago
to undergo emergency treatment after a
botched procedure in Dubai.
In interviews with three sources familiar with
Mrs. Jonathan's health status, SaharaReporters
learnt that the Nigerian president's wife is
beset by Parkinson's disease, a degenerative
syndrome. The disease is a progressive disorder
of the nervous system. A medical source
described it as "a fairly common disorder that
occasions degeneration of the nervous system."
The source added that the disease leads to
"progressive impairment and disorder of
movement." An online medical site notes that
Parkinson's "is characterized by progressive
loss of muscle control, which leads to trembling
of the limbs and head while at rest, stiffness,
slowness, and impaired balance. As symptoms
worsen, it may become difficult to walk, talk,
and complete simple tasks."
The bombshell revelation about the First Lady's
medical woes was first made by a source
familiar with Mrs. Jonathan's previous secret
treatments in Spain and Italy. The source
disclosed that Mrs. Jonathan had battled
Parkinson's for some years now. In addition,
doctors had advised her to "do something
urgent about her morbid body mass index
(BMI)," said the source. She added that Mrs.
Jonathan had indeed considered undergoing the
kind of tummy tuck procedure that former
Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha once had.
Two other sources close to the Jonathans
confirmed that the First Lady has been dogged
by Parkinson's. One said the disease was
largely responsible for her clumsiness, drawling
speech and slow movement at public events. He
added that Mrs. Jonathan has been suffering
serious trembling in the left hand. "That's why
she always uses her right to hold the
microphone when speaking at public events,"
the source revealed. Mrs. Jonathan also
reportedly is affected by stiffness of the limbs
and trunk which affects her movement.
A news staffer at the Nigerian Television
Authority (NTA) told SaharaReporters that Mrs.
Jonathan's aides warned reporters covering her
never to film her beyond her waist. "Her senior
personal assistant told the crew covering her
long ago: 'Don't ever film Madam's waist. Show
her face only.' That's been the code at NTA."
Two of our sources stated that Mrs. Jonathan
had made efforts to slow the disease that had
started to ravage her. "She has been visiting a
health farm in Italy on a regular basis since
2010," one source revealed. "To alleviate her
pain, she has been taking her medication
religiously."
A friend of Mrs. Jonathan's said that the First
Lady's health maladies include anxiety,
occasional memory loss and disorientation. In
addition, her blood pressure often rises to
dangerous levels, forcing her to take a cocktail
of anti-hypertensive drugs.
Also, our sources said that some officials
attached to the First Lady's office described her
as constantly depressed, prone to snapping at
people at the slightest provocation. "The First
Lady can just get angry at the slightest
provocation and rain abuses at anybody in
sight," he said.
As happened during the health crisis of the late
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, the Nigerian
Presidency's reaction to Mrs. Jonathan's health
condition is to be mum. When SaharaReporters
contacted a senior aide of President Jonathan
on the matter of the First Lady's illness, he
sharply said, "I'm not saying anything. And
please don't mention that you spoke to me."
SaharaReporters learnt that officials of the
Presidency are under a virtual oath of secrecy
on the issue of Mrs. Jonathan's health crisis.

Sahara Reporters

How I Risked MY Life To Save My Okada

Taiwo Olanrewaju reported that the residents
of Aromolaran, Old Ife Road area of Ibadan did
not believe that armed robbers could swoop on
the area at 4.00a.m. and still had a field day as
they did on Thursday, 13th September, 2012;
attacking two buildings.
In the first building attacked, close to a popular
bakery in the area, one of the residents, a shoe-
mender cum Okada operator was macheted all
over his body. The man, in his late 40s, who was
lucky to have survived the attack, had machete
cuts on his head, arm, thighs and legs.
The cobbler, who pleaded that his name and
photograph should not be published, said he did
not know who was after him. According to him,
his ordeal started a few months back when
armed robbers stormed his former residence
and made away with his Okada (motorcycle).
Members of his ACOMORAN Unit rallied round
and got him a fairly used one in replacement,
which had been developing one mechanical fault
or the other.
He disposed of the okada for a paltry sum of
N9, 000, he said, and was thinking of how to get
another one when his wife, who was pregnant
with their fourth child went into labour and died
after giving birth to a baby girl. The baby also
died 40 days after birth.
Thinking that the problems were too many for
him and heeding the advice of friends, the
cobbler decided to change his residence. That
was after one of his friends had introduced him
to someone who gave him a new Okada and to
whom he paid a thousand naira daily. After five
or six months of regular payment, the Okada
would become his.
That was the arrangement. He, was, however
barely two weeks old in his new one-room
apartment when armed robbers struck again.
On that fateful morning, "I was hearing some
strange voices in our passage when some men
banged on my door and asked me to open my
door or else they would make life miserable for
me if they had to force the door open. I was in
the room with my three children. I quickly
opened the door and welcomed them.
"They were four in number, males, who couldn't
have been more than in their early 20s. Two of
them were fully dressed up, in pants and tops
while the other two had no tops on. But only two
of them came into my room. They asked if I
could recognise them and I quickly knelt down
and dropped my head on the floor asking my
children to do the same. After ransacking the
house, the only useful thing they found was my
okada key, I parked the okada in the passage
beside my door. They took the okada key and
bolted my room's door from outside.
"I overheard one of them asking another to
collect the okada's document from me.
So they came inside my room again and asked
for the papers. I told them that the papers were
not with me as I was paying instalmentally and
that until I finished paying, the original
document would not be released to me. I did not
also have the photocopy of the document with
me when the robbers came, so it was a
herculean task convincing them that I did not
have the papers.
"They turned the whole house upside down and
threatened to kill one of my children if I did not
release the papers. I cursed and cursed and
cursed myself and the day of my birth over and
over again before they left us in the room and
went back to the passage.
"As soon as they locked us in again, I opened
my room's window and jumped out with the aim
of alerting some night guards nearby. Our house
has a boys' quarter besides the main building,
so, as I jumped down into the passage of the
boys' quarter, my neighbour, an elderly woman
shouted that someone had jumped out and I told
her that it was me. But the deed had been done,
as the two robbers guarding the entrance ran
after me.
I ran with my strength shouting thieves, thieves
and scaled a fence but somehow, I fell and the
robbers met me there. They dealt four machete
cuts on my head alone, followed by my thighs
and legs. "Sensing that I could be killed if the
matcheting did not stop, I feigned death. But the
men of the underworld were not convinced that
I was dead, so, they dealt another terrible cut
on my arm and even lifted my hand to confirm
that I was dead.
I did not know how many minutes had elapsed
after the attack, but after what seemed a long
time, the breeze blew on me and I moved my
body to confirm that I was not really dead. I
could not walk but I slowly crawled home,"
narrated the cobbler.
Taking up the narration, a neighbour of his, who
did not also want his name in print, said the
cobbler was rushed to a hospital in the vicinity
with his hospital bills totalling N15, 000 after
being on admission for three days. The
landlords and tenants association of the area
was able to raise a donation of N5, 000 and a
loan of N3, 000 for the victim.
"I don't know where to start from. Thank God I
took the risk of jumping out and shouting, those
guys would have made away with my okada. It
was the desperation of not wanting to get into
more debts that made me did what I did. It is
not as if I wanted to die.

Man Cuts Off Penis To Prove Fidelity

Doctors in Ho Chin Minh City successfully
reattached a man's penis after he cut it off to
demonstrate his faithfulness to his wife, a surgeon
said Tuesday.
"It took us 1.5 hours to reattach it, but the penis is
showing signs of life today," said Truong Hoang
Minh, head of the surgical and kidney transplant
department at the city's 115 People's Hospital.
The 44-year-old patient was admitted on
Wednesday after severing his own penis to refute
allegations by his wife that he was having an affair.
How many Nigerian men will be willing to do this?

Woman Cuts Off Rapist's Penis

A Dalit woman in a village of
Saptari district has revealed that she cut the penis
of a neighbor who allegedly tried to rape her.
Anju Devi Kamait, 24, a resident of Gangapur in
Madhawapur VDC-9, informed the Area Police
Office Kanchanpur on Monday that she cut the
penis of 20-year-old Brahmananda Bhuskuliya
Yadav as he sneaked into her house in the night and
tried to rape her.
"I was sleeping with the door open as I was feeling
very hot after washing my baby in the night,"
Kamait told the police. "At around one in the night,
he (Yadav) crept into my room and tried to rape me
by closing my mouth. In an act of self-defense, I
picked up a knife and cut his penis."
Yadav, who lives in Kamait´s neighborhood, has
been absconding after the incident. According to
Police Inspector Rajendra Basnet, Yadav had
reached the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
in Dharan for treatment. "We have learnt from the
hospital that he had two stitches on his penis," said
Basnet. "But, he has been absconding after that."
Kamait, accompanied by her father-in-law and some
villagers, had gone to the police office to file a rape
case against Yadav. A mother of three, Kamait has
been living with her children and father-in-law since
her husband went to Chandigarh in India to work a
one month ago.

Terry G Gets New Look

A new wave is sweeping across the Nigerian
entertainment industry and is catching up one
by one with the big fishes. Call it coincidence or
re-branding, these guys are determined to leave
you second guessing their next move.
Timaya led the pack when he appeared without
his signature dreadlock that many fans had
come to recognize him with. Then Basket Mouth
in an unexpected move, also chopped of his own
dreads and while we were yet to get over that, 'I
celebrate' crooner, Waconzy even took his own
further by not onlt cutting off his dreads but also
dyeing his hair blonde.
This one should be the most surprising and who
else would give us this type of shock effect than
the Akpako master himself, Terry G. The singer
was seen wearing a new look which makes him
look very much like a gentle R&B singer – yes, I
know, looks don't make singers but his persona
as a weird, 'crazy' and energetic performer was
sort of attached to that old look.

Research Shows Marijuana May Be The Cure For Cancer

According to new studies, marijuana might be
able to stop metastasis in many kinds of
belligerent cancer! This surprising
breakthrough might possibly help end cancer
and its current craze.
A pair of scientists at California Pacific Medical
Center in San Francisco has found that a
compound derived from marijuana could stop
metastasis in many kinds of aggressive cancer,
potentially altering the fatality of the disease
forever. Trials will begin soon on the marijuana
compounds on patients as soon as possible.
Testing has already been done in the labs and
on animals and the results have turned out well.
Scientist stated that they began their research
on breast cancer but moved onto brain and
more aggressive cancers. The marijuana
compounds will not be smoked, they must be
injected for people to receive the proper
amounts of Cannabidiol.
"It took us about 20 years of research to figure
this out, but we are very excited," said Pierre
Desprez, one of the scientists behind the
discovery, to The Huffington Post. "We want to
get started with trials as soon as possible."
The Daily Beast first reported on the finding,
which has already undergone both laboratory
and animal testing, and is awaiting permission
for clinical trials in humans.
Desprez hopes that clinical trials will begin
immediately

Pictures Of Barrack Obama Taking Out A Wad Of Cash To Pay For His Sausages

He is the most powerful man in the world by
virtue of his position as president of the United
States of America. So, wherever Barack Obama
goes, he is accompanied by a huge entourage of
aides, Secret Service and campaign staff
especially in an election year.
But what most didn't expect was the president
having to handle his own cash. On Saturday, the
President went shopping at a Wisconsin store
and he appeared to bring out some wad of cash
from his wallet.
Now compare that to a Nigerian president
whom you might never find shopping nor
handling cash by himself – he has a retinue of
aides who are always at his beck and call and
never allow him carry a thing, even the pair of
eyeglasses he use.
When will we get to that point where our first
ladies will freely walk into a down town store or
super market to shop for things they will use?
Or when will the ordinary Nigerian on the street
ever get close to the president enough to shake
his hand or take a photo with him?

Photo: Prince William Dancing Azonto

Of a truth, Ghana's Azonto dance must have
received a royal approval in the UK. Recently
Prince William was seen doing the azonto dance
while wife Kate Middleton watches.

Damaturu, Potisikum Gets New Battalion

In its continued effort at ridding the country of
terrorists' activities, the Nigerian Army has moved
two of its battalions to the troubled towns of
Damaturu and Potiskum of Yobe state.
This is coming on the heels of a report that a 24-
hour dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed on the
two towns to enable the military conduct a house-
to-house search with the aim of seizing arms that
were alleged to have been stockpiled in the two
town. A new 233
Battalion under the command of Lt. Colonel D. C.
Bako has been established to carry out the clean-up
exercise in the troubled north-east state of Yobe.
All efforts to get the high military command to
confirm the movement and formation of a new
battalion was unsuccessful. The army spokesman,
Brigedier General Bolaji Koleosho, was said to
have been out of the country, while Lt. Colonel A. A.
Yusuf that could hold brief for him could not be
reached on his mobile telephone numbers.
However, briefing reporters in Damaturu
yesterday, spokesman of the Joint Task Force, JTF,
Lt. Eli Lazarus, disclosed that 25 suspected
members of Boko Haram were arrested by the JTF
in an early morning raid in some of the suspected
hideout flashpoints of the sect members.
According to Lt. Lazarus, during the operation
codenamed 'operation restore sanity 2', which was
carried out in Nasarawa, Tashar Tifa, and One
Million Rd, the JTF after a fierce battle with the
alleged Boko Haram members also recovered 3
grenade launchers.
Other items that were recovered during the raid on
the suspected Boko Haram hideouts include 7
laptop computers, 12 assault rifles, Motorola
wacky-talky, camera tripod, military and police
uniforms, one tricycle popularly called Keke
NAPEP, GSM handsets and many sim cards.
Also in the course of the operation, 7 women and
12 children that the sect was allegedly using as
shield during its operations were rescued.

JTF Arrests Boko Haram's Accountant

The onslaught of the security services against
Boko Haram seems to be paying off with the
arrest of a top operative of the Islamist group
described as the accountant.
`The accountant' was said to be in transit
between Kano and Zaria, last week, with N4.5
million cash belonging to the Islamist group
when men of the JTF intercepted and arrested
him.
Sunday Vanguard sources said he was travelling
in a commuter bus as a cover.
The arrest came barely two days after security
agents tracked and killed Boko Haram
spokesman, Abu Qaqa, in an operation in Kano.
Anti-American protest in Kano yesterday
The Islamist group's `accountant', it was learnt,
embarked on the journey which originated from
Maiduguri, Borno State, to make cash transfers.
The sources said his cover blew after he and
another associate made some money transfers
in Kano, an action that aroused the curiosity of
bank officials who alerted security agents.
The associate was arrested but, by then, the
`accountant' was already on his way to Zaria.
Subsequent manhunt yielded fruit as the `Boko
Haram accountant' was arrested in transit.
The Islamist group's kingpin, according to the
sources, is under intense interrogation by
security agents in Kano.
Sunday Vanguard understood that the security
services believe the arrest of the `accountant' is
a major breakthrough in the efforts to contain
terrorism in the country.
Boko Haram is believed to be behind deadly
attacks in the northern part of the country.

Sunday Vanguard

Tiger Attacks Zoo Visitor

A visitor to the Bronx Zoo in New York
City was mauled by a tiger on Friday
after he leaped from an elevated
monorail train and plummeted over a fence into
an exhibit, police and zoo officials said.
Police, who initially reported the man had lost a
leg in the mauling, later said he suffered puncture
wounds to his back. They also said he suffered a
broken ankle and a broken arm, possibly from the
jump.
The attack happened at around 3 pm (local time)
in the Wild Asia exhibit, where a train with open
sides takes visitors over the Bronx River and
through a forest, where they glide along the top
edge of a fence, past elephants, deer and a tiger
enclosure.
Passengers aren't strapped in on the ride, and the
25-year-old man apparently jumped out of his
train car, leaping far enough to clear the
perimeter fence.
Details of what happened next were unclear, but
police said the tiger attacked. The zoo's staff used
a fire extinguisher to chase the tiger off, and the
man was instructed to roll under an electrified
wire to get to safety, zoo director Jim Breheny
said in a statement. Zookeepers then called the
tiger into a holding area.
The man was conscious and talking after the
mauling, Breheny said.
"If not for the quick response by our staff and
their ability to perform well in emergency
situations, the outcome would have been very
different," he said.

Thousands Of Muslim Protest Anti-Islam Film In Nigeria

Tens of thousands of
people on Saturday
protested on the streets
of Nigeria's second city of
Kano against an anti-
Islam film made in the US that has stirred outrage across the Muslim world.
An AFP reporter said the crowd of demonstrators stretched several
kilometres through the city, the largest in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, with
protesters shouting "death to America,
death to Israel and death to the enemies
of Islam".
The rally was organised by the Islamic
Movement of Nigeria, a pro-Iranian group
that adheres to the Shiite branch of Islam,
which has operated in Africa's most
populous country since the late 1970s.
"We are out today to express our rage and
disapproval over this blasphemous film,"
said Muhammed Turi, a protest leader and
member of the Islamic Movement that
organised a similar rally earlier this week
in the city of Zaria.
"This protest is also aimed at calling on
the US government to put a halt to further
blasphemy against Islam," he added.
Demonstrators carried pictures of US
President Barack Obama, as well as American and Israeli flags as they marched towards a palace owned by the
Emir of Kano, the top religious figure in
the city of roughly 4.5 million people.
Others were waving Iranian flags, the AFP
reporter witnessed. Police and military
personnel were deployed around the city.
"The prophet means everything to us. He
means more than our lives... Any
blasphemy against him is like an invitation
to war," said protester Husseini Ibrahim.
Turi also urged Nigeria's government to
publicly denounce the film and said all ties
with Israel should be severed.
The low-budget film "Innocence of
Muslims," was reportedly produced by an
Egyptian Coptic Christian, but rumours
that circulated shortly after its release
suggested an Israeli was involved.
The film incited a wave of bloody anti-
American violence in cities across the
Muslim world, with protests occurring in
more than 20 countries.
Thousands of Muslims protested in Zaria
on Thursday, burning US and Israeli flags.
The previous week in the religiously
divided central Nigerian city of Jos,
soldiers fired live rounds outside a
mosque to disperse a crowd of several
hundred that was seeking to demonstrate against the film.
Nigeria's 160 million people are roughly
divided between a predominantly Muslim
north and a largely Christian south, and
Muslim-Christian tensions have often led
to deadly confrontation.
An article in one of Nigeria's leading
newspapers in 2002 considered
blasphemous by Muslims helped spark
deadly riots in the northern city of Kaduna
in which 3,000 people were killed.

Senate Summons Diezani, NNPC Boss Over Fuel Scarcity

Concerned about the lingering fuel scarcity across
the country, the Chairman, Senate Committee, on
Petroleum Resources (downstream sector) Senator
Magnus Abe has invited the Minister of Petroleum
Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke and the Group
Managing Director of the Nigeria National
Petroleum Corporation, Andrew Yakubu, to a
consultative meeting.
Also Friday, directors of two oil marketing and
trading companies - Oluwaseun Ogunbambo and
Habila Theck - told an Ikeja High Court, Lagos, that
their firms, Fargo Petroleum and Gas Limited did
not receive N976.6 million subsidy payment from
the federal government as being alleged.
Expected to appear in the Senate alongside the
minister and the NNPC boss, is the Executive
Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing
Regulatory Agency, Mr. Reginald Stanley.
Other stakeholders in the petroleum downstream
sector are also expected at the meeting slated for
next week Tuesday at the upper chamber of the
National Assembly.
In a signed statement Friday, Senator Abe said the
long queues of vehicles at filling stations seen in
Abuja and some cities in the country "are
unacceptable" adding that government must quickly
and proactively deal with the situation.
He said: "We thought that the era of Nigerians
queuing at filling stations for indeterminate hours
to procure PMS and other petroleum products, was
indeed gone forever. It is, indeed, an
embarrassment that precious man-hours are
wasted in the quest to fulfill a basic need. What was
initially perceived as a glitch in the distribution
chain has now ballooned into queues in what now
seems to be a gradual return to that inglorious era."
The committee, the statement added will engage
those in charge with a view to ascertaining and
charting a workable solutions to the challenges in
the downstream sector.
Meanwhile, Ogunbambo and Theck, yesterday told
an Ikeja High Court, Lagos, that their firms did not
receive N976.6 million subsidy payment from the
federal government.
The duo made this known through their counsel,
Mr. Adebayo Adenipekun (SAN), yesterday at the
commencement of their trial before Justice Adeniyi
Onigbanjo. The defendants and their firms are
among the 17 oil marketers and seven companies
being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission for alleged fuel subsidy scam.
There is however a renewed hope of improved fuel
supply as Technoil and the NNPC imported two
cargoes of petrol each to augment previous
supplies by the corporation.
Technoil has imported two cargoes of petrol to
augment supplies by the NNPC and also plan to
bring in a third cargo before the end of this month.
Technoil's first cargo, MT DEVOCEAN, with
10,000metric tonnes of petrol had finished
discharging of its products, before the second
cargo, MT EMOCEAN came in and commenced the
discharge of another 10,000Mt.
Confirming this development, the Managing
Director of the company, Mr. Tony Onyeama told
THISDAY that the company would bring in one
additional cargo before the end of this month, as
part of its commitment to address this current
shortfall in supply.
"Our plan is to do 30,000metric tonnes this month.
So, before the end of the month, we will bring in
one more vessel," he said.
Also on Thursday, the NNPC commenced the
discharge of products from two imported cargoes –
Captain Gregory and a second vessel, Zhoni ji.
The vessels are discharging at the Petroleum Wharf
(PWA) Jetty and the Bulk Oil Jetty (BOJ), both in
Apapa, Lagos.
However, theex-depot price of petrol has remained
on the high side – between N92 and N94, against
the N87.90 officially recommended by the
Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency

Military Starts War On Terrorism

The military authorities yesterday vowed to defeat
insurgents operating in the South eastern part of
the country, warning that persons plotting
aggression against Nigeria will not be spared by the
armed forces. Speaking while commissioning the
Nigerian Army Dog Centre in the Ipaja area of
Lagos, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, Chief of
Defence Staff, warned that the military will never
allow insurgents to take over Nigeria, urging them
to go through the normal route to assume power.
"Anybody or group has the right to have that
aspiration to rule Nigeria by a certain set of rules.
But the way to do it is to form a political party,
contest an election and then the rest of us, even if
we did not vote for you, we will subject ourselves to
your rule. But for anybody or group which has not
form a political party, has not won an election, to
want to impose a type of rule on the country, it will
never happen in Nigeria," he said.
The defence chief said that the Nigerian military
must defeat terrorism and aggression against the
people of the country, especially as Federal
Government has shown commitment towards
providing essential resources to the Armed Forces.
He explained that the establishment of the Dog
Centre demonstrates determination of the Armed
Forces to fully embrace transformation agenda of
the Federal Government. Petinrin, who commended
the Nigerian Army for establishing the centre,
urged terrorists to form political parties, sell their
manifestoes and woo Nigerians to vote for them
after which they could begin to make Nigerians see
the world in their own ways.
The Nigerian Army Military Police unit, Saturday
Sun, learnt has trained about 50 dogs to assist the
force in the fight against terrorism. The dogs were
trained to sniff out and identify any Improvised
Explosive Device (IED), narcotics, terrorists and
other security risk items. Several blocks of flats for
the officers and men as well as the 50 dogs were
also commissioned by the defence chief.
Speaking to journalists at the event, Chief of Army
Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Onyeabo Ihejirika, said the
establishment of the dog centre was to enhance the
capability of the service to deal with contemporary
challenges facing the country. He maintained that
introducing dogs to fight terrorism is informed by
the sensory capability of the animal species.
His words: "The primary motive for this project is
to be able to detect explosives, in a more civilized
manner. It would be most helpful if serious cordon
and searches begin rather than do arbitrary arrests
and later apologise." He said that the force is in the
first phase of the programme, adding that at the
third phase, the Nigerian Army would support the
civil society in the use of dogs to check crimes.
He said the dogs would be useful at the entrance of
airports, seaports, banks and other public places
that is needed to be protected against terrorists
and criminals.

Jonathan To Present 2013 Budget On October 4

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan will on Thursday, October 4, present the 2013 Federal Government spending plan to the National Assembly, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. (Mrs.)
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has said.
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Friday,
Okonjo-Iweala said the key assumptions of the
2013 Budget are: Crude oil production of 2.48
million barrels per day; Crude oil price of $75 per
barrel and GDP growth rate of 6.85 per cent.
The cheery information comes even as the
Finance Minister disclosed that the 2012 Budget,
which the National Assembly has been bickering
over its implementation, has attained 45.2 per
cent of actual execution from April this year when
the Budget execution began.
She said a total of N710.4 billion has so far been
disbursed for the first three quarters of the year.
Out of this amount, she revealed that the sum of
N553.2 billion, representing 58 per cent of the
released sum has been cash-backed, while the
sum of N320.9 billion, representing 45.2 per cent
of the cash-backed releases has been drawn down
by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)
for execution of projects. The sum of N1.3 trillion
was appropriated as Capital Votes for the 2012 Plan.
Already, the draft copy of the 2013 Budget is
ready for presentation to the President for review
and approval before its presentation to the
National Assembly in October.

Jonathan: Nigeria Will Not Break

President Goodluck
Jonathan, on Thursday, assured Nigerians that despite the threat posed by the Boko Haram sect and other security challenges facing the country, Nigeria would not disintegrate. The president gave the assurance after the
president, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),
Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, and other speakers
at a national summit and rally entitled "Labour For
Peace, Unity and Development," organised by the NLC, told him and a former head of state, Dr
Yakubu Gowon, that Nigeria must survive.
President Jonathan, while giving the assurance,
acknowledged that the activities of the sect
remained a threat, saying that the bombing of the
communication facilities in some parts of the North
would affect the economic development of the
country.
He emphasised the need for peace if development
must take place, adding, "no matter what we think
that has been eroded, in a contemporary society,
there must be peace for development. For a nation
to develop, the first thing you talk about is
communication power.
"Now in the northern parts, communication power
has been threatened, because of insecurity. There
is no way that will not impact on the economy. For
us to move with the modern society, there must be
peace. We need peace if we must develop this
country."
To this end, the president told the gathering to re-
examine the role which labour and the citizenry
would play to achieve peace, and commended the
NLC for its efforts towards achieving peace in the
country.
He advised the congress to continue in its quest for
peace and continue working with the government,
adding, "we appreciate what the NLC is doing."
President Jonathan said: "Nigeria will not divide.
We have security problem, because most of the
people involved are ignorant. For us to move
forward, government and citizens must work
together.
"We can now talk about those calling for the
balkanising of Nigeria, so anyone that says they
want their own nation, which is Igbo nation, Yoruba nation are people who want to be kings in a tiny
island, and they will not get it, because Nigeria will
not divide. We must continue to be one Nigeria and government must work with labour."
Before declaring open the summit, President
Jonathan had urged labour to take advantage of the
on-going constitutional review process to make its
contributions by writing to the National Assembly.
The president of the NLC, Comrade Omar; former
head of state, Dr Gowon; the Sultan of Sokoto,
Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar; Edo State governor,
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and the guest
speaker, Professor Etannibi Alrmika, who had all
spoken before the president, blamed the insecurity
on unemployment, ignorance and lack of education,
corruption, inequality and injustice and proffered
solutions.
Comrade Omar said the summit was put together
by the NLC as part of its continuing contributions to
tackling issues of development and the well-being
of the country, particularly as it related to security.
He stated that though, there had been attempts by
individuals, organisations, and government to
control the rising tension clearly, these efforts were
yet to restore the harmony being sought.
He said: "There were also queries on government's
abilities in tackling the issues. While the other
response was more damning, break-up of the
country on account of irreconcilable differences,
some say between the North and South, others
insist along the lines or divisions of major ethnic
nationalities with amendments here and there.
"Amazingly, erstwhile patriots, nationalists and
hitherto die-hard optimists started to join the army
of 'Break-up Nigeria.'"
Regrettably, the NLC president revealed that some
of the more belligerent groups had gone as far as
printing their flags and minting their currencies,
composing their anthems, while some had lodged a
request with the United Nations for membership.
He said: "The Nigeria Labour Congress, being a
pan-Nigerian organisation with a history of
nationalism and intervention dating to the
independence struggle, cannot fold its arms and
watch the country break up. This stems from its
conviction that Nigeria's existence as one
indivisible entity is inviolable, irrevocable and
inalienable.
"We, therefore, urge all Nigerians to close ranks
and believe in the unity and survival of our country
Nigeria. Nigeria must survive."
The summit is expected to come up with
implementable resolutions and recommendations
which will be passed on to the government and
other concerned stakeholders.

Bakassi: Youths Vow To Surpass Boko Haram

Enraged youths from the Bakassi area of Cross
River State continued beating war drums on
Tuesday, vowing to surpass the Islamic militant
sect, Boko Haram, if the government failed to
appeal its ceding.
The Bakassi community is seeking an appeal
against the International Court of Justice 2002
ruling that gave Bakassi to neighbouring
country, Cameroun. The window for such appeal
is 10 years lapsing October 10.
"What is happening now in the northern part of
the country is a child's play because we will
ensure justice is given to us," a youth leader
from the area under the aegis of Cross River
State Political Network, Michael Nku, said
during a protest at the National Assembly.
"We will perpetuate more mayhem than what
Boko Haram is presently doing in the north."
Whether the threats are empty or backed by
capacity remains to be seen.
But the federal government has ignored such
warnings and dismissed past threats from
Bakassi agitators the Ogonis as merely
"attention seeking."
Both areas have declared self governance and
the Bakassi youth announced last month the
launching of a new radio station and state
paraphernalia including coat of arms and
anthem.
At least one hostage case has been recorded in
the area since the clamour started.
"Bakassi as a people have always been Cross
Riverians in particular and Nigerians in general
and they speak Efik, bear our names and share
in the culture of the Efiks," Nku said.
"Bakassi is a Local Government in Nigeria and
no such entity ever existed in Cameroun."
The House deputy media committee chairman,
Victor Ogene, who received the youths, said the
House will take a decision on the matter later.