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Jenifa:I was not raped, says Funke Akindele • May sue magazine

Posted by NollywoodMohits on March 6, 2011 at 8:46pm

“Many bad things have been written about me, but this one is written with such malice and deliberate intent to hurt that I cannot ignore it. You need to read the reports; it was written in such a way that you would know the writer is cooking up lies. My lawyer has written them, I am taking the paper to court,” these were the words of Funke Akindele at her new residence in the heart of Ikeja.

A soft-sell magazine had written that Funke Akindele was allegedly raped during a robbery incident on location of Omo Ghetto (part two) and that she had become so arrogant that she slaps people at will on location.

But in refuting the story, Funke and her management company, Stingomania Entertainment, said the story was not true and that the writer wrote with deliberately intent to malign the star.

“The robbery took place on location where lots of people were present, and if I were raped the people in the house next to the hotel, who were looking at us while the robbery was going on, would have known. It would have been a common knowledge, I don’t know why a newspaper reporter would just sit down and fabricate such a lie,” Funke said...

Chief Executive Officer of Stingomania Entertainment, Ope Banwo, said a letter had been written and sent to the magazine through its lawyer and the magazine’s response would determine the next step. “This impunity against celebrities cannot continue, it has to stop,” he said.

Meanwhile, Funke has concluded work on The Return of Jenifa, a movie she said would dwarf whatever height Jenifa reached. “You need to see The Return of Jenifa,” she said after showing this reporter a promo copy. “We didn’t spare cost or efforts, this project will make my past jobs look like child’s play.” With sparkling location shots that had not been seen in her previous works, the actress, who is a Lagos indigene, might be aiming at another box office.

The movie would be in the cinemas from August, but before that Funke would be hosting friends, fans and corporate stakeholders to a dinner later this month to unveil her plans for 2011 and appreciate those who have stood by her.

After 16 years, couple is blessed with twins • I spent N10m to have a child

Posted by cozzy webtatafo on February 16, 2011 at 8:35pm

After 16 years, couple is blessed with twins • I spent N10m to have a child – Man
From OKEY SAMPSON, Aba

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

When Chief Rems Uchendu (a.k.a Agunechemba 1 of Aba), set out to exit bachelorhood in 1992, he had in mind like any other man with strong Igbo blood in his veins to start having babies within the next nine months.

Uchendu, wife and babies

He was convinced that the parcel he picked was well loaded and among the best and, therefore, had no need to worry about.

But wishes, they say, are not horses. For 16 tortuous years, Uchedu lived with her wife, Judith, but without a single child to show for the marriage. Chief Uchendu did his traditional marriage on June 6, 1992 and church wedding on November 28 of the same year.

As the problem lingers, Uchendu who hails from Ibeme Ugiri in Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State set out in search for a solution.

This took the husband and wife from one place to another; from one medical prescription to another, yet there was no headway.

In a chat with Daily Sun, Uchendu said: “I did everything humanly possible for 16 years to see if I could get a child, but there was no way. I spent more than N10 million in the search for just a child, in fact, all the money I made within that period was all spent, and still there was no solution.”

But one thing that the couple had going for them was their absolute faith in what God can do.

“After sometime, we took a decision that we would not go to any where again in search of a child; if God would not give us one, we will accept His wish after all we’ve tried as human beings. After that decision, we stopped all medications towards this direction and hoped wholly on God”, Uchendu said.

Uchendu, a Christian of the Catholic fold, decided to put his faith in God in practice as he went into knighthood and was conferred with the Knight of Saint John International (KSJ).

Two spectacular things happened during the period that preceded his initiation into knighthood in September 2007.

First, his wife who although may have disagreed with him on some issues, but definitely not on the issue of child bearing, vehemently opposed his idea of going into knighthood.

Her reason, according to Uchendu, was that, “when one is initiated into knighthood, he would not marry two wives. She was afraid my family would accuse her of luring me into knighthood in order to stop me from marrying another woman who would bear me children. I told her to relax because all the while, she never knew there was no pressure from my family to marry another woman because we are a Christian family”.

The second and more spectacular thing which happened within the period was that as Uchendu was attending programmes preparatory to his knighthood initiation, his wife became pregnant and they never knew.

His words: “As I was attending programmes preceding my initiation into the knighthood, I never knew my wife had taken in. When it became evident, I asked her to go for scanning tests and the results showed he had only one child in her womb and we prepared for her delivery based on the result of the scanning.

“But God in His infinite way of doing things, my wife in February 2008, delivered twins (a boy and a girl). One came out at exactly 5.00p.m. on that fateful day and the second followed 30 minutes later,” he said.

As the twins, Prince Udochukwu and Princeness Adaeze were delivered, Uchendu said that at first he was confused, but later felt relieved.

He said everything around him changed as his house on School Road, Aba became a tourist site of sorts. People from far and near came to see for themselves if actually his wife given birth. Even some American doctors who attended to them in Nigeria when they were in search of the fruit of the womb, joined in the ecstasy of that moment. They went further to send gift items from America for the upkeep of the kids.

In the 16 years of waiting, wherever the couple went for medical tests, they were always said to be okay. But this never stopped people from cajoling them until it got to the point where they were in turn praised..

“Although within the 16 years of waiting, people said all sorts of things against us, but we were not bothered because we knew that one day, God will answer our prayers. After sometime, those who were cajoling and calling us all sorts of names, then turned around to praise and call us the best couple around,” he said.

Recently, the twins clocked two years and their father who had at their delivery presented a cow in fulfillment of the vow he made to God, treated them to a lavish birthday ceremony.

But like Oliver Twist, Chief Uchendu who asked for just a child, but God gave him two at once, is asking for more children, even as he said “at the same time, I will be contented with the twins if that’s all God has for me.”

Is IBB back ? Maradonna back with ANPP Camp tips him as North’s ultimate consensus candidate

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on February 28, 2011 at 4:29am

General Ibrahim Babangida

There are very strong and reliable indications that the last may not have been heard of the presidential ambition of ex-military Presid

The adoption of former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as the consensus candidate of the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) may after all not have ended the desire of the retired General to run.

Sources have revealed that the retired General will any moment from now announce his defection to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) as pressures on him to toe this line have not ceased.

Babangida, from impeccable sources would not likely survive the pressure to decamp to another party to ensure the north actualises its plans to produce the president in May at all costs.

Saturday Sun can authoritatively report that Babangida’s supporters feel betrayed and angry that members of the NPLF committee saddled with the responsibility of picking one person, among the former head of state, Atiku, Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki and former National Security Adviser, General Aliyu Gusau, chose another presidential aspirant when Babangida not only ranked highest in the criteria listed but also has large following across the country.

But beyond that lost battle, the calculation now is that the north feels cheated and has the clear signs that the candidates of the opposition parties from the north vying for the presidency might not make any impact to unseat President Goodluck Jonathan. The way out of the possibility of losing is to beef up the fight in choosing another candidate of a more formidable war chest to slug it out with the PDP and eventually capture power.

Sources close to the Babangida camp said that his supporters have been putting pressure on him to take advantage of the opportunity the amendment of the ANNP constitution presents and defect to the party. “Leaders of the ANPP are disposed to a candidate that could win the presidential election”, the source revealed.

The forces behind this plot argue that since the NPLF was not fair in its choice, Babangida could, as well, renege on his promise to accept its choice of consensus candidate.

The ANPP had amended its constitution and added a provision that any former head of state that wishes to pursue his presidential ambition in the political party was free to do so. The party had delayed its national convention, so that PDP would conclude its own, to make room for aggrieved members of the party to come over the ANPP.

Saturday Sun was reliably told that the Babangida camp believes that since the retired army officer would not press his presidential ambition in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) he would not have breached any agreement if he defects to the ANPP.

Sources revealed that after the NPLF forum announced Atiku as consensus candidate, some leaders of ANPP started lobbying Babangida’s supporters to prevail on him to come over to the party and pick its presidential ticket. Among ANPP leaders who want Babangida and in the forefront of the lobby is Borno State governor, Alhaji Modu Sheriff and former Kogi State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Audu. These two top shots of the ANPP, sources revealed, were instrumental to the emergence of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu as the national chairman of the party and wants a formidable presidential candidate in next year’s election.

It was gathered that the ANPP leaders want to reenact what happened in 2003 when former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari picked the presidential ticket, despite the fact that he joined the party not long before the primaries.

Babangida camp’s calculation

The Babangida camp is considering the option of joining the ANPP, as he reckons that he may eventually end up as northern preferred/consensus candidate in the 2011 presidential election. The calculation is that since President Goodluck Jonathan defeated Atiku at the primaries of the PDP, to pick the presidential ticket, it rendered the NPLF plot to have a president of northern extraction take over power from May 29 a nullity.

The belief is that in an election where Babangida squares up with Jonathan, northern political leaders would have no choice than to pitch their tent with him. Sources also revealed that such development would also see Atiku, Gusau and Saraki indirectly working with Babangida, believing that he would return to the PDP if he wins the election.

It was gathered that Babangida’s supporters are pressing it on him that if he refuses to join the ANPP and picks its presidential ticket, Buhari may be the beneficiary of the suspected defeat of Atiku at PDP primaries, since the North may switch its support to the Congress for Political Change (CPC), in a presidential election where Jonathan and Buhari are candidates of their political parties.

Anger against Ciroma committee

The Babangida camp revealed that the General’s supporters are insinuating a deliberate shortchange, betrayal and back stabbing by the nine members of the Malam Adamu Ciroma committee. They accused the group of making a decision against the run of play, insisting that the committee didn’t adhere to due process in its choice. These aggrieved Babangida diehards say that media reports on how members of the Ciroma committee voted were true. They contend that members of the committee chose to adopt secret ballot, in order to execute the plot of not picking Babangida.

Babangida started losing out in the consensus arrangement when the Ciroma committee decided to visit the states to get additional information about the preparedness of the aspirants, which was beyond its brief. It was learnt that rather than meet with major stakeholders in the North, especially the Northern Governors Forum, the committee selected a handful of Emirs and some other traditional rulers.

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Saturday Sun gathered that the committee, in investigating the structures of the presidential aspirants in the consensus option, observed that Babangida had offices in 29 states, while Atiku had in 18 states. Saraki and Gusau were said to have offices in 12 and 14 states respectively. Also, the committee observed that Babangida had supporters spread across the country, especially those he empowered while in office. Based on these findings, Babangida was the favourite of members of the Ciroma committee before the Eid el Fitri holiday.

It was after the Sallah break, the committee started sounding discordant tunes. First, members of the group, it was gathered, were divided between conducting an open ballot and or secret balloting. Some of them reasoned that on account of their ages, they should not be afraid of conducting an open ballot, but Chief Audu Ogbeh, reportedly argued in favour of secret balloting to allow the members free choice.

ent, General Ibrahim Babangida, Saturday Sun can reveal.

P-Square’s dad visits sons in Lagos for the first time • ‘He apologized for not supporting our musical career’

Posted by NollywoodMohits on October 17, 2010 at 8:17pm

P-Square’s dad visits sons in Lagos for the first time • ‘He apologized for not supporting our musical career’

By Samuel Olatunji

For the first time in 20 years, the father of the popular singing duo, Peter and Paul Okoye, popularly known as P-Square, has visited his superstar sons in Lagos last week Tuesday to felicitate with them in their new mansion at the Omole, Ogba area.

P-Square

The man, who came with his wife and mother of his six children from Jos was pleasantly surprised to see how far his sons have come. He was said to be skeptical initially towards the choice of musical career of his twin sons, P-Squar

Though he visited Lagos about 20 years ago, he has never been to Lagos since his sons disobeyed him and relocated to Lagos in 2005 to pursue their dreams.

Mr. Okoye was skeptical at the choice of musical career of his four sons, Jude, Tony, Peter and Paul while in the university. Jude was in UNIJOS, Tony was in University of Maiduguri, while Peter and Paul were in UNIABUJA..

Jude initially started as a musician; he even went on to wax two albums while Tony was the dancer among the brothers. It was he who taught P-Square how to dance, while Peter and Paul were dancing and singing.

Their dad stopped paying their school fees and warned them sternly not to call home for any assistance if they relocated to Lagos for music..

‘It was tough initially, but we knew this is what we wanted then, so we decided to move on’, Peter said. Did their father not feel bad after they started enjoying initial success? ‘Our dad apologized to us years ago when we were still at Jude’s house in Maryland. He called and told us that he was uncomfortable that four of his sons left home without asking after him. Then, we weren’t even that successful. He called us to say he was sorry. He wanted the best for us then, but we also knew what we wanted’, he said.

P-Square is a pop duo of twin brothers Peter and Paul and unarguably one of the most success music brands out of Africa. The group recently won KORA’s Africa Musician of the Year Award and the coveted N1 million-prize money. The group was recently signed on as Glocacom ambassadors in a deal that was reportedly worth of N200 million. With hit tracks like Ifunnaya, Busy Body, E no easy, Danger, Game Over, P-Square is definitely a top brand out of Africa.

Tales of woe from Lagos flood victims • ‘I now live from hand to mouth’

Posted by 9jabook.com on October 16, 2010 at 12:21pm

People crossing the flooded area through a wooden bridge from Ajiliti to Mile 12 area. Inset: Okada riders waiting for passengers. Photos: Sylvester Okoruwa

The recent flood that rendered a lot of Lagosians homeless, destroying property worth millions of naira, impoverished the victims, as reported by OWONIBI AYOMIDE.

THE Foursquare Gospel Church in Agiliti a suburb in Mile 12 still stands solidly on its foundation. Though the church is painted white to signify purity, the white paint is gradually peeling away, revealing the ash coloured plastered walls now green and slimy with algae..

Instead of devoted worshippers clapping and singing praises, the church is quiet and desolate. The only sound that can be heard is the sound of water seeping through some of the cracks in the walls. Occasionally, the stillness of the church is broken by the sound of a water creature going about its business as if it belongs there.

Outside the church is a long stretch of algae green water with rows of houses and shops on both sides. The stretch of water was once Oreofe Street. The houses are not like normal houses on dry land. Though once built on dry land, they are now submerged in water up to the window level or the roof as the case may be.

Where is my pot?
For many residents of Ikorodu, Ajegunle and other surrounding communities, the flood that ravaged the community last weekend, will always remain fresh in their memories, as many of them lost valuable properties accumulated after many years of hard work and labour. For Mrs. Theresa Adekanle, a widow living in a one room apartment in one of the streets submerged by water, the flood has reduced her to a beggar as she has to depend on kindhearted neighbours to provide food for her and her three children.

While speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, the widow recalled that she had gone to bed with her children around ten on Friday night, only to wake up two hours later to pray and discovered that somehow, water was seeping under her door.

“I initially thought that someone had mistakenly tripped over a bucket of water I normally keep in front of my door for toilet purposes. I opened the door to reprimand whoever it was, but was surprised to see that the whole passage was filled with water. I raised an alarm and the other tenants started trooping out of their rooms and salvaging their properties.”

Mrs. Adekanle noted with dismay that after making sure that her children were safely perched on the table she uses to display her tomatoes and pepper in front of the house, she discovered that the pot of soup which she allegedly spent N700 in preparing had drifted away to the backyard. She also lamented that the dry foodstuff she bought for the month were also destroyed by the flood waters.

“I am presently going through a lot, as I am living from hand to mouth. If not for my pastor and the little daily contribution I do, me and my children would have taken to the streets in search of our daily bread.”

Harvest of loss
Mrs. Adekanle is not the only one affected by the flood, as hundreds of people living in the area had to flee the area, living behind their property. A man shook his head sadly as he pointed to his car which was submerged in water and declined to give any comment, as his loss was evident enough.

Taking a canoe ride through the submerged street is not easy as the youngsters paddling the canoe have to battle with floating household utensils like pots, plastic plates, and what have you. The water has proved to be a litmus test for many houses which were constructed hurriedly without making sure that the foundations are strong enough to withstand the test of time.

According to a youth leader in the area, more than eight houses have collapsed since the flood began, while many others stand the risk of collapse once the water dry up.

A mechanic operating in the area said that he is only waiting for the water to dry up so that he can retrieve some of his tools that sank. “This is my shop,” he said pointing to what once used to be a wood structure. “I don’t live here, but I was more than shocked when I came to work in the morning and discovered that my shop has been submerged. As you can see, I am only waiting for the waters to dry up. He explained hopefully.

We must survive
A visit to the area revealed that some of the residents of the area who have no where to go; have continued to live in their swamped houses regardless of the dangers inherent in it. Borrowing a leaf from the Ilaje people who build their homes on water, many of them have constructed wooden platforms in their rooms, from where they sleep, cook and eat. Children who are of age are severely warned about the dangers lurking beneath the murky waters, so there is no fear of drowning or any other mishap.

One of the residents who simply identified himself as Sunday, said that some of the major problems they are currently facing is the smell of the water, the large number of mosquitoes and other flying insects, the difficulty in getting clean water to drink and worse of all, the presence of snakes.

“For me, getting water to drink is really not a problem because all I have to do is take a canoe to the other side and buy pure water.” He said, pointing to some bags of water stashed on the platform. “Initially, I didn’t want to abandon my house and go and squat with friends but I am currently rethinking the situation because of the snakes. Though I know they can’t bite while in water, what will happen when they manage to slide up my bed in the night?”

Another resident who continues to live in her house despite the swamped quarters complained about the cold and the difficulty of going to work.

“It is not as bad as people out there think. In life we must all learn to adapt to whatever situation we find ourselves. The only challenge I am having right now is the difficulty in getting to work. Getting a canoe is not easy, because the youngsters who paddle the canoe are afraid of my end, complaining that the snakes are too much.”

While many are lamenting bitterly, the canoe business is thriving beautifully, as the paddlers make as high as N2000 daily from ferrying people to and fro the flooded areas. Carpenters now have to work overtime because suddenly, every unemployed youth now wants to have a canoe because of the fringe benefits.

Echoes of help
Looking more like a ghost town, the submerged areas in Agiliti and Madan areas is so deserted and quiet that the voice of the few left behind, echo loudly, reverberating inside the abandoned houses now inhabited by water left to their fate by the former occupants. The playing ground of the schools located in the areas which was once filled with happy children is now a shadow of itself. The only living creatures are frogs and other water creatures.

Some of the residents who spoke with the Sunday Tribune pleaded with Governor Fashola to come to their rescue as they had been cut off from their means of livelihood. However, there was a twist in the whole plea for help as some of the residents said that they were not suffering and that nothing should be written about them or the government would come and demolish their houses.

“We don’t want any interference from the government. All we want from them is that they should give us good roads and find a way of channeling the dam from Ogun State to somewhere else. Governor Fashola cannot just come here and tell us to go somewhere else. This happens once in year and we are well prepared for it. We knew this was a water area when we bought our land.” One of the elders in the community yelled angrily.

Super Crook ! Convict serving jail term inside Kirikiri dupes banker N12m

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on June 26, 2010 at 6:16am

Naija's version of Catch me If you can !

A prisoner, who was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) and sentenced to 15 years inprisonment in 2008 over advance fee fraud related offences (aka ‘419’), has defrauded a banker of N12million from his cell at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Lagos.

The prisoner, Ikechuwku Ogbu (alias Prince Eze), investigations reveal, created a 419 syndicate from inside the inner recesses of the prison, with which he had been duping unsuspecting members of the public. His forte is what is known in advance fee fraud as love scam. He advertised himself as an eligible bachelor who desperately needs a wife.

Those who responded to adverts, ended up adding to the long list of his victims. However, the riddle which EFCC operatives are trying to resolve is how a prisoner managed to place an advertorial in the love links page of the Vanguard Newspapers of March 7, 2009. In the advertorial, Ogbu wrote: “I am Prince Eze, 46, from Anambra State, live in Lagos. Genotype AA, Blood Group 0 needs a working class business lady between 39-45 to settle down with on 07057928637 or 07085350598. Several women that were desperately looking for husband called these numbers.

One of them is a lady, who works with the National Assembly in Abuja. After making contacts with her proposed spouse, she flew to Lagos, to ensure that others didn’t beat her to her prospective husband.
She received the shock of her life when she landed at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja and no one was there to pick her.
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This prompted her to call Ogbu, who now told her that he was actually detained in Kirikiri Prison by the EFCC over money laundering matters, whereas he is serving a jail term. He told the woman to come over to the prison to meet him. She did. On getting to the prison yard, she was accorded VIP treatment by the warders and this gave her the impression that Ogbu was an influential personality who was detained over a minor issue.

When Ogbu finally met her, he told the lady that theirs was love at first sight. He painted the picture of a blissful marital experience for the couple once he gets out of prison. The woman couldn’t believe her luck for getting a husband, a rich one at that, so cheap. While the woman was thanking God, Ogbu moved to the next stage of his plan to pull off a massive scam. He told her that he was a drug baron and that someone was sending $25 million to him from the United States, but that he was afraid of lodging the money in his own account for fear that it could be seized by EFCC.

The woman fell for the bait, and suddenly made it her business to look for an account for the fraudster. Instead of returning to her station in Abuja, she flew to Port-Harcourt to meet her brother-in-law, a manager with one of the new generation banks and told him about the business. The banker immediately flew to Lagos and met Ogbu. And the story changed. He said the person bringing the money from the US said he would not release it until he came out of prison.

The challenge now was for the banker to arrange his release which, supposedly entails bribing key officials of the prison service and the EFCC as well as the judge. He gave the bankers number to fake EFCC officials who were members of the syndicate.

They started calling the banker, demanding for all sorts of money (in millions). And he paid. At the end of the day, he lost over N12million to the fraudsters, yet Ogbu was not released neither was any payment in dollars received.
At this juncture, he realized that he had been fleeced and reported to the EFCC. The commission’s investigations revealed that Ogbu lives like a king in Kirikiri Prison. Although he was not supposed to have access to telephone, five cell phones were recovered from the unrepentant prisoner when EFCC stormed the prison last Thursday, June17. It was also discovered that he had been receiving huge sums of money in the presence of warders.

Our kidnappers are well connected - Released journalists recount ordeal • Abia govt suspends traditional rulers, places one under house arrest • Jonathan, govs, Nigerians react

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on July 19, 2010 at 3:21pm

Written by Biola Azeez, Leon Usigbe, with Agency Report

THE Chairman of Lagos State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Wahab Oba and three other journalists, with their driver, who were kidnapped penultimate Sunday in Abia State, have regained their freedom.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that they regained their freedom in the early hours of Sunday, between 1.30 and 2 a.m. at Ukpakiri, in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

Narrating their ordeal to newsmen at the Police Headquarters, Umuahia, Oba and the others said that they were released by their abductors in a market.

He said that the hoodlums had taken them to a market square where they were abandoned between 1.30 a.m. and 2 a.m. and that they had to wait till 6 a.m. “and we were there until the police came and rescued us.

“They collected all our personal effects, including laptops, wristwatches and the sum of N3 million and even shared the money in our presence,” he said.

Oba said that they were fed on bread once a day but that at a time they declared a fast “and they asked us if we were fasting against them.

“We explained to them that we are journalists, who were at the vanguard of enthroning good governance, and even told them that we have been in the forefront for the release of Chief (Ralph) Uwazuruike, leader of the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MOSSOB).

“We even requested them to give our phones to us to contact our families for them to bring the money they requested but they said that they were not after our money but that of the government.

“We were not beaten except the fact that they blindfolded us on some occasions.

“The kidnappers told us that they resorted to protest as a result of bad governance in Abia and accused the state government of diverting the money the Federal Government released for amnesty.

“They told us that they were giving the state government one month to either complete the amnesty programme or face their wrath and that they will come out openly to shoot at people,” he said.

Oba said that the hoodlums accused the government of insensitivity to the plight of residents of the state and threatened to disrupt the 2011 general election.

Mr Silver Okereke, a Daily Champion correspondent, said that at a point the kidnappers blindfolded them and took them to a point they were to be slaughtered.

“They told us to say our final prayer,” he said, adding that it was a sad experience.

“I don’t know whether government paid any money but they told us that they did not collect any money and that they were releasing us due to our profession so that we will go and right the wrongs in the society,” Okereke said.

He said that the hoodlums had the best of communication networking, adding that all the information that transpired in the course of their captivity were at the finger-tips of the kidnappers.

“These people are well connected and are aware of every bit of police movement both internal and external,” he said....

Okereke said the kidnappers’ colleagues outside the country were also communicating with them to give them information.

Meanwhile, Abia State Commissioner of Police, Mr Jonathan Johnson declined comments, saying that the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ogbonna Onovo, would be in Umuahia to address journalists on the issue.

Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan has welcomed the release of the four journalists, and their driver.

According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Mr. Ima Niboro, in Abuja, on Sunday, the president noted that their release brought to closure “a sordid criminal incident, which, however, must be uprooted once and for all in Nigeria.”

While commending the police and Nigerians in general “for turning sufficient heat on the kidnappers and causing them to abandon the victims,” President Jonathan charged Mr Onovo, to ensure that the criminals were apprehended by all means.

He felicitated with the freed journalists, their families and the NUJ, saying “even as we celebrate freedom today, let us insist that this spate of criminality must stop. In every way possible, we must say no to these vices, and assist the authorities to expose perpetrators and bring an end to these vices as quickly as possible.”

However, the Abia State government has said that the traditional ruler of Amauba-Ime Oboro Autonomous Community in Ikwuano Local Government Area of the state, Eze Vincent Okezie Uche, has been placed under arrest and has been charged to court for allegedly aiding kidnapping and armed robbery.

The state government also said the monarch had been dethroned as the traditional ruler of Amauba-Ime Oboro Autonomous and his staff of office withdrawn.

The Abia State government, in a press statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kingsley Emereuwa, also said that other traditional rulers, namely, Eze Okechukwu Atulobi of Osusu Abala Autonomous Community; Eze Nwabiaraije Eneogwe of Abayi Autonomous Community, and Eze S. Onwukwe of Abala Ibeme Autonomous Community, all in Obingwa Local Government Area of the state, had been suspended as traditional rulers of their communities.

The decision to suspend the three royal fathers, the statement said, “followed security reports of their alleged serious involvement in sponsoring kidnapping and armed robbery in the state, for which they are currently under investigation.

“The state government wants to assure the entire citizenry that it will not stop at anything to eradicate the shameful manace of kidnapping and armed robbery in the state, as any person/s suspected to be behind this ugly vocation, no matter how highly placed, will be summarily dealt with,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State and Mr Onovo have promised kidnappers in the state total onslaught henceforth if the kidnappers refused to lay down their arms.

Speaking while receiving the freed journalists and their driver at the executive chambers of the Government House, Umuahia, on Sunday, the governor urged kidnappers in the state to partner with the government rather than go into criminality to attract attention. “No development can take place in a state of insecurity,” the governor said.

Governor Orji said that the youth of Ngwa area, particularly Obingwa, had hindered development projects by kidnapping either the contractors or expatriates handling projects in the area, adding that they refused to key into the recent amnesty programme of the state government.

The governor said the state government had not received any money from the Federal Government with regard to the amnesty programme as being rumoured by the kidnappers. “If we receive any such money we will give it to them,” Orji said.

He congratulated the South-East governors, the Nigeria Police and all those who assisted in securing the release of the abducted journalists, adding that kidnapping should be fought nationally.

He also charged journalists to fight kidnapping with their pens and also fight for freedom in all its ramifications, adding they should also join in he campaign for a better equipped police.

Also speaking, the IGP said that rescuing the journalists was a big challenge to him and the Nigeria police, since their ultimate goal was to rescue them alive, adding that the kidnap of the journalists had brought out the fact that everybody was a potential victim of the kidnappers.

The police boss thanked the governor for his assistance, saying that security was the business of everybody and that police operation in the South-East to rout criminals had just started. He said the police would go after the criminals, warning that many innocent people would be inconvenienced.

In a vote of thanks, Mr Oba expressed his appreciation to all Nigerians, their families, the police force and the Abia State governor for all the sacrifices they made to ensure their release.

Oba called that the police to be properly equipped, saying that their weaponry did not compare favourably with what the criminals were flaunting.

Ukpakiri town, where the four kidnapped journalists were rescued, on Sunday, was calm, but there was still a heavy presence of security men in the area.

A NAN correspondent reported that the people carried on their normal activities but they expressed joy that the journalists regained their freedom unhurt.

Chief Okoro Kalu, a community leader, told NAN that he was happy that the journalists, who had helped to shape the country positively, regained their freedom.

Chief Azuka Alagwu, the president of Aba Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, said the kidnap of the journalists had drawn the attention of the Federal Government to the sufferings of the Aba business community.

He urged the government to eradicate kidnapping to save businesses in Aba, which is 10 kilometres from Obingwa.

Also, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, expressed gratitude to God over the release of the journalists by their abductors.

The commissioner told NAN in Port Harcourt, on Sunday, that it was a thing of joy that the journalists came out unharmed.

Mr Akinola Ariyo, the Financial Secretary, Lagos State council of NUJ, told NAN on telephone that journalists in the council were happy over the freedom of their colleagues.

He added that the families of the journalists received the news with joy.

Ariyo thanked the federal and state governments, the security agencies and the NUJ president, Muhammad Garba, for their roles in the release of the journalists.

He also thanked other members of NUJ, religious leaders and Nigerians for their prayers over the incident.

The Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, charged Nigerians, on Sunday, that they should stand up against the kidnappers.

Akunyili told NAN that payment of ransom had encouraged kidnapping, which, she lamented, had now become an industry.

In his reaction, the president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mr Gbenga Adefaye, recommended that kidnappers should be punished to put an end to the act.

Husband stabs wife’s lover to death on his matrimonial bed • I still love my wife, she is a loyal housewife –Suspect

Posted by cozzy webtatafo on May 22, 2010 at 12:49am

From NGOZI UWUJARE, Ibadan Friday, May 21, 2010 A man in Ogun State, has applied the Mosaic law of “an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth,” by stabbing to death, his wife’s lover, after he caught them in the act of making love in their matrimonial bed. The tragic incident occurred at Iyana Ilogbo, Sango Ota, Ogun State. The suspects advertisement The suspect, Abdul Adekile (not real name) 25, was said to have come back home that fateful day, to behold the victim, Musibau Olapade, on top of his wife, Bunmi (not real name) and decided to bring the amourous relationship to a tragic end. “I left home for work at about 7.00 am and came back home to give my wife some money to prepare food, only to find the door securely locked. I knocked on the door several times and called her many times but there was no response. I had to break the door, only to find my wife and Olapade stark naked on the bed,” he said. According to him, his wife quickly ran away, while a fight ensued between him and the “lover boy.” “I stabbed him when he attempted to escape. I didn’t know he was going to die,” Adekile was quoted as telling the detectives investigating him. The suspect, from Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, explained that they had been married for the past four years, with a child who is now late. Ironically, the suspect described his wife as a loyal housewife, adding that he never suspected her to be unfaithful to him. He said: “Since we got married four years ago, I never suspected her to be cheating on me. I was provoked. I’m an orphan, I still love her, I had never raised my hand against her before,” he bemoaned. Bunmi, 24, who spoke to Daily Sun described the victim as her lover. According to her, her deceased lover gave her N500 that day before she agreed to make love with him in their matrimonial home. “My husband knocked on the door and we didn’t open it, and when he gained entry into the room, I was tying my wrapper without underwear. They started fighting while I ran out of the house. When Olopade tried to escape, my husband stabbed him on the back.” Bunmi, who claimed to be a Togolese, said she was three years old when her elder sister brought her to Nigeria. After the murder, it was members of the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC), who arrested and handed Adekile to the police. The state Police Commissioner, Mr. Musa Daura, said the suspect would be prosecuted after investigation.

Ritual Church! Founder’s body in morgue five years after • Members still worship skeleton (Image Advisory)

Posted by frank adeche Mr Netchurch on May 17, 2010 at 3:13am

Ritual Church! Founder’s body in morgue five years after • Members still worship skeleton

From MUTIU GANIYU, Osogbo

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Has the world eventually entered the “last days” as prophesied in the Bible, the holy book for Christians? Maybe, if the activities of some so-called Christians are anything to go by. According to II Timothy 3-7: “In the last days, perilous times shall come.

The founder’s skeleton

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.”

The holy book further states that in the last days, men would have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof and men will ever be learning, and will never be able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The story is hardly believable but it is true that about five years after the death of a pastor, members of his church still worship his skeleton because of their faith in the efficacy of his powers..

To members of the church, late Jacob Adebayo Oladele, who was the founder, Millennium Gospel Church (MGC), remains powerful even in death.

In February 2010, the police stormed the premises of MGC located at an abandoned aerodrome in a vast forest at Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, following a tip-off by the monarch of the town, Alayemoore of Ido-Osun, Oba Adedapo Adeniyi Sapoyoro. The monarch, who said the palace had been inundated with series of allegations of high-handedness and weird worship style of the church members, led a team alongside the police to the church where a purported skeleton of the church’s founder was recovered.

The police arrested 15 suspects while people of the town warned the church members never to return to the land, which belongs to the government. Sunday Sun gathered that five of the suspects are still standing trial at an Osogbo Magistrate Court. Members of the church however insist that they are not ritualists and never killed anybody or performed any ritual in the church.

One of those standing trial, Mrs Florence Oluwaloni Oladele, who is the deputy founder said: “We are not ritualists. We worship our Lord Jesus Christ like every Christian. The skeleton belongs to our founder. Truth shall prevail and we will be vindicated. This is a test of our faith and members should be steadfast and more prayerful.”

Head, Pathology Department at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital (LAUTECHTH), Dr Akinwumi Komolafe, confirmed the presence of the skeleton in the morgue, but said the police did not present a request for tests to be carried out on the skeleton. He said the hospital authorities would keep the skeleton until it receives further directive from the police.

It was however gathered that some of the church members have been visiting the mortuary in order to worship the late founder who they described as their Messiah. “Before stopping them from coming to see the skeleton, some who came were practically worshipping the skeleton. They rolled on the ground, shouting his name, weeping, wailing and appealing to him to answer their prayers. They are fanatical about him and if care is not taken and the skeleton remains in the mortuary more than necessary, they may go wild and take steps to recover it. The mortuary needs more security,” a source at the hospital warned.?

When contacted, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Solomon Olusegun, said the “case is in court.”

But a police source said: “The skeleton may soon be released to the members since nobody had come forward with a claim that his/her relation was missing.”

“Apart from the skeleton, police did not find any other human or animal part at the church. Initially, we were made to believe that more bodies were going to be recovered from the church like that of the infamous Okija Shrine. None was found apart from the skeleton. However, all theories pointed to the fact that the skeleton belongs to the church founder. You know how fanatical some people could be with living or dead founder of their faith.

“The skeleton will soon be released for burial. At least, the man should be allowed to rest in peace. We still appeal to people who may have contrary information about the church to volunteer it to the police.”

At press time, police authorities were in confusion over what to do with the skeleton even as the hospital management anxiously awaited the collection of late Adebayo’s skeleton for burial because according to them, “the mortuary is meant for dead bodies and not skeleton.

Yardua dies:Public holiday today Burial today in Katsina 2 p.m. • Jonathan to be sworn in 8 a.m. ,

Posted by 9jabook.com on May 5, 2010 at 7:20pm

FG declares 7 days mourning

.End of the Drama Free the President

Burial today in Katsina 2 p.m. • Jonathan to be sworn in 8 a.m. FG declares 7 days mourning, public holiday today

Exactly 70 days after he was flown back to Nigeria from treatment in Saudi Arabia, President Umaru Yar’Adua died on Wednesday night of undisclosed causes.

He became the second Nigerian leader to die of natural causes while in office, as the late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, who died on June 8, 1998. Other Nigerian leaders who had died in office were Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa Maj.-Gen. Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi and Gen. Murtala Muhammed. They were killed during attempts to overthrow their governments in 1966 and 1976 respectively.

Presidential Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, told The Associated Press that Yar’Adua died at 9pm on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, with his wife, Turai, at his side. Adeniyi, whose voice cracked with emotion as he spoke did not give a cause of death.

By virtue of Section 146 of the 1999 Constitution, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan automatically becomes the President. It reads, ”The Vice-President shall hold the office of President if the office of President becomes vacant by reason of death or resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or the removal of the President from office for any other reason in accordance with section 143 of this Constitution.”

THE PUNCH learnt that news of Yar‘Adua‘s death first filtered out shortly after he breathed his last when some presidential aides briefed Jonathan and the National Security Adviser, Lt.-Gen. Aliyu Gusau (retd.), about his death.

The Federal Governmment immediately declared today as a public holiday. It also declared seven days of mourning, during which flags will fly at half-mast.

Yar’Adua spent much of his time as the governor of Katsina State (1999-2007) battling a kidney-related ailment. But his supporters he claimed had recovered sufficiently to contest the 2007 presidential election, after he got a kidney transplant.

At a point during his tenure as governor, Yar‘Adua spent six months at a stretch in a German hospital. But not long after he won the presidential election and was inaugurated, his health failed and he had to be flown abroad on a few occasions for treatment.

Although the exact nature of Yar‘Adua‘s frequent illness was never truly known, as his medical trips abroad were always shrouded in secrecy, the Presidency gave an indication of the nature of the sickness after he was flown to Saudi Arabia on November 23, 2009 for medical treatment.

His personal physician, Dr. Salisu Banye, told newsmen on November 26 that Yar‘Adua was being treated for acute pericarditis, an inflamation of the membrane surrounding the heart.

However, Saharareporters, an online medium, had, in a series of reports, insisted that the President suffered from the terminal Churg Strauss syndrome.

Last November, he was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he spent 93 days before being flown back to Nigeria under the cover of darkness.

After his return on February 23, he was kept incommunicado at the Presidential Villa and was shielded from his deputy. In fact, in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation last month, Jonathan said the President‘s family was shielding Yar‘Adua from him.

He said he had only been able to meet with the President‘s wife while attempts to see Yar‘Adua and assess his condition were rebuffed.

Due to the uncertainty that surrounded Yar‘Adua‘s medical condition, the National Assembly on February 9, 2010 passed a resolution declaring Jonathan as the Acting President.

The news of the President‘s death immediately spread like wildfire across the country, with many Nigerians expressing shock and grief at the 58-year-old President‘s demise. Also, various cable channels across the world broadcast news breaks of Yar’Adua’s death intermittently.

Reactions started pouring in within a few hours of his death. Kwara State governor Bukola Saraki, who is also the chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum, said, “As a Muslim, the first reaction is that everyone will pay the ultimate price and death will come when it will come. The passing on of the President at this point in time in our national history is not only tragic but devastating. It‘s indeed a colossal loss to the nation and Africa.”

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, in his tribute, wrote, “What passes for the Nigerian nation is nothing more than a tragic arena, and Yar‘Adua is only the latest tragic figure. The vampires, including those within his own family, turned him into a mere inert resource for their diabolical schemes.

“They have a reckoning with their conscience, assuming they know what the word means. One can only hope that, while mouthing sanctimonious platitudes such as ‘Power belongs to God,’ they have now learnt that the politics of Do-or-Die cannot guarantee who does and who dies. They must stop playing God. I pray for the repose of the soul of their latest, much abused innocent victim. Wole Soyinka.”

In his reaction, Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko described the President‘s transition as a sad loss to the nation. Mimiko, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, described the late President as an apostle of democracy, who maintained a firm belief in the Rule of Law and fairplay.

In his reaction, Kogi State Governor Ibrahim Idris said in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Richard Elesho, “We would like to keep our fingers crossed, taking into cognisance that the power of life and death are the in the hands of God. We have to accept it as the will of God. We condole with the family and pray God grants them the fortitude to bear the loss. The man suffered for so long. It’s indeed a big loss.”

Girl, 20, kidnaps 3-year-old in Lagos Demands N400,000 ransom

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on May 12, 2010 at 7:07pm

Girl, 20, kidnaps 3-year-old in Lagos • Demands N400,000 ransom
By MATTHEW DIKE

Wednesday, May 12, 2010
A 20-year-old girl in Lagos has used a three-year-old boy as bait in a bid to collect N400,000 from his father whom she alleged had carnal knowledge of her.

Nkechinyere Mmadu was arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly kidnapping the boy while returning from school at Ilasamaja..

Mmadu alleged that the victim’s father promised to rent an apartment for her and also give her N400,000.

Mmadu claimed that the victim’s father, Akeem Okere, who lives at Jimoh Fariogun Street, Ilasamaja, did not fulfil the promise, after he took her to a hotel in Isolo three times, and had canal knowledge of her.

The suspect said she had to deceive the boy that was taking the kid home, because, she was well known in the area. She lied to him that the kid’s mother said she should bring him to a party. From Ilasamaja, the suspect took the victim to his friend’s residence at Murtala Area, Bariga. She alleged they were together with the friend she identified simply as Funke, for one week. She had to leave the residence with the boy because Funke’s parents were not comfortable with them. The suspect said she lied to them that the victim was her aunty’s son.

The suspect further disclosed that she moved the victim to a hotel at Ikorodu area where he met the hotel manager who later took them to his residence in the area.

She said the man harboured them for three weeks before she was nabbed.

According to Mmadu, she had to call Okere to give him the money he promised if he wanted to see his child alive. Okere however reported the incident at Ilasamaja Police State, from where the case was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti.

The detectives advised that Okere should play along and demand for the account number into which the money would be lodged.

Martins Nwoke who claimed he knew Mmadu through his friend, Michael, said the girl told him to provide his account number because her elder sister wanted to send some cash to her. So, Nwoke collected N350,000 from the bank after money was paid in.

Police arrested Nwoke and Mmadu after he had collected the money from him.

The father of the victim, Okere denied knowledge the girl from adam. He said he had not set his eyes on her before. Okere said she only knew his wife and kid when she was still living in Ilasamaja. The victim’s father alleged that it was a man who identified himself as Emmanuel from Edo State who called him on phone, demanding for N800,000. It was later that Mmadu’s voice came on air and his wife recognised the voice.

Meanwhile, the hotel manager, David Nsa had feigned innocence of the kidnap. Nsa said the girl told him she had no place to sleep with the little boy and that her relations were not around while her boyfriend travelled to Port Harcourt, Nsa alleged that he did it because of the innocent boy whose condition, he felt would be deplorable if he slept outside in cold air.

Police spokesman in Lagos, Mr. Frank Mba, a Superintendent of police confirmed the incident to Daily Sun. Mba warned parents to always take their children, from school and back, so that they won’t become kidnapped victim.

9ja Volcanic Ash: Fashola, Bankole, Oshiomhole, others stranded in Europe • EU to resume limited air traffic today

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on April 20, 2010 at 7:41pm

Bankole, Oshiomhole, Fashola, others stranded in Europe • EU to resume limited air traffic today

By NDUBUISI ORJI

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Speaker of the House of Representative Dimeji Bankole, Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, and Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola are among Nigerians stranded in Europe as result of rising Iceland volcano ash. Others stranded included some aides of the Acting President Dr Goodluck Jonathan. Also, the governors of Imo and Akwa Ibom States, Ikedi Ohakim and Godswill Akpabio are said to be among those stranded in the UK.

photo:Fashola

The socio- political implication of this development that government business, which the affected officials were supposed to address have been left unattended.

For instance in Edo State, the launch of the ‘one man, one vote’ campaign earlier schedule for tomorrow has been postponed by one week because of the absence of Governor Oshiomhole..

Meanwhile, European officials carved up the sky yesterday, creating three zones to more quickly break the flight deadlock caused by volcanic ash flowing from Iceland over Europe. Many more flights will be able to take off today, the bloc said.

European countries can resume airline traffic in designated “caution zones” where the threat of ash is considered less dangerous, French officials said after a meeting of the bloc’s 27 transport ministers.

Under the accord, one area defined by the European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol will remain entirely off limits to flights. Another area will be open to all flights and a third area will be a caution zone in which some flights will be allowed.

Jean-Louis Borloo, the No. 2 French Cabinet official, said flights in the caution zone will be “very secure” with many tests to make sure jet engines are not damaged by ash.

EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said after a videoconference with EU transport ministers and industry officials that “the decision increases air space available to air traffic. This is the final outcome.”

The EU said as of Tuesday morning “we should see more planes starting to fly.”

Meanwhile, airline losses from the volcanic ash cloud spiraled over $1 billion yesterday, the industry demanded European Union compensation and criticized European governments for relying too much on scientific theory not fact in their decisions to shut down airspace across the continent.

Shares of some European airlines fell as flight disruptions from the volcanic cloud moved into a fifth day, and the International Air Transport Association complained of “no leadership” from government leaders, one of whom admitted to EU dissension about how to respond.

“It’s embarrassing, and a European mess,” IATA CEO Giovanni Bisignani told The Associated Press. “It took five days to organize a conference call with the ministers of transport and we are losing $200 million per day (and) 750,000 passengers are stranded all over. Does it make sense?” IATA officials said the $200 million estimate was at the low-end of their projections, and that it could run as high as $250 million-$300 million a day.

Even as airline officials were clamoring for relief, both financial and operational, a senior Western diplomat told The Associated Press that several NATO F-16 fighter jets had suffered engine damage after flying through the cloud, suggesting government caution was warranted..

The official declined to provide more details on the military flights, except to say that glasslike deposits were found in the planes’ engines after they patrolled over unspecified European airspace. European civil aviation authorities held a conference call Monday about what steps could be taken toward opening airspace, and transport ministers of all 27 European Union members were conferring by phone and videoconference.

Dominique Bussereau, France’s transport minister, told reporters Monday that he had urged EU president Spain. ever since Saturday. to call the ministerial meeting immediately but Madrid declined. “Naturally, it would have been better if had taken place Sunday or Saturday,” Bussereau said.

British Airways said airlines have asked the EU for financial compensation for the closure of airspace, starting last Wednesday. With London among the first hubs shut down, the British carrier said it’s losing as much as 20 million pounds ($30 million) per day.

BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh pointed out that compensation had been paid to airlines after the closure of U.S. airspace following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. “This is an unprecedented situation that is having a huge impact on customers and airlines alike,” Walsh said. “We continue to offer as much support as we can to our customers, however, these are extraordinary circumstances that are beyond all airlines’ control.”

Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo, the No. 2 in the French Cabinet said a meeting of French airlines, travel agencies and the government was planned for Tuesday to examine possible state aid to the industry. “This aid will evolve of course based on the severity of the crisis. For that, we need a European pre-accord that we have obtained, an accord in principle so this sector aid can be allocated,” Borloo told France’s i-Tele.

German Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer said government decisions were based on a “sea of data” and defended the continued closure of air space in his country. He brushed off airlines’ complaints about losses, saying they know about their susceptibility to weather conditions.

“It is completely obvious that you have to calculate with such risks,” he told Radio station Deutschlandfunk. “And I defend myself right away against any calls to the government,” to compensate for the corporate losses. The IATA, in a statement, called on governments to place “greater urgency and focus on how and when we can safely reopen Europe’s skies”, such as through more in-depth study of the ash cloud.

“We have to not just use as the Europeans were doing, a theoretical model, let’s try to use figures and facts,” Bisignani said.” It means sending test planes at certain kinds of altitudes to check what was the situation with the ashes.”

While the association says “safety is our top priority,” Bisignani said in the statement that its member airlines have run test flights with no problems and “they report missed opportunities to fly safely.” Bisignani said that Europe, unlike the United States, for example is “not well-equipped” when it comes to planes that can test the air quality in the skies. He estimated that once flights in Europe do resume, it would take three to six days for traffic to return to normal.

France’s Borloo said disparate analyses needed to be brought together based on “real tests on real planes with real pilots,” so some air “corridors” could be reopened. “The issue today is not to reopen all European commercial airspace, the issue today is to increase the ability to reopen corridors to allow the general de-congestion of European traffic,” he told reporters.

Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, the No. 2 executive at Air France-KLM, said his company is losing euro35 million a day and called for more test flights to see if routes are safe to fly. He said the French-Dutch carrier conducted five test flights on its own Sunday and planned another seven Monday.

Speaking to reporters Monday at Air France headquarters near Paris’ main airport, Gourgeon said aviation authorities had relied on “insufficient” information when they imposed a near-blanket flight ban in some countries.

The prospect of continued losses and flight cancelations pushed down shares of many airlines. In early afternoon trade Europe, German carrier Deutsche Lufthansa AG was down 3.9 percent to euro12.24 in Frankfurt; Air France-KLM SA dropped 4.5 percent to euro11.87, and British Airways was down 4.4 percent to 224.6 British pence.

You can’t run in 2011, Obasanjo tells Jonathan • North tackles ex-President over new VP

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on February 21, 2010 at 1:20pm

You can’t run in 2011, Obasanjo tells Jonathan • North tackles ex-President over new VP
By Olusola Balogun

Sunday, February 21, 2010
Fresh facts have emerged on what transpired at a recent secret meeting between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.

Obasanjo

obasanjo%5B1%5D.jpg

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Sunday Sun learnt that Obasanjo told Jonathan that he may have to pay a price by not contesting the 2011 presidential election if the ongoing effort to make him substantive president sails through.

A source at the meeting said the parley was principally convened to chart the way forward politically for the country.

Although the advice appears to be in the interest of Jonathan and the stability of the country, it was gathered that it was equally a ploy by Obasanjo to push through another agenda of imposing a candidate on the nation like he did in 2007.

Already, the plot has rankled some politicians in the North who fear that a fresh attempt by the former leader to impose his candidate on the nation in the 2011 presidential contest might be in the works.

The North and, indeed, other parts of the country are said to be blaming Obasanjo as the architect of the present political logjam in the country, because of the imposition of Yar’Adua on the nation in 2007.

The present fear is hinged on alleged plan by the former president to line up an array of his candidates as likely Vice President to Jonathan in an arrangement that will also allow the same candidate succeed Jonathan in 2011.

Sunday Sun gathered that the acting president is under intense pressure from the former president to consider one of his candidates.

However, the move, which has leaked to northern leaders, is being resisted by the oligarchy in the region, which has also been advising Jonathan to be his own man and resist pressure from the former president.

According to some of them working quietly to checkmate Obasanjo’s moves, any attempt to allow him impose a northern vice president who will succeed Jonathan in 2011 will be tantamount to allowing him get his aborted third term agenda through the back door for the second time.

Some of the candidates Obasanjo is already pushing forward from the North East, according to sources, are his former Minister of Agriculture, Adamu Bello, the present Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, who also served under Obasanjo, the Gombe State Governor, Danjuma Goje or his Adamawa State counterpart, Murtala Nyako.

The Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, is said to be reserved as a joker from the North West, if the position is eventually zoned there.

Some groups are also backing former National Security Adviser to Obasanjo, Gen. Aliyu Gusau. Gusau, a presidential aspirant in 2007, is from the North West.

The case for Nyako, it was learnt, was that since he is old, he would have to leave the stage in 2011, along with Jonathan, paving the way for the emergence of another candidate.

But the dummy may not sell since Nyako is already campaigning for a second term in Adamawa.

Obasanjo was also said to have told Jonathan that he should not expect to be vice president again in 2011, after serving as the Commander-in -Chief for close to 15 months.

In the same vein, it was learnt that former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, and former boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, are also mounting pressure to be allowed to return home.

The two, who are also confidants of Obasanjo, it was learnt, are canvassing the position that younger elements in their mould from the North should be considered for the plum job.

However, some elements in the North stoutly against allowing the former President railroad the region into picking a candidate are already plotting to stall whatever move he makes in that direction.

They are said to be adopting “a two-pronged approach of stalling Obasanjo’s plans and at the same time coming up with a viable alternative to whatever plan that the PDP Board of Trustees chairman might put forward.”

Part of the plan, it was learnt, is for the northern oligarchy to queue behind a non-politician as deputy to Jonathan, while at the same time canvassing the need not to allow a politician be a deputy to Jonathan..

The source, however, said: “We might be looking at the possibility of a man that has no ambition to contest the 2011 election because we feel that the election should be credible for the stability of the country. The person too must understand the workings of government and be able to speak up for the North in the present set up.

“We need to shoot down the idea of using a politician if we want a credible election in 2011. Sincerely, we can do well without ambitious politicians supervising elections here. They don’t do sincere jobs,” the source said.

It was further revealed that the names of a former minister, Gen. Ali Magoro, as well as that of former defence minister, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, were penciled down as possible deputy in the event of Jonathan becoming substantive President.

“The two are people that are not interested in any election and they knows their onion. We know they are honest and love this country, and you can be sure they will do a good job. We will eventually settle for one of them after consultations,” our source added.

Meanwhile, Obasanjo’s Abeokuta Hilltop home has become a beehive of activities as favour-seeking politicians flock to the mansion to seek the former President’s assistance.

A source claimed “the place is already a Mecca of sorts for all manner of people seeking one favour or the other from Jonathan, like those who want to be in the next ECF, those who want to be governors and those seeking second term in the national assembly. The man is holding court and he seems to be enjoying it.”

Akunyili rejects Aondoakaa’s explanation • Gives 7 days ultimatum or court action

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on February 14, 2010 at 8:30pm

You are messing with the Wrong Female !

Minister of Information and Communications, Prof Dora Akunyili, has rejected the explanation offered by Minister of Special Duties, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, over the latter’s statement about her considered to be libellous.

Prof Dora Akunyili

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A letter written by KOP Odidika, principal partner of Sower & Messuarius Solicitors, dated February 11, 2010, said that Aondoakaa’s explanation on the statement he made about Akunyili “begged the issue.”

The letter said that by saying, “what she is trying to do is self-seeking: let her go and confront herself with what happened in NAFDAC,” Aondoakaa obviously libelled Akunyili.

It said that ever since Aondoakaa made the statement, Akunyili has been inundated with telephone calls from people who think that there was something she did wrong when she was director general of the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Akunyili’s lawyers, therefore, demanded a clear apology from Aondoakaa, within seven days, to be published prominently in the media.

They said failure to do this would leave them with no alternative than to press charges against Aondoakaa. The letter, entitled: “Libellous publication against Prof Dora N. Akunyili,” reads: “We are the solicitors to Prof Dora N. Akunyili, on whose behalf and instruction we write to you in connection with the above subject matter. It is our instruction that you issued a statement, which was published on Monday the 8th of February 2010 in a widely circulating national newspaper, The Nation, wherein you said, inter alia: “Bringing the memo to Federal Executive Council is just to make herself an angel.

She wants to be seen as populist. Whatever she wants from it is still personal. None of the FEC members has disrespect to the Vice-President. As far as we are concerned, the VP is our leader and he is leading us. What she is trying to do is self-seeking: let her go and confront herself with what happened in NAFDAC”.

“Our client has been inundated with telephone calls and personal enquiries from numerous people about your said statement concerning the implication that she did something wrong while she was the Director General of NAFDAC. She duly informed you of these enquiries and demanded, by her letter to you, dated February 8, 2010, that you confirm the authenticity of the authorship of the statement and if confirmed to supply full particulars of your allegations of her misdeeds in NAFDAC to which you alluded.

“By your letter of February 9, 2010 addressed to our client, you admitted making the statement but most disingenuously tried to put a spin on an otherwise clear and unambiguous statement that has only one interpretation, to wit: that our client committed some untoward acts while at the helm of affairs in NAFDAC.

“There is no doubt that as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, you are presumed to be conversant with not only legal matters but with English Language as well. Whilst one can concede your privilege to use any language, no matter how crude and unbecoming of a lawyer and public servant, in your private home and office, same should be tempered and civilized when describing and referring to another person.

“More regrettable is the fact that your libellous publication was against our client whose integrity has been unimpeachable. Her tenure at NAFDAC can accurately be described as the golden years of that establishment as no other head, whether prior to, or subsequent to her appointment, has achieved so much as to even merit comparison with her.

“Our client, therefore, finds it totally unacceptable that her peers and generality of Nigerians have begun to question her integrity and now consider her a disreputable person because of the statement you made. Your said letter of February 9, 2010, therefore, begs the issue.

“We hereby demand that you issue a clear apology to our client and cause the said apology to be published prominently in the media, including The Nation newspaper. Please take notice that unless this demand is met within seven days from the date hereof we shall commence legal proceedings, against you to compel obedience and seek financial compensation for the injury done to our client’s reputation.”

It will be recalled that Aondoakaa, in letter dated February 9, 2010 to Akunyili, said although he was misquoted, his statement was a compliment. His letter to Akunyili said: I wish to draw your attention to the above subject matter conveyed to me by your letter dated 8th February 2010.

“While much of the quoted words in your letter can rightly be ascribed to me, the impact of the last sentence to the effect that “…Let her go and confront herself with what happened in NAFDAC” was meant to be in the positive but was wrongly presented in the negative.

“The correct impact of the above words that the Hon Minister had already earned a reputation for herself while at NAFDAC and needs not seek to do more by embarking on the present course of action to the detriment of a resolution already adopted unanimously by members of the FEC.

“Accept the assurances of my highest regards and consideration.”

Judge beheaded in Kwara for dissolving marriage • Suspect flees

Posted by Jane Okinedo on February 2, 2010 at 11:18pm

Judge beheaded in Kwara for dissolving marriage • Suspect fleesFrom LAYI OLANREWAJU, IlorinTuesday, February 2, 2010An Area Court Judge, Mallam Kazeem Zakari, in Yashikira, Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State has been allegedly beheaded by a Fulani man. The man, who is now on the run, was said to have murdered the judge at his residence shortly after the judge acceded to a request by the killer’s wife to summarilly terminate their marriage.advertisementAccording to Daily Sun source, parents of the Fulani man’s wife had instituted a divorce suit before the area court in Yashikira over constant battering and bashing of their daughter by the husband whom they described as a ‘rascal.’The judge, it was gathered, after hearing and careful deliberation of the case reportedly granted the parent’s prayers.Displeased with the ruling, the man who currently at large allegedly resolved to ‘deal’ with the judge personally.Daily Sun was reliably informed the on that fateful day, the judge, who was said to have reported for duty, dashed home after adjournment only to meet his untimely death in the hands of his alleged assailant.It was gathered that at the close of work, when the court clerk and court assistant took the late judge’s books to his home, they met his head already severed off his lifeless body, lying by the window side.The spokesperson of the Kwara State Police Command, Dabo Ezekiel(ASP) confirmed the incident.He added that the command was yet to link anybody to the crime.The spokesperson disclosed that the corpse of the judge had already been released for burial.It was also gathered that the remains of the late judge had since been interred at his country home, Okuta in the same local government.

Yar’Adua’s absence: Military on alert • No holidays for commanders • Politicians wooing soldiers

Posted by 9jabook.com on December 28, 2009 at 7:54pm

Yar’Adua’s absence: Military on alert • No holidays for commanders • Politicians wooing soldiers By PHILIP NWOSU “No commander is allowed to travel during the celebrations. Stay with your troops and celebrate with them. The Nigerian Army is not unaware of recent remarks in the press literally calling for what they term military solution to the political affairs of the country. While taking cognizance of the current democratic dispensation that respects the freedom of speech, the Nigerian Army dissociates itself from such remarks, as we are collectively resolute in operating within the confines of our constitutional roles. advertisement “Whatever political disputes that may exist in our society, like they exist in all human society, they are best settled through constitutional means. Please the military should be left out of this.” These are the words of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau to men and officers of the military at a recent Chief of Army Staff Conference. Consequently, the Nigerian Armed Forces may have been placed on high alert during this festive season to forestall any move to truncate President Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration. The alert, Sunday Sun, gathered may not be unconnected with the raging controversy over who governs the country in the absence of ailing President Yar’Adua and the fear in some quarters that the confusion may give the room for some extremists and mischief makers in the military to take over government. It was gathered that the Service Chiefs have placed commanders of their troops on alert, urging them to cancel every trip that will take them away from their men. Sunday Sun also learnt that the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau, had reiterated his warning to Brigade and Battalion Commanders to stay at their location during the Christmas and New Year celebration. Dambazau had during the Chief of Army Staff Conference warned Brigade and Battalion Commanders to celebrate the Sallah and Christmas festivities with their troops. A key Nigerian Army source told Sunday Sun that the warning was re-emphasized by the force and that a signal was reportedly issued to that effect. The Army Chief had also warned the force’s personnel against working with politicians to undermine democracy, explaining that emerging security reports indicate that soldiers were being wooed by politicians to work against the country’s democracy. He told senior military officers that intelligence reports indicated that politicians have been courting some military personnel to get involved and find a military solution to the political problems of the country.

Osama bin Laden • ‘I made my will before going to interview him’

Posted by 9jabook.com on October 13, 2009 at 3:59am

When an intrepid and award-winning Pakistani journalist, Hamid Mir scooped an exclusive interview with the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, the world’s intelligent agencies swooped on him like bees.

Osama bin Laden They wanted to know how he was able to get an interview with a man who had defied the prying searchlight of the world’s most sophisticated intelligent agencies, like America’s CIA, Pakistani Intelligence Services, Israeli’s Mossad and Britain’s M-15, among others. Mr. Mir scaled through the rigorous intelligence inquest only because he posed the toughest of questions to the godfather of Islamic terrorism, Osama bin Laden and the nemesis of Western imperial swagger. He said: “In going to interview Osama, I risked my life. Here was the man the whole world was looking for. Then I was also investigated by the various intelligence agencies. I was vindicated just because I put the very hard and unfriendly questions to the most wanted terrorist in the world. The US Ambassador in Pakistani told me: ‘You were saved because of your questions.” Ironically, Mr. Mir was also put through severe, life-threatening test before the interview by al Qaeda operatives, who feared that he might be a mole of the Western intelligence agencies who would do anything to get Osama bin Laden dead or alive. Mir’s story is the story of grit, gut and willingness on the part of a journalist to risk his life to get a great story. A great story he got, but not before passing through the eye of a needle. The Osama people had to put the poor reporter through a baptism of fire, as a precautionary measure to protect the world’s most wanted extremist and elusive fugitive. As part of the baptism of fire, Hamid Mir recalls: “They asked me to take a bath with hot water. They placed some jell on my body; then they gave me some medicines and I had loose motions. I was not well when I was interviewing him. They took all precautionary measures. For two days, they were giving me medicine and I was just shitting. They were putting jell on my body again and again. “I took hot water bath 15 times before interviewing him. They were suspecting there were some chemicals on my body, which could make it possible for the Americans to detect my location through the satellite. That’s why they asked me to take bath again and again. They were suspicious that maybe I had something in my stomach. So, they gave me medicine for loose motions. You see, they never treated me very well.” Mir was the moderator at the annual conference of the International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress and 58th General Assembly, which took place in Helsinki Finland from June 6-9, 2009. He was at the IPI to moderate the topic: “Talking to Terrorists: Should journalists, who provide the public with the information they need to understand the complexities of the battle against terrorism, talk with terrorists? Do they do so at the risk of becoming pawns in the terrorists’ public relations campaign? Where should journalists draw the line?” As part of his remarks, Mir, who had interviewed Osama bin Laden thrice, told the delegates part of his Osama story. He said: “When I interviewed Osama bin Laden first in 1997, at that time he was not a very popular international figure. My objective was to know whether he was involved in the killing of the Pakistani soldiers in Somalia in 1993. I was just trying to investigate who killed the Pakistani soldiers who were there on United Nations peace mission. And he confirmed: ‘Yes, I killed Pakistani soldiers because they were guarding the US soldiers.’ “So, actually I was trying to find out the story and I got the story. Then in 1998, he issued a fatwa to kill all the Americans and I asked him: Can you justify the killing of innocent people in the light of Islamic teachings? The third time, it was after 9/11. And I must tell you it was a lot of risk I had to take. When I went there I was not sure I would arrive back to my office safely. I even made a will to my wife. I wrote a letter of apology to my wife explaining why I went to risk my life. “It is not a very easy but then when you are confronting a big terrorist, one thing must be kept in your mind; that you should not become a tool. He wants to propagate his views; he wants you to ask easy question; he wants you to become his mouthpiece but it is your duty as an objective journalist to ask him difficult questions so that if you are arrested by the intelligence agencies or your government is not happy with your mission, then you can present your questions as an evidence that you actually confronted the terrorist and you actually exposed him, you actually proved him wrong. Your conscience, your professional ethics, everything must be kept in mind. I believe as journalists we should serve the society; we should not serve terrorism. “In going to interview Osama, I risked my life. Here was the man the whole world was looking for. Then I was also investigated by the various intelligence agencies. I was vindicated just because I put the very hard and unfriendly questions to the most wanted terrorist in the world. The US Ambassador in Pakistan told me: ‘You were saved because of your hard questions.’ “The intelligence agencies could not find him. At the time I went there, the war was still going on in Afghanistan and it was very difficult for any journalist to enter that area. When I reached Kabul, a massive carpet-bombing had started. I lost the hope of living. I thought I would be killed. I was the only journalist left in Kabul. Immediately after that interview, they entered the city of Kabul—the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Maybe that was the last interview he gave to any journalist. For me, it was only madness that drove me. I got the interview out of madness. There was another journalist, Robert Fisk. He also interviewed Bin Laden three times.” When asked by a journalist on the floor why he did not brief the CIA after his trip, Mir responded: “It is not our job to brief CIA. It is the job of the CIA to learn something from us.” After the discussion we, the two reporters from The Sun, engaged Hamid Mir in an exclusive interview on his life as a journalist and what prompted him to go to Afghanistan in search of Osama bin Laden. According to him, it was simply “madness” and a challenge to prove to an American lady reporter that he had the gut to do what the Americans couldn’t do — by going to cover the Afghanistan war from the war front in Afghanistan and not from the safety of a five-star hotel in Pakistan like the American reporters did. Excerpts: What prompted you to come into journalism? I became a journalist because my father was a professor of journalism and he died at a very early age because he was fighting against the dictator in Pakistan. He poisoned him and I became a journalist just to continue his mission. How did you learn the ropes? I learn journalism after the sudden death of my father. I was a college student at that time. He died at a very early age. I was the elder one; so it was my responsibility to look after my family. So that’s why I became a journalist. What kind of journalist was your father? The name of my father was Waris Mir. He was the professor of journalism in the University of Pujab, Lahore, Pakistan. And he used to write a column in the biggest newspaper of Pakistan, which is called Daily Jang. He was a great critic of General Zia-ul-Haq, who ruled Pakistan from 1977 to 1988. General Zia-ul-Haq introduced some so-called Islamic laws in Pakistan. He started helping America in fighting in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. So, my father was against the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq. He started criticising him. And in 1987, General Zia-ul-Haq killed my father through slow poisoning. So when my father died, I was only 22 years old at that time. I just graduated from college and was about to go to the university. We were not a very rich family. It was my responsibility to look after the family. I was the editor of the college magazine; so I applied for a job in the same newspaper; my paper was writing for and I got the job of an apprentice reporter in training there. That’s how my journalistic career started in 1987. Now, I am 22 years in journalism. How did you rise in the profession? I made a name for myself through scoops and big interviews. First of all, in 1994, I interviewed the Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres in Switzerland. I was there with Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. It was at the World Economic Forum meeting. As is known, Pakistan and Israel do not have diplomatic relations. I was the first ever Pakistani journalist to interview any Israeli leader. So that was my major scoop. And then in 1995, I interviewed President Nelson Mandela in New Zealand. And then I interviewed President Yasir Arafat. So, that’s how I made my name. These interviews made me very famous in Pakistan. Especially, the interview with Nelson Mandela was a big hit. Because I was the only journalist in the whole of the South-Asian region, including India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, to ever interview President Nelson Mandela. And with the passage of time, after a few years in 1997 I interviewed Osama bin Laden for the first time. I interviewed him again in 1998 and then I interviewed him for the third time in November 2001. And after that, in 2004, I interviewed the U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell. Then I interviewed Condoleezza Rice. Then I interviewed Tony Blair. Then the President of Afghanistan, Mr. Hamid Kazei and many international celebrities. How important are these big interviews in the life of a journalist? These interviews are important because when you talk to tough people, you talk to famous people, and you ask them tough questions, valid questions, your readers come to know about your competence. They can judge your quality through your questions. If you have dug out a big story out of an interview, you are a good journalist. What kind of preparation did you make to get Osama bin Laden? When I was going to interview him for the first time in 1997, I was not aware of who he is, where he is from. I had very little knowledge about him. But when I interviewed him after 9/11, I asked him tough questions. And when I asked those tough questions, sometimes he got angry with me. He never answered some of the questions. And when the interview ended, he had tea with me, then he tried to terrify me. He said: “Mr. Mir, the bombing is going on, you may be killed with me and I will be happy to go to paradise.” But I told him: “I will go to hell with you.” How did he react to your statement? He never responded because he was not expecting such an ugly answer from me. Because at that time, I was of the view that I would not be alive. I felt that in the next few minutes, maybe I would be killed, so why should I be terrorised under pressure by this man? So he was talking nasty with me and I was talking nasty with him. What are some of the hardest questions you asked him? One of the questions was: “How can you justify the killing of innocent people in the 9/11 attacks?” Then I asked him another question: “There is a rumour that you have married the daughter of Mullah Umar, the head of Taliban. And that is why he has provided you with sanctuary in Afghanistan.” He was not expecting these kinds of questions from me. I also asked him: “You are suffering from kidney disease and you may not live very long.” But he said: “No, no, no, I am not suffering from kidney disease.” These were questions he had not been asked before and these were the questions, which saved me, because after coming back to Pakistan I was investigated by the Pakistani Intelligence Services and the Pakistani Intelligence Services were provided a lot of questions by the American CIA. They actually wanted to arrest me but I was very careful. I never violated any international law. I got visa; there were visa stamps on my passport; I had the recording of the interview on my tape, I had the pictures, the negatives, each and everything. Many people said I had not interviewed bin Laden and that I was making the wrong statements just to become famous. But the CIA, the Pakistani Intelligence Services and the CNN — Nick Robertson of CNN — investigated and said it on CNN that “it is a genuine interview; we have examined the negative; we have examined the audio tape recorder, each and everything.” That was how I survived. Who took the photographs while you were interviewing him? I had my camera with me, but bin Laden never allowed me to use my camera. He never allowed me to use my camera because he was very careful. He took my camera; he emptied the camera; my film was removed. He put his film inside my camera and he gave that camera to his son, Abdulrahman, who took the pictures of me and bin Laden. He also recorded that interview on some small DVD Sony cameras. He recorded that for himself on the video camera, but for me, he gave only some still shots and the recorded interview on the tape recorder. How come he was not suspicious of you? You could have been a spy. Because I interviewed him two times before and his people spent two days with me in Afghanistan. They asked me to take a bath with hot water. They placed some jell on my body; then they gave me some medicines and I had loose motions. I was not well when I was interviewing him. They took all precautionary measures. For two days, they were giving me medicine and I was just shitting. They were putting jell on my body again and again. I took hot water bath 15 times before interviewing him. They were suspecting there were some chemicals on my body and the Americans can detect my location through the satellite. That’s why they asked me to take bath again and again. They were suspicious that maybe I had something in my stomach. So they gave me medicine for loose motions. You see, they never treated me very well. What gave you the courage for all these? It’s a good question. When the Americans started the war in Afghanistan, the whole Western media came to Pakistan. And they started covering the war in Afghanistan. They were standing on the roof of Marriot Hotel in Islamabad. So, one day I had a discussion with an American television journalist. She was a producer at the CBS news channel. And I asked her: You people are covering the war in Afghanistan while standing on the rooftop of a five-star hotel. Why don’t you go to Afghanistan? And she said arrogantly: Why don’t you go to Afghanistan? You also don’t have the balls to go to Afghanistan. You cannot face the bombing. That was the challenge for me. So, I said: I will go. You will give me your cameramen and I will go and I will make some good shots. So, interviewing bin Laden was not on my mind. When I entered Afghanistan, the bombing started; so it was not possible for me to go back. Because that road was bombed by the Americans. So, we rushed toward Kabul. We reached Kabul and I was the only journalist there and the bombing was going on there. That was in November 2001, two months after the war. All the journalists run away. I had no option than to stay there because bombing was going on. And in the meantime, I met some fighters there in Kabul. The city of Kabul was empty. There were only Al Qaeda fighters there. One of them recognized me and said: “Mr. Mir, how are you?” I asked him: “Where is your leader? I want to interview him.” He said: “No, no, no, he cannot give you an interview this time. The war is going on.” I said, “OK, I can stay here.” Because it was not possible for me to go back. I was stuck up in the war zone. I spent two days and finally I was able to get that interview. I got the interview out of madness. Because the war was going on and one American journalist challenged that if she cannot go to Afghanistan, then I cannot go too. But I proved that I can go to Afghanistan. That was the main objective. To go to Afghanistan. The main objective was not to interview Osama bin Laden. What lessons can you draw from this concerning what makes a good reporter? I must say risk is the beauty of journalism. If you don’t take risks, you cannot become a good journalist. A good reporter must be well-read; he must be honest; he should be objective; he should not take sides with political parties or whoever. For me, a good journalist cannot remain neutral. I don’t believe in neutrality, because you cannot become neutral between good and bad. One thing is good; one thing is bad. If you are writing an opinion column, then you have to take the side of good people, you have to take the side of justice, you have to take the side of honesty. You cannot take the side of dishonesty. You cannot take the side of the President or the prime minister of the country. Always take the side of the good and honest people. If you are reporting news, you have to be objective. But if you are writing an opinion column, you have to take the side of justice and honesty. What is news? News is 5Ws. (Who, What, Where, When, Why?) Any incident taking place at any particular time at any particular place is news, and you have to report it. You should become a mirror in which the reader of your paper can see the incident. So a good reporter should behave like a mirror. And a good opinion writer, opinion column writer should act like a guide, should act like a man who is giving light in the darkness. What does it mean to report? You have to report what happened, where it happened and who did it. That’s all: 5Ws. This is the international principle of reporting. But a reporter should not become a tool of any political group; he should not become a tool of any terrorist group; he should not become a tool of any government; he should remain neutral. But I am repeating again and again, a good editorial writer and a good opinion column writer should not be neutral. You cannot be neutral; otherwise nobody would read your column. What’s your impression of Osama bin Laden? The main source of his strength is the bad American policies. If America today corrects its policies, if today America is ready to resolve the issue of Palestine, withdraw its forces from Afghanistan and Iraq, Osama bin Laden would be eliminated politically. But if you are not ready to resolve the issue of Palestine, you are not ready to resolve the issue of Kashmir, you are not ready to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan and Iraq and you want to kill Osama bin Laden, you will not get rid of terrorism. You can kill him physically but you would not be able to kill him politically. So, try to eliminate him politically by addressing some political issues. In your opinion, is he still alive? Yes, he is still alive and he is hiding somewhere in the eastern or southern part of Afghanistan. Can you describe the milieu in which you found him? First time I met him in the mountains in 1997. Second time I met him in the city of Kandahar. Third time I met him in the city of Kabul. Can you describe him? He is a very tall man, very smart man. I must say he is a lady killer but you don’t have picture of beauty. What was the challenge of being the youngest man to edit a national newspaper in Pakistan? I became editor at the age of 30 in 1996. When I became editor, I had never interviewed bin Laden. I became editor because my chief editor was of the view that I may become a very successful editor because I was very hardworking. So hard work and honesty forced my chief editor to appoint me editor of my newspaper. What did you take after your father? I learnt honesty from my father. I learnt bravery and courage from my father and I am very proud to be his son and I think that today I have outstanding achievements in journalism because of my father. What values did your father stand for? He stood for democracy, for human rights, for liberal and progressive Islam and he always stood for the truth. How about your own family? I have one son and one daughter. My son is not interested in becoming a journalist but my daughter is very much interested and I think she would become a good journalist.

Enugu : Boy kidnaps self • Demands N1.5m

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on June 30, 2009 at 8:30pm

The police in Enugu yesterday paraded 22 suspected criminals among whom was a boy who allegedly falsely declared himself to have been kidnapped in order to extort money from his parents.Hundreds of on-lookers rushed to the police officers mess Enugu where the suspects were paraded to catch a glimpse of the fake kidnap victim whose name was given as suspect Obinna Mmereole.He was said to have caused himself to disappear into hiding with the aide of two friends, he started calling his mother claiming that he had been kidnapped and that his captors were demanding N1.5m before he would be released. The names of his suspected accomplices were given as Ibe Chinonso and Igwe Ikechukwu.

lagos..Port-Harcourt..Abuja..Kaduna.. Owerri..Edo.. AkwaIbom..Ibadan..Enugu

Enugu State Police Commissioner Mohammed Zarewa who paraded the suspects said the plot backfired when police swooped on them as they were attempting to cash the ransom at a bank where they demanded that the money should be paid.Also picked up by the security operatives were 19 persons suspected to be armed robbers and kidnappers with Zarewa explaining that the suspected criminals were arrested at various locations in Enugu.He said that one of the suspected kidnappers was involved in the abduction of a prominent Anambra State businessman while some of the robbery suspects allegedly killed a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Awka and later attacked the convoy of Delta State Commissioner of Police.He said the suspected robbers had confessed to bank robberies and attack of bullion vans in the south east and South south states including a raid in Edo state during which a police DPO and Divisional crime officer were killed.Among the items recovered from the suspects were two AK 47 Rifles, on pistol, One Toyota Avensis Car and One Mazda 363 model. Others were 450 rounds of live ammunition and two handcuff keys and one handcuff.The Police boss warned that his command would not leave stone unturned in combating crime in the coal city state, adding that he was happy that crime has reduced in the state as compared to other states in the Southeast geo-political zone."Relatively, crime rate has reduced in Enugu State compared to Ebonyi, Anambra and other states in the Southeast zone. We will not relent in our efforts to combat crime in the state. What we need is cooperation from members of the public. We are battle ready to wipe out kidnapping, robbery and other anti-social vices in the state", he added.

Zimbabwe in Nigeria : Abuja satellite settlement, where booze, meat and sex rule

Posted by Danladi Usman on June 28, 2009 at 10:00pm

Zimbabwe of Nigeria • Abuja satellite settlement, where booze, meat and sex rule Advertisement 9jabook.com 9jamovies.com are the hottest sites in naija right now Amazing selected articles & Videos.Great music! and best of ALL YOU GET F.R.E..E AD.VER.TISI.NG CRE.DIT ! wow ! join now ! click to join 9jabook now where your space is really yours There may be regrets and gnashing of teeth in Zimbabwe, in southern Africa, because of politics. However, there is another Zimbabwe, where people are happy and constantly making merry. In this Zimbabwe, in Nigeria, just like the zimbabwe money is sextillion & abundant now and is still cheap like the money

there are assorted food and drinks. There are also different kinds of meat and fish. And women are there for the asking, for those who need their services. Located about 25 kilometers from Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Zimbabwe is the lure of all city dwellers around it. Visiting patrons to this bubbling place are always welcome by things that would make them happy. For one, there is always music blarring from the giant speakers. And those who could gyrate take to the dancing floor. Indeed, on a typical day in Zimbabwe, there is no dull moment. Activities at the little hunts and canopies are always at their peak. People drink, eat and make merry. The location and setting Situated on a plain, grassy valley crisscrossed by a river and overlooking the highway on the Abuja/Keffi Road is a suburb called Uke, in Nasarawa State. It consists of no more than a few thousand people who live in houses roofed with rusty corrugated iron sheets. The houses are Roasted chicken

generally grouped together in residential areas some distance away from the highway. At the upper end of this suburb, just by the riverside is the famous Zimbabwe. Indeed, what started as a local foodstuff market in a place called upper Uke, in 1980, has now metamorphosed into a full-blown market, with such magnetic forces that pulls the small and big in the society to its fold. According to Alhaji Jibril Abubakar, who holds the traditional title of “Garkwa Uke” (Defence Minister), “it started as a small market in a place called upper Uke and when the then District Head of Uke, Alhaji Abdullahi Hassan visited the area, he noticed the existence of the market and decided to upgrade it to a full-fledged market. “From then, the market began to attract people from Keffi and Masaka. Originally, people used to come and buy foodstuff, like yam, pepper and tomatoes at a very cheap price of 10 kobo. That was how it started.” The erudite defence minister, who is an illustrious son of Uke, told Saturday Sun that the market was relocated from its original place, in 1986, to its present position following the overbearing presence of palm wine tapers and local brew (burukutu), who flooded the market with their products. The reason for the relocation, at the instance of the district head, was to maintain its original status as a foodstuff market. “The palm wine tapers started bringing their product and other local drinks to sell. This was against the original purpose of the founders of the market. The presence of these drinks at the market started attracting large crowd of people, who travelled far and near to buy fresh and original palm wine.” In 1997, according Abubakar, the district head of Uke summoned a meeting of elders on how to upgrade the infrastructure of the market for the purpose of generating revenue. It was then agreed that shops be erected at the market and let out to interested people. “This is how the market has become a big one today.” The name Zimbabwe Narrating the historical background of the market, Abubakar said: “The name (Zimbabwe) was given by a local musician. Its original name was “Upper Uke Market. Zimbabwe was given by a local musician and it was generally accepted and since then it is called by the name.” In Nasarawa, Abuja and other neighbouring states, the name Zimbabwe rings a bell. It is a bubbling place. Indeed, Zimbabwe is so popular that any girl that has not been taken there by her lover would not be happy. Life at “Zimbabwe” is exhilarating. Its atmosphere is alive with adventurous spirit and resourceful people. Although it lacked the eye-pocking state-of- the-art edifices of the cities, it is a kind of heaven. Its serene and calm atmosphere is not only magnetic but also infectious. The environment is in a cocoon of marina trees that provides a cozy atmosphere needed to rewind after a hectic day. Investigations revealed that the main centre of attraction at Zimbabwe is the fresh palm wine that is cheaply available in large supply. Aside from palm wine there are other side attractions, including fresh fish, chicken and fish barbecue, fish pepper soup and others.

According to Abubakar, “anything you want, you can get it at Zimbabwe at a relatively cheap price. For instance, you don’t need to go to fast food joints for fresh fish and chickens. That is why people come from Abuja and other places to this place. A keg of palm wine is N100 in Zimbabwe, as against the N500 in Abuja, while a full litre of the product is between N300 and N400, as against the Abuja price of N1, 500.” Security Security in Zimbabwe is tight and manned by vigilance group selected from the host community. Abubakar boasted that there has not been any reported incident of theft at the market. “There is no security threat here. There is a local security outfit, Yanbanga, put in place by the community to provide security at the market and so far, there has not been any case of theft or burglary in this market. The community supplies them with all their operational needs. Every month, they meet with the elders of the community to brief them on security matters and to update their operational methods. “The market closes at 10pm everyday. Anything after that, no body is allowed access into the premises except shop owners who must identify themselves. In fact, there is no recorded incident of theft or car snatching here,” he said. High accident rate In every good thing in life, there is also a side effect and so it is with the Uke community. What the market has offered them with the right hand, in terms of social and economic gain; it takes back with death occasioned by road accidents. “The only problem we have on ground here is the high rate of accidents, which has claimed so many lives. People get knocked down while trying to cross the road to the other side of the market. You know after drinking some bottles of alcohol, some people would just jump into the road in their unsteady conditions and sometimes oncoming vehicles knock them down. The community has lost many of its sons to road accidents. In fact, we are now thinking of relocating the market or pushing farther away the highway.” Effects on the youths Advertisement 9jabook.com 9jamovies.com are the hottest sites in naija right now Amazing selected articles & Videos.Great music! and best of ALL YOU GET F.R.E..E AD.VER.TISI.NG CRE.DIT ! wow ! join now ! click to join 9jabook now where your space is really yours The presence of exotic cars and their influential owners in the market is a tonic of encouragement to youths of the area, according to the Garkwan Uke. “The sight of these flashy cars has, more than anything, encouraged our youths to work harder in their human endeavours. Although the marvel of the presence of these rich men acts as an encouragement to them we advice them to work towards having theirs rather than going into uncanny means of acquiring wealth,” he said.

Oshiomhole in assassination scare • Sacks ADC, CSO, escort commander

Posted by Akin Osunlaja WebLagosian on May 8, 2009 at 10:21pm

There was a major security shake-up yesterday in Edo State, following alleged assassination attempt on Governor Adams Oshiomhole

, by unidentified persons reportedly working in collaboration with some security men attached to his office. 9jabook sources gathered from a security source that the incident which happened on Wednesday, led to the immediate redeployment of some security chiefs attached to the governor and his wife, Clara. Those relieved of their duties include the Aide-de-camp (ADC) to the governor and his wife; the Chief Security Officer (CSO) and as well as the escort commander. Also affected in the shake up are the regular uniform policemen and the mobile policemen and other undercover security men posted to the office of the governor. The development led yesterday to the cancellation of official engagements of the governor outside the state capital, even as new sets of mobile policemen from nearby formations have been drafted to keep surveillance on his official residence. Meanwhile, Edo State Police Commissioner, Mr. Dalami Yar’Adua, and other senior police officers in the state held an emergency meeting yesterday with a view to finding a safe way of handling the volatile security matter. Also, leaders of the Action Congress (AC) in the state were said to have held a secret meeting where they discussed the latest development. Details of the two meetings could not be obtained as at press time. A statement by Special Adviser to the governor of Public Affairs and Strategy, Mr. Eric Osagie, said: "There has been a change in the security apparatus of the governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. The affected personnel in the strategic overhaul include the ADC, CSO and the escort commander of the Government House. "Being officers of the Nigeria Police Force such assignment and re-assignments of the rank and file, falls within the jurisdiction of the police organisation which effected the reassignment of the aforementioned officers. "The exercise we believe will strengthen the internal security processes of the governor and the Government House and allow the governor time to focus on the developmental challenges confronting the state. "We urge the good people of Edo State to continue to support the comrade governor in his determination to build a state we all can be proud of, economically buoyant, socially conducive and a peaceful home for all." Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state police command, Mr. Peter Ogboi, confirmed the development but said it was a normal security re-organisation bearing in mind that some of those affected have been with the governor since he assumed power. 9jabook sources investigations however revealed the cause of the assassination plot and how it was eventually aborted. A reliable source close to the governor said before now, there had been two major camps among the security men attached to Oshiomhole’s office, with each faction pledging loyalty to the ADC of the CSO. The friction between the two security chiefs reportedly led to several security lapses with each of the camps refusing to admit responsibility for the lapses. Prominent among the security breaches was the invasion of the governor’s office by one unidentified woman few weeks ago, who was suspected to have been armed with native charms. Our source said: "Could you imagine, in a place where you do not have armed security men at two main gates, a woman not known to the governor nor any members of his family entered the Government House and came very close to the governor without the security men notice."The woman believed to be armed with some native charms to harm the governor, entered the crowd and grabbed the governor as he was leaving his office for an engagement within his office. "You will agree with me that if that woman happened to be a gunman, he would have easily killed the governor in the full glare of security men." It was gathered that the latest shake up was coming on the heels of a petition by another arm of security details attached to the office of the governor, which raised alarm on the glaring threat to the governor’s life. Though details of the petition could not be obtained, it was learnt that it alluded to the unresolved crisis among the security men attached to the office of the governor, saying that the development had led to the compromising of vital security matters. The petition was said to have jolted the governor who immediately alerted the necessary security departments within and outside the state. When newsmen visited the governor’s office yesterday, new security measures were introduced as visitors were thoroughly searched by security men before being allowed to enter the premises. Those who could not offer plausible reasons for being in the place were turned back

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