Five (14)

Maximillian_Ezimora.jpgMaximillian Ezimora, a Nigerian residing in Atlanta Georgia has been arrested for shooting his wife, Uchenna Ezimora, five times. Mrs. Ezimora, a registered Nurse described as very industrious, survived the shooting and receiving treatment at an Atlanta Hospital. It is not immediately known if her condition is critical.

Mr. Ezimora, who had attempted to shoot a female customer in 2010, is being held at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta where he is facing a two count charge of aggravated assault and illegal possession of deadly weapon. Both charges are considered a felony.

Mr. Ezimora hails from Adazi, in Anambra State, South Eastern Nigeria. He operates and manages the couple’s grocery store called Maxing Groceries on 337 Fletcher Street SW Atlanta.
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Some irate Ijaw youths suspected to be ex-militants, on Friday evening invaded Iju-Osun in the Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State and burnt parts of the town.

The youths, according to eyewitnesses, killed five people, razed four buildings and kidnapped the monarch, Oba Samuel Oyegbemi.

The Police Public Relations Officer in charge of the state command, Mr. Aremu Adeniran, who confirmed the incident, however said only two lives were lost, while the palace of the monarch and two other houses were torched.

Adeniran confirmed that the monarch, who he described as a very nice man, was abducted by the irate youths..

The police spokesman explained that the Ijaw youths were probably on a revenge mission following the discovery of the body of an ex-militant in Iju-Osun on Thursday.

He explained that the people of Iju-Osun could not account for the death of the ex-militant, hence the invasion of the town by the irate Ijaw youths.

He said, “Security has been beefed up to avert further loss of lives. Our men are there. We are making efforts to release the monarch. The man is good. No report of any clash was recorded before the discovery of the corpse in the town.”

Our correspondent learnt that the invasion of the town by the ex-militant, followed the mysterious death of a middle-aged Ijaw man, identified simply as Samuel in the town.

The man, who was from Arogbo Ijaw in Ese Odo Local Government, according to sources, was a father of one of the militants and had resided at Iju-Osun town for many years.

The son, whose identity could not be ascertained at press time, was said to have contacted his colleagues and in retaliation, arrived in the town on Friday in company with armed youths.

A high chief in the town, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told reporters on Friday that the militants shot sporadically and later set several houses, including the palace of the Olughogho of Iju –Osun, ablaze.

Eyewitness said residents of neigbouring towns like Ajagba, Akotogbo and other villages in the area had also fled their areas in anticipation of possible invasion by the ex-militants. About six towns in the area have been diserted as residents were said to be taking refuge at Ode-Irele and the state capital.
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Governorship election may not hold in five states this April following a ruling by a federal high court in Abuja, yesterday, extending the tenure of the incumbent governors. Presiding judge, Adamu Bello, said any such election in Kogi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Cross River and Bayelsa states will have to wait till next year.

 

The ruling also set new dates for the termination of the tenures of the governors. Ibrahim Idris, Kogi, will stay on till April 5,2012; Aliyu Wammakko, Sokoto, remains till May 28,2012; Timipre Sylva, Bayelsa, leaves the next day on May 29, 2012; Liyel Imoke's tenure in Cross River terminates on August 28, 2012; and Murtala Nyako, Adamawa, gets his tenure elongated till April 30th, 2012.

The five governors had gone to court to challenge the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct governorship elections in their states this year. They said their tenure only began after they won the run off in their states and so should not be terminated in April 2011. They named INEC and the Peoples Democratic Party as first and second defendants respectively..

Electoral commission waits

When contacted last night, the electoral chairman's spokesperson, Kayode Idowu, said the commission will not be rushed into taking any decision until it has made further consultations on the judgment. "When we receive the judgment, we will have to sit down with our lawyers to study the decision. Taking a decision now will be too sudden." Mr. Idowu said.

The counsel to the five governors: Lateef Fagbemi, Kanu Agabi, Sunday Ameh, Ladi Rotimi Williams and Paul Erokoro had asked the court to stop INEC and the PDP from conducting elections in the five states, citing Section 180 (2) of the 1999 Constitution. They said the law that the four-year tenure of office for a governor begins from the day the person takes an oath of office and oath of allegiance is a sacrosanct provision and cannot be abridged or ignored.

In opposing the governors' request, the government urged the court to dismiss the case for lack of merit.

Mr Bello however held that since the 2007 elections were nullified and set aside by competent courts, the oath of office and allegiance subscribed to by the five governors have all been nullified and set aside along with the elections. He said, "the tenure of governors start counting from the day they took their oath of office and oath of allegiance." The judge further said that in line with section 180 of the 1999 Constitution, the tenure of the governors legally commenced in 2008 when they were sworn in after their first elections were annulled and rerun ordered.

According to Mr Bello, the 2007 elections used by INEC to determine the tenure of governors were legally declared null and void by competent courts of law.

Differing views

Adeniyi Akintola, who stood in for the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, argued that no tenure elongation should be granted to any of the governors since the amended 1999 Constitution was opposed to such a move.

But the PDP, represented by its national legal adviser, Olusola Oke, said the tenure of any governor in Nigeria today legally begins from the date the governor takes the oath of office and oath of allegiance.

The party claimed that the 2007 elections that brought the five governors to office in the first instance were voided and set aside for fresh ones by courts. The party therefore insisted that the oath of office taken by the affected governors have been voided along with the elections and were of no effect whatsoever in law.

INEC had announced that the tenures of governors who were re-elected after their 2007 elections were cut short by tribunals would end on May 29, 2011, like those of other governors.

What the law states

In the recently amended 1999 Constitution, Section 135 of the Principal Act, which deals with the issue of governors' tenure, has been altered in subsection (2) with the insertion of a new paragraph which states that: "in the determination of the four-year term, where a re-run election has taken place and the person earlier sworn in wins the re-run election, the time spent in the office before the date the election was annulled, shall be taken into account."

However, in justifying the ruling by Mr Bello, Jiti Ogunye, a Lagos-based lawyer said the new amendments cannot have an effect on incidents before it. According to him, "That amendment does not cover this kind of case, because any law cannot be applied retroactively."

Victory for the rule of law

Reacting to the judgment, Doifie Ola, spokesperson for the Bayelsa State governor, described the court ruling as a victory for the state and the rule of law in the country. He said, "The extension will give the administration more time to deepen development and democracy in the state." In Cross River, the PDP lauded the judgment while the opposition parties under its umbrella body, Conference of Nigerian Political Parties [CNPP] said the court ruling was a setback to the quest for a change in the governance of the state.

Cross River State Commissioner for Information, Patrick Ugbe, described the judgment as the best thing that has happened to the administration and commended the judiciary for righting the wrong caused by the Court of Appeal sitting in Calabar on July 14, 2008.

‘'We are happy with this judgment. It has strengthened our faith in the judiciary and our position that INEC was wrong in interpreting our tenure. The first oath of office taken had become a nullity. Therefore the second oath suffices, meaning Governor Liyel Imoke commenced his first term on August 26, 2010. The law cannot take retroactive effect'', he said.

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ANPP Gov Aspirant Shot dead

As gunmen fell ANPP guber candidate, gov’s brother and five others *Hours after Northern govs raise panel on ethno-religious crises *Jonathan condemns his murder By NDAHI MARAMA & UMAR YUSUF, with agency report The violence and killings in the North East flank of the country took a more frightening dimension, yesterday, after unknown gunmen killed the ANPP governorship candidate in Borno State, Engineer Modu Fannami Gubio, and six other persons including the younger brother of Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, Alhaji Goni Sheriff, in Maiduguri. Engineer Gubio, 40, and until yesterday, the state Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development was killed as he arrived his family house from the Jummat prayers at the Shehu of Borno’s palace. Time was 2.15 pm. The assailants, said to be four in number arrived the scene on two motorcycles and appeared to have trailed him from the Jummat prayers. They opened fire as Gubio was greeting his father. Killed with him apart from Gov Sherif’s brother, were security aides and political associates. He himself was Governor Modu’s cousin. Ringim: Police IG He was the anointed choice of the ANPP hierachy in the state to succeed the incumbent and was generally seen as the candidate to beat in the April election. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state ASP Lawal Abdullahi confirmed the incident and said the State Police Commissioner CP Abubabar Jinjiri had led a police team to the scene with a view to commencing investigation. CP Jinjiri later spoke on phone and said seven people were killed and that the corpses had been deposited at the mortuary of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Engineer Fannami was born in Gubio town on August 28th 1960. He attended Mafoni Primary School, Maiduguri 1966 to 1972, Yerwa Government Secondary School between 1973 and 1977 Ahmadu Bello University Zaria where he obtained Bsc. Building Engineering in 1986. He also had a Masters Degree in Business Management from the same institution. The deceased served at different times as Commissioner for Information, Home Affairs and Culture, and later moved to the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs. His last portfolio was Finance and Economic Development Ministry in the state. Maiduguri has witnessed many killings lately most of them masterminded by members of Boko Haram. Northern govs raise panel on etho-religious crises Gubio’s death came just 24 hours after Governors of the 19 Northern States constituted a three man panel to unravel the circumstances behind the escalating ethno-religious upheavals in the region. The committee comprises Governors Bukola Saraki, (Kwara); Dr. Gabriel Suswan (Benue); Ibrahim Shehu Shema (Katsina). The setting up of the committee was a highlight of the 9 point communiqué issued by the Governors at the close of their consultative forum in Yola, Adamawa state. The governors, in the communiqué, reaffirmed their determination to continue confronting the challenges of insecurity to lives and property, particularly unemployment and ethno-religious upheavals. They appealed to politicians and religious leaders across the country to stop using religion and ethnicity in the current political dispensation merely to advance the political interest of some candidates, and charged political actors and the people to be focused on issues that will engender national unity and development and the consolidation of democratic gains in the nation, stressing that , peaceful co-existence and national interest should be of utmost concern. Jonathan condemns murder President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday, in Ethiopia expressed shock over the murder of the ANPP gubernatorial candidate of Borno State, Alhaji Gubio. The President’s reaction was contained in a statement by Presidential Spokesman, Mr Ima Niboro, who said: “President Ebele Jonathan, who is in Addis Ababa to attend the 16th African Union Summit, has received with shock and consternation, the news of the murder, by suspected assassins, of the ANPP gubernatorial candidate of Borno State, Alhaji Fantami Gubio. “President Jonathan unreservedly condemns this killing and wants security agencies to find those behind it”. ... The President, said the era of do-or-die politics in Nigeria was over, and those bent on taking us back to that arbitrary past have no place in renascent Nigeria. “President Jonathan condoles with the Government and people of Borno State, as well as the families of those who were killed in cold blood and prays Allah to grant repose to their souls”.
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Rosh Hashanah DAY !

Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: ראש השנה‎, literally "head of the year," Israeli: Hebrew pronunciation: [ˈʁoʃ haʃaˈna], Ashkenazic: ˈɾoʃ haʃːɔˈnɔh, Yiddish:[ˈrɔʃəˈʃɔnə]) is a Jewish holiday commonly referred to as the "Jewish New Year." It is observed on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.[1] It is ordained in the Torah as "Zicaron Terua" ("a memorial with the blowing of horns"), in Leviticus 23:24. Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holidays or Yamim Noraim ("Days of Awe"), or Asseret Yemei Teshuva (Ten Days of Repentance) which are days specifically set aside to focus on repentance that conclude with the holiday of Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah is the start of the civil year in the Hebrew calendar (one of four "new year" observances that define various legal "years" for different purposes as explained in the Mishnah and Talmud). It is the new year for people, animals, and legal contracts. The Mishnah also sets this day aside as the new year for calculating calendar years and sabbatical (shmita) and jubilee (yovel) years. Jews believe Rosh Hashanah represents either analogically or literally the creation of the World, or Universe. However, according to one view in the Talmud, that of R. Eleazar, Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of man, which entails that five days earlier, the 25 of Elul, was the first day of creation of the Universe.[2]

The Mishnah, the core text of Judaism's oral Torah, contains the first known reference to Rosh Hashanah as the "day of judgment." In the Talmud tractate on Rosh Hashanah it states that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of an intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The middle class are allowed a respite of ten days, until Yom Kippur, to repent and become righteous; the wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living."[3]



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah



For secular Jews


It would happen each fall around the Jewish new year. At the very time when renewal was in the autumn air, Arnold Barnett, an engineer from Moorestown, would go into a mild funk. His wife eventually figured it out: He was less than enamored with high holiday synagogue services.


"He simply wasn't engaged by what went on inside our Reform synagogue, or with the traditional approach to Judaism," said Ellen, 70. "I knew he was struggling. So sometimes, I would just go to services alone."


Then last year, the Barnetts saw a small notice in a local Jewish newspaper about a recently formed group in South Jersey. "We went to a meeting that was focused on Jewish history," Arnold, 71, recalls, "and that was something I could relate to. It was much more appealing."


And so the Barnetts will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, which begins Wednesday at sundown, by meeting Sunday with like-minded members of South Jersey Secular Jews - a group of people who may or may not believe in God, but do believe in caring about the world and one another, respecting and understanding Jewish history, and celebrating a culture that has meaning and emotional pull.


"The most important aspect of secularism is the survival and continuity of the Jewish people," said Paul Shane, a native New Yorker now living in Philadelphia and married to the daughter of Holocaust survivors.


Shane, 75, a member of the more established Philadelphia Secular Jewish Organization, believes humans are responsible for what happens on Earth. The here and now is central, and actions speak louder than words.


That philosophy resembles traditional Judaism. But secular Jews and traditional Jews part company when it comes to accepting religious dogma.


If you're secular, God is optional. (Traditional Judaism has "God at its heart. That's not an option," said Rabbi Ethan Franzel of Main Line Reform Temple Beth Elohim in Wynnewood.) Also, life-cycle events are handled individually - for instance, there are no set burial or wedding traditions in secular Judaism.


Of course secularism, in which one adheres to cultural norms rather than religious ones, is hardly new. During the Renaissance, from 1450 to 1600, and the Enlightenment in the 18th century, many Jews shed the God-oriented elements of their Jewishness, according to Shane, a professor of social policy at Rutgers University in Newark. That shedding also continued in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.


What's different today is that a growing number of secular Jews are finding one another, forming groups, and practicing the social responsibility Judaism requires - minus the synagogue.


Rifke Feinstein, executive director of the national Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations, says there are approximately 2,000 affiliated secular Jews in the United States. But because seculars typically are unaffiliated, and therefore uncounted, estimates for the entire American secular population range from 8,000 to 40,000.


In the Philadelphia area, there are six such organizations for secular Jews - including the five-year-old South Jersey Secular Jews - all under the local umbrella cooperative venture called Kehilla for Secular Jews.


For many people, discovering that such an organization exists has been a relief.


" 'I thought I was the only one!' is what people often express when they discover that they are not alone in their secular relationship to their Jewishness," said Larry Angert, 59, a member of 11-year-old Shir Shalom: A Havurah for Secular Jews. "The Jewish tent is big, and there's room for all of us in it."


Some local secular groups, like Philadelphia's Sholom Aleichem Club, which started in 1954, and Philadelphia Workmen's Circle, founded nationally in 1900 to aid Jewish immigrant workers and to promote Yiddish, have graying memberships. Bob Kleiner, 85, of Elkins Park, a retired sociology professor at Temple University, and his wife, Frances, a teacher of Yiddish, both long active in the secular movement, lament that younger people are not actively involved in these historic groups.


But the formation of new groups, such as South Jersey Secular Jews, is evidence the movement still has traction.


Credit Naomi Scher, 64, of Cherry Hill, whose children attended the Jewish Children's Folkshul, another Kehilla group, which is a parent-run cooperative held at Springside School in Philadelphia. About 100 children receive their Jewish education, not in a traditional Hebrew school but in classes that nourish social justice and individual responsibility. Bar and bat mitzvah aspirants undertake personally meaningful projects that they ultimately share with the entire Folkshul community.


Although Scher formed relationships with parents of her children's classmates, commuting to Philadelphia became burdensome once her children graduated, and in 2005, the retired social worker decided to start a secular group closer to home.


What began as a gathering of eight to 10 people now regularly attracts 30, meeting monthly with speakers who address social and political concerns, Scher said.


Deborah Chaiken, 74, of Palmyra is delighted to have a group close to home. "In the formal Jewish community, I felt that I didn't really have a voice. Here, I know that I do."


Dues are $25 a year, and participants are asked to bring food for potluck dinners. Meetings are held on the second Sunday of the month at Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill..


South Jersey Secular Jews members Cary and Bilha Hillebrand of Cherry Hill call the group a welcome addition to the local landscape. For Bilha, 54, the philosophy of the group is more in keeping with that of her native Israel, where the majority of the population leads a more secular lifestyle.


"We are not in any way antireligious," says Cary, 60. "We hold the belief that we are responsible for what happens to ourselves and to the world. And to us, that's the essence of what religion is, and should be."






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jpeg&STREAMOID=lkSQz19magcs6aCtMj_PjS6SYeqqxXXqBcOgKOfTXxSPSCNUYY$TLmegjn$M60wunW_PgxgftuECOcfJwS6Jtlp$r8Fy$6AAZ9zyPuHJ25T7a9GKDSxsGxtpmxP0VAUyHL6IDcZHtmM2t7xO$FHdJG95dFi6y2Uma3vSsvPpVyo-Rafael Nadal won the French Open for the fifth time yesterday and in the new rankings that will be released this week will return to being world number one.

The Mallorca native also had his revenge on the only player to have ever beaten him in Paris, Robin Soderling. In a match that did not live up to its high billing, it appeared that the fight had been drained from Soderling in the five set marathon against Thomas Berdych as Nadal won in three straight sets of 6-4 6-2 6-4. He thus won the championship without dropping a set. Nadal also made a record by claiming the ‘Clay Slam’, comprising the Monte-Carlo, Internazionali BNL d’Italia and the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Masters and finally the French Open.

In the process, he denied former number one, Roger Federer the chance to claim the all time record for weeks at number one. Roger Federer held the number one position for 237 consecutive weeks.

The final match took two and a half hours to complete. In the first set Nadal broke his opponent in the fifth set and never looked back. Soderling pushed Nadal to 30-30 at 5-4 but Soderling sent a backhand wide and Nadal had a hand on the trophy.

The second set was a breeze for the Spaniard and he took the set in 29 minutes. Soderling then tried to make a game of it in the third but Nadal was not having any of it. The Swede was broken in the second game and after that it was just a matter of time.

Nadal wrapped up the set and the game when Soderling hit a forehand into the net behind an approach shot, and a forehand return into the net behind a heavy first serve from Nadal. Soderling then sent a backhand return wide across court and that was it.

Nadal remained unbeaten in the clay season. Last year was not a good one because of tendinitis of the knee but Nadal is back as the king on clay. Wimbledon will be where he starts to defend his world number one status and that is in three weeks.
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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.
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Attack on airline: Suspect targeted five Americans, top politicians Now claims he is INSANE !

Strong indications have emerged that the suspected terrorist who drove a car into Margret Ekpo International Airport's tarmac, Calabar, and hit the underbelly of a parked aircraft belonging to Arik Airline on Wednesday might have targeted the five Americans and top politicians on board the aircraft.
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Investigations by SUNDAY PUNCH revealed that the suspect, Mr. Aniefiok Elijah Okon, from Akwa-Ibom State might have been on a sponsored suicide mission to either embarrass the airline or the country.

Apart from the five Americans, top politicians including the Chairman, Cross River State Forestry Commission and former governorship aspirant in the state, Mr. Odinga Odinga, were on board the plane.

It was gathered from the police that the manner in which the suspect carried out the aborted attack gave confirmation that he was handed down clear instructions and details of his target by his alleged sponsors.

The police in Calabar, Cross River State, disclosed to our correspondent that they were working on a theory that the suspect was engaged in a sponsored mission, adding that thorough investigation was ongoing to unmask the sponsors of the futile attempt.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Etim Dickson, refused to speak on the matter, claiming he was on inspection tour of police formations in the state with the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, when the incident occurred. A top police officer said investigation was in progress.

However, another police source who craved anonymity said that two Air Force officers who were on duty when the incident occurred had been recalled to their base for interrogation.

Referring to the incident as a security breach, he wondered why the security operatives could not stop the suspect before he got to the tarmac.

He said, "I can assure you that we are doing everything possible to get to the root of this matter. It is a serious security breach and all those involved in it must be fished out and punished. There were five Americans and top politicians on board that plane and we are working on the theory that the futile attack was targeted at them. It was a suicide mission."

The suspect, who is being interrogated at the Criminal Investigation Department of the police command, he added, had been feigning madness.

He said: "Because the attack was not successful, his behaviour at this preliminary stage of our interrogation was expected. We know he is just feigning madness. We know he is just acting a script. He will eventually tell us the truth. The earlier he tells us the truth, the better for him because we must get to the bottom of this matter.

"No madman could have done what he did. He drove a car crashing through two security gates and headed straight for a boarded aircraft. In the process, he even did a U-turn and squeezed the car underbelly and now he is claiming to be mad. We cannot be deceived."

He added that the management of the airline had premonition of the attack but did not expect it to occur in Calabar.

He said the airline confirmed it had received several threats of possible attack on its aircraft by unknown persons, but that it did not expect the attack to occur in Calabar.

But the Arik Media Officer, Mr. Banji Ola, who spoke to our correspondent on Friday, denied the claim.

He frowned on the insinuation saying, "how can we have premonition of such a dastardly act. It is not true."

On Wednesday, tragedy was averted when a lone occupant of Audi NA 234 KAM breached security at the airport by breaking two gates manned by officials of the Nigerian Air Force and gaining access to the tarmac.

Okon who had driven a distance of about 500m in the tarmac unchallenged, headed for the left wing of Boeing 5N-MJJ aircraft, but made a U-turn and buried the car underbelly.

Despite the impact, the suspect had remained in the car probably waiting for possible explosion until airport security operatives dragged him out of the scene.

But Okon who has been described as a Christian extremist, instead of showing remorse for his action, had rained abuses on everybody at the airport.

He had repeatedly said, "You are all sinners. All of you deserve to die because mankind is turning away from God. People in the world are turning away from God. Every human being is wicked and deserved to go to hell except you repent."

The impact of the car on the 95-passenger aircraft which was about taxing down to the runway for take-off had sent jitters into the spines of the passengers who immediately jostled down for safety.
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Mother of five dies in hotel after sex romp

A 52-year-old housewife simply identified as Folorunsho was on Friday found dead in a guest house where she lodged with a male companion.advertisement hereFolorunsho, a mother of five, was said to have arrived Ayoola Guest House on Old Ota Road, Isale Odo, Agege, Lagos with the suspected lover at about 10pm.The man, whose identity is still unknown, was said to have sneaked out of the guest house apparently when he discovered that the woman had died.The corpse of the woman, who was said to be a mother of three sets of twins, was later discovered in one of the hotel rooms by attendants who were on routine check.At the time of the discovery, the deceased was said to be almost stark naked.The hotel management later reported the case at Elere Police Station from where detectives were drafted to the scene.The Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Frank Mba, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Sunday.Mba, a superintendent of police, said that the woman died "in very controversial circumstances."He said it was suspected that the deceased and the male companion had lodged in the guest house for "some amorous games."The police spokesman said that the corpse had been deposited at Isolo General Hospital for autopsy.He added that the police had already launched a manhunt for the fleeing man.Our correspondent learnt that some hotel attendants who saw the man when he came in hand-in-hand with the deceased were said to have described him to policemen and were helping in the investigation.
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Bus accident claims five lives in Lagos

Five people were killed on Saturday morning in an accident involving a commuter bus at Adeniji Adele Bus Stop in Lagos Island. According to eyewitnesses at the scene of the incident, the bus, which was bound for Obalende, was impounded by officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the accident happened while one of the officials of LASTMA was driving the bus. "We saw the LASTMA man driving the bus and the brake of the vehicle failed as it was descending the Adeniji Adele Bridge" said an eyewitness, who didn't want to be identified. Austin Akika, the divisional police officer of the Central Police Station, Adeniji Adele, said according to a statement from one of the occupants of the bus, the driver lost control of the vehicle because of the failed brakes. The Chief Superintendent of Police who spoke to NEXT at the LASTMA office on Adeniji Adele said no official of the agency had impounded the bus and that the bus driver and conductor fled after the incident. An angry mob threw bottles and other objects into the office of the traffic agency until it was dispersed by anti-riot police officers. The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the morgue of the Isolo General Hospital.
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Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina battled back to upset five-times champion Roger Federer 3-6 7-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 and win the U.S. Open title on Monday.The 20-year-old Argentine, who stayed alive by winning two tiebreaks, gained confidence as he moved through his first career grand slam and charged to victory, breaking Federer in the last game to end their four-hour, six-minute struggle.The 6-foot-6 Del Potro lay down on his back and covered his face with his hands after the 28-year-old Swiss sailed a backhand long on the Argentine's third championship point.Del Potro, seeded sixth, became the second Argentine to win the U.S. men's crown, joining compatriot Guillermo Vilas who won on clay in 1977, and was watching Monday's final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.The Argentine had never beaten Federer in six previous meetings, losing to the Swiss master in the semi-finals of the French Open after taking a two sets to one lead.
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American singer Chris Brown has been sentenced to five years probation and six months hard labour.Reading the verdict in Los Angeles , Judge Patricia Schnegg said Brown is to perform the hard labour at the Commonwealth Catholic Charities in Richmond, Virginia where he must also take a 52-week domestic violence course.Brown who pleaded guilty to the charge of assault must stay 100 yards away from Rihanna, except under an entertainment plat form.The protective order is expected to last five years.
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WHAT A COUNTRY ! this is the new record ! Earlier this week, police found the badly decomposed body of Isabella Purves, who would have been 90 this year. Officers forced their way into the top-floor flat in the tenement building in the Canonmills area of Edinburgh after a neighbour reported water dripping through the ceiling. They had to fight their way through piles of unopened mail behind her front door. It is thought her pension was paid directly into a bank account and utility bills were paid by direct debit. Police are trying to trace her relatives. Neighbours in Rodney Street have spoken of their horror at the discovery. Giovanni Cilia, who owns the Fioritalia florist below Ms Purves's traditional tenement flat, said he was shocked at how long it took to find her. He said: "How did no one notice the smell, or wonder where she was? I heard there was a big pile of letters and bills behind the door. I used to see her walk past the shop maybe four times a week. She would often go across the street and pick up litter to clean the place up." Mr Cilia, who has run the shop for 20 years, added: "It's shocked everyone here. When I saw her she looked quite fit and healthy for her age. She used to wear boots and would often carry a rucksack like she enjoyed going for walks." Michael Singh Kille, who works in a newsagent's three doors along, said he saw a stretcher taken from the building. He said: "The police came and knocked down the door, then a private ambulance came after that. They took a stretcher up and when it came down it didn't look as though it had anything on it, just a very slight shape." David Crystal, an optometrist who has run his business near the flat for 22 years, said Ms Purves had been a client. He said: "I haven't seen her for 12 years. I last saw her in 1997 and we've sent her five reminders. For someone who doesn't have any family in this automated society, you can understand how it can happen. "Before, they would go to the post office to collect a pension. I just assumed she'd been moved into a care home. We wouldn't normally follow up a non-attending person to see why they hadn't come back." The last reminder was sent out in 2004. His wife, Dorothy, who co-owns the business, said the discovery was "an indictment" of society. She said: "Nobody cares any more, that's pretty sad. It's down to basic neighbourly behaviour. I would hope people would be looking out for others."
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102 Nigerians arrested in Libya BENIN—ADDITIONAL 102 Nigerians, forty five of them from Edo state, were arrested weekend by the Libyan authorities while trying to travel to Europe with fake documents. advertisement NOLLYWOOD MOVIES ONLINE The weekend arrest would increase the number of Edo state natives in Libyan under ground prison to almost two thousand. It would be recalled that over one thousand five hundred natives of Edo state have been languishing in an under ground jail in Libya since March this year for committing the same offence. The Special Adviser to Governor Adams Oshiomohle on Foreign Matters/Diaspora, Mr. Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, had last week expressed frustrations over the attitude of the Libyan officials towards the efforts being made by both the state government and the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in seeking the release of the Nigerians. One of the prisoners from Edo state, Charles Erawuyi, who spoke to Vanguard on telephone, disclosed that additional 102 Nigerians were arrested weekend and that forty-five of them are from Edo state. He added: “The problem we are having too is that the officials in the Nigerian Embassy here are making matters worse for us. What they do is to collect money individually from our relations before they will go and ask for the release of anyone instead of seeking for the release of all of us like the Kenyan Government and others did. “They will ask for up to one fifty to two hundred dollars and most of us cannot afford it.
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