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The glamorous lovers’ day celebration on Monday turned bloody at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) when gunmen killed two students. Daily Sun gathered that the clash was between two rival cult groups, namely, Black Axe and the Buccaneers,’ over a female student allegedly snatched by the Capone of the Black Axe for Valentine celebration.

The action of the Capone , the source said did not go down well with the other group leading to the clash.
A student who witnessed the shooting said besides the two cult members who were shot dead, about four others sustained injuries and were ferried out of the campus by their leaders to shield their identity.

The sources said the cult members who carried out the attack were not UNILAG students but members from another campus, adding that the attack was carried out in a commando style with sporadic shooting.
An undergraduate student of English Department told Daily Sun that the Buccaneers’ group attacked the Black Axe members while another student returning from the Mosque said those who carried out the killing were not from UNILAG because they did not cover their faces.

It was learnt that as soon the shooting started, students scampered for safety while others took cover behind the wall and under cars packed around, while others ran into the halls to avoid being hit by stray bullets. 
A senior lecturer who confirmed the killings said the university management had met to curtail any reprisal attack while security personnel had taken over the investigation of the deadly cult clash.
When Daily Sun visited the troubled institution yesterday, there was uneasy calm, as most staff and students rebuffed efforts made by the reporters to get their comments.

However, one of the students who resides at Sodeinde Hall, said there was sporadic gunshots outside the premises which caused panic everywhere. 
It was gathered that the crisis, which erupted when the students were at the peak of lovers’ day celebration, created stampede on the campus as people ran for safety.

One of the victims of the attack reportedly ran into Sodeinde Hall for help, from where he was taken to the hospital.
Although the Hall Master of Sodeinde Hall declined comments on the issue, one of the officials, who wouldn’t want his name published, said the attack could not be linked to any cult group. He said there was increasing speculation that the perpetrators of the attack could be fighting for love. Efforts made by Daily Sun our reporter to ascertain the identities of the victims were unsuccessful.
The news bulletin of the university, Information Flash (ISSN 08195540) also captured the incident, while assuring the staff and students of the university of adequate security.

“The attention of the universities authorities has been drawn to the incident which occurred in one of the Halls of Residence in the late hours of Monday, February 14, 2011 where two persons were reportedly injured in fracas. The university management has commenced investigation into the unusual incident, in particular at a time when preparation for the first semester examinations due to commence on February 21, 2011 are in top gear. Security has been intensified to ensure safety of life and property on campus. Law enforcement agents have been involved to assist the university in this respect,” it said. 
Daily Sun learnt that students are leaving the campus because of the fear of reprisal attack while some parents called their wards on phone to return home until the situation is brought under control. 

The Deputy Registrar Information of UNILAG, Mr. Dare Adebisi refused to pick his calls or replied to text message sent to his phone.
When the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Samuel Jinadu (DSP) was called thrice, he promised to contact the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area and did not call back as at the press time....

Thirteen people were killed in Wereng village, Riyom local government area near Jos, by men wearing military uniforms in the early hours of Tuesday, according to officers of the Plateau State Police Command.

PHOTO:Cross section of Igbo community in plateau at a news conference on Jos crisis in Jos on Tuesday photo: NAN  Burnt Trailers in Metropolis

The police also confirmed that attacks were also reported in Fagawang where two persons were killed, and Nyarwai, both in the Barkin Ladi local government area, where three persons were killed.

According to a police statement issued yesterday, 11 houses were burnt during the attack in Nyarwai, and three in Fagawang villages, while a church was burnt down in Ding village. A police source who preferred to remain anonymous confirmed that the attackers used weapons including guns, machetes, daggers, bows and arrows to attack their victims who were reportedly taken unawares.

Cold blood murder

According to the police source, the dead, who were slaughtered and left lying in their own blood, had several knife cuts on their bodies. The corpses still lay out in the open in the villages Tuesday morning as government officials were awaited. An official statement by Obinna Simon for the state police commissioner, Abdurrahman Akano, said no arrests had been made, but urged “all those concerned to refuse burial until we perform the autopsy.”

He said that the autopsies would help authorities ascertain the source and types of the weapons used. This, he said, would aid investigations and help ascertain whether the attackers were real military officers.

A city shuts down

Meanwhile, business activities were non-existent in the city as banks and other businesses remained closed throughout Tuesday. With freezing temperatures around 16°C, the streets have remained empty, with only a few vehicles venturing along specific routes. The city’s business nerve centre, popularly known as Terminus, has become a ghost of itself. Ahmadu Bello Way, Rwang Pam, Church, and Langtang Streets, and Old Bukuru Road, routes that experience heavy traffic daily, are deserted.

Powerless Special Task Force?

The Ndigbo, the umbrella body of the Igbo community in Jos, said that it has lost confidence in the Special Task Force headed by Hassan Umaru, a brigadier-general.

A statement by the group’s president-general, Richard Wayas, and its secretary, Serbinus Anyanwu, said that the Ndigbo condemned the cycle of crises, killings, and the Christmas Eve bombings and called on the federal and state governments to initiate urgent measures to end the violence.

“At the last count, we have well over 40 corpses of our people deposited both at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital, Jankwano, and Jos University Teaching Hospital mortuaries, with several hospitalised,” the statement read.

“It is also regrettable that a luxury bus (EKWOS) carrying mostly Igbo passengers was attacked and burnt down by the same Hausa-Fulani youth along Bauchi Road, Jos.”

Simon Mwadkon, chairman of Riyom local government, described the incident as “very unfortunate,” saying that injured persons had been taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). He said that the attackers invaded the villages between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. on Tuesday, setting houses ablaze and killing the fleeing owners of the houses. Among the victims, he said, were children and nursing mothers.

The chairman alleged that security personnel were stationed “just 200 metres to where the attacks were carried out but they did nothing to stop it. In fact, a traditional ruler and the councillor, representing the area, Mr. Victor Davou, rushed to the STF soldiers just by but they bluntly refused to go to the scene after claiming that they were not given such an order,” Mr. Mwadkon said.

Mr. Mwadkon, however, promised that the council would do everything possible to assist victims of the raid, and called on the state and federal government to rise to the challenge and “do something drastic about the incessant crises on the Plateau.”

Averting another crisis

The Bauchi State Police Command said it has taken steps to prevent a spillover of the Jos crisis into the state. The command’s public relations officer, Mohammed Barau, an assistant superintendent of police, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi yesterday that security was being beefed up in all parts of the state, especially in towns close to the state’s border with Plateau.

“The police have taken proactive measures to prevent a spillover of the Jos crisis into the state. We are ready to take action to forestall any breach of law and order,” he said.

He added that there was now a better understanding between muslims and christians in the state.

The nation’s inspector-general of police, Hafiz Ringim, urged residents of Jos to resolve their issues without resorting to violence. Mr. Ringim made the plea in a statement issued in Abuja by the force’s public relations officer, Olusola Amore.

“The crisis in Jos should not be seen as a police/security problem but a community/political problem which all peace-loving people should strive to resolve without resorting to rancour,” he said.

“Nigerians should learn to live together in peace in spite of differences in tribe, language and religion,” he added.

The inspector general assured the people of the state and its environs of 24-hour patrols to forestall the breakdown of law and order in Jos. He said the police and other security agencies have been doing their best to contain the crisis and that 15,000 police officers and other security personnel had been deployed to Jos to restore peace since the crisis began.

Five months ago, a friend of mine, who edits a national daily, sent me a text message agreeing substantially with my column, ‘The Punch and the rest of us’, except the generalised conclusion that “all (journalists) have sinned and fallen short of the glory of the profession”. There are still some journalists, he submits, who toe the narrow path of integrity. Of course I knew where he was coming from, but I also knew the context in which I had made that statement.

I revisit that statement in light of the stories spewing out of the political beat, specifically on the race for the 2011 presidential elections and how it affects the integrity of news.

As part of the effort to sell his candidature for the presidency, former military president, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) invited as many as 40 journalists to his Minna home on August 14 for an interview. I have heard questions asked about why he should invite journalists to his home instead of a public place if he didn’t have an ulterior motive, and why he should offer monetary gifts to the journalists in the name of paying for their transportation.

One news medium, which has championed this opposition in the open, is the online agency, Sahara Reporters. According to SR each of the journalists received N10 million for heeding Babangida’s call on his presidential ambition. That is N400 million just for one night’s interview from an aspirant yet to win his party’s nomination if it were true. But it was not. When some of the journalists complained about the fictional sum, SR changed the story on August 19, saying it was just “a paltry N250, 000 each”. Rather than admit its initial error SR simply said, “our accountants have told us that going by the number of 40 journalists in attendance, we are still around the same ballpark of N10 million”. So much for credible reporting!

Three days later, SR followed up with ‘IBB and his Rogue Journalists’, accusing the journalists of roguery and professional misconduct; roguery, because they collected money from two sources—their employers who presumably authorised and funded the trip and their news source, IBB; misconduct because it is unethical for them to demand/receive gratification from news sources for their services.

And on August 23 in ‘IBB Nocturnal Press Parley: Punch fires Editorial board Chairman’, SR stayed on top of the story by reporting that Adebolu Arowolo, editorial board chairman of the Punch, had lost his job for going on that trip without his management’s approval..

Fans around the world honor Michael Jackson

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY (AP) – 1 hour ago

A year after Michael Jackson's death caused a worldwide outpouring of shock, tears and tributes, the anniversary of his passing was being marked Friday on a quieter scale, as fans remembered their fallen King of Pop with vigils, prayer and, http://www.9jabook.com/group/michaeljacksonmemorialgroup

of course, music.....

Some radio stations woke up listeners to Jackson's music; on U.S. television, all the major networks devoted a portion of their morning news programs to Jackson and more coverage was expected during prime-time hours. Events were planned across the globe, from Tokyo to New York..

Jackson's burial place at Forest Lawn in Glendale. Calif., was expected to draw not only a throng of fans, but family as well.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at age 50 as he was preparing for a series of comeback concerts in London. Dr. Conrad Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death for administering the powerful anesthetic propofol to Jackson to help the pop star sleep.

Pictures of Jackson hung on a wall outside New York's Apollo Theater in Harlem, where Jackson and his brothers won amateur night in the late 1960s. A sidewalk plaque memorialized the singer alongside such other legends as James Brown and Smokey Robinson.

Since the Apollo helped launch the Jackson 5, it has had a strong connection to the late pop star. After Jackson's death, it became the de facto gathering place for New York fans. It was an emotional though more low-key scene on Friday morning, as Jackson's music blared from boomboxes and passing cars.

"We are really honored to have played a part in launching Michael's musical career and to serve as a gathering place for people to come and celebrate his lifetime of achievement," said Jonelle Procope, Apollo president and CEO.

Procope placed Jackson's black hat and sequin glove, both from the theater's collection, beside his plaque.

Elsewhere in Harlem, the AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9 movie theater screened "This Is It," the documentary about Jackson's preparation for his London concerts, throughout the day. And the Rev. Al Sharpton was to lead a moment of silence in the afternoon.

In Gary, Ind., Jackson's hometown, there was to be a tribute at the family home; city officials said they expected Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, and his niece, Genevieve Jackson, to show up, along with thousands of others. Katherine Jackson also lent her support to a "Forever Michael" fan event in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Saturday.

But his brother Randy Jackson was hoping to make the official family commemoration at Forest Lawn on Friday morning.

In Japan, hundreds of fans met at Tokyo Tower to honor Jackson with a candlelight vigil, a gospel concert and more. Some got a chance to see a collection of his possessions, including costumes from his tours and even a 1967 Rolls-Royce Phantom that he used to drive around Los Angeles.

"I don't know what to say. Seeing all his things makes it all come back to me," said Yumiko Sasaki, a 48-year-old Tokyo officer worker who has been a Jackson fan since she was 12. "It makes me so sad to think that he is gone. He was wonderful."

About 50 guests paid $1,100 each to sleep overnight at the Tokyo landmark, where they had catered food, watched a gospel choir, looked at Jackson memorabilia and danced to Michael Jackson's music before observing a period of silence as the sun rose.

Fans started gathering at Forest Lawn on Thursday night. Five large wreaths of flowers and dozens of bouquets, drawings and photos of Jackson had been placed outside his private mausoleum.

Evdokia Sofianou, 46, and her 9-year-old daughter, Rebecca, traveled from Athens, Greece, to pay their respects.

"I came because I love Michael very much," Sofianou said Thursday night. "I came to grieve."

But not every memorial for Jackson was to be somber. In France, weekend celebration plans included a concert and tribute show, and clubs across the globe planned parties for the man who embodied dance music.

"They want to celebrate his life and music," DJ Jon Quick said of the expected partygoers at club Taj on Friday, where he would play Jackson tunes. "His albums are like timelines in your life. You can remember what you were doing ... when 'Thriller' came out."

AP Entertainment Writers Jake Coyle in New York and Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles, and Associated Press Writer Eric Talmadge in Tokyo contributed to this report.