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12166300684?profile=originalThe 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....

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Toyota Nigeria commences recall of cars

Toyota (Nigeria) Limited has said there would be a reassurance check in Nigeria on three of its car models affected in the car defect and recall all over the world.jpeg&STREAMOID=QH6Z1_5EAz0rBc7C0EN06y6SYeqqxXXqBcOgKOfTXxQ$OkDhAnfYHBjN87jlkOxWnW_PgxgftuECOcfJwS6Jtlp$r8Fy$6AAZ9zyPuHJ25T7a9GKDSxsGxtpmxP0VAUyHL6IDcZHtmM2t7xO$FHdJG95dFi6y2Uma3vSsvPpVyo-

At a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday, Toyota said it has received directives from Toyota Motor Corporation's to carry out a reassurance check on three of the model. Chandrasheker Thampy, the Managing Director TNL, apologised for the panic, concern and inconvenience the news of the global recall had caused their customers.

"The company is making a reassurance call to inform its customers that there is no cause to panic as the problem is very much not likely to occur with Toyota models in the country.

The three models are Toyota RAV4, Toyota Avensis 2.0 and a few sub models of the corollas.

TMC has been making recalls of some of its car model with faulty accelerator pedal which makes the brakes falter on slippery or frozen roads.

"This reassurance recall is a means of checking for any possibility of the defect being faced in other parts of the world, but we doubt we will be having any," said Michael Ade-Ojo, the company's chairman in Nigeria.

No extra charge

Mr. Ade-Ojo said the exercises will also be free of charge for cars bought from the accredited dealers, while "Toyota brands imported into the country through other means will also be attended to after we have attended to our own but it would be with a fee," he said.

Mr. Thampy explained that the problem is synonymous with the cold region where they have to put on the car heater during winter leading to a wear and tear on the sliding surface of the accelerator.

In the last week of January this year, TMC announced its intention to recall certain models of Toyota vehicles in American, European and Chinese markets in order to inspect and fix a likely problem that would have arisen.

Mr. Ade-Ojo said the lateness in addressing the issue was due to the fact that they believe there will be no occurrence of the problem, but TMC wants the company to be doubly sure that is why the check is going to take place.

Mr. Ade - Ojo further said that the company had not met to discuss the recall with the government since the beginning of the recall process all over the world.

This is contrary to the response from the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in an earlier story in NEXT that it had a meeting with the minister of state for Commerce and Industry, Humphrey Abbah, and all automobile importers and assemblers in Nigeria, and part of the outcome was that the Toyota cars that are being recalled were not in Nigeria yet.
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It has been revealed how Super Eagles striker, Obafemi Martins, extranvagantly squandered about N3.1 trillions while a player of Newcastle.MartinsadvertisementHis former management company, NVA Management Limited who has dragged the player to court over breach of contarct, told the jury how the player’s account almost went red because of his lifestyle.Obafemi Martins was paid £75,000, but allegedly squandered the earnings on an extravagant lifestyleA former Premiership footballer routinely blew his £75,000 a week wages in a matter of days and was constantly overdrawn, a court was told yesterday.Obafemi, ex-Newcastle striker 25, was paid the handsome salary after he joined the club for a £10million fee in August 2006.But despite his extraordinary earnings, his former management team yesterday claimed they repeatedly bailed him out after his bank account continually slipped into the red.The High Court heard that the Nigerian international player would withdraw £40,000 in cash from his bank account at the end of the week.But that would only last him two days, the court heard, as he topped up with a further £25,000 on the Monday morning.He was always overdrawn and repeatedly relied upon NVA Management Limited to ‘manage his life’, the High Court was told.Martins, who owned several fast cars including a top of the range Porsche 4X4, spent the money funding an extravagant lifestyle of luxurious penthouse homes and fine dining.He is now being sued by his former management company which claims that he still owes them 300,000 for sorting out his finances.He told the court that Martins would withdraw £40,000 for the weekend, followed by another £25,000 on the Monday.‘Despite earning these vast sums of money he was constantly overdrawn,’ added Mr Tennink.He said the firm, which looks after the affairs of several footballers, film and music stars, said that Martins had agreed to pay them for simply managing his life.It was under their stewardship that Martins agreed a £2million image rights deal ‘simply for being Mr Martins’.It’s claimed Martins was constantly overdrawn despite earning £75,000-a-weekHe also had lucrative sponsorship deals with various companies including Pepsi and Nike but had not been paid.When the company stepped in to run his affairs they sorted the unpaid contracts, bringing in thousands of pounds.They also organised visas when he travelled to Italy, where he once played for Inter Milan, and sorted out his passport, his mortgage and property valuations.They even arranged critical illness cover and were constantly running up and down the motorway from their London offices to Newcastle in a bid to do all that he required.‘But surely these were things a secretary could do?’ asked Judge Richard Seymour QC, referring to the size of fees charged.‘It was a Jeeves-type of role that they performed.’Mr Tennink protested that managing every aspect of his life was just part of what they did, and asked the judge to bear in mind the sort of figures these players earned.He said Martins had come to them in July 2007 and had agreed a fee of around £300,000 plus 20 per cent of any sponsorship monies they managed to acquire on his behalf.“He asked for these services to be carried out,” Mr Tennink told the court.Before they managed his affairs, Martins had not been paid a penny for his image rights for the use of his name on Newcastle shirts and mugs and had received nothing from his sponsorship deals.He could not even find the contracts he had originally signed, Mr Tennink added.Martins paid the company £67,500 in January last year and another £25,000 in April last year.But the question for the court to decide, said Mr Tennink, was whether there was a ‘binding obligation’ for him to pay the outstanding bill of over £300,000.After Newcastle were relegated from the Premiership last summer Martins was sold for £9million to German Bundesliga Champions Wolfsburg.Martins, who once owned a penthouse apartment overlooking Newcastle’s exclusive Quayside, is fighting the claim.The hearing is scheduled to last for three days.
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After six years as a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Bala Ibn Na’Allah has made history as the first lawmaker in the country since independence to fly a private jet. He acquired the aircraft recently in the United States of America (USA).Hon Bala Ibn Na’Allahadvertisement http://www.ask9ja.com classifiedsHis recent diatribes against criminality in the Niger Delta struggle, which had attracted flaks notwithstanding, Na’Allah, a lawyer by profession, who became very popular at the Oputa Panel, qualified as a pilot after undergoing training at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology in Zaria.He was certified to fly an aircraft after he undertook a successful solo flight under the supervision of a professional pilot, according to international practice.Representing Zuru/Fakai/Zakaba/ Dawazagu Federal Constituency of Kebbi State in the House of Representatives, N’ Allah recently flew the small aircraft in the company of this writer from Kaduna to Abuja on a day the weather was clement in the morning, but became turbulent in the evening.Sitting next to him in the cockpit as ‘co-pilot’, one marveled as Na’Allah displayed his dexterity in manipulating and navigating the aircraft through the cloudy weather between Kaduna and Abuja .“There is a way the weather will tell you if it is going to be bad. This is one of the beauties of flying,” he pointed out before entering the aircraft.Apart from the weather telling you what would happen in the next few hours, Na’Allah explained that the aircraft has a way of telling the pilot when it is not ready to fly.“If the aircraft is not ready to fly, it will tell you during the pre-flight check, which must be carried out before any flight is undertaken,” Na’Allah said.As a matter of routine, a pilot must first obtain weather forecast for his/her route from the meteorological station.On this very day, Nallah obtained the weather forecast for Kaduna-Abuja route from the weather station. He came back smiling that the weather was okay, but that “we have to be airborne quickly to avoid rough weather later in the day around Abuja airspace.”Before jumping into the aircraft for the Abuja trip, he carried out the check, he gauged the pressure level, checked the tyre and the fuel levels, and the journey was underway.Watching him manipulating the buttons and communicating with Kano, Abuja and Kaduna airports was a delight. He sought and got clearance from the Kaduna Control Towers before entering the runaway to make way for an in-coming big aircraft.He was cleared to take off and established contact with Kano that he was airborne; and then Abuja to prepare for his landing in less than one hour.Kaduna told him the altitude he must fly to avoid troubled weather. He shared the information with Kano and Abuja and the weather situation at take off.When he gained balance and stabilized the aircraft, he opened discussion with his ‘co-pilot’, not on the weather forecast or the technicality of getting the aircraft off the ground and maintaining a balance against an unstable weather.Why should Na’Allah be interested in flying, a risky thing at this stage of his life, even when he had made it as a lawyer and as a politician? He said flying was the best thing that has ever happened to him.“I am enjoying it more than anything. To fly is the easiest thing to do. I have come to realize it. In fact, if it is possible, I won’t mind flying an aircraft from my bedroom to the toilet,” he said.The high death toll resulting from crash landing and disappearance of aircraft has not instilled any fear in Na’Allah. He was emphatic that cumulatively, the number of death resulting from road accidents was far higher than that recorded from the air.“Flying is million times safer than driving on the roads. Unlike the roads where you have mad drivers that can drive you crazy, there is nothing like that on air.“The number of air mishaps is not comparable with the number of auto crashes we record on daily basis on our roads. Do you know that you cannot jump into an aircraft without knowing the weather forecast? You can’t hop into the aircraft for a journey without certifying the health status of the aircraft,” he explained.Furthermore, he said, “the safety of the pilot, the aircraft and the passengers is paramount and standards have been set internationally to guarantee this without any compromise. This is the only means of transportation that is programmed, monitored and sustained.Unlike in the USA where several senators and members of the House of Representatives own and fly their private jets, acquiring jets in Nigeria is elitist by all standards.Na’Allah agreed that it might look elitist to own a private jet, but insisted that it was cheaper for him to maintain his small aircraft, than to maintain some cars in his garage. Na’Allah was a car dealer before venturing into politics.“The experience I have gathered since I took delivery of my aircraft showed that it was far, far cheaper to maintain than maintaining my cars. Can you imagine that a return flight from Abuja to Zuru, my village will cost me 50 litres of petrol, whereas, my Jeep will consume over 200 litres?” he queried rhetorically.In terms of time, he explained, by road the same journey will take between seven and eight hours, whereas, it will take one hour, 40 minutes by air. “In Zuru, my village, there is an air strip, don’t forget, I am representing the home of generals, not to talk of Kebbi with an Airport. In most cities in Nigeria , there are places to accommodate light aircraft for landing and take off, said Na’Allah.Still debunking insinuation that acquiring a jet is a display of ostentation in the midst of poverty, Na’Allah said that the cost of servicing his Propellered-CESSNA-172 model was not up to the price of 2008 model of Toyota or Honda products.“To service it after a mandatory 50-hour flight, which is the equivalent of servicing a car, costs less than N50,000. And for maintenance, the retainership fee with Aviation Maintenance Organization [AMO] per annum is about N200,000.“Precisely, he said that the C-172 air craft manufactured in 1971 and registered with Nigeria ’s aviation authorities as 5N-BRT cost him about $48,000 to acquire.For his landing fee at any of the airports in the country, the charge paid is N200, while the three tyres cost $182 to replace every three years, depending on the number of successful landing.“In all, you will see that it is very cheap to maintain this air craft than to maintain the latest car in the market. I am not a Christian, but I understand that the Bible says that ‘my people perishes because of lack of knowledge’.“I think if people know that it is cheaper to acquire and maintain a small air craft like my own, many Nigerians would not hesitate to get one today, than the craze for buying flashy cars, with armed robbers trailing you, not to talk of bad roads and frequent car crash,” he said.The idea of owning a jet and flying it came to the law maker after years of consultancy in Aviation Insurance. And to achieve his aim, Na’Allah enrolled at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria for training as a non-professional pilot.He graduated and was certified to fly before he jetted out to South Africa for further training in type rating.He explained: “Type rating is the training in the category of aircraft you can fly. If you want to fly another category of aircraft, you must undergo fresh training and certified by another pilot, unlike driving just any car so long as you have your driving license.”Economically, he said that it was even wiser and cheaper to invest in air strips than put roads everywhere.
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Armed robbers appear to have developed a novel idea of attacking unsuspecting victims at bus stops, using exotic cars.Their latest victims were two young men and a woman who were waiting for a bus at Mangoro Bus Stop on the Lagos/Abeokuta expressway.Our correspondent learnt that at about 10.15pm on Sunday, a fairly new lemon colour Peugeot 406 car pulled up about 20 metres away from some commuters at the bus stop.Immediately, three men alighted from the car, giving the impression that the driver was just dropping them off.However, the men, it was gathered, turned out to be armed robbers.One of the victims, Emmanuel (surname withheld), who spoke with our correspondent on Wednesday about his ordeal, said he lost everything on him on that night to the "corporate" bandits.He said, "I closed for work at about 9.50pm and when I discovered that my colleague who usually drops me on his way home was still busy in the office, I decided to find my way home."I was the first person to get to the bus stop. Afterwards, a woman joined me and some minutes later, another man met us their."As we were waiting for a bus, this car stopped a few metres away from us and three men came out of it."Ordinarily, I thought they were just alighting from the car to go to their different homes, but suddenly, I discovered that the three of them had surrounded us."They pulled pistols and asked us to sit on the ground."The victim said his Sony Ericsson W800i phone, two United Bank for Africa ATM cards, N5, 000, and an ID card were lost to the bandits, who later zoomed off towards Iyana Ipaja.When contacted, police spokesman in Lagos, Mr. Frank Mba, said he was not aware of the incident.
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IN line with the vision to improve the transport system in Lagos State, Governor Babatunde Fashola has commissioned 1,255 modern taxi cabs for the second phase of his administration' s Modern Taxi Scheme.Commissioning the cabs yesterday at the State House, Alausa, Ikeja, Fashola noted that the feat, which was in partnership with the private sector, is the actualisation of one of the many campaign promises made by him during his pre-governorship election campaign to boost employment and change the face of the state.He said: "Our strategic partnership with the private sector has yielded yet another positive result. It is evident in our waste management, our security management, road transportation and construction, among other sectors of the economy that the success of the private partnership has recorded."This partnership has brought about 1,255 taxi cabs and by immediate consequence, 1,255 direct jobs. It also confirms that the private sector is the engine of growth and that government policies and actions are the fuel that are necessary to guide this engine of growth."The occasion, the governor said, afforded the state government opportunity to open a new sector of democratic development and dividend, applauding the involvement of I-Trans Logistics and other taxi cab operators as encouraging.Managing Director of I-Trans Logistics, Adebayo Ajakaye, who disclosed that his company was the second to be licensed in the state, took up the challenge to support the state government's development projects "because we see the genuine desire by the governor and his team to move the state forward by laying the beautiful future foundation for Lagosians now and those unborn."The management of the I-Trans Logistics further explained that the feat would boost and repackage taxi operations in the state.Noting that I-Trans' 200 black I-Tec Honda cabs were sponsored by the South African-based GROFIN, the Executive Director, Corporate Service, Segun Omoworare, stated that the 200 cars in the taxi fleet cost about N500 million, adding that "they were duly insured by the state Assurance Company (LASACO)."In another development, Fashola has reiterated the commitment of his administration to making a difference by improving the wellbeing of the largest number of people in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).He spoke at the South-West Zonal Conference on Deepening Women's Understanding and Participation in the Implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)/African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) - National Programme of Action (NPOA) organised by the Office of the Secretary to the State Government in conjunction with Equity Advocates and NEPAD - Nigeria held at Eko FM Hall, LTV 8, Agidingbi.Fashola, whose speech was delivered by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftancy Affairs, Mr. Rotimi Agunloye, emphasised his desire to ensure eradication of extreme poverty and inequality, empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, as well as other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and develop the global partnership for development.
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