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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....

Hoodlums rape 5 secondary school students in Owerri

By Chidi Nkwopara

OWERRI-Dare devil hoodlums numbering about 10, reportedly broke into the premises of Owerri Girls Secondary School last Sunday and raped five senior secondary school students.

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Confirming the ugly incident to newsmen in Owerri, the Principal, Senior Section, Mrs. Pat Uche Obasi, said the hoodlums stormed the SS3 dormitory between 1:00am and 2:00am but escaped when men of Imo State Police Command intervened.

Lamenting that the hoodlums succeeded in raping five girls, the principal also recalled that the bandits equally escaped through the hole they created in the school fence.

"These boys came from the back of the school premises. They came through a hole they created in the fence, armed with cutlasses, rods and what looked like a gun and went into SS3 dormitory. They succeeded in raping about five students in the process," the principal said.

The Divisional Police Officer, DPO, at the New Owerri Police Division, Mr. Okezie Okoroafor, confirmed the incident and explained that when he got a distress call from the former principal of the school, he quickly mobilized his men and intervened.

He said his men were able to rescue the school security officers, whose hands were tied to their legs by the rampaging rapists and assured the students and their parents that security had been beefed up in the school.

The Deputy Chief of Mission, United States Embassy in Nigeria, Mr James McAnulty, has said that more than 6,500 Nigerian students are currently enrolled in various schools in his country.

Speaking at the annual College and Career Fair organised by the US Mission in Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja, McAnulty said Nigeria had the highest number of foreign students in the US

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, he said the statistics of Nigerian students studying in the US had continued to rise over the years, with the hope that it would continue to rise.

``Nigeria has recently become the country with the largest number of students who attend universities and high schools in the US

``This is a great achievement because it is a testimony to the hard work of Nigerian students.

``Nigerian students bring their ideas and values to their community in the university, and are able to interact with students not only from the US but from other parts of the world.

``We think that the diversity is very important in our educational system; it helps people to understand other cultures,‘‘ he added..

McAnulty also noted that out of the 83 Nigerian students who gained admission into the current academic session, 67 students were awarded 2.5 million dollars on partial and full scholarships.

SAP, a software application firm, has teamed up with the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, to extend an ancillary course in enterprise resource planning application to students in emerging market countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

This will enable the students to obtain an official SAP certification. The students are expected to be trained in several courses for 10 days. The courses will offer up to 300 participants the chance to acquire valuable SAP competencies during the period in Germany.

This will enable the students to enhance their career opportunities in emerging markets with strong demand for qualified SAP professionals.

The learning materials and tutorial support will be provided completely via e-learning through the university, while the final certificate examination will be held by SAP Education on site at local SAP training centres. The training is designed to provide participants with broad, well-founded knowledge of SAP ERP, its core business processes, and their operational interrelations..

Heimo Adelsberger, the Head of the Department, Production and Operations Management, Institute for Computer Science and Business Information Systems at the university, said, “After the successful completion of all case studies, participants will receive a course certificate from the University of Duisburg-Essen which emphasises the practical application of know-how in addition to theoretical and methodical knowledge.”

Parents and guardians of students of Kenneth Dike Memorial Secondary School, Awka, Anambra State, yesterday stormed the premises of the Anambra government house to protest what they termed government's silence over a recent shooting incident in the school that left 13 students injured..

On June 21 this year, gunmen suspected to have been hired by a land speculator involved in a land dispute with the school, opened fire at students of the school, moments after the students had pulled down the walls of the encroaching building. The attack sent 13 students to the hospital with varying degree of injuries.

The attack came barely six days after an attempt to abduct the school principal was foiled when the students pursued the kidnappers and drew the attention of the police. One of the kidnappers was arrested by the police.

Since the shooting, the school had been unceremoniously vacated by both students and teachers, even with examinations close at hand.

Worried by this development, parents of the students decided to take their case to the state government.

The chairman of the Parents-Teachers-Association, Innocent Anyaso, told NEXT that they were unhappy with government's silence, which he described as unusual.

He said the students had earlier trooped to government house to see the governor but were told he had travelled, a development that he said necessitated the visit of the parents.

Later, while channelling their grievances to Chuks Iloegbunam, representative of the government, the protesters requested the government to, among other things, fence the school; provide adequate security; help in offsetting the bill of the hospitalised students, and make the police to mount a checkpoint there..

Peaceful protest

Mr. Iloegbunam commended the parents on their peaceful disposition, as well as the role their children played in foiling the kidnap attempt on the principal. He restated government's commitment to the issue of security, and cited the recent resolution of south east governors to clamp down on kidnappers in the region.

He also noted that as part of the state government's commitment to the safety of the citizenry, each of the communities in the state had recently been given a N500, 000 security vote.

He recalled that the government had also mandated town union leaders to take care of security in their domains or risk being removed.

Mr. Iloegbunam promised to channel their case to the state governor, Peter Obi, once he returned from his trip.

Academics are such an incomprehensible lot. As they sit in the classroom and reel out various normative theories, they make their students think that everything is that easy. They assume an indescribable air of infallibility as they criticise every government policy.

But whenever they cross over and join the government they leave you wondering if they were really the same people, who just months ago, were lambasting every government policy. We have had so many of such academics at the state and federal levels.

To be fair to them, some had found themselves in government and refused to change their principles, maintaining those high standards that made many of their students see them as role models.

For instance, there was a certain Professor Eme Awa (of blessed memory) who was appointed chairman of the then National Electoral Commission in the early 1990s by then military dictator, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. Being a man of proven integrity, Awa’s appointment was lauded by many Nigerians who knew him.

But Awa’s integrity, as later events proved, was only being used by the fox in power then to give credibility to his bogus transition programme. The old professor assumed office and was told to follow a script. But he refused to tow the line of the dictator and his cronies but instead resigned with his integrity intact.

Indeed, Awa must have remembered his students; those young men and women who saw him as a role model. He didn’t want to disappoint them and today, history is very fair to him.

Perhaps, that was why rgb(54, 99, 136);"">President Goodluck Jonathan told the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to remember his students while administering the oath of office on him and the commissioners of the electoral body.

The President said: “I was quite excited when people described you (Jega) as a radical and I am happy that a radical is going to INEC to do positive things and make sure that you don’t compromise that belief.

”Luckily, you are a professor of high repute; your students are all watching you whether you will stand by the principle you have been talking in the classroom. Your colleagues that you have left are also watching you.

That was a big challenge from the President. Indeed we have heard a lot about Jega’s radical tendencies; how as the President of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities during Babangida’s regime he challenged the dictator and pulled lecturers out of the classroom.

With such pedigree, he cannot afford to fail. Luckily, he is not a southerner like the President and as such, we are not expecting some southern ‘porapo’ camaraderie rather we are expecting him to be independent-minded and firm.

Thank goodness, Jega appears to understand the magnitude of his task, hence he said in his acceptance speech, “We also know that, to succeed in this assignment, we need the goodwill, support, cooperation and assistance of all stakeholders within our country and all friends of scroll 0% 0% transparent; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136);">Nigeria and its development partners globally.”

He said the new INEC was “willing and ready to partner with all stakeholders who are genuinely interested in contributing positively to bringing about free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria in 2011”, even as he acknowledged that, “ this assignment given to us is an enormous and profound challenging one.”

If the truth must be told, only the prof cannot give us credible elections as he needs the support of all stakeholders. But his demeanor and attitude , sooner or later,will surely reveal his intentions and dream for Nigeria.

However, it is now left to the acclaimed radical to maintain his integrity- like Awa- or enter that black book where history has consigned those who conspired with the authorities to give us execrable elections. He cannot escape it, for in less than 10 months we will surely know where his name will be found. .