Blog

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has apologised for causing the death of many people in the explosions which rocked the Federal capital yesterday.

In an email sent to journalists a moment ago, Jomo Gbomo, the spokesperson of the group, said the group "deeply regrets the avoidable loss of lives during our bomb attack in Abuja on Friday October 1, 2010. Our hearts go to the families of those killed who we know were sympathetic to our cause"..

The group said the failure of security forces to heed a warning it had given five days before the attack is responsible for the deaths

"The irresponsible attitude of the government security forces is to blame for the loss of lives. They were given 5 days prior notice which led to the harassment of Henry Okah on Thursday, September 30 in South Africa."

It also claimed that an hour before the attack, security forces were reminded of the impending violence but failed to act. It said the email received by journalists a few minutes before the explosions was sent only after the one to security agents.

"The security forces were also warned one full hour to the first bomb blast ahead of the general alert sent to the media and told to steer the public from all parked cars which was not done."

The group's claim of responsibility for the attacks is coming hours after President Goodluck Jonathan said they were not responsible and blamed the explosions on terrorists.

Mr. Jonathan told an ECOWAS gathering in Abuja today that ``What happened yesterday was a terrorist act and MEND was just used as a straw; MEND is not a terrorist group".

"The Niger Delta people are aware of the government's noble efforts to assuage the suffering and deprivation in that region," the President said.

"I am from the Niger Delta, my father's house is few metres from an oil-well, so nobody can claim to be a Niger Deltan than myself.

"It is erroneous to think that my people who have been agitating for good living will deliberately blow up the opportunity they have now".

In a related development, Henry Okah, an alleged leader of the militant group, was arrested by South African police today and is being questioned.

On Thursday, Interpol forces raided Mr Okah's home in South Africa but no action was taken against him. It is not clear yet if he will be charged following his latest arrest.

However, the group has exonerated him of involvement in Friday's bombings that killed at least 12 people and injured tens of others. "Okah has never been involved in any MEND operations but has always been blamed for every attack which is strange to us," the group said..

Summary:

In the United States, a new law proposal called The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) was introduced last week, andthere will be a hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee thisThursday.

If passed, this law will allow the government, under the command of themedia companies, to censor the internet as they see fit, like China andIran do, with the difference that the sites they decide to censor willbe completely removed from the internet and not just in the US.

Please see the following article from the Huffington Post for more information.

Stop the Internet Blacklist

And if you are a US citizen, please take the time to sign this petition
DemandProgress.org - Petition to Stop the Internet Blacklist!

When it really matters to them, Congressmembers can come together -- with a panache and wry wit you didn't know they had. As banned books week gets underway, and President Obama admonishes oppressive regimes for their censorship of the Internet, a group of powerful Senators --Republicans and Democrats alike -- have signed onto a bill that wouldvastly expand the government's power to censor the Internet.

The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act(COICA) was introduced just one week ago, but it's greased and ready tomove, with a hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee this Thursday.If people don't speak out, US citizens could soon find themselvesjoining Iranians and Chinese in being blocked from accessing broadchunks of the public Internet...

Help us stop this bill in its tracks! Click here to sign our petition.

COICA creates two blacklists of Internet domain names. Courts could addsites to the first list; the Attorney General would have control overthe second. Internet service providers and others (everyone from Comcastto PayPal to Google AdSense) would be required to block any domains onthe first list. They would also receive immunity (and presumably thegood favor of the government) if they block domains on the second list.

The lists are for sites "dedicated to infringing activity," but that'sdefined very broadly -- any domain name where counterfeit goods orcopyrighted material are "central to the activity of the Internet site"could be blocked.

One example of what this means in practice: sites like YouTube could becensored in the US. Copyright holders like Viacom often arguecopyrighted material is central to the activity of YouTube, but undercurrent US law, YouTube is perfectly legal as long as they take downcopyrighted material when they're informed about it -- which is whyViacom lost to YouTube in court.

But if COICA passes, Viacom wouldn't even need to prove YouTube is doinganything illegal to get it shut down -- as long as they can persuadethe courts that enough other people are using it for copyright infringement, the whole site could be censored.

Perhaps even more disturbing: Even if Viacom couldn't get a court tocompel censorship of a YouTube or a similar site, the DOJ could put iton the second blacklist and encourage ISPs to block it even without acourt order. (ISPs have ample reason to abide the will of the powerfulDOJ, even if the law doesn't formally require them to do so.)

COICA's passage would be a tremendous blow to free speech on the Internet -- and likely a first step towards much broader onlinecensorship. Please help us fight back: The first step is signing our petition. We'll give you the tools to share it with your friends and call your Senator.

The 15 kids of Abayi International School, Aba, who were kidnapped on Monday regained their freedom on the early hours of Friday morning after a military task force stormed the hideout of their abductors to flush them out.

The children were later taken to the state government house in a military bus belonging to the task force, "'Operation Restore Hope" They were still in the school uniform they wore when they were kidnapped five days ago.

State governor Theodore Orji told the leader of the military force, Johnson A. O Ochaga, a brigadier, that he was happy to receive the 15 kids who have been subjected to untold ordeal alive and in good shape . He said they would be given appropriate medical attention.

The children were rescued by the Force at Ngwaiyiekwe, a community where the kidnappers had taken them to after they were abducted

on their way to school. The Force on Thusday stormed Ugwati and Ogwe primary schools, both in Ukwa west local government, which the kidnappers had converted to their camp for their nefarious activities. The kidnappers had sacked the people of the communities, who abandoned their houses which the hoodlums then occupy to keep their victims..

Mr Ochaga said the force's next task is to work to encourage the fleeing residents to return to their homes.

He said his force were in the state to assist the police, stressing that the operation was continuous exercise that will continue until the kidnappers were flushed out.

‘My day is made," Mr Orji said. "I was wondering how I would have been standing at the podium in the stadium taking the anniversary salute when my children were under the kidnappers custody.'

He who thanked the president, Goodluck Jonathan and the chief of Army Staff for sending the military on the rescue mission to Abia state to effect the release of the kids. He also said his wife had already cancelled the children's party that would have been part of the golden jubilee celebration.

He said the kidnappers were not human beings and must receive the reward of their evil act in this world.

"God will surely visit them with evil for keeping this children in the bush and denying the warmth of their homes and parental care."

Mr Orji warned the criminals to leave the state as there is no more hiding place for them to operate, even as he warned those sponsoring them that their names were being compiled and that they must at the appropriate time face the wrath of the law. He revealed that the abandoned Army barracks at Ohafia have been reactivated and taken over again by soldiers . He also said the state government has prepared Asa High School, in the centre of the kidnapping prone areas, as a camp for soldiers.

Big relief

Commending the presence of the military, he said they have made the difference in the long battle against kidnapping in the state and promised that the state would sustain the peace and appealed to those that had fled Aba and the environ to return and continue their life.

The Proprietor of the school, Chidi Ikonne, a professor of English at the University of Port Harcourt, said the rescue of the pupils was a very big relief as he had been under trauma since the hostage drama started. "We thank all those who made their release possible," he said.

Mr Ikonne said he established the school to help the poor, stating that about 40 % of the population of the school are on scholarship as part of his desire effort help the poor.

One of the parents of the kids, who said four of her children were among those rescued, thanked God for an end to her nightmares. "The five days have been hell on earth," she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The children who looked frail, worn out and unkempt, drew tears from the eyes of many people who came to the government house to see them

Following an alleged intelligence report that there are planned attacks in Abuja by the popular militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), during the 50th anniversary celebrations, the Nigerian government allegedly prompted the South African Police to invade the Johannesburg home of Henry Okah, the leader of MEND, in the early hours of yesterday.

Sources who spoke in confidence with NEXT revealed that over 30 South African police officers smashed down Mr Okah’s doors and gained entry into his home at about 3am South African time, with sophisticated weapons in full display as well as about six sniffing dogs, at the instance of the federal government of Nigeria.

“We have been told that the Nigerian government informed the South African police that it is imperative that Mr Okah’s home is searched yesterday because they would find arms and explosives. The federal government has been sending spurious petitions to the South African government about Mr Okah, alleging all kinds of things..

“They said he is exporting arms and explosives from South Africa into Nigeria. But when the South African police invaded his home, they found nothing. Even with their sniffing dogs, they did not find anything,” a source said to NEXT yesterday in Abuja.

Reports have it that the search at Mr Okah’s home, which lasted for about 10 hours, from 3am till about 1pm, yielded neither explosives nor arms.

Ima Niboro, the spokesman for the federal government neither responded to the phone calls nor the text messages sent to him to make enquiries about the role of the presidency in the role.

Federal government’s gripe

Although the Umaru Yar’Adua led government released Mr Okah from a 13-month long detention and granted him amnesty in 2009, unconfirmed reports state that Mr Okah’s name has been placed on the INTERPOL red alert in Nigeria, in connection with arms and drug trafficking.

Emmanuel Ojukwu, the spokesman of the Nigerian Police, has denied any knowledge of the raid. Mr Ojukwu, who told NEXT in Abuja that he is also the spokesman for the INTERPOL in Nigeria, said that he was unaware that Mr Okah’s name had been placed on red alert by the INTERPOL.

“I have no information. I am not aware of that. I speak for the Nigerian police and the INTERPOL and I am not aware of either the invasion or any red alert,” Mr Ojukwu said in a telephone interview.

Mr Okah, in response, said that he was unshaken but that he was upset that his children were frightened by the police officers who tore down their bedroom doors and barged into their rooms with rifles.

“I am not surprised by the federal government’s actions. What I am surprised at is that the South African government would allow themselves to be used by Nigerians. I am, however, not moved by whatever means the government is trying to use to intimidate me. I am constantly fighting against the oppression of my people in the Niger Delta,” Mr Okah said in a statement obtained by NEXT.

Joy was written on every face, when Mrs. Fidelia James gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. But she will never cuddle the bundle of joy that she had carried for nine months before delivery.

Like an adage says: ‘There’s many a slip, between the cup and the lip.’ The joy that welcomed the baby lasted for just a moment, as the mother started bleeding profusely, until she died, right under the nose of a male nurse at a private hospital in Lagos.

Mrs. James’s death on August 22, brought deep sorrow to her husband and family members.

They cried endlessly, and it was hard to comfort them because the baby is the late woman’s first child.

As the family was grieving, the husband was preparing for a showdown with doctors at the hospital, who couldn’t prevent what appeared to him as a preventable death.

The staff of Testimony Medical Centre and Maternity Home, at Ejigbo, Lagos, where the 28-year-old woman put to bed, said that she died as a result of the loss of blood.

But the victim’s family argued that she died due to the hospital’s negligence.

As far as the victim’s husband is concerned, the hospital killed his wife, because the doctor left his job for a male nurse to handle.

But the hospital management has documents to prove the cause of the woman’s death.

One of the documents states: "The primary cause of death, stated on her death Certificate, was Primary PPH (Postpartum Haemorrhage; meaning excessive bleeding occurring after child delivery), while the secondary cause was DIC (Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation; a situation where her blood was not clotting.)

The husband, Mr. Dickson James, questioned the competence of the male nurse, who handled his late wife.

According to him, since his wife died, the hospital, where she attended ante-natal for six months was yet to tell him what actually led to her death, or the cause of the sudden excessive bleeding.

James said: "Since the day my wife died, there has been this uncaring attitude from the hospital management.

"They only gave me a death certificate, but nobody has given me any useful information or made me to see reasons why she started bleeding or what really happened."

The Nigerian Compass spoke with the Medical Director, Mr. Tiamiyu Bello, who is also the resident doctor.

He explained that Mrs. James’ medical history showed that there was no sign of complications, when examined during her ante-natal days.

Bello further explained that he works only on week days and at weekends, he travels, leaving the male nurse, Mr. Toyin Obafemi to handle the hospital. Obafemi is a registered nurse said Bello.

He said: "When Mrs. James was admitted on that Saturday, she was not yet in full labour. It was around midnight that Mr. Obafemi called me, while I was in far away Osun State, to say that she had given birth, but was bleeding. He said that she had a little tear at the virginal, which had been stitched. Mr. Obafemi told me that he had checked all the edges of the uterus and there was no tear there, yet the bleeding did not stop.

"He said the blood was coming from the raw surface of the uterus, which is the place in which the placenta was implanted. When the placenta is removed after delivery, the place might be raw."

Obafemi on his part told the Nigerian Compass that Mrs. James was given Ergometrin twice to stop the bleeding, and a Pitocin drip was further given to contract the uterus to stop the bleeding, but all efforts failed.

At that point, Obafemi asked Mrs. James’ parents who were at the hospital with her to go and look for blood for the woman.

He said: "I called the relatives and told the mother that definitely we will need some pints of blood. Unfortunately, the General hospital was on strike. They tried to get blood from some laboratories, but couldn’t. It was at that point that we decided to try another private facility nearby. The facility has a blood bank. It was on their way to the hospital that the woman died."

A medical practitioner, who spoke with the Nigerian Compass, on condition of anonymity, said that a resident doctor was expected to know the numbers of government designated blood banks that operate 24 hours across the state.

When asked why he did not call the emergency services to ensure that blood was provided, Obafemi said only his boss had the numbers of the blood banks.

Bello, on the other hand, said that the 24-hour blood banks only work in theory.

His words: "People say the blood banks work 24 hours, but unfortunately, they don’t work at midnight. In this area, if a person is here between 7 and 8p.m, I can get a lab that will get blood. But 9 to 10 and 11p.m even the General hospitals would just say the lab man is not around. And at that midnight time, it can be pretty difficult."

James questioned the competence of Obafemi, who stood in for the Medical Director of the hospital to undertake the baby’s delivery, after he found out that he is just a nurse and not a doctor.

Obafemi, in his own defence, said: "I went to school of nursing in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. Right now, I’m a registered nurse, which guarantees I have the qualification to take delivery. I’m also trained in a basic life support."

Bello, in his own reaction, said that he had always felt comfortable letting Obafemi take delivery of babies since he employed him in November 2009.

He added: "A registered nurse should be able to handle that. He has been delivering babies every time. Even after this James’ case, he had delivered more than two or three babies; except for surgical cases, which are when I’m called?"

The medical director also admitted that he had not reached out to the victim’s family on the assumption that the family had gone to the village to bury their dead. He however promised to pay them a condolence visit.

Eighty-one percent of eligible Nigerians are willing to vote in forthcoming elections, according to a poll released yesterday.

The poll, ‘Current Pulse of Nation’s Survey’, carried out on topical national issues, sampled 5000 respondents, aged 18 years and above, from across the country.

‘Current Pulse of Nation’s Survey’ is conducted by Research and Marketing Services (RMS), an affiliate of TNS Global, a market research company and Gallup International’s representative in the country.

Adeola Tejumola, the CEO of the company, during a press briefing to announce the statistics, said the polls was centred on the forthcoming general elections because it is the most topical issue as the country celebrates its 50th Independence Day Anniversary..

‘More Nigerians will vote next year’

Mr. Tejumola said the reason for the high figure could probably be attributed to the “one man, one vote campaign”, or INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) administration suddenly improved, or just a reflection of the governance of the day.” “The challenges people raise concern for the most were the epileptic power supply, the increasing crime rate, coupled with the regular kidnapping going on, and corruption continues to rank high on the list,” he said. “For me, the fact that people are beginning to be aware that corruption is an issue, that they acknowledge that it does exist and the need to eradicate corruption in itself, is welcoming news.”

Another problem identified as major by the respondents, were low education quality and poor state of basic facilities.

Only 35 percent of the respondents were, however, confident that the forth coming elections will be free and fair, with half of the respondents expressing concerns about the success of the elections, in spite of the 81 percent willing to vote.

Aggrey Maposa, the company’s chief operating officer (COO), said the difference shows that people think the election process has improved, “though not yet perfect.” “Compared with the previous challenges that INEC used to have, people have seen improvements in the process of the elections. Even though, they understand that the process is not yet perfect, they are willing to vote and express their opinion,” he said.

‘Poor power is killing businesses’

Mr. Tejumola also said 81 percent of Nigeria’s eligible voters support President Goodluck Jonathan’s candidature in the race, noting that the polls was conducted before the presidential aspirants announced to run for office. “But it’s not just one-sided; if 81 percent are saying that President Jonathan should run, in the same report, 54 percent are saying they are not happy with the crime rate, 24 percent are saying that corruption is killing them, and 67 percent are saying that the epileptic power supply is killing their business,” he added.

The report also states that 63 percent of Nigerians will consider character in voting for a presidential candidate, while 33 percent would consider political affiliation. Thirty-one percent will consider political ideology and 27 percent will put the content of the manifesto ahead of other things. The poll also shows a slight popularity advantage for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), going into the next elections, while Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) had marginal drops in the number of respondents planning to vote for them.

Mr. Tejumola, however, advised presidential aspirants to consider Nigerians’ expectations going into the next elections. “Expectations of Nigerians include generation of employment opportunities, dependable electricity to drive national development, poverty eradication and free qualitative education, amongst others; a serious government would want to concentrate on doing these things for the people,” he said.

Mr. Tejumola also said the research was carried out by the company as “its Corporate Social Responsibility”, and promised that the company will continue to sample public opinion on “topical issues affecting the nation.”

Aba, the economic nerve centre of Abia State, is almost a ghost of itself with schools and banks closed, as the siege on the city and its adjoining local governments by kidnappers, continue. There is growing uncertainty over the early release of the 15 school children abducted on Monday on their way to school..

The Abia state Commissioner of Police, Jonathan Johnson, however, said the closure of banks was a panic measure that did not reflect the real security situation in the city, adding that there were enough security personnel posted to each of the banks in the city.

Throughout the metropolis, as well as the Ogbor hill and Umungasi areas of Aba, there is a near absence of school buses that usually run through the streets to pick school children, and the few that were seen were without pupils, as their parents were afraid of sending them to school. Virtually every private school in the city has voluntarily closed.

There were also no march past rehearsals in the schools that were open as was the case in most of the schools last week, in preparation for our nations golden jubilee celebration.

One of the proprietors of the schools visited, who closed her school yesterday, said it was sad that the government has shown no commensurate interest in the safety of the kids the same way they did when the four journalists were kidnapped. She expressed wonder that the government could not buy tracking equipment for the police since they know that kidnapping in Aba has become endemic and sophisticated, rather than engaging in an amnesty that will not work, as the kidnappers are mere criminals who might not embrace the programme.

“This amnesty thing will not work. These are armed robbers who are into kidnapping because it is an easier way of picking their millions without sweat,” she said.

Fighting talk

Meanwhile, the heavy presence of soldiers was noticed in Aba on Thursday, especially along the Port Harcourt Express Road, an indication that the government might possibly go on the offensive against the hoodlums.

In a broadcast to the state, the governor, Theodore Orji, assured the parents of the kidnapped children that his administration, in conjunction with the federal government, was doing everything in their power to ensure that the young victims are released quickly and safely to rejoin their parents, teachers and friends.

He emphasised that his government is determined to stop this trend of kidnapping in Abia State. “Despite attempts to build a theory of intentions around the incidents of kidnapping in Abia State, our view now is that these kidnappers are not reacting to any realistic issues that are of utmost importance to their societies or to the state,” he said.

“These kidnappers are mere gold diggers, whose resolution and trade ambition is to make easy money and to secure the betterment of themselves alone, and so the government will not allow a few disgruntled elements in criminal garb to hold the entire state hostage. Government has been challenged, and we have decided to take the utmost measure available to implement the might and weight of government’s forces.”

Meanwhile, the police have raided the camps of some suspected kidnappers in Ukwa West area of the state. However, the kidnappers had escaped before the arrival of the police.

The Mayor of the City of Cleveland, Frank G. Jackson, has declared October 1, 2010, as the Nigerian-American Day in the city. The Mayor made the proclamation to mark the celebration of the golden jubilee anniversary of Nigeria’s independence.

In a statement announcing the declaration, Mr. Jackson remarked that the proclamation is also a recognition of the contributions of Nigerians ( about 10, 000 Nigerian-Americans) living in the Greater Cleveland, most of whom are professionals in the field of medicine, science, engineering, academia, and business men and women..

“On behalf of the citizens of the City of Cleveland, I am honoured to offer the proclamation designating October 1, 2010, as Nigerian-American Day in the City of Cleveland,” he declared.

In another development, the Congress woman, representing 11th District Ohio, Marcia Fudge, will be the keynote speaker at the event scheduled by the Nigerian community in Greater Cleveland to celebrate the anniversary.

Part of this year’s independence celebration includes the extension of scholarship awards to Nigerians and Americans in Greater Cleveland, display of Nigeria’s cultural heritage and artefacts such as Nigerian dances and masquerades, which will include the Eyo festival masquerade, Ekwe dance, and Abang dance groups.

The fight between two brothers, Olubukola Foresythe and Adetunji Wright has made the elder one to loose his ear to the younger one who allegedly bites off his ear during a scuffle.

P.M.NEWS gathered that the quarrel was over the sale of the property their late mother left for them at 1, Old Yaba Road, Adekunle, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria.

It was learnt, Olubukola, the younger of the two brothers suggested that the building be sold for he intended to use the proceeds to start a new life.

His elder brother Adetunji disagreed. The argument degenerated into a scuffle during which Olubukola reportedly chopped off Adetunji’s ear. Neighbours came to his rescue as blood was gushing out of the wound.

The police from Adekunle police division later arrested Olubukola. After investigation, he was arraigned before the Igbosere Magistrate’s court, Lagos on a one-count charge of assault occasioning bodily harm.

The police said the offence is punishable under section 335 of the Criminal Code Cap 17, Vol.11 Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

When the charge was read to him, Olubukola Foresythe pleaded not guilty.

The presiding magistrate admitted him to bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in the like sum.

The case has been adjourned till 15 November, 2010 for mention.

Girl-29

When Martha Godwin, daughter of a soldier, popularly called Barrack girl, met Mohammed Erena, England-based Master’s degree student and son of a prominent politician in Niger State, she felt God had finally answered her prayers of providing her with a husband that would pull her family out of poverty.

Her dream was however short lived as her efforts to dump her former commercial motorcyclist popularly called okada, boyfriend had led to the death of Umar, the rider, who was allegedly murdered alongside his friend, Sunday, by the new ‘been-to’ boyfriend, who felt insulted by the deceased’s audacity to challenge him over Martha.

Mohammed, who is now answering charges of murder at a Minna High Court had arrived Nigeria to spend his short vacation with his kith and kin. His plan was to go back to England at the end of the holiday to defend his Master’s thesis.

Daily Sun learnt that on the fateful night, Mohammed had taken his lover, Martha, to a joint along David Mark Road in Minna. After cooling off at the drinking spot, Mohammed felt the urge to retire home with his ‘Juliet’ and were in the process of discussing the terms when Umar arrived on his bike, possibly for the same purpose as Mohammed’s.

For the two Romeos to a Juliet, the die was cast! It did not take Martha one second to decide whether to go with the man with Mercedes Benz or the man with okada. Martha jumped into Mohammed’s car and they sped off.

Umar, who was determined not to let go that easily, also jumped on his bike and with his friend, pursued Mohammed and Martha until they double-crossed him.

Mohammed was said to have been halted while Umar accosted him on why he should speed off with his lover.
As the argument raged, Mohammed was said to have jumped into his car, engaged the reverse gear and crushed his rival and his friend Sunday. In order to be sure of a mission accomplished, Mohammed was said to have driven over the duo a second time. They were left to die in the pool of their own blood.

Satisfied with his task, Mohammed allegedly sped off, leaving Martha behind at the death spot.
Residents of the area and some passers-by raised the alarm. Martha, who stood in disbelief over what had happened became the target of the angry crowd. She was arrested and handed over to the police
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Michael Zoukumor, who paraded the suspect before journalists in his office, said the accused was tracked down through his lover girl.

Mohammed, however, denied having a hand in the killing of the duo. Sobbing profusely as he narrated his innocence to journalists, Mohammed said he was only in Nigeria for a short break and almost set to go back to England to defend his thesis to accomplish his Master’s degree programme.
He, however, admitted ownership of the car which he said was damaged during the recent unrest of students of College of Education, Minna which they (students) agreed to repair.