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kokomansion winner Bolanle

Posted by NollywoodMohits on August 16, 2009 at 11:00pm

I know she is now into limelight,i will feature her on my blog personally soon,watch out.Surprise Surprise!!! Bolanle Okhiria is the Ideal Kokolette. In an unexpected turn of things Bolanle Okhiria, a 21 year old student of Lagos State University, was selected as the Ideal Kokolette in Dbanj's hit show Koko Mansion. The final 4 contestants, Rita, Shona, Chidinma, and winner Bolanle were voted on in the final show. In Bolanle's words, "I waited for so long for that call, and when it finally came through I was too excited to believe it was real – I had to tell the producers to prove to me that it wasn’t some kind of a joke." Bolanle walks away from the show with a brand new car, 5 million Naira, and a Chris Aire diamond ring. I'm guessing the car will finally make her learn how to driveFan favorite Rita Igbinedion Isoken, came in at a close second in the final poll results, losing to the winner by 1460 votes. Here are the final poll results:# Bolanle wins with 11,933 votes# Rita - 10,473 votes# Shona - 2,292 votes# Chidinma - 918 votesCongratulations to Bolanle, and kudos to all the contestants that were on the show. Koko Mansion definitely spiced up Naija television. So what do you think of the winner, and the show in general?

Weboga Ebiz Analysis :Zenith Visa Prepaid Credit Cards how effective and cheap are they

Posted by 9jabook.com on August 16, 2009 at 10:00pm

99.9percent fraud proof ! hmmm that is one we have to watch carefully The Zenith Bank Visa Prepaid card offers you the recognition of a globally accepted payment card with the convenience of a prepaid card.

Limit the Risk ...because it accommodates low card limit and eliminates overspending. The Visa Prepaid Card A Visa Card Prepaid Account is your solution to securely make your transactions via ATMs, POS, Internet and MO/TO. For just $20 a year(NOT TRUE there are other fees per transaction ) the Visa prepaid is the solution to most of your global payment needs. Simply pay at any Zenith Bank Branch and a Visa Prepaid card will be issued in your name with a limit of your choice. Alternatively, you can pick up a Zenith Buxz non-personalized prepaid card. Visa Prepaid Card Features: Visa Card Brand Not a c.r.e.d.it Card Use on ATMs, POS, Internet and MO/TO Card-to-card transfer Receive SMS/email notification for every transaction No c.r.e.d.it checks required Re-loadable to your desired limit not exceeding $4,000 per quarter after the initial deposit Online access to your account - No statements to be issued The prepaid cards can be personalized or non-personalized Chip and pin functionality for additional security Note: Ensure terms & conditions are clearly understood before obtaining a prepaid card. means READ IT WELL WELL ! EASE : How to Obtain a Prepaid Card: Application forms are available at all Zenith Bank branches Applicant completes application form, read the terms and conditions carefully, signs and submits to Customer Service Applicant makes the applicable cash payment to the Teller using the customized deposit slip (available at Branches) Take copy of your deposit slip to Customer Service for processing. Initial deposit is $120(roughly about15,000naira) ((exclusive of card fees) Card is activated within 24 hours after receipt of card. Activating a Visa Prepaid Card: Allow 24 hours from time of collection card activation to take effect (be prepared to wait ) Re-loading a Visa Prepaid Card: Go to any Zenith Bank branch with your Card Number. Complete fully the Prepaid deposit slip and proceed to the teller point with your cash. Your card will be re-c.r.e.d.ited within 48 hours. (Usually would be less). Charge per re-load is $5. For further enquiries on any of our ebusiness services please contact: Card Services Zenith Bank Plc Plot 84 Ajose Adeogun Street Victoria Island, Lagos. Telephone: +234 01 278 1740, 278 2273. Fax: +234 1 2700438 E-mail: cardservices@zenithbank.com When using the prepaid on an internet Site, the delivery of the goods to your indicated address on the Merchant site is at the Merchant's discretion. You are encouraged to ensure that the mailing address used for this application should be used also as your shipping address when shopping on the internet with your card. My advice is to use it only for services and downloadable goods as most international merchants reject physical goods deliveries to ?Naija ! Also there is news on the gravepine that Zenith might join the Lamido Purge Wagon with Oceanic and Co. Our Rating 6/10 ps if you need a visa prepaid card (purchases between 20- 120pounds only 5,000 naira -26,000naira) email 9jabook's card service visacard@systemini.net for more information

Breaking News: Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola Reconcile!!!

Posted by 9jabook.com on August 16, 2009 at 9:19am

It has been the most famous duel in Nigerian corporate history, and it is ending with what may be the most famous reconciliation. Bosom enemies; Bitter friends, Huhuonline.com can authoritatively report that Nigeria’s richest duo; Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Chief Femi Otedola have decided to bury the hatchet, untangling the love-hate relationship between the two oligarchs that has brought their financial empires to the brink of total ruin.

The reconciliation, at the instance of Nduka Obaigbena, Editor-in-Chief and Chairman/CEO of This Day newspaper followed months of tortuous negotiations as friends of the two erstwhile billionaires battled desperately to reconcile the two men in the wake of a campaign of vilification and personal destruction waged by their surrogates in the media. Sure, it has been a harrowing storm which left several casualties in its wake. Even President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua could not have been indifferent. In one of several efforts to break the ice, Yar’Adua directed his predecessor; Obasanjo to get the duo involved in a Nigerian delegation to canvass foreign investments in the UK. During the said meeting, the two men refused to shake hands. In appearances before the House of Representatives Committee on Capital Market investigating the AP shares scam, the two men were “forced to shake hands and refer to each other as “my brother” but reconciliation remained elusive. It has taken a lot of water going under the bridge and the unbending resolve of personal friends like Nduka to broker a peace deal between the two men. Now therefore, is no time to discount the dangers that still exist. But opening your mind to optimism can help you seize the opportunities ahead In the darkest hours of the bitter and sometimes acrimonious schism between Dangote and Otedola, Nduka Obaigbena found reason - even if unfounded - for hope that the two erstwhile friends could be reconciled. And he spared no effort working behind the scenes, using personal communication channels to reach out and bridge the gap of animosity between the two men. Yesterday’s breakfast at his Lagos residence was the climax of all his efforts. A source close to Nduka told HuhuonIine.com that “I don't expect all the hard feelings to disappear overnight, nor do I believe that all the wounds and scars will suddenly vanish. But I do believe that if the two men can talk to one another openly and honestly, then perhaps old rifts will start to mend and new partnerships will begin to emerge that will crowd out the destructive forces of zealotry and make room for the healing power of understanding. This is my hope. This is my prayer.” Distrustful of each other's intentions yet longing at some level to reconcile, neither Dangote nor Otedola knows how this story will end. But the least common denominator of the dynamics of this crisis that has made screaming media headlines and caused Otedola his place on the Forbes list of billionaires made reconciliation more than just a compelling commonsense imperative. If anything, it has been a race to the bottom of mutually assured destruction that spell doomed for their business interests and the Nigerian economy. Anatomy of a Schism No one is very certain when the personal war started, but the friendship between the two men came under unusual strain when billionaire industrialist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, noted for his near monopoly in the sugar and cement business in Nigeria, decided to step into Chief Femi Otedola's equally near monopolistic oil, albeit diesel, turf using a consortium that included his family investment firm, MRS Holdings, managed by his cousin, Sayyu Dantata to outbid Otedola's company to take over Chevron's investment in Texaco’s local and West African downstream operations. MRS reportedly paid $1 billion for Chevron's West Africa division, as against Otedola's $200 million for the Nigerian operations. It is alleged in Otedola's camp that Dangote broke a gentleman's agreement that the duo should not stray into each other's main area of operation. Corlay Global SA, a Panamanian company owned by an African consortium, comprising Dantata's MRS Holdings and Petroci Holdings, won the bid. Otedola's Zenon had over time, mopped up 22% equity of Texaco on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, in preparation to taking control of the oil firm's majority shares. But that was not enough to upstage Dantata, who eventually acquired 60% shares by out-bidding him. Reports had it that a dissatisfied Otedola had to no avail, approached Dangote, as a friend and cousin to Dantata, to intervene in the matter, interpreting MRS' bid as a challenge, especially as Dangote is said to control 80% of its equity. A source alleged that Otedola was piqued that he had been confiding in Dangote of his plans to take over Chevron, not knowing that his friend actually planned to beat him to it through his cousin. He was said to have felt betrayed by Dangote's intent and approached a court to thwart the sale of Chevron's Texaco stakes to MRS. To prove his ability to fight back, the diesel magnate allegedly launched into Dangote's enclaves of cement and sugar business. Otedola got an injunction from a Nigerian court to block the sale, alleging that the new owner would be taking on too much debt and could end up cutting jobs. But Chevron fought back, describing the injunction as political and invalid, being registered and taxed in Bermuda. In February, an appellate judge modified, but still upheld the ban. Further to his move into Dangote's fiefdom, Otedola declared plans to invest $2 billion in sugar and cement production; just a day after Chevron sealed the deal regarding the sale of its Nigerian downstream operations to MRS. In November, the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Nigeria's securities regulatory agency, froze the assets of African Petroleum (AP), for which Otedola accused Dangote. All of a sudden, the shares of AP started plunging on the floor of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), following share movements or what capital market operators call crossing. AP shares lost over 80% value in a space of about eight weeks, prompting the oil firm to place advertorials in several Nigerian mainstream newspapers, accusing companies owned by Dangote and broker, Nova Finance and Securities of share manipulation. AP, in the advertorials signed by its management, accused companies affiliated to Dangote, and Nova of engaging in "certain unwholesome and unethical activities." The management of AP attributed the share value deflation to the ongoing feud between Dangote and its chairman, Otedola. At its peak, AP shares sold for N239, but fell below N60 per share during the period. In February last year, a report by Forbes, which only a few weeks back rated Otedola as the second Nigerian, behind Dangote, on its world billionaires' list, stated that Otedola’s fortune was down to approximately $500 million, from $1.2 billion. The rift also took a toll on Nova, which was suspended and fined by the SEC. The regulatory agency said Nova breached SEC's regulation that precludes dealing members from creating a false market on a specific security to effect a change in its share price. The SEC equally fined AP N300, 000 for the advertorials alleging manipulation of its shares, rather than first reporting the matter to it. Mr. Musa Al-Faki, the Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) resigned his appointment. But Dangote (who then doubled as NSE vice president) and his associates frowned at the continuing AP advertorials, which came despite the pronouncement by the NSE sanctioning AP for the initial ones and ordering immediate cessation of the publication. The feud came to a head when Otedola petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing Dangote of using his firm, Novas Securities, to crash AP shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Dangote was reportedly quizzed by the EFCC on account of that petition. Not long after, some advertorials accusing Otedola of manipulating Dangote shares also surfaced. Penultimate week, Prize Communications, a media consultant to Otedola’s business interests was dragged before a Lagos court on a four-count charge of libel, defamation and likely breach of peace, by the police at Dangote’s instance over the Facts Magazine publication. Dangote had complained that the publication damaged his person and businesses. Last week, he similarly instituted a N1billion suit against National LIFE for publishing materials he considered “injurious” to him. A group under the aegis of Committee for the Defense of Justice and Advancement (CODJA), in an advertorial signed by one Bamidele Sanya, expressed concern over the worries of some stakeholders of AP regarding the share value deflation. AP shares were placed on technical suspension, following its public offer for an unusually long period of nine months. During this time, the global economic crisis struck and investors were unable to realize the substantial gains they made as the price was rising. The Committee for the Defense of Justice and Advancement noted that, between January 16 and February 10, AP shares fell from N298.98 to N216.13, a drop of N77.85, representing over 26%. During this period, Nova did not conduct any transactions involving AP shares, insisting that the price fell with no involvement or activity by Nova on the stock. The group further stated that during the period Nova actively traded AP stock, the price fell by a further 33 per cent, from N105.45 to N69.99 and that there were a total of 132 transactions on AP shares during that period, most of which did not involve Nova. It contended that in comparison with the rest of the industry, AP's share price declined by 82% while the average price drop of other oil marketing companies - Chevron (76.6%) Oando (63.9%) and Total (51.5%) - over the same period was 65% against an overall NSE index reduction of 53.2%. It reckoned: "Despite experiencing significantly more volatility than its peers, due to the company's recent equity offering and change in free float, AP's performance from January 2007 to date is fundamentally in line with its peers… It is disingenuous of AP to cry wolf when it feels it is the victim of stock decline, but to feel it is perfectly acceptable for the stocks to rise astronomically.” "In other words, AP shares have performed in line with the market and the alleged manipulation that took place would have been counter-productive in the extreme, if intended to willfully force the fall in AP's share price, the market would have done the job on behalf of the alleged perpetrators, with or without illicit action." It then wondered what the motivation was behind AP's decision to make public the allegations and "to willfully and knowingly violate NSE rules and regulations itself in the process. Has the Management of AP just woken to the realization of its duty to always inform its shareholders about the true position of things relating to the company?" They therefore urged the management of AP to desist from peddling half-truths concerning the decline of its shares value and attributing it to the seeming disagreement between its boss, Otedola, and Dangote. All Roads lead to Otta Seen to share a common belief of reducing poverty in Nigeria through their companies, the rift between the two men could not have been settled without input from Otta, the Ogun State abode of their godfather, Olusegun Obasanjo. During the administration of former President Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007, Dangote, then a commodities trader, secured near-monopolies in cement, sugar and salt supplies, which he used to transform his import-export firm, Dangote Group, into a manufacturing conglomerate. About the same time, Otedola, son of former Lagos State governor, Sir Michael Otedola, who was managing his family's business, launched Zenon Petroleum in 1999 and almost immediately took monopolistic control of the diesel business, allegedly with the tacit backing of Obasanjo. The two had substantial chunk of government-divested interests when the Obasanjo government off-loaded state-owned companies and corporations and were members of the board of a key government-business committee. In 2007, Dangote and Otedola floated a consortium, Blue Star oil Services Limited, with which they bided and finally bought the Port Harcourt and Kaduna Refineries, although it was later alleged that Otedola's name was conspicuously missing in the firm's board of directors. A price war was expected when Zenon products arrive in the markets. Incidentally, Dangote applied the same strategy when he made his entry into the salt, sugar and cement markets. Otedola allegedly pumped huge sums of money into the building of his sugar refinery and cement factories. He became the chairman and chief executive of AP in September 2007 when he acquired 12.5% of its shares. His Zenon bought over most of the 28% Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) stake in the firm. Over the last 10 years, the bond of friendship between Dangote and Otedola was strengthened by a string of business partnerships, some overt, others clandestine, especially in oil deals, with the support of Obasanjo, believed to be their common godfather. In April last year, on the eve of Obasanjo's exit from Aso Rock, the duo formed Blue Star Oil Services consortium to buy 51% controlling shares in the 210,000 bpd capacity Port Harcourt and 110,000 bpd Kaduna refineries for $721million.The sale generated so much public outcry, particularly concerning its alleged undervaluation and circumstances, coming barely a few days to the end of the administration that the new government of Yar'Adua had to cancel the deal two months after assuming office. Dangote and Otedola contributed substantially to the financing of Obasanjo's election in 1999, doling out about N150 million. In return, they were rewarded with juicy deals, especially in the lucrative oil and gas business. From then on, they became not just the country's denominating factors in the economy, but also virtually had their way in any business they cared to dabble into. Some other businessmen saw them as merely being favored by the former President, even against all odds, while others believed they were mere fronts. For Obasanjo's re-election bid, when the funds seemed to be drying up, Dangote and Otedola readily came to the rescue, pumping in billions of naira into the project, realizing its worth. They were visible and donated heavily towards the Obasanjo Presidential Library project in Abeokuta, Ogun State. It is alleged that they even provided financial backing for the infamous Third Term project aimed at extending Obasanjo's tenure beyond 2007. Within the Nigerian business circles, it is alleged that the duo benefited more than anybody else from the Obasanjo administration, especially in the importation of petroleum products and cement, a major component in the building and construction industry. When the federal government's controlling stake in AP came up for grabs in 2006, after it had been taken away from Chief Peter Okocha's Sadiq Enterprises, following the discovery of some hidden liabilities to the NNPC at the point of sale by BPE, billionaire investor and chief executive of Global Fleet Oil and Gas, Chief Jimoh Ibrahim was said to have moved to purchase the stakes by allegedly issuing a cheque for N18.5billion to the NNPC for the purpose. But Obasanjo thwarted this attempt and had it sold to Otedola for about N17billion, N1.5billion less than what Ibrahim offered. Otedola soon increased AP's operations remarkably, just as the firm's stock rose to a peak of N293, making it one of the most priced in the country. But it nose-dived as the personality fight raged. To many Nigerians, the fight of these two elephants was just another bad deal gone sour between two friends. But being two major investors in Nigeria, whose stake in the economy is enormous, the fight between them spelt danger for the Nigerian economy, considering that others have stakes in their companies too.

X FILES naija style : Strange birth in Kano: Owner of mystery goat that gave birth to human-like creature recounts experience

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on August 16, 2009 at 8:33am

Sauna Kawaji is a backside suburb situated on the road to Hadejia town, in the southern end of the ancient city of Kano. It has a number of tiny roads and interlocking lanes that network across a number of unevenly situated mud, and sometimes, block of residential buildings.The mystery goat and its new babies

advertisementThe compounds host an expanding population of men, women and children.It is normal to see kids playing away in the early morning sun in this neighbourhood. Also, it is normal to see goats loitering or feeding on scattered grains, just as cows are regular feature here. Indeed, human population in this tiny town is intermixed with the population of other domestic species, such as fowls, goats, sheep and cows.However, it could be said that the innocence of the community was figuratively broken on Thursday, August 6, 2009 when a strange “August visitor” came. On that day, a mystery crept into the community and shook it to its very roots. It was the day a she -goat gave birth to a “child” with obvious human features.For the villagers, the story of a she-goat giving birth to a creature with some features of normal human being is incredible. Yet, right before their very eyes, this concrete reality, played out like a script from a horror film.According to a tailor in the community, Alhaji Bashir Haruna, (alias Soldier), 47, that Thursday, like any other day, he woke up with the normal bustling of a new day in a small town. He said that people went about their businesses without constraint or care. The hustling of the day was rather very alive, activated due to the delegate congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.He recalled that many people had come home from the city to be part of the congress. Then the news broke: A goat has delivered a semi-human being.Haruna, who resides just a stone throw from the scene of the episode told Saturday Sun that soon after the strange incident, the news to spread like wild fire. And before long, it was everywhere.The owner of the mystery goat, Hajia Amina Mohammed Sauna, confirmed the birth of the creature, which she quickly declared was dead at birth.She said that the unusual creature was delivered at about 12pm on that Thursday, adding that all her life she had never encountered such a strange happening.Being the guardian of the she-goat and the first witness of the rather strange recourse of nature, she recalled that the she-goat, through out her lifespan, had never had such a prolonged labour.She said: “For four days, she was very sick. We all had sleepless nights trying to fend for the goat, to cope with her trouble, night after night. And it was like it would never end. And on the night before that Thursday, it was worst, the tumbling stress of labour was severe on her and at about 12pm the following day, she finally came off it and delivered.“I was nearby at the time she delivered. I was the first to come face to face with the creature. I was shocked and I was shaken. I was afraid. I could not believe my eyes. Here I was, an old woman standing face to face, taking delivery of a human-like goat, a creature I had never imagined was possible in this world. I immediately screamed, partly out of fear and shock and thereafter I said a quick prayer (Muslims recitation) and then dashed out of the house to call for help.“Right before my eyes, I saw a creature with the following features: The face is that of a human being, but the ears are that of a goat. Its eyes were shut because it was lifeless at birth. It has a small tail, like a normal goat and both its two legs and hands have hoofs at the end. But from the chest to the hip, the body of the creature was that of a human being. Interestingly, it does have the usual hairy body of a normal goat, just light hairs in some part of the body.”According to her, when the people gathered, it was agreed that such a strange encounter must be reported to the village head of Sauna/Kawaji, Alhaji Ado Umar. So, she called two other relatives who were around and they took the creature to the village head, who advised that they should immediately report the matter to the Police in the state.Subsequently, they took the creature, accompanied by a mammoth crowd of curious onlookers to the Dakata Police Station, a division of the Police in the state. She revealed that the decision to report the matter to the police was out of the need to avoid a situation where they, the immediate owners of the goat, would be held for the failure to report matter to the police.Incidentally, while the creature was being taken to the police station, the mother goat, which was yet to finally come out of labour, completed her assignment. She delivered yet another set of babies, two of them in all. These additional babies were however, different from the creature that preceded their birth. They looked like the normal goats and had no features of a human being at all.Alhaji Mazzadeen Ibrahim, (alias Officer) said that the mammoth crowd that turned up with the strange creature to the police station, that afternoon, at about 3pm, was overwhelming.Mazzadeenn, who runs a mechanic workshop in front of the Dakata divisional police station, told Saturday Sun that the crowd overwhelmed the station by its size. He recalled that people poured in hundreds from Sauna and neighbouring towns, adding that while some people were inside the police station compound, others scaled the fence.“It was not easy, but I was lucky to have gone inside and I saw it. They brought it in cartoon, wrapped in an old black coat,” he said while confirming the earlier description of the features of the strange creature.He recalled that the creature had a human vagina, a human face and a goat-like hoof and ears. He summed up thus: “All my life, I have never seen anything close to this. The nearest that I have seen was a goat with eight legs at birth and that was five years ago.”The police DPO, it was gathered, was speechless and shocked by what he saw. After due consultation with his superiors at the Bompai headquarters of the command, he referred the matter to a vet clinic in Ugwar Ugwu area of the state.At the vet clinic, the doctor demanded to know the kind of food the goat eats and was told that it feeds by the way side, picking whatever it can. The doctor advised that in future, the goats should be fed with grains.Speaking further on her goat, Sauna said it was born in the village 10 years ago. She said that it grew up in the environment and had given birth to several young goats. Sauna said: “At least, I remember that she had delivered sets of young ones on eight occasions, some sets of twins, some triplets and on a few occasions, quadrates.“The mother goat belongs to my daughter, who resides in Lagos. The goat stays with us here; she sleeps in this house (pointing backwards to the stained-roofed, dilapidated structure that hosts their compound). When it is dawn, we let the goat wander into town in search of food to eat, and in the evening, she comes back home to sleep. At home, we cannot afford to buy her grains of food. As matter of practice, we don’t keep goats at home or restrict the movement of goats in this area. The goats roam to any area of convenience and get to feed themselves,” she declared.Sauna said that the mother goat has since returned to her normal life after the birth of the creature, adding: “Surprisingly, she is not sick and although I am not an a veterinary doctor, I know that she is well.”In his comment, the Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Baba Mohammed, confirmed the incident and said the police had directed that the creature be sent to a vet hospital in the state for their further advice. He observed that, like every other person, policemen were shocked at the birth of a goat with dual features, some of which are human look. He however, concluded that only the experts in the field of animal medicine could explain what happened.The curious part of the story is that some people believe that a man may have violated the mother goat. Those in this school of thought say that since the mother goat wander about anything was possible.However, a veterinary doctor, Salisu Atiku and a senior livestock superintendent in the state, Abbas Ibrahim, who both commented on the development, are of a different views. For them, it is wrong to link the strange occurrence with a sexual relationship between a goat and a human being.

Pete Edochie has been kidnapped ! Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart

Posted by NollywoodMohits on August 16, 2009 at 8:30am

lagos..Port-Harcourt..Abuja..Kaduna.. Owerri..Edo.. AkwaIbom..Ibadan..Enugu

Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie has been kidnapped. The veteran actor was kidnapped less than three hours ago on his way to an event in Anambra State.Speaking in a telephone interview , the actor's son, Uche Edochie confirmed that the actor was being driven from his country home in Enugu in the company of his family members when armed men stopped the car he was travelling in.Only Mr. Edochie was kidnapped.

Uche Edochie disclosed that though the incident was obviously financially-motivated and one of many in a string of recent kidnappings of influential Nigerians, the kidnappers were yet to get in touch with the family, much less demand a ransom.Sounding very upset, the younger Mr. Edochie said; "our family is still in shock, and making attempts to contact the police; there is no handbook on what to do when your father is kidnapped."

EFCC arrests syndicate behind ATM fraud • Reveals how ATM cards are cloned • Banker used cloned card to steal N12m from customer’s account

Posted by Paul "EFCC" Hawk Adams on August 16, 2009 at 8:27am

EFCC arrests syndicate behind ATM fraud • Reveals how ATM cards are cloned • Banker used cloned card to steal N12m from customer’s account THE nightmare being experienced by users of the Automated Teller Machine {ATM} over its high susceptibility to fraud may soon be over with the bursting of a syndicate adept at cloning of ATM cards by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission {EFCC}.

EFCC CHIEF Farida Waziri The trans-state operations carried out by the commission’s operatives which saw them combing states in about three geo-political zones reportedly led to the discovery of the syndicate which specialised in cloning ATM cards which enabled those behind it to access users’ accounts without even knowing the identities of the victims. The syndicate is also suspected to be behind the Interswitch fraud message that is sent to unsuspecting members of the public demanding their secret PIN number for update of their account data, while a banker arrested in the course of the sweeping operations, Ms. Cassandra Olaleye reportedly confessed to using the cloned ATM cards to steal about N12 million from the account of a customer with her bank. Commission’s spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi while speaking on the breakthrough by the commission on ATM fraud stated that “the aggressive campaign by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC against Automated Teller Machine (ATM) fraudsters recorded a major breakthrough last week with the arrest in Lagos, of three powerful members of a crack syndicate whose area of speciality is the cloning of ATM cards using Magnetic Card Reader/Encoder Machine. “The trio, Chris Okeke, Nicholas Egboh and Kelechi Aro were smoked out of the hideout following series of investigations which started from Kano that fingered them as the arrowheads of the deadly gang that had been defrauding depositors of various banks through the ATM. They were arrested on the last floor of a two-storey building in Alaba Suru, a suburb of Lagos. Six laptop computers, the card reader machine, bank documents and several credit cards and ATM cards were recovered from the suspects. Also recovered was a Gulf 3 saloon car. “According to investigation, all the fraudsters needed to have access to the account of any bank depositor are the victim’s ATM and PIN numbers. Once they have that information, they would use card reader machine to print the numbers on any ATM card. Once that is done, they can use the card to withdraw money from the victim’s account without even knowing the account holder’s name. “It is believed that members of this syndicate belong to the group of fraudsters that had been sending scam mails and text messages in the name of Interswitch Nigeria, urging unwary debit card holders to upgrade their ATM cards by filling online forms which require them to disclose their pin numbers. Those who fell prey to this scam lost millions of naira to the fraudsters.

“During interrogation, Chris Okeke the ring leader whose father’s house was being used for the fraudulent group’s activities disclosed that the house belongs to his ailing father who had relocated to his village in Anambra State due to ill health and that all the items found in the house belonged to his accomplices. He further revealed that one Darlington, who is at large, is the owner of the machine and the Gulf car recovered from him. He claimed that he was always staying in his room while Darlington and other members of the syndicate perpetrated the fraud in the living room. “But 34-year-old Nicholas Egboh debunked the claims of his co-traveller in crime. According to Nicholas, Chris knew much about the scam and benefited from the proceeds of the crime. Nicholas said he used to see different people coming to the house everyday and had warned Chris on several occasions that he would run into trouble. He disclosed that he was a trader in Onitsha, Anambra State and that six months ago, his business collapsed and he relocated to Lagos in preparation for a trip to Egypt. He denied being a member of the syndicate, but one of the Laptop computers recovered in the house belonged to him. “The third suspect, Kelechi Aro who wears a dreadlock also exonerated himself from the crime saying that he was a musician and a labourer. He said he relocated to the house of fraud two years ago from Ajegunle, another Lagos suburb. But it was obvious that he was being economical with the truth as operatives caught him sending scam messages with one of the laptop computers when he was arrested. “Interestingly, the report that triggered the arrest of members of this deadly syndicate originated from Kaduna. A resident of that city had lodged a complaint with the Commission’s office in Kano to the effect that some fraudsters had pulled out some money from his account in one of the banks in the city. Investigators were able to trace the fraudsters to Surulere, Lagos through the driver’s licence used by one of them to withdraw money from the said account. Consequently, Remilekun Ojolowo and Sherifat Aderomu, who had been admitted to administrative bail, were arrested. Upon interrogation they claimed to belong to a network of syndicates that specialise in ATM fraud and led operatives to the den of the fraudsters where the startling recoveries were made. “This latest discovery followed a similar one in Port-Harcourt, Rivers state where EFCC operatives unveiled a set of bank officials who duplicate customers’ ATM cards to defraud them of millions of naira. “In the case of the Port Harcourt syndicate, one Ms. Cassandra Olaleye, a banker and her accomplice, Regal Horsefall were arrested by EFCC operatives following the discovery of the ATM fraud. The two suspects had been working as partners since June 2008, withdrawing funds totaling about N12 million from a customer’s account, an account managed by Cassandra. Their journey to the EFCC net started when the customer gave a cheque of N4 million to someone and was told his account was already in the red. He went to the bank to verify and from his account statement, it was discovered that a lot of ATM withdrawals had been done on the account. The customer who was surprised as he had never used his ATM card before protested and the matter was reported to the EFCC Port Harcourt Zonal office. “After a careful study of the bank statement, operatives discovered that the money was drawn from an ATM machine located in the premises of an hotel in Port Harcourt almost on a daily basis since July 2008. They visited the ATM machine to see if it has a camera, but there was none. Luckily for them, the hotel has a CCTV surveillance camera. The footages were rolled back and it was discovered that for almost two months, a particular red Toyota Corolla car brings a lady to the machine to make withdrawals. The number plate of the car was copied and a search for the vehicle began. After about two weeks of searching, the vehicle was discovered in a compound in Elekahia Housing Estate, in Rumuomasi area of Port Harcourt. “Operatives went in and a lady (Regal Horsefall) who they suspected was the culprit from the CCTV footages was sighted. She was approached for questioning, but she said she had never gone to the hotel for any withdrawal. They asked her about the car and she said it belongs to her brother. The operatives then arrested her. She was taken to the EFCC office where a call was put through to the supposed brother who came immediately and said she was not his sister but his girlfriend who goes to the ATM machine located in the hotel. He took the oeratives to her house where she agreed that she made the withdrawals. She was arrested and during interrogation, she said it was Cassandra Olaleye that gave her the ATM card to do the withdrawals for her. It was discovered later that the ATM point in the hotel premises was chosen because the culprits noticed it didn’t have a camera on it. “Operatives contacted Cassandra Olaleye who they discovered had moved from Port Harcourt to Calabar where she currently works with a different bank. She was subsequently arrested and brought to the EFCC Port Harcourt office where she initially denied all the allegations. “To solve the riddle, the two of them were brought together because Regal insisted that Cassandra gave her the card. “With the face-off, what could solve the riddle was a deeper investigation. When eventually Cassandra was confronted with the heap of evidences already gathered by operatives in the course of investigation, she admitted all the allegations”.

Happy 58th birtday Mr President

Posted by 9jabook.com on August 16, 2009 at 3:59am

Wishing President Umaru Musa Yar'adua a happy 58th Birthday and many happy Returns of the Day from us all at 9jabook.com Long life more wisdom and prosperity Mr President .We are going to need it .

free account and global opportunity for all. Join free and spread the word

Posted by ayo on August 15, 2009 at 7:32pm

free account and global opportunity for all. Join free and spread the word

SECRET TO PASSING TOEFL EXAMS(TOEFL EXAMS MADE EASY)

Posted by adebayo on August 15, 2009 at 5:52pm

SECRET TO PASSING TOEFL EXAMS(TOEFL EXAMS MADE EASY)BEFORE YOU ENROLL FOR TOEFL, THESE SECRETS AND FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW.1. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE STRUCTURE OF THE EXAMS. THEN ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION : WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF TOEFL EXAM( INTERNET BASED OR PAPER BASE)?THIS IS THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION. MOST TOEFL TEST CENTER NIGERIA, OFFER THE INTERNET BASE EXAM TYPE(WHICH IS THE MOST PREFERED). 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The top ten worst scams ever!

Posted by 9jabook.com on August 15, 2009 at 1:46am

Rachel Robson gives the lowdown on ten of the worlds’s most common swindles and rip-offs... Over the years, scammers and fraudsters have come up with more and more inventive ways to swindle us out of our hard-earned cash. And unfortunately, when times get tough, more of us become susceptible to these cunning schemes. So I've decided it's time to give you the run-down on ten of the worst scams to watch out for so that you can avoid being ripped off! 1) Phishing emails The trap: Emails which appear to have been sent from your bank and ask you to reset or confirm your security details by clicking on a link. The reality: More often than not, these links take you to a fake website with the aim of getting hold of your personal or financial details to defraud you. So whatever you do, don't click on these links and delete the email immediately. For more advice, visit the Bank Safe Online website. 2) Bogus holiday clubs The trap: You're approached by a scratchcard tout or receive a phone call telling you you've won a 'free' holiday. All you need to do is to attend a presentation to collect your prize. The reality: At the presentation, you'll be persuaded to sign up to an exclusive club and pay a fee for the privilege. But you'll probably find you've bought little more than access to an internet booking service offering the same service you could find in your local travel agent. Read Avoid this holiday rip-off for more advice. 3) Emails from 'friends in need' The trap: You receive an email from a friend claiming he has lost his wallet and passport abroad and desperately needs money to pay for his hotel bill and his flight home. Often your friend will tell you all phone lines have been disconnected and the only method of contact available is email. He'll then ask you to wire over some money to help him out, making out this will be repaid upon his return. The reality: The email is not from your friend, but from a scammer who will happily run off with your hard-earned cash and perhaps even ask for more. 4) Lotteries The trap: You receive a letter or email to say you've won a large sum of money in a lottery. Hurrah! But when you phone up to claim, you'll be told you need to pay a fee to collect your winnings. The reality: Hand over the fee and you'll never see your money again - or your prize. It is illegal for a real lottery to charge any sort of fee so if you're told you need to pay, steer clear. And remember - if you haven't bought a ticket, how can you have won a prize? 5) Weight loss aids The trap: Advertisements promising you'll be able to lose weight with minimal effort thanks to the wonders of a revolutionary pill, patch or cream. The reality: Usually there's no scientific evidence to back up these claims, and you'll end up spending money on a bogus drug that will make absolutely no difference to your weight. 6) Advance fee fraud (the Nigerian or 419 scam) The trap: You receive an email or letter from what appears to be businessmen or officials from Nigeria or another African country offering to transfer large sums of money into your bank account to get it out of the country. You're told you can keep a large chunk of this cash, but need to pay a fee to cover the transaction costs and legal fees. The reality: These emails/letters are from conmen who will simply disappear with any money you give them. What's more, because you'll have to hand over your personal and bank details, you can expect these crooks to empty your bank account while they're at it. 7) Work at home schemes The trap: You see an advert in the newspaper or on a lamppost offering you a significant income for minimal work - such as envelope stuffing or craft assembly work. The reality: What you won't be told is that you might have to pay up front for supplies to carry out the job or to cover hidden costs. You may also find your 'employer' refuses to pay you, claiming your work isn't up the right standards, or that you only get commission for signing up more people. Read more in Don't get ripped off by this employment scam! 8) Car matching The trap: After placing an advertisement for your car in the newspaper or online, you receive a call from someone promising to match you with a buyer. You're then asked to pay a fee for the match - often around £80-£99. The reality: The call was from a fraudster, there's no buyer and you can kiss goodbye to your cash. 9) Mobile phone insurance The trap: Not long after buying a new mobile phone, you receive a call from the shop you bought it from, and are offered a fantastic insurance deal. The reality: After handing over your bank details you discover your mobile phone isn't insured after all and the person on the phone wasn't who he said he was. By which point, your bank account is looking decidedly less healthy. Read more about this in The big mobile phone insurance scam. 10) Pyramid schemes The trap: You pay a fee to join a scheme but are offered the opportunity to make bags full of money fast by simply recruiting other people into the scheme. The reality: These schemes are illegal and although the people at the top of the 'pyramid' might make money, it won't be much. And as soon as the pyramid stops growing, there's no money to be made. Finally... There are many more rip-offs and swindles out there, but unfortunately I don't have room to list them all. But hopefully the above ten give you some idea of what to look out for. For further tips and advice, you can read this guide from Consumer Direct. And if you come across any scams, you can report them via the Consumer Direct website. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Lagos:Man lies unconscious beside police station for hours, dies

Posted by Akin Osunlaja WebLagosian on August 14, 2009 at 10:53pm

He might as well as laid in front of his grave ! God Help Us ! On Thursday, an unidentified man was found dead along Obalende Road, Lagos Island. He was there since 10 am the previous day breathing erratically, but no help came for him as he was in rags and believed to be insane. Obalende is known for heavy traffic of people and vehicles. Barely 10 metres from him were two police officers directing traffic. When asked why the man was left unattended, a female officer, who refused to give her name, said, "I don't know. He was there when I resumed duty at 4 o'clock." The gate of the Nigeria Police Headquarters annex, Kam Salem House, on Moloney Street, was about 30 metres from the man's unconscious body.

A passer-by, Seth Orok, said the police should have taken the man to a hospital. "Even if he is mad, he is still somebody's relative," he said. "The police are supposed to protect us, including this man. It's bad."

lagos..Port-Harcourt..Abuja..Kaduna.. Owerri..Edo.. AkwaIbom..Ibadan..Enugu

"That is what has become of Nigeria," said Kingsley Abayomi, a bank employee on his way home. "Nobody cares for anybody anymore. If it was before, that man would have been moved many hours ago. I saw him there at 12:30. It's almost six now and he's still there." It's a body again This kind of case is becoming familiar. On January 16, 2009, Kolawole Balogun, a casual worker with Grinaker LTA construction company on Victoria Island, Lagos, slumped and died in front of Kam Salem House. For two hours, his corpse was there. None of the officers on duty offered to help move it. Later, a group of his colleagues had to pay a commercial bus to take the body home.

Richard Mofe Damijo inducted into Nollywood Hall Of Fame

Posted by NollywoodMohits on August 14, 2009 at 10:38pm

Richard Mofe Damijo,actor and Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State joined actress Patience Ozokwor and Zack Orji, as an inductee of the Nanet Suites Nollywood Hall of Fame.RMD

RMDRMD, as he is better known, became one of the notable names in the Nigerian movie industry that have their portraits adorning the walls of the Nollywood lounge at Nanet Suites. The event which began a little behind schedule had in attendance friends of the Delta State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism.he was decked in a black suit, the star-actor came for the event with his wife, Jumobi. RMD also enjoyed the company of DAAR Communications boss, Raymond Dokpesi, his wife Toyin, his newly wedded son, Raymond Jnr and his wife, Doyin. The venue of the monthly ceremony was jam packed with celebrities including Director General of the National Film and Video Censors Board, Emeka Mba, and Phone Port boss, Femi Sanni.RMD who’s featured in over 30 films according to Nanet Suites Chief Executive Officer, Ini Akpabio, is an Actor’s actor. Akpabio, an advocate of using Nollywood as a marketing tool for tourism, said actors like RMD have earned Nigeria the kind of goodwill only stars of their calibre could.Comedian, Julius Agwu, read RMD’s citation, and then the actor’s portrait was mounted in a conspicuous position in the Hall of Fame. Actor and stand-up comic, Francis Duru, gave a good account as Master of Ceremonies, while comedians Fred Bright, Wahala and Youngest Oldman, added spice to the night humour.He graced T.V screens in the 90’s with the soap opera “Ripples”, then moved on to “Checkmate”, and has ever since been a popular face in Nollywood, enjoying a wide fan base of not just Nigerians, but Africa at large.

CBN Sacks 5 Top Bank CEOS in naija ! Oceanic,Intercontinental Lamido goes tough !

Posted by 9jabook.com on August 14, 2009 at 3:42am

As a crucial meeting between the the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido, and CEOs of the nation’s banks is ongoing, industry sources have disclosed that the sack of CEOs and management staff of five major Nigerian banks is the “CBN now acting in its full capacity”. “What has happened is that these banks have not kept to the stipulations of corporate governance. There is no bank that is not exposed, but these sacks are likely about gross marginal exposure, to just a few corporate entities and individuals,” disclosed one of our sources, a top executive with a new-generation bank. Another disclosed that police officers are currently on the premises of headquarters of all five banks affected, showing the hard-line stance that the CBN has adopted over reviving the sector; “continued failure of regulation and risk management of the nation’s financial institutions and the effects on banks is at the front-burner of this meeting, which is why no representatives have been allowed.” It was also revealed that CEO of Bank PHB, Francis Atuche, was one of several executives who hurriedly booked flights in and outside of the country to attend the meeting. Advising shareholders not to panic, the bank official said that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s motives were well-intended. “These bankers have most likely been sacked because the government plans to re-inject funds into the banks, and to do so, they will have to oversee its management until the bank is on its feet again. It could have been worse, had the mismanagement been allowed to snowball into the beginnings of a financial crisis quite like that seen in the West.” He added that this situation was not an industry first. “You will recall that Wema bank had management and shareholders’ funds misappropriation issues and the CBN stepped in, put it in receivership temporarily until it stabilised. Why there is an uproar is the calibre of people, and top-tier banks involved. Sadly, anyone sacked will never work in a financial institution; that is the law.” Confirming that calls had been made by concerned bankers and shareholders across the nation’s 23 banks on the need for the CBN to clarify the situation, our source said: “until the CBN makes a categorical and detailed statements explaining its actions and the consequences to the Nigerian public, developments like this can in no way help the stock market. I cannot confirm the actual values right now but shareholder value is decreasing even as we speak.” 5ive down ONE more to Go WHO ? Chemical Ali the boss of all the bosses .

WHAT IS FEAR?

Posted by John Akukwe on August 14, 2009 at 1:57am

Fear is a deadly weapon in the hand of the devil to weaken our faith in God and make us more vulnerable to his schemes, gimmicks and tricks. Fear magnifies a little problem and makes its victim lose sight of God’s omnipotence. It displaces the ever-reliable and comforting promises of the word of God from our mind and replaces them with thoughts and feelings of hopelessness and despair. It also paralyzes one’s spiritual defence mechanisms, such that every negative event or report is given undue priority and excessive consideration over God’s assurances, resulting to discomfort and depressionFear makes someone to believe that worst things will happen. Fear can be stronger than love. The fear of the future is a waste of the present. It is a product of ignorance and imagination.Are you worried about the prevailing economic or financial melt-down? The kingdom of God knows neither recession, down-turn, scarcity, austerity, melt-down nor inflation. The word of God assures us in Psalms 34:10 and 37:25 that “the young lions do lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing..”What are you afraid of? Has fear kept you chained down or prevented you from growing as a person? Has fear contributed to an unhealthy life-style for you? You may not realize that you are under the control of fear until you are confronted with certain situations. Fear causes one to “sink” during the storms of life. In today’s world, it is common for people to live in fear. Shall we ever see a world where people can enjoy life without fear? How do you find courage and strength in the face of fear, doubt, worry and anxiety? Are there new behaviours that you need to develop in order to confront and overcome fear?To be continued...

ACCIDENT ON IKORODU ROAD

Posted by ilesanmi on August 13, 2009 at 10:50pm

May Almighty Alllah have is mercy upon us.I was in the BRT bus yesterday night go to Obanikoro from Ojota. On getting to maryland bus stop befor the bridge, we saw a gathering people looking down from top of the bridge. When we get to underbridge, a trailer had crossed from one side to the other side wrecking one SUV and the owner being trapped down. what surprised me the most is that a guy boarded the bus from that spot and told us that the tanker driver had run away in the mist of people there.

Spare parts seller to join American wife soon.internet love works toba de yankee !

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on August 13, 2009 at 9:30pm

They met on the internet. They fell in love. A spare parts seller, Kunle Bamidele was completely honest in his dealings with his Kentucky, US-based beau, Robin Martins, and their wedding recently in Ibadan was as topical as it was controversial. Nevertheless, the young man will soon jet out of the country to join his wife. Seye Adeniyi reports. The couple kissing during their wedding.

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lagos..Port-Harcourt..Abuja..Kaduna.. Owerri..Edo.. AkwaIbom..Ibadan..Enugu

He was castigating one of his apprentices for wrong-doing when this reporter got to his shop at Ile-Epo area of Odo-Ona, Abeokuta road, Ibadan, Oyo State. He was so annoyed with the young male apprentice that he brought out the Sunday Tribune edition of 12th of July, 2009 to butress his admonitions to the boy, on the need for him to be truthful, dedicated to duty, and, above all, say the truth at all times. “Look at this young man now (pointing at Kunle Bamidele’s picture featured in the Sunday Tribune newspaper of 12th July, 2009), he reaped the reward of being faithful, truthful and sincere, and that was why a white woman, an American for that matter, left her country for Nigeria to marry him, ‘’ he told the apprentice. Many people thought it was not possible, some tagged it an “arrangeé wedding”, while some are still casting doubts on the unique matrimonial union that took place recently in the city of Ibadan between the duo. Alhaji Laide Eniola, a 70 year-old popular fashion designer at Odo-Ona, along Apata road, Ibadan, was privy to all that transpired during the wedding. Robin Martin, a 41-yr-old Kentuckian, had travelled to Nigeria, some weeks ago, to wed Kunle Bamidele, a 32-year-old spare parts trader at the popular Gate Market, Ibadan. According to the tailor, the wedding ceremony actually took place in his house at the Scout-Camp, along Challenge-Molete road, in Ibadan on July 11, 2009, after the registry wedding at the Mapo Registry hall. On why the wedding festivities were not held at the Bamideles’ house, as was customary, he said Kunle’s father chose the Scout Camp venue to give the American some solace as it was modern and more comfortable than his own, adding that since he and the man were childhood friends, he had to oblige him. The 41-year-old American woman from Kentucky, USA, arrived in Nigeria on Tuesday, July 8, 2009, and the wedding between her and Kunle took place on Saturday, July 11, 2009. She was accommodated, throughout her stay, at the tailor’s house. But why the quick arrangement that eventually led to a wedding between the duo, considering the short-days intervals? Alhaji Eniola has this to say: “Kunle and the American woman had been chatting with each other on the internet for a long time, before the woman agreed to visit him in Nigeria. What really impressed the Kentuckian was Kunle’s sincerity and truthfulness. The woman had used many things to test Kunle’s truthfulness, sincerity, love and faithfulness and, I tell you, the young man is not like other Nigerian youths who are fond of duping Europeans on the internet.’’ He noted that the flight ticket with which the woman travelled to Nigeria was sent to her by Kunle. The bride-to-be had, through the internet, sent the money (foreign currency) to Kunle, instructing him to help her purchase the flight ticket in Nigeria and send it to her, an assignment which Kunle carried out to the letter. “How many Nigerian youths, especially the so called yahoo boys, can do such a thing? I know what many of these yahoo boys can do, and how they are creating a negative image for the country through their dubious activities on the internet. But Kunle Bamidele, now the legal husband of the Kentuckian, did not do that,” he emphasised. The tailor also revealed to Nigerian Tribune that the white woman, who is a divorcee and a mother of two children in Kentucky, was also impressed with her Nigerian husband’s truthfulness and sincerity when Kunle showed her all the receipts/invoices he had used in purchasing every material she instructed asked him to get, preparatory to their wedding, including the receipt for the new generating set that was purchased before her arrival in Nigeria. Robin Martins also surprised many people, especially the people living around the Scout-Camp area of Ibadan, when she took delight in eating traditional foods like amala, fufu, eba, even ewedu, gbegiri and okro soups, without developing bowel discomfort during her stay in Ibadan. He noted that many people had tried to discourage the woman from coming, and yet many others had told the family that the woman would not tolerate the facilities on ground, but she coped admirably well. Concerning the traditional wedding gown (aso-oke), which the couple used for their wedding, the septuagarian also disclosed to the Nigerian Tribune that Kunle was given money to buy the material by his bride, adding that it was he who designed the attire for the couple. ‘’The newly-wedded coupled enjoyed their honeymoon in my house and, I tell you, she was impressed with Kunle’s “performance,” being a black man. She also confessed to me that what she saw and experienced in Nigeria was the entire opposite of all the negative reports she had heard about the country before coming to Nigeria,” the tailor told the Nigerian Tribune. He added that the white woman told him that she was very comfortable in her country, as she presently had two or three companies of her own. But she had to divorce her former American husband because the man used to beat, maltreat, and often subjected her to inhuman treatments despite the fact that she had two children by him. There was a mild drama inside the Mapo Registry hall during the wedding ceremony. The local government officials that conducted the wedding programme were amazed and highly impressed by the woman’s dancing steps. They were pleasantly surprised, especially when the Kentuckian began to lavish dollars on them, when the couple were called to come forward for thanksgiving. Throughout her stay in Nigeria, Robin Martins Bamidele was able to acclamatize to Nigeria’s weather; she did not complain of any ailment or infections. But she kept abusing the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), for throwing the country into darkness. Another drama that also ensued during the woman’s short stay in Nigeria, according to Alhaji Eniola, who hails from Ede, Osun State, was between the woman and the Embassy officials when she took her Nigerian husband there to get all the neccessary papers that would facilitate his smooth journey to Kentucky, USA. The Embassy officials did not want to give Kunle clearance documents for the journey, hinging their excuses on their previous experiences with Nigerians. However, when the new bride shouted at them, Kunle was given all the necessary papers, and will soon be going to America to join his new heart-trob.

Kidnapped 76-year- old Woman Feared Dead heartless kidnappers

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on August 13, 2009 at 9:08pm

Shameless ,heartless Kidnappers should be Hung by their privatesKidnapped 76-year- old Woman Feared DeadFrom Ahamefula Ogbu in Port Harcourt, 08.12.2009The family of 76-year-old Mrs. Ibiwari Brown kidnapped two months ago from Abalama town in Asari Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State has said that the group which abducted her and demanded N30 million ransom had called to say she had died.A statement sent online by Alabo Aroloye Brown said the family had been frequenting police stations and handed petitions to the Commissioner of Police, Bala Hassan, on the issue, lamenting that no positive thing had been heard from the police.Contacted, spokesperson of the Police in Rivers State, Mrs. Rita Abbey, confirmed that she was aware of the said kidnap but was yet to hear that she was dead. She said the family members of the kidnapped victim had been coming to their office on the issue.“Twenty four days after her kidnap, the kidnappers called, that was the third time, and demanded for N30million ransom and gave us a phone number to call only when we are ready with the money.“They warned that mama will be killed if we try to make an offer,” Brown said in the statement.But we bluffed them and begged them but they refused and instead cut off communication with us.“This and other security information were promptly given to the security. We were instead advised unofficially to know what to do and not to depend on the police because they were handicapped.“On the 19th of July, 2009 they called and after a long discussion, they promised to release her in the early hours of 20th. This discussion was made between 10.47 and 10.54pm of the 19th instead. That was 30days after her kidnap. On the 3rd of August, 2009 they called and told me that mama is dead. Maybe it is correct or they are bluffing , only God knows”, Alabo Brown said.

Security made in Naija A Ni.g.eri.an made armoured car !

Posted by Choochoo Sports Book on August 13, 2009 at 8:56pm

A Nigerian made armoured car was on Thursday launched by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua at the eagle square in Abuja.It is the first home made armoured car, with most of the materials used in its production sourced locally, while others were imported.It was built by two Nigerian brothers who recently relocated from the United States of America. The brothers; Victor and Johnson Obasa, came back home to use their talent to boost security and also create employment in the country.

The brothers are based in Ekiti State and the duo own a company named Mobile Truck Technology where they nurtured and built the first Nigerian armoured car.According to Johnson Obasa, the local production of the armoured car would help in upgrading the nation's security status. "It will promote up to 50 percent security in the country, it is something to protect the armoured personnel in their line of duty and it can work anywhere. It is designed to help the nation's security; we also did it to create employment," he said.Also, Victor Obasa in a conversation with the press stated that they were in a better position to create this kind of cars since they are in Nigeria and understand the Nigerian terrain.He added that they were willing to do it for the government at almost half the price of importing it. "We would do it for Nigerians for almost half the price they get it outside," he said.The truck which was tested with different kinds of ammunitions, from a far range had little or no mark left on it, but from a close range left peripheral marks.On how they created such a truck with products from Nigeria, Johnson said: "It's been a little bit of up and down's. When we encountered some challenges, the Senate president encouraged us and at the end of the day we were able to put this together."The other brother Victor pledged that they would produce a vehicle carrier that would meet international standard at a reasonable price.The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Adamu Aliero who represented the president at the launch said it was commendable that Nigerians with talents will come home and contribute to the nation's development.He disclosed that the President had directed the Inspector General of Police to meet the fabricators on what they required to produce the vehicle to specification.He also called on Nigerians within and outside the country with such talents to come out and contribute to the development of their country."This is also to call on other Nigerians with similar talents to also come back home and join us to contribute their own quota to the country and for other Nigerians with this kind of talent to put it to use," Mr. Aliero said.Present at the event to inspect the vehicle were top police officers and the Minister for science amd Technology, Al-Hassan Zaku who said the ministry would send a team of engineers to the base where the truck was fabricated to further examine the product."We will examine it thoroughly and work with the police to ensure that it is properly produced to the standard they want," he said.

NSE Kingpin : How Aliko Dangote blackmailed, bribed his way to NSE Presidency

Posted by 9jabook.com on August 13, 2009 at 8:24pm

How Aliko Dangote blackmailed, bribed his way to NSE Presidency ! Aliko Dangote aka Chemical Ali Now, the die is cast. Nigerian investors' fears over the emergence of Aliko Dangote a Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Council President seems to have triggered a race to the bottom as more savvy institutional investors are re- channeling their funds to the ’safety’ of government securities, treasury bonds and real estate. It was intrigues and maneuver galore marked by intimidation, blackmail and shady financial dealings that eventually saw billionaire business magnate, Alhaji Aliko Dangote emerge as the 17th president of the Council of Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) through what was said to have been a unanimous voice vote. But when a man with a big question mark hanging over his morally-deficient, corruption-bedecked neck is chaperoned to the topflight throne, it will take the greatest miracle after the resurrection of Jesus Christ to get the NSE back on track. The fact that Dangote; a prime suspect in the share manipulation scam involving African Petroleum (AP) Plc stock prices of Femi Otedola is now the man who will be calling the shots at the NSE, proves, in the words of an NSE source that: “Nigeria’s capacity to shock and scandalize is infinite.” Huhuonline.com has learnt that Dangote arm-twisted and bribed his way to the NSE presidency, dishing out as much as N3 million to each NSE Council members who subsequently “elected” him by acclamation. Also nominated was Erastus Akingbola, the Group Chief Executive of Intercontinental Bank, as the NSE 1st Vice President. Akingbola’s nomination, Huhuonline.com has learnt was the climax of horse-trading and sheer clunker philandering. Dangote has been at odds with Akingbola after Intercontinental Bank Plc, petitioned President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua asking for his intervention to help compel a "debt cabal" led by Dangote to re-pay the loans it took from Intercontinental Bank. In a petition sent on its behalf by A.O.S Practice, a firm of legal practitioners, and dated August 5, 2009, Intercontinental Bank described Dangote as a loan defaulter and “rabid debtor” who is being daily serenaded in the media as an affluent Nigerian. A look at the three Dangote companies indebted to Intercontinental Bank as contained in the said petition shows that their cumulative debt profile stands at about N35.8 billion. Intercontinental Bank also said: "To proceed to sue these institutions as ordinary legal dictates would suggest, is to get bogged down with the legal technicalities and slow pace of the adversarial practice of our judicial system, which these cabal would engage to wear us down.” Recall that Aliko Dangote had been under intense pressure to resign from the council before the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the NSE. The erstwhile NSE president, Oba Osundeko had asked Dangote to resign prior to the election, due to the market’s perception of Dangote’s alleged role in a price manipulation of African Petroleum Plc’s shares. During a routine meeting of the NSE council in Lagos A committee of the council reportedly met and appealed to Dangote to resign. But Dangote reportedly played hardball, employing underhand tactics and blackmail to force Osundeko to back-off and play ball. One of the issues involved Pivot Engineering Company owned by Osundeko which failed to execute government contracts awarded to it but collected payments. Besides, Osundeko was also a member of the “debt cabal” and was neck deep in debt to First Bank. In its petition, the bank made "a clarion call" on the President "to dismantle this cabal that is hiding under the auspices of the Federal government's fiscal and economic policies whilst gang raping our client, as with such other well meaning banks, that oil the economy of this great country. This gang-rape is obviously because we lack a credit registry or bureau in Nigeria where information and data on the credit history of persons and companies can be accessed to determine their standing in relation with other banks." Although Dangote has denied that he owes the banks, Huhuonline.com investigations showed that Dangote group of companies have a debt overhang of about $400 million (N58 billion) owed various Nigerian banks and hopes of the affected banks to recover the loans are fading. Debtors like Dangote have seemingly kept the banks in suspense, forcing them to categorize the liabilities as bad debts that are being written off to cleanse the financial institutions' books. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is flooded with petitions from some of the distressed banks, over difficulties in debt recovery, especially from the major five debtors including Dangote. Already, three banks have written off over N76 billion in loans, thereby assailing profitability and dividend payouts. The choice of Dangote does not inspire investor confidence as he owns six companies (Dan sugar, Dan salt, Dan Flour, Benue Cement, Chevron Texaco, which are listed on the stock exchange. What will eventually happen when Dangote becomes privy to insider information about the stock prices of his companies can be anyone’s guess. But this apparent conflict of interest has created a propitious scenario for insider trading and share price manipulation which Dangote is an expert. The fact that Dangote suffers from incurable money-mindedness and will stop at nothing in his quest for personal gain is an ominous sign of the times that bodes ill for the future of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Lagos Area Boys Agberos where Touting is big business Get Rich or die trying attitudes

Posted by 9jabook.com webmadam on August 12, 2009 at 9:50pm

They are brutes, dangerous and daring. The mere sight of them immediately sends commercial bus drivers and their conductors cringing with fear. They are the lords of the road in the cities and in the hinterlands. They are the agberos, dangerous-looking touts who stand at bus stops and motor parks forcefully milking money from motorists. Agbero, a sobriquet for street urchins, is synonymous with trouble and carnage. With terror, they unleash a regime of dread on Lagos roads as well as in other states. On Friday last week, WE watched as Manager, as he popularly known at Cele Bus Stop, along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, pranced after a fast moving vehicle in Oshodi. With one hand, he held firmly to the door, while he menacingly demanded ‘owo ero’ (passengers’ money) from the conductor. “How many times I go pay for that one? I don pay you when I pass before”, the conductor replied. The answer infuriated the dirty looking tout. “You dey craze? You want make I wound you?” The timely intervention of the driver and passengers, who prevailed on the conductor to comply with the demand, saved the day. As the fuming street toughie jumped down from the vehicle, angry passengers hurled a load of invectives on him. He isn’t alone in this brutish behaviour, as his likes litter the metropolis. Be it in the market where they collect illegal levies from traders to the motor parks where they are lords of the manor, they are a law to themselves. The illegal act of forcefully extorting money from hapless commercial motorists by touts has been in practice for long, but it has, in the past couple of years, assumed a more dangerous dimension. According to a 70-year-old man who spoke under the condition of anonymity, the ‘business’ of touting started in Lagos around the mid 70’s. The old man who disclosed that he has lived in Lagos for more than 30 years informed that young boys, who fled to Lagos because of their parents’ inability to cater for their needs, metamorphosed into motor park touts to survive. “The boys who didn’t have anywhere to go after coming to Lagos were forced to sleep in motor parks, uncompleted buildings and under the bridges. The good ones survived by working as house helps, truck pushers and hawkers, while the criminal minded ones took to armed robbery and extortion from commercial drivers. Initially, agberos did not start collecting money by force. Then, what they did was to assist drivers to fill their vehicles with passengers after which they would take any amount the driver gave them,” he explained. We discovered that the leaders, who head units in bus stops across the metropolis where the touts work as foot soldiers, also have leaders in the motor parks who they are answerable to. According to Morufu, a retired banker who now drives a Lagos State-operated taxi cab, members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos are very organized and their activities are coordinated by national, state and local bodies. “They hold zonal meetings every Wednesday across the state. I believe an arrangement should be made for these set of people to work with the local government since the government can’t remove them completely from the road.” We were also reliably informed that in Oshodi area, there are 16 units that remit N700, 000 daily to the coffers of the leader in charge of the area. Also, in Iyana Ipaja, there are seven units and they collectively deliver close to N200, 000 daily. Some areas such as Shomolu and Alimosho regarded as money spinners remit close to a million naira daily. How do they generate such large sums within 24 hours? A motor park tout who said in each bus stop, 10 of them are sent to the road daily and are expected to return with N30, 000. The money, he explained, can be remitted by installments. “We fit bring small for morning, afternoon and for night. Na him make us dey collect money three times from conductors and drivers”, he explained in spattering English. But the money, in the words of a commercial bus operator, makes the touts live extravagant lifestyles and throw parties at will. According to Isola Amuda, a bus operator, an average agbero lives like a king. “They have wives, girlfriends and drive big cars. They eat and drink as if they would die tomorrow with the money we labour for everyday. They are illiterates and drop-outs who live better than many university graduates. It is such an unfortunate situation”, he lamented.

lagos..Port-Harcourt..Abuja..Kaduna.. Owerri..Edo.. AkwaIbom..Ibadan..Enugu

On how a tout emerges a kingpin after running after vehicles and forcing motorists to part with money, Baba Ayo, a former commercial bus driver at Shomolu revealed that there are two major ways of becoming a baba alaye in any area. He informed that it is not a position for all-comers or rookies. “First, you must be their member for long time. Anybody wey want be oga must dey give boys money and get juju, so dat dem go fear am. If you want start your own group, you go bring your own boys wey to dey deliver. The only thing wey you go dey do everyday na to carry women, smoke and eat. When boys bring money, as baba, you go dash dem some.”

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