All Posts (305)
Sort by
Nigerian women, including minors, are being trafficked to cote d’Ivoie for forced prostitution, according to international group, Human Right Watch, Empowered Newswire reports.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Washington D.C., the US-based organisation said on one occasion, its investigators met with groups of about 30 Nigerian women trafficked to the West African nation for prostitution.
Criticising the Ivorien government, the human rights group said, “Diplomats and international aid agency officials told Human Rights Watch that Ivorien authorities had rarely conducted in-depth investigations into trafficking for prostitution or successfully prosecuted traffickers.”
The report quioted its senior West Africa researcher, Ms. Corinne Dufka, as saying “These women and girls were sold dreams of migrating to better their lives, but then found themselves in a personal hell.” She added that the Nigerian and Ivoirien governments should find and prosecute the perpetrators, work with regional neighbours to shut down their operations and do more to protect victims of forced prostitution.
According to HRW, on one occasion last month, eight of the Nigerian women, who were described as victims, were interviewed by the human rights groups individually. The statement noted that “scores of similar cases involving Nigerian women and girls were documented by interviews with Ivorian officials, United Nations personnel, and Nigerian embassy staff. Many victims were either between the ages of 15 and 17 or had been minors when brought to Cote d’Ivoire.”
The report said that in two small towns in central Cote d’Ivoire, with populations of about 40,000 and 50,000, respectively, its officials documented the presence of five separate brothels of Nigerian women and girls. A gendarme in one of the towns estimated that at least 100 Nigerian women were working there as prostitutes.
HRW investigations indicated that the majority of them were likely to have been trafficked. According to the organisation, “All of the women and girls interviewed by Human Rights Watch described being deceived into migrating with promises of work as apprentice hairdressers or tailors, or to work in other businesses elsewhere in West Africa or in Europe.”
The statement added that Nigerian women recruited and transported the victims overland through Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Burkina Faso, adding, “Majority of victims told both Human Rights Watch and the Nigerian embassy that they came from Delta and Edo States in southern Nigeria.”
It added, “Nigerian embassy staff in Abidjan told Human Rights Watch that they had repatriated scores of women trafficked for prostitution, including dozens this year alone.”
The statement said that Ivoirien, United Nations and Nigerian officials narrated to the organisation’s officials how in July 2010, three 17-year-old Nigerians, who refused to engage in sex work after being trafficked, were locked in a room and denied food for three days.
But the girls finally escaped, went to the local police, and were repatriated by the Nigerian embassy. All the victims HRW officials interviewed said they wanted to leave Cote d’Ivoire and the sex trade. But they felt they had no escape because of the perceived consequences of failing to pay the debt.
It accused cote d’Ivoire of impeding the investigation due to what it called “an ineffective legal framework and a lack of will, or interest in the cases.” It said that Cote d’Ivoire had not signed the UN Trafficking Protocol and also lacked domestic legislation specifically criminalising trafficking.
HRW called on the Ivoirien government to sign and ratify the UN Trafficking Protocol without delay and pass a draft domestic anti-trafficking law, currently under consideration, in harmony with international standards.
*Nigeria: Is Occultism The Solution?
By Ikechukwu Enyiagu
One can hear a number of our Nigerian university students cheering and saying, “aha, we know it; we know that cultism is the only safe way through school, and when we graduate, we will metamorphose into our fathers’ occults to take our places in the nation-we always knew we were right.” As for our fathers and our leaders of the ages, “what an old man sees while sitting down, the young can’t see even while standing"- so they often quote. But suppose, only supposing, that I beg to differ in this case, will the generals involved dare to consider this truth they have only refused to acknowledge for decades?
There once was a young man who had to, as a matter of no-alternative, become a cult member in order to muster enough bullies to rig the councilorship election in his favour. And he sure won. I once knew of a local government chairman who, on campaigning, had to offer the life of his first son before he could be granted the chairmanship position of his L.G.A. The story is, “and he sure won.” Just lately we were brought to the awareness of state lawmakers in naked blood oath taking. Our polity has been marred from the beginning by occult introduction and acceptance. For the uninformed, occultism in our polity is what has been rebranded ‘godfatherism’. ( Continues below….. )
Granted, Wole Soyinka, in an interview, explained the genuine and commendable (permit me to say) reasons confraternities were introduced in Nigeria. Looking back upon the years gone, I wonder how this myopic birth has fared. Cults metamorphosed into occults hence, cultism and occultism. While the cult boys and girls rule our universities and streets, the occult fathers and mothers rule the nation.
The sole purpose for the emergence of cultism and occultism in our country was and has always been to instill fear in the opponents in order to subdue them and subvert justice. This is the tool that has successfully held Nigeria under one cord-dictatorship. This dictatorship tells its story when PDP openly rigs elections by the shameless comments and decisions they make before elections are conducted. Over the years, occult groups became Nigeria while Nigeria became just a name.
The basic criterion for winning an election in Nigeria has, for decades, been established as the name of the so called elders’ groups one belongs to.
Research has equally proven that within a short space of time, two different cult and/or occult groups are bound to have a misunderstanding and, since violence and terror are their greatest tools, blood often spills. ( Continues below….. )
Photo Above: University of Ado-Ekiti (UNAD) students demonstrate against cultism. *Ado Ekiti is a city in Ekiti State, Nigeria. It is also known as Ado. The population in 2004 was 44,6749.
But the question here is, “whose blood, whose child?” It has always been the simple, the innocent and the quiet in the land; it has always been Nigeria. Taking a second look at our national political parties will give you an even clearer picture. They are like a bunch of children playing the “ghost and blood games”, gambling, as it were, with our future that they have called personal business. Now that the election is our closest neighbor, there are blood initiations, oath takings, missing of persons, blood sacrifices, and all the evils only them can tell how they are done going on in different constituencies.
All hope is not lost, however, for my true fellow Nigerians. Change is coming to America through Obama, a change commensurate with what the country needs at a given time. In the case of Nigeria, a change has already begun but it wont be a change via pleas. The change that is coming on Nigeria shall be as strong as the heart of Nigeria-it shall not be measured less. There is a clarion call; Get rid of this evil practice and let Nigeria breathe.
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Finally and after all considerable considerations, I permanently stand to oppose the majority who agree that occultism is the solution for Nigeria. No, it is not!
Ikechukwu Enyiagu can be reached at ike.enyiagu@gmail.com
Comedian Teju Babyface has taken the next step in his career with the introduction of his TV show, ‘The Teju Babyface Show'. The show which is forged after the Ellen DeGeneres', Arsenio Hall, Benny Hill and The Tonight's Show was launched on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 on Silverbird Television, (STV),. Teju gives us an insight into his new role as producer/talk show host.
Before the vision I caught the dream a few years ago when I got tired of waiting for my phone to ring, because that is what comedians do. We wait to hear ‘Hello, is that Teju Babyface, we have an event, are you busy?'
I thought it was time to be proactive and find other means of income that is not largely dependent on people calling us to be MCs for events.
People have said to me in the last few years ‘Teju we do not hear about you, you are not doing shows anymore and all that.' [Reason is] I have spent the last three years trying things that have not worked. I tried to do what I called ‘Comedy Academy'.
I needed funds and there were no sponsors. I also tried to do what I called ‘healing laughter', it was supposed to be a day of comedy at Christmas for the less privileged handicapped but there were still no corporate takers so I put it on the shelf.
Then it occurred to me when God gave me this vision that if I had a show on TV, I will be able to sell any other kind of vision that I have.
The show
The ‘Teju Babyface show' is not only a talk show, it is like your one-stop shop as far as entertainment is concerned. Though influenced by international shows, you need to remember that it started with the Bala Mila show, a fantastic NTA production, and Zoom Time. The show will deal with political, medical, scientific, astronomy-related and religious issues. This show is [also] supposed to be home for up and coming comedians.
So far, the following people have been featured Abimbola Fashola, Muiz Banire, Dele Momodu Richard Mofe-Damijo (RMD), Asa, Basorge Tariah, Ali Baba, Basket Mouth, Okey Bakassi, TA, Holy Mallam, Koffi, Gbenga Adeyinka the first, amongst others. Excerpts from the show, reveal RMD miming Victor Olaiya's ‘Baby Jowo', Asa's dream guy and Mrs. Fashola answering questions on whether she suspects her husband of being unfaithful. Talking about the director of the show, Tade Ogidan, Teju says, "I did not think Uncle T will ever direct my show. You know how you think that asking somebody to do something is an insult, it was that sort of thing. A lot of the comedy ingenuity in the show that makes me look like a genius are the things he told me to do on the spur of the moment. As I speak to you, we are spending millions on the Teju Babyface Show and Mr. Ogidan has not taken or asked me for a dime. I have also been privileged to use his editing suite free of charge." He adds tongue-in-cheek. "The downside is that he now calls me for his family members wedding and I dare not open my mouth and charge."
The snags
When this vision was delivered to me from God, it seemed and it still seems like a lot do. Getting funds, the venue, the infrastructure, the equipment, editing, was a challenge. We rented the venue for two weeks, which means we had to shoot everyday for two weeks. Then the questions arose. "Where are you going to get the guests that will sit down? If you send out invitations for a hundred spaces, are a hundred people going to come? Are they going to come on time? How many shoots do you schedule per day? How do you make sure that Professor Utomi, Mrs. Fashola, King Sunny Ade, are in the country in those two weeks? All these and funds posed a challenge. Nobody wants to sponsor you anymore, everybody wants you to put it on TV and get followership before they come on board. We do not mind, it just means, if you should have paid N50 million at the inception, you will pay N250 million when it starts to air..
Winding up
I hope that the time would come when, if you want to debut a new single or album in Nigeria, the Teju Babyface Show must be one of the places where you do it because our following is that strong. We have a segment that we could not accommodate in the first season which is called ‘Sweetest Moments of Life' where people send us pictures or short videos of things that they have seen or experienced.
For the next season, I also plan to bring on Ibrahim Babangida, dance performers Alfa Sule and magicians. The website comes online soon. There is a fan page on Facebook called the Teju Babyface Show and a YouTube channel where viewers can view excerpts of the show and drop comments on what they want. We plan to be on African Independent Television (AIT), Televison Continental (TVC), Galaxy and on every possible station here in Lagos before we begin to move into other parts of the country and then we go cable...
| | |||||
When ultrasound scan revealed that Mrs. Fatimah Ibrahim, a secondary teacherat Nurul Bayan Int‘I Academy in Zone 5 area of the Federal CapitalTerritory, Abuja, was carrying twins, her joy knew no bound. Although she already had some children, Ibrahim felt giving birth to twins wouldbe a unique experience that would bring additional joy to the family.But on July 20, when her pregnancy was six months, Ibrahim was rushedto Maitama General Hospital as a result of bleeding from her genitalorgans. PUNCH METRO gathered that the bleeding was due to an auto accident she had a week earlier. Based on medical advice,she was admitted to the hospital. The doctors said she should be underclose monitoring because the tissues covering and protecting the babieshad ruptured. By divine providence, she gave birth to a set of premature twins — two boys at about 2am on Saturday, August 20.This was the beginning of the traumatic experience that has thrownIbrahim, a mother of four, into endless sorrow. She was informed by the doctors that the hospital did not have incubators tokeep the babies. So, the babies were referred to either Garki,Asokoro/Wuse or Gwagwalada hospitals by one Dr. Anyanor at the femaleward. But none of these hospitals, except Garki Hospital in Area 3, hadeither incubators with oxygen or space to accommodate the babies. At Garki Hospital, the relief of finding a hospital with incubators wasshort-lived when the hospital allegedly demanded N100,000 before thebabies could be admitted. Ibrahim, who said the money could not beraised immediately, added that the demand put the family in a dilemma. Determined to ensure that the babies survived, Ibrahim said her quest took her todifferent hospitals in Abuja Municipal Area but ironically, none of thehospitals visited had incubator. She said at Nisa Premier Hospital,Kado, Abuja, there was one incubator. However, she said the doctorsthere refused to admit the babies on the ground that they were notresponsible for their delivery and admitting them could put otherbabies delivered at Nisa Premier Hospital at risk. She told our correspondent that by the time the babies were taken back toMaitama General Hospital it was already late. The premature twins diedof severe cold at 4.00 am. Their remains were later buried at GwarinpaEstate cemetery at about 7:00 am on August 21. In a petition to some human rights groups, the Nigerian Medical Associationand the Maitama General Hospital, Ibrahim‘s lawyer, Mr. Yusuf Tijani,from Festus Keyamo Chambers, said the woman’s case was pathetic because“the death could have been averted but for the callousness, cruelty,bestial act and insensitivity of the entire management of Maitama andGarki hospitals and this capitalist state called Nigeria.” He added, “When Mrs. Fatimah (Ibrahim) and her twins were rushed to GarkiHospital by her husband and elder brother at about 2.30am they were alltreated with scorn, contempt and disdain. The ladies and the lad at thereception insisted that the sum of N100, 000 must be deposited beforecommencement of treatment.” Tijani said Ibrahim‘s elder brother, Mr. Abubakar Yusuf, a Level 12 officer with National DefenceCollege, Abuja, volunteered to deposit his car and also promised toproduce the said sum at dawn and later reclaim his car. The lawyer alleged that the pleas and the pledge were turned down by the hospital‘s management. Tijani explained, “The ethics of medical profession expects a medicalpractitioner to put above every other thing, including financialbenefits, the lives of his patient. The action of Garki Hospital fellfar below their duties as medical practitioners and runs fowl of theethics of their profession. The medical practitioner swore to an oathupon graduation from the medical college and that oath is called theHippocratic Oath of doctors. “The action of the management of Garki Hospital is a gross criminal negligence contrary toSection 196 of the Criminal Code Law and also offends Section 235 ofthe Penal Code Law. Culprits are liable to punishment with imprisonmentfor a term, which may extend to 14 years with fine or with both. Thetwins also have a right to live by virtue of the 1999 Constitution andthose lives have been deprived unjustly. “In view of the foregoing, we shall proceed forthwith to court because we have agood cause of action. We have equally petitioned the Nigerian MedicalAssociation, Abuja Chapter, and also lodged a formal complaint at GarkiPolice Station Abuja.” But when contacted on the matter, the Clinical Director of Garki Hospital, Dr. Abdulai Ahmed, told ourcorrespondent that Tijani was economical with the truth, saying thehospital did not charge N100,000 for babies, but only asked for N1,500as registration fee. Ahmed said, “He pretended to be a relative of the woman. When he told me that they were refused attentionbecause they could not deposit N100,000. I got annoyed because that isnot correct. We don‘t take N100,000 to admit children. We stepped intothe matter to know who was on duty through the matron. They all gavethe same account and said when the woman came, the family were told toget a card. But one other man, who was with them, said they had no kobowith them. The story is not straight forward. Now, if you cannot getour card, which is about N1,500 how can you get our services? That wasall that happened. “We have a documentary evidence of all that goes on in our hospital here and if the worse happens, we willbring it out to play. I even sympathised with them and even promised tocome and see the bereaved woman in about two weeks‘ time. I gave him mycard, which he has been giving people, including you, to harass me. Hewrote a letter from Keyamo Chambers and gave us eight hours ultimatumto release the names of those nurses on duty. I believe that is highlypreposterous on his part. I don‘t think that is how legal practiceshould be and he has not come back ever since. “All he does is to look for a way of scandalising our names. But that is a verydangerous game for him; it is blackmail. He is on a mission and we arewatching how he will do it.” But when contacted, the Spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, Mr. Jimoh Moshood, said hewould get back to our correspondent as soon as the crime officer, whowas mandated to ascertain whether the matter was reported as claimed bythe lawyer, gave him a feedback. As at the time of going to the press, PUNCH METRO was yet to hear from the police. | |||||
Until recently Potomac, Maryland (20854 – 20859) was known for its very affluent and highly-educated residents. Ranked seventh on the list of top-earning American towns for 2008, by CNNmoney.com. Its annual crime rate is 0.71 per 1,000 residents. But in
drawn undue, but negative attention to Potomac.
First, it was Prince Abubakar Audu, whose wife, Aisha took a protective order
against him, barring him from visiting or contacting her and their
children;after the former governor had unleashed mayhem on them in their Glen road residence in Potomac, Maryland.
The full text of the order, read:1.The respondent (Prince Abubakar Audu) shall not abuse, threaten to abuse,and/or harass Aisha Audu.
2. The respondent shall not contact (in person , by telephone,in writing or by any other means) or attempt to contact Aisha Audu.
3.The respondent shall not enter the residence of Aisha Audu, at 12301 Glen Rd, Potomac MD,20854. (Residence include yard, grounds,outbuildings, and common areas surrounding the dwelling)
4. That the respondent shall vacate the home immediately(home includes yard, grounds,outbuildings, and commom areas surrounding the building) at the 12301 Glen Road, Potomac, MD 20854.
5. That custody of Abubakar Suleiman Audu(Jnr) and Shezali Mohd Audu is awarded to Aisha Audu.
We can also report that Prince Audu has abandoned this mother of three kids which includes a barely one month old baby in the United States of America without providing for them financially and otherwise.
Many would remember Prince Abubakar Audu who allegedly looted his state's treasury bare and only left the sum of N500, 000 for his successor as stated in a Nigerian newspaper, Sunday Sun, August 29, 2004. He was detained for misrule and theft of state funds and released on bail by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission when he left office.
Audu’s wife, the former First Lady of Kogi State, Mrs. Aisha Audu recently filed papers at the District Court of Maryland, Montgomery County, seeking a Temporary Protective Order against Prince Audu, her husband of over 10 years, alleging that the former governor assaulted her severally.
It was learnt from family sources that the former governor and Mrs. Audu’s matrimonial problems started a few months back after Mrs. Audu refused to perform a ritual in the governor’s hometown in Kogi State, to denounce an allegation that she planned to poison the politician.
The source said Prince Audu’s eldest daughter, Maimuna had told Prince Audu that a former domestic staff had informed her about Mrs. Audu’s plans to poison him. The former governor was said to have confronted his wife with the allegation, which according to our source, she perceived was a ploy to break their marriage and force her out of the family home.
Prince Audu we gather is on the verge of taking a new wife.
Considering the weight of the allegation against the former First Lady, our source said her family and Prince Audu’s deliberated severally on the matter which saw Prince Audu insisting that his then five month old pregnant wife would have to walk over the former governor’s father’s grave naked and perform some rituals to convince him that she had made no plans to kill him.
Mrs. Audu and her family, according to our source opted to swear by the Quran to prove she had made no such plan, but the families failed to reach a compromise on this.
Habiba, an ex-wife of Prince Audu, who died in London sometime in 2007 allegedly went through the same ordeal and became severely sick after she was made to perform the fetish act at the supervision of a witch doctor. She was then forced out of their home by the former governor and did not recover from the strange ailment until she died in a London hospital.
Mrs. Aisha Audu has refused to be lured into performing the same voodoo. They are currently enmeshed in a bitter legal battle that may become a reference point for many Nigerian thieving politicians with real estate assets abroad often acquired with looted funds from government coffers.
According to court papers dated May 19, 2010, exclusively obtained by THEWILL, Mrs. Audu told Judge Dennis Michael Mchugh that Abubakar Audu physically assaulted her during their last Christmas and New Year holiday at the Audu’s $1.7 million dollar family mansion in posh Potomac, Maryland and sometime in March 2010 in Nigeria.
She also alleged that Prince Audu threatened to cause her serious bodily harm and verbally abused her and the kids, which caused her to seek the court’s protection.
"The abuse started in December ‘09 during the Christmas vacation at the above address. We had arguments over issues of where to have my baby because I was already over 16 weeks pregnant and also on issues of where the kids will school since they will have to be with me if I am having the baby here because I already started anti-natal with my GP," Mrs. Audu wrote in her petition to the court.
Continuing, she said; "The violence continued, he got physical by hitting, slapping, punching, throwing things at me and abusing me and the kids verbally in front of others including my step children…."
"On getting to Nigeria, things escalated and he threatened to eliminate me by all means wherever I go. He had refused to continue paying the children’s school fees while school is still on. He then eventually locked me and the kids out of the house and I was left with no option but to return to our Glen Road residence because I was lucky to have our passports in a safe place," the former First Lady wrote.
after the court order was served on Prince Abubakar Audu, he immediately moved to throw his kids and wife out of the Glen road mansion with the backing of his controversial daughter, Maimuna.
He hired a law firm by the name Rismiller Law Group, LLC of Rockville, Maryland to appeal the section of the restraining order which gave Mrs. Audu and the kids temporary custody of the their Potomac home.
Ms. Maimuna Audu (35), who still lives with her father flew in from Nigeria to represent the former governor and his firm, Gold Window. She led the onslaught to evict her siblings and father’s wife.
Prince Audu and his lawyers then came up with a plan. They averred that the Glen road mansion is not a family home but a company property belonging to Gold Window LLC. They added that the Audu’s sought the permission of Gold Window LLC to use the property for their Christmas and New Year holiday. The lawyers said the company wanted to take back possession of the mansion.
search at the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, Montgomery County, of the Glen Road mansion history revealed that Prince Abubakar Audu purchased in cash, the two-storey mansion in his name from Par Development, LC for $1,719,954 on March 15, 2001. On April 22, 2001, he transferred (Sold) the mansion for $1.00 (One dollar) to Belside Properties, LLC, a company allegedly registered to himself and his first son, Aliyu. Belside Properties was later acquired by Gold Window LLC, another company registered to Abububakar Audu and his son, Aliyu. Both father and son are currently not on speaking terms after Abubakar Audu evicted Aliyu from the same property a few years back after they had a brawl.
Orji Kalu Saga
Just as the residents of the serene town were settling down to normalcy, Orji Uzo Kalu, the former governor of Abia state, came into town and two days later, his Potomac home became a crime scene, when Masi Chinwe, a lady alleged to be his mistress died mysteriously. Thus far two different versions of the account of what transpired in Orji Kalu home has emerged.
A version from the deceased family, read: “Chinwe met OJ (Orji Kalu) sometime early June at the store where she worked as a fragrance model. He came in to make some purchase at her stand and left a generous tip of 300 dollars to her. He did not forget any cologne at the store”.
“At this point they probably exchanged numbers but she wasn't aware of who he was. They spoke on phone several times but never met until after a few days later when he sent her a cheque through his aide/driver who came and dropped it off at her apartment. She came to Nigeria on the 30th of June and did not see OJ but they did speak”.
“The reason they didn't see was because he had wanted her to spend just a week with her relatives and then join him in Lagos to go to Abuja and then his hometown but she also complained to her friends and family that she found him a bit too controlling! (She used this word specifically). She didn't see him all through her stay”!“She left Nigeria last week Tuesday (same day OJ claimed that she called to return his perfume). She spoke with him though after she arrived at the US and they agreed to see on Thursday at his residence in Potomac. On that fateful day, she spoke several times with a close relative on the West Coast and set out to meet with him for dinner at his residence. She arrived there at about 9pm (Maryland time) and checked in with her relative on the West coast. The conversation lasted a few minutes and her relative also spoke with OJ. She described her conversation with him as being somewhat cold and even a bit brusque. He handed the phone back to Chinwe and while the deceased continued to exchange pleasantries, OJ said to her to wrap up the call and speak later with her relative”.“At about 3.30am Maryland time, the police called the deceased's relative on the West coast to pronounce her (Chinwe) dead and make inquiries as to the last time they had spoken. They told the relative that OJ had called 911 after he claimed that he was lying down watching TV while Chinwe was in a separate bedroom. He said he heard her call for help and he got up to see her trying to come down the staircase. Halfway down, she fell down the rest of the flight of stairs and he called 911. There was no one else at the residence to corroborate this story and this is the statement he gave the police. So far the autopsy is still pending but the deceased's home was searched for any traces of medication she might have been taking for any ailments or sicknesses. Nothing of significance was found. The detective in charge Deena Mackie was at the scene and also took statements from OJ and led the search in her apartment”.
“Chinwe was a robust lady who was full of life and joy. Always laughing and had a big heart. She would be missed dearly.”
The Federal Government has warned that the cholera epidemic ravaging some states in the North may spread to other parts of the country.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, who raised the fresh alarm on Friday in Abuja, warned that the entire country was at great risk. Chukwu spoke in his office while receiving infusion products donated by Juhel Nigeria Limited, an indigenous pharmaceuticals manufacturing company, to states affected by the disease..
The minister’s alarm followed reports that the epidemic had claimed 571 lives in seven states as at Thursday, up from 325 earlier reported. So far, at least 10,134 people are said to have been infected, out which Borno and Bauchi states recorded 2,617 and 2,417 cases respectively..
In Borno, 162 lives were lost in 18 local government areas while 81 persons died in seven council areas of Bauchi State.
The Director of Public Health in the ministry, Dr. Mike Anibueze, who gave the latest figures at the briefing, however, contradicted the minister’s stance by saying the epidemic was showing a downward trend.
The chairman of Juhel, Dr. Ifeanyi Okoye, said the donation was part of the firm’s corporate social responsibility, aimed at assisting victims of the disease.
Among the drugs donated were dextrose saline, dextrose in water (five per cent), normal saline, darrows solution and water for injection.
Thanking the company for the gesture, the minister noted that the cases recorded in some of the states, especially Bauchi, were as a result of person-person transmission.
“The North-East is the worst hit zone, for now. Out of the seven states, Bauchi and Borno are most affected and more people are dying; but we are getting things under control.
“I must warn that every state in Nigeria stands the risk of having cholera and that is why other states must be on their guard and take pre-emptive action,” he said.
Cholera[1] is a severe infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which primarily affects the small intestine. The main symptoms include profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission is primarily by the acquisition of the pathogen through contaminated drinking water or infected food. The severity of the diarrhea and associated vomiting can lead to rapid dehydration and electrolyte loss, which can lead to death. Cholera is a major cause of death in the world.
The study of cholera has been used as an example of early epidemiology. Study of the V. cholerae bacterium has also shed light on many of the mechanisms used by bacteria to infect and survive in their hosts.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera
Delta Airlines on Monday said a female passenger was found dead on one of its flights from Atlanta, United States to Lagos.
Delta sources said the 57-year-old passenger was accompanied by her son when she died on Monday. The Associated Press quoted the American carrier’s Corporate Communications Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Ms. Olivia Cullis, as saying that the passenger was found unresponsive early Monday aboard Delta Flight 53, about an hour out of Atlanta and about 11 hours from the time it took off.
Delta said it could not provide the passenger’s identity due to privacy restriction laws. Cullis added, “Approximately an hour from Atlanta, the crew of Flight 53 alerted flight operations that a passenger was unresponsive and had no vital signs. The flight landed normally and we are coordinating with medical authorities. Delta extends its sincere condolences to the passenger’s family.”
A statement by the Senior Manager, Media Relations, Delta, Susan Elliot, said the airline was working with medical authorities to determine the facts in the case..
AP quoted Atlanta’s police spokesman, Otis Redmond, as saying that foul play was not suspected. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiner’s investigator was sent to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, according to the report.
Atlanta police spokesman Otis Redmond told AP that foul play was not suspected in the woman’s death. Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead said the woman’s body was taken to a crime laboratory for an autopsy.
Bankhead said the FBI was investigating the matter because the death occurred on an international flight.
Censorship chief escapes lynching for soliciting sex from minor
The director general of the Kano State Film and Censorship Board, Abubakar Rabo Abdulkarim, was nearly lynched over the weekend when a mob attacked him for soliciting sex from an under-aged girl.
Mr. Abdulkarim, the former Hisbah commander was trying to escape from a patrol team which had accosted him when they saw his car parked in a secluded environment - with a young girl inside - when he ran into a motorcyclist. Other members of the Okada union quickly surrounded him and he was only saved a lynching by the police who had been in pursuit of his car.
The censorship board, under his leadership, has waged a scorched earth campaign against actors, musicians and producers in the state for allegedly promoting immorality. As a result, many artistes fled the state and now ply their trade elsewhere..
Mr Abdulkarim, who insisted that the girl he was found with was his niece, said he was not having an affair with her. But when the former enforcer of Sharia law discovered he could not convince the contingent of policemen on night patrol on the propriety of having an under-aged girl in his car at such an odd hour, he panicked. The whole thing looked even more suspicious because for some curious reason he had parked behind a shopping complex along Maiduguri Road that night.
A police source said when the patrol team attempted to arrest Mr Abdulkarim he took flight in his car.
Double trouble
While trying to escape however, he knocked down an official of the Kano History and Culture Bureau who was riding on a motorcycle. This incurred the wrath of Okada riders, who thought that he had knocked down a member of their union and promptly proceeded to give him a thorough beating.
Ironically, it was the patrol team that he had been trying to avoid that finally came to his rescue, although by then the okada riders, who saw he had a girl with him, had damaged the car and were already on the verge of beating him to death.
He was later taken to the Hotoro police division where he was made to write down a statement.
Not a wayward one
When contacted, Mr Abdulkarim said members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, and film practitioners, were responsible for his ordeal.
The man, who has been having a running battle with film makers and writers in Kano in his attempt to force them to comply with the Sharia legal code, spoke to NEXT before he travelled to Saudi Arabia for the lesser hajj.
“The girl found in my car was my niece and not a wayward one as insinuated,” he insisted.
Spokesperson of the Kano State police command, Baba Mohammed, said he was not aware of the incident because he was in the hospital at the time. The police commissioner, Mohammed Gana also said he couldn’t speak on the matter because he just returned from Saudi Arabia. He however promised to find out the details from his men at the Hotoro Police Division.
Globacom deal. After months of speculation, the talented duo were
officially announced as Glo Ambassadors last week. During the ceremony,
Peter and Paul were presented with their official Glo ‘jerseys’ and
introduced to the rest of the Glo family which includes other Glo
ambassadors who had their contracts renewed on the same day.
The event was another opportunity for the crop of Globacom ambassadors to reaffirm their commitment to the company for endorsing them and for taking such a commendable step to
lift Nigeria’s entertainment industry to a higher pedestal. P-Square,
the newest addition to the list of Glo ambassadors, described the
endorsement as a welcome recognition of the group’s contribution to the
entertainment industry in Nigeria and indeed Africa, adding that this
would spur the duo to greater achievements in the music industry.
the engagement of P-Square as brand ambassador and the renewal of the
contract for others showed Globacom’s willingness to always recognize
the vast, shining talents that abound in the country..
“P-Square remains a well focused and popular music group and the youths
of this country and this continent find the group worthy of emulation.
The choice of P-Square to join our brand ambassadors was therefore not
misplaced. We have carefully selected our crop of brand ambassadors and
we believe they represent the very best in their chosen professions,” he
disclosed. “We have been actively projecting enterprising Nigerians who
have excelled in their fields of endeavour. We are of the firm belief
that their faces would help fire the aspirations and dreams of many
youths to reach for their goals and rule their world”, Mr Jameel added.
He also said that the feedback from the public largely influenced the
renewal of the contracts of the ambassadors as there has been wide
acceptance and recognition for the step taken by Globacom to lift the
status of Nigerian stars.
Stars whose contracts were renewed at the event included Rita Dominic, Ramsey Nouah, Desmond Elliot, Jim Iyke, Mike Ezuruonye, Nuhu Aliyu, Kate Henshaw-Nuttal and Ini Edo-Phillip Ehiagwina. Others were
Uche Jombo, Monalisa Chinda, Funke Akindele, Nonso Diobi, Sanni Denja and Mohammed Yakubu. Also on the bill were Pasuma Wonder, Original Stereoman (Ekwe), Ego Ogbaro, Sammie Okposo and ace comedian,Basketmouth.
A Federal High court sitting in Lagos set a N500 million bail on the former head of Intercontinental Bank who faces charges of mismanaging the lender in the run-up to last year's N620 billion sector-wide bailout.
The figure is five times the amount set for the heads of four other lenders rescued alongside Intercontinental.
Erastus Akingbola was sacked by the central bank a year ago along with the four other bank chiefs and charged with graft and money laundering in absentia after leaving for Britain, where he had remained until the start of this month.
The cases against the bank chiefs are seen as a litmus test of Nigeria's ability to prosecute influential figures accused of financial crimes. The country is regularly ranked one of the most corrupt in the world by transparency watchdogs.
Bail conditions included securing three guarantors who own properties in the commercial hub of Lagos with evidence of their tax clearance.
"I think the bail condition is fair having regards to the facts of the case," Rickey Tarfa, a lawyer for Akingbola told reporters outside the Federal High Court in Ikoyi.
The bail was set high because unlike other bank chiefs, Akingbola left the country after last year's bailout.
Tarfa said Akingbola would remain in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) until the bail conditions were met.
The Federal Capital Territory Police Command on Saturday arrested two members of a gang that abducted Dr. Jhalil Tafawa-Balewa, son of the late prime minister of Nigeria, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, who was kidnapped on Friday night at the business premises of his wife.
Tafawa-Balewa had gone to visit his wife in the Federal Capital Territory, when two men accosted him and took him away at gunpoint to a hideout in Mpampe area of the city.
He was taken to a hilly area where he managed to escape from his kidnappers. The gang was said to have demanded a N100m ransom from his family.
Photo:Late Father of the Victim
Tafawa-Balewa’s family and friends were already making arrangements to pay the sum to secure his release when he escaped from his kidnappers.
Briefing newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, the FCT Police Commissioner, John Haruna, explained that a suspected member of the gang, Adamu Adamu, who was arrested when he came to collect the ransom, led the police to their hideout where another suspect was apprehended.
He suffered gunshot wounds and was taken to the hospital for treatment. Two other suspects are being sought, he added.
Tafawa-Balewa stated that the gang took him away in a Honda car and seized his wallet and wristwatch. The car was recovered in Minna, Niger State where it was taken to after the operation.
Speaking with newsmen, Tafawa-Balewa said, “It was raining when they took me away, so I had no idea where they took me to. But I know that we ended up on a mountain. But when I got an opportunity to escape, I took it.
When I came out, I saw policemen searching everywhere, I didn’t know they were looking for me.”
P.M.NEWS gathered that the directive to that effect was given over the weekend by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, who ordered that police commissioners in all the 36 states of the federation must implement the order immediately.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ogbonna Onovo.
In response to the directive, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Mr. Marvel Akpoyibo, went on air to announce the directive, ordering all policemen in his command to leave the checkpoints immediately.
A police source in Lagos told P.M.NEWS under confidentiality that all area commands and divisional police officers have been directed to ensure that the order is carried out at all their duty posts.
As at this morning, P.M.NEWS discovered that the most checkpoints often mounted early in the morning to extort money from motorists in Lagos had disappeared..
Only traffic wardens and LASTMA officials were seen controlling traffic.
There was a multiple accident at Isheri area of Lagos State where over 30 people were burnt to death at police checkpoint.
| | |||||
THERE was pandemonium in Iwofe Area of Port Harcourt on Sunday when a navalrating shot a police constable to death after a heated argument over agirlfriend. The police constable, who was identified as Osaro Osame, was said to be on a special duty at Saipem, an oilservicing company, before he was killed. PUNCH METRO gathered that Osame, who was in company of a lady, had engaged the naval rating in an altercation over the woman. Angered by the constable’s audacity, the naval rating (name withheld) brought out a rifle and shot Osame at close range. Those around the area, according to an eyewitness, took to their heels whenthey heard the sound of a gunshot after the disagreement between thetwo security agents. The police constable, according to an eyewitness died on the spot while the naval rating was arrested after the incident. “The sound of the gun really made people to be afraid. Those who werecurious after they heard the gunshot went straight to the scene of theincident to see things for themselves,” an eyewitness said. Confirming the incident, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Dr.Rita Inoma-Abbey, said the incident took place at about 1.30am onSunday. Disclosing that the naval rating was arrested by the Navy Command, Inoma-Abbey said the suspect would soon be handedover to the state police command. She said, “One police constable, Osaro Osame of the 45 Police Mobile Force on a special dutyat Saipem, Port Harcourt was shot dead by a naval rating at about 0130hours today (Sunday). “The deceased left camp in company with a lady. It is highly suspected that the lady may be the cause ofthe misunderstanding between the naval rating and the deceased.” Inoma-Abbey said the lady, who was suspected to causing rift that led to the policeman’s death, was in police custody. She said the policeman’s corpse had been deposited in a mortuary, addingthat the Criminal Investigation Department of the state police commandhad begun investigation into the incident. | |||||
Goodluck Jonathan may have come under severe threat.
Saturday Punch gathered from authoritative sources on Thursday that Obasanjo, a former President of the country who had hitherto supported Jonathan to
run for the presidency next year, was considering a change of
allegiance in favour of another presidential aspirant from the northern
part of the country.
Photo:From Yaradua to Jonathan to Who ? The Fox called OBJ rules
It was learnt that Obasanjo had started yielding to pressure from the camp of the presidential aspirant who before now had persistently mounted pressure on him for his
support.
A reliable source, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said that Obasanjo had decided to shift his allegiance to the presidential candidate from the North,
contrary to the impression he has been creating in the public lately.
It was further learnt that the former President has held three secret
meetings with the presidential aspirant who is also pursuing his
ambition on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The source said the relationship between Obasanjo and Jonathan came under threat after some appointments the President made recently.
The former president, who is widely believed to have some influence on Jonathan, was said to be uncomfortable with some of the
appointments,including that of Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd) who
was appointed as the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee.
The relationship between the two retired generals had fallen apart when Obasanjo revoked one of the oil wells allocated to Danjuma by the
regime of the late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha.
It was further gathered that Obasanjo introduced some companies to Jonathan for some high profile jobs in the oil sector, which were not honoured.
Saturday Punch gathered that for some undisclosed reasons, the President did not accede to the demand of the PDP BOT Chairman who was said to be unhappy
with the development.
It was learnt that an angered Obasanjo had commenced discreet discussions with the candidate.
Obasanjo was said to have told his close confidants that he was making a U-turn on Jonathan because the President was not listening to him. The source
added that the new beneficiary of Obasanjo’s support had continually
reminded him of the relationship between them and how his efforts had
culminated in his emergence as the President in 1999.
It was gathered that Obasanjo was reconsidering the aspirant’s plea on the premise that he owed him a lot and would not lose anything if he threw
his weight behind him.
However, this turn of event was said to have created a big rift among key players in the Obasanjo camp.
It was learnt that while people like Dr. Doyin Okupe are seriously opposed to a deal with Obasanjo’s new favourite candidate, politicians like the
Osun State Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, are irrevocably
committed to the aspirant’s agenda.
President Jonathan’s Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters and Co-ordinator of his presidential campaign, Senator Muhammed Aba-Aji,
however, said he doubted the claim that Obasanjo could sway his support
for Jonathan in favour of another presidential aspirant.
He said, “I doubt it very much. Obasanjo is supporting us 100 per cent. He is 100 per cent pro-Jonathan. He is committed to the Jonathan project.
In fact, we are relying on him to deliver the five states in the
South-West and other states to us. He is our leader; we also rely on
his influence in some other states. He is more than committed. It is
mischief makers who are at work. We should discountenance false rumour.
It is baseless. In fact, our opponents are already jittery because of
the level of acceptance that the President has garnered across the
country and beyond.”
But speaking with one of our correspondents shortly after returning from Kenya on Friday night, Obasanjo said it would be inappropriate
for him as the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the PDP to support any of the presidential aspirants of the party before
the party’s primaries.
He said he would only
be able to lend his open support for the party’s candidate after the
party’s primaries.
The former president, who spoke through his Media Consultant, Mr.
Adeoba Ojekunle, said, “The BOT chairman is the father of all party members and
aspirants in the party. It is inappropriate for the BOT chairman to
support any of the contestants in the party. The issue is not who he
supports but who the party chooses. He can only begin to support the
party’s candidate after the party’s primaries. By the way, the party
has not elected its candidate and so, how can we begin to speculate
who the BOT chairman is supporting? “In any case, the leaders of the South-West zone have not spoken on
their stand on who to support for the PDP presidential candidate. The
BOT Chairman is the father of everybody in the party.”
A. The “Days of Noah” - Luke 17:26-27 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
B. Those will be the most wicked and spiritually careless days ever
C. The “Days of Noah” that Jesus referred to were not the days before the rapture, but the days preceding His second coming
-think of how evil and careless this world will become after the rapture
D. We are in the days leading up to those days and many Christians are getting caught up in it
E. Noah was a “Just man”, “Perfect in his generation” and “walked with God”
-signs of last days - hearts of many grow cold, evil men and seducers become worse, perilous times
F. We are encouraged by Noah to live a godly life in an ungodly world.
III. NOAH BROUGHT REST TO THE LAND
A. The meaning of Noah’s name - Gen 5:28-29 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
B. Noah’s life brought a rest to the earth from the curse of sin which would have destroyed humanity
C. Noah is a type of Christ .
-1 Pet 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
D. Just as Noah’s life brought a rest to the earth from sin, Christ brings rest to the soul of man
E. Every time the church reaches a soul with Christ, that soul gains a rest from the destruction of sin
IV. NOAH DIDN’T GIVE UP
A. God told Noah to build an ark - 540’L x 90’W x 54’H
B. The ark had to be built to God’s specific details without power tools and precut, treated lumber
C. During this time Noah was mocked, ridiculed, called crazy and insane, etc (it had never rained)
D. For over 100 years Noah labored, not quitting, not getting discouraged and only 8 people were saved
E. Noah’s work encourages us to be faithful to what called us called us to do, don’t give up
-we may be ridiculed and mocked for what we believe and for what the Word of God teaches but we must be faithful to it
-Jude 1:17-18 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
-2 Pet 3:3-4 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
F. Noah didn’t quit, because he believed what God told him
-Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
V. CONCLUSION
B. That’s what happened in the days leading up to Noah
C. The sons of God, morally pure people, began to give in to the spirit of the age (1-4)
D. Just as Noah built a vessel that enabled his family to escape the judgment of God, Christ is building a vessel that will escape the judgment that is to come
-1 Cor 3:9 For we are labourers together with God:...
-we are working on a vessel that will escape the judgment to come
E. Keep on working for God, it will pay off in the end
