"WHY MEN STRAY"

A man will look outside for what he lacks at home – Pastor Emmadagon

Pastor Emmad

When the issue is how to successfully manage marital relationships, Pastor Eunice Iferi Emmadagon holds very frank, and some would say, unusual views. Once a month, women gather at the Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Lagos, for her programme, Stop Hurting, which is a specialized Bible-based fellowship session for people passing through emotional pain. Pastor Emmadagon is the Senior Pastor of Faith World Harvest Church, based in Port Harcourt, and has branches in Lagos and overseas. In this interview, she talks about why men stray, and how a woman can prevent it. Excerpts…

They go outside to look for what they don’t have at home
Let’s look at it this way, if you are the type that has been looking for ‘obe ata’ in your house and your cooks don’t know how to cook it, and you’re entering into my house and you smell it, no matter how dirty my house is – and you don’t like eating in dirty places, you will manage and eat it, these things happen to our men. For some men however, they’ll be like ‘I like what I smell but it won’t be nice if I get home and I don’t eat’ and that happens especially with men who feel it’s as good as what’s in their house.

So oftentimes I ask the women, ‘What did you do wrong, where did you go wrong?’ Because your husband saw you and saw the other girls and chose to marry you. So there must be something about you that he prefers to the other girl(s). You were not the only girl at the time he chose to marry you, and in spite of all, it was like, this girl or nobody else. So at that point when it now became only you, and contrary to what people say, when men have you, they don’t bother with you anymore. I don’t believe in that because the kind of love I shared with my husband was even more than the first day we met. So I believe that love can be enhanced instead of deteriorating. So I ask women, at what point did you lose him?

Men have natural tendency towards polygamy
We are free agents, we have ability to desire new things, and like I always tell women, every man has many parts. A man has a place for his mother, his friends, his wife, his sisters, the children, and funny enough, girl friends. A man has a place for his girlfriends. You see, we are all Abraham’s children, and if you look at his life, (if not for grace that we are operating in), it’s like Jacob’s, like Isaac’s, it’s a family thing. He was polygamous in nature, Jacob was, Isaac was, and we are from that lineage.

Too bad but there is a natural trait of polygamy in man, save for grace. Let us look at Abraham more closely – he was badly in need of a son, so that root of polygamy in him arose. Okay, Sarah misled him but for God’s sake, there are certain things you can’t mislead me to do because they are not in me. No matter how strongly you push me to do certain things, I won’t do them. You know when people say, this person pushed me to do certain things, I just say that’s you. It was there, it was just dormant, somebody just helped stir it up.

I have a few friends who worry about me, ‘you alone’, and all that, and I tell them if you hear any story about me, don’t blame anybody just come and hold me, because I know who I am, nobody bends me to do what I don’t want to do especially what is evil, that I don’t want to do. If you catch me doing one, don’t blame who I did it with, blame me.

So that polygamous thing in Abraham was stirred up by his lack of a son. So when Sarah said, ‘darling, why don’t you...’, I’m sure he said, ‘No, I love you’ but when she persisted, he thought, ‘why not’. So in the same way, you have an ability to fill this gap. You know a woman is a dynamic person, I wish we can really maximize all our potentials. There is nothing you cannot do or achieve as a woman. If you can co-procreate with God, what else remains? If you can make life with God, why can’t you repair life. You can repair anything you can make.

When a man lacks something in his house, he’ll look for it outside…
So when a man lacks something, just like Abraham lacked something, if you let your husband lack specific things, feminine things in your house, every suggestion out there by a Sarah will kick off that polygamous thing in him. I don’t care how righteous or how anointed he is because Abraham was no less anointed anyway. So every woman must know that anointed or not, her husband was first a man before he became ‘man of God.’

Therefore there are some unguarded moments that the devil can take advantage of this to sow tares among the wheat. So as a woman, you must guard against that. Your husband’s unguarded moments should be your guarded moments, because if Abraham had a son, if he had no lack, that polygamous thing in him would have been dormant forever because of the discipline and the love of God. It’s the same way with our men. For example, your husband has a place for his mother. I’m not saying women should manipulate their husbands such that they won’t go back to their mothers. But you see there are certain things he doesn’t need to go back to his mother for because you’re there.

Your husband can go back to his mother to give her love, to give her money, to give her care, to let her know, that he appreciates the times she was there for him picking up all his mess, and that he wants to make it up to her by taking good care of her.

But your husband should not be going back to his mother to ask, ‘Why is my wife treating me like this?’ Because no matter how much she loves you, her son comes first and she wouldn’t want you to treat him anyhow. So you need to position yourself in a way that your husband can ask you himself, ‘Why are you treating me like this?’ The reason people go around asking questions is because they want an answer and they want attention. If he gets the attention and the answers from you, he does not need to ask his mother.
There are times it just comes to him to feel like a boy, because those silly things are playing in his mind, and he thinks, having a girlfriend won’t be a bad idea really.

No matter how anointed he is, they play in his mind, thus you must be sensitive enough to notice it. In my own case, when I noticed such moments, I became a girlfriend to my husband. The Holy Spirit is in you as a woman to notice these moments. The reason why things go wrong in marriages is because the women get too busy to see their men as their first ministry. For me, my husband was my first ministry. So if you see it that way, and it’s your focus, you’ll become aware of these things. So when I see my husband is having such moments, I decide to become his girlfriend because I don’t think he needs a wife at that point in time. So rather than look for a girlfriend outside, I become one for him.

When acting as his girlfriend, just become younger and naughtier
You know what girlfriends do, when you were your husband’s girlfriend, what did you do (laughs)? The first thing I do is to become younger and naughtier, dressing like a girlfriend, doting on him like a girlfriend would. And of course I was first his girlfriend before I became his wife. I could still remember the things I did, so I would do those things. And when I notice that he needs a mother’s care, I grow up, and behave like an old woman. And who is a mother? A mother is patient, can take all the mess and clean it up. She is a confidante. So he’ll want to run to me to tell me things he shouldn’t because he did it against me. The mother is ready to take it, she’ll say, ‘I’m pained but don’t do it again.’

Sometimes you must have told your husband, ‘I’m not your house girl o, I’m your wife’, because at such times, you just realise that you are seeing a bully in your husband. I’ve had experience with men. I have five brothers, a wonderful father and a wonderful husband. But what beats my imagination is that they had something in common.

I just know that men are wonderful creatures if you treat them well, and they are not asking for too much. It’s just that we the women are too busy, too aggressive and picking offences that we can’t really watch out for these moments with our husbands. They are not asking for too much, they are just babies. I don’t care how old a man is, he’s a baby, if you apply the principles you’ll apply with your child at home, you’ll be able to catch him.

When your husband is acting like a bully, then act like his servant
For instance when you see your husband feeling and behaving like a bully, then turn to his staff, ‘okay sir, how do you want it sir?’ You can afford to lose your rights at that point in time. What is love? You can lose your rights for love, it’s going to be momentary. Because for him to have chosen you over the other girl(s), you should know how to get him easily. He loves you, that’s why he married you, he doesn’t want to see you as a slave.

So sometimes when it comes like that, I behave like a slave, because I know he loves me and doesn’t want me as a slave. When I do that, he now begins to feel guilty. He’ll start saying, ‘That’s not what I mean now, I don’t mean to intimidate you.’ but if you had reacted angrily, he would then say things like, ‘I’ll prove to you that this is my house’, because the way he wanted to feel at that time is like a boss, and if you had ignited it, it would have worsened.

And these are things that break marriages, little things. And all these divorcees that you see, they are still in love with themselves. And that’s why I always tell people I won’t marry a divorcee because you’ve shown me, you’re a good starter not a good finisher. Some people say it’s not their fault but I won’t marry a divorcee because I think they are still in love because the things that break their marriages are just patience and being observant, it’s not because they don’t love themselves.

Sometimes, the way a man will behave, if you are observant, you’ll know he just wants to play with his small sister, he doesn’t want a big girl around him, so turn into a small girl and play toys with him. That is why you’ll see some men who after work are just satisfied to be within the four walls of their home. What do you want to offer them? They have everything they need at home.

No matter how Christian your husband is, he doesn’t need a wife always
‘Let me go to the club, let me go and hang out with my friends, many of them don’t really go because of women, but if your house is boring, when he needs a friend, you’re a wife, he needs a girlfriend, you’re a wife, he needs a mother, you’re a wife, in as much as he appreciates you as a wife, but it’s not a wife he needs now. And for God’s sake I don’t care how Christian you are, he does not need a wife all the time

An anticrime group says the abduction rate is second only to Colombia's. There is disagreement on victim numbers.

TESSIE BORDEN
Republic Mexico City Bureau

MEXICO CITY - The numbers are disputed, but one thing is certain: You are more likely to be abducted
in Mexico than almost anywhere else in the world.

A report by an anti-crime group says Mexico's kidnap rate is second only to Colombia's. And the news
gets worse.

Take into account that most of Colombia's kidnappings are committed by politically motivated terrorist
groups. Mexico moves to the top of the list in kidnappings that have no other motive than illicit profit,
a Mexico City security consultant says.

Experts and government officials disagree on the exact number of kidnappings in the country, but they
agree that the problem won't go away unless families stop allowing themselves to be scared into silence
and continue paying ransoms.

There were 422 kidnappings reported in Mexico in 2003, according to the Citizens' Council for Public
Security and Penal Justice, a business-based group. Though that figure is down from 437 in 2002, the
problem isn't getting any better, spokesman Jose Antonio Ortega said.

The plot of the nation's political drama thickens as President Goodluck Jonathan plans to reshuffle his cabinet next week, said sources privy to the decision.

Photo:L-R Head of Civil Service, Steve Oronsaye,Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, Vice President Namadi Sambo and President Goodluck Jonathan at the Federal Executive Council Meeting in Abuja, yesterday

As politicians in the last few weeks focused on zoning and its attendant problems or benefits, Mr. Jonathan, who political watchers say never ceases to surprise, was doggedly entrenching his hold on the nation's polity.

A few days back, he forwarded the names of three nominees to the Senate for approval as new ministers. It was not immediately clear, however, who the new people will replace. The Senate has acknowledged the receipt of the nominees and decided to reconvene Tuesday next week to screen, and possibly confirm them.

Although the Senate would not reveal the identities of the nominees, it was confirmed that the candidates, two men, and a woman, are from Yobe, Delta, and Borno states. A source further confirmed that one of them is a member of an opposition party, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

Curiously, Mr. Jonathan's action is coming nine months to the end of his administration and he still refuses to confirm if he will be contesting in next year's presidential election or not. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo also effected such a cabinet reshuffle towards the end of his second term in 2006 when he re-assigned Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from ministry of finance to foreign affairs.

The usual suspects

Sources confirmed that the proposed changes will most likely affect the finance minister, Olusegun Aganga and the minister of state for finance, Remi Babalola. It was unclear if Mr Babalola's statement last month that the state oil company, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was broke led to his been considered for possible removal. Mr. Babalola had told a group of journalists during a workshop on "Understanding the operations of the Oil and Gas Industry in Nigeria" organised by the NNPC for members of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), that the only reason the corporation has not paid the ₦450 billion debt owed to the federal government was "its cash flow problem." He reportedly lost favour with Mr. Jonathan after that statement.

At the federal executive council meeting that took place after Mr. Babalola's comment, the council denied, through Dora Akunyili, the Information minister, that NNPC was insolvent.

"NNPC, from the auditor's account, is a going concern, and does not have solvency issue as a corporation. Therefore, categorically, NNPC is not insolvent," Mrs. Akunyili said.

She added that there will always be an outstanding balance between the federal government and the oil giant because of the regular transactions between them.

One of the nominees is supposed to fill the vacancy in the power ministry which had no substantive minister, apart from the junior minister. The others are expected to fill the junior minister positions in the petroleum and foreign affairs ministries.

Although the cabinet reshuffle was not mentioned during the briefing that followed the federal executive council meeting yesterday, the Presidency is said to be awaiting the senate's endorsement of the nominees whose names are currently en route to the national assembly.

Forget candlelit dinners, bouquets of flowers and endless compliments.

The way to a woman’s heart lies in wearing a red shirt, it seems.

A chap becomes instantly more desirable to the opposite sex if he has on a scarlet shirt or crimson tie, research shows..

Even a pair of pillar-box red socks could do the trick. The finding could help explain the appeal of Tiger Woods, who sports the colour on the final day of a golf tournament.

And a red suit may have helped Muse singer Matt Bellamy

Photo:One of the photos used in the study, (with the faces in focus) which worked out that the men in red are seen as more attractive by women

The researchers showed women from around the world, including some Britons, pictures of a ‘moderately attractive’ man.

The photos had been doctored to show him wearing shirts of different colours or standing against several backgrounds.

Others were framed in various colours. A dash of red led to the man being viewed as more attractive and desirable. He was also seen as having a higher social status, the Journal of Experimental Psychology reported.

Researcher Andrew Elliot, of Rochester University in the U.S., said that red is associated with power, passion and fertility in the animal kingdom – and people are no different.

‘This suggests that women’s thoughts and feelings toward men are, at least in part, primitive,’ he said.

‘The question “What do women want?” with regard to sexual attraction and desire has puzzled men and scholars for many years.

‘Our research suggests that the answer may be more provocative, than anticipated.’

Wearing red may also make a man feel more self-assured.

Dr Elliot added: ‘The red shirt that Tiger Woods adorns on the final day of golf tournaments likely provides him with a confidence-boosting reminder of his alpha status in the golf world as it simultaneously reminds his competitors they are probably facing another long day.’

Red is also associated with dominance on the football pitch, with previous research finding that teams wearing red strips win more matches.

Its association with dominance and aggression may enhance players’ game. Or perhaps red shirts are simply easier to see, improving their accuracy of passing.

Everyone, at some point of his or her life, has dreamed of being somebody special, somebody big. Who hasn’t fantasized about being theone who hits the game-winning homer? Who hasn’t dreamed of being thehomecoming queen? And how many times have we dreamed of being rich, orsuccessful, or happy with our relationships?

Often, we dream big dreams and have great aspirations. Unfortunately, our dreams remain just that – dreams. And our aspirations easilycollect dust in our attic.

This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self actualization, we get caught up in thehumdrum of living from day-to-day just barely existing.

But you know what? Life could be so much better, if only we learned to aim higher.

The most common problem to setting goals is the word impossible. Most people get hung up thinking I can’t do this. It’s too hard. It’s tooimpossible. No one can do this.

However, if everyone thought that, there would be no inventions, no innovations, and no breakthroughs in human accomplishment.

Remember that scientists were baffled when they took a look at the humble bumblebee. Theoretically, they said, it was impossible for thebumblebee to fly. Unfortunately for the bumble bee no one has told itso. So fly it does.

On the other hand, some people suffer from dreaming totally outrageous dreams and not acting on them. The result? Broken dreams, andtattered aspirations.

If you limit yourself with self-doubt, and self-limiting assumptions, you will never be able to break past what you deem impossible. If youreach too far out into the sky without working towards your goal, youwill find yourself clinging on to the impossible dream.

Try this exercise. Take a piece of paper and write down some goals in your life. Under one header, list down things ‘you know you can do’.Under another header, write the things ‘you might be able to do.’ Andunder one more, list the things that that are ‘impossible for you todo.’

Now look at all the headers strive every day to accomplish the goals that are under things ‘you know you can do’. Check them when you areable to accomplish them. As you slowly are able to check all of yourgoals under that heading, try accomplishing the goals under the otherheader-the one that reads ‘you might be able to do.’

As of the items you wrote under things I could do are accomplished, you can move the goals that are under things that are ‘impossible foryou to do’ to the list of things ‘you might be able to do.’

As you iterate through this process, you will find out that the goals you thought were impossible become easier to accomplish. And theimpossible begin to seem possible after all.

You see, the technique here is not to limit your imagination. It is to aim high, and start working towards that goal little by little.However, it also is unwise to set a goal that is truly unrealistic.

Those who just dream towards a goal without working hard end up disappointed and disillusioned.

On the other hand, if you told someone a hundred years ago that it was possible for man to be on the moon, they would laugh at you. If youhad told them that you could send mail from here to the other side ofthe world in a few seconds, they would say you were out of your mind.But, through sheer desire and perseverance, these impossible dreams arenow realities.

Thomas Edison once said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Nothing could be truer. For one to accomplish his or herdreams, there has to be hard work and discipline. But take note thatthat 1% has to be a think-big dream, and not some easily accomplishedone.

Ask any gym rat and he or she will tell you that there can be no gains unless you are put out of your comfort zone. Remember the saying,“No pain, no gain”? That is as true as it can be.

So dream on, friend! Don’t get caught up with your perceived limitations. Think big and work hard to attain those dreams. As you stepup the ladder of progress, you will just about find out that theimpossible has just become a little bit more possible.

This is to your success!

Adebola Oni

Visit www.naijamotivation.com for more impacting articles

Former World Boxing Council (WBC) heavy weight champion, Samuel ‘the Nigerian nightmare’ Peter, is confident his upcoming fight against three times world heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko, will not last the distance.

Peter, who lost his WBC crown to the older of the Klitschko brothers, Vitali, in Berlin, Germany, back in October 2008, had in September 2005 fought against Wladimir in an elimination bout for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) world titles.

The Nigerian, however, lost the bout on points, despite knocking Wladimir down on three separate occasions over the course of the 12 round contest.

That inherently makes the September 11 rematch in Germany one of the more interesting fights that can be made in the heavyweight division, especially since Wladimir has not been involved in a tough fight ever since their 2005 bout.

Five years in the making

It’s almost five years since Peter’s painful loss to Wladimir in Atlantic City and the Nigerian now has a chance to get back at the Ukrainian for inflicting what, back then, was his first career loss. He has promised his fans that “it’s going to be a short night” this time around.

“You are going to see a very good exciting fight this time around,” said Peter. “No bullshit, I’m ready. I’m ready to go. I know my fans are going to be really happy with me this time around because it’s going to be a short night.”

Following his loss to Vitali, Peter went on to suffer defeat at the hands of Eddie Chambers in March 2009, but returned with a bang afterwards by recording four straight wins, with the longest of them lasting just four rounds, against journeyman, Gabe Brown, in September 2009.

The underdog

Irrespective of that, Peter will be coming into the bout against Wladimir as the underdog. He, however, insisted he is not bothered by that.

“I like when people keep on thinking like that because some people, they are thinking with their legs,” he said.

“They are not thinking with their heads or brains. They don’t see what I see. They don’t know what I know. Let them keep on thinking. I love that,” added Peter, who then went ahead to boast that he would be prepared to give Wladimir the opportunity of fighting him all over again right after their upcoming rematch.

“Definitely,” exclaimed Peter. “Even that same night, they better be ready because it’s not going to be long. I would still beat him again that same night,” said Peter, who represented Nigeria at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Wladimir, a gold medallist at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, hasn’t lost since his April 2004 loss to Lamon Brewster, and knocked out Chambers in his last title defence in March this year.

He, however, admitted in a recent interview that he will be prepared for the hardhitting Nigerian by the time they meet in Frankfurt next month.

“The first fight against Samuel was one of the hardest combats in my career. He is a hard puncher who developed further. I know what to expect at the 11th of September, but I will be prepared,” Wladimir said.

Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder is adamant former boss Jose Mourinho will manage Manchester United in the future.

The 26-year-old Dutch star won Serie A, the Champions League and the Coppa Italia with the Nerazzurri under the stewardship of Mourinho last term, but the Portuguese tactician has now moved on to Real Madrid.

Sneijder is convinced he will take over at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson retires and also believes he could be offered the England job at some point..

”English football excites him more than any other football in Europe and I don‘t think it‘s a question of if he returns to the Premier League but when,” he told the News of the World.

”I think it‘s written for him to take over Manchester United in a few years. One great manager will retire and another one will take over.

”But if he was offered the England job alongside the Manchester United one in a few years I am sure he would take it. He likes the daily interaction with players too much to take on an international job alone.

”Jose and I became good friends at Inter and, from conversations we had, I know he thinks he could really do something with the England players.

”When he takes the United job, the English FA must offer him the national post as well, and from conversations we have had I think he would take it, in fact I know he would.”

Sneijder believes Mourinho would be able to handle both jobs at the same time, and that he would not see the England post as a part-time role.

”We are talking about the best coach in the world, and it has been done before successfully,” he added.

”His other job would be in the Premier League, so he would be working with and watching the relevant England players every week, it would be perfect for him.

”With Jose, success always follows him but it‘s not always because he has the best players, it‘s because he makes you believe you are the best players.

”The confidence and belief he gives you is amazing, and when he is at a club it is his players and staff against the rest of the world.

”With the quality of players England have, a coach like Jose would surely make them favourites.”

When next you are flagged down at a checkpoint by policemen, especially at lonely spots between the hours of 9pm and 5am, you need to be careful and more vigilant as the men in black may not be genuine policemen.

A gang of armed robbers arrested by the police in Lagos State on their way from a successful operation at a spot in Ijebu Ode area of Ogun State, told PUNCH METRO that what one needed to rob successfully along the route were confidence, torch and black clothes that look like police uniform.

The quartet of Anayo Nwaga, Christian Obika, Johnson Onie and Chukwudi Nwankwo, were arrested by policemen attached to Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Government.

The Lagos State police spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba, who spoke with our correspondent, said what attracted the policemen to the suspects when they were stopped at a checkpoint was a big wound on the arm of one of them.

Mba said, “Further search into the bus they were driving revealed a number of telephone sets, which obviously were not their own because they were packed in a bag. There was also a large amount of money on them among other things. The policemen became suspicious and decided to take the suspects with them.

“It was not long before one of them broke down and confessed to the policemen how they robbed unsuspecting motorists at a spot at Ijebu Ode, pretending to be policemen.”

Obika, who divulged the information that put other suspects in trouble, said he was reluctant to join the gang because of the risks involved.

“But I have to do the job because I need the money. For instance now, my father has just died and I need a lot of money for the burial,” he said.

Obika said they usually selected a lonely spot on the expressway. According to him, “We are usually in colour clothes and we drive to the place like any other drivers. We usually operate around Ijebu Ode because there are so many lonely spots there.,

“Once we select our spot, we change into black clothes and cut some sticks from the nearby bush. We will wrap these sticks with black celotape and in darkness, it will look like gun. We will them mount a road block and we will start flashing oncoming vehicles with our torch. Once the driver slows down, we quickly assess the occupants and once we suspect that they might have things in their vehicles, we will stop them and rob them. Some of us will point the stick at them, making it look as if we will shoot them if they don‘t cooperate. But we have never killed or injured anybody during operation.”

Chukwudi also said the aim of the gang was not to injure people but to get money from them “in order to survive and we don‘t even do it everyday.”

But Mba said the police would need to conclude their investigation before arraigning the suspects in court.

He said, “However, the confession of these men has brought to the mind the need to be careful when driving. If people stop you on the highway, be sure that they are policemen before you stop.

“And if the journey is not absolutely necessary in the night, why not make it in the day time? The police will not however stop at ridding the society of bad elements like these suspects.”

The cause of the death of a BRT passenger, Ms. Ifeanyi Dennis, who was allegedly killed by a commercial bus driver being pursued by men of the Lagos State Transport Management Agency on Thursday, is still generating controversy...

While a witness, Mr. Adetiba Joseph, told PUNCH METRO that Ifeanyi was killed by a fleeing bus driver, who was being pursued by the LASTMA men, the agency denied any complicity in the death of the 42 year-old woman.

But Joseph, who insisted that the victim was knocked down by the fleeing driver, added that Ifeanyi died on the spot before medication could be administered to her.

According to him, the death sparked off a spontaneous reaction from members of the public including commercial motorcyclists, popularly called okada riders, who allegedly pursued LASTMA officials at the scene.

Joseph said the officials later reinforced, stormed the scene and confiscated 15 motorcycles, while the motorcyclists ran away.

Joseph said, “Around 1pm, LASTMA people were pursuing one danfo motor. The danfo driver wanted to escape from LASTMA at the service lane when the officials blocked the road with their rake-like equipment. The vehicle crossed to BRT side and knocked down one of the two women that were standing at the BRT tarmac.

“We carried her to the other side of the road. We took her to a nearby hospital but before we could reach there, she was already dead. When the emergency response operation came after being phoned, they discovered that she was already dead.

“Later, people pursued LASTMA officials standing there. Afterwards the officials came and impounded 15 motorcycles from the other side.”

The Pastor of Living Covenant Christian Assembly, Onigbongbo, Maryland, Pastor Timmy Amode, where the deceased worshipped, said although he was not there at the time of the accident, information available to him corroborated Joseph‘s account.

He, however, said he witnessed when LASTMA officials came and confiscated the motorcycles.

Amode said, “She was at the BRT stand to catch a vehicle. How the bus got there and knocked her down, we do not know. Every attempt to talk to LASTMA officials there soon after was unsuccessful as regards what happened.

“When we were still at the hospital, LASTMA people came in five vehicles and cordoned off the entire area and took away some motorcycles. I do not know if they made any arrest but I am a witness at this point.”

But the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Transportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, on Sunday said LASTMA was not in any way responsible for Ifeanyi’s death.

He said the woman had had the accident before the attention of his officials at Maryland was drawn to the scene.

According to him, the officials quickly informed the appropriate rescue and accident management unit, who raced to the scene, adding that the cordoning off of the road was to aid the evacuation and possible treatment of the woman. ,

Opeifa said, “Our record has it that there was an incident around Channels Television at Maryland. The attention of LASTMA was drawn to a woman that was killed by a hit-and-run-driver.

“We called Lagos Ambulance Emergency Response and the Ministry of Heath. “The health officials promptly came to the scene, but before they could reach there, she had already died. As soon as we got there, LASTMA stopped traffic.

“In the process of managing the traffic, the public including, okada riders, who had developed sympathy for the deceased, spoiled for a fight for not allowing traffic to continue.

“They started attacking LASTMA officials. Police came in and dispersed them and the okada riders.”

The younger brother to the deceased, Mr. Onyeka Dennis, advised the Lagos State Government to reform LASTMA to curb their alleged excesses.

He added that people should show more attention and concern for others especially accident victims and people in need.

The Lagos State Police Command spokesperson, Mr. Frank Mba, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Sunday, said he was not aware of the incident.

The two Chinese citizens arrested in connection with unlawful importation of 450.4 kilogrammes of cocaine to Nigeria have begged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to try them in Nigeria as they may face death penalty in China if deported, a source told P.M.NEWS this morning.

Photo: Mr Wang & Mr Fong

Reacting, NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, said this morning that the two Chinese citizens and their Nigerian clearing agent will all be prosecuted in Nigeria.

The suspects include Richard Wang, 62, an importer of textiles and shopping bags and Chiusen Fong, 54, a timber merchant as well as a Nigerian Alhaji Inua Mohammed, 56, who is a clearing agent.

NDLEA’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, said in a statement this morning that the decision to arraign the suspects in the country have kept the Chinese in high spirits since the law in China stipulates capital punishment for drug trafficking.

The NDLEA boss said the agency is not considering extradition for now, adding that the suspects will be charged to court in Nigeria as soon as investigation was completed.

Meanwhile, more revelations have emerged about the consignment that was filled with drug. The clearing agent told NDLEA investigators that he was contacted by Richard Wang to clear the container and take it to Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital, South West Nigeria.

He said: “I am a clearing agent. Richard Wang came to me to clear a container. He told me the container had cigarettes and gave me 3 million naira for the clearance”.

However, Fong, in his statement, told investigators that he gave Wang N5 million to clear the container. When Wang was arrested, he said that he was working for Chiusen Fong who lives in Kano. That was how they were all nabbed.

The seizure of 450.400kg of cocaine imported from Chile at the Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, agency sources revealed, was masterminded by an international drug syndicate that smuggles cocaine from South American countries to West Africa.

The anti-drug agency had kept tab on the consignment which originated from Chile and passed through Peru, Bolivia and Antwerp to Tin Can Island Port (TCIP).

According to Giade, “the drug was neatly concealed in customised floor wood inside a container which was cleared and taken to a private warehouse at Iganmu, Lagos”.

In June 2006, 14.2 metric tons of similar substance was intercepted at the same port