Blog

Four armed men, suspected to be hired assassins, invaded the Abuja residence of a senator from Kwara State, Gbemisola Saraki, daughter of Olusola Saraki, the Second Republic senate leader, in the early hours of yesterday, after overpowering her security aides.

The men undertook a meticulous search of the entire building, looking for Ms Saraki, but had to abandon their mission when they couldn’t locate the senator who had travelled out of Abuja days earlier, after the Senate announced its recess.

The men, who made enough racket to wake up all the senator’s aides and other residents living in the building, had arrived around 1am yesterday and proceeded to search the rooms, demanding to see Mrs Saraki.

“They came around with sophisticated weapons,” a family member said. “Ms. Saraki was however not at home when the suspected assassins forced their way into her house. They took her security aides and other members of her family hostage, demanding her whereabouts.” According to eyewitness account, the thugs were speaking in Yoruba, Ms Saraki’s language, claiming that they were sent from Ilorin, her home state, to kill the senator..

Emmanuel Ojukwu, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police, said in a telephone that the police is treating the crime as a “burglary and theft attempt.” He also said that his men have not discovered any new information on the incident.

Family sources however said the armed men ransacked Ms Saraki’s house and locked her family inside a room after they could not find her.

A member of the family said the raid lasted for almost one hour and the police only arrived the scene hours after the men had left.

The senate leadership condemned the attack and asked the police to commence immediate investigation. “We received with shock news of the attempt on the life of Senator Gbemisola Saraki,” Ayogu Eze, the senate spokesperson said. “We condemn the violation of the sanctity of Ms. Saraki’s household and the abuse of the constitutional rights of her relations and domestic staff. We call on the Inspector General of Police and other security agencies to step into this matter and fish out the master-minds and the culprits in this heinous act.”

Ms Saraki could not be reached for her comments hours after the incident. However, on her Facebook page, she posted the message that, “The protection of Allah shall be banner over the lives of souls whose paths are always shining light on others.”

Bad omen for 2011

Ms Saraki, who switched to the senate in 2003 after she had spent four years as a member of the House of Representatives, hopes to take over from her brother, Bukola Saraki, as the governor of Kwara State. The brother, whose final tenure ends next year, is reportedly not keen on handing over to his sister.

One of her aides said the fact that the men claimed to be from Ilorin might mean that some people were trying to frighten her away from the contest or worse, to ensure that she was in no position to contest.

Mr Eze said Nigerians should stop employing violence in politics.

“Politics of violence and brigandage belong to our regrettable past and any attempt to return us to that inglorious era is unfortunate and completely unacceptable,” he said.

“Political or other differences should be resolved through dialogue and consensus building and not by recourse to thuggery and arm-twisting. Our new politics should not be foreshadowed by threats of violence and thuggery. This development obviously sends a wrong signal and we urge the police to deal with this matter comprehensively.”

Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal.

In the week that the UN Security Council imposed a new round of sanctions on Tehran, defence sources in the Gulf say that Riyadh has agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the north of the country to shorten the distance for a bombing run on Iran.

To ensure the Israeli bombers pass unmolested, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are not scrambled and missile defence systems not activated. Once the Israelis are through, the kingdom’s air defences will return to full alert.

Sources in Saudi Arabia say it is common knowledge within defence circles in the kingdom that an. arrangement is in place if Israel decides to launch the raid. Despite the tension between the two governments, they share a mutual loathing of the regime in Tehran and a common fear of Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “We all know this. We will let them [the Israelis] through and see nothing,” said one.

The four main targets for any raid on Iran would be the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Qom, the gas storage development at Isfahan and the heavy-water reactor at Arak. Secondary targets include the lightwater reactor at Bushehr, which could produce weapons-grade plutonium when complete.

The targets lie as far as 1,400 miles (2,250km) from Israel; the outer limits of their bombers’ range, even with aerial refuelling. An open corridor across northern Saudi Arabia would significantly shorten the distance. An airstrike would involve multiple waves of bombers, possibly crossing Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Aircraft attacking Bushehr, on the Gulf coast, could swing beneath Kuwait to strike from the southwest.

Passing over Iraq would require at least tacit agreement to the raid from Washington. So far, the Obama Administration has refused to give its approval as it pursues a diplomatic solution to curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Military analysts say Israel has held back only because of this failure to secure consensus from America and Arab states. Military analysts doubt that an airstrike alone would be sufficient to knock out the key nuclear facilities, which are heavily fortified and deep underground or within mountains. However, if the latest sanctions prove ineffective the pressure from the Israelis on Washington to approve military action will intensify. Iran vowed to continue enriching uranium after the UN Security Council imposed its toughest sanctions yet in an effort to halt the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme, which Tehran claims is intended for civil energy purposes only. President Ahmadinejad has described the UN resolution as “a used handkerchief, which should be thrown in the dustbin”.

Israeli officials refused to comment yesterday on details for a raid on Iran, which the Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has refused to rule out. Questioned on the option of a Saudi flight path for Israeli bombers, Aharaon Zeevi Farkash, who headed military intelligence until 2006 and has been involved in war games simulating a strike on Iran, said: “I know that Saudi Arabia is even more afraid than Israel of an Iranian nuclear capacity.”

In 2007 Israel was reported to have used Turkish air space to attack a suspected nuclear reactor being built by Iran’s main regional ally, Syria. Although Turkey publicly protested against the “violation” of its air space, it is thought to have turned a blind eye in what many saw as a dry run for a strike on Iran’s far more substantial — and better-defended — nuclear sites..

Israeli intelligence experts say that Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are at least as worried as themselves and the West about an Iranian nuclear arsenal.Israel has sent missile-class warships and at least one submarine capable of launching a nuclear warhead through the Suez Canal for deployment in the Red Sea within the past year, as both a warning to Iran and in anticipation of a possible strike. Israeli newspapers reported last year that high-ranking officials, including the former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, have met their Saudi Arabian counterparts to discuss the Iranian issue. It was also reported that Meir Dagan, the head of Mossad, met Saudi intelligence officials last year to gain assurances that Riyadh would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets violating Saudi airspace during the bombing run. Both governments have denied the reports

The Super Eagles fell by a lone goal to Argentina in their opening match of the World Cup. The victory margin would have been much wider had it not been for the goalkeeping heroics of Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama..

The Hapoel Tel Aviv of Israel goal stopper was the standout player of the Nigerian side and he was justifiably voted the Budweiser Man of the Match after a commanding performance against the former world champions.

Enyeama all through the game dived, punched and parried as he kept the Argentine forward line of Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez at bay.

The game began with Nigeria getting the first chance of the game when Chinedu Obasi found room on the left side of the attack but his shot was way off target. That appeared to be the wake-up call for the Argentines as they soon went on the offensive.

And in the fifth minute, an error by Chidi Odiah resulted in Messi running at the Nigerian defence before curling a shot that Enyeama was well placed to parry for a corner. From the resultant corner kick, Obinna Nsofor failed to pick out Gabriel Heinze and the Marseille defender headed the ball into the back of the net to put the Albiceleste one-nil up.

In the 18^th minute, Enyeama was up to the task yet again stopping a goal bound curling effort from Messi. Three minutes later, it was Gonzalo Higuain's turn to try the Nigerian goalkeeper but he was unable to place his shot past the onrushing Enyeama. And eight minutes from the end of the half, a well-planned free kick by the Argentines started and ended with Messi, but Enyeama saved yet again, and spectacularly, with his left hand to keep the score line respectable at the break.

Super Enyeama

After the break, Lars Lagerback brought on Obafemi Martins for Nsofor and Osaze Odemwingie for Obasi, but it was still one way traffic in favour of the Argentines who were however unable to get the better of Enyeama, with his first save of the half arriving in the 66^th minute when he blocked Higuain's shot from up-close after an exchange of passes with Messi.

Four minutes later, the Super Eagles came close to pulling back on level terms when Taye Taiwo's shot from the edge of the area only missed the Argentine goal by whiskers with Sergio Romero clearly beaten. The effort however came at a cost for the Marseille defender as he was subsequently taken off the pitch clutching his left knee.

In the 78^th minute, Romero was once again tested, this time by Martins whose effort from outside the area was punched out of the danger area. But three minutes afterwards, Messi was denied yet again by Enyeama. A lovely interchange of passes by the Barcelona forward and Diego Milito, who took the place of Higuain two minutes earlier, ended with Messi unable to curl his shot past the advancing Enyeama.

Seconds later, a cross into the Argentine area ended at the feet of Kalu Uche, who took the place of the injured Taiwo, but the Spain based forward scooped his shot over the crossbar when he ought to have hit the back of the net.

That served as a sign for Diego Maradona to fortify his defence and he did that by introducing Nicolas Burdisso for Angel Di Maria. The Super Eagles however still had one more chance to draw level but Aiyegbeni Yakubu's dipping shot sailed over Romero's crossbar.

The Super Eagles team that would come face to face against the Argentinian side this afternoon includes Enyeama, Odiah, Taiwo, Shittu, Yobo, Kaita, Etuhu, Obasi, Lukman, Aiyegbeni and Nsofor.

The match which is scheduled for 3:00pm today (Nigerian time)would take place at the Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

Ooops! What an eye-catching scene over there in South Africa, venue of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off in less than 24 hours.
If you aren’t feeling the World Cup excitement yet, then the body language of thousands of South African ladies across the country readily puts you in great competition mood.
The babes are baring everything they have; their beauty, curves and poise all to make the visitors feel at home during the mundial.
While many say posing unclothed is a normal way of life amongst young South African ladies, some believe that the trend is restricted to the grossly under-developed areas of the former apartheid enclave. Whatever the insinuations, South Africans are already in a joyous celebration of their country’s readiness to host the world and they are not hiding it.



South African dancers cheer Chile's national football team before their friendly international against New Zealand at the Kanyamazane Stadium near Nelspruit yesterday, two days ahead of the start of the 2010 World Cup football tournament. AFP PHOTO



Only yesterday during the pre-World Cup friendly match between Chile and New Zealand, thousands of South Africans, including their ladies, stripped themselves unclothed and filed out to cheer the teams at the Kanyamazane Stadium, near Nelspruit.
The pretty damsels appeared happy to showoff their bodies as they danced around in Sandton, north of Johannesburg city centre, where a big party was held in anticipation of the beginning of the world showpiece.


Many of the ladies who spoke to international journalists say whatever they do is ‘for the good of the game’ and an honour for their nation. Reports say the presence of the ladies is not only felt on the streets of South Africa, some unsuspecting players are getting distracted, especially when the babes come around their training grounds and near their hotels. It was gathered that security personnel have been up and doing to ensure that the 32 teams, including the host, Bafana Bafana, are focused on the mundial, the first to be staged on Africa’s soil.

In the early 90s, when Nollywood was less than a decade old, I had in a three-part studycharacterised it as “providing instant fame for the girl and boy nextdoor and instant fortune for a hybrid of producers.” Nollywood was aphenomenon which in its development had minimal links; technically,professionally and ethically with the older Nigerian Television andCelluloid-film industries. It set its own standards, which sadly, werebased on the business ethics of its principal financiers, electronicequipment traders turned producers/marketers. These basicallyuncultured traders with limited education shaped and called the shotsin Nollywood, driven by the desire for huge profits from littlefinancial, aesthetic and cultural investments.

Women as commodities

They viewed women as ‘commodities’ and worked on the perception that any pretty faceand/or attractive figure (in their eyes) is an automatic actress andstar. Naturally, hordes of all manner, shapes and shades of Nigeriangirls and women propelled by a mixture of poverty, the need forself-promotion and notoriety as well, flocked to the venues where theseproducers and their directors hung out.

It is instructive to note that these Nollywood moguls didn’t need to go out scouting foractresses. Rather, their hang-outs like Winnie’s Hotel in Surulere,became flesh bazaars of aspiring actresses. Skimpily dressed andflaunting their assets they came in droves to attract the attention ofproducers and directors who practically carried out spontaneous publicrehearsals and castings.

Predictably, the Nollywood moguls could bluff, pick and choose whilst the eagerpotential actresses were literarily ready to do anything for bit-parts.That these star-struck girls and women ‘fought’ each other to secureparts and, the moguls in turn well aware of the seemingly unendingtraffic of aspirants, confidently and callously discarded them at willto create a fast turnover, soon became the established rules of theNollywood casting game!

Celebrity driven

It was not dignifying or respectful of women. But what was expected of theseNollywood moguls who held the aces, given their socio-culturalbackground? Nonetheless, the girls and women equally share the blame asthey were willing partners in Nollywood’s early ‘debasement’ ofNigerian women which set a trend that has not been completelyobliterated. There were noticeable improvements as better-educated(mostly Mass Communication and Theatre Arts graduates) women got intothe industry. This raised the social profile of actresses in Nollywoodbut they were still at the mercy of the scriptwriters andproducer-financiers who determined the type of roles they were cast in.

Interestingly, rather than concern themselves about the cinematic image of Nigerianwomen, Nollywood was consolidating, the actresses seemed moreinterested in relatively frivolous talk about whether they would kissin films or act nude. Being celebrities with huge media (particularlyprint) attention became their sole career goal and fulfilment.

Had Nollywood finally succeeded in producing Nigerian actress-equivalents ofHollywood’s dumb blondes? There were other manifestations of earlyHollywood, like strong rumours of sex with the producer/director forbit parts and the presence of big-boobs-exposing no-talent equivalentsof Hollywood’s Jayne Mansfield and Diana Dors!

Stereotypical portrayals

It could be argued that Nollywood finally took the Nigerian woman out of ‘her place’ inthe kitchen, but in return it put her in the bedroom for too long!Given that Nollywood, from the beginning, was trade-driven not creativeor talent-driven, is it coincidental that its first huge success wasDomitilla? It was a story of Nigerian prostitutes in Italy desperateand depraved to the level of having sex with dogs! A true story and rawslice of life, we are told. A major creative handicap of Nollywood isthat themes that are basically documentary-film material are stretchedout to become movies.

Nollywood has generally not been kind to Nigerian women. In its quest to create reelchicks, young, hip/modern and city-wise as against real women,Nollywood has sold the impression that glamour, fame, money and thegood fast life are all that matter for Nigerian women. So, they havebeen stereotyped in Nollywood as pretty, seductive, devious, cunning,quarrelsome, money-grabbing gold diggers who will readily use theirbodies, juju/charms and love potions to “catch men!” Subliminallyportrayed as ‘pretty toys’ they are also obliquely cast as hard nailedfight-to-finish/death ‘demons’ in a never-ending and escalating battleof the sexes in Nigeria.

Not all Jagua Nanas

We have culturally unacceptable scenes where women slap men and overdoses of men batteringwomen in horrific scenes of domestic violence. Then there are thegun-totting bad girls to boot. Two decades after Domitilla, we areoffered a film in which women fight each other with spiritual,witchcraft and physical weapons in their struggle to “catch” white menin Nigeria. Definitely, Nigerian women are not all Jagua Nanas andOpios as Nollywood would want us to believe.

In a country that has female chief justices, deputy governors, ministers, professors,Pilots and bank chief executives, where are these women featured inNollywood as nation and home builders? Where are the model roles formothers, sisters and loving peace-makers? For every waywardundergraduate soft-prostitute there should be a female Deputy ViceChancellor putting right the savage male cults on campuses.

We acknowledge that Nollywood has produced a number of Nigerian superstar actresses who arerich, internationally famous, brand ambassadors and shinning rolemodels to millions of Nigerian girls and women. Nollywood has alsogiven employment and careers to many thousands of Nigerian women.Nonetheless, a lot more needs to be done content-wise and in theprofiling of Nigerian women.

Generation Next

The time has come for another generation of young Nigerian women to come forward and givea better gender balance and meaning to Nollywood. Three years ago Itaught a practical documentary filmmaking course at the National FilmInstitute, Jos, for diploma and degree students. I was amazed at thepotential of these students I later dubbed the ‘Generation Next ofNigerian Filmmakers.’ Amongst them were skilled and confident femalescriptwriters, producers, directors, camera(wo)men, sound(wo)men andeditors who, given more opportunities and needed encouragement, willmatch their counterparts anywhere in the world, including Hollywood.Let us not forget that the great film ‘Mississippi Masala’ was made bya ‘Third World’ woman!

We must be wary of the new clique of Nigerian women and their white counterpart so-called‘experts’ now on a questionable missionary crusade to ‘help’ theNigerian film industry. Hollywood and its European counterparts havestill to come up with genuine visual proof that they respect and canhonour black women and men in their films and TV. We should embrace ourNigerian sisters from Jos; who are well-trained and intentioned to makeNollywood do the right thing on gender issues and cinematic role modelsfor Nigerian women!

The first ever African Women in Film Forum holds at the Colonades Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos on June 16 and 17, 2010.

related articles

More News

multimedia

videos"">More VideosMore PhotosMore Audio

video |photos |audio

VIDEO: Danny Glover interview

VIDEO: Forest Whitaker

VIDEO: The Killz identity

France and Uruguay played out a goal-less draw in their opening match in FIFA World Cup's Group A on Friday in the Green Point stadium in front of 64,100 spectators.

France could not break down a stubborn Uruguay defence despite being up against 10 men for the last nine minutes when substitute Nicolas Lodeiro was sent off having only been on the pitch 16 minutes.

The result leaves Group A wide open with hosts South Africa also sharing the points in their opening game with Mexico. They now play Uruguay next Wednesday with France meeting Mexico Thursday.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez made just two changes from the side that beat Israel in the country's only warm-up game prior to the World Cup. In came Universidad de Chile's Mauricio Victorino and Penarol midfielder Egidio Arevalo.

The South Americans were relying heavily on the strike partnership of Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, who scored 53 goals between them last season for Atletico Madrid and Ajax, while France left out their most famous forward.

Thierry Henry was on the bench as Nicolas Anelka lead the line supported by Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery and Lyon's Sidney Govou. Chelsea's Florent Malouda was another notable absentee in Raymond Domenech's starting line-up.

France had the first scoring chance in the seventh minute when Ribery raced away down the left and crossed for Govou who from the edge of the six-yard box failed to steer his effort past Fernando Muslera in the Uruguay goal.

Uruguay were looking to play in Suarez at every opportunity and one long ball to the striker was fumbled by French keeper Hugo Lloris. He appeared to concede a corner as he caught it at the second attempt only for the linesman to award a goal kick.

On 16 minutes Uruguay had their first real chance when Lloris saved from Fifa man-of-the-match Forlan after the striker cut inside Gallas and shot from the edge of the box.

Gourcuff then took a free-kick from the left wing and with everyone expecting a cross the Bordeaux midfielder almost caught out Muslera with a shot that the Uruguay keeper turned over his bar.

On 19 minutes Ribery was booked for pulling back Arevalo. Gourcuff then shot again from distance as France looked in vain for the opener. Diego Lugano's mistake then almost let in Anelka but Diego Godin blocked his shot.

France went close again 14 minutes before the break when Diaby looked to release Govou but Anelka intercepted the pass and was flagged offside.

The offside flag then thwarted Uruguay when Forlan played in Suarez but the Ajax striker was just the wrong side of the last defender.

France had the last chance of the first half when Gourcuff's long free-kick was punched away by Muslera but despite making most of the running the runners-up from Germany 2006 could not break down their well-organised opponents.

Both teams were unchanged at the start of the second half with Forlan having Uruguay's first chance blasting wide under pressure from Gallas.

Bacary Sagna then crossed for Anelka to head wide but France were still being limited to shots from distance with Toulalan testing Muslera again.

On 59 minutes Victorino was booked for bringing down Patrice Evra and from the resulting free-kick Gourcuff squared to Ribery but he sliced his effort well wide.

At the other end Sagny brought down Suarez but Forlan's free-kick did not trouble Lloris. Uruguay made their first change on 64 minutes when Ignacio Gonzales was replaced by Nicolas Lodeiro whose stay was to be a short one.

Lodeiro went into the book almost immediately for a late challenge and he was soon joined by Toulalan for a foul on Pereira. Tempers flared with Uruguay's Lugano seeking out the offending Lyon midfielder who was then spoken to once more by the referee.

With France not looking like making the breakthrough Henry replaced Anelka on 71 minutes and Malouda replaced Gourcuff three minutes later. Still France could not find the breakthrough but they were then given a helping hand by hot-headed Lodeiro.

On 82 minutes he was sent off for a terrible foul on Sagna. The Ajax midfielder had only been on the pitch 16 minutes and had been booked just two minutes after coming on.

Uruguay had just nine minutes to hang on and they managed it surviving one late scare when Henry had a free-kick in a perfect position but wasted the chance with a tame shot.

2010 FIFA World Cup™: Uruguay vs. France - Add to iGoogle http://www.gstatic.com/onebox/sports/worldcup/wc2010flags.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; width: 18px; height: 13px; background-position: 0px -13px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "> Uruguay 0 (0) : 0 (0) France http://www.gstatic.com/onebox/sports/worldcup/wc2010flags.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; width: 18px; height: 13px; background-position: 0px -377px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "> - Recap Group A MP W D L Pts http://www.gstatic.com/onebox/sports/worldcup/wc2010flags.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; width: 18px; height: 13px; background-position: 0px -156px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "> South Africa 1 0 1 0 1 http://www.gstatic.com/onebox/sports/worldcup/wc2010flags.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; width: 18px; height: 13px; background-position: 0px -247px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "> Mexico 1 0 1 0 1 http://www.gstatic.com/onebox/sports/worldcup/wc2010flags.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; width: 18px; height: 13px; background-position: 0px -377px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "> France 1 0 1 0 1 http://www.gstatic.com/onebox/sports/worldcup/wc2010flags.png); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; width: 18px; height: 13px; background-position: 0px -13px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "> Uruguay 1 0 1 0 1

Mandela, 91, is widely credited with helping South Africa win the World Cup bid in 2004 and South Africans have been hoping he might be able to attend the opening match despite his frail health.

Zenani Mandela, killed two days after her birthday, was one of Mandela's nine great-grandchildren.

"Zenani Mandela, 13, was traveling in a car returning from the World CupKick-Off Concert at Orlando Stadium when the accident occurred," a statement from the Foundation said.

"There was only one car involved and no one else was injured."

Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was in the car, the South African Press Association quoted police as saying. Police spokesman Noxolo Kweza said the driver had been arrested and police were investigating a case of culpable homicide.

The Mandela Foundation said the family had asked for privacy. Zenani was a grand-daughter of Zindzi Mandela, Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's daughter..

Attempts by the fugitive former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, to seek political asylum in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ran into a hitch Thursday after police authorities in Dubai revoked the bail it granted him on May 13.

The spokesman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Femi Babafemi, said the commission had received official report on the bail revocation. "I can confirm that Mr Ibori is in custody, we were briefed by the authorities in Dubai," he said.

EFCC sources said his arrest was based on the conviction of his associates in UK, the protest from Nigerian authority and the threat to retrieve the license of flight Emirates Airlines and evidence from the EFCC supporting the fact that he fled from Nigeria to evade justice.

On what the EFCC plans to do next, Mr Babafemi said "we will just continue to ensure that he be brought to answer questions either in Nigeria or in the UK."

The EFCC had declared Mr. Ibori wanted as part of its investigation of alleged misuse of state funds while he was governor. Its operatives were on his trail before he sneaked out of the country and turned up in Dubai.

The former Delta State governor was arrested in Dubai by the police on the orders of the International Police (INTERPOL). The operation is linked to the British Metropolitan Police, who has been fighting to have Mr. Ibori extradited to the United Kingdom to face other fraud charges.

Early this week, his sister, Christine Ibori-Ibie, and his female friend, Udoamaka Okoronkwo, were jailed by a UK court after they were found guilty of all charges of money laundering and mortgage fraud.

The women were also found to have helped the former governor move an estimated £70 million worth of looted funds through several London banks during his reign in office from 1999 to 2007.

Mr. Ibori, who was declared wanted by the anti-graft agency weeks ago, in connection with the illegal disposal of 528 million shares belonging to Delta State in Oceanic Bank, refused to turn himself in and thwarted all efforts by the EFCC and the Nigeria Police to arrest him.

A security source, however, said the revocation of Mr. Ibori's bail, following which he was clamped into a Dubai jail, was only one more step in the efforts of the MET to take him to London..

The fight against .kidnapping and other related crimes took a new dimension in Benin, the Edo State capital on Thursday, .as traditional priests, herbalists and traditional worshippers gathered at the King's Square to invoke curses on kidnappers and other perpetrators of evil acts in the state.

This was at the instance of the Benin traditional ruler, Oba Erediauwa, who directed that curses be placed on all those involved one way or the other in any form of criminality in Edo State, as a way of cleansing the society. The Oba had recently offered to tackle the menace of social vices in the city through traditional means.

About 60 traditional worshippers gathered at the King's Square where they made sacrifices of animals and poured libation over the animals before placing curses on the kidnappers and other criminals in the land.

The Chief Priest of Benin Kingdom, Nosakhare Isekhure, said the purpose was to ensure that peace reigns in the land.

"The country has been unstable for some time now as a result of kidnapping and violent robberies," he said. "The Benin people are traditionally not Christians. We are traditionalists. In order to put a stop to the state of insecurity, we just have to place a curse on them to stop all these activities that threaten lives and property in Edo State so that there will be peace. Besides, those who want peace must prepare for war. The Oba has said that for peace to reign, we must mobilize the most effective tool."

The Iyase of Benin, Sam Igbe was optimistic that the action of the traditional worshippers would deter criminals from their evil ways and put an end to kidnapping that has almost become a daily affair in the land. "We shall wait and see, but we hope it will put an end to it (kidnapping). But if they don't fear themselves, they probably would be sorry for themselves," he said.

Seeking legal support

He said efforts were been made to give the action of the traditionalists a legal backing, as "we are trying to liaise with the state House of Assembly and the Commissioner for Justice".

Mr Igbe advised the people to give useful information about kidnappers and other criminals to the law enforcement officers because "police are not magicians; they cannot perform without adequate information".

The chairman of Oredo Local Government Area, Omorogieva Gbajumo, welcomed the development and described it as an added measure to the efforts of the police in stamping out criminality from the land.

He told the press that the act was to ensure that peace and tranquillity reign in the land and also called on both the Christian and Muslim bodies to organize their own prayers against the evil acts.

Traditional denominations like the Asigidi, Ayelala, Osokpekan and others participated in the exercise which took them round some major streets in Benin.

Grammer Politics Again ! If you fail Just Try Again !

Lagos-based pastor, and chairman of the Fresh Democratic Party, Chris Okotie, has indicated that he will run for president in next year's general elections.

Mr Okotie, who has contested the seat twice, said the least the federal government can do to immortalize the sacrifices of the late Moshood Abiola is to enthrone true democracy in the country. He also claimed that the PDP-led federal government is a product of rigging, and could therefore not celebrate the heroes of democracy, who fought for free and fair elections.

The pastor, in a statement signed by his media aide, Ladi Ayodeji, decried the neglect of those who died protesting the cancellation of the June 12, 1993 elections, saying all efforts to ignore their achievement in giving birth to the 4th republic have not succeeded.

The spirit of June 12

"Instead, the spirit of June 12 continues to haunt us", he said. "The democracy martyrs of June 12, led by its flag bearer, MKO Abiola, who won what is still adjusted the best election ever organized in this country, would have died in vain if we fail to put in place viable mechanisms for free and fair elections in the country. One of these is electoral reform, and also transparency and good governance. We can't have true democracy if the peoples votes do not count; where selection instead of election is what produces the leaders."

As regards his political future, Mr. Okotie announced plans to address a world press conference on June 29, 2010 at his party's headquarters, where he will declare his intention to seek his party's nomination for the 2011 presidential election.

Mr. Okotie also called on Nigerians to support the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the World Cup holding in South Africa, promising to reform the sports sector if elected president in 2011. "May I, once again, plead with fellow Nigerians to come all out to support the players," he said. "They need our total, unwavering support, not criticism, at this crucial moment."

INSTALLING HUSBAND‏ 1.0

Finally a big boy gets it for beating the crap out of his wife.The Ondo State government has deposed the embattled Deji of Akure, Oba Oluwadare Adesina Adepoju three weeks after a public altercation with one of his wives.

Oba Adesina had, on Sunday, May 31 led a group of people to assault Bolanle Adesina in a free for all in the public arena in Akure, an act which has been widely criticised by both Akure indigenes and human right groups across the country.

The king of Akure had, on Sunday, been declared unworthy of the throne and his seat was declared vacant by the Akure kingmakers in Akure, the Ondo state capital.

The Inspector General of Police, Ogbonoya Onovo also yesterday ordered a detail investigation of the case and asked the state police command to charge the king to court for assault.

The state government decided on the removal of the king during the its weekly executive council meeting in Akure, the state capital

"Change grindeth slowly...as slow as the oil that drips dry" One way thinking .

Divisions have emerged within the influential religious establishment, including the religious police body itself, over long-held restrictions that have been enforced in the world's leading oil producing country and key U.S. ally.

An official at the Jeddah court confirmed the filing of the lawsuit for the crime of "openly declaring sin" and said it would take at least one week for the Islamic sharia court to decide whether to proceed with a trial or dismiss the case.

The Saudi judiciary system, based on an austere reading of Islamic sharia law, reserves harsh punishments for such offences that could involve lashes with whip and years of imprisonment.

Aired last month, MTV's "True Life - Resist the Power, Saudi Arabia" followed how three Saudi youths and a heavy metal band cope with the strictures they encounter in their daily life in Jeddah, seen as the kingdom's most liberal city (here).

The kingdom is ruled by the Al Saud family in alliance with clerics from the austere Wahhabi school of Islam who oversee mosques, the judiciary and education, as well as run their own coercive apparatus, the religious police.

Interior ministry police and the religious police work together to make sure unrelated men and women are kept apart, women are covered from head to toe and that sharia law is implemented, including a ban on alcohol.

"We are not free to live as we like," said Aziz, one of the youths who appeared on the MTV show. The episode showed how he tries to meet his girlfriend for a date, a risky endeavor in the kingdom. "I feel great solace when I talk to her."

Fatima, a young Saudi woman, seeks to start a business selling the traditional abaya cloak that women must wear in Saudi Arabia, but in colors other than the standard black.

The show also followed the struggle of a heavy metal band to find venues to play. They explain that when they pray they turn their heavy metal T-shirts inside out to show respect for God.

Saudi rulers have wrestled with whether to moderate Wahhabism since the September 11 attacks in 2001 on U.S. landmarks, carried out by mostly Saudi nationals, and the emergence of al Qaeda militancy against the Saudi government in 2003.

King Abdullah is seen as favoring reforms that water down some of Wahhabism's more controversial tenets. Analysts and diplomats say he is opposed by other senior princes who are closely allied to the powerful religious establishment.

Lawyers following the case fear the first instance court in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah -- where the lawsuit was filed on Monday -- would take the case.

"It will be very difficult to stop the religious clockwork once this gets to court. They may face harsh sanctions like those dealt to Abdul-Jawad," one of the lawyers said.

It is the second time in a year that Saudis got into hot water for appearing on foreign television.

Mazen Abdul-Jawad was sentenced last year to five years in jail, 1,000 lashes and a five-year travel ban after he bragged about his sexual exploits on a TV show aired by Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC).

A 7-year-old girl (name withheld) is undergoing series of medical tests following the illicit sex a 45-year-old man, Sunday Jacob, had with her.

Mr. Jacob was arrested on June 6th for allegedly defiling the victim at different occasions at his number 4, Benson Otile Street, Ajangbadi, a Lagos suburb.

He was alleged to have defiled the victim, who stayed briefly with with her grandmother a few street away, everytime she went to the suspect's premises to fetch water from a well.

Mr. Jacob allegedly lured the victim into his one-room apartment with N20, and had sex with her when nobody was watching. However, luck ran out on him when the victim began to experience series of stomach aches. When queried by her mother, who is an itinerant trader, she confessed that Mr. Jacob had been defiling her.

Frank Mba, the Lagos State Police spokesperson, said clinical test confirmed that the victim has been defiled.

"On June 6th 2010, there was a report at the Ilemba Hausa Police Station, about 10.30pm, that one Theresa Moses, of Orisan Street, Iyana-Agbede, Ajangbadi, reported that that one Sunday Jacob, a 45-year-old man of number 4, Benson Otile Street, Ajangbadi, was involved in a series of acts amounting to defilement of her 7 years old daughter. The police swung into action, carried out a meticulous investigation, and submitted the necessary documents to the Badagry Hospital.

"The little girl was tested and the medical report said her hymen is not intact, and there is foul odour from her virgina. The police will still proceed with more clinical and forensic investigation to know if the foul odour is a presence of infection, and how badly this little girl has been injured."

The confession

Mr. Jacob admitted to "fingering" the victim. He said loneliness led him to defile the girl. The suspect, a widower and father of an 18-year-old lady, said he has been lonely since his wife died three years ago and his daughter left him for the village.

"I be mechanic for Agboju bus stop. Any time wey this girl and her sisters come my compound come fetch water, I go dey eye her. When nobody dey look, I come tell her make she come my room come collect N20 make she take buy biscuit. When she enter my room, I go lay down for bed come carry her for my lap. I go come use my finger put am for her virgina. I no dey put my penis inside her; na only finger I dey use. I don do this thing like four times and na on Sunday, around say 8 ‘o'clock, when she come fetch water na him I go do this thing to her. I regret wetin I do because e no good."

Mr. Mba said the suspect committed an offence punishable under Section 218 of the Criminal Code.

"This act is not only an offence, but indeed, morally reprehensible and section 218 of the Criminal Code states that "any person who has unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl under the age of 13 years is guilty of a felony and liable to imprisonment for life.

"Also, section 218 states that any person who attempts to have carnal knowledge of a girl under the age of 13 is guilty of a felony and liable to 14 years imprisonment. It is a serious offence and the police will investigate and prosecute the suspect accordingly."