UNBELIEVABLE!! Man Locked In A Cage For Stealing A Chicken In Owerri!!

By Oduwaiye Fela

Wonders they say shall never cease. The man was said to have stolen a chicken at Relief Market in Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. He was then brutally beaten by angry mobs who then locked him in a cage as he bleeds profusely.

According to information from witnesses at the scene, they said the man was lucky because the mob didn’t want to gruesomely do away with his live in broad day light.

News-Portal Nigeria © 2013
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[PHOTO] A NIGERIAN, EJIOGWU, SENTENCED TO DEATH IN VIETNAM FOR DRUGS

By Oduwaiye Fela

While some Nigerians are still busy complaining over the statement credited to US Senator Ted Cruz about is ranting on yahoo boys in Nigeria, another Nigerian, identified as Ejiogu, has brought us shame.

A Nigerian, Ejiogu who was arrested at Vietnam’s Tan-Son-Nhat Airport, after arriving from Thailand, with drugs found in 19 nylon bags hidden in a battery charger, has been sentenced to death by a court in the country. During interrogation, Ejiogu claimed that he was asked by a man to carry some goods. The goods, he claimed, were the 19 nylon and the battery charger, he moved to Vietnam for him, adding that he did not know there were drugs inside. But he couldn't provide any information of the said man in court.

What a sad way for this young Nigerian to end his life!

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WIN $3,000 FROM KCEE'S 'PULL OVER' VIDEO CONTEST

By Oduwaiye Fela

Sky-soaring hip hop sensation, and the street-crowned Limpopo King has announced a reward of $3,000 as Grand Prize in The PullOver Video Contest and this is official.

The Grand Prize is for the fan who can best sing his latest single – Pull Over ft. Wizkid, record it in a Video, and upload it on YouTube. The Contest is open to fans of all ages all over the world, and ends October 31. The contest is geared towards appreciating fans who’s shown so much love to his person, and his music since he started out a solo career as KCee. The Contest is also a prelude to the Release of KCee’s first Album, which would be released under his record label – 5 Star Music by November 1, 2013.

Aside the PullOver Contest, KCee has also announced a Graphic Design Contest for creative graphic Designers in Nigeria who can design the CD Cover for his first Album. 20 Ipads and 15 Samsung Galaxy Phones are available as prizes to the designers.

RULES AND REGULATION FOR PULL OVER VIDEO CONTEST
Post a video on YouTube showing you sing Pull Over by Kcee Ft. Wizkid, and you could win up to $3,000 for yourself.

The video with the most recorded hits will win - Prizes:
1st Prize: $3,000
2nd Place: One Ipad and One Samsung Galaxy Phone
3rd Place: One Ipad and One Samsung Galaxy Phone
An additional prize of One Ipad will be given for 5 Star Music’s Favourite Video! KCee and the Staff of Five Star Music will pick its favourite submission and this winning video will not be based on hits.

Once all winners have been notified via e-mail, the results will be announced on KCee’s Official Website and Blog.

How to Enter KCEE PullOver Video Contest:
Record and post on YouTube a video showing you singing KCee’s Pull Over. Remember to hashtag the video: #PullOver.

Once you’ve posted the video, send an e-mail to sososoberekon@yahoo.com with the following information:
- Your first and last name
- Your e-mail address
- Location
- Link to your video on YouTube.

Goodluck!!!

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[PHOTO] PREGNANT WIFE CAUGHT 'IN THE ACT' WITH ANOTHER MAN IN A HOTEL!

By Oduwaiye Fela

Wonders they say shall never end, is this story of a pregnant wife who still goes about having sexual intercourse with her lover.

Here is the full story.
The woman in question happens to have been seeing the man for a while. They been having extra marital affairs for a very long time.

The husband of the woman in question has been hearing rumors of his wife misconduct, but he never believed. On that fateful day as usual his wife and her lover, went to their normal rendezvous which was a particular hotel (Name withheld) to have sexual intercourse. The husband who is already alert, got a call from his informant, he bursted into the hotel and caught in pregnant married wife with another in the very act.

The husband took pictures and recorded some videos which he started posting on social media. Why do married women cheat? Same for married men...

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[INTERVIEW] IF OJUKWU HAD NOT DECLARED WAR... - A.B.C. NWOSU

By Oduwaiye Fela

In this Interview with JOHN ALECHENU, a former Minister of Health, Prof. A.B.C Nwosu, speaks on the Nigerian Civil War, the life of late Biafran warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, the proposed national conference, the PDP crisis and sundry other issues

This is 53 years after independence. Can you assess Nigeria’s progress in social, political and infrastructural development?

If you look at certain things that are on the ground, you will say that we have made progress. But for me, the problem has always been human development and our fire brigade approach. Administrations in the past anticipated growth;  in 1953, seven years before independence, they built Government Secondary School, Afikpo where I went to. And a year later, they found they had none for girls; so, they built one. They anticipated for the population and tried to recreate what was there. We had CKC, and others. But sadly,  we have not added to these things. We should have anticipated the growth.

 What could be responsible for the seeming deterioration in governance and leadership in the country? Would you blame this on military incursion into governance as many have done?

I have a strange attitude to the military, which is unlike others. I judge every administration on its own. For example, it was the military that built the Third Mainland Bridge. Since 1999, why haven’t a civilian government done a forth mainland bridge or any? So, it’s not the military. It was the military that did the fuel depots, it was the military that did the Federal Unity Colleges. I don’t have a dichotomy between military and civilian governments, maybe because of the school I attended. Government Secondary School, Afikpo had a cadet unit, so many who made Division 1 opted for the Army, the same with Umuahia, many who went to schools that had cadet units made Division 1 and opted for the Army. It is an individual thing but what I think is responsible was captured properly in two novels of Chinua Achebe, ‘No Longer at Ease’  where Obi Okonkwo, brilliant, trained by the community came and got obsessed with the perks of the civil service instead of thinking about how the community that trained him could be mobilised to be lifted up. He was thinking of his cars, his Government Reserved Area quarters and in the end, he got jailed for taking  two pounds bribe. It was that early that we lost the spirit of public service. In the second book, “Anthills on the Savannah,” he had completely lost interest in the military. He looked at the military, and the civilian regimes, whose ills  the military came to correct, he found no difference. In fact, he found that the military was worse and he made a profound statement that ‘those who make plans for us only make plans for themselves and their families.’

If we are to get back the spirit of public service into public officials such as (Nnamdi)Azikiwe, late Michael Okpara, Sardauna and the wonderful Prime Minister we had in the person of the late Tafawa Balewa, if we get that type of spirit back into the people, who lead us, it will be a good start.

South-East PDP governors recently endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term and some other Igbo groups have done so. What has happened to the aspiration for Igbo presidency? Will there ever be an Igbo man in the Aso Rock and when?

I neither belong to the South-East PDP governors forum nor to any of those groups that you have referred to. More importantly, President Jonathan has not declared that he is running. As for the Igbo becoming President, it used to be a make or break point for me, it is not any longer. What I want is a nation where there is a level-playing field.  I believe in restructuring this country in a way that it will give every ethnic nationality a sense of belonging so that each ethnic group has a chance to produce the President.

Since Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu died, there has been no clear leadership or unity of the Igbo. Why is it so?

Even the late Dim, never considered himself as an Igbo leader; if you called him an Igbo leader, he would just chuckle.  Don’t get me wrong, he enjoyed the respect and adulation he got from his people. If you saw the way he lived his life among  Ndi’igbo, everybody is trying to recreate those attributes that made him so loved by his people. Leaders emerge; leaders are not crowned in Igbo land. By their fruits you shall known them. The greatest unity the Ndi’igbo had was from 1966 to 1970.

 Can you tell us your civil war experience. Did Ojukwu conscript you to fight during the war?

No person of my age was conscripted. We desired to join the Biafran Army, we did not fear the military front, we did not fear to die and that was what made the war last as long as it did. If Ojukwu didn’t declare that war at the time he did, we would have killed him. In my set in the Biafran School of Infantry, I was commissioned the same day with Ojo Maduekwe, he wasn’t conscripted. I was commissioned the same day with Joseph Okonkwo, the first Peoples Democratic Party Chairman in Anambra State, he wasn’t conscripted and so many. In fact, if you were turned down, you agonised you didn’t take part. We didn’t regret dying, that was a war we didn’t regret any wound we got. And I had serious wounds in 1968, which I’ve carried  till today.

Looking back now, would you say that as a nation we have learnt lessons from that sad episode?

Definitely, we have learnt lessons. To us, the issue was not a matter of Biafra; it was a matter of security of lives and property. It was also a traumatic psychological experience for us to feel unwanted by brethren and by societies where we wanted to belong. In typical Igbo fashion, we said to ourselves that if people rejected us, we should not reject ourselves. I think we’ve learnt that lesson now and we are all over Nigeria and even the killings that happen now, only a few are targeted at us. Many are collateral damage. In 1966, it was definite pogrom. We’ve learnt the lesson that you can’t have pogrom and expect to be one country, if that is one lesson we have learnt, I think we have learnt something.

You were close to Ojukwu, tell us some things about him that many people do not know.

I thank God that I was privileged to have known him for as long as I knew him. I had admired him as a young man. Two things about Ojukwu that the world may not know: He was strong physically, he was strong emotionally. In the language of young people, he was the one person I wanted most to chill with.  There are two things he told me: The decision to declare war was the most agonising time of his life, he spent time alone in his office clutching his rosary, this is not the attitude of somebody who wanted to be emperor from the word go. The second thing that he told me was that he could never get out of his system the picture of those people who were killed after he had asked everyone who fled the North, to go back. If those people, who had come to safety, went back and died in gruesome circumstances, he was always praying to God to forgive him. If you entered his study, you will see this picture of a huge Igbo man who was beheaded and his body sent down to the East by train.

He had people like Uche Chukwumerije, the late Chuba Okadigbo, Ambassador George Obiozor and others around him. What came out was not Ojukwu’s view, what came out was superior argument but in this superior argument, you saw that Ojukwu was a man of great intellectual capacity. I can see why those who didn’t have that kind of intellect will feel threatened.  One other thing during the war that people didn’t know was that Ojukwu always slept with his boots on; so, whenever there was crisis, Ojukwu needed just five minutes to move out and to get  to the point of the crisis. He wasn’t afraid of a fight. Sometimes, we thought he had a death wish, he wasn’t afraid of bullets and mortars.

Would you then describe him as suicidal?  

Ah, you could say so. Fleeing Biafra was a collective decision. Let me put it this way, If Ojukwu had been captured and humiliated by remaining as he wanted to remain, it would have dealt an irreparable damage on the Igbo psyche. Anybody who knew the details of the Ugwuta operation will know that Ojukwu was suicidal.

Since the end of the civil war, the Igbo claim to be the target of victimisation, a recent one being the deportation of some Igbo people from Lagos. What can be done to stem this trend?

That was completely inexplicable. Up till now, I cannot understand it. I also don’t think Governor Babatunde Fashola gave an apology, Fashola said he was sorry, that he was misunderstood by people, he was sorry that he was misunderstood, he should have said he was sorry for what he did. Fashola is a person who gave us the greatest respect when we went to see him as members of the burial committee for Ojukwu. I think he must do more than he has already done. What people feel is that that was not an apology, that it was a contrived thing not to damage the campaign of Chris Ngige (the All Progressives Congress candidate in Anambra governorship election). Fashola is a person we as Igbo people love; we have the greatest respect for him. The family and Igbo families are so interwoven. It was Asiwaju (former Lagos Governor, Bola tinubu) that appointed Joe Igbokwe (APC’s spokesman in Lagos). What Fashola did frightened many of us and he needs to go further than what he has done, it is almost like Okonkwo killing Ikemefuna who called him father. I think I will stop here because I like him very much, if I didn’t like him, I would have said a few things.

What do you think should be the outcome of the proposed National Conference? Should the Igbo seek secession, the way they wanted Biafra?

It amuses me when Nigerians say the Igbo sought Biafra. The Igbo did not seek Biafra. If the Igbo sought Biafra, there would have been massive support for the Movement for the Actulisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra. The Igbo felt rejected and thrown out by Nigeria and being a proud people, said to Nigeria we are capable of existing by ourselves and we will call ourselves the Republic of Biafra and when in 1970 it ended, it ended. So, the issue of secession is completely out of the question. What the Igbo want are exactly those things which you look for in a normal association with your fellow citizens. Treat me as you treat yourself, if you have a law, let that law apply equally to you and to me, if you have a right to be President, I also should have a right to be President, this is what the Igbo are looking for. The Igbo don’t want to be excluded or marginalised, they want to exercise their full citizenship rights as Nigerians.  The people who should bear the greater blame for secession are the people who mutilated Aburi because there would have been no Biafra. If you found that there were 10 agreements in Aburi and you could only implement four, why didn’t they implement four and then consult Ojukwu again and said look, these other six, we have problems with it, can we renegotiate? There would have been no Biafra. You reached a ten-point agreement, signed them as men of honour and got back and thought you couldn’t implement them and instead of getting back to the person so that you can review those agreements, you went ahead, buoyed up by your power, to crush these little ants in 24 hours. That was exactly what led to the war.

From your point of view, will the Igbo support resource control or rotational presidency?

It is not a matter of support. These two issues were championed by the Igbo. The resource control that is being enjoyed now by the South-South was championed by the Igbo and those who were at the Abacha Constitutional Conference knew that.

These are things that we feel seriously about. These two issues are matters we must resolve in the interest of Nigeria and I cannot see the Igbo not supporting them.

Resident doctors are on strike again. As health minister under Obasanjo, why did you fix some of these issues in our health sector that are leading to doctors strikes?

These things are dynamic. Society is dynamic, the problems that I faced as health minister are not the same problems as the current health minister is facing. In fact, in my own time, I even got a prize from resident doctors. They honoured me and we had peace for the duration that I was there. The people that gave me problem for the period that I was there were nurses and the other workers but we resolved the issues. I went into office with a five-point agenda. I initiated the anti-retroviral drugs in Nigeria, we had health insurance. We had war on fake drugs and when I recommended Dr. Dora Akunyili, I was even accused that she was from Anambra and I am from Anambra and the drug counterfeiters were also predominantly from Anambra. Thank God she delivered.

What exactly is the problem with our health sector? Why do government officials and former government officials like you keep going abroad for medical treatment?

I don’t go abroad for medical treatment.  But when I go outside, I take the opportunity of a second opinion. The main reason is that it is expensive but I go to Abuja Clinics here, I like Abuja clinics. I like the endocrinologist when I have their tests, when I travel outside in London, I go and confirm and find that their tests are accurate. When I go to stay with my brother who is also a Professor of Medicine in the United States, we confirm that their tests are accurate. So, I don’t really have to go outside. I don’t know that I have ever slept in a hospital outside Nigeria but I do my tests.

 What is your view on the current ASUU strike? Who should shift ground ASUU or Federal Government?

Both should shift ground. What government has done, which is take inventory and find that the universities are in decay, is a beginning. We had a system; government should try and go back to that university system. I was there; it was the frustration that made me to leave. ASUU, what percentage of members have doctorate degrees? Which of their certificates will stand scrutiny? They don’t want to retire until they reach 90, haven’t they heard of Professor Emeritus if you are good? How many of them have publications in learned journals? How many of them really teach, is it handouts? In 1975 when I came back to teach at the University of Nigeria, we were at least 50  young people about 30, years of age who had PHDs from the most reputable universities in the world. What is the quality of the lecturers and the professors you now have? How many of them are being invited? The current university lecturers should do what they are supposed to do and raise themselves to the standard of excellence and the university should provide research grants and facilities that will help them to do that.

As a founding member of PDP, do you support the so-called revolution being carried out by the rebel governors of the New PDP?

I am amused by it. Once upon a time, when the PDP was going funny, we formed a group, if you remember, I was the keynote speaker and I said there was nothing in the PDP constitution that allows for a PDP Governors’ Forum, PDP governors had pocketed the party. They were now determining who would go for Senate, who would go for this or that. Of course, they fought us, everybody was depended on the money the governors could offer, we got expelled, nine of us. We preached internal democracy, we should give the people of Nigeria who they want. We said we should be having something like PDP convention not just to endorse candidates. It was at such a Democratic Party convention in the United States that threw up brilliant people like Barrack Obama, why can’t we have such? We were thrown away including former Presidents of the Senate, Speakers of the House of Reps. I don’t know what to make of this thing (New PDP)? What is their agenda? I remember it was the same Abubakar Baraje and those people running about today that called us names and threw us out. It was this (President) Jonathan who called us back.

 In your opinion, do you think President Jonathan should run for a second term in 2015? Does he deserve a second term?

 We should leave President Jonathan to decide. I personally felt insulted when governors went to him to say he should not run, who among them will brook it in their states?  The institution of the Presidency deserves the respect of every one of us. I say this with all seriousness because you can’t ridicule what you ultimately want to aspire to. What will then happen when you occupy the office and some people come and insult you and you take precipitated action?

News-Portal Nigeria (c) 2013

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[PHOTO] POLICEMAN BRUTALISES DAUGHTER OVER WITCHCRAFT

 By Oduwaiye Fela

A police sergeant from Ibiaku community, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Ita Ayamba, has allegedly brutalised and abandoned his eight-year-old daughter, Goodness Ayamba over her refusal to confess to witchcraft.

Ita was said to have paraded the little girl along the village streets naked, declaring that Goodness was responsible for his retrogression in the Police Force.

A source and relative of Ita, told our correspondent in Eket on Saturday, on the condition of anonymity,

that the police sergeant tortured his daughter for several hours in an attempt to extract a confession of being a witch from her.

He said, “When he discovered that Goodness had passed out, Ita abandoned her, having hit her chest with the butt of his AK 47 Rifle. “None of us could go close to Ita to rescue Goodness as he had threatened to shoot anyone that dared. “I don’t see how a child of that age could become a clog in the wheel of her father’s progress in the Police Force. We need to tell each other the truth. Progress in one’s career depends on the efforts one has made academically.”

We gathered that Ita had divorced Goodness’ mother some years back.  He was said to have remarried almost immediately, leaving three children including Goodness with their grandmother. A resident of the area, Okon Ekong, said that on July 28, 2013 when the children were on holiday, Ita had requested  custody of them. He was said to be at his new station in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the time. Ita’s former wife, Mrs. Anietie Ayamba, allegedly heeded his request and took the children to him. Ekong said that the children’s stepmother made life miserable for them. He said, “It was during their stay in Port Hracourt, that their stepmother took the children to a Pentecostal church. Goodness was accused of witchcraft at the church. Her stepmother was told that Goodness was the person responsible for their father’s non-rising profile in the force. “The father who was also in the church began to beat and kick Goodness in  a bid to extract a confession about her witchcraft.”

When PUNCH Metro visited Immanuel Hospital, Eket, Eket LGA, on Saturday, where Goodness was taken to for medical attention, it was gathered that she had been admitted at the intensive care unit of the children’s ward. Nurses at the hospital said Goodness’ condition was stable but that her bones and chest cavity had been badly damaged.

A group of women lawyers under the aegis of Federation of International Women Lawyers have said that they would do everything within their power to ensure that Ita was brought to justice. The state director of the organisation, Mrs. Mary Udonsek, stated that the women would not continue to sit back and allow men maltreat their children on the guise of labelling them witches. Ita, said to be working at Trans Amadi Police Station, Port Harcourt, Rivers State had allegedly not been to Ibiaku, Mkpat Enin LGA since the incident.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Etim Dickson, said the Rivers State Police Command would be contacted about the matter. He said, “Messages have been sent across to police area commands in Oron and Ikot Ekpene so that Ita will not have any place to hide once he is in the state.”

News-Portal Nigeria (c) 2013

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[PHOTO] LOLA OMOTAYO'S BACHELORETTE PARTY HOLDS TOMORROW

By Oduwaiye Fela

I'm sure by now you all know that Lola Omotayo and Peter Okoye's traditional wedding will hold on November 17th. What you haven't heard is that Lola's hens night will hold tomorrow October 26th in Lagos.

And also, their wedding invitation is coming out soon and in a few days. We will be able to tell you guys the celebrities who were invited and people participating in the wedding. Congrats to them once more.

News-Portal Nigeria (c) 2013
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[PHOTO] 13-YEAR-OLD BOY CARRYING TOY GUN, SHOT DEAD BY POLICE

By Oduwaiye Fela

A 13-year-old boy carrying a replica assault rifle has been shot dead by police in the US state of California, the BBC reports.

Officers in the city of Santa Rosa say they opened fire after the boy refused orders to drop the rifle, which they believed to be real.

The shooting on Tuesday is now being investigated.

It comes a day after a 12-year-old boy in Nevada shot dead a maths teacher at his school and wounded two fellow pupils before taking his own life.

In the latest incident, two sheriff’s deputies saw the teenager “with what appeared to be some type of rifle”, a news release from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s office said.

The deputies called for backup and repeatedly ordered the boy to drop the gun before firing several rounds from their handguns, police said.

The boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was later identified by his family as Andy Lopez.

“He was holding the weapon in his left hand. He began to turn toward his right in the direction of the deputy, and in so doing he moved the gun toward the deputy, and the deputy’s mindset was that he was fearful he would be shot,” Lt Paul Henry of Santa Rosa police said.

But the boy’s father, Rodrigo Lopez said the shooting made no sense. “My son lost his life. He’s not alive any more just because of the mistake of somebody.”

The replica gun had belonged to a friend, he said.

The sheriff’s office said a plastic handgun had also been found in the boy’s waistband.

Witness Brian Zastrow told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat he heard seven shots.

“First, I heard a single siren and within seconds I heard seven shots go off, sounded like a nail gun,” he said.

One man who saw the events unfold said the shooting was over in an instant.

“He pulled over to the kid walking and he just opened the door and shot him, three shots,” Ismael Mondragon told KGO-TV.

Police Lt Dennis O’Leary said the deputies had been placed on administrative leave pending the inquiry.

Sheriff Steve Freitas described the shooting as a “tragedy” and promised the investigation would be thorough and transparent.

“As a father of two boys about this age, I can’t begin to imagine the grief this family is going through,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the boy’s school described him as “a very loved student, a very popular, very handsome young man, very smart and capable”.

Linsey Gannon, assistant principal at Lawrence Cook Middle School, said he played trumpet in the school band.

“Our community has been rocked by his loss,” she said.

Candles, teddy bears and flowers have since been left at the scene of the shooting.

“He was a good kid, he was 13 years old. He didn’t look like a man, Andy, he was a boy,” one friend told local media.

On Monday, a 12-year-old boy who has not been named opened fire at a school in Sparks, Nevada, killing maths teacher and Afghanistan veteran Michael Landsberry.

Police said Mr Landsberry had tried to coax the boy to drop the gun, enabling children in the playground to flee.

The boy then shot and injured two fellow pupils, before taking his own life on the outdoor basketball court.

President Barack Obama has recently renewed calls for changes to US gun laws following a series of deadly shootings. However, the BBC’s Alastair Leithead in Los Angeles says the proposals face fierce resistance.

News-Portal Nigeria (c) 2013

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[PHOTO] GANGED RAPE VICTIM COMMITS SUICIDE IN BAYELSA STATE

By Oduwaiye Fela

Janet, an 18 year old raped victim has committed suicide in the Amarata area of Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The deceased, a native of Oduali community in Abus/Odua Local Government Area of Rivers State, was allegedly raped by three unidentified boys in the area. Janet reportedly hanged herself due to the stigmatisation she allegedly experienced after the incident.

A family source, who craved anonymity, said Janet was gang-raped last week at gunpoint, while on errand for her elder sister. She was said to have been forced into an uncompleted building by her assailants, who were three in number before the act.

The source said, “Janet was visibly sad and devastated after the incident; she narrated her experience to her sister and sister’s husband. The sister’s husband, who is a pastor, asked her to describe any of her attackers and she described a certain boy. The boy was traced to his house but when they got there, they discovered that he had absconded. Her brother-in-law then assured her that he would pursue the matter to a logical conclusion. Unknown to her guardians, the distraught girl had decided to take her life due to the ugly incident. She was rushed to the Gloryland Hospital when she was discovered to be groaning in pain.”

It was further gathered from a family member that the deceased had left behind a suicide note before taking her life. When contacted on the development, spokesman for the Bayelsa State Police Command, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, confirmed the incident. He said the police had begun an investigation into the alleged rape report lodged by the deceased’s family.

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DINO MELAYE RELEASED FROM POLICE DETENTION

By Oduwaiye Fela

Dino Melaye, who was arrested on recently after leading a group of protesters to the building of the Aviation Ministry, was released this evening. Melaye, a prominent anti-corruption leader, and his group made their way to the ministry's offices to call for Stella Oduah to step-down as head of the aviation ministry after it has been reported that two armoured BMW 7-Series vehicles worth N255 million were purchased for her by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.

The protest turned violent when pro-Oduah supporters attacked the group which Melaye was leading. The police were called and attempted to clear the altercation and arrested the anti-Oduah supporters for public disturbance. Melaye was taken into custody of his refused to move out of the police vehicles way, in which his fellow protesters were being transported in.

Melaye, who is a former member of the House of Representatives was quoted saying,"I must confess that the CP in FCT was very civil and nice."

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Jumia supports Breast Cancer Foundation with the Pink Week

By Oduwaiye Fela

JUMIA, Nigeria’s leading online retailer and this year’s World Retail Award Winner, partners with 234Give to support the International Cancer Month. A substantial percentage of proceedings made during the Pink Week are given to the “Breast Cancer Foundation of Nigeria: BRECAN”.

JUMIA partners with 234Give by creating The Pink Week - an initiative were JUMIA will be selling pink items, including books and fashion products, on the site with a campaign starting from October 23rd to October 30th. In addition to this JUMIA dedicates the last day to support the cause with over 500 staffs wearing pink to honor the breast cancer month as well as the JUMIA Pink Week. Continue 234Give is an online fundraising platform that enables people who are passionate about raising money for charitable causes the means to connect with donors and raise money securely online. Sola Fatoba, CEO, 234give: “We are pleased to be partnering with JUMIA on its Pink Week. This partnership will support JUMIA's mission to create more awareness and raise funds for breast cancer.”

Jeremy Hodara, co-founder, Africa Internet Holding: “JUMIA in partnership with 234Give will support the cause and create awareness about breast cancer through its website and other marketing channels. As part of JUMIA’s way of giving back to the society and also to support the Breast Cancer cause, JUMIA is giving a percentage of proceedings made during the Pink Week to a notable charity in Nigeria: ‘Breast Cancer Foundation of Nigeria BRECAN’.”

Click Here to Shop From Jumia’s Pink Week Selection, to help Raise Funds.

About JUMIA:
Founded in June 2012, JUMIA is Nigeria’s #1 shopping destination. Within one year, the website enjoys more than 150,000 unique visits daily, being the leading and most trafficked e-commerce website in Nigeria, with a daily subscriber base of more than 400,000 people. At JUMIA, customers across the continent can shop the widest assortment of quality products at affordable prices – offering everything from fashion, consumer electronics, home appliances to beauty products. JUMIA operates in five countries: Nigeria, Morocco, Ivory Coast , Egypt and Kenya with more countries to come.

More information: http://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-in- press/ JUMIA is part of the Africa Internet Holding http://www.africainternetholding.com

Press contacts
Olamide Amosu
08172238785 I08033295743
olamide.amosu@jumia.com.ng

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[PHOTO] ROBBERS ON RAMPAGE, ATTACKS BILLION VAN WITH POWER BIKE

By Oduwaiye Fela

Commercial activities at Ijora Badia, in the Apapa area of Lagos State, came to a halt on Wednesday when policemen and robbers engaged in a gun duel.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the robbers, who had arrived Marine Bridge on several power bikes, dislodged a bullion van laden conveying a huge amount of money from its escort vehicle by opening fire at them.

It was said that the robbers started shooting sporadically into the air to scare motorists and residents, and attempted to escape with the bullion van. Their progress was said to have been slowed down by heavy traffic.

Our correspondent learnt that the Divisional Police Officer, Apapa, Usman Ndanbabo, and policemen from the Area B Command arrived at the scene after being alerted by the sound of gunfire. The robbers reportedly disembarked from the bullion van and engaged the police in a shootout.

Other police divisions within the area command were said to have also blocked all the escape routes and dispatched anti-robbery teams to assist the Apapa Division.

In the gun duel which lasted for several minutes, a member of the Nigerian Navy and two other civilians were said to have sustained injuries. However, one of the robbers was reportedly shot dead while another was arrested.

It was learnt that the Navy personnel and the others, who were injured were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos Police Command, Ngozi Braide, told our correspondent on the telephone that the remaining suspects escaped with bullet wounds. Braide said, “The DPO of Apapa Division was informed of the gunfire around Ijora Badia Bridge and dispatched a team of anti-robbery policemen. The robbers opened fire on the policemen and our men retaliated. One of the robbers was killed, another arrested, while the others escaped with bullet wounds. A yellow unregistered power bike, with the inscription, Apache Hipar, was recovered from the robbers as well as two Ak-47 rifles with double magazine each loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition. Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspects but normalcy has returned to the area.”

Police sources told our correspondent that it was the same gang of robbers that operated on 9th of October, killing 3 policemen in Ijora. A policeman from Area ‘C’ Police Command, Surulere, Lagos, who pleaded for anonymity, identified the dead robber as one of the culprits. “You may recall that two weeks ago, five policemen on patrol were shot and three of them died while two survived after the robbers on a bike opened fire on their vehicle. One of the surviving policemen gave us information and from what we put together, it is highly possible that it is the same gang,” he said.

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NIGERIAN HACKERS HIRED TO RUN OBAMACARE WEBSITE. MUST READ!!!

By Oduwaiye Fela

On Monday night, October 21st, US Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz insulted Nigerians in a bid to mock Obamacare website glitch. He told a rally of his fellow activists in Houston that Nigerian email scammers have been hired to run the Obamacare website.

Senator Cruz said:

“You may have noticed that all the Nigerian email scammers have become a lot less active lately. They all have been hired to run the Obamacare website.”

How can a senator talk so recklessly? And he even laughed.

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BMW SCANDAL: STELLA ODUAH FINALLY SPEAKS

By Oduwaiye Fela

Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah has responded to President Jonathan's query to her to explain her role in the purchase of the controversial N225million BMW armored cars. See her response below:

Executive summary on the procurement of NCAA operational vehicles:
“The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, is the statutory regulator of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Industry.

Consequently, the NCAA is charged with oversight responsibilities over all civil aviation operations in the country, including safety, security and strict compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices, SARPs, and Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations, NCARs.

2. Towards the effective implementation of its statutory regulatory responsibilities, therefore, it is imperative that the NCAA is fully equipped with highly specialised tools and facilities, including adequate operational vehicles to cover all 22 national airports and over 400 airstrips. In keeping with standard practice, provision is therefore made annually for the replacement of obsolete, inadequate & unreliable monitoring equipment.

3.In the 2013 budgetary appropriation, provision was made for the procurement of specialised equipment (including operational vehicles) to complement and in some cases replace obsolete ones.

Furthermore, the fact that NCAA, as the regulator of the industry, often plays host to dignitaries from ICAO, IATA, US FAA, AFRAA, AFCAC BAGASO, CANSO, ACI and a host of others makes it necessary to have specialised operational vehicles.

4.With regard to the procurement of additional operational vehicles (including BMW Security Vehicles), the following due process was observed:
(I) By letter dated April 15, 2013, NCAA officially requested authorisation from the Federal Ministry of Aviation to procure 56 operational vehicles through lease financing. This option was proposed to the ministry to enable the NCAA make 36 monthly payments based on receipts from Internally Generated Revenue, IGR. 


The Ministry therefore granted due approval.
(ii)Based on the ministry’s approval, the NCAA invited Expressions of Interest from all Banks in Nigeria for the financing of the said vehicles. EOI was adopted because the procurement is two sided. First, the financier would have to be selected before the supplier is determined. This is in line with procurement best practices.
(iii) On May 24, 2013, the response received from the various banks to the Expression of Interest, EOI, request was opened publicly and minutes of the opening exercise was duly documented. During the EOI opening exercise, NCAA got commendation from one of the Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, approved by BPP who were invited for the opening exercise.
(iv)  The evaluation of the expression of interests was held on May 31, 2013 during which First Bank Plc, Union Bank Plc and Stanbic IBTC emerged most responsive. On the June 10, 2013 the above three banks were invited to submit Financial Proposals. Thereafter, First Bank emerged the highest rated responsive bidder.
(v)Between June 20 and 25, 2013, invoices were received from various accredited motor vehicle dealers during which only Coscharis Motors Limited quoted for BMW Security Vehicles.

(vi) On June  28, 2013, NCAA Parastatal Tenders Board approved the selection of First Bank Ltd for the Lease Financing as well as Metropolitan Motor Vehicles and Coscharis for the supply of the vehicles.  All  necessary approvals  were duly  sought  and  obtained accordingly.

(vii) Between  July 8, 2013 to August, 12, 2013 various meetings were held with First Bank Ltd, contract agreement was signed and necessary documentation executed.

Your Excellency is respectfully invited to note:
(i) The crucial statutory role of the NCAA in regulating civil aviation operations in the country, including safety, security and strict compliance with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARs).
(ii) The need for NCAA to be fully equipped with highly specialized tools and facilities (including operational vehicles) to enable the effective implementation of its statutory functions.
(iii) The procurement of specialized operational vehicles is duly provided for in the NCAA 2p 13 (IGR) Budget and the need for adopting instalmental lease payments over36rionths.
(iii) That Due Process was followed in the procurement of the said operational vehicles.

Please your Excellency my continued loyally and esteemed regards.
Princess Stella Adaeze Oduah, OON, Honourable Minister.

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[BREAKING NEWS] Ex-PMAN PRESIDENT DIES

By Oduwaiye Fela

Former President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Mustapha Amego, has died after a long battle with colon cancer. The musician and former TV personality, who relocated to the US many years ago, died yesterday October 23rd in Baltimore, Maryland, US.

For those who don't remember him, he was one of the host of popular 90's weekly music-dance show, Sunday Rendezvous. Mustapha was also PMAN president  from 1993 to 1996. After his  tenure, he relocated to the US where he worked with the Discovery Channel as a content producer and editor.

He will be buried today according to Muslim rites. May his soul rest in peace...Amen.

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[PHOTO] BOLT ABOUT TO FACE LIFE BAN. MUST READ!!!

By Oduwaiye Fela

Jamaica’s athletes, including sprint star Usain Bolt, could be banned from major events like the Olympics due to the country’s handling of recent drug scandals, according to Tuesday’s Daily Telegraph.

World Anti-Doping Agency President John Fahey, in an interview with the paper, accused Jamaica of “farcical” behaviour in its attempts to defer an extraordinary audit of its anti-doping programme until next year.

This followed an invitation to WADA by the Jamaican Prime Minister to investigate revelations from the former Executive Director of the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission that it conducted no drug tests in the five months leading up to last year’s London Olympics.

But JADCO’s suggestion that it would talk to WADA next year infuriated anti-doping chiefs. If Jamaica are deemed to be non- compliant with the WADA code, their athletes could be banned from major competitions until the situation is resolved even though the likes of multiple Olympic champion Bolt have never failed a drugs test. “The current position is unacceptable to WADA and we’re not going to take it lying down, their suggestion that they’ll talk to us next year,” said Fahey. “To suggest to WADA they’re not ready to meet with us to talk about their problem until sometime next year is unsatisfactory, it’s totally unacceptable to me and we shall act appropriately within an appropriate time frame.”

Asked if Jamaica would be declared “non-compliant”, Fahey said, “There are a number of options. “You can read into that exactly what those words are likely to mean but I don’t want to flag it up.” WADA said in August it was standing by to help Jamaica resolve their problems in the wake of the doping scandal involving former 100m world record-holder Asafa Powell.

The global anti-doping agency had then called for urgent action on the concerns raised by former Jamaica anti-doping chief Renee Anne Shirley over flaws in the country’s drug testing programme. JADCO chairman Herb Elliott responded to Shirley’s revelations by labelling her a “Judas” and a “bit demented”. He insisted Jamaica’s drug-testing procedures were in line with international standards and said of the proposed WADA inspection.

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[PHOTO] OJB RECUPERATES AND WILL SOON BE OUT OF HOSPITAL

By Oduwaiye Fela

OJB has finally had his kidney surgery in a hospital in India and is said to be recuperating well. We thank God!

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[URGENT ATTENTION] PA KASUMU HEALTH DETERIORATES

By Oduwaiye Fela

Ailing veteran actor, Kayode Odumosu aka Pa Kasumu's state of health has deteriorated.

Reports reaching us says that he now has a high level of hypertension and has also developed an advanced cerebrovascular disease, a medical condition that is related to brain dysfunction which affects the blood vessels that transports blood to the brain. This new development has impaired his memory as well as gradually eroding his speech. He is also gradually losing the vision in his left eye.

Niece to the veteran actor and coordinator of the Save Pa Kasumu Group, Mrs Idowu Olajide, spoke on the recent development and Governor Fashola's promise. She said: "As it is now, the situation is very disturbing. He has lost his voice but we believe with God, all things are possible. Governor Fashola directed him to First Cardiologist Hospital Ikoyi and the result from the test has been sent to him. We really appreciate the governor's step, it's in the right direction. But he hasn't said he would give Pa Kasumu N12million as been peddled and we have not received any money from him. So, we are still appealing to all the good-hearted Nigerians to come to the aid of Pa Kasumu because weather or not he is flown abroad, the ailment needs serious maintenance which will cost a lot of money".

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BREAKING NEWS: MELAYE ARRESTED OVER ODUAH-MUST-GO PROTEST

By Oduwaiye Fela

On Wednesday in Abuja the police arrested the Executive Director, Anti-Corruption Network, Dino Melaye, after the former House of Representatives member led pro-democracy activists on a protest urging Ms. Stella Oduah’s dismissal over the armoured car scandal.

The minister of aviation has been recently attacked for allegedly ordering the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to buy her two bullet-proof BMW cars, worth $1.6m (about N255m).

The protest, which held at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, around 11 am, also involved the group of people supporting Oduah. The police managed to prevent the clash between the two groups. Meanwhile the security operatives, led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Sunday Olukoya, allowed the pro-Oduah protesters to leave, but stopped the bus conveying Melaye supporters, declaring that they are under arrest. Melaye, however, asked the police to explain the reasons for their arrest.

The former lawmaker said: “When the police pension fund was stolen, we protested on behalf of the police; we were not arrested. When we protested against the theft of fuel subsidy fund, we were not arrested. Now it is surprising for him why, when they are protesting the theft of the nation’s money by the minister, they get arrested. “The protest affects everybody; the police are also affected because they are taxpayers. I’m also a taxpayer.”

Melaye and others were later arrested by the police and whisked away in a Toyota Hilux van, marked NPS 21280 at about 1pm.

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BMW SCANDAL: COSCHARIS GAVE N112M KICKBACK TO AVIATION MINISTER

By Oduwaiye Fela

According to new reports by Sahara Reporters, the car company that sold the two BMW armored cars to NCAA, gave N112million to aviation minister Stella Oduah as kickbacks. (Kickback is a form of negotiated bribery in which a commission is paid to the bribe-taker for services rendered).

From Sahara Reporters
Even as the minister of aviation began a new spin today that the BMW armored cars purchased by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for her use were done on "hire- purchase", SaharaReporters has unearthed new details about the $1.6 million spent by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority to purchase the armored BMW cars for Nigeria's Aviation Minister Stella Oduah.

A highly reliable source has told SaharaReporters that the shady deal for the car was done entirely between Coscharis Motors Limited, a dealership from which the cars were purchased, one of Ms. Oduah’s private firms based in Abuja, and First Bank of Nigeria. “The NCAA was not even aware of the deal until the minister told them to sign that they had received two BMW cars,” said our source.

After inking the deal, Coscharis Motors, sellers of the highly inflated automobiles, reportedly gave the Aviation Minister more than N112 million as kickbacks. Our source added that Cosmas Maduka, who owns Coscharis Motors, pocked N60 million for each of the two BMW cars.

An official at the NCAA corroborated the information that the agency was largely kept in the dark about the transaction. “We were never privy to the transaction and had not seen the cars even though our head of transport was made to sign the delivery note,” said the source. The agency is under the Ministry of Aviation. The source added that the agency has still not seen the cars even after the scandal escalated.

SaharaReporters was first to break the news that Ms. Oduah compelled a cash-strapped NCAA to pay for two extravagantly priced bullet-proof BMWs for her personal use. After initially denying our reports, the minister’s spokesman, Joe Obi, admitted that the transaction transpired. Mr. Obi alleged that the purchase was justified because of unspecified threats to the minister’s life. Neither Mr. Obi nor the minister has provided proof of any threats to Ms. Oduah. The minister has not addressed why the NCAA paid a price tag that auto dealers in the US and the UK described as a rip-off. US dealers said that each of the BMW cars should cost no more than $$167,000.

Last week, an official of the NCAA, Fola Akinkuotu, spoke to the media and defended the purchase of the cars. Mr. Akinkuotu said the cars were for the ministry’s protocol pool for use in transporting foreign aviation dignitaries when they visit Nigeria. His explanation conflicted with the original statement by the minister’s spokesman, Mr. Obi. A source at the NCAA disclosed that Mr. Akinkuotu felt tricked into facing the media on the scandal. “He had been told he would only appear beside the embattled minister, who was supposed to speak. Instead, he was asked to speak,” said the source.

Meanwhile, a source at the Presidency said President Goodluck Jonathan was unfazed about the fraud perpetrated by Ms. Stella Oduah, his Aviation Minister. Ms. Oduah and the late former National Security Advisor, General Owoye Azazi, had played significant roles in raising and disbursing money to rig the 2011 presidential elections for Mr. Jonathan. Mr. Jonathan will depart Abujabtomorrow on a weeklong pilgrimage to Israel.

However, SaharaReporters learnt that several ministers and diplomats have registered their displeasure at Mr. Jonathan’s continued retention of Ms. Oduah on his cabinet.

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