Police, SSS at Loggerheads over Prosecution of Nyanya Bomb Blast Mastermin

 
The police and the Department of State Service were at loggerheads over the prosecution of the man believed to have coordinated the April 14 bomb blast in Nyanya, Abuja, Aminu Ogwuche.

At the Federal High Court friday, both the Police and the SSS laid claim to authority to prosecute the bomb suspect.

People2People...with Oke Epia

After 165 days, the ‘bring back our girls’ campaign continues. But the battle to free over 200 girls abducted in Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram since April 2014 is basically Nigeria’s business. Or so it seems. At least, this is the take-out from recent events regarding promises of assistance from other nations particularly from the West to help free the girls and ultimately defeat the insurgency raging the North-eastern part of the country.

Fashola to Play in LETI Novelty Football Finale

Range Rover Evoque SW1 Celebrates England

There will be one debut that is decidedly British at the Paris Motor Show that will begin, from October 4 to 19.
The Paris Mondial de l’Automobile is expected to witness the new Audi TT Roadster debut, along with the new Mercedes C63 AMG, BMW X6 and Jaguar XE. Of course, exciting new concept cars like the upcoming Infiniti Q80 Flagship and Honda C-HR Concept will also debut at the show. Check back on October 4 for all the details and our extensive video coverage.

N50bn Debt: Confusion over Court Orders on Babalakin’s Assets, Finance

Dr. Wale Babalakin

Yemi Adebowale and Obinna Chima

It was a sad day for the Chairman of Bi-Courtney Group of companies, Dr. Wale Babalakin, SAN as the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) yesterday moved to take over his companies as ordered by a Federal High Court in Lagos, over a N50 billion debt.

"I left my marriage because it was full of lies' Uche Ogbodo opens up

Actress Uche Ogbodo's marriage ended a few months after it was contracted..while she was pregnant. Speaking to Vanguard about it, Uche said her marriage ended because it was full of lies.

Murder suspect Jeffrey Okafor finally arrested in Nigeria

Jeffrey Okafor (left), the Nigerian suspected of killing a young rapper and DJ named Carl Beatson Asiedu (pictured right),who was stabbed to death outside a nightclub in south London in 2009 (read story here) has been arrested in Nigeria. 

Okafor was arrested by Nigerian police on Tuesday September 23rd about a month after UK police looking for him launched a high-profile online appeal to trace him. Okafor was last seen on CCTV boarding a flight at Heathrow Airport using his brother's passport about two weeks after the murder.

A UK police source said he's in police custody in Nigeria and proceedings are now underway for his extradition to the UK so he can face charges for the killing.

Breaking: Amber Rose files for divorce from Wiz Khalifa

TMZ just broke the news. After one year of marital bliss, Amber Rose just filed for divorce from rapper Wiz Khalifa. Wasn't it recently she shared wedding photos and gushed about him? Find the report from TMZ below...

Military Confirms Killing of Shekau Impostor, As 200 Boko Haram Members Surrender

Defence Hqs

•Say deceased 'Shekau' is just a bra nd name

 

•As over 200 terrorist surrender

By Senator Iroegbu 

The Nigerian military has after several days of speculation officially confirmed the killing of the impostor of the Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau after a fierce battle for the control of key town of Kondunga, which 35 kilometer to Maiduguri, Borno State Capital.

Busted! The lady with three boobs lied...the boobs are fake!

Remember the lady who said she got a third boob implant to scare men away? (read here) Well, she lied. The boobs are fake - a 3 breast prosthesis. TMZ just exposed her. In today's world, some people will do almost anything to be famous. See the TMZ reports below...

50 Fleeing Boko Haram Members Arrested as DHQ Refutes Rescue of Chibok Girls

Defence Hqs

Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri, Senator Iroegbu in Abuja and Chiemelie Ezeobi in Lagos

Fifty fleeing members of the Boko Haram sect have been arrested by the military in Biu, a town located in the southern part of Borno State.

Catch All Ur Latest Gossips And Entertainment News Across The Globe

Contrary to reports that the abducted Chibok girls had been rescued and are in the custody of the military in Maimalari Barracks in Maiduguri, Borno State, ANYTIN CAN HAPPEN can authoritatively report that the stories are false.

Ghanaian footballer Asamoah Gyan denies using his friend for ritual

This is so silly but some of you might want to read it. Ghanaian star and former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan has been bizarrely accused of having a hand in the death of his friend, Ghanaian rapper Castro. Some people in Ghana are accusing Gyan of using Castro for human sacrifice ritual.

Breaking: Defence HQ says Chibok girls were rescued, then withdraws statement

Found this breaking news report on Premium Times. Apparently the Nigeria military said today that some schoolgirls abducted from Chibok town in April this year had been rescued by Nigerian troops only to retract the statement minutes later. Read the report below...

Man allegedly rapes 20-year-old girl, uploads her nude photos online

A 30-year-old man has allegedly raped a 20-year-old girl (names withheld) and uploaded pictures, taken during the act, on the social media.

Anytincanhappen gathered that the suspect, Olaniyan Oluwakayode, who hails from Osun State allegedly, raped the victim in his apartment at Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of the state.

Why We Refreshed Gulder Bottle by NB Plc

Nigerian Breweries Plc 


Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Nicolas Vervelde has described the recent re-launch of Gulder as a product of the company’s penchant for innovation. He said the rebranding of the brand was in tandem with the company’s leadership in the brewery sector.

US Blocks Nigeria’s Purchase of Chinook Helicopters from Israel

Barack Obama

•   Concerns mount over double standards, US’ intent over Boko Haram
•   More terrorists surrender after death of Shekau’s double

Senator Iroegbu   and Daji Sani  

Efforts by the Nigerian military to procure US-made Chinook helicopters from Israel, to facilitate the movement of troops and the injured, have been blocked by the United States Government, THISDAY has learnt.

Kris Jenner files for divorce from Bruce Jenner

After 23 years of marriage, reality star and mum of the Kardashian girls, Kris Jenner has filed for divorce from Bruce Jenner. The couple officially separated in Oct. 2013. See the TMZ report below..

A SURE Channel for Corruption

The implementation of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme must first be purged of corruption before it can benefit the people, writes Ojo M. Maduekwe
 

There are reports that the idea by the federal government of rechanneling funds accruable from the partial removal of subsidy on petrol appears to have been lost in the implementation of projects under the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).
While the plan remains laudable, the implementation, since 2012 when the Presidential Committee on SURE-P was initiated, is said to be fraudulent. The SURE-P was instituted to address the issue of corruption that be-devilled the petroleum subsidy regime. But, in many instances, the same corruption has been alleged to be frustrating the idea from succeeding.

TF? Woman gets third boobs implant to scare men away (photos)

• 

21 year old American Jasmine Tridevil, claimed she had plastic surgery to create a third breast to scare men away. And now she wants her own MTV reality show.

The woman who is based in Tampa Florida, shares pictures on her Facebook page to 'show the struggles she faces because of her surgery.' She said her main reason for getting a third breast was because she didn't want to appear attractive to men.
"I got the surgery because I wanted to turn off guys. I know it sounds crazy but I don’t want to date again ever. I still like to feel pretty. If I got a third breast implant most guys would think that’s weird and gross. But I can still feel pretty. I’m starting a reality show called Jasmine’s Jugs and my ultimate goal is to get it onto MTV. That’s my dream.”she wrote on FB.

Jasmine claims she's spent $20,000 on the procedure a few months ago, after struggling to find a doctor who would perform the operation.

“I called 50 doctors. It was really hard finding someone that would do it too because they’re breaking the code of ethics.” she said

She claims her third breast was made using an implant and skin tissue cut from her abdomen. She said her parents didn't react well when they found out

“My mum ran out the door. She won’t talk to me. She won’t let my sister talk to me. My dad, he really isn’t happy. He is kind of ashamed of me but he accepted it.”

THE DECLINE OF NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

There is still insufficient investment in tertiary education
In what has become a scandalous annual embarrassment, Nigerian universities struggled once again at the bottom of the table in the latest global ranking. In the 2014 University web ranking conducted by International Colleges and Universities (4ICU) and released only recently, University of Ilorin was adjudged the 20th best university in Africa and 1842nd in the world. University of Lagos was ranked second in Nigeria and 21st in Africa while Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, came third and ranked 26th in Africa.
The 4ICU, an international higher education search engine and directory that constantly reviews accredited universities and colleges across the world, ranked some 11,307 universities and colleges by web popularity in over 200 countries. Sadly, the poor scores by the most populous nation and the biggest economy in Africa reflected the consistent dismal performance in the past even when the universities were weighted on several other indicators.

The 2012/2013 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, for instance, presented a multi-faceted view of the relative strengths of the world's leading universities based on data covering four key areas of concern - research, employability, teaching and internationalisation. The rankings were compiled using six indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty/student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio and international student ratio, and reputational ranking by faculty area. Over 2,000 universities were considered, and 700 were ranked with the top 400 ranked individually, while others were ranked in groups. Unfortunately, while several universities in South Africa and Egypt made the rankings, no Nigerian university did.
This is not only a sad commentary on the state of our education, it has also internationalised the rot in our universities many of which produce graduates that can neither meet the demands of local employers nor compete in the global labour market. The result is the increasing army of unemployed and unemployable youths roaming the streets of major cities.

While inadequate funding has been one of the major problems of the education sector, policy makers have not demonstrated the will to devise a way of addressing this challenge.  For instance, a 2012 World Bank table of the annual budgetary allocation to education by some selected countries placed Nigeria at the bottom, occupying the 20th position out of 20 countries selected. Also, of the N4.9 trillion 2013 budget, N426 billion was allocated to education, which is about 8.7 per cent of the total budget, most of which went to overhead. Rather than address this problem of funding, government has been preoccupied with establishing new universities to ensure federal character and sometimes for purely political reasons.
Ironically, virtually all the existing universities are plagued by outdated and poorly equipped libraries, poor teaching facilities, inadequate lecturers, decaying infrastructure, absence of internet facilities, and non-conducive learning environment. Perhaps the Professor Mahmood Yakubu-led Panel report on challenges of public universities, better known as the Needs Assessment Panel, underscored the present cheerless and disturbing webometric rating. The report says, in part, that university library resources are mostly outdated and manual; and that no library in the public university system is fully automated. Other findings include the fact that less than 10 per cent of the universities “have video conferencing facility, while less than 20 per cent use interactive boards”. The report also noted that “more than 50 per cent don’t use public address systems in the lecture rooms/ theatre; Internet services are non-existent, or epileptic and slow.”

As we have consistently stated on this page, the poor performance is due mainly to insufficient public and indeed, private investment in education infrastructure. Therefore, better ways of funding our tertiary institutions must be found, while the universities also need to eliminate the waste in their systems. The world’s best universities have enormous cash with which they attract the best to their communities - from the latest technologies to the brightest professors. That is what Nigeria needs to reverse the embarrassing trend.

Police Arrest s 25 Year-Old for Killing His Boss in Sokoto

 

Sokoto State Police Command, Monday arrested a 25 -year old man Bello Ubandawaki and five others in connection with the murder of a business associate, Alhaji Yahya Saidu, the Director of Finance at Government House, Kebbi state.

The Principal suspect Bello Ubandawaki was said to have conspired with five others to kill Saidu last week and buried him at his own residence at Kwarnawa area of Sokoto metropolis.

Addressing newsmen at the police headquarters in Sokoto  Monday, Police Public Relations Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police, El-Mustapha Sani, said the suspect had last week, invited the deceased for a business transaction in his residence in Sokoto and connived with some people to kill him.

Details to follow

Adorable pic: Beyonce shows pregnant belly on her HBO Special

Beyonce flashed this pic of Jay Z cradling her from behind while she was pregnant with Blue Ivy in 2011 on her HBO show 'One The Run' yesterday. Too too cute...

Photos from the collapsed church building in Edo state yesterday

Here are some photos from the one-storey church building belonging to Christ Chosen Church of God which collapsed yesterday September 19th. The building, which had been vacated recently by the church following its relocation to a bigger site, was being demolished by 8 workers when it caved in and fell on them. Three people have been confirmed dead while five were rescued from under the rubble. See more photos after the cut...

Over One Million Killed in the North since 1966, Says Buhari

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd),

         

Former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), Friday expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the North, saying over one million people had been killed in the region from 1966 till date.

Globacom Attains Second Largest Operator Position

Globacom logo

     
Globacom has made substantive growth in its subscribers' number by moving from 23 million subscribers in the first quarter of the year to 27 million subscribers in the second quarter, to become the second largest telecoms operator in the country after MTN that had always maintained the leadership position by subscriber number.

Synagogue Death Toll Jumps to 86 as Another Church Collapses, Kills 3 in Benin

NEMA logo

•Survivor recounts 28 hours under the rubble ordeal
Chiemelie Ezeobi and Adibe Emenyonu
    
Two days after the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other emergency workers wound up rescue operation at the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), the figure of deaths yesterday jumped to 86.

Military Converts Civilian JTF to Professional Fighting Force

By Senator Iroegbu

The Nigerian military has received the backing of the federal government to streamline the activities of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and other vigilante groups in the North East into a more professional fighting force in the ongoing counter-terrorism operation against Boko Haram terrorists.

This is coming as more facts emerged that the recent offensive and victories of the military has turned the heat against the insurgents who are increasingly beating retreat and in disarray in most of the territories they made gains last month.

Boko Haram Kills Scores at Borno Market

Boko Haram


The outlawed Boko Haram insurgents Friday attacked a Borno market, killing scores of traders, a military source revealed

He claimed that the insurgents who were looking for food to build their depleted stock invaded Mainok market, about 56 kilometres from  Maiduguri on Friday afternoon and carted away foodstuffs and money belonging to the traders after killing many people.

A Maiduguri resident Ade Olufemi who was travelling along the Maiduguri-Damaturu road at about 1.30pm, said the hoodlums invaded the busy market

FG Renews Plan to Establish National Carrier

Nigerian Airways Limited (NALS)  plane

The federal government has initiated fresh plan to establish a national carrier, which it believes would be the pivot of the Aviation Master Plan that hopes to transmute the sector into a key contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Just yesterday, federal government started the assessment of the defunct Nigerian Airways Limited (NALS) assets that have not been sold out or privatised as part of the plan towards the establishment of another national carrier, which would be largely privately owned.

Church building collapses in Edo

A one-storey building which served as offices for pastors belonging to Christ Chosen Church of God collapsed in Edo state today. Rescue operation is currently ongoing at the site. Three people are said to have been rescued alive from the collapsed building while two bodies are still trapped under the rubble. More later...........

All Hail the Lion

“I, the lion, tamed the Leopard in Rivers State”, said a former Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, Mr. Joseph Mbu, this week when he consciously stepped outside the professional precinct to throw jibes at the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi. In this report, Ojo M. Maduekwe, analyses his recent outburst within the context of his stint as police commissioner in the state


It would be the career highpoint of every Police Force Public Relations Officer (PRO) Nigeria has ever had if Nigerians are convinced that the police are their friend. Some, like the immediate past PRO, Frank Mba, genuinely did their best to project a friendly police force to the Nigerian public.

The new PRO, Emmanuel Ojukwu, during the handover ceremony added in his acceptance speech that, “the Police are your helper and friend.”

But the conduct of officers such as the former Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, remains bad publicity that could ruin their efforts.

Before his redeployment to Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, as the Commissioner of Police for the FCT, and later elevated to the position of an Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mbu was always in the news in a confrontational manner with the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

Their dispute stemmed from accusations of bias and unprofessionalism. Many described Mbu’s handling of differences between him and Amaechi to have been rather political than professional. THISDAY had published an article then titled, ‘Mbu Joseph Mbu: Police or Politician?’ The piece stated in part: “Ever since the crisis in Rivers State broke, Mbu has brazenly shown partisan tendencies, making many to wonder whether he is a policeman or a politician.”

Governor Amaechi at the time had accused him of being on a mission to the state and that he was working for the First Lady. Indeed, he further described him as the military wing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The disagreement degenerated to the point that there was a clamour in the media, led by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), for either the sack or redeployment of Mbu, a campaign that would later necessitate his redeployment to Abuja.

One may never know the exact truth behind the dispute, and so some could argue that if properly analysed, the governor would probably be found partly guilty for engineering the disputes. However, such a position, observers insisted, could only have been taken by those who failed to interpret Mbu’s leadership of the police in the state, side-by-side with his antecedents.

But for Mbu, who is a high ranking police officer, his recent comment concerning the months spent in Rivers as Police Commissioner has shown that his years of experience in the force have done little to influence his professional conduct and to a large extent, his attitudinal disposition.

Recently, after he was redeployed from Commissioner of Police FCT, and made the AIG for Zone 7, Abuja, Mbu, while handing over to his successor, Mr Wilson Inalegu boasted: “I, the lion, tamed the Leopard in Rivers State. It is only lion that can tame leopard. Each time the leopard remembers my face, it makes noise, but if it knows I am around, it cannot make noise.”

Although he made no mention of who the leopard was, being that aside his confrontation with the Bring Back Our Girls group, wherein he banned their gathering, Amaechi was the only personality Mbu has disagreed with publicly.

Even though he once claimed to respect Amaechi and his office, Mbu, as Rivers State Commissioner of Police, earned national notoriety by harassing and disrespecting Amaechi and his supporters. He gave as little as nothing to the office of the governor in terms of respect.
Responding to Mbu’s claim of taming him, Amaechi, in a statement through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor, described Mbu as a puppet who lacks the steel and strength of a lion.

Part of the statement read: “This character called Joseph Mbu completely lacks the courage, steel and strength of a lion. Rather, he is a shameless, corrupt puppet of a woman. How can a man who has no strength of character, a man who willingly submits himself to serve as a puppet of a woman call himself a lion?”

In the statement, the governor made an argument that should enlighten every police officer of their duties to the society. Amaechi said of Mbu: “This is a man paid by taxpayers to protect, secure and serve the interests of the people. But when he was in Rivers State, he spurned the people, trampled on the masses.”

Amaechi’s argument could be considered under what is globally termed ‘the Nine Principles of Policing’, as coined by Robert Peel.
In 1829, the first modern police force was created in London by then home secretary, Robert Peel. Peel’s policing principles formed the basis for foundation of the London Metropolitan Police Force, and was reported to have been the precursor to and model for all police forces in Canada and the United States of America. Part of the principles that underscore Mbu’s actions and outburst as being unprofessional are listed as follows:

The police must remember “To recognise always that the power of the police to fulfil their functions and duties is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions and behaviour, and on their ability to secure and maintain public respect; to recognise always that to secure and maintain the respect and approval of the public means also the securing of the willing co-operation of the public in the task of securing observance of laws.”

Also the police are advised “To recognise always that the extent to which the co-operation of the public can be secured diminishes proportionately the necessity of the use of physical force and compulsion for achieving police objectives; to seek and preserve public favour, not by pandering to public opinion;

“But by constantly demonstrating absolutely impartial service to law, in complete independence of policy, and without regard to the justice or injustice of the substance of individual laws, by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of the public without regard to their wealth or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humour, and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life.”

Lastly, “To maintain at all times, a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.”

Mbu may argue that his actions as Commissioner of Police in Rivers, was him fulfilling his professional duties. But, how true was that? Was his unilateral banning of the peaceful gathering of the Bring Back Our Girls group, an action that was overruled by the then Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, another way of him fulfilling his professional duties?

What about the time he was alleged to have led a team of policemen, few months before he was moved to Rivers, to raid the palace of the Olubadan, allegedly on orders from above?

Irrespective of his many misdemeanours, Mbu’s indiscretions have over the months been rewarded with redeployment and now elevation. Even though at a time, a former Inspector General of Police, who now heads the Police Service Commission, Mike Okiro, said Mbu’s conduct in Rivers was being probed, his recent elevation and continuous outburst, has fuelled the assumption by many that Mbu has Abuja connections up to Aso Rock.

Even with a thousand Force PRO’s seeking to rebrand the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerians would continue to view the force with suspicion; except actions and utterances of officers like that of Mbu are checked.

As an AIG, many would reckon that Mbu’s elevation is of no benefit to the society, which he is by law sworn to police; unless he is tamed and properly trained to understand that the principles of policing all over the world is community-based and unbiased.

Goodmorning Joke

Three friends were traveling and went to a desert and were not getting any food. After a long search they got one Jack fruit and some bananas. They ate bananas at night and put the Jack fruit for morning breakfast.
Next morning when they woke up and described what they dreamt at night. One is telling I went to 7th layer of the sky and saw nice young fairies were dancing besides me.

Another one is telling that I went bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. One beautiful girl came and kissed me and told me that she is the Queen of the Sea. She touches my hands and whole night we ate, drank and made merry. Really fantastic.

3rd one is now describing what he dreamt and he said, “I saw one Black tall ghost, who came to me and chased me and ordered me to eat the Jack fruit. But I told him I have got two friends, without them I will not eat the Jack fruit.

But the Ghost made me eat the Jack fruit and I ate it all. I tried to call you two, but one of you were in Mid sky and another was under the sea and having fun, so I could do save it for u!

Ebola Survivors Visit Fashola, Recount Ordeals

Lagos State Governor, Babatude Fashola (third right), flanked by five survivors of the Ebola virus: Dr. Kelechi Enemuo (left), Dr. Ibeawuchi Morris (secondleft), Dr Fadipe Akinniyi (third left), Mr. Dennis Akagha (second right) and Dr. Adaora Igonoh (right), during their visit to the governor at the Lagos State.

Gboyega Akinsanmi

Five survivors of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) last night visited Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, at the State House, Alausa, recounting their ordeals and how God saved them.

Of the visiting survivors, three of them – Dr. Morris Ibeawuchi, Dr. Adaora Igonoh and Dr. Akinniyi Fadipe – are medical practitioners with the First Consultants Medical Centre, the Lagos-based hospital that treated the index case, the late Patrick Sawyer, who imported the virus into Nigeria from his home country, Liberia.

The two others were Mr. Dennis Echelonu, who lost his two-month pregnant wife Mrs. Justina Echelonu Obioma to the virus and Mrs. Kelechi Enemuo, whose husband died from the disease in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Recounting his experience, Ibeawuchi acknowledged that he was the doctor, who received the index case, Sawyer, when ECOWAS officials brought him to First Consultants.

He said: “I was the person who received Patrick Sawyer the day he was rushed to First Consultants Medical Centre. It was like a joke, I did not know what came upon me that day. Unlike me, I was so reluctant to attend to him.  But I was compelled by my colleagues to do so.

“When I got there, I was just talking to him. It was very unlike me. Being a doctor, you must examine your patient. After due examination, I asked him some questions. But Patrick Sawyer lied to me. Even the ECOWAS protocol officer who sat there, kept quiet.

“I asked him why he was in First Consultants. He lied to me saying that he was at a conference and felt so weak. As a result, people now rushed him to First Consultants not knowing that he had collapsed at the airport. On that very day, the ECOWAS protocol officer was there and did not say anything.”

In his account, Fadipe explained how everyone was running helter-skelter when the index case was recorded, telling himself that he only had contact with the door to Sawyer’s private ward.

He said: “By virtue of that, nothing should happen to me, I told myself.  I never knew I was deceiving myself. Until the day I took my temperature and there was a kind of spike, and I asked myself what is going on. Since I had treated malaria a while ago, I told myself that it could be malaria.

“I used anti-malaria drugs, but nothing changed. Rather, it was getting worse. Eventually, I went to a private hospital to treat myself because I did not want to admit it was Ebola. I felt they would be able to proffer solutions to all my problems but it wasn’t to be so.

“Rather, it got worse and I started stooling and vomiting. So I summoned the courage and called the doctors at the monitoring units that my temperature had been persistently high.”

When he informed the Lagos State Ministry of Health about his health, he was informed not to bother, as they would come to pick him up. “In four hours, they came with ambulances. Before I knew it, I found myself at the isolation centre, Yaba.
“It all happened like a dream because I had read a lot about Ebola even while in school. We had learnt a lot of things on the haemorrhagic virus. How it wreaks direct havoc on human beings, bleeding and all that. You continue to bleed until you are dead, so I was devastated,” he added.

Likewise, Echelonu gave a sordid account of his wife, who was two months pregnant and lost the battle to the deadly virus, disclosing that Justina happened to be one of the nurses who looked after Sawyer.

He said: “My wife made contact with the index case. When she came back home, she told me. But we did not know what was happening because she was having symptoms and she was two months pregnant.

“She was feeling feverish. In fact, that was her first day on the job. It was her first day and her first patient was Sawyer. She just resumed that day. She was reluctant to resume her new job because of her condition, but I encouraged her to go to work.

“I had to convince her to go and tell them in the hospital about her condition so that they could give her more time to resume her new job. That was just the first day. When she came back, the following day she went to work again, then the next two days, she was off.”

Speaking to his August visitors, Fashola, who called for a minute’s silence for those who lost their lives to Ebola, commended the courage of the survivors by coming out in public to share their experience and damning possible stigmatisation.

He stated: “We sympathise with you for the trauma that you went though. Perhaps it was avoidable. But I am sure that hard lessons have been learnt. Beyond that, I must congratulate you the survivors of EDV.

“I felicitate with you and members of your family and friends. But most importantly, I thank you so much for coming forward because you took a great decision and you showed so much courage. And you have helped us to take the next step forward. You have helped us to put an end to the spread of the EVD.

“I am sure that from today, people, especially those who are victims wherever they maybe, will be encouraged to come forward and seek help. And that people who stigmatise them can change their approach.

“Sick people need help, care, love and affection. They did not need to be discriminated against. Perhaps many of those who stigmatise people with diseases will learn from the testimonies that you have given about people like Dr. David (the American WHO doctor who led the medical team at the Yaba isolation centre).

“He risked everything so that you all can be alive. That is the way we should behave as human beings. The truth is that this will not be the last infectious disease that human civilisation will experience. At one point, there was no cure for cholera, influenza and others.

“So in a global world, the list will not end. It is courageous men and women like Dr. David, organisations like the CDC (US Centre for Disease Control) and WHO, the Ministry of Health and health workers like you who must lead that charge to confront such diseases.

Military Captures Boko Haram Commander in Konduga

•  One soldier killed, four others injured
  • Police, AI trade barbs over report on torture

Tobi Soniyi, Yemi Akinsuyi and Senator Iroegbu in Abuja 


During a fierce battle with Boko Haram insurgents for the strategic town of Konduga in Borno State, the Nigerian military said yesterday that it captured one of the sect’s top commanders and killed several others.

The revelation by the military coincided with a damning report released by Amnesty International (AI) yesterday exposing the alleged torture methods and systemic human rights abuses perpetrated by the Nigeria Police Force and military.

Konduga has been the target of multiple attacks in the last one week owing to its proximity to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, which the Islamist sect has been attempting to capture in its bid to establish an Islamic Caliphate.

But Nigerian troops have consistently repelled the attacks by the sect, resulting in the death of hundreds of the insurgents in recent days.

This was confirmed yesterday by the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Major-General Chris Olukolade, in response to THISDAY inquiries on the ongoing military operations in the North-east.

According to Olukolade, the “seriously wounded high-ranking terrorist leader is being treated in a military medical facility after he was captured in the operations at Konduga”.

“He was among those captured yesterday (Wednesday) while over 60 of his fighters died during the series of attacks they launched to gain access to Konduga and its suburbs,” he added.

The defence spokesman also disclosed that some of the additional weapons that were recovered from the terrorists including 24 rifles, five rocket-propelled grenade tubes, two machine guns, and one anti-aircraft gun as well as a Ford Ranger vehicle. He said another Ford Ranger vehicle was destroyed.

He also explained that in Benishek, Borno State, where troops fought through an ambush yesterday, four motorcycles of the terrorists were recovered, adding that one soldier was killed during the attack, while four others who were wounded are receiving treatment.

In another statement on the battle for Konduga, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Olajide Laleye, said: “In the on-going operations to dislodge Boko Haram terrorists from the North-east, gallant troops of the Nigerian Army conducted offensive operations between 4 pm and 8 pm yesterday (Wednesday, September 17) in the Konduga area of Borno State, killing over 60 Boko Haram terrorists.”
He said the Nigerian Army did not suffer any casualty in the operation, while the “morale of the troops remains very high”.

Alleged Torture Methods Exposed

But despite the troops’ success in recent weeks at repelling the terrorists in parts of the North-east, a damning report by Amnesty International (AI) has alleged that Nigeria’s police and military routinely torture women, men, and children – some as young as 12 – using a wide range of methods including beatings, shootings and rape.

In the report released yesterday and titled:‎ “Welcome to Hell Fire: Torture and Other Ill-treatment in Nigeria”, AI chronicled how people are often detained in large dragnet operations and tortured as punishment, to extort money or to extract “confessions” as a shortcut to “solve” cases.

The report shows that despite denials by the authorities, many Nigerians are tortured daily either to confess to an offence or to offer bribe.

‎Speaking at the presentation of the report, AI’s Research and Advocacy Director, Netsanet Belay, said: “This goes far beyond the appalling torture and killing of suspected Boko Haram members.

“Across the country, the scope and severity of torture inflicted on Nigeria’s women, men and children by the authorities supposed to protect them is shocking to even the most hardened human rights observer.”

She noted that torture was not even a criminal offence in Nigeria. She therefore called on the National Assembly to immediately pass a law criminalising torture, stressing: “There is no excuse for further delay.”

Compiled from hundreds of testimonies and evidence gathered over 10 years, the report exposes the institutionalised use of police torture chambers and routine abuses by the military in a country that prohibits torture in its constitution but has yet to pass legislation outlawing the violations.

The report also reveals how most of those detained are held incommunicado – denied access to the outside world, including lawyers, families and courts.

The report found torture to be an integral part of policing in Nigeria to the extent that many police stations have an informal “Officer in Charge of Torture” or O/C Torture.

The report also found that an alarming array of techniques, including nail or tooth extractions, choking, electric shocks and sexual violence were used when torturing suspects.

In one illustrative incident, Abosede, aged 24, reportedly told AI how sickening police abuse left her with a permanent injury. She was quoted as saying: “A policewoman took me to a small room, told me to remove everything I was wearing. She spread my legs wide and fired tear gas into my vagina… I was asked to confess that I was an armed robber… I was bleeding… up till now I still feel pain in my womb.”
The report said Nigeria’s military was committing similar human rights violations, detaining thousands as they search for Boko Haram members.

The report cited Mahmood, a 15-year-old boy from Yobe State who was arrested by soldiers with around 50 other people, mainly boys between 13 and 19 years old.

He reportedly told AI that the military held him for three weeks, beat him repeatedly with their gun butts, batons and machetes, poured melting plastic on his back, made him walk and roll over broken bottles and forced him to watch other detainees being extra-judicially executed. He was eventually released in April 2013.

Belay said: “The military in Yobe State even arrested and beat a 12-year-old boy, poured alcohol on him, forced him to clean vomit with his bare hands and trod on him.

“Soldiers pick up hundreds of people as they search for those associated with Boko Haram, then torture suspects during a ‘screening’ process that resembles a medieval witch hunt.”
According to her, ‎torture happens on this scale partly because no one, including in the chain of command, is being held accountable.

She said Nigeria needed a radical change of approach, to suspend all officers against whom there are credible allegations of torture, to thoroughly investigate these allegations and to ensure that suspected torturers are brought to justice.

The report further found that for most of the torture allegations against Nigerian state security forces documented by AI, no proper investigations was carried out and no measure was taken to bring suspected perpetrators to justice.

The report noted that when internal investigations within the police or the military took place, the findings are not made public and the recommendations rarely implemented.

AI said not one of the hundreds of cases researched by it that was a victim of torture or other ill-treatment has been compensated or received other reparation from the government.

The report stated that government was aware of the problem and had set up at least five presidential committees and working groups over the last decade on reforming the criminal justice system and eradicating torture.

However, the implementation of these recommendations has been painfully slow.
Belay said: “Our message to the Nigerian authorities today is clear – criminalise torture, end incommunicado detention and fully investigate allegations of abuse.

“That would mark an important first step towards ending this abhorrent practice. It’s high time the Nigerian authorities show they can be taken seriously on this issue.”

Police Refute AI’s Report

However, in a swift reaction, the police high command yesterday refuted the AI report on Nigeria, stating that the “country was not hell fire”.

In a press statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, a Commissioner of Police (CP), the police described the report as “blatant falsehood”.

The statement said: “The attention of the Nigeria Police has been drawn to an online publication entitled, Welcome to Hell-Fire: Torture and Other Ill-treatment in Nigeria.

“While we do not question the freedom of Amnesty International to earn its relevance and bread, the Nigeria Police takes serious exception to some blatant falsehoods and innuendoes contained in that report.

“For one, it smacks of indecency and intemperate language to liken our dear nation Nigeria, to hell fire. That cannot be true. We believe that Nigeria is a growing nation, green and largely peaceful.”

The statement added that while the police and other operators in the criminal justice sector are undergoing systematic reforms, and aligning themselves with the demands of democracy, “there is no gain saying the fact that the Nigeria Police Force has since improved its operational efficiency and effectiveness”.

“Since the dawn of democracy in 1999, the Nigeria Police Force has significantly improved on its human rights records, owing largely to training and re-training, community policing, attitudinal change and structural transformation.

“In its report under reference, Amnesty International did admit in its methodology that it visited some police formations and interviewed some family members of suspects.

“At no time in its report did Amnesty speak or interface with the police authorities. This obviously shows its disdain and apparent lack of character where the democratic tenets of fair hearing are concerned.
“The report covered a seven-year period of 2007-2014. I dare say that some of the issues raised have since been dispensed with and settled.

“The truth is torture or ill-treatment is not, repeat, NOT an official policy of the Nigeria Police.
“The Code of Conduct of Officers and our regulations prohibit torture and incivility to members of the public. We are versed with international best practices, and the dictates of the Nigerian Constitution as regards human rights. So the police do not routinely torture suspects. It is not systemic or endemic.
“Whenever instances of human rights abuses are brought to the notice of superintending officers, the offending personnel are promptly sanctioned in line with the laws and regulations.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Nigeria Police Force has a zero tolerance for corruption and abuse of power. There is no immunity for impunity in the Nigeria Police Force,” the force added in the statement.
Continuing, the statement maintained that the Nigeria Police is women-friendly and do not target sex workers, nor do they routinely adopt rape as a weapon.

“Instead, the force has established a family and human trafficking unit to protect the rights of women, children and the vulnerable members of our society,” it stated.

The police, however, said they shall meticulously peruse the AI document and investigate any current human rights abuses linked to any officer or formation.

“Any identified and established case of malfeasance or misconduct shall be treated in line with the laws and regulations of the country,” the statement said.

“We crave the indulgence of Amnesty International to, for the first time, furnish the police with specific details of its allegations to enable us reach the end of justice for the alleged victims, and to enable us improve our service delivery.

“The Nigeria Police Force remains responsive to the yearnings of Nigerians for improved safety and security,” it added.

AI Responds to Police

But in an immediate response to the police’s denial of the allegations contained in the report, Belay, in a statement last night, said: “We’re disappointed that the Nigeria Police Force have responded to our report with allegations of indecency and lack of temperament, two descriptions better applied to their treatment of detainees.

“The police decision to deny the findings before careful reading of the report or examining the accusations made in it echoes their attitude to criminal investigations - apportioning blame before ascertaining the facts.

“Their pledge to investigate abuses rings hollow so long as they continue to refute our evidence of systemic torture, gathered from more than 500 cases and including testimony from current and former police officers.”

Source: Thisday

Synagogue Tragedy: Lagos Declares Zero Tolerance for Building Collapse

General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, (LASBCA), Dr.  Abimbola Animashaun

Worried by the spate of incessant collapse of buildings in the state, the Lagos State Government has read the riot act to culprits, declaring zero tolerance for any violation of the building codes and the unwarranted loss of human lives usually recorded.

Speaking at a media interactive session, the General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, (LASBCA), Dr.  Abimbola Animashaun, said the target of the agency was to achieve zero incidence of building collapse in the state every month through strict monitoring and enforcement of the appropriate building codes.

In apparent reference to the rising death toll that followed the collapse of a six-storey building at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) in Ikotun, where over 80 persons have been confirmed dead and several injured, she vowed that government would be stricter in ensuring that property owners and developers adhere to global best practices across all the phases of building construction.

She said: “We’ll seal any construction site where the work is not being done properly.  We’ll seal any defaulting structure where the builder has no approval. We will seal any site whenever we see a dangerous structure being constructed, and we can seal for a lot of reasons.

‘‘Even if you have approval and you are not complying, we will shut your sitedown. For example, if someone was granted the approval to build a bungalow and now has a storey building, we will not hesitate to take action; we will seal it immediately.”

Animashaun further berated builders and developers who are in the habit of short-circuiting laid down procedure, warning them to desist from such conduct as government would no longer tolerate them.

“People don’t like to abide by the rules, they like to deviate from the approval and this is where we stand that no one can do that. When you are caught, you will be penalised and it can also lead to the removal of your structure. If a foundation has been designed to carry a specific weight and now you are overloading it, definitely there will be a collapse. We are here to ensure that there is no collapse and no loss of life. This is something that we are strictly going to enforce,” she said.

Speaking on some other challenges faced by the agency, the LASBCA boss revealed that enforcement officers were on many occasions denied access to areas such as barracks and religious institutions to carry out the enforcement of appropriate building codes.

“There are lots of partial collapses in the barracks and when we try to gain access they threaten us or sometimes our staff have been brutalised. There are places where our staff have been beaten and hospitalised. These are the issues we want to address,’’ she added.

Animashaun, however, enjoined prospective and property owners as well as professionals engaged on site to always contact LASBCA inspectorate and quality control department and other relevant physical planning agencies for necessary professional advice and guidance.

Also speaking on the activities of the agency, the Head, Inspectorate and Quality Control Department, Mr. Ayo Sodeinde, said the mandate of the agency was to navigate builders through the standard procedure once they have received government approval to commence construction.

He said, “Starting from soil excavation, we must be present to ensure that what you have excavated is exactly what your building is going to sit in. After that we can give you the go-ahead to do your planning and commence work, and we ensure that at each stage of the construction, we come to inspect and give you the pass mark if you have done well.’’

Sodeinde added that many stages were involved in building construction and LASBCA would be available to monitor every stage to ensure strict compliance with the laid down standards, from start to finish.

He further advised site engineers to always work with the agency so that the proper assessment of each stage of construction could be monitored while assuring property owners that the agency would not delay or slow down any request for approval once the proper thing has been done, including obtaining a certificate of fitness and habitation once a building has been completed.

He also stressed the need for genuine insurance and installation of fire protection gadget on buildings to guarantee the integrity of building and the safety of inhabitants of buildings.

CONFUSING???

This is the story of four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. Consequently, it wound up that Nobody told Anybody, so Everybody blamed Somebody.

Stop death sentence on soldiers, Ubani, ex-chairman, Ikeja NBA, tells Jonathan

By Onozure Dania

Lagos — Former chairman of Ikeja branch of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Monday Ubani, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to stop the execution of soldiers sentenced to death on Monday by the Army, through the power bestowed on him as Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria’s Armed Forces.

Ubani said that though mutiny was a criminal offence in the military, the convicted soldiers, however, had a right to appeal the decision at a higher court.
He also appealed to the military authorities to temper justice with mercy and  consider the circumstances that led the soldiers into shooting at their GOC.

Ubani stated that the fact that President Jonathan had asked for money to procure new equipment to prosecute the war showed that the soldiers were justified when they claimed they were ill-equipped.

Ubani said:  “The issue of mutiny is a criminal offence under the military law. And if they have succeeded in proving all the ingredients of the offence, and they have convicted them at the tribunal, I think they have a right to appeal and exhaust their appellate rights at a higher court.

“But this is where tempering justice with mercy comes in. Because we must take into cognizance the circumstances in which they have to fire at their boss.

Troops kill 200 Boko Haram terrorists

Kingsley Omonobi, Ben Agande, Abdulsalam Muhammad, Luka Binniyat, Ndahi Marama & Mayen Etim
ABUJA—No fewer than 200 members of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, were reportedly killed, yesterday, in a  battle with soldiers of 7 Division, Nigerian Army when the sect members in their hundreds attempted to launch attack on Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.

Also, more than six vehicles including an armoured tank with Arabic inscription; Rocket-Propelled Launchers, anti-aircraft guns, assorted number of AK-47 rifles with ammunition were recovered from the terrorists by the troops.

Soldiers displaying one of the armoured vehicles recovered from insurgents in Maiduguri, yesterday, after repelling an attack in Konduga, Headquarters of Konduga LGA of Borno State

Konduga is South-east and about 42 kilometres drive from Maiduguri, the state capital which had witnessed series of deadly attacks in the past. Last Friday, more than 100 insurgents, who attempted to invade the town, were killed by the troops in a gun battle before seizing many of their vehicles, arms and ammunition.

A statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Olajide Laleye said: “In an attempt to regain the momentum they lost in Konduga last week, Boko Haram terrorists again attacked Konduga on Tuesday night. However, the terrorists were denied their objective by vigilant and gallant Nigerian Army troops. During the fight, several terrorists were killed and those fleeing Konduga with gunshot wounds were being pursued.

“Also, three Hilux vehicles with mounted machine and anti-aircraft guns, one Mowag Armoured Personnel Carrier and assorted arms and ammunition have been recovered.

“Troops’ morale and combat efficiency remain high. Further details about the engagement are being awaited. It must be noted that the renewed morale, fighting spirit and combat efficiency of troops have been boosted by new strategies devised by the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the support of well meaning members of the public.

“Therefore, the Nigerian Army implores the public to continue to support the military and other security agencies engaged in the on-going operation to rid Nigeria of blood-letting insurgents and ruthless religious extremists.”

It was learnt that the incident started at about 6pm on Tuesday, just some few minutes after traders had closed from their businesses at the Konduga Main Market.

The Konduga attack

A resident of Konduga, who is also a member of civilian JTF, Mallam Ali Usman Bulama told Vanguard that hundreds of dead bodies of the attackers still littered the streets and bushes around Konduga as at yesterday, while many of them fled into Sambisa Forest with bullet wounds.

Another civilian JTF  member in one of the sector commands in Maiduguri, Abubakar Babagana said: “When I was at my duty post/checkpoint, I saw our  soldiers bringing in many vehicles and other items seized from the terrorists in Konduga attack today (yesterday)”.

Also, dozens of suspected insurgents that laid ambush for motorists and passengers along Maiduguri-Potiskum- Kano road, yesterday, met their waterloo when the detachment of troops along that route engaged them. Many were killed, while several others fled with bullet wounds.

Meanwhile, Defence spokesman, Major-General Chris Olukolade in a text message to Vanguard on the update on Konduga raid said: “Konduga is still under attack again now at 6:24pm. Currently, troops are engaging another large number of heavily armed terrorists trying to enter the town. The troops are determined to frustrate the desperate efforts of terrorists against Konduga.”