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Trafficking ranks the third most common crime after financial fraud and drug trafficking.

Yoruba boys started yahoo yahoo thing in Lagos but many igbo boys are in Asia country especially Malaysia.

[b]Written by Saturday, 30 July 2011

Reactions have continued to trail our story of 2 July, 2011 in which we wrote about the pathetic story of 13 Nigerians who were jailed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for allegedly killing a police officer in the city. The 13, (now 12 following the death of one of them while in jail, are Abass Azeez, Nafiu Obadina, Mohammed Abdullahi Yusuf, Amod Abass Alabi, Salau Amod Suberu, Sulaimon Olufemi, Nurudeen Owode Owolade, Waheed Elebute, Amin Gbenga Shobayo, Abass Mojeed Akanni, Murtala Amao Oladele and Kazeem Afolabi.

These 13 Nigerians were among more than a hundred nationals from African countries including Nigerians that were arrested for allegedly killing the police officer at a car wash centre in Jeddah in September 2002. After some time, many of the arrested people including some Nigerians were released and in 2005, these 12 were convicted and jailed seven years each, while one bagged a death sentence. Later, the jail term was increased to 15 years.

But People & Justice learnt from more than four Nigerians, who reacted to the story after reading it online that these boys were innocent of the crime for which they were being made to suffer. It was learnt that the Saudi police made indiscriminate arrests after the incident occurred, which they said explained the huge number of nationals arrested. Some of them, they said, were unaware of the incident till they were arrested and locked up in jail.

Some of the young men, it was learnt, couldn’t have attempted such crime, knowing that even in Nigeria, it was a big offence to kill anybody not to talk of killing a police officer in a far away country with stringent measures for such crimes.

People & Justice also learnt that the Nigerian Embassy in the country, which has its Consulate in Jeddah compounded the case of the young men in that they refused to come forward to defend them. A source said most of the Nigerians that were released and deported then were mainly from the Northern part of Nigeria because most of the officials at the consulate were from that part.

Not only this, the young men had been left out of amnesty from the King, simply because the officials of the Nigerian embassy refused to defend the men who were only in that country to better their lives.

The source lamented that other countries, who are not even as prominent as Nigeria, usually come to the aid of their citizens in times like this. It further stated that apart from soliciting for their release, the officials never paid the incarcetrated men a visit as other officials of other countries usually do in order to see to the welfare of their citizens regardless of the offence they must have committed.

In fact, another source said the men ought to have been released by now had the Nigerian embassy stepped into the issue because they had suffered enough for an offence they never committed and because one of them is dead already. The source queried the function of the Nigerian Embassy in foreign countries if their nationals are left to their fate anytime they found themselves in a crisis in foreign countries.

The source appealed  to the government of President Goodluck Jonathan on behalf of the young men to, in the name of the Lord, look into the matter so that they could have their lives back.

All attempts to get a source at either the Embassy in Riyadh or the Consulate in Jeddah to speak on the issue have failed.
On The 12 Nigerians Languishing In Saudi Jail •How Nigerian Officials Shunned Them [/b]
http://tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/news/4848-still-on-the-12-nigerians-languishing-in-saudi-jail-how-nigerian-officials-shunned-them.html

[b]
Boko Haram Will Die Soon - Primate Ayodele



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Written by Idowu Adelusi Saturday, 30 July 2011

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has been told not to panic over the Boko Haram’s ongoing insurgence  against the government as the days of the dreaded Islamic fundamentalist group are numbered.

This assurance was given in the predictions of the President of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos, Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele, made known to  Saturday Tribune during the week.

Primate Ayodele said that in 2005, 2007, 2008 and shortly before the last general elections, he had predicted the emergence of terrorist groups and sporadic bomb explosions capable of destabilising Nigeria.

“I did advise the president,” Primate Ayodele stressed further, “to take urgent proactive measures to forestall the occurence; nothing was done. This time, God has told me what Jonathan should do; I will reveal that  through an emissary that will be sent to him, after which he would take the necessary step. But if  Jonathan chooses to ignore the message, it’s alright.

“God had revealed to me that Boko Haram, which wears the garb of religion, is one of those weapons fashioned to fight back on the zoning arrangement which was abandoned during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primaries. I had said in my  predictions before the election, that the abandoned zoning arrangement is a time bomb.

“We had advised Jonathan before the last election not to contest. I know that he did not like the message, but what is happening now is part of the consequences of refusing to listen.

“The Boko Haram has mapped out some public  institutions to attack,  including our airports. The primary objective of Boko Haram is to destabilise Jonathan’s administration and create an atmosphere of insecurity in the country. President Jonathan’s convoy should be  watchful; the president should be very careful when going out or when in the crowd or  while shaking people at functions. He also  needs to be  careful when travelling  long distance by road.

“All these are essential warnings so that he would not be attacked,” he stated.

The seer who said Boko Haram  was only preparing the ground for Al-Queda’s incursion into Nigeria, said if Jonathan can listen, he would conquer Boko Haram. He said people in the South- West need not panic about Boko Haram activities.

Primate Ayodele also said that many  of the people working with him will leak official information about  the administration to his enemies.

“The National security Adviser (NSA) needs to keep his eyes  wide open and work very hard to be on top of the situation.”

On the 2015 general election, Primate Ayodele said Jonathan will be tempted to recontest, “but as God has revealed to me, it will cause disunity in the country.

“That will kick-start moves to disintegrate the country. I can see four countries coming out of the present Nigeria. Long ago I predicted that  Sudan will  break up if the country’s President failed to address the political crisis then. It has come to pass.

“The enemies of his administration will not allow him to actualise the good plans he has for this nation. The sycophants milling round him will misdirect him. The man needs  a lot of prayers to succeed. God will never forsake His own people. The president also need prayers for sound health. The months of September and October should be set aside by everybody to pray for this nation for forgiveness of sins and to enable the country move forward.”

He continued: “I  can see the impeachment of the Speaker of House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, coming.”

On corruption, Primate Ayodele said: “God revealed to me that corruption will continue unabated because Jonathan’s administration does not have the will to fight it.”
The prophet also said he  does not see anything wrong  with Islamic  Banking. “It’s not an issue, its a diversion from the real problems we are facing in the country. If the Christians want Christian Bank, let CAN apply  to CBN.

“We need banks that will stabilise the e“The Action Congress  of Nigeria (ACN) governors will perform if the party leadership  will  allow  them. Wranglings between the governors and the party leadership will distract the governors. In 2015, Lagos may go to PDP if  care is not taken.”conomy and reduce the sufferings of Nigerians,” he stated.

While predicting that some prominent personalities will pass away, such as a  former Oyo State governor, Primate Ayodele said  former governors of Lagos and Edo States needs prayers for protection.

Primate Ayodele added that the end to the down-turn in the economy of Nigeria  was not yet in sight. He urged Nigerians  and the government  to prepare for tsunami in Lagos and in some parts of Nigeria.[/b]

http://tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/news/4849-boko-haram-will-die-soon-primate-ayodele.html

[b]From Yahoo-Yahoo to kidneys for money?

By Gbenga Kayode



Friday, 29 Jul 2011



The fear is that in five to 10 years, what will be left of the African or Nigerian Information society space will be pieces of recycled information about the bad things happening in Nigeria, ”



A certain Edward Popoola, a Nigerian, was quoted to have made the above statement in a write-up way back in 2006, in response to the spate of the so-called “Yahoo-Yahoo Boys”, who trick unsuspecting individuals, groups and organisations online to part with their money.



Nevertheless, in their desperation to make quick money at all costs, scores of these young Internet fraudsters, male and female they are, of late have reportedly changed strategies into more dangerous ones in the course of reaping where they have not sown.



Hitherto, their approaches such as “Yahoo Plus”, “Yahoo Plus Plus”, both described as “challenging, but lucrative and profitable” had been the rave of the moment. These terms simply mean the use of diabolical means to improve their chances of extorting money and other material things from their victims jokingly described as “Magas” online. Now, they have graduated to overseas travel to sell their kidneys for money.



Sadly, recent media reports confirmed that in their inordinate attempts at becoming wealthy overnight, many of them now travel to European and Asian countries, specifically Malaysia, to donate kidneys in exchange for cool cash. In the process, such desperate young Nigerians allegedly travel to sell one of their kidneys each, collect N10m per kidney donated, and head back home to “enjoy their wealth”.



It is, however, regrettable to note that a number of such young people have given up the ghost, weeks after their return from abroad, without surviving the ordeal to either expend the money or stay alive.



Of about 10 of these boys who had dropped dead in recent was the hitherto promising boy in the Ojodu area of Lagos State not long ago. Amid wailing and weeping by the deceased’s loved ones, a post-mortem was said to have been carried out on his corpse, and alas, the result revealed that he had been operated upon. It was gathered, that pressure from the deceased’s family on one his close friends later let the cat out of the bag: He disclosed what actually happened to the late young man in Malaysia.



This latest “kidney-for-money” bazaar by these young, mischievous ones sure continues to hammer the country’s image badly in the international system. A Nigerian businessman caught in the vortex of the ensuing bad impression being created about Nigeria in the global arena was quoted to have summarised his experience thus: “I’m not so much worried about the insult and shame the scams have brought on every Nigerian in the Diaspora than the problem it has caused many budding entrepreneurs in and outside the country.”



What did he mean as regards the direct implication on the fortune of most Nigerian businessmen and women? The man further revealed that many genuine business people who need letters of credit or similar instruments from Western financial institutions, or interact with customers and affiliates overseas are not having it rosy these days.



Interestingly, however, Miss Juliet Ehimuan, Country Manager, Google Nigeria, urged a delightful audience at the Broadband Investment Summit 2011, in Lagos lately, that with the increasing awareness and penetration of broadband Internet technology among Nigerians, the country should effectively leverage Information and Communications Technology tools to satisfy “latent demand” for Nigeria’s talents that could be turned into good products, including those in entertainment, culture and other unique businesses online and achieve more positive results.



With the determined support of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, IT professionals and the media, there ought to be continuous, massive national campaigns against online scams.



Parents, guardians, community, political and religious leaders should also assist this nation in teaching morals towards reviving the societal value system. This will further dissuade many of these distracted young people, who engage in all manner of absurdities to make money while risking their precious lives in the process.



Since the current administration has ‘Human capital’ improvement and ‘Wealth creation’ as part of its projected development agenda, it is then, high time it created an enabling environment and partnered with the private sector, so that more small and medium-scale enterprises will spring up and thrive.



With these compelling measures in place, such unemployed youths can be absorbed and be gainfully employed, instead of turning to crimes to survive in these austere times.



Despite that it has been proved medically that the average human can live on just a kidney, those who still contemplate storming Malaysia, or any other country to sell their kidneys for cool money should stop living in a fool’s paradise. What if the kidney being surgically removed from them happens to be the more functional one after all? What will happen to the individual? Indeed, an express invitation to sudden death!



While parents and guardians should be responsible in monitoring their children and wards, the government as well can liaise with the Malaysian Embassy in Nigeria to be more stringent in their Immigration guidelines, by asking these young ‘kidney hawkers’ questions before they are issued visas to leave Nigeria for their country. For vigilant and responsible parents and guardians, “a word,” an aphorism says, “is enough for the wise.”



- Gbenga Kayode, CEO, Wordkraft Communications Limited, Lagos. E-mail: gbengakayode@wordkraftmedia.com 0805-613-8208

[b][/b][/b]
http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201107293421642

[b]
Man arrested for raping daughter

On July 26, 2011 · In Crime Alert


Detectives at the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Ekiti State Police Command has arrested a man for allegedly raping his nine year-old daughter. The suspect,James Bond( not the British actor) who was picked up from his Balogun street, in Oke-Ode area of Erio-Ekiti, was reportedly caught while having carnal knowledge of his daughter.

Report said one of the tenants was attracted by a groaning from the suspect’s apartment at about 6pm, last Tuesday. Out of curiosity, the tenant, a female, was said to have peeped through the window , only to behold the sacrilegious act.

The concerned neighbor alerted policemen at Aramoko division , consequent upon which James Bond was arrested.

During interrogation, the command’s spokesman, Mr Mohammed Jimoh said the suspect confessed to the crime, attributing his indulgence to the handiwork of devil. His daughter simply identified as Happiness, was taken to the general hospital Aramoko for medical examination , adding that the case had been transferred to the SCID , Ado-Ekiti for discreet investigation and prosecution.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/07/man-arrested-for-raping-daughter/[/b]

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[b]Kano approves N2bn for classroom construction

Kano State has approved N2.08bn for the construction of classroom blocks in each of the 44 local government areas of the state.



The project, which is part of the UBEC – SUBEB intervention in primary education, is aimed at decongesting classrooms to provide a good atmosphere for teaching and learning in the state.



The state Commissioner for Information Dr. Umar Jibril at the end of the weekly executive council meeting in Kano, said additional 528 classrooms would be spread across the state after the project had been completed.



According to him, the project will significantly increase the enrolment of pupils into primary schools, adding that the classrooms will be constructed and furnished to international standards.



He said the council had approved the release of N539m as counterpart fund for the UBEC 2009 intervention year.



Jibril regretted the neglect of the educational sector in the state by past administrations, saying it had contributed to the deteriorating conditions of public schools in the state.



He stated that the council agreed to release N52.68m for the smooth take-off of the Kano Geographic Information System as well as N202.4m for the supply of 2, 250 metric tonnes of aluminum sulphate for water treatment.


Jubril added that the council had approved N18m quarterly subventions for the sustenance of free maternal and child health, as well as accident and emergency services in public hospitals in the [/b] state.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20110725251785

[b]Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko has promised that all projects embarked upon by his administration will be completed before the end of its tenure.



Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, during a thanksgiving and reception in honour of a member of the House of Representatives Dr. Joseph Akinlaja in Ondo town on Saturday, Mimiko said his administation would make the state a model for other states in the country.



He assured that the ongoing projects in parts of the state would be completed to make the people happy and proud for supporting him.



The governor promised he would have the fear of God in taking decisions, saying every project embarked upon by the state government would be in the interest of the majority.



Mimiko insisted the Labour Party government in the state had improved the standard of living of the people through the provision of infrastructure, quality healthcare and education as well as transforming the rural communities.



He added that the state government had begun massive quick-win projects that had impacted positively on hitherto neglected communities by successive administrations.



Mimiko praised the leadership quality and doggedness of Akinlaja right from his tenure as a labour leader in the nation’s oil and gas industry to his present political leadership.



He said Akinlaja’s role during the struggle for the restoration of the people’s mandate in the state could not be underestimated.



He described him as a confidant and courageous politician and therefore, urged him to continue to protect the interest of his people in his new position as a federal lawmaker.



Meanwhile, the Ondo State Police Command has attributed the achievements recorded by its officers and men made in area of crime prevention in the to the regular assistance it got from the Mimiko administration.[/b]

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20110725272390

[b]Anambra ranks high in Gov’s Forum ratings
The Peer Review Mechanism of the Nigeria Governor’s Forum has ranked Anambra State high in good governance, saying hardship is being alleviated despite the low revenue base of the state.



The SPRM was conceived by the NGF as an instrument to assist states in accelerating the pace of development, through periodic reviews of progress in the implementation of their development policies, plans and programmes.



The Director-General of the forum, Mr. Aishana Okauru, who made a presentation of the outcome of a peer review tour of the state in 2009 and 2010, said on Saturday that “governance in Anambra was demand-driven, targeted at alleviating the hardship previously experienced by the people.”



He added, “Since the state is one of those with a comparatively low revenue base, the Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, runs a slim government.”



He explained that Anambra and Edo states were selected as pioneering states for the exercise that he described as “unprecedented in the sub-national level in the world.”



According to him, arrangements are ongoing to commence the process in Ekiti, Jigawa, Niger and Rivers states.



Okauru said, “It is in this regards that my team is visiting Awka to commence the process. The visit to Anambra State took place specifically from June 2 to 4, 2009. From this visit, it became obvious that the state was doing a number of things well. From infrastructural developments to innovations in education, health and agricultural sectors, Anambra State is making giant strides in socio-economic development.”



He noted that a number of benchmarks were identified by a peer review team. He listed the Ornor rice farms, together with the Ogboji Ezira rice lands of Orumba, and Odoekpe rice fields in Ogbaru, as having earned the state the third richest rice potential areas in Nigeria.



The director-general added, “Anambra State government has spent over N3bn to provide potable and sustainable water schemes in over 40 communities in the state.


“The current administration has completed and put to use two magnificent state secretariat complexes. Tremendous progress has been made in the provision of infrastructure and facilities for schools.


“Over 100 schools have benefitted from the state government’s laboratory rehabilitation and equipment programme, entailing renovation of school laboratories and increased supply of science and computing equipment and instructional materials. Libraries in 174 secondary schools have also been renovated and equipped.”[/b]


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201107252154198

[b]Imo reassures investors

By Emma Mgbeahurike, Owerri15/07/2011 00:04:00

Imo State government has expressed its satisfaction on the performance of GMICORD Alusminium factory Limited at the Onitsha Road Industrial Layout Owerri.

He has, therefore, assured that arrangements would be made to know areas of requirements of the company, so as to create room for its expansion.

This was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Lady Chioma Ogoke, during her maiden visit to the company in continuation of her tour of local industries in Imo State.

The Commissioner, who expressed her surprise at the performance level of the factory, observed that if the company has up to 350 staff, it is actually on board with the rescue mission agenda of the present administration.

Stressing that if the state has up to 10 of such companies, it would go a long way in providing employment opportunities to the teeming unemployed youths. She therefore called on other investors to emulate the company, even as she wooed other companies to come to Imo State and invest, bearing in mind that the state government would soon unveil some incentives to local investors.

In his address, the Managing Director /Chief Executive Officer of the company Mr Goddy M. Iheanacho thanked the Commissioner for deeming it fit to visit and interact with them on the way forward.

He said that they have been trying to register their names and that of the state in the map of business world. He asked the government to help investors.

Mr Iheanacho stressed that some investors in the industrial layout are trying to sustain themselves and their products in the midst of harsh economic condition, even as he pleaded with government to help them in the construction of durable road network in the layout.

Highlighting that some of their constraints include bad roads, lack of adequate security, he further pleaded with the state government to ensure that adequate security surveillance are extended to the area.

He also said the industrial layout needs adequate power supply because of its importance to business growth.



He also solicited government’s patronage which can come as a policy where the state government directs indigenous contractors to always patronise the state-based manufacturers in a way of helping them sale. He pledged that the company will still maintain its staff strength and contribute its quota to the economic growth of the state.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/newsextra/12416-imo-reassures-investors.html[/b]

[b]Senators, Reps back amnesty for Boko Haram

On July 16, 2011 · In News
,

By INALEGWU SHAIBU, Abuja
MEMBERS of the Na tional Assembly from Borno state yesterday asked President Goodluck Jonathan to grant the alleged terrorist group Boko Haram an unconditional amnesty to quell the menace of the sect in the state.

The unrest in the state also led to the rescue of over 50 students of Cross River origin who were stranded in the University of Maiduguri by Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba.

The legislators under the Borno State Caucus of the National Assembly, led by Senator Maina Maji Lawan also asked President Jonathan to withdraw the Joint Military Task Force, JTF from Maiduguri, the state capital and negotiate with the sect.

Senator Maji Lawan accompanied by Senators Mohammed Ndume, Ahmed Zana, and House of Representatives members Amuna Khadi, Muktar Aliyu and Kyari Gugbawu told journalists in Abuja that the presence of JTF has escalated violence in Maduguri.

The Caucus observed that the use of force by the JTF will not bring an end to the crisis, while lamenting that the JTF has sacked Maiduguri through senseless killings of innocent Nigerians and burning of houses and cars.

He said, “We the National Assembly members from Borno State, having met and reviewed the security situation vis-à-vis the increased deployment of troops and other security agencies, observe that the situation is deteriorating by the day causing untold hardship on the innocent citizens.

“The caucus is further worried by the mass exodus of people with its attendant and concomitant effect of rendering people refugees. We are also worried by the closure of academic institutions, banks and other business as well as relevant agencies.

“The caucus resolves as follows; urged the President and Commander-in-Chief to order for the withdrawal of the military from Maiduguri and its environs. The Federal Government should engage the Yusufiya group in dialogue in order to find a lasting solution to the crisis.”

On amnesty being the best option to tackle Boko Haram, he said, “Giving the situation and the intense pressure that our people are going through we have been compelled to make our position public and demand that the Nigeria state act in the best interest of innocent people and that institution of state should first and foremost protect the lives and property of innocent individuals and citizens.

“In a situation whereby pay organs of authority are the source of the greatest agony of the people, we have no choice but to come and make this statement on behalf of the good people that elected us.

“After painfully looking at the situation and our immediate history in this part of the country and other areas,  in the Niger Delta region a similar situation has arisen where Joint Task Forces under all source of vices were sent they ransacked Odi, they ransacked homes and villages in the name of searching for militants, but what did it comes out with, it only succeeded in aggravating the situation as it is now aggravating the situation, because the victims are now becoming victims of state hands down instead of victims of the suppose militants or terrorist group.

“And ultimately what happened in Niger Delta, it is not the brute force that brought out the solution, it is the unconditional amnesty granted by government where accordingly calling for similar approach.

“Dialogue should commence with unconditional amnesty so that when people are coming to the table they are not coming with swords and guns pointing in their necks and heads. We believe that engaging the Yusufia elements in an honest dialogue will yield a better result and will give us a more positive outcome, will bring us peace and stability to Maiduguri and subsequently to northern Nigeria and Nigeria.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/07/senators-reps-back-amnesty-for-boko-haram/[/b]

[b]

20 cultists arrested for forcing girls into lesbianism

On July 15, 2011 · In News
By Tony Edike

ENUGU–THE Nigerian Army, Friday, paraded twenty  cultists who allegedly forced some female students to have sex with themselves.

Parading the suspected cultists  at 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, Assistant Director,  Public Relations of the Division, Lt Col Sagir Musa, said that 19 cultists belonging to six different cult groups were arrested in their hideouts in Agbani by troops of 82 Division Garrison Anti Kidnapping Unit between July 8 and 12, this year.

He stated that a patrol team of 103 Battalion moved to the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) following sporadic gunshots at the institution on July 4 and arrested one of the perpetrators of the crime identified as Mr Franklin Anikwe with 5 rounds of 9mm  ammunition.

The General Officer Commanding the 82 Division, Major General Sarkin Bello , Musa disclosed, consequently directed that a thorough investigation be carried out in order to fish out the perpetrator.

The Army spokesman disclosed further  that “ it was the preliminary investigation conducted by division’s intelligence group that led to the arrest of the  19 other members of different cult groups.

The patrol team, according to him, recovered 4 locally made pistols, 10AA cartridges and video clip where some female students were forced to have illicit sex with themselves during the raid.

Musa said  10 telephones handsets including the one used for recording female students that were brutally forced to have immoral sexual intercourse with themselves were also recovered from the hideouts of the cultists.

“It was such a nasty , terrible, brutal situation  where cultists captured female students and forced them to have sexual intercouse with themselves.

“ It is worthy of note that the cultist have been freely raping girls, maltreating their colleagues at will and committing all manners of atrocities on campus and at Agbani general area of Enugu City” he stated.

Musa further stated that the arrested cultists and items recovered from their hideouts would be handed over to the Nigerian Police Force for further action[/b]
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/07/20-cultists-arrested-for-forcing-girls-into-lesbianism/

[b]BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

OWERRI-Two people are feared dead, while an unspecified number of women have been reportedly raped by Fulani herdsmen who invaded Umuapu community in Ohaji/Egbema local council area of Imo State with their cattle.

  Vanguard investigation revealed that angered by the alleged gory activities of the Fulani herdsmen,  scores of women and youths barricaded the ever busy Owerri-Port Harcourt federal highway yesterday to protest their plight.

    Traffic along the highway was, for the greater part of yesterday, disrupted at Umuapu, while commuters were forced to seek alternative routes to get to their destinations.
     One of the protesters, who simply identified himself as Chukwudi, lamented that “apart from the two dead villagers, the Fulani herdsmen have ceaselessly raped our women and girls as well as destroyed the crops in our farms.”

     He described the grazing of their cattle on farmlands as “a deliberate ploy by these Fulani herdsmen to ensure that we are not food sufficient in Imo.”

   Every effort made to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Linus Nwaiwu, a deputy superintendent of police, failed as he was said to be away from the office when Vanguard called.

    However, a senior police officer in the State Police Headquarters, Owerri, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the incident and quickly added that normalcy had returned to the rural community.

“The police is aware of previous reports about the activities of the Fulani herdsmen in the area. We are investigating the incident but the villagers did not wait for us to complete our investigations before they jumped into the highway,” the police officer said.[/b]

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/07/herdsmen-kill-2-rape-women-in-imo/

Flood : Apapa/Oshodi Expressway flooded due to heavy down pour thereby causing traffic buildups for motorists. Photo by Sylva Eleanya

Lagos flood: Fashola declares Monday, public holiday

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/07/lagos-flood-fashola-declares-monday-public-holiday-2/

By Citizens Simon, Inyang & Nelson -
Lagos witnessed an unusual heavy downpour that started in the early hours of Sunday, causing massive floods in parts of the city.

According to reports by citizen George Inyang of Amuwo-Odofin, Simon of Ijesha, Surulere and Nelson of Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, most areas in the city were flooded with some houses almost submerged

[b]One of Nigeria’s most celebrated female musicians, Christy Essien-Igbokwe, who passed away on the 30th of June, 2011 will be buried, on the 9th of September, 2011 in Lagos State.

This was made known by the burial committee set up to give the lady of songs a deserved and unforgettable farewell. The committee is made up of the former Delta State commissioner for Sports, Austin Izagbo as chairman, Fred Romeo Obika, Fred Agbaje, Marcel Ikedudu, Patrick Igbokwe, and Mike Ejezie. 


The committee will coordinate burial activities,  programmes, and manage the newly set up Christy Essien-Igbokwe Endowment Fund. The account will fund all donations and contributions towards the burial activities. Former Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) president and chairman, Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON), Tony Okoroji, will act as temporary chairman of the publicity committee for the media and journalists.


Edwin Igbokwe, husband of Christy said he was humbled by the quick response from the committee and implored the members to design the burial arrangements with Nigerians in mind saying that Christy in her life time sought to reach out to people in every corner of the nation through her music and different social activities.

“We all can testify to the fact that Christy was pan-Nigeria, She never discriminated against any beliefs and anyone. She was a woman for all,” he said. He thanked the committee for helping to shoulder the burial responsibilities and the response from people made him appreciate the extent to which his wife was loved by all. [/b]

http://dailytimes.com.ng/article/christy-be-buried-september

BY [b]VINCENT UJUMADU

AWKA – GOVERNOR Peter Obi of Anambra State yesterday in Onitsha ordered the arrest of the immediate past principal of Washington Memorial Grammar School in the commercial city, Mr. Patrick Asiegbu, over alleged failure to utilise judiciously the N13 million given to the school for  rehabilitation of dilapidated buildings.

The state government had been using school heads to reconstruct schools, following what was considered as an excellent result recorded by some of them used as pilot scheme.

It was observed, however, that of late, some of the principals have been misusing the funds, requiring the governor to begin more serious monitoring of the application of funds released to them.

The order on Mr. Asiegbu started yesterday when the governor, without notice, embarked on routine inspection of some schools he gave out money for rehabilitation.

When the governior arrived at Washington Memorial Grammar School, he expressed disappointment that no structure had been rehabilitated, despite releasing N13 million  to the principal of the school.

When he asked questions, members of the Old Boys Association of the School, led by . Nwakibie Emeagwali, said the problem was because the former principal, Asiegbu, who is no longer in the school, hijacked the project and messed it up.

Corroborating Emeagwali’s statement, Chairman of the Post-Primary School Service Commission, Sir Norbert Obi, said  the principal refused to involve the works committee of the school, adding that he spent the money injudiciously.

He informed the governor that because of the shady deals, the commission had to suspend the principal, adding that he was later reinstated and posted to the Commission’s headquarters on the intervention of the Commissioner for Education, Dr. Kay Onyechi.[/b]

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/07/obi-orders-arrest-of-principal-over-alleged-embezzlement/

Dangote Group of Nigeria plans to build what it says will be Africa’s biggest fertilizer plant in the country’s southern Edo state, with production scheduled to start by 2014.

The company signed an agreement with Saipem SpA (SPM)’s Nigerian unit to build the plant, which will include two trains, each with the capacity for 3,850 metric tons a day of urea, the Lagos-based company said today in an e-mailed statement. The plant will also produce 2,200 tons of ammonia a day.

The plant will make Nigeria “self-sufficient in fertilizer production and even have the capacity to export,” Aliko Dangote, president of the Dangote Group, was quoted as saying in the statement.

While Nigeria is Africa’s top oil producer, agriculture, dominated by subsistence farming, contributes the biggest share of the country’s gross domestic product at 41 percent, according to data from the statistics office. Improved fertilizer supply will provide added boost to agricultural productivity, Dangote said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-08/dangote-group-signs-deal-with-saipem-to-build-fertilizer-plant-in-nigeria.html

[b]Nigeria: Food Imports Cost Country N630 Billion Annually

Idris Ahmed & Tina A. Hassan

6 July 2011





Nigeria spends N630 billion to import agricultural foods annually because the agricultural sector has been pushed to the background, the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has said.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi said this yesterday in Abuja when President Goodluck Jonathan launched the N77.5 billion Nigeria incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agriculture (NIRSAL) meant to de-risk lending to the sector.




The CBN designed the NIRSAL as a mechanism to support farmers to transit from subsistence to commercial farming and for the banks to better understand agricultural financing as a profitable business.

Out of the N630 billion spends on food importation annually, N165 billion goes for wheat, N105 billion on fish, N75 billion on rice and N60 billion on sugar.

"In the last five decades, agricultural financing in Nigeria considered and treated each project in isolation not giving adequate attention to other players along the value chain," Sanusi said.

Vice President Mohammed Sambo Namadi represented the President to launch the NIRSAL which is structured into five pillars.

The first pillar is what is called Risk Sharing Facilities which is allocated N46.5 billion; Insurance Facility N4.65 billion; Technical Assistance Facility N9.3 billion; Agric Bank Rating System N1.55 billion; and Bank Incentive Mechanism N15.5 billion.

The President commended the Governor of CBN for the initiative, saying it will help in growing the sector.


NIRSAL is expected to generate additional N465 billion of bank lending within 10 years to increase agricultural lending from the current 1.4 to 7 percent of the total bank lending.

It is expected to increase lending to the pool of small farmers segment and reach 3.8 million agricultural producers by 2020.

It is also expected to reduce banks' break-even interest rate to borrowers from 14 to 7.5 to 10.5 percent.

It has been projected that the Nigerian agricultural sector has the potential to grow its current output valued N15.25 trillion by 160 percent to N39.4 trillion by 20230.

"This growth potential could be achieved by increasing both the productivity and total acreage of cultivated land since about 38 percent of Nigeria's arable land of 36.6 million ha is yet to be tapped," Sanusi said.[/b]

[b]
A Combined team of Policemen and State Security Service (SSS) agents in Ekiti state have arrested two students of University of Ado Ekiti (UNAD) after rival cult groups, and Aiye confraternity clashed causing stampede in the University Community.

Also no fewer than 13 students of the University were said to have been wounded and hospitalised as a result of the clash.




The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Dada Adelowo had requested for police presence in the University to ensure security so that the ongoing first semester examination could go on uninterrupted.

The problem started when some suspected members of the attacked a member of Aiye Confraternity.

In reaction the dreaded cult group mobilised and embarked on a raid of the area in search of those that attacked their member.

As the raid lasted, some of the students who scampered for safety fell into a pit and broke their legs while some sustained serious bodily injuries and are presently receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Ekiti State Police Command, Mr Mohammed Jimoh, said that the two arrested persons had been grilled to extract vital information from them on what actually transpired and to know the identities of the cult groups and their members in the University

The police image maker disclosed that those involved in the attack were helping police in their investigations and said the security agencies were closing in on them.
http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/news/11654-10-injured-in-unad-cults-clash.html[/b]