₦airaland Forum

Nigerian carrier Arik Air on Friday resumed flights to Osubi Airport, Warri, a few months after the airline suspended services on the route.

The Chief Executive Officer, Arik Air, Capt. Roy Ilegbodu, confirmed the development on Friday in Lagos.

Ilegbodu said the airline would be operating flights to Warri from both Lagos and Abuja every day of the week.

According to him, Arik Air suspended operations to Osubi Airport, Warri earlier in the year because of its Bombardier Q400 aircraft that went for maintenance abroad.

“We are pleased to announce the return of flight services to Warri. We missed our highly esteemed customers during the period of our absence.

“We assure our customers of high standards of service and travel experience which are the hallmark of the airline,” he said in a statement.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the late former President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, as an indomitable fighter, who contributed to the liberation of his country from apartheid and oppressive radicalism.

Obasanjo said this in a condolence letter to President Emmerson Manangagwa of Zimbabwe, a copy which was made available to newsmen in Abeokuta on Friday through his Media Aide, Kehinde Akinyemi.

Obasanjo, while commiserating with Mugabe’s family and the people of Zimbabwe, said that he received the news of the elder statesman’s death with immense sadness.

“The news of former President Robert G. Mugabe’s death in Singapore, in the early hours of today (Friday), was received by me with immense sadness indeed.



“It is, therefore, with a profound sense of sympathy that I write, on behalf of myself and my family, to commiserate with you and the entire good people of Zimbabwe over the painful transition of former President Robert Mugabe.

“The former President of Zimbabwe was a frontline leader, activist, an indomitable fighter for the liberation of Zimbabwe from apartheid and oppressive racialism, a statesman per excellence and a tireless advocate of the preservation of the mystique of Africa’s moral and cultural values.

“He had selflessly dedicated himself to public service for most of his life, particularly as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to1987 and also as President from 1987 to 2017.

“Having followed with keen interest his heroic struggles to secure an independent Zimbabwe in 1980, President Mugabe had become much more than a leader to his people.

“He had become the living symbol and embodiment of their long and valiant struggle for their rightful place in the comity of nations.

“I recall, with pride also, Nigeria’s association with Zimbabwe’s struggles against racist minority rule and the country’s eventual independence in 1980.

“Quite retaining is the memory of the honour of Nigeria being classified a frontline state in those years,” Obasanjo said.

He added that the late Mugabe was, without doubt, one of the greatest freedom fighters to have walked on the African soil.

“This he did with his colleague and brother, Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo, leading to the formation of the Patriotic Front for which Nigeria took a vanguard position.

“Under his administration as the President of Zimbabwe for well over three decades, the country witnessed significant efforts at placing the command of Zimbabwean economy in the hands of Zimbabweans.

The death of a leader of President Mugabe’s stature is a big loss, not only to his immediate family and country, but to the whole of Africa.

“History will record his vital contributions to the realisation of the dream of regional unity in Southern Africa,” he said.

Obasanjo urged the people to take solace in the memory of his total dedication and commitment to the service of his people and for the cause of justice.

“We pray that the Almighty God will give you, the entire Mugabe family and the good people of Zimbabwe the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss and grant President Mugabe eternal repose in His bosom,” Obasanjo said.

No fewer than 19 assorted rifles recovered from repentant armed bandits in Zamfara State by the police were handed over to the state government on Friday.

Police Commissioner Usman Nagogo who displayed the retrieved firearms to Gov. Bello Matawallen said they were recovered between August 30 and September 5.

According to him, the surrendering of firearms by repentant bandits under the disarmament process was yielding results, adding that the command has been able to secure the release of over 375 hostages through the process.

The police chief said information available to him showed that about 90 per cent of the bandits were ready to surrender their weapons without financial gratification.



Giving breakdown on the firearms, Nagogo said one Abdullahi Yellow; a native of Dansadau Emirate in Maru Local Government Area (LGA) surrendered four sophisticated firearms, ammunition and military camouflage on August 30.

He said: “The firearms recovered from Yellow included a Light Machine gun (LMG) rifle with breech number erased, AK47 rifle with batch number 35372, FN rifles with numbers 167119 and 212108 as well as 10 rounds of live ammunition and a military camouflage.

“On September 4, one Kachalla Halilu, a repentant bandit from Sububu forest in Maradun LGA submitted four deadly rifles to the Commissioner of Police, a sign of receiving government offer of amnesty wholeheartedly without any condition.

“They include two AK47 with empty magazine, FN and LMG rifles. These are rifles that were received from remorseful bandits who have also promised to surrender their arms and ammunition without government paying a dime.

“Similarly on September 5, the same remorseful bandit surrendered six caliber of different assorted automatic rifles to the Commissioner of Police including General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) and five AK47 rifles.

“It is instructive to note that all these rifles were received as tip of the iceberg. The real disarmament has not even started. The contacts we made gave us a hint that more than 90 percent of the repentant bandits are ready to surrender their arms.”

Nagogo said the gains of the disarmament exercise were already proving critics wrong, adding that most bandits that fled the cities were relocating to smaller towns and suburban areas to start normal lives.

“They are interacting with the people and security agents about their future plans. This itself has proven that the amnesty offered by the government is working and actually it will boost the economic activities of the state,” he said.

A suspected drug baron identified as James Ameh (54), who was arrested by the Kogi State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has claimed that the Pump Action gun found on him served as collateral from a friend who he still owes him N80,000.

The suspect who was arrested in the early hours of Thursday, was found in possession of a loaded Pump Action gun.

About 40 personnel of the NDLEA along side officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) left from Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, to effect the arrest of Amen, who had been on the wanted list of the command for several months.

It was gathered that the suspect who was arrested in Igolijo, Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area, allegedly has 10 hectares of land where he cultivated cannabis sativa (Indian Hemp).



Ameh who was arrested alongside six other suspects, namely: Usman Bello, Eze Stanley, Innocent Ameh, Samuel Idoko, Ojima Ojo and Ekene Ukwueze told journalists that he got the Pump Action gun from his friend who he still owes N80,000.

The suspect who is also a native doctor denied ownership of the gun, saying that it served as collateral towards recovering his money.

According to him: “I am not the real owner of this Pump Action gun. It belongs to a friend who is owing me N80,000. I needed my money back urgently to do something with it. I am sorry; I never knew that having this in my house would put me into trouble. As for the issue of dealing on drugs and having hectares of land for cannabis, it is also not true”.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the arrest the head of the Kogi State Command of the NDLEA, Alhaji Idris Bello, said that the arrest of the suspect and his accomplices, was through information gathered by officers of the command.

He warned that anyone that is caught engaging in illegal drug business will be made to face the full wrath of the law, adding that the suspects will be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded, and the items recovered from them, including the Pump Action gun and seven live cartridges will be confiscated.

GISTM0RE:
A housewife and mother of eight, Mrs Halimatu Salami, has lost her 40-year-old marriage to starving her husband of sex.

An Igando Customary Court in Lagos on Thursday, granted the husband, Mr Ganiyu Salami, his request for dissolution of the marriage.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the plaintiff, an Islamic cleric, had earlier filed for divorce on the grounds that his wife had denied him his matrimonial right by failing in her conjugal duties.

“My wife, who sleeps, eats my food and drinks my water, has been starving me of sex for 16 years now.

“She will not even allow me to neither touch her nor make love to her,’’ he said.

According to the 59-year-old man, his marriage to Halimatu has been turbulent and fraught with fights and quarrels.

He explained that his did not allow him have peace of mind.

The petitioner alleged that his wife had at a time threatened to kill him.

He said: “Another cleric who lives with me, told me that my wife was after my life; that she gave him charms to put in my food.

“There was a day she wanted to stab me with a broken bottle but for the quick intervention of my friend who entered at that time and collected the bottle from her.”

The husband further alleged that his wife turned their children against him, alleging that she once ordered their first born to beat him up.

“My son beat me up mercilessly and tore my clothes to pieces with my wife’s consent,’’ he said.

The plaintiff said that his wife, Halimatu, gave out their daughters in marriage without his knowledge and consent, saying that he had never met any of his sons-in-law.

He said that his wife was after the property he inherited from his late father.

“My father’s property belongs to me alone. My wife and children cannot inherit my father’s property but can only inherit my own property.

“My wife is fighting to take over my father’s property from me, claiming it belongs to her and the children.

“I later bought a land in her name so that she and the children can have that as their inheritance but she went to the land owners begging them to sell the land and give her the money,’’ he said.

The plaintiff pleaded with the court to terminate the marriage so that he could have peace of mind and live long to enjoy the rest of his life.

The respondent, Halimatu, who consented to the dissolution of their marriage, admitted denying her husband sex.

“I was ill at a time and when I recovered from my illness, my husband refused to sleep with me, claiming I am a mad woman.

“He went and married another woman without my knowledge and when he later wanted to sleep with me, I refused,’’ she said.

The 52-year-old trader said that her husband and their first son had a misunderstanding which made him (son) beat his father.

She, however, denied ordering her son to beat his father.

The respondent also denied an allegation that she gave charm to anyone to kill him, saying she also never attempted to stab her husband with a bottle.

Halimatu further denied the plaintiff’s claim of wanting to sell the land her husband bought for her.

The Court’s President, Mr Adeniyi Koledoye, in his judgment, said that it appeared that the estranged husband and wife were tired of the marriage since efforts to reconcile both parties had failed.

“Since both parties consented to the dissolution of their marriage, this court has no choice than to dissolve the marriage.

“The court hereby pronounces the marriage between Mr Ganiyu Salami and Mrs Halimatu Salami dissolved today,



“Both of you henceforth cease to be husband and wife. Each of you should go on his or her separate way unmolested. The court wishes both of you well in your future endeavour.

“The custody of the last born, who is 17-year-old is awarded to Halimatu, while Ganiyu must be paying N5, 000 monthly for her feeding and must also be responsible for her education and general welfare.”

The court ordered Ganiyu to pay a severance fee of N250,000 to the respondent for her to move on with her life and to also pay N150,000 for her to secure another accommodation.

See more; http://gistmore.com/mother-of-8-loses-40-year-marriage-for-denying-husband-sex

We have never thought we would live to see the day when Davido would talk about settling down. But this magical (and very mysterious) young woman has apparently worked her charm on the star.

We can already hear the wedding bells ringing in the distance. So we should definitely talk about the person who stole Davido’s heart. Here are few things you should know about her:

· Chioma Avril Rowland was born May 1, 1995. She comes from Imo State from a family of Seventh-day Adventists and she has a sister by the name of Jennifer, who is a fashion designer. Chioma often models her sister’s creations and looks beautiful while doing it.

· Chioma was an Economics student of Babcock University. She was supposed to graduate a few years back not until Davido appeared in her life.

· She has proven to be a great cook as she has shown the world her cooking skills through her Instagram page (@thechefchi). She seems to be more interested in the Nigerian cuisine, so Davido must be a lucky man, eating all of that deliciousness.

· Chioma and Davido met at Babcock University as Davido was a student from Babcock University in the Department of Music. It turns out that the two have known each other for over five years. Davido has had a thing going on with Chioma even before he met his baby mamas.

· She came into limelight after being spotted with the popular musician on several occasions including family events.

· Davido made his relationship with Chioma official after he surprised her with an expensive car on her 23rd birthday with the plate number tagged Assurance the title of one his song which he dedicated to her.

· She has featured in his popular song video ‘Assurance,’ which was the talk of the town. Recently on his Instagram page he revealed that he featured her on his new song video, which is yet to be released.

· She is a brand ambassador for Sapphire Scents with other top celebrities and other big brands.

· Chioma is said to be very supportive of Davido’s career and helps feed his entire team when she needs to.