₦airaland Forum

Indonesia plans to execute this year at least two foreign convicts, one from Nigeria and another from Zimbabwe, the attorney general said on Wednesday, reports Reuters.

President Joko Widodo has pledged to increase the number of executions this year and next as part of his crackdown on drugs.

Asked if there were any foreigners on the list of convicts to be executed, Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo told reporters: “We have foreigners, among them from Nigeria and Zimbabwe.”

He did not elaborate on the crimes of which they were convicted.

Prasetyo added that no convicts from the United States, Europe or Australia were on the list to be executed this year.

A 59-year-old British woman, Lindsay Sandiford, was sentenced to death after being convicted in 2013 of trying to smuggle cocaine worth $2.5 million into the country.

A Philippine maid, Mary Jane Veloso, got a last-minute reprieve last year in response to a request from Manila after an employment recruiter, whom Veloso had accused of planting drugs in her luggage, gave herself up to police in the Philippines.

Last year, Indonesia executed 14 people, mostly foreign drug traffickers. Prasetyo previously said at least 16 prisoners would be executed this year and more than double that number next year.


More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/07/14/indonesia-execute-convicts-nigeria-zimbabwe-year/

An Italian football hooligan has been arrested and charged with murder after beating to death a Nigerian asylum seeker who reacted to racial insults against his partner, ANSA news agency reported on Thursday.

According to the La Repubblica newspaper, Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi, 36, got into a fight on Tuesday after the man called his 24-year-old girlfriend Chinyere a "monkey."

He was taken to hospital in a comatose state and declared dead on Wednesday in the central Italian town of Fermo, some 170 kilometres north-east of Rome, near the Adriatic coast.

The accused, Amedeo Mancini, is a supporter of 4th league team Fermana and had been banned from the local stadium because of his violent behaviour, ANSA said.

The incident led Interior Minister Angelino Alfano to travel to Fermo to chair a meeting with local police.

Alfano said it was a "day of infinite sadness," while Prime Minister Matteo Renzi wrote on Twitter: "Against hatred, racism and violence."

Comunita di Capodarco, the Catholic charity that was giving shelter to the couple, issued a statement giving a version provided by Chinyere.

She said the man put his hands on her, triggering Nnamdi's reaction.

"A fight broke out, a street sign was pulled from the pavement, there were heavy blows and one, probably fatal, hit the young Nigerian on the back of the neck. Once on the floor ... the young man was hit repeatedly," the Comunita said.

The couple left Nigeria to flee from the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram, their hosts said.

Chinyere travelled while pregnant, but fell ill during the sea crossing to Sicily and lost her baby, probably as a result of beatings suffered in Libya, they added.

Father Vinicio Albanesi, who leads the community that sheltered the couple, said the people who attacked the asylum seekers were the same who earlier this year planted bombs in front of four Catholic churches in Fermo.

The explosives did not go off.

"There are small group of people who clearly think they belong to the Aryan race," Albanesi said, as quoted by Comunita di Capodarco.

"They belong to local football fan groups and I think it is the same clique who has put bombs in front of our churches."
http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/07/08/35329/

By Adagba Babatope

Twenty-one Nigerians are among the 121 prisoners on death row in Indonesia.

Thirty of the prisoners will be executed before the end of 2017. Eighteen of them will be executed after July 6, the Eid el-Fitr Muslim holiday, which ends the holy month of Ramadan.

Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to President Muhammadu Buhari, disclosed this to Independent on Monday.

Bambang Waluyo, Indonesian Deputy Attorney General, announced the execution schedule during a parliamentary hearing in Jakarta.

The Justice Ministry said those on death row in Indonesia are mostly convicted of drug-related crimes and that at least 35 of them are foreigners.

In 2015, Indonesia had equally executed 14 convicts, all but two of them foreigners, in a move that drew international condemnation.

Dabiri-Erewa noted that one Nigerian was executed in the last batch of execution.

Under Indonesian law, each convict would face a squad of 10 gunmen.

Dabiri-Erewa, who was chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on Diaspora before her present appointment, noted that when a Nigerian delegation visited Indonesia in 2010 to plead for Nigerians on death row, that the Indonesian government made it clear that the death penalty is the law.

“As the world keeps appealing to Indonesia not to kill them, we must also admonish our citizens to avoid crime and be good ambassadors wherever they find themselves”, she said.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who took office in 2014, has taken a tough stance against drug trafficking, saying that the country is facing a drug emergency.

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/06/14/21-nigerians-among-121-death-row-inmates-indonesia/

By Bamidele Moses

Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, have officially flagged off Cashew Plantation at Ogudu Village, Ife East Local Government area of Osun State.

While addressing the people at the occasion, Chief Ogbeh reiterated that Nigeria needed sustainable agricultural revolution to survive.

Aregbesola on his own called on all able bodied Nigerians to take to farming on full or part time basis as alternative to the over-dependence on oil for the quick recovery of the ailing economy of the country.‎

Aregbesola stressed that the only way for Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to national economic development was for able men and women to go back to farms.

He called on other leaders in all tiers of government in Nigeria to stop relying on the failed oils sector and seek for means to sustain their economy.

The Governor noted that there could be no better time than now for all hands to be on deck to ensure that the economy of the country move from oil to Agriculture.‎

According to him, "I am particularly happy and enthralled at the efforts being made to promote the cultivation of cashew, noted for not just being a food crop but a cash crop as well.

"This is well timed at this season when it has become imperative to diversify our economy from its oil orientation to others more sustainable areas like agriculture." ‎

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for living up to the expectations of Nigerians through his achievements in the last few months, saying the uniqueness of his good governance had been felt in all aspects of the economy especially in agriculture.

The Governor, who described cashew as a money-making and health-promoting crop, said the state is ready to partner with any investor to boost the agricultural sector.

He said the state is blessed with fertile hectares of land, adding that his government would not hesitate to tap the numerous potentials in agriculture in sustaining its economy.‎

The Governor also commended Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, for complementing his efforts to revamp agriculture in the state.

He therefore implored other traditional rulers to emulate the good gestures of Oba Ogunwusi in rendering social services to the society.

"The only way for us to contribute meaningfully to national economic development was for our able men and women to go back to farms.

"Quick recovery of our economy remains the duty of all and as a matter of fact, nothing is coming from oil anymore. And for this reason, we must all embrace agriculture to deliver our country from this financial mess.

"We must henceforth stop relying on the failed oil sector and seek for ways to sustain the economy through the promotion of the non-oil sectors.

"It is a glaring fact that the current economic challenges befell the country was a product of 16 years misrule and bad governance of past administrations in the country.

"Our state is blessed with fertile hectares of land good for farming, hence, triggers our ambition to tap the numerous potentials in agriculture to enhance the general well being of the citizens," Aregbesola stated.

Earlier, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, who described the flag-off ceremony as the beginning of agricultural revolution in the country, said stage has already been set to ensure massive plantation of cocoa, plantain and banana across the nation.

Chief Ogbeh disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture was ready to embark on full plantation of two million cashew every year for the next four years.

The minister stressed that the purpose of quick intervention in agriculture by the Federal Government was to ensure that the nation regain her lost glory as the food basket of Africa, saying all hands must be on deck to revitalize the sector for the betterment of all.

In his remarks, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, disclosed that 2,000 hectares of land had been acquired and cultivated for cashew plantation, adding that as soon as the people are showing interest in farming, more land would be released for that purpose.

Oba Ogunwusi expressed delight on the commencement of this year 2016 Flag-off of Cashew Planting season in Ife, saying with that, Ife had proven its stand as the ancestral home of yoruba nation.

The royal father further noted that the flag-off ceremony in the state was a clear testimony to the undaunting efforts of the present administration in the state towards the resuscitation of agriculture sector.

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/06/09/32903/

Naman Abibate’s business is hard to miss. A towering pile of neatly arranged logs, collected by her husband from a forest near their village home, sits at the side of the busy Cotonou-to-Niger highway, north of Benin.

Abibate makes 10,000 CFA ($16) a month selling wood, much of it to women who use it for parboiling rice, a process of partially cooking rice in the husk before it is milled.

Rice is a staple food in Benin, and parboiling the grain requires a lot of heat, which means a lot of wood. The process is a major culprit behind Benin’s worrisome deforestation rate and a big contributor to health problems due to the inhalation of wood smoke.

But researchers at the Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), a pan-African rice research group, aim to tackle those problems with a stove that runs on a free, sustainable and abundant fuel: rice husks.

AfricaRice’s stove is fed by a solar-powered fan and is designed to burn off most of the gas released by the burning husks. Compared with a wood-burning stove, the clean stove produces fewer emissions and heats water faster.

“The stove burns husks directly to produce thermal energy for cooking and heating water and the solar panel provides light while firing the blower,” said Sali Atanga Ndindeng, a technology expert at AfricaRice’s Cotonou station who worked with women and engineers to develop the stove.

We have tested the stove for emissions and have seen that it has very low emissions, making it ideal to use in the home,” he said.

The search for alternatives to wood fuel is crucial to Benin, which has an annual deforestation rate of 2.5 percent – one of the highest in the world – according to figures from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Using rice husks to run a stove not only takes advantage of a readily available fuel source, but also helps rice farmers deal with the waste and pollution that comes with disposing of the husks.

Every harvest season, Benin’s rice farmers struggle to get rid of the mountains of husks that accumulate after they have threshed their crops. The husks are no good as animal feed and take a long time to rot, so can’t be used as compost. With no other option, millers often just set the husks on fire, spewing smoke into the air.

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/06/01/new-stove-turns-rice-waste-clean-fuel-benin/

Facebook’s “people you may know” annoy most people suggestions, but you never know when the feature will help you catch the thief who stole your car.

Omar Famuyide, a thief connected to multiple robberies and firearms offenses, was tracked and convicted after he was spotted on the social network by one of his victims.

"People you may know" suggested the victim add Famuyide, but instead he alerted the police, who were then able to arrest him.

"It was a crucial part of the investigation when one of the victims got in touch after recognizing Famuyide on Facebook and was the final piece of the jigsaw that we were looking for," detective constable Rhiannon Daff, said in a press statement.

The 21-year-old thief was jailed for 17 years after being convicted of one count of attempted robbery, once count of robbery, one count of possession of a knife and two counts of possession of a firearm.

Famuyide had stolen a Seat Leon and a BMW in August 2015. He was also connected to an assault at a hotel in July 2015.

Facebook's "people you may know" has very intelligent algorithms that dig into your online connections, personal information and even location to make "friend" suggestions. In this case, Facebook might've used the thief and victim's locations to connect them.


More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/31/thief-arrested-victim-identifies-facebook/

With Auntie Agatha

Dear Agatha,

I knew my husband was a womanizer from the very day I met him at a restaurant. I was working at the restaurant as at the time we met.
Although he came with a woman; he openly flirted with me to the discomfort of the other woman. He practically ignored her and proceeded to woo me, demanding to know why I was working at such a place when I should be in school.

When he heard I was a part-time student of the Lagos State University, he was pleased and gave me his contact card.
At that point the woman actually worked out on him. I had to excuse myself to plead with the woman who was almost in tears at the way he treated her. I was lucky she didn’t fight me but simply told me that she has had enough of his kind of humiliation. She boarded a bike and left on her own.

He became a regular visitor to our restaurant and to my school. When we started dating, I noticed he couldn’t just take his eyes off women; he would always look and make comments.

At first, I quarreled with him each time he did it but as time went on, I simply took to ignoring him. The day he proposed to me, he made a promise never to go after any other woman in his life.

Well, he did try not to be so obvious about his interest in other women. I become more confident of my position in his life when I gave birth to my first and second sons. The

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/16/plotting-exit-secretary-can-come/

A former militant, General Africa Ukparasia on Thursday accused a fellow ex-militant, Government Ekpemupolo, otherwise known as “Tompolo”, of being the brain behind the recent vandalism of oil installations in the Niger Delta.

He said that the new militant group called Niger Delta Avengers, which has just resumed bombing of oil installations, is working on the instructions of Tompolo.

Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, he said as a player in the South-South creek power game, he is properly equipped and prepared to assist the government to stop the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers.

Tompolo is currently under prosecution for alleged acts of improper financial dealings with NIMASA.

He insisted that the decision to prosecute Tompolo was responsible for the actions of the so-called Niger Delta Avengers, as he assured that he is prepared to help the government stop the group.

General Africa told journalists that he will not allow Tompolo to make the country ungovernable for the Buhari administration, as he warned him to desist from any further action against oil installations.

He recalled that during the run up to the 2015 general elections, Tompolo vowed............

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/13/tompolo-behind-niger-delta-avengers-ex-militant/

A total of 10,200 candidates will on Saturday sit for the examination into the Lagos State Model Colleges and Upgraded Junior Secondary Schools.

A release from the Lagos State Examinations Board noted that the test would be conducted in two versions of: Computer Based Test (CBT) and Pencil/Paper Test.

The board stated that candidates that opted for the CBT would sit for their entrance examination at the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Centre, Lagos State Examinations Board, Iyana Ipaja, while those for the Pencil/Paper Test will have theirs at the 28 designated centres across the state.

The screening tests for admission of primary six pupils into the Lagos State Model Colleges and Upgraded Junior Secondary Schools for the 2016/2017 academic session would hold this weekend at the designated centres between 8 a.m. and 2.00 p.m.

According to a distribution of candidates for the two modes of the examination, the board explained that 54 candidates opted for the Computer Based Test (CBT) while 10,146 candidates are expected to sit for the Pencil Paper Test (PPT) at designated centres nearer to their homes.

The release continued that successful candidates would get admission into the State Model Colleges and Upgraded Junior Secondary Schools.......

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/12/10-200-candidates-seek-admission-into-lagos-model-colleges/

The protest rocking the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, heightened on Wednesday as protesting workers locked Governor Ayodele Fayose out.

Some staff had staged violent protests following the death of two doctors from the hospital that were among the six doctors and a driver that died along Abuja-Kaduna road on April 24.

The deceased and six others were on their way to the Nigerian Medical Association’s Annual General Meeting.

The protesters had called for the immediate removal of the Chief Medical Director, Dr Majekodunmi Ayodele, accusing him of being responsible for the cause of the accident.

Two of the doctors, Dr. Tunde Aladesanmi and Dr. Alex Akinyele, were staff of the hospital.

Fayose had met stakeholders consisting of all medical and non-medical workers, traditional ...............

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/11/fayose-lock-out-by-teaching-hospital-workers/

The Catholic ‎Bishop of Abeokuta, Most Reverend Peter Odetoyinbo has decried the frequent attacks on farmers and destruction of their farmlands by suspected Fulani herdsmen and urged law enforcement agencies to be alive to their responsibilities.

The Bishop urged the Federal Government and the security agencies to expose and prosecute the sponsors of armed Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria.

Bishop Odetoyinbo gave the charges during an interactive session with journalists at the SS Peter and Paul Catholic Cathedral, Abeokuta, Ogun State to mark the 50th anniversary of World Communications Day.

The cleric stated that some highly placed Nigerians know the sponsors and masterminds of the killer herdsmen but have refused to reveal their identities.

He noted that it was imperative to curb mindless killings and wanton destruction of property in the country, stressing that Nigerians must always promote justice, fairness and truth.

“I grew up to know herdsmen, they only had small sticks. Now they are empowered .............

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/10/politicians-sponsor-fulani-herdsmen-says-cleric/

Fort McMurray, or Fort Make Money, as some Canadians nicknamed it during its recent boom years, was the kind of place where second chances and fat paychecks beckoned.

Those who settled there were trained engineers, refugees from war-torn countries and strivers from across Canada and beyond, drawn to a dot on the map in northern Alberta, a city carved out of boreal forest in a region gushing with oil riches.

Even after the price of crude began to collapse in late 2014, erasing thousands of jobs, many residents managed to hang on, tightening their belts while waiting for the good times to return.

Then, early last week, smoke and ash filled the sky, the first harbingers of a catastrophic wildfire sweeping toward the city. The entire population of about 88,000 was forced to evacuate, most in a frantic rush.

Since then, the blaze has consumed whole swaths of Fort McMurray, ranking it as one of the most devastating fires in Canada’s history. The fast-moving flames turned many of the city’s homes and the baby photos and wedding albums and other treasures that could not be packed in time into little more than charcoal.

But even as displaced residents file insurance claims and pick through piles of donated clothing, many are adamant about rebuilding the city that gave them a financial lifeline as rare as the source of its prosperity, the largest oil sands reserve in the world.

Fort McMurray “is the only place you can go, sink 10 years of your life and bank enough money to retire,” said Kevin Lewis, 55, the owner of a transportation company. He fled to an evacuation center here in Lac La Biche, 137 miles south, in his pickup with only his wallet and the clothes on his back.

For the moment, lower temperatures have allowed firefighters to gain some control over the blaze, which has turned away from the city. But it is still raging in a nearby forest, and the danger of its returning to the city remains...................


More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/09/fort-mcmurray-a-canadian-oil-boom-town-is-left-in-ashes/



Evacuees from the wildfire taking refuge at the Bold Center in Lac La Biche, Alberta, 137 miles south of Fort McMurray, on Saturday.

A total of 1,305 candidates applied for the 2016/2017 Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Overseas Scholarship for PhD studies, while 196 indicated interest in the local scholarship for PhD studies in Nigerian universities.

Mr. Ahmed Aminu Galadima, the Acting Executive Secretary, PTDF, flagged off the last stage in the process for the award of the doctoral category with the constitution and inauguration of a central selection committee to interview candidates who were shortlisted for the exercise.

A statement from the agency revealed that 758 candidates out of the 1, 305 that applied for the PhD Overseas Scholarship were shortlisted for interview at the end of the screening exercise, while 133 out of the 196 that applied for the Local Scholarship (PhD) were shortlisted and invited for the oral interview.

The subject areas for the award include Engineering and Renewable Energy, Environmental Management, Computing and Geosciences and other related oil and gas courses.

The break down shows that 411 were shortlisted for Engineering and Renewable Energy courses, 298 for Environmental Management, 45 for computing and Geosciences and 4 in oil and Gas related fields for the overseas scholarship while for the local scholarship scheme, 68 were shortlisted for courses in Engineering and Renewable Energy, 21 for Environmental Management, 41 for Computing and Geosciences and 3 for other oil and gas related courses.

The Acting Executive Secretary, while flagging off the....................

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/09/1305-jostle-for-ptdf-phd-scholarship/

Chief Bode George, The Atona Oodua Of Yorubaland is the apex leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West. In this interview with our correspondent, he speaks on why his party lost the 2015 presidential election, efforts being made to reposition the party ahead of 2019 and other sundry isssues. Excerpts:

There is a report credited to you that you promised to go on exile if the APC wins the 2015 presidential election. It is over a year that the APC has won, you are still in Nigeria. Nigerians want to know, have you changed your mind?

There is no way I could run away from Nigeria. Why would I? I have worked with General (President) Buhari before. Of course, you all know our professional background. I was also surprised when I read that I said I will flee Nigeria. Why would I? The journalist who interviewed me only used that headline in order to catch peoples’ attention.

I knew I was going to be quite busy because my wife (Roli Bode- George) was working for government then and I will be free to travel. Why will I want to run away from Nigeria? Go to East, West, North and South, I tell you, home is always the best. That I will go on exile or flee Nigeria was a huge joke. I have travelled several times between the period that APC won and now. I remembered that immediately after the election, I needed a rest.

So, when I travelled, many people thought I had already scampered out of the country, never to return. I will never do such a thing. Even if one is abroad, one’s thoughts and processes will be focused on events at home. You will be online trying to know what is happening at home. Thank God we even have one of our local televisions now that one can watch live abroad. So, that is like a big joke to say Bode George will flee Nigeria. Why will I run away from my country? Nothing can make me do that.

How do you feel when PDP lost the 2015 presidential election?

Definitely, I can’t be happy. Yes, we got a bloody nose as a result of .........


More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/08/pdp-lost-because-we-took-nigerians-for-granted-bode-george/

Israeli ex-president Moshe Katsav, in prison for rape and other sexual offences, has asked the current head of state for a pardon, President Reuven Rivlin’s office said on Sunday.

“A request for pardon arrived at the president’s office today,” it said in a brief statement.

“As is the custom with every request for a pardon it has been passed for handling to the presidential legal department,” the statement added.

Katsav, the first Israeli head of state to be sent to prison, was jailed in 2011 for seven years on two counts of rape as well as sexual harassment, indecent acts and

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/08/israeli-ex-president-katsav-jailed-for-rape-seeks-pardon/

Rima Fakih is believed to be the first Muslim to win the title of Miss USA when she was crowned the winner in 2010.

Now, the beauty pageant winner has converted to Christianity, recently sharing a verse from Philippians on Twitter.........


More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/07/first-muslim-miss-usa-converts-to-christianity/

Seriake Dickson, Bayelsa State governor, late on Thursday, returned to Yenagoa, the state capital, from a controversial three-week vacation abroad.

Newsherald gathered that no sooner he arrive at Government House, Yenagoa, than he went into a marathon meeting with the officials of his cabinet which lasted far into the night.

While Dickson was away, there were reports that he had been arrested in the U.S. for alleged money laundering.

But the state government through, Jonathan Obuebite, the Commissioner for Information, vehemently denied the reports, saying there was no modicum of truth in the reports.

Meanwhile, Governor Seriake Dickson has..............


More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/07/bayelsa-payrolls-worse-than-voters-register-dickson/

Dear Agatha,

I have been married for more than 20 years to a man I thought I knew and trusted with my entire heart until the day I found out that he has been cheating on me for a decade. The affair with the other woman has even produced two children; a set of twins. To make matters worse, the woman in question turned out to be my best friend I shared everything with, including the challenges in my home.

As gullible as I have been, I was privy to her pregnancy and encouraged her in the relationship she said she was in. She told me he was married and that they didn’t plan for children in their relationship and that since she was getting old, she decided to get pregnant not withstanding his objections.

During the time she was pregnant with the twins; she would come to my house and sleep because it was a very trying period for her. I stood by her throughout and even agreed to her suggestions that the naming ceremony for the twins be done in our house to cover her shame as she put it. My husband it was that gave the children the names they answer to till date.

Looking back, I feel like the worst fool on earth. I also recall that my mother-in-law was very angry with me for allowing such an event in my home and practically ordered my friend out of the house a day after the ceremony, with a warning never.............

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/06/my-husband-is-the-father-of-my-best-friends-child/

Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele, the Founder of INRI Spiritual Church in Ejigbo, Lagos, has prophesied that Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles may end up not performing well if the nation’s sports administrators hire a foreign coach for the team.

He spoke while answering questions from a team of reporters during his trip to the headquarters of the Omega Fire Ministry situated in Auchi, Edo State last weekend.

The cleric described as a waste of time and resources the plans by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to employ a foreign coach for the Super Eagles.

“It’s a mere waste of time. It’s a mirage. If they try to do that (hire a foreign coach) they’re wasting their time. It would rubbish the NFF president (Amaju Melvin Pinnick) and..........

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/04/engaging-a-foreign-coach-will-spell-doom-for-seagles-ayodele/

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested one Igbainoba Uche Rose for allegedly importing 193 wraps of cocaine concealed inside packs of sweets.

The 24-year-old suspect was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos after disembarking from a flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Another suspected member of the drug cartel was also arrested.

Ofeyeju Mitchell, the NDLEA spokesman, said that the whitish substance concealed in sweets tested positive to cocaine and weighed 3.230kgs.
Mr. Ahmadu Garba, NDLEA commander at the Lagos Airport, said that the suspect who hails from Edo State was found in possession of the drug while a suspected member of the drug cartel in Lagos was successfully traced and apprehended.

“One Igbainoba Uche Rose who concealed 3.230kgs inside............

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/04/ndlea-discovers-cocaine-in-womans-packs-of-sweets/

Chief Government Ekpemupolo, also known as Tompolo, a former Niger Delta militant leader, has urged security agencies to investigate activities of oil companies in Niger Delta for the spate of attacks on pipelines and oil facilities in the region.

Reacting to insinuations that he was behind the Niger Delta Avengers, a group which claimed responsibility for the attacks on key oil facilities, including the Forcados Crude Export line in Burutu, Delta State, Tompolo said oil servicing companies angling for the repair contracts, and not him, were responsible for the attacks.

In a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, Tompolo assured that oil multinationals and their service firms had nothing to worry about him because he was reformed.

He said: “I wish to appeal to the servicing companies to go about their normal operations, particularly the repair of the Forcados 48-inch pipeline, which is key to our economic stability.

“I have said I will not resort to violence because of my case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or to wage war against the Federal Government, as my................

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/03/militant-leader-blames-pipeline-attacks-on-overzealous-oil-servicing-companies/

Leicester City FC are Premier League Champions. History has been made!!

Leicester City were crowned champions of England for the first time in the club's 132-year history after nearest challengers Tottenham Hotspur could only manage a 2-2 draw away to Chelsea on Monday.

Second-placed Spurs' failure to beat their London rivals at Stamford Bridge gave Leicester, 5 000/1 rank outsiders in pre-season, an unassailable seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, with only a maximum of six available to Tottenham from their final two league games this season..............

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/02/leicester-city-emerges-2015-2016-epl-champion/

President Muhammadu Buhari’s current economic policies are similar to those he promulgated during the military regime he led in the 1980s, a former Minister of Education and social critic, Oby Ezekwesili, has said.

Mrs. Ezekwesili said Mr. Buhari’s “archaic” and “opaque” economic principles are not only encouraging massive corruption and abuse of power, but also hurting the poor they was intended to help.

Mrs. Ezekwesili said this at The Platform, a yearly public policy forum that is currently underway in Abuja.

“During the first coming of this our new president, a command and control economic system was adopted.

“During that era, inflation spiralled. During that era, jobs were lost. During that era, the economic growth level dipped,” Mrs. Ezekwesili said.

“That era wasn’t the best of...............


More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/05/01/buharis-economic-policies-opaque-archaic-ezekwesili/

Jamaican man has reportedly beheaded his wife in a fit of rage after suddenly finding out that his wife had been cheating on him and all their six kids are not his.

According to a local newspaper in Jamaica, the incident happened in St. Andrew where the man, who was not named, decided on a DNA test on his children and realised that none of them was his.

The woman, Karen Rainford, was said to have later confessed to her..............

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/04/29/man-beheads-wife-when-he-discovered-that-their-6-kids-were-not-his-own/

Ten months after Federal Government offered various sums in billions of naira to assist some states that were defaulting in payment of their workers salaries, the governors have gone back begging to be offered another support funds.

Apparently worried that most states are still unable to meet their monthly salary obligation to workers, members of the Nigerian Governors Forum rose from a meeting Wednesday night in Abuja with the decision to approach the Federal Government to look for a short-term solutions to this quagmire.

This is even as the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) few days earlier released a report in which it accused most of the governors of states that benefited from the bailout funds released by the Federal Government in 2015 of having diverted the money to other purposes than payment of outstanding salaries of workers for which they had secured the funds.

Even the Federal Government on Thursday confirmed that about 24 out of.............

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/04/29/ten-months-after-bailout-govs-go-begging-buhari-again-for-money/

Babatola, who spoke with our correspondent in Abuja, stated that he was disturbed by the thoughts of the two children that died along with their grandmother, mother and uncle, when he set their apartment on fire on April 15, 2015, at Sabongari, Bwari, in the Federal Capital Territory.

The fire consumed the whole building, including the apartment of the Babatolas, and also injured the suspect.

Babatola, who is being detained by the FCT Special Anti-Robbery Squad, identified his victims as Janet Isuawa; her sons, Samuel and Osaze; her cousin, Taphael; and Janet’s mother.

Babatola, a mobile phone technician, stated that he had wanted to commit suicide after setting the family on fire, but was dissuaded by his younger brother, James, who asked him to report the incident to the police.

Explaining what led to the tragedy, the suspect said he started dating Janet, a divorcee, sometime ago, adding that ...............

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/04/29/man-kills-entire-family-for-lover/

Mr. Yusuf Suleiman, a renewable energy entrepreneur, has said that Nigeria can generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity from renewable solutions for domestic purposes.

Suleiman, a Chief Executive Officer of Blue Camel Energy, said this at the ‘Seeing is Believing: Renewable Option at Work Exhibition’ in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said after taking participants on inspection tour of an off-grid green building using solar and wind energy that renewables were better option for Nigeria.

“If we have one million of this kind of solution on people’s roof tops in Nigeria, that means we are generating 6,000 megawatts of electricity.
“The 6,000 megawatts of electricity will be freed from grid generation, which can................

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/04/28/nigeria-can-generate-6000-megawatts-from-renewable-solutions-expert/

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has warned that anybody caught giving or receiving money to facilitate the recruitment of applicants into the Nigeria Police Force would be investigated, arrested and prosecuted.

This is contained in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by Mr Ikechukwu Ani, Head, Press and Public Relations of the commission.

It said that some arrests have been made in some parts of the country and the Police are currently investigating the cases to establish the level of involvement of the culprits.

The statement said that the commission has continued to receive reports of fraudsters soliciting for payment to help candidates either to obtain the recruitment forms or to assist them secure employment...................

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/04/27/police-recruitment-psc-warns-against-defrauding-applicants/

Dear Agatha,



I am 14 years of age. I got deflowered by one of my classmates during an inter-house sports competition in the school.

Although it was painful in the beginning but I ended up enjoying it. Since then, it has become a routine between us.

Recently, another boy came to our school; from the first day, I set my eyes on him, I felt something deep inside of me for him prompting me to ask him out. I allowed him to sleep with me on that day. It was so much fun and excitement that I decided that I wanted him more than my former boyfriend. This led to the two of them fighting and would have become a scandal if my second boyfriend didn’t walk away.

Although my first boyfriend is hell bend on continuing with me, so much so, he forced himself on me two weeks ago; it isn’t as much of a problem than the one I want you to help me with.

I think I am pregnant. I haven’t seen my monthly flow..............

More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/04/27/who-is-responsible-for-my-pregnancy/

The Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command on Tuesday recorded another success in the fight against criminal elements with the arrest of two suspected vandals for allegedly stealing railings of the First Mainland Bridge in Lagos.

The two men, Godwin Nwankwo, 23 and John Omeoha, 23 were arrested by the operatives hours after one Ademola Ibrahim, a commercial bus driver was arrested over allegedly stealing the rails of the Eko Bridge at Ijora.

The operatives arrested Godwin and John as they were bringing out 17 bars of reinforcement meant to firm up the bridge from a manhole.

It was gathered that Godwin told the RRS on interrogation that he stole the railings because he was hungry and that he had no alternative means for him to get money.

He was also said to have confessed that he had passed through the hole several times and was curious to find out what was inside..........


More; http://newsherald.com.ng/2016/04/27/two-in-police-in-custody-for-stealing-bridge-railings/