₦airaland Forum

Nigerian troops deployed in Borno State have rescued several abducted persons, arrested suspected Boko Haram terrorists, and recovered weapons and equipment, the army said in a statement.
The troops of 81 Battalion and 251 Task Force Battalion, 25 Task Force Brigade on Monday received 79 persons who claimed to have been kept captives by Boko Haram terrorists at Ngwalimiri village but escaped at their location.
They comprised 12 men, 24 women, 31 children and 12 infants. All of them are undergoing preliminary investigation and screening to determine their status before onward movement to Internally Displaced Persons camp for rehabilitation, the statement said.
“In furtherance of the efforts to keep Bitta-Damboa road open and secure to commuters, troops of 28 Task Force Brigade have cleared Bulajani, Mulgwo and Muotu villages of remnants of Boko Haram elements.
“During an encounter at Moutu specifically, a soldier sustained an injury on the forehead, while 5 Boko Haram terrorists were killed by the troops, while a few others were suspected to escape with gun shot wounds. The troops recovered 3 locally made guns.
“The advancing troops linked up with their counterparts of 25 Task Force Brigade at Gombori village and rescued 157 persons escaping from Boko Haram terrorists captivity. The rescued persons comprised 47 women, 91 children, 19 men. They are currently undergoing preliminary investigation and thorough screening to also determine their status.
“In a related development 77 Boko Haram terrorists have surrendered themselves to troops of 122 Task Force Battalion. They comprised 17 men, 16 women, 16 male children and 28 female children. The surrendered terrorists have been moved to Yamteke by combined team of 26 Task Force Brigade for preliminary investigation and screening.
“Troops have also arrested a deserter soldier, 03NA/53/3098 Corporal Musa Titima of 117 Task Force Battalion, attached to 114 Task Force Battalion, who absconded from duty while on Operation CRACKDOWN at Bitta. The soldier was also allegedly involved in a fracas with Mr Salisu Ngatha at Kabang Ward on 30th May 2016 that led to the death of the civilian. The soldier has been moved to the Brigade headquarters for proper investigation and other disciplinary process,” the statement said.

Source: http://www.naijahints.com/2016/06/02/77-bokoharam-members-surrenders-as-the-nigerian-army-continues-its-clearing-operations/

By Swati Jain
31 May 2016
Imagine a village where homes have no front doors, shops are always left unlocked and locals never feel unsafe.
This is the story of Shani Shingnapur in India’s Maharashtra state, where villagers eschew security because of their undying faith in Lord Shani, the god of Saturn, who is considered the guardian of the village.
Legend has it that about 300 years ago, after a bout of rain and flooding, a heavy black slab of rock was found washed up on the shores of the Panasnala River, which once flowed through the village. When locals touched the 1.5m boulder with a stick, blood started oozing out of it.


Later that night, Shani appeared in the dreams of the village head, revealing that the slab was his own idol. The deity ordered that the slab should be kept in the village, where he would reside from here on. But Shani had one condition: the rock and its colossal powers must not be sheltered as he needed to be able to oversee the village without hindrance. Shani then blessed the leader and promised to protect the village from danger.
After the villagers installed the huge slab on a roofless platform in the heart of town, they decided to discard all doors and locks. They didn’t need them anymore, not with the Lord to watch over them.

This tradition has continued for generations. Locals occasionally lean wooden panels against their front door frames to keep stray dogs out – but they have no permanent doors, and leave their jewellery and money unsecured, firmly believing that their holy guardian will protect them from any mishap. Even the public toilets in the village square just have a thin curtain at the entrance for privacy.
New constructions have to honour these protocols, too. The police station – which only opened in September 2015 and has not yet received a single complaint from the villagers – has no front door; while the United Commercial Bank opened India’s first “lockless” branch in Shani Shingnapur in 2011, installing a glass entrance in the spirit of transparency and a barely visible remote-controlled electromagnetic lock in respect of the villagers’ beliefs.


Locals are so nonchalant that they don’t even ask their neighbours to watch over their house while they are out of town. They believe that thieves will immediately be punished with blindness, and anyone dishonest will face seven-and-a-half years of bad luck. In fact, local lore says that when one villager installed wooden panes at the entrance of his house, he had a car accident the very next day.
Because of this strange history, Shani Shingnapur attracts devotees from across India. At least 40,000 visitors pour in each day to see the once-humble shrine that has grown into a large temple with extensive property and donations.

Although Shani Shingnapur has officially remained free from thefts for centuries, a 2010 visitor reported that cash and valuables worth 35,000 rupees were stolen from his vehicle. Another theft of gold ornaments worth 70,000 rupees was reported in 2011. However the charges were dismissed as the villagers insisted that they took place outside the village.
Sceptics argue that the low crime rate in the area is due to the village’s remote location rather than the miraculous powers of the lord.

Whatever the truth, times are changing and some villagers are challenging this age-old custom, seeking permission from the gram-panchayat (local self-government organisation) to install doors and locks to ensure the safety of their family.
But most villagers at Shani Shingnapur hope that the tradition will continues to protect them from every evil eye for many centuries to come.

Source: Naijahints.Com

Cc lalasticlala

By Swati Jain
31 May 2016
Imagine a village where homes have no front doors, shops are always left unlocked and locals never feel unsafe.
This is the story of Shani Shingnapur in India’s Maharashtra state, where villagers eschew security because of their undying faith in Lord Shani, the god of Saturn, who is considered the guardian of the village.
Legend has it that about 300 years ago, after a bout of rain and flooding, a heavy black slab of rock was found washed up on the shores of the Panasnala River, which once flowed through the village. When locals touched the 1.5m boulder with a stick, blood started oozing out of it.


Later that night, Shani appeared in the dreams of the village head, revealing that the slab was his own idol. The deity ordered that the slab should be kept in the village, where he would reside from here on. But Shani had one condition: the rock and its colossal powers must not be sheltered as he needed to be able to oversee the village without hindrance. Shani then blessed the leader and promised to protect the village from danger.
After the villagers installed the huge slab on a roofless platform in the heart of town, they decided to discard all doors and locks. They didn’t need them anymore, not with the Lord to watch over them.

This tradition has continued for generations. Locals occasionally lean wooden panels against their front door frames to keep stray dogs out – but they have no permanent doors, and leave their jewellery and money unsecured, firmly believing that their holy guardian will protect them from any mishap. Even the public toilets in the village square just have a thin curtain at the entrance for privacy.
New constructions have to honour these protocols, too. The police station – which only opened in September 2015 and has not yet received a single complaint from the villagers – has no front door; while the United Commercial Bank opened India’s first “lockless” branch in Shani Shingnapur in 2011, installing a glass entrance in the spirit of transparency and a barely visible remote-controlled electromagnetic lock in respect of the villagers’ beliefs.


Locals are so nonchalant that they don’t even ask their neighbours to watch over their house while they are out of town. They believe that thieves will immediately be punished with blindness, and anyone dishonest will face seven-and-a-half years of bad luck. In fact, local lore says that when one villager installed wooden panes at the entrance of his house, he had a car accident the very next day.
Because of this strange history, Shani Shingnapur attracts devotees from across India. At least 40,000 visitors pour in each day to see the once-humble shrine that has grown into a large temple with extensive property and donations.

Although Shani Shingnapur has officially remained free from thefts for centuries, a 2010 visitor reported that cash and valuables worth 35,000 rupees were stolen from his vehicle. Another theft of gold ornaments worth 70,000 rupees was reported in 2011. However the charges were dismissed as the villagers insisted that they took place outside the village.
Sceptics argue that the low crime rate in the area is due to the village’s remote location rather than the miraculous powers of the lord.

Whatever the truth, times are changing and some villagers are challenging this age-old custom, seeking permission from the gram-panchayat (local self-government organisation) to install doors and locks to ensure the safety of their family.
But most villagers at Shani Shingnapur hope that the tradition will continues to protect them from every evil eye for many centuries to come.

Source: Naijahints.com

BY ENIOLA AKINKUOTU,

Eleven officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission who supervised the 2015 general elections in Gombe State have admitted to receiving N120m out of the N23bn ($115m) allegedly disbursed by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.





The revelation comes about a month after the EFCC arrested a former Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers State, Mrs. Gesila Khan, and other top INEC officials in the South-South for allegedly receiving N675.1m from Diezani.



Sources at the EFCC told our correspondent on Friday that the 11 officials had been interrogated and had made confessional statements.



A detective at the anti-graft agency told our correspondent that the electoral officers, who were in charge of the 11 local government areas of Gombe State, reported at the Gombe State zonal office of the commission on Thursday.



The detective said, “They have made useful statements and most of them have confessed to receiving millions of naira for their respective local government. They explained that two out of the 11 officials negotiated and collected the bribe on their behalf.



“The electoral officer for Akko Local Government Area, Ahmed Biu; and the one in charge of Gombe Local Government Area, Ahmed Ali Biu, and Mohammed Zannah, admitted to have collected the bribe from one Yunusa Biri, also a retired electoral officer who acted as Gombe State coordinator of bribes for electoral officers in the state.





“Biri was known and addressed as the coordinator of NGO, a code name used to cover the activities of the two parties.”



The detective told our correspondent that at the meeting where the money was disbursed, Biu and Zannah lodged at Corner Alheri Hotel, opposite NNPC mega station in Gombe, and the parties agreed to share the bribe per polling unit in each local government and part of the bribe should go to ad hoc employees deployed to each polling station across the state.



The source, however, said there were some issues with the investigation as some electoral officers claimed to have been cheated of their own share of the booty.



He said, “Investigations are ongoing but the challenge is that we will have to unravel the discrepancy in the amount collected and the actual money disbursed to the electoral officers.



“Some claimed that the coordinator (Biri) short-changed them because he gave only N8m to the eleven local governments in the state.”



The detective gave the names of some other detained officers as: Godwin Maiyaki, Gambo Balanga, Bukar Benisheik, Dukku, Jibril Muhammed, Billiri, Dunguma Dogona, Funakaye, Mohammed Wanka, Kaltungo, Ishaku Yusuf, Kwami, Suleiman Isawa, Babagana Malami, Shongom, and Nuhu Samuel.

Source: Naijahints.com

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