₦airaland Forum

THE rising rate of young Nigerians’ involvement in global terrorism was again underscored by the sentencing of a 35-year-old Lawal Babafemi to 22 years’ imprisonment in the United States for aiding an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in Yemeni.

Babafemi, sentenced on Wednesday by a US District Judge, John Gleeson, in Brooklyn, was accused of receiving weapons training from Al-Qaeda and writing rap lyrics for the terrorist organisation.

He had pleaded guilty, in April 2014, to providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation, Al-Qaeda, in the Arabian Peninsula. He said he whipped up enthusiasm for the terror outfit in his native land and lobbyied Muslims to join its Yemeni branch.

He collected $9,000 from the late Al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki to recruit for Al-Qaeda on his behalf, prosecutors said.

But in appealing for leniency, Babafemi told the court on Wednesday that the two years he had spent in American prisons had cleansed him of Jihadi impulses and that he had renounced religious violence completely.

“I’m extremely sorry for anything I have done against the United States. I want to say that I denounce Al-Qaeda and their activities,” he said.

His attorney, Lisa Hoyes, noted that Babafemi grew up in grinding poverty and that he was brutally tortured by Nigerian officials before his extradition to the US.

She also cited his emphatic rejection of Al-Qaeda’s ideology and pointed to a sparkling record of behaviour while in prison.

“He’s learned that Americans are people like him,” she said in asking for a sentence of 15 years, well below federal sentencing guidelines.

But federal prosecutor Zainab Ahmad rejected his claims of ideological rehabilitation and said he was simply trying to shave time off of his sentence.

She noted that Babafemi willfully made the “perilous” trek from Nigeria to Yemen in order to pursue his al Qaeda dreams.

Prosecutors had sought up to 30 years’ imprisonment for Babafemi, who was extradited from Nigeria in 2013 after being arrested several times two years earlier on local terrorism charges.

Al-Qaeda is an organisation of Islamic militants that has declared “holy war” on Americans, Jews and their allies.

The organisation was suspected to have caused thousands of deaths in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US and other attacks around the world.

According to the US authorities, from January 2010 to August 2011, Babafemi travelled from Nigeria to Yemen twice to meet with leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, known as AQAP.

During his time with the group, Babafemi, who went by the name “Ayatollah Mustapha,” was said to have worked on the AQAP’s media operations, including its magazine Inspire.

According to statements he gave the US authorities, Babafemi was ordered by al-Awlaki, an American, to go back to Nigeria and recruit other members. Awlaki had since been killed in one of the US attacks.

Babafemi’s sentence came on the heels of the arrest in India of two Nigerian youths suspected to be on their way to Iraq to join the terrorist organisation, Islamic State.

The two youngsters – Imran Kabeer and Sani Jamiliu – were arrested along the India-Pakistan border after scaling a barbed wire fence near the international border, where they were handed over to the Punjab Police.

According to the Indo-Asian News Services, the two Nigerians, aged between 24 and 25, from Kano State, told Indian officials that they wanted to go to Pakistan and later to Iraq. The youths, the report said, did not possess valid travel documents to enter Pakistan.

They were said to have arrived in Sikh from Delhi in a hired taxi. The IANS noted that the duo argued with the taxi driver, “hoodwinked him and drove away his Swift Dzire car and arrived at the integrated checkpoint at Attari.”

Since the youths claimed their final destination was Iraq, security officials said they could be going to join the Islamic State terror outfit.

The ISIS – Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – began in 2004 as al Qaeda in Iraq, before rebranding as ISIS. Like the Al-Queda, ISIS is also anti-Western but is more deadly in its control of seized territories.

Like Babafemi, a 28-year-old last son of a former bank chairman, Umar Abdulmutallab, at the age of 23 on Christmas day of 2009 confessed to and was convicted of attempting to detonate plastic explosives hidden in his underwear while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan.

Abdulmutallab, who came to be known as ‘underwear bomber’ was said to have been sponsored by the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Prosecutors had provided evidence of his romance with the terrorist organisation, which trained him and supplied him with the bomb.

Last week, the Nigeria Immigration Service announced it had barred no fewer than 4,916 Nigerians from travelling out of the country between January and March, 2015.

The Nigerians were suspected to be on their way to join international terrorist organisations, including the ISIS and the Taliban.



http://www.punchng.com/news/us-jails-nigerian-22-years-for-helping-al-qaeda/


Cc :Lalasticlala Ishilove

Chadian President, Idriss Deby, has said the
Islamic sect, Boko Haram, has picked a new
leader.
The BBC quoted the Chadian President as making
the statement on Wednesday.
In the British Broadcasting Corporation report, Deby
did not say what had happened to Shekau, but
noted that Shekau had been replaced by
Mahamat Daoud.
Deby said Daoud, the new sect leader, was open
to dialogue.
The Chadian President’s claim is fuelling a
speculation that Abubakar Shekau, the leader of
the sect, may indeed be dead.
It will be recalled that military authorities
confirmed the killing of Shekau during one of its
raids in Kodunga, Borno State, between
September 12 and 17, 2014.
But Shekau later appeared in a video, claiming he
was not dead. However, Shekau has been missing
in the group’s videos in the last five months,
lending force to the belief that he has been killed.
A picture published by The Cable on Wednesday
showed the dead body of Shekau in a place
identified as Sambisa forest.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters, on
Wednesday condemned the increasing suicide
attacks occasioned by loss of innocent lives in
the North-East of the country.
The Acting Director, Defence Information, Col.
Rabe Abubakar, who condemned the acts of the
insurgents in an email, was particularly piqued by
the latest suicide attack at Sabon Gari Market in
Borno State.
Abubakar said that the bombings would soon
come to an end.
He described those behind the acts as barbaric
and callous.
He assured the citizenry that the military would
not relent in making efforts to rid the country of
terrorists and their activities.
He said that the security forces were still making
efforts to weaken the capacity of the insurgents
“who are in disarray but still constituted some
danger to the civil populace.”
He said, “The Defence Headquarters has
condemned in its entirety the spate of suicide
attacks in the North-East, where scores of
innocent lives are lost regularly. The latest being
the suicide bombing at Sabon Gari Market in
Borno State.
“Those perpetrating these heinous crimes are
callous. They are barbaric monsters whose
activities will soon become a thing of the past.
“The military is intensifying efforts to continue to
break the bones of the terrorists and wish to re-
state and re-assure Nigerians that it is not
relenting in its efforts to rid the country of
terrorism and any act of criminalities.
“Every step is being taken to neutralise the
capability of terrorists, whose activities still
continue to constitute danger to civil populace, as
they are in disarray while running away from their
former safe havens and no longer capable of
confronting the troops.”
Abubakar called on the citizens to be vigilant and
be wary of strange faces and objects in their
localities.
The acting Defence spokesman, who advised the
pubic to give timely information to security
agencies, stressed that the collective efforts of
the security agencies and the public in the area of
information sharing was required to defeat the
insurgents.
Deby also called on President Muhammadu Buhari
not to negotiate with Boko Haram.
Also, the United States’ government has
condemned the recent Boko Haram attack in
Borno State which killed more than 40 people and
injured many others at a market in Sabon Gari.
In a statement made available to our
correspondent on Wednesday by the US Embassy
in Nigeria, it said, “While no individual or group
has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, it
took place in an area where hundreds of people
have been killed in recent weeks by suspected
members of the terrorist group, Boko Haram. We
offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to
the families and the friends of the victims.
“We will continue to support Nigeria’s efforts to
bring those responsible for the attack, as well as
previous attacks, to justice. The United States
stands with the Nigerian people in their struggle
against violent extremism. We will continue to
work closely with the Nigerian government and
our international partners to combat Boko Haram
and assist the many victims of its senseless
brutality.”


http://www.punchng.com/news/bharam-has-picked-new-leader-says-chadian-president/


Cc :Lalasticlala Ishilove

The Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has ordered the sacking of six officials of the state Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, including a secondary school teacher, over alleged offensive examination question.

Those sacked include two Grade Level 17 officers, Mrs. Folashade Oresegun, who was the Director, Education Support Services, and Mr. Rotimi Odunsi, who was the Director, Curriculum Development and Evaluation, and a Grade Level 16 officer, Mr. Majekodunmi Oluwole.

Others are a Grade Level 10 officer, Mr. E.O. Asegbe, a Grade Level 8 officer, Taylor Damilola , and an English Language teacher in Mayflower Secondary School, Ikenne, Mr. Joel Adegbenro.

The sacking of both Oresegun and Odunsi has been converted to compulsory retirement while the four others were summarily dismissed.

Our correspondent gathered that their offence might not be unconnected with a comprehension passage in the English Language examination conducted by the ministry for the Unified Examination in Public Secondary Schools for the third term of the 2014/2015 academic session.

The offensive section was Section C, where the pupils were asked to summarise a comprehension passage on a policy defect on education.

It was alleged that it was considered too critical of the state government.

The section partly read, “There is no arguing about the fact that the government is merely paying lip service to the development of education. It is true that a lot of money is being spent on the education sector but with little or no impact felt by the people, except where we want to deceive ourselves.

“Many schools run by the government, which were formerly known for academic excellence have suddenly lost their prestige and are living on past glories. No wonder, many parents and guardians are threateningly left with only one option, to withdraw their wards from these schools to other ones that are better managed.

“The evidences to show that the government is not doing enough to assist in the development of education are many. Even pupils in both primary and secondary schools can volunteer a good list on their finger tips.

“One of the numerous indications is the government’s inability to pay running cost to schools. The running cost is the token amount per pupil paid to school administrators to run the affairs of the school in a term. This has been neglected to pile up for several academic sessions.

“Another one is the regular poor conduct of terminal examinations. These examinations are not usually conducted as and when due. The government may have one excuse or the other, but real educationists know that appropriate timing is a strong factor in the process of Continuous Assessment (CA) of students. Thus, a situation, where for instance, the first term examination is shifted to second term is an outright departure from the norms and ethics of Continuous Assessment.”

The summary passage was said to have been culled from Jola Adegbenro’s Issues on Education Today.

The governor and some other top government officials were allegedly angry with this section, which they believed made a veiled reference to what obtained in the state.

Consequently, the embattled officials were invited to Abeokuta last week to face a disciplinary panel set up by the state Bureau of Establishment and Training, where they were quizzed.

The state’s Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Adekunle, while reacting to the sacking, said the government followed the due process “because the affected officials were given opportunity to defend themselves.”

She said, “I am aware that not all of them were dismissed, some had their appointment terminated and some were compulsorily retired.

“When the issue came up, the state government put in the necessary process, a panel was set up to investigate and based on their recommendations, the state Civil Service Commission has to decide. It is a decision that has been relayed to the affected officers.

“The normal process was that a panel was set up, the report was forwarded to the Civil Service Commission for the civil servants, the Teaching Service Commission, for the teachers.

“The decision was in line with the civil service rule, due process was followed to the latter.”



http://www.punchng.com/news/amosun-sacks-workers-for-setting-offensive-exam-questions/


Cc:Lalasticlala Ishilove

kingreign:
Ain't you tired of seeing mangled bodies, blood spilled and other gory sights?
Get some conscience n empathy and pls show respect for humanity.

Don't mind him...... His name tho!!!!! Just replace the "U" with "I" you have what

The West African Examinations Council has withheld the May/June 2015 West African Senior School Certificate Examination results of hundreds of candidates from 13 states in the country. This comes as the council stated that only 616, 370 candidates obtained credit in five subjects, including English Language and Mathematics. The candidates represented 38.68 per cent of the candidates who sat for the examination. One million, five hundred and ninety-three thousand and four hundred and forty-two candidates, comprising 864,096 males and 729,346 females, sat for the examination. The WAEC Head of National Office, Mr. Charles Eguridu, made this known on Monday while releasing the result of the May/June 2015 WASSCE in Lagos. He also announced that 118,101 candidates had their results withheld for alleged involvement in examination malpractice. He explained, “Of the total number of candidates that sat the examination, 758,849 candidates, representing 47.62 per cent obtained six credits and above; 949,862 candidates, representing 59.61 per cent obtained five credits and above, while 1,114,988 candidates, representing 69.97 per cent obtained credit and above in four subjects. “In addition, 1,295,915 candidates, representing 78.81 per cent obtained credit and above in three subjects, while 1,376,743 candidates, representing 86.40 per cent obtained credit and above in two subjects. However, 616,370 candidates, representing 38.68 per cent, obtained credit in five subjects and above, including English Language and Mathematics.” To gain admission to the nation’s university, a candidate is expected to obtain credit in five subjects, including English and Mathematics On the debtor states, the council alleged that they did not pay their candidates’ examination registration fees. He, however, did not name the 13 debtor states. The affected candidates, mainly government- sponsored candidates, Eguridu said, would only have their results if their states showed enough commitment to offsetting the debts. The HNO said, “After reviewing the situation, the council has decided that the results of government-sponsored candidates of indebted states would be released if such states endeavour to produce bank guarantees, so that the council will be assured that the fees will be paid. This decision is in appreciation of the general prevailing economic challenges in the country, and in order not to jeopardise the educational careers of the candidates of the indebted states.” Eguridu, who urged candidates to check their results on Tuesday, noted that public schools whose results were not on the council’s website should consider it to mean that their states were indebted to WAEC. The council had, two weeks ago, threatened to withhold the results, claiming that 19 states owed it about N4bn debts arising from the examination registration fees. Meanwhile, the Education Rights Campaign has condemned the West African Examination Council’s decision to withhold results of candidates from states that have defaulted on the body’s registration fees. The ERC National Coordinator, Mr. Taiwo Soweto, in a statement in Lagos on Monday, described the directive as ‘insensitive’ and called on the examination body to reverse its decision immediately. According to the group, withholding the results of candidates from affected states would be an ethical violation of the provisions of the Child Right Act 2003. The statement read, “As a public institution, WAEC is obligated by the Child Right Act (2003) to make the best interest of the child the paramount consideration in all actions.


http://www.punchng.com/news/61-per-cent-fail-englishmaths-in-2015-wassce-waec/


Cc:Lalasticlala Ishilove

A truck has reportedly killed a couple and two other people in the Isikan area of Akure, Ondo State.

The accident reportedly occurred on Sunday evening when the driver of the truck, identified as Friday Ambrose, allegedly lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the couple who were on a motorcycle.

It was gathered that the vehicle also hit two other people who were said to be by the roadside.

An eyewitness, who pleaded not to be named, said the truck was coming from the Arakale area, and heading for one of the saw mills on Ondo Road.

He said, “The truck with the number plate, Lagos XN 968 AKD, suddenly lost control and swerved off its lane and faced the opposite direction, hitting the victims.

“The victims could not be identified because there was confusion everywhere immediately the accident occurred. But they died instantly as the truck crushed them beyond recognition. However, the driver of the truck came out uninjured.”

When contacted on the telephone, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr. Wole Ogodo, confirmed the crash, but said one person died.

According to him, only the rider of the motorcycle, who he identified as Damilola Babatunde, died while a lone passenger was injured.

He said, “According to the information reaching me, the accident occurred when the truck driver lost control of the vehicle and ran over the motorcycle that was parked beside the road initially injuring the rider and the passenger.

“But the rider, Babatunde, 20, later died in the Specialists Hospital, Akure, while the passenger, whose name and address are unknown, is still receiving treatment at the hospital.”

The PPRO also stated that the driver had been arrested and was still in the custody.


http://www.punchng.com/metro-plus/truck-kills-couple-two-others-in-ondo/

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said he remains a ‘party-less Nigerian’ and will continue to be a statesman.

He said this on Monday at his Abeokuta Hilltop residence when a delegation from Kogi State, led by the state Governor, Captain Idris Wada (retd.), paid him a courtesy call.

The former President, who was the a chairman, Board of Trustees, Peoples Democratic Party, said despite not playing active partisan politics anymore, he would continue to work with any Nigerian with capabilities of good intention and leadership traits.

Obasanjo publicly tore his PDP membership card in February this year to renounce his membership of the then ruling party.

He noted that personality and performance would normally rank above the party platform.

He said, “We should understand first that not the party makes the person, but the person makes the party. It is who you are that you bring into the party.

“For now, I remain a partyless Nigerian, but I will continue to welcome any Nigerian with good leadership qualities.

“It does not matter which party you are, either PDP, APC, Labour, APGA or any party at all; as long as you are a committed, sincere and a purposeful leader, I am ready for you.”

Obasanjo, who commended Wada for engendering peace in Kogi State, said he was providing purposeful leadership.

He said, “Everybody is welcome, but they must be with good leadership traits, with genuine intention to improve the country.”

Wada described Obasanjo as a father of the nation, stressing that those who believed in him, would continue to learn from his commitment and dedication to the growth of the country.

The governor added, “Everywhere we meet Baba, we learn a lot and we shall continue to learn from him. He is a father of the nation. He is a figure we admire.

“We pray that we all will be like him because he is a committed Nigerian, who has devoted himself to the growth of the country. So, why not, if some of us decide to emulate him, be with him and appreciate him?”
Among those who accompanied the governor was a frontline women leader of the PDP in Kogi State, Olori Margaret Orebiyi, who also described Obasanjo as the landlord of the Nigerian nation.


http://www.punchng.com/news/i-remain-partyless-but-a-statesman-obasanjo/




Cc:Lalasticlala

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has called for the removal of Mrs. Amina Zakari as acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, saying that her appointment does not conform with the 1999 Constitution.

The governor, who alleged that Zakari was President Muhammadu Buhari’s in-law, said her appointment was dangerous to democracy.

Fayose, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, argued that Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which established INEC and other federal commissions, did not make any provision for the appointment of Acting Chairman.

He called on all lovers of democracy in the country to rise in defence of the impartiality of INEC, which he described as the only factor that could sustain democracy.

The governor said the most honourable thing for President Buhari to do was to rescind the “unlawful appointment of Mrs. Zakari as INEC acting chairperson.”

According to him, since Zakari’s tenure as INEC National Electoral Commissioner had expired, she could not continue to preside legally on INEC affairs, except if duly appointed as substantive chairman of the commission as provided in Section 154 (1) and (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The statement read, “One of the major legacies bequeathed to Nigeria by the immediate past Peoples Democratic Party government was a free, fair and credible electoral process and President Buhari, who is a beneficiary of this legacy, must sustain this legacy by ensuring that the impartiality of the electoral umpire is unblemished by suspicions of partisanship and illegal appointments.”

“Two weeks ago, a respected former lawmaker and former civil servant, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, revealed that he knew Mrs. Zakari since childhood, and that her late father, a former Emir of Kazaure, was married to President Buhari’s elder sister.

“Alhaji Yakassai went on to reveal that President Buhari spent a significant part of his early years in the home of Amina Zakari’s father.

“This is enough to establish conviviality between Mrs. Zakari and President Buhari, whose party, the All Progressives Congress will be standing elections with other political parties this year and this will no doubt cast credibility aspersion on any election conducted by INEC headed by Mrs Zakari.”

Declaring the appointment as illegal, he stated that, “Section 154 (3) provided that the President shall consult the Council of State in exercising his powers to appoint a person as the chairman of INEC and there is no record of such consultation before the appointment of Mrs Zakari as INEC ‘acting chairperson.’

“The only requisite condition for Mrs Zakari to be acting as the chairman of INEC is that she must be a National Electoral Commissioner and her tenure as National Electoral Commissioner ended on July 21, 2015.”




http://www.punchng.com/news/fayose-asks-buhari-to-remove-inec-boss/



Cc:Lalasticlala, Ishilove

Authorities of the University of Lagos on Sunday disowned the randy lecturer, Dr. Akin Baruwa, who reportedly raped an 18-year-old admission seeker.

Baruwa allegedly raped the young girl (name withheld), who is seeking admission to the university, in his office on July 23, 2015.

The lecturer, currently in detention at the Kirikiri Prison, was arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court, Lagos, on Thursday.

But speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, the Head, Information Unit of the university, Mr. Olagoke Oke, said Baruwa was not an employee of the institution.

According to him, no such name exists on the university’s employee list whether teaching or non-teaching.

He added, “The said Dr. Baruwa is a not a member of staff of the university, whether teaching or non-teaching. He also does not belong to the part-time or full-time teaching staff of the school. His name is not on the master list of workers of the university. I have checked the staff list using his full name and initials and could not come up with any such name as of Friday, August 6, 2015.

“I have also checked the list of office accommodation given to members of staff of the university and his name is not there. There is no office allocation attached to such a name. How he reportedly entered the said office where the crime took place is what we are looking into as an institution.

“While we sympathise with the alleged victim, we are ready to cooperate with every agency of government to get to the root of the matter as soon as possible. As an institution, we do not support any act of violence, not even against women. Therefore, we will help to ensure that the case comes to a logical conclusion.”

Meanwhile, as the authorities disowned the lecturer, some students, in the Faculty of Business Administration, who craved anonymity for fear of victimisation, claimed that the suspect was a part-time lecturer of the accounting department of the university.

One of them said, “I know him as a part-time lecturer in the accounting department. I wonder what the university wants to achieve now by trying to disown him.”

The Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration, Prof. Rasheed Ojikutu, could not be reached as of 6pm on Sunday.

Baruwa, who the police in Lagos arrested on August 3, reportedly confessed to the act but claimed that the sex was by mutual consent.


http://www.punchng.com/news/unilag-disowns-lecturer-who-raped-admission-seeker/

Titto93:
The last time I saw this picture, it has no cut and a different story.
That cut must be Photoshop and the story false.


I wonder what Nigeria bloggers are turning into.

Seems u are suffering from xeropthalamia....... What's photoshop thr now...... See im eye



Anyway, me am sha happy I made front page twice today


#naGODWIN

Ritual killers are on the prowl in Ogun State. Last Sunday, they killed a commercial sex worker identified as Sitira. SAMUEL AWOYINFA X-rays the incident

It was some few minutes past 9pm last Monday. The location was the frontage of Iwe Iroyin, the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, at Oke Ilewo area of Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The two restaurants in the premises brimmed with fun lovers who were unwinding after the day’s work. Music blared from the speakers in one of the restaurants as cars were driven into the premises.

Suddenly, a dirge was heard from a distance. There was pandemonium as everyone rushed towards the main entrance to know those singing. It was a spectacle.

Scores of young ladies, dressed in black attire, held brightly-lit candles.

They wept, sang and cursed. On a closer look, many of the on-lookers identified the ladies as the commercial sex workers who are regular callers to the secretariat and its environs.

The group of commercial sex workers held the candlelight procession in honour of their colleagues murdered by an unknown customer. The victim was identified as Sitira.

During the procession, they ventilated their grievances on the spate of the killing of prostitutes in Abeokuta for ritual purposes.

Sitira, 23, was said to have been murdered last Sunday by suspected ritual killers while her remains were dumped at a refuse site. Eyewitness said her remains were dropped from a moving Sport Utility Vehicle at Oloomore junction, Abeokuta in the early hours of that fateful day.

A chunk of flesh was severed off her right arm by her killers. The protesting sex workers, numbering about 50, identified their slain colleague with different names such as Titi and Folake.

They sang, “Oro nla leda, oro nla leda, eyin tepa Titi, t’eje odagba, oro nla leda. Omo yin maku, Omo yin maku, eyin tepa Titi t’eje odagba, omo yin maku.”

When translated literally, it means, ‘‘You have done something grievous by killing Titi prematurely. The killers of Titi (Sitira) have done something grievous. Their children will die, those that killed Titi will lose their children.”

They later departed for the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta, another spot where they ply their trade to continue mourning. Speaking with journalists, some of them claimed that aside Sitira, another colleague was killed in the same manner and her mutilated body was discovered in a ditch at the same Olomoore, Abeokuta.

They stated that they were not unaware of the antics of the suspected ritual killers who are currently on the prowl, and they would do anything to check their activities.

Our correspondent, who posed as a customer spoke to some of them at Iwe Iroyin and the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Kuto.

They expressed anger about the development, vowing to go diabolical to bring the suspects to book.

For someone like Ajike (not her real name), no amount of money would make her follow any ‘client’ to his home again.

“I have vowed that nothing would make me follow any customer home again. That is why they have been able to kill some of us for rituals. It’s either they follow me to where I stay or we go to a hotel. If our dead colleagues had brought these men to the places we operate (hotels), this wickedness would not have taken place,” she said.

Another prostitute, who identified herself as ‘Tee baby,’ expressed grief over the death of their colleagues. While hitting her hands on her chest, she said she was ready to challenge any ritual killer who crosses her path.


She said, “Any ritual killer, who attempts to take my life will be punished. If he thinks that I am a prostitute and has no worth, I am going to make sure he does not live to tell his own story. I am saying it now and confirming it, that as far as we are concerned here in Stadium, my babes (colleagues) are ready for them. They should come with their charms. We will deal with them. I will no longer follow anyone to anywhere other than a hotel. Now, we are potent as a bomb.”

Abimbola, another sex worker, told our correspondent that she saw Sitira being driven away in an exotic car the night she was murdered.

“She was with another prostitute and they entered one fine car that night. I was shocked to learn that Titi was dead. In fact, I have decided to fortify myself spiritually since this is the only job I do and I have not been able to secure any good job aside prostitution.

“But as far as they cannot get me a job, they cannot stop me from prostitution. The only thing they have succeeded in doing is that they have called my attention to the fact that I am too far from my spiritual fathers and mothers. Anyone who knows any ritual killer should let them know that it is payback time. They should come with their charms, we are ready for them.”

Sidikat who is also a prostitute preferred to rain curses on the ritual killers who murdered her colleagues. She said, “None of them will live up to old age, and they shall use their own hands to bury their own children.”

She added, “I will however be more cautious of the men I follow to hotels. But any of them nursing any evil thoughts will meet their waterloo with me. I am set to do the unthinkable with them. I know they (ritual killers) will still come around, but they should remember that every day is for the thief, one day will be for the owner. I will not say more than that.”

The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Abdulmajid Ali, on Thursday read the riot act to ritual killers, cult members and other criminals in the state.

Ali stated, “I have told my men to shoot any cult member or ritual killers caught in action. We will no longer tolerate all these killings.

“So many developmental activities have taken place in the state. So many companies are in the state and some expatriates are here. These activities might scare them.”



http://www.punchng.com/feature/sex-workers-in-ogun-battle-ritual-killers/


Pix: Sitira

Notwithstanding the change in nomenclature, Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, has been operating from the Office of the First Lady located inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja, SUNDAY PUNCH can report authoritatively.

Ahead of the March 28 presidential election, Buhari, who was the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, had promised that he would not have an office for the First Lady should he emerge victorious at the election.

“The Office of the First Lady is not in the constitution, so there’s no official role for them,” Buhari had said.

As the campaigns progressed however, Mrs. Buhari joined the APC team.

That made observers doubt whether the President would be able to walk his talk.

Since her husband’s assumption of office, Mrs. Buhari has dropped the title of “First Lady” used by her predecessors, including Mrs. Patience Jonathan.

She adopted the title of “Wife of the President.”

Investigations by our correspondent have, however, showed that apart from the nomenclature, nothing significant has changed.

Mrs. Buhari and her handlers operate from the First Lady’s office used by her predecessors, it was learnt.

The office is located beside the official residence of the President.

Her office, like it was under her predecessors, houses her staff members, including personal aides, security details and protocol officials, among others.

She has so far organised events similar to the ones that were not in short supply under her immediate predecessor, Mrs. Jonathan.

The first event organised by Mrs. Buhari was an elaborate “thank you dinner” she organised in honour of APC women and youths for supporting her husband’s election.

The President’s wife, during the recently concluded Ramadan, also broke her fast with some women leaders and the less privileged.

Recently, the Office of the Wife of the President, in conjunction with a United Kingdom-based private firm, organised a seminar on protocol, etiquette and security for wives of state governors.

At that event, the President’s wife charged the wives of the state governors to come up with laudable programmes to complement their husbands’ efforts.

At the conclusion of Ramadan, Mrs. Buhari also hosted children to an elaborate Sallah party.

All these events were held inside the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, with glamour.

Apart from these, the President’s wife, represented by some individuals, had donated either cash or relief items to internally displaced persons and other groups in parts of the country.

Our correspondent also learnt that she is at the verge of initiating a pet project, a platform that will be used to meet specific needs.

That has also been the style of previous First Ladies.

The Director of Media in the Office of the Wife of the President, Zakari Yau Nadabo, confirmed to our correspondent on Thursday that arrangements were ongoing for a pet project for Mrs. Buhari.

Nadabo said the first step was to identify the area where the President’s wife is interested in making intervention.

He said, “It is not about initiating a pet project alone. The first step is to identify the area. The plan is already in the pipeline. Issues are just beginning to take shape.

“We do not want to rush. We want to take our time to do a careful analysis so that we can intervene in critical areas."






http://www.punchng.com/news/aisha-buhari-takes-over-patience-jonathans-office/

Cc:Lalasticlala

Now we ve got an active president

A civil society group, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to consider the immediate past Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), for appointment.

The Executive Chairman of the group, Mr. Debo Adeniran, told our correspondent during an interview on Thursday that Fashola’s administration was engulfed in several controversies which could not be overlooked.

Adeniran said his organisation was troubled by many dilapidated schools in the state. He noted that when the Socio-Economic Right Accountability Project invoked the Freedom of Information Act to know how the Fashola government spent a $200m World Bank education funds, the state government refused to disclose it.

He said instead, the state government continued to run its affairs in secrecy by claiming that the FOI Act did not apply to state governments.

Adeniran said independent investigations by his organisation showed that the 1.36km Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge which was reportedly built for N25bn, cost only N6bn.

He said he had written a series of petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to probe the various projects of the Fashola government in the face of the over N500bn debt left behind by the government.

He said he was shocked to find out that the commission had continued to ignore all the petitions despite the fact that Fashsola no longer enjoyed immunity, having left office over 60 days ago.

In a letter addressed to the President titled, ‘Don’t elevate Fashola,’ the group said if Buhari wanted to actualise his mission of ‘change’ he would need to distance himself from controversy.

The letter read, “Mr. President, we are constrained at this point in time to bring to your attention our critical reaction to the unbridled speculation making the rounds for some time now, from the members of the public as well as the media, as to the fact that the immediate past governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, is being considered by the presidency for higher national responsibility. Feelers have it that his name is prominent on the list of the president’s nominees for key offices in your administration.

“It is gratifying that you have promised at various fora that your appointments would be purely based on merit and that tested technocrats, with impeccable records, would be given their rightful places in your administration, as a way of ensuring good governance to the people of Nigeria. It is against this background that our organisation is appealing to you to please take the pains to dig deep into Mr. Babatunde Fashola’s record of performance as well as that of financial propriety on the part of his government while in office.”

Fashola’s spokesperson, Mr. Hakeem Bello, did not respond to telephone calls as well as a text message sent to his phone.





http://www.punchng.com/politics/dont-give-fashola-appointment-cacol-tells-buhari/

Cc:Lalasticlala

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of scrapping the National Youth Service Corps as being suggested in some quarters.

This was just as the NYSC management was considering the option of making the scheme voluntary in order to reduce the intake of corps members.

There had been calls for the scrapping of the scheme since the outbreak of insurgency in parts of the country.

Insurgency had claimed the lives of some corps members in the northern parts of the country.

Proponents of the scrapping of the scheme had been arguing that the NYSC had outlived its usefulness.

But a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, quoted Buhari as pledging that his administration would take all necessary actions to maintain and improve the scheme as a functional vehicle for the promotion of national unity and integration.

Adesina said the President gave the assurance after receiving a briefing from officials of the Ministry of Youth Development led by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs. Rabi Jimeta.

The President was said to have affirmed his confidence and trust in the programme, saying that the objective for which the scheme was established in 1973 was still very relevant for national development.

“I firmly believe in the NYSC and I think it should remain a national programme to promote integration.

“Whenever I go home to Daura, I look out for corps members from Lagos, Aba and other parts of the country.

“I am always thrilled to learn that except for the NYSC, some of them have never left their states of origin to visit other cities in the country,” the President told the ministry’s officials.

Jimeta told the President that the increasing number of NYSC participants posed a challenge to the scheme due to the dwindling revenue from the national budget to cater for their needs.

She told the President that the annual enrolment of participants in the scheme had increased from 2,364 at inception in 1974 to 229,016 in 2014.

“Given the increasing number of tertiary institutions, our projection is that the number of corps participants may rise to 300,000 by year 2020,’’ she said.

Adesina also quoted the Director General of the NYSC, Brig.-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, as telling the President that there were plans to make the scheme voluntary.

This, he said, Adewunmi explained was meant to reduce the corps population in order to make the programme more sustainable


http://www.punchng.com/news/buhari-rules-out-scrapping-of-nysc-scheme-2/



Cc:Lalasticlala

The police in Lagos State have arrested a part-time lecturer, Afeez Baruwa, for allegedly raping an 18-year-old girl, identified as Caroline (pseudonym) in the Yaba area.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim, who was reportedly raped inside a study room, was seeking admission into the University of Lagos, Akoka.

It was gathered that Baruwa was arrested by the Surulere Police Division on Monday, August 3.

Our correspondent gathered that the lecturer, however, told the police in his statement that the sexual intercourse was by mutual consent, insisting that he did not rape the victim.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the lecturer and Caroline’s father belonged to the same landlords’ association in the Abesan, Ipaja area.

It was gathered that the victim’s father had allowed her daughter to follow the lecturer on July 23, to UNILAG for an admission process.

It was learnt that Baruwa allegedly took the girl inside one of the study halls, bolted the door, and raped her.

It was learnt that after the incident, Caroline, who told her parents about the rape, was taken to a non-governmental organisation, Mirabel Centre, where she was tested.

The medical result reportedly confirmed that the teenager was violated.

Our correspondent gathered that Caroline was thereafter taken to the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender, and the matter was also reported at the police station. Baruwa was subsequently arrested.

A police source in Surulere said, “The suspect is actually a friend of the father of the girl. The girl had written the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, and she needed assistance with the post-UTME.

“So, the father sent her to meet and discuss with the lecturer.

“But, it turned out that on July 23 when the girl visited the suspect, he raped the girl in the study room.

“The suspect confessed to the act, but his claim is that the sex was by mutual consent.”

The Director of the Office of the Public Defender, Mrs. Omotola Rotimi, said the OPD would write a letter to the UNILAG Vice-Chancellor on the incident, so as to ensure that such did not reoccur.

She said, “The victim’s father wanted the lecturer to assist with his daughter’s admission. On the fateful day, the girl left with the lecturer as early as 5.30am, and they got to the school at about 7am.

“No one had arrived at the hall except a woman. While the exams had yet to start, he raped her. She went home, and the father found out that her daughter had been raped. He took her to the Mirabel Centre, which then informed the OPD.

“The centre also contacted the police at the Surulere and Isokoko divisions, and the suspect was arrested.

“We are going to defend the girl, and we are writing the VC. The suspect is said to be in the Department of Accounting. He claimed the sex was consensual, but that is not a defence.”

Our correspondent gathered that Baruwa, who was in custody, would be charged to court on Thursday (today).

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Patricia Amadin, confirmed the arrest.

She said, “The suspect claims to be a part-time lecturer, but not an employee of the University of Lagos.

“He has confessed to the crime and the medical result proved same."



http://www.punchng.com/metro-plus/lecturer-rapes-18-year-old-admission-seeker-in-lagos/




Cc:Lalasticlala

There was panic on Freeman and Borno streets in the Oyingbo area of Lagos State when teenagers, armed with cutlasses and knives, attacked and looted shops, while some traders were injured in the area.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the teenagers, on the fateful day ─ Saturday ─ went to Old Apapa Road, Oyingbo, and stabbed three persons to death.

Our correspondent gathered that during the attack on the two streets, which lasted for about 30 minutes, the teenagers, who traders said numbered about 30, invaded the area at about 3pm and ordered the traders to leave their shops.

It was learnt that the hoodlums injured traders who did not obey them on time, forcing others to abandon their wares and scamper to safety.

The teenagers were reportedly led by one Idris Aloma, who was said to be based in the Sawmill, Okobaba area.

When PUNCH Metro visited the streets on Monday, two security officials in the area ─ Ishola Musibau and one Beckley ─ took our correspondent round the Oyingbo Market area to observe the damage.

Some of the traders told our correspondent that the assailants’ ages ranged from 15 to 20.

One of the traders, Bolaji Olumofe, told our correspondent that one of his workers was injured and was currently receiving treatment in a hospital.

He said, “The boys were no fewer than 30. Most of them wore white shirts. They had cutlasses and guns with them. They stormed the streets, and started entering shops at will.

“They attacked traders and workers. One of the workers is being treated in a hospital as we speak. They stole television sets and handsets. It was a daylight robbery.

“These boys were in three factions. One of the factions claimed to be mourning one of their leaders who was killed on Thursday. The second faction came later to Borno Way and attacked traders there too.

“The onslaughts happened for about 30 minutes. The teenagers went towards Freeman Street, shooting and daring residents to come out. The policemen from Denton division later came, but the hoodlums had fled.”

In Borno Way, two women who were robbed and injured told PUNCH Metro that except for the weapons that the hoodlums wielded, they were not older than their (women) children.

One of them said, “We were robbed at about 2.30pm. I have a refrigerator and I sell frozen foods. The boys just barged in with cutlasses and knives and began to seize bags and aprons. I lost about N300,000.

“Everyone ran away because of their number and weapons. My neighbour sells phones; they took all the phones after collecting her money. She has not come to the market since then.”

Our correspondent learnt that workers at the Sawmill, Okobaba area, had sent a petition to the state Commissioner of Police to rid the area of hoodlums.

The security official, Musibau, noted that the hoodlums were Fagbayimu and Kogbagidi boys, who, he claimed, had been arrested and granted bail on several occasions.

He said, “The violence started in the Sawmill, Okobaba Estate area on Friday, where two of the hoodlums were killed. The faction there mobilised to old Apapa Road on Saturday and killed three persons in a reprisal.

“It was after then that they moved to the market area, and began to loot shops and attack the traders. The hoodlums are known as Fagbayimu and Kogbagidi boys. They have ring leaders such as Taoreed, Lekan Sondoko, Ajayi and others.

“One of the persons they killed on Old Apapa Road is identified simply as Yoyo-the-tailor. It was a full-scale onslaught. The vigilance groups are going after these hoodlums. We cannot allow them to continue to harass and terrorise our women.”

Our correspondent learnt that while business activities had returned to both streets, some of the shops were still closed.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Patricia Amadin, confirmed the incident.

She added that four suspects had been arrested in connection with the violence.

She said, “Four suspects were arrested on Monday in the area. They are in the custody of the Area C Police Command, Surulere.”



http://www.punchng.com/metro-plus/teenagers-attack-shops-stab-three-to-death/


Cc:Lalasticlala

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said his administration had taken efforts to recover looted Nigerian resources a step further by searching for the banks keeping the proceeds of stolen oil.

Buhari said his government had started identifying banks, financial institutions and countries in which payments for stolen Nigerian crude oil had been made.

A statement by President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, quoted Buhari as saying this while granting audience to some United States Congressmen at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Adesina said the President acknowledged the support and cooperation his administration was receiving from the international community in gathering required intelligence for tracing and recovering of stolen national resources.

Buhari reportedly told the US congressmen led by Rep. Darrel Issa, “We are getting cooperation from the international community, including information on ships that take crude oil from Nigeria and change direction, or pour their contents into other ships mid-stream.

“Some monies were paid to individual accounts. We are identifying the financial institutions and countries that are involved.

“I have been assured that when we get all our documents together, the United States and other countries will treat our case with sympathy.’’

He also told them that his administration would welcome more regular meetings of the Nigeria-United States Bi-National Commission, noting that the commission could serve as a more useful platform for the promotion of bilateral trade and economic relations as well as joint cooperation in the war against terrorism.

Issa assured Buhari that the US would support Nigeria against Boko Haram by providing training, intelligence and military platforms.

Buhari’s latest revelation on the steps being taken by his administration to recover the country’s resources in the hands of corrupt citizens and oil thieves came on the heels of recent report that the President was handed a list of Nigerian oil thieves during his recent visit to the US.

“I can tell you that the President already has the list of names of the people engaging in the stealing of Nigeria’s oil,” someone in the entourage of Buhari to the US trip had confided in The PUNCH last week.

The source had said that Buhari was taken aback when he saw the names on the list and that the list given to the President by the US might compel him to probe the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

A Presidency source had also confirmed that Buhari had such a list but that “the President has been keeping the list to himself.”

The source, who spoke to The PUNCH about the list in the President’s possession, said the US gave Buhari two separate lists – one listing the names of top government officials who have been stealing the country’s oil, using their high offices to perpetrate the stealing; and the other containing the names of illegal oil bunkerers.

The President had also said last week that some ministers in the cabinet of Jonathan were stealing as much as 250,000 barrels of Nigeria’s crude daily.

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who was also on the President’s team to the US, said last week that a former minister stole as much as $6bn.

Apart from oil thieves, the Buhari administration has also reportedly zeroed in on corrupt public servants, with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission’s operatives already marking assets of some corrupt ‘super rich’ civil servants for possible confiscation.

The ICPC is said to have been set to approach the court this week for an order to effect seizure of choice properties said to have been acquired through ill-gotten wealth by corrupt civil servants.

Many of such assets, including buildings and state-of-the-art automobiles, were said to have been discovered in the Federal Capital Territory and other locations across the country.


http://www.punchng.com/news/buhari-were-identifying-banks-keeping-money-for-oil-thieves/




Cc:Lalasticlala

ishowdotgmail:
Good morning everyone in the house...


Pls want to confirm, for the post-UTME form did UI gave an account nmb to pay into nd gt the pin from Bank to continue ur online registration as it was done last year . Pls need a reply as soon as possible


Thanks

Answer please

Good morning everyone in the house...


Pls want to confirm, for the post-UTME form did UI gave an account nmb to pay into nd gt the pin from Bank to continue ur online registration as it was done last year . Pls need a reply as soon as possible


Thanks

Please friends,

Help vote this wonderful nairalander ROFIATE who just got nominated in an ongoing award(OGITECH)



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Cc:Lalasticlala

Morning everyone,

The #5300 are we to pay it into an account to start the registration process. Pls how do I go abt it

God bless BUHARI

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his government will not spare any member of the All Progressives Congress as well as associates found culpable of corruption.

The President, who is currently on a four-day visit to the United States President, Barack Obama, said this during an interview with the CNN anchor, Christiane Amanpour.

“If any of my associates or party member is indicted of corruption, they cannot escape justice. There is not going to be any APC member or any close personality found guilty that would escape justice,” he said.

Buhari reiterated his commitment to ending insurgency in the country, noting that the release of the Chibok girls was a paramount agenda of his government.

“Our main objective as a government is to secure the release of those girls safe and sound, back to their schools and rehabilitate them to go back to their normal lives. So, if we are convinced the girls would be delivered safe and sound, we will negotiate.”

The President said he was not disappointed that President Obama did not choose to visit Nigeria.

He said that he would send a formal invitation to the US President to visit Nigeria.

“I wouldn’t say I was disappointed that President Obama did not choose to visit Nigeria but I wish that he would change his mind and come to Nigeria. Well, I asked him to come and would send a formal invitation,” he said.

Reacting to criticism against his administration, Buhari said it was too early for people to pass judgment on him based on his campaign promises.

He said, “I think I can be held accountable for my promises in the next quarters I have ahead of me. I think it is too early for anybody to pass judment on my campaign promises.”

Responding to a question on whether he would trade the missing Chibok girls for the release of incarcerated members of the Boko Haram sect, Buhari said, “ We have to be very careful about the credibility of various Boko Haram leaders coming out to claim that they can deliver the girls . We have to be very careful indeed and we are taking our time because we want to bring them back safe and sound to their parents.

Buhari said he supported the trial of former Chadian dictator, Hissene Habre, anywhere so far justice prevails.

He said, “Justice is justice, whether it’s done in Africa or anywhere in the world. The most important thing is let justice be done. Whatever evidence that the prosecution has in Senegal, I think it should proceed to make it available to the world and prosecute him according to international law.”

Commenting on whether or not his administration would negotiate with the Boko Haram sect, Buhari insisted that the major objective of his administration was to secure the release of the girls.

He said, “I cannot be against it. I told you that our main objective as a government is to secure those girls safe and sound back to their schools and rehabilitate them to get back to normal life.

So, if we are convinced that the leaders (of Boko Haram) can deliver those girls safe and sound, we wouldn’t fail to negotiate what they want.”

In another development, Buhari said the introduction of the Permanent Voter Cards and card readers by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the last general elections made the difference between the previous elections he had participated in and the last one he won.

Buhari said this in Washington during a meeting he had with the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, during his ongoing four-day official visit to the US.

Buhari again thanked the US for its support and assistance to Nigeria ahead of the elections.

He particularly thanked Kerry who visited Nigeria twice before the conduct of the March 28 presidential election when he presented American government’s position on the need for free and fair general elections in Nigeria.

He said Nigeria would remain grateful to the US for exerting pressure on the former government to ensure peaceful and credible elections.

The President said, “The United States’ message sent to the previous administration was clean and clear that the United States would not accept anything extra constitutional and that prepared the minds of Nigerians to make us arrive where we are today.”



http://www.punchng.com/news/i-wont-spare-any-corrupt-apc-member-buhari/


Cc:Lalasticlala

mrvitalis:
Money is good

I must make it in life.....

Click LIKE if u believe so

Hope Emoney no dy use im John Thomas hit d lady for dt 6th picture sha

coolnice:
Oyo. Ibadan to the precise

That's my state oooo

Leave Ibadan people alone na

Pls has any kind of registration started apart from d one UI stated will start on the 27th. Like online registration or so, cos someone "an applicant" said she's doing one reg lik dt

Definitely from which state??