₦airaland Forum

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in Plateau State on Wednesday said two of its members were killed on Sunday, just as no fewer than 232 cows stolen in an attack in a Fulani settlement in Jos South LGA of the state.


Alhaji Haruna Boro Hussaini, who is the state chairman of the association, said the attack happened in Rengyel village of Jos South Local Government Area of the state, Sundayevening.

READ MORE:
http://www.firstafricanews.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3507:two-killed-232-cows-stolen-in-renewed-plateau-attack&Itemid=370

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday declared his intention to contest for the 2015 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stressing that his unshakeable faith on Nigeria has been hinged on the resilience of the Nigerian people.

Speaking at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, where he addressed a World Press Conference today, the former founding member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said his focus is to run a government that would place premium on improved living conditions and provision of security to the citizenry.

READ MORE:
http://www.firstafricanews.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3494:atiku-declares-for-2015-presidential-poll&Itemid=138

It was shock and disbelieve yesterday in Ilorin the Kwara state capital after two people died while another went into comma and hospital after the trio allegedly consumed herbal concoction.


The incident, which occurred in Adeta Area of the state capital, threw people into panic and confusion.

FirstAfricaNews investigation revealed that the victims identified as Mallam Yunus Akeju , Abdulganiyu Owo- Iya and Saka Orire had taken the liquid substance on Monday night at a popular place in the area where they usually converge for peer group meeting.

While Yunus, who was said to have complained of running stomach around 8pm after taking the herb died on Monday night, Owo-Iya reportedly gave up the ghost yesterday morning following serial complaints of stomach upset.

Saka Orire , now undergoing treatment at the hospital, was said to be a driver in the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) while the late Owo- Iya was said to be a vulcanizer.

READ MORE:
http://www.firstafricanews.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3458:agbo-herbal-concoction-kills-two-sends-one-to-coma-in-kwara&Itemid=138

Ahmad Salkida, the self-exiled journalist with access to the leadership of Boko Haram has said that it is not true that Abubakar Shejau died in Konduga expedition where many of his sect “warriors” were killed last Wednesday.


Salkida also said it is no true that the Red Cross is negotiating on behalf of the Federal Government with the sect to free or swap the kidnapped Chibok girls with some arrested militants.

“Mark my words: I have it on authority that Shekau is well & alive; the picture going round is NOT the person who torments us with his group”, Salkida said in a tweet from his present base in Dubai, United Arab Emirate.

He added that “: There is NO negotiation either by the @ICRC or any negotiator on the release of #chibokgirls with #BH Shura as I write this” on Monday on his tweeter handle.

According to senior military and intelligence sources both in Nigeria and Camroon, “it is getting more certain that the terrorists’ commander who has been mimicking Shekau in those videos is the one killed in Konduga on September 17, 2014.”

During a desperate attempt to capture Konduga in their delusion to eventually marching on and capturing Maiduguri, the man who had been mimicking Late Abubakar Shekau in recent videos might have been finally killed.

The PRNigeria said the suspected demise of the Boko Haram leader is responsible for the scattering of the sect members in different independent locations in the neighbouring countries, especially in Cameroon noticed in recent days.

The security sources did not deny the suspicion but cautioned that “the process of confirming that the dead body we have is the same as that character who has been posing as Shekau is ongoing. He is definitely a prominent terrorist commander. I don’t want to say anything about this yet please.”
Another high ranking military source insisted that the resemblance is too striking to be a coincidence. They cited his facial marks, beards and teeth apart from the recovery by the Nigerian troops of some of the Armoured Vehicles and Hilux jeeps that had featured in previous videos of the prime suspect.

The officers assured that the Defence Headquarters will soon address the nation after full investigation of their latest discovery.

Ahmad Salkida, a Nigerian journalist who previously worked for Daily Trust and Premium Times and reported extensively on Boko Haram, fled Nigeria to Dubai 2 years ago after being accused of being a Boko Haram sympathizer.
He said he fled after ‘his life and that of his family became endangered’ after security agencies began to mistake his in-depth reporting on the terrorist group as evidence of his closeness to them.

Salkina went underground for several weeks before finally fleeing Nigeria. Salkida was perhaps the only Nigerian journalist/civilian to have access to Boko Haram, and he said at the time that he’d turned down Boko Haram’s many requests for him to publish exclusive interviews and materials for them.

Nigerian government once flew Ahmad Salkida back home to negotiate with Boko Haram on their behalf, since he’s the only civilian who has allegedly seen Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and come out alive.

http://www.firstafricanews.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=3408:shekau-still-alive-no-negotiation-to-release-chibok-girls-salkida&Itemid=288

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Aminu Wali on Thursday summoned the Egyptian ambassador to Nigeria to protest the maltreatment of 17-year-old Nigerian by the State-owned Egypt Air.


The17 year-old Joshua Kunle Abdul-Azeez , a Nigerian medical student studying in Ukraine, went through hell in the hands of the staff and management of Egypt Air due to no fault of his.

Here is Abdul-Azeez story as told by him:
“On Friday, August 15, 2014 my mother and I went to Egypt Air head office at 22B Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island, Lagos to book a return ticket for me to go back to school to continue my studies at Dnepropetrovsk Medical Academy, Dnepropetrovsk Ukraine. This was about 11:15 am.

“On entering the Egypt air office we met Mr. Tony Nzan on counter 1 to attend to us and we asked to book a ticket to Kiev, Ukraine. Mr. Tony Nzan explained to us the itinerary for the flight going to Ukraine after which we went to the bank to withdraw money and returned to pay for the ticket and obtained two printouts, so that my mother could have my return itinerary from Kiev next year.

“We reviewed the ticket itinerary before leaving Egypt air’s office and immediately observed that the airport code indicated on it was different from what we were familiar with, having traveled to Kiev before. The ticket indicated an unfamiliar airport code.

“We immediately brought this discovery to another ticketing officer’s attention who was seated at Counter 2, as we were informed that his colleague, Mr. Nzan, had stepped out of the office. This ticketing officer restated that the ticket was full economy and for Kiev, Ukraine with all the segments confirmed. However, we remained unconvinced, given that our prior experience indicated that the airport code for Kiev, Ukraine would usually read “KBP”.

“On my scheduled date of departure (18th August, 2014) my mother and I arrived for check-in at 10.30am. Given our apprehension, we once again mentioned our concern to the agent at the check-in counter and requested that she reconfirm the final travel destination indicated on my ticket. She confirmed that the ticket indicated “KIV” and was bound for Kiev, Ukraine. My mother then told her it should read Borispol International Airport KBP not KIV or Chisinahu as was indicated on the ticket.

“Given our insistence over this and the fact that there was now a queue building up behind us she called her supervisor, one Mr Lucas to check the ticket. He asked us what the matter was and we explained to him that we believed the routing on my ticket was wrong. We also told him we had complained about this, the day the ticket was purchased but that we were repeatedly told that the routing was to Kiev.

“We also mentioned to him that we went back to Egypt Air’s Victoria Island office on Saturday morning (16th August ) still very concerned about the ticket. The place was closed for business. My mum then asked that I show Mr. Lucas and his colleague my residence and study permits for Ukraine and reaffirm my intended destination to be Kiev in Ukraine and not the place indicated on the ticket, which appeared to be “Chisinahu.”

“Mr. Lucas proceeded to telephone Mr. Tony who issued the ticket to reconfirm routing but Mr. Tony insisted that the code (KIV) was Egypt air’s code for Ukraine.
“Mr. Tony also became nonchalant and abusive and said that my mother “was just being troublesome”. My mother then directed that I get the boarding passes which had earlier been printed for me since they were insisting it was Egypt Air’s code for Ukraine and that they were representatives of the airline. She warned Mr. Lucas that for the airline’s sake, she hoped that they were right and we were wrong. I checked in my two suit cases with a total weight of 47.5kg and went to the departure gate and boarded the flight.

“I arrived Cairo shortly after 10pm same day and was compelled to remain in the transit area for 14 hours, without feeding. No accommodation was provided by the airline. I presented myself for boarding at the boarding gate at 9am the following morning (August 19th) and was the third passenger on queue for boarding to Istanbul. When it was my turn, the Egypt air boarding staff insisted that I present my Ukrainian visa before processing my boarding pass.

She did not ask same of the passengers ahead of me. I explained that I had a permit because I school there and presented the permit stamp on my passport, whilst explaining that the document was in my hand luggage. Still, she insisted that I moved aside and present the original document. I then retrieved it from the luggage.

Having seen my permit, the staff still refused to allow me through and insisted I remain at the corner I was in. I complied and watched closely to see if she would follow the same procedure for all other passengers boarding, but to my surprise, not once did she do so. I remained there until everyone else had boarded before she came round to scrutinise the original permit and eventually allowed me to board the flight. We departed Cairo for Istanbul at 10.50am.

We arrived at Istanbul at 2pm on 19th August and I was again compelled to remain in transit for another 17 hours, without accommodation, food or water.

At 7am on 20th August, I boarded the flight in Istanbul, expecting to arrive Ukraine at 6am local time. Once onboard the flight, I slept off due to fatigue and hunger – having been deprived of good sleep and food for 2 days at the time. When I woke up, the flight hostesses had already served refreshment and passed me by. I then requested for my meal but was told it was too late to be served.

Once we landed, believing I was in Ukraine, I proceeded to immigration and presented my travel documents. The immigration officer asked that I wait at his desk, left and then returned with a local police officer. Both officers then explained to me in Russian language that I was not in Ukraine but in Moldova (a distinct country) and that the best they could do was to send me back to Istanbul, where I could then buy a new ticket to Kiev.

My passport was then handed over to the pilot of the next flight to Istanbul and I was given my baggage tags for my two suit cases that had by now been placed in the main cabin of the plane.

When I boarded the plane and sat on seat (23E) assigned to me, a male member of the cabin crew ordered me to stand up, sent me to the back of the plane and told me not to move. Another member of the cabin crew sat with me for the entire duration of the flight. I felt so degraded at being treated like a criminal. I was given neither food nor drink throughout the flight back to Istanbul. This was now my third day without food or water. I had now developed a cough and my gums were all swollen.

We arrived at Istanbul and I was immediately taken to the deportation office, where my passport was handed to the officer on duty. The officer interrogated me on what happened and I explained to him how the airline had ticketed me to a wrong destination. I asked if I could be allowed to buy a ticket to Ukraine from there (with my school fees in my possession), which was my intended destination all along.

The officer agreed to my purchasing a new ticket to Kiev and I was placed in a room for over four hours. After two hours of not knowing what was going on or what was being done with my documents, I requested to use the toilet, in the hope that I would find a cell phone to borrow and call my family to inform them of what was happening, but the officer posted outside the room refused and ordered me to sit down.

I continued asking to use the toilet for over 10 minutes until she finally allowed me to go and answer the call of nature. I eventually found a telephone and then called my elder sister in Nigeria, explained the situation to her and asked her to inform my mother. Once my mother was informed, she contacted my university and her Ukrainian liaison agent in Kiev and requested that they assist by purchasing a ticket on my behalf for Kiev, which would enable me to leave for Ukraine from Istanbul.

The ticket was swiftly purchased and I was forwarded the “PNR number” by phone. I then proceeded to Egypt air’s transit desk and explained what had happened. I gave the lady on duty the PNR number for new ticket and requested her to assist me check-in for the flight to Ukraine. She refused to entertain my explanation and told me they would send me back to Nigeria, no matter what I did.

Another Egypt airline official joined us and to my utter shock and dismay, picked up my passport and tore it, saying “these bloody Nigerians”. I looked at the man expecting an apology, but got none. He ordered me to stand up, saying that I was getting on a flight to Cairo.

At about 6pm I was taken to the boarding gate for the flight to Cairo and my documents were handed over to the cabin crew. I was once again treated like a criminal and taken to the back of the plane. A cabin crew member gave me some water and handed me only one baggage tag and informed me that one had gotten missing.
I arrived Cairo at 8pm on 20thAugust 2014. My documents were again passed from the cabin crew of the Egypt Air flight I arrived with to another Egypt air ground official. Yet again, I tried to explain the situation and my grueling ordeal over the past last three days to her.

I went as far as showing her my school papers and residence permit for Ukraine expecting some understanding and empathy, whilst hoping against hope that she may be different from the others and finally listen and hopefully help me get on a flight to school. Instead, she handed me over to Egyptian police officers, who locked me up in a deportation cell without explanation. I waited in there for about one hour and then knocked on the door to inquire why I was locked-up in the cell like a common criminal.

However, I was kept there for over 12 hours, till the following morning (21st August), degraded, dehumanised and with no food or water for three full days. At this point I was very weak physically, developed sores all over my mouth, my gum was painfully swollen all round, and I had begun coughing terribly, with thick yellow discharges.

When I felt like using the toilet I knocked on the cell door and an Egyptian policeman came to open the cell from outside. I told the Egyptian policeman that I needed to use the toilet but he declined and forcefully shoved me back into the cell and locked the door again. After few minutes, I, again, repeated the plea to be allowed to use the toilet, and the same officer came to the door. I explained that I was severely pressed and needed to use the toilet. Yet again, he pushed me back into the cell before I could finish pleading and locked the door.

Here I was, 17 years of age, so far away from home with no family communication, hungry, weak, very tired and being treated like a common criminal without any human consideration whatsoever; I became desperately terrified and wondered if I would live through this ordeal or die hopelessly and forgotten in a strange land.

I was eventually deported from Cairo and arrived back in Lagos, after four traumatic days, on 21st August 2014. My luggage which contained all my books, newly acquired clothes, birthday gifts (including a brand new PS4 game console), money to last me through the new semester, and other valuables, remains missing till date – with no explanation whatsoever from the airline, regarding its whereabouts. The luggage that did arrive with me was visibly damaged, and I later discovered when I checked through, that it had been vandalized as several items packed into it before I left home were discovered missing.

On arrival in Lagos, I was straightway rushed off to Rivet Specialist Hospital at Ajao Estate, Lagos, for medical attention as my health had visibly deteriorated substantially and, as the hospital would later confirm my body had become critically emaciated. I was immediately placed on critical watch, administered intravenous fluids, antibiotics and other prescriptive drugs.

A man who was later identified as Khaled El Rafie (General Manager Lagos, Egypt Air), came along with my mother to meet me at the airport on arrival. He showed little sympathy for what his staff and organization had put a 17-year old passenger through.

He displayed extreme arrogance and perfunctory remorse about my plight and, to my total dismay, added more insult to injury by saying that his own boss in Egypt commented that “I may have been locked up in a cell in Cairo because of Ebola virus”. When my mum got very angry at his general approach and utterances, he told her “why are you shouting…..?” He wasn’t going to assist on the matter anymore, and then he walked away”. This was all before I was taken to the hospital for medical attention.

Joshua has since returned to school in Ukraine. He flew on KLM flight.The immigration helped in procuring him with another passport in one day.
Egypt Air reacts
Investigations at Egypt Air Head office where Mr Kunle AbdulAzeez purchased his ticket revealed that there has been palpable fear about what Abdulazeez’s guardians would do next after the visit of his uncle, Mr Toju Gbenebichie, to Egypt Air office.

Mr Khaled El Rafie, General Manager, Lagos, Egypt Air, but was told that he traveled and will be back later in the day. But members of staff of Egypt Air told Vanguard that the entire organization was very remorseful about the incident especially as it involved a 17 year old boy.

One of them who begged for anonymity , as they have not been mandated to speak on the issue, said it was actually “a mix up” on the part of Egypt Air ticket officer, Mr Tony Nzan.
The officer also said Mr Nzan has been very sober after the incident and he went the extra mile of trying to arrange an alternative ticket through a friend in Turkish Airline to convey Mr Kunle AbdulAzeez to Ukraine.

The officer added that the arrangement to compensate AbdulAzeez with alternative ticket was put on hold after the visit of his uncle to Egypt Air office and after “raising hell”, and threatened to take Egypt Air to court. Efforts to speak with Mr Tony Nzan proved abortive as he insisted that he has been made to write a report on what actually happened and this has been submitted to the General Manager who now has the authority to address the issue.

NCAA begins investigation
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has begun investigation into the matter. The authority is already in receipt of the official complaint lodged by Toju Gbenebichie, the uncle of Joshua. They have asked for the copies of the ticket, the boarding pass and other relevant documents that could help their case.

A letter signed by Abdulmalik Ifueko for the AGM Flight Operations/Adjudication Unit in the Consumer Protection Directorate yesterday confirmed this.

A source said that among other things “tearing the Nigerian passport is a direct affront on the government and people of Nigeria and will be taken seriously depending on the outcome of the investigations.”

First Lady Patience Jonathan has said that the Synagogue Church of All Nations building collapse in Lagos was a needless tragedy.


Mrs Jonathan, in a statement yesterday by her spokesman, Ayo Adewuyi, expressed sadness over the incident which had reportedly claimed over 60 lives.
She said the incident was a needless tragedy “at this crucial time in the nation and for those who had gone to the sanctuary to seek the face of the Lord”.

The first lady commiserated with families of the victims and the General Overseer of the church, Pastor T.B. Joshua.
“As the mother of the nation, my thoughts are with you and the entire congregation at this time of your grief”, the statement quoted her as condoling Pastor T.B. Joshua.


The first lady prayed God for the repose of the victims’ souls and grant the congregation the fortitude to bear the loss.

In order to ensure full compliance with the Abuja Master Plan, the FCT Administration between July 1 and September 12, 2014 sealed up 70 property in some highbrow areas of the Federal Capital City, Abuja.


The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed CON, made this disclosure after meeting with some senior officials of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) in his office.

The Minister revealed that these 70 property sealed up are situated in Maitama, Wuse II and Gwarimpa II Districts; saying that the sealing of defaulting property would be a continuous exercise.

He reiterated the need for property owners in the Federal capital City to use their property according to the land use as enshrined in the Abuja Master Plan and approved by the FCT Development Control Department.

Senator Mohammed emphasized that the FCT Administration would not fold its arms to watch property owners engaging in land use contravention, because such contraventions also affect the Federal Capital City planning.

The Minister further disclosed that 27 property in the Federal Capital City have been served with land use contravention bills to discourage such acts which no doubt has been impacting negatively on the environment.

According to him, a total of 473 building plans were submitted during the same period under review to the FCT Development Control Department, while 384 were approved forthwith.

Senator Mohammed similarly disclosed that the FCT Development Control Department has in the same period approved a total of 263 setting out/stage applications.

He announced that the FCT Administration has commenced the enforcement of re-decoration of property that exhibits some level of decay in the capital city.
Senator Mohammed thus directed the FCT Development Control Department to invigorate the process of enhancing the aesthetic of individual property in the Federal Capital City to give the facelift Abuja deserves.

The Minister called on the residents of the Federal Capital Territory, particularly property owners to cooperate with the FCT Administration; stressing that everything would be done to maintain the Abuja Master Plan because Abuja remains the window through which the World sees Nigeria.

As 12 soldiers bagged death sentences for mutiny in Abuja, 15 other soldiers in Yola were yesterday handed a four year jail-term each at the 23rd Armoured Brigade, for their refusal to go to the war front against the insurgent Boko Haram sect.


The soldiers reportedly had been in detention for over three weeks.
They were sentenced by the military command for insubordination and refusal to face the Boko Haram as directed by their superior officers.

Some of the men were said to have fled from their duty posts and back to the cantonment after their colleagues have departed to face firework against the fundamentalists’ sect.

The source added: “The soldiers had allegedly refused the orders of their superiors to draft back to the theatre of war.
“In the military tradition, a soldier is expected to obey the last order but the 15 soldiers convicted by the military command were adjudged to have committed acts of insubordination by their refusal to draft to the warfront.”

The source maintained that the decision of the military, which came a few days after some soldiers who staged a mutiny and attacked the GOC, 3 Division in Maiduguri, were sentenced to death, is intended to reinforce sanity and discipline in the Nigerian Army.

“The military has been grappling with soldiers deserting from their tour of duty only to re-surface with all manner of tales, and the development is gradually beginning to impugn on the integrity of the military establishment,” he said.

The development has caused disquiet within the ranks of non-commissioned soldiers as they express dismay over the punishment being meted to their colleagues for no fault of theirs.

A non-commissioned soldier who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “Many of the soldiers were already disillusioned about the war which has claimed the lives of many.


“We felt that nobody cared about us anymore, as our concern, welfare and lives seemed to have no value in the eyes of our superiors,” the source noted. “So what do you do in a situation like this? You are asked to go into a war without the necessary weapons; whether you die in the process, nobody cares. Your colleagues who died in the process were not given a befitting honour,” the source concluded.

The Board of Trustees of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), has endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as the candidate's sole candidate in the February 14 Presidential elections at it's meeting Thursday.


The Board also approved the time table and guidelines for party primaries.
On Wednesday evening the Governors elected on the platform of the party also endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as their sole candidate for the 2015 presidential election.

The governors took the decision after their meeting at the Akwa Ibom State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja.
Before the meeting, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, had announced that the party had fixed November 29 and December 6 as dates for the party’s governorship and presidential primaries, respectively.

The Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, who is also the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, told journalists after the meeting that decision to make Jonathan their sole candidate was not challenged by any of the governors that attended the meeting.

Ministers, represented by the Minister of Youths Development had also on Tuesday endorsed Jonathan for automatic re-election, declaring that there was no vacancy in Aso Rock during the Goodluck Support Group rally at Eagles Square