₦airaland Forum

Temperamental Ekiti state Governor elect, Ayodele Fayose, slapped a court judge today for being rude to him and then ordered his thugs to beat him further.
The victim is Justice John Adeyeye of the Ekiti High Court, Ado Ekiti.
The action of Fayose and his thugs triggered some pandemonium in the court, with judicial workers and others running into safety. The sitting of the Ekiti State Governorship Election petition Tribunal could also not hold.

Premium Times quoting witnesses said that PDP thugs had besieged the court premises as early as 6am, while a detachment of policemen from the police headquarters were also seen on major streets and around the court.
Justice Adeyeye of High Court 3, who was miffed by the huge number of the thugs as they surged towards the court premises had approached Mr Fayose and urged him to prevail on “his supporters” to keep a safe distance from the court premises.
“An enraged Mr. Fayose was said to have shouted the judge down, slapped him and ordered his men to beat him up.
Immediately, thugs numbering about 20 pounced on Justice Adeyeye, beat him up and tore his clothes, while his co workers scampered and shouted for help.
Following the development, judicial workers hurriedly shut down the court premises thereby preventing any court proceeding for hours before the police fired tear gas canisters to disperse the hoodlums.
Justice Adeyeye is presently receiving treatment at a private hospital in Ado-Ekiti.
On Monday, PDP thugs had also attacked Justice Adeyeye, adjudicating in a case filed by Ekiti 11 to determine Fayose’s eligibility for the June 21 governorship election.
At a press conference in Lagos on Wednesday, Fayose had accused the state judiciary of working in cahoots with the ruling All Progressives Congress to disqualify him and dispossess him of his governorship mandate.
The governor-elect said this was the primary reason a socio-political group, Ekiti-11, went to court to ensure that it could achieve this through the back door.
He said it was through what he called a ‘dubious’ court judgement that a former governor, Segun Oni, was ousted, paving the way for Governor Kayode Fayemi of the APC in 2010.
Fayose, however, vowed that the people of the state would not allow his mandate to be stolen, as they were now more enlightened than before.
He said, “The whole scheming in Ekiti State is just about the APC obtaining judgement through the back door after losing elections on June 21, 2014. You will recall that Segun Oni’s tenure was truncated through this back door judgement by some judicial officers who have been compromised.
“They can go as far as losing their career if and when politicians pay them well. The Ekiti people have spoken and they have spoken well. I came back into the country on Tuesday night and I have been briefed on the developments in the state. I want to state clearly that we will not allow any back door judgement to stall my inauguration.

read more,
source: http://odunlade..com/2014/09/fayose-beats-up-ekiti-court-judge.html

Authorities have declared a 24-hour curfew in the Nigerian city of Kaduna after two blasts killed at least 44 people.

The first explosion on Wednesday targeted a convoy of a prominent Muslim cleric Dahuru Bauchi, leaving 25 people dead. A second blast hours later in a crowded market area killed at least 19 people, according to local police.

The Reuters news agency reported a death toll of 50 for the second blast, as witnesses also claimed a much higher figure than that provided by police.

Bauchi, a cleric who publicly criticised the Nigerian armed group Boko Haram, reportedly escaped the attack on his convoy unhurt.

The blast scattered debris and dead bodies on the Alkali Road in the city centre, but missed Bauchi, who was conducting Muslim prayers in Murtala Muhammed square, two witnesses told Reuters.

Ahmed Maiyaki, a spokesman for the state government, said a 24-hour had been imposed on Kaduna.

"The measure is aimed at forestalling breakdown of law and order," he said, adding the attacks had been carried out "by the agents of darkness".

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Boko Haram has been staging attacks, especially with explosives, outside its northeastern heartlands in the past three months.

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/curfew-imposed-after-at-least-44-killed.html

A second explosion rocked a crowded market area in northern Nigeria’s Kaduna city on Wednesday, police said, after a suicide bomber targeting the convoy of a prominent cleric killed at least 25 people.
Kaduna police spokesman Aminu Lawan said casualty figures were not yet clear for the second blast in the Kawo area of the city, a few kilometres from the scene of the bombing on the convoy of Dahiru Bauchi, a cleric who has publicly criticised Boko Haram Islamists.
•Scene of the bomb blast at Emab Plaza, Wuse 2, in Abuja recently. Photo: Femi Ipaye

“We have recorded a blast which is apparently a suicide blast targeting the convoy of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi,” who escaped unhurt, Kaduna police chief Umar Shehu said. “Twenty-five people have so far been confirmed dead,” he added.

The explosion went off at roughly 12:30pm (1130 GMT) as Bauchi’s convoy was driving in an open-roofed truck, greeting well-wishers who had assembled for the closing of a prominent Koranic festival.
Bauchi, like most of Nigeria’s prominent Muslim leaders, has publicly condemned Boko Haram’s brutal five-year uprising aimed at creating a strict Islamic state in the north.

The insurgents have accused Nigeria’s senior cleric of betraying the faith by submitting to the authority of a secular government, currently led by a devout Christian, President Goodluck Jonathan.
Boko Haram has claimed the killing of several clerics across the north, while assassination attempts targeting Nigeria’s second and third most powerful Islamic leaders have both failed.

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/another-blast-rips-through-kaduna.html

The scene of the incident.
No fewer than four persons were said to have lost their lives on Monday after the driver of a truck loaded with bags of sachet water crashed into a market along LASU-Isheri Road, Odo Eran, Lagos State.
About six others, including two children, were reportedly injured in the incident that was said to have occurred at about 9.30am.
Ralphcrown .comlearnt that the driver, identified as Fredrick Stanley, had tried to avoid hitting a woman who was alighting from a tricycle before the truck crashed into the market due to a break failure.
Ralphcrown. gathered that the driver’s effort was not successful as he eventually rammed into the woman, crushing her and three others in the market to death.

The remains of the dead were said to have been deposited at a morgue in the Yaba area of the state, while the injured persons were taken to a hospital.
It was also said that some of the butchers operating in an abattoir inside the market attacked the driver with cutlasses when he attempted to flee the scene.
When our correspondent visited the place around 11.30am, the front part of the market, where pepper and other soup ingredients were being sold, was in shambles.
Items such as pepper, salt, pieces of meat, and sachets of pure water were entrapped in the rubble. Law enforcement agents were also on ground to help in the evacuation of the truck.
An eyewitness, who declined to give her name, told our correspondent that she identified four corpses and six injured persons, adding that their remains were mangled on the floor.
She said, “As far as I could see, four women died ─ the woman that the driver was trying to avoid, a woman who wanted to buy pepper, the pepper seller and one woman who was selling onion.”
A trader in the market said it was very unfortunate that the onion seller who they used to call “Mama” died at a time she was the sole bread winner of her family since her husband died sometime last year. She said Mama was eating when the disaster befell her.
The Divisional Police Officer, Ikotun Division, Mr. Haruna Alaba, who was also at the scene of the incident, declined to give the number of the victims to our correspondent.
However, an unnamed official of the Federal Road Safety Corps and the Chairman of the butchers in the market, Alhaji Kazeem Bamidele, said the accident claimed two lives while some persons were injured. They, however, did not disclose the number of the injured.
Bamidele also refuted the claim that his men attacked the driver.
The butchers’ boss said, “It is very shocking. I was not around when it happened. They called me on the phone and on getting here I felt very sad with the situation of things. I was told that two women died while others sustained minor injuries.
“This has never happened before since this market opened 20 years ago. I pray that God give the families of the deceased the fortitude to bear the loss of their loved ones.”
Bamidele explained further that the recklessness of commercial riders in the area was to a large extent responsible for the incident.
The DPO, who later addressed the riders, warned them to move their park from a sharp bend opposite the market.
“You can see that point is a sharp corner which makes it difficult for an oncoming vehicle to notice that you (riders) are there. As from now on, whoever operates near the point will be duly sanctioned,” he said.
The Lagos State police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident.
She said, “An accident at Igando inward Isheri Olofin was reported to the police. It happened around 9am. The driver of a van marked, ACC 996 XG, carrying pure (sachet) water lost control and killed two persons, while others were injured. The driver’s name is Fredrick Stanley and he is now in police custody.”

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/strategy-as-truck-crushes-four-to-death.html

Cameroon Army steps up cooperation with Nigeria to combat Boko Haram
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, on Tuesday said that Cameroon had deployed about 1,000 soldiers to Nigerian border to fight Boko Haram.

Wali made the statement in Lagos at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) 17th Brainstorming Session on “Nigeria’s Foreign Policy: Community and National Security Situation”.
The minister was represented by Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, a director at the ministry. He said that the Cameroonian Government’s gesture was an outcome of the Paris Summit on Security in Nigeria.
“In responding to the threat being posed by Boko Haram, Nigeria had to embrace the opportunity presented by the May 17th, 2014 Paris Summit on Security in Nigeria. Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram leader
“Since the Paris Summit, a number of significant steps have been taken, especially establishment of the Intelligence Fusion Centre, technical assistance by our international partners and deployment by Cameroon of 1,000 troops.”
The minister also said that the meeting of the foreign ministers in London on June 12 took steps aimed at strengthening the response to the Chibok girls’ abduction and tackling Boko Haram menace.
Wali, however, said that rescuing the Chibok girls would require extreme care, tact and patience so as not to expose the girls to harm. “Our security forces are, therefore, taking utmost care in dealing with the situation,” he said.
Amb. Tayo Ogunsilire, President of Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria (ARCAN), said that there were challenges in the effectiveness of the nation’s foreign service.
“The reality is that the service is nowhere near fulfillment of the hopes and aspirations of the founding fathers and pioneers of the service,” he said.

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/boko-haram-cameroon-deploys-troops-to.html

Charles Okonkwo Jr., a Long Island, New York, teenager with a history of psychiatric problems killed his 15-year old brother and brutally beat his mother — a respected physician — into a coma over the weekend, police say.
Okonkwo, 18, has been charged with assault on his mother, Chinwe Okonkwo, 52, on Saturday in Dix Hill, New York, but does not yet face charges on the death of Bradley Okonkwo.

Mrs Okonkwo, a Brooklyn doctor, has received the Congressional Leadership Award and runs Hope Outreach Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promote public health in Brooklyn and across the world.
Charles Okonkwo Sr., Mrs Okonkwo’s husband, returned home from a hospital stay on Saturday night and found his son Bradley dead in his bedroom. His wife was laying unconscious in a pool of blood next to her car in the garage, Newsday reports.
Mrs Okonkwo was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where she remains in critical condition. She suffered facial fractures and doctors have had to relieve swelling on her brain.

Medical examiners could not immediately determine Bradley Okonkwo’s cause of death and are doing more tests to try to determine how he died.
Charles Okonkwo Jr. was arrested Saturday night shortly after the attack was discovered. He had fled the family home in his parents’ BMW X5 SUV, but was spotted by police just a short distance away from the crime scene.
He admitted to ‘hurting’ his mother and little brother, authorities say. In court on Sunday, a defense said that Charles Okonkwo Jr. had a history of mental illness, but didn’t elaborate on what sorts of problems he has.
Authorities also offered no motive for the alleged attack. Members of Long Island’s Nigerian immigrant community stopped by the Okonkwo house on Sunday to pay their respects to the family.
A family friend Lawrence Monwe told Newsday that: “This is very tragic. No one saw it coming. This was the perfect family you wouldn’t expect it to happen to.

for more picture.

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/nigerian-teen-arrested-after-killing.html

A pure water truck has rammed into a meat market (Odo-Eran), on Governors’ Road along LASU-Iba expressway killing at least 10 persons. The truck which was carrying bags of pure water for distribution reportedly lost control and rammed into stalls at the market which is not far from the road.


An eyewitness, who chose to be identified as Tunde, told our reporter that the driver of the bus lost control just as he neared the market. “I want to believe he lost control because there is no plausible explanation for this accident,” said Tunde who arrived the scene shortly after the accident had occurred.

The accident has halted vehicular along the road particularly for tricycle (Keke Marwa) riders who operate commercially from Ikotun to Governors Road. A Keke Marwa rider who spoke to P.M. News said it was a sad event because some of the people who died in the accident were friends of Keke riders.

“We have some friends in this silly accident. I have been plying this road for years and have never seen something this gory. This is a big tragedy for everyone at the market and for Keke riders too,” Isaac said.
A Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officer who was controlling the traffic said that they could not ascertain the cause of the accident. “We have to investigate the crash because we were not here when it happened,” he said.
As at press time, a towing van had arrived the scene to lift the pure water truck.

source:http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/monday-tragedy-truck-rams-into-market.html#more

A nine-year-old schoolboy has become one of the world's youngest grooms for the second time - marrying his 62-year-old wife again.
Looking a little taller in last year's silver tuxedo, baby faced Saneie Masilela clutched the hand of Helen Shabangu as they repeated their vows one year on.
The second marriage ceremony was this time held at the home of the blushing bride in Ximhungwe in Mpumalanga, South Africa, in front of around 100 guests. Nine-year-old schoolboy, Saneie Masilela and his 62-year-old bride Helen Shabangu, wore traditional attire as they renewed their wedding vows in South Africa

The duo first married one year ago, but they decided to follow through with South African traditions which involves a second ceremony to make the marriage official


Wide-eyed residents looked on as the married mother-of-five shared a piece of cake, a toast and even a kiss with her young groom Sanele - and long-term husband Alfred Shabangu, 66.


Last year the boy, from nearby Tshwane, tied the knot with bride Helen after claiming he had been told by his dead ancestors to wed.
Shockingly his family took the message from the heavens seriously and hurriedly forked out £500 for the bride and a further £1,000 for the big day.
But little Sanele -the youngest of five children - wouldn't rest until the couple followed through with South African traditions insisting they have the second ceremony to make their marriage official.
Despite stunned villagers branding the act 'sickening' the boy's family defended the union saying it was just a ritual and not legally binding.
Boy of nine and his 62 year old bride renew their vows Last year the bride and groom tied the knot after Saneie claimed he had been told by his dead ancestors to wed and his family took the message from the heavens very seriously Alfred said that he and his childrne were happy about the marriage: 'we don't have a problem with her marrying the boy - and I don't care what other people say'

Sanele's 47-year-old mum, Patience Masilela said: 'Sanele was fine and he was happy about the ceremony last year and it what he wanted - he was not shy.'
'He was just happy to get married, very excited and was not embarrassed about it. So much so he wanted to do it again.
'After the wedding last year people keep asking them question like will they live together, sleep together, have babies but I keep telling them that after the wedding everything went back to normal nothing changed.
'Sanele moved to Venda not long after the wedding because he wanted to learn a new language, but they are very close. Sanele's 47-year-old mum, Patience Masilela, insists that the marriage is simply symbolic and not legally binding and that her son is very happy about the arrangement The young groom said he hoped to have a proper wedding to a woman his own age when he was older


'Our families are very close. It was nice celebrate with a wedding once more, it was after all a calling from the ancestors.
'By doing this we made the ancestors happy. If we hadn't done what my son had asked then something bad would have happened in the family.'
The widow, who works at a recycling centre, added : 'I didn't have a problem with it because I know it's what the ancestors wanted and it would make them happy.'
Young groom Sanele said he hoped he would have a proper wedding to a woman his own age when he was older.
'I told my mother that I wanted to get married because I really did want to,' he said.
'I'm happy that I married Helen - but I will go to school and study hard. When I'm older I will marry a lady my own age. Sanele and his bride did not sign a marriage certificate and do not have to live together. Both have gone back to their normal lives The groom's mother (right) strongly believes that the duos' unity is a necessity and a 'calling from the ancestors', saying: 'If we hadn't done what my son had asked then something bad would have happened in the family'

'I chose Helen because I love her and although we don't live together all the time we meet at the dumping site where my mother works regularly.'
Old enough to be his grandmother, bride Helen, whose children are aged between 38 and 28, yesterday said she was still happy with the arrangement.
The recycling worker- who donned the same dress - said: 'I'm very happy that the boy chose me and my family support and understand that it is part of making ancestors happy.
'One day Sanele would grow normally and have family of his own and get married one day, all this ceremony is for making ancestors happy. We are playing.'
Sanele and his bride did not sign a marriage certificate and do not have to live together.
Both have gone back to their normal lives.
Helen's husband of 30 years and builder Alfred, attended both wedding ceremonies along with the couples five children.
The 67-year-old added: 'My kids and I are happy because we don't have a problem with her marrying the boy - and I don't care what other people say.'

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/boy-nine-and-his-62-year-old-bride-who.html

Authorities and family members say two Americans who were soldiers with the Israel Defense Forces have been killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Stuart Steinberg confirmed the death of his 24-year-old son, Max Steinberg, to The Associated Press on Sunday. Steinberg, whose family lives in California, was a sharpshooter for the Golani Brigade and was one of 13 men killed in fighting Sunday.
Earlier Sunday, the IDF said in a statement that 21-year-old Sgt. Nissim Sean Carmeli was killed in combat in the Gaza Strip. Deputy Israeli Consul General Maya Kadosh said Carmeli was from Texas. The consulate helped Carmeli's family get a flight to Israel on Sunday, she said.
Rabbi Asher Hecht of Chabad of the Rio Grande Valley, who is a family friend, said Carmeli joined the Israeli army about four years ago and was in the Golani Brigade.

"He had great energy, yet had a kind and gentle soul," Hecht said.
Steinberg was living in Beersheba, Israel. He visited Israel for the first time on a Birthright Israel trip in June 2012, his father said. When he returned, he told his parents that he was planning to return and join the IDF, Steinberg said. He made good on that promise less than six months later.

"He was completely dedicated and committed to serving the country of Israel," Steinberg said. "He was focused, he was clear in what the mission was, and he was dedicated to the work he needed to be doing."
Stuart Steinberg last spoke to his son at 4 a.m. California time Saturday, hours before his death. Max Steinberg called his father to tell him that his group had been injured when two of their tanks collided. They had to return to Israel for treatment. Some soldiers had broken bones, and Max Steinberg had sprained his back, his father said.

"He called me up at 4 a.m. that morning and said he'd be returning to Gaza, back to combat, to be with his friends," Steinberg said.
Steinberg said the family is leaving on Monday for Israel, where their son will be buried.

source:http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/2-americans-killed-in-fighting-in-gaza.html

Palestinian officials say that 395 people in Gaza have been killed since Israel launched its operation
Gaza has come under the most intense shelling since the launch of Israel's offensive, with more than 50 people reported killed in one district.
The deaths occurred at Shejaiya, east of Gaza City, Palestinian medics said. Eyewitnesses spoke of bodies lying in the streets.
Israel earlier said it had expanded its operation - launched 13 days ago - against Hamas militants.
A few hours later, it agreed to a two-hour humanitarian truce in Shejaiya.
The ceasefire would last from 13:30 to 15:30 local time (10:30-12:30 GMT), an Israeli military spokesman said.


But a BBC team on the ground reported an exchange of fire less than an hour after the truce began.
The death toll continued to rise at the weekend, with the number of Palestinians killed now more than 400 since the operation began, according to Palestinian health officials.
The majority of those killed are civilians, the UN says.
In other developments:

Hamas claims it carried out a major attack on Israeli forces in Gaza, causing multiple casualties. There is no comment from the Israeli military on this
There has been almost constant shelling by Israel in the past few hours, with tanks and troops reported on the move
Hamas is continuing to fire rockets into Israel, with one landing in the city of Ashkelon
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to arrive in Qatar later to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
The Israeli military says the ground offensive has been expanded to destroy a Hamas tunnel network
Scenes of panic More than 50 people died in the north-eastern district of Shejaiya in a heavy bombardment which began overnight, the Palestinian medics said.
Ambulances were unable to reach much of the area because of shelling in the area, about three kilometres (1.2 miles) away from Gaza City.
The BBC's Yolande Knell, in Gaza City, says there have been scenes of panic with thousands of residents fleeing the area.
line
At the scene: Paul Adams in Shejaiya When we arrived at the edge of the neighbourhood, Palestinians were still fleeing in their hundreds: carrying nothing but their children, some pausing to vent their anger in front of cameras.
They spoke of bodies lying in the street and the wreckage of buildings, including a mosque.
After a night of ferocious bombardment, they seem traumatised and stunned. For three days, Israel had warned them to leave their homes, but Shejaiya is home to 80,000 people. Most stayed put, not expecting the ferocity of last night's bombardment.
One man, his eyes glassy, said his father had been killed. He didn't know where other family members were or even if they were alive.
An elderly woman, in traditional Palestinian costume, raised her arms to the sky and asked how God could let this happen.
A handicapped girl winced as she was lifted into the back of a pickup truck.
And all the time, more and more civilians emerged from Shejaiya. line Five Israeli soldiers and two Israeli civilians have died since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched the military offensive on 8 July.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sent ground troops into Gaza on Thursday after days of heavy air and naval barrages failed to stop rocket fire from Gaza.
'Restoring security' Israel says the operation is necessary to target Hamas tunnel networks, which it says it could not do from the air alone.
Lt Col Peter Lerner, an IDF spokesman, said the offensive was being expanded "to restore security and stability to Israel's residents and citizens".

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/gaza-shelling-by-israel-most-intense.html

Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau
Islamists sect, Boko Haram have killed over 100 people and raised their black and white flag over the north-eastern town of Damboa that was left undefended by Nigeria’s military, civil defence spokesman and a human rights advocate said.

Hundreds of people in another north-eastern area, Askira Uba, are fleeing after receiving letters from the Boko Haram threatening to attack and take over their villages, Abbas Gava, spokesman for Nigerian Vigilante Group said, adding that: “nine major villages are on the run.”
The only defence came from vigilantes armed with clubs and homemade rifles, Gava said.
Survivors said on Saturday that the insurgents had attacked the town of Damboa before dawn on Friday, firing rocket-propelled grenades, throwing homemade bombs into homes and gunning down people as they tried to escape the ensuing fires. Most of the town had burned down, they said.
A human rights advocate confirmed the incident, adding that, Boko Haram had struck again as people were trying to bury their dead, and that the toll was probably much higher than 100. He spoke on condition of anonymity.
A screengrab taken on July 13, 2014
The town had been under siege for two weeks, since Boko Haram dislodged soldiers from a new tank battalion camp on its outskirts.
The defence ministry claimed to have repelled the attack and killed at least 50 insurgents for the loss of six soldiers, including the commanding officer, but locals said many soldiers had been killed and that the military had been driven from the base. They said in the past week, the extremists have twice ambushed military convoys trying to reach the base.
The militants cut off access to the town on Monday, when they blew up a bridge to the south of it. Damboa is on the main road south from Maiduguri, Borno state capital, and at a strategic crossroads for farmers bringing their produce to market.
Hundreds of thousands of farmers have been driven from their land by the five-year old insurgency, and officials have been warning of imminent food shortages.
The insurgents have increased the number and ferocity of their attacks this year, particularly in their north-eastern stronghold, and they also have detonated bombs as far away as Lagos state.
Boko Haram attracted international condemnation for the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls who have been held in captivity for over three months.
Human Rights Watch published a report this week which said Boko Haram had killed more than 2,000 civilians in an estimated 95 attacks during the first half of 2014. That compares with an estimated 3,600 people killed in the first four years of the insurgency.
Boko Haram wants to enforce an Islamic state in Nigeria, though half the country’s population of 170 million is Christian.

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/boko-haram-kills-100-chase-military-to.html

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, APC National Leader
The Witches & Wizards Association of Nigeria (WITZAN) has said Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will be betrayed in 2015 by his close aides.
In a communique signed by Dr Okhue Iboi, President WITZAN, the All Progressives Congress national leader, will be unsettled in 2015. “Tinubu will be betrayed. He will be sold out by those he trusted. This betrayal will affect his political empire. Tinubu’s political dynasty is under threat of crumbling.
“Tinubu is a good man, but the bitter truth he must swallow today is that APC is going nowhere. Many top notchers of PDP that are in APC now will go back to PDP. Witches said so in November last year and it happened.


“I’m telling the whole world again today that many former PDP leaders that are now in APC will betray Tinubu and other APC leaders, they will go back to PDP this year, and before 2015 general elections.”
Iboi said the association had a meeting following a distress call by witches in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno. He said the issue of Boko Haram Insurgent was the hot topic discussed. “Witches and Wizards in Nigeria are deeply worried by what is going on in the country especially Boko Haram insurgency. As stakeholders in the Nigerian project, we can no longer afford to fold our hands while the nation burns. Enough is enough,” he said.
Dr Okhue Iboi
The 55-year old wizard said President Goodluck Jonathan will win. “Jonathan will win re-election. Although there will be pockets of violence, Jonathan will win.
Oboi then appealed to the opposition party. “I will also have to appeal to Buhari and Tinubu, they should not waste their money, time and energy on the poll. They should go home and rest. They should forget about becoming President or Vice President of Nigeria. APC will still lose more governors to PDP before this year runs out”.
He said that the association had predicted the suspension of Lamido Sanusi as CBN governor. “In November last year, during one of our meetings, it was revealed to us that former CBN governor Lamido Sanusi would be unceremoniously removed from office, many people then labelled us fakes but what happened thereafter? Sanusi was ignominiously removed from office without completing his tenure.”
“What we see before Sanusi is myriad of woes. His road will be rough. Turbulent days lie ahead of him, he should not rejoice yet. He will experience trouble within and outside the emirate. His enemies are many, and to make matters worse for him, he had stepped on powerful toes. He needs all the prayers in this world to survive the turmoil looming before him.”

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/tinubu-will-be-betrayed-in-2015.html

The Special Anti Robbery Squad of the Lagos state police command have re-arrested five ex-inmates of Ikoyi Prisons while they were about to execute a robbery operation which they had planned while still in prison.

The men, Sikiru Adeyemi, Saheed Hakeem, Dosun Patrick, Razaq Olarenwaju, Jamiu Adeyemi, were arrested after a close monitoring by the police after they left prison.

The ring leader of gang, Sikiru Adeyemi,who claims to be a graduate of mass communication from the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro in Ogun state, had earlier been remanded at the Ikoyi prison for armed robbery but was later released on bail and placed on close watch on the instruction of the state police commissioner, Umaru Tanko. His arrest led to the arrest of the other members of the gang. Continue


Narrating his journey into armed robbery, Sikiru said it was when he had the opportunity to work in the military that he got intoxicated by power, believing that whatever he did, he could go unpunished

"I am a graduate of Mass Communication from Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State. After graduation, I was given the opportunity to work in signal office of the military at Mile 2 area of Lagos. It was then that I realised that no matter the offence I commit, if the law enforcer realised that I have a link with the military, they will immediately release me. After spending a year there, I was admitted at the Vogue Interior designer vocational studies centre from 1988 to 1992. Upon my graduation, I practised interior decoration for years till I got a contract from one drug baron. Pleased with my work, we became friends and he introduced me to the business. This illegal business came to an end when NDLEA arrested him in 2000. I was very lucky to have escaped.”

"It was then I remembered how I was above the law when I was working in the military barracks. With the help of my friend, James Imada who was at Maryland barracks, Lagos, I got a fake identity card and uniform. I don’t know how he did it. I used it to escort trucks around Lagos and outside the state. I also used the identity card to stop and search trucks with James till he was transferred to the North to go and fight Boko Haram. All went well till in 2011, when I was arrested at Mile 2, when I stopped a truck as usual. A mobile policeman, who noticed the argument, intervened and I was arrested and remanded at Ikoyi prisons when I could not contact my superiors. While in prison, I met a lot of friends who were jailed over similar offences, I assisted some of them to raise money for lawyers while they gave me their contacts in exchange. We had a comprehensive list of possible places to invade and with the various experiences, how best to go about it undetected. I was released on bail months later when the complainant refused to come to court again.”

Back home, Sikiru went back to what he knows best, impersonating and snatching of cars.

“I needed to survive and the only way was to go back to the same business. Nobody will like to do business with me since I had been to prison before. Business started booming and it got better when I met one Tunde, a dismissed police officer. We exchanged notes and formed a joint task force. All we normally do is to stop a big car and tell the owner that it is a stolen car and that he should come to the barracks for explanation. It was also easier to extort money because anyone that we stop and they discover that I am a soldier while Tunde is mobile police officer, they will panic. He was the one who produced the guns that we used for each operation.”

Speaking about the crime that got him re-arrested, Sikiru said

"I never knew that my name was on the police wanted list. Normally when we want to do bigger jobs, I will always make use of the friends that I made while in the prison. They are the only ones that can keep a secret because of their experience. It was Saheed that contacted me that there was a job. He told me about a man that just returned to Lagos from Abuja with N18million. What we wanted to do was to storm his house and tell him that he is wanted by EFCC, seize everything he has in his house as exhibit and arrest him. On the way, we will drop him off and disappear. I quickly contacted my boys who will play different roles. It was when I went to finalize the sharing formula with the main source of the deal that I was arrested. I knew my game was up when I stepped down from the police van and realised I was at SARS office. This is why I am telling the truth and ready to cooperate with the police in arresting the others and exposing some of the contracts we got from the prison. Am still in shock that I am heading back to jail again. I even pray that I will be arraigned in court, so that my chances of coming out will be high.” he said

As for the other gang members, their stories are similar to Sikiru's.

Saheed, a fashion designer, got jailed because he arranged with robbers to attack one of his richest customers.

“While in Prison, Sikiru was very popular because he had money and everyone wanted to identify with him. He gave us his numbers to contact him when we leave the prison. Weeks after I was released, one of my friends who was still in prison but had contact with the outside, told me that there was a deal. I contacted Sikiru who made the arrangements before we were arrested,” Saheed said.

Razaq, a mechanic, who spent eight years in Ikoyi prison for conspiring with a gang of robbers to snatch the car of his customer said he was released on compassionate ground by a human rights organization that intervened in 2013 but says the human rights group only made a way for him to be released but was not financially empowered when left prison.

“After 7 years, I returned home to my sick mother who was driven away by her husband because of my attitude. Almighty God in heaven knows that I really wanted to repent but when I realised that life was better in prison than outside, I decided to help myself. All I wanted was to raise money to take my mother to the hospital and start up a business. The human right organisation only helped us to regain our freedom but did not help us to settle down. I called Sikiru who gave me one or two jobs (car snatching). I was satisfied with the proceed and had started a small business when the police came to my house to arrest me again. I am begging for a second chance, at least for the sake of my mother who is bedridden. I lost my wife while in prison, my father disowned me and my mother will die if I remain locked up. I am sorry.”.

Jamiu spent eight months in Ikoyi prison for robbery and was called upon by Sikiru as soon as he regained his freedom.

“It was my elder brother that processed my bail and till date I have not visited the court. While I was in prison, Sikiru, because he looked like an old man, was very popular. He had money and was not selfish about it. Most of us served him while in prison, so when he called that there was a small business, I had to honour him. He assured me that it was car snatching and that we will not use guns. It was when we got there that I realised that it was full-time armed robbery. After that time, I stopped completely till the police arrested us. I am in trouble because my brother warned me that if I get arrested again, he will leave me to rot in jail, ” Jamiu pleaded.

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/just-back-from-ikoyi-prisons-5-suspects.html

A member of the Eiye Confraternity and Jehovah’s Witness, Adeola Omotayo, 28, has killed his sister, Omotayo Rukayat Adedapo, 30, after a minor disagreement over a plot of land.
The incident happened at Rukayat’s residence, 22, Pasoku Street, Aga area of Ikorodu, Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Rukayat was murdered in her room by her brother, who sells building materials at Sawmill in Itamaga, on Monday at about 6 p.m., after they had an argument over the ownership of the piece of land. Gathered that the night before the murder (Sunday), Adeola and his wife had visited Rukayat and eaten in her house.
Friends of the deceased said Adeola only visited to know where his sister stays since they had not been talking to each other in the last two years.

Late Omotayo Rukayat Adedapo
Rukayat was later found dead by her fiancé on Tuesday 15 July, at about 8:30 p.m.
A resident of the street who pleaded anonymity said she was found dead by her boyfriend when he came visiting after trying to reach her to no avail.

“We got to know of her death Tuesday night, over 24 hours after she was murdered. Her boyfriend only came to visit her on his way back from work when he found her dead and raised the alarm,” on Friday morning.
After his arrest and interrogation by the police, Adeola said that he did not kill his sister intentionally.
“I didn’t have the intention of killing her, she was my sister. If I wanted to kill her, I wouldn’t leave the knife at the scene and I would wear a glove to prevent my finger prints.The incident happened when we were dragging,” he confessed.
Adeola said the news that he killed his sister along with his cult members is not true because he has renounced his cult membership and is now a member of Jehovah’s Witness. Investigation revealed that his church is also at Itamaga, Ikorodu.
Rukayat’s younger brother, Abideen Omotayo, said he did not believe Adeola killed their sister alone and would want the police to further investigate the matter.
“I have an inkling he did not kill our sister alone. He used to be a member of Eiye Confraternity when he was studying at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, but was expelled around 2008 because of his involvement in cultism,” Abideen said.
A source at the Igbogbo Divisional Police Station, who did not want his name mentioned, said the case would be transferred to SCID, Panti, Yaba, Friday for further investigation.
A message sent to the Lagos State Command Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, for confirmation has not be replied as at the time of filing this report.
Information gathered further revealed that the late Rukayat who attended Ikorodu Grammar School, studied Transportation Management at LAUTECH, where she also did her Masters in 2013.
Rukayat, who was the class representative during her undergraduate years had the ambition of becoming the first lady of Nigeria.
Some of the posts on her Facebook wall border on regrets for a promising lady cut down in her prime.
Bolaji Mustapha said he woke up with sadness over the death of his niece. “I woke to sorrow and sadness; my niece was murdered right on her bed… What has she done to deserve a death penalty? This is evil,” he wrote.
Salau-Adekola Funmilola Balqees wrote that no matter the offence she committed she should have been forgiven.
“No matter the offence you committed, they should have forgiven you and not murder you. This is cruelty of the highest order. We only find solace in the fact that God knows best. May Allah forgive your sins and be merciful to you,” she wrote on the wall.
Olajumoke Adelabu posted that Rukayat was a strong lady who went for the best. “A strong lady you were, always ready to withstand all odds. I still remember the last time we saw and all the interesting stuff we chatted about. Omotayo Adedapo Rukayat I wish you were allowed to attain more achievements,” Olajumoke wrote.
The deceased last changed her facebook profile picture on June 18, 2014.

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/man-kills-sister-over-plot-of-land.html

An aircraft carrying U.S. military personnel today has made an emergency landing in the middle of a highway after running out of fuel, Ugandan police said.
The Piper aircraft with eight people on board, including two crew members was returning to Uganda's Entebbe International Airport when it had to make an emergency landing in Mityana town, some 67 kilometers (about 41 miles) from the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

No one was hurt and the aircraft wasn't damaged, but motor traffic flow was seriously disrupted.
The said aircraft was initially heading to South Sudan but it couldn't land there and had to return to Uganda.

It was not immediately clear why the pilot could not land in South Sudan.

source: http://www.ralphcrown.com/2014/07/aircraft-carrying-us-soldiers-make.html