₦airaland Forum

The last five days have been one of the most interesting for Nigerians, especially those of us living in the Federal Capital Territory. At one point it was the emergence of “Apo 9”, innocent Nigerians were allegedly murdered by security agents, on other hand, Boko Haram unleashed terror undefined on innocent Nigerians in Borno State; yet still we watched in awe the exploits of Al-Shabaab terrorists at the Westgate Mall, Kenya. Indeed the outgoing week was the most interesting.
For me, two (2) events stand out, the purported arrest of General Kelvin who is said to have kidnapped human rights lawyer and activists Mike Ozekhome

killed by innocent people were said to have been gunned down in Apo
Osama Bin Laden, the founder and head of the Islamist group al-Qaeda who terrorized U.S and its allies for two decades and more (that is since 1988), was killed on May 2, 2011 by the Naval SEALs of the U.S government. His body was identified by photographs and videos of the Naval SEAL’s operation after which was buried at sea.
But coming back home to Nigeria, we have the Boko Haram insurgents and their alleged resurrected leader, Abubakar Shekau who has been terrorizing the nation for the past four (4) years. He was alleged to have been killed by the JTF in Borno State in June this year at the vast forest of Sambisa, where he reportedly sustained injuries after being shot during a military raid on his hide out. The news of his speculated death was later made known to the public around July this year.
However the recent video recording allegedly released by the sect which shows Shekau calling the bluff of US, Britain and France and also claiming that nobody could stop the activities of the group is a mere smokescreen to paint the picture that he is still alive and in control. It is just an attempt to hide his death and paint a picture of invincibility around him so that they would continue to use it to hoodwink sect members.
I have checked every blog on the web for this purported video but I can’t seem to find it but I was opportuned to listen to BBC and VOA Hausa services to hear their own recording and I must say this is another phony move by the sect members to lure their members and maybe new members into their negative actions towards our lovely country. With what I heard from the recording, the voice didn’t sound like him in any ramification, because this is the last option the sect members have to propel fear to Nigerians.
But I am now asking: WHERE IS HE SHEKAU? And if he is alive, why has it taken him close to four (4) months or more to come out and dispel the death rumours about him?
If the say he is dead, then where are his remains?

TOUGH times awaits motorists in Rivers and Akwa Ibom states if recent threat by tanker drivers in the two states were carried out.

Tanker drivers in the states had on Tuesday threatened to embark on an indefinite strike from September 23, 2013, if security agencies failed to release their detained colleagues.

The tanker drivers also demanded that their seized trucks be released to them.

National Chairman of Petroleum Tanker Drivers of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Mr. Timothy Ogbu, told newsmen that it had been difficult for tanker drivers to operate in the two states.

Ogbu, who spoke in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, lamented that security agents were always making life difficult for tanker drivers through constant harassment.

He said, “The complaint and grievances we have are that in Akwa Ibom, it is not free for us to operate. The army, the police and civil defence corps are all on the way.

“Those that are doing illegal business are not punished. But it is the people who are doing genuine business that are punished.”

Hahahahahahahah, shoot dem all, and re-shoot dem for confirmation. Jihadists must meet their virgins in their depraved heaven.

How dis one want solve d wahala of B.H?

It has been a long time since witches were burnt at the stake in Europe but the accusation remains a serious one in the landlocked African country.

Anyone caught flying their broomstick above the height limit faces arrest and a hefty R500,000 fine, the country’s Civil Aviation Authorities said this week.

According to the Corporate Affairs Sabelo Dlamini‘A witch on a broomstick should not fly above the [150-metre] limit,’

The new aviation law was highlighted after a private investigator was caught flying a helicopter equipped with a video camera to gather surveillance information.

Witchcraft is taken seriously in Swaziland where many people believe in the power of black magic.

Last year a leading Swazi MP called for a hike in tax paid by witch doctors to help ease the cash-strapped country’s financial woes.

Okay with all said and join!!!! A committee will be setup to look into the matter with funds for traveling allowance, hotel allowance, eating allowance sitting allowance and etc.... Another avenue to make money....

i believe Christiane Amanpour is not going to give GEJ a free ride tonight.. she is not going to ask Goodluck any good question but what will make Jonathan look good.. That's what i believe from her previous interviews with others, no matter what ever GEJ say, majority of Nigerian want him to stay as president. he has been able to show Nigerians that we could have a better tomorrow..

Very Brave of GEJ regardless of the outcome. You wanted him on Hardtalk but he's gone a level ahead, Now who's the wussie? Lets go there!

I am commenting and this is because I am disappointed by the words coming of the mouth of the man i have held in a high position in my mind!!
When did it become a crime to humble your self before God,regardless of whether it was in front of a tv or not. You don't see his heart ,am not Pro-jonathan,neither am I Pro-pdp but this is a sign of Humility to me regardless of whatever agenda is behind it. Am sure this is not the first time jonathan is visiting adeboye and he must have knelt several times for prayer whether its in front of a tv or not
I smell jealousy from bakare cause him and baba adeboye started their ministries at the same time and baba is fulfilling a part of the scriptures that says "Kings and princes,leaders of the world shall kneel before you"
God sees all hearts!!
Enough said!
GOD BLESS NIGERIA!

Saw video.How could so many stand by and watch? It is like their souls were asleep or they thought they were watching a movie. The vigilantes would have had to kill me, too, because I'd be doing everything I could to stop them.Shocking how much blame we put on police, corruption, blah blah blah. Fact is a whole village of "human beings", participated and/or egged on one of the most brutal slayings u can imagine. In front of children, god, and everyone else. How dare any of u excuse this in any way shape or form. In any way. Only a soulless animal can do what I saw. And with such enthusiastic furver.

It may have been a simple misunderstanding that led to a horrific lynching.

On October 5, four University of Port Harcourt students, Chiadika Biringa, Ugonna Obuzor, Lloyd Toku, and Tekena Elkanah left campus for the village of Aluu. According to Biringa's mother Chinwe, Obuzor was owed some money and he asked his three classmates to accompany him to the village to collect on the debt.

Within minutes of their arrival, a rumor spread that the students were not there to collect but to steal. An enraged mob stripped them naked while beating them with sticks and rocks then wrapped car tires around their necks -- a form of torture known as "necklacing." As the four men sat on the muddy ground dazed and pleading for their lives, someone doused them with gasoline, lit a match and set them on fire.

More: iReporters demand justice over brutal murders

The killing of the "Aluu four" was filmed and posted on the web for the world to see and now serves as a stark reminder of what can happen when the rule of law fails and communities turn to vigilante groups to carry out summary executions of criminal suspects, said Eric Guttschuss, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch.

"Vigilante justice and mob justice generally takes place when there is a culture of impunity for crimes and in Nigeria, the Nigerian authorities have failed to crack down on this culture of impunity," Guttschuss told CNN.

Mob justice is not unique to Nigeria and it would be unfair to characterize it as such.

One infamous lynching in particular shocked the world and helped to spark the civil rights movement in the United States. In August 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was beaten, his eyes gouged and shot in the head. His body was then thrown in the Tallahatchie River with a 70-pound cotton gin tied around his neck with barbed wire. His crime? Allegedly whistling at a white woman.

Till's mother insisted on a public funeral service with an open casket showing the horribly mutilated and bloated body of her child so that the world would see the brutality of the lynching. Chiadika Biringa's mother felt the same way when CNN approached her to talk about her son's killing.

"I want the world to know how our security failed us. I want the world to know that my son and his three friends are innocent of what they said they did," Biringa said.

According to news reports, the village of Aluu was on edge after several incidences of armed robbery -- and in a country where critics say corrupt police are sometimes considered more dangerous than criminals, mob justice is how many disputes ranging from pick-pocketing to kidnapping are often resolved.

But Chinewe Biringa says her son and his friends were just innocent kids. "He was a very kind hearted boy and we (were) so close," she said. "If my son sees you 100 times he will greet you 110 times."

Biringa says the boys also had promising futures in music. They had already recorded a song together called "Ain't No Love in the City" -- a title she now says seems eerily like a premonition of what came to pass.

"It's almost as if they knew they were going to die," Biringa said.

Biringa and her husband, Steven, an oil executive at Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), says that he watched the video because he wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen his son's killing with his own eyes.

"I want them to know from beginning to end the barbaric nature with which they chose hunt them down," he said. "Even your worse enemy should not be treated in such form in the 21st century that people are still behaving and killing human beings as if they were rats."

The Nigerian police have arrested 13 people and, shockingly, one police officer who was on the scene and may have encouraged and even participated in the killing. While that officer is awaiting trial, the Nigerian police force has denied broader charges of rampant corruption and abuse.

Spokesman Frank Mba says while Nigeria's police is not perfect, the police "are committed to improving our competency through training and retraining and to improve our service, deliver to protect law and order and to stabilize democracy in Africa's largest country."

Guttschuss says it is not enough. He told CNN: "Generally if you are the victim of a crime and you go to the police, you are asked to fund the criminal investigation. If you don't have the money to fund it and meet the incessant bribe to the police the case is often dropped. On the other hand, the criminal suspect, if he or she has the financial means, can simply pay off the police."

This is why these extrajudicial executions are still all too common across Nigeria. It is impossible to find official statistics, but a quick search of the words in YouTube pulls up dozens of clips showing what happens to someone accused of crime when a mob sets themselves up as judge and jury.

This incident however, has seemingly galvanized the public. There are petitions and websites springing up to raise awareness of the issue and to pressure government and police officials. But many also say there are already laws against assault and murder which, when it comes down to it, is what mob justice is all about. For things to change, they say, the culture has to change.

Chinwe Biringa believes her son is now a martyr, and hopes that his lynching will lead to change -- much in the way that Emmett Till's killing did.

"If justice is done, then I will be happy," she said. "Because I know my son died a hero. He paid the price for Nigerian students in generations to come."

TODAY is Wednesday, December 12, 2012. We are all looking forward to the peak of the festive season — Christmas — which comes up in another 13 days. Part of the efforts to celebrate Christmas in a grand style, by many families is the purchase of new television sets, and for those with a little more empowerment, subscription with a pay-TV service provider, all with one goal in mind — entertainment, information, and education, all at the press of a button on the remote commander. Good!

Fast-forward to June 17, 2015. 19 days earlier, on May 29, another set of political office holders would have been sworn-in, after general elections that would have held in April. Imagine that just 19 days after a new federal administration would have been in office, majority of Nigerians could no longer see their leaders on TV.

If that was bad enough, the same majority could no longer receive signals on their TV sets from their favourite local stations — AIT, Channels, Silverbird, and the 34 state TV stations. Even the broadcast behemoth, NTA, and its 58 channels are off air!

What is happening? What has happened? Very likely, Nigerians would reach for their handsets and start calling friends and acquaintances.

“Ol’boy, your TV dey work? My own no dey work o!”

“Na so I see am o! My own too no work, even my neighbour own sef. Wetin dey happen?”

Conversations like this would dominate the airwaves from June 17, 2015, if the Nigerian government and stakeholders in the broadcast industry do not gird their loins and spring into action immediately.

What will happen on June 17, 2015

On this day and date, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) will effect a switch-off of all analogue broadcast signals worldwide. In 2006, Nigeria, and other countries of the world signed a treaty agreement at the conclusion of ITU’s Regional Radiocommunication Conference (RRC-06) in Geneva, which treaty heralded development of all digital terrestrial broadcast services for sound and television. What this means is that worldwide, every nation is expected to complete a migration, or transition, as NBC D-G, Yomi Bolariwa said, from analogue to digital broadcasting.

The implications of this movement for Nigeria was the subject of a two-day Digital Dialogue Nigeria 2012 conference which held in Lagos last week, powered by global pay TV leader, Multichoice. The Nigeria version of the Digital Dialogue conference was a follow-up to an earlier one which held in Johannesburg, South Africa in October.

Majority of the participants at the South African conference did not think African nations can meet the June 2015 deadline, given the plethora of issues begging attention, about most of which very little or nothing has been done in many African countries.

For the average Nigerian

The problem is that Adamu or Ebere or Sola or Owei, not to talk of Odion and their compatriots know very little if nothing about this development. For the ordinary Nigerian, there are a few rivers to cross if he/she is to continue to access the broadcast media for information, education, and entertainment.

Thirty months or so from now, every television set, or every household at least, will need a set-top box (STB), or decoder to receive digitized broadcast signals. There is little to worry about if you already subscribe to a pay-TV service provider. But that’s the good side of it. The really scary part is that Nigeria may become a colony of other countries’ media products if the necessary legal and regulatory mechanisms are not in place to ensure a seamless transition.

For the broadcast industry

The transition to digital broadcasting is expected to free up frequency spectrums. When this is done, and as Mrs Amaka Igwe, top writer, producer and studio operator said, “in digital transmission, broadcasting companies will only have the role of content providers while government through contracted parties will undertake the job to distribute the content.

“The Nigerian Federal Government intends to licence a minimum of two and maximum of three broadcasting signal distributors, to facilitate transition and service delivery processes. January 2015 deadline had been set for a complete migration to digital broadcasting in Nigeria.”

Further, Mrs Igwe noted that this means NTA’s 58 channels, the 34 state channels, 22 private channels, and 34 cable operators in the country can all be on one carrier, and can be seen by all who have the set top boxes wherever they are.

The most profound revelation from Mrs Igwe who presented a paper at the Digital Dialogue conference, titled Dynamics of Content Development in a Digital Broadcast Environment is that only two choices exist for broadcast organizations with digitization: be a carrier or be carried, or remain a content provider.

For government

As is usual on these shores, most of what needs be done, especially provision of the enabling environment for seamless digitization resides with government. First is the problem of awareness by the public, which the Director-general of the National Broadcast Commission, Yomi Bolarinwa admitted is low, and tasked the media to take action on this. As far back as 2008, the Federal Government had set up a Presidential Advisory Committee on Digital Broadcasting, which had done its work on how the nation should migrate.

It came to light at the conference that government had produced a white paper from the committee’s work, but the paper is yet to be released. In his presentation, Professor Emevwo Biakolo, Dean of the School of Media & Communications Studies of the Pan African University tasked the media get into investigative mode to unearth the white paper. He further urged the media to explore national security implications in the event that we fail the ITU deadline.

Efere Uzako, a lawyer with interest in the creative arts tasked government to fast track action in the legal arena. As he said, there will be need for laws setting up content licensees and signal carriers, while the laws setting up companies like NTA need urgent review.

In addition, Uzako said we need to develop policies on e-waste, switch-on and switch-off periods, frequency issues, as well as rates for signal carriers. Though government had fixed January 2015 as the mar-up date for completion of digitization in Nigeria, months ahead of the ITU deadline, Uzako urged that by December 31, 2014, the following should have been achieved:

Laws , Regulations and Polices are in place

Content Licensees and Signal Distributors have been appointed

All the required and standard infrastructure has been manufactured, procured and installed by all licensees.

The modalities for the manufacture and/or procurement of Set Top boxes have been settled.

Hopefully, there is adequate programming in place to fill all the hours .

All hitches, technical or regulatory, teething problems , etc , have been addressed or are being addressed.

Way forward

Jenkins Alumona, a digital communications expert and supremo of Strategic Outcomes Ltd said stakeholders, rather than wait for the government to release the white paper should take action to save the nation embarrassment by taking necessary action in their areas of operation towards digitization. His words:

“There is hope that Nigeria will migrate on the set date but only if we start work immediately. Nigerians deserve to know what the government is doing in the direction of migration. There is a danger that if the people do not know what is happening the repercussions of an unannounced blackout can be devastating.”

Dis one no be go come issue.... 9ja police go surely lie so broz once ur waka don firm SUE dem i carry God name beg u..... If any Lawyer de read dis comment dis na opportunity to hammer ooooooooooooooo

A Singaporean firm, Wilmar International, has inaugurated a 50,000 hectare ultra-oil palm plantations capable of employing over 20,000 workers.

While inaugurating the Calaro, Ibiae and Biase Oil Palm plantations, jointly owned by Wilmar International Limited and PZ Cussons at Mbarakom, Akamkpa Local Government, Governor Liyel Imoke said the investment would make the state the greatest oil palm producer in the country.

Imoke said his administration would continue to focus on the agriculture sector to create jobs for youths.

He commended Wilmar for investing in the state.

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, said Wilmar’s investment would contribute to national development.

Adesina, who was represented by the Team Leader, Oil Palm Value Chain, Dr. Dickson Okolo, said the Federal Government was committed to agricultural revolution.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the firm, Mr. C. Kuok, said the company’s vision was to revive the palm oil industry in Nigeria and restore its past glory by investing in the entire palm oil value chain.

He added that the company’s focus was to develop oil plantations, processing mills, palm oil refinery and production of packaged edible oil.

TANKER drivers Monday began a seven-day warning strike, raising concern over another round of fuel scarcity in the country.

The Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) said the strike is to protest the alleged killing of one of its members Mohammed Saidu, in Jos, Plateau state, by a soldier.


The union is also kicking against the alleged seizure of two fuel-laden trucks belonging to its members by soldiers in Bori Barracks in Port Harcourt and at Odogbo Barracks, Ojo, in Ibadan, more than one year ago.

Other grievances of the tanker drivers included the Mareva Injunction by Bank PHB against MRS Holdings. The injunction has frozen the accounts of MRS making it impossible for the company to function and to pay the wages of close to 2,500 members of the union in its employment.

It was learnt that most of the depot owners in Lagos such as Capital, Obat and Jone had shut down their operations.

NUPENG President Comrade Achese Igwe said the strike would take its course because the issues raised by the union are not being addressed.

http://www.nigeriannewsservice.com/nns-news-archive/news-blocks/tanker-drivers-begin-strike

Oh ALLAH Guide us unto straight path amen. Factors or no factors, govt should not heed to this terrorist rather hunt den down and kill them. this will spread the good gospel abt how we handle terrorist issues..

Stallion77: [size=14pt]What level of incompetence is the police exhibiting on a large scale... They have to produce that BH suspect o...they cant deny,there was no such person in their custody,i dont know why a more credible agency like the SSS were not given sole responsibility of BH matters...haba![/size]

Nigeria Police Force!!! U don start again, these yeye police how come he escapes don't deceive us. we are not mumu as u produce Sani Mohammed oooooooooooo

NIGERIAN POLICE FORCE A KILLING MACHINE.......

Nigeria has become one huge killing field of defenseless citizens. The killing machine is the Nigeria Police, who think it is no big deal shooting and killing the same people they are paid to protect. This absurd indulgence has existed for years without a serious attempt to bring it to an end. Every year, hundreds of citizens get killed by the police unlawfully. These killings usually go uninvestigated and unpunished.
The extra-judicial execution of Nigerians by the police has escalated in the last two years. And everyone is worried.

In September 2011, three policemen stormed a funeral in Akoko community, Ndokwa West Local Government of Delta State, uninvited. Before they left the venue, they had killed three persons. According to the state police commissioner, Mamman Tsafe, one of the policemen was drunk and violated the conditions under which firearms could be used.
In the same month, the mood of joy that pervaded a social function on Joseph Akpoko Street, Udi-side, Enugu was turned to gloom when men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, stormed the occasion and began shooting sporadically, killing one person and wounding two others. One of the victims, identified as Chineme Ede, 15, was allegedly killed instantly by the squad. Obumneme Nwedu, 5, and Larry Nwankwor, 30, sustained serious bullet wounds.

An eyewitness, Mr. Stephen Ede, said the incident happened at the peak of the naming of their caretaker’s new born baby. He said: “When we heard gunshots, we all ran inside the house for safety; but looking behind, I saw my younger brother, Chineme Ede, lying helpless on the ground. I was then forced to turn back. Behind where I stood, I saw two persons – Mr. Larry Nwankwor, our caretaker on behalf of whom we gathered in celebration of the christening ceremony of his new baby and little Obumneme Nwedu – seriously wounded by bullets from men of the SARS,” the witness said.
Nigerians will not forget October 2011 in a hurry.

October 2011, social and economic activities were paralysed in Okitipupa, a coastal Ondo State community, following a violent protest over the killing of two brothers by the police. The two brothers were commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as okada riders. It was learnt that the first incident occurred at about 9.15 p.m. at Kajola Street junction on Broad Street when a policeman, who was on foot patrol, allegedly demanded a N20 bribe from an okada rider identified simply as Osare.
Osare, according to eyewitnesses, told the policeman that he could not afford to give out the money because he did not work on that day. Osare’s refusal to oblige, it was gathered, provoked the policeman who shot the rider in the chest. The policeman, who was believed to be drunk, shot into the air to scare away people, while Osare was left drenched in blood. The sound of the gunshots was said to have attracted some youths in the town to the scene but the policeman immediately took to his heels. The youths took Osare to a nearby hospital where he was confirmed dead.
The deceased’s younger brother, identified as Robinson, rushed to the police station in the early hours of Friday when he heard news of his brother’s death. The source said that the young man entered the police station in anger and violently demanded to know why his brother was shot. On his arrival at the station, Robinson was said to have engaged the policemen on duty in a hot argument and threatened to report the matter to his cousin, who is a serving colonel in the Nigerian Army. The source said at that point, the youths stormed the police station with weapons, demanding for the killer of their friend. “The situation became so tense and one of the policemen, who was believed to have responded to a directive from a superior officer, shot sporadically to scare away the mob and in the process, Robinson was hit by a stray bullet. He died on the spot,” the source narrated. Three other youths were said to have sustained varying degrees of injury that day.

One extra-judicial killing by the police that has sparked so much outrage involved Emmanuel Victor, 25, an indigene of Opubo Nkoro, in Opobo-Nkoro Local Government in Rivers State. He had left home for his church, Christ Embassy, off Sani Abacha Road, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, for the second service of Sunday 16 October 2011, with his mother. Victor, a Diploma graduate from the Federal College of Education, Kano, had a desire to study law so that he could fight for the rights of the oppressed, his distraught mother narrated.
He was shot several times at close range by three trigger-happy policemen for daring to challenge them for extorting money from commercial motorcycle riders at a checkpoint very close to the entrance to his church. The young man was shot several times at close range and his brains blown up in the presence of his mother, a Guidance and Counselling graduate of the University of Calabar.
However, the three policemen who have been arrested on the orders of the Bayelsa State Police Commissioner, Mr Hillary Okpara, claimed they saw Victor smoking Indian hemp and when accosted, he used scissors to attack them so they shot at him in self-defence. “I watched and I screamed: ‘leave him, leave him, he is my son…He is coming back from the church. Can’t you see his Bible? What has he done?’ All my words fell on deaf ears. Suddenly, a fair-complexioned cop among them cocked his gun and opened fire at close range. He shot my son. The first shot was to his tummy. He was shot many times. Finally, my son fell… My son fell down and even while he was on the floor, defenceless, they blew up his brains. Immediately after that they hurried into their car and sped off,” the deceased’s mother said.

In Lagos State, it was the tragic turn of a bus passenger who was stabbed to death by a mobile policeman following an argument over N50 bus fare at Iyana-Ipaja in Alimosho area at about 10 a.m., on Saturday 15 October 2011.

In Orin-Ekiti in Ekiti State, what could have turned out to be a bountiful harvest for the Abe family became a source of sorrow, as they lost one of their children to police bullets on Thursday 20 October 2011. As is their usual practice during the harvest season, the family members arrived their farm around 3:30 a.m. to harvest maize which they had started harvesting since Monday 17 October. On that fateful day, the family, comprising of Tayo, 28, a 2008 OND Banking and Finance graduate of the College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Osun State; Adeniyi, 26, an accounting graduate of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo; Michael, 23, a 300-level student of Mining Engineering, Federal University of Technology and Mary, 18, who just completed her secondary education and seeking admission to a higher institution of learning, all of the same parents; Kemi, a 200-level student of Primary Education at College of Education, Ila-Orangun (Niyi’s girl friend); and Gbenga and Ayoola Ajayi, their family friends, were busy harvesting when suddenly, around 4.30 a.m., they heard sporadic gunshots right behind them. Tayo was fatally wounded, while Kemi and Adeniyi were hit in their arms. In the confusion, three of them ran for their dear lives into the bush. Realising that the gunshots were from the police, Kemi surrendered by raising up her arms as ordered by the police and at the point that the police were whisking Mary and Tayo’s lifeless body away, Gbenga came out of hiding and voluntarily went along with them to the police station at Ido-Ekiti where they were detained. The police afterward took Kemi to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Ido-Ekiti for treatment and deposited Tayo’s body in the morgue of the hospital.
Kemi on her sick bed said: “The police shot sporadically and instantly, Tayo fell and died while the bullet hit me in my arm. Adeniyi took to his heels with bullet wounds while I surrendered. While calling on those in hiding to come out, one of the policemen used his leg to push Tayo, saying ‘get up, get up’ and he later discovered she was dead. As they were about taking me, Mary and the corpse away, Gbenga came out and volunteered to go with us. The three of us were taken to the station in a police Toyota Hilux van.”

After three months of writing their 2010/ 2011 end-of-session examination without resumption for a new academic session, students of the Lagos State University External System (LASUES), penultimate Monday, took to the streets in a peaceful protest to agitate for the immediate resumption of the 2011/2012 session as well as removal of Director of LASUES, Dr. O.T.F. Abanikanda.
The placard-carrying students who convened at the Anthony campus of the school, barricaded the ever-busy Anthony/Ikorodu expressway, causing traffic snarl which disrupted human and vehicular movement for several hours on the four- lane road.
As one of the students was reportedly injured by stray bullets from men of the Nigerian Police Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in the process.

Friday, 12 October 2012
HUNDREDS of motorists travelling on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were stranded for almost 13 hours between late Wednesday and Thursday following a protest by tanker drivers who blocked the highway.
The protesters were said to have blocked the highway at the Ogere end of the expressway at about 11.00 p.m. on Wednesday.
The incident, Nigerian Tribune gathered, started when some policemen were alleged to have shot at the tyres of a tanker with registration number JIGAWA XC 405 DUT which was said to have loaded petroleum product.


Lucy, a salesgirl at a photography shop in Apo area, was reportedly hit in the chest by bullets allegedly fired by policemen from the FCT Special Anti-robbery Squad. Three others sustained gunshot wounds during the incident.
The 20-year was said to be inside the shop when she was killed by policemen who had come to enforce the demolition of illegal structures by officials of the FCT Development Control Department.
The deceased had only spent a month on her job before she was killed, according to her employer, Emeka Ani.
The residents of the area had resisted moves to demolish their structures, leading to a confrontation and sporadic gunshots by the policemen.

The police often exploit people’s anger against criminals to justify their killings. Indeed, Police Force Order 237 permits officers to shoot suspects and detainees who try to escape. This encourages the police to get away with murder. Sometimes people are victims of enforced disappearance, with the police telling their families that they were transferred to another station or released on bail without documentation to prove it. Painfully, policemen suspected of extra-judicial killings are usually transferred to other states. They are hardly prosecuted.
Retired colonel, Gabriel Ajayi opined that the police should have strict rules on use of firearms. “Do they have annual range classification on the weapons they carry? Do they have retraining for improved proficiency? Are they asked to account for used ammunition like other forces? If there are no rules of engagement, they will be doing what they like. The police are to keep people alive, not to kill them. Why are the police killing people in this way in peace time?” he wondered.

What has happened to the use of rubber bullets when going for enforcement or protest? God help us because at the end of the day the agency meant to protect civilians is rather the one killing civilians and no questions are asked?? I think everyone should start carrying fire arms for self defence..... Below are pics of those killed and bullied by NPF

HRW pls stay out of these matter, its not ur battle and ur not here to see the damages we are facing......

Its about time this bad marketers start facing the music of extorting the public. Don,t only close them down but also take them to court and let a fine be charge on their heads haba!!!!!!

Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, yesterday, sealed the depots of MRS Oil and Gas, Obat Petroleum and Ascon Nigeria Limited for allegedly selling above the regulated ex-depot prices.

Accordingly, the petroleum industry regulator has made good its recent warnings to marketers a forth night ago against taking advantage of the current fuel supply shortages to fleece customers.

Apart from the depots, many of the retail outlets have also taken advantage of the situation to sell above the regulated N97/litre pump price, as motorists call on the DPR to also clamp down on the outlets.

In statement in Lagos, the DPR said: “Sequel to our recent Annual General Meeting, AGM, held with Depot Operators/Marketers, during which the Department warned that appropriate sanctions would be meted out to enforce compliance for violations, including the sale of petrol, PMS, above approved prices, we have commenced the sealing of identified depots.

“The PMS delivery arms of the under listed depots were today (yesterday) sealed indefinitely by the Department: MRS Oil and Gas Ltd, Obat Petroleum Ltd and Ascon Nig Ltd.”

The statement, signed by the agency’s Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Mrs. B. Osibodu, said: “This action was based on credible information received on the depots, which confirmed that they were selling PMS above approved prices.”

The industry regulator did not, however, disclose how much the three depots were selling, but the approved ex-depot prices posted on the official website of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency,

Any thing is possible if she likes she can go single all her life i don't care

Who are this attackers again What is this country turning into, i think is about time the Government and National Assemble allow Para Military agencies and citizens to start carrying arms for their own protection. Let the country turn to the WILD WILD WEST once and 4all .......

BOMBOCLAT!! FAMILY

This is surely a case of ‘like father like son’. the son of rapper Snoop Dogg, Corde Calvin Broadus,caught on camera smooking and lighting his Dad’s bong and a few others of himself smoking marijuana together.

The members of staff of a firm, Chinese Group of Companies, Ikeja, Lagos, were thrown into confusion on September 9, 2012 after the corpses of two of their colleagues, Odion Imhonbhio and Richard Dada, were found at the bottom of the swimming pool on the premises.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Odion and Dada went swimming the previous night around 9pm and were not seen till the following morning.

It was learnt that the corpses were immediately recovered and sent to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for autopsy.

Although the autopsy states that the two boys died of asphyxia and drowning, families of the deceased have cast doubt on the real cause of death.

According to Odion’s brother, Matthew, the corpse of the 21-year-old man was found inside the swimming pool, with blood coming out of his ears, nostrils, and mouth.

Matthew said, “My brother’s corpse didn’t look like that of a drowned person. Something just looks suspicious because how can two full grown men just drown at the same time in a pool that is not deep?

“Although my brother is just a moderate swimmer, I learnt Dada was a very good swimmer and as such shouldn’t have drowned just like that.

“My brother worked as a cook in the company for about two years while Dada spent about three years there.”

Another member of the family questioned why the company would offer both families the sum of N500,000 each even before investigations were concluded.

When our correspondent visited LASUTH on Tuesday, family and friends of Odion were seen conveying his coffin into a vehicle.“Odion was a twin and according to Edo culture, when a twin dies, he ought to be buried immediately. He’ll be buried at St. Mathias Catholic Church tomorrow,” Matthew said.



Dada’s brother said the family had hired the services of a lawyer due to the nature of the case.

The lawyer, Mr. Matthew Onah, faulted the autopsy because members of both families were not present when the autopsy was carried out.

Onah said, “I find it very suspicious that two men that have been working in the company for years suddenly drowned at the same time and they didn’t take in any water after drowning.

Also, the company’s offer of N500,000 coupled with policemen at Ikeja station’s refusal to invite any member of staff for questioning and despite this, the matter was quickly transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.

“In addition, no family member was present at the autopsy. I learnt that the SCID immediately rejected the case because the case file was said to be not detailed enough.”

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident. She however said our correspondent should call back for more details.

When our correspondent visited the construction company at 9, Reverend Ogunbiyi Street, GRA, Ikeja, the security guard refused to allow him in.

“No senior personnel is around and no one can attend to you please come back later,” he said.

Alhaji Nuhu Mohammed, who was last January arrested on gunrunning charges, has been set free by a Kaduna Magistrate Court.

On January 15, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that there were influential forces working against the prosecution of Mohammed, a top Peoples Democratic Party’s chieftain. The deal to set him free was concluded this morning and he walked out of the courtroom at Ibrahim Taiwo Road along with his son.
SaharaReporters had exclusively in a subsequent report identified him as head of a campaign organization christened “Namadi Ambassadors” that campaigned for the election of Arc. Namadi Sambo as Kaduna State governor in the 2006-2007 elections period.

Sambo, who is now Nigeria’s vice president, denied that report, but competent security sources and the Kaduna PDP confirmed it.

Discharging the suspect and his son today, Justice Nasiru Lere, who presided over the court, attributed his decision to the absence of diligent prosecution.

The Nigerian Army, State Security Service, Police and Kaduna State Judiciary were accused of conspiracy in frustrating the prosecution of the suspected gunner and his son. One of Mohammed’s sons, Yusuf, escaped during the incident in January, and fired shots before soldiers overpowered them. Their action is said to have been part of the grand design to finally silence the case.

It would be recalled that on January 17, the Nigerian Army in Kaduna paraded the suspects before newsmen stating.

They made the following statement: “In the course of performing our duties, the activities of one Alhaji Nuhu Mohammed Marafa alias Babawo caught our attention. His activities necessitated the military to raid his residence bordered on issues of national security and stressed that it had to do with gun-running and suspected association with and support for a terrorist group. After intensive surveillance, troops of I Mechanised Division Nigerian Army on January 13 and 14 2012, conducted a search operation on Marafa’s compound of Marafa, located at Trikania, opposite IBBL, Kaduna. Before troops could gain entrance into the compound, there was a gunshot fired at the soldiers from the compound. It was later revealed that the shot was fired allegedly by Yusuf Nuhu Mohammed, Marafa son. Yusuf escaped with the weapon by scaling the perimeter wall of the compound. Yusuf who fired on troops during the search operation is hereby declared wanted we are hereby appealing to law-abiding citizens to assist the law enforcement agencies with information that could lead to his arrest. It must be emphasised at this stage that investigations are still ongoing. Ultimately, the suspects (which include Marafa’s second son, Musa) would be handed over to the appropriate authority for further action at the end of the investigations”.

The military listed the items that were recovered as - 9mm Ammunition (quantity 9), 6mm Ammunition- (quantity 5), 7.62mm (special) ammunition, 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition (quantity 11), Barrel gun cartridges (quantity 17), Pump Action gun, Double edged special axes (quantity 2), machetes (quantity 3), Improvised Explosive Devise (IED) bomb in a Mirinda bottle, bows (metal), and long clubs (wood).Other military accoutrements recovered were black army belt, camouflage belt, two dog tags belonging to the Nigeria army D2004/1/5511899 S Adamu and US Army 84637857 Rambo RH and Nigerian Army camouflage trousers.

A resident of Ungwan Zango in Bauchi State has told SaharaReporters that unidentified gunmen on a tricycle shot and killed at least five persons and injured several others last night.

According to the source, the gunmen arrived at the scene of the attack and began shooting at residents near a relaxation place where young people were socializing and playing card games in the night.

He said, “I saw five corpses of our own people, and we took them to ATBU Teaching Hospital, where we deposited their bodies.”

He added that the whole area has been thrown into confusion up to this morning, as gun shots rent the air leading many residents to flee their homes, escaping to nearby townships.

The secretary of Red Cross, Adamu Abubakar, confirmed the attacks, but said he is yet to determine the number of dead persons; however he said about nine people are receiving medical treatment.

No group yet has claimed responsibility of the attack.

A massive security cordon has been thrown around the US Embassy in Abuja to prevent attacks by Muslim groups reportedly mobilizing on the internet against the offensive movie depicting Prophet Mohammed SAW in a bad light.

i no fit shout shey na our money be dat

As I first got to the scene, I had to hide my emotions and do the job, a very terrible and pathetic situation I found myself reporting from banks of River Benue

Where I first stood, I could count more than 10 plots already submerged in the water coming slowly but steadily from the River Benue, one of the largest Rivers in Nigeria.

A residence affected by the floods wearing wet boxer shorts with a bare chest just returned with his household items swimming with one hand in the dirty water, he told me a boat was conveying goods for about N5, 000 within a distance of 200 meters and "some of us can't afford this, you are facing a lot of problems and people are charging that much".

He said, he was told the Governor came and promised "taking it up" but that was yet to be.

Another family were seen packing their belongings in pool of waist-level water from their house, the middle aged woman hanging her bag looked as if life was lost, and I could understand.

Children between the ages of 7 and 10 were happily swimming and some even cast nets to catch fish right in their compounds, which is temporarily a river.
For awhile, I thought about the health hazards including skin infections and other water borne diseases...
http://saharareporters.com/article/flood-report-banks-river-benue-king-james-yiy