Nurse Sets 11-year-old Girl Ablaze In Lagos For Being Hungry

Doctors at the General Hospital, Gbagada, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, are seriously battling to save the life of an 11-year old girl, Ita Bassey-Eno, who was allegedly set ablaze by the woman she lives with, Mrs Nkese Iroakazi, a nurse at a hospital in Surulere.

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Ita Bassey-Eno in critical condition

Iroakazi was alleged to have poured kerosene on Bassey-Eno before lighting a match stick to set her ablaze after the girl was said to have stolen a piece of meat from the pot.

Witnesses said the girl ran out of their apartment at 7, Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Surulere, unto to the main road with fire all over her body as she cried for help from passers-by to rescue her.

It was gathered that someone quickly stopped his vehicle and used his fire extinguisher to put out the flame on her body.

The incident, which occurred last Saturday, was immediately reported at the Bode Thomas Police Station and the police from the station arrested Mrs. Nkese.

The little girl was rushed to the Burns and Trauma Centre, an annex of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital at the General Hospital, Gbagada, for urgent attention as the doctors in the hospital said she had suffered 95 percent burns and would take a miracle for her to survive.

Bassey-Eno’s private part was damaged, while almost all her body is burnt. The whole of her body, except her face and her feet, are bandaged, while she wears pampers because her private part was damaged.

On her hospital bed on Monday the little was groaning in pains while health officials described Nkese as callous woman and that she must be made to face the music.

Executive Director, Esther Child Rights Foundation, ECRF, Mrs. Esther Ogwu, who was at the hospital to see the girl, wept when she saw her pathetic state, saying that in all her life as human rights activist, she had never come across such a gruesome case as that of the little girl. According to Ogwu, the situation is terrible.

The doctor said the girl suffered 95 percent burns and that her private part has been damaged. This woman is more than wicked. Justice must take its course.

“One of the health officials at the General Hospital, Gbagada called me and said a woman poured kerosene on the little girl staying with her and lit up a match stick and set her ablaze.

The girl ran out of the house to the main road where a Good Samaritan used her car fire extinguisher to put out the fire.”

Little Bassey-Eno, who hails from Akwa Ibom State, southsouth Nigeria, was brought from the village with another girl, Happiness Okon-Bassey, 13, to live with Nkese in June 2013 on the premose that she would send them to school, but that was not to be as the two girls allegedly performed the function of domestic servants for Nkese.

The second house girl, Okon-Bassey, said she did not see when her colleague was set ablaze but that she heard her screaming when their mistress was beating her shortly before the she saw flame all over her body when she ran outside their home.

More

She alleged that they were maltreated and beaten thoroughly very often and that they had no time to rest as they work almost throughout the day for their mistress without going to school, saying that they normally eat twice daily.

Daughter of the alleged culprit, Ijeoma Akiti, 27, said she was not at home when the incident occurred and that she could not tell whether her mother poured kerosene on the little girl’s body and set her ablaze, but that she heard such story at the police station.

She said her mother was first married to her father and later remarried into the family of Iroakazi and that her mother’s husband had gone on a business trip to the eastern part of Nigeria.

At the Bode Thomas Police Station, police sources alleged that the little girl confessed that her mistress poured kerosene on her.

The police at the station said the woman would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti for further investigation into the matter, but Ogwu alleged that the police were trying to shield the woman from prosecution.

In her statement at the police station, Iroakazi denied that she poured kerosene on the little girl’s body and set her ablaze.

According to her, she was in the sitting room when she heard a loud cry and rushed out only to see the girl on fire and called on people to help put out the fire.

Officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, were at the hospital and the police station where they spoke with the woman, but she denied the story.

WAPA officials took Okon-Bassey, the second girl with them for rehabilitation pending when she would be reconciled with her real mother.

Mercedes Benz Releases Details On 9G Tronic Nine Speed Auto

Following the recent news that the E-Class, at least in Europe, is now available with a nine-speed automatic transmission, Mercedes-Benz has released the full details on its latest cog-swapper and confirmed that it will be available in most of its models in the coming years.
Currently, the new transmission, which is called the 9G-TRONIC, is available exclusively in the E350 BlueTEC sedan and wagon. Mercedes says it can be fitted to rear- and all-wheel-drive cars, and that it also works with hybrid and plug-in hybrid applications.
The higher number of gears and the broader gear ratio spread (9.15 for gears one to nine) help to increase smoothness but more importantly boost efficiency. This is achieved primarily through reduced revs. For example, in the E350 BlueTEC, whose 3.0-liter turbodiesel develops 248 horsepower, cruising at 75 mph in ninth gear sees the engine ticking over at just 1,350 rpm.
The car is also good for 0-62 mph acceleration in just 6.6 seconds and fuel economy of 36.75 mpg in the city cycle, up from 34 mpg with the previous 7G-TRONIC seven-speed transmission. The highway figure remains unchanged at 50 mpg. Note, European figures are listed.
An engine stop-start system is also included to maximize efficiency.
But the transmission also comes with a manual mode that’s said to deliver crisp changes when you want a bit of spirited driving. The speed at which it changes gears is due to a direct control system that enables short, barely perceptible gear changes, and it’s also possible for several gears to be jumped when accelerating or decelerating.
Another advantage of the transmission is its lightweight construction. Despite two additional gears and a maximum transferable torque of up to 737 pound-feet, the 9G-TRONIC transmission requires as little installation space as its seven-speed predecessor and, in addition, is lighter. Another goal was to implement the nine gears with the lowest number of planetary gear sets and shift elements as possible. Four simple planetary gear sets and six shift elements are used and work together with three speed sensors.
As previously reported, numerous other automakers are looking to additional gear ratios to eke out further savings in fuel consumption. ZF has already announced a nine-speed automatic, which will debut in the Range Rover Evoque this year and eventually appear in some Chrysler products, and Ford and General Motors have announced plans to develop new nine- and ten-speed automatic transmissions together.

NJC sacks Abia Ag CJ over age falsification allegation

ABUJA—National Judicial Council, NJC, Monady, sacked the Acting Chief Judge of Abia State, Justice Shadrack O.E. Nwanosike, from office over his alleged complicity in age falsification.

The council which said it took the decision at its 63rd meeting held on July 17 and 18, recommended that the Judge be compelled to proceed on a compulsory retirement.

According to a press release issued by the Acting Director of Information at the NJC, Mr Soji Oye, “The decision is sequel to the findings of the Council that Hon. Justice Nwanosike falsified his date of birth which invariably affected his retirement age.

“The Council during the Meeting also considered and deliberated on the Report of its Committee on Performance Evaluation of Judicial Officers of the Superior Courts of Record in the Federation.

“At the end of deliberation, Council constituted a five-man Committee comprising its Members to invite Judicial Officers with “Very Low Performance or Non-Performance”, to appear before it to show cause why they should not be removed from office.

“Council further considered and recommended the appointment of some Judicial Officers in the Federal & States Judiciaries to the Executive, respectively: Chief Judge, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Other are Chief Judge, Rivers State to the State Governor; Chief Judge, Jigawa State to the State Governor; Chief Judge, Katsina State to the State Governor.

“President, Customary Court of Appeal, Taraba State to the State Governor; Two Kadis for the Sharia Court of Appeal, Kebbi State to the State Governor; Two Kadis for the Sharia Court of Appeal, Sokoto State to the State Governor.

One Judge for the Customary Court of Appeal, Delta State to the State Governor; & Two Judges for the Customary Court of Appeal, Ebonyi State to the State Governor.”

90yrs for incest not Nigerian,fathering six children with his own daughters

Grammy award-winning music video director Aswad Ayinde who was sentenced to 90 years in the United States for fathering six children with his own daughters is not a Nigerian, Nigerians abroad have said.

News broke last weekend that a Nigerian music director based in the United States had been jailed for impregnating his daughter.

The story went viral on the internet and was posted to the social media.
However, Nigerians abroad have reacted to the story, saying the man is not a Nigerian. Rather, he adopted Nigerian name, Aswad Ayinde later in life.

A Nigerian living in the United States Rotimi Ogunsuyi writing on social medias and on Vanguardngr.com   said “This is a tragedy that should not be attributed to Nigeria. Mr. Ayinde is NOT a Nigerian.

“He is an American, born and raised in the US. He just assumed a Nigerian name later in life.”
Similar posts have been posted on Facebook and other media to the public on the true identity of the prisoner.

The Facebook post said Aswad Ayinde’s real name is Charles McGill. He lives in Paterson, New Jersey.

Lagos commissioner resigns

LAGOS — Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Monday, accepted the resignation of his Commissioner for Finance, Mr Tokunboh Abiru commending him for rendering meritorious service to the state.

Speaking at the State Executive Council meeting after the presentation of the outgoing Commissioner’s letter of resignation to the council, Fashola, noted that the Commissioner who is leaving to take up appointment as Executive Director of First Bank of Nigeria Plc and a Board member of FBN Holdings Plc, gave commendable service to the state.

The governor wished him well in his new challenge as the Executive Director of one of the leading banks in the country and expressed confidence that the out-going commissioner would prove his mettle as a seasoned banker.

Tokunbo Abiru, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and professional banker joined the state’s public service from the First Bank of Nigeria Plc where he had over two decades of a successful career, serving variously as Group Head Corporate Banking and Business Development Manager among others.

In his letter of resignation to the governor,  Abiru expressed his gratitude to the governor for the life changing opportunity to serve the people of Lagos and affirmed that he had indeed benefitted from the art of good leadership and governance. He promised to remain a committed and good ambassador of the values and custom of the state Governor’s admirable leadership.

The letter of appointment from First Bank Plc dated June 19, 2013 said the appointment of Mr Tokunbo Abiru as an Executive Director will take effect from August 1, 2013.

It also said the appointment, subject to satisfactory performance and the usual annual assessment, would in the first instance, be for a period of three years from the effective date and is also renewable for another three years.

Police recover 4 bodies from Agatu after armed attack

MAKURDI — The Benue State Police Command said it has recovered four bodies from Ochologologwu and Enogaje villages in Agatu Local Government Area of the state few hours after the invasion of the communities by suspected Fulani mercenaries.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Deputy Superintendent Daniel Ezeala, said more officers and men had also been deployed to the communities to ensure peace.

Ezeala who spoke to newsmen on phone, Monday, in Makurdi said: “Four corpses have been recovered from the affected villages.

“As I speak to you, normalcy is gradually returning to the affected villages. We urged the people to remain calm because the Police have already taken steps to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators of the dastardly act.”

Also speaking on the development,  the state Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr. John Ngbede, who hails from the council area said thousands of people had been displaced from their homes as a result of the attack.

He said government was already taking steps to ensure the safety of the people of the area and assured of adequate security of the council area.

Vanguard recalls that two villages, Ichogolugu and Enogaje in Agatu local government area of the state were last Sunday attacked  by suspected Fulani herdmen which left eight persons dead with several houses and farmland destroyed by the invaders

25 killed as Boko Haram, Civilian JTF clash in Borno

MAIDUGURI — Suspected members of Islamic sect, Boko Haram, have killed more than 25 civilians, including five vigilante youths, when the youths attacked the sect members in Dawashi Village of Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, a border town with Niger and Chad Republic.

The vigilante youths, also known as Civilian JTF and popularly called Yan Gora, in Maiduguri, who have been assisting the men of the Joint Task Force, JTF, in arresting suspected Boko Haram members, were said to have been ambushed and killed, weekend, in Mainok Village of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State.

It was gathered that the Mainok incident took place when some volunteer youths from Ajilari, Gomari and Bulunkutu Kasuwa wards of Jere and Maiduguri metropolis, stormed the village in their patrol vehicles.

They were there to arrest suspected sects members. But the Civilian JTF, who went without the cover of the military task force were overpowered as the terrorists fired gunshots on their convoy, killing five of them, with one injured.

A handout picture released by the Nigerian army showing Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) medical officers treating civilians injured by suspected members of the Boko Haram Islamist sect in village of Dawashe, in the Kukawa district of Borno. AFP PHOTO

Mainok, about 50 kilometers away from Maiduguri, is one of the areas dominated by suspected Boko Haram members until last month when JTF raided the village and killed over 40 terrorists, burning of over 100 motorcycles suspected to have been used for terrorists activities.

When news of the killings of the five civilian JTF filtered into Maiduguri yesterday, as their corpses arrived Umaru Shehu Specialist Hospital, some members of the vigilante youths mobilised to Mainok village with the back up of military JTF and set the entire village ablaze.

JTF spokesman confirms incident

Confirming the Mainok incident, JTF spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, in a statement to newsmen said the vigilante youths were on operation in Mainok town over the weekend.

He said that in the course of their operation, they were attacked by suspected Boko Haram members.

Sagir said both the deceased and the wounded were in Shehu Umar Specialist Hospital Bulumkutu in Maiduguri metropolis.

He added that on hearing the news at about 11p.m. last Friday, JTF troops were drafted to the area and have been operating on Mainok and surrounding villages to apprehend the bandits, pointing out that the situation in the area was now calm.

On the killing of 20 innocent civilians in Dawashi, it was gathered that a group of volunteer youth from Maiduguri stormed Dawashi village in search of Boko Haram members when the suspected sect members came armed and fired sporadic shots that killed over 20 innocent civilians, while a dozen had serious gunshot injuries.

The victims, it was gathered were mostly fishermen and traders.

It was also gathered that the Dawashi, Daban Masara and Malan Karanti of Kukawa areas were considered stronghold of the sect.

Media Coordinator of the Multinational Joint Task Force, MJTF, in Baga town of Kukawa Local Government, Lieutenant Haruna Mohammed, also confirmed the incident.

He said: “At the time of compiling this report, the victims were still lying within the premises of MNJTF Field Ambulance, receiving medical treatment from the injury sustained during the attack.”

Oritsejafor

In a related development, President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oristejafor, weekend, regretted that policies and the inaction of United States of America had helped sustain what he said was the persecution of Nigerian Christians in Northern Nigeria.

He lamented what he described as failure of US to designate the Islamist group as Foreign Terrorist Organisation, FTO.

The CAN President also revealed that 70 percent of all killings targeted at Christians globally, are from Northern Nigeria with 3,000 killed and over 500 Churches burnt between 2010 and 2012.

Oristejiafor, who addressed the Christian Association of Nigeria in America, CANAN, in Washington DC, weekend, however hailed the activities of some Muslims youths in parts of Borno State, who have been tagged Civilian JTF, for assisting JTF in Borno State in hunting down fleeing members of Boko Haram.

His speech read in part: “I was recently re-elected into my second and final term as President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, an aggregation of all Nigeria’s 80 million Christians.

“The population of Christians in Nigeria is equivalent to the entire country of Egypt. The population of Christians in northern Nigeria is more than the entire population of Syria.

“We are by no means a minority, which makes what we are going through all the more alarming and a warning to countries who believe Islamist terrorism and insurgency could never happen in their territories.

Statistics

“In my first term, about 3,000 Christians were killed. Last year alone it averaged over 100 every month. In March 2010 about 500 Christians were slaughtered in one night on an attack on their villages.

“In April 2011 we lost over 500 churches, thousands of homes and businesses in a 48-hour period and in 2012 about 70 percent of all Christians killed worldwide were in northern Nigeria alone.”

Husband allegedly poisons wife for being barren

AKURE —THE Police in Ondo State have arrested a 47-year-old bricklayer, Damilare Olotu, for allegedly poisoning his wife, Mary, for being barren.

The 45-year-old Mary who  hailed from Kwara State was a trader and had been having running battle with the suspect over her inability to conceive.

Reports had it that following the condition of the deceased the suspect married a second wife, Kemi, from Igbara Oke area of the state who bore him two children.

The suspect who is from Akure used to live with the deceased in Ibuji, Ifedore council area of the state.

It was alleged that the second wife reportedly insisted on packing into the suspect’s house but the deceased resisted.

The junior brother to the deceased, Mr. Lawrence Omotosho, told newsmen that the suspect and the second wife connived to poison his sister.

According to him, the sister had told him that the suspect had  threatened to kill her. Omotosho asked the police to investigate the matter thoroughly and bring the culprit to book.

Also the only child of the deceased from her former marriage, Shola Olatunji who is an undergraduate in Kogi State said the family of her late mother warned her not to re-marry but she refused.

Contacted, the police image maker, Wole Ogodo, said investigation into Mary’s death ws on-going, noting that the  case has been transfered from Igbara Oke to the headquarters in Akure for further investigation.

Meanwhile, the corpse of the deceased has been deposited in mortuary for autopsy.

Gunmen abduct 70-yr-old retired school principal

WARRI— A RETIRED school principal, Mrs. Clementina Bakpa, was Friday abducted by unknown gunmen at Ovwian in Udu council area of Delta State on her way to church in company of her husband, Mr. Emma Bakpa, an engineer.

Vanguard gathered that they were on their way to morning mass at the Catholic Church, Ovwian when the incident occurred at about 6 am and driven off in a speed boat to unknown destination.

Mrs. Bakpa, a former principal of Dom Domingo College, Warri and Delta State University Demonstration School, Abraka is a mother of six children and proprietor of Holy Family School, Airport Road, Warri.

No ransom has be demanded by her abductors who has no access to contact her family members as she was without her GSM handset at the time she was kidnapped.

No officer of the Owvian police station was prepared to comment on the incident although sources revealed that investigation are in top gear to track the hoodlums.

As at the time of abduction, Mrs. Bakpa was said to be without her telephone set.

29 July 1966 – 47 Years Of Fallacies

FORTY-SIX years ago, the counter coup to the first coup of that January claimed the lives of Gen Thomas Johnson Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi and his host Lt-Col Francis Adekunle Fajuyi. Ironsi was in Ibadan as part of his reconciliation tour, after the first coup that killed mostly prominent Northern politicians and army officers.

Both Ironsi and Fajuyi fought in the United Nations operations in the Congo. Ironsi led the contingent. Ironsi was the target of the coup plotters, but Fajuyi, then military Governor of Western Region, died protecting his leader and guest.

They remain the most unsung military officers of their era. Accusations against Ironsi were that he made laws to facilitate Igbos leadership of the country and he failed to punish the first coup plotters. These were at most speculations.

Six months in power, Ironsi was murdered. He has been demonised, blamed for every Nigerian challenge, and accorded no respect, though he was medalled for his leadership in the UN Congo operations. Fajuyi is tarred with the same brush over his refusal to turn in Ironsi. Ordinarily, it should have counted for him as an act commensurate with his status as an “officer and gentleman”.

Lt-Col Yakubu Gowon announced himself Head of State on 1 August, without accounting for Ironsi. The military Governor of the Eastern Region, Col Ojukwu rejected Gowon’s leadership and, wanted to know where Ironsi was and insisted that Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe, the highest ranking officer after Ironsi, should assume command.

Killing of Igbos in the North continued with an intensity and bestiality that made earlier killings child’s play. By October 1966, over 50,000 Easterners were killed in a week. More than two million Easterners fled the North.

These events cascaded to a crisis that tore the country apart. Negotiations finally collapsed in January 1967, in Ghana, The Aburi Accords, which each side gave a different interpretation.

When Lt-Col Gowon created 12 states in May 1967 to replace the four regions, Lt-Col Ojukwu declared Eastern Nigeria the Republic of Biafra.  A brutal  three-year war claimed more than two million lives.

These summarise the dark side of Nigeria after independence. A rash of publications on the war has failed to address the causes of the war. The books have mainly served to document bravery of some officers who had commands in the war. Their accounts are hardly different in substance.

If the January 1966 coup was an Igbo coup, does that explain riots across the North that targeted unarmed and defenceless civilians – children, women, among them pregnant ones whose bowls were ripped?

Nigeria is only months to its centenary, it would benefit from dismantling the falsehood that justify military rule and the war.

Blood, tears in Oturkpo as David Mark’s men, villagers go to war! -

Senate President David Mark’s quest for a vast land where he is said to be planning a university in his native Otukpo, Benue State, has pitted him against peasant farmers in Asa III, who claim that the retired military officer-turned- politician wants to deprive them of their farm land, their only means of livelihood.

The move was said to have started in the first quarter of the year when a delegation of the nation’s number three citizen, led by one Chief Obogo Alapa, met some  Asa III elders  to inform  them of the proposed university which, it  stressed, would bring development to the area.

It was learnt that the villagers told the delegation that they welcomed  the development, but that they needed to know the exact size of land and in which area of the village before they could give their terms.

Consequently, it was agreed that the delegation should take representatives of the villagers to the area and show them the  location and size.

This was later undertaken, with a bulldozer setting out what represented the area of interest for the proposed institution. The said land, according Mr. Sam Obochi, measures about “4 x 4” km, covering the farmlands of many families. The area demarcated alegedly extended from Asa III to their boundary with Akpegede village on the one hand, and their boundary with Otobi  on the other.

However, trouble started when the villagers discovered that bulldozers were sent in to clear the vast farmland without any further discussions with them. “The Alapa delegation that went to show the villagers the area to be taken by the university project did not return to give the villagers any feedback”, the villagers claimed.

Some of the villagers went to their farms and asked the bulldozer operators to stop work on the grounds  that the said land belonged to their families and that at no time did they hand over the land  to anybody for any project.

As learnt, the workers ignored the villagers which led to  protests during which the villagers blocked the main road that passes through Asa III in their efforts to attract public attention to their plight.

Senate President David Mark

Attacks
If the villagers expected any form of sympathy, what they allegedly got was a rude shock  as, rather than coming for negotiations, those taking their land were said to have mobilized persons from Igbanomaje,  Otukpo, to attack them. The assailants were said to have invaded Asa III  and shot six of the villagers, burnt down houses of those considered as the arrowheads of the alleged  land-grab opposition, and looted  every store in sight.

The villagers ran into the bush and kept away from their homes for four days. Those who ventured into the village were said to have been arrested by gun- wielding vigilante and policemen brought in from Otukpo. 18 persons were allegedly arrested including three minors. 15 were detained in Makurdi Police Station while the minors  were detained in the Juvenile Detention Center, Gboko.

As learnt, six men were shot by the attackers and had to be rushed to the General Hospital Otukpo.  But even at the hospital, the police went after them  and attempted to arrest them.  It took the resistance of the hospital staff to stop further action against the villagers who then sneaked out of the hospital that night to secret locations outside  Otukpo to seek medical help.

Two weeks after the attack, leaders of the village, it was learnt, sent an emissary to Alapa, the alleged leader of Mark’s representatives,  to express their disappointment over the attack on  Asa III.

A peace meeting was reportedly held with the Alapa group on June 21. The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council, Dr. Innocent Onuh, was one of the leaders that attended the meeting.  That meeting was held at the palace of the Ad’ Alekwu of Asa III, Mr. Inalegwu Onche, where the villagers claimed to have told  Mark’s representatives that due process should be followed if the Senate President wanted to acquire land for his university project.

Killing
The following day, the villagers said policemen from Otukpo Divisional Police Headquarters invaded the village at  about 5.30 am to arrest some youths.

Those who noticed the arrival of the policemen were said to have alerted others by  phone.  Those who could not get the information on time were arrested while those who escaped arrest had their Okadas  (motorcycles) taken away. The villagers then mobilized and insisted that every villager must be taken to the police station.  Overwhelmed, Sunday Vanguard was told, the police started firing into the air to disperse the crowd. In the process, one of the police constables was shot due to accidental discharge  by a fellow police man.

This was said to have infuriated the policemen the more as they insisted on arresting as many of the villagers as they could.  But  the policeman behind the shooting  allegedly reported himself to the police authorities in Otukpo.  He was said to have declared that he could not bring himself to accuse the villagers of a crime they did not commit.

The policeman was arrested and detained, then transferred to the Benue State Police Command headquarters in Makurdi where he was detained, pending his orderly room trial.  In spite of truth about who  shot the deceased policeman, the team that left the village only reinforced with more officers, soldiers and armed vigilante, and stormed the village later that day.  The raid was unprecedented, according to the villagers, as they could not resist the large armed team that stormed their little village.  Several villagers were arrested with others running into the forests.  At the end of the day, many houses were  allegedly burnt down and shops looted, creating a scenario of a village at war.

Strangers
After the raid, Mr. Obochi, a  senior civil servant in Makurdi,  but whose family land is part of the parcel in dispute, decided to meet the Senate President’s representatives in Otukpo.  He was arrested and detained for one week, in Makurdi, along with those earlier arrested.

Obochi told Sunday Vanguard, in an interview  in Makurdi, that what  was happening in  Asa III since the beginning of the year was a clear case of intimidation of the peasant farmers.

He said he was arrested in the process of trying to resolve the issue between the Mark group and his brothers and sisters in his village.  According to him, “my offence was that I bailed those who were arrested by a combined team of policemen, soldiers and vigilante”.

Narrating the situation, Obochi said, “The Mark group claims that the villagers are strangers and as such  will not receive any compensation for the land and their crops. Rather, they said that compensation will be paid to Otukpo indigenous people.  Their informants misled them.  They told them that those farming on the land in question are ‘Aalala’”.

Those referred to as ‘Aalala’ are those from south of Idomaland, especially Ogbadibo and Okpokwu Local Government Areas.

Obochi insisted that those who own the land and even currently own farms on the land in question are aboriginal  Otukpo people.

He added that most of the houses destroyed and the looted shops belonged to indigenes of Asa III and not strangers which made it difficult for any reasonable member of the society to comprehend.

Obochi said the villagers had no intention of fighting Mark but that they won’t allow anyone to forcefully take away the land which they inherited from their ancestors.

Effort  to see Mark
Asked if the aggrieved villagers made any effort to meet the Senate President in person, he said, “I met Adakole Elijah ( an aide of the Senate President) and requested to see Sen. Mark.  He promised to facilitate my meeting him.  That was before the arrest and that was the last time I saw the man.  I also had a chance meeting with one Onyilokwu Ekwo (said to be very close to the Senate President) and I told him that we don’t want bloodshed in our village and that he should arrange a meeting for us to meet Mark.  There was no response and I cannot just walk to Senator David Mark’s house”.

Demand
According to Obochi, the demand of the owners of the farm land is, “the Senate President should follow due process  by coming to the owners of the land.  If a dirty man has something which you need, the person cannot look dirty to you.

“He should come to us and make a request,  then we will decide whether to give him the land or not; or  give him part of the land; but certainly not the whole land as demarcated.  We don’t have any personal problem with Mark He chose the wrong process.  Those he is working with are not representatives of the farmers who own the land. He should stop further work on the land in question until the issue is resolved”.

Neither the Senate President’s media team nor his family members responded to inquiries by Sunday Vanguard, in spite of repeated calls and text messages.

48 LAWS OF POWER ........LAW 16 TO 20

 Law 16

Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

Too much circulation makes the price go down:  The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear.  If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired.  You must learn when to leave.  Create value through scarcity.

 Law 17

Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability

Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’s actions.  Your predictability gives them a sense of control.  Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable.  Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves.  Taken to an extreme, this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.

 Law 18

Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous

The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere – everyone has to protect themselves.  A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from – it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target.  Better to circulate among people find allies, mingle.  You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.

 Law 19

Know Who You’re Dealing with – Do Not Offend the Wrong Person

There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way.  Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge.  They are wolves in lambs’ clothing.  Choose your victims and opponents carefully, then – never offend or deceive the wrong person.

 Law 20

Do Not Commit to Anyone

It is the fool who always rushes to take sides.  Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself.  By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others – playing people against one another, making them pursue you.

Two brothers docked over robbery, kidnap

Two brothers, Olayinka Jagbojagbo,38,and Kabiru Jagbojagbo, 30, were, on Friday arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate’s Court, over alleged kidnap and robbery.

The suspects who were docked before Magistrate Abimbola Komolafe, are facing a four- count charge of conspiracy, robbery, kidnap and attempt to escape, preferred against them by the police.

The police prosecutor, inspector Iranus Nnamonu, told the court that the accused and others at large, committed the alleged crime some time in January, 2013, at about 3:20pm, at 26, Jagbojabo Villa Erode, in Epe area of Lagos State.
He said that the accused and others at large received N8,500,000 ransom from ZTM Nigeria Limited, over a kidnapped Chinese national one Mr Kuang Vingjiun, who is a staff of ZTE Nigeria Ltd, at Osborne Road in Ikoyi.

Nnamonu said that the suspects and other members of the gang, shared   N200,000 each from the money realised as ransom.
He said that the suspects procure charms for themselves and members of their gang, from one Taiwo Aduloju, to enable them escape being punished by the police.

The prosecutor also alleged that the defendants kidnapped one Ilogbonu Kingsley Ifeanyi, on May 13, 2013, between 6pm and 7pm, at 26, Jagbojagbo Villa Erode, in Epe area of Lagos.

He claimed that they unlawfully detained him, for four days in their house and also in an uncompleted building at Imokun area of Epe, until a ransom of N500,000 was paid for his release.

According to the prosecutor, the offence committed is contrary to and punishable under section 409, 16 (B) (C) (D) and 269 (1) (2) of the criminal laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

However when the charge preferred against the defendants, who resides at 26, Jagbojagbo Villa Erode, in Epe area of Lagos, the two brothers, pleaded not guilt to the four-count charges.

Magistrate Komolafe, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N500,000 each, with two responsible   sureties each, one of the sureties, who must be a landlord in Lagos state.

Adding that one of the sureties must be a blood relation to the defendants, show payment of tax and address to be verified by the police.

She further adjourned the matter to September 17, 2013, for mention.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/07/two-brothers-docked-over-robbery-kidnap/#sthash.tB6U6K8f.dpuf

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ANAMBRA 2014: One office, multiple contenders

In the run up  to the November 16, 2013 governorship election in Anambra State, virtually all the political parties and aspirants seem yet to find their rhythm. The election holds barely 90 days away to elect  Gov  Peter Obi’s successor.

Analysts blame the scenario on  the delay by  the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in releasing the guidelines and timetable for the election.

The aspirants had been cautions not to run foul  of the laws, or be seen as jumping the gun when the Commission had not given the green light to start campaigns. The green light finally came some three weeks ago. The contest is characterised by intrigues and scheming by the various political blocs and camps.

The PDP is one of the most visible parties in the state, but grapples with efforts at  self-rediscovery. The party is besetted with crisis over whether or not President Goodluck Jonathan will seek re-election in 2015. The North says he should not.  Anambra must be high on the PDP  agenda as it remains the arrowhead to determine where the South-east geo-political zone goes in the 2015 polls. So, with the state’s governorship election fast approaching, the party must stand firm, for obvious political reasons.

Now, those who have not been part of the politics in Anambra  for many years are said to have stormed  to the Wadata House headquarters of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to pick the Expression of Interest(EOI) form. The fee went up from the N250,000  in 2009 to N1 million for the Anambra guber ticket.

MASSIVE PURCHASE
But this has not dampened the spirit of  the about 27 aspirants jostling for the PDP ticket, even as more than half are said to be women, one of them a  hairdressing salon operator in Awka. At least two aspirants have been accused of massive purchase of the form for their respective camps.

Alleged abuse of the free access of the PDP female aspirants to the nomination form is also said to be generating ripples and may force the party to review the policy. Wadata Plaza sources said the fee for the nomination form could go up as high as between N10m and N20m  for each aspirant. The hike, it is believed, would help keep unserious aspirants,  proxies and stooges out of the race.

Primary election will obviously determine who picks the PDP ticket for the Anambra guber race. But the allegation that two aspirants have acquired the nomination form for about ten of their supporters is causing tension.

Analysts say the move may be a design to put a clog in the wheel of the  primary election stated for August 24. The game plan was to put the PDP in a situation whereby there will be  a repeat of the primary. “In the end, they would use their contacts at the Wadata Plaza to settle for a consensus candidate option, hoping that that would favour them more, having already watered the grounds well in that direction,”a source familiar with the race for the PDP ticket in the state said.

Ifeanyi Uba, Ekwunife, Andy Uba and Ngige

“Alternatively, they would bamboozle the party headquarters into inviting all the ‘aspirants’ to Abuja where the matter would be resolved through internal mechanism. This includes but not likely to be limited to asking the ‘aspirants’ to vote among themselves to choose who they want to fly the party’s flag at the Nov 16 governorship election in the state. Of course the outcome would be foreclosed as each ‘aspirant’ would simply vote for his/her sponsor.”

Some of the guber aspirants, especially in the PDP, are reportedly being sponsored by some northern elements with a view to using them to attempt to scuttle President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 agenda. Analysts say Aso Rock may consider backing the aspirant without political blemish or baggage.

TOP ON LIST
The analysts said of all those jostling for the PDP ticket, only Walter Ubaka Okeke and Alex Obiogbolu are exciting  the party’s big wigs. But Okeke, according to them, remains top on the list as he fits perfectly into the battle to pick the PDP ticket because he is said to be well-heeled with a deep pocket, well-read, psychologically very stable, and a key player in the Nigeria’s big oil/gas services sector since 1995.

His businesses are domiciled in the Niger Delta. He was said to have been paying to the governments an annual tax in the region of millions of naira, as against other contestants who pay peanuts and only for the sake of the gubernatorial election process requirement. He is reportedly married from either Bayelsa or Rivers.

While Obiogbolu reportedly has what it takes to govern the state, the larger section of Anambra’s 177 communities is said not to be  favourably disposed to someone from his area due to social reasons. But he is seen as capable and qualified with immense administrative experience in government business. Obiogbolu is a  reputable medical officer and successful businessman who has a lot of enduring legacies to his credit in the state’s civil service.

Chief Sylvester Okonkwo, a close confidant of a South-south governor, is said to be among those who have not visited the state in the last 10years. It seems  his only reason for picking the form is because one of the key players in the PDP  politics urges him on. Unfortunately, the present political equation of the state does not favour his aspiration, as he comes from the Central zone like the outgoing Governor Obi and former Gov. Ngige.

NASS MEETING
For Senator Andy Uba, it was said that he has been working against the emergence of the PDP candidate based on primary election. Sources accused him of moving to upstage all other aspirants undemocratically. He was alleged to have held meetings with his ‘aspirants’ in Abuja. Some serving and former members of the House of Representatives including Ben Nwankwo, Fort Dike, Eucharia Azodo and Lynda Ikpeazu allegedly attended the meetings recently. These meetings were described as historical as it was the first to be held between the senator and Reps as a group since their inauguration in the National Assembly.

Chief Mike Okoye, a successful legal practitioner, was alleged to be relying on his friendship with the former Governor Diepreye Alameseigha to grab the PDP ticket. Unfortunately his political traducers are quick to point out that he once held sway in Hope Democratic Party but let go of it when it mattered most, hence political watchers wonder what he really wants this time around.

RELIGION FACTOR
Dr Obinna Uzor remains a close friend of former President Gen Ibrahim Babangida, and also does not hide his penchant to cling to anything Catholic. That’s why he has been going round building parishes for his beloved faith. Analysts say he may at the end of the day realise why the holy book warns that in heaven, there is no Catholic, Anglican or Pagan.

Elders of the party in Anambra State are said to be rooting for a holistic review of the input each of the aspirants has made to the growth or otherwise of the party in the past ten years.

Some of the aspirants were alleged to have sowed confusion and crises in the PDP only to run into another party. It is feared that they are on the familiar move again, knowing fully well that the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP  is not kidding on enthroning internal democracy and discipline.

Anambra is among the few states to have about four citizens in the party’s Board of Trustees(BOT)-Dr Alex Ekwueme, Senator Onyeabor Obi, Chief Maxwell Okudoh and Mrs Iyom Josephine Anenih. They cannot be indifferent about who runs their state as governor, hence must be interested in this contest.

GRASSROOTS SUPPORT
Any serious contender for the Anambra governorship ought to go round the state to express his/her interest to run in the November 16 election. Investigations show that only Walter Okeke, Obiogbolu and Tony Nwoye have done so.

Analysts believe than when all the factors are considered, the PDP may end up with a dark horse like Walter Okeke, said to be surefooted and firmly etched in business and politics of the state. He is said to be miles ahead of the Ubas, the Ukachukwus and the Soludos as he has in the course of his 326 ward tours displayed an unusual mastery of the state geography and political idiosyncrasies of the various zones. And going by the pronouncements of the party’s national chairman during the inauguration of Gov Seriake Dickson-led PDP Reconciliation Committee, they are very prepared to reclaim Anambra among other states the party lost.

INSIDE APGA
Gov Obi is believed to have President Jonathan’s ears. Yet he is said to be rooting for Prof Charles Soludo, a former CBN Governor, who apparently left the PDP because he failed to get the nod of Mr President, as the APGA candidate. This is clearly an ambush for whoever Mr President’s PDP nominates.

As he counts days to his departure and after working so hard to dismember his APGA, Obi is said to be playing church politics card. He wants his Catholic faith to dominate others with mind-boggling ratio in virtually everything in the state. To achieve his aim this time, he is said to be reconciling with his embattled national chairman, Chief Victor Umeh, a fellow Catholic, using Soludo, also a Catholic, as the bargaining chip.

Soludo too is said to be  ready to reconcile with his sister in-law, Prof Dora Akunyili, also a Catholic, to upstage the looming political volcano APGA being foisted by the elements in PDP. It was for this reason the former Central Bank chief recently dumped the PDP for APGA, just like Akunyili. They are Catholics, and are all very qualified, no doubt. They fit properly into the out-going governor’s ‘all-Catholic’ profile agenda.

Close watchers of events in Anambra contend that the lack of geo-balance and respect for the sensibilities of the electorate by the key players in the newly formed All Progressives Congress(APC) is the greatest headache its most visible aspirant, Dr Chris Ngige, would have. In addition, many of those who were close to him have vowed to oppose him,this time. Their reasons are similar and personal- they allege he underrates loyalty. His upcoming APC is equally accused of lacking sense of fair distribution of anything, not even the party positions.

MANY WARS
Ifeanyi Ubah  is an energetic young man with visible burning zeal to better the lot of the masses, but the Nigerian factor is alleged to have become his greatest undoing. He may have issues of security clearance ahead of the election. He has too many wars on his hands with federal agencies.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/07/anambra-2014-one-office-multiple-contenders/#sthash.Lf8At2FF.dpuf

Nigerians In Kenya Protest Police Harassment And Intimidation

Below is a letter written by Nigerians living in Kenya highlighting the harassment they face in the hands of police.

The harassment has taken a xenophobic dimension, Just 2 days ago a Nigerian with Valid passport and entry Visa to Kenya was stopped by plain clothes policemen, when they requested for his passport, he promptly presented it to them. The passport was immediately seized and he was asked to to leave Kenya, as Nigerians only come to Kenya to take their woman, he resisted and insisted that he committed no offense, he was immediately attacked and beaten to a pulp and he was bleeding profusely.



The took him to the station and the OCS was so alarmed that he almost got physical with the policemen and insisted the paid for the guys treatment. He has taken pictures and also copies of his statement and dropped at the embassy.

3 days ago, 27 Nigerians were refused entry without Valid reasons yet we have a protocol of giving Visa's on entry by both countries Embassy officials who visited the Nigerians in jails broke down in
tears when the found out that they were not only innocent but that they were tortured and brutalized .

The Nigerian community has also met with leading politicians in Kenya who insist that our Ambassador has not only failed to do his Job, and that if we remain silent about this harassment that it will only get worse.

This case is only one of the many cases that is going on in Kenya.

We as an organization cannot afford to publish this letter on the pages of the Newspapers in Nigeria, but we are appealing and counting on your good graces to help us make our plight known.

National Association of Nigerians in Kenya 

Taiwo Oyebanjo And Dotun’s Traditional Wedding Pictures

Award wining Afro Pop singer D’banj’s Younger Sister Taiwo Oyebanjo, got married to radio presenter of Cool FM’s Dotun today.

The Dotun families and friends traveled from Lagos to the Oyebanjo’s hometown in Shagamu, Ogun State for the traditional wedding. It was reported yesterday that D’banj arrived the venue alongside with Timaya and others.

Their white wedding is expected to hold on August 3, 2013.

Congrats to the couple