Nigerians too timid for revolution – Amaechi

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi has ruled out the possibility of having a violent revolution in the country.

Amaechi spoke in Ekiti State on Saturday at the second Nigeria Symposium for Young and Emerging Leaders.

President yet to give ceasefire order —Army President yet to give ceasefire order —Army

President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to consider amnesty for members of the Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram, is not sitting well with the military high command, SUNDAY PUNCH has gathered.

Jonathan, on Thursday, had set up a committee to consider the possibility of granting amnesty to Boko Haram members.

Oga at the top movie debuts

Call it the director’s creativity or mischief, the movie, Oga at the top, is out. Quite similar to the viral ‘Oga at the top’ quote, the movie features popular Nollywood actor, Nkem Owoh, also known as Osuofia. Although the viral quote stopped trending on Twitter after a week of dominance, Nigerians put their creativity to test as they made T-shirts, mugs, songs and jokes about the error made by the Lagos State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Obafaiye Shem, during an interview on Channels Televison.

Efforts to reach Osuofia proved futile as his mobile phone was switched off when Saturday Beats tried to reach him. He did not also reply to a text message sent to his phone.

You are here: Home / News / ‘APC will eradicate Boko Haram in a month’ ‘APC will eradicate Boko Haram in a month

Action Congress Party stalwart Ayo Akande in Lagos State has said the All Progressive Congress will eradicate the Boko Haram menace within a month in power.

He said the inception of the presidency of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan set the stage for the escalation of terrorism by the shady group.

PDP primaries: Jonathan, govs to run as sole aspirants

The Peoples Democratic Party is discreetly planning a consensus arrangement that is likely to see President Goodluck Jonathan emerging as its sole aspirant in the presidential primaries for the 2015 election.

The arrangement will also favour first term governors, who are likely to run unopposed in the party’s primaries.

Soyinka accuses leaders of patronising marabouts, prophets

NOBEL Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has decried the rate at which Nigerian leaders consult marabouts and prophets in a bid to hold onto political power.

Nigerian leaders, he said, were in the habit of sacrificing animals in order to remain in power.

Soyinka spoke in Port Harcourt on Monday at a two-day education summit.

He observed that the situation was encouraging students to join cultism, adding that the rot in the nation’s education system was trickling down to secondary and primary schools.

The renowned author, who chaired the occasion, noted that normal university cultures like fraternities had been misconstrued to mean cultism.

2015: PDP moves to appease aggrieved govs • Anenih embarks on fence-mending tour of states

ALARMED by the possibility of disintegration, the Peoples Democratic Party leaders have decided to come down from their high horse and beg the aggrieved governors of the party, The PUNCH learnt on Monday.

The governors’ mass boycott of the party’s peace meeting and celebration of the first anniversary of its National Working Committee, chaired by Alhaji Bamagar Tukur, on Sunday, had apparently sent jitters through the leadership hence the decision to appease the state chief executives.

Ex-Zambian president arrested over Nigerian oil deal

 Former Zambian president, Mr. Rupiah Banda, was arrested on Monday by the country’s law enforcement agents over allegations of corruption and abuse of office, following a crude oil import deal with Nigeria. Banda, according to an online news agency, hotnaijanews.com, was also alleged to have misappropriated about $11m during his three-year reign as President of the country.

UK vows to get killers of JAMBS hostages

THE United Kingdom on Sunday vowed that it would assist the Federal Government to bring to book the killers of seven foreign workers, including a British citizen, seized off a factory in Bauchi last month. The Political and Press Secretary in the British High Commission in Abuja, Hooman Nouruzi, said in a statement that the UK was determined to work with the Nigerian government to bring the perpetrators of the killing to justice. “I am grateful to the Nigerian government for their unstinting help and cooperation. We are utterly determined to work with them to hold the perpetrators of this heinous act to account, and to combat the terrorism which so blights the lives of the people of Northern Nigeria and in the wider region,” the statement said. This came even as Britain, Italy and Greece on Sunday confirmed that hostages from their countries were among the foreign construction workers killed on Saturday by the Jama’atu Ansarul Musilimina Fi Biladis Sudan. “This was an act of cold-blooded murder, which I condemn in the strongest terms,” Nouruzi quoted the British Foreign Secretary William Hague as saying. The terrorist group, said to be a breakaway faction of the vilent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, which seized the foreigners in Bauchi on February 16, announced on Saturday that it had killed the hostages. The group purportedly issued a statement in Arabic and English on an affiliate of the Sinam al-Islam network accompanied by screen shots of a video purporting to show the dead hostages. One screenshot showed a man with gun standing above several prone figures lying on the ground. In its statement, the group said it had decided to kill the hostages, taken from the compound of a Lebanese construction company, because of attempts by Britain and Nigeria to rescue them. “(We) announced the capture of seven Christian foreigners and warned that any attempt by force to rescue them will put their lives in danger,” the statement said. Meanwhile, the Federal Government on Sunday still refused to comment on the killing of the foreigners. Efforts to speak with the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, on the telephone did not yield any result as his telephone lines remained switched off on Sunday. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, did not pick his calls when one of our correspondents called. Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ogbole Ahmedu- Ode, said he had yet to be briefed so he could not comment. The BBC quoted Hague as having said earlier that, “A British construction worker, held hostage in Nigeria since 16 February, is likely to have been killed at the hands of his captors, along with six other foreign nationals.” The Associated Press, quoted Italy’s foreign ministry as saying that “seven foreign hostages kidnapped in northern Nigeria had been killed as claimed by Islamic extremists, the worst such foreign abduction violence to hit the turbulent West African nation in decades.” Greece also confirmed that one of its citizens had been “killed by Ansaru, the radical group that claimed responsibility for abducting the foreigners from northern Bauchi state in Feb. 16.” AP quoted the statement from the Italian Foreign Ministry as saying, “It’s an atrocious act of terrorism, against which the Italian government expresses its firmest condemnation, and which has no explanation, if not that of barbarous and blind violence.” Italy also denied a claim by Ansaru that the hostages were killed before or during a military operation by Nigerian and British forces, saying there was “no military intervention aimed at freeing the hostages.” On its part, a statement from Greece’s foreign ministry said authorities had already informed the hostage’s family. ‘’We note that the terrorists never communicated or formulated demands to release the hostages,” the statement read, which also denied any military raid took place. Ansaru previously issued a short statement saying its fighters kidnapped the foreigners February 16 from a construction company’s camp at Jama’are, a town about 200 kilometres north of Bauchi, the capital of Bauchi state. In the attack gunmen first assaulted a local prison and burned police trucks, authorities said. Then the attackers blew up a back fence at the construction company’s compound and took over, killing a guard in the process. In an online statement Saturday claiming the killings, Ansaru said it killed the hostages in part due to local Nigerian journalists reporting on the arrival of British military aircraft to Bauchi, the northern state where the abductions occurred. However, the online statement from Ansaru said the airplanes were spotted at the international airport in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The British Ministry of Defence said Sunday that the planes it flew to Abuja ferried Nigerian troops and equipment to Bamako, Mali. Nigerian soldiers have been sent to Mali to help French forces and Malian troops battle Islamic extremists there. The British military said it also transported Ghanaian soldiers to Mali the same way. The British ministry declined to offer any other comment regarding Nigerian extremist group’s claims that it killed the seven hostages. Ansaru had said it believed the planes were part of a Nigerian and British rescue mission for the abducted hostages. The UK has offered military support in the past in Nigeria to free hostages. In March 2012, its special forces backed a failed Nigerian military raid to free Christopher McManus, who had been abducted months earlier with Italian Franco Lamolinara from a home in Kebbi State. Both hostages were killed in that rescue attempt. In its statement Saturday, Ansaru also blamed the killings on a pledge by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan to do “everything possible” to free the hostages.

KAS ABANDONS TONTO DIKEH’S SONG, PROMOTES KAS WATER

Tongues are already wagging on why the record label, Kas Records, in which the sultry actress, Tonto Dikeh recorded her highly condemned two singles, has refused to promote her song but another business he just ventures into, Kas Water. Kas ( the Fimile crooner), we gathered, signed Tonto Dike sometime last year and as a matter of fact, Tonto Dike appeared on one of his tracks titled “Iyawo wind”. On Oct 17th, Tonto Dike released 2 singles that set social media networks on fire but the absence of a statement of support or promotion from her supposed label boss or even music collaborator Kas speaks volumes. There are insinuations here and there that maybe the guy is too embarrassed to identify with such a bad product from Tonto or maybe the beautiful, good and sexy actress but bad singer is no longer signed on under Kas label. Wee need information please!

Nigeria’s five bankable actresses

Four elements contribute to the success of a movie at the box-office. They include good script, experienced director, professional publicist, and most importantly, the big name stars. Of all the four, there is one a producer should never violate at the market place and that is the ‘star’ aspect of it. There could be a bad script, inexperienced director and not too good publicity for the movie but it is almost impossible to have Return On Investment (ROI) with un-bankable stars. Wikipedia defines a bankable star to be an actor famous or charismatic enough to be “capable of guaranteeing box-office success simply by showing up in a movie”. It is common knowledge that a Will Smith will sell any movie no matter how bad as long as he has his face on the jacket. In Nigeria, some movie stars have proven again and again that they can guarantee return on investment as long as their faces adorn the poster. They are Genevieve Nnaji, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Omoni Oboli, Funke Akindele and Nse Ikpe-Etim. Or how else could one explain the success of box office hits like Mirror Boy, Ije, and Tango With Me all having Genevieve Nnaji starring in them? And what about Figurine and Anchor Baby which both starred Omoni Oboli as the lead actress? Mirror Boy, Tango With Me, Last Flight to Abuja and Phone Swap all had sizeable negative reviews, yet they topped the box office, made huge profit and left many Hollywood movies far behind. Here, The Entertainer takes a look at Nollywood’s five bankable actresses, their earnings and what is possibly working for them. Genevieve Nnaji Topping the list of five is Genevieve Nnaji. Love or hate her, Genny as she is fondly called, has a way with cinema audiences that make them come back again and again for her movies. So far, Genevieve’s starring in the movies has grossed over N83 million at the box office. Mirror Boy (described by the actress as her first major film and the first to put her at the box-office) made N18 million, while Ije netted N60 million turning out to be Nigeria’s highest grossing movie ever. But Genevieve had to share the money with Omotola, who also acted alongside her. If the sharing formula is 50-50, then Genevieve gets N30 million of the total gross. Genevieve’s next movie, Tango with Me went on to make N35 million. So, putting all the figures together, Genny remains at the head of the pack. What seem to be working for Genevieve are her enduring power, popularity and social media connection. The actress has been there for over a decade and is still waxing stronger. Her wine seems to taste better with age. Another plus for Genny is her popularity. Genevieve is hugely popular across Africa and most especially among the youths. Before now, she has been very active on the social media especially Twitter. She even had to put up a Facebook advert after reports emerged that some acts were ahead of her there. Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde Next on the list is Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde with box-office gross of N60 million. She made N24 million with Last Flight to Abuja, N6 million from Private Storm and her N30 million share in Ije bring her total earning to N60 million. This year alone, no actress has made as much as N24 million from a single movie; Funke Akindele would have done so with The Return of Jenifa but the movie hit the box office in 2011. Omotola, who was reported to have been paid N5 million by Tarila Thompson all in the bid to make his movie a blockbuster, has been described as the biggest box office actress of 2012. She recorded successes back to back but it remains to be seen if she can pull off the box office magic again with Amina and other movies coming in 2013. Omotola has been an A-list actress even before Genevieve got her first big break and so what has been working for her is the wise investment in her brand. Her enduring presence and unceasing contact with her fans via the social media has made her popular even in an environment where a mother of four like her is not fashionable. Funke Akindele Surprisingly, the third person on the list is Funke Akindele, a young lady who rose to fame in I Need To Know, a TV series, and went on to earn a monstrous fame with Jenifa. Funke is an unlikely candidate on this list. Now, how can one explain that she is third on a list parading heavy weights like Omoni Oboli, Nse Ikpe-Etim and Stephanie Okereke among others? So far, Funke has made over N56 million, netting over N20 million in 2012 alone. In The Return of Jenifa, Funke netted N35 million. The movie ran till February 2012. Her movie, Married but Living Single made N9.9 million while Maami made N11 million. The actress is on her way to another cinema glory with a movie, A Wish. Let’s hope she will be able to wave the magical wand again and create a box-office success. For Funke who recently got married, the plus factor for her is her huge popularity among the masses and elites. Her movie, Jenifa cuts across all social groups with the street parlance in it becoming the mode of communication in social gathering. And as an icing on the cake, Funke has moved upscale, she is now the toast of events organized by the rich and not so rich. Her box office credibility transcends the cinema as all DVDs parading her face turn into gold. Omoni Oboli Omoni Oboli, who is still largely unknown to those who don’t patronise the cinema and social media, is fourth on the list. She is a silent achiever. Before the trio of Genevieve, Omotola and Funke even dreamt of hitting the box office, Omoni Oboli already took the lead. Figurine, her first box office appearance made N13 million while her second effort, Anchor Baby made N18 million bringing her total earning to N31million. Omoni’s strength is her exclusivity and knack for quality. It is a known fact that if the project is not big and ambitious, Omoni might not do it. The disadvantage of that is, despite her box office credibility, Omoni is still unknown in areas where there is no access to cinemas. Perhaps, that is the reason she tries to make up with the red carpet presence. For now, the exclusivity is working for Omoni; perhaps her new movie, Broken and other works will introduce a new twist. One other thing that should not be forgotten is the unprecedented publicity of Anchor Baby in 2010. The film also had Omoni at the forefront of meeting and greeting of fans at the cinemas. Nse Ikpe-Etim The fifth slot belongs to Nse Ikpe-Etim. She seems to be the latest sensation in big budget movies. In Mr and Mrs, Nse was a delight, her performance was a reference point and it was a hook that kept drawing people to the cinema while the movie was there. Mr and Mrs made N6 million while another of her film, Phone Swap made N20 million, making a total of N26 million. Too early for Nse to cement her place, as she hasn’t done N15 million back-to-back but one thing the actress has made clear is that she has intention of doing that. The leading four acts should be afraid of Nse because her strength lies in her pure acting talent. Nse is born to act, deemed to be unnecessarily assertive a times, but you can’t accuse her of not knowing her lines. And she pushes her movies with virgour, moving from one cinema to the other. However, Nse should watch it as many have accused her of being too ‘self-conscious’, a term casually used for budding stars who have ‘over-hyped’ impression of themselves as this could alienate fans who make the box-office count. Rita Dominic and Stephanie Okereke Rita Dominic and Stephanie Okereke should readily make the list but they haven’t appeared at the cinemas more than once. Hopefully, Rita will break into the list with The Meeting, Lion of 76 and Street of Calabar while Stephanie already had N10 million under her belt with Through the Glass. Of course, there are exceptions to the rules. A bankable star makes easier the job of a producer; the absence of one, however, is not a ready-made doom for a movie as Avatar and Slumdog Millionaire (both global box office hits) have shown. But if one would take a risk or err, it’s better to err on the part of caution.

EX Beauty Queen,Munachi Abii Release Stunning Photoshoot on Her 25th Birthday

The former beauty queen and rapper turns 25 NOV5 2012. She released two new pictures from her recent photoshoot in Atlanta USA. She has continued to work hard in her career, recording her debut album and expanding her brand home and abroad. Happy Birthday Muna.

Ojukwu’s will: Bianca gets lion’s share, new child discovered

The will of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, was on Friday presented to the family with his widow, Bianca, getting the lion's share. The presentation by the Chief Registrar of the Enugu High Court, Mr Dennis Ekoh, was witnessed by Bianca, Mr Val Nwosu, Ojukwu's first cousin, and Mr Mike Ejemba. In the will, the late Ojukwu identified one Tenny Haman as one of his children. Ojukwu listed the children as Tenny Haman, Chukwuemeka Jnr, Mmegha, Okigbo, Ebele, Chineme, Afam and Nwachukwu. The Ikemba gave the Casabianca Lodge at No. 7, Forest Crescent, GRA, Enugu, two properties at Jabi and Kuje in the FCT as well as all his money and personal effects to his widow. He also said that Bianca should replace him as the trustee in the family company, Ojukwu Transport Ltd, while also giving her two plots of land in his village at Nnewi. He, however, added that if she re-married, the land should be taken away from her. The first son, Emeka Jnr., got the family house at Nnewi, while the newly mentioned daughter, Tenny Haman, got the Jubilee Hotel located in Zaria, Kaduna State. The Biafran warlord also shared other landed property in the village among all his children. Ojukwu listed the trustees and executors of the will to include Bianca, Emeka Jnr and Mr James Chukwuneme. Reacting to the will, Bianca, who is Nigeria's Ambassador to Spain, expressed satisfaction with its contents. "It was a fair will. This time round, he did not disappoint us,'' she said. The ambassador, however, expressed shock at the disclosure of a new daughter in the family, whom she said had never been mentioned by her husband. None of the children was present at the presentation of the will. (NAN)

LINDA IKEJI IN USA

Nigeria's Top Model and blogger..Linda Ikeja right now is in the USA chilling out after beign invited by the US government to attend a programm.. " Hey Washington DC LIBers, your girl is in town. Yay! I'm here on a US sponsored programme. Yep, the American government invited me to America! All expense paid trip to different States. Imagine!! It's their annual Visitors Exchange Programme and I was picked for the programme this year. Not just me, a few other prominent Nigerians are here. Big names! I'm the youngest here and I sincerely can't figure out why I was selected. Someone mentioned influential. Hehe. I feel so blessed and so honored and can only thank God for how much he has changed my life! Anyway, I'm in DC now, will be in Kansas City, Missouri in a few days, and Dallas Texas upper week. I'm here for 17 days, so it would be nice to meet some LIB readers who reside in the states I mentioned. Holla @ me via email if you care to meet me *wink* - lindaikeji@gmail.com. Just arrived at my hotel, need to find something to eat, shower and then rest. Long, tiring flight. Catch you guys later. Kisses to all. Muah! " Good Luck Linda..

Nick,Mariah Carey,Swizz & More Honor The Do Gooders At The 2012 HALO AWARDS

Nick Cannon hosted his annual TeenNICK HALO Awards last night in L.A. at the Hollywood Palladium. And his wife Mariah Carey was on hand to lend her support…and a little glam for the Awards honoring young do-gooders. Check the pics below for other celebs who came out to help Nick honor the ki

ds…

Odi massacre: How FG killed old men, women –Jonathan

Several years after the bombardment of Odi Community in Bayelsa State by the military, President Goodluck Jonathan said it did not succeed in curbing militancy in Niger Delta. Jonathan said rather, it worsened militancy in the region and attracted international outcry against the Federal Government. Jonathan, who disclosed this yesterday during a presidential media chat in Abuja, also said it was too early for him to declare whether or not he will contest the 2015 election. He said if the military action in Odi had stopped militancy, there would have not been any need for the amnesty programme for militants in the Niger Delta initiated by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. He said the bombardment of Odi in retaliation for the killing of 12 policemen in the community only succeeded in killing old men and women, pointing out that no single militant was shot dead in the action. His words : “After the invasion,I and the governor entered Odi. Ordinarily, the governor and his subordinates would not have moved in at the same time. We entered houses and we saw some dead people. Most of the dead were old men and women, but none of the militants was killed. None. Bombarding Odi was meant to solve the problem, but it never did. If the attack in Odi had solved the problem of militancy in Niger Delta, then the late President Yar’Adua’s government of whom I was privileged to be his deputy, would not come up with the amnesty programme. That is to tell you that an attack on Odi never solved the problem of militancy, rather it attracted international outcry and many people began to say things rather than the attack on Odi.” On the issue of his second term, the President said he will declare his stand in 2014. He said this is because making his stand public at this time would heighten tension in the polity and affect the running of the government. According to him, if he says at this time that he would run in 2015, the activities of government will be affected. And if he says he would not run, some members of his cabinet might even resign for the purpose of contesting the election. However, he said that four years is too small for any government to really make an impact. His words :“You are asking whether I will contest in 2015. It is too early to ask a sitting president whether he will re-contest. If a president says I am contesting, it will generate tension. If I said I am not, it will generate tension. If I say I am not contesting, some of my cabinet members may even resign. All of them are qualified to contest the position. Four years is small for a person to make an impact. Before you ask if the president will contest, wait until 2014”. On the issue of fuel subsidy, Jonathan denied ever saying that the palliative would be removed next year. He said already the subsidy is provided for in the 2013 budget, asking rhetorically, why should he put it in the budget in the first place if he had plan to remove it? He explained that the issue came up when a group of students from National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru presented a research work to him. “In the research work, Canada was said to have 16 refineries while Nigeria has only four. I then asked my Economic Adviser to find out who owns the refineries in Canada and he said they are privately-owned,” the President stated, lamenting that “we also issued licences to private people to build refineries, but they are not building.” And to reach the level of Canada, Jonathan insisted, “then, a policy which operates in Canada should be adopted here in Nigeria,” enthusing, if that policy is in operation in the country and the private sector also build refineries, the issue of subsidy would be resolved.” In addition to that, the President informed that part of efforts to address the issue of scarcity of fuel was the on-going process to sanitize the oil industry, assuring that “when we conclude the process to sanitize the oil sector, the issue of queues in filling stations will be put behind us.” While explaining that there is no need for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) beyond what the National Assembly is currently doing, Jonathan explained that “the feelings of Nigerians are that this Constitution was written by the military and that it is not the Nigerians’ Constitution and they are clamouring for Nigerians to write a Constitution for themselves.” According to him, the process embraces all Nigerians, “where individual groups, social groups, religious groups, socio-cultural groups, ethnic groups, youth groups or all other interest groups, would have an opportunity to have input in the process.” His words: “The issue of Sovereign National Conference (SNC), when you mention the word, sovereign, people get frightened. But if there is anything I believe as President, I swore to an oath to defend the Constitution, that whatever we do, we should keep in line with the Constitution. Anything that Nigerians have, they can communicate to the National Assembly. But if today we jettison the position of the Constitution, we will run into another anarchy.” On the issue of referendum, the President said that “what the National Assembly is doing now has satisfied referendum.” On the recent governorship election in Edo and Ondo states, where his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost to the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria and the Labour Party (LP) respectively, Jonathan said the party gave a very good account of itself, resulting in it coming second in the two elections. However, he said the PDP will win the two states after the tenure of the incumbent governor expires. President Jonathan urged the PDP chapters in the respective states to put their houses in order. He said out that it is not in the interest of the country’s democracy for the PDP or any other political parties to control the entire states in the country. ‘PDP is doing wonderfully well. In any country where you have presidential system and you practise true democracy, you don’t expect the ruling party to win all the states. The ruling party will not win all the states. It will be dangerous for the country if the PDP for example, controls all the states. “In Edo and Ondo states, you mentioned we contested against incumbents. If you contest against an incumbent governor, everyday he is campaigning because his activities speak for him. We believe that in the next election, the PDP family will come together and win the state. We will win naturally’, he said

My Friend Died While In Labor 4 Months Ago & I’m Interested In Her Husband

Two years ago, I met this incredible Friend ‘Tina.’ We became friends and got along really well. She met this amazing guy and they decided to get married. Tina made me her maid of honor on her wedding day. Things were really good, and then she became pregnant mid last year. Unfortunately, she died in January this year as she was giving birth. She didn’t even get the chance to see her son, but fortunately the baby survived. Now, here is the story: I have been hanging around the husband a lot, and on a friendship basis. He has been really nice to me, and I think I’m developing feelings for him. I think about him all the time, and I’m beginning to see him in a new light. He is so nice, and would actually make perfect husband material. I cannot see myself with any other man except for him. But, the other problem is he still talks about his wife a lot, maybe it’s because it’s just been four months. But, I have been dropping hints of interest and he is not even noticing. I also believe I can be a good mother to the child. From reading your post, you always state that going after your friend’s man is not advisable . But, what if she is dead! Is it still a Big NO? – In Love With Him. Please Ineed Your Advice. read all

65 Year Old Grandma Hides 1.740kg Cocaine In Herbal Syrup

Luck betrayed a 65-year-old grandmother, Hassan Fatimat Abike also known as Chika Okoye, who attempted to smuggle 1.740kg of cocaine into London concealed in herbal syrup. It was not her fist time of going to London as the drug was packed in balloons and inserted in 10 plastic containers of herbal syrup to avoid detection. The suspect was to board a British Airways flight when officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested her at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos on Wednesday. According to the Airport Commander, Mr. Hamza Umar, the suspect has two international passports that bear Hassan Fatimat Abike. Her passport numbers are A03348648 and A3771781A. “She was caught during the screening of British Airways passengers to London,” Hamza explained. Preliminary investigation revealed that she is also known as Chika Okoye. She speaks Ibo and Yoruba fluently. Her father is a native of Abeokuta while her mother hails from Owerri, Imo State. Abike has six children and many grandchildren. She currently lives alone in Owerri and sells clothes to earn a living. The drug found in her bag tested positive for cocaine.

TERRIBLE: 28 year-old woman steals baby during vigil in Church

Detectives at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku have investigated the case of a 28-year-old lady, Ms Kemi Adeoye, who was arrested by policemen from Sanyo Division for stealing a baby in a church during a vigil service on Friday September 7, 2012. The lady, according to police sources, had attended a church service on the fateful day and had picked a baby where she had been laid while her mother was praying in front of the altar. Please click to continue. After picking the baby, the lady had reportedly left for one of the chalets within the church premises and locked herself in, after she had put the baby on her back. The mother had raised an alarm when she got back to her seat and beheld an empty bed without her baby on it, a situation which caused members who were at the vigil to halt the service while they trooped out in search of the missing baby. Simultaneously, a drama had ensued at the chalet area where one of the church workers had noticed that there was an occupant in a chalet which he had not allocated to anyone. Curious to know the occupant and how he or she got the key, the workers was said to have knocked on the door. To his surprise, a voice from inside the room replied his enquiry on the identity of the occupant with another question, asking who the man was. The door was said to have been forced open and a woman with a baby on her back was discovered in the room. It was at that time that members of the church searching for the baby got to where the chalets were, only for the baby’s mother to see that it was her baby the woman was putting on her back. The suspect was said to have been taken to the police station where she told the police that she was sent by a woman to go and steal a baby. She also told them that she had once taken a child from a CAC church at Apete but could not say where she took the baby to.

Boko Haram: Mass murder averted at Bauchi church

It was another black Sunday in Bauchi as a suicide bomber attacked St. John’s Catholic Church in Wunti area of Bauchi State capital killing self, two others and injuring 46 others. The attack came exactly a week after nine senior citizens were shot dead while five others were injured when gunmen opened fire on them in the Zango area of the state capital. The senior citizens were playing draught under a tree. They were buried last Wednesday. This is even as a proposed law recommends death penalty for terrorists. Their sponsors, too, will be jailed 20 years. In yesterday’s attack, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Bauchi, Rev. Lawi Pokti, confirmed three people were killed and more than 40 others seriously wounded in the explosion. The deputy spokesman for the state police command, Hassan Mohammed Auyo, confirmed that two policemen were among the 46 injured. The two injured policemen were deployed in the church. Auyo said: “A suicide bomber targeted the church but he was prevented, instead, he detonated his explosives in the parking lot, killing one person and among the injured victims taken to the hospital, a boy of six to eight, died while receiving treatment.” One of the injured, Eugine Uguru, was weeping as he narrated that his two children were killed in the blast. Eyewitnesses said the suicide bomber in a bid to beat the security personnel, took the wrong way in front of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium. “He went for the first mass which is 6 am. The mass ended at 8: 55am. We had just finished the first mass and we were going out of the church. The people coming for second mass were filing in. I just left the church premises and took a u-turn and as I was about to reach the traffic light, I suddenly heard an explosion,” Uguru said. Another eyewitness who does not want to be named, said the bomber came in an Opel car which was wrecked beyond recognition while the body of the suspect was blown into pieces. He said that the suspect tried to enter the church, but when he failed, he later detonated his explosives in a car park, killing him and one woman while injuring many people including a passer-by. He said: “We came out from training inside the stadium and just passed the church when we heard a loud sound followed by fire and smoke, we have to run faster for our dear lives. “Police and Army cordoned off the area as the victims were evacuated to the hospital while security men blocked the road. “The drums that were filled with concerete within the church gate prevented the bomber from entering the church, reduced the casualty figure. The Nigerian Civil Defence Corps (NCDC) operatives were seen evacuating the dead and injured at Press time. One man who simply identified himself as Paul, wept as he narrated that his wife, Gloria, was killed. He said he was still looking for his son while he prayed for the boy’s safety. There are fears that the death toll may increase. The situation has caused panic among residents particularly Christians. Rev. Pokti described the attack as unfortunate and coming a week after nine Christians were killed. Rev. Pokti called on President Goodluck Jonathan to address the lingering insecurity in the country. “Are Christians being forced to abandon the worship of their God? What have the Christians done to warrant these unprovoked attacks? We are really disappointed becaue it is like there is no one to protect us against these killings” The CAN chairman called on the Bauchi State government to beef up security to forestall future attacks, saying Christians were no longer safe to go to church. Meanwhile, the state governemnt has condemned the attack, describing it as the handiwork of terrorists. Mr. Ishola Michael, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Isa Yuguda, assured that the state government was doing everything possible to forestall another attack. Meanwhile, in a bid to curtail Boko Haram, the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has acquired communication vehicles that can detect bombs as well as prevent detonation. The communication vehicle, according to Daily Sun findings, has the capacity of detonating explosives planted within some kilometres. Similarly, the agency has established two new defence sections in Mali and Niger Republics, to curtail the invasion of Boko Haram into the country. The communication vehicles which are expected to arrive in the country this week, would enable the agency prevent incessant bomb explosions. In a related development, barring any change in the new anti-terrorism law, suspects will now get the death penalty if convicted, while their sponsors face 20 years jail. Also, anybody found to belong to a proscribed organisation and confirmed as a terrorist, equally faces up to 20 years in prison. These penalties are contained in a Bill for an Act to make provisions for and about offences relating to conduct carried out for purposes connected with terrorism. The Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2011 (Amendment) Bill 2012 has already scaled First Reading in the Senate. The law seeks to provide measures for the prevention , prohibition and combating terrorism, the financing of terrorism in Nigeria and for the effective implementation of the Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism and the Convention on the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. The Act also seeks to prescribe penalties for violating any of its provisions. In the new law, a copy of which was obtained by Daily Sun, a person “who knowingly does, attempts or threatens to do an act preparatory to or in furtherance of an act of terrorism or commits to do anything that is reasonably necessary to promote an act of terrorism or assists or facilitates the activities of persons engaged in an act of terrorism, commits an offence under this Act.” Similarly, a person “who belongs to or professes to belong to a proscribed organisation commits an offence under this Act and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for a maximum term of 20 years. “A person who knowingly, in any manner, solicits or renders support for an act of terrorism or a proscribed organisation or an internationally suspected terrorist group commits an offence. “Without prejudice to subsection (2) of this section, where death results from any terrorist act, the penalty shall be death sentence: commits an offence under this Act and shall be on conviction be liable to imprisonment term of 20 years.” Section 6 of the proposed law specifically empowers the Attorney-General of the Federation to freeze assets of suspected terrorists.