Friday, January 31, 2014

A PATHETIC STORY : Nigerian SCHOOLGIRL, 14, GANG-RAPED INTO COMA ... LeadershipNews

“It is sheer callousness!” This is the reaction from many who have seen Aisha Adamu, a 14-year-old secondary student, who was ganged-raped in Kontagora, Niger State, North-Central Nigeria, about two weeks ago.
The teenager had left home for the local market, to purchase some school items on Saturday before she met the evil young men. Hours later, her father was informed by an aunt that his daughter was in coma.
An account revealed that, initially, they never thought it was rape, as Aisha was “just taken to a nearby patent medicine store where they administered some drugs on her. But it was later discovered that she was drugged and ganged-raped.”
The true situation of the sordid incidence became lucid when one of the relations of the leader of the alleged rapists came forward, offering to foot the medical bill, so as to prevent the family from making a complaint to the police.
However, Aisha’s father, Mohammadu Rabiu, who emphatically stated that his children were raised in accordance with Islamic tenets, did not concede to the plea but sought for justice.
Aisha, who is still receiving intensive medical attention at the Kontagora General Hospital, was in a coma for a few days. However, when she came to, she could not speak. She could only make gestures. Her aunt, Kyauta, and step-mother took care of her.
Besides the psychological impact of the incident, it was obvious that the effect of the drug allegedly administered on her before she was ganged-raped might have had serious, after-effects.
Two of the three-man gang who raped her were said to have been arrested while the other one was said to be at large.
The situation, expectedly, drew condemnation and calls for justice from well-meaning Nigerians and women rights groups. The Niger State House of Assembly also joined in the call, as the speaker, Barrister Adamu Usman, urged the Niger State Ministry of Justice to take over the case.
Usman insisted that the process for justice must begin with officials of the ministry going to see the victim at the Kontagora General Hospital, where she is receiving medical attention, for possible assistance.
Usman also called on the state chapter of the Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the Office of the State Police Criminal Investigation Department to wade into the issue for proper and speedy trial of the culprits.
The Speaker further described the recent upsurge in the cases of rape across the state as “unfortunate”, insisting that the issue requires collective efforts of the state government, non-governmental organisations and parents to put a stop to the barbaric act of rape.
Usman also assured that all bills before the State House of Assembly to stem the tide of rape in the state would be given expeditious passage.
According to him, the existing Penal Code law being operated in the state prescribes a 14-year-jail term for those convicted of rape, adding that the Sharia Penal Code bill before the House also stipulates stiff penalty for offenders.
“These bills are explicit in terms of punishment or penalty for the offenders. The punishment for ordinary rape is different from that which involves drugged rape victims.
“The process of prosecuting alleged rapists is slow, because some parents turn around to say that they have forgiven the offenders, insufficient evidence of security agents of those of the hospitals or clinics where such victims were treated,” said Usman.
The Speaker further assured Aisha’s parents of the state legislature’s infinite support and for the state government’s measures geared toward curbing and eradicating, adding that “everything possible is being done to ensure speedy passage of the bills on rape-related cases before the lawmakers”.
Usman reiterated that to give justice to Aisha Adamu, people, especially parents, must assist government and security agencies in their collective effort to ensure that the perpetrators face the wrath of the law.
Taking a cue from the suggestion of the speaker and the state government through the attorney-general and commissioner of justice, Barrister Abdullahi Bawa Wuse, said that the government has taken over the case, with a view to ensuring that the victim gets justice and the offenders made to face the wrath of the law.
Wuse stated that his office has directed the Kontagora resident public prosecutor to liaise with the police to fast-track investigation into the case for swift prosecution.
“We will ensure that all the facilities needed for thorough investigation into the rape of the girl who was left in coma for two weeks after she was drugged, must be made available, so as to ensure possible prosecution of the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” Wuse said.
Asked if the state government was, in any way, contemplating a more advanced treatment for Miss Ahmed, Wuse promised that the state will do anything recommended by the doctors who are treating her presently, while doing all it can to avoid interfering with police investigations.
“The state government is not only ensuring that the raped victim gets justice, but adequate medical care as well,” he said.
Wuse vowed that the government would pursue the case to a logical conclusion, so as to serve as a deterrent to others.
The police spokesman for the state police command, Richard Adamu Oguche, told FRIDAY LEADERSHIP that the two of the three suspects have being charged for rape in a Kontagora court.
He stated that though police investigations are on, the force will do everything possible to ensure that the case is well investigated and packaged for diligent prosecution.

MAKING NIGERIA PROUD : Celebrating Excellence: Halima Ibrahim Abba Graduates With A First Class From Kings’ College, London

graduatin
Celebrating one of arewa’s finest, we present a short profile for Halima Ibrahim Abba. Halima graduated with a first class from kings’ college, London. With a focus and determination to make a change in her home country, Halima shares with us her interests, dreams and goals. Congratulations, Halima! You have made us proud. We celebrate you and look forward to celebrating more milestones ahead.
Halee_3 (_) _D
Name: Halima Ibrahim Abba
Course: LLB Law
University: Kings College London
Age: 21
Interests & hobbies: reading, football, finance and investment banking, developmental economics, movies, fashion, international cuisine, microfinance and social enterprise, travelling
Goals & Dreams: I intend to pursue a masters in international and development economics in Yale University. Thereafter, I would like to further this into a phD in developmental economics with a keen interest in lecturing in Nigerian Universities. I’d like to engage in intense research (by utilizing the vast resources provided by organisations such as the World Bank) and publish various books and articles. This is with the vision of ultimately feeding my research findings into government policy making and contributing to developing the level of economic research in Nigeria. If I am able, I will like to be involved with committees that engage in educational reform in Nigerian universities. Also, I would like to set up a scheme that will sharpen employability skills of bright Nigerians in universities who come from disadvantaged backgrounds ultimately facilitating private sector employment for them.

MENDING FENCES ... DAMAGE CONTROL : Meeting With Mua’zu: Obasanjo Gives PDP, Jonathan Conditions .. LeadershipNews

Obasanjo
During last week’s meeting between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the new national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, the ex-president was very blunt.
LEADERSHIP Weekend learnt that Obasanjo told Mu’azu that any move to make him active in the PDP and work with President Goodluck Jonathan must begin with making the president and the ruling party address the prevailing injustice in the polity, as reflected in the letters he wrote to President Jonathan and Mua’zu’s predecessor, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
As part of his efforts to reconcile the PDP with its aggrieved leaders, Mua’zu visited Obasanjo in his Abeokuta home where he sought his support and asked him to end his feud with President Jonathan because he was a stakeholder whom the party needs to forge ahead.
Also yesterday, Mua’zu took his peace overtures to former military president Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) in Minna, Niger State, where they had a closed-door meeting for one hour.
Mua’zu arrived in Babangida’s home at 12:05pm and had a chat with former House of Representatives speaker Ghali Umar Na’abba, PDP national youth leader Abdullahi Mai-Basira and some executive members of the party who were on his entourage before the meeting started.
An impeccable source close to Obasanjo told our correspondent that the former president, while responding to Mua’zu’s appeal, told him to go and address all the issues he raised in his letters to President Jonathan and Tukur.
The source said: “The meeting Baba (Obasanjo) had with the party chairman was very brief because he simply asked him to go and address every issue he had raised in the letter he wrote to Jonathan and the one he wrote to Tukur. He told him that instead of addressing the issues he raised, some supporters and aides of President Jonathan were calling him all sorts of names while the security agencies were threatening to arrest him because Jonathan accused him of committing treasonable offence for saying the truth.”
When asked of the specific peace terms Obasanjo gave to Mua’zu, the source said they were the same issues he raised in his two letters which are well-known since they were publicised by the media. “What is left for the new chairman was to do what Tukur had failed to do. What details do you need again? The two letters were published by the newspapers and news magazines; they are also on the internet. All that Mua’zu should do, if truly he wants Obasanjo back in the party, is to do what the former chairman could not do for whatever reasons. You know how Tukur removed (Prince Olagunsoye) Oyinlola as the PDP national secretary, despite the Court of Appeal ruling; Segun Oni was removed as the national vice chairman of the party in the southwest and the national auditor (Bode Mustapha) was also sacked. These people should be returned to their offices and the man who is wanted in the United States (Kashamu) should be asked to go and clear his name in America. Until all these issues are addressed, all those emissaries from Jonathan are just wasting their time,” he said.
Another PDP bigwig in the southwest advised Mua’zu to keep away from the controversial Buruji Kashamu, if he wanted the mainstream PDP in the zone to support President Jonathan. He also advised the president to personally meet with Obasanjo before declaring his second term ambition.
“The Board of Trustees of our great party is in support of his visit to Baba Obasanjo. It was a good step in the right direction, but if he is sincerely interested in having him back into the party, Mua’zu should not have anything to do with Kashamu as demanded by the former president. He should instead advise President Jonathan to send the man back to US to defend himself. Then the president should personally meet with Obasanjo and resolve the issue of his second term before telling the whole world about it if he wants Obasanjo to campaign for him,” he said.
In Minna, five minutes after he interacted with his team, Mua’zu went into closed-door meeting with Babangida till 1:05pm. No member of the 15-man team led by Mua’zu participated in the secret meeting.
Maibasira, Na’abba and the state PDP acting chairman, Tanko Beji, waited in the second chamber to allow the duo have a private session.
When the meeting ended, Babangida refused to talk to journalists. He simply said, “I am not going to say a word. I am not talking.”
When pressed to speak on the parley, Babangida replied that it was his constitutional right not to talk. Jokingly, he declared, “If you are not satisfied, you can sue me.”
Commenting on the meeting, Mua’zu said it was part of his reconciliatory move and in continuation of his meeting with some elders of the PDP across the country.
He said, “I am here in continuation of my visit to our elders and I had a fruitful meeting with the former president. It was a fruitful meeting.”
Asked on the issues they discussed, he said, “What we discussed is not meant for public consumption. All I can say is that we had a fruitful deliberation.”
After leaving Babangida’s house, Mua’zu’s convoy headed for the private residence of Niger State governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu along Peter Sarki Road in Tunga at 1:19 pm. He departed at 1:40pm.
When he was contacted on phone last night on the position of Obasanjo, Mua’zu did not pick the call nor respond to a text message sent by our correspondent.
The text message reads: “Sir, we gathered that former president Obasanjo gave the condition that you stop the misrule of President Jonathan and PDP before he can fully participate in the affairs of the party. Does this reflect the true position of your meeting with him?”
Mua’zu will bring back defected govs – PDP Chief
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the PDP in Rivers State, Opunabo Captain-Briggs, is optimistic that the current reconciliatory effort of Mua’zu will bring back Rivers State governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and four other governors who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the ruling party.
The governors who defected with Amaechi to the APC are Ahaji Ahmed Abdulfatai (Kwara), Dr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako (Sokoto) and Murtala Nyako (Adamawa).
Captain-Briggs told journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday that he believed that apart from the five governors, Mua’zu would also reconcile other aggrieved members of the party across the country.

TRAGEDY HITS NOLLYWOOD : Another Nollywood Actor, Charles Warren Is Dead ... TodaysNigeria


Charles Warren a foremost actor died yesterday, Thursday night.

It was gathered that the actor in the evening complained of severe chest pains and was rushed to the hospital where he was confirmed dead.

His first major break was a movie titled "Mark of the Beast" which featured Majek Fashek in 2001.

He was one of the script writers for "Dear Mother."

The first child of the family and only son. He’s survived by a father, mother and 5 sisters.

READS ;LIKE ANOTHER TALL TALE : How kidnapped woman arrested abductor ... NationalMirror


Tope Ismail was dashing to the market to buy some things. The market was a trekking distance to her house. But she was so much in a hurry; hence she flagged down and entered a bus. That was the last everyone saw of her.
When Tope Ismail escaped from the kidnappers’ den four days after she was kidnapped for ritual purposes, her joy and that of her parents and well wishers knew no bound. She, however, never knew that her abductor would be apprehended and brought to book so soon. But, a man identified as Paul is currently in police custody helping the law enforcement agents unravel the alleged kidnap of Ismail and about 10 others for ritual purposes.
The said Paul, whose neighbours claimed has no particular job, was alleged to have connived with some other men, now at large, to abduct Ismail and other people for ritual. During the incident, Ismail miraculously escaped from the kidnappers den and eventually found her way back to her Somolu, Lagos residence albeit days after. Before dusk on Tuesday, January 21, 2014, Ismail, a resident of Anu Oluwapo Street, in the locality, reportedly left her home for the popular Yaba market to pick up some food stuffs.
A short distance from her street, Paul was washing his commuter bus. Moments after he was done with washing the bus, Paul reportedly put the bus on the road picking passengers as he went along. Apparently trying to meet up with the traders at the market before the close of the day, Ismail flagged down the unmarked commuter bus at Oja Oba bus stop close to her house and jumped inside. It was reported that about 10 other passengers were also inside the bus. Ismail would later disappear from her home for the next couple of days while all access to her mobile telephone was blocked.
She, however, turned up four days later but not until she had to escape from a dungeon she and the other passengers were ferried to by the driver of the commuter bus she boarded to Yaba that fateful day. She later recounted that while the bus sped towards the Morocco Road end of the area, most of the passengers lost consciousness and could not remember anything, neither could they recognise anyone that passed by the bus they were in. They, however, regained their consciousness only after the bus had taken them far out of Lagos State.
Tope, in a chat with reporters and investigators, claimed that all of the passengers in the vehicle were taken to a hideout and were welcomed by men with all kinds of charms all over their bodies. “When we all alighted from the bus, one of the ritualists used an object to touch our chests, but when he got to me, he became furious and angry.
He shouted that they should return me back to where I was picked, saying my spirit does not fall in tandem with the purpose they wanted to use me for,” Ismail said. Hence, she was let off the hook and she reportedly walked many kilometres in the bush before she eventually found her way to the main road where she begged commuters for rides until she got to Lagos.
Days after she returned to the warm embrace of her family and friends, Ismail was walking pass Sodeke Street in Somolu and noticed Paul, the driver of the bus that took her to the unknown dungeon. Paul, it was gathered, did not recognise the woman again. After she was convinced that the man before her was the driver of the bus that whisked them away, she then raised the alarm, yelling at the top of her voice.
Apparently realising that trouble was nigh, Paul reportedly took to his heels but the woman gave him a hot chase and still yelling at the top of her voice. Eventually, Paul was apprehended by passersby and law enforcement agents at Onipanu Police Station were called to the scene. Paul was later whisked away to the station.
It was reported that during preliminary investigation, law enforcement agents followed him to his room and parlour apartment for a search, but the confessions of his neighbours helped to nail the suspected abductor. It was gathered that his co-tenants wondered the kind of work he does, as they claimed that sometimes, he would leave home to come back months after.
It was also discovered that he possesses a Sienna Sport Utility Vehicle and the bus he uses for commercial purposes. Paul was said to have feigned ignorance of the woman’s allegations against him, but further evidence showed that the woman actually rode in his vehicle that fateful afternoon.
Paul has since been charged with kidnapping and stealing, but residents are still unhappy with the hurried charge against him, saying that the matter deserves further investigations so as to unearth his accomplice.
Mr. Kayode Onasanya, who witnessed the whole scenario, wondered why the police had to rush the suspect to court knowing full well that such cases abound that had not been uncovered by the investigators. Onasanya believed that the case would have been properly investigated before being taken to court.

INTO THE WAITING ARMS OF DEATH ... WHY? : 34-yr-old driver hangs self over missing phone ... NationalMirror


  • He confessed to stealing my phone –Neighbour
  • No, he was not a thief –Friend
People who knew Akin, a cab driver, could not believe he could commit suicide. But that was what he did. He hanged himself barely 24 hours after being confirmed a thief by a herbalist.
What on earth would have made Akin commit suicide?” “Did he kill himself because of the phone he was accused of stealing?” “Was he tired of life?” “Would the juju of the herbalist he consulted drive him into this action?”
“Did he hang himself out of shame?” These are some of the questions begging for answers on the lips of Sauka, Abuja residents as they discussed in low tones the suicide of Akin a 34-year-old man yesterday.
Akin until his death, had been living in the village for over five years and was not known to have any medical problem, according to sympathisers and his neighbours. Akin was a Lagos-born taxi driver in Abuja; he was about 34 years and married. His wife and children, according to his neighbours, live in Lagos State.
He lived alone in a self-contained building attached to several others in which his neighbours live. He was said to have worked last on Wednesday with the car given to him for his cab business by one of his friends, Sanmi. One of the youths who use the vicinity where Akin hanged himself as Indian hemp smoking den had come early in the morning to smoke when he saw a body dangling from a tree. It was Akin’s. And, seeing the lifeless body of his friend, he ran to the village to inform the community.
This sparked off wailing among the people who were preparing for the day’s business. The incident has been described as the first of its kind in the land, and the residents are still dazed. Before Akin’s suicide, however, something happened between him and one of his neighbours, Mrs Loveth Chidoke. Akin and Chidoke lived adjacent to each other within the same compound for two years.
Chidoke was allegedly notified by a fellow woman neighbour that Akin was in possession of her missing phone. Chidoke took up the story: “Last week, I took my basin to the river. My neighbour, a woman, was at home. I left my phone in my room.
Akin was the only person who entered the compound when I left. Before I came back, he had left the house. I couldn’t run after him, because I was half-dressed; he had gone out of the compound. “I had always given him the phone which I bought not long ago for N15, 000.00 to charge.
Another man, different from my woman neighbour in the compound who saw him, confirmed he saw Akin take the phone and run out of the compound. I went to complain to the soldiers on the highway across the village.
I begged that they should help me appeal to him to give me my two SIMs in the phone so that I would put them in another phone. Later, Akin came to me and said all I was doing was a waste of time that we should go and consult a diviner over the matter; I agreed. “We went to that herbalist yesterday morning. Akin paid for my transport and the other person that went with us, including his.
The village we went is around Gwa- Gwa; (about 70 kilometres to Sauka) He paid about N400.00 for the transport of each of us. We left home around 9am and we waited for the diviner till 2pm; he went to farm.
“The herbalist told me to swear if my phone got lost; I did. The herbalist tied something on my neck, pulled my two hands to the back and tied another rope on it. He made me kneel and swear, warning me of the consequences of lying. I did everything he asked me to do with complete obedience; the rope that he threatened would hold me if I lied did not hold me. The other woman too, who claimed she saw Akin when he stole the phone did same; the rope did not tie her, as warned by the diviner.
“It was Akin that did last and the rope tied his neck and hands immediately he swore. He was still denying he stole the phone after that and urged the herbalist to do the thing again. He even vowed that the herbalist should kill him if the thing caught him the second time.
The herbalist pleaded with him that the thing would not kill him; that he should just return my phone to me since it was already confirmed it was in his custody. “The thing was carried out on him again. It was then he now agreed that he had sold the phone for N5, 000 and that the SIMs had been thrown into a river. He begged that he would sell his electronics and give me back the money. I told him he shouldn’t do that but just help me find the SIM.
Thank God the herbalist recorded everything with a camera in his house,” Chidoka concluded. One of the deceased’s closest friends, Atolagbe Ojo, said of him: “The guy is my guy. I know him in the neighbourhood here. I have known him close to two years now. I am also a Yoruba guy. I am a tailor.
Yesterday morning, he told me he would give me two clothes to sew. I begged him to give me two weeks before he would come to collect them because of the workload on me. That was how we departed. He didn’t tell me he would not go to work. I know he is married but I have never seen the wife and children he always told me he had. They live in Lagos, according to him.
I am surprised to suddenly see him in this situation.” His remains were brought down from the tree by members of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, led by Assistant Commandant Edwin Ugwuja.
Ugwuja told Saturday Mirror in an interview: “When I came to the office this morning around 7am, I was notified that somebody hanged himself here in the village. I mobilized my men and came to the scene of the incident. As it is, investigation will be carried out.
From here, we are taking his corpse to the Nigerian Air Force Base mortuary.” He, however, appealed to Nigerians that suicide is not the best option for whatever form of despondency.
“It is not the best to take your life. There are different ways of solving some issues, especially, personal issues that you have. It is not by taking your life; nobody is expected to take his life,” he urged.
One of the deceased’s friends who refused to give his name said: “It has been long that I knew Akin. I knew him in 2003 in Jabi (Abuja) Akin that I know doesn’t steal. I haven’t heard that he stole. We were living together in a room before he got his apartment. I haven’t seen him steal anyone’s property before. He was a driver; taking drop.
He got his car from someone and made returns to the owner. I am a mechanic; I came back from work on Wednesday and saw him quarrelling over a phone with a neighbour in the compound. “They threatened to take the case of the stolen phone to the police station. Later, I discovered they went to report to soldiers who control traffic on the highway.
The soldiers said they should come the following day to know who actually stole the handset. Later, they decided to consult a herbalist to ascertain who stole the phone. I warned him not to go to a herbalist but he refused. He was even abusing me, calling me all sorts of names because of my advice.
“That was how all of them began to look for a herbalist who could divine into the mystery behind the phone. And, yesterday, they went to the herbalist. All I got to know later is what you see here today.”

FROM THAT ONDO BABY FACTORY ... HEART RENDING VIDEO FOOTAGE : Part 2 - Ondo Immigration Service Raid And Make Arrests At 'Baby Factory...

CAN A NIGERIAN DO THIS TO THE CHINESE IN CHINA? : Chinese Boss Breaks Bottle On Employee’s Head In Ogun

Chinese Boss Breaks Bottle On Employee’s Head In Ogun
Two Chinese nationals, Mike Jackson and Tony Jackson, have been detained by the State Criminal Investigation Department, Eleweran, Ogun State, for allegedly assaulting one of their employees at Jivan Plastic Company.
The assaulted employee, Adeleke Owolabi, a Mass Communications graduate from Olabisi Onabanjo university was on his first day at the job when he was reportedly attacked by Mike over a minor mistake. He was trying to defend himself when the other Chinese national, Tony smashed a bottle on his head.
Recounting his ordeal, Owolabi said, “I was bringing out PVC materials out of a bag and Mike said I was not handling the materials properly. He kicked me and slapped me repeatedly so I held unto his shirt to prevent him from beating me further.
“However, his cousin, Tony, smashed a bottle on my head and they beat me until I fainted and woke up on the way to Makun Police Division covered in blood.”
According to Owolabi, the police declined arresting the Chinese men due to their status as foreigners but after the story was published yesterday, the police swung into action. They went to the company in Sagamu and whisked the suspects away.
Owolabi said, “Yes, the Chinese men have been detained at the SCID and I am satisfied with the action of the police so far. I am happy that the media are helping to ensure that the matter is not swept under the carpet. I am not after money but I just don’t want a situation whereby Nigerians are treated badly by foreigners in their own land.”
Confirming the arrest, the Ogun state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi said, “the matter is at the SCID and we are compiling the case files. We want to assure members of the public that justice will prevail.”

TRAGEDY ... WHEN A CHILD RISES AGAINST HIS PARENTS : Nigerian man, Isaac Anya Ojiabo Jr , 20 years old, kills his Mother, Joy Ojiabo, 51, in Maryland, USA ... BaltimoreSun

Isaac Ojiabo (1)
A 20-year-old Forest Hill man was arrested by Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies early Thursday morning, hours after police said he stabbed his mother to death in their home.
Isaac Anya Ojiabo Jr., 20, was taken into custody without incident at approximately 4:30 a.m., when detectives canvassing the Forest Hill area located him in his family’s white Lexus SUV at the intersection of Crouse and Putnam Road, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Edward Hopkins said.
Ojiabo was being held at the Harford County Detention Center Thursday morning, awaiting an initial appearance before a District Court Commissioner on charges of first and second degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
According to police, the body of Joy Ojiabo, 51, was found on the second floor of the family’s home shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday by her husband, Anya Ojiabo, who was returning home from work. At that time, the younger Ojiabo was not present at the home, located in the 1600 block of Rushing Stream Court as part of the small, upscale development of Morning Brook Farm off Morse Road just outside Jarrettsville.
The elder Ojiabo called 911, but Hopkins said investigators later determined that his wife was already deceased at the time she was found; it was not immediately clear when the crime had occurred.
A man who identified himself as Anya Ojiabo answered the door of the family’s home Thursday morning, but declined comment.
Hopkins said deputies were called to the home three times in the past year for domestic disturbances involving Joy Ojiabo and her son, including visits in March, September, and December.
“Just because we’re there a half-dozen times doesn’t mean we’re going to arrest anyone, nor it is indicative that this young man was going to do this,” Hopkins said. “Family situations are tough, they can be tough to gauge.”
IMG_1468
The family’s troubles were known around their small cul-de-sac, according to the Ojiabo’s next-door neighbor.
“I think there had been arguments between the parents and the children,” said the neighbor, Lisa, who declined to give her last name. “Someone in the neighborhood told me there had been arguments.”
The neighbor said her family did not often interact with the Ojiabos, who she said were Nigerian and had lived in the neighborhood for approximately six years. She said she believed that Isaac Ojiabo attended Fallston High School and had worked at a local Subway restaurant, and that his mother was an attorney.
“It’s devastating, totally devastating,” she said.
Check back with The Dagger for updates on this developing story.
According to state tax records, Isaac Ojiabo Sr. and Joy Ojiabo acquired their 6,100-square-foot home from builder Toll Brothers in November 2007, paying $1,032,847 for the house and one-acre lot.

AN UNHOLY BUSINESS THAT HAS REFUSED TO DIE : Syndicate relocates Imo baby factory to Ondo ... NationalMirror


•Immigration arrests 24 suspects
Men of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have uncovered a baby factory syndicate at Ilu Tuntun in Okitiupppa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The baby-making factory, which is being run by a 45-year-old Happiness Ogundeji, was discovered by the anti-trafficking detectives after several months of surveillance and intelligence gathering.
No fewer than 24 suspects, including five pregnant girls, five nursing mothers and five babies, were arrested by the Immigration officers who invaded the factory in the early hour of yesterday. Among the suspects were eight men allegedly engaged to impregnate the girls.
Also discovered at the baby factory were eight luxury cars, food items and napkins, among others. A source, who did not want his name mentioned, said the owner of the baby factory always buy her freedom each time she was arrested by security agents.
The source said that the owner relocated the factory from Imo State to Ilu Tuntun in Ondo State when the Imo State Government began the clamp down on operators of illegal baby factories.
According to the source, some customers from Imo State often visit Ilu Tuntun to transact business. Parading the 24 suspects before journalists yesterday in Akure, the Ondo State capital, NIS Comptroller, Mr. Musa Al-Hassan, confirmed that the leader of the syndicate, Mrs. Happiness Ogundeji, had been arrested in Imo State for similar offence.
Al-Hassan said the suspects were arrested through the combine efforts of his men and military operatives after the suspects had earlier resisted arrest.
He claimed that the baby factory was being operated under the guise of traditional herbal home at a well-secured two flats apartment owned by Mrs. Ogundeji at Ilu Tuntun.
The Comptroller said young girls between the ages of 20 and 25 were recruited into the home where some men were engaged to impregnate them.
He said the Immigration Service headquarters in Abuja got a wind of the syndicate activities following a tip-off by the Cross River State Command of the Service and subsequently directed the Ondo State Command and its Imo State counter-parto go after the suspects. Subsequently, anti-human trafficking officials, led by Obisesan Abiola, moved into action and got necessary intelligence reports which revealed that Mrs. Ogundeji and a Cameroonian jointly operated the home.
Al-Hassan appreciated the synergy between his command and other security agents, saying the command would always collaborate with sister security agencies in ridding Ondo State of all forms of criminality.
One of the pregnant girls, who simply gave her name as Grace, claimed that she was a student of Lagos State University (LASU). Claiming that she was engaged to the son of the baby factory kingpin, Grace said her mother inlaw committed no crime.
Mrs. Ogundeji also claimed that she only operated a “herbal clinic” and that those arrested with her, including one Hausa man, were her relatives. But Al- Hassan said investigation had begun, adding that the suspects would be transferred to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) headquarters in Lagos.

FOR THE RECORDS ... AN INSIGHTFU;L ANALYSIS : INEC timetable: Setting stage for political gladiators ... NationalMirror.



President Jonathan
With the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, formally rolling out its time table for the 2015 general election, it is expected that the tempo of politicking will be on the upswing. OBIORA IFOH, OMEIZA AJAYI and UBONG UKPONG take a look at what the political climate will be like in the next one year.

Jega
Jega
The Independent National Electoral Commission!, INEC, in a statement by its Secretary, Augusta Ogakwu, at the end of its retreat in Kaduna last Friday, rolled out the much expected time table for the 2015 general election. The time table showed that the presidential and the National Assembly elections were scheduled to hold on February 14, 2015 while the governorship and states Houses of Assembly elections were slated for February 21, 2015.
The terse statement read: “Pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), the Independent National Electoral Commission has released the timetable and schedule of activities leading to the 2015 General Elections and the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections.”
As expected, the reaction to that release was instantaneous as politicians and political watchers have gone to town with critical appraisal of the election timetable; while some say that INEC ought to fix singular date for all elections, many others argue that staggered election is all the system needs because of the past experience where INEC couldn’t handle simple task of credibly holding elections in states like Anambra, Delta and Edo.
In these election, particularly, in Anambra, INEC scored itself below average and watchers are of the view that nothing has changed and that if INEC should hold all elections same day, Nigeria will certainly witness another calamitous exercise.
But with the release of the time table, the next one year will certainly witness a beehive of activities as the stage will be set for the political gladiators, starting with contentious debate over the suitability or otherwise of a Goodluck Jonathan presidency, the return ticket demand by the federal lawmakers as well the succession politics in the states.
There will also be cases of alignment and realignment by the political parties, particularly, in this era of cross carpeting and decamping from one party to another both in the floor of the legislature and by the state governors amongst others.
Will Jonathan’s declare soon?
Coincidentally, a day prior to INEC’s release of the time table, President Jonathan, who was in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, told CNBC Africa that it would be wrong and unlawful for him to declare his political ambition when the commission had not given its nod for politicians to do so. Before then, the President had often cited the need to concentrate on governance as reason for not openly making his intention known but his body language and the utterances of some of his lieutenants had often indicated that he is interested in taking another shot at the presidency next year.
He had told the CNBC reporter that he would declare his intention after INEC gives the go-ahead. He said: “INEC has a time frame within which candidates are expected to declare. If you declare before that time, you are actually contravening the Nigerian laws. So I won’t tell anybody that I am contesting or that I’m not contesting. It is not proper for me to do that. It is not proper for any Nigerian to declare any interest now. If you do that you are contravening our electoral laws.”
Recall that late last year, the then Bamanga Tukur led Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had shut the door on the aspiration of any other party member, insisting that all over the world, a sitting President is giving the privilege of the first right of refusal to contest the presidency. That decision had significantly contributed largely to the crack in the PDP with about seven governors (G7) opting to challenge that party position.
The heat even became unbearable latter last year when the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Tony Anenih openly accused President Jonathan of stoking the crisis in the party because of his reticence on the 2015 presidency particularly as it concerns his declaration.
However, since INEC has now done its part, Nigerians are waiting with bated breath to hear from the horse’s mouth. Jonathan has no other reasons why he should not clear the air about his future political ambition.
Chains of other declarations expected.
Undoubtedly, many partisan individuals and parties have been waiting for the president’s declaration before knowing their next line of action and since politics is not exactly of ideas in this part of the world, some individuals will only jump into the fray only to find a way of “reaching out” to the incumbent president, pledging electoral support and then stepping down.
In the coming weeks, some opposition politicians are also expected to declare their ambition even as these declarations will also generate a lot of debates and court cases, ostensibly because certain politicians, relying on sectional and sectarian interests, may want to stop another politician from contesting.
At the national level, the contest is expected to be between the PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC. The other two major parties, the Labour Party and the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, appear not to be interested in the top spot and may likely not be presenting candidates for the presidency.
However, notable political top shots, including former Vice President Atiku Abubarkar, former and serving governors from both the PDP and APC are expected to context the presidency alongside President Jonathan. In a few weeks, the tempo of intention to contest declaration will intensify.
Parties putting their houses in order
Presently, both the PDP and APC are in crisis, in that while the former’s big umbrella is clearly leaking, the big broom of the latter is no longer a united bunch, but rather, mere broom sticks; but it is expected that they will also begin to put their houses in order, if they have any chances to compete favourably.
The PDP only two weeks ago had a change of leadership, with former governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Mua’zu, now in the driving seat whereas, the APC, with interim leadership still holding fort is expected to elect a substantive executive.
Mua’zu only Tuesday accused the APC of being a poaching expert but has boasted that in run to the general election, PDP would out-poach the opposition party. He has also kick-started the troubleshooting efforts by paying a visit to former President Olusegun and he is also in advanced stage of wading into the crisis in the South-West zonal chapter of the party.
As for the APC, the wind of prosperity and enlargement has not ceased as many defectors are daily besieging the party with a few also leaving. It is believed that if and when the party conducts, expectedly, a successful convention later this quarter, the party will be in a good position to put up a claim to the presidency. But observers are of the view that the convention and the possible allocation of party and elective positions to zones will make or mar the chances of the party come 2015.
In the coming weeks, more political realignments and defections would be witnessed in the National Assembly. Media reports of ‘thousands’ of people defecting to either of the two leading parties are also expected while some mushroom political parties will queue behind either of the two major parties. This time around, with the APC also having a lot of money, it is almost certain that not all the mushroom parties will queue behind the PDP.
Governance at the receiving end
President Jonathan has often maintained that one reason why he was finding it difficult to declare his intent was for the fear that governance will suffer. Already, the directives by the APC to its legislators to block all executive legislation as a result of an entirely party matter has been eliciting some condemnation from all quarters except the APC.
Now that INEC’s time table is out, it is expected that as many as are in the government that has electoral ambition would quit office as directed by the President. It is also expected that attention will shift from delivery of democratic dividends to election campaign funding.
The 2011 elections was said to have been the most expenses venture in the history of any elections in Africa and it is believed that 2015 will even be more. Opposition are already insinuating that reason why there is cash crunch in the economy is because of the 2015 and the piling of cash by the politicians for the elections.
Season for political jobbers
In 2011, one witnessed several groups lined up to drum up supports and campaign for whoever they felt paid them better or could be useful to them if eventually emerged victorious from the polls.
For instance, the Stella Oduah’s ‘Neighbour 2 Nighbour’ group suddenly emerged as a political campaign tool, aligning with President Jonathan, who deployed massive men, materials and money into the course. It paid off, as the sponsor used it to penetrate the citizens and the coordinator eventually now has a place in Aso Rock Villa, within the federal cabinet.
Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, leading the Goodluck/Sambo Campaign Organisation, said that over 2000 quasi group came under the umbrella and worked for the Jonathan’s presidency in 2011 and that all of them are still there to work for the President against the 2015. There were other groups like Fresh Air, Door 2 Door amongst several others, who pursued diverse course during that season.
Political watchers and analysts have said that this kind of groups were likely to immediately begin to spring up, following the timetable released by INEC, which signals the commencement of preparations for political activities. Already, the Northern Elders Council, NEC, led by veteran Tanko Yakassai debuted only yesterday, Wednesday to lead the campaign for Jonathan in the North.
Meanwhile, sources have it that huge amounts of money had allegedly been earmarked by President Jonathan to service such groups to foster his 2015 presidential re-election. Other notable politicians were also said to be keying into this strategy.
Thus, the political jobbers may have commenced packaging programmes for politicians who are ready to finance their ideas towards the actualisation of their ambitions.
Gold mine for printing presses
Analysts have observed that another direct implication of this declaration is that politicians, their associates and political jobbers would give more business to printers and printing houses. This is because souvenirs like T-Shirts, caps, stationery, even posters, hand bills, billboards, advertisement on vehicles would become a booming business, as such businesses in the political sector were seasonal.
National Mirror spoke to an Abuja-based printer, Cyprian, who said that printrs were virtually praying for that declaration by INEC. He said: “My brother, it means good business coming to us in the printing industry. As for me, I have installed new machines. I am ready to make as much money as I could before the end of the season, because this is one good opportunity for us to benefit from democracy too.”
The rise of pressure, religious, traditional and ethnic groups
For these categories, analysts said they would commence pressing home certain demands both from government and individual politicians with a view that there would be settlements in their favour.
Such ethnic and regional bodies like the South-South Peoples Assembly, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Arewa Consultative Forum ACF, Afenifere, Odu’a Peoples Congress, OPC, Northern Elders Forum, NEF, and lots more, would actually wake up and begin to pursue some regional and ethnic interests that would foster their collective welfare and existence in the country.
It is also believed that politicians with ambition would also commence consultations with these groups with a view to winning their support and this would come with a lot of early negotiations for better chances to both parties.
Presently, politicians have devised it as a strategy to take their campaigns to the churches in the guise of going for worship. Already, President Jonathan is criticised for indulging in this action alongside other politicians.
An Abuja based cleric, who simply gave his name as Pastor Livingstone, said it was true that most religious bodies like churches and mosques and clerics are already catching in on the declaration and have began to handover their pulpits to politicians in exchange for money.
“…But God is watching from heaven. It is what God says will happen that will happen. They are free to continue, but members cannot be fooled. They will vote their consciences,” he told National Mirror in Abuja.
It was also observed that serious political consultations and endorsements would also kick start in the palaces of traditional rulers.
Militia groups to seize the opportunity
The militants and militia groups too were also said to be ready to take advantage of the declaration to strategise and seek possible ways to benefit as seen during the 2011 era. At that period, groups like Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, Boko Haram in the North, Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, in South East, OPC in the South West amongst others sought to be reckoned with, and analysts said this may immediately begin to play out again.
Politicians have been accused of arming and deploying these militia, to achieve political advantage during elections. But in their trails are bloodletting and wanton destruction of property.
These will really be interesting times, particularly with an earlier prediction by some foreign nations that Nigeria will not survive 2015. It is up to Nigerians to prove them wrong and by so doing, getting their acts right and making the best of the election period, by making it crisis-free.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

SIGNS OF THE TIMES ... WHERE IS MANKIND HEADED? : California Allows First-Ever State Recognized Human-Animal Marriage ... NationalReport

man marries dog


San Francisco, CA — On Monday history was made at the Chapel of Our Lady at the Presidio in San Francisco as the first-ever state recognized human-animal marriage took place.
Local resident 35-year-old Paul Horner was the groom during the ceremony. Joining him was his faithful dog Mac who is 36-years-old in dog years. Mac also decided to be the groom but ended up wearing a white veil at the last moment.
Father McHale who officiated the outdoor wedding told reporters he was extremely happy to be a part of this joyous moment of life. “This is the definition of true love my friends. There is nothing more sacred than the bond between a man and his faithful dog,” McHale said. “Now, since it is recognized as a legally binding marriage in the state of California, Mr. Horner and Mac will have all the same tax benefits and everything else coming to them that a regular married couple would receive. It’s a fantastic day to be alive!”
So how could this have happened?
In the book of California’s State Laws and Regulations there is a little known law that was passed as the state was first forming in 1850. According to article 155, paragraph 10, it clearly states:
If a man and a man can get married and a woman and a woman can get married, if ever comes that day, then a human and animal will have the exact same rights to marriage in every eye of the law. God help us if this ever is to happen!
In attendance was Horner’s entire family who flew in from Hawaii to witness the event. Mac had her puppies on hand and making a special celebrity appearance was Alex from Stroh’s and Spuds Mckenzie.
“I just love my Mac so much, I can’t wait till we can finally get back to the honeymoon sweet in Montana where bestiality is legal. Gosh, get with the times California! We can marry here just fine, but love making is a big no-no,” said Horner. “People keep asking me why I wanted to marry a dog. I told them I just want the same god given rights that every person in California is allowed to have. Don’t tell me I can’t marry my dog. I don’t tell you that you can’t marry a 500 lb woman with gas issues. That’s your decision. Don’t tread on me. I love my dog and I know he loves me a hundred times more than any gay wedding out there.”
With this wedding between a man and a male dog now on the books, one can only ask what is in store next?
A man marrying a toaster? A toaster marrying a dog? A toaster marrying a toaster?
America, what happened to the sanctity of marriage? Tsk. Tsk.

EXPOSING THOSE BEHIND THE HUMILIATION OF DANBABA SUBTAI : ‘Circulated Video On Suntai Fake’ ... LeadershipNews

 Danbaba-Suntai-
Parallel secretary to the state government (SSG) in Taraba State, Barrister G.T. Katabs, has described as fake, scandalous and libelous a purported video which showed the recuperating Governor Danbaba Suntai saying he was unfit to return to office as governor of state.
Katabs, in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP yesterday entitled “Fake Video Statement Credited to His Excellency, Governor Danbaba Danfulani Suntai”, said apart from the comical nature of the report, the unprofessionalism of the media was profoundly saddening.
He criticised the media for picking up a report from a questionable online media and publishing same, saying it was unprofessional.
“Moreso, many of the medium did not even bother to cross -check facts and seek a balance – a cardinal cornerstone of journalism,” Katabs said.
He added that most of the papers who reported that Governor Suntai had admitted that he could not resume work did not get their story from their correspondents in the state capital, Jalingo, saying their source was a video shown by a pressure group in Lagos to a collection of ‘top editors’ in Lagos, an action he described as dubious.
Katabs wondered if Lagos-based editors did not notice the super imposition of voices on a video put together by ‘desperate politicians.’

OPINION : Labaran Maku and his frenzied attacks on northern leaders, By Garba Shehu ... PremiumTimes


If I sat in a jury to decide who among the three in the President’s circle is doing the most damage to “enemy” Northern leaders between Edwin Clark, Asari Dokubo and the Minster of Information Labaran Maku, I will not hesitate to choose Maku and will tell you why. Maku is not only adept at linguistic pedagogy and propaganda, but he also has the courage to take the fight to enemy’s territory just as he did in Kaduna recently.
At the rate he is going, especially with the recent addition of the defence portfolio to his cap, Maku may run the Ijaw leaders out of business and succeed in having all to himself, the heart of the President. That prospect alone should worry those who love the minister.
Beyond occasional insults hurled at men and women, past and present in power in the North, Maku’s edge over the two others is that he speaks Hausa to the BBC and the Voice of America, which gives him direct connections to the hearts and minds of the Northern masses. Talking about his courage, who but Maku could go to Kaduna, the so-called home of the “Kaduna Mafia” – famous for running and ruining Nigeria (?) – to tell the Northerners that they should forget the Presidency in 2015 because “power can never return to the North” (Nigeria Observer), and that “Northern leaders lack the moral reasons to lead the country come 2015”?
Maku alone can look at the Northern political elite and tell them that they are tied to ethnic politics and religious bigotry. In Kaduna at the self-styled “townhall meeting” he pronounced that the emancipation of the North would not come from a Northerner (which curiously includes himself). “Every day, we keep advising people that politics is not madness, it is not about religious bigotry, it is like market… All the Propaganda and fight for political power are only retarding the North’s development.”
In his view, the people should jettison ethnic politics and support the President, meaning that the democratic right to differ belongs to only the President and those on his side, and all others who disagree with them are tribalists. Short of saying that Northern Nigeria is at war with the rest of the country using the Boko Haram, Maku has used every given opportunity to give the impression that the political leaders in the North as those who are responsible or that are behind the senseless insurgency going on.
On this occasion of the Kaduna homily, it was surprising to many that he skipped the equally senseless killings going on between Fulani herdsmen and the other tribesmen in the Middle Belt. Not a word from him on the Ombatse violence that saw the killing of nearly 100 policemen and secret service personnel by a cult formed by his own Eggon tribe and about which nothing of any serious consequence has been done to punish the perpetrators.
In America, the Mecca and Jerusalem of our political and mental compass, a certain Michael Dukakis lost steam and momentum in a presidential nomination race he was about to win by talking lightly of the killing by an outlaw of a single policeman. In a report that he vigorously objected to, The Sunday Tribune linked the Ombatse cult murder of the security men to the existing political disagreement over 2015 between Minister Maku and Governor Al-Makura. This denial notwithstanding, the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, went on to denounce his promotion as Supervising Minister of Defence and not few pages of advertorial were published in opposition by some other Nassarawa State communities.
The pressure of these lingering accusations notwithstanding, Maku continues to make important contributions to the Jonathan administration through the demonization of Northern leaders past and present whenever the opportunity presents itself. When he spoke in Kaduna, he rubbed pepper into their eyes when he said “clearly, clearly, clearly (three times), the North had not had it better under any President than we have it under Jonathan.”
At this point, you asked yourself, which north is the Minister talking about? Is it the same North that Muslims and Christians are both feeling unsafe because the government has failed in its constitutional duty of protecting their life and property? You don’t have to be a Christian to feel the agony they feel when, as Goza in Borno State, you have 80 Churches now reduced to only eight and no week passes without one more being torched and worshippers shelled with bullets by extremists. Nor are the Muslims safe from the madness, given the fact that more of them have actually been killed with bombs and guns as illustrated by reports the Human Rights Watch has published. Both groups need a government that would protect them. As if Maku had forgotten that the primary duty of government is the protection of life and property, he went on “Radio Link” a talk show by the Federal Radio Corporation, FRCN run by him and launched what was described as a “frontal attack on Northern leaders”, in which he blamed them for every wrong of the country, past and present and exonerated the President who gave him two cabinet jobs to run at once as a man deserving of accolades.
Would anyone be right to remain quiet, or abandon the quest for public office through democratic election in a country as we have, where a snapshot by Daily Trust showed that Niger Delta, one of the six geo-political zones got 86% of total projects approved by the Federal Executive Council between March and August 2011? That this sub-region alone got projects, in terms of budget implementation in that period worth N760billion out of N883billion they had paid?
At another occasion, he thundered that “the fiction in the North that President Jonathan and Vice President Sambo are not developing the North, is the fiction whipped up by politicians who see nothing other than their blind ambitions. When they want to do it (leadership), they continue to talk about the North. When they come to power, you don’t see anything. In terms of development, what we are witnessing is momentous, not only in Northern Nigeria but Nigeria as a whole”.
I asked a former friend of the Minister if they thought the time had come for some senior people to address Mr. Maku on his continuing attacks on a victim people and he said to me “perish the thought”. He said there are Ministers in this government who don’t feel embarrassed by claims coming from some of the most respected and admired clerics and other leaders that their calls are not being picked.
A man who calls himself the “Angry Blogger”, Twitter @aderinola, and worried that the Minister is busy chasing shadows and attacking victims said that “there are serious allegations of missing trillions of Naira against his government… Your Boss cannot deal with … corrupt men and women in the executives (sic)” and Maku has given all his energy attacking perceived political enemies of the President in the North. What is this but shadow boxing?