Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Court Jails Fraudster Over $53,500 Romance Scam



A 22 years old internet fraudster, Bike John Niye has been sentenced to one and half years imprisonment by a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja,  for defrauding one Laura Wallmam of Indiana, United States of America the sum of $53,500. Justice A Akinlade slammed the prison term on Niye having found him guilty of the four count charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretense and attempt to obtain money by false pretense, preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Reports showed that Niye presented himself to Wallmam as businessman who operates a ‘moving’ company and needed money to get some of his goods out of storage. He met Wallmam in a dating site and has been in a relationship with her using a fictitious name, Toby Encore.

His journey to prison began on May 27th, 2010 when officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA and DHL Courier Services intercepted a suspicious parcel containing a Teddy Bear and a Blackberry handset sent from the USA to the convict by Wallmam.  The parcel was examined and it was discovered that it contained the sum of $40,000, a Blackberry handset, and a white lady’s photograph concealed in the Teddy Bear. The parcel was to be delivered to an address in Alapere, a suburb of Lagos with the name Tobi Encore and a Nigerian phone number also belonging to the same recipient. With the phone number, the convicted fraudster was traced and upon finding him, he was handed over to the EFCC for further investigations.

Upon investigation, Operatives of the Commission discovered that the name Tony Encore was used by the fraudster to deceive the American in order to defraud her.  It was found out that his real name is Bike John Niye.  The operatives also discovered that it was Niye who instructed the victim to conceal all the items in a Teddy Bear.

Investigations also revealed that Niye has been receiving various sums of money from the victim via Western Union totaling about US$25,000 before the parcel which finally landed him in jail. To enable him collect the sent funds via Western Union , findings revealed that Niye obtained a Driver’s license with a forged identity bearing the name Nathan Omarkeh. He usually destroys the identity card after collecting money sent to him.

In addition to the one and half year jail term, Niye is to refund the sum of $48,500 as restitution to the victim.

How To Properly Insult David Mark – By Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo

“We need to change our attitude on how we report things about our country and we should emulate the foreign reporters who never report negative things about their countries. – David Mark, Nigeria Senate President, complaining about social media being used to insult Nigerian leaders in a speech to reporters covering the Nigerian Senate.

I’m going to use some bad words in this column. If you cannot stomach them, please stop reading.

Right now.

Thank you.

I do not waste my thoughts on some Nigerian politicians. Despite their antics and cries for attention, I dismiss this bunch of political actors. Some are so rotten that I consider them irredeemable. Some are so insignificant in the overall reformation scheme that I feel they will wither away as soon as the cord of corruption is cut off. Some are nothing but stagnant balls of smoke made of sheer ignorance. Mr. David Mark was one of them. But he shouldn’t be.

On a second thought, David Mark is much more than all of the above. He is not just irredeemable. He is also contaminating. He is not just insignificant. His dirty fingers are scratching the canvas of Nigeria. He is not just a stagnant smoke of ignorance on Nigeria’s sky. He is also in motion.

In short, David Mark is a lucky bastard. And nothing is scarier than a government of lucky bastards in the life of a nation.

Mr. Mark went in front of reporters that cover the senate, men and women that he has pocketed, to complain that the social media is used by faceless people to insult Nigerian leaders like him. He grumbled that these disgruntled operators of social media have no way of retracting their stories. His solution: that the government should control social media to stop its users from insulting leaders like him.

What the likes of David Mark do not know is that social media does not operate in a vacuum. It needs content to exist. And social media content is provided by people like David Mark.

Social media thrives on the idiosyncrasies, excesses and stupidity of politicians and celebrities. Those in the limelight who do not wish to be in the spotlight of social media should retire to their villages and wait for death. For instance, nobody in social media is losing sleep over Arthur Nzeribe, who is currently at his Oguta home awaiting death. David Mark can do the same in one of his homes in Benue, Ghana, Caribbean, the US, Belize, the UK, Ireland etc.

For those unfamiliar with the pedigree of the senate president, here is it in brief. David Mark is a leader in that class of miseducated men and women who rode the wave of unaccountable leadership, looting and ruining Nigeria until the nation became a failure. These are the men and women who failed Nigeria with such a staged craftsmanship that the nation they failed works perfectly well for them. If Nigeria were a tree, these men and women cut the tree and told it where to fall.

For those who need more details, this is the essential biography of David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark. Born on April 18, 1948, in Otukpo, he joined the Nigerian army and became prominent as a Major when he was named Secretary of the Abandoned Property Implementation Commission after the Biafra-Nigeria Civil War. In the 1980s, he reemerged as one of the so-called Babangida boys. He became the military governor of Niger state from 1984- 1986. When Babangida took over as Nigeria’s military dictator, he brought Mark close as his Minister of Communication. He played a prominent role in the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election. He headed the gang that threatened to kill M.K.O. Abiola if the military had dared to hand power over to him. He fell out with Gen. Sani Abacha who retired him from the army and he went on exile. At the beginning of this current democratic dispensation in 1999, he became a senator representing Benue South senatorial zone. He supported Obasanjo’s effort to amend the Nigerian constitution to serve a third term. For that effort he collected the lion share of the billions that Obasanjo’s supporters used to bribe senators. He became the Senate president in 2007 as a reward for his loyalty to the PDP.

David Mark is a lucky bastard. Not even one of the 400,000 people of his other country, Belize, will nominate him to be a janitor for their senate.
Even though he believes that a sergeant in the army is better than a university graduate, nobody knows if Mr. Mark can write his name. But we know that he can open offshore accounts in New Jersey and the Cayman islands. We know that is the place he hid most of the Gulf oil windfall for himself and his boss, Babangida. We know that is where he hid proceeds from NITEL deals he cooked up as Minister of Communication when he famously said that poor people had no need for phones and as such he siphoned the money allocated to his ministry. We know that he spent about 6 million British pounds sterling to purchase significant interest in the 18-hole St Margaret’s Golf Club in Ireland. We know he owns a 2.5 million British pounds sterling home on Thames River in London. We know he has millions and millions of pounds sterling in trust for his numerous children and wives all over Europe and America. We know this because his nasty divorce from wife number five, Victoria Preye, exposed some of his hidden investments.

Despite his enormous stolen wealth, here is what David Mark’s epitaph will say. “Here lies a man who admired the trappings of Western civilization but was ignorant of its tenets.” It is the same epitaph for Idi Amin, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida and Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga.

On top of David Mark’s head roves a giant question mark. When he opens his mouth remarkable gaffes gush out. It is a mark of complete genuflection of a nation that such a scion of corruption is at the head of the upper house of the people’s assembly. His bland mind marketed as diplomatic is impervious of his environment. Otherwise he would have noticed from his hospital bed that it was Israeli media that kept the heat on until former Israeli President Moshe Katsav was sentenced to seven-years for rape.

David Mark is a shameless hypocrite who has absolute disdain for Nigeria. That such an uninspiring character is angling for the presidency of Nigeria is a testament to the hopelessness of the Nigerian project. Put aside his pedigree, Nigeria’s number three man is as shallow as they come. Otherwise he would have heard that it was Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of the Washington Post newspaper that singlehandedly exposed President Richard Nixon as a crook and forced him to resign.

David Mark is old enough to know that “the only countries where newspapers are full of good news are those counties where the prisons are full of good people.” If David Mark is just ignorant, I won’t be scared. I will simply hope that soon, like other ignoramuses like him ruining Nigeria, he will die off with his stupidity and leave Nigeria to its fate. But David Mark is much more than ignorant. He is deliberately manipulative and mischievous. And that is dangerous.

David Mark is a lucky bastard. If an American newspaper places its searchlight on him for just 24 hours, as soon as the report comes out, Interpol, FBI, Scotland Yard, KGB, SSS, MSS, BNI, ICPC, EFCC etc will all be fighting over whose handcuffs will be on David Mark’s hands, legs, waist and ankles.

Mr. Mark hates a marketplace of ideas because he has no confidence in his own opinion. So he dislikes any media that challenges his opinion and tries to hold him accountable. He has been so used to being worshiped that any deviation from that is considered demeaning and insulting. For Mark and his likes, not appending to their names their fake doctorate degrees or their worthless grand commander of a corrupt and crumbling federal republic is already an insult in and of itself. But Mark is perfectly retaining his right to insult Nigerians, disrespect them and treat them as imbeciles who have no idea what one plus one is.

This is why David Mark does not like the social media. He cannot buy them over. He cannot pay them retainership to publish only favorable stories about him. He cannot get them to submit drafts of their stories to his office for approval before publication.

He cannot fly them to an expensive resort hotel and give them lectures on how to do their job as the Fourth Estate. He is mad because he cannot stop social media from writing what one of his six wives said in anger.

Mr. Mark loves the compromised media that does not ask him what he does for Nigeria for which he gets paid over N600 million a year. He loves the compromised media that will quote him as saying, “I will defend Nigeria’s unity with the last drop of my blood,” but won’t ask him why he renounced Nigeria’s citizenship to become a citizen of Belize when his investment in that country was threatened. He loves the compromised media that will not ask why he loves Nigeria so much but will rather go to Israel for a minor medical treatment.

David Mark is a lucky bastard. The best way to properly insult him is to ignore him. That is what I will go back to doing now that I have let out steam.

Accused Colorado Shooter James Holmes Charged With 24 Counts of First-Degree Murder


3m360 reports that James Holmes, the 24-year-old accused of murdering 12 people and injuring 58 at a Colorado movie theater, has been charged with 24 counts of first-degree murder, two counts for each of the 12 victims. He was also charged with 116 counts of attempted murder in the first degree.

Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom, so Acuna got a firsthand account of the court proceedings from Fox News Producer Jennifer Girdon, who was in the courtroom. Girdon described Holmes’ appearance saying that he still had the orange and red hair we saw during last week’s court appearance. She reports that the suspect hadn’t shaven so he appeared rather scruffy. While Girdon said that it was difficult to tell his demeanor because she didn’t have a great view of him, she said, “He was looking around. He looked like he knew what was going on. Looking at the judge when the judge talked, looking at the gallery a little bit.”

• Colorado Shooting Survivor Speaks of Forgiveness
• WATCH: First Video Shows Suspected Colorado Shooter James Holmes Speaking at Science Camp
• Baby Born to Parents Inside Theater During Colorado Shooting; Dad Remains in Critical Condition
• Watch the Video: Accused Gunman James Holmes Makes First Court Appearance Following Colorado Massacre
Girdon discussed that there were seats reserved for victims and family members in the courtroom, most of whom remained very solemn throughout the hearing.
Girdon reported that Holmes didn’t speak at all during the proceeding

Olympics Games: Nigeria’s Regina George Readmitted After Dope Clearance



A female Nigerian athlete, Regine George, has been readmitted to contest in the Olympics Games.
She had been banned two weeks ago along with two other Nigerian athletes, Vivian Chukwuemeka and Lauretta Ozoh, after their blood samples tested positive to banned drugs.

Regina was cleared after she passed the mandatory second testin usrrey, United Kingdom and returned to the Games Village with Team Nigeria.

Ozoh and Chukwuemeka, however, failed the second test.

While Ozoh had been expected to compete in 100m, 200m and 4x100m, Chukwuemeka entered the games in the shot put category.

Both tainted athletes have been asked to leave the camp immediately.

Team Nigeria doctor, Dr. Kenneth Anugweje, confirmed the development to PUNCH on Monday night in Stratford, saying Regina was cleared after hearings by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Regina will compete in the 400m and 4x400m races

'Dark Knight' Trilogy: Batman's Best Battles



He can't fly, he doesn't have adamantium claws, and he doesn't turn into a big green rage monster when provoked. But where Batman lacks those kinds of super-powers, he makes up for it in wit, ability, high-tech gear, and a glorious knack for punching hapless bad guys right in the kisser.
Sadly, we'll never see Batman throw another punch under the direction of Christopher Nolan. With "The Dark Knight Rises," the filmmaker has concluded his story. Everything Nolan has ever had to say about Gotham City has been said, every tale told. But the "Dark Knight" trilogy will always be there for fans to watch and watch and watch again — and with repeated viewings comes a renewed appreciation for all of the phenomenal fights Batman gets himself into over the course of those three films.
Keep reading for a look back on Batman's best five battles in the "Dark Knight" series.
5. The Sea of Shadows In "Batman Begins," before adopting his crime-fighting alter-ego, Bruce Wayne tested himself against a number of foes boasting varying levels of difficulty. But before returning to Gotham, no one gave him a harder time than Ra's al Ghul, a man he knew at the time as mentor Henri Ducard. Before he could graduate from the League of Shadows, Bruce had to face Ra's in an unconventional battle: hopped up on a hallucinogenic blue flower, he was tasked with gaining the upper hand on Ra's, hidden in a veritable sea of ninjas crowding up the battlefield. It's a trippy, keep-'em-guessing scene that perfectly demonstrates Wayne's ability to thrive in the deadliest of circumstances, even without his cape and cowl.
4. Hell On Wheels Of the many epic chase scenes in the "Dark Knight" trilogy, there's perhaps no greater sequence than the one at the heart of "The Dark Knight." It's the first appearance of the Batpod, the first "defeat" of the Joker, and the last great victory for Harvey Dent. It's the moment where you think that, yes, finally, the good guys have won — and then you realize the Clown Prince of Crime still has another hour to tear your heart out. More on that in a minute.
3.
The Grand Debut The first appearance of the fully costumed Bruce Wayne in "Begins" is confusing on a number of levels. You don't see every punch landed. You don't see every step of Wayne's meticulous planning, how he gets from point A to point B. What you do see is the arrival of an icon, the creation of a legend. With one well-placed head-butt to Tom Wilkinson's face, the taste of the Joel Schumacher era is forever washed away. This, my friends, is Batman.
2. "Krakt" Went The Bat But Batman's greatest battles don't always end in victory. Indeed, the top two entries on this list are among the Caped Crusader's all-time low-points. After eight years in exile, Wayne returns in "Rises" as the hero Gotham City needs. But he's not the hero he was. Batman goes up against Bane overconfident and underprepared, a match that ends with a sickening crack to the Dark Knight's back, and a one-way ticket to a faraway prison to spend the next several months helplessly watching his city turn to ashes.
1. The Killing Joke The iconic interrogation scene at the core of "The Dark Knight" is Batman's greatest battle in Nolan's entire saga. Even if it feels rather one-sided on the physical end of things, it's Batman who takes the biggest beating as Joker tears into his soul with lip-smacking lashings and an explosive scheme that sends Harvey Dent halfway to hell and Rachel Dawes all the way. It's the epitome of the dark, morose tone that Nolan's trilogy mastered so fully. And even if it's a low-point in Bruce's career as a crime-fighter, it's an undeniable high for viewers who came to realize just how deeply everyone involved in the "Dark Knight" series understood the core of the Batman legend.
Which of Batman's battles in the "Dark Knight" trilogy was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @rloritosan

Australian, Nigerian charged in Malaysia for drugs

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – An Australian nurse and a Nigerian man face the possibility of death by hanging after a Malaysian court on Tuesday charged them with trafficking methamphetamines.

Emma Louise L’Aiguille, 34, was charged in a Kuala Lumpur court along with Anthony Esikalam Ndidi two weeks after police said they were arrested in possession of one kilogramme (2.2 pounds) of methamphetamine.

L’Aiguille entered the court in tears and spoke briefly to Australian High Commission officials before sitting in the dock, hunched over in distress, for the hearing.

No plea was recorded but the Australian’s lawyer said she was innocent and was slapped once by a Malaysian police officer during interrogations.

Drug trafficking carries a mandatory death sentence by hanging in Malaysia, where hundreds of people are on death row, mostly for drug offences.

Anyone found to be in possession of at least 50 grams of methamphetamine is considered a trafficker.

L’Aiguille, from Melbourne, was in a car with her co-defendant when police arrested them, attorney Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told reporters after the court appearance.

Police told L’Aiguille, who had been driving, that drugs were later found in the car, he said.

Muhammad Shafee said two other Nigerians — L’Aiguille’s boyfriend and another man — had also been in the car but had left the vehicle just prior to the arrests. Police are currently searching for the boyfriend, he added.

“She is completely depressed. She just does not understand how all this could happen to her. She was just driving the car,” Muhammad Shafee said.

He said L’Aiguille was a nurse who was in Malaysia as a tourist and had visited the country several times over the past two years.

He complained that defence lawyers were only allowed one ten-minute meeting with her before the court appearance.

The next court appearance was set for October 1. Pleas are not normally heard at the time defendants are charged.

No further details were immediately available on the Nigerian defendant as he was not represented by legal counsel at the hearing.

In March, Australian Dominic Jude Christopher Bird, 32, was charged with drug trafficking.

The truck driver from Perth in Western Australia was arrested on March 1 in Kuala Lumpur in possession of 225 grams of methamphetamine. The case is still in the courts.

Since 1960, more than 440 people have been executed in Malaysia, including two Australians put to death in 1986 for heroin trafficking that made headlines as they were the first Westerners to be executed under tough new anti-drug laws.

New music : ANGEL 'F' debutes his mixtape (face on the moon)




"ANGEL F: ANOTHER GIFT OF POP!Soulful and energetic, Angel F takes
music to new heights and its not just about the scales and notes.Angel
F the new African pop sensation aint taking things for granted in any
way as he plans to take Nigerian/African music to new heights. He
started off quite early but professionally adopted the stage name
ANGEL F in 2006. The pop star is a delight to listen to as he uses the
dexterity of his voice and dance moves in a magnificent manner giving
us eclectic, quite foreign and tasteful music. His first single
'Messing With My Head' recorded so much success his growing fan base
craved for more. To satisfy the crave, he just dropped his first
Mixtape titled "Face on the Moon". It is a 16 tracked mixtape;
consisting majorly of covers from great hits song and a couple of
other songs produced by awesome new producers including the late LB.
Enjoy as Angel F takes you on a wonderful musical ride."

Angel F - Face On The Moon ( The Mixtape) - http://bit.ly/Q562dJ

INDIVIDUAL LINKS
1. Put It On Me(Roll It) - http://bit.ly/Od42QK
2.Move Like Fela( Move Like Jagger Cover) - http://bit.ly/OxuD8N
3. Love me ft T'sleek - http://bit.ly/PcRC7s
4.Give u the world{prod by Phrasebeatz}- http://bit.ly/Odqo4m
5. She want make i do ft. Peewone {prod by Phrasebeatz} - http://bit.ly/MOyemD
6. Shadows ft Coded Base - http://bit.ly/NDXrQz
7. Para - http://bit.ly/QrnImX
8. What you do ft Maka - http://bit.ly/MfG20R
9. O Bad Gan!!! ft. T-Pound - http://bit.ly/QZIpVW
10. Make Me Go Thardey Fweshniz - http://bit.ly/MfHnEG
11. Get on the floor ft. LB {prod by CodedBase} - http://bit.ly/Mum4uC
12. Dance for me ft. SaDiQ - http://bit.ly/Mue78L
13. Bed (Remix) ft. Saio & LB - http://bit.ly/LYVtc8
14. No Go Ever Break Your Heart - http://bit.ly/MOzO7Z
15. Na You(LB Tribute) - http://bit.ly/Ody9rg
16. Years of my mistakes ft. Alpha {prod by BallBoy Beats} -
http://bit.ly/Q675u2
'CodedBase'

Gunmen In Police Uniform Snatch Editor’s of The Nigerian Compass Newspaper Car- PM News, Lagos



Armed robbers dressed in police uniform at about 10 p.m.on Sunday at gunpoint snatched a car from the Editor, Nigerian Compass newspaper, Mr. Gabriel Akinadewo.
The editor, who was in his Toyota Avensis car, 2008 model marked Ogun CP 11 AKM, was returning from his office on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway when he ran into the road block mounted by the robbers in front of a new generation bank at Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos.
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the bandits,  Akinadewo said, “I give glory to God Almighty for saving my life. I left church yesterday afternoon for my office in my white garment. I am a member of Cheribum and Seraphim Church.
“Immediately I was through with my schedule in the office, I took my leave. On my way home, I drove through the Business Club Road, near Femi Anikulapo’s Shrine and suddenly, four men blocked my way with their car. so I decided to go through Amaraolu Street linking the bank. As I approached the bank, I saw the four men again in police uniform in front of the bank. They flagged me with a torch light that I should stop. I did and greeted them thinking they were policemen.
“They asked me, ‘can we see your boot?’ As I got down to open the boot, one of them suddenly whispered to me, ‘we are not policemen. It is better for you not to shout. So, cooperate.’ Another one grabbed my car key and ordered me to sit at the back seat sandwiched by two of them. One drove my car and the last one sat in the front with the driver.
“Because of the white garment I wore, one of them asked me if I was a pastor. I said no. The same man saw my identity card and asked if I was a journalist. I said ‘yes’. Their leader reprimanded him saying, ‘keep quiet, why do you ask him questions?’ They took me in my car through Wempco Road to Oba Ogunji Road.
“As they were going, one of the robbers called somebody on phone and he said, ‘super, we got two, a SUV and a car. They are okay, they are neat.’ In the SUV, there were four other robbers also dressed in police uniform with the owner of the SUV at the back. The owner was wearing a lace material.
“They moved to Mobil, Stadium Road, Railway line in Agege and Abattoir. There, they told me to get down, that I must not make any noise. I quickly called the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko who immediately ordered police in Abattoir and others to organise search parties for the car. I later reported the matter at Pen Cinema Police Division. I finally got home at about 2 a.m. today.”
Akinadewo commended Manko for responding swiftly to his distress call.
He also thanked policemen who commenced the search for the car as early as they were called on phone by the police boss.
Items lost in the car include an unspecified amount of money, ipad 3, London train oyster card, FCMB mastercard, Nigerian Compass identity card, his driver’s licence, newspapers, purse and complimentary cards.

Nigerians Condemn Senate President David Mark’s Call To Censor Social Media



Nigeria, with a population of nearly 160 million, is one of Africa’s giants when it comes to the use of social media. Nearly 4.6 million Nigerians are on Facebook. Twitter is the 6th most popular website in Nigeria. So it comes as no surprise that Nigerians were angered when the President of the Nigerian Senate David Mark suggested that social media in the country should be censored.
On a Senate Press Corps retreat last week, David Mark said that Nigerians use social media to demean their leaders and that there is no avenue for retraction of criticism.
Mark also added that Nigerian reporters should emulate foreign media “who never report negative things about their countries.”
It may be recalled that Mark, a former communications minister, stated a few years ago that Nigeria’s poor were not ready for telephones.
SaharaReporters created a Storify of responses to David Mark’s comments about censoring social media. Most Nigerians rejected the notion that social media should be censored and that social media platforms are a mechanism for ordinary citizens to assess the performance of their leaders.
Interestingly, several posts circulating on Facebook called for an “Occupy David Mark” movement:
“ATTENTION: Occupy David Mark. The senate president must be stopped from his moves to restrict the use of social media in Nigeria, as it has been done in militarised countries of the world. He has been quoted as saying the social media is being used to insult leaders. We are not in North Korea, this is a democracy. “Occupy his telephone line and help save our only freedom of expression. Call, text and even flash 080350088**. Please rebroadcast.”
No word on if the mobile telephone number broadcast is the Senate President’s actual number. But the message is clear: David Mark, do not try to come between Nigerians and their social media

Monday, July 30, 2012

Breaking News: Fresh Attack On Police Station In Sokoto Kills Policeman

Gunmen riding on motorbikes opened fired on the Arkilla police station near a Mobile police barrack in Sokoto at 6:30 PM Nigerian time.
Police sources told SaharaReporters that an officer was killed in the drive-by attack. The gunmen fled on their motorbike before reinforcement could be called in from the MOPOL barrack nearby.
The attack this evening will be the third attack police formations in Sokoto by Islamist militants.

Chris Brown Denies Criticizing Frank Ocean's Sexuality



After finding himself in the midst of yet another mild controversy, this time involving Odd Future crooner Frank Ocean, singer Chris Brown took to his Twitter account today (July 30) to voice his opinion on the matter.

The singer, who received harsh criticism after allegedly replying “no homo” when asked about Frank Ocean in an interview, went on to state that people were “searching for BS” when it comes to his alleged comment about Ocean.

"My Opinion on the whole Frank Ocean subject is ......... Love who u wanna love. It's ur decision. People stop searching for BS," Brown Tweeted.

Brown’s Twitter commentary then quickly switched to matters of world peace and “social acceptance.”

"Everyone is so quick to point the wrong fingers at each other! Ask urself... Am I Doing everything I can to help the world…The world is so bent on social acceptance that we've forgotten what makes us special..." he added. "Our individuality! #Imdone #readabookbitch."

Just last year Brown and Ocean exchanged words on Twitter after Brown compared the Odd Future singer to James Fauntleroy and Kevin Cossum. Both singers did eventually put their brief Twitter spat behind them.

Eight killed as gunmen open fire on worshippers

KANO (AFP) – A gun battle near a mosque in the northern city of Kano and two other shootings left at least eight people dead on Sunday in the latest violence to hit the area, authorities said.

It was not clear who was behind the attacks in the city of Kano, the largest in the mainly Muslim north, but they resembled similar incidents in the past blamed on Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

The deadliest occurred on Sunday night when gunmen opened fire in an area around a mosque while Muslims were observing Ramadan prayers and where a police team was already deployed to protect worshippers, a senior police official said.

Police and the attackers exchanged fire and one of the assailants was killed when his own explosive device went off.

Three other gunmen were shot dead by police, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The rest fled, abandoning their car and three motorcycles they came with,” the official said, adding that it was not clear whether police or the mosque was the target of the initial attack.

Earlier in the day, gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on the car of a Nigerian air force officer, killing the driver and an aide, while two other people were killed in a nearby neighbourhood, authorities said.

“A car of one of our officers came under attack this morning,” Air Commodore Sani Ahmed said.

“The officer’s driver and his orderly were travelling out of town, but as they reached an area called Yan-Lemo, two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on the car, killing the two personnel.”

The officer was not in the car at the time, he said.

In a similar incident earlier in the day, two gunmen on a motorcycle shot dead two people outside their house in a nearby neighourhood, said police spokesman Rilwanu Dutse.

A police source said the victims were from the mainly Christian Igbo ethnic group.

Boko Haram has carried out scores of bombings and shootings in their insurgency in the north of Africa’s most populous nation that has left hundreds dead.

   Jude Okoye                                                       Ibezim Jude Osemeke
Very motivating move, I put up a post on this blog this morning about  a brain tumor patient, Ibezim Jude Osemeke asking for donations for to help foot the bills his Surgery . (If you missed it, read it HERE) Ibezim needs 3.7 million for surgery in India.

Jude 'Engees' Okoye, the elder of Paul and Peter Okoye popularly known as P-Square, saw the post and the Ibezim family. As soon as he confirmed Ibezim really needed help ASAP, the prolific music director who recently lost his mum, made a N1 million donation.

Jude didn't particularly want his donation made public but talking about his generosity is a way to encourage others to give...to make a difference in someone's life. I know for sure Ibezim is beyond ecstatic about this donation and is extremely grateful. May God bless you all. May God bless Jude Okoye. May God blessall of you who are reading and what to sow a seed in this Young Man's life.

Vice President Sambo's house attacked, one killed



Three gunmen have killed a man outside an uninhabited house belonging to Nigeria's Vice President Namaadi Sambo, Police authorities in Kaduna have said.

Kaduna state police spokesman, Abubakar Balteh, told The Associated Press that the assailants killed a shoe-shiner and injured two policemen who were guarding Vice President Namadi Sambo's house Monday. He said the house was under renovation.

Balteh said rioters had burned down the house during postelection violence that swept across northern Nigeria after April 2011 presidential polls.

Human Rights Watch says the violence left at least 680 people dead in Kaduna state alone. Fighting started after President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from southern Nigeria, was declared winner. Many in Nigeria's north thought a Muslim from the north should have become president.

Meanwhile, authorities say attacks targeting police in a major city of Nigeria's northwest left two dead Monday

breaking news : Sokoto suicide bomber kills self, police officer  

Sokoto – The suicide bomber attacked the Sokoto zonal office of the Nigeria Police, which houses the office of the Assistant Inspector General of Police killed himself and a police officer who was on guard there. at about 10.46am today

The bomb shattered the office of the AIG and his official car and its impact affecting the office of the Divisional Police Officer and other shops opposite the zonal police headquarters.

Speaking with newsmen at the scene of the incidence, the AIG, Alhaji Mukhtari Ibrahim said that the bomber and a police corporal, Ismail were killed while, according to him, eight other police officers had various degrees of injuries.

“We had an unfortunate incident where a suicide bomber rammed into the headquarters with car and killed himself. A police corporal, by name Ismail was also killed and eight other officers we injured,” Ibrahim said.

Also speaking to newsmen, the Deputy Police Commissioner, Kudu Nma said that the office of the Police Officers’ Wives Association, POWA was attacked and the bomber killed.

While saying that all Divisional Police offices have been put on alert, the AIG called on the general public to provide the Police with useful information.

London 2012: Medals Standings as of July 30th


It's still early, but let's have a look at which nation is the leader of the pack, and if we'll see some shifts in the balance of power in this Olympics.

And taking a look at the medal standings as of today, July 30th China maintains its lead with six golds and 12 overall while the United States follows with three golds and 11 total.
Korea is in fourth with two golds, a silver and two bronzes just eight more golds to reach its 10-10 goal.
[Reporter : ] That's all for now, and hope to see you back here tomorrow with more medal stories.
I'll be bringing you more updates on the Olympic Games on Prime Time News at 10 p.m.
Thank you Ji-sun for the coverage.

LADY GAGA THE ACTRESS??



Lady Gaga will be making her film debut in the highly anticipated action movie, Machete Kills!

The films director, Robert Rodriguez tweeted this “I just finished working with LadyGaga on MacheteKills,” along with the poster (seen above) that reads, “Lady Gaga as La Chameleon.”

Gaga confirmed by tweeting this: 

"Yes its true, I will be making my debut as an actress ln the amazing MACHETE KILLS BY @RODRIGUEZ IM SO EXCITED!!! AH! Filming was insane.”

Machete Kills is set to have superstar cast that includes: Mel Gibson, Jessica Alba, Charlie Sheen, Amber Heard, Zoe Saldana, Danny Trejo, Sofia Vergara and Vanessa Hudgens.

Wow, sounds exciting!

Mother Attempts To Kill Her 11-Year-Old Son To Forget Ex-Husband



An 11 year old Nigerian boy is battling to live at a Kano hospital after being stabbed by his mother, Joy Akule, 28, who was depressed after separating with the father of the teenager.

The lady (pictured above) who hails from Katsina-Ala in Benue state told journalists at Kano state Police headquarters that she transferred the aggression she had for her ex-husband to the innocent child.
“I wanted to kill him to bury the memory of his father because each time I see him, he reminds me of his father’s wickedness to me,” she said.
According to the state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim K. Idris, Joy on 21 July at Sabuwar Abuja Quarters, Kano, northwest Nigeria used a knife and stabbed her son on his stomach, bursting the intestines.
The boss who raised alarm over the spate of rape involving teenagers in the state said his Command has resolved to ensure prosecution of rapists in the state and advised parents to keep watchful eyes on their children.
He revealed that on 17 July, Abubakar Ya’u, 20, of Jama’ar Ladan in Minjibir Local Government Area lured a six year old girl into his room and raped her.

Lady Gaga tweets 'naked' picture of herself reclining on an armchair




She recently caused a stir when she unveiled her new perfume ad, starring herself, naked, with only 'tiny men' crawling over her to protect her modesty.
But it appears Lady Gaga hasn't tired of baring flesh for her fans.
The 26-year-old tweeted a snap of herself apparently fully naked, sitting in an armchair, hugging her legs to her chest.

Boko Haram Kills 2 Airforce Operatives In Kano



Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram operatives shot at an Air force staff car on Zaria Road in Kano early afternoon killing  two airmen,- a driver and orderly of a senior airforce officer.
 An airforce commander in Kano confirmed to 3m360 that the two junior ranking airmen died in the attack.
 Two men riding on motorbike appear beside the airmen close to the flyover  and shot severally at the service car.  The airmen were on their way to Kaduna to pick up a senior officer.
The attack, which took place on Zaria Road in Naibawa area of the metropolis, disrupted traffic and forced motorists heading to Kaduna and Abuja to cancel their trips. The gunmen reportedly fled through a farmland in the area.

Thirteen Killed In Benin - Ore Auto Accident



A headlong crash between an IVECO Truck and a commuter on Sunday morning along the busy Lagos -Benin highway has killed thirteen people. One person was critically injured and is currently receiving treatment in a hospital close to the scene of the accident.
The auto accident involving two vehicles occurred on the Benin–Ore part of the Lagos –Benin highway.
Road safety officials reports that a Toyota Hiace commuter bus with 15 passengers on board  crashed headlong into an IVECO Truck while it was descending a steep slope.
 
The two vehicles collided head on at 7.45 AM on kilometer 53 before Ohosun near the boundary of Ondo and Edo state.
The bus which was driving against the traffic when the crash occurred is registered to Anambra state mass transit company.
The accident led to the instant death of 13 males, another male was critically injured and rushed to Shiloh Hospital Ugbogui for medical attention. The death victims of the accident were also deposited in the mortuary at the clinic.

D'banj Puts Auto Lounge Boss, Larry Onuegbu In Police Detention! ...Over fraudulent sale of Naeto C's Porsche Cayenne wedding gift.



Barely days after he suffered public humiliation by been thrown out of the Abuja arm of Auto Lounge- the all night place of leisure owned by money man, Larry Onuegbo- it's pay back time for celebrated musician widely known as Dbanj ( Dapo Oyebanjo).

And fortunately for him- sources claim, he is prosecuting a case that has 'merit'

The singer that is surfing on the wave of international recognition just ensured the continuous detention of the man that assaulted him- club owner, Larry Onuegbu.

Unlike Dbanj that was reportedly ordered out of Auto Lounge at Larry's whim- the club owner has a criminal case to answer for.

He reportedly collected money under false


pretences. And defrauded client millions of naira.

Sources claimed the allegation against him is that, he sold the 2009 edition of choice car, Porsche Cayenne as a 2012 edition.

He reportedly perfected this by buying a 'used car' and refurbished it with guarantees to his client that- it is the 2012 Edition.

The purchase was the wedding gift Dbanj presented to fellow musician Naeto C ( Naeto Chike) on behalf of a wealthy fan and supporter that wished to remain anonymous during the latter's wedding reception.

Sources claimed a clinical examination of the gift- and visits to Porsche mart to confirm the veracity of the seller's assertion revealed the deceptive marketing strategy employed by Larry to sell the car.

It was further confirmed that a director at financial institution, Zenith Bank actually acquired the car brand new- and used it for a while before Onuegbu bought it off him.

The development presented a perfect opportunity for Dbanj to pay the club owner back- especially because the buyer wishes to maintain his anonymosity in the unfolding scenerio.

He handed the matter to the musician to handle.

The police were invited into the case- and Larry Onuegbu arrested and thrown into detention for criminal conduct.

He is still languishing in detention at press time- in the name of investigating the case.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Full List Of Salaries: Nigerian Senators Earn More Than President Barack Obama

In the United States, while the minimum wage is $1,257 (N191, 667), a US lawmaker earns $15,080 (N2.3m) per month. In the United Kingdom, a lawmaker earns $8,686(N1.3m) monthly while the gross national minimum wage is $1,883 (N283, 333) per month.
Also, Nigerian lawmakers earn higher than their counterparts in Sweden. With a monthly pay of $7,707 (N1.2m), a lawmaker in Sweden will need to work for over 12 years to equal what a Nigerian senator earn per annum.
The president of the United States takes home an anual salary of $400,000 (N64.156,0m), including a $50,000 expense allowance making the president the highest paid public servant in the US. The $400,000 includes everything and $350,000 out of it is taxable.
Selected States (salary per annum)
The prime minister of the United Kingdom……USD 226,627.00
French president………………………………….. USD 318,072.00
South African president…………………………..USD 296,112.00
German chancelor………………………………….USD 296,112.00
The Prime Minister of Belgium…………………..USD 174,804.00
President of the Republic of Korea……………..USD 136,669.00
President of Russia…………………………………USD 122,652.00
Prime Minister Portugal……………………………USD 129,730.00
Prime Minister Namibia……………………………USD 115,155.00
President of Angola………………………………..USD 60,000.00
President Argentina………………………………..USD 55,139.00
Prime Minister Ukraine…………………………….USD 61,254.00
President Zimbabwe……………………………….USD 18,000.00
President of People’s republic of China………..USD 10,633.00
President Liberia……………………………………USD 90,000.00
Prime Minister Spain ……………………………..USD 102,960.00
Prime Minister Namibia…………………………..USD 115,155.00
President Namibia…………………………………USD 164,506.00
President of Colombia …………………………..USD 120,685.00
Prime Minister of the Netherlands……………..USD 190,740.00
Prime Minister Ireland……………………………USD 264,000.00
Prime Minister Denmark…………………………USD 264,533.00
President Mexico………………………………….USD 328,839.00
President Austria………………………………….USD 422,231.00
President of the European Council…………….USD 508,916.00
NIGERIAN SENATORS
Basic Salary (BS) = N2,484,245.50
Hardship Allowanc: 50% of Basic Salary = N1,242,122.75
Constituency allowance: 200% of BS = N4,968,509.00
Furniture Allowance: 300% of BS = N7,452,736.50
Newspaper allowance: 50% = N1,242,122.70
Wardrobe allowance: 25% = N621,061.37
Recess Allowance: 10% = N248,424.55
Accommodation: 200% = N4,968,509.00
Utilities: 30% = N828,081.83
Domestic Staff: 35% = N863,184.12
Entertainment: 30% = N828,081.83
Personal Assistance: 25% = N621,061.37
Vehicle Maintenance Allowance: 75% = N1,863,184.12
Leave Allowance : 10% = N248,424.55
One off payments (Severance gratuity): 300% = N7,452,736.50
Motor Vehicle Allowance: 400% of BS = N9,936,982.00
Total per month = N29, 479, 749.00

A senator’s anual salary = over N182 million
multiply by 109 senators (don’t forget the House of rep, ministers, ambassadors, …)
In addition to the regular and legitimate salaries and allowances of over N17 million ($113,333) and N14.99 million ($99,933) which senators and reps were collecting yearly and the irregular allowance of estacodes, duty tours etc, they were also collecting over N192m ($1.28m) and N140m ($0.93m) respectively in illicit quarterly allocation which is not provided for by RMAFC.
Effectively, a Nigerian senator was taking home at least $1.40m ($1.28m quarterly allocations + $0.113m regular salaries and allowances) as against the $0.174m an American senator takes home hence a Nigeria senator earns at least 8 times as much as an American senator and more than 3 times the American president.
Whereas a Senator in the U.S earns N21, 146,000, the same as a member of the House of Representatives; a UK Member of Parliament earn £64,766 (N14, 896,180)
In other words, a Federal Legislator in Nigeria is paid more than double what a Member of British Parliament earns per annum.
Senate President David Mark alone takes N250 million quarterly or N83.33 million per month. Senate Deputy President Ike Ekweremadu gets N150 million per quarter or N50 million a month.
Mark and Ekweremadu earns in 4 months, six times what the UK Prime Minister earns in a year. David Cameron goes home with £190,000 per anum (N43, 700,000)
In a newspaper news article entitled ‘An Assembly for looting’ written by Musikilu Mojeed with Elor Nkereuwem, the authors rightly claimed that each of the 360 members of the House of Representatives were getting N35 million in cash money in quarterly allocation while each of the 109 Senators pockets N48 million each. These allocations have however been slashed by 20% to N27 million ($180,000) and N38 million ($253,333) respectively due to the 20% reduction requested by the late president.

Olaitan’s murder:Why his friend was arrested in Benin..Group alleges frame-up


Controversy appears to be trailing the arrest by the Police in Benin yesterday  of Rev David Ugolor,Executive Director of  Afri Network For Environment And Economic Justice,ANEEJ in the course of investigations into  the assassination of Olaitan Oyerinde ,principal private secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.Ugolor’s arrest remains a puzzle to outsiders because the late Oyerinde was his bosom friend .

But just as the member of the public were wondering what may be happening, a press release by ANEEJ today gave  some insight into why the cleric was arrested just as the group alleged that Ugolor was being framed up.

Though the Police have yet to issue a statement on the matter at the time of this report,Innocent Edemhanria, programme/policy officer of ANEEJ said in a statement  today that “Between 5-6pm, the security men (who arrested Ugolor)  met with some relations of Rev. David Ugolor and his Lawyer and informed him that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the murder of Comrade Olayinta Oyerinde had mentioned the name “DAVID” to them hence his arrest. Ugolor was taken for identification parade in presence of his lawyers and relations. The suspect whom is accusing David Ugolor is of a northern Nigeria origin and  is completely unknown to Rev.

David Ugolor , colleagues and friends. At the moment, the police are still holding onto David as they carry out their investigations on the allegation we consider spurious”

ANEEJ in its statement added, “As a civil society  organisation,  we have discharged our duties creditably and professionally and we including being critical of government’s policies and programmes . But we suspect strongly that somebody high up somewhere is framing up our  Executive Director  Rev. David Ugolor over the murder of the personal aide to the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.We  equally understood the impeccable private relationship that existed between the slain Comrade Olayintan  Oyerinde and our Executive Director. It was convivial and certainly not what any of them could plot the killing of the other.”

And so the puzzle continues.A civil society heavyweight told Newsdiaryonline.com that  however puzzling this may seem ,the police should be allowed to carry out the  investigations thoroughly.

Read the full text ANEEJ statement below:

“David Ugolor being framed up in murder of Olaitan Oyerinde

At about 2.05pm on Friday heavily armed security operatives some wearing  Federal SARS jacket, others plain clothes swooped on  our office and took away our Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor. The security operatives which numbered over ten had picked him up from somewhere in town and brought him to the office. They had ransacked his private home and office and took away some items. Staff of the office had their cell phones taken away from them and switched off for as long as the security men held them hostage which lasted for about three hours. They later returned the phones at about 4.35pm before vacating the office premises. A staff of Centre for Social Justice Mr. Kingsley Nnajiaka was at ANEEJ secretariat then and was also held hostage for the same period.

Between 5-6pm, the security men  met with some relations of Rev. David Ugolor and his Lawyer and informed him that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the murder of Comrade Olayinta Oyerinde had mentioned the name “DAVID” to them hence his arrest. Ugolor was taken for identification parade in presence of his lawyers and relations. The suspect whom is accusing David Ugolor is of a northern Nigeria origin and  is completely unknown to Rev.

David Ugolor , colleagues and friends. At the moment, the police are still holding onto David as they carry out their investigations on the allegation we consider spurious.

As a civil society  organisation,  we have discharged our duties creditably and professionally and we including being critical of government’s policies and programmes . But we suspect strongly that somebody high up somewhere is framing up our  Executive Director  Rev. David Ugolor over the murder of the personal aide to the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

We  equally understood the impeccable private relationship that existed between the slain Comrade Olayintan  Oyerinde and our Executive Director. It was convivial and certainly not what any of them could plot the killing of the other.

As founder of ANEEJ and its Executive Director, Rev. David Ugolor entrenched a non-violent approach to development in our policy document and  naturally and practically abhors violence in any form and shape. It is also important to inform the Nigerian public that Rev. David Ugolor is a life saver, not taker as his natural penchant for poverty eradication, enlarging  the voice of the voiceless,  assisting the poor and needy is unparallel  in his almost twenty-five years of  effective and result-oriented activism.

While, we wouldn’t want to obstruct police investigations on the murder of our friend, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde as a law abiding corporate citizen, we insist that Rev. David Ugolor is innocent of any accusation being leveled against him.

We call for his immediate release so he can rejoin his family.

Drake's Management Sued For Unpaid Royalties



Before Lil Wayne made headlines signing Drake to Young Money, it was talent scout James "Jas" Prince Jr. who first saw the potential in the Toronto MC. And now the young Houston executive wants what he claims is his just due.
The New York Daily News reported that Jas Prince, son of Rap-a-Lot CEO J. Prince, has filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court against Drake's management team for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. In total, there are 10 claims against Drizzy's manager Cortez Bryant, Gerald "Gee" Roberson, Derrick Lawrence and the firm Aspire Music Group LLC.
It's well-known that it was Prince who first introduced Drake to the team over at Young Money after hearing his music on MySpace. "One day while leavin the [mall], I just threw [Drake's] CD in and let it play," Prince told music-industry veteran Al Lindstrom in an April interview.
"[Lil Wayne] was like, 'Wait ... who is this?' and I was like, 'Drake ... the guy I been tellin' you about.' Wayne told me to book him on the next flight to Houston."
From there, Drizzy released his 2009 breakout mixtape, So Far Gone, then became a household name with platinum albums Thank Me Later and his latest, Take Care, but Prince says he hasn't been paid what is owed to him. In the lawsuit, Prince alleges that Bryant verbally agreed to pay a portion of the profits earned from Drake's deal with Young Money, a deal that Bryant facilitated.
Prince's attorney, James McMillan, said his client hasn't received any money in over a year. In his papers, Prince claims that Drake is also being cheated by his management team and says that the Young Money standout is "on the brink" of suing Aspire and Bryant himself.

Mobb Deep's Havoc Confirms He Sent 'Gay' Prodigy Tweets



It's about to be hell on earth all over again, now that the quiet storm that was brewing between Mobb Deep's Havoc and Prodigy seems to be threatening the group's reign on hip-hop. On Friday (July 27), in an interview with AllHipHop.com, Hav took full ownership of tweets alleging that Pee was a homosexual, months after claiming his account was hacked.
"The tweets is crazy," he told AllHipHop.com Friday, before confirming that he sent all of the original messages on April 9. "And I was speaking of a standpoint of being mad, but still being truthful of how I felt — but it was just the wrong thing to do at that time."
Things began to sour between the groupmates in April when Havoc took to Twitter and made serious allegations about Prodigy's sexuality, even strangely congratulating Pee and Rihanna on their engagement, which, of course, never happened. "Congrats to P @prodigymobbdeep and @rihanna for getting married soon!! @rihanna please confirm," Havoc wrote, setting off a barrage of early-morning tweets.
"Prodigy abitch and I'm gonna show it, follow!! Ground breaking new," Hav wrote soon after.
Each tweet got progressively more inflammatory. Havoc then charged that his childhood friend, with whom he has recorded seven full-length albums, was involved in a homosexual relationship during his three-year jail bid. "I got n---as in the jail system to back up that prodigy was f---ing homes in jail," he wrote. "Now i will silence... and let the jails take care of the rest."
Hav went on to write about a fist -fight that he and Prodigy had, writing that he "had to smack P."
A few days later, Havoc released a statement claiming that his phone was stolen and denying that he had sent any of the tweets, nor that he had any beef with his partner-in-rhyme.
During a May interview on MTV News' "RapFix Live," Pee also debunked the break-up rumors. "If [Havoc] had a problem, he would've told me that, he wouldn't put it on Twitter," he said, adding that the duo would soon be releasing a new album.
Well, on Friday, Havoc was singing a different tune. "Right now, Mobb Deep is on hiatus, indefinitely ... until things get hashed out," he told the site.
Can Mobb Deep survive this latest beef? Sound-off in the comments!

Krayzie Bone Arrested For DUI



Bone Thugs-n-Harmony rapper Krayzie Bone, was arrested this morning in L.A. for driving drunk.
Law enforcement state the 39-year-old was pulled over around 12:30 AM on a routine traffic stop, when officers suspected Krayzie was too tipsey to drive. The rapper is said to have failed the field sobriety tests. The breathalyzer tested over .10, which is well above the legal limit in California, .08.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Batman' Movie Massacre -- Theater Steps Up for Victims' Funeral Expenses



The theater where James Holmes opened fire last week, killing 12 people, is offering to pick up funeral expenses for the victims' families ... 3m360 has learned.Several funerals were held Friday in Aurora, Colorado -- one of them for Rebecca Wingo ... a 32-year-old mother of 2. Sources close to Rebecca's mother tell 3m360, Cinemark -- corporate owners of the Century 16 Theater -- called the chapel where Rebecca's service was held ... and offered to foot the bill for her funeral.In fact, the owner of the chapel says Cinemark told him it was willing to provide financial backing to all victims' families -- by paying any funeral expenses not covered by the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund.We're told Rebecca's mother turned down the offer.It's unclear how many funeral homes and chapels in Aurora got the same call. Cinemark hasn't returned our call for comment yet.

JTF Kills Four, Arrests 50 Over Killings of Two Indians, Others - As Gunmen

Nigeria:Maiduguri — The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State said it has killed two suspects and arrested 26 others who were responsible for the killing of two Indians at a Gum Arabic Factory in Maiduguri on Wednesday. JTF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said in a statement in Maiduguri yesterday that the suspects were responsible for the slaughtering of Shanker Saha, 35, and Bokul Chander Mondal also 35 as well as serial killings in Maiduguri and environs in the last few days.

Another Indian, Biesh Yadav, 43, is recuperating at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) following cuts in his neck during the attack.

According to the JTF spokesman, "following intelligence report available to the Joint Task Force Operation Restore Order, special operation was conducted on Thursday 26 and early hours of Friday 27 July, 2012.

"The operation led to the arrest of 26 terrorists and the killings of two suspected members of Boko Haram terrorists at Biafra Bula-bulin, Kasuwan Shanu and GRA in Maiduguri metropolis. Some of the suspects killed and arrested were responsible for the killings of the two Indians, a cleric and several other killings in Maiduguri in the past.

He said during the raid, some weapons were recovered from the suspects. They include 2 AK 47 rifles, 3 AK 47 Magazine, 200 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, a primed Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which was detonated by the Bomb Disposal Unit of the JTF.

Others, according to him include, cutlasses, daggers and charms, blood stained cloth used during the killing of a cleric in Kasuwan Shanu, Maiduguri.

"The items and suspects are in custody of the JTF for necessary action," he said.

In a related development, a detachment of mobile and regular policemen have raided the Bolori Market in Maiduguri on Thursday and arrested dozens of people, including traders, labourers and artisans.

Though no official communication from the police on why the market was raided, Saminu Aliyu, a senior official of the traders lamented that "many" members had been arrested during the raid.

"The whole market was cordoned off around 4pm. Heavily armed policemen took strategic positions which made it impossible for all of us in the market to move an inch. Nobody told us why the market was raided, but I want to use this opportunity to plead with relevant authorities to release our members," Aliyu said.

Meanwhile, a soldier died and some others were injured yesterday when gunmen, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect, threw an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at a moving patrol vehicle of the Joint Task Force (JTF) at Shehuri ward.

The attack took place not far from the Shehu of Borno's palace in Maiduguri metropolis.

Weekly Trust reports that there was a heavy sound of explosion, followed by sporadic gunshots shortly before the Friday prayers yesterday.

The incident prevented many worshippers, mostly those living around Shehuri and neighbouring settlements from observing the weekly obligatory prayers.

Witnesses said at about the same time, angry youths vandalized another JTF vehicle at Maisaje Juma'at mosque along the Post Office area when some soldiers allegedly insisted that worshippers must vacate a tarred road to enable them (soldiers) pass.

Earlier in the morning, a bomb had exploded at Bulunkutu, a densely populated area in Maiduguri, though security sources said the explosive was discovered and demobilized before it killed people.

"It was yet another hectic Friday for us," Mohammed Ustaz, a resident of Maiduguri said. "May Almighty Allah consider the pains we are going through and bring succour to us, for the sake of the holy month of Ramadan," he said.

"Many innocent passersby have been injured, some are in critical conditions," Sulaiman Babagana, another witness at Shehuri said.

Confirming the three incidences, JTF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said, "a JTF patrol vehicle was attacked at about 1300 hrs today in Shehuri general area by suspected Boko Haram terrorists and the attack was resisted. The incident led to the killing of two Boko Haram terrorists, two JTF personnel were wounded (but) are stable and are responding to treatment at UMTH.

"Twenty five suspects had been so far arrested in connection with the episode. Similarly, an improvised explosive device was detected by our troops and detonated by the bomb disposal unit of the task force. The incident occurred at Bulunkutu area, Maiduguri metropolis today at about 1130 hrs. Thus, the shootings and explosions were the result of the mentioned occurrences.

In a related development, he said, lack of effective communication and respect to constituted authority between JTF personnel on a rescue mission rushing to evacuate wounded and dead colleagues to hospital led to some misunderstanding with worshippers seated on the main road ready for Friday congregational prayers at Maisaje Friday Mosque. He, however, said the timely intervention of JTF spokesman doused the tension

China claimed the first Olympic gold of the London 2012 Games


China claimed the first Olympic gold of the London 2012 Games Saturday, with a victory for 23-year-old Siling Yi in the women's 10-meter air rifle shooting.

Meanwhile, rival American swimmers Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte are set to go head-to-head in a battle that will be a highlight of the first official day of the Games.

And Albanian weightlifter Hysen Pulaku became the first athlete to be sanctioned for failing an anti-doping test at the London Games.

Pulaku, 20, tested positive on Monday for the steroid stanozolol, the International Olympic Committee said, and has been excluded from the competition.

Queen Elizabeth II, who officially declared the Games open on Friday night, made an appearance at the Aquatics Center Saturday to watch the action.

Phelps and Lochte are competing in the men's 400-meter individual medley -- a race that combines four different swimming strokes -- after both made it through the heats to the final, Phelps only by a whisker.

Phelps' slightly below-par performance in the heats means the 400-meter individual medley champion is unlikely to be situated in the preferred middle lanes for the final Saturday evening.

The 27-year-old Phelps, who already has 14 gold medals from previous Games, is looking to add to his pot of Olympic gold.

Lochte, thought of as the biggest threat to Phelps, is hoping to live up to the hype and steal his thunder.

The highly anticipated match-up has had many choosing sides.

First world records fall at London 2012



The first world records of the London 2012 Olympics have been set by a blind South Korean archer -- hours before Friday's much-anticipated opening ceremony was due to begin.

Im Dong Hyun is legally classified as blind and cannot see out of his right eye, but it did not stop the two-time gold medalist bettering his own leading 72-arrow score in the qualification competition at Lord's cricket ground in the British capital.

London 2012: Results and Schedule

The 26-year-old, who struggles to read a newspaper, scored 699, which put him top of the standings ahead of compatriots Kim Bubmin and Oh Jin Hyek.

The efforts of the trio also delivered a second world record, as South Korea registered a landmark combined total of 2,087 for the team event -- a discipline the Asian nation has won gold in at the last two Games.

The event at the home of English cricket was held behind closed doors, but it did not stop fans queuing in an attempt to gain entry to the stadium.

"Tickets have not been advertised or sold by (Olympic organizers) LOCOG for the archery ranking event," read a statement from the venue. We have always made it clear that the preliminary rounds are not open for spectators.

"There are a number of unofficial websites claiming to sell tickets, we therefore advise people to be extremely cautious and vigilant when attempting to buy tickets and only purchase from an official source."

A non-ticketed event that people can attend is the cycling road race, which is a 250-kilometer trek from Box Hill in the English county of Surrey to the Buckingham Palace in the heart of London.

Spectators will be able to line certain areas of the route free of charge to cheer on British hopefuls such as Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins and sprint star Mark Cavendish in Saturday's men's race, while the women compete on Sunday.

London welcomes world for Olympics opening ceremony

London Olympics by the numbers

Protests on opening day of Olympics

Diesel Tanker Explodes At MTN Premises In Abuja



Residents of Maitama District in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital city, were thrown into panic today when a truck delivering diesel at the MTN premises caught fire and exploded in the high brow neighborhood.
The area was condoned off by security agents, but police spokesman Frank Mba told SaharaReporters that there were no fatalities or injuries in the incident

Friday, July 27, 2012

Mystery fire disfigures woman 11 days before wedding



If Charity Okoroukwu, a 27-year-old woman, who graduated in Business Administration from the Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Enugu, had known that danger was lurking around the corner 11 days to her wedding, she would not have attempted to refuel a kerosene lantern on December 17, 2011.

On that fateful day, she was refuelling the lantern when it caught fire, exploded and left her with third degree burns. But till date, a yet unsolved riddle still bothers her about the incident. The fire, which disrupted her life, did not affect the keg containing the kerosene. At the time, the native of Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State was awaiting mobilisation for the mandatory national youths service scheme. Now, she needs more than N2 million for a plastic surgery.

Charity, fondly addressed as ‘Chacha’ by her friends at the IMT, told Daily Sun: “When I was in the IMT where I graduated on December 6, 2011, I was popularly known as Chacha. Few days later, I left Enugu for our village in Anambra State to prepare for my wedding that was to hold on December 28. On December 17, which was exactly 11 days to my wedding ceremony, I wanted to put kerosene in one of our lanterns and it exploded. So, the fire burnt my body without mercy.

“People that were around poured water on me and I was rushed to a nearby hospital. I was later transferred to another private hospital in Awka. I spent more than two months there before I was discharged. My bill at the hospital was well above N500, 000. In spite of the treatment and the money involved, I was not okay as at the time I was discharged,” she said. Charity, who noted that she was five months pregnant when the fire burnt her, stated that the wedding was held in the hospital. Her husband, according to her, insisted that the wedding must be held to shame the devil. She continued: “After that, my husband, who has been residing in Lagos, asked me to come. When I got to Lagos, we went to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ebutte Meta. At the FMC, I registered for ante natal. Shortly thereafter, we were referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

“I was admitted when I got to LUTH and I was subjected to series of tests. In the hospital, I had my baby through caesarean section because of my condition. We named the boy Victor Chidera. Victor means victory and Chidera means what God has written. I gave him the name because of my condition and the circumstances, surrounding his birth.”Charity appealed to kind-hearted Nigerians, philanthropists and corporate organisations to assist her so she could undergo a corrective surgery in Israel.

“Please, help me because I don’t like my present condition. Now, I cannot stay wherever is hot. I must stay indoors in the afternoon because of the sun. Please, help me. I pray that neither you nor your children will have this kind of experience. The explosion has spoilt my beauty.” Charity’s mother, Mrs. Grace Nnamezie, described the incident as an attack masterminded by evil forces. “How could the fire burn my daughter and didn’t touch the keg, containing the kerosene?” she wondered.

A private medical practitioner, Olakunle Adigun, said the surgery could be done at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). He said, however, that it would be in three stages: face, arms and abdomen. The first stage, he said, would gulp about N400, 000, while the second stage would cost about N650, 000.

“The cost for the third stage has not been given but the first two stages will cost above N1 million apart from other miscellaneous expenses. If all other expenses and the third stage are factored into the surgery, the total cost will be more than N2 million,” he stated. Adigun expressed hope that Charity would be better off after the surgery.

While Charity can be contacted on the mobile numbers 08032229181 and 08033037223, a bank account number 0005774736 has been opened in her name, Charity Nnamezie, at the Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos branch of the GT Bank

Prince Jackson, Son Of Michael Jackson, Threatens To Tell The Truth



As if the Jackson family drama couldn't get any more twisted, Michael Jackson's oldest son, Prince, is now threatening to tell the truth if the lies don't stop. The 15-year-old tweeted early Thursday morning about the return of his grandmother Katherine, about the mistreatment from his aunts and uncles (including Janet, Austin and Rebbie) and about a warning issued from his late father, who he said "had repeatedly warned me of certain people and their ways."
Prince's exigency comes at the behest of his two siblings, sister Paris, 14, and brother Blanket, 10. Prince had previously remained quiet about the bizarre series of events this week, which have seen his 82-year-old grandmother reported missing, found the next day at a resort in Arizona on doctor's orders, and then losing her guardianship over her three grandchildren.
Early Thursday morning, Prince tweeted, "grandma's here! #thankyougod." He then continued with shocking claims against his family members, saying that Katherine Jackson had been "lied to" and that he and his two siblings had been denied contact with their grandmother.
"For this whole time, they denied us contact to our grandmother. If you continue with your lies I will continue with the truth," Prince tweeted. "As long as I can remember my dad had repeatedly warned me of certain people and their ways. Although I am happy my grandma was returned, after speaking with her I realized how misguided and how badly she was lied to. I'm really angry and hurt."
He then appeared to threaten his family members with a screenshot of a group text he had sent to his aunts and uncles. The screenshot would almost be brilliant satire if it weren't coming from a verified account, and also a child (for instance, Janet Jackson is stored as "Janet Jackson" in his phone, Rebbie Jackson is "Auntie Rebbie," etc.).

"The following image is of a group chat I had started to several family members," Prince wrote. "This group text message I had started was replied to but they didn't know that I could see the responses. For this whole time, they denied us contact to our grandmother. If you continue with your lies I will continue with the truth."
Katherine temporarily lost custody of her son Michael Jackson's three children on July 25; a Los Angeles Superior Court judge installed Michael's nephew T. J. Jackson as the temporary guardian over the three children. In a statement she read on ABC's "Nightline," a disoriented Katherine said she was "devastated" to have lost her guardianship.

World’s eyes on London ahead of opening ceremony



LONDON (AFP) – London began the final countdown Friday to the opening ceremony that will officially kick off its Olympic Games, with some 120 world leaders arriving in the British capital for the spectacle.

Organisers expect more than a billion people worldwide to watch the event on television, while tens of thousands will see the show live at the Olympic Stadium in east London.

The Olympic torch was making its way down the River Thames onboard the Gloriana, the royal barge of Queen Elizabeth II, on the last day of its 10-week journey around Britain.

In Westminster, Big Ben chimed for three minutes from 8:12 am (0712 GMT) to ring in the Games, 12 hours ahead of pre-ceremony entertainment scheduled to start at the symbolic time of 20:12 pm.

The huge bell at the British parliament was joined by hundreds of bell-ringers across the country in a cacophony of ringing to mark the beginning of the extravaganza.

Footballer David Beckham is expected to be among the final torchbearers carrying the Olympic torch as it finally arrives at the stadium for the opening ceremony.

The former England captain, who played a key part in London’s original bid for the Games seven years ago, said the thought of the spectacle gave him “goosebumps”.

“I have been lucky enough to have been involved in some amazing sporting moments in my career, but nothing can compare with what is about to take place in London,” he wrote in The Sun newspaper.

“I know every part of the Games is going to be spectacular and tonight is the night it all kicks off, with the whole world watching Great Britain and the opening ceremony.

“It will be one of those moments people will always remember watching.”

Sneak previews of the £27 million ($42 million, 35 million euros) opening ceremony — filmed at Wednesday’s final rehearsal — suggest it will be a grand but quirky production, reflecting the philosophy of director Danny Boyle.

The Slumdog Millionaire Oscar-winner has promised to create a “picture of us as a nation” and revealed that the eccentric show will feature live sheep and dancing surgeons from the National Health Service.

Audience members at rehearsals for the ceremony have been full of praise for the show, but they have stayed tight-lipped about details.

The weather is expected to be dry for the ceremony after showers during the day in London.

Thousands of VIPs including some 120 national leaders are in town for the ceremony, with guests including Angelina Jolie, US First Lady Michelle Obama and the king of Swaziland.

The Games will see Britain launch its biggest-ever peacetime security operation, and British Prime Minister David Cameron stressed Thursday that safety would be his top priority.

“I think we’ve made as many preparations as we can. I think we have very good contingency plans in place,” he told a press conference at the Olympic Park.

A force of more than 40,000 military and civilian personnel, backed by a huge intelligence operation, has turned the British capital into a fortress to protect venues, athletes and millions of visitors.

But security has been under the spotlight after the government was forced to deploy an extra 4,700 troops to guard the Games because of a recruitment shortfall at private contractor G4S.

NDLEA Arrests Female Drug Smugglers "Their Bras, Hair Wig Are Hideout For Drugs"


NDLEA officers nab three young women attempting to smuggle drugs overseas.

They were arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for attempting to smuggle 4.5 kilogrammes of narcotics, carefully hidden in their brassieres and hair wigs.

All three suspects were apprehended at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Two of the suspects, who were to board an Egypt airline flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, through Cairo were caught with 3.6 kilogrammes of methamphetamines neatly hidden in customized underwears and hair wigs.

Another female suspect, who claimed to be three months pregnant, was found to have ingested 900 grammes of substance that tested positive for cocaine.

The NDLEA Commander at the Abuja Airport, Mr. Hamisu Lawan gave the names of the suspects as Miss Anene Blessing Iruoma, 26, Miss Obiakor Maryann Okwudili, 34 and Miss Mbechi Obiageli Susan, 38 years old.

The NDLEA boss commended FAAN for alerting the NDLEA of possible drug concealment following a body frisk on one of the suspects.

According to Hamisu: "Anene Blessing Iruoma and Miss Obiakor Maryann Okwudili concealed 1.7kilogrammes and 1.90kilogrammes of methamphetamine in underwears and hair wigs while Mbechi Obiageli Susan ingested 900 grammes of substance that tested positive for cocaine.

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