Friday, July 6, 2012

Police Arraigns Abuja Pastor For Allegedly Molesting Female Members




A pastor of a new generation church in Abuja was on Thursday arraigned before an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court, Karu for allegedly molesting young female members.
Pastor Basil Princewill, the General Overseer of the Mountain Movers Fire Ministries International, Nyanya, Abuja was arraigned by the Commissioner of Police, FCT command alongside Ms Paulyn Ode, the church coordinator on charges of conspiracy, criminal impersonation, criminal intimidation, and criminal force and assault.

The pastor was accused of having carnal knowledge of two 14 year-old female members of the church under pretense of offering them prayers in July, 2011 and later aborted the pregnancy of one this year at the Fountain Health Clinic, Nyanya, Abuja after telling doctors he is her father.
According to the charge which was transferred from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) where parents of the victims lodged initial complaints, the pastor also parades himself as a lawyer.
When the charges were read to the accused persons, they denied the allegations.
Consequently, defence counsel Uchenna Anayo applied for bail of the accused persons which was opposed by Police counsel Oyewusi Abiola.
Magistrate Ahmed Shuaibu ruled in favour of the defence and granted bail to the accused persons in the sum of N2 million and two sureties in like sum.
The sureties, the judge said, must be civil servants of no less than Grade Level 15 and must have a property in Abuja valued at not less than N5 million.
He consequently adjourned the case to July 25 for hearing.

Bloodbath: 3 Persons Killed In Ogun Community Over A Prostitute


Bragging rights over a commercial sex worker has led to the death of, at least, one person and the destruction of property worth millions of naira. 
Spoils of the fight
Ibese town in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State was on Wednesday enmeshed in crisis following a bloody clash caused by two men, allegedly fighting over a commercial sex worker, in the town.

The ensuing violence in Ibese, which hosts a Dangote Cement Factory, recorded the death of about three persons with many more injured. About twenty-five trucks and five motorcycles were also set ablaze.

Similarly, a number of shops were set on fire with goods consumed in the raging inferno.

The genesis of the mayhem has been traced to a tussle between two men over a commercial sex worker, which metamorphosed into the use of guns and cutlasses.

In the course of the face-off, a man was allegedly shot dead; which resulted in a retaliatory attack from the deceased’s supporters.

As at the time of filing this report, some traders who escaped being killed, were seen evacuating remnants of their destroyed goods.

One of the traders who gave her name as Olufunke told Premium Times that the fight started at about 5.30am and lasted for over eight hours.

“There were gun shots everywhere, shops and vehicles were set ablaze and some people got killed in the process. I miraculously escaped with my children,” she said.

In an apparent move to avoid a spill-over, of the violence, to the Dangote Cement Factory, an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was stationed in the front gate of the company.

In the same vein, over 100 policemen have been drafted to the troubled area.

When contacted, the Ogun State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed that the crisis was caused by a woman following a fight between two men

Exclusive Pictures from The Stage Show @ Koga Lounge Ikeja Lagos Nigeria

Exclusive Pictures from THE STAGE Show, June edition at Koga entertainment. It holds every last sunday of the month. THE STAGE is a platform for talent and skills, its open to music, dance, fashion, poetry, comedy, visual art and so on. Its absolutly free to participate.














Thursday, July 5, 2012

N300,000 church offering turns into paper in Jos



Wonders, they say, shall never end. The leadership and members of St. Marry’s Parish in Hwolshe, Jos, Plateau State were shocked recently when the N300,000 that was realised as collection suddenly turned into bundle of papers.

Olufamous.com gathered that the strange incident happened at the banking hall of Zenith Bank main branch in Jos, where the Church Secretary, Miss Ifeoma Eze had gone to deposite the collection.

“The money was intact when I left home for the bank but on getting to the counter, I opened the polythene bag only to discover that it has turned to bundles of papers. I was so confused and scared; I started screaming and was oblivious of the attention I was attracting as bewildered customers tried to console me,” she said.

Miss Ifeoma said she was particularly confused because she was wondering how to relay the story to the Parish Priest who entrusted the money to her. “It is a story I find difficulty in telling anyone because not many people can believe it,” she added.

Confirming that she actually took the “real” money with her, Miss Ifeoma said she even changed the smaller denominations into bigger ones to ease the deposit processes in the bank.

Although some members of the church thinks there was a foul play somewhere, but Rev. Father Emmanuel Ray-Ikpe, the Parish Priest, described the incident as “unfortunate, surprising and mysterious”.

“I have never heard of such a thing before but it has happened to us; to our Church. There is nothing we can do about it. My secretary came back from the bank crying. Only God knows what exactly happened… We have left everything in the hands of God our creator,” the Reverend Father said.

Men beaten to death while trying to hijack plane


TWO men who allegedly tried to hijack a plane in China were beaten to death by passengers and crew.
The Global Times newspaper reported that two of the suspects died in hospital from injuries they suffered during the ensuing fight with passengers and crew on board.
The men were part of a six-strong gang involved in the foiled hijack of a Tianjin Airlines flight bound for the regional capital of Urumqi last Friday.
Just minutes after the flight took off from Hetian, southwest Xinjiang, the men, all aged between 20 and 36, stood up and announced their plans to terrified passengers.



The gang reportedly broke a pair of aluminium crutches and used them to attack passengers while attempting to break into the cockpit, Hou Hanmin, a regional government spokeswoman said.
They were tackled by police and passengers who tied them up with belts before the plane, carrying 101 people, returned to the airport safely just 22 minutes later.
Hanmin added that police were still testing materials they had been carrying, thought to be explosives.
The men were reported to be Uighurs, the local Muslim ethnic minority. There have been clashes between authorities and Uighurs resentful of government controls over their religion and culture.
Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the German-based World Uyghur Congress which campaigns for Uighurs’ rights, said that it wasn’t a hijacking attempt, rather an in-flight brawl over a seat dispute.
“We warn China not to use this incident as another excuse for crackdown,” he said in an emailed statement.
Two more suspects are reportedly being treated in hospital after mutilating themselves.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Fresh facts emerge on Farouk/Otedola bribery scandal



*Telephone conversation between duo released
LAGOS – Fresh facts emerged yesterday to corroborate Sunday Vanguard’s story of the alleged telephone conversation between Mr. Lawan Farouk, House of Representatives Committee Chairman on the management of subsidy funds, and Femi Otedola, Executive Chairman, Zenon Oil and Gas, in the unfolding $3 million bribery scandal.

Channels Television yesterday obtained the recorded audio conversation which transpired between both men as reported in the Sunday Vanguard edition of June 17, 2012.

Sunday Vanguard’s report had exclusively disclosed that Hon. Farouk, whether acting on premonition or instinct, decided against going to the airport to collect the alleged of $2.5m – having allegedly collected $500,000, earlier.

The Sunday Vanguard report of June 17, reads:
“Now, whether Farouk had a premonition that he was likely to be set up or that he just didn’t want to be spotted at the airport in the company of Otedola, he simply refused to meet Otedola at the airport afterwards.

”Instead, according to records of the telephone conversation that was bugged, Farouk instead suggested that he would send a third party to collect the money.”

According to the recordings, he gave the telephone numbers of the nominee.

He, according to the recorded conversation between him and Otedola, actually spelt the name of the nominee to Otedola.

”But all these were activities in futility.
”The high command of the SSS would not have a third party collect the balance of $2.5m.

”A senior security source told Sunday Vanguard that the reason why the airport operation was aborted was that since it was Farouk that was being expected to show up and he was now planning to send another party, there was no need to continue.

” Had he shown up and collected the money, he would have been arrested immediately, a source confirmed.”


Lawan Farouk and Femi Otedola
In the recording, the voice said to be Otedola’s asks how the outstanding bribe money should be delivered as Lawan is unavailable.

The audio conversation started with the MD/CEO, Zenon Oil and Gas, Femi Otedola saying he did not want to take the money to his house. “I don’t want to take it to my house; it is a lot of money” he said.

Then the lawmaker replied that he was on his way out and by the time he returned, he would have to head to the chambers of the House of Representatives.

Otedola then asked, if he should reschedule his planned trip to China, but Farouk said no and offered to bring in a third person to collect the bribe.

The lawmaker gave the phone numbers 08036513355, naming the person as TJ.

Acknowledging the transaction, Farouk responded affirmatively to Otedola’s remark that if he received the initial payment, then there would be a balance of $2.5 million, saying “that’s right” while he said, he would be calling the third person to ensure the collection of the initial payment.

The conversation verbatim

Otedola: How are you sir? I don’t want to bring it to my house

Lawan: Oh, you would take it to your house

Otedola: No, I don’t want to bring it to my house; it is a lot of money

Lawan: err… so where? Because I’m rushing to the… they are at the airport now?

Otedola: ? Yes they are in the airport in the aircraft

Lawan: Well, I can’t come over now and before they can come over now unless I send somebody to but
I can’t because…by the time they come I should be…I have a lot of things to do myself

Otedola: Is there anybody you think I can give it to or maybe I should just postpone my trip to China till tomorrow?

Lawan: No, no it’s ok…I’ll arrange it with someone…let me give you his number 080

Otedola: hold on hold on

Lawan: 08036513355

Otedola: (Repeats number after him)What’s the name?

Lawan: TJ

Otedola: Sorry?

Lawan: aaarrh… TJ

Otedola: Ateezay?

Lawan: TJ!

Otedola: Teezay?

Lawan: No, Tj

Otedola: OK. So I will give him the balance; that is erm… 2.5 million dollars, yea?

Lawan: that’s right. Hold on. I’m calling him to be sure his phone is on…..

Lawan Farouk reacts

Meanwhile, Mr Farouk Lawan has reacted to the audio conversation which was broadcast on Channels Television saying Mr Otedola manipulated the audio and challenged the business mogul to produce the complete audio video unedited and undoctored.

In a statement issued on behalf of the lawmaker by his counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, he said,

“we have listened to and watched the audio with our client, Mr Farouk Lawan. On his instructions, we hereby  state that the audio is infertile, vague, puerile and inadmissible in evidence by any Court Of Law or Tribunal.

“Professionally, Channels did make the vital point that the audio was “purported to be their voices”. One simple question here: where is the visual of the audio? Recall that Mr Otedola had told the whole world that he used SSS to carry out a so called “Sting Operation”, which showed Farouk Lawan not only pocketing the sum of  N500,000 US Dollars, but also putting some under his cap, in Mr Otedola’s Lagos home. On Farouk’s instructions, we had debunked this allegation and challenged Mr Otedola, or the Police and SSS to produce this complete audio video, unedited and undoctored.

“Mr Otedola had the opportunity of doing this through Channels TV. But he did not. Rather, he brought highly doctored, manipulated and incomprehensible voices purported to be his and Lawan’s. He will certainly require forensic evidence to prove this to be true in this highly technologised world of manipulative evidence that can easily turn a man into a woman. Certainly, the audio was a sorry anti-climax to what Nigerians had been expecting.

“Even at that, let us take the audio “evidence” itself for whatever, it is worth. The conversation started somewhere in the middle, not from the beginning and ended abruptly. Our client hereby still challenges Mr Otedola to air the entire audio visual and also the complete video for Nigerians to see the setting and  environment in which the alleged bribe took place, who said what, to whom and for what.

“Secondly, our client believes that the entire footage is devilish, satanic, luciferous, mischievous and completely taken out of context. Even then the audio shows that it is Mr Otedola offering to pay the balance of the alleged bribe of N2.5 million US Dollars, not Mr Farouk Lawan.

“Even from what was said, there was no mention of the purpose of the alleged balance of N2.5 million US Dollars, or any mention of Mr Otedola’s indicted companies, Zenon Oil and AP Petroleum, Whose desired removal from the Committee’s indicted companies list allegedly formed the fulcrum of the bribe itself. If it was actually a “sting operation”, why is it Mr Otedola and not the SSS officially releasing it on Channels TV?  The audio has raised more questions and doubts than answers. Mr Farouk Lawan says it is a doctored anti-climax”

Police uncover ‘baby factory’ in Rivers

PORT HARCOURT – POLICE in Rivers State have smashed a syndicate, that specialised in selling new babies. Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr Ben Ugwuegbulam, who confirmed the development to 3m360, said the Police arrested a husband and his wife involved in the illicit trade.

He said the two specialised in kidnapping girls and arranging for them to get pregnant, while they would hide the pregnant girls in their custody until they delivered.

Ugwuegbulam said the suspects confessed that as soon as the girls deliver, they would sell the babies. He said: “Rivers State Police Command had arrested one Chigozie John and his wife, Akwarama  and rescued three pregnant women held as captives in the suspects place or residence somewhere in Akpajo.

“On interrogation, the husband and wife confessed to the offence of trafficking in new babies and further admitted that the three pregnant women found in their house were procured to deliver babies that would be sold as soon as they were delivered of their babies.”

He added that investigation was on to unravel details of the operation of the suspects.

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