Breaking news! Kidnappers of Okonjo-Iweala's mother demand $1 billion ransom

The Kidnappers that Abducted 82 year old Mother of Finance Minister, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iwealla at their family home in Ogwashi uku, Delta state, are demanding for a whopping $1 billion ransom. Gunmen Sunday abducted the mother of the Minister of Finance, in Ogwahi-Uku, Delta State. Okonjo-Iweala’s mother who is the wife of His

Majesty, Professor Chukwuka Aninshi Okonjo Agbogidi, the reigning Obi of Ogwashi-Uku kingdom was kidnapped Sunday at about 1:30 pm from the husband’s palace at Ogbe-Ofu quarters in Ogwahi-Uku by eight gunmen who stormed the palace in two Audi cars. 

The demand for a $1billion ransom according to source was relayed to the family of the woman this morning.

Its yet to be seen how the family will react to this development, but in a statement made available to elombah.com yesterday, the minister's spokesman Paul Nwabuikwu said; "at this point, it is difficult to say whether those behind this action are the same people who have made threats against the Coordinating Minister in the recent past or other elements with hostile motives. No possibility can be ruled out at this point."

Meanwhile Umu Anioma Foundation Worldwide has demanded the immediate release Of Dr. Okonjo Iweala's Mother. In a statement made available to elombah.com and signed by Prince Charles Anyasi, the National Coordinator / Spokesman, the group said: 

"Once again, the image smear on Delta State has been brought to the fore with the unfortunate kidnapping of the aged mother of Nigeria's energetic Finance Minister, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo Iweala from her home in Ogwashi-Uku a few hours ago. A few months ago, it was the turn of another prominent Anioma family to sweat in search of their mother who was abducted in her farm.

"Nothing can be hurting as the current worldview of Delta State encapsulated in BBC's report of the unwholesome development, stating inter alia: Nigeria is one of the worst countries in the world for kidnapping, where it is a lucrative criminal enterprise worth millions of dollars a year.

"The crime is particularly prevalent in the oil-rich Delta State, although high-profile victims are uncommon.

"The question is; how did we get here? Whether this latest heinous act was orchestrated as a payback for the Finance Minister's principled stand on the current Oil Subsidy imbroglio or as a message to scare innocent indigenes making preparations to be with their kit and kin in this festive season, the perpetrators had better get it clear that, as Daniel Defoe would say, Justice is always violent to the party offending. Yes, the offenders may not feel the violence now, but, before long, they certainly will.

"Umu Anioma Foundation Worldwide wishes to state categorically that a situation where citizens toiling diligently for the society's positive turnaround are being punished by satanic elements can no longer be condoned. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of this old woman.

"As thousands of people get into celebration mood, many travelling to their respective home lands, we call on the security agents to beef up action and assure the public of safety.

"The time to act is now!"

Deranged woman holds up traffic in Surulere (PHOTOS)

by Hycinth Iyereosa

There was mild drama on Sunday around 7:45pm at Ogunlana Drive in Surulere, Lagos, when a middle-aged woman suspected to be mentally deranged  stepped on the road and held traffic for a long time.

There was a traffic build-up with motorists wondering what the problem might be and not knowing exactly how to get her off the road. The driver, who was in an Honda Civic car, waited patiently for the woman, who spoke good English, to be persuaded to leave the road.

See more photos below:

Father and son get jailterm for raping children (PICTURED)

A father and son have been jailed for 18 and 10 years respectively for a series of rapes on children and women.

Former charity shop workers Barry Ford, 64, and Craig McKellar, 31, inflicted untold misery on their victims, the judge said at Mold Crown Court.

Ford – who had the longer sentence – and McKellar, both of Colwyn Bay, used their victims as “sexual objects”.

Sex attacks committed by Ford, who corrupted his son from a young age, dated back to the 1980s.

Ford was jailed for six counts of rape and 10 of sexual assault. McKellar was jailed for three counts of rape and four of sexual assault.

The prosecutions were brought last year after victims, many of them children and young people, complained to North Wales Police. Judge Rhys Rowlands praised their courage.

The court heard that Ford, originally from Wolverhampton, had previously worked as a representative for the cosmetic company Avon. He made his young victims wear make-up and perfume.

The judge said the offences were born out of Ford’s depravity.

“Fortunately, it is rare in the extreme for a court to have to deal with two men, a father and son, who between them have inflicted untold misery and anguish on others,” he said.

“Had your son had a normal upbringing, with a decent individual for a father who knew how to behave, then it may be that he would not be standing alongside you today,” he told Ford.

McKellar had “a truly dreadful start in life and was shown no sort of example by his father,” the judge said.

The court heard McKellar committed sex attacks as a child for which he could not be prosecuted. But he was prosecuted for rapes he went on to commit in his 20s.

‘Sexual objects’

The judge said the men had lived a lie. He said they outwardly gave the impression of being considerate and charitable men. In reality, they had sexually taken advantage of children and young and vulnerable women.

“They were assaulted, used as sexual objects,” the judge told them.

The judge said some of their victims had been very badly affected. One victim was driven to prostitution in order to pay for an abortion as a result of a rape.

Judge Rowlands told both defendants: “It is beyond the comprehension of right thinking people that anybody could behave in the way that you did towards these victims.”

There were a number of victims and the defendants’ behaviour had a profound and ongoing impact on them.

In sentencing the pair, the judge said he had to consider the harm caused already caused and the risk they posed for the future.

The court was told complaints about Ford had been made to police in the Midlands during the 1980s and 1990s but he was not prosecuted.

The judge said Ford believed he had got away with his crimes and went on to commit further offences.

‘Complex and damaging past’

McKellar previously admitted four charges of sexual assault and two rape.

Ford denied all charges but following two separate trials, he was convicted of seven charges of rape and six of indecent assault against others.

Wyn Lloyd Jones, prosecuting, said the victims were now adults who had the courage to come forward to give evidence about what happened to them when they were children.

Ford told them they were playing “big girls’ games”.

Simon Mintz, defending Ford, asked the court to consider his age and life expectancy.

Andrew Green, defending McKellar, said his client would need specialist help to try and unravel a complex and damaging past. He had been psychologically damaged.

Det Con Paul Jones said after sentencing: “This has been a complex investigation which has involved several victims of all ages, living in different parts of the country.

“Ford, who was found guilty of these offences, has shown no remorse for his crimes, putting the victims and witnesses through the ordeal of a court trial.”

Unidentified Man Falls From Sky

Police believe he was from Africa, probably from Angola, but they don't know his identity.

The mystery began in September when residents of a suburban street in the Mortlake neighborhood of West London woke up on a quiet Sunday morning to find the crumpled body of a black man on the sidewalk of Portman Avenue, near a convenience store, an upscale lingerie shop and a storefront offering Chinese medical cures.

Detectives believed at first the man was a murder victim and cordoned off the area. Within a day, however, police concluded the man – probably already dead – had fallen to the ground when a jet passing overhead lowered its landing gear as it neared the runway at nearby Heathrow Airport.

The apparent stowaway had no identification papers – just some currency from Angola, leading police to surmise that he was from that African nation, especially as inquiries showed that a plane from Angola was beginning its descent into Heathrow at about that time.

The macabre explanation made perfect sense to residents, who are familiar not only with the roar of the jets descending, but are also able to see the planes lower their landing gears as they pass overhead, said Catherine Lambert, who lives a few doors down from the spot where the man landed.

"You could see him, his body was contorted," she said. "It was a beautiful blue day, really sunny, but we had to keep the children inside. I didn't want the children to see, and to have to explain to them and put fear into them every time a plane goes over."

A post mortem conducted two days after the body landed listed the cause of death as "multiple injuries."

In the days afterward, some neighbors put flowers on the spot where the stowaway was found, and a small group of Angolans who live in the London area came to place more flowers and to pray. Lambert, 41, said there is lingering sadness, since the man has not been identified and there has been no way to tell his family he is gone.

"I felt, what was he running away from? What made him think he could he could? And how will his family ever know? He's a lost soul now; his father and mother are probably waiting for him to make contact," she said.

 

A London police spokesman, who wasn't authorized to speak on the record because of force policy, said Sunday that police are appealing to the public for help identifying the man based on a composite image of his face and a photo of a tattoo on his left arm. The tattoo showed the letters "Z" and "G" inked on his upper arm, with a horizontal line through the "Z".

Police also said attempts to identify the man with the help of Angolan authorities had been unsuccessful. They stressed there is only "circumstantial" evidence linking the stowaway to that country.

In a statement, police said the man is believed to be an African of slight build between the ages of 20 and 30. He was wearing jeans, white sneakers and a gray sweatshirt when he was found on Sept. 9, police said.

Although firm figures are not available, in recent years there has been a rise in the number of stowaways trying to get to Western Europe by hiding in the undercarriages of passenger planes.

BRAXTON'S SECOND LUPUS-RELATED VISIT

Toni Braxton was admitted to the hospital late last week. Her year started off with Lupus-related health issues and it looks as though it will end with more.

It's been a rough year for R&B singer Toni Braxton. Aside from recently being accused of bankruptcy-related fraud, Braxton also has been living with Lupus for the past two years.
She was admitted to the hospital over the weekend after suffering complications with the disease. Braxton did not report what those complications are, and neither did her spokesperson.
On Friday, she tweeted to her fans that she was in the hospital, then added, "But no worries! I will be out any day now."
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease during which a healthy immune system becomes overzealous and attacks healthy cells. While many people live long and relatively healthy lives with Lupus, that's not always the case. Fox News reports that Braxton's uncle died from Lupus complications.
This only adds to an already rough year for the singer. She began 2012 with another hospital visit because of more Lupus-related complications.
Then, later in the year, Braxton was investigated after being accused of making a fraudulent money transfer to her estranged husband, Keri Lewis. Braxton filed for bankruptcy in 2010. It's rumored that she transferred $53,000 to avoid having it seized to pay back debt during the bankruptcy process. Braxton, who flew to the top of the charts in the 1990s with her single "Un-Break My Heart," is believed to owe $10 million to $15 million worth of debt.
The singer claimed the debt was related to her Lupus and medical treatment. It's possible. Do record companies offer health insurance to their performers?
Oprah may have other suspicions about that massive amount of debt. It could have more to do with her expensive taste. According to their 1998 interview, which Braxton cited during her taping of VH1'sBehind the Music, Braxton's such a big spender — even Oprah seemed concerned.
"'I hear you have Gucci flatware,'" Braxton reports Oprah said. "'I'm Oprah Winfrey and I don't have Gucci flatware.'"
Whether that debt was accumulated because of Braxton's taste for super-expensive tableware, her health issues, or other celebrity necessities, we may never know.
We wish Braxton a speedy recovery to both her health and her career.

NBA: Spurs’ Stephen Jackson Fined $25K For Tweet!

Twitter will def. get you into trouble!  Spurs forward Stephen Jackson has been fined $25k by the NBA for threatening to punch Serge Ibaka on Twitter.  Stephen did delete the tweet and apologized later, but too little too late!

San Antonio’s Stephen Jackson was fined $25,000 by the NBA Sunday for a “hostile statement” he sent to the Thunder’s Serge Ibaka over Twitter.

Ibaka got tangled up with Metta World Peace of the Los Angeles Lakers during a game on Friday, which earned both players technical fouls. Jackson took to Twitter to defend World Peace, a friend and former teammate.

Jackson later deleted the message and apologized for his remark.

“I apologize to Serge Ibaka, the NBA, and to all my fans for the comments I made,” Jackson tweeted. “It was unprofessional and childish. I’m not a thug just a man who speaks his mind. It was not appropriate. I do apologize. Only a man can admit when he’s wrong.”

PHOTOS: Miley Cyrus ‘s fashion disaster, Braless On Stage

Miley Cyrus certainly loves to be edgy. A couple of months after chopping her entire head of hair off, she’s returned to the stage, but refused to put a bra on and came very close to spilling out of her top!