Day police shot me –Adewale Ayuba

By SIMEON MPAMUGOH and CHINONYE AMADI

Adewale Ayuba is one of the few musicians who believe that lyrics should not only inform but also educate and entertain. Popularly known as Mr. Johnson, Ayuba who has transversed the length and breath of the continent and beyond with his Bonsue brand of fuji music was caught up at the swimming pool side of the Lagos Country Club in Ikeja, Lagos where he was billed to perform recently. Here is the outcome of the meeting where he shared his painful moments with The Entertainer. Excerpts:

Who is Mr. Johnson?

Mr. Johnson is a Nigerian fuji artiste. His real name is Adewale Ayuba. He was born 48 years ago at Ikenne Remo in Ogun State where he also grew up. He is married and professionally committed to fuji genre of music.

How did you coin the word, Bonsue?

Bonsue is a word that came from my late mother. May her soul rest in peace. She used the word to abuse me when I was very young. I was always singing whenever she sent me on an errand. She didn’t seem to like it. She would retort: ‘rather than read your book, you would be singing about; bobo bobo bonsue, don’t go and become bonsue, read your book!’ When I grew up and began to think of a name to use for my band, I remember my mother’s word, Bonsue. It jelled and I began to use it.

How did your journey to stardom begin?

I left Ikenne Remo in 1982. The album that brought me into limelight was Bubble. It contained the line: Another Mr. Johnson is a counterfeit. I was living in Lagos then. It was released in 1991.

What are some of the fondest memories you’ve had?

The memory I had was that becoming a musician was not an easy decision. It was a decision between me and my parents. I happen to be the last born of my parents and they never wanted my going into music. I had to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with them to sing and at the same time pursue education. The pact says in part: ‘you must go to school Monday to Friday, and Saturday can be used for your musical rehearsals’. This spurred me into going to school. They went further to add: ‘if you must be a musician, you would neither smoke nor drink. And you must marry one wife’.

What kind of upbringing did you have?

I had a wonderful family background. My parents were closely knitted. And the siblings made beautiful home and are all well read.

As the last child, were you spoilt?

I had a breathing space because I chose to play music. Probably, if I had chosen education, my parents would have spoilt me. And because I chose what they didn’t believe in, they didn’t close mark me. But they put a lot of checks on me; they didn’t allow me to mingle and have friends. Each time I had to perform, after the performance, I went home for fear of being lured to cigarette smoking, which my parents had warned me against.

What age did you become a professional musician?

I started when I was seven years old. At that age, I was already attending social gathering, singing without drums. When I turned 10, someone by name, Sunday Olojuanu, a welder, who saw me perform in a party came to my parents and spoke to them about the budding talents in me, and the need to allow me make a career in music. He also promised to acquire musical equipment for me, to which my parents agreed. He bought all the equipment I needed and christened the band, Sunny Ayuba, which is a combination of his name and my own name.

How did Bubble help to blossom your career?

Before Bubble, I had six other albums. Bubble was a project. I had other albums that didn’t live up to my expectations. None of them got airplay in the universities and the elite group, and I don’t like doing music that the elite cannot relate with. Bubble met that expectation with fast beats the youths can align with. I’ve always looked forward to cross over music rendered purely in Yoruba and Islamic languages because of the background of fuji. Bubble was released 50 per cent English and Yoruba so that both Yoruba and non-Yoruba listeners can relate with it. And when it came out, it turned a hit.

Who do you owe your discovery in music?

I owe it to God. I have never played in any group. Though, my father had a beautiful voice he never waxed any album. He was called Afodu, which means someone that has a sweet voice. I think I took it from him.

How many wives do you have?

I’m married to only one wife. It is verifiable.

What else have you done apart from music?

I have never done any other thing apart from music. Music happens to be my first love and I went for it without blinking an eye. And that was why when my parents brokered the deal that I should go to school if I must play music, I didn’t hesitate because I didn’t want anything to stand in the way of my interest in music.

How did you fulfill your parents’ side of the deal, you went back to school?

It is not that I went back to school. Before I left my parents, I had Ordinary National Diploma (OND) from Ogun State Polytechnic. When I became a star, I later went to Queen Borough Community College of Banking and Finance, New York, United States where I had an Associate Degree. When I came back, I did Industrial Law at the University of Lagos.

How true is it that you play more shows now than making albums?

I’m still a recording musician. My latest album entitled, Sugar has just been released into the market. It contains eight tracks that include Ori, Olenu Pa, Sisi Eko and a track dedicated to Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

How many albums have you so far recorded?

I’ve released 15 albums in Nigeria and four abroad.

What is the business side of Adewale Ayuba?

I manage my band. I’m also the CEO of Bonsue Fuji Band (BFB) Nigeria Ltd. I have a property that is rented out to tenants and a hospitality outfit.

What is your staying power in music?

I give God the glory. 90 percent of Nigerians, who may not have come across me personally, cannot say they have not heard about Adewale Ayuba. What I pray for is for government to believe in our music. The genre of music I play is only heard in Nigeria. This is what can be used to open doors in Europe because it is original in nature. In America, they have their own brand of music they love listening to. In Nigeria, we have our juju, highlife and fuji music.

What is your relationship with other fuji musicians?

It is fine and cordial; I’m also a member of Fuji Musicians Association of Nigeria (FUMAN). I give kudos to late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister who mentored me in the industry. I credited him in one of my records.

What have been your most embarrassing moments?

I see every embarrassment as a step to grow. But the experience that pained me most was when the police mistakenly shot me in Abeokuta. Though, they later apologized.

How did you know you were going to make it in music?

I cannot explain it. It is only God that understands it. The fact remains that I just love music and something was always telling me that music was my calling. My parents and other siblings could also read that I was headed for music right from the time I was a little boy.

How has women helped your career in music?

I appreciate women a lot. When one has seven women following a musician, it shows that one has additional 22 men because of those women.

How has your music coped with the coming of urban music called hip-hop, which is rendered in local dialects?

What many people don’t know is that lyrics do not only sell music, it is also sold by beats and drums. What the youths are doing is hip-hop no. And it cannot open international market for them. Though, the artistes are getting popular with it, what is the future of such artistes? Today, we still talk about Fela Anikulapo Kuti, King Sunny Ade, IK Dairo, a Member of the British Empire (MBE), and Victor Uwaifo. These are musicians whose works are still making waves locally and internationally. I got KORA award because I play fuji music but as a hip-hop artiste from Nigeria, I couldn’t have been so recognized. Hip-hop. R&B, and jazz are from America while reggae is from Jamaica. Indians and Chinese have their own genres of music. So, our young ones are playing music that cannot take the country anywhere.

When you write songs, what kind of issues you put in context?

I believe lyrics are very important in music, because people see musicians and artistes as role models. And whatever comes out of an album is very important to them. When I’m writing songs, I think of how to educate the upcoming artistes. I would not want to play music solely for parents while the children would be ignored. I see my lyrics as that of a poet who has come to address his people and I think it is natural.

How did you arrive at the dance steps that characterized Bubble?

This is why I described Bubble as a project. When I released it, a time came for the video to be shot, I thought since Bonsue is my style; it is time for people to know how to dance the music. I got myself a big mirror. As the music played I began to carve out the dance steps. It is not that I learnt it from any choreographer; it is a divine creation which people later fell in love with and became part of it.

How would you rate the music industry?

I’ll rate the industry high. We have a lot of talents in Nigeria, except that government is not encouraging the artistes. During national events like independence, our talents and artistes ought to be showcased. When I went to Cotonou for a press interview, I gave them my music and they played it during the interview. After the interview, they went back to their own local music. It is only in Nigeria that Western music is celebrated. Any thing from Nigeria is regarded as local. Government is the only one that can regulate the industry. If government says it needs 90 per cent local contents on our radio stations, the order will be obeyed and violators will be punished.

What message do you have for the upcoming artistes?

I would advise the upcoming artistes to be themselves as well as believe in their culture. It is not right to do a music that would reign and die in Nigeria but something that would go farther than Nigeria‘s shores. Fela Anikulapo Kuti is dead but his music is still being appreciated. Sir. Abimbola Olaiya just marked his 50th years on stage and people still crave for his music. Music is a profession and must be done very well. Stardom should not be allowed to get into their heads. They should be humble so that they don’t fumble and stumble.

13 People Die After Drinking Cough Syrup

Thirteen people have died in a main Pakistani city after drinking cough syrup suspected of being toxic, police said Monday.

The victims were all drug addicts who apparently drank the cough syrup in an attempt to get high, said police officer Multan Khan. Khan said they died at various hospitals in the eastern city of Lahore over the past three days. Five other addicts who drank the cough syrup were being treated.

Police arrested the owners of three drug stores where the cough syrup was sold and sent a sample to determine whether it was toxic, said Khan. Elsewhere in the country, a bomb hidden in a cement construction block exploded in the southern city of Karachi killing one person, said senior police officer Farooq Awan. Four other people were wounded, he said.

The bomb contained about 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of explosives and was detonated by a mobile phone, said Awan. Pakistan suspended mobile phone service throughout most of the country on Saturday and Sunday to prevent attacks against Shiite Muslims during a major religious commemoration.

Despite the ban, a pair of bombings over the weekend killed at least 13 people. Awan, the police officer, said he suspected the bomb in Karachi was meant to target Shiites over the weekend, but militants were not able to detonate it because of the mobile phone ban.

Shiites are currently observing the holy month of Muharram. Pakistani Shiites on Sunday marked Ashoura, the most important day of the month. Pakistan has a long history of Sunni Muslim extremists targeting Shiites, who they consider heretics.

Also Monday, police in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, found and defused a bomb planted underneath the car of one of Pakistan’s most prominent TV anchors, Hamid Mir of Geo Television. The bomb was made up of half a kilogram (1 pound) of explosives stuffed in a tin can, said Islamabad police chief Bani Amin. It was placed in a bag and attached to the bottom of Mir’s car, said Amin.

One of Mir’s neighbors noticed the bomb underneath the car after the TV anchor returned from a local market, and the police were notified, said Rana Jawad, a senior official at Geo TV.

Nursing Mother Stabs Husband To Death In Ebonyi, Blames It On The Devil

A 24-year-old nursing mother, Mrs. Edith Okoji was at the weekend arrested by the Ebonyi State police command for allegedly stabbing her husband to death after a quarrel revolving around infidelity. The incident occurred last Sunday at No. 8 Eze Street, Abakaliki.

Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr. Sylvester Igbo, while speaking to newsmen on the incident said the deceased, Mr. Oyenel Okoji, was an Assistant Superintendent of Immigration attached to Ebonyi State Headquarters of the agency.

According to him, investigation so far conducted by the police on the matter indicated that the accused, a law student of Nigeria Open University who already had three children for the man, may have carried out the act on the ground that her husband was suspecting her of infidelity.

The police spokesman revealed that the accused had admitted committing the crime but blamed it on the devil.

The body of the deceased, who hailed from Ahoada-East local government area of River State, same as the wife, had been deposited at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, FETHA, for autopsy.

FRSC apologises for false information that a BRT bus fell off the 3rd Mainland Bridge in Lagos

The Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, apologised for a tweet Monday afternoon, reporting a fully loaded public transport bus, BRT, fell off the 3rd Mainland Bridge, Lagos.

Jonas Agwu, spokesman for the commission said the tweet sent out from a Blackberry phone at 12:33pm could not be confirmed and should be “disregarded.”

Although the tweet was deleted from the commission’s handle, the commission still apologised further.  Agwu could not immediately say why its officers sent out the tweet, he, however, said it was a “hoax” and investigations are underway.

“We have spoken to the Lagos Command and there is nothing like that,” he said.

The Lagos state sector commander of FRSC, Nse Akpabio, denied that the information that lead to the tweet from Abuja emanated from them.

“Who called them (FRSC Abuja, managers of the twitter handle)?” he asked.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, however, said a BRT bus crashed at about the time FRSC sent out the spurious tweet, at another location.

“A BRT bus was involved in an accident at Ebute-Ero, near Idumota, Lagos Island, with casualties, no mortality,” Oluwafemi Oke, LASEMA boss said.

FRSC operates its twitter account frequently since its first tweet in September 2009 and has over 13,000 followers keeps updated with traffic news, road accident and driving tips.

It also maintains a Facebook Page with over 16,000 ‘likes’ and is one of the government agencies that are open with information.

Since its apology, there has been mixed reactions. While a few are thankful such a shocking tragedy didn’t occur, others were highly disappointed a report like that got published without confirmation.

Youth walk against violence and abuse women and girls – See Photos

by Akan Ido

Beyond the Classroom Foundation in conjunction with AIESEC Lagos FEAVA Project (Female Empowerment against Violence and Abuse) over the weekend organized a WALK, campaigning to End Violence and Abuse on Women and Girls.

The walk tagged: ‘Youths against Violence and Abuse’ started in UNILAG, reaching out to its environs, and terminating at the take off point. The initiative is to commemorate the UN’s ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women’ which holds every 25th of November.

Participants at the events includes youth, professionals from various fields of work, representatives of Chamagne Foundation, Community Empowerment for Peace and Health, World Youth Alliance( Nigeria), University of Lagos Faculty Presidents, and the press corps.

As the walk progressed, residents of Bariga Lagos were sensitized on the dangers of Violence and Abuse on Women and Girls; short counselling sessions for various group of gathering took place, with special attention given to residents who confessed to being victims of abuse.

The participants carried placards reading ‘No to Gender Based Violence’, ‘Protect HER, Please Protect HER’, ‘Say No to Violence and Abuse’; they wore shirts carrying similar messages such as ‘Violence and Abuse is Wrong’, ‘Protect Her, Don’t Abuse Her’ and distributed handbills along the way.

It is the hope of the coordinator of the project, Ms. Raquel Jacobs that men and the society in general would recognise how to care for the female gender and not abuse her psychologically, emotionally and physically.

The walk is the beginning of a series of events of Beyond the Classroom Foundation’s Hands Up for the Girl Campaign to shine a spotlight on the plight of women and girls

Gangster!!! Married Kolo Toure on £90,000 a week ‘tricked model into two year affair telling her he was a car salesman

Premier League star: Manchester City defender Kolo Toure is alleged to have had a two year affair, despite being married with two children

Premier League family man Kolo Toure had a two year tryst with a model after he fooled her into believing he was a car salesman, it is alleged.

The Manchester City defender, who earns a lucrative £90,000 a week wage for the Premiership champions, hid behind sunglasses and caps when the pair were out to hide his real identity.

He even told 22-year-old Kessel Kasuisyo his name was ‘Francois’ as he bought her lavish gifts he claimed were paid for thanks to selling cars in his native Africa.

And all the while he was living a double life with the mother of his two children – marrying her in a ceremony in Africa during the alleged affair.

The 31-year-old is said to have kept up the charade for two years, routinely refusing to pose for photographs, and not allowing her to meet his family because of his strict Muslim heritage.

In fact it wasn’t until two week ago that she discovered it was all a rouse – when a friend of hers recognised him and urged her to Google the former Arsenal star.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Miss Kasuisyo said: ‘I am devastated. On some of the wedding pictures he is crying but a few weeks before he was in my bed.

‘Two or three weeks after the wedding he was at mine. Around the time he got married he called and said he was back in Africa and had just sold two cars.

‘I believed everything he said, I am hurt and confused by it all. Maybe he wanted me to be a second wife. I just don’t know. Everything about his strange behavior now all makes sense.’

Wedding day: Model Kessel Kasuisyo claims she was dating Toure at the time of his wedding, to the mother of his two children Awo

The pair wed back in his native Africa in June 2011 after being together for more than nine years

Parents publicly shame s*xually active girl by forcing her to carry a placard

Flagler County parents fed up with their daughter’s behavior allegedly forced her to hold a sign advertising what she did at a busy intersection.

Flagler County teenager, Jasmine, stood on the corner of a very busy, very public street corner in Palm Coast holding a sign as punishment Wednesday.

“We’re trying to stop this before the courts have to do it themselves,” said father Mike.

WESH 2 News is not revealing the family’s last name, but Mike and Melinda say the 15-year-old has been lying, drinking, sneaking out and overnight, she sneaked a boy in.

Jasmine’s sign reads, “I sneak boys in at 3 a.m. and disrespect my parents and grandparents.”

We love this, these bad azz kids need tough love nowadays.

“This is all about love. I took my day off of work. I missed out on $300 or $400 today to do this. You know what I mean, to come and do this. I love this kid,” said Mike.

“I’ve taken all her toys or her electronics away; her phone, no privileges on the TV or computer and still she just laughs about it,” said Melinda.

Passing motorists seemed to approve of this tough love including honking and giving the thumbs up.

“They need to learn a lesson and that’s not abuse,” said one passerby. “She did something, she’s paying for it. You need consequences.”

16-Year-Old-Girl Drags Nigerian Army Colonel To Court For Molesting Her

A serving Lieutenant Colonel with the Nigerian Army, W.L. Nzidee, has been dragged to a Magistrate Court I over alleged sexual assault on a 16-year-old girl (name withheld) in Kaduna. The accused is in charge of the MTO at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).

In an application for issuance of a direct criminal complaint summons filed at the Magistrate Court in the Kaduna Magisterial District in Barnawa, Kaduna South with case number KMD/19DC/2012 by the complainant, she accused the Colonel of committing an offence that constituted “criminal intimidation, rape, acts of gross indecency, abductions and threat to life” contrary to section 397,282,285,272 and 327 of the penal code

According to the complainant, on October 22, 2012, the accused person called her with the pretext to send her on an errand and unfortunately for her the lieutenant colonel had an ulterior motive for inviting her into his house.

She said the accused then lured her into the house and forced himself on her with a threat to kill her if she makes any noise and all effort by her to resist proved abortive because the accused is stronger than her.

She stated further that the accused forcefully had canal knowledge with her without her consent and dis-virgin her leaving her physically and mentally traumatized.

The victim said, she stayed indoor for about 48 hours and could not disclose to her guardian, until when the pains and injuries in her vagina became severe and later rushed to the NDA Medical Centre where the doctor on duty, Dr Okochi, insisted on seeing the officer who committed the assault after which she was admitted for one week.

Teenager Suffers Seven Heart Attacks After Using Contraceptive Drugs

A teenager suffered seven heart attacks after a contraceptive Pill caused her to develop hundreds of blood clots.

Promising show jumper Alyce Clark had been taking a daily dose of Microgynon for just one month when she suddenly collapsed at home with a cardiac arrest.

By the time the 19-year-old was admitted to hospital she had been resuscitated by paramedics seven times in the ambulance. Her condition was so severe that her parents Roger, 61, and Freda, 60, were invited to 'say goodbye' to their daughter in hospital.

A CT scan revealed 'hundreds' of blood clots had travelled from her leg to her heart and then to both her lungs. But after emergency injections of an anti-blood clotting drug and two days in intensive care, Alyce eventually started to recover.

She said: 'Doctors told me if I'd been over 25 I would have been brain damaged for life, but I was young and able to recover.'

Studies have shown that around 15 to 30 women in every 100,000 using the Pill will develop a potentially dangerous blood clot each year.

Last week the Mail told how Shannon Deakin, 16, died from a blood clot after being prescribed oral contraceptive Dianette to clear up her acne.

Now more than three years of testing by a specialist at University College London has confirmed Miss Clark's condition was caused by her contraceptive Pill.

Alyce, now 22, said: 'They wanted to make sure that the blood clots hadn't been caused by anything else before they blamed the Pill. 'But I knew it must have been that. I was a fighting-fit teenager who loved sport, didn't smoke, drink or do drugs. It's nice to finally have an explanation after all these years.'

Alyce had been resting at home in Cliffe, Kent after injuring her back in a riding accident when the first sign of her condition appeared.

She had gone upstairs to speak to her mother and suddenly felt dizzy. She said: 'I had the overwhelming urge to sit down.

But instead I collapsed and fell head first down the stairs and into a wall. 'My face was covered in blood and I had bitten down hard on my bottom lip.

I knew something was seriously wrong and I told my parents to call an ambulance.'

By the time paramedics arrived Alyce was suffering from excruciating chest pains.

She said: 'I was terrified. I had no idea what was going on and could tell my parents were just as scared as I was.

'The paramedics got me into the ambulance but on the way to the hospital I stopped breathing because my heart had stopped.

'I was brought back but I had another cardiac arrest shortly afterwards, and then another, and then another. 'I was admitted to the resuscitation ward at the hospital by which time I had suffered seven near-fatal cardiac arrests.

'I was bleeding through my nose and mouth, and blood was escaping through my IV drips. My parents were invited in to say goodbye and no one so much as mentioned a chance of survival.'

Alyce responded to treatment at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham and has recovered but she has been told she will never be able to return to showjumping.

She said: They warned that my lungs would be damaged for the rest of my life and I knew it would be foolish to pursue an athletic career.'

A spokesman from Bayer, which produces Microgynon, said: 'Every report about side effects on any of our products is reported to our drug safety department and thoroughly investigated by our medical experts. 'The use of any combined oral contraceptive carries a small increased risk of venous and arterial blood clots.

Chris Brown & Comedian Jenny Johnson Battle in Vulgar Twitter Fight,Shut Down Twitter Account After Fight

Chris Brown and comedy writer Jenny Johnson engaged in a heated, graphic Twitter fight on Sunday, in which Johnson called out Brown over his violent past withRihanna.

The trouble began after Brown tweeted, “I look old as f**k! I’m only 23…” to which Johnson replied, “I know! Being a worthless piece of sh*t can really age a person.”

It got worse from there.

Brown tweeted to Johnson, suggesting that she perform a sex act and calling her a “HOE.”

She replied, “It’s ‘HO’ not ‘HOE’ you ignorant f**k.”

The exchange collapsed into an extremelyexplicit back-and-forth, during which Johnson sent Brown a link to an article detailing his 2009 altercation with Rihanna.

Later, Brown asked simply, “Just ask Rihanna if she mad??????” to underscore the point that, whatever problems existed between the two stars in the past, with the passage of time Rihanna has evidently forgiven him and feels completely comfortable hanging out with him.

It seems neither Brown nor Johnson was able to persuade the other to see things differently.

Johnson wrote, “Okay. I’m done. All I got from that exchange with Chris Brown is that he wants to sh*t and fart on me.”

Meanwhile, Brown told his fans, “To teambreezy… Know that I’m not upset. Just felt like entertaining the ignorance. These b*tches crazy.”

Chris Brown’s Twitter account was deactivated late Sunday.

The performer, followed by more than 11 million fans on the platform, had engaged in agraphic back-and-forth with comedian Jenny Johnson just hours earlier.

While it looks like the fight (concerning Brown’s past with Rihanna) might have led to the disappearance of @ChrisBrown, there’s been no official word.

mmm360 has reached out to a rep for comment on Brown’s departure from Twitter and whether he intends to return.

Stay tuned.

Katt Williams Sued Over Concert Meltdown

I never knew that this was even possible but SHEESH! Apparently, you are able to sue an artist over a horrible concert? Thats the current situation that Katt Williams is facing.
Read more after the jump
Quay

Williams and promoter Live Nation are on the receiving end of a class action lawsuit filed by Brian Herline on behalf of everyone who went to see the comedian “perform” on November 16.

According to the lawsuit — filed on the day before Thanksgiving in Alameda County, CA — Katt’s show ended after just 10 minutes … but not before he “confronted a heckler, took his clothes off, and attempted to fight at least three audience members.”

The suit is seeking unspecified damages for “Katt Williams’ non-performance.”

Williams has been stringing together one bizarre appearance after another as of late and was actually arrested in Oakland just two days before the show in question.

Nigerian Child Care Worker, Jessica Tata, Sentenced To 80 Years In Jail Over Felony Murder Case

Appeals for leniency failed to move a Texas judge who delivered a harsh sentence of 80 years behind bars for Nigerian-American  Jessica Tata, convicted in the death of a child killed in a fire at her home day care in Houston, Texas.

Eight witnesses testified for Tata in the punishment phase of the trial on Friday. Twenty two witnesses testified for the prosecution, alleging that she ran an unclean facility where dirty diapers and vomit were strewn on the floor. The deceased child, 16-month-old Elias Castillo, succumbed to a fire ignited when Tata went shopping and left a pan of oil cooking on the stove.

The incident, which took place in February 2011, also left three other children seriously injured.

During the trial which began Oct. 24, surveillance video was presented that showed her shopping at Target just before the fire occurred. A former Target manager told jurors that Tata did not seem to be in a hurry even after realizing she had left the stove top burner on while the kids were at the day care.
Neighbors testified they heard the children crying during their unsuccessful attempts to rescue them from the blaze. Parents of the children who died or were injured told jurors they had trusted Tata, believing she was qualified.

Tata's attorneys say she never intended to hurt the children, who ranged in age from 16 months to 3 years old, and that she tried to save them.

Among those testifying at the trial was Jessica’s sister Jennifer who defended her sibling but acknowledged she was “hard to handle” as a teenager and didn’t get along with their parents.

Tata fled to Nigeria after the fire but was captured there after about a month and returned to the U.S. in March 2011. She has remained jailed since then. Tata was born in the U.S. but has Nigerian citizenship.

Her brother, Ronald Tata, told jurors it was his idea for his sister to go to Nigeria to get advice from their father, who lived there. He said their mother didn't want his sister to go because "it would look bad."

Ronald Tata said his sister should be held accountable for what she did, but he also asked the jury for mercy. "I believe in justice and not vengeance," he said.

Tata also faces three additional felony murder counts and other charges in relation to the other children killed and injured in the fire.

Miss Czech Republic Wins Miss Earth 2012

The 2012 Miss Earth pageant took place yesterday Saturday November 24 in Manila, Philippines. Miss Czech Republic (pictured above) won the pageant. She's stunning!

Isn't she ???

checkout more pictures below...

Another Naked Celebrity: Kate Moss Bares It All In Front Of Spanish Vogue

    
The world-famous supermodel graces the front cover of the December issue of Spanish Vogue, and poses nude alongside famous matador José Mari Manzanares.
Hollywood celebrities and posing nude though....*sigh*

Rihanna Posts Half Naked Pic Of Chris Brown On Instagram

                            
Rihanna and Chris deny vehemently that they are not back together, so what is Rihanna doing posting a picture of half naked Chris Brown on Photo sharing site Instagram? Your guess is as good as mine.
Preceding the topless photo, the two were earlier sited partying together in Berlin at a Thanksgiving partying on Thursday, after which they left the club together, in the same car.
See the pic she posted on instagram and the more after then cut.

Rihanna posted a topless photo of her boyfriend on instagram

Earlier in the day, Chris Brown was snapped wearing a Simpson inspired outfit some of which are seen scattered on the bed in the picture above

Unapologetic: The duo in the club

Heading somewhere? Riri and Breezy enter the same car after partying together

From all indication, there is something "more" than just platonic friendship going on between the two. But then they've said it all..."It aint nobody's business"...*singing*...lol!