UPDATE: 20 Nigerien Soldiers Confirmed Dead, 15 Injured Multiple Explosions Rock Niger Republic

Two explosions have occurred simultaneously at an Army Barracks and a company involved in uranium exploration in Agadez State of Niger Republic.
The governor of Agadez state, Colonel Garba Maccido, confirmed the incident, which he described as the work of suicide bombers to the Hausa service of the BBC.
Initial reports said only the suicide bomber lost his life at the attack on the Army Barracks, while, two others sustained injuries. No casualty was recorded at the uranium exploration company, named 'Somai'.
It is not clear if the attack has any links to the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. Niger and Nigeria share large borders around the troubled Borno and Yobe States currently under emergency rule.
There had been reports that some Boko Haram members were fleeing to Niger to escape from the onslaught by the Nigerian military.
UPDATE: 20 Nigerien Soldiers Confirmed Dead
Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), an Islamic group which claims to be committed to the enforcement of Shariah law in West Africa, has claimed responsibility for a twin suicide bombing attack this morning at the Nigerian/Niger border in which over 20 Nigerien soldiers were killed.
A journalist in transit in the area told SaharaReporters that the terrorists also injured about 15 other soldiers, while four of their own were killed.
The terrorists struck in a military barracks in Agades, one of the major cities in Niger Republic, while another group belonging to the same group struck in a uranium plant in Arlit.
According to the journalists, the suicide bombers arrived in a bomb-laden car and forced their way into the military facility.
The journalist also said that more Nigerian troops have been deployed to the Niger-Nigerian border since yesterday, and that today's bombings may also alert the Nigerian authorities to further strengthen the security situation.

Woolwich Attack: Lee Rigby Named as Victim

The soldier killed in an attack in London has been named as Drummer Lee Rigby of the 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Drummer Rigby, 25, from Manchester, leaves behind a two-year-old son.

Two suspects shot by police after Wednesday's attack in Woolwich remain under arrest. A further two people have been arrested on conspiracy to murder.

The two suspects who were shot, believed to include Michael Adebolajo, were known to security services.

Scotland Yard said the latest arrests were of a man and woman, both aged 29.

The victim's name was announced by the Ministry of Defence pending formal police identification.

"An extremely popular and witty soldier, Drummer Rigby was a larger than life personality within the Corps of Drums and was well known, liked and respected across the Second Fusiliers," the MoD statement said.

"He was a passionate and life-long Manchester United fan."

He had joined the Army in 2006, and is described as a "loving father to his son Jack" and someone who would be "sorely missed by all who knew him".

'Senseless murder'

Drummer Rigby had taken up a post with the Regimental Recruiting Team in London in 2011.

"An experienced and talented side drummer and machine gunner, he was a true warrior and served with distinction in Afghanistan, Germany and Cyprus," said 2nd Fusiliers commanding officer Lt Col Jim Taylor. "His ability, talent and personality made him a natural choice to work in the recruiting group."

Capt Alan Williamson said: "Drummer Rigby or 'Riggers' as he was known within the platoon was a cheeky and humorous man, always there with a joke to brighten the mood."

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "This was a senseless murder of a soldier who has served the Army faithfully in a variety of roles including operational tours in Afghanistan.

"Our thoughts today are with his family and loved ones who are trying to come to terms with this terrible loss."

Speaking earlier outside 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister David Cameron said the attacks were "solely and purely" the responsibility of the individuals involved.

Mr. Hammond was asked if the attack showed how vulnerable soldiers were, whether they were in uniform or not.

He replied: "I think it reminds us how vulnerable we all are, but it also reminds us, by the response of the public, that we are not going to be cowed by this kind of terrorist action."

In other developments:

The Metropolitan Police said police officers arrived within nine minutes of the first 999 call and armed officers were there within 14 minutes

An increased police presence will be in Woolwich and the surrounding areas through Thursday night and "as long as needed", Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Crime and Operations Mark Rowley said

Properties in Greenwich and Saxilby, Lincolnshire, have been searched in connection with the attack

With dozens of witnesses to the killing, police are urging them to contact the Met's anti-terrorism hotline with information

Chief of Defence Staff General Sir David Richards said: "It's always a tragedy, it's particularly poignant that it happened on the streets of this capital city of ours.

"We're absolutely determined not to be intimated into not doing the right thing - whether it's here in this country or in Afghanistan or wherever we seek to serve the nation."

Security at Woolwich Barracks and others in London has been increased, and Gen Richards said: "I'm confident that base security is as tight as it's every been, and necessarily so.

"It's a very difficult balancing act. We are very proud of the uniform we wear, we have huge support around the country, this is a completely isolated incident."

Shortly after the killing a man, thought to be 28-year-old Mr. Adebolajo, was filmed by a passer-by, saying he carried out the attack because British soldiers killed Muslims every day.

Sources said reports the men had featured in "several investigations" in recent years - but were not deemed to be planning an attack - "were not inaccurate".

According to BBC sources, Mr. Adebolajo, a Briton of Nigerian descent, comes from a devout Christian family but took up Islam after leaving college in 2001.

The BBC has uncovered its own footage of one of the alleged Woolwich attackers, taking part in an Islamist demonstration in April 2007 against the arrest of a man from Luton.

Mr. Adebojalo can be seen standing in a crowd of men outside Paddington Green police station, holding a placard reading "Crusade Against Muslims".

He is standing next to Anjem Choudary, who was the leader of al-Muhajiroun, a now-banned organisation.

Mr. Choudary said Mr. Adebojalo was previously associated with the group, but went his own way in around 2010.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission sent 12 investigators to look at the scene and its aftermath.

They have reviewed CCTV footage from a local authority camera, and said two officers fired shots and one officer discharged a Taser.

One of the shot men received first aid from the firearms officers.

On Buhari's Call for the President's Resignation - By Reno Omokri

Reno Omokri is Special Assistant to President Jonathan on New Media. Read his response below...

Reading the interview Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) gave to Daily Trust which was published on Wednesday the 22nd of May 2013, I am compelled to raise historical issues that put the former military Head of State's words in perspective. 

Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) blamed President Jonathan for the insurgency occasioned by the militant sect, Jamā'a Ahl al-sunnah li-da'wa wa al-jihād, commonly referred to as Boko Haram and asked President Jonathan to resign saying “Jonathan should vacate and give way to competent hand to govern the country”.

Buhari further said “When the Niger Delta militants started their activities in the South-South, they were invited by the late President Umaru Yar’adua.

An aircraft was sent to them and their leaders met with the late President in Aso Rock and discussed issues. They were given money and a training scheme was introduced for their members. But when the Boko Haram emerged in the north members of the sect were killed”.

Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) may wish to note that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan never supported militancy and criminality in the Niger-Delta at any time in his political career. Furthermore, the administration of President Umaru Musa Yar'adua used a combination of carrot and stick to end the militancy in the Niger-Delta.

Stick was used in the form of heavy military intervention by way of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) which routed the militants by way of ground attacks and aerial assault with the use of Nigerian Air Force Jets and helicopters.  After this initial pacification, the carrot was introduced whereby the administration offered an olive branch for those wishing to embrace dialogue. Those who accepted the offer to dialogue came out of the creeks and dialogue took place leading to the conditional amnesty (militants were made to surrender their weapons and renounce violence before they could benefit from the amnesty).

Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) may or may not be aware that these same steps were taken by the current administration with regards to the insurgency occasioned by Jamā'a Ahl al-sunnah li-da'wa wa al-jihād or Boko Haram. 

This administration in fulfillment of its constitutional responsibility to maintain law and order and enforce the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria empowered Nigeria's security forces to check the insurgency. As a democrat and listening leader, President Jonathan's ears were opened to the cries of the people in the affected areas and after meeting with different informed groups agreed to employ the dialogue option and called for the leaders of the Jamā'a Ahl al-sunnah li-da'wa wa al-jihād or Boko Haram to show themselves. 

In furtherance of his desire to peacefully resolve the insurgency, President Jonathan inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North on Wednesday the 24th of April 2013 at the Presidential Villa Abuja under the leadership of a cabinet minister, Tanimu Turaki, Minister of Special Duties. 

A week after the President's initiative, Jamā'a Ahl al-sunnah li-da'wa wa al-jihād or Boko Haram rejected the amnesty proposal yet the President kept faith with the Committee and met with them as recently as a week ago and in furtherance of that meeting he issued orders for the release of certain classes of detainees held in connection with the insurgency.

With the detailed historical TimeLines provided above, it is my considered opinion that Major General Muhammadu Buhari's (rtd) statement castigating President Goodluck Jonathan for not treating the Jamā'a Ahl al-sunnah li-da'wa wa al-jihād or Boko Haram as others were treated are not factual and are borne out of insufficient study of historical facts. 

Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) also accused the President of using undue force on the Jamā'a Ahl al-sunnah li-da'wa wa al-jihād or Boko Haram saying “In Bama and Baga towns, military personnel were reported to have been engaged in extortion and sometimes raping of women. And because a soldier was killed in Baga the whole town was sacked by military. This is not the best way military should have acted when they were sent to restore law and order in a town. How can a responsible government allow its people to be killed in this way”.

Let me say that I appreciate Buhari's concern for the victims of the Boko Haram attacks on Bama and Baga. However, Buhari should be reminded that the President ordered an investigation into the incidence at Bama. The investigations are being carried out by qualified persons and Buhari ought to wait for the results of those investigations before apportioning blame. Members of the Nigerian armed forces are sacrificially laying their lives down to protect Nigerians and they deserve more loyalty from us all, particularly from one who was once their Commander-in-Chief.

But going back to history,  Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) is reminded that this is not the first time that terrorists have unleashed mayhem on Nigerians. 

Buhari is reminded that in February and March of 1984, the Maitatsine sect unleashed violence in Yola under the leadership of Musa Makaniki. A conservative estimate is that 1000 people died during those riots and half of the residence of Yola in present day Adamawa state were rendered homeless. The military was unleashed on the sect by the military administration of Major General Muhammadu Buhari. Similar charges as the ones made today by Buhari were made against the soldiers sent by his government to quell the Maitatsine riots of 1984. They were accused of undue force, destruction of property, raping women and killing civilians. Many human rights groups and activists including J. Peter Pham, the Director of the Michael Ansari Center at the prestigious Atlantic Council  whom I have personally met and who is alive today have documented what took place during those riots. In putting down the Maitatsine insurgency, the military incurred collateral damages. Yet Nigerians understood with Buhari. Did anyone call for his resignation as military Head of State because of the incidence?

Also, it is a historical fact that Maitatsine riots again flared up more than a year after this in April of 1985, while Buhari was still Head of State, this time in Gombe in present day Gombe state. Hundreds of people were killed and the military again was called in. There were collateral damage and Musa Makaniki, the arrowhead of Maitatsine escaped to the Cameroon and was not caught until 2004 when Obasanjo had ascended to power. To the best of my knowledge, nobody called on Buhari to resign even though he could not apprehend the leader of the sect.

Is it too much to ask that Buhari show the same level of understanding that Nigerians showed to him in 1984-1985 to the President?

Some issues should be beyond politics. Anytime an elder statesman calls into question the abilities of our armed forces it goes a long way to weakening their morale and resolve which is precisely what should not be weakened when we face an insurgency such as the present one.

Finally, I would like to advise Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) not to see security as just a job for the government. It is a job for everybody. In other nations when terrorists strike politicians close ranks and unite against the terrorists. Our case in Nigeria should not be different. And indeed, I have cause to thank Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the House of Representatives from Major General Muhammadu Buhari's (rtd) party the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) who saw wisdom in the President's Declaration of a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states and voted in support of the declaration yesterday. This is precisely the type of multi partisan collaboration that will see Nigeria achieve her developmental goals.  

Regards,

Reno,

American Idol Winner Candice Glover Releases New Music

Candice Glover won 2013 American Idol last week, and she’s already dropped her first official single “I Am Beautiful.” The track will appear on Candice’s debut album, Music Speaks July 16th. She’s hoping to collaborate with Canada Dry Drake on the project. To listen to her new song, head over to our friends at Yazmar who has the audio and it is fabulous, CLICK HERE!

The British Nigerian Woolwich killer - Michael Adebolajo

One of the Woolwich killers has been identified as a British Nigerian man named ‘Michael 'Muhajud' Adebolajo’, whose father has been identified as 56 year old Nigerian trained nurse named Anthony Adebolajo. This is the last thing we need now. A Daily Mail article suggests that there's now a high threat of terrorism from Nigeria. Read it below...

Sources today named one of the suspects as Michael Adebolajo (pictured above) who, along with his fellow alleged killer, is a British citizen who converted to a radical form of Islam. They are not thought to have links to terror groups based in Nigeria, such as the jihadist militant organisation Boko Haram. The Foreign Office warns of a high threat from terrorism in the West African nation and raises the prospect of a risk of retaliatory attacks following the French intervention in Mali.

The other killer may also be Nigerian though he has not been formally identified. Continue...

The other killer being confronted by a woman...possible a British citizens of Nigerian descent

Man beheaded in broad day light in Woolwich, South London

Man beheaded in broad day light in Woolwich, South London

A man, believed to be a serving soldier, was attacked and beheaded with a machete in broad day light this afternoon in Woolwich, South London by two men in what is suspected to be a terror attack.

The soldier was attacked with knives and meat cleavers following a car crash. Two black men in a blue Vauxhall car rammed into the soldier on John Wilson Street, then jumped out of their car and started attacking him with meat cleavers. An eye witness said the attackers were "chopping this guy to pieces, literally hacking at something like it was a piece of meat".

It is claimed that the men shouted 'Allahu Akbar', which means God is great in Arabic before attacking. After the attack, the men then waited for about 20 minutes for police to show up and then tried to attack the officers. They were shot by police. They are both still alive and have been arrested.

@Boya Dee witnessed the beheading and shared what he saw on his Twitter page.

See the rest of his tweets after the cut...

Please read from bottom up

 

Read the full story HERE

Man Trying to Catch A Ghost “on Camera” Caught His Wife Having Sex with His Teenage Son

 A curious man who was spooked in his house set up a video camera to capture paranormalactivity, but instead of catching a ghost he caught his wife screwing his teenage son.

Via Gawker 

According to prosecutors, the woman, who has been the man’s “de facto partner” for the past several years, entered her stepson’s room one day last October to talk about hisdriving lessons.

Talking led to tickling, which led to kissing, which led to sex, Crown Prosecutor Jackie Hartnett told the Supreme Court.

A day later, the woman’s partner set up a camera in the kitchen with which he hoped to capture “evidence of paranormal activity in the house.”

Going back to view the footage, the man saw the woman and his son making out and confronted them about it.

Denying the relationship at first, the woman eventually came clean, and admitted to having had sex with the teen on at least three occasions.

The sexual encounters apparently continued for weeks after the two were discovered, but the woman now says she mistakenly believe the age of consent was 16 (it’s 17 in Tasmania) and is “ashamed and embarrassed at her conduct.”

Moreover, she claims she is attempting to patch thing up with her partner, with whom she shares a small child.

The woman has reportedly pleaded guilty to five counts of having sexual intercourse with a young person, and will be sentenced next week.

What would you do if this was you?