New Imo CP Swings Into Action, Smashes 3 Robbery Gangs

Forty-eight hours after resumption as the Imo State police
commissioner, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu yesterday smashed two notorious robbery
gangs who have been terrorising the state.

This was just as he has warned criminal elements to leave the state
immediately or face the wrath of the law, adding: "There will be total
annihilation of criminals in the state".

Briefing journalists in the state, the CP Lakanu, who led the crack
team of anti-robbery squad, said that the operation started at about
8.30 in the night, following a distress call by residents of Aladinma
Estate in the Owerri metropolis.

He said that following a distress call, he led a crack team of
policemen and stormed the area where the notorious armed robbers were
rounded up shortly after robbing one Mrs. Shirley Ugoeze.

The suspects, who were arrested after sting operation, include one
Chinonso Chukwuema from Ogbuoka Nkanu council area of Enugu State and
Monday Uwem from Essien Udim council area of Akwa Ibom State.

According to the new police boss, items recovered from the suspects
include locally made pistols and live cartridges, among other
dangerous weapons.

Lakanu assured the residents of the state that the police under his
command, will partner the public to ensure that crime is reduced to
the barest minimum in the state.

-TheSunNews

71-year-old Pastor, Wife Arrested For Buying Baby For N500,000

PHOTO: Rev. Egbochiogum (right), his wife, Ugo ( middle), and Mba


A 71- year old retired pastor of a pentecostal church in Abriba,
Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, Rev. Chima Egbochiogum,
and his wife, Ugo, have been arrested for an alleged illegal adoption
of a baby.

Commissioner of Police, Joshak Habila, who paraded the couple in
Umuahia, alongside other suspects in connection with the incident,
alleged they bought a stolen baby.

The police boss said the pastor and his wife were nabbed following a
confession by a notorious child trafficker who was arrested last month
for human trafficking.

According to him, the child trafficker, identified simply as Ekwutosi,
stole an 11-month-old baby girl belonging to a 21- year -old pregnant
mother, who he had pretended to assist.

He said Ekwutosi had approached the young woman, who had a baby out of
wedlock, with promise that he would secure a job opportunity for her.

The excited woman was said to have left her baby in the custody of
Ekwotosi when she went to buy food for her.

"But by the time the mother returned, Ekwutosi had disappeared with
the baby," the police commissioner said.

According to Habila, the suspect was later intercepted by the police
at Owerrinta when he was allegedly trafficking pregnant girls to Port
Harcourt.

He said the suspect confessed to his criminal activities including the
stealing of the 11- month old baby during interrogations.

His confession led to the arrest of the pastor who allegedly adopted
the stolen baby.

Habila said the suspect sold the baby at the cost of N500, 000 to the
wife of the pastor.

But later in an interview with journalists, the pastor said he was not
aware that the baby adopted by his wife was a stolen child.

The retired cleric had married his second wife following the death of
his first wife, who had born children to him.

He said he was innocent of the crime as he thought the adoption
followed due process.

Meanwhile, his second wife, who had yet to have a baby of her own,
decided to adopt a baby.

According to the woman, she was contacted by one Maria Mba, who told
her that one of her relations, a teenager, wanted to give out a baby
she had out of wedlock.

She said that the baby was paid for at the premises of the Federal
Medical Centre Umuahia where it was allegedly delivered to her. She
also claimed that she did not know that the baby was stolen.

Meanwhile, there was a mild drama when the notorious trafficker,
Ekwutosi said he did not receive up to N500,000 in the transaction
claiming that the intermediary, Mba short-changed him.

But Mba said she only kept back N100,000 as her commission , insisting
that she gave N400,000 to Ekwutosi.

-PUNCH

Rooney Equals Charlton’s 45-yr-old Goal Scoring Record

Wayne Rooney equalled Bobby Charlton's 45-year-old England scoring
record on Saturday when he netted his 49th international goal in a
2016 European Championship qualifier away to San Marino.

The England captain converted a 13th-minute penalty to give England a
1-0 lead in Serravalle after the Cypriot referee spotted a foul in the
box.

Rooney's goal gave the 29-year-old Manchester United striker an
identical international record to Charlton, a member of England's
fabled 1966 World Cup-winning team, with his 49th goal coming in his
106th appearance.
He now requires one goal to become the first England player to score a
half-century of goals.
Rooney is also closing in on Charlton's United scoring record and
requires 17 goals to surpass the former midfielder's tally of 249.
But he is currently struggling for goals at club level.

Despite a hat-trick in a recent Champions League play-off win away to
Belgian side Club Brugge, Rooney has not scored a league goal since
April.

It’s Been Shock, Surprises For Imo People

IT has been shock and surprises for Imo people since President
Muhammadu Buhari came on board in the past 100 days.

Most respondents, who reacted to the developments within the past 100
days of the Buhari administration, were of the view that "the
President has been implementing a carefully planned programme of
exclusion of the South East geo-political zone".

They were shocked that President Buhari did not appoint an Igbo man
as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

"Before the current announcement of Buhari's appointees, Dr. Ogbonnaya
Onu and Senator Chris Ngige were widely tipped for the post.

The speculation went haywire when the post was said to have been
zoned to the South East", Sir Murphy Emeto said.

Continuing, Sir Emeto said that seeing things now on the ground so
far, the Igbo have no place in this administration because he said
that he would compensate the political zone that gave him 97 per cent
instead of those that gave him a paltry five percent.

While agreeing that it is the prerogative of the President to appoint
members of his kitchen cabinet, Emeto said he should realize that
Nigeria is one country and should remain one.

For an Owerri based legal practitioner, Chief Uche Ohia, President
Buhari has confounded and proved political bookmakers, including his
apologists wrong, in his choice of individuals to work in various
critical positions.

According to Chief Ohia, "the appointments seem deliberately skewed to
exclude the South East zone and Ndigbo".

One other sore issue that has pained Imo people is the planned
downgrading of Alvan Ikoku University of Education, Owerri, to its
former status of a College of Education.

"We expected President Buhari to find ways of implementing the lofty
policy of the upgrade of the institution to the status of a
University. Downgrading the institution is another direct way of
mortgaging educational development of the South East", Lolo Nkechi
Aladu fumed.

Some civil servants, who, however, spoke on strict grounds of
anonymity, lamented that President Buhari has busied himself trying to
demonize his predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his former aides,
while workers and pensioners continue to wallow in poverty, disease
and avoidable death.

"Virtually all the projects started by Dr. Jonathan have been stalled
since President Buhari came on board. The roads are getting worse
everyday. The earlier the President realizes that he is not a saint
the better for Nigeria and its citizens," a civil servant cautioned.

A loyalist of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who pleaded
anonymity, expressed regret that sycophants were gradually taking over
the Aso Rock, stressing that except the needful were done, and quickly
too, the country may sadly find her way to another round of
retrogression.

A former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Imo State, Dr.
Kelechi Okpalaeke, who recently decamped from the People's Democratic
Party, PDP, to APC, had this to say in reply to Vanguard's inquiry:
"Are Igbo winning in this dispensation? My brother the answer to this
your question lies in the yardstick that one employs in measuring
winning. If the yardstick is personal appointment then the answer is
no".

While saying that personal appointments have only led to loss of
internally generated revenue to the states of Igboland, Dr. Okpalaeke,
however, pleaded that "we have to wait until the President forms his
government before we can really evaluate and make an intelligent
conclusion as to the question you posed".

-Vanguard

Africa Cup Of Nations Qualifying Results

Africa Cup of Nations matchday 2 qualifying results

Saturday:

Group C

At Juba
South Sudan 1 (Tong 52) Equatorial Guinea 0

Group D

At Mitsamiouli, Comoros
Comoros 0 Uganda 1 (Mawejje 22)

At Francistown, Botswana
Botswana 1 (Mogorosi 50) Burkina Faso 0

Group G

At Dar es Salaam
Tanzania 0 Nigeria 0

Group H

At Kigali
Rwanda 0 Ghana 1 (Wakaso 87)

Group J

At Victoria
Seychelles 1 (Laurence 24-pen) Ethiopia 1 (Seyoum 54)

Group K

At Windhoek
Namibia 0 Senegal 2 (Kouyate 35, Mane 55)

At Bujumbura
Burundi 2 (Abdul Razak 21, Faty 85) Niger 0

Etcetera Scores Buhari, Five F9s, One A1 Out Of His 100 Days In Office

Controversial writer and singer Etcetera is back again! Read his rants below.

We often use benchmarks as measures of progress. 'How is your
favourite football team doing at the beginning of this season?' 'How
many words does your one-year-old son say in a minute?'

And, of course, there's the time-honoured measure of how well a new
president is doing after 100 days in office. In case you hadn't heard,
that benchmark is here for President Buhari.

You may feel it's a little impertinent for me to issue a report card
for President Buhari on his performance during his first 100 days in
office. Yes, I'm not his teacher, and he's not my student.

But what the heck? It's a free country and everyone else is doing it.
So here it goes:

Confidence:- Buhari has brought back confidence in governance.
Especially in tough times, the confident presence of a leader begets
confidence in those that he or she leads. With his steady demeanour,
optimistic outlook and command, Buhari embodies confidence. The number
of incompetent heads of parastatals he has sacked so far reflects that
sentiment. The percentage of Nigerians who think the country is on the
right track is up. Grade: A1

Pace of Governance:– When the pressure is high, leaders need
perspective. They need swift action. Buhari is working on so many
things all by himself that it's sometimes hard to keep track of all of
them. He has too much on his plate. He should get into perspective and
allow others do the job where he can't. It won't be a surprise to
discover that the president is in charge of his travel itinerary,
meeting schedule and other range of issues on his plate. He runs the
risk of edging toward a burn out. Well, some argue that the president
is keeping a pace that works for him. Grade: F9

Communications:– Effective leadership communication is outcome
oriented and audience specific. President Buhari is clearly not an
articulate communicator and he doesn't do enough to shape his message
to the audience. Hearing Mr. President pronounce APC leaves you lost
and wondering if you heard him correctly. Maybe his media aides should
have used this as an excuse to exonerate him from the hundred things
he promised to have achieved before his first 100 days in office that
has now capped him as a liar. Buhari's tone of voice usually stays
within a fairly narrow range. He could do better here. Grade: F9

Team Player: – There are two major factors on this distinction. The
first is to get a great team in place. The second is to get your ego
out of the way and allow the team to do their job. Buhari has stumbled
here and most people will agree that his failure to appoint ministers
in his first 100 days in office has been a setback to governance.
Whether you agree with me or not, Buhari can't be president and
ministers all by himself. We need competent hands to man the various
ministries. You cannot achieve a lot in three and half months without
the support of a team. Good leaders are the keepers of the what, not
the masters of the how. Assembling a strong team also helps in
establishing an agenda. Buhari needs to realise that he'll likely
never have more momentum than he has now if he doesn't put a team on
the ground. Grade: F9

Accountability and Responsibility: President Buhari has done fairly
well with the campaign for government officials to be held accountable
for their actions or inactions. He has brought a sense of transparency
and has taken some interesting first steps in promoting government
accountability. I think this is an area where there is a lot more to
do however. For instant, there hasn't really been a clear explanation
yet as to how he is going to tackle corruption and how the country
will avoid being ripped apart by government officials in the years to
come. Grade: C

Economy: – This has so far been one of the president's worst subjects.
He may be making a grave mistake focusing all his attention on
recouping looted funds instead of providing the basic needs of the
people. Never in history has this approach successfully led a country
out of recession. This might lead to an unhappy ending, and more
inflation. The continuous drop of the nation's currency is stark
reminder that we are still in the worst slump in 50 years. Grade: F9

National Security:- Nigerians are still not experiencing any sense of
security. People are dying and getting maimed everyday on the streets
by hoodlums and touts. Boko Haram insurgents are still using the yet
to be found Chibok girls for their bombings. Armed robbers are having
a field day carting away properties. The country is still not safe.
Grade: F9

-GistReel

DSS Invades Akwa Ibom Govt House

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has condemned in strong terms the
alleged invasion of the Akwa Ibom State Government House, Uyo, by the
special squad of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Addressing a press conference on Friday in Ado-Ekiti, the state
capital, Fayose regretted the way and manner the presidential wing of
the Akwa Ibom Government House was ransacked in a "commando-like
manner" with the occupants harassed and intimidated.

He described the claim that the security operatives were looking for
bombs as unacceptable, saying any search for explosives ought to be in
the Northeast, where Boko Haram is operating.

The Ekiti governor said the invasion was "regrettable, unfortunate,
condemnable and unacceptable" because the DSS boss' action has come to
symbolize dictatorship which "democracy abhors".

"By invading the Government House, the DSS operatives behaved in an
authoritarian and despotic manner in a democratic era", he stated.

Fayose, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rein in the
Director General of the DSS, Lawal Daura, saying he is dragging
Nigeria back to era of military dictatorship.

He said: "Obviously, the Thursday invasion of the Akwa Ibom Government
House by men of the DSS and the arrest of the state INEC REC are part
of the sinister plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to
circumvent the will of the people of the South South and Southeast
states controlled by the PDP, using the DSS, but it will fail
ultimately.

"To say the least, invasion of the Akwa Ibom State Government House on
Thursday as ordered by Daura, was a r*pe of democracy and invitation
to chaos and anarchy. It is authoritarian, dictatorial and I condemn
it strongly.

"If a Government House occupied by a Governor who enjoys the same
immunity enjoyed by the President as provided by the 1999 Constitution
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria could be invaded by a Special Squad
of the DSS, it means Lawal Daura is moving this country towards
dictatorship and it must be said that Daura and his DSS men will
definitely have Nigerians to contend with.

"As for me, I will continue to talk because Nigeria is not a banana
republic that can be ruled anyhow by anyone and Mr. Daura and those
urging him on should know that this reign of brute force over
constitutional democracy will fail.

"Most importantly, Lawal Daura and his desperate men should know that
here in Nigeria of today, the power of the people is greater than the
power of those in power and the people will always rise in defence of
their government no matter how strong the aggression".

-INFORMATION NIGERIA

Sierra Leone Village Quarantined After Fresh Ebola Death

Nearly 1,000 people in Sierra Leone have been put under quarantine
following the death of a 67-year-old woman who tested positive to
Ebola.

It comes five days into a six-week countdown for the country to be
officially declared Ebola-free.

The quarantine will last for three weeks, provided no new cases are
recorded. More than 11,000 people have died since the start of the
Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

The BBC's Umaru Fofana in the capital, Freetown, says the authorities
had been optimistic after a long period without any new Ebola cases
and this caught them off-guard.

BBC correspondent says the quarantine is stricter than previous ones.
It includes a curfew in which people will not be allowed to move from
one house to another. Soldiers and police have been deployed to keep
the quarantine in Sellakaffta, a village in Kambia on the northern
border with Guinea.

-BBC.

Police Inspector Visits Brothel, Loses Loaded Rifle

An Inspector attached to Area 'F' Command in Ikeja, Lagos State (names
withheld), last weekend, got himself drunk and lost his AK-47 rifle
with 30 rounds of ammunition, while on duty.



Vanguard learned that the inspector and his team were on special duty
on the day of the incident.

On getting back to the office, he allegedly told his colleagues that
he was going to eat and also use the opportunity to repair the
vehicle, only to come back drunk without the gun and ammunition.

It was gathered that when he was asked the whereabouts of his gun, he
explained that someone took it while he was sleeping inside the
vehicle in the station.

Vanguard gathered that investigation by his team mates revealed that
he was seen at Ipodo area of Ikeja, known as a criminal hideout,
heavily drunk when the incident happened.

Another source alleged that he must have gone to sleep with one of the
commercial s*x workers in the area, leaving the gun inside the vehicle
from where it was removed.

The inspector, who was once attached to Special Anti-Robbery Squad,
SARS, Ikeja, was said to have been transferred out of Lagos State due
to unbecoming activities.

He was accused then of giving guns and ammunition as well as
information to armed robbers and hoodlums, who paid him in return.

It was learned that he had since been arrested and detained at the
state command, while efforts had been intensified by police
authorities to recover the gun.

-Vanguard

Your Asset Declaration Deceptive -- PDP Tells Buhari, Osinbajo

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) describes as "a deceptive
window-dressing to hoodwink unsuspecting Nigerians" the release, by an
aide of the President, of a mere list of some belongings of President
Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in place of the
pledge made to Nigerians by Mr. President as candidate of the APC on
March 18, 2015, at exactly 5 pm.
The party recalled that the President in his own words had stated to
Nigerians that, "I pledge to publicly declare my assets and liability
and also encourage my political appointees to publicly declare their
assets and liability."

The PDP however, observed that President Buhari and his vice failed to
produce copies of their declarations, detailing the exact nature and
value of respective assets.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement on
Friday said "the release of a mere list of belongings falls short of
credibility, transparency and anti-corruption standards as well as
exposes the proclivity of the present administration for deception."

"We have noted the release of a flimsy list of belongings of President
Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo by the Presidency,
who want such to pass as the public declaration of assets as pledged
by the President.

"Nigerians are not deceived by this poor attempt at window-dressing
designed by the Presidency to hoodwink the unsuspecting populace in a
desperate bid to shore up its diminished image.

"We ask, is the resort to a mere list, instead of true copies of the
declaration not a ploy to give the Presidency a window for denial in
consonance with their widely observed inclination for flip flopping,
backtracking and brazen denials of their statements and actions?

"All we want is credibility, integrity and sincerity of purpose. We
are not questioning how a President, who by December last year,
declared that he had only N1 million in his account, could suddenly
now list N30 million in the same bank account by May 29, and after an
expensive campaign; we are not yet demanding the public declaration of
his assets in his wife's name.

"We are not even applauding the multiplication of his cows from 150 to
250 in a space of three months, arising from his dual and conflicting
pronouncements on this issue

"What the PDP and discerning Nigerians demand is for Mr. President to
always stand by his words and pledge.

"Mr. President, this is a mere list of your belongings and not public
declaration of assets in fulfillment of your covenant with Nigerians"

-TheGuardian

Ihedioha Heads To Supreme Court, As Appeal Court Strikes Out Case Against Okorocha

THE Appeal Court sitting in Owerri on Thursday, struck out a case
brought to it by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
in the March 11, 2015 governorship election in Imo State, Chief Emeka
Ihedioha, against the election of his All Progressives Congress (APC)
counterpart and governor of Imo State, Chief Rochas Okorocha.

The court said the PDP did not properly serve the respondents the court papers.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Jimmy Bada, on behalf of four others,
insisted that the issue of service was fundamental in law and struck
the case out accordingly.

The case had suffered the same fate a few weeks ago at a lower
tribunal, prompting Ihedioha's lead counsel, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN),
to proceed to the Appeal court.

But reacting in a statement by his Media Assistant, Chibuike Iheukwu,
the former deputy Speaker of the Seventh House of Representatives
objected to the ruling, instructing his lead counsel to challenge the
judgment at the Supreme Court.

Ihedioha believed that he scored the highest number of lawful votes,
which should have won him the election.

He urged his loyalists and the PDP faithful to be calm, as he was
committed to regaining his mandate legally and restoring purposeful
leadership in the state.

However, Okorocha, through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sam
Onwuemeodo, commended the Appeal court for upholding the ruling of the
Election Petition Tribunal in striking out the matter for lacking
merit.

"It is the wish of the governor that the issue of who won or lost the
2015 election in the state should be kept behind us, while all Imo
people, irrespective of their political affiliation, one way or the
other and all aimed at building a state of our collective dream," he
said.

-TheGuardian

Julius Agwu Reveals How He Survived Brain Surgery

In a recent interview with Channels TV, comedian Julius Agwu talked
about how he survived brain surgery.
Julius who underwent a brain surgery in the United States few months back said:

Jumping all the hurdles and challenges of life, so many of us don't
really know what is going on inside. Nobody carries signboard of
ill-health. So, I never realized what was happening, I just noticed
that at some point, I was losing weight. Initially, I was working out
trying to look shapely, because as soon as you clock 40 you begin to
take some of those things seriously. I just noticed the over-work,
stress and everything.

In Nigeria, we really don't rest, we hustle and hustle, we just keep
working but oyinbo (white men) will work for vacation and settle, you
know, rest. But our own, we hustle and even when we die, we're still
working as ancestors through consultations.

I just realised that once in a while, I would have headache, take the
normal pain relievers and it will go down until I had a seizure and
was rushed to the hospital. That was the beginning of the story, when
I eventually regained consciousness, I lost all my memory and I
couldn't walk properly.

My wife and I had to go to Houston (USA), because we had to find out
what was really happening to me. That was how through an MRI, it was
discovered that I had tumours in my brain and an emergency surgery was
advised. So, I thank God it went well and God has been perfecting my
healing. Since April till now.

I've never really done anything as regards my career. I thank God. I
am back and alive. God has been merciful, He gave me a second chance.
But we thank God, it's benign and now my medication is dropping it. By
God's grace, my memory is back. It's not easy, it's like a car
knocking engine. I don't pray that such thing should happen to my
enemy.

Nigerian-Born Lady Emerges Presidential Candidate In Spain (Photo)

Nigerians are doing big things abroad.

The newest is the Nigerian born Spanish lawyer, Helen Mukoro, who has
emerged the presidential candidate of an opposition party for the
forthcoming election in Spain.

She set a new record as the first woman and an immigrant to emerge
presidential flag bearer of a political party. She will be running on
the platform of Union De Todos, a party she founded earlier this year.

Helen, who is also a forensic expert and author of many books, was
born in Delta State and worked briefly in the Governor's Office before
she travelled to Spain in 1992. She gained prominence in Spanish
politics, when she founded a political party and later became the
first Nigerian-Spanish to contest for the Mayor of Denia in May this
year. Although she lost the election, her popularity soared higher as
several people endorsed her for the highest office in the land.

Helen holds several academic qualifications. Aside graduating in Law
at the Spanish National University Alicante, she also holds a Master
degree in Criminology, Masters degree in Social Education, a post
graduate certificate in Tax and Labor Management, a post graduate
certificate in Forensic Psychology, and a post graduate certificate in
Immigration and Domestic Violence. She worked as a legal consultant
(Immigration Department) at the Red Cross Society, Spain and presently
owns a legal firm. She served as the CEO and President at the African
Europe Chamber of Commerce. CEO/President at National Agency of
Forensic Experts, Mediators and Technical Professionals of Spain and
Europe.

Helen had followed the trail of the United States President, Barack
Obama, who was the first African-American to win the presidency.

The 2015 Spanish general election would be held on or before Sunday,
December 20, 2015, as provided by the Spanish constitution and the
Organic Law of the General Election Regime of 1985. The ruling
People's Party (PP), led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, will seek
re-election for a second term in office, while the Spanish Socialist
Workers' Party (PSOE) will struggle to return to power after four
years in opposition. The election will be marked by the rise of new
parties Podemos (Spanish for "We can") and Citizens.

Chris Okotie Fires Back At Emeka Ike

Recently, Nollywood actor Emeka Ike called out pastor Chris Okotie for
being the devil behind his marriage.
Okotie fired back at the actor through his media aide Mr Ladi Ayodeji.

Ladi said "There is nothing to what he is saying. It is total rubbish.
What is he saying? Why will the pastor be interested in his domestic
issue? Will he say he wants to marry the woman?

"What kind of man will be saying that kind of things on the Internet?
Why is it that each time any of them has any issue they always want to
bring Okotie into it? Responding to the outburst will only make the
guy feel important. The pastor can't dignify him with any." he added.

-GistReel

National ID Card Registration To Be Done On Smartphones

Nigerians who may not have done their enrolment for the National ID
card programme will soon be having the opportunity to do so on their
Smartphones.



The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) announced that it
had concluded plans to provide pre-enrolment services on smartphones.

This is contained in a statement signed by NIMC General Manager on
Corporate Communications Abdulahamid Umar. According to the statement,
the step was taken to ease the sign-up process for Nigerians.

"This development will ensure that citizens can start their enrolment
using their smart phones, a development that would ensure that in the
next couple of months, citizens, of all ages, would have completed
their demographic enrolment before they proceed to NIMC enrolment
centres for their biometric data capture to complete their enrolment,"
the statement said.

It is believed that the initative will help to decongest the enrolment
centres and also ensure that citizens enroll at their convenience
before the deadline.


-Technology Times

Fake Female Medical Doctor Arrested In Abuja l PHOTO

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has arrested the
first female fake doctor in Nigeria.

According to Daily Trust, the woman, Angela Njide Nwosu who had worked
as a doctor for years using forged documents, was arrested on the
first day of her new N280,000 a month job at a newly opened private
hospital in Bwari council area in Abuja after her new employees
demanded MDCN to verify its new staff doctors.

When interrogated, Angela claimed to have graduated from Medical
school 2005 at University of Nigeria, Nsukka and did house-man-ship at
UNN's teaching hospital, but she failed simple questions any medical
student is expected to know.

-DailyTrust

Woman Tries To Sell Her Virginity For $16K But Gets Raped Instead

Images of the moment a young actress who tried to sell her virginity
for $16,000 makes her desperate escape, after she was allegedly raped
during the encounter has emerged. The 20-year-old from Azerbaijan,
agreed to meet a man she met online in the city of Perm, in central
Russia.

Mikhail Dnistrian, 28, paid for her ticket, but when she got there it
is alleged that the man she went to see said he had changed his mind,
and tried to force her to work as a prostitute. She claims when she
refused he beat her up and forced her to pose for erotic pictures
before raping her at his flat.
She only managed to escape his clutches, it is claimed, by making a
rope with sheets to let herself down from the third floor, but fell in
the process, fracturing her hip.

Images of her alleged escape were taken by an eye-witness as the girl
tried to clamber down the makeshift rope.

Police have arrested Dnistrian.

The woman told police she was on her own as both of her parents had
died and she wanted to collect money to develop her acting career.

Dnistrian's girlfriend, who asked not to be named, admitted she was
stunned after learning about the accusations, and claimed he had only
ever been kind and gentle with her.

The court in Perm has said there are no plans for pursuing a case
against her for prostitution or trying to sell her virginity and they
are treating her as a victim.

-DailyMirror. UK

Jose Mourinho Wins 4 Guiness World Record For 2016

Jose Mourinho was the man in charge when Lampard broke his record but
it's not all bad for the Chelsea boss, after he was awarded with four
different awards.

The Guinness World Records book team visited the Cobham training
ground to present the 52-year-old with his certificates, which
included: The most Points in a Premier League season (95), most
Champions League's won at different clubs (two), youngest manager to
reach 100 Champions League games (49 years 12 days) and most games
unbeaten at home in the Premier League (77).

In pure Mourinho style, he admitted he was looking forward to winning
future prizes: 'The fact that I can hang these awards in my office is
nice. It's something fun and as a kid you could never imagine that one
day you would be in Guinness World Records Book. I'm now more focused
on winning the next game than on what I've done in the last 10 or 15
years.'
-DailyMail.uk

Union Bank vs Buhari Trending On Twitter After Assets Declaration

The President and his Vice yesterday disclosed their asset and in the
statement President Buhari said he has only one bank account, with the
Union Bank. Since then Union bank has been number one trending topic
on twitter.

Click the link to read more.
-Niaraland


https://mobile.twitter.com/search??s=tren&p=c&q=%22Union%20Bank%22

Cultists Bury Motorist Alive In Lagos (Photo)

A war is brewing in the Mushin area of Lagos State after some
suspected cultists dragged a motorist out of a commercial bus and
buried him alive.

PUNCH reports that the yet-to-be-identified victim was on his way to
the Oyingbo area of the state.He was said to have been dragged out of
the bus at the Total bus stop in the Mushin end of the Ikorodu Road.

A witness, Jacob Amos, said the incident happened around 8pm on
Wednesday, adding that policemen from the Alakara Police Division were
alerted.

He said,
"The man was in the bus when he was dragged out at Total bus stop.
They brought him into Mushin and I immediately alerted the policemen
from Alakara.

"The police went to Adewusi Street, and searched the place for more
than one hour, but they did not find anything. They patrolled the
place and when they did not see anything, they left.

"Around 10pm when everybody had gone home, they brought the man to the
Railway Line and push him from head down into a filled canal. Only his
leg was sticking out."

The victim was said to have died soon afterwards.Our correspondent
learnt that policemen from Alakara later arrived on Thursday to remove
the corpse.

A witness, who did not identify himself, said the police ordered him
to pull out the corpse from the murky water.

Friends of the deceased from Market Street, Oyingbo, were said to have
shown up to identify him.

A resident lamented that the police in the area, were not doing enough
to arrest the unrest in Mushin, lamenting that there were saboteurs in
the force.

He said it was the second time in a week that people from the Oyingbo
area would be hounded and killed in Mushin, which could start a war
between the two communities.

He said,
"The police in this area have been compromised. When we called them
yesterday that someone had been captured around Oyewusi Street, an
informant of the cultists whom we suspect work with the police,
quickly alerted the guys and they left the place.

"They brought the victim to our side to make it look as if we are
responsible for his death. Their plan is to set the Oyingbo boys
against us and trigger a war."

Residents of the area alleged that the increased killing of suspected
cult members from Oyingbo was orchestrated by one Rilwan, aka Itakun.

Other men said to be in the group are White, Ese Chicago, Ina, Anarchy
and Riliwanu.

The source said Itakun had his family house in Oyingbo and left the
area due to persecution by some suspected cultists.

He said, "After he left, he started living in Mushin with a gang
member. Later, he decided to start paying back those he perceived as
the leaders of the gang in Oyingbo.

"Last week, he invited one Tunde Eleto to Mushin and the man was
stabbed and shot dead by his squad," he added.

However, another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, denied
that anyone was killed in the community.

He said, "There is nothing like that. Nobody was killed on the Railway
Line or anywhere for that matter."

-Punch

Scores Jump To Death As Fire Guts Plaza At Balogun Market

Several people were feared dead and others injured when a six storey
plaza in the heart of the popular Balogun market in Lagos was gutted
by fire on Thursday.

The plaza is surrounded by several important businesses which included
the Union Bank, Diamond Bank and the United Bank for Africa (UBA).

It was also observed that the plaza which was being used as a
wholesale and retail outlet for shoes and bags is directly beside and
attached to Union Bank building.
Investigations revealed that the fire started at about 9:00 am and was
battled by a team of combined fire fighters from the Union Bank and
UBA before the arrival of the Lagos State Fire Service.

Some eye witnesses, who spoke said that some people who jumped out
from various floors of the burning plaza to escape the fire were
carried away dead.

Mallam Hamza Abdullahi, a trader in the market said that he saw three
dead bodies and five people who were wounded.

"People were shouting and jumping down from up stairs, I saw a woman
dead with her skull open," he said.

Mrs Florence Adewunmi, a staff of the Lagos State Ambulance Mobile
Intensive Care Service (LASAMBUS) stationed at the scene said that
some victims had been stabilized and transferred to hospital.

"There are several casualties. We got a distress call at about 10am
that there was fire outbreak at Balogun behind UBA.

"We proceeded here and learnt that they have rushed some people to
General Hospital, Lagos but we met some casualties on ground.

"The patients jumped from the second, third and fourth floor and had
fractures and various degrees of injuries.
"There were those that inhaled too much smoke so we gave some oxygen,
some Dyclofenac injection, we treated ankle dislocations, we sutured
deep cuts before carrying them to General Hospital, Lagos.

"So far, we have carried six people to hospital and discharged four
after treatment," Adewunmi said.

One of shop owners who deals on female shoes, Mr Nonso Christian, said
that he came to the plaza at 10am and met it on fire.

"I met the plaza on fire and I tried to go in to bring out my goods
but I couldn't because the fire is too much.

"My shop is on the second floor and I just re-stocked on Monday, I
don't know what to do because the second floor is still on fire," he
said.

Several other shop owners, who were wailing while watching the fire
declined comment, one of them simply said "we are sad, this hard
economy, where do I start from?''

A security man attached to Union Bank, Mr Umoru Monday told NAN that
the fire started a few minutes before the hour of 9:00 am.

"The Union Bank Fire Service came around and started pushing the fire
back so that it would not enter the bank, and later the fire fighters
from UBA came to assist them before the Lagos State Fire Service
came," Monday said.

An official of the Lagos State Fire Service carrying a cylinder on his
back into the burning plaza declined comment.

He said that senior officers of the service who could speak to press
were attacking the fire on various floors.

"I cannot tell you anything, our fire boss is up in that burning
building now and our main aim is to put the fire out. We are attacking
it on various floors," he said.
A lone Police man battled to keep spectators away while security men
of Diamond Bank situated beside Union Bank turned their customers
away.

-Vanguard

Publish The State Financial Accounts -- Archbishop Obinna Tells Okorocha Again

Sequel to Imo State government's acknowledgment of the receipt of
Federal Government's bailout fund, the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri
Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, Most Rev. Anthony J. V. Obinna,
has again challenged Governor Rochas Okorocha to publish the state's
financial statement.

Archbishop Obinna, who repeated the demand while fielding questions
from journalists in Owerri, wondered why it was taking the governor
such a long time to publish the state account for public consumption.

The fiery Catholic cleric challenged journalists to invoke the Freedom
of Information Act, and force the governor to release the document.

-Vanguard

Cleaner Caught With N53m At Lagos Airport

An airport cleaner has been arrested with the sum of $271,135 (about
N53m) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, it has
been learnt.

The suspect was arrested by the aviation security personnel of the
Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria while trying to carry the huge
sum of money through the screening point.

The airport worker, named Mr. Tijani Owolabi, works with one of the
cleaning contractors at the airport, according to a FAAN statement.

The statement quoted the Deputy General Manager, Corporate Affairs,
FAAN, Mr. Onyekwere Nnaekpe, as saying that some of the foreign
currency was found on Owolabi while the rest was recovered from the
sanitary bucket he was holding while trying to pass through screening
machine.

Nnaekpe said the agency suspected that Owolabi was conveying the
currency to an accomplice at the airside of the airport.

The statement by the FAAN read in part, "Aviation security personnel
of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria today September 3, 2015
prevented the trafficking of a total sum of 271,135 American dollars
through the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja.

"The sum was found on a worker with one of the cleaning contractors at
the airport, Mr. Tijani Owolabi, during a pat down at one of the
screening points at 'D' Finger of the international terminal.

"The airport cleaner who was suspected to be conveying the foreign
currency to an accomplice at the sterile area of the terminal, was
immediately apprehended by aviation security staff on duty and handed
over to the appropriate security agencies at the airport for further
investigation."

The development came barely two weeks after an Arik Air flight
attendant, Mr. Chika Udensi, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in
London with 20 kilogrammes of cocaine.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency later arrested his
accomplice, Oliver Ikechukwu Chibuzor Oliver, an Arik Air catering
worker, who smuggled the drug among catering supplies into the
aircraft for Udensi.

NDLEA and other security agencies said they had increased security
surveillance at the nation's airports, especially the international
airports.

-PUNCH

Corruption Thriving Under Buhari –PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday said that corruption was
going on in the country in spite of the "holier than thou" posturing
of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

The PDP said that there was "incontrovertible evidence that grave
corrupt practices are ongoing and allowed to fester by associates and
cronies of government."

The opposition party listed these "associates" to include former and
present governors of the All Progressives Congress and those that
allegedly financed Buhari's campaign "with stolen state funds."

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement
in Abuja on Thursday, said, "The onus lies on the APC-led Federal
Government to wage a credible holistic anti-corruption war by first
purging itself of unclean association and coming out clear on sleazes
already going on in government quarters since it took office in May.

"Whereas the PDP restates its respect for the person and office of the
President as well as our support for the war against corruption, it is
incumbent on us to alert Nigerians of the prevailing circumstances
around this government that are capable of fundamentally undermining
good governance if left unchecked.

"Charity, they say, begins at home. For the APC-led government, it has
now become a question of 'physician, heal thyself.'

"Every discerning mind knows that this administration is not executing
a credible holistic war against corruption because it is a product of
corruption, surrounded by corrupt persons; a factor apparently
responsible for its obvious blind eyes to huge sleazes now being
perpetrated in government agencies by persons claiming closeness to
the President."

Reacting, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Lai
Mohammed, described the PDP allegations as unsubstantiated.

"These are wild and unsubstantiated allegations. They are
uncoordinated and a mere rehash of what the PDP has been saying in the
last three months. This is rabble-rousing at its worst," the APC
spokesman said.

The Presidency has also described the opposition allegations as
frivolous and intended to distract the government.

President's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam
Garba Shehu, said contrary to the PDP allegations, Buhari had not
and would not shield any APC government official from facing
prosecution for corruption.

Metuh however said it was alarming that the Buhari government that got
to power based on the President's anti-corruption credentials had
broken the records in constitutional violations and abuse of
regulations.

He said, "How else can one explain the deliberate constitutional
violations in the appointment of heads of financial-handling federal
agencies, such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Asset
Management Cooperation of Nigeria without due process of ministerial
consultations and legislative clearance, as the case may be?

"Is this a scheme to open up these key finance institutions for
malpractices and turn them into cash cows for APC interests?

"This is in addition to ongoing manoeuvrings in the oil sector, where
clandestine moves are on to award oil refining licenses to cronies
without the due process of open bidding, as well as statutory
guidelines and checks by the Department of Petroleum Resources."

He called on Nigerians to note that the APC-led administration had not
been forthcoming on spending of funds it inherited in the Excess Crude
Account and other government savings.

Metuh said, "Are they the source of the funds now being circulated to
pay back huge contributions for APC Presidential campaign expenses?

"Furthermore, we wish to draw the attention of all Nigerians to the
fact that this administration, for obvious reasons, has deliberately
turned a blind eye to the corrupt acts of most APC leaders, who as
governors, ministers and labour leaders have been the worst corrupt
set of people ever to bestride the political landscape of the country.

"Otherwise, how else can oneexplain the deafening silence by the
government to the public outrage over the massive looting of public
funds by some past APC governors?"

He asked the Federal Government to explain its silence over what it
described as indignation in "one of the prominent South-West APC
states over corruption issues, including but not limited to alleged
mismanagement of N32 bn SURE-P fund; N78 million state money allegedly
spent on the personal website of a former APC governor, who is also
accused of inflating a N2.1bn contract for the construction of
pedestrian bridges, N25bn for 1.36 kilometre link bridge, US$200mn
World Bank education fund while leaving behind N500bn debt arising
from alleged reckless spending?"

The PDP spokesman added, "The Federal Government's stance on yet
another prominent APC governor in the North-West, who, as a former
minister, was indicted by the Senate for corrupt practices and
embezzlement of over N32bn proceed from the sale of government
property, for which he was disgracefully declared unfit to hold public
office by the highest law making body in the land?"

Apart from financial corruption, the opposition party said it had
drawn the attention of Nigerians to the "corrupting of security and
democratic institutions in Nigeria, including the facts of nepotism in
the appointment of an Acting Chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission, a position unknown to the constitution; and a
card-carrying member of the APC as the Director General of the
Directorate of State Services, all in the bid to compromise the system
to favour the Presidency and APC interests."

Garba however said Buhari never told the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission not to touch any APC governor because they belonged to the
party.

He said it was convenient for the PDP to remember the cases of former
Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, but it pretended not to notice the
fact that former Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, who is an
APC member, was also arrested and arraigned at the same time.

He also condemned as malicious and unfounded the allegation by Metuh
that funds from the ECA were being depleted by the Buhari
administration to allegedly pay back APC governors that contributed to
his presidential campaign.

He said Metuh should either apologise to Nigerians for propagating
falsehood or provide evidence to substantiate his claims.

-PUNCH

Buhari Declares 270 cattle, Mud Houses, N30m, Others • Osinbajo Worth $900,000, N94m And More

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on
Thursday made public details of their assets, which had been declared
to the Code of Conduct Bureau.

According to a statement by the President's Senior Special Assistant,
Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President has about N30m in his
only bank account with the Union Bank Plc, while the Vice President
has a balance of N94m, $900,000 and 19,000 pounds in his bank
accounts.

Shehu's statement said the President had shares in Berger Paints, Skye
Bank and Union Bank and a total of seven houses, comprising two mud
and a standard house in Daura, his hometown; two homes in Kaduna, one
in Kano and one in Abuja.

Also belonging to the President are two undeveloped plots of land in
Kano and Port Harcourt. The President did not ascertain the location
of the Port Harcourt land, according to the statement.

Buhari also has an orchard and a ranch in Daura with 270 heads of
cattle, 25 sheep, five horses, a variety of birds and a number of
economic trees in them.

But the statement did not disclose the worth of the landed property
and other assets, which both the President and the Vice President had
declared.

Shehu said the President had no oil well and foreign bank accounts.

Buhari was also said to have declared that he had several cars, two of
which he said were bought with his savings and the others supplied to
him by the Federal Government in his capacity as a former Head of
State.

"The rest were donated to him by well-wishers after his jeep was
damaged in a Boko Haram bomb attack on his convoy in July 2014," the
statement added.

For the Vice-President, Shehu said Osinbajo, a Senior Advocate of
Nigeria, declared a four-bedroomed residence at Victoria Garden City
in Lagos; three-bedroomed flat in Ikoyi, Lagos; two bedroomed flat at
the Redempion Camp, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; and a two-bedroomed
mortgage property in Bedford, England.

The vice president operates his Simmons Cooper Law firm, which is
based in Lagos and has shares in MTN Nigeria, Octogenerium Ltd.,
Windsor Grant Ltd., Tarapolsa Vistorion Ltd., and Aviva Ltd., all of
which are based in Lagos.

Osinbajo is also said to have one Infinity 4-Wheel Drive SUV, one
Mercedes Benz and a Prado Jeep.

Shehu's statement read in part, "The documents submitted to the CCB,
which officials say are still being vetted and will soon be made
public, show that prior to being sworn in on May 29, President Buhari
had less than N30m to his name. He also had only one bank account,
with the Union Bank. President Buhari had no foreign account, no
factory and no enterprises. He also had no registered company and no
oil wells.

"The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) who had been a
successful lawyer before his foray into politics declared a bank
balance of about N94m and $900,000 in his bank accounts.

"President Buhari declared however that he had shares in Berger
Paints, Union Bank and Skye Bank.

"The documents also revealed that President Buhari had a total of five
homes, and two mud houses in Daura. He had two homes in Kaduna, one
each in Kano, Daura and in Abuja. One of the mud houses in Daura was
inherited from his late older sister, another from his late father. He
borrowed money from the old Barclays Bank to build two of his homes.

"President Buhari also has two undeveloped plots of land, one in Kano
and the other in Port Harcourt. He is still trying to trace the
location of the Port Harcourt land.''

Reacting to the declaration of assets by Buhari and Osinbajo, a
lawyer, Carol Ajie, said the documents had loopholes.

Ajie said Buhari and his deputy needed to "make clear if they have
liabilities or not, bearing in mind that the Constitution places
emphasis on assets and liabilities."

The lawyer said, "We need a bit more on specificity on some of the
items such as shares in Berger Paints, Union Bank and Skye Bank,
considering the length of time between April when he won the election
and now, a period of six months for assets valuation of his seven
houses located in Daura, Kano, Kaduna and Abuja.

"We have no addresses on these houses and what type of
houses-bungalow, block of flats or duplexes- and estate valuer's
estimates. Same for his farms, orchard and a ranch in Daura, etc.

Another legal practitioner, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, said the President had
yet to complete the declaration "as it is the law that his spouse is
not a civil servant; the spouse must declare her asset in the same
manner as done by President Buhari."

"The same goes for his Vice. As it is, there may be likelihood of
violation of the law on declaration of assets," he added.

President of the Nigerian Voters Assembly, Mashood Erubami, said the
declaration signified leadership by example.

Erubami said, "This is leadership by example. The declaration will
leave no one in doubt about the commitment of the Buhari/Osinbajo
administration to govern transparently and be accountable to Nigerians
before and after office. With the declaration of the President, nobody
will be spared from not declaring his or her assets in accordance with
the laws of the land.

"It is now left to the Code of Conduct Bureau to vet the declared
assets in order to ensure that the assets are real and appropriately
valued. The assets must not be overvalued, and must be vetted to have
been fairly acquired with truly extended current market value.
Declaration of assets is a precondition for selfless, transparent and
accountable government, which must not be sparing and selective."

-PUNCH

ICPC To Start Arresting Nigerians For Slander On Social Media

The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission is set to crack down on
social media propagandists, the Nation reports.

On-line media practitioners and users of the social media platforms
would now be on the radar of the commission for checks against
malicious petitions and mudslinging, the Chairman of ICPC Barrister
Ekpo Nta has said.

" Everybody suppose to be a whistle blower under our Act, but I will
like to warn at this junction that a lot of malicious petitions are
also making the rounds, the people who are making these malicious
petitions for their personal goods should also know that they are not
protected by the law and that when we investigate and find them to be
untrue and to be malicious , the ICPC Acts provide for prosecution,
and we will definitely prosecute them.

"If you look at social media platforms, they are awash now with all
kinds of malicious petitions and mudslinging on the people, they
should know they are not protected by the law."

He said the law-makers have critical roles to play in the fight
against corruption and abuse of office, noting that the
Anti-Corruption Academy had earlier organised capacity building
workshops for members of the academic community from the Nation's
Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Universities.

Rochas Okorocha Buys Car Gifts For Magistrates In 'Broke' Imo State

The unpaid several months salary in Imo is obviously not a priority
for Governor Rochas Okorocha of the state who is on with his plans to
better the lives of all those in the judiciary in Imo. The governor
procured cars for Magistrates in the state with a promise to look into
all the problems confronting the judiciary in the nearest future.

Many indigenes of the state are reportedly unhappy with this
development as they see it as lavish spending. Present at the
presentation were Chief Uche Nwosu, Paschal Nnadi, Chief Judge of Imo
state among others.

Nigerian Army Reinstates Over 3, 000 Soldiers

The Nigeria military on Thursday reinstated 3,032 soldiers, who were
dismissed from the army for their alleged indiscipline ‎in the ongoing
war with Islamic militants Boko Haram in Nigeria's North East.

Army spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, told a news conference in Abuja that
the panel set up to review their cases concluded it's sitting last
week and made recommendations that led to the reinstatement .

According to him, 3,032 soldiers out of the 5, 000 cases that were
reviewed were reinstated and the soldiers have shown their total
readiness to be re-launched into the theater to combat insurgency as
they have now commenced re-training exercise at the Nigerian Army
Training Centre, Kotangora, Niger State.

Mr Usman also gave the assurance that military will decimate the Boko
Haram terrorist before the expiration of the three months presidential
deadline November.

-ChannelsTV

DSS Sack Former Spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, 44 Other Directors

The Department of State Services (DSS) has sacked its former
spokesperson, Ms Marilyn Ogar and 44 other top directors in the
security agency.

SSS spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar
Marilyn Ogar who was the former deputy director of agency was removed
two months ago and equally lost her promotion following President
Muhammadu Buhari's nullification of the exercise upon assumption in
office.

The secret service former spokesperson's fate may not be unconnected
with her alleged role in the last administration and the run-up to the
2015 election.

It will be recalled that Ogar had been accused of alleged partisanship
in the build-up to the general elections.

-Vanguard

Don Jazzy Reveals Why He Won’t Get Married

In a recent interview with The NET, Don Jazzy talked about his love
life and marriage.
When asked if he will get married if he has a child out of wedlock,
Don Jazzy said "I don't know if I have a child somewhere, but for now,
I don't. I don't actually mind if someone comes and says this
9-year-old boy is your son and we do a test and I see it's mine, I'
won't mind. But if I have a child before wedding, then I won't get
married anymore because there's no point."

Don J said he's in a relationship with a lady named Onome. In his
words, "You know my boo is Onome, she just finished school now."

On getting married soon, he said "I have absolutely no idea."

-GistReel

Suspected Nigerian Money Launderer Arrested With N1Bn Cash In Niger

The police in neighbouring Niger Republic have arrested a Nigerian
carrying 4.6m Euros (N1.05bn) in cash. The man was arrested at the
Diori Hamani Airport in Niamey, the capital of Niger, en route Dubai
in the United Arab Emirate.

Punch reports that, the Nigerien police said they suspected that the
man was fleeing with the money in order to avoid being caught by the
administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, who has been prosecuting
an anti-corruption campaign since assumption of office on May 29.

They also expressed worry that there had been an upsurge in the number
of Nigerians trafficking huge sums of money in cash through the
neighbouring country.

The police in Niger are already working on the suspicion that the
money traffickers have accomplices in the country.The arrest of the
Nigerian has been a big news item in the Nigerien newspapers and
television stations.

Curiously the authorities here on Wednesday claimed ignorance of the
money seizure in the neighbouring country though the Customs officers
in Niger were already kicking against repatriating the cash to
Nigeria.

A media report in Niger on Saturday said the National Union of Customs
Officers at a press briefing "denounced the request of the Nigerian
authorities" to return the seized money.

The Customs official said there had been several similar seizures in
Niamey from people trafficking money from Nigeria, putting the amount
that had been so seized in several billions of naira.

They said the seized money had been mainly in dollars, euros and
pounds sterling, asking the Niger authorities to allow the Customs
officials to do their job without interference.

When contacted, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media
and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said he could not speak on the
development because his brief was to speak for the President.
He therefore referred one of our correspondents to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.

"I speak for the President. On this kind of issues, I will advice that
you speak with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the officials denied knowledge of
the seizure in Niger Republic. The ministry's spokesperson, Ogbole
Ahmedu-Ode, said the ministry had not received official communication
on the arrest of any Nigerian.
"I am hearing about this incident for the first time from you, we have
not received any communication on the matter from any quarters," he
said over the telephone..
The Nigerien embassy in Abuja could not be reached for comment on
Wednesday as calls to the mission's phone lines failed to connect.
The spokesman for the Nigerian Customs Service, Mr Wale Adeniyi could
not be reached for comments as text message and repeated calls made to
his mobile line were not replied as of the time (8.30pm) of filling
this report.art investigating because the Customs in Niger don't
report directly to us in Nigeria."

Chris Okotie Wants To Destroy My Marriage, He’s A Devil - Emeka Ike

Nollywood actor Emeka Ike said Pastor Chris Okotie wants to destroy
his marriage. The actor who's in trying to settle his marriage
problems in court with his wife said Okotie has been frustrating his
effort.
According to the Emeka:

"I want people to look into this issue critically. I've never beaten
this woman in my life. When she ran out of home, I called my pastor
and they took us for counselling. For one week, I was begging her
every day; I would go home alone and she would go home alone as well.

"At a point, pastor asked us to write five things we like and dislike
about each other. The pastor said that maybe we could work it out. I
wrote mine, she wrote hers and she never said there that I used to
beat her. I still have that document with me. She gave me what she
wrote and I gave her what I wrote. If I used to beat her, she could
not have left it out from that then. Any man that beats a woman is a
coward. I know that someone somewhere must have done something to her.
How can I beat a woman I adore so much? I love my family and this is
very unfortunate. Her children have been begging her to come home, and
she has refused.

"I am pretty sure my wife is acting confused; she is acting as if she
is under a spell, which is psychological and then she is acting under
blackmail.

"There was a time I accused her of bringing men to my house. I mean,
which woman will wake her husband up in the middle of the night and
said to him, share your property I want to get my share now from what
you have? Tell me, which woman will do that if not acting under a
spell?

"There was a time I travelled and she closed down my school and sent
all the students away. So, there is a lot to it, other than the
allegation of battery against me and I want the whole world to know.
My name is precious to me and I don't want anything to drag it in the
mud.

"Pastor Chris Okotie just absolved my wife into his church without
making any effort to get in touch with me. If as a pastor, your church
member is having issue with her husband, and you failed to do anything
to resolve it, what kind of pastor are you? When I called him, he
refused to pick my call. He also failed to react to a text message I
sent to him. Is that a man of God? Even, if you have a police case,
they will make effort to hear from you before taking a position, not
to talk of the church.

"When we went to court, I told my wife that I'm interested in amicable
settlement of the matter, and that I still want her back. But she
refused. Even, if you don't want me, what of your children, I asked
her and she still would not listen to me. I want the whole world to
know because there is a lot of misinformation out there. The lawyer
which Okotie hired for my wife is also frustrating every attempt I
make to resolve the matter peacefully,"

-GistReel

Vincent Enyeama Loses Mum

Nigeria captain and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama , Vincent Enyeama has
just lost his mum.

The Lille goalkeeper's parent has passed away Yesterday, thus the
reason for his opting out of the Nigeria game against the Tanzanian
National Team.

Nigeria's Head coach Sunday Oliseh told media that the goalkeeper
opted out of the Super Eagles ahead of their trip to Tanzania without
an excuse – but in the light of the recent development, the Skipper is
justified.

The 101-capped Enyeama posted a message on his Instagram page on
Wednesday afternoon apologizing to Nigeria fans but fell short of
stating the reason for his absence.

"So sorry I won't make it out there to wear this shirt," Enyeama wrote
alongside an artist's impression of him in a Nigeria jersey.

"So sorry that I won't be standing there singing the anthem of my
sweet NIGERIA. #WEARENIGERIA.

"I wish that this darkness didn't come in daylight. I wish that I
could turn back the hand of time. I wish,I just wish that I could take
away this pain. Let the rain wash away this pain," the bereaved player
concluded.

However, it has been learnt that the goalkeeper's parent died and it
was the reason for his painfully written apology on Instagram.

-GistReel

Kogi Poll: APC Supporters Reject Audu

Dozens of placard-carrying protesters on Wednesday besieged the
National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress, to protest
against the emergence of Abubakar Audu as the party's governorship
candidate.

Audu defeated 27 other contestants to emerge as the party's standard
bearer for the Kogi State governorship election on November 21.

While the candidate was waiting to collect his certificate of return,
scores of protesters carrying placards stormed the gate of the
secretariat, urging the party to get a credible candidate for the
governorship poll.

Some of the placards had inscriptions which read, "Kogi State says no
to Audu," "We need a credible leader," and "APC, do the right thing."

The APC candidate, however, dismissed the protesters as "noise makers"
who lacked electoral value.

The leader of the protesters, who gave his name as Sulaiman Mohammed,
told newsmen that the people of the state deserved better candidate
than Audu.

According to him, the ex-governor should go and clear himself of the
corruption charges levelled against him by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission before seeking to govern the state again. Audu had
served as the state governor between 1992 and 1993. He was re-elected
in 1999 but lost his re-election bid in 2003.

Mohammed said, "We are here to protest against the candidature of
Prince Abubakar Audu, under the platform of the APC for the
forthcoming governorship election in Kogi State.

"We say no to Abubakar Audu because he has a N11bn corruption case
with the EFCC. Until he clears himself of the case, he has no moral
right to present himself for an election.

"The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has declared war
against corruption. We, the concern citizens of Kogi State are in
support of the President's anti-corruption move. We want to toe the
line of the APC change mantra and we would not support Audu because of
his alleged corruption cases."

Reacting, Audu told newsmen after collecting his Certificate of
Return, that the charges against him were mere allegations.

He also noted that the fact that the EFCC was pursuing a case against
an individual did not mean the person is a criminal.

He argued that even some senators had cases with the EFCC but that did
not translate into criminality.

Audu said, "Ninety per cent of people in the Senate have cases with
the EFCC. For the fact that you have a case with the EFCC does not
make you a criminal.

"I have contested four different elections since 2007 and I was not
disqualified. So what are they talking about? I contested in 2003,
2007 and 2011, what are they talking?

"The cases had been with the EFCC since 2003 and since then I have
been contesting election. It is those that do not have electoral value
that are making noise and using cheap means to discredit me, it is a
very unfortunate situation.

"EFCC has so far gone to four different courts in Lokoja and when I
want to get judgment they will quickly go to another court and restart
the case. They are shopping for where they will nail me.

"This country's constitution states that one is presumed innocent
until a court proves him guilty. They are the mischief makers."

The spokesman for the Senate, Senator Dino Melaye, could not be
reached for comments on the protest as he had yet to return from the
United Nation's Headquarters in New York.

-PUNCH

Imo Govt House Unveils New Number Plate

The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha has unveiled new Government
House number plates.

PHOTO: Imo state Governor, Okorocha
Showing samples of the number plates to different security agencies in the state

Governor Okorocha said it will go a long way to bring sanity in the
use of government number plates and check the indiscriminate and
illegal use of the facility.

"We have introduced new government house number plates and these
number plates will only be for those who are entitled to it legally
and by reason, all previous old plate numbers are no longer legal and
anyone found with them will be dealt with according to law."

The governor said that government had decided to check the unlawful
use of tinted glasses in vehicles, pointing out that many use such
vehicles to convey kidnappers and their victims.

He also condemned incessant and unauthorized blaring of sirens all
over the state.

Man Goes Nude In Owerri To Avoid Arrest At Control Post

The popular Control Post roundabout linking the Onitsha/Port Harcourt
Road in the capital of Imo State stood still yesterday as an unnamed
man striped himself naked in the bid to avoid been arrested by the
Nigeria Police and the Men of Imo Civil Guards .

The man whose identity was not revealed, according to witnesses who
saw the event, revealed that the unnamed man has been in the habit of
impersonating to be a staff of the Imo Civil Guards thereby robbing
people of their belongings and extorting money from motorists for
breaking traffic rules.

Luck, however ran against him when some men of the Imo Civil Guard on
duty saw him double-cross a motorist with a Golf Volkswagen Car, Blue
and White in colour with plate number Lagos FK 650 AE and wanting to
extort money from the said motorist. The men of the Imo Civil Guard on
duty were unable to identify him as one of their staff quickly called
the attention of the mobile police men who were standing nearby to
help arrest him.

The mobile Police men quickly responded but in the bid to avoid being
arrested the impersonator stripped himself stake naked to the surprise
of passersby. It took the combined effort of men of the Nigeria Police
and that of the Imo civil Guard to drag the impersonator into the
Hilux Van of the Men of the Imo Civil Guards before he was taken to
their office. Trumpeta could not ascertain the next line of action as
no policemen was willing to speak on the matter.
-Trumpeta

Imo Archbishop Expresses Dismay Over The Deplorable State Of Roads

The Catholiclic Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, Most.
Rev. Anthony Obinna, on Wednesday, frowned upon the deplorable state
of roads in Imo State particularly the ring roads in Owerri, the state
capital, describing the situation as unbearable.

He made the assessment in Owerri, while answering questions from
journalists during a press conference to herald the 2015 Odenigbo
lecture series of the Archdiocese, and observed that the dilapidation
of roads in the state had made the movement of people and
transportation of goods from the hinterland very difficult.

"It is, indeed, a good thing that the governor is thinking about
factories, jobs and industries and our prayers is that this initiative
will commence in earnest and succeed. While on that, it is also
necessary we include the rehabilitation of roads in the plan."

He said, "Recently, I went to Nekede, Owerri West Local Government
Area with some seminarians, there was no road anywhere, we had to ply
through bush paths to access our destination."

On the financial status of the state, Obinna said that the state
government was yet to make public the financial position of the state
as earlier promised. The Catholic cleric had earlier called on the
state government to make public the financial status of the state to
avoid further speculations on the level of borrowings

He noted that, in a democracy, the outcry of the people may likely
trigger positive responses from the authorities to ameliorate the
imbalance in the appointment of public officers.

He disclosed that the 2015 Odenigbo Lecture would be the 20th in the
series, which was started in 1996, with a view to fostering the
uniqueness of the Igbo language and reawakening the consciousness of
the Igbo man to the distinctiveness of the Igbo culture and would be
held on Saturday September 5, 2015.
-DailyTimes