Central Africa to join fight against Boko Haram

Nigerian Soldiers in Hong

The Economic Community of Central African States on Monday sought to collaborate with the Economic Community of West African States to fight the Boko Haram Sect.
ECCAS made this known on Wednesday at a meeting with Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja.
Representing ECCAS were President Denis Sassou N’Guesso of the Republic of Congo and President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of the Republic of Equitorial Guinea.
President N’Guesso told journalists after the meeting that discussions included the Ebola crisis and the security challenges – particularly ravaging the West and Central Africa regions.
He said all three leaders condemned the insurgency, its destructive activities such as indiscriminate killing of peoples and the wanton destruction of properties, the abduction of innocent women and children, especially young school girls, who might have been turned to sex slaves.
Mr. N’ Guesso said they had come on a solidarity visit as well as to work out modalities on how to assist Nigeria combat the issue of Boko Haram.
“We will study the situation together and put in place a security architecture to see how we can coordinate all our actions to put out and eradicate the Boko Haram, which has been spreading in a very grave manner. We look forward to peace, security and development in Africa,” he said.
The ECCAS delegation is expected to proceed to Ghana for further consultations with Ghanaian President, John Mahama, who is also the chairman of ECOWAS.
The meeting with President Jonathan is coming on the heels of a meeting held in Cameroon’s capital city, Yaounde, where representatives of ECCAS committed to spend $86 million to fight Boko Haram. Nigeria, who was to be an observer was however absent at the meeting.
“Like you know at the last meeting of the Africa Union, the Heads of State took some very important decisions principally to check the Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroun and Chad.
“Following the meeting of the African Union, the Economic Community of Central African Countries had a meeting recently in Yaoundé to address particularly the Boko Haram challenge in Africa and to see the possibility of ameliorating the grave situation. It’s on that platform that we met with our friend President Jonathan of Nigeria.
“We are here because we have been mandated by the Heads of State of the Central African Community to be here, and show our solidarity to the people of Nigeria and the government of Nigeria, and to our brother and friend, President Jonathan”.
“And after here, we are on a mission to Accra to meet with President John Mahama of Ghana, who is the Chairman of ECOWAS,” said Mr. N’ Guesso.
He said the ECCAS would use all political, military and diplomatic efforts to disarm Boko Haram. “We have no doubt that we have arrived at a mechanism for coordinating all our actions for effectiveness,” he said.
He commended the President Jonathan as well as the security forces for the recent successes recorded in overcoming attacks by Boko Haram.
“We hope that the framework that we are going to put in place will give us a better and more effective result against Boko Haram”.
Boko Haram crisis that has bedevilled the North-Eastern past of Nigeria spilled into neighbouring nations, notably Cameroon, Niger and Chad. The three neigbouring countries recently formed a military alliance to fight the group whose ideology is basically against western education.

Omenka storms Cape Town Art Fair with his best four

It is going to be a real showcase for South Africa’s and the continent’s fast growing and vibrant contemporary art economy as the 2nd edition of the Cape Town Art Fair kicks off in South Africa. And in line with its mission of ensuring sustainable presence for African art within a global context, one of the leading art gallery in Nigeria, Omenka gallery will from February 26 to March 1, participate in the Art Fair scheduled to hold at the Avenue, V & A Waterfront, Cape Town.
Omenka will present recent works by four leading contemporary African artists Joel Mpah Dooh (Cameroon), Duke Asidere (Nigeria), Gerry Nnubia (Nigeria), and Ndidi Emefiele (Nigeria). The four artists differ in their primary point of investigation.
Among them, Joel Mpah Dooh is preoccupied with experimentation and has enjoyed international critical acclaim with his paintings and multi-med
ia works.
The artist is inspired by the tactile reality of his environment though he is mostly an inner traveler. Mpah Dooh works on paper, canvas, corrugated iron and most recently acrylic sheets, while incorporating earth, paints, clay, packaging, wood, and chalk to explore the fragility of individual human identity and how we reinvent ourselves while moving and evolving in the city.

Asidere’s work engages contemporary African politics. Through visual metaphors, the artist comments on the everyday human drama that surrounds him; political, social, psychological or cultural. Furthermore, he adds an element of surprise to these sketches of human drama by infusing them with irony and humour.

Asidere’s broad oeuvre ranges from headless or limbless figures and faces of strangely hybrid beings to densely populated urban landscapes, accentuated with thick strokes of vivid colour.

He has recently turned to car enamel paint, which he applies with a spray gun to produce emotionally charged works that retain figurative subject matter, and at the same time emphasize abstract qualities. Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic of Asidere’s style is his simplicity of form and expressive line, which he achieves with an economy of means.
Gerry Nnubia offers critical possibilities for painting, and explores the tensions between form and formlessness vital to the tenets of modernism with his “acrylic flow”. Nnubia’s technique involves the skillful manipulation of his medium to a liquid viscous flow often assimilating accidental occurrences and temperature adjustments, depending on the effect sought.
Emefiele also adopts the historic practice of using the human figure symbolically, dating back to the sculptures and paintings of ancient Egyptians, whose “god-like” pharaoh was often depicted much larger than ordinary mortals, his erect, stiff posture signifying his unyielding majesty and authority.
The heads of her female figures are large, bearing semblance to those of traditional Yoruba sculptures, carved disproportionately to other parts of the human body to emphasize its function as the seat of wisdom, upon which the destiny of an individual is carried. Here, the female body becomes a contested site and an important source of information, through which she challenges established notions of beauty.
Overall, the exhibition has a strong contemporary outlook and engages the traditions of African art history, resulting in iconic imagery that captures intense and challenging moments. Omenka is a leading art gallery in Nigeria and represents a fine selection of established and emerging contemporary African and international artists working in diverse media.
Omenka participates in major events like Art Dubai, Joburg Art Fair, Cape Town Art Fair, Cologne Paper Art, Docks Art Fair, Lyon, LOOP, Barcelona, Art14, and 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair. Additionally, Omenka encourages a cross fertilization of ideas by collaborating with leading galleries across the world to bring the work of many international artists to Nigeria, often for the first time. Omenka Gallery also organizes several workshops and residencies to encourage curatorial and professional artistic development.

Don’t rear animals in residential areas, LASEPA warns Lagosians

The General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Mr Adebola Shabi, has condemned rearing of animals in residential areas saying it constitutes a huge environmental menace.
According to him, the 1979 Constitution allows people to have pets such as dogs and cats but not to keep a large number that are capable of constituting a nuisance.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that animals’ urine and excreta always constituted a public nuisance noting that the sanitation unit of the Ministry of Environment deals with the issue as part of sanitation offence.
“‘Rearing of animals in residential areas is now a big issue as it constitutes a lot of environmental problems. Animal wastes like urine, excreta and other body fluids is not good for humans.
By the time water touches the waste, it forms filter polypore.
The wastes can also degrade to an ammonia substance which is dangerous to human beings,” he said.

The Kidnapping of my aide is political – Amaechi

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said on Monday that the abduction of his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Freddy Ndigbara was politically motivated.

Ndigbara, who also anchors Amaechi’s programmes within and outside Government House, Port Harcourt, was kidnapped by unknown gunmen, who stormed a rally of the All Progressives Congress in Kaani Ward Six, Khana Local Government Area.
The hoodlums had come in a red Toyota Highlander, shot into the air, before going for their target (Ndigbara) and forced him into a waiting vehicle.
But Amaechi, who spoke through the Chief of Staff, Government House, Chief Tony Okocha, explained that the dastardly act had political undertone.
The governor stated that Ndigbara and one of the political leaders in Kaani, Mr. Celestine Akpobari, were able to convert over 5,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party to the APC.
Amaechi pointed out that there was nothing wrong or extraordinary in what his aide did since the country was in a political setting where the electorate are being wooed from one political party to another.
He said, “Of course, Freddy Ndigbara’s abduction is politically motivated. We are aware that Ndigbara, in league with the Celestine Akpobari, was able to convert over 5,000 PDP members to APC.
“There is nothing wrong or extraordinary in what he (Ndigbara) did because we are in a political setting where the inthing now is to win political converts. Winning new convert was what Freddie did before he was kidnapped.”
The governor, however, appealed to his aide’s abductors to release him unconditionally, insisting that Ndigbara meant no harm to anybody as an APC member.

Court Adjourns Fani-Kayode’s Money Laundering Trial

A Federal High Court in Lagos has further adjourned till February 24 and 25, 2015, the trial of a former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, who is facing money laundering charges.

Fani-Kayode’s trial was stalled on Monday owing to the absence in court of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s prosecutor, Mr. Festus Keyamo.
The trial judge, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, had adjourned till Monday for the ex-minister to open argument in his own defence against the charges of financial impropriety levelled against him.
Though the accused was in court and had proceeded into the dock upon calling the case, a counsel representing the EFCC, Mr. Somadina Okore, however stood up and pointed the attention of the court to a letter written by Keyamo asking the court for an adjournment.
Okore said, “Most respectfully, my Lord, earlier before now, the prosecutor in this matter, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has written a letter to this honourable court, informing the court that he is appearing before a Federal High Court in Yola today. He is praying this honourable court to vacate today’s date to allow him to appear and prosecute this case in person.”
Responding, Fani-Kayode’s lawyer, Mr. Wale Akoni (SAN), said he was aware of the letter and that he had no objection to the request for an adjournment. He also reminded the court that the matter was adjourned till Monday and Tuesday, adding that if it was convenient for the court, his client would go and return on Tuesday to stand trial.
In the circumstance, Ofili-Ajumogobia adjourned till Tuesday and Wednesday for continuation of trial.
Fani-Kayode was arraigned before Ofili-Ajumogobia on 40 counts bordering on money laundering to the tune of about N100m.
The EFCC alleged that while he held sway as the Aviation Minister and the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Fani-Kayode, at various times carried out several financial transactions and dealt in cash in excess of N500,000 without going through any financial institution.
The anti-graft agency said the alleged offence contravened Sections 15(1) (a) (b) (c) (d) and 15 (2) (a) (b) of the Money Laundering (prohibition) Act, 2004.
But Fani-Kayode, who is now spearheads President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election campaign, had pleaded not guilty to the charges, following which the prosecution was asked to open its case and adduce evidence in support of the allegations.
However, at the closure of the prosecution’s case on July 10, 2014, the accused on August 5, 2014 submitted a no-case application, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against him and thus prayed the court to dismiss the charges and set him free.
Ruling on the no-case application on November 17, 2014, Ofili-Ajumogobia dismissed 38 of the 40 counts and discharged Fani-Kayode on the charges.
The judge, however, said the accused would need to prove his innocence in respect of counts 25 and 26 of the charges.
The counts read, “That you, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode on or before September 20, 2006, while serving as Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, made a transaction exceeding N500,000 which was not done through financial institution, by accepting cash payment of N1m, which sum was further paid into your personal account number, 103450252601 with First Inland Bank PLc Apapa branch, now FCMB, through one Supo Agbaje, your administrative staff, now at large.
“That you, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode on or before September 20, 2006, while serving as Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, made a transaction exceeding N500,000, which was not done through financial institution, by accepting cash payment of N1.1m, which sum was further paid into your personal account number, 103450252601 with First Inland Bank PLc Apapa branch, now FCMB, through one Supo Agbaje, your administrative staff, now at large.”
Fani-Kayode’s trial began in December 2008 before Justice Ramat Mohammed, from whom he secured bail in the sum of N200m with two sureties in like sum.
The case file was subsequently passed on to Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako, following the transfer of Mohammed from the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court.
Ofili-Ajumogobia took over the case from Murtala-Nyako on February 11, 2013.

Obasanjo Holds Crucial Talks with the Gambian, Sudanese Presidents

Olusegun Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has held crucial talks with President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia and his Sudanese counterpart, Omar al-Bashir. 

Obasanjo, who was one of four African leaders invited to private talks with President Jammeh after the 50th Independence Anniversary of The Gambia, briefed reporters on his visit saying discussions centered on the recent coup attempt, security in The Gambia and the future of the nation’s economy.

“One of the points that we looked at together is what this country has going for it,” Obasanjo said. “There is relative peace, relative stability, relative continuity and relative security. These are necessary ingredients to fast track development and growth as a democratic country.

“This is why I said to my brother (President Jammeh) that nothing stops The Gambia from being the Switzerland of West Africa. Switzerland is a small country but it is a great country. Gambia is a small country but it is on the path of being great.”

He added that  it is in the interest of all Africans that The Gambia grows to become a great country.“I, therefore, hold myself ready to be a partner in pursuance of that great objective,” he said.

After the meeting with Chief Obasanjo, President Jammeh held further talks with the Presidents of Ghana, Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea.

The President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, also hosted Obasanjo in Khartoum to discuss insecurity and instability in Africa, especially the crisis in Libya which has adversely affected other parts of Africa.

Briefing local and international media after the private meeting which lasted over 30 minutes, Chief Obasanjo said the meeting provided both leaders opportunity to examine peace and security issues in Africa, particularly the situation in North Africa.“Peace, security and stability which are fundamental to the development of any nation must be our preoccupation,” Chief Obasanjo said. 

“We must do everything possible to ensure that all over Africa, and particularly in North Africa, efforts are made to guarantee peace, security and stability no matter where the need arises.

“My brother (President al-Bashir) and I have agreed to work together with other partners to ensure that stability is achieved in the region and across the continent,” he added.

Obasanjo chairs the Africa Union’s commission of inquiry on South Sudan and has been a leading advocate of peace and security in Africa.

In the 1990s, he initiated the Conference on Security, Stability Development and Co-operation in Africa (CSSDCA), a policy development process created to function within the framework of the African Union and adopted at the 36th Session of the Assembly in Lome, Togo, in July 2000.

FG, Poly Lecturers Meet to Avert Strike

Minister of Education, Ibrahim Sheikarau

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

The Federal Government, represented by officials of the Ministry of Education and of the Labour and Productivity Ministry would hold a meeting with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics in a bid to avert the indefinite strike which starts Wednesday.

The union, following a two week ultimatum which expires Wednesday is set to down tools over the failure of the government to honour an agreement reached four years ago for revamping the tertiary sub-sector.

The President of ASUP, in a conversation Monday disclosed that the meeting will hold Tuesday to discuss the issues.

He disclosed that the union would meeting with members of the Education committee in the House of Representatives this afternoon.

The union is demanding the withdrawal of a circular from the Ministry of Education suspending CONTISS 15 in Polytechnics. It is also demanding the dissolution of the governing councils of the Federal Polytechnics Oko, Anambra and in Ado Ekiti for autocratic activities.

Other grievances of the union include the continued discrimination against Polytechnic graduates in Public Service and in the labour market in Nigeria, the non release of the White Paper on the Visitation to Federal Polytechnics, the non implementation of CONTISS 15 Migration for the Lower cadres and its arrears as from 2009 when the salary structure was approved and the non establishment of a National Polytechnics Commission (NPC) and the wrongful continued recognition of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) as the regulatory body for Polytechnics.

Others are the non-constitution of Governing Councils for some Federal Polytechnics by the Federal Government, the snail-pace of the review of the Federal Polytechnics Act by the National Assembly and the gross under funding of the Polytechnic sub sector and continued lopsidedness in the disbursements of TETfund grants and other interventions clearly designed to the disadvantage of the polytechnic sector.

Troops arrest terrorists in Baga

Troops involved in the ongoing counter-terrorism operation in the North-East have arrested a number of terrorists who disguised as women in Baga, Borno State.

Baga, the headquarters of the Multi-National Joint Task Force, was captured by the insurgents in January but was recaptured by the Special Forces on Saturday.

The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, who stated this in a statement on Monday, did not give the exact number of the terrorists arrested, who disguised as women.

Olukolade had said in an earlier statement on Sunday that troops were screening a group of people, mostly women in Baga, to ascertain their true identities and to find out whether they were supporters of the deadly sect or not.

The Defence spokesman said the troops had arrested many terrorists hiding in Baga apart from those captured during the battle to liberate the town.

Olukolade, who added that several arms and bombs, hidden on locations within Baga, were recovered, stated that those in custody were being interrogated.

He said, “The cordon and search in Baga has revealed some terrorists disguising as women. The searches are also yielding more discoveries of arms, especially bombs, hidden in various locations, especially in Baga town.

“Apart from those captured in the course of fighting, many arrests of terrorists hiding in the town are being made and troops are still busy interrogating the suspects.”

He explained that the Nigerian Air Force had intensified the bombardment of terrorists’ strongholds in Gwoza, Bama and the Sambisa Forest in consonance with the mandate to flush them out of the a

Death toll in Bangladesh ferry accident hits 65

Rescuers place bodies of victims on a boat after a ferry accident on the Padma River in Manikganj district, Bangladesh, Feb. 22, 2015. Death toll in Bangladesh's ferry accident in Bangladesh's western Manikganj district on Sunday rose to 65 as rescuers found 24 more bodies inside the hull of the ferry early Monday, a police officer said. (Xinhua/Shariful Islam)

At least 65 people died in a ferry accident in a river in Bangladesh’s western Manikganj district on Sunday, after another 24 bodies were found, local media reported on Monday.
Most of the new bodies were found after the ferry was lifted, local media quoted officials as saying. Forty-one bodies were recovered by rescuers late Sunday night.
Rescuers were still searching the river for the missing.
The ferry carrying around 150 people was found sank after it was hit by a cargo ship in the Padma River. Some of the passengers swam to safety.
Deputy commissioner of Manikganj, Rashida Ferdousi, told Xinhua earlier that 20,000 taka (257.2 U.S. dollars) had been given to families of each dead person as grant for burial.
The official said three people, including the captain of the cargo ship, had been arrested for hitting the passenger ferry.
A five-member committee has been formed to inquire into the accident and will submit a report within a week. Bangladeshi President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia have expressed their shock for the loss of lives and condoled families of victims.
Ferry services in Bangladesh do not maintain lists of passengers and no one is able to tell exactly how many passengers a ferry carries.
Ferry and boat accidents are common in Bangladesh, which is crisscrossed by about 250 rivers. Ferry is still a key means of transport in the country. Most of the ferries are often overcrowded.
At least 138 bodies were recovered after a ferry capsized in Munshiganj district in March 2012. Enditem

Egypt dissolves 169 Muslim Brotherhood NGOs

Egypt‘s Ministry of Social Solidarity on Monday ordered the dissolution of 169 non-governmental organizations affiliated with the blacklisted Muslim Brotherhood, state-run Ahram Online reported.
The move comes in line with a previous ruling issued by the Court of Urgent Matters banning the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and ordering the seizure of all the group’s assets, the ministry said in a statement.
In December 2013, the Egyptian government termed the Muslim Brotherhood, the power base of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, as a terrorist organization, following a number of deadly attacks across the country.
The government attributed the attacks to members of the group.
In February 2014, an Egyptian court also designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
Egypt has been facing a growing wave of anti-security terrorist attacks in the Sinai Peninsula and other parts across the country following the removal of Morsi in July 2013.
A crackdown on Morsi’s supporters left hundreds of them dead. Thousands more have been arrested and are being tried.

Russia Offers Iran Latest Anti-aircraft Missiles

latest Antey-2500 missiles

Russia has offered Iran access to its latest Antey-2500 missiles, after a deal to supply less powerful S-300 missiles was dropped under Western pressure, the head of Russian state defense conglomerate Rostec said on Monday according to media reports.

Sergei Chemezov said Tehran was now considering the offer, TASS news agency reported. Russia scrapped a contract to supply Iran with S-300 surface-to-air missiles under Western pressure in 2010, and Iran later filed a $4-billion international arbitration suit against Russia in Geneva, but the two countries remain allies.
The United States and Israel lobbied Russia to block the missile sale, saying it could be used to shield Iran’s nuclear facilities from possible future air strikes. There was no immediate response to Chemezov’s comments from Iran, Israel or the United States.
“As far as Iran is concerned, we offered Antey-2500 instead of S-300. They are thinking. No decision has been made yet,” Chemezov was quoted as saying. Rostec includes state-owned arms exporting monopoly Rosoboronexport, which has the sole right to export and import arms in Russia.

Colombian Woman Changes Name To ABCDEFG HIJKLMN OPQRST UVWXYZ

A Colombian woman said she has won her long-term battle with the government to allow her change her name to the entire alphabet. UPI reports:
The woman, a university art teacher and fetish model previously — but not originally — known as Ladyzunga Cyborg, 36, said her government ID card now officially lists her with the fist name ABCDEFG HIJKLMN and the last name OPQRST UVWXYZ.
She said it took her a year of arguing with the Colombian National Registry to officially get her new name, which she said was chosen for being unusual and hard to pronounce. “I started looking for a name that nobody had in Colombia, or the world, so I thought ABCDEFG HIJKLMN OPQRST UVWXYZ,” she told the Las2orillas website. “I’ve changed my name so people wouldn’t know it’s me.”
“It’s not because I was disturbed by it, but because I wanted to always bring an element of surprise,” she said. Daniel Molano, from the Colombian National Registry, said the name should not have been rejected in the first place.
“If a civil notary had refused to modify her name in the civil registry, he would have broken his work obligations,” he said. “Basically, no matter how unusual, this is something that should always be allowed.”

Karma! Commuter Tells Man To F**k Himself, Turns Out He Insulted His Job Interviewer

This is why it pays to be nice. According to HR executive, Matt Buckland (pictured above), he said a man pushed past him and told him to go ‘f*** himself’ as they were both getting off a packed train at Monument Station in central London on Monday Feb. 16th. He said the man insulted him because he’d stood aside to let a woman off the train. Thinking he was deliberately standing in the way, the man, a job seeker, pushed him aside and told him to f**k off.

“I was on my way into work on the Tube on Monday morning during rush hour. I stood to one side to let a lady get by, and ended up blocking a man momentarily. I think he thought I was just standing in his way. He pushed and I turned, I explained I was getting off too but he pushed past and then looked back and suggested I might like to f*** myself, which might have been true but not before a few cups of coffee’ he told Buzzfeed.

Well, guess what? Hours later, the same man walked in for an interview at investment firm Forward Partners where Mr Buckland is a senior executive and head of recruitment.

The job seeker , who was interviewing for the role of web developer at the firm, didn’t recognize Buckland as the man he’d disrespected earlier in the day so Buckland said he started to ask him train-related questions until the penny dropped.

“I think it crept up on him slowly as my questions became more and more tube related.’

Buckland said the man didn’t get the job and not because he held the incident against him, but because he wasn’t suitable for the job.

‘It would be easy to hold something like this over someone in an interview, but for me interviews aren’t about that. By the end of the interview we laughed it off and we’re both happy. The candidate didn’t get the job, though, and maybe now he’ll maintain a better attitude in the morning since he just might need some help from a fellow commuter one day.’ Buckland said

Mother Drank Own chest Milk While Her 7-Week-Old Son Died Of Starvation

A mother who was arrested on charges of murder for allowing her 7-week-old child to die of starvation, told police that she drank her own chest milk, police in Oregon said. Read more from Worldwideweirdnews:

The Douglas County sheriff’s Office said that they have arrested 26-year-old Stephen Michael Williams Jr. and 21-year-old Amanda Marie Hancock, 21, both of Glendale, after being accused of allowing their baby to die of starvation.
According to the police investigation, the couple showed extreme indifference to human life by denying food and medical care for Data Toria Hancock.
If convicted of murder, they face life in prison. The couple’s other 2-year-old son was placed under protective custody. During questioning, the mother told investigators that she allowed men to watch how she drinks her own chest milk. The two said that they fed the baby milk several times a day, and they don’t know why the baby died. An autopsy performed by the medical examiner’s office determined that the baby died of starvation.

5-Year-Old Boy Who Claims He Lived Past Life As Woman Who Died In A Chicago Fire, Proves It

Luke Ruehlman is a healthy 5-year-old boy. Yet, he’s already had a lifetime of experiences according to him — he has even died! The Huffington Post reports:

At least, that’s what he claims. In a bizarre series of TV interviews, Ruehlman has managed to convince at least a few people that he lived a past life as Pam Robinson, an African-American Chicago woman who died in a fire at the Paxton Hotel in 1993.
Ruehlman started weirding out his stay-at-home mom, Erika, at the age of 2, when he started talking about a mystery woman named Pam. Later, she would ask him directly who the heck Pam was. “He turned to me and said, ‘Well, I was,'” she told Fox 8 . “[He said] ‘Well, I used to be, but I died and I went up to heaven. I saw God and then eventually, God pushed me back down and I was a baby and you named me Luke.'”
Ruehlman also reportedly said he traveled by train in Chicago. The Cincinnati family didn’t know anyone named Pam, and Luke had never been to the Windy City. His mom was baffled. She investigated further and found Pam Robinson, who was one of 19 people who died in a 1993 hotel fire.
Robinson’s family declined to comment on the story. The boy’s odd ability to remember places he’s never been is intriguing, to be sure. If this sounds amazing, it’s not that unusual on the show that revealed this story, Lifetime’s “Ghost Inside My Child” — and the last time we checked up on one of the show’s reports, it was a mess.

Man Arrested Over Wife’s Disappearance In 1978

Almost 40 years after a woman disappeared from a small Northern California town, her husband has been arrested on suspicion of killing her and then disposing of her body. AP reports:

Marvin Gail Owens, 62, was taken into custody in Keith County, Nebraska, on a warrant issued by officials in California. Owen’s wife, Deborah, was last seen Nov. 19, 1978, in Oroville. Two days later, Owens reported his wife missing. The mother of two hasn’t been seen since.
Evidence has been recovered from the couple’s Oroville home, said Butte County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jason Hail, who declined to elaborate. He said that investigators also conducted fresh interviews with the couple’s daughters, who were raised by Owens and are now adults. “It was important for us to talk to them about things told to them as they grew up about their mom,” Hail said. “That’s certainly a factor in all of this.”
Owens remained in Lincoln County Jail on Friday with bail set at $1 million. Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey said Owens appeared in a Nebraska courtroom Friday, and he did not challenge his extradition to California, where he will face the murder charge. Butte County officials expect to bring Owens to California next week, Ramsey said, noting the long investigation. “It’s been a slow slog over the decades,” he said.

Afghan Bank Staff Robs Own Bank And Flee

Staffs at a branch of the Afghanistan’s central bank in southern Kandahar province may have gotten away with as much as 81 million Afghanis ($1.4 million) when they reportedly robbed their own bank and ran, an official said on Saturday.  Reuters report:
Security cameras showed the bank’s vault had been cleaned out, but investigators were waiting to gain access before confirming the total missing, he said.
“Yesterday we could only open one of the treasury’s doors. We hope to open the next one today,” the central bank director for Afghanistan’s southwestern region, Fazel Ahmad Azimi, said.  Weak regulation undermines confidence in Afghanistan’s fragile banking system, which has yet to fully recover from a 2010 scandal over a bank that collapsed triggering a financial crisis.
An international financial watchdog last year threatened to place Afghanistan on a blacklist and has since warned it needs to do more to enforce laws to regulate its banking sector.  The Kandahar raid is believed to have been carried out by a senior official at the bank, an employee of nine years, with the help of his son and brother-in-law who were also on staff, according to Azimi.
The robbery at the branch in Spin Boldak near the border with Pakistan was discovered on Thursday and investigators believed the group has escaped to Pakistan. The group had removed CCTV recordings before fleeing to Pakistan, Azimi said, but investigators were hopeful that footage might be recovered from the memory chip of the security cameras.

Good Samaritan Falls To Her Death From Bridge While Attempting To Help Accident Victim

A 34-year-old woman has died after she fell off a bridge while helping an accident victim. Worldwideweirdnews reports:
Lauren Mohr of Connecticut, was trying to help two victims of a hit-and-run incident on Interstate 91 in New Haven, when she died.
Mohr had finished her shift at the Barcelona Restaurant in New Haven around 12:30 a.m., when she witnessed a hit and run incident. She stopped, called police and waited with the victims, according to family members.
While waiting for help to arrive, Mohr saw another car spinning out of control. As she jumped out of the way of the approaching vehicle, she fell over a concrete wall and off the bridge, landing about 40 feet below, State Police said. Police said that Elvin Ayala, 33, of Branford, hit the car of a 25-year-old woman. Ayala then fled the scene.
Ayala was later arrested and charged with evading responsibility, operating while under suspension and following too closely, according to State Police. So far, no one has been arrested in the accidental death of Mohr.

Guy Beaten To Pulp For Peeping At Neighbour’s Wife

A man in Oke-Ira, along Ajah area of Lagos state was allegedly caught peeping at a married woman while she was having her bath and received the beating of his life afterwards. Leadership Newspaper reports:
The culprit named Koffi, a Ghanaian Koffi was caught peeping at a married woman, Kudi who was taking her bath at Badore road, Ajah, Lagos.
Koffi was caught by the Kudi’s husband, Mufutau who beat him mercilessly.
Mufutau told Leadership Newspaper that the Ghanaian was fond of peeping at both single girls and married women but luck ran out on him when he caught him in the act on the evening of Tuesday February 17.
Mufutau said he was returning from work when he saw somebody peeping through a hole in the makeshift bathroom and snuck up to the man only to realise that he had been spying on his wife.
“I gently tapped Koffi on the hand and I asked: ‘What are you doing here? He attempted to beg me not to reveal the secret but he never knew I’m a different kind of person because I had to slap him twice before attracting the neighbours,” Mufutau revealed.

Woman Bites Off Boyfriend’s Private Part For Insulting Her

A man became an hospital candidate and needed several stitches after his angry girlfriend tried to bite off his private parts simply bacause he ‘insulted’ her. According Scoop, 31-year-old woman, Amber Ellis of Oklahoma, was arrested after she bit the private parts of her boyfriend.  She also hit the victim in the head with a laptop when he attempted to get her off of him.  Read more:

According to a police, the man said that he and Ellis, were out drinking on Wednesday night. On the way home, they got into an argument and he accused her of being “too needy.”
When they returned to their apartment in the 7600 block of East 49th Street in Tulsa, the woman went to the bedroom and closed the door behind her.
Her boyfriend, who fell asleep on the couch in the living room, woke up to her biting his private parts.  He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he received 4 stitches to the base of his private parts. He also had bruises on his head, face, neck, fingers and knees. Ellis was charged of maiming and assault with a dangerous weapon. She was arrested and booked into the Tulsa County jail, and her bail was set at $25,000.

Groom Dies In Strange Auto Crash On His Way To Marriage Introduction

While people were busy celebrating love last Val’s Day, a family somewhere in Ebonyi was suddenly overtaken by grief over what would have been the beginning of a beautiful love story between their daughter and the man she was bringing home for introduction.
The young woman, a native of Uburu in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, was bringing home her suitor when only a few poles to her family house, the vehicle they were traveling in had an accident and she watched helplessly as the one she loved took the last breath.
The accident happened at Enufaith in Umunaga Eweze, just before the Ohaozara West Development Council in Uburu. They were traveling in a commercial bus.
Strangely, the young man, an indigene of Abia State, was the only occupant of the bus that died in the accident. The intending couple had traveled alongside a few family members of the man from Aba for the event that was to hold just a few meters from the scene of the accident.
According to an eyewitness account, the passengers claimed that the driver was trying to avoid hitting an old woman who was crossing the road when he lost control and hit the wall of a building.
The eyewitness, Frank Ori said he ran out of his house when he heard the deafening bang of the vehicle hitting the wall.
“I heard when people were shouting and so I ran out of my house to the place. The passengers were talking about a woman. When we asked whom they were referring to, they explained that while they were coming an old woman was crossing the road.
“So, the driver tried to avoid hitting her. But seeing that he was about to hit a building, he turned the steering suddenly and in the process the vehicle somersaulted and hit another wall. But when we came out, we could not see any woman fitting the description they gave. We asked people and they said that they did not see any woman like that.
“Strangely again, out of all the passengers, it was only the young man that was killed. The wife-to-be, who was also traveling with him,  suffered only a small glass cut. They were all coming in the same vehicle. It was only that man that died from the accident. The girl he was going to marry had only a small cut, along with one other woman. Every other person in the bus was safe. It was just the three of them that were rushed to the hospital,” Ori said.
Sunday Sun gathered that the father of the girl was late, while her mother resided in the village. The girl was resident in Aba where she met the late suitor. Ori explained that when rescuers made to move the man out of the damaged vehicle, they discovered that he was not talking.
“It happened that when the vehicle hit the wall, part of the block that fell from the wall fell on the man’s head. It was lying on his head. Then we rushed him alongside the wife-to-be and one other woman that sustained an injury to the Presbyterian Joint Hospital in Uburu. But before getting to the hospital, he gave up the ghost,” Ori said.

Couple Pepper Sprayed After Refusing To Stop Having s*x In Public Toilet

A couple was arrested on charges of resisting arrest after police had no choice but to use pepper spray to stop them from having s*x in public, prosecutors in the United Kingdom said. 23-year-old Hayley Samantha McClory and Lee Arron Hopps, 30, were brought before the Newton Aycliffe Magistrate’s Court, after being accused of having s*x in the women’s restroom of a pub. Scoop has more:

According to the police investigation, officers who arrived at the Wetherspoons pub in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, had to use pepper spray in order to remove the couple from the premises. An employee who entered the women’s restroom, heard noises in one of the cubicles and ordered the couple to leave, but they refused.
The employee called the police, who arrived at the scene and ordered the couple to leave. When the refused, the officers broke into the cubicle to arrest the couple. The couple resisted, prompting police to use pepper spray. Hopps was charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior and resisting arrest.

Miracle: Man Survives Fall From 4,000-foot Sheer Cliff In Sri Lanka

Lucky: The Dutch tourist survived the 4,000 foot fall when he landed on a tree

A Dutch tourist reportedly survived falling off a 4,000-foot sheer cliff in Sri Lanka when a tree broke his fall. UPI has more:

Mamitho Lendas, 35, was honeymooning in Horton Plains National Park when he slipped off a scenic cliff called the “World’s End” while photographing his new wife.
Lendas was saved when a tree about 160 feet below broke his fall.
“I fell down backward two times and then I sat in bushes for like three and a half hours,” Lendas told the BBC. “Three and a half hours — the longest three and a half hours in my life.”
Lendas was eventually hoisted to the top by a rope. He and his wife extended thanks to a Canadian man named “Kent,” who they said talked to Lendas throughout the rescue.
Lendas is the first person to survive a fall from the World’s End, which affords views of mist-shrouded hills and mountains, as well as the Indian Ocean some 50 miles to the south.

Guy Accidentally Burns Down Home After Proposing To Girlfriend On Her Birthday

What started as the perfect day for a woman ended sadly with her home burning down.  A man in New Jersey, proposed to his girlfriend on her birthday before cooking breakfast for her and the family, and then… Worldwideweirdnews reports:

Isaiah Cox said that he was preparing breakfast in his Millville home around 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, when he heard his son crying. He left the kitchen and went to get the 1-year-old child, but when he returned, the kitchen was on fire.
The cabinets had apparently caught on fire from the oil that was left unattended on the stove, according to firefighters. His attempts to put the fire were not successful. The newly engaged man, grabbed his fiancee, his 5-month-old daughter, 1-year-old son, his sister and dog, and fled from the home.
Firefighters arrived and it took three hours to put out the flames. The second and third floors of the building were severely damaged by the fire. No one was injured in the incident. The American Red Cross is helping Cox and two other families who were left homeless after the fire.

ASUP To Embark On Indefinite Strike

Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), weekend, threatened to embark on an indefinite strike as from Wednesday, if the Federal Government failed to attend to all pending issues it raised in a two-week strike notice it served the Federal Government on February 11. The notice was a call on the government to implement the agreement it reached with the union over four years ago.
The lecturers had in 2014 suspended a strike that almost lasted a year, following promises made by Education Minister, Ibrahim Shekarau. However, the union said none of the items on their list of demands had been settled.
President of ASUP, Comrade Chibuzor Asomugha, disclosed this while addressing journalists after its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
He noted that some of the demands of ASUP which government had refused to attend to, include the continued discrimination against polytechnic graduates, both in the public service and the labour market in Nigeria and the non-release of white paper on visitation to federal polytechnics.
Others are the non-implementation of CONTISS 15 migration for the lower cadres and its arrears as from 2009 when salary structure was approved, the non-establishment of a National Polytechnic Commission, NPC, and the “wrongful recognition” of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) as the regulatory body for polytechnics.
The union is also asking for more funding for polytechnics, appointment of competent people into governing councils and adequate funding of state polytechnics by their various owners.
Asomugha also demanded the immediate dissolution of Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, in Anambra State and that of Ado Ekiti in Ekiti State for allegedly creating avoidable problems in their institutions.

Jonathan’s land allocation is abuse of office, corruption – APC

President Goodluck Jonathan

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said President Goodluck Jonathan committed a serious error of judgement, abused his office, violated the constitution and engaged in corruption through his Abuja land grab that fetched him 90.04 Ha of land in the Aviation Village, barely seven months after he was sworn into office.
In a statement issued in London on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said nothing can justify the indiscretion of a sitting President acquiring such a huge swath of land, as contained in a newspaper advert and yet unrefuted by the President.
It said the claim of the President’s apologists that he grabbed the land because he wanted to engage in farming, which it said is allowed under the Fifth Schedule Part 1 (Code of Conduct for Public Officers) of the 1999 Constitution, and the disingenuous justification of the land grab on the basis that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo did the same while in office, missed the point.
APC said the issues involved go beyond the fact that a public officer is legally allowed to engage in farming, adding that the provision quoted by the President’s apologists is a weak and untenable defence.
“The Fifth Schedule Part 1( Code of Conduct for Public Officers) of the 1999 Constitution, Section 1 states that ‘a public officer shall not put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with his duties and responsibilities.’ But that’s exactly what the President did by leveraging his high office to grab a prime land in Abuja. Would Goodluck Jonathan have been given 90.04 Ha of such a prime land were he not a sitting President?
“What happened in that Abuja land grab is nothing but the height of indiscretion and abuse of office, and cannot be justified or explained away just like that. Without mincing words, it also amounts to corruption, which is defined in part as a perversion of integrity, and a glaring instance of bad leadership,” the party said.
It said the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Bala Mohammed, was emboldened to also grab 40.40Ha of prime land in Abuja, under the facade of using it for farming, because his boss, the President, has done so.
APC slammed the President’s apologists for seeking to justify President Jonathan’s action because Chief Obasanjo, according to them, also acquired land for farming during his own presidency.
“Those pushing this kind of argument are worsening the President’s case and insulting Nigerians. When did one bad act become a justification for another? Does a thief escape punishment by saying he stole because someone else has stolen? If indeed Chief Obasanjo did it, does that make it right? Is this not part of the reasons this President has been unable to fight corruption?
“It is also important to point out that the Aviation village, under the Abuja Master plan, is meant only for Aviation-related activities and not farming. The President knew this, yet he went ahead to apply and was allocated land for farming in the Aviation Village. Perhaps his intention is to subsequently apply for a change of use. How many other people were allocated land for farming in the Aviation Village?” the party queried.
APC asked President Jonathan to apologize to Nigerians for engaging in such a brazen abuse of office, act of corruption and violation of the constitution and immediately give up the land he has grabbed.

Lagos Court Frees Babalakin over N4.7bn Fraud

Dr Wale Babalakin: freed of N4.7bn fraud

Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo of the Lagos High Court today discharged the Chairman of Bi-Courtney Ltd, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN) over a N4.7billion fraud charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The court also absolved Babalakin’s companies Stabilini Visioni Ltd., Bi-Courtney Ltd, Renix Nigeria Ltd and Alex Okoh who were charged along with him.
The EFCC had charged Babalakin and his co-defendants to court on a 27-count charge bordering on conspiracy, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct and corruptly conferring benefit on account of public action.
The anti-graft agency alleged that Babalakin and his co-defendants fraudulently assisted convicted former Delta state governor, James Ibori to transfer huge sums of money through various parties to Erin Aviation account in Mauritius for the purchase of a plane.
But Babalakin alongside his co-defendants through their lawyers filed separate applications, praying Justice Lawal-Akapo to quash the N4.7bn charges, with a position that the EFCC, as a federal agency, lacked valid fiat to prosecute them in a state high court.
The defendants through their counsel, Dr. Biodun Layonu (SAN), Mr. Tayo Oyetibo (SAN), Mr. Roland Otaru (SAN), Dr. Joseph Nwobike (SAN) and Mr. Oladapo Akinosun had also argued that the state High Court has no jurisdiction to hear offences brought under the EFCC Act.
The lawyers posited that all the charges against the defendant were predicated on repealed laws of Lagos State and urged the court to quash same.
They also submitted that the defendants were not properly informed of the details they were charged for as stated in the Constitution, adding that count 2 to 13 of the charge did not inform the defendant the details of the offence, neither did they constitute an offence under any written law in the country.
EFCC through its lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), while opposing the applications of the defendants told the court it has constitutional right to prosecute the defendants before a state high court.
Jacob also contended that Section 286 of the constitution permits state high court to entertain federal offences.
On the issue of general fiat issued by the Attorney General of the Federation, Jacob said the only person who can complain about not getting the said fiat is the Lagos State Attorney General himself and not any of the party before the court.
The EFCC counsel said both EFCC and the Attorney General of the Federation are authorised by Law to initiate criminal proceeding, adding that the fact that both bodies jointly initiated the charges against the defendants does not make it illegal.
Ruling on the application today, the trial Judge, formulated four issues to determination; Whether the EFCC can prosecute a defendants without fait, whether James Ibori is a public officer, whether two prosecuting authorities can jointly sign a charge and whether the charge on the surface contains sufficient information.
The judge resolved three of the issues in favour of Babalakin and his co defendant and only upheld that the EFCC had the power to prosecute an matter in court without fiat.
Justice Lawal-Akapo ruled that the EFCC had not disclosed enough information to sustain the allegation made against Babalakin and his co-defendants.
The judge held that the EFCC for instance did not disclose the particulars of the offences allegedly committed, when the offences took place etc.
Consequently Justice Lawal-Akapo said “the amended information filed May 7, 2013 is incurably bad and ineffective.”
The judge also held that James Ibori who was alleged to have corruptly conferred the N4.7billion on Babalakin is not a public office as stated in the charge.
On the issue of prosecuting authorities jointly signing a charge, the judge agreed with the defendants that the trial was a joint prosecution between the EFCC and the Attorney General of Lagos State.
He subsequently discharged the defendants.

Bash Ali Lands In Kuje Prison

The running battle between Nigeria’s World Boxing Federation, WBF, cruiserweight boxing champion, Bashiru Lawrence Ali, a.k.a. Bash Ali (OON) and the Managing Director of NEXIM Bank, Robert Orya has landed the Edo State-born pugilist in Kuje Prison in Abuja.

Bash Ali has several times alleged that Orya demanded a bribe of $10 million out of the $30m which President Goodluck Jonathan had asked the bank to release to the Local Organising Committee, LOC, of the Guinness Book of World Records fight which the boxer plan to stage in Nigeria.

Bash Ali said: “On Wednesday, 18 February, NEXIM Bank’s Executive Director, Customer Service, Bashir Wali invited me for a chat, while waiting, the MD, Robert Orya, who on 6 May 6, 2014 asked for a private chat which I turned down drove in, saw me and members of the LOC and ordered security to beat us up. The security men broke the head of our driver and damaged the vehicle.”

•Bash Ali: Remanded in Kuje prison for allegedly disrupting public peace at NEXIM Bank Headquarters in Abuja

According to the boxer, he and some members of the LOC were arrested by the police and taken to the Federal Secretariat Command of the force in Abuja and were later transferred to the FCT Command before being finally taken to SARS on the same Wednesday.

“On Thursday we were arraigned at the Magistrate’s Court, Cotonou Street at Wuse Zone 6. At the end of the proceedings the Chief Magistrate agreed to grant me bail of N1 million with surety of a Level 10 Federal worker, which I refused. This forced the police to remand me at Kuje Prison till 4 March when the case will come up again.

“Fellow Nigerians, is this how we will allow corruption to continue in our dear country?” said Bash Ali through a text message he sent out at the weekend.

P.M.NEWS Sports gathered from a police source that Bash Ali is being tried for criminal trespass, obstruction in public way, wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation, contrary to Sections 79, 85, 348, 194, 266 and 397 of penal code.

The source said that Ali was arrested on Wednesday at about 2p.m after one Mr. Bisong Peter of NEXIM Bank reported him at the Central Police Station. He was arrested alongside five others when he trespassed into the premises on the bank, using a bus to block the entrance into the building, thereby restricting staff from getting into their offices.

Nadal drops out of ATP top three

Rafael Nadal: out of top three

Rafael Nadal has slipped a place to four in the latests ATP Rankings published on Monday after losing his first semi-final on clay in 12 years in Rio.
The third spot previously occupied by the Spaniard is now filled by Andy Murray, last in action when losing in the quarter-finals in Rotterdam 10 days ago.
This is the first time Nadal has not figured in the top three since August, 2013.
Novak Djokovic, who heads the seeds at this week’s Dubai Open, retains his steely grip on the rankings ahead of Roger Federer.
1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 13.045
2. Roger Federer (SUI) 9.205
3. Andy Murray (GBR) 5.460
4. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 5.425
5. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 5.205
6. Milos Raonic (CAN) 4.980
7. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 4.595
8. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 4.460
9. David Ferrer (ESP) 4.185
10. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL). 3.465
11. Marin Cilic (CRO) 3.450
12. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 2.395
13. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 2.325
14. Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 2.125
15. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 2.125
16. Gilles Simon (FRA) 2.095
17. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2.020
18. Tommy Robredo (ESP) 1.755
19. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 1.740
20. John Isner (USA) 1.720
21. David Goffin (BEL) 1.659

Nigeria Vs S/Africa: ‘Eaglets Not Scared Of Amajimbos’

 

Golden Eaglets coach Emmanuel Amunike says his team are not scared to meet South Africa’s Amajimbos in their semi final game of the ongoing 11th CAF Africa Junior Championship in Niger.

Amunike, who attributed his Golden Eaglets’ qualification for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile to determination, team work and self belief said: “I don’t fear any team or prefer to meet any. Our major concern now is to make sure the boys are refreshed and ready for the semi-finals.”

“Despite our qualifications, there are areas we need to still work on and players to get back to full fitness from the knocks they suffered in the group stages.

“If you want to win the cup, you have to beat the team in front of you. That is the only way to become champions. We are not afraid of anybody, but we also respect our opponents,” he added.

Amunike also reiterated that his team is still evolving and more work has to be done to get the team in a much better shape when the knock out stages commences.

Meanwhile, gangling Golden Eaglets striker, Victor Osimhen, has admitted it would be an effort in futility if he emerges as Niger 2015 top scorer without Golden Eaglets as champions of Africa.

On the road to Niger 2015, Osimhen was Golden Eaglets’ top marksman with an impressive 18 goals in 38 (official and friendly) matches, and has scored thrice in Niger, including  two spectacular strikes against Zambia on Saturday.

“We are  happy  that we have qualified  for the World Cup, the priority now is to ensure we win the trophy because it would be meaningless even if I finish the top scorer,” Osimhen said.

Breaking: 20 killed by girl-suicide bomber in Maiduguri

 

A suicide bomb attack by a young girl thought to be as young as 10 in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri killed 19 people, police said on Saturday.Borno State police spokesman Gideon Jubrin told reporters: “Casualty figure: 20 dead and 18 injured, including the female suicide bomber that detonated the improvised explosive device.”
The blast happened at about 12:40 pm (1140 GMT) near the live chicken section of the Monday Market in the Borno State capital, which was targeted twice in a week by female bombers late last year.

Jonathan, FG to create fake Shekau, name Buhari Boko Haram sponsor-APC

President Goodluck Jonathan: accused of planning to produce a fake Abubakar Shekau to nail Buhari

The APC Presidential Campaign Organization (APCPCO) has raised the alarm about reports of a fake Abubakar Shekau (Boko Haram leader) that will be presented before Nigerians by the federal government in order to claim glory for winning the war on terrorism.
In a statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity of the APCOPC signed by Malam Garba Shehu, APC campaign organisation wondered where the ‘new Shekau’ will come from after government at several times in the past, announced that they had killed the insurgent leader.
Beyond this, credible sources have alerted the APC that the fake Shekau might become a tool to blackmail members of the opposition by coaching the phantom terror chief to say he was working for the opposition party candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari in order to link its presidential candidate to terrorism as it had attempted but failed in the past.
“The charge to the military, that they should catch Shekau alive by President Goodluck Jonathan in the last 24 hours lends credence to the report that indeed a fake Shekau is about being created.”
The statement went on to assert that the profile of the leader of the insurgents, Shekau, of a dedicated ideologue presupposes that the man is not likely to allow himself to be caught alive. “It is both contradictory to the ideology he preaches and the psychological profile that the world has of him that Shekau would allow himself to be caught alive,” the statement asserted.

Abubakar Shekau in new video released on Twitter

The APCPCO recalled that the attack back in Kaduna on the party’s presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari was seen and believed by most Nigerians that it was perpetrated by the Boko Haram. “The police that is constitutionally empowered to investigate and report on such incidents has not contradicted the widespread belief that this was a Boko Haram attack.”The view of the APC is that it does not make sense for General Muhammadu Buhari to be in league with, or be associated in any way with people who have set out to kill him.”
In the view of this, the APCPCO said the government needs to listen to the various counsel from international bodies and lately by our religious leaders that campaign must be about issues and not maligning people. “Unfounded allegations linking the opposition to insurgency amounts to leaving the issues to pursue personal attacks as warned against, barely 24 hours ago by leaders of the Catholic Community in the country, through Arch. Bishop John Onaiyekan.
The APC presidential campaign said it was no less shocked, as other Nigerians by the President’s admission in a weekend newspaper interview that he has under-estimated the Boko Haram challenge, arguing that any leader in that circumstance should not consider himself fit to seek re-election.

•General Muhammadu Buhari: set to be accused of sponsoring Boko Haram

Quoting President Jonathan’s recent confession that he under-estimated Boko Haram, the APC presidential campaign said the admission was a direct evidence that the PDP President has nothing to offer and must bow to the wind of change.
According to the statement, President Jonathan is out of touch with the realities of the lethal challenges posed by global terrorism, including Boko Haram, which is affiliated to Al-Qaeda global terror network.
Malam Garba Shehu explained that for any President to under-estimate terrorism, it means that he doesn’t take any national challenges seriously, including health, poverty, unemployment, power, education, infrastructure and other issues.
The APC presidential campaign added that with his admission, President Jonathan has passed a vote of no confidence on himself and his government.
The statement added, however, that APC presidential campaign was not surprised by the self-confessed failure by the PDP President, explaining that his confession underlines the imperative for change.
Shehu said that with a President admitting his incompetence of a mortal challenge to the security of Nigerians, he has no business seeking re-election or looking for excuses to delay the polls.

Egypt's President: It's time for an Arab coalition against ISIS

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says the need for a unified Arab force against ISIS becomes "more pressing every day."

Story highlights

• "This is a big deal, and it's absolutely the right first step," U.S. Maj. Gen. James Marks says
• Jordan and the UAE have offered military assistance to Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi says

(CNN)As ISIS continues it murderous rampage in the Middle East, Egypt's President said it's time for more Arab countries to join forces against the terror group.

"The need for a unified Arab force is growing and becoming more pressing every day," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in a televised speech Sunday.

El-Sisi said Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have offered military help as Egypt amplifies its battle against ISIS in neighboring Libya.

CNN military analyst Maj. Gen. James "Spider" Marks said "it's about time" an Arab leader like el-Sisi made such a statement.

The ISIS terror threat 47 photos

EXPAND GALLERY

"Strategically and politically for the region, this is a big deal, and it's absolutely the right first step," the retired U.S. Army officer said.

El-Sisi's statement came after U.S. President Barack Obama called for other countries last week to step up their efforts in the fight against ISIS.

The United States is leading a coalition to fight ISIS from the sky over Iraq and Syria. But according to U.S. Central Command, 80% of the airstrikes have been conducted by the United States; the other 20% were launched by other coalition countries.

And there's serious doubt about whether airstrikes alone will eliminate ISIS.

"The airstrikes aren't going to get the job done," CNN law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes told CNN's "New Day." "We need the Arab states to be the ones to eventually put the boots on the ground. Whether they actually end up doing it and being dedicated to this, we'll have to see."

What's missing

El-Sisi didn't specify exactly what he meant by a "united Arab force" and whether that means troops on the ground.

The idea of a pan-Arab force has been talked about for generations. But past efforts have been marred by distrust among Arab nations.

Now, they have a common enemy in ISIS, a formidable regional threat.

Beyond Iraq and Syria

ISIS was initially known for trying to establish an Islamic State across parts of Iraq and Syria, and it has captured swaths of land in both countries.

But the group is expanding its reach.

How ISIS justifies its actions 

Last week, ISIS released a gruesome video that appeared to show militants beheading 21 Egyptian Christians on a Libyan beach. In response, Egypt launched a series of airstrikes against ISIS in Libya.

But in his speech Sunday, el-Sisi said the Egyptian army isn't trying to invade foreign territory.

"Your armed forces only protect the people of Egypt, and we coordinate with our Arab brothers," he said.

Who's doing what in the coalition battle against ISIS?

Peshmerga fighters in cages

As world leaders talk about what to do about ISIS, the militants' atrocities and threats carry on.

On Saturday, ISIS released a new propaganda video showing what appears to be Kurdish Peshmerga fighters paraded down Iraqi streets in cages atop pickup trucks.

ISIS releases video of Peshmerga fighters in cages 02:09

PLAY VIDEO

The video features a man saying the Peshmerga soldiers were captured by ISIS. CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video.

A man with a microphone bearing the ISIS logo interviews some of the captives. The prisoners, under duress, call on their fellow Peshmerga soldiers to give up their fight against ISIS.

Watch: Who are the Peshmerga?

The heavily edited footage also includes flashback images of the beheadings of the Christian Egyptians.

The man in the video gives an ominous warning:

"We say to the Peshmerga: Leave your jobs, or your fate will be like these, either the cage, or under the ground."

Russia's Vladimir Putin says war with Ukraine 'unlikely'

 

Both sides have used devastating rocket systems during the conflict

Continue reading the main story

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has said war with neighbouring Ukraine is "unlikely", in an interview for Russian television.

Mr Putin also stressed his support for the Minsk agreement as the best way to stabilise eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine has said there is clear evidence Russia is helping the rebels in the east, something Russia denies.
Earlier, Ukraine's military said rebel shelling had prevented them withdrawing heavy weapons from the front line.
In his interview, Mr Putin was asked if there was a real threat of war, given the situation in eastern Ukraine.
"I think that such an apocalyptic scenario is unlikely and I hope this will never happen," he said.
Mr Putin said that if the Minsk agreement was implemented, eastern Ukraine would "gradually stabilise".
"Europe is just as interested in that as Russia. No-one wants conflict on the edge of Europe, especially armed conflict," he said.