Nigerian Army arrests ex-colonel who led Yobe Boko Haram attacks

A retired lieutenant colonel, who was said to have led the Boko Haram attacks on Damaturu, Yobe State, on Thursday was arrested by security forces during the encounter.

The retired army officer is being detained at a military facility.

It could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report if he has been moved to Abuja for interrogation or not.

The Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Ibrahim,  had put the casualty figure on the part of the insurgents at 70 in a statement that was silent on the number of soldiers killed in the attack.

It was however, learnt that nine soldiers including a lieutenant and four policemen lost their lives in the attack.

“The retired lieutenant colonel was properly discharged from the Army and it was a big surprise when he was arrested and identified by those who knew him as a former officer,” an Army source said.

It was further learnt that the attack on security formations in Damaturu was to avenge the seizure of a truck containing military uniforms and arms by security forces.

The truck was seized last week when the driver objected to a search of the vehicle and he tendered a memo purportedly from the Defence Headquarters directing that the truck should not be searched.

The driver and other passengers were detained and the truck was impounded and parked at the Police Area Command, Guija Road, Damaturu, when the army camouflage and weapons were found inside it.

It was further gathered that members of the sect  are holding a medical doctor who was abducted while on duty at the Sani Abacha Hospital during the Thursday attack.

They also carted away drugs that were in the pharmacy of the medical facility and took away two ambulances belonging  to the Damaturu General Hospital.

Security operatives are said to be looking for the doctor who is feared to have been taken to one of the enclaves of the sect in the North-East.

A security source said on Saturday that the Boko Haram members might have taken away the drugs for the purpose of giving medication to injured fighters of the group while the medical doctor might have been seized for the purpose of rendering medication to their injured members.

Meanwhile, the military on Saturday relaxed the 24 hours curfew imposed on Yobe State to nine hours.

When our correspondent contacted the Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, he said, “Whatever you call it, we are capable of dealing with it decisively.

“We will continue to do the required adjustment both in approach and structure to respond appropriately and ensure that our duty to defend the country and the citizenry is discharged effectively.”

I

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc introduces new e-commerce platform called U-Mall.

United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc In partnership with Netplus Advisory Limited has introduced a new e-commerce platform called U-Mall. U-Mall is an online super mall where different retailers can get retail space, display and market their goods to different buyers, providing variety and competitive pricing for potential buyers. called U-Mall.

The new U-Mall  allow several small business owners in different sectors of the economy open online stores hosted on a single e-commerce platform to display and sell their goods online to potential shoppers on the internet. Continue...

Visa Representatives in Nigeria, Holly Jones;  Managing Director, Net Plus Advisory, Wole Faroun; Divisional Head, eBanking, UBA Plc, Yinka Adedeji; and Project Manager, U-Mall, UBA Plc, Jolade Adeoye; and during the formal launch of U-Mall a new e-commerce platform to support SMEs, launched in Lagos on Thursday

Yinka Adedeji, Head, e-Banking, UBA Plc, said that part of the key benefit of the U-Mall is the removal of entry barriers for SMEs looking for a wider market for their goods through an  online platform.  According to him, with U-Mall, consumers are able to browse from one store to another to look for great products and  attractive bargains. “Specifically, a consumer can add items to their shopping cart across multiple stores and once submitted the product requests are sent to the respective merchants and the logistics partner and the selected products delivered conveniently to the customer as soon as payments are made.  The logistics partner FedEx (RedStar Express Plc) picks up products from merchants and delivers to the customer usually within 24 hours for purchases in the Lagos metropolis and between 2-3days in most locations in Nigeria,” He said.

r-l: Managing Director, Net Plus Advisory, Wole Faroun; Visa Representatives in Nigeria, Holly Jones;  Project Manager, U-Mall,  UBA Plc, Jolade Adeoye; and Divisional Head, eBanking, UBA Plc, during the formal launch of U-Mall a new e-commerce platform to support SMEs, launched in Lagos on Thursday

Double Lives of Nigerian Politicians and office holders* as Oduah's Kinsmen Protest her innocense

Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah paddles canoe in her flooded village a different image from the real ostentatious live lived in Abuja. But Kinsmen claim others present and past have done worse in corruption and even those condemning her like Fani Kayode was even more corrupt only that social media was not rife in those days to expose them and  spread the news .

The kinsfolk of embattled Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, have said they are surprised at the groundswell of public opinion running against their most prominent daughter.

The people of Akili-Ozizor in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anamba State disclosed  that as far as they were concerned, the minister is the best thing that has happened to them.

They said she has not only regularly empowered young people and widows, the minister has built schools and churches for them. They listed some of the projects she has done for the community to include the building of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, the rehabilitation of the Josephine Oduah Secondary School and the provision of a borehole.

One of the chiefs, Boniface Osakwe, who is the Onya of Akili-Ozizor, said that Oduah’s philanthropy extends beyond the community to the entire Ogbaru l Local Government Area, spanning all the towns located along the lower bank of the River Niger in Anambra State.

Osakwe wondered why she was being persecuted in an office that she will leave one day.

“Is it because she is a woman? Other people had been in that office. She will leave one day and another person will occupy it,” Osakwe wondered.

The President General of Akili-Ozizor Town Union, Mr. Chukwudi Igwe, simply said Oduah “is a very good woman.”

He would not be dragged into commenting on the raging car scandal circulating about the minister. “I don’t know about that. All I know is that she has been helping our people,” he added.

One young man from the community, Mr. Chidozie Ogbaekwe, said he was surprised about the car scandal. “If they bought the cars for her, she will use them now. Any problem with that?” he asked.

Ogbaekwe who said many indigent members of the community have benefited from scholarships from Oduah, however pointed out that the woman was yet to fulfil the promise she made to him about buying him a motorcycle.

“I am hoping that when she comes in December, she will give me my own motorcycle,” he said.

Oduah’s image looms large over the small and rustic community located on the bank of the River Niger. From Uga Junction, 30km away from Onitsha, where commercial motorcycles ferry people to Akili-Ozizor and other towns in Ogbaru, all the visitors need to tell the cyclists is take me to Stella’s House.

Her father, John Oduah, was the traditional ruler of the community. Her mother was the Omu, a title and office Stella has since inherited.

The only asphalt road veering off the main road in the community leads to her expansive estate, which she shares with the workers of her contracting company.

She is currently erecting a huge country home on about two hectares of land, not far from her older estate.

Last year, her entire home was submerged in the flood disaster that ravaged all the riverine communities in Anambra State.

STELLA ODUAH , NIGERIAN AVIATION MINISTER SPOTTED IN JERUSALEM 

Nigerian Ejiogu Benjamin Ikechukwu Sentenced To Death For Drugs In Vietnam

A Nigerian has been sentenced to death for drug trafficking in Vietnam,  state media said on Wednesday.

According to AFP, a  court in Vietnam, whose drug laws are among the toughest in the world, on Monday handed a 31-year-old Nigerian man, Ejiogu Benjamin Ikechukwu, a death sentence for smuggling 3.4 kilograms of methamphetamines from Qatar to Vietnam.

Vietnam takes a hardline on drugs and anyone found guilty of attempting to smuggle more than 100 grams of heroin or cocaine can face the death penalty.

Convictions and sentences are revealed only by local media which is strictly under state control in the communist nation.

Ejiogu who was arrested at the city’s Tan Son Nhat Airport on June 23, 2012, after arriving from Thailand, with the drugs allegedly found in 19 nylon bags hidden in a battery charger,  claimed during interrogation that he had been asked by another man to carry some goods including 16 pistons and the battery charger to Viet Nam, and that he did not know there were drugs inside.

Meanwhile, after a two-year hiatus in carrying out capital punishment due to problems of procuring chemicals for lethal injections, Vietnam executed its first prisoner by the method in August.

The country currently has more than 586 prisoners on death row, at least 117 of whom meet all the criteria for immediate execution, media reports have said.

Although the country does not release statistics on executions, rights group Amnesty International recorded five executions in 2011 and said 23 new death sentences were handed out that year, mainly to drug traffickers.

Foreigners frequently fall foul of the nation’s stiff drug laws.

In June last year, a Thai design student was handed a death penalty for trafficking three kilos of methamphetamine, while in October, a 61-year-old Filipina received the death penalty for smuggling five kilograms of methamphetamines.

: Anambra Poll: Ngige Slaps Catholic Priest ... DailyTimes

As the November 16, 2013 gubernatorial election draws nearer, the APC candidate, Senator Chris Ngige has embroiled himself in unwanted controversy following allegations that he slapped a Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Evaristus Ezekwona at a burial ceremony in Nanka, Agulu, Anambra State on Thursday.
Senator Ngige was said to have become furious when he erroneously concluded that Rev. Fr. Ezekwona was deliberately standing in his way and suddenly snapped, pouncing on the hapless priest, strangling him first and then unleashing a torrent of slaps on both sides of the clergy man's face.
The incident took place at the at the burial of the mother of the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor in Nanka which attracted prominent sons and daughter the state including politicians.
An eye witness, Obiora Onwuama, who observed the scuffle, revealed that after unleashing his fury on Rev. Fr. Ezekwona, Ngige was not fully satisfied and promptly instructed his personal aides to torture him and they promptly pounced and inflicted more bodily injuries on him.
“We were all horrified at the sight. Senator Ngige must have acted blindly because the man was dressed in his cassock. There were screams of shock and horror from the onlookers but Senator Ngige could not be stopped. He must have mistaken Fr. Evaristus for a member of the opposition party,” Onwuama explained in total disbelief.
According to him, the earlier assumption that Senator Ngige may have acted in error soon gave way to a deeper fear when upon his instruction, his aides descended heavily on the hapless priest, punching and kicking him to the consternation of onlookers.
The APC gubernatorial candidate seems
to be courting controversy with ease in recent times starting with his ill-conceived statement justifying the deportation of 79 Igbos from Lagos to the poorly timed kick-off of his campaign rally in Onitsha on the same day that the Ofala Festival was taking place which provoked the anger of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe and his cabinet.
Ngige was also recently reported to have engaged the Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi in a futile tussle for prominence when he hijacked the governor’s seat at a recent Mass conducted by Arch-Bishop Valerian Okeke at the Onitsha Prisons and rebuffed all entreaties to relinquish the seat.
The diminutive Senator has also been fingered for pulling down and pouring black oil on the APGA candidate’s billboards placed in strategic locations across the state.

[VIDEO] 14-Year-Old Nigerian And Chelsea Wonder Kid Habib Makanjuola Wants To Be Best In The World By Age 17…

Habib Makanjoula is currently representing Nigeria at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, despite being just 14-years-old.

Ever heard of a young man by the name of Habib Makanjoula? No, well get used to it because at 14-years-old he is the youngest player to have played so far at this year’s Under-17 FIFA World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

The FIFA Under-17 World Cup is currently under way, and the tournament that has previously unearthed gems such as Cesc Fabregas, Toni Kroos and Landon Donovan is sure to discover a few more for teams from the Premier League and around the globe to purr over.

Makanjoula however is already one of them, after signing for Chelsea in August 2012.

He said at the time that Barcelona, Lyon and Manchester United were all also interested in his talents, but he liked the development facilities at Chelsea so chose The Blues as the club to help him realise an ambitious dream:

‘’I settled for Chelsea because of their youth development programmes. I am confident that with what I saw in the club, I will realize my ambition to become the world’s best football player at the age of 17.’’

Wow, such self-belief for one so young, but he does have the skills to achieve his dream – at least, ball juggling skills that is.

Makanjoula won the Red Bull World Football Juggling tournament in South Africa back in 2010 – at the age of 12.

He even performed in front of 80,000 people at a Christian convention in the same year, receiving a scholarship to study in England as a reward for his excellence.

Habib Makanjuola with José Mourinho

He moved to Cambridge, and then had his trials at Chelsea which got him to this point today – 14-years-old and playing among the best 17 and 16-year-olds in world football.

How he can translate his mesmerising skills onto the pitch remain to be seen, and despite wearing the number ‘7’ shirt in UAE he has only so far featured as a late substitute against Mexico.

But Chelsea fans, remember the name Habib Makanjoula – because if he lives up to his own expectations, he is going to be a household name in three years’ time.

Here is a video of him performing his ball-juggling routine … and before you criticise the final minute or so remember this…

He is 12-years-old at the time in front of 80,000 people!

Anambra Governorship Election Is Not A Do Or Die For Me- Ifeanyi Uba

Anambra State gubernatorial candidate under the Labour Party Chief Ifeanyi Uba has said that the election is not a do or die thing for him.

According to him, What is keen to me is politics of Anambra State. I am flexible, I am calm, I am relaxed, I am just doing it as if I’m like somebody trying to do his business. I don’t follow protocol, I don’t follow style.

I am doing it in my own style and I’m as a man that tomorrow, whatever the outcome is, I can always go home and sit. If I win the election I will still go and take a rest and say God thank. If I don’t win I’ll also go back home.

I am winning because I am the best candidate. I am winning because I have the solution to the problems of Anambra people. Whoever in Anambra politics that feels that he is better than me I challenge him with five million naira to come for a debate.

If anybody in Anambra be it Ngige, be It whoever and thinks he is better than me, he should come.
Because first it’s a challenge, if anybody is better than me in any line, he should come and challenge me for a public debate before our debate.
I came from a poor background, very humble background. I know the society. I have felt what people there are feeling.

In Lagos, this my street won the best street in Lagos in 2011 by Lagos State government. There is light, street light from street end to street end, there is covered drainage street end to street end, this is what I did in Lagos.

So Ifeanyi’s life style with the masses is not something I designed today. I have taken kerosene to every corner to touch the lives of the masses. So I know what people in Kano how they are feeling, the poor masses in Kano, the poor masses in Bauchi every part of this country.

Now coming to my state, I am with them and I am a very proud Anambarian. So what drives me into this politics is that the politicians have not been fair to Anambarians and the sacrifice I am giving today nobody can afford to give it. Nobody will be at the top of his business and then they say come and run the company and say I don’t want to run I want to go into politics. It is not that Anambra State has more money than what I am getting from my company, but I want somebody to manage it today let me go and see how I can fix Anambra, at least you should appreciate it from this point.

I want to tell you about other politicians that are contesting. Some don’t have any business with the masses, some have never been in the state, some were forced, some don’t even know the name of their deputy governor (running mate), you know it’s a big crime for somebody to be in a debate and he will not remember the name of his deputy governor.

Photos:: President GoodLuck Jonathan's pilgrimage to Israel

 Prof Vincent Anibuogu; President Goodluck Jonathan; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Mr Johnkennedy Opara; Gov Peter Obi Of Anambra And Minister Of Information, Mr Labaran Maku Praying At The Place Where The Body Of Jesus Christ Was* *Cleaned And Perfumed Before Burial* 

President Jonathan was at the wailing wall at Jerusalem old city - The place where the body of Jesus Christ was cleaned and perfumed before burial. The president was accompanied by Governor Peter Obi of Anambra state, minister of Information Labaran Maku, CAN president Ayo Oritsejafor, Gov Suswan of Benue state, Gov Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, Reuben Abati and others.

 

Pics from Day 1

The president accompanied by governor Martins Elechi of Ebonyi state, Gov Theodore Orji of Abia state, and many others...

Nigerian Man Catches Pregnant Wife In Bed With Lover (Photos)

It was a real show of shame recently as a man caught his pregnant wife red handed in bed with her lover..The show of shame which happened somewhere in Lagos was the high point of a surveillance by the aggrieved husband who has been  bombarded with the frolicking details of a love affair between the man who is said to be a father of four and his lover girl.

|On the day of the incident, the husband traced the lovers to a hotel where they have converted to their love nest..Armed with a camera, he stormed the place and raised hell until he was taken to the room where his five months pregnant wife was having a hot sex with her lover.

The two couldn't believe their eyes when the man banged on the door which was forced open only to see his wife already spread out and panting from a bout of sex.

The scene was a delight to behold as both continue to plead with the man to tamper justice with mercy.

The two lovers are seen in these pictures (graphic details) some of which we cannot posted because its porn ..

U.S Seal Forces Storm Coast of Nigeria

WASHINGTON, Stella Igwe (PSN)-----A U.S. special operations team of Navy SEALs is on its way to the Nigerian coast in a bid to rescue two American Sailors kidnapped by pirates on Wednesday.

Per Second News gathered that the crack team of Seals are to work with the United States Africa Command, (U.S. AFRICOM) one of six of the U.S. Defense Department's geographic combatant commands and is responsible to the Secretary of Defense for military relations with African nations, the African Union, and African regional security organizations.

A full-spectrum combatant command, U.S. AFRICOM is responsible for all U.S. Department of Defense operations, exercises, and security cooperation on the African continent, its island nations, and surrounding waters.

In response to the kidnap of two other American Aid workers last year, President Obama, said that “The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice. This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people,” he added.

Unconfirmed report reaching the Per Second News from the White House indicate that President Obama has authorized a rescue mission Friday.

Edison Chouest Offshore owners of the vessel informed Per Second News that the crew were legally working in the coast of Nigeria.

The dynamic marine transport company founded in 1960 in Galliano, Louisiana has the capability to design, build, own and operate diverse high capacity and technologically superior vessel.

Meanwile, rebel groups in the Niger-Delta region said Friday they have been contacted by the kidnappers of two U.S. mariners and can help ensure their safety.

Nigerian Navy spokesman Capt. Kabir Aliyu said a rescue operation has been mounted for the men, whom U.S. officials identified as the captain and chief engineer of the U.S.-flagged C-Retriever offshore supply vessel.

An email reportedly from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta said Friday the Americans were captured by a "heavily armed auxiliary outfit" off the town of Brass in the Gulf of Guinea.

"The Americans will not be handed over for our direct custody but we will have the influence to visit them and ensure that they are well looked after until their subsequent release," the statement said.

Almost all foreigners kidnapped are released once ransoms are paid. A U.S. civilian kidnapped last year from Nigeria's oil-refining city of Warri was freed after a week in captivity.

As at press time, the U.S AFRICOM is yet to give official full details of the mission, though it acknowledged an email from the Per Second News, but promised to get back as soon as possible.

Sign MoveOn.org Petition as Nigerians Demand Apology from Senator Ted Cruz for his Offensive Remarks !

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/nigerians-demand-apology.fb40?source=s.fb&r_by=9250408



Click to sign the petition

Nigerians Demand Apology from Senator Ted Cruz for his Offensive Remarks. Now!

By Bolaji Aluko (Contact)

To be delivered to: Senator Ted Cruz, Junior US Senator from Texas

PETITION STATEMENT

We the undersigned, Nigerians and Friends of Nigeria, write to express our outrage at the odious remarks credited to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, in which he weirdly related email scamming with the Obamacare website, and then gratuitously inserted a reference to Nigerians in between. Joke or not, we consider the remark highly offensive and not worthy of the high office that he represents, and certainly not worthy of the millions of Nigerians and their friends who voted him into office. Taking out on Nigerians his apparent frustration over President Barack Hussain Obama's recent re-election and ground-breaking health care program, and the recent roll-back of a Cruz-inspired US government shut-down, is completely unacceptable.

We demand an apology, acceptance of which will be predicated on the speed of its issuance, and our judgment of its genuineness.

The ball is in his court.

Petition Background

Senator Ted Cruz tied glitches on the Obamacare website with email scamming, and then made a crude reference to Nigerians. We consider that a gratuitous insult.



http://www.msnbc.com/martin-bashir/nigeria-ted-cruz-we-demand-apology

http://eagleyereportconnect.blogspot.com/2013/10/us-senator-ted-cruz-says-that-obamacare.html
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