Fear Grips Community, Dead Python Found with 5 photographs of 7 Years Old Boy

There was mayhem in the Village of Chigodora in Eleme Community last week when a long dead PYTHON was found by the road side near a homestead with three passport-sized photos of a primary school boy close to the reptile’s head. There were also claims that the other two photos of the same size, which were placed near the snake’s tail had mysteriously vanished, leaving the villagers with all sort of tales, but no-one owning up to the origins of the deadly reptile. Two big stones were placed on the stretched snake, while its head was resting on a small one, which some villagers quipped was its pillow.

 It was the photographs of the young boy that were found close to the snake that raised a lot of curiosity. Some were of the opinion that the snake was on a mission to harm the boy whose photos were next to its head, while others said the owner was no longer interested in its services and decided to terminate its life but could not explain the snake’s link with the photos. An elderly villager, aged 77, said: “This is stranger than fiction. I have been staying in this village since 1962 and I have never witnessed such a spine-chilling incident. This is not a natural phenomenon, If it is a natural thing then how come the photos are not being blown away by wind? How come the snake is not rotting or emitting any bad smell since it was first discovered on Saturday?” Another villager whose homestead is just 50 metres away from where the python was found, could not explain what had taken place. “I was at home when a passerby called us to come and see this weak-kneeing incident. At first the snake was left coiled just next to my yard and three photographs of the boy were near its head, while two other photos of the same person were near its tail.

 We were afraid to go near it. On Sunday we discovered that the snake had been removed from where it was the previous day to where it is now. We do not even know who is doing this. The photos that were near its tail have disappeared,” he said. A debate ensued over how the snake should be disposed, as some people suggested that it should be burnt while others argued that if people inhale the smoke coming from the burning snake, it would harm them. So the villagers eventually agreed to ‘bury’ the snake. Fear engulfed the villagers who were present such that after the hole had been dug no one at first was willing to throw the snake inside. Efforts to trace the whereabouts of the boy whose photos were found next to the snake were fruitless as the villagers were reluctant t0o give details, but only said someone had positively identified the boy as a primary school boy at a nearby school.

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Irate youths k*ll Abia monarch, 20 suspects arrested

ABIA State Police Command says it has arrested 20 suspects in connection with the murder of the traditional ruler of Ugwuleru autonomous community in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state. The traditional ruler, Eze Iroha Nwankwo, 65, was allegedly beaten to death, on Monday night, in his palace allegedly by youths in the community who were said to have invaded his palace at about 11pm. The family has, however, through their son, Prince Samuel Iroha, accused a local leader of inciting the youths against their father.

 The accused local leaders denied any involvement in the death of the traditional ruler, saying he had no reason to wish the deceased death let alone inciting the youths to k*ll him. The Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Investigation Department in the Abia Police Command, Mr. Joseph Micloth, who confirmed the k*lling in a telephone interview, disclosed that the 20 suspects had been arrested while investigation continued. Though he did not give details of those arrested, he vowed that the police would get to the root of the matter and culprits made to face the law. 

Meanwhile, the Nwankwo family, through Iroha fingered of being behind the k*lling of their father. According to Iroha, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard on telephone yesterday, the local leader addressed the youths and after addressing them, the youths invaded the palace and k*lled the traditional ruler. The family spokesman said he had already made statement the to police in Umuahia to the effect that the suspect was behind the m*rder.

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Two students of Fidei Polytechnic k*lled in cult violence

Two students of Fidei Polytechnic, Gboko have been confirmed d*ad in a cult related crisis that engulfed the institution yesterday. The d*ath occurred against the backdrop of reports that the Benue State Police Command recovered a box full of AK 47 live ammunition from four suspects who were hauling the arms to the crisis torn Eggon and Alaago communities of Nasarawa State.

 Briefing newsmen yesterday on the two incidents, the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer for Benue State, ASP Ejike Alaribe said the police in Gboko last night received a report that two suspected cultists had at 8pm stormed the home of two students of Fidei Polytechnic and shot one of them whose name was given as Akawa on the neck, thus k*lling him instantly.

 Alaribe noted that Akawa d*ed before he could receive medical attention, adding that when the news of his death filtered into the institution, students mobilized themselves and went after the assailants. According to him, “They caught up with the two suspects who were identified as being responsible for the shooting, matcheted one of them to death but the police arrived the scene before they meted out jungle justice on the other”. Alaribe said further that two other suspects identified as having a hand in the shooting were also arrested by the police.

 On the recovered box of AK47 live ammunition, he said, the four suspects were arrested with the ammunition along the Makurdi-Lafia road by men of the joint operation task force christened ‘Operation Zenda” following a directive by the state Commisdioner of Police that patrols be intensified throughout the state. He said the suspects who were riding in a Peugeot wagon with registration number Lagos, BE 222 KRD were flagged down for routine check by the security operatives but declined.

 ”Our men pursued them; they tried to run into the bush, but our men caught up with them and arrested them with minimal force and when a thorough search was conducted on the car and the suspects, the box of live ammunition, charms, knives, N96,500 cash, and three hand sets were recovered from the suspects”, the Deputy PPRO added.

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Reckless driver k*lls corps member

CORPS members serving in Akure, the Ondo state capital wept profusely when a reckless driver knocked down and k*lled one of them. Saturday Vanguard gathered that the deceased, Olaniyan Tosin Michael with call up number 0D/11c/0301 was going for the weekly Community Development service CDSwhen he met his untimely d*ath. Eyewitness account said that the driver identified as Olaoluwa Fasemo, a staff of Coop cocoa Industry in Akure was on speed when the deceased was crossing the road at about 9am on Thurday.

 The deceased was said to be going to the Akure South Local Government Secretariat to collect some document required for his CDS. An eyewitness account said that the noise of passers-by drew the attention of everybody to the scene. A corp member, Kemi Omilana said most of the corps members who were at the council secretariat rushed to the scene and discovered that one of them was lying helplessly on his own blood. Omilana alledged that the driver after the ugly incident abandoned his vehicle in the middle of the road and ran away.

 The deceased was rushed to the state Hospital in Akure but had to be referred to the Federal Medical Centre FMC in Owo for further treatment. It was however learnt that he died that same night she was rushed to FMC Owo. Confirming the incident, the NYSC spokesperson in the state, Mrs. Christy Olatoye, described the news of the d*ath of the corps member as a rude shock to the agency. Olatoye said the NYSC in the state had informed the family of the late Olaniyan. The deceased was posted to Goodnews Grammer School, .Fadeyi Street, Osinle Akure for her primary assignment.

 Police Image Makere Adeniran Aremu confirmed the incident Aremu said that the driver had been arrested while his vehicle had also been impounded. He added that the suspect will soon be charged to court

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Again, Oshiomhole Escapes D*ath

Suspected political thugs thursday attacked Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, top government officials and stalwarts of the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria in Usen town, Ovia South West Local Government Area of the state. A statement by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Louis Odion, said the thugs, suspected to be agents of an opposition party, opened fired on Oshiomhole and others who were on a campaign for the July governorship election in the state in the area.

 Thursday’s incident was the second time Oshiomhole would escape death in two months since campaigns for the July 14 governorship election in the state gathered momentum. The governor escaped by a whisker on April 29 when a tipper ran into his convoy on Auchi-Warrake road, during which three journalists were k*lled. Odion said Oshiomhole, shortly after paying homage to the Onogie of Usen, His Royal Highness Oluogbe II, at his palace left at about 6pm when his convoy ran into a barricade not too far from the palace. “Naturally, the security details attached to the governor came down to remove the bar. As they were clearing it, tens of heavily armed thugs emerged from nowhere and opened fire on the governor for several seconds. “Dutifully, the brave security details attached to the governor, supported by an additional contingent of regular policemen deployed to maintain law and order, rose to the occasion.

 They were able to shield the governor, key government functionaries and others, including top leaders of Edo Action Congress of Nigeria, to safety without sustaining any human casualty. “But several official vehicles, including Toyota Landcruisers, Hilux pick-up vans and Toyota Corolla saloon cars, were either badly damaged or riddled with bullets. “Apparently annoyed that they missed their target, the thugs later descended on the near-by police post and vandalised it,” the statement added. The state government, while condemning the attack on the governor, however, urged politicians to play by the rules and not to resort to violence as a campaign strategy. The statement added that but for the restraint displayed by the governor’s team, there could have been heavy casualty toll in the attack. The government urged the people to remain calm and law-abiding, so as not to play into the hands of those desirous of fomenting trouble out of fear that they might lose the election.

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How I Masterminded Ningi’s D*ath, Says Suspect

Family and associates of the recently assassinated Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Mr. Sale Abubakar Ningi, were Tuesday taken aback when one Salihu Goni, during interrogation by a team of detectives from the Kano State Police Command, allegedly owned up as the mastermind of the plot that led his death along with two others in Kano three weeks ago. Goni, also known as Kaka, was said to have told a team of police detectives during interrogation that he shared close relationship with the late former police boss, stressing that the closeness put him at vantage to hatch and successfully execute the plot.

 “The late DIG Ningi has been my benefactor, he had helped me with money, food items during Salah celebrations and other festivities, and had been a constant visitor to the house, and severally I wine and dined with the family,” Goni confessed. Explaining how he hatched the heinous act, the suspect, who was picked up by the police at Hotoro Haye in Kano metropolis, confessed that he monitored the Ningi’s movement and alerted one Gana Bukar, also in police custody, to lay ambush with one other person now at large. Ningi, alongside his friend and driver, were murdered, while returning from his factory at Dakata Sauna Kawaji Industrial Layout, an outskirt of Kano metropolis on June 5 by suspected gunmen who rode on motorcycle.

 Addressing journalists on the development, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, said further investigation had led to the arrest of other suspects in connection with the m*rder of the late senior police officer. He disclosed that one Muhammed Tahir, 22, was arrested at Dandishe Kurna Asabe quarters, adding that three cans of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were recovered from his shop. The commissioner noted that the suspect also confessed during interrogation to have conspired with several others to launch an attack at the Bayero University Kano (BUK) worship centre on April 29. also confessed k*lling a Customs and SSS officers. “We have widened our dragnet and robust investigation is ongoing and we will do our best to get to the root of the heinous crime in the state,” the police commissioner stated.

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James Ibori's mistress Udoamaka Onuigbo released from prison

James Ibori's mistress Udoamaka Onuigbo has been released from a UK prison after serving only two years of her 5 year sentence. Ms Onuigbo was found guilty on a three-count charge of money laundering in June 2010 and was sentenced to five years in prison by Judge Christopher Hardy of a Southwark London Crown Court. 

 She was released from prison last week and has returned to Nigeria. I guess in the UK 5 means 2? Ibori himself was sentenced to 13 years, so I guess he'll be out in say...6 years?

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Yabatech Female Student Drugged, R*ped By Fellow Student On Campus

A student of Yaba College of Technology, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, Adegoke Kehinde, has been arrested by the police for allegedly drugging and r*ping a female student (name withheld) on campus. The 24-year old Kehinde has been charged before the Yaba Magistrate’s court on a two-count charge of r*pe and assault. 

We gathered that Kehinde reportedly lured the teenager to a spot within the school dormitory at about 10 p.m. on the day he allegedly committed the act and offered her drugged soft drink. She was said to have slept off immediately she drank it. This allegedly enabled Kehinde to r*pe her. The defendant reportedly confessed to the police that he had tried to have s*x with her to no avail prior to that day. He said he administered the drug on her drink so that she would get intoxicated and allow him have s*x with her.

 We gathered that the victim became conscious the next day when she woke up n*ked on a bed with sperm dripping from her body. She felt humiliated and reported the matter to the police at Sabo, Yaba Division The police later arrested and charged Kehinde to court under Sections 237 and 266 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011. He pleaded not guilty and the presiding Magistrate, Mrs S. K. Matepo, granted him bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum. The defendant was remanded in prison custody at Ikoyi as he could not meet the bail condition.

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Why I sacked Azazi – Jonathan

The live media chat was anchored by Ohi Alegbe with Tribune Editor, Edward Dickson; Ishak Modibo Kawu, Vanguard columnist and Maupe Ogun of Channels as panellists. Giving reasons for the recent sack of Azazi as NSA and Dr. Haliru Bello as Minister of Defence, he said that the security challenges faced by the administration has overtime evolved through various stages and forms necessitating changes in the administration to combat the growing insurgency. 

Jonathan said his decision to change his National Security Adviser is to conform with the changing tactics of the Boko Haram sect. According to him: “if you study the evolution of Boko Haram, they are changing their tactics every day, so you also have to change your staff and personnel to beat their styles.”

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BOKO HARAM SCARE;Churches record low turnout in Nigeria

SECURITY was on red alert on Sunday in Kaduna as the state government relaxed the curfew between 9.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. to enable Christians to attend church services across the state. Soldiers and armed policemen were stationed near churches to scare away trouble makers while helicopters on surveillance hovered in the sky as the worshippers were in churches. 

However, there was no report of any crisis in the state during church services, even as many were seen rushing back home to beat the 1.00 p.m. deadline. The Kaduna State governor, Mr Ibrahim Yakowa, had earlier admonished the Christians to maintain peace and orderliness similar to what their Muslim counterparts did on Friday. Yakowa held a meeting with all members of the National Assembly from Kaduna State and appealed to them to contribute to the search for sustainable peace in Kaduna. The state House of Assembly members were also in attendance, including commissioners. The governor asked them to ensure that a repeat of the current crisis was never witnessed again and urged them to go back to their respective constituencies and work with their people in the quest for peace. 

 The governor told them that government would continue to vigorously pursue the issue of job creation and skills acquisition programmes to ensure that the youth were fully engaged. The issue of securing major entry roads into Kaduna was also discussed. Senator Ahmed Makarfi spoke on behalf of the senators while Honourable Garba Datti CPC, (Sabon Gari) spoke for the House members. The speaker, Kaduna State House of Assembly spoke for members of the state assembly. Later, the governor moved to the women’s multi-purpose hall where he met with leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Muslims’JNI from all the 23 local government areas in the state. 

They were urged to preach peace to their adherents and continue with the task of praying for the state and calming down their members. At the Government House, the governor met with all the 23 interim local government chairmen and urged them to ensure the sustenance of total peace in their domains. He also asked them to work closely with both religious and traditional leaders in their domains. He also met with members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly and told them that they will partner more strongly to ensure that the state witnesses more peace. The issue of engaging youths was discussed and the need for prompt prosecution of offenders to serve as a deterrent to others. He urged them to put political differences aside and work for the restoration of peace in Kaduna State. Meanwhile, churches in different parts of Plateau State, especially in Jos, the state capital recorded low turnouts of worshipers on Sunday as most people stayed indoors as a result of the threat by the dreaded Boko Haram sect to unleash mayhem on worshipers. 

 Prior to Sunday, rumour had been doing the rounds with text messages flying around that the Boko Haram sect planned to make the weekend miserable for the people of Jos and its environs, hence the heavy security build-up in and around Jos. Nigerian Tribune findings revealed that the poor turnout was also attributed to the insinuation that the state government and the security agencies ordered the citizens of the state to stay at home as part of the security measures to arrest the situation. Speaking with newsmen while going round churches within the state capital on Sunday, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Dipo Emmanuel Ayeni, charged residents of the state to always be security conscious and vigilant. The police boss implored church authorities to put more security checks in place and impress it on their members to avoid clustering around the church premises after service. Plateau State Commissioner for Information, who was on the entourage of the Commissioner of Police, Pastor Yiljab Abraham, said state government was doing everything possible to ensure the safety of worshippers in the state, adding that the government was working on a bill on how to secure worship centres.

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TRAGEDY! Family of 6 k*lled in Jos

A family of six including a six-month old child and a 70-year old grandmother were yesterday brutally m*rdered by gunmen at Kumpun village in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State. In Lokoja, capital of Kogi State, the police command has discovered a hideout in Koto – Karfe area of the state where guns were being locally manufactured. In Kano State, the Joint Military Taskforce, JTF, also yesterday discovered a high calibre Improvised Explosive Devise, IED, in the premises of Waje Friday Jumat Mosque in Fagge Local Government Area of the state.

 The JTF also arrested four persons while allegedly trying to plant the bomb in the mosque. This was even as there was pandemonium in the Zone 5 area of Abuja, yesterday evening, following a bomb scare, with some offices in the ever-busy environment quickly evacuating as business men and women also hurriedly closed shops and residents scampered for safety. In Minna, Niger State capital and environs, business activities were also temporarily disrupted yesterday afternoon as rumour of attacks by members of an Islamic sect, Boko-Haram filtered into town.

 The rumour which started barely an hour to the Friday Juma’at Mosque climaxed as some shop owners closed shops for the day’s business while many traders at the Kure ultra modern market and other markets around the metropolis also hurriedly followed suit. However, six other people were injured in Plateau State when the assailants suspected to be Fulani herdsmen and said to have numbered over 30 stormed the village at about 3.30am wielding guns and machetes. An eyewitness said the attackers k*lled six members of the Dakibang family in their sleep and injured two other members of the family who were hit with machetes as they tried to escape before moving to other houses in the village where they injured four other people.

 They reportedly shot sporadically while some of them attacked those trying to escape with dangerous weapons and operated for about two hours before escaping through a bush path. Security men to whom distress calls were made allegedly arrived at the village an hour after the attackers had gone. Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr. John Clark Dabwang who visited the affected village to commiserate with them described the attack as barbaric and wicked.

 He wondered why people would hack down fellow human beings in cold blood and appealed for calm among the people urging them not to carry out reprisals. Spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Deputy Superintendent Emmanuel Abuh confirmed the attack and the six k*lled adding that investigations were on to track down the perpetrators.In Kano State, the Waje Friday Mosque lies within the expanse of land that separate the predominantly Christian quarters and the indigenous Hausa.

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Worshippers In Narrow Escape In Kano

A vigilant resident of Kano, on Friday, uncovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by terrorists to bomb worshippers at the Jum’mat prayers in Fagge Mosque in the ancient city. The suspected terrorist was immediately arrested by security operatives following a tip off by the people. The incident occurred at 2pm, even as the authorities beefed up security as a pre-emptive measure against possible breakdown of law and order in the city that had witnessed several bloodbaths in the hands of Boko Haram members.

 In a statement, the Joint Task Force (JTF) spokesman, Lt. Ikedichi Iweha said the foiled attempt to bomb the mosque was part of the latest desperate and despicable tactics employed by the terrorist sect cause public disorder and riots in the name of religion. He stated, ‘this afternoon, 22 June 2012, at about 1400hrs, the attention of the JTF was called by a careful, wonderful Nigerian to a suspicious package at a mosque in Fagge general area just before the Friday prayers.

 “Upon examination, the package turned out to be an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by terrorists to cause death and grievous harm to worshippers at the Jum’mat prayers, ’Lt Iweha said. He noted that the latest attempt was particularly disturbing in view of the grave havoc it would have had on the fragile peace in Kano and the disruption of economic activities it would have brought with it. He said the discovery was equally disturbing, in view of the recent events in parts of neighbouring Kaduna State.

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BREAKING NEWS: Bomb Blast Hits Popular Abuja Night Club, Crystal Lounge

A bomb exploded at the popular Crystal Lounge off Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse II district of Abuja. Casualties have been reported. let us pray for our dear country.

 MORE DETAILS LATER

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Lagos State Converts Fela's Kalakuta Home Into A Museum

Afrobeat Legend fela anikulapo kuti's kalakuta republic at ikeja,lagos is being reported to be converted to museum. The ulta modern project has been approved by the Lagos State Government . After Completion the building will have an exhibition area, a coffee shop, a 5-room boutique hotel, a roof-top restaurant, a bar and stage, a souvenir shop, a passenger lift, the tomb area and the car park.

 The museum will possess the preservation of the history of fela, promotion of tourism in line with the Lagos State’s Mega City initiative, acquisitions, display and preservation of the artifacts and many other things. The Museum is supported by the Lagos State Government and scheduled for opening in October 2012 in time for ‘Felabration.

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Igbos Must leave North – MASSOB Leader Ralph Uwazuruike

The leader of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike and prominent Igbo leaders have insisted that Igbos should evacuate the troubled North. Uwazuruike, who is also the new Ezeigbo, noted that the renewed call for the evacuation of Ndigbo from the zone was premised on the growing insecurity, with Igbo Christians taking the highest casualty. Speaking with newsmen by telephone, the MASSOB leader noted that the recent bombing of churches by the Boko Haram sect had exposed the inability of the security forces to tackle the current security challenges and guarantee the security of lives and properties of Nigerians. 

Uwazurike, who chided the Joint Task Force (JTF) for withdrawing security from churches in Kaduna when they had intelligence report about an imminent attack, called on Igbos to abandon their businesses in the North and come back home until normalcy returned. Debunking rumours of possible reprisals in the South-East, Uwazuruike maintained that MASSOB, as a non-violent organisa-tion, upheld the sanctity of life and would not engage in senseless k*llings and destructions that had become the hallmark of Boko Haram. Also speaking, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, the Ogirishi Igbo, noted that the current crisis in the North was fast degenerating into a religious war that had defied military solution, stressing that security operatives could no longer guarantee the safety of Igbos in the North. In a related development, Igbos living in Kano have expressed readiness to leave the troubled city, in compliance with the directive of the Igbo leaders, lamenting that they had been living in fear since the breakout of the Boko Haram insurgency. 

Speaking with Nigerian Tribune, the president-general of Ndigbo living in Kano, Chief Leonard Nwosu, said despite the efforts of security operatives to restore peace and security, Igbos still lived in fear.

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WE WILL CONTINUE K*LLING FOR GOD –Dying Boko Haram Bomber

A suicide bomber working for the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, who was mistakenly blown off by the same explosive device he wanted to use to k*ll Christians on Tuesday, boldly asserted on his deathbed that they are doing "God’s work and will continue". Newsmen gathered that the late suicide bomber had travelled by public transport for more than 393 km with the bomb from Yola, Adamawa State to Bauchi

 He was said to have concealed the bomb in his backpack. "On June 19, at about 5.05pm, an anonymous caller informed the Divisional Police Officer, Township, Bauchi, that there was an explosion opposite ANPP Secretariat along Gombe road, Bauchi. “The police went to the scene and on arrival, a young man was found at the scene seriously injured. Upon search by the police bomb experts, it was discovered that the unidentified man was hit by an improvised explosive device he was carrying. “We recovered one revolver pistol and five rounds of life ammunition on him... The bomber was rushed to the ATBUTH but died in the course of treatment. Before his d*ath, the suicide bomber confirmed that he was member of Boko Haram Islamic sect," the police said in a statement by the state PRO, Idris Abubakar

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Igbo Man M*rders His Wife In Ghana

A 26-year-old Nigerian man, Nathaniel Udama Edu, is being held by the Mile 7 Police at Achimota in Accra, for the suspected m*rder of his girlfriend, Matilda Asante, 19, a senior high school graduate at South Afankor in the early hours of Monday. 

The body of the deceased was found in the neighbourhood, wrapped in a bed sheet and her legs tied, while her head was covered in a black polythene bag. Narrating the incident in Accra, the Crime Officer of the Mile 7 Police Station, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Henry Agbeve, said around 7:30am last Monday the body of the deceased was found on the compound of an adjoining house in the Ga West municipality, lying in a supine position. According to him preliminary investigations conducted indicated that the body was ‘thrown’ into that house after the act with the legs tied, the head covered with a polythene bag and the rest of her body wrapped in a bedsheet.

 He added that a further police inspection of the body also revealed that her neck was twisted in the process. ASP Agbeve said what traced the suspect to the murder was the fact that the make and colour of the bedsheet in which the deceased was wrapped, was the same as the pillow cover of the unemployed suspect after it was learnt that the deceased had spent the previous night with her boyfriend, the suspect.

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We were told Boko Haram would attack on Sunday – Victims

Christian leaders in the ancient city of Zaria, Kaduna State, where suicide bombers attacked two churches on Sunday, said they had a premonition of the attack. Secretary of the Second ECWA Church, one of the churches that were bombed, Rev. Chris Dariya, told Governor Patrick Yakowa, who visited the affected churches on Tuesday that they got information that the Boko Haram sect had perfected plans on Friday to bomb the churches on Sunday. 

He said the leaders were surprised that on Saturday, the military personnel that were attached to the church were withdrawn. According to the cleric, not wanting to be confrontational with the soldiers, he had to let them be. “We were baffled why the soldiers that have been stationed here for quite some time were eventually pulled out only for the church to be hit the following day,” he said. While saying that as christians, they had forgiven the perpetrators of the heinous act, he noted that about 200 children at the Sunday School, when the explosion took place, escaped unhurt.

  He said, “We were cautioned on the fact that Boko Haram were already in Zaria. We heard vividly that there was a meeting on Friday and the Chairmen and secretaries of CAN Zone 1 were actually invited for a meeting. We were told that Boko Haram were already in Zaria and they were going to strike this Sunday. “There were soldiers that were actually patrolling and guarding the area. I saw them parking their things and I drove there and asked two of them what was happening and what we heard which I am sure they heard too. “I was told that the community was disturbing them and that was why they have to move.

 I told them that it was not the community that kept them here, but the government. But they told me they were ordered, but I don’t know where the order came from.” Yakowa noted that if the state was peaceful, the entire country would enjoy peace. According to him, whatever happens to the state will have negative impact on the nation. “If Kaduna state has peace, Nigeria would be at peace. We have been told time without number, anything that happens in Kaduna has repercussion throughout this country,” he said. Meanwhile, the Army authorities denied claims by the Second ECWA Church, Wusasa that they withdrew soldiers at a checkpoint in the church. 

 Commandant of the Depot Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General Hussaini Salihu, said the claim was false as there was never a time a military post was stationed at a particular location around the church. Salihu, who said this in a telephone interview noted that the church in question never applied for soldiers to guard them, adding that as part of a routine check, soldiers from the Depot Command usually patrol the entire Zaria and its environs.

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Murtala, Azikwe, Balewa’s tombs to become Heritage sites

The tombs of the late Gen. Murtala Muhammed, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and the historical site of Oloibiri oil well will soon be declared as national heritage sites. Head of the Department of Monuments Heritage and Sites at the National Commission for Museum and Monument, Mrs. Adama Muhammed, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja. Murtala Mohammed was k*lled on February 13, 1976 in an abortive coup and buried in Kano, while Nnamdi Azikwe, who was the first Nigerian President, d*ed on May 11, 1996 and was buried in Onitsha. 

 The late Balewa the only prime minister of an independent Nigeria d*ed on January 15, 1966 and was buried in Bauchi and his tomb had since become a tourist attraction. Oloibiri is a small community in Ogbia Local Government Area in Bayelsa, Niger Delta region of Nigeria, where oil was first discovered in commercial quantity on January 15, 1956 by Shell Darcy. Muhammed said NCMM had been working on about 24 heritage sites in the country, to make them fit to be declared national heritage sites. She said the NCMM had succeeded in establishing 65 monuments. “NCMM has the power to declare monuments because of their standing value in the areas in which they are found. “We maintain the monuments and artifacts; we give licenses and permit private and local governments that want to establish museums to do so,” she said.

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Italian Suspect D*es in EFCC Custody in Abuja

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday announced the d*ath of a 52-year-old Italian suspected fraudster, Mr. Mauro Zanin, in its custody. He was scheduled to be taken to court today but was reportedly found motionless in the bathroom of the commission’s detention facility in Abuja at about 4.50a.m.

 A statement by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said the Italian might have committed suicide using his bed sheet. According to the Commission all efforts by the duty officers and a team of EFCC medical personnel led by Dr. Gideon Osi of the Commission’s Medical Unit, to revive him with cardiopulmonary resuscitation proved futile. He was subsequently certified d*ad at about 5.45a.m. Notwithstanding that all clues pointed to suicide, the commission said the matter had been reported to the Nigeria Police station, Maitama for investigation.

 The deceased was arrested by officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service following a complaint by one Ahamefula Chibuzor Ewuzie that he fraudulently obtained the sum of $111,000 from Gladwaters Nigeria Limited, and transferred to the Commission on May 30, for further investigation. The Commission had filed a five count charge against him in court and got today as hearing date. He was served the court papers to prepare his defence Tuesday. His arrest was officially communicated to the Italian Embassy on May 31, 2012. The same day, the suspect was granted provisional bail, but he could not get a surety to take him on bail. 

 While in detention, Zanin was visited on May 30, by Mr. Nicola Bazzani, First Secretary and Deputy Head of Mission at the Italian Embassy, and regularly by his lawyer, Mr.Ugochukwu Onyejiuto. “It is important to say that I took this matter pro bono, with the hope that he will pay my fees when he is free. I was spending my money feeding him… to my amazement; he refused to let his family know what was going on. He has a 30 year-old son who is a lawyer in Italy but he was always telling them all was well,” Onyejiuto said. Zanin allegedly took his own life a day to his scheduled arraignment. He was supposed to be arraigned before the Federal High Court (5) in Abuja on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. Dr. Mma Wokocha, the complainant, expressed shock at the news of the death of the suspect, wondering how she would recover the huge sums of money obtained from her by the deceased.

 However, she absolved the Commission of any blame in the death of the suspect. ”Nobody should blame the EFCC. The Commission has done what it has to do, you cannot blame the EFCC...there was total human care for this guy,” she said. The deceased was alleged to have obtained the money from Wokocha under the guise of selling used Dredger Italgraghe SGT 200 to them, to execute some dredging contract in the Niger Delta. The suspect sent them a Bill of Laden but their long wait for the ship, MSC Trinidad to berth was futile. Unknown to the complainant the Bill of Laden was forged as the ship indicated had ceased to exist long before they ever met the deceased three years ago. The remains of the suspect have been deposited at the mortuary awaiting an autopsy. Meanwhile Our correspondent attempt to get the reaction of the Italian embassy in Abuja was not successful as the Ambassador; Mr. Roberto Colamine is currently away on his annual vacation and would return at the end of the month. 

 The Deputy, Mr. Nicola Bazzani was said to be “out of town and cannot be reached on his mobile number”. An official of the embassy who asked not to be name however confirmed that the embassy is aware of the unfortunate incident. “But only the Ambassador or his Deputy can make an official statement on this,” the official said.

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