Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Photos: Alexis Ohanian welcomes wifey, Serena Williams back to tennis with billboards on the highway
Serena Williams is set to play in her first Women's Tennis Association event since giving birth to Alexis Olympia Jr. And the tennis pro's husband Alexis Ohanian surprised her with four billboards alongside the 1-10 freeway into Palm Springs days before the tournament's kickoff.
The billboards, which read 'Greatest Momma Of All Time,' also featured oversized images of their five month-old daughter with Serena, 36. The incredibly sweet tribute was seen by Serena as she made her way to the 2018 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Ohanian is a Cofounder at Initalized Capital, which invests in AdQuick, an outdoor advertising company, which makes it easier for him to do things like this.
These just went up on alongside I-10 into Palm Springs. @OlympiaOhanian & I wanted to welcome her back to tennis. Designed them myself, with some help from Jr.#GMOAT pic.twitter.com/zRcMmxhgB5— Alexis Ohanian Sr. (@alexisohanian) February 27, 2018
Money Ritual: "My Husband Employed Imam To Have Sex With Me For 3 Days" – Wife
A divorce seeking wife has accused her husband of employing an Islamic preacher to have sex with her for money-making ritual purposes.
The woman, Musilimotu Olashuyi, 48, claimed that she introduced her husband, Gbenga Olashuyi, 55, to the unnamed Alfa because she used to frequent his mosque for prayers.
The woman, Musilimotu Olashuyi, 48, claimed that she introduced her husband, Gbenga Olashuyi, 55, to the unnamed Alfa because she used to frequent his mosque for prayers.
She said at some point, the Alfa noticed that Olashuyi’s business wasn’t going well, a situation that made her to introduce the Alfa to him.
However, Musilimotu said, the Alfa ended up committing adultery with her, allegedly on the instruction of her husband.
She made the allegations at the Igando Customary Court in Lagos on Wednesday.
“It was with my husband’s consent that the Alfa slept with me for three days,’’ Musilimotu disclosed, while praying the court to dissolve the marriage.
She alleged that her husband had also conspired with the Alfa to use her for money ritual.
She narrated to the court, “Actually, my husband got to know the Alfa through me because I always go to his mosque to pray.
“When he told me that my husband’s business was not moving fine, I brought him home to meet my husband.
“Before I knew what was happening, my husband had conspired with him to use me for money ritual. It was with my husband’s consent that the Alfa slept with me for three days.
“After the incident, I started getting sick and getting emaciated and I told the people around me what happened, which led to the arrest of the Alfa; but my husband ran away.
“Gbenga resurfaced at the station after the Alfa brought a remedy to cure me.”
Musilimotu alleged further that Gbenga had refused to repay a loan she collected on his behalf in which she stood as the guarantor.
She said that Gbenga packed out her belonging from his house last October and stole N1m belonging to her.
Musilimotu pleaded with the court to terminate the union, saying that she was no longer in love with Gbenga after four years of marriage.
But Gbenga told the court that it was Musilimotu who lured him to buy the coffin for the money ritual to turn their fortunes around.
“My wife and her concubine persuaded me to buy a coffin for money ritual and she brought the Alfa to the house,” Gbenga said.
He added that the cleric had told him that God revealed to him that his business was collapsing and that he would make some rituals for him.
“I agreed to make the ritual because truly, my business was not moving well. Since that day, my wife has been coming home with the Alfa and with different objects and concoctions for me to drink and have my bath with.
“Later, Alfa asked me to bring N800,000 to buy some items for another ritual. He also told me to buy a casket for money ritual, which I will put in a separate room where nobody will enter except me.
“My wife begged me to comply with Alfa’s request, but I declined,” Gbenga claimed.
The businessman accused his wife of infidelity, alleging that Alfa always made love to Musilimotu on their matrimonial bed.
He said he knew about the adulterous relationship when his wife had Alfa arrested and accused the cleric of using charms to rape her.
“The cleric told the police that he did not hypnotise my wife to rape her, saying that it was with her consent that he made love to her on those three occasions,” Gbenga said.
Gbenga confessed that he packed Musilimotu’s belongings out of his house.
He also pleaded with the court to dissolve the marriage, saying that he was no longer interested in the relationship.
The President of the court, Mr. Akin Akinniyi, however, advised the couple to maintain the peace while he adjourned the case until March 22 for judgment.
Judge Issues Default Judgment Against Akon
Akon's learning the hard way that giving the cold shoulder never pays, especially when it comes to lawsuits, cause now he's gotta cough up tons of dough.
Akon's been ordered to pay $164,786.99 to a company that leased him some space on the 66th floor of the Empire State Building for his fashion line, Aliaune Milano, this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ.
The leasing company, GTFM, said Akon agreed in July of 2012 to pay $25k per month and did so until July of 2015 when he stopped paying rent. GTFM claims Akon's company finally left in January of 2016, owing almost 7 months of rent.
GTFM had sued Akon, but the singer never responded to the lawsuit, so the judge issued a default judgment.
Court orders final forfeiture of penthouses linked to Allison-Madueke
A Federal High Court on Wednesday in Lagos ordered final forfeiture of two penthouses linked to a former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
On December 5, 2017, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun ordered an interim forfeiture of the properties after an ex parte (without notice) application was argued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
On December 5, 2017, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun ordered an interim forfeiture of the properties after an ex parte (without notice) application was argued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
EFCC’s application, marked FHC/L/CS/1793c/17, has as respondents Alison-Madueke, Donald Amagbo, Schillenburg LLC and Sequoyah Properties Ltd.
The court had, on December 5, 2017, ordered an interim forfeiture of the following properties: “Penthouse 21, Building 5, Block C, 11 floor, Bella Vista, Banana Island, Ikoyi and Penthouse 22, Block B (Admiralty Estate) also in Ikoyi, be forfeited to the Federal Government, pending the conclusion of investigation.”
When the case was called up on Wednesday, Mr. ABC Ozioko announced appearance for the EFCC, while Mr. Emmanuel Bassey appeared for the second, third, and fourth respondents.
Addressing the court, Ozioko informed the court that he had a motion on notice brought pursuant to the provisions of the EFCC Act, the 1999 Constitution as well as under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.
He urged the court to order a final forfeiture of the properties listed in the schedule.
Relying on the depositions in the affidavit deposed to by one Abdulrasheed Bawa, Ozioko argued that it was now pertinent for a final forfeiture order to be made, following the interim orders made on December 5, 2017.
He informed court that in compliance with the earlier orders of the court, the interim orders were advertised in The Nation newspaper of December 20, 2017.
He urged the court to cause the said properties to be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government and an order prohibiting any disposal mortgage or sale of the said properties mentioned in the application.
Besides, Ozioko also urged the court to authorise the EFCC to appoint a competent person or firm to manage the properties.
In response, counsel to the respondents, Bassey, informed the court that he had filed a counter-affidavit before the court and was not opposed to the application for final forfeiture.
In a short ruling, Olatoregun granted the orders as prayed, and ordered a final forfeiture of same.
“I have observed the facts and exhibits attached and I am also mindful that the second, third and fourth respondents have no objections to the application.
“I, therefore, have no hesitation in ordering a final forfeiture of the properties to the Federal Government,” she ruled.
In its affidavit, the commission stated that during investigations into the ownership of YF Construction Development and Real Estate Ltd., one Fadi Basbous volunteered extra-judicial statement.
He said that Basbous stated that the two properties which were sold at $3.6m and $1.2m respectively, were owned by Sequoyah Properties Ltd. and Schillenburg LLC.
The deponent also stated that payments for the penthouses were made by one Angela Jide-Jones and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Ltd., respectively.
The deponent further stated that Angela Jide-Jones is the wife of Jide Omokore, while Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Ltd., was registered in the name of Jide Omokore.
The deponent also stated that Jide Omokore paid for the properties through his wife and one of his companies and directed its developers to sign the agreements with Schillenburg LLC and Sequoyah Properties Ltd, which were linked to Alison-Madueke.
He said that Schillenburg LLC was registered in Hongkong and transferred to Donald Chidi Amamgbo as sole owner.
According to the deponent, Sequoyah Properties Ltd., was registered in Nigeria on October 11, 2011 with fictitious names as shareholders and directors.
Wales boss Ryan Giggs urges Aaron Ramsey to resolve Arsenal future
The 27-year-old’s deal expires at the end of next season but discussions over an extension have seemingly stalled.
There are reports Ramsey is keen for a pay rise that would put him in the same bracket as Arsenal’s highest earners, including Mesut Ozil and January signings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Giggs spent his entire career at Manchester United and suggested Ramsey would be better off committing his future to the Gunners, where he has spent 10 years.
“I hope Aaron sorts it out sooner rather than later,” Giggs said, as quoted by the Daily Mail. “Any player having talks with contracts you want it sorted out as quickly as possible.
“He’s at a good club. From a personal point of view when you’re at a club you’re used to it can help you. You know all the staff and the players.
“I was always happy, there was always a challenge at United so I never saw any reason to leave. I was happy playing my football. I never got bored or felt the need to go anywhere else.”
Giggs will take charge of his first match with Wales next month, when the Euro 2016 semi-finalists face China in a friendly tournament that also features Uruguay and Czech Republic.
The former winger hopes to have Gareth Bale available for the squad, although he accepts it is a busy time of the season for players at the biggest clubs.
“He’s fit and looking good,” Giggs said of the Real Madrid star. “He wasn’t happy he didn’t start against Paris Saint-Germain [in the Champions League] but he came on and made an impact, and in the next few games he started.
“As we all know, a fit and well Gareth Bale makes such a difference.
“I recognise it’s a difficult time of the season with players in the Champions League and going for trophies and trying to fight relegation but, ideally, I want everyone there because it’s my first get together.”
Law School hijab issue: Court restrains House of Reps from holding public hearing
Justice Anwuli Chikere gave the order on Wednesday in her ruling on an application filed by a coalition of legal practitioners seeking to stop the public hearing.
The judge ordered that the public hearing be put on hold, pending the determination of the substantive suit.
Chikere, in her ruling, said the plaintiffs, who are legal practitioners, have a right to bring the action since the decision of the House of Representatives would affect them.
She adjourned the matter until April 24 for hearing of the substantive suit.
It will be recalled that Abdulsalam, a law graduate, was on December 13, 2017 not called to the Nigerian Bar on the grounds that she wore a hijab to the Call to Bar ceremony.
The matter was taken to the House of Representatives and a public hearing was fixed in respect of the matter on February 6.
The lawyers, under the aegis of Coalition of Lawyers for the Preservation of Legal Practitioners’ Ethics, then filed a suit asking the court to stop the House of Representatives from conducting the hearing.
Their counsel, Mr. Sunday Akanni, told the court that the lawyers had even undertaken that they would pay damages to the House of Representatives in case their application was found to be frivolous.
He said they were seeking the interpretation of sections 33 to 45 of the 1999 Constitution as well as that of Section 88.
“We brought the House of Representatives to court because of the public hearing they scheduled to hold February 6.
“Our contention is very simple, the public hearing notice they sent is in respect of a lady called Abdulsalam Firdrusa, who was not called to the bar on December 13, 2017, because she was wearing Hijab.
“They say the public hearing is pursuant to Section 45 of the Constitution, but we are saying it has to do with violation of rights and it is the court that can look into such matters.
“It is not for the House of Representatives to conduct a public hearing. Sections 88 and 89 give power to the House of Representatives to conduct public hearing, but sections 33 to 45 is what we call fundamental rights.
“If that right is breached, where are you supposed to go, public hearing or court?”
Guest shoots groom to death on wedding day
A bridegroom in New Delhi has been killed by a stray bullet after a member of his wedding party opened fire to celebrate the occasion, police said Wednesday.
Deepak Kumar, 21, was shot while leading the party to his bride’s home in the Indian capital on Tuesday evening.
Deepak Kumar, 21, was shot while leading the party to his bride’s home in the Indian capital on Tuesday evening.
Police said a guest dancing with the wedding party opened fire but a stray round struck the husband-to-be.
“He collapsed and was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead after midnight,” Nupur Prasad, deputy commissioner of Delhi police, told AFP.
Firing weapons in the air at weddings and other festivities is a common celebration across South Asia.
The practice is illegal in India but remains rife, though fatalities are relatively few.
Prasad said the groom’s family had identified the man who fired the bullet.
“It is an ongoing investigation and we are trying to ascertain the source of his weapon,” he said.
Amit, one of the wedding guests, told the Times of India newspaper there “were a couple of people carrying guns for celebratory firing, which is considered a tradition in the family”.
AFP.
Ghana vows to ‘account for every single bar of gold’ leaving the country
It also promised to end smuggling by tightening controls, and ensure that 50% of total gold output is locally refined in the next five years.
Mahamudu Bawumia, Ghana’s vice-president, told a regional meeting on the oil and mining sectors that previous administration had allowed companies to export gold produced from their mines themselves.
However, he said Ghanaian law required that the state-run precious minerals marketing company test and validate mineral production before export.
“We have now begun conversations about the process of making sure every single bar of gold leaving our shores is properly weighed, tested, valued and accounted for,” Bawumia said.
Ghana, Africa’s second largest gold miner after South Africa, earned $5.78 billion from exports of the metal last year, up 17.6 percent on 2016, central bank data showed.
Bawumia did not accuse any mining firms of wrongdoing and did not suggest past exports had been undervalued.
But President Nana Akufo-Addo, who took office last year, said about $5 billion worth of revenues from gold exports to the United Arab Emirates were unaccounted for.
He did not give a timescale or details to support the claim.
Industry watchers believe the unreported shipments represented smuggled gold produced by Ghana’s thousands of artisanal miners, whose activities are not properly documented.
The government has banned small-scale mining as part of a general clampdown on illegal miners last year.
(The Cable)
I have passed the stage where I can be intimidated - INEC chairman
Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says he has passed the stage where he can be intimidated.
In a chat with The Interview, Yakubu vowed not to bow to pressure.
He said this in light of concerns about voter registration and accusations by politicians that INEC could not be trusted to conduct free and fair elections.
Recently, Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, said the report of under-age voting in Kano had damaged confidence in INEC.
But Yakubu said both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been making uncomplimentary comments about the commission.
“I have passed the stage where someone can intimidate me to do what is wrong,” he said.
“I have passed that stage, where I can be intimidated, with due respect. And the real test is in what we have done (178 ‘mini’ elections) so far. The most interesting thing for me is that both parties accuse us equally. So, that means we are doing something right.”
He also said he had never faced any pressure from the presidency, or any other quarters, to bend the rules.
Yakubu said poorly conducted elections are a recipe for disaster, adding that INEC under him would not take Nigeria to such path.
“We know that poorly conducted elections are a recipe for disaster… we will never tread that path,” he said.
On the Kano underage voting, the INEC chairman said, “These are elections that are not the legal and constitutional responsibilities of INEC. There are legal entities that conduct local and government elections in this country.
“So, on what basis are we going to prosecute electoral offenders in an election in which INEC is not legally responsible for?”
Reminded that potential abuse of INEC’s register was enough basis for prosecution, he said, the argument could also be stretched to other agencies involved in the process, including the police.
The interview also covered the delayed primaries in the ruling All Progressives Congress, the role of security services, including the use of the army in past elections, and whether or not Yakubu will vote in 2019. (The Cable)
Money Laundering: EFCC Docks Dariye Son, Nanle Miracle for N1.5bn
Dariye was arraigned alongside Apartment le Paradis, a hotel where he was a director.
The defendant sometime in 2013 failed to report a cash transaction to the tune of N1.5billion which he received through the hotel’s account in one of the old generation banks. The amount is above the threshold of the N10million permissible by law. Additionally, the hotel was also not registered as Designated Non-Financial Institution, DNFI.
The offense is in contravention of Section 5(1) (a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 5 (b) of the same Act.
Count two of the charge reads:
“That you, Nanle Miracle Dariye, while being a Director of Apartment le Paradis Limited and Apartment le Paradis Limited on 28th day of March 2013 in Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this Honorable Court did commit an offence to wit: Failure to report within 7 (seven) days, a cash transaction in the sum of N551,555,428.50 (Five Hundred and Fifty One Million, Five Hundred and Fifty Five Thousand Four Hundred and Twenty Eight Naira, Fifty Kobo) paid to Apartment le Paradis Limited BY BGL Securities Ltd vide your First Bank Plc Account No 2014165731 on 28th day of March 2013 which is above the threshold of N10,000,000 (Ten million Naira) and you hereby committed an offence contrary to Section 10(1) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended and punishable under Section 10 (3) of the same Act".
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge when they were read to him.
In view of his plea, counsel to the EFCC, George Adebola, asked the court to fix a date for trial and for the defendant to be remanded in prison custody.
However, Dariye’s counsel, Charles Abalaka, pleaded that he was yet to file an application for bail as he was served with the charge late yesterday. He urged the court to admit his client to bail while presenting two sureties - Mr. Amana Yusuf, a Grade Level 12 civil servant working with Ministry of Defence and Mrs. Rose, a Grade Level 13 officer working in the Office of the Head of Service in Abuja.
Justice Ojukwu admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N5million with two sureties in like sum. The sureties must be resident of Abuja and must provide tax evidence for 2015, 2016 and 2017.
The judge, thereafter, adjourned to April 10 -12, 2018 for a commencement of trial.
“The defendant is to be remanded in EFCC custody pending the fulfillment of the bail conditions”, the judge added.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Public
27 February 2018
Angola exempts 61 countries from visa rule
Rádio Nacional de Angola (RNA) said the visitors will only need to submit their accommodation and subsistence means to get the tourism visa in Luanda.
The international certificate of vaccination, a return ticket and a valid passport will also be required for the granting of the 30 days visa.
RNA named the beneficiary countries as including the 28- European Union states and the Portuguese-speaking countries bloc.
Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Singapore will also benefit from the new Angola visa rule.
Israel and Japan
Other African countries on the list are Algeria, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia.
The European states of Northern Ireland, Iceland, Monaco, Norway, the UK, Russia, Switzerland and Vatican City will also benefit from the new Luanda visa rule
American beneficiaries of the visa simplification process are Argentina, Canada, Chile, Cuba, the US, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The Asian beneficiaries are China, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, India, Indonesia, Israel and Japan.
The nationals of Australia, New Zealand and Timor-Leste will also be granted the Angolan visa on arrival.
Many tourists
The presidential decree, RNA added, will be in force from March 30.
An invitation letter, which will no longer be a condition for visa application, was a handicap for many tourists wishing to visit Angola.
The Angolan government says that the tourism sector will create one million jobs by 2020.
Angola’s tourism industry is relatively new because much of the country was destroyed during the post-colonial civil war, which ended in 2002
The tourism sector is mainly private and its development and expansion will greatly diversify the country’s economy.
Police Woman Battered While Attempting To Arrest Sex Worker In Lagos
The incident happened at the popular Continental Hotel located at Papa Ajao area of Mushin where Miss John was looking for male customers.It was gathered that the suspect and other sex workers were angry that the police came to disrupt their businesses during the period they usually expected their clients in the evening. It was learnt that the police stormed the hotel to arrest the workers and they resisted.
However, the duty became messy after the victim was attacked and the police mobilised other officers who eventually arrested Miss John who was alleged to be behind the attack and detained her at the police station.
She was charged before Isolo Magistrates court for conspiracy to commit felony and assault.
She pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, Inspector Rita Momah did not object to her bail but asked the court to grant the suspect bail in such a way that she will be in court to face trial.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. O.A. Adedayo granted her bail in the sum of N100,000 with one surety in like sum. She was remanded in prison custody pending when she will perfect her bail condition.
However, before the suspect was taken to prison she denied the allegation and saying that it was a minor disagreement but the police made up those allegations to rope her in to suffer.
She said that it was not that she loved what she was doing but he had no other work and they stayed at the hotel to hustle. She said the police never allowed them to rest despite the fact that the hotel management used to settle them on their behalf.
Source; P.M Express
Businessman Loses $200,000 To FG After Concealing It On His Way To Dubai
Maduakonam, a business man, was arrested sometime in February 2013 by operatives of the EFCC for transporting in cash in the sum of $200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars), about 72 million naira, while boarding an Ethiopian Airline from Nigeria to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The money is above the threshold of $10,000 allowed by law for an individual.
The defendant failed to disclose the said sum to the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, as required by Section 12 of the Foreign Exchange (monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act Cap F34 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section 2(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act No. 11, 2011.
The offence is punishable under Section 2(5) of Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act No. 11, 2011 as amended by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012. Justice Ojukwu, while delivering the judgment prepared by Justice A. A. Ademola in December 2017 shortly before his retirement said, “the prosecution had proved its case against the defendant beyond reasonable doubts. I have no difficulty in convicting the defendant on the count preferred against him”, the judge said.
Maduakonam’s counsel, Babara Amosu, however, prayed the court to consider the convict as a first time offender and temper justice with mercy, having admitted to his mistake earlier in the trial.
But counsel to the EFCC, M. E. Eimonye urged the court to apply the full weight of the law adding that the offence was “intentional” and that the defendant was fully aware of its consequences under the law since that was not his first time of traveling to Dubai.
Consequently, Justice Ojukwu ordered the forfeiture of the $200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) to the federal government.
Scammer Builds Hotel In Lagos After Duping Lady With Fake Dollar Trick
The defendants were arraigned following a petition submitted to the Commission by a complainant, alleging that they masterminded the infamous dollar scheme to entrap her.
According to the complainant, sometimes in May 2013, she boarded a taxi with three other passengers who were purportedly members of a syndicate who specialized in hoodwinking unsuspecting victims with an impending danger. She alleged that she heard the three passengers arguing about a Ghana-must-go bag filled with US Dollars in the boot of the car.
She added that one of the syndicate told her that she must be cleansed to avert sudden and mysterious death having heard their discussion. At that point, she was taken to an unknown destination where she subsequently started giving the defendants, and the other members of the syndicate different sums in cash and bank payment totaling N53, 713, 260.00, which she allegedly got from the sale of her properties in both Ibadan and Lagos.
Meanwhile preliminary investigations revealed that over nine million naira (N9.1m) was paid to the second defendant, Tinuola Idayat Oyegunle account domicile in one of the third generation banks apart from other funds traced to the first defendant, Ebiesuwa Abayomi Fredrick personal account from the victim.
It was also discovered that he has built a hotel located at Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos State from the proceeds of the crime
The defendants however, pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.
The defendants accepted to take their plea without a legal representative. In view of their plea, prosecution counsel, Adeola Elumaro, prayed the court for a trial date and urged the court to remand the defendants in prison custody.
Justice Abdulmalik however, ordered that the defendants be remanded in the Federal Prison, Agodi. She thereafter, directed the defendants to get a legal representative by the next adjournment or else the court will get one for them.
The case is adjourned to 19th March, 2018 for trial.
‘The kidnappers came in military uniform’ — lucky Dapchi schoolgirls recount ordeal
No one knew it was going to be a sad day at school. The blackboard, facing the empty class in ‘Tech 3A’, still bore, in the teacher’s handwriting, 19/2/18. The topic, ‘Weathering’, which they learnt in geography class that day has not yet been erased from the board. And so is their memory of the attack.
At about 5.30pm that Monday, the whistle for the dinner blew. According to the similar accounts of seven girls who spoke to TheCable, the students rushed to the dining to have their meal. The food on the menu was maize and baobab soup.
Some ate theirs while others kept it for later. Shortly after, the Muslims among them quickly had their ablution and rushed to the mosque in response to the call for the 6.30-7pm prayers. And that seems to be the abrupt end of this school renowned to be the best science school for girls in the state.
It’s been over a week since suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, in Bursari local government area of Yobe state, north-east Nigeria. While the search for the 110 girls continues, their lucky colleagues are telling their story of the close shave.
‘THE GUNSHOTS’
Ajara: “Our principal was crying”
TheCable meets Ajara Lawal, a 14-year-old SS2 student at the school hostel. She is here to pick some of her belongings.
With all eagerness to tell the world what has happened to her, she says: “We heard gunshots. We were in the mosque. At first, we thought it was an explosion from the transformer. But the shooting continued, so all of us left the mosque and moved towards the school gate. When we got to the gate, we saw some people in soldiers’ uniform, but they don’t look like soldiers, and then we ran back. Our principal was crying, she told us we are not safe that we should run towards the fence and run away.”
Amina Abubakar Mohamadu a 16-year-old, SS2 student, who has now returned to her father’s house at Damaturu, says she just had her dinner when “we started hearing shooting. We all ran out, but the principal told us to start running, that we are not safe”.
Another 14-year-old student of SS2, Yagana Mustapha, said she was one of the girls at the mosque, when they heard the gun. “We ran to the gate. Then they (Boko Haram) lied saying Boko Haram is attacking the village. ‘Come, Come, I want to help you.’
‘TOOL OF DECEPTION’
Their description of the insurgents fits that of those camouflaging to be what they are not. They say they wore military camouflages, but no boots. They drove three canter trucks, painted in army colour and parked outside the school gate. Other witnesses say the insurgents had first attacked the police station and the hospitals. This sent almost all the villagers scampering for safety.
Ajara recalls: “They were wearing soldier’s uniform and they said ‘Come, come, we are here to rescue you’. I even stepped my leg into the car, but my elder sister called and said don’t you see that there is Allahu Akbar is written on their car, that was how I ran out.”
“Me too,” Amina adds. “They deceived us. They came with three vans in army colours and they had army uniform, but they didn’t have army boots, that is how some of us identified them – through the slippers and their military trouser which did not reach the ground — three-quarter length.”
Yagana confirms, revealing: “They wore soldiers uniform. I saw their car. They wrote Allahu Akbar on it. That is why I did not run into it.”
‘WE SCALED FENCE’
Spilled food apparently from the pandemonium
Sadia Mohammed Sanni, the third of 15 children, wants to be a doctor. She is currently in SS2.
“Immediately the incident started, we started running. Our teachers helped us to cross the fence. I was raised to scale over the fence and ran to the neighbour’s house,” she narrates.
The distance the girls must have covered to scale over the school fence cannot be less than 5 kilometres giving the huge landmass of the school.
Unfinished business: Days after the last geography lesson, the location of the missing girls is still a mystery
A look at the frame of Ajara and Yagana one would consider them too frail to scale over the fence, but in this matter, they would rather sustain a fracture than be in the custody of Boko Haram.
“We ran, ran,” Ajara, who speaks through an interpreter, gesticulates with her hand. “Almost 5 kilometres.”
“Our teachers tried for us. They helped us to climb the fence,” Yagana adds.
The state of confusion still at the hostel paints a clearer picture of the pandemonium that must have ensued that evening. The windows and doors, through which the girls jumped out, are still ajar. The slippers they removed to aid their race are still gathered at the hostel’s square. On the wooden lockers are cups and bowls placed upside down. Looking out of stacked metal clothes boxes are red, pink, green checked house-wears, towels, pants and sweaters — some handing loosely on the iron of the double bunk bed.
Plates of food, perhaps the last meal served that evening, are spilled on the shelf. Molds are now comfortably growing on the cupboards and reading tables. Plastic buckets and kettles are upturned, while mattresses, praying mats, passport-sized photos, books and seedlings (for agric experiment) are all strewn on the floor.
Some ceiling fans are still rolling in the empty dormitories, the clock is still ticking while the school’s solar inverter is still humming and providing light to a deserted school.
‘WE SLEPT IN THE BUSH’
Amina is still horrified by the experience. Her father, a civil servant in Damaturu, says in the past one week, she often jerks in her sleep. She wants to become an engineer. She had to sleep in the bush that night, a price to pay for having an ambition.
“I slept in the bush that night. One of my friends was bitten by a snake. Some ran into houses. The next day, the local government chairman of Babangida and Dapchi came to see us and bring some of us back to our parents,” she recalls.
The girls says a teacher had a miscarriage as a result of the rush, while another had a fracture. TheCable could not get any of the teachers to speak with since the school is closed.
WILL THEY GO BACK TO SCHOOL AGAIN?
Fatima doesn’t want to go to school anymore
On her colleagues ran into the car that belonged to the insurgents, Yagana says “they did they not know they are not soldiers. They thought they will help them. That is why they entered the car. Some them were crying and shouting.”
While she is grateful to God for her escape, she prays for her friends’ return.
“I am happy to escape, but I feel sad for my friends and I wish them to come back,” she says.
Amina, the first of her parents’ three daughters, says she cannot return to that school.
“I can’t, because the time they came, they told us that they are coming again. They (Boko Haram) said this is the first time they are in that town, they didn’t know there is school like that, if they know, they will do more than that. So now, as I know they are coming back, I cannot go back there,” she says, but she is willing to go to another school.
Mariam Mohammed Miko, 15, is the seventh child of 12 children. She said though she hopes to be a health technologist so that she can help her community, she is currently discouraged and not willing to return to school for now.
Fatima Mohammed Bilau, the 10th child in a family of 27, shares a similar fear with Mariam. She is 15 years now, but she has at the moment given up on education.
Yagana, however, says she is willing to go back to another school if the government provides security.
“I will go back to school. But let the government protect us,” she says. (The Cable)
APC endorses President Buhari for second term
Buhari, who took office in May 2015, has not yet said whether he intends to seek re-election. The 75-year-old leader spent five months on medical leave in Britain last year for an unspecified ailment, raising questions about his ability to run Africa’s most populous nation.
The national executive committee of the president’s All Progressives Congress (APC) party, which takes decisions on the party’s direction, held a one-day meeting which concluded late on Tuesday.
“The party made it clear that this endorsement is not an automatic ticket for the president,” one of the sources said, adding that the party would still conduct a presidential primary to be fair to other potential candidates.
A spokesman for the president could not immediately be reached for comment.
Nigeria’s political parties must select their candidates for the 2019 presidential election between Aug. 18 and Oct. 7 this year. Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on Feb. 16, 2019.
Adebayo Shittu, Nigeria’s minister of communications who played a prominent role in Buhari’s 2015 campaign, said in January he would chair a group to support the re-election of Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Campaigning for the re-election of a president in Nigeria has often started with such support groups before the incumbent declares his intention to run again.
Arsene Wenger tightlipped on Arsenal future
The Frenchman has come under fire from Gunners fans since an abject display in Sunday’s 3-0 hammering at Wembley.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday’s match against the Premier League leaders, Wenger said: “Does it stop you to sleep that my position is uncertain or certain? No. What is important in football is the game. All the rest makes headlines but it is not interesting.
“I’m just amazed I’m always to answer things that are the same. I turned the whole world down to respect my contract.”
On the Wembley defeat, Wenger said: “I’m quite amazed at how people analyse (the cup final) it looks like we lost against a team in division five — we lost against a team that dominates English football at the moment. We have to take a bit of perspective.”
Former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville was highly critical of Arsenal’s cup final display, labelling it “absolutely spineless”.
Wenger responded: “I’m long enough in the game to know when you lose a big game people say the players don’t want it enough. You have to analyse if that is a serious problem. I am not convinced. For me, it is not the main reason.
“You can always get out pictures in a game to justify what you think. I believe that we have to live with that criticism and respond together like we always do.”
Usain Bolt's Claims Of Signing For A Football Team Is Just For A UNICEF Match
Bolt is set to play for a World XI and go head-to-head with an England XI led by Robbie Williams in this year's Soccer Aid match at Old Trafford on June 10.
It will be the first time Bolt has played at the home of his beloved Manchester United as the eight-time Olympic gold medallist heads a stellar list of stars raising money for Unicef.
The full team line-ups, comprising football and showbiz stars, will be announced in the coming weeks for the charity match, which will take place just four days before the start of the World Cup in Russia and be screened live on ITV.
Bolt said: 'It is my dream to make it as a professional footballer, so to be able to step out onto the pitch at Old Trafford in June, and play against some of football’s biggest legends is going to be remarkable.
'I enjoy the thrill of competition in front of a crowd, so Robbie and his England team better watch out as I won’t be going easy on them! I’ve got a pretty special celebration planned for when I score, by the way.
'My team is going to be unbeatable – and Soccer Aid for Unicef is counting on your support to make a difference to thousands of children around the world. Come and join in the fun!'
I Almost Committed Suicide In 2017- Owen Gee
One of the biggest mistakes one can make is to think that a comedian is the happiest person on earth. The way he makes other people to laugh and forget their sorrows, at least temporarily, will tempt one to think that there is no yoke upon his soul.
But Lagos-based humour merchant, Owen Gee, will not encourage anyone to harbour this thought for long. His personal story is instructive enough in this regard. Here is a comedian who contemplated suicide in 2017 when he was pushed to the wall by thorny circumstances.
“I have had suicidal tendencies,” he said. “Last year, I tried several things, but they did not work out. It was not because the ideas were bad, but the people I was working with just didn’t let them work out. Then anxiety and depression set in.
“It was then I realised that no drug could calm depression. There was hardly anyone I didn’t take. There was a time I was sleeping on drugs. There was a particular yellow tablet that, if I took it on Tuesday, on Wednesday I would only be prompted to barely wake up, eat and go back to sleep even before I finished eating. I would not wake up until Thursday.”
Owen Gee narrated the experience on Sunday during the unveiling of Live and not Die, an initiative aimed at stemming the tide of suicide in the country. With Kunle Pelemo as the convener, the programme held in Lagos encouraged several professionals to share their experiences while experts proffered solutions to depression.
According to Pelemo, suicide is so rampant that the World Health Organisation affirmed that it is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. WHO, he added, noted that about a million people committed suicide annually. Pelemo thus believes that it is important to take a conscious and sustained effort to tackle the menace.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)