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Showing posts from March, 2013

Kano & Ezu river killings: Igbos are the most unprotected, hated tribe

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By Emeka Umeagbalasi The leadership of International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law notes with gravest concerns the uncontrollable and systematic killing in recent times of Igbos in Nigeria particularly in the northern parts of the country. Less than two months ago, over four dozens of Igbo youths who are in their prime stages of socio-economic productivity were   both killed extra-judicially and murdered in cold blood by the Nigeria Police Force and dumped into the Ezu River of Death in Anambra State, Southeast Nigeria. As we speak, the outcome of the sampling autopsy, as seemingly manipulated as its process appears, which was carried out by selected government bodies, is still being awaited many days, if not weeks after it was concluded and reportedly handed to the federal government committee in Abuja, Nigeria. While the snippets of the scientific exercise, corroborated by a top government official in the State, are already in the public domain, clea

Achebe, the rejected

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Great Achebe By Emeka Umeagbalasi The irreparable death of the literary giant and social reformer of our times, Professor Chinualumuogu Achebe on Thursday, March 22, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, has come and is going, but the breaking news is that prayers and wishes in torrents, offered for Achebe De Rejected by reigning Nigerian politicians and military apologists are expressly being cerebrated in Hell and shielded from contaminating soul by the Angels of the Heaven. For records, Professor Chinua Achebe was born on November 16, 1930 at Ogidi, Idemmili North LGA, Anambra State, Southeast Nigeria. He was a student of the famous and, some say infamous Government College, Umuahia, Abia State, Southeast Nigeria, between 1944 and 1947.  His experiences in the hands of his white tutors, who forbade African way of life and promoted un-African way of life, motivated him, to an extent, if   not more, into writing the Things Fall Apart   in 1958; No longer at

Mandela's health improving: S.Africa presidency

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Nelson Mandela is showing signs of improvement in response to the treatment he is receiving in hospital for a recurrence of pneumonia, the South African presidency said Sunday "Mandela had a restful day and continues to receive treatment," President Jacob Zuma's office said in a statement, adding that doctors "have reported a further improvement in his condition." Source: AFP

Nigeria loses $6bn annually to crude oil theft

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Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, says the country loses six billion dollars annually to crude oil theft. Mr Babatunde Ogun, PENGASSAN's President, made this known at a joint forum with the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, in Lagos on Sunday. He said that Nigeria also lost N105 billion to theft of refined products. ``This is a threat to our national security and our democracy. If this kind of huge amount of money gets into the wrong hands, it can destabilise our democracy and national security,’’ Ogun said. He blamed the incessant loss of billions of money on vandalism of crude oil and petroleum products’ pipeline. He express regrets that security forces had been unable to arrest the unwholesome practise which led to fire disaster in Arepo and Ogun and the subsequent shut down of Nembe Creek Trunk line by Shell. ``An estimated 60,000 barrels per day of crude oil is stolen at Nembe Cre

U.S. Defense officials: North Korean threats are 'bellicose rhetoric'

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K im Jong Un is briefed by his generals in this undated photo. On the wall is a map titled "Plan for the strategic forces to target mainland U.S." North Korea's threatening rhetoric has reached a fever pitch, but the Pentagon and the South Korean government have said it's nothing new. "We have no indications at this point that it's anything more than warmongering rhetoric," a senior Washington Defense official said late Friday. The official was not authorized to speak to the media and asked not to be named. State media: North Korea in 'state of war' with South The National Security Council, which advises the U.S. president on matters of war, struck a similar cord. Washington finds North Korea's statements "unconstructive," and it does take the threats seriously. "But, we would also note that North Korea has a long history of bellicose rhetoric and threats, and today's announcement follows th

At least 19 dead in Tanzania building collapse

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Two more bodies were pulled Saturday from the rubble of a 16-story building that collapsed Friday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, bringing the total to at least 19, an official said. In addition, police detained three engineers for questioning in the incident, said Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Said Meck Sadick. Some 30 people were feared trapped under debris, the Tanzania Red Cross Society said in a statement issued prior to the latest grim discoveries. The building was under construction when it crumbled Friday morning in the center of the business capital, the society said. Three of the fatalities were children. This Khoja mosque, next to the rubble, said two children remained trapped. "We pray that we will be successful in finding them well," the mosque said in a statement that noted that funerals and prayers were being held Saturday. Seven of the 14 people who were rescued remained in hospitals Saturday; the rest were discharged, the society sai

2 killed in clashes in western Kenyan after election verdict

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Two people died in clashes in western Kenya after the top court in the nation upheld Uhuru Kenyatta's victory in the presidential election. The deaths occurred Saturday in Kisumu, the stronghold of his chief rival, Raila Odinga. At least 22 others were hospitalized, the Kenya Red Cross said. Most of the casualties suffered gunshot wounds, said Abbas Gullet, chief of the local Red Cross The rest of the country remained relatively calm after the ruling. Protesters took to the streets in Kisumu after the Supreme Court ruling Saturday that dismissed Odinga's petition and retained Kenyatta's victory. They looted shops and lit bonfires on the road to block traffic, according to the Red Cross. Kenyatta, 51, won the March 4 election with 50.07 percent of the vote. Odinga, who got 43.31%, had challenged the outcome in court on the grounds that it was flawed and marred by technical problems. After the court issued its ruling, he said he accepted its judgment and

U.S. Explores West African Trade and Investment Agreement

The U.S. is exploring a possible trade and investment agreement with the 15-nation Economic Community of West Africa , acting U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis said today. The announcement came after a meeting in Washington yesterday between President Barack Obama and the leaders of three ECOWAS members, Presidents Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone and Macky Sall of Senegal and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of the Cape Verde Islands. The three were joined by President Joyce Banda of Malawi in southeastern Africa. After Obama’s meeting, Marantis and other administration officials proposed that the U.S. and ECOWAS explore the possibility of negotiating a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), the trade representative’s office said in a statement. The U.S. has similar agreements with the East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the West African Economic and Monetary Union, and the Southern African Customs Union. It

10 die as deadly flood hit Mauritius capital Port Louis

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At least 10 people have died after sudden rains caused flooding in the Mauritian capital Port Louis on Saturday, officials have said. At least eight of the victims were caught in underground areas as the flood waters rose rapidly. Another died of a heart attack. The island's metereologists said 152mm (6in) of rain fell in less than an hour, 70mm less than the March average. Prime Minister Navin Rangoolam declared 1 April a day of mourning. Speaking on national radio, he said Mauritius was suffering badly from the effects of climate change. The floods caused chaos in the city, with a huge traffic jam paralysing its centre, L'Express de Mauritius newspaper reported. A BBC reporter in the city says the bodies of six people were recovered from a pedestrian subway and another two from an underground car park. More rain is expected on Sunday, and people have been advised to stay at home. Source: BBC

FIFA warn South Africa government against interfering in match-fixing scandals

FIFA have written to the South African Government to warn it against carrying out a judicial inquiry into the recent football match-fixing scandals in the country. FIFA said the matter should rather be handled by the country's football association. Several of South Africa's warm-ups before they hosted the 2010 World Cup were found to have been fixed, which led to the brief suspension of senior South African Football Association (SAFA) officials, including its president Kirsten Nematandani. South Africa's Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee, SASCOC, recommended a judicial commission of inquiry but FIFA warned them of possible consequences should the government be seen to be intervening in football matters. South Africa's sports minister Fikile Mbalula told local media he would travel to FIFA headquarters in Zurich next week to discuss the issue with the world football's governing body. ``SASCOC have made a recommendation to us that

Iran, N Korea and Syria block UN arms treaty

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Iran, North Korea and Syria have blocked adoption of a UN treaty that would regulate the multibillion-dollar international arms trade which required agreement by all 193 UN member states. "There is no consensus for the adoption of this text," Peter Woolcott, Australian Ambassador and the meeting chair, said on Thursday after the three countries confirmed their opposition following last-ditch talks to save the UN-brokered accord. Earlier Woolcott suspended the UN meeting after Iran, North Korea, and Syria raised their nameplates refusing to join consensus following speeches outlining their objections to the treaty. Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from the arms treaty convention in New York, said Woolcott would write a report on what happened and is likely to include the text of this resolution to the UN General Assembly, who can then vote on it on a simple majority. Iran's UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said the draft treaty has major loopholes,

5 die in fatal military helicopter crash in S Africa

The South African military says five air force members have died in the crash of a helicopter that was patrolling as part of an anti-rhino poaching operation. The military said in a statement that the crash happened on Saturday evening in South Africa's Kruger National Park. It says the crew was among those killed. The statement says the helicopter was on a scheduled patrol of the park and that an investigation is under way to determine the cause of the crash. South Africa is struggling to stem rampant poaching of rhinos, whose horns are sold to buyers in Asia. Rhino horn is made of keratin, a tough protein found in human fingernails. There's a belief in Asia that ingesting ground-up horn cures diseases. Source: Al Jazeera

Bi-Courtney accuses FAAN of misinforming public

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Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, BASL, has accused Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, of misinforming the public with its claims that the suit it brought, seeing to restrain FAAN from i nterfering in its (BASL) hotel and conference centre projects had been dismissed. Bi-Courtney in a statement, said " Two statements issued by  FAAN, have been brought to our attention. In the first statement, FAAN claims that an action of ours seeking to restrain it from interfering with our hotel and conference centre projects has been dismissed. They have made the statement without showing a copy of the court ruling, the title of the case, or even the date it was delivered. "This is a figment of FAAN’s imagination and it is consistent with its desire to misinform the public. Our natural inclination is to ignore the ranting of FAAN. We are only constrained to respond because some unsuspecting members of the public can be misled by the statement, on the a

Kenya mostly calm after vote ruling; minor clashes in west

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Kenyan police clashed on Sunday with a few dozen protesters angry at a court's confirmation of Uhuru Kenyatta as president-elect, but the unrest was minor compared with the nationwide bloodshed after the last disputed election. There was little sign of violence beyond Kisumu, a city in the west of Kenya where there is strong backing for Prime Minister Raila Odinga, loser in the presidential election.   Kisumu and other regions were devastated by deadly riots after the vote in 2007. Even in Kisumu, where two people were killed by gunfire and shops were looted on Saturday after the Supreme Court declared Kenyatta had won in a fair race, most areas had cooled down on Sunday and the latest trouble was limited to the outskirts. Many Kenyans had said they were determined to avoid a repeat of the violence five years ago that killed more than 1,200 people and hammered east Africa's biggest economy. Kenyans said the calmer atmosphere this time was in part

Abuse of SURE-P: ACN vindicated as sharing of largesse tears Lagos PDP apart

Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has said that crisis was now tearing apart the Lagos Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over the sharing of SURE-P funds among PDP members in the state, has vindicated its (ACN) stand that the funds meant to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal have now become a 2015 campaign war chest for President Jonathan. In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said when it alerted the nation to the abuse of the SURE-P funds in a statement on Feb. 3rd 2013, the FG as well as SURE-P managers rushed to deny any abuse of the funds and called the party (ACN) unprintable names. ''Today, the truth has prevailed as the PDP members themselves have confirmed that the SURE-P funds are being shared among them across the federation. ''Thanks to the alleged hijacking of the SURE-P funds meant for the PDP members in Lagos State by the Bode George faction and the crisis that it has gener

Fighting erupts after car bombing in Mali

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Malian soldiers backed by French fighter jets battled Islamist rebels in Timbuktu on Sunday after insurgents used a car bomb as cover to infiltrate the northern desert town overnight, sources said. The French-led offensive in Mali has pushed a mix of Islamists out of their northern strongholds and remote mountain bases but the militants have hit back with several suicide attacks. At least three Malian soldiers were injured in Sunday's fighting in the ancient Saharan trading hub 1,000 km (600 miles) north of the capital Bamako, and residents were forced to take shelter indoors, Mali army Captain Modibo Naman Traore said. "It started after a suicide car bombing around 2200 (6:00 p.m. EDT), that served to distract the military and allow a group of jihadists to infiltrate the city by night," he said.   "The fighting is heavy and it is ongoing. We are in the process of encircling them." Bilal Toure, a member of Timbuktu's crisis com

Nigerian Easter day military raid leaves 15 dead

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Soldiers raided a suspected hideout for Islamist extremist group Boko Haram in northern Nigeria's largest city of Kano on Sunday, sparking a clash that left 15 people dead, the military said. The military claimed that those killed included 14 Islamists and one soldier, while alleging the extremists were planning an Easter day attack in the city. Residents reported hearing gunfire and explosions early on Sunday as soldiers battled the Islamists. "In the raid, 14 terrorists were killed and their commander was arrested," Army Brigadier-General Ilyasu Abba told reporters. "We lost one soldier in the encounter and one other was badly injured." There was however no independent confirmation of those details. Casualty information from Nigeria's military has often been unreliable, with the army under pressure to show progress in the fight against Boko Haram. The military claimed to have recovered weapons, including a car loaded with explosives which

Kenyatta won Kenya's presidency fairly: Supreme Court

Kenya's Supreme Court upheld Uhuru Kenyatta's presidential election victory on Saturday and his defeated rival accepted the ruling, helping douse tensions after tribal violence blighted the election five years ago. The decision cleared the way for Kenya's richest man to take the top job in east Africa's biggest economy, but left Western powers with the headache of dealing with a leader charged with crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. After the judgment, police fired shots in the air and tear gas at hundreds of stone-throwing youths in the western city of Kisumu, a stronghold of defeated candidate Raila Odinga, who had challenged Kenyatta's win. Protesters looted shops and burned tires in the city that was a flashpoint five years ago. An official at Kenya's Red Cross said two people were killed from gunshots, and 11 others were wounded. But the violence was less severe than after the 2007 election. And shortly after

Adamawa prison attack: Freed 20 inmates return

No fewer than 20 out of the 127 inmates freed during last week's  attack on Ganye Prison in Adamawa, have returned.Gunmen attacked about 17 places, including the prison in Ganye, headquarters of Ganye Local Government, set free 127 prisoners, and killed the senior officer in charge of the prison, Assistant Controller Baba Musa. Confirming the development on Saturday in Yola, Adamawa Controller of Prisons, Mr Andrew Barka, who did not give details, said some of the prisoners were re-arrested while some returned on their own. Barka told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN that ``the inmates are returning and so far more than 20 are back. Some were re-arrested while some returned on their own.'' Also giving update on the incident, the Chairman of Ganye Local Government, Alhaji Mohammed Farouk, said normalcy had returned to the town and business activities had resumed in full. Farouk said that the council had already compiled its report on the incident, adding that ab

Kumuyi urges Christians to emulate Christ to reap God's reward

General Superintendent, Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor Willliam F. Kumuyi, on Saturday urged Christians expecting God’s reward to emulate Jesus and live as he did. In a sermon delivered at the Church's ongoing National Easter Retreat in Lagos, he said, only Christians who sacrified and suffer the way Christ did that should expect to be crowned by God. In his sermon entitled ''From Crucifixion to Coronation”, he said that, ``a life that has been saved from damnation through faith by Christ must be lived for the glory of Christ and not in pursuit of earthly things that are temporary’’. ``The glories of the earth pass away but the people who do the will of God will live forever. `` Christians who live victorious Christian lives, conquering sins daily, following Christ's  commission to evangelise the world and living as co-heirs with Him, will surely be crowned.’’ The Cleric said that identification with Christ and His death on the cross must brin

JTF impounds vessel, fishing trawler and crew for alleged oil theft

Joint Task Force, JTF, in the Niger Delta, Operation Pulo Shield, has arrested a sea going vessel with 12 crew members along the Akassa Water Ways in Bayelsa. In a statement in Yenagoa on Saturday Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, Media Coordinator of Operation Pulo Shield, said the vessel was arrested during its anti-oil theft and pipeline vandalism operations. Nwachukwu said that the operation took place between March 19 and March 29. He said that the arrested vessel, MV Buyus with fake clearance documents, was secured at the Nigerian Navy Dock Yard in Brass Local Government of Bayelsa. The suspects, according to the statement have been handed over to the appropriate prosecuting agencies for further investigation and subsequent prosecution. It added that a fishing trawler christened Bolajoko with five crew members on board was also impounded by troops of the JTF at the NPA Jetty, Bonny in Rivers. It said that the fishing trawler was impounded, while trans-loading susp