Two NSCDC officials shot dead in exchange of gunfire with ‘herdsmen’

The Benue state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has lost two of its men in a gun battle with suspected herdsmen.

Adakole Peter, a spokesman of the corps in Benue, confirmed this to TheCable, saying the incident happened in Awange after Kasseyol village in Guma local government area of the state.
Peter identified the deceased as Adams Godwin and Abah Patrick. He said the unfortunate incident happened around 5pm on Sunday.

“They were killed in Guma during an exchange of gunfire with herdsmen. We got some of the herdsmen too but unfortunately two of our colleagues were killed,” he told TheCable via telephone on Monday.
Guma is one of the local government areas where many people were killed on New Year’s day.
The incident happened around the time when people deserted a village in Jama’a local government area of Kaduna state over an attack by suspected herdsmen.

Four people died in that incident.
On Saturday, suspected herdsmen ambushed a police team in Benue. Four officers were declared missing afterwards.
While two returned unhurt, the corpse of one was found on Monday. The whereabouts of the other officers remain unknown.

Last week, suspected herdsmen engaged soldiers in a shootout in Benue.
All measures to check the clashes between farmers and herdsmen have not yielded the desired result. The army has announced a 44-day operation in the six north-central states, including Benue. - Cable Nigeria

Divorce-seeking pastor impregnates church member

A 41-year-old pastor, Oluwasanjo Eniola, has approached an inanlende Customary Court in Ibadan seeking an end to his marriage to his wife, Basirat, over her alleged resentment to his pastoral call.

The pastor on Tuesday, urged the court to grant his prayers for dissolution of his 20-year-old marriage to Basirat to enable him to be free from his “unsupportive wife.”

The plaintiff confessed that Basirat’s resentment to his pastoral call was responsible for his extra-marital affairs which produced a child.

He told the court, “My lord, my wife never supported my pastoral call. Instead, she is in the habit of nagging.

“She used to fight me over female church members but I let her realise that the women always give me advice that she never gives.

”At a time, she abandoned her matrimonial home and travelled to Lagos without my approval.

”Later, I decided to move closer to one of my female church members who gave me support.

“We eventually came together and our immorality led to pregnancy but I quit the relationship to avoid the wrath of God.

”I pray the court to separate us so that I can effectively face my ministerial work without interference.”

His 34-year- old wife, however, pleaded with the court to prevail on her husband not to leave her.

She blamed him for the challenges experienced in their union, which had produced four children.

She said, ”Truly, I nagged him when I noticed his unholy romance with a female church member he eventually impregnated.

“As a woman, it is not strange that I expressed my disapproval towards his relationship with the woman, after all, he is a pastor.

”I want the court to give us more time for settlement because I cannot remarry after four children.

“And I promise to corporate with him if the matter is resolved.”

The president of the court, Chief Ramoh Olafenwa, adjourned the case until Feb.28 for parties to report on settlement of the matter out of court. - Daily Post

Shocking !!! 19 Months Old Boy Suffers Stroke

A dad has told of the moment his son became one of Britain’s youngest stroke victims - after he diagnosed the condition thanks to a TV advert.

Phil Kerman, 39, said he was horrified when he found his 19-month-old son Ronnie ‘unresponsive’ and ‘floppy’ in his crib.



The tot, who has a twin brother Robert, was rushed to hospital where his and his wife Lisa’s ‘worst nightmare’ was realised.

Medics told the couple that Ronnie had two cysts and a non-cancerous tumour on his brain.


As they wait for an operation to remove the tumour the family are using a secret weapon to help their little boy recover – his twin brother Robert.

Yesterday the toddler visited Ronnie in hospital and went straight up to give him a kiss.

Their proud dad, Philip said: “It was great to see.

“Robert went straight up to him and touched his face and said, ‘Hiya, Hiya’.

“He was trying to give him a kiss. Ronnie smiled from ear to ear and his eyes lit up when he realised it was his brother.

“We’re hoping that brotherly love will help him recover quicker.”

Doctors are now racing against time to drain the cysts - which keep refilling - to save the tot’s life.

The tumour and cysts – described by medics to the family as looking like ‘Mickey Mouse ears’ – are due to be removed later this month.

The toddler has been left partially sighted and the family are waiting for news about the long-term effects.

Dad-of-three Phil, of Hull, East Yorks, said of the moment he saw his son stricken: “I was shocked to see him in his cot crying in pain and unable to move.

“I lifted one arm up and then his leg and they both had gone floppy. I laid him down to crawl because he can’t walk yet and he couldn’t crawl.

“I immediately thought he’d had a stoke and remembered one of those TV adverts and I told my wife Louise to phone an ambulance.”

Mum Louise, 37, added: “I was so scared and shaking so much I couldn’t call the ambulance” and her husband had to take over.

Scans showed ‘a dark patch’ on his brain after being taken to Hull Royal Infirmary on February 2nd.

He was then transferred to Leeds LGI hospital the same day where they confirmed he had suffered a stroke.

Stents have been placed on his brain to drain the cysts as doctors diagnosed Ronnie with Neurofibromatosis - a genetic disorder that causes tumours to form on nerve cells.

Butcher Who Turned To Robber Nabbed ( Photos)

A butcher at Agege Abattoir who turned himself to a robber who specializes in robbing club goers' has been nabbed. He was nabbed by RSS men and was paraded. More photos of items recovered from him and a lady he stabbed in the processing of stealing from her  below...

Married man arrested over alleged murder of lover’s father in Ogun

The Ogun police command has arrested a married man, Segun Oluwole, for alleged murder of his lover’s father on Olaoluwa Street, Oluwo, in the Ope Ilu area of Ogun State.

The victim, Alhaji Mukaila Afolabi, who was hypertensive, gave up the ghost after a clash with Oluwole over a fetish concoction placed in front of a shop.

It was gathered that the fight ensued on Sunday after his lover, Nasifat, a tailor, saw a small pot of fetish concoction in front of her shop on Olaoluwa Street.

She alerted her father and brother to the concoction. They accused Oluwole of the act.

As the suspect was driving by in his car, Afolabi allegedly flagged him down and asked him to disembark to remove the concoction.

The matter took a turn for the worse as Afolabi allegedly whisked his lover’s father away in his car, which caused highblood pressure and triggered his death.

Narrating the incident, one of the deceased’s children, who pleaded anonymity told Punch “My father was still halfway into the car when he zoomed off, taking my father – who hanged halfway in and halfway out– with him. I took a motorcycle and traced them to the Jafar area, where he stopped. By that time, my father was already breathing heavily as a result of the danger he had exposed him to. He was hypertensive.

“Eventually, the man (Oluwole) returned to the shop with my father and removed the fetish concoction. We wanted to beat him up, but my father cautioned us. He suddenly slumped and went into a coma. We rushed him to a hospital where a doctor told us that the trouble he experienced had worsened his health condition. He did not survive it,” he said.

The case was later reported at the Agbado Police Division, and a police team, led by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Sunday Omonijo, arrested the suspect.

However, 46-year-old Oluwole narrating the incident denied placing the fetish concoction at the shop and beating his lover, saying he removed it to let peace reign.

He said the disagreement between him and Nafisat had been resolved before the incident as he beat his girlfriend “just once” because she embarrassed him in public.

He said, “I import cars from Cotonou, Benin Republic. Nafisat and I began the relationship two years ago and it was going well. I used to visit her in her rented apartment. At a point, she suggested that we should be living together. I paid the house rent and her children’s school fees.

“We had a disagreement over sex in December and we settled it. While I was driving along her shop on Sunday morning, she, her brother and father stopped me. They said I placed a pot of fetish concotion in front of the shop. I said no and ran away from them. The father sat at the passenger’s side of my car. I drove him to Jafar and stopped. He kept mounting pressure on me to go back to remove the sacrifice. I removed the pot and smashed it on the floor to prove my innocence.

“His children beat me up. He entered his car parked by the roadside and started gasping. They rushed him to a private hospital and I followed them. The doctor said his Blood Pressure had gone up seriously. There was no sign of violence on his body.”

On the other hand, Nafisat said the suspect’s claims were untrue, adding that she was hypnotized into the relationship.

She said, “We knew each other about 10 years ago. My shop is next to his mother’s shop. He asked me out, but I told him I was not interested in a relationship with him. It was about a year ago that we started dating each other under some circumstances I cannot explain. He usually beats and harasses me. Recently, I came to my senses and told him to let me be, but he refused to leave me. He does not pay the rent and my children’s school fees.”

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirming the incident, said investigations into the matter was still ongoing.

He said, “It is not a case of an accident; it is a pure case of murder. The Commissioner of Police has directed that the case should be transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Eleweran, for further investigation and prosecution.”

Minister vows to back schools trying to ban hijabs

 

An education minister has pledged to provide Government backing to schools looking to ban hijabs and religious fasting.

Lord Agnew of Oulter accused parents and religious leaders of attempting to “intimidate and bully” schools into allowing behaviour they are unhappy with.

Writing in the Times on Saturday, he vowed to help head teachers with the process of making “sensitive” decisions.

He said: “They are completely within their right to make decisions on how to run their schools in the best interests of their pupils — in line with the law and in discussion with parents, of course — and we back their right to do so.

"What example do we set to the next generation if we fail to show tolerance and respect in how we engage in these debates? Particularly when these are values we are promoting in our classrooms.”

Last month Lord Agnew vowed to back head of St Stephen’s school in east London in an attempt to ban girls under eight from wearing hijabs.

The proposals faced criticism from parents and religious leaders.

Lord Agnew added that "a culture of fear and intimidation must not be allowed to pass through the school gates" after a governor at the school resigned over the "bullying". - ES

Police declare doctor wanted over robbery

A medical doctor has been declared wanted for alleged robbery in Abuja.

Dr. Ola Solomon Jimade, who is currently at large, is said to be the proprietor of Vital Care Hospital in Kubwa area of Abuja.

He is said to be the leader of a robbery and car snatching gang that operates in various areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The police on Tuesday paraded five members of his gang at the FCT Police Command headquarters.

Members of the gang include Sunday Okhomode,  Meshak James,  Amusu Koku, (painter who specialises in changing the colours of stolen vehicles), Kunle Obajemi, (printer who is an expert in changing chassis numbers on the dashboards) and Suleiman Isa (a goldsmith who buys stolen jewelleries from the gang).

The police said four pistols with eight rounds of live ammunition and a face mask which was carefully hidden in a bag in the office of the doctor were recovered during execution of search warrant in the suspect’s hospital.

On how the gang operates, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Sadiq Bello said: “I alerted members of the public last year about the activities of an armed robbery gang whose modus operandi is to gain access into the houses of their targets by blaring their horns at the gates.

“These criminal elements that normally operate in the early hours of the evening, drive in heavily tinted vehicles, when they get to the entrance of their target houses, they will blare the horns of the car, the gatemen will assume that they are family members or friends, the gates will be flung open and they will get inside and rob the occupants of their cars and valuables especially jewelleries.

“I am happy to tell you today that the FCT Command busted one of the gangs responsible for such evil acts.

“The gang is led by one Dr. Ola Solomon Jimade, the proprietor of Vital Care Hospital in Kubwa who is presently on the run. Notwithstanding, five members of the gang have been arrested for the various roles they played in the commission of the crime and they are cooperating with the police.

“The arrest of members of the syndicate was sequel to a reported case of armed robbery incident at a house in Maitama in November 2017 where a BMW X6 vehicle, large quantities of gold and other valuables worth millions of naira were carted away by the syndicate.

“Upon the receipt of the report, the Command through the Specia1 Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) commenced discreet investigation which led to the arrest of the suspects and recovery of the robbed BMW X6 vehicle.

“In the course of investigation so far, five vehicles that have their colours changed have been recovered out of which four have been identified by their respective owners that were robbed at gunpoint in various areas of the city.

“Anybody that knows the whereabouts of Dr. Jimade who is said to be an indigene of Ife Olukotun Community, Yagba East, Kogi State, should quickly alert the nearest police station.” - The Nation

‘God told me to build a church on someone’s land’ - Pastor

 

The Federal Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID), Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos on Tuesday brought a Christian cleric, Felix Moses, before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court for allegedly building on someone’s land.

Moses, pastor of Capernaum Christian Ministry located at 34/36, Tijani Ashogbon Street, Bariga, was docked on a one-count charge of unlawful encroachment on a property.

According to the police, Moses built the church in 2016 on land owned by the complainant, Mr. Toyin Omonijo.

Prosecuting counsel Henry Obiazi, a Superintendent, said the defendant built his church on the land without the complainant’s permission.

According to the prosecutor, Moses told the police that “God Almighty directed him to build a church on the land.”

Obiazi said the offence contravened Section 4(5) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Moses pleaded not guilty.

Chief Magistrate O.O Oshin granted him N250,000 bail with one surety in the like sum.

She remanded the defendant in Ikoyi Prison till he fulfills the bail conditions.

The case continues on March 27. - The Nation

This boy wants to join the army to avenge his father’s murder by Boko Haram

Ibrahim Buppa is only 16, but what he has seen in his teens is more than what many have seen in old age.

He was 13 when Boko Haram insurgents killed his father and he still does not know the whereabouts of his mother. Effectively, he is an orphan.

Speaking to TheCable at the Gubio camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maiduguri, Borno state, Buppa battled with tears.

At 16, he is still a primary six pupil. In a normal life, he should be entering the university at that age.

But nothing is normal in the north-eastern part of Nigeria where the insurgents have made life miserable for millions of people in the last 11 years.

On the day TheCable visited, Buppa was of the few students listening raptly to the teacher who instructed them in basic science.

“Yes, I am enjoying school,” he told TheCable. “I want to be in the army so that I can fight and kill Boko Haram.”

His eyes watered and lips quivered a bit when asked why he wanted to be a soldier.

“Boko Haram killed my father, and I don’t know where my mother is,” he replied.

“I like the army. They are helping us very much in this school”

With the back of his hand, he cleaned a strand of tear that rolled down his right cheek.

“They take care of us here,” he continued.

Narrating his story in Kanuri, Buppa said it was a fearful night, sometime in May 2015, when Islamic militants attacked their house in Jameri village, Bama local government area.

They were sleeping when they heard the words echoing, “Allahu Akbar” repeatedly. Following that were gun shots and clashes of cutlasses.

“They came here,” Buppa said, squinting to recall the nightmare.

“My father was a school teacher. They killed him.”

BABAGANA ALSO WANTS TO ‘KILL BOKO HARAM’

Babagana… in love with the camouflage

Babagana, another boy at the Bakassi camp, is also thrilled by the thought of wearing the army camouflage, carrying the gun and marching around in black jackboots.

“I want to join army,” he said on his future ambition.

Positioning his hand as though pulling the trigger, he said: “So that I can kill Boko Haram.”

Babagana, who came to the camp with his five siblings, said he has no idea where his parents are, whether they are living or dead.

Now they are now living with a neighbour, but a non-governmental organization is working on tracking missing family members.

In 2015, the Nigerian army said it had rescued 200 girls and 93 women in the Sambisa forest who had been kidnapped in various raids. Perhaps the parents of these children might still be in captivity.

COMMON AMBITION AMONG THE BOYS

David: “The boys here want to join the army”

Ogunbade David, a warrant officer II, is a teacher at Gubio camp school. He told TheCable that there are many pupils who share the same story as Buppa and same ambition.

“The reason most of them say so is that they appreciate what the Nigerian army is doing for them. They see how we take interest in their education. They see how the army has also killed several terrorists that oppressed them so they are inspired. But I do encourage them that they should study hard, pass their WAEC exams, so they can be top ranking officials,” he said.

Apart from the desire to revenge, it is not out of place for children to see those who inspire them as role models. For instance, at Bama IDP camp, it is reported that almost all the teachers are soldiers. The school is run by the military. - Cable Nigeria

Commonwealth 'begins secret succession planning'

The Commonwealth has begun secret deliberations to decide who will succeed the Queen as its head on her death, according to the BBC.

Although Prince Charles will become King on the death of his mother, the head of the Commonwealth is not a hereditary position.

On Monday night, the BBC reported that it had set up a "high level group" to consider the way ahead. It is due to meet in London to review how it is run by its secretariat and governors.

A senior source said: "I imagine the question of the succession, however distasteful it may naturally be, will come up."

The Queen turns 92 in April. She was proclaimed head of the Commonwealth at her coronation when she became head of state in seven of its eight members.

Today it has 53 members, mostly former constituents of the British Empire.

Although Prince Charles remains the most likely person to succeed his mother, some states have discussed electing a president instead.

A 2009 diplomatic cable sent to Washington -  and later released by Wikileaks - revealed some concerns about his suitability to lead the grouping.

Amitav Banerji, Commonwealth secretariat director of political affairs, reportedly told a US embassy political officer in London that the Prince "does not command the same respect" as the Queen.

The group could decide to endorse Prince Charles as a one-off decision or agree a new constitution that would automatically place the British head of state as Commonwealth head, the BBC reported.

The high-level group is expected to report its discussions to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in April.

Advertisement

Prince Charles represented his mother at the last meeting in Sri Lanka in 2013. - The Telegraph

Women need not wear religious robe known as abaya - Saudi Muslim cleric

A senior member of the top Muslim clerical body in Saudi Arabia has said women need not wear the loose-fitting, full-length robes symbolic of the Muslim faith known as the abaya.

During his radio programme, Sheikh Abdullah al-Mutlaq, who is a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, said Muslim women should dress modestly, but this did not mean they needed to wear the religious clothing.

Saudi women are currently required to wear the garment by law.

“More than 90 per cent of pious Muslim women in the Muslim world do not wear abayas,” Sheikh Mutlaq said on Friday. “So we should not force people to wear abayas.”

Although, the statement does not signal a change in the law, it is the first of its kind from a senior religious figure. The move follows the recent shift in political consensus within the deeply conservative religious state.

The crown prince Mohammad bin Salman recently initiated an anti-corruption purge and temporarily detained many of the country’s most senior business figures including billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal, who was released in January.

Only government-appointed clerics associated with the Council of Senior Scholars are allowed to issues fatwas or Islamic legal opinions, with their interpretations of Islamic law forming the basis of Saudi Arabia’s legal system.

The country has seen an expansion in women’s rights over the last year, with women being granted permission to attend mixed public sporting events and the announcement of them being given the right to drive.

These are some of the changes the country has experienced in recent months, which have been appraised as a new progressive trend within the nation.

However, activists have recently lamented the country’s guardianship system which requires a woman to seek permission from a male family member before going to apply for a passport, travel outside the country, study abroad on a government scholarship, get married or even exit prison.

On Thursday, a London-based Saudi rights group, ALQST, reported the detention of activist Noha al-Balawi, who was detained last month and questioned by Saudi authorities on her involvement with women’s rights and human rights movements.

Saudi Arabia is currently diversifying its economy in an attempt to modernise the nation and to reduce its dependence on oil.

The country intends to invest $500bn (£360bn) into its planned city, Neom. The investment also aims to improve public services and to attract more tourists to the country. - The Independent