Parents, students, alumni, friends and associates of Stella Maris Schools Abuja had the best of time on Friday night, at a glamorous event marking the highlight of a week of activities in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the educational institution. The crowd shared fun moment with 2Baba, Ycee, Ramsey Nouah, Uti Nwachukwu among others. See pictures of the event that shut Abuja down on a rainy evening…
STELLA MARIS SCHOOLS ABUJA ....... #20andstrong
Hundreds of 'mourners' yesterday gathered at the Zoo where Harambe the 17 year old Gorilla was shot dead, to mourn over his death, branding it a 'senseless death' . A bronze gorilla statue was created in the zoo where the mourners dropped flowers and paid their tributes to the gorilla who lived an 'innocent life' until his 'brutal' death. More photos after the cut.
The Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Rita Orji, has brought to the public the case of a Nigerian woman said to be in her 30s named Julie Osamese, whose kidney was allegedly harvested by some doctors in Italy. According to The Sun, Julie, a mother of one, who is a legal immigrant in Italy, had gone to the Ospedale Maria Vittoria Cibrario Hospital in Turin, Italy sometime in November 2008 to complain about her poor health....
At the time, she had a bit of fever and was given some drugs and asked to come back for revaluation one week later. Julie returned to the hospital one week later and the doctors allegedly gave her drugs which made her dizzy. It was gathered that as she complained to the doctors who attended to her, she was tied to the bed despite her protest. By the time she woke up, part of her buttocks had allegedly been chopped off, and her kidney tampered with. That was how she lost control of her bladder, leading to uncontrollable urination.
Speaking on the matter, the House of Representatives member, Rita Orji said: “After taking the drugs for one week, she came back to report how she was feeling. On that day, she was asked if she came to the hospital alone, and she said, ‘yes’ innocently without knowing the reason why that question was put across to her. That marked, the beginning of her paralysis. She was asked to lie down that they were going to give her some medication. Within two, three minutes, she was approached with a mixture in a cup and she drank it, believing that it was for the fever she complained of. But she became dizzy and she was telling them how she felt. But they said there was no problem. Suddenly, the team of doctors came around and tied her legs and her hands on the bed and she started shouting, ‘why are you tying me’? She said one of the doctors responded that she could shout at the top of her voice, but that nobody would know what was being done. That was how they faced her down and gave her injection on her base bone. After the injection, she passed out. When she finally regained consciousness, she saw that the lower part of the buttocks on both sides had been chopped off, to the extent that the bones in her buttocks had cracked and she saw the pieces of the bones. Also her bladder was disengaged from the source with urine pouring out uncontrollably. In fact, she woke up on a catheter and a big plaster by the region of her kidney. They started moving Madam Julie from one hospital to the other. It is the norm that when you are being transferred to any hospital, the ambulance in which a patient is transferred goes with a medical report. But in Julie’s case, nothing like that was done. They dumped her into one ambulance to drop her in one home or the other without attaching her medical history. They kept her, thinking she would die. At a stage, she was only living on prayers. They finally dropped her at the seventh medical Centre. During our investigations, I asked what the reasons for moving her from one place to the other were. There is no answer to that. What they were telling us is that she is mentally Ill. She is diabetic. But I want to tell you that all these stories are unfounded. No one has the confirmation of these health conditions they told us she suffers from based on medical ground. On our arrival at that place, we conducted a test and found that Julie is not diabetic. The scan that was carried out on her, and we have the result, shows that her kidney was tampered with. This is what the woman has been shouting about for the past eight years, and nobody seems to believe her. Today it is Julie,tomorrow I don’t know who it will be. On their final stop, they dumped her in a mental home, a woman of thirty something years, dumped in a mental home that harbours old men and women that are demented.”
Also speaking on the matter, a medical doctor and another member of the committee who represents Itu/Ibiono Ibom federal constituency, Henry Okon -Archibong, says due to the poor treatment meted to Julie, she can never walk again
“From what happened, they might have tried to give her anaesthesia before they harvested the kidney. In doing that, they damaged the lumber and sacred nerves. So, there is no way Julie can walk again. Julie has been paralysed and the issue of walking has nothing to do with what we are calling for. She has to be compensated, the medical doctors that participated in what led to her current situation have to be dealt with as the law permits. Indeed, the committee is demanding that the Italian government investigate Julie Osamese’s case with a view to fishing out the medical personnel whose highly unprofessional conduct led to the loss of one of her kidneys and her permanent confinement to a wheelchair. The lawmakers are also asking for the highest form of compensation and a complete rehabilitation of the mother of one, who they said have been the subject of several protests by the Nigerian community in Italy. The action that will satisfy us as lawmakers starts from the whole world condemning the injustice meted out to an innocent person. We are saying that there should be a holistic compensation and a new medical team should conduct an analysis of Madam Julie’s situation and proffer the best way to get her life back on track. She has lost hope on the medical doctors around her. So, I will advise that they have to look for another medical team that are not from Turin to carry out this job.”
The lawmakers are demanding the minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama to institute a panel of inquiry into the matter with a view of determining the role of the staff of the Nigerian High Commission in Italy, whom they accused of negligence.
“You can’t believe that when the relations of this lady were at the hospital, a woman named Deborah told them what she had been put through. She gave them documents to back her claims and told these relatives of hers to run to the Nigerian High Commission in Rome, to inform them of what happened. Those documents were given to one Madam Martina and Mr. Folorunsho who are staff of the commission. But no one asked after her (Osamese) since 2009. They never went to visit her. They didn’t even keep the documents handed over to them. When we demanded for them, they denied ever receiving the documents. For us, the recklessness of the Nigeria High Commission in Italy as at then, caused the terrible situation we see. Assuming they intervened on time, the situation of this woman will not be this bad,” Rita Orji added
In the early hours of Saturday May 28th, unknown gunmen raided the house of a man named Joseph Msen Akosu and killed him with his wife after which they were burnt beyond recognition.
This took place at Abinsi, Guma LGA of Benue State. The cause of this brutality isn't clear yet but speculations have it that it was as a result of land disputes between the Tivs.
Security agencies have since taken charge of the area to ensure peace. Meanwhile the Chairman of Guma LG have set up measures to bring to book those responsible.
This is Ericmany Records side of the story. Read below...
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has slammed an injunction against the rising musical artiste Douglas Jack-Agu aka "Runtown". The injunction prevents him from performing at any event or any form of recording for the time being unless with the approval of Ericmany Limited. Runtown is signed under the Ericmany Entertainment label that presently holds the copyright to all his music.
He was sued in the Federal High Court by Ericmany on allegations that he signs up, concludes and attends musical shows without the knowledge of the label. Ericmany Entertainment was said to have invested millions of naira on Runtown.
However trouble started when Runtown apparently with the connivance of Bug Media ran by one Bugwu Aneto began to sideline Ericmany and collected money directly for shows without the knowledge of Ericmany. Bug Media is also a party to the court case.
In another twist of events, the management of Ericmany has sacked the said Bugwu Aneto as General Manager of the company for infractions which might not be unconnected with his alleged connivance with Runtown to shortchange the Label Ericamany.
All inquiries about the artiste and bookings for shows would no longer be through Aneto but through the management of Ericmany.
It is not clear how the young artiste is reacting to the court case and injunction. Observers suggest he was misled by Bugwu, the former General Manager of Ericmany to ditch his boss and benefactor Ericmany, and may now that the chips are down find ways to go back and reconcile with the Ericmany. See Below the 5 Pages Court Injunction issued;
Former Chief Security Officer to late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, yesterday May 30th, said he would soon reveal how his former boss and the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, died.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, Al-Mustapha alleged that Abacha and Abiola’s deaths were from same source.
According to him, he would be telling all he knows about the death of the two famous Nigerians in his new book, Mustapha’s Memoirs, which he is still writing and would soon publish. Al-Mustapha accused some Yoruba personalities of being insincere with Abiola while he was alive and in detention.
“For instance, when Chief MKO Abiola was in prison, many notable Nigerians visited him. They will visit him in the morning, and when they come back to the Villa in the evening to see Abacha, they would say a different thing entirely. On video “Unknown to these notable Nigerians, particularly notable Yoruba personalities, who visited Abiola, their visits were recorded on video. I did the video recording without their knowledge. These people would visit Abiola and come back to tell government a different thing about him. These same people would still go and tell Abiola a different thing about government. They are on video. The agencies of government have these videos evidence. These same people told MKO Abiola never to accept any compromise or negotiations. They advised him never to come back home without his mandate. All these things are on video. Of all the Yoruba leaders, only Oba Tejuosho told MKO Abiola the truth: to accept the conditional bail and go home. Only Oba Tejuosho told MKO Abiola that Abacha was his friend, urging him to reconcile with Abacha who was ready for reconciliation. It was Oba Tejuosho who told MKO Abiola that he still had the goodwill and would win if he re-contests after Abacha. What killed Abacha is what killed MKO Abiola. But I would reveal that after my court case, still at the Supreme Court. I would publish a book which has three volumes the Mustapha’s Memoirs, which will tell what happened under Abacha and how he died” he said
Nigerian brothers Bala and Mohamadou never imagined they have to step over dead bodies or hide beneath them to save their lives. (Bala, left, and Mahamadou, right, at Sayam Forage refugee camp in Niger).
"They were killing children in the streets. They were shooting at pregnant women," says Bala, 50, remembering how Boko Haram tore through his town, in northern Nigeria.
"Everyone was terrified, running in any direction. It was chaos. People were being killed in front of me. They were collapsing in front of me. I panicked and I recall stepping over several dead bodies to escape. Bullets were flying around me"
His brother Mahamadou, 63, picks up the story, describing how he faced a barrage of Boko Haram gunfire as he ran from the same attack to the Komadougou River to escape to neighbouring Niger.
"I was lying on the grass, under dead bodies, pretending I was also dead,” he says. “I saw people being massacred. I never thought I would make it out alive. I remained hidden under the bodies, silent."
The violence meted out by the Boko Haram insurgency is well known. What is less reported is what happens to the 2.7 million people like Bala, Mahamadou and their families across Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon who have survived the sect’s attacks, but were forced to flee, frequently more than once.
"For months after the attack, I had nightmares," says Bala, who owned a shop selling motorcycle spare parts at home in Damassak, a town in Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. He and his brother spoke on the condition their full names were not used. Despite Boko Haram’s widely publicised kidnapping of women and schoolgirls, its main targets are also men and boys.
"I spent nights counting the number of people who were being killed in front of me," Bala continues. "I was depressed. And at the same time, I felt so lucky to be alive."
After the initial attack, in November 2014, he and his family first found safety in a nearby village. For more than a year, it was a refuge. But then, towards the end of March this year, gunmen on motorcycles and in pickup trucks came again, attacking the village where he was sheltering just like they had before: shooting in the air, killing people, burning houses, stealing livestock.
As soon as Bala heard the gunshots, he fled with his wife and four children, further this time, across the river and into Niger. They stretched a rope between the two banks of the river to help their children cross. Eventually they stopped, exhausted, at a settlement called Gagamari, close to the town of Diffa.
There they joined more than 157,000 people who have fled Boko Haram's terror – often several times – and found an uncertain safety in135 separate makeshift encampment strung along 200 kilometres of a major road inside Niger running parallel with the border with Nigeria, called Route Nationale 1, or RN1.
They are a mix of refugees from Nigeria, internally displaced people (IDPs) from within Niger, and Niger nationals who returned from Nigeria. Most fled renewed attacks last year in Nigeria that at times spilled into Niger, and some had escaped kidnap. They had little choice but to settle along the highway, because earlier violence pushed people into villages and towns that are today too overcrowded to absorb new arrivals.
Living along the road has its benefits. It is a key link to aid agencies, government authorities and traders. But conditions are harsh: in this remote and semi-desert environment, temperatures can reach 48 degrees Celsius during the current dry season. The rains that follow often flood the ramshackle settlements.
Shelters are made of dried grass, and sanitation is basic, with few toilets or washing facilities. Children are missing education because schools in nearby villages are already full. Food supplies are irregular, and the local population is not always able to share their meagre resources with the displaced.
After he arrived in Gagamari, at least Bala was able to find his brother Mahamadou, who had fled to Niger with his wife and seven children immediately after the first attack on Damassak. Mahamadou, too, has struggled with the mental scars of surviving Boko Haram’s raids. His voice shakes as he describes how he watched an armed insurgent wrench a baby from its father’s arms, throw it to the ground and then shoot the father dead.
"I don’t know what happened to the baby," Mahamadou says. "I don’t know how I am still alive. I was completely overwhelmed by what was happening around me. There were dead bodies of men, women, children around me. I spent the night without eating, without drinking. The insurgents who had remained by the river were finishing the survivors."
The attack happened close to a year-and-a-half ago, but “it is still a huge trauma,” he adds. "The children also remain very anxious, especially when they hear loud noises or screams. They are always on their guard. Even though we feel safer here in Niger, we are still afraid that the insurgents could hurt us somehow."
Those fears are valid. In February 2015, Boko Haram attacked Diffa town, before being repelled by the army. Recently, security in the region around Diffa and Bosso has deteriorated, with a succession of incidents including suicide attacks near villages and sites where both Nigerian refugees and IDPs are sheltering. Two major markets along the main road have been closed since April for fear infiltrated insurgents could target them. A 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew is in force across in the region.
The security situation in the Diffa region remains very volatile and unpredictable,” says Karl Steinacker, the UNHCR Representative in Niger. “More people, residents and refugees alike, are asking to be moved further away from the border, fearing Boko Haram could attack their settlements in Niger, as they did in in Nigeria. Their fear is palpable.”
In mid-May, at the Government’s request, UNHCR started to relocate hundreds of refugees who preferred to live at a camp 50 kilometres from the border that now hosts at least 3,000 people. Among the first to opt to move were Bala and Mahamadou, and their families.
"We feel safer here. We have proper shelter, access to a clinic and food. The children just enrolled in school," Bala says. "What I really wish now is that decision makers in this world act quicker and more efficiently to prevent insurgents from killing more innocent men, women and children in Nigeria. We are just exhausted and horrified by so much violence."
Source: UN Refugee Agency
The new Man U manager was all smiles as he toured the AON Training complex yesterday with Executive Vice-chairman of Man. United, Ed Woodward. He also seemed to have made up with England and Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton (who didn't want him initially as manager) as they were all smiles. More photos after the cut.
Uju Stella, the young lady who claims she's pregnant for Burna Boy, is letting the music artiste know via social media, that she will not let her baby go when the time comes (probably when she gives birth). She shared a photo of the singer via her Instagram page and wrote, "A man's joy will never be complete if a part of him is away from him and will always
Oludemilade Martin Alejo, popularly known by the stage name YCee, has revealed that there was never an issue of discord between him and one of Nigeria’s most popular rappers, Vector.
According to him, he would in fact, in little time, be featuring the Headies Lyricist on the role in his coming project.
Ycee revealed in a recent interview that he has never had any beef with Vector contrary to rumours that he claimed Vector’s lines on ‘King Kong’ remix was not strong enough.
He said, ”I and vector are good, we good, we would be doing something together, people want to see the new school and a veteran rap so it would sure be coming soon.”
Ycee also revealed more about his music claiming he knew ”Jagaban” was the song that was going to shoot him into the spotlight wile he was recording it and that his extended play would drop in June.
The rapper, who is fondly called Omo Alhaji, also denied claims that he is signed to Wizkid’s StarBoy Records, claiming Wizkid has been very supportive of his music but he is not signed to Wizkid’s label.
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Earlier today, We posted a News “Runtown Parts Ways With His Label, Eric Manny Records, Claims Threat To Life“
And now there is another update!
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has slammed an injunction against the rising musical artiste Douglas Jack-Agu aka “Runtown”.
The injunction prevents him from performing at any event or any form of recording for the time being unless with the approval of Ericmany Limited.
Runtown is signed under the Ericmany Entertainment label that presently holds the copyright to all his music. He was sued in the Federal High Court by Ericmany on allegations that he signs up, concludes and attends musical shows without the knowledge of the label.
Ericmany Entertainment was said to have invested millions of naira on Runtown. However trouble started when Runtown apparently with the connivance of Bug Media ran by one Bugwu Aneto began to sideline Ericmany and collected money directly for shows without the knowledge of Ericmany. Bug Media is also a party to the court case.
In another twist of events, the management of Ericmany has sacked the said Bugwu Aneto as General Manager of the company for infractions which might not be unconnected with his alleged connivance with Runtown to shortchange the Label Ericamany.
Our reporter learnt that all inquiries about the artiste and bookings for shows would no longer be through Aneto but through the management of Ericmany.
It is not clear how the young artiste is reacting to the court case and injunction. Observers suggest he was misled by Bugwu, the former General Manager of Ericmany to ditch his boss and benefactor Ericmany, and may now that the chips are down find ways to go back and reconcile with the Ericmany.
Nigerian singer, songwriter and producerRuntown has parted ways with his record label, Eric Manny Records (or at least he's trying to) and they didn't do so on the best of terms. Eric Manny, owned by billionaire businessman, Okwudili Umenyiora, has gotten a court injunction stopping Runtown from performing as an artist, amongst other things, pending when they settle their issues.
Runtown got his lawyers to write to the label, claiming threat to life, extortion, and that he didn't get his payment/royalties from performances, ring-back tunes and etc. He also said he has returned all properties he received from the label when he signed with them in 2014. Read his letter to the owner of Eric Manny and his lawyers letters after the cut...(will bring Eric Manny's side of the story later)
Precious has denied killing her husband, Lubinda and is instead accusing the deceased younger brother of being the murderer. According to the 35-year-old woman, her husband and his younger brother were home alone, and when she returned home, she found her hubby dead and a pistol on the ground. She claimed that after a few minutes, the young brother came with five police officers and arrested her. Read the full report from Zambezi Reporters' Isaac Mwanza after the cut...
PRECIOUS DENIES KILLING HER HUSBAND
Precious has dissociated herself from the murder of her husband Lubinda. She has expressed shock and disgust at reports circulating on social media linking her to the gruesome killing of her husband with whom she had 2 children with.
Speaking at woodlands police were she is currently detained, she narrated that on Tuesday evening, she together with the deceased, his brother James and her workmate melinda went out to chicagos at mandahill.
After midnight, the deceased notified her that he wanted to drop his brother in chelstone before going home and that is how he left. At around 03.00, she also left her friend at Chicago s for home . However, when she arrived, she was surprised to find her brother inlaw coming from her matrimonial home soaked in blood while carrying a bag. She also noticed that he was armed with their pistol 9mm.
A fight ensued between the two and that's how she grabbed the gun from him and he bolted. When she entered the bedroom, she discovered her husband lying bloodied on the floor. She immediately went to check on her kids. She later saw about 5 armed officers in the company of her brother in law who pointed at her as a killer.
She was arrested and police refused to hear her side of the story. She complained of police treatment who only acted on her brother inlaw story which she describes as false. She has accused the brother of having attempted to rob them of the k200 000 which they planned to pay on Wednesday on a land transaction which she suggested they keep in the house since Wednesday was a public holiday. Efforts to get a comment from the police proved futile as the phone went unanswered.
BROTHER TO THE DECEASED VERSION (As told by the Third Party)
[25/05 1:10 PM] She got home at
[25/05 1:10 PM] Like 2 in the morning
[25/05 1:11 PM] Husband and brother (my mate) were already home
[25/05 1:11 PM] Brother wasn't supposed to spend night but he felt lazy to go home so stayed the night
[25/05 1:11 PM] Husband went and opened gate for her she came in. Went to bed
[25/05 1:12 PM] Later brother just heard scream and 5 gun shots after
[25/05 1:13 PM] : He thought it was a robbery. So stayed in his room. He stood behind the door in case of anything and kept lights off.
[25/05 1:13 PM] She came to his room and said where are you Iv killed your brother and I'm going to kill you too
[25/05 1:14 PM] She walked in and he jumped on her and they struggled with the gun until he managed to let all the bullets finish firing
[25/05 1:14 PM] Then dashed to his brothers room and found dude had already died
[25/05 1:15 PM] Shot in the mouth, lower back, arm and chest
[25/05 1:15 PM] His name is Lipimile
[25/05 1:15 PM] You know Lee I'm sure. Big Fat dude
[25/05 1:16 PM] Uhm, as of now, not known mwe
[25/05 1:16 PM] But they found 236,000 cash in the crib
[25/05 1:16 PM] So looks like she wanted to plug the own and claim it was a robbery
[25/05 1:17 PM] But brother spent a night which he wasn't supposed to so that complicated her plan
[25/05 1:17 PM] That's why she let maid go to execute the plan
[25/05 1:17 PM] Both worked for Banc abc
According to Zuma Times Hausa, a man named Haliru beheaded his mother named Zandi. According to the story, Haliru joined a secret cult and was asked to bring his mother for sacrifice. Here is how Zuma Times Hausa is reporting it, and sorry it's in Hausa, if anyone can translate for us...
"Wani Ya Yi Zindir Sannan Ya Yanka Mahaifiyarsa Don Tsafi
Wani mutum ne mai suna Haliru wanda aka kama ya yi zindir, haihuwar uwarsa sannan yana yanka mahaifiyarsa a yayin da mutane suka falga da abunda ya ke yi sai suka yi saurin fadawa jami'an tsaro.
A nan ne jami'an tsaron suka cafko shi suka tafi da shi tare da kan mahaifiyarsa.
Da 'yan jarida ke tambayarsa dadilin yin haka sai ya bayyana cewa ya shiga kungiyar asiri ne bayan sun yarda da shi ne sai suka umarce shi da ya kawo mahaifiyarsa.
"Bayan na kawo ta sai suka ce suna bukatar kanta kuma in tambatar da idan zan yanka ta na yi zindir, a lokacin ne asirina ya tonu bayan na yankata ina kokarin insa aleda na kai musu."
If I was not married, I would have toasted you tonight - Married man captured expressing his attraction to a single lady A video of a ma...
