Jonathan Meets Boko Haram Amnesty Panel

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President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo
 with members of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue
and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North

President Goodluck Jonathan, on Tuesday, met with members of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North.

President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo with members of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North
The Chairman of the committee, Karibu Turaki, said his team decided to call the meeting to ask President Jonathan the government’s position after speaking with different stakeholders and Boko Haram members.

“We feel that having interacted with most of the security agencies, we have come to the critical stage where we also need to hear what the government’s side is. That was what we came to discuss with Mr President,” he said.

KOLOMENTAL: 40 Mentally Ill People Escape From Psychiatric Hospital

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Police have launched a manhunt for 40 mentally ill patients who overpowered guards to break out of hospital in Kenya.

 The patients, all men, escaped from Mathari Mental Hospital, Kenya’s biggest mental hospital, early on Sunday morning after forcing the doors open.

 The escapees were among 75 who broke out from a ward but the remainder 35 were unable to escape the hospital compound in Nairobi.

 Standard Media in Kenya reported that the patients had escaped after complaining that their medicine did not work.

Missing Woman Found 10 Years Later, Dead In Son’s Cupboard

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The Imo State Police Command has recovered the body of a 78-year-old woman, Mrs. Lucy Osigweh, who was declared missing in 2003. 

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Katsina, disclosed yesterday that the woman’s lifeless body was found in a large cupboard inside a shrine located in her son’s private room. 

“The missing woman’s lifeless body was found in a village called Ezuru Umuagwu, Ejemekwuru, Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State,” Katsina said. 

Fulani herdsmen kill over 50 mourners in Agatu, Benue state

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Over 50 mourners were killed yesterday Sunday May 12th in Benue State by Fulani herdsmen who attacked them as they buried their dead. The herdsmen stormed Okpachanyi village in Agatu local government area of the state and opened fire on the mourners, killing at least 50 of them. Others escaped with serious injuries.
The mourners had gathered to bury two of the policemen killed last week Tuesday by Ombatse cult members in Nassarawa state. Anarchy in our land! 

Abuja based NGO sues Asari Dokubo over war threat

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An Abuja based NGO called the Anti-Corruption Network is suing ex-militant leader, Asari Dokubo for treason over comments he made about going to war if President Jonathan is not re-elected in 2015.

The Executive Secretary of Anti-Corruption Network and former member of the House of Representatives, Dino Melaye, revealed this to journalists at a press conference held at the organisation’s headquarter in Abuja.

Melaye said: ”This morning, my lawyers instituted a case against Asari-Dokubo, that Nigeria will be made ungovernable if President Jonathan isn’t re-elected in 2015.”

Also, the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has cautioned Dokubo to stop making these comments, saying it is wrong for anyone to make threats over election.
 Vanguard

State of emergency : President Jonathan declares state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe

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President Jonathan has declared an indefinite state of emergency in three Northern states, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, citing insecurity. He made the announcement in a nationwide live broadcast this evening. With this declaration, the president has given the military the authority to take over the security of the states, though all political office holders in the states would still continue in office.

President Jonathan said the efforts at dialogue with militants will continue but will take extra ordinary measures to maintain peace. He immediately ordered troops to be deployed to the states to arrest and detain suspected terrorists, take over of suspicious buildings, and detain persons suspected to be in possession of arms. On terrorism, he said:

"We will hunt them down, fish them out and bring them to justice. No matter what it takes, we will win this war against terror"

This action is so long overdue. Just wondering why Nassarawa wasn't included. 

CHINESE shot dead two Ghanaians Over Illegal Mines in Ghana

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Illegal mining activities in the Obuasi area turned nasty on Wednesday, after Chinese, who are also engaged in the illegal mining activities, shot dead two Ghanaians who were acting as landguards to protect the site of their countryman.

The third Ghanaian, whose conditions is said to be critical following the incident, has been rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital from the Obuasi Government Hospital, where he is receiving treatment.

The dead, Eric Kojo Ofori, 32, and Andrew Boateng reportedly questioned the Chinese as to why they had trespassed on their land.

Court Jails Iranian For Smuggling Arms Into Nigeria

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Azim Aghajani, a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has been found guilty of smuggling weapons into Lagos and sentenced to five years in prison by a Federal High Court in the city.

A Nigerian, Ali Jega was also convicted alongside Azim Aghajani.

The Nigerian Customs Service in 2010 made a seizure of 13 containers loaded with rockets and grenades, shipped in from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The shipment including rockets and other explosives were hidden in containers of building materials.

2-year-old boy roasted to death while mum (20) was busy having s-èx with boyfriend

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A two-year-old, left unattended, was last month burnt to death when the house he was sleeping in caught fire while the mother was out for a beer binge.

The mother, Vongai Maseure (20), her boyfriend Owen Ncube and another companion Rumbidzai Masunda, have since appeared in court facing charges of culpable homicide.

The three this week appeared before Kwekwe provincial magistrate Taurai Manwere for allegedly negligently causing the death of two-year-old Wayne Dhururu.

It is the State's case that on April 27, Maseure left her son sleeping alone at her Nheketwa home in Silobela while going for a beer drink at Nheketwa shopping centre. Masunda and Ncube, who are lovers, then asked to use Maseure's house to have fun and were given the green light to do so.

Gunmen launch fresh attack on police barracks in Borno, chanting Allahu Akbar

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Barely a week after the military, police and prison formations in Bama, Borno State were attacked by Boko Haram gunmen, police barracks in the outskirts of the township were attacked by the terror suspects with Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, and petrol bombs in the early hours of yesterday.

An anonymous female resident of the barracks said in a telephone chat: “The gunmen came on motorcycles and tricycles at about 3 a.m. and started chanting Allahu Akbar(God is great), before detonating the bombs that triggered the burning of these houses. We had to flee in the night.

Private jets used to smuggle cash, fugitives – FG

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The Federal Government on Sunday said illegal consignments and cash in local and foreign currencies were being smuggled on daily basis in and out of the country aboard private jets.

 

It also said some persons that securities agencies had declared wanted were being airlifted out of the country aboard private and chartered jets.

 

As a result, it insisted that pilots flying such jets must declare the passenger manifest before being allowed to take off.

 

Terrorists May Over-Run Nigeria, Mark Warns

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The Senate President David Mark warned, Sunday, that unless everybody comes together to tackle the security challenge, the perpetrators might over run the country.

This came as the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, yesterday, directed the AIG in charge Zone 4, Mike Zuokumor, to relocate to Lafia, Nasarawa State, following last Wednesday’s killing of scores of Policemen in the state by the Ombatse sect group and the delay in investigation to apprehend the culprits.

The Senate President who expressed grave concern over the continued killings and wanton destruction of property in the country argued that foreigners who might be accused of being sponsors of members Boko Haram sect currently terrorising some parts of the country would not succeed if Nigerians were not involved internally as willing tools for the deadly act.

Viewers Discretion Advised: Man crushed to death by mast during heavy rain

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A 52 year old man identified as Adeolu Adeleke was crushed to death at Marina Car Park, Lagos Island, on Friday May 10th during heavy rain when a communication mast fell from a 2-storey building and crushed him to death.  The roadside trader met his untimely death as he went to protect his wares from heavy rain and winds. He'd dashed across the street to fetch something to cover his wares but the mast fell on him as he made his way back to his shade. See more photos after the cut. *viewer discretion advised*

‘Dokubo-Asari Should Learn From Civil War’

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Alhaji Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu, the National President of the Kaduna-based Arewa Youth Forum (AYF), in this interview with Regional Editor Northwest,  Hassan Ibrahim, expresses dismay at the recent comments (Click Here to watch If you missed it) by Mujahid Dukobo-Asari, leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF), that there will be crisis if  the Goodluck Jonathan presidency did not continue in  2015. Excerpts:

Dokubo-Asari recently threatened to ensure that Nigeria will no longer know peace if President Goodluck Jonathan is not returned as president in 2015. What is your take on this?
Ordinarily, we wouldn’t have taken issue with Dokubo, but it seems that silence is no longer golden. Looking at his antecedent as a militant, during the amnesty programme in Niger Delta and after he was granted amnesty by late President Umaru Yar’Adua, we have come to the conclusion that he is not somebody that should be taken seriously in the Nigerian polity. 

Video: Recent Interview With Asari Dokubo

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Why The Nigerian Diaspora Won’t Return Home

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VENTURES AFRICA – Recently New York Times published an article about the increase of U.S. immigrants going back to their native countries to start up their own businesses. It is safe to say over the past decade the countries grouped in the BRICS have been fortunate to receive a brain-gain, as many of their best and brightest have seen their own countries as land of opportunities.

On one of my social media networks I spotted a comment that said “By the time Africans get featured in an article like this the gold rush will be over.” Of course you can easily interpret this statement in several ways but it spoke volumes about how Africans tend to always be last in everything.

Nigeria not using force-based approach on insurgents, Abati tells U.S.

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The presidential spokesman said this at a press conference in Abuja.

The Presidency on Friday refuted a statement credited to the U.S. Embassy that Government was adopting a force-based approach in addressing the current security problem in Nigeria.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, stated this in an interview with State House correspondents in Abuja on Friday.

“It is not true that the administration is adopting a force-based approach. The approach to the insurgencies by the government has many dimensions.

“One of those dimensions is the consideration of the option of dialogue and what has become known as amnesty.

The World’s Richest City (SEE)

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China may soon be the birthplace to half the world’s billionaires but Singapore – the world’s richest city – is where they go to play. Some of the rich and famous who have moved to the tiny Southeast Asian island republic include Indian telecom tycoon Bhupendra Kumar Modi, Chinese movie superstars Gong Li and Jet Li, New Zealand billionaire Richard Chandler, and famed US investor Jim Rogers.

One in six households in Singapore have a net worth of $1m, reflecting the flow of wealth eastwards as the centre of global economic activity shifts to Asia.

Russia pursues hypersonic weapon research

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Russia is developing a hypersonic weapon program. It involves more than 60 companies and is scheduled for completion this summer. Launched in the former USSR, hypersonic weapon research was resumed in post-Soviet Russia in 2009 under the umbrella of the state-owned Tactical Missiles Corporation.
Viktor Litovkin, senior editor of the Independent Military Observer magazine, notes that work in hypersonic weapons did not begin from scratch.

Syria denies involvement in deadly car bombings in Turkey

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Syria denied Turkish accusations on Sunday that it had a hand in twin car bombings that killed more than 40 people in the Turkish border town of Reyhanli on Saturday.
"Syria did not and will never do such a act because our values do not allow this. It is not anyone's right to hurl unfounded accusations," Syrian Information Minister Omran Zubi was quoted as saying on state media.
Turkey sees Assad's hand in car bombings - foreign minister
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Sunday that he believed fighters loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were behind twin car bombings that killed more than 40 people in the Turkish border town of Reyhanli on Saturday.