Former Delta State University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ekoko, Kidnapped

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Abedgnigo Ekoko, a former Vice Chancellor of Delta State University, was abducted this morning as he left a church service in Uzere, Isoko South Local Government Area.

It was gathered that Prof. Ekoko, who is the current chairman of the governing council of Delta State Polytechnic in Ogwashi-Uku, was snatched shortly after coming out of St. Paul Anglican Church.

Ogwashi-Uku, it would be recalled, was the scene of a recent similar drama when the mother of Coordinating Minister and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was kidnapped in the royal palace. The police at that time claimed to have swept up all known kidnappers in the area.

Finally Kidnappers freed Lagos School Boy after N5m ransom settlement

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Its quite disturbing to hear about the increased reported cases of kidnap across the country, and even more sad that the perpetrators of this heinous crime chose an innocent two-year old boy as their victim.

A two-year old boy was recently returned to his parents by kidnappers after his family paid N5 million ransom. According to PM News,  Emmanuel Alonge was kidnapped by yet to be identified gunmen on Monday at Iju area of Lagos State and was taken to an unknown destination.

The kidnappers had earlier demanded for N150 million, which they later slashed to N100 million and then to N20 million and later to N5 million.

Maku advises MEND not to make trouble over Okah’s Conviction

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Abuja – The Minister of Information, Mr Lebaran Maku, said in Abuja on Sunday that it would be wrong for any group to foment trouble in Nigeria as a result of Henry Okah’s conviction in South Africa.  A South African court convicted Okah for his involvement in the Oct.1, 2010 bombings in Abuja.

After the court’s judgment, the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) threatened to attack South Africa and cause trouble in Nigeria.

Maku said it would be wrong for any group or individual to have anything against Nigeria as Henry Okah was tried and convicted in South Africa.

Presidency faults Ezekwesili on alleged misuse of $67b reserves

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CITING misinformation, the Federal Government at the weekend debunked the allegation made by the former Vice-President World Bank, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, that the Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan administrations squandered the $67 billion reserves (including $45 billion in external and $22 billion in the excess crude account) left behind by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Also, Ezekwesili has charged Nigerians not to be afraid to demand accountability and good governance. She said good governance increases service delivery and provides strong leadership, adding that governance was considered to be okay when it was free from corruption and accountable to the people.

Virginity Test: Ogun State Government, Police Disagree

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Government and the police on Sunday disagreed over the delay in police investigation of the principal of Ajuwon Senior High School, Ajuwon, Rev. Olufunke Aladeojobi, who allegedly conducted virginity tests on pupils of the school.

 A senior police officer attached to the Ogun State Police Command, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told our correspondent on Sunday that the government had yet to hand over Aladeojobi to them.

R.I.P: Nigerian Hangs Himself In UK Over Fear of Deportation to Nigeria

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Riliwanu Balogan was found hanged at Glen Parva Young Offender’s Institute in Leicester in 2011, a day after his 21st birthday.

The inquest heard he had told staff he had nothing to live for. The hearing coincided with the release of a report which said the centre had improved but there were still problems.

Photos from AGN tribute night for late veteran actor, Pete Eneh

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18+ Only: Husbands Use Love-making to Reconnect

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Things that husbands wish their wives knew about séx:

Séx is not optional in his mind - To a husband, séx is about right up there on the list with eating and breathing. Can he survive without it? Yes, but it’s not fun at all. Séx is to the man, what talking/ communication is to the woman. If you would ask several wives if it would be ok if their husband didn’t listen or communicate with them for weeks at a time – well, you get the idea. Frequent séx = happy, attentive, listening, cuddling, caring, talking husband.

74 passengers escape air crash, after Abuja-bound plane develops fault 15 minutes after take-off

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What would have been another air disaster was on Sunday, averted by whiskers as an Abuja-bound aircraft made a dramatic return to Lagos when one of its engines developed a mechanical fault mid-air.

On board the aircraft which belongs to Med-View Airline were 73 passengers including Mr. Donald Ojogo, the newly appointed Politics Editor, Abuja, of the Independent Newspapers Limited, publishers of Daily Independent, Saturday Independent and Sunday Independent.

Drug Abuse: Cough Syrup With Codeine To Be Restricted To Hospitals Only – Minister

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It is not uncommon this days to see empty bottles of cough syrup with Codeine and Benylin lying carelessly around our environments because such syrups, which are often obtainable over the counter and are meant for the treatment of cough, has been abused. Young persons especially those who don’t want alcohol to be perceived in their breathe, find this syrup a veritable alternative – it can’t be perceived in its user’s breathe but supposedly gives the ‘highness’ associated with alcohol consumption.

This much was attested to by Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, an Orthopaedic Surgeon and Minister of Health in an interview culled from The PUNCH.

Terrible Sunday: At-least 245 killed In Brazilian NightClub Fire

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Sao Paulo, Brazil -- A fire swept through a popular nightclub in southern Brazil early Sunday, killing at least 245 people, state media reported, citing police. The death toll was expected to climb as firefighters continued to pull bodies from the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, said Col. Adilomar Silva, the regional coordinator of civil defense.

Most of those killed appeared to have died of smoke inhalation, Silva said. Hundreds are believed to have been injured, though an exact count was not immediately available.  Many people were trampled in the panic to leave the club, one security guard tell us  The fire started "from out of nowhere" on a stage at the club and quickly spread to the ceiling, witness Jairo Vieira told Band News.

10 Things You Might Not Know About Love

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1. It can be hard to talk about love in scientific terms because people have strong pre-existing ideas about it.

The vision of love that emerges from the latest science requires a radical shift. I learned that I need to ask people to step back from their current views of love long enough to consider it from a different perspective: their body's perspective. Love is not romance. It's not sexual desire. It's not even that special bond you feel with family or significant others.

And perhaps most challenging of all, love is neither lasting nor unconditional. The radical shift we need to make is this: Love, as your body experiences it, is a micro-moment of connection shared with another.

Check out 5 Ways To Stay Healthy When Fasting

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When NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony announced earlier this month he was just finishing a 15-day fast, it caught even his closest allies off-guard. Everyone from New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson to teammate Amare Stoudemire said they had no idea Anthony was on a special diet. Others were skeptical: Could a professional athlete really survive, much less perform, without eating for 15 days? 
It turns out, he probably didn't. Anthony cut out meat and carbohydrates but did take in some calories, according to media reports. Nutritionists say he was pushing his luck, even with that modified version.

12 year old boy get 4 years jail for raping 11 year old girl

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A 12 year old schoolboy is one of the youngest in the country to have ever been convicted of rape and get such a harsh punishment.  Two girls claimed that the boy raped them. One is an 11-year-old girl and the other girl is only 7-years-old. 
The boy was sentenced to four years in prison. He had to also register himself as a sex offender.

The court heard that the victims have been psychologically affected by the ordeals. The older girl tried to commit suicide and the seven-year-old girl has been having nightmares.   At the sentencing of the boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, Judge Mark Brown pointed out that he came from a broken home and his parents had a difficult relationship. 

Karen Igho Drops N50m Assault Case Against Smirnoff

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In December 2012, Karen Igho was allegedly assaulted by a security guard stationed at the Smirnoff party in Lagos, who slapped her. Karen also claimed that she was pointed a gun at by the same security man who slapped her after allegedly demanding for money from her at the car park which she refused.   Soon after recounting her ordeal on twitter, the Big Brother Africa 2011 winner threatened to sue Smirnoff in the sum of N50million naira.  Just yesterday, Karen took to twitter to announce that she has dropped the assault charge against Smirnoff and has decided to settle the case out of court. She tweeted,"settling out of court about my assault case."

Gospel Singer, Funmi Aragbaye Defrauded Of N6.5m By Ibadan Socialite

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Before now, a lot of people wondered why the beautiful and talented gospel singer, Evangelist Funmi Aragbaye has refused to shine as she used to be. It was recently discovered that, she was being duped of almost N7m by a certain Ibadan socialite.

Aragbaye, www.nigeriafilms.com gathered purchased some acres of land from this woman, Deaconess Oladeji Adetoun popularly referred to as ‘For the Mama Ke’ but she (Funmi) was stunned when it was later discovered that the said land belonged to someone else.

Amnesty Programme To End In 2015 – Kuku

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The Presidential Amnesty Programme for repentant militants in the Niger Delta which was initiated by the late President Umar usa Yar’Adua to restore peace in the region and guarantee uninterrupted crude oil supply, will soon come to and end as it is set to expire in 2015.

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta who is also co-ordinator of the programme, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, disclosed that it would officially terminate in 2015. He, however, disclosed that some elements had been finding ways to abuse the programme, even when it had since been declared close in 2009.

Conviction of Henry Okah: Statement from Mend?

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A statement purportedly from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, has been released five days after its former leader Henry Okah was found guilty of the 2010 Independence day bombing by a South African court.
The statement, dated 23 January, and signed by “Comrade Azizi,” promises hell ahead in Nigeria. Thing is, no one knows for sure if the letter really came from MEND. 

Woman Sues Dating Site After Brutal Attack

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A Las Vegas woman is suing dating website Match.com after she was nearly killed by a man she met through the site. The woman suing Match.com apparently went on a few dates with a man she met through the site, until he began harassing her via text message.

That’s when things got ugly – Mary Kay Beckman showed up at home one night in January 2011, where Wade Ridley was waiting for her. Ridley stabbed her dozens of times in the face, in a brutal attack. Beckman survived, but Ridley struck again, killing a different woman he met through Match.com in Arizona.

Australian Scientists Finds Cure For AIDS

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Scientists have discovered a breakthrough that could produce a potential cure for AIDS. Professionals from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia have reportedly found a way to modify the protein in HIV that protects against infection instead of replicate it, according to Associate Professor David Harrich.

“I consider that this is fighting fire with fire,” Harrich tells Australia’s ABC News. “What we’ve actually done is taken a normal virus protein that the virus needs to grow, and we’ve changed this protein, so that instead of assisting the virus, it actually impedes virus replication and does it quite strongly.”