Over 20 Students Killed In Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State

At least 20 people, mostly students, have been killed by unknown gunmen in Mubi, north-eastern Nigeria, a police source has told the BBC.

The attack happened at a student hostel away from the Federal Polytechnic Mubi campus, the source said.

A lecturer told the BBC that more than 40 students had been killed but there has been no official comment.
The reported killing comes days after a major operation against the Boko Haram militant group in the town.
The lecturer, who did not want his name to be used, told the BBC's Hausa service that men in military uniform asked the students to line up and then say their names.
Some were then shot dead and others stabbed with knives, and their bodies left in lines outside the buildings.

The lecturer says it is not clear why some were killed and others spared - some of those killed were Muslims and other Christian.

"Everybody is scared," he said.

He added that students were now leaving the town, many with tree branches over their cars - a traditional sign of neutrality in Nigeria.

Other Mubi residents say they heard gunfire for about two hours during the night and that those living near the hostel were also targeted.

The authorities have imposed an indefinite curfew in the town and ordered residents to stay indoors.

Mubi is in Adamawa state, which has a mixed Muslim and Christian population and borders Borno state, where Boko Haram came to prominence in 2009, staging an uprising in the state capital, Maiduguri.

Boko Haram has not yet commented on the Mubi attacks.



BBC

President Jonathan’s aides scramble to defend him over his Independence Day ‘lie’

President Goodluck Jonathan’s Independence day speech is being panned by the media over a claim he made which has now been confirmed as false.

In his speech, the president attempted to buttress his point that the nation was doing well in fighting corruption by alluding to a ‘non-existent’ Transparency International (TI) report. He claimed that TI had rated the nation as the second most improved country in the fight against corruption.

Nigerians, who haven’t really felt such great improvement in the war against corruption immediately sought clarification from TI. In an email to a newspaper, TI debunked the president’s claims, saying that, “Transparency International does not have a recent rating or report that places Nigeria as the second most improved country in the fight against corruption.”

The president’s media team and the Ministry of Information immediately began mounting a push back. In a statement, they placed the blame for the president’s gaffe squarely at the feet of the Business Day newspaper.

In a statement released on the Ministry of Information website and signed by Reno Omokri, a presidential aide in the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Research, Documentation and Strategy, Oronto Douglas, claimed that the president’s statement was based on notorious facts from Business Day.

Nigerians, who were expecting an apology from President Jonathan were disappointed to see that rather than that, the president looped the opposition as the force behind the outcry over the president’s untruth.

Interestingly, the Transparency International’s report which was quoted by the president was released in 2011, even before the elections which brought the president into power. He had however been president by then for a few months, following the death of the late President Umaru Yaradua.

Read the full statement by Mr. Reno Omokri below:

Our attention has been drawn to reports from some opposition leaning media houses alleging that Mr. President made some false claims about Nigeria’s standing in this year’s Transparency International anti corruption rating.

As is the practice worldwide, we accept the premise that whatever is published in the media and goes unchallenged is the truth. On this issue, the media published their synopsis of the most recent Transparency International report and BusinessDay, a well respected newspaper with a bias for business reporting in a headline on the 12th of September 2012 with the titled ‘FG’s anti-corruption initiative impacts Nigeria’s global perception’ said “The survey on global corruption perceptions for 2011 versus 2001 showed that the third best improvement in the world was in Nigeria, with its score improving by 1.5 points”.

The above quoted comments were relied upon in coming to the conclusion that Mr. President honestly came to in good faith. To this day, Transparency International has not disputed the findings of BusinessDay.

For a section of the opposition to now cast aspersions on the integrity of the President when he relied on notorious facts (anything published in the press and which remains unchallenged is a notorious fact) is proof positive of the now obvious fact that they lack ideas on how to move Nigeria forward and would rather snipe at efforts of the President to move the nation forward for which any patriot would do.

In conclusion the President acted in good faith and his statement was based on notorious facts and are evidenced by recent breakthroughs in fighting corruption in the oil industry where subsidy fraud suspects are already facing trial as well as in the Agricultural Sector where decades old corrupt practices in the fertilizer distribution network have been eradicated via the voucher system which cuts off the middle man.

Regards,
Reno

Man Kills Masked Burglar In Neighbour’s Apartment, Who Turns Out To Be His Son

Connecticut state police said on Friday that a man responding to his sister’s call for help during an apparent burglary at her home next door, shot and killed a masked intruder who turned out to be his own teenage son.

15 year old Tyler Giuliano was wearing a ski mask and appeared to be armed when his father shot him on Thursday.

Lieutenant J. Paul Vance, a spokesman for the Connecticut State Police said, Tyler’s aunt who lives next door had called his dad around 1a.m. to report someone trying to break into her home. The father went over to investigate and had to shoot the masked person that approached him as he was dressed entirely in black and was holding a shiny object.

“Believing the suspect was armed with a weapon and about to attack him, the father discharged his personal handgun at the suspect.

“(He) was lying on the ground in the driveway with obvious gunshot injuries, holding a weapon.”

Tyler Giuliano was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say they are investigating why the boy was outside his aunt’s home at that time of the day as he had no criminal record.

“We truly don’t know. We’ll look at the family dynamics, (his) school locker, cell phone, computer to figure out what’s going on.”

Lieutenant J. Paul Vance says background checks would have to be done on the father’s gun to verify its registration. The police spokesman also said the father’s identity wasn’t disclosed in the statement for reasons best known to the authorities.

Jealous Husband Sets Wife on Fire for Accepting Wine From Another Man

What are Nigerian men turning into? Could this be insecurity, jealousy or plain madness?
Love is said to be the fire of life that neither consumes nor purifies; but for 35-year-old Janeth Odehgbe, hers was a different case as she has been set on fire by her husband following disagreement over her collecting a cup of wine from another man during a party they both attended.
Recounting her ordeal in the hand of her 39-year-old husband, Mr Kehinde Adesanmoye, Janeth told Crime Alert that on September 11, 2012 around 10 pm, her husband poured petrol on her as she was preparing Indomie noodles for a customer and fire caught her immediately.   She was nearly consumed by the fire but for passers-by that rescued her.
She said, "I saw him coming towards me, as he got nearer, he ordered my customer to leave and as I tried to run for my dear life, he poured petrol on me and fire caught up with  me immediately. Passers-by rescued me and ran after him to fight him, but immediately they noticed it was him, they all went to their various homes. Then some of them took me to the Police station and from there I was taken to Peaceful Convalescent Center,  Alhaji Obe Street, Ejigbo Lagos."
Trouble was said to have started for the duo on September 8, 2012 when Adesanmoye and his wife went for a naming ceremony of a friend who stays beside their residence at 22, Olaoluwa Street, Abaranje, Ikotun.   "As we got to the party, my friends who were also present were hailing me, calling me 'Indomie', because I was known for selling Indomie. I was invited to sit on the chairs they have organized for friends. Adesanmoye was sitting right beside me.
"After some time, my friend, a vulcanizer, Taye offered me a bottle of wine, but I rejected it at the first instance because I was on my menstrual period and I don't want to take anything alcoholic. But when the pressure from my friends was too much, pestering me to take the wine, I decided to take a cup.
 "Immediately Adesanmoye saw me finish the cup of wine, he got up and started going. I ran after him to ask what went wrong. To my surprise, he started abusing me and asking why do I have to collect a drink from a friend in a party while he was sitting right beside me, and why do I have to kiss a friend in the party too?" Janeth narrated in pains.
 "My husband has always been jealous. He used to beat me every time under any guise and excuse. I have tried several times to leave him but he always threatened to harm me. I stayed with him because I was afraid of him and my life. He always told me that I could never escape from him, except I leave Lagos State. Anytime I said I was leaving him, he would say, no problem, that he would do something to me that I will not forget. Now, see what he had done to me.
He wanted to kill me" she added.
An unconfirmed source intimated Crime Alert that Adesanmoye was later arrested and detained at the Ikotun Police station. His relatives were alleged to have called for amicable settlement, offering the victim a sum of N100, 000 (One hundred thousand), which the victim reportedly rejected.
She however called on the government to ensure that her husband paid for what he did to her, adding "am an orphan. I have no father or mother. I sell Indomie to live. Now, I've spent all my money. In fact, I need help.

http://www.searchnigeria.net

Saudi Authority Detained 400 Nigerian Women Pilgrims

The Saudi Authority yesterday detained four hundred female pilgrims from Nigeria who arrived Jeddah, Saudi to participate in this
year's hajj

Sources said the women on arrival in Jeddah were promptly separated from their male counterparts and detained for not been able to pilgrim's muharram, that is, the
approved male companion
accompanying her on the trip, usually a husband, father or brother.

The Saudi authority last
night, threatened to
deport them back to Nigeria on the next available hajj plane.

The nearly 400 women were only allowed to be supplied water and food by the Saudis after strenuous efforts by the
Nigerian Consul in Jeddah and the Minister of State for Foreign
Affairs, Alhaji Nurudeen,
However the Sultan of Sokoto Muhammadu Sa'ad who is the
Amirul Hajj condemned the Saudi action and described it as "an
insult to Nigeria and to this country's millions of muslims."

He the action of Saudi authorities was a surprise because during the numerous meetings held between Nigerian and Saudi officials to prepare for this year's hajj, the issue of
muharram for female pilgrims was never raised.

They issued visas to all these pilgrims, only to embarrass, detain and threaten to deport
them when they arrived in the holy land. How can they do this
to us?

As at yesterday, Max Air alone had already delivered 9,700 pilgrims to Jeddah in 19 flights
from Abuja, Kano, Katsina and Sokoto.
9,700 Muslims from Nigeria alone, if they were to pay for fare, would all be in Saudi?

cardiac Arrest: 7-Up manager dies in hotel room in Benin City.

Tragedy struck in Benin City when the Human Resources Manager of 7-Up Bottling Company Mr. Sola Mosiko slumped and died in a hotel room in Benin City, Edo State Capital.

It was gathered that the 53 years old Sola had gone to a  hotel located in the city with one of his guards to 'receive' from  a lady simply identified as Amen before he met his untimely death.

Amen fled from the hotel room after Mosiko slumped but was arrested and taken to  Ekiadolor Police Station, Benin City where she was detained for three days.

A source said: "When Mrs. Mosiko's phone rang in the morning, she felt something was amiss since she could  not sleep throughout the night while awaiting the arrival of her husband at home. She became more worried  when the caller, a policeman invited her to a hospital.

"Initially, she thought it was an accident. But she was shocked when she searched her dead husband's body and saw no wound. She was later informed that her husband died in a hotel."

Another reliable insider revealed that the deceased's wife and children left Lagos for Benin City to spend their holiday with him and on the fateful day,  the widow put several calls to his phone but there was no answer.

Edo police Public Relations Officer, Anthony Airhuoyo, called the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, of Ekiadolor police station who confirmed the death of Mosiko, saying the police is aware of his death but debunked his demise with a woman.

He said: "His death was not linked to a woman. He was only reported to have died of Sudden and Unnatural Death (SUD),'" the DPO said.

30 feared dead, scores of others injured in Ogun expressway accident

At least 30 persons were feared  dead in a crash, which involved four vehicles on the Mabolufon Junction near Ijebu-Ode on the Lagos-Benin Expressway in Ogun State.

About 20 others were critically injured.

Most of the victims were roadside traders and commuters waiting to board vehicles on the expressway.

It was a gory spectacle.

There were wreckages of wares, horrifying mangled human bodies and blood stains everywhere. 

At the time of filing this report around 7pm, the bodies of seven people, including that of an expectant mother, had been deposited at the morgue of the State Hospital in Ijebu–Ode.

Doctors were battling to save the lives of more than 20 people said to be critically injured, eyewitnesses said.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), the police and the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) were seen evacuating the dead and the injured to hospitals in Ijebu-Ode and the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in Sagamu.

An FRSC official declined to give the casualty figure.

But TRACE Zonal Commander Tommy Hamza said 30 people died.

The Ogun State Police Command explained how the crash occurred. 

Its spokemen, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the accident claimed many lives.

He said it was caused by a trailer from Ikorodu, which reportedly entered the expressway at a time a truck and an unmarked bullion van were coming from Lagos.

The truck and bullion van were said to be at close range and on top speed.

Adejobi said as the truck driver from Lagos attempted to avoid ramming into the one from Ikorodu, it swerved and crashed into people by the roadside.

He said the driver of one the trucks, Mr Adebayo Adedayo, has been arrested while the  youths in the community, acting on the belief that the police caused the accident, attempted to mob some police officers from the Obalende Division, when they arrive on the  scene.

The police spokesman  said the police had no hand in the  accident.

In Lagos, about 65 passengers last night escaped death when a LAGBUS commuter bus caught fire.

The bus, an Ashok Leyland, with registration number XZ 564 AKD, with code number W0 17, is under the management of Nationwide, one of the  private operators of the BRT scheme.

The bus reportedly left Oshodi and was heading to Ikorodu when it caught fire at 7. 47pm as it came out of the Maryland tunnel.

The fire was said to have started from the engine.

It was reportedly  discovered by the passengers in another vehicle. They called attention to the fire. 

Source