Nigerian Media Made Me A Devil Just To Make Money--Empress Njamah

 Nollywood's controversial actress, Empress Njamah added a year to her age. But for the former girlfriend of controversial Bayelsa State-born singer, Timaya, she chose this day to pour out her mind on the way the media practitioners in Nigeria have made a devil out of her in order to make money for themselves.

The Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State graduate took to her Facebook page to express her displeasure at the way the watchdogs of the society have, according to her, 'poisoned' the minds of the people in believing she is as bad as she is being reported in the press.

She posted, "never judge a book by its cover; I am a typical example of that. When people who have read or heard a lot of negative reports about me meet me, they are always shocked. Some will even render their apology, telling me, 'Empress, I am sorry, I didn't think you were this kind of warm'.

“You see with the way people painted me especially the press, anyone who has not met me before will think I am a devil. The function of the press in society is to inform, but its role in a decadent society like ours is abused by misinforming the masses in order to make money.

"If you believe everything you see and hear in the news, then, you can as well believe Obama is a grandmother. I do not see myself joining any clique. I do not see myself hanging out at the theater with others, discussing everything about nothing. If anybody needs me, if you have a job for me, just call me.

"Our society is full of hypocrisy. Apart from the fact that acting nude is alien to our culture, there are so many things happening in our society today which are not part of our culture. The same people who would love to see you look decent are the same people who would go behind your back to criticise you. That’s our society for you. Yes, if my society is not all that hypocritical, I will do it."

You really think the Nigerian media has 'poisoned' the mind of the people in believing that Empress is a devil?

Premature Ejaculation

Most men have experienced the problem of premature ejaculation at some time in their life. Premature ejaculation is one of the most common sexual problems. Premature ejaculation is explained as a condition where in a person is unable to delay ejaculation to a point when it is mutually desirable for both the partners. That means ejaculation occurs before a man wants it to happen. Some men ejaculate during foreplay while some do so at the very entry itself.

But few men feel that 5 or 10 minutes time to have orgasm is not enough and they feel that this is also premature ejaculation. This suggests premature ejaculation is most likely psychological in origin than physiological. The exact cause of premature ejaculation is still unknown.

Ayurveda has said Kshiprumunchati Shukram……. this means the person will have Premature ejaculation when vata in his body aggravates and leads to a very quick ejaculation of shukra (semen).

Pregnant still Sexy Mercy Johnson Latest Pics

Another set of pictures of Nollywood's talented make-believe queen, Mercy Johnson have surfaced again. Some days ago, the Kogi State-born actress, who is presently in her trimester, reportedly flew to the United States of America with her husband, Prince Odi, for her child delivery.

In this new pictures, Mercy posed in a sexy blue dress revealing her baby bump.

Mercy was married in August 2011 after much controversies surrounding her marriage to Prince Odi from another woman, Lovelyn, who claimed to still be legally married to Prince Odi with children to show for it.

In the midst of the controversies, Mercy went ahead with the wedding to Prince Odi at Chris Oyakhilome's Christ Embassy Church in Lagos.

Devil in-law: Man kills his mother in-law and brother in-law

From daily sun

Tragedy has struck at Iguosi Village in Ovia South-West Area of Edo State following the brutal killing of a woman and her son by a son-in-law to the deceased woman, Odu.
The woman and her son, whose identities were not known at press time, were said to be on their way to farm when they met their untimely death.
Unsuspecting that tragedy was about to strike, the woman and her son were said to have passed by the suspect, simply named Odu, on a lonely footpath.
The suspect who obviously laid in wait for his in-laws did not waste time as he reportedly pulled the trigger of his gun and killed the brother-in-law.
Soon after the shooting, the mother in-law reportedly raised the alarm and started crying, but the killer son-in-law corked his gun again and shot her dead.
Confronted by the horror of his action, the suspect, Odu, was said to have fled into the bush to escape justice, but a search party put together by the villagers recovered the bodies of mother and son and also apprehended him.
The suspect now in police custody admitted in his confessional statement that he killed his mother-in-law and her son.
“I killed two people. After I shot the boy, the mother was crying. I then corked my gun and shot her. I don’t know what came over me,” Odu said when asked why he killed the mother in-law.
Meanwhile, the police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the killing of the woman and her son.
Confirming the incident, Edo State Police Command Spokesman, Anthony Airhuoyo said the suspect would be charged to court soon.

Obasanjo’s aide replies Jonathan on Odi killings

… Says Jonathan comment is factually incorrect

By SAM OTTI

Former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has punctured the statement by President Goodluck Jonathan that the military invasion of Odi resulted in the killings of unarmed civilians, instead of taming the activities of militant groups. Jonathan’s claims that the invasion was a failed operation that left many innocent people dead was rebuffed by the former minister, who insisted that the attack stopped the incessant killings of security agents and innocent people by the militants.

“The truth is that the killing of security agents and soldiers with impunity by the Niger Delta militants virtually stopped after the operation in Odi and remained at a bare minimum right up until the time that president Obasanjo left power eight years later in 2007.

I advise those that doubt this to go and check the records,” he said. Fani-Kayode, who served Obasanjo’s administration that ordered the military operation, described Jonathan’s statement as ‘factually incorrect’ and ‘regrettable.’

During a two-hour presidential media chat on Sunday, Jonathan had argued that the deployment of military troops to Odi was an exercise in futility, as it failed to solve the problem of militant insurgency in the region. Rather than stamp out the militants, it aided the growing of restiveness of militants in the area. Jonathan’s comments, however, seemed not to have gone down well with major players in Obasanjo’s administration.

In a statement made available to Daily Sun, Fani-Kayode said those that served the Obasanjo administration needed to clarify the air further to set the records straight for posterity. He said: “I had the privilege of being briefed about all the facts by president Olusegun Obasanjo himself and Col. Kayode Are, the former director general of the SSS, immediately after the presidential media chat and I believe that it is appropriate to share some of the facts with members of the Nigerian public, given the grave assertion and serious charge that President Jonathan has made.” Fani-Kayode said Obasanjo recourse to military operation became imperative, as a result of the failure of the former governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamesighya to arrest the growing criminality in the region. He said similar military action was taken against Zaki Biam in Benue State after 19 soldiers were murdered in cold blood.

He argued that with the military precision and efficiency of the attacks, terrorists were killed and those that escaped the soldiers’ bullets fled their operational base. “President Goodluck Jonathan was therefore in error when he said that Odi did not solve the problem of killings in the Niger Delta Area by the Niger Delta militants. Not only did it stop the killings, but it is also an eloquent testimony of how to deal with terrorists, how to handle those that kill our security personnel with impunity and how to deter militants from killing members of our civilian population and thinking that they can get away with it,” he said.

The former minister said Obasanjo’s comments on Boko Haram were misconstrued. According to him, the former president never said that the Odi treatment should be applied to Boko Haram. Instead, he said Obasanjo canvassed for a solution that would heal the festering wound of insecurity in the country.

“There can be no doubt that he was right on this because, according to President Jonathan’s own Chief of Army Staff, no less than 3000 people have been killed by Boko Haram in the last two years alone. That figure represents approximately the same number of people that were killed by the IRA in Northern Ireland and the British mainland in the 100 years that the war between them and the British lasted and before peace was achieved between the two sides,” he explained.

Fani-Kayode said the harvest of deaths from the bloody attacks of the Boko Haram sect was unacceptable and disturbing. He urged the Federal Government to ‘cultivate the courage and the political will to stop the killings by Boko Haram and to find a permanent solution to the problem. When president Obasanjo was in power, he handled such matters decisively, with vigour and with the utmost urgency.’

111-year-old blind woman burnt to death

…As man sets village ablaze over witchcraft

From Daily Sun

A 35-year-old man, Mr. Tyoakaa Ijoho, has allegedly set 10 thatched houses ablaze, killing a 111-year-old blind woman, Mama Martha Gyuse Bonko, in Adambge Village in Vandeikiya Local Government Area of Benue State.

According to eyewitnesses, Ijoho, who lost his father to a snake bite recently, was bitter and had gone to consult an oracle to ascertain the cause of the death of his father.

It was gathered that the native doctor, whom Ijoho consulted, allegedly told him that some of his family members had a hand in the death of his father, a development which prompted him to leave his place of abode in Konshisha Local Government Area of the state and headed straight for his village where he set the houses on fire.

One of the villagers, Abraham Chafa, told journalists that his mother, Mama Mezaga Chafa, aged 75, tried to help the 111-year-old woman out of one of the thatched houses but could not due to her age.

He explained further that his mother, who was not too strong, had to abandon the old woman who was eventually burnt to death by the fire, which Ijoho had set, adding that Ijoho, had left the community 18 years ago only to reappear that fateful day to set the village on fire.

He disclosed further that through the help of able-bodied youths and vigilante men, Ijoho was arrested and handed over to the police in Vandeikya while the body of Mama Martha Gyuse Bonko had been deposited at a private hospital in Tsar Mbaduku.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Daniel Ezeala, said he was yet to be briefed on the incident.

It was in Adamgbe Village that a church building collapsed during a stormy rainfall on Easter eve killing 22 parishioners in the process.

Baby Stolen by Gunmen from labour room

Gunmen snatch newborn immediately after birth

From Daily Sun

This sounds like a fairy tale but it is true.

Gunmen have invaded the labour room of a maternity home in Nkwoegwu, Ohuhu, in Umuahia North LGA of Abia State and took away a baby delivered a few minutes back, while nurses were battling to save the mother from bleeding to death.

The baby, a boy, was still dripping with blood when the evil men seized and folded him with the bed sheet in which he was lying.

The mother, Mrs. Eberechi Ihezukwu, says she still thinks that she is in one deep dream, which she will wake up from. “I only heard the cry of my baby and I asked the nurse its sex and she told me that it was a baby boy. I have had three girls for my husband and this is the first male child. My heart was joyful as I felt that I have got an identity in my husband’s house.

With the joy, I was happy that if the nurses stopped the bleeding, its arrival would be a consolation for my travails. “Now see what they have done to me. My breasts are heavy with milk; it is a burden I have refused to bear. They should please bring back my baby to suck my breasts. I refuse to believe that my baby has gone; the God who put it in my womb for nine months before its delivery will fish out the perpetrators and my baby will be brought back to me.

Peace will continue to elude those who have taken it until they bring it back to me,” Mrs. Ihezukwu prayed. Her husband, Clifford Ihezukwu, a radio/television repairer, said what was too much for him to understand was how the police, who he reported the incident to. turned him into a suspect and locked him up in a cell for two days (Tuesday to Thursday) until he allegedly bailed himself with N15, 000.

“On Tuesday, November 13, 2012, at about 2pm, my wife who was already heavy with a baby told me she was going to hospital (Our Lady of Apostles, Nkwoegwu, Ohuhu, Umuahia North LGA of Abia State) where she normally puts to bed. Later, she phoned me, seeking for my consent as the nurses wanted to give her hot drip to help her deliver of the baby since during her three previous pregnancies, there was no time she was given such hot drip before she put to bed. Instantly, I gave my consent if that would be the solution to the problem.

I learnt that the drip was at about 6pm. By 7pm, I went there to see her since it is within a short distance from my home. When I got to the maternity, I saw my wife’s sister rejoicing; she told me that my wife had just put to bed. I thanked God and told her to take charge while I went back to check what I was cooking. I was there when she rushed back to the house and was shouting: “My stomach! My stomach!” I asked her what was amiss and she told me that gunmen invaded the maternity, kicked her in the stomach after overpowering the security man and collected everybody’s cell phones, including that of my wife who was still inside the labour room where the nurses were battling to stop the bleeding after the delivery.

They dashed into the labour room, grabbed the baby who was still dripping with blood and dashed off. My wife was not yet conscious of what was going on as she battled for survival after the nurses had administered her with some injection to stop the bleeding. So, I rushed to the maternity. When I got there, the whole place was locked; I went round knocking at the windows until someone opened. When they narrated how gunmen carried out their operation and took my baby away, I took my wife and went straight home.

“When I later came back to the maternity, soldiers had besieged the arena. After asking questions, the soldiers picked the five nurses and I told them that my wife was still bleeding and appealed to them to allow one nurse to attend to her and they obliged me. After some time, policemen came and asked us what happened and I told them what transpired. Then, they asked me to come to the station in the morning and report the matter officially.

They asked me and I directed them to the home of the owner of the maternity and they left. In the morning, I was attending to my wife and children when they came and asked me why I had not come to the station as they directed me. Then, I told them that I was still attending to my wife and children and would soon be with them. Shortly after, I went to Afugiri Police Station to make an entry. On getting there, the policemen who came to my house earlier were not present so I waited for about four hours before they came back as I was told that they went to Umuosu, the home of the owner of the maternity.

I told the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) what I knew about the matter. When he asked why I left the maternity I told him that I went to feed my children and look after my wife who was still down. After another two hours, I told them that I was going to eat and see how my wife and children were doing. As I was speaking with him, he ordered that I should be kept behind the counter. My brother who came with me had to go and buy malt and snacks for me to eat because I was already famished. “Then the owner of the maternity, Mrs. Dan Mbakwe and her husband came with my Sister- in-Law. About 4pm,

I asked them what my offence was and why I should not be allowed to go home and see my family, but the policemen kept mute. After some time, they started intimidating and telling me that I was the number one suspect in the case and that I would soon be taken to see the Commissioner of Police and I said ok. “At about 5 pm, they brought out a Hilux van, put me, my sister in-law, Mrs. Mbakwe and her husband and the securityman at the hospital in it and took us to the State CID headquarters. At the State CID, I told them my story and they told me that it was late for me to be released and that I would be locked up till the next day.

They asked me to pull off my dress and then hauled my sister and me in-law into cell. But they kept Mrs. Mbakwe, her husband and the securityman at the counter. Then they all left and handed over to another set of policemen on duty. “In the morning, just before people started coming to work, they put us (the trio) into cell for about an hour to look as if all of us had been inside the cell all night. I then asked the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) what my offence was and he told me that no one had come for me. He said that he had asked them to bring N20, 000 for my bail. ‘Are you asking that amount of money from some one who had been passing through such a trauma?’ I asked the man who came for me later – Chief Ukaobasi.

I told him to look into my trouser pocket at the counter, maintaining that I had N8, 000 inside it. He found the money intact, added N2, 000 to it and paid the police with a promise to bring a balance of N5, 000 if they released me. On Thursday, they released me to go home. I then borrowed N5, 000 from a neigbour and sent to them to bring the total sum to N15, 000. But by I pm on that Thursday, the owner of the hospital and the security man were released. That is what I’m passing through. “I wonder why I should be made to go through this after my baby had been kidnapped and my wife left at a point of death.

“The name of the lady who signed my bail bond is Chioma. I ran to the police to help me because I had nobody and the police threw me into cell and turned me into a suspect instead of helping me to look for my stolen child. I am calling on the relevant authorities to come to my rescue. I have no one to fight for me,” he lamented. When contacted on phone, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ambrose Aisabor, who was shocked said he was not aware of the matter.

“Where did this happen; I’m not aware of this incident; I have to find out,” the CP replied. When Daily Sun visited the maternity along Nkwoegwu road in Ohuhu. It was under lock and key. Daily Sun also visited the home of the Mbakwes, owners of the maternity at Umuosu, Okauga and did not find any body at home for comments.

Ghanaian Actress, Yvonne Nelson Confesses: I will Marry Iyanya If He Proposes

Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson has pointed out that she would marry Iyanya if he proposed to her according to Yes! Magazine. Yvonne Nelson who made it known that she was single and searching, said: Maybe, yeah, maybe. You never know. Yeah. I will accept if he proposes. I mean, he's good, a nice guy.

See the interview here......

Yes!: Have you found the right man?

Yvonne: Not yet am still searching

Yes!: Can you tell us about your alleged romance with Iyanya because he mentioned your name in one of his tracks.

Yvonne: He is a good friend of mine. I am his biggest fan. I love his music. He is an amazing guy, special guy! That's about it.

Yes!: If he propose to you today, will you say yes?

Yvonne: Maybe, yeah, maybe. You never know. Yeah. I will accept if he proposes. I mean, he's good, a nice guy

 from Yes Magazine

Men's Guide To Prostate Problems

The prostate is an important segment of the male reproductive system. It is a land that is located in the lower abdominal cavity, just below the bladder, in front of the rectum and behind the pubic bone. It partially surrounds the urethra. The urethra is the channel that carries urine to the penis from the bladder and it runs right through the prostate. A healthy prostate is about the size of a walnut, weighs approximately 1 ounce and is shaped similar to a donut.

Symptoms Of Prostate Problems

Enlargement of the prostate is called benign prostate hypertrophy, or BPH. While this growth is usually considered a nuisance, if a man experiences problems with burning, or difficult urination at any time, the prudent course of action is consulting a urologist.

Other symptoms may be:

* A feeling of having to push out urine

* A sensation that the bladder is not emptying

* Increased urinating, especially at night

* Intermittent starting and stopping of the urinary stream

After a diagnosis of BPH, many men will just continue to live with the symptoms and subsequent discomfort. It is not a life threatening condition, and there are treatments. In some cases surgery might be considered if the enlargement is significant.

Ignoring BPH can be extremely dangerous and lead to other disease such as kidney infections or damage as the urine can back up into the kidneys because of the blockage of an enlarged prostate. There can also be an occurrence of bladder infections.

There is a huge difference between BPH and prostate cancer. BPH is a normal part of aging. Prostate cancer is a condition where prostate cells grow exponentially and out of control. These cells create tumors that may spread to any part of the body.

Numerous health organizations report that 1 in 6 men will experience prostate cancer. However, if the condition is diagnosed early, approximately 99% of

them will survive. The key is early detection.

Obanikoro alleges threat to life

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in Ikoyi/Obalende Local Council Development Area in the October 22 2011 council election in Lagos State, Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro, has said that threats to his life had increased in recent times.

Obanikoro said the police and other security agencies had been alerted, while he continuously got countless phone calls, telling him that he was being watched and unmarked cars trailing him wherever he went.

Obanikoro also decried the indefinite adjournment of the Appeal Court Tribunal sitting on the case filled by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and its candidate in the election, Mr. Wale Adeniji, against the judgment of the election petition tribunal, which declared him the winner of the election on October 4, 2012.

Speaking at a press conference at the weekend in Lagos, Obanokoro urged the Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Ayotunde Philips, to urgently “wade into the matter to defend and protect the image of the judiciary in Lagos State.”

He said the indefinite adjournment of the case came unaware as the tribunal had two weeks ago fixed November 15, for the final argument and announcement of the judgment. The statement reads in parts: “Two weeks ago, the court adjourned to 15th of November for final argument and to announce date of judgment.

We arrived in court and to our surprise though not unexpected, the secretary of the court announced an adjournment of the case sine die without reason. In the Nigerian history of election appeal court, this situation will be precedent. There has never been a situation where the court adjourns sine die on an election appeal before hearing the case.”

I don't believe in God - Seun Kuti

Oluseun Anikulapo-Kuti is the youngest son of the legendary Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuit. Seun leads his father’s band, the ‘Egypt 80’ to date. In this interview with Bayo Adeoye, he speaks on his music and lifestyle, amongst other issues

You were 14 when Fela died, what do you miss most about him?

Well, Fela was my father. You know, it’s a long time now since he died. The most important thing to me now is his presence. I miss him being around. I think of what would happen if I were able to have a discussion with him today. Knowing everything I know now, those are the kind of things you miss. I just miss him being around.

Can you describe what God means to you?

I do not believe in God. I am not a believer of anything supernatural. I don’t believe in God, Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Ifa, Ogun, or whatever anybody uses as a reason to explain simple actions of nature. God, to me, is in existence.

What has been your most embarrassing moment?

Ha (smiles)! My most embarrassing moment happened when I was nine. And nothing up till now has topped that. You know, I used to open the show for my father and I used to sing before he comes on stage. We were in Cincinnati and Fela was about to come on stage, and I had gone up somewhere because we played in this huge dome where there was an archaic session.

I was playing archaic, and I forgot about the show. I got carried away. And when it was five minutes to go… rushing back to the stage, I dressed up quickly. So, my sister helped me with my pants, I was wearing all this traditional pants that you will have to tie. So, I was like, Mosun, you did not tie it. And as soon as I got on stage, my pants just got down…

What is the amusing fact about your life that people will be surprised to know?

Well, I think I tried to keep everything as open as possible. But maybe, people would not know that if I had the opportunity, if it wasn’t for music, I would have been playing football. Not the American football, I mean real soccer.

What major goal do you hope to achieve in the next 20 years?

I do not plan that long. It is impossible for anybody to have that great plan. Looking at 20 years in a globalised world, anything can happen beyond your control. So, I think the way to deal with globalized world is to have concrete short- term plan.

Which is your favourite Fela’s song and why?

I like two: Look and Laugh and Original Suffer Head. You know, it’s just the dynamics of the music. I think in Look and Laugh, Fela actually put the definition of arrangement and melody together.

What is it like heading Fela’s ‘Egypt 80’ band?

For me, it’s very easy. The band is a very experienced band. It’s not as if they are novice, and they helped me as well. The veterans in the band make it a tradition to train the young ones and let them to be acquainted to the music. We are large in number, which makes it quite expensive to manage. But in terms of organisation and discipline, we are good.

Do you smoke?

Yes, I do. But I don’t smoke cigarette... I don’t believe any human being has the right to tell nature what to do. Nature believes in the usefulness of marijuana. And I think mankind is pompous. You don’t say earthquake or Tsunami is illegal. So, why should marijuana, an equally natural thing, be illegal, even when earthquakes and Tsunami are killing people.

When are you hoping on getting married?

I don’t believe in the title of ‘Mister’. The word itself is ‘Miss Your Star’. It doesn’t relate well with me. People forget to understand that the term ‘mister’ is an English term for an English gentleman, and I do not see myself as an English gentleman. When it happens, it happens.

You spent sometime in the Western world, what do you think about the African culture and tradition?

African culture and tradition are quickly getting extinct. Our society does not encourage us to embrace our culture. All cultures are centered on religion. So, the propaganda that African religion is only used for evil purposes while the Western religion is used for good purposes has totally destroyed our society.

Ini Edo speaks on divorce, N600m largesse

Top Nollywood actress, Ini Edo-Ehiagwina, is currently enmeshed in controversies about her marriage and an alleged largesse from the Akwa Ibom State governor Godswill Akpabio.

Not mincing words and obviously angry, the actress spat fire at those paddling untrue stories about her.

She said, “As a rule, I don’t reply every talk or report about me, but these recent ones are crazy and baseless. I don’t know where they got their information that my state governor offered me N600m to build an art or film academy in Uyo.

“This is just another work of mischief makers, who keep troubling celebrities. To put the records straight, my state governor has not offered me such money to build a film academy in Uyo (the Akwa Ibom State capital), as was falsely reported.

“As for the other wicked rumours that I’ve been divorced by my United States–based husband, Phillip Ehiagwina, that is just another lie that can only come from professional happy home breakers. No fight or separation ever happened. We are still together, doing great things as husband and wife.”

Revealed: Soldiers Watched As Gen. Shuwa Was Killed-PM News, Lagos

General Mammam Shuwa was killed at his home in Maiduguri on November 2nd 2012-Photo: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP

By PM News, Lagos

A relation of General Muhammed Shuwa, who was killed 2 November by gunmen believed to be members of the Boko Haram has revealed how the General died.

The story he related is different materially from the one given by Lt. Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman of the Joint Task Force, in a statement issued on the day that the General was killed.

This is what Sagir Musa said: “At about 12 noon today at General Muhammadu Shuwa (Rtd) house in Gwange 1 area of Maiduguri metropolis, while the General was seated in his house with some guests, four men initially thought to be his visitors and guests for the Jumaat prayers entered his house and opened fire on the General and his guests. One of the guests died on the spot while the general died on the way to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. The JTF troops located in the area immediately cordoned off the area and search for the assailants is ongoing to apprehend the terrorists. The terrorists that carried out the killing of the late General will be brought to book. We call on the citizens to bring forward information that will assist the security agencies to apprehend the terrorists.”

On the contrary, a relation of the General, Dr. Hassan Bashir said the late General was sitting outside of his house, awaiting a person he had sent to buy a razor blade for him, when the gunmen came calling. And there were between seven to 10 soldiers on guard duty as the shooting happened. The soldiers as Bashir said did nothing to protect the Civil war veteran.

Excerpts of the interview as published by the Daily Trust newspaper:
There is controversy surrounding the killing of General Shuwa on Friday, 2nd November, 2012.

Can you tell us what actually happened on that day?
I spoke to him on Wednesday, 31st October, 2012. I told him that I have had enough here in Nigeria and I would like to go back to the US. He told me that actually he had done his best to make me settle here but it appears to be a very difficult situation and therefore said I should go back. All the time, the General will call and ask of my whereabouts and my welfare. On Friday, he went outside his house and sent for a shaving razor blade. He sent one Adam to buy it for him and he then sat on a chair outside the house, waiting for the razor blade. At that very time, some boys, our relatives were sitting together with him as he was waiting for the arrival of the razor blade. Then there was a gentleman, a passerby that saw the General sitting outside. He therefore approached him in order to offer Fatiha (a tradition in Borno whereby indigents recite some verses of the Quran in front of affluent people and get a little money in return).

As he was reciting the Fatiha, three armed men appeared and took position, two on the western side of the General and one on the eastern side, facing the soldiers that were guarding the General. They were all armed with AK 47 rifles. There was a huge tree close to where the General was sitting and a fountain of water under it. As the two armed men approached him, they began chanting “Allahu Akbar” (God is great) and started shooting. One irony is that whenever the General was going out of his house, he went with a gun. He always sat with a gun and goes everywhere with a gun. However, on that very day and hour, he did not go out with the gun. Instead, he locked the door of the room where the gun was and put the key in his pocket and went outside.

As the two men were chanting Allahu Akbar and shooting, the passerby that was reciting Fatima attempted to stand up but the gunmen shot him and he collapsed. Then the General said a word in Shuwa Arab, “Hou” roughly translated as “What?” in English language. Then one of the men looked at the General and shot him and was trying to refill the Ak47 rifle again. That was when the General stood up and put his hand inside his pocket, thinking that he will bring out his gun but instead, brought out the keys to his room. On realizing this, he attempted to grab the man that shot him. When the other gunman saw what the General was trying to do, he shot his two arms.
Whose arms?
The General’s arms and one of the bullets penetrated his ribs and hit the heart directly.

Was the General able to grab one of them?
No, he was not. He was making attempt to catch one of them when the other one shot him in the chest, precisely at the epical line where the heart lies. And when he shot the heart, the General fell and both of them continued shooting him. They pushed him with their legs and confirmed that he was dead.

They then started shouting and jubilating and entered their tricycle.
Before then, the General’s most senior wife was trying to go out of the house when she heard gunshots. As she peeped outside, she saw her husband and the passerby on ground. She wanted to go and embrace him but was prevented [by relatives]. This is when the third gunman who was across the other part of the road started shooting at her but she was very lucky, the bullets did not hit her. She later went and embraced her dead husband. Again, when one of the boys that was sitting outside found out that the General was not with his gun, he rushed into the house in order to get the gun but found out that the door of the parlour was locked and he could not get in. When you go outside this house (General Shuwa’s house) you will find out that there is an umbrella…a tent where the General normally sits and you will see the many holes created by bullets.

Were there no military guards in the house?
There were about eight or ten soldiers guarding this house (the General’s house).

But where were they when the gunmen came?
They were right there at their post in front of the house but none of them could show any resistance or stand and make any effort. There was another girl who is also our relation. She was in the General’s second house which was close by. She told me that when the shooting was going on, she had wanted to go out and grab one of the gunmen, exactly what the General’s wife also wanted to do. They wanted to at least obstruct the gunmen but they were grabbed by other relatives. Unfortunately, the soldiers outside could not do anything. If any of the soldiers had made any shooting, I think the life of the General could have been saved. And apart from the soldiers that had been stationed in the house, there were other soldiers at the cross section of the street. Again, there are many security checkpoints that the gunmen passed through before they came to this house. There was no resistance or effort to stop the gunmen. The General has always been in Maiduguri, he has always been in this vicinity thinking that he has been protected and his life was safe.

I can see that the soldiers are still guarding this house. Have they given any explanation as to why they were unable to repel the attack?

Not to my knowledge but I would like to know if there is any.
When the federal government delegation came from Abuja, did they ask you how the General was killed?
I explained to them in detail and they were very amused that the soldiers were there but no effort was made to save the life of the General, despite the fact that the purpose of stationing them here was to protect his life. Why there was no shouting, no shooting, nothing? How can something like this happen to a war hero? Someone that spent all his life to protect this country and keep it united? I would like to know why he was killed this way before me too vanishes from this world.
Are you happy that the soldiers are still stationed outside this house and do you see them as protecting the family?
Look, the family is gone! Which family are they protecting again? The head of the very family has vanished. Have they (the soldiers) not received orders from the high authorities to protect him? I don’t know… may be they have some commanders that did not give them orders to protect the General. Or maybe they don’t have weapons or their weapons are inferior to that of the gunmen, I don’t know.

How many soldiers were there when the gunmen came?

Between seven and ten and the gunmen were three in number. They did the shooting and left. The gunmen were even screaming and laughing and jubilating. It was women that were trying to protect General. The women told me that if not because they were pulled back, they would have obstructed the shooting. His wife said she was pushed to the ground. This was what happened.

Now let’s talk about his life. Who was General Mamman Shuwa?

I can say General Mamman Shuwa was born as a soldier, he lived in this world as soldier and he died as a soldier.
Now, can we believe the JTF that they have arrested the real killers of General Shuwa?

My clamour for Igbo presidency not party based –Kalu

Former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has said his clamour for a president of Igbo origin in Nigeria in 2015 is not based on the platform of any political party. Kalu, at different fora in the United States of America, last week, said that to achieve the lofty aim, it has to be beyond the confines of a political party, hence the formation of a non-partisan political movement, the Njiko Igbo.

He said it had become imperative for all Igbo sons and daughters, home and abroad, to unite behind the Njiko Igbo for the realization of the objective of having, for the first time in Nigeria, an elected president of South-East origin. Kalu, who spoke first at a dinner held in his honour by Yoruba professionals at the residence of Chris Ogunrinde in Charlotte, North Carolina, added that as a person charged with the noble role of coordinating the aspirations of the Igbo and reaching out to other regions, he needed to be neutral by not associating with any political party at this point. Kalu said: “I need to be neutral at all levels in achieving a unifying platform for this laudable project.

We have many qualified and dynamic people who have both the technical expertise and wealth of experience in the private and public sectors that are fit to occupy the position of Nigeria’s president. Responding, Ogunrinde applauded the commitment of Kalu in promoting unity in Nigeria. He described the ex-governor as a bridge-builder with network of contacts beyond boundaries.

He acknowledged the support of the Igbo in voting en masse for the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in the 1993 and 1999/2003 presidential elections, promising to mobilize Nigerians in the USA to support the move for a president of South-East origin. At another parley with a cross-section of the Igbo in USA, Kalu passed across the same message, soliciting support for the project. Dr. A. Eze, a consultant surgeon, who spoke on behalf of others, pledged their unalloyed support for the Igbo cause.  Eze stated that the Igbo have contributed immensely to the development of Nigeria in all ramifications and deserve to be given the opportunity to lead the country.

Also commenting at the event, a friend of Dr. Eze’s, Mr. Abdullahi Umar, poured encomiums on Dr. Kalu.  Umar went down memory lane on the selfless fight of Dr. Kalu when he held sway as president, Student Union Government of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State. He also acknowledged his role in building the PDP with the likes of Dr. Alex Ekwueme, General Ibrahim Babaginda, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the late Chief S.M. Afolabi and General Aliyu Gwarzo, among others, and also the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), which have both produced political office holders.

In another development, Dr. Kalu was also a guest at the anniversary dinner of the North Carolina chapter of the Jewish National Association, where he thanked members for their support and sought the strengthening of cordial relationship with Nigerians.  The association said it was delighted to have Nigerians grace this year’s anniversary dinner and promised to extend the same invitation next year.

EFCC: Billionaire Ex-Council Chairman Destroys Evidence Of Corruption By Burning Down Treasury Department

Operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have arrested one Kasimu Lawal Abubakar (a.k.a Abasco), the former Chairman of Sabon Gari Local Government, Zaria, Kaduna State

The arrest followed a petition alleging that the former council boss abused his office to enrich himself. Other allegations contained in the petition include illegal acquisition of properties worth billions of naira.

 In the course of investigating the allegations, operatives of the Commission stormed the council only to discover that evidence would assist the investigation had been destroyed in an inferno that gutted the council secretariat building, particularly the Treasury Department.

However in the course of executing a search warrant at the home of the suspect, several official documents belonging to the local government including, but not limited to original copies of payment schedule of the local government staff, tax clearance certificates and official files of the local government that are not suppose to be in his custody an ex- official of the council, were recovered.

Further investigation uncovered properties acquired by the council chief while he held sway between 2007 and 2011, first as interim chairman and later as substantive Chairman.

The properties scattered in different locations in the state include a farm house, private school, (ABC Academy, Zaria which is an acronym of his nick name Abasco), residential houses and a block industry all in Kaduna State.

Apart from the alleged properties, it was also been discovered that the suspect converted some of the local government properties to his personal use.

The suspect has made useful statement while investigation continues.