Blind Pastor Donates N5m Post To Oyo Police


TO checkmate the rising crime wave in his community, a blind pastor, Moses Kasali yesterday donated a N5 million modern police post to the Nigeria Police Force to serve six communities in Akinyele Local Council area of Oyo State.
Kasali, who conducted reporters round the newly constructed police post at Oyedeji area of Ibadan, said the gesture was aimed at supporting the government in the area of security and fighting crime.
He stated that the task of nation building should not be left for the government alone to handle and implored other well meaning Nigerians to take up the challenge of partnering with the government.
The cleric stated that the era of waiting on government to provide basic amenities and infrastructure for the citizenry was over, saying Nigerians must think of how to support government in their own little way.
This, he noted is the only way to take the nation to greater heights.
Kasali expressed hope that the presence of policemen in the community would put an end to the rising crime wave in the area. He said he was spurred to take up the challenge of building the police post when various entreaties by the community heads to the police authorities failed to yield the desired results.

He said: “My community came to me a few years ago to complain about the rising activities of criminals in the area. Many park their motorcycles popularly called okada at night and the following morning, the motorcycles nowhere to be found. When we requested for a police post, the police authorities said it would take them about one year to complete, so I took up the challenge and commenced the project. Today, the rest is history.”
While emphasizing the role of the police in crime prevention, the cleric said prayer remained one of the greatest weapons to fight the scourge.

Kasali disclosed that the police post, which has all necessary facilities to make it compete favourably with others across the globe, would be formally handed over to the Commissioner of Police, Baba Adisa Bolanta with a patrol van on Thursday, November 4.


http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=27496:blind-pastor-donates-n5m-post-to-oyo-police-&catid=1:national&Itemid=559

Narcotic agents, attached to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, yesterday apprehended a 60-year-old grandfather and a 47-year-old grandmother for allegedly trafficking in illicit drug.

The suspects, who have grand children, allegedly ingested a total of 189 wraps of powdery substances weighing 3.140kg, which was detected by the scanning machine at the MMIA.

According to the agency, the drug suspects, Bello Saka Mobolaji, 60, who is a transport administrator residing at Surulere, Lagos and Afolabi Kehinde Victoria, 47, a trader at Owo town in Ondo State were being interrogated by narcotic investigators over their alleged roles in drug trafficking.

Bello, who ingested 83 wraps of substances that tested positive to heroin weighing 1.120kg was stopped from smuggling drugs into Detroit in the United States through a KLM flight, while Afolabi swallowed 106 wraps of substances that proved positive for cocaine weighing 1.920kg on her way to London during screening of passengers on Virgin Atlantic flight.

Speaking on the latest arrest, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, said the agency’s strategic plan, aimed at stemming illicit trade in narcotics as the year draws to a close, was yielding positive result.
“End of year is usually associated with rise in crime rate as most people strive to make money for the yuletide season. This inordinate quest for money compels many into illicit drug trafficking and other criminal activities. We have, therefore, prepared adequately to tackle the antics of drug barons.

We shall stop them by strategic reduction of our threats and maximization of drug control opportunities. The use of older people will certainly not work as these arrests have shown,” he said. NDLEA Airport Commander, Alhaji Hamza Umar, said scanning machines would always detect drugs irrespective of age and status.
According to Hamza, “it is amazing that at their age, they could still involve in drug trafficking. The good thing is that we have the capacity to detect them as scanning machines do not consider age and status.”

Bello, who would have smiled to the bank with 10,000 dollars if he had been successful, said it took him a year to be convinced into drug smuggling. Besides having two busses for transportation in Lagos, he also sells auto parts.

He hails from Ekiti State and has four children who have all graduated from high school.
“My wife had a surgical operation that cost about N1.5 million last year. I am still paying the debt I incurred from the medical bill. All the same, it all started last year when I contemplated smuggling drugs. They gave me bitter cola to swallow, which I did but I latter changed my mind after the trial. Three weeks ago, the same people contacted me and I agreed to do it for 10,000 dollars. Now I know that I have made a mistake,” he lamented.

Afolabi Victoria, who hails from Owo in Ondo State, told narcotic officers that she smuggled drugs because she needed money for medication. She was to board a Virgin Atlantic flight to London when scanning machine revealed 106 wraps of cocaine in her stomach.

According to Afolabi, “I needed money for my medication because I am sick. When I met the people in Lagos, they promised to pay me 3,500 pounds and I agreed to swallow the drugs. That was how they lodged me in a hotel where I ingested the drugs for about one and half day period. I am ashamed of myself.”
Both suspects will soon be charged to court.

A Zimbabwean woman and her son have done the unthinkable – they havefallen in love with oneanother. And now theywant to marry since the mom, Betty Mberekofrom Mwenezi in Masvingo, is six months pregnant and expectingher son ’s child.
Mbereko (40), who waswidowed 12 years ago,has been cohabiting with her first child, Farai Mbereko (23).
She confirms that she is six months pregnant and that she has decided it is better to “marry” her son because she does not want to marry her late
husband ’s young brothers, whom she says are coveting her. Betty stunned a village court last week when she said the affair with her son had begun three years earlier. She said after spending a lot of money sending Farai to school following the death of her husband, she felt she had a right to his money and no other woman was entitled to it. “Look, I strove alone to send my son to school and no one helped me. Now you see that my son is working and you accuse me of doing something wrong. “Let me enjoy the products of my sweat, ” she told the village court.
Farai said he was more than prepared to marry his mother and would pay off the ilobola balance his father had left unpaid to his grandparents.
“I know my father died before he finished paying the bride price and I am prepared to pay it off, ” he said.
“It is better to publicise what is happening because people should know that I am the one who made my mother pregnant. Otherwise they will accuse her of promiscuity.”
But local headman Nathan Muputirwa says: “ We cannot allow this to happen in our village, mashura chaiwo aya, (This is a bad omen indeed).
 In the past they would have to be killed but today we cannot doit because we are afraid of the police. ” He warned them to break off their
marriage or leave his village.
They chose the latter andhave left the village for an unknown destination.

Culled from~ coastalnews.com/component/content/article/121-africa-news/459-i-want-to-marry-my-mother-true-story-from-zimbabwe.html

It sure sounds unbelievable, but a young woman has been delivered of a snake in Umuahia. The woman delivered the scary reptile on Wednesday following hours of intense prayers at the Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, along Eze Ogbulafor Street, Umuahia, Abia State.

Chairman of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) in Abia state, Apostle Emmanuel Agomoh, who is also the head of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim in the state said a priest, Apostle Uche Ugwu had engaged himself in hours of prayers to cause the delivery of  the snake from the private part of the 35-year-old lady whose names are being withheld.

The snake, said to have been programmed into the woman’s womb since her secondary school days, was headless and tailless.
The incident, which has become the talk of the town, happened around 5p.m. on Wednesday at the church premises.

Daily Sun learnt that the young lady hails from Olokoro in Umuahia South LGA.
She was said to have delivered the snake like a woman under labour following prayers by the priest that everything that was not of God in her should come out of her body. The incident attracted a large crowd.
Apostle Agomoh said the snake forced itself out of the woman’s private part with the intention of attacking Apostle Ugwu. The cleric’s younger brother, however, was able to kill the animal.

The cleric said the woman came to the church on Monday for prayers following the pains she had been experiencing  all over her body since she was in secondary school. According to him, it was at this juncture  that one of the prayer warriors in the church Apostle Ugwu conducted the prayers that forced the snake out of her body.

“As I was praying and calling on whatever was inside the lady to come out, the lady was writhing in pains. The snake even wanted to attack me until my brother here killed it with the stick,” Ugwu told our reporter.
He said such miracles happen very  often in the church. “But we don’t advertise  it and we don’t use any fetish things here. We only engage in prayers,” he said.

Daily Sun learnt that the lady, who is still  in shock is currently recuperating in her village.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/oct/29/national-29-10-2010-010.htm

Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar
 
American lecturers at the American University of Nigeria, owned by the former vice-president and now presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, earn one million dollars per month.


This was disclosed by Abubakar, at the second National Joint Education Stakeholders Action Coalition held in Abuja on Thursday.

According to him under the salary was part of the negotiations that he had with an American university in Washington D.C in the United States before it allowed the lecturers to come to Nigeria.


Atiku said, “Today I do not derive one kobo from all the investments I have made in education. Rather, in the university I still continue to pay the American lecturers one million dollars every month because the school fees that they are charging are not even enough to fuel the generators that they are running because the university was built to American standard. Because I have a special agreement with the American university in Washington, managing the university and everything I do must conform to American standard.”


http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201010295293351

The controversy surrounding the arms haul at the Apapa Wharf in Lagos assumed a wider dimension on Thursday, as Israeli military officials claimed that the weapons were bound for the Gaza Strip.

According to wikipedia.com, the Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the South-West and Israel on the South, East and North. It is about 41 kilometres long and between six and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of 360 square kilometres.

Although it is under the administration of the Palestinians Authority, Israel maintains control over the crossings in and out of Gaza.

Israel recently intercepted a number of ships carrying aid to Gaza, accusing their operators of trying to breach its embargo on the Hamas-controlled territory.

The Israeli military officials, who declined to be named because they were not authorised to speak to journalists, told the Associated Press in Lagos that the military-grade armaments originated from Iran.

Nigerian officials had said on Wednesday that the arms came from India.

Iran remains a bitter enemy of Israel and supports Islamic militant groups in Lebanon and Gaza that are in a state of war with the Jewish state. In the winter of 2008, Israel launched a military campaign against Iran-backed militants in Gaza in an attempt to stop years of almost daily rocket attacks on southern Israel.

The Israeli officials declined to provide evidence to support their claims, citing ‘security concerns.’

But Hamas leader, Ismail Radwan, denied that the weapons were headed for Gaza. Hamas is the largest and most influential Palestinian militant movement which has since attaining power in Palestine in Januay 2006 continued its refusal to recognise the state of Israel.

The Israeli afficials and Radwan spoke with the AP shortly after the National Security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Azazi (retd.), met in Abuja with top security chiefs over the Apapa Wharf seizure.

When THE PUNCH sought the view of a marine historian, Prof. Ayodeji Olukoju, on the Israeli military authorities’s claim, he said the logistics of moving weapons cache to Gaza Strip from India through Nigeria was implausible.

Olukoju, who has just been appointed as the vice-chancellor, Caleb University, Imota, Lagos State, said, “Nothing can be ruled out in a deadly global power politics, especially the life and death struggle in the Middle East.

“But the logistics of moving the weapons cache to Gaza makes this implausible. Maybe, Israeli intelligence knows what we don’t or it is a red herring.”

The claim by the Israeli military officials conflicts with the statement by officials of the Nigeria Customs Service that the weapons, which included 107mm artillery rockets, were destined for the country.

President Goodluck Jonathan had while reacting to the seizure of the arms and ammunition said the importer had a sinister motive.

The NCS also said on Wednesday that the vessel (MV Everest) that brought in the arms and ammunition berthed at the Apapa Wharf on July 10 and left on July 15, 2010 after the containers, in which the weapons were concealed, had been off-loaded.

It added in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, that MV Everest last stopped at Mumbai’s Jawaharlal Nehru Port in India before coming to Nigeria.

Adeniyi said there had been some attempts to clear the containers “for importation into Nigeria” but “we understood later that there was an application to re-export them.”

MV Everest, a cargo ship registered in the Marshall Islands, is chartered by CMA-CGM, a shipping company based in France.

In a statement released on Thursday, CMA-CGM said the containers holding the weapons were owned by the firm that shipped them. The shipping company said the manifest for the weapons described the shipment as “packages of glasswool and pallets of stone.”

The containers “were supplied, loaded and sealed by the shipper, delivered to the port of loading for transportation and remained sealed during the whole transportation process, The seals were fully intact upon discharge in Nigeria, the statement added.”

The company declined to comment further other than to say it had cooperated with Nigerian security services.


In the hands of highly trained troops, the 107 mm artillery rockets can accurately hit targets as far as eight and a half kilometres away, killing everything within about 40 feet. Fighters in Afghanistan and Iraq have used similar rockets against American troops. China, the US and Russia manufacture versions of the rocket, as does Iran – which calls the weapon a Katyusha rocket.

In 2006, the Islamic militant group, Hezbollah, fired nearly 4,000 Katyusha rockets across Israel’s northern border, some of which fell as far as 90 kilometres inside Israel.
When our correspondent contacted the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ozo Nwobu, to ascertain if the ministry had contacted Iran on the allegation, he replied, “All questions pertaining to that incident should be directed to security agencies handling the investigation.”

But a source said the ministry would only take up the matter with the affected country after investigations had been concluded by security agents.

An official of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Abuja, who declined to be named, said the allegation was unfounded.


The official said, “You know we have a lot of enemies. Did your people see the bill of lading? Did it say it was from Iran? Was anyone arrested and the person confessed that we were involved? We need answers to these questions.”


THE PUNCH learnt in Abuja on Thursday that Azazi, met for over five hours with top security chiefs led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Oluseyi Petirin, over the arms seizure.

It was also gathered that the Federal Government had directed stricter security presence at the ports in Apapa, Onne and other parts of the country to forestall their use for arms shipment.

A source, who made this known, added that the government had directed that security be beefed up in all the nation’s air and sea ports.

“The Navy has been put on the alert and has been instructed to strictly monitor all the waterways so that nobody can ship arms into the country. The President is concerned about the matter of arms proliferation in the country and he wants everything possible to be done to reduce it,” he said.


http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201010293582734

@ Moderator,

Since this story is on NP front page, please correct the title. Mistakes like these can give NP a bad name. I know the poster linked the story from the Tribune but every other news outlet in the world correctly reported the amount as 80 Million and not 1 Billion Dollars. Below are some sample headlines from Google:

Ted Turner gives $80M to UN fund for Nigeria work - BusinessWeek

Ted Turner gives $80 million to UN fund for Nigeria work

Ted Turner gives $80M to UN fund for Nigeria work

Ted Turner gives $80 million to UN fund for Nigeria work - WTVA.c

Ted Turner gives $80M to UN fund for Nigeria work | pennlive.

Ted Turner gives $80 million to UN fund for Nigeria work

Nigerian Woman Divorces Husband On Facebook
    pmnews Date: Oct 26th, 2010.


A Nigerian, Mrs. Ijeoma Nwabolo, has divorced her husband, Engr. Okezie Godwin Nwabolo, through the Facebook, a popular social networking site.
The husband, a publisher and telecommunications engineer, therefore, approached a Lagos High Court to seek dissolution of his 14-year marriage with Ijeoma.
Nwabolo told the court that a family friend called his attention to the popular social networking site where his wife had gone to change her marital name, Nwabolo, to her maiden name, Onyeka. She also changed her marital status to single.


This prompted him to approach the probate family division of the court to dissolve his marriage to Ijeoma, because all avenues to reconcile with her were rebuffed by her and her family.
The 46-year old engineer informed the court that the marriage which was solemnised on 3 August, 1996 at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos, has broken down irreconcilably and his wife could not be traced.

Led in evidence by his counsel, T. O. Taiwo, he told the court that his wife deserted their matrimonial home without any notice or quarrel.
Nwabolo said on 7 August, 2006, he travelled to Abuja for an important meeting with the Belgian Ambassador to Nigeria. When he got to Abuja, all attempts to speak with his wife on phone proved abortive.
“When I arrived in Abuja, I called my wife but all her lines were switched off. Later, I had a call from my driver informing me that my house was empty and my wife was nowhere to be found.  I immediately went to the airport and boarded the next available flight to Lagos for verification.
“On getting home, I discovered that she has left our Lagos, residence with all my property and our marriage certificate. I tried all my best possible to locate her but to no avail.

“When I called her uncle, he was not forthcoming. So I got the church that solemnised us involved but she rebuffed all attempts for reconciliation,” he said.
He added that the tribunal of the Catholic Church which includes the Archbishop of Lagos and other bishops sat and advised him that the marriage had become null and void because all efforts for reconciliation were defeated by his wife and her family.
The presiding Judge, Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, subsequently adjourned the matter for further hearing.
—Jamiu Yisa

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2010/10/26/nigerian-woman-divorces-husband-on-facebook/

6 killed in fresh Jos violence
News Oct 27, 2010


Six persons were confirmed dead and several others injured when unknown assailants attacked Ruhenku, a remote village in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.

“We have confirmed that six people, all of them women and children, were killed in the attack,” Lt. Col. Kingsley Umoh, spokesman, Special Military Task Force, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Jos on yesterday.

He said the three victims who were injured had been hospita-lised, while many houses were also burnt.

He said: “No arrests have been made. At the moment, we have no idea who the assailants were. The distress call came one hour after the attack. The village is so remote that reaching it is a great challenge.

“There are no deployments in the area by the army, but all the security agencies are already there to prevent any escalation.”

Some of the villagers described the attack as “very shocking,’’ saying that they were taken unawares as they were still in bed when the attackers invaded the village.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Mohammed Lerama, who expressed disgust at the resurgence of violence, confirmed that a team of mobile police officers had been dispatched to the village. Mr Musa Sule, Chairman of Bassa Local Government Area, described the attack as “very horrible”.

He said: “It is sad that the peace loving villagers were attacked while they were asleep. It is devastating, but we hope that the security agencies will get to the root of the matter.”

Odiah Also Missing As Sani Kaita Returns

Super Eagles first choice goalie,Vincent Enyeama and captain Joseph Yobo have been axed from the squad to play Iran in next month’s international friendly by team’s gaffer,Austin Eguavoen.

Head of the NFF’s Technical Department Emmanuel Ikpeme explained to kickoff that the move was not punitive, but meant to try out younger players.

“There is nothing to be read from the decision. The players are not dropped. We just want to try out some younger players so that we can build strength in depth for the team. It also does not mean that the players not invited are no longer members of the team.

“They are key members of our squad, but we need to give other players a chance to see if they can fit in when these big players for any reason, are unavailable.”

The team will again be managed by Austin Eguavoen, according to Ikpeme.

“He picked the team and explained to us the rationale behind leaving out certain players. He will be in charge for that game, although the first order of business for the board as soon as they come in will be to appoint a new coach.”

In another report monitored on Brila Radio,defender,Chidi Odiah has also been reportedly left out of the game in Tehran while Eguavoen has called up 20 players made of up 13 foreign-based and seven home lads for the tie.

Highlights of the list,according to Brila include the return of Sani Kaita to the national team,while top choice goalkeeper, a horde of other first team players has been left out.

On the other hand, Siena of Italy defender, Michael Chukwukie Odibe leads a line of rookies into the squad, as he is joined by previously unsung Wasiu Showemimo of Sunshine Stars and Saka Ayo of Kano Pillars.

However, other highly-rated stars – Taye Ismaila Taiwo, Peter Osaze Odemwingie, Kalu Uche, Victor Obinna Nsofor and Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins are listed for the game billed to hold on November 17.



FULL LIST

Dele Aiyenugba

Bassey Akpan

Chibuzor Okonkwo

Showemimo Wasiu

Valentine Nwabili

Dele Adeleye

Taye Taiwo

Michael Odibe

Anyanwu Emmanuel

Fengor Ogude

Kalu Uche

Sanin Kaita

Eneji Otegba

Saka Ayo

Ahmed Musa

John Owoeri

Osaze Odemwingie

Obafemi Martins

Edward Ofere

Obinna Nsofor

Nigeria no longer big brother –NEC

From JULIANA TAIWO, Abuja
Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The National Economic Council yesterday said Nigeria will no longer play big brother to countries in trouble without getting anything in return. Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting chaired By Vice President Namadi Sambo at the Presidential Villa, the Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, in company with his Lagos State counterpart, Babatunde Fashola and the Minister of Finance, Segun Aganga, said while Nigeria remains a responsible member of the comity of nations, it would insist on getting development benefits in return for its foreign policy commitments.

According to the governor; “the Council reiterated the foreign policy objectives of the country as a new partnership for the development of Nigeria. In other words, we are going to shed that belief that we are big brother where we go to help other people and we never get something in return. Even though we may not escape from that, but now we begin to look at our foreign objectives in terms of development of Nigeria. So, wherever we go or whoever we relate with must be because it will help us develop rather than as we normally say, that we have gone to help these or that people without getting anything in return.”

The NEC also discussed Nigeria’s BB- rating by international economy assessment organization, Fitch and Co., saying that although it was a downward result, there was optimism that the country was moving on the path of addressing the concerns that led to such assessment.

Aganga, explained that the ratings report though “harsh”, acknowledged that Nigeria’s decision to set up a sovereign wealth fund was a good fiscal policy which would increase the country’s rating during the next assessment.
According to him, “we discussed the rational for the revision of the outlook (from stable to negligible) and did not fully agree with their rationale; we believe that it was harsh. But we welcome the fact that they affirmed the credit rating that nothing has changed and the main reason for that reaffirmation or confirmation of that credit rating was that Fitch felt that the idea that set up the sovereign wealth fund was in the best interest of the country.

“It is a good fiscal policy and they have indicated that they will issue a positive statement once the sovereign wealth fund bill was passed.”
The minister stated further that government welcomed Fitch’s affirmation that the country has a very strong balance sheet, has a less debt ratio compared to her peers anywhere in the world and has net petrol balance.

“They were impressed with the level of revenue that is going up given that we have increased production and oil prices are on the rise and also they were pleased that the current administration is also focusing on dealing with the issue of power.
“As you know the President announced a roadmap for power in August this year and so all these were positive reasons why the country’s credit rating was affirmed by Fitch.”

You will recall also that S& PG issued a report also a month affirmed the credit rating but their outlook was stable not negative”, Aganga added.
He said final draft of the Sovereign Wealth Fund bill will be adopted at the next NEC meeting in November 4th before submitting it to the National Assembly.
The Lagos State Governor, said NEC discussed the concerns regarding the legality of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) conduct in printing of license plates for vehicles.

“Council was invited to consider whether mere printing of new vehicle license plate and whether it was possible to include driver’s education at the domestic levels.
“They were issues of legality of the exercise being taken by FRSC, and council said they will like the input of the attorneys-general of the states and that of the federation before a decision is taken.
“So as it relates to issuance of uniform new plates and driver’s licence, it is held in abeyance until further advice”.
 

Nigerian, Ademola Adegoke, to eight and a half years imprisonment for using stolen credit card numbers to steal more than $400,000 from the US citizens.

The convict, who pleaded guilty, to wire fraud and aggravated theft on July 30, 2010, has, however, agreed to pay restitution in the amount of $696,026.

According to the US Department of Justice, a District Court Judge, Liam O’Grady, also ordered 43-year-old-Adegoke, who is a Ghanaian resident to serve two years of supervised release following his prison term.

According to the Department of Justice, court documents had shown that, “Adegoke is a Nigerian national who was living in Accra. Adegoke used local Internet cafes in Accra to access e-mail accounts and voice over IP services, which made it appear that he was calling from the United States even though he was physically in Ghana.

“He used e-mail and VOIP to purchase stolen credit card information online and then used those numbers to purchase airline tickets from travel agencies in the US and Canada as well as directly from airlines.

“Adegoke sent e-mail or faxed copies of fraudulent passports and drivers licenses as well as images of credit cards with the stolen credit card number transposed over a blank card to the travel agency or airline.

“ If he was able to convince the travel agency or airline to issue a ticket, he would call back, speak to the same agent and purchase additional tickets for customers who would pay him a fraction of the cost of the full fare.

“In all, Adegoke purchased more than 5,000 stolen credit card numbers and was responsible for more than $400,000 in losses as a result of this scheme.”

Paul, the Psychic Octopus, who correctly called the winners of last summer's World Cup, has died. He would have been 3 in January.


"Management and staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre were devastated to discover that oracle octopus Paul, who achieved global renown during the recent World Cup, had passed away overnight," the aquarium in Germany said in a statement Tuesday. No further details were given.

Born in January 2008 in Weymouth, England, Paul accurately forecast the results of all but two of Germany's games during Euro 2008 (he slipped up on predicting the defeats to Croatia and Spain). At this summer's World Cup, he maintained a perfect record, correctly predicting all of Germany's results before picking Spain to beat Netherlands in the final.

Paul's method: His caretakers at the Sea Life Centre placed a mussel in each of two clear plastic containers within his tank, and each container was marked with the flag of the competing soccer team. Paul always took his first mussel from the container bearing the flag of the team he "knew" would win.
– Stephen M. SIlverman


http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20436926,00.html

 
She is, without a doubt, a genius. At seven, when many of her peers are still in primary three, little Atiyatullahi Arike Lawal has already gained admission into the Junior Secondary School (JSS).

Many people agree that the brilliant girl has performed a rare feat.

When schools in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital resumed for the 2010/2011 academic session recently, Atiyatullahi was the cynosure of all eyes as she joined other students at the Ikija High School, Abeokuta, where she had been admitted for her junior secondary education.

The first of her parents’ three children, Atiyatullahi isn’t just an academic whiz kid; she’s also a devoted Muslim. By the time she turned five, she had actually completed the reading of the Holy Quoran. Right now, she’s studying Arabic literature books.

When Daily Sun ran into the brilliant girl, she was so confident of what she wants to be in life. “With God on my side and with prayers, which I believe in, I hope to make a career in law. I want to be a lawyer so that I can be of great help to my immediate community in particular as well as serve mankind in general,” she said.

The girl’s dad, Mr. Lawal, said Atiyatullahi began manifesting uncommon brilliance when she took interest in reciting many books offhand. At the time, he recalled, she was just four.

“We discovered her at four because she used to recite so many things offhand, including many of the things she learnt in school. Initially, we were worried about her academic development, but later we discovered that she could read and understand English very well.

“Ordinarily, it is difficult to believe that at her age, she is already in JSS I, but that is the reality. During her primary education, particularly when she was between classes 2 and 4, she had double promotion. At that time she was at the Baptist Day School. That was between 2008 and 2009. That was where she also completed her education.”

Atiyatullahi’s parents are both teachers, and she started her education at a very young age. According to her dad, she started kindergarten when she was just two. She attended Ayodele Akode Memorial Nursery/Primary School as well as Almubarak Nursery and Primary School.

And when she was asked what her favourite subjects were, the girl retorted innocently: “My favourite subjects? I like English Language and Mathematics, but I prefer English Language.”

The girl never attended an Islamic school, but on March 15, 2008, she celebrated her Wolimat Al Quoran (completion of reading of the Holy Quoran). Her father actually took her through the study of the Islamic holy book himself. He had mastered the holy book at 25.

“I introduced her to the reading of the holy book precisely on January 6, 2007, and miraculously, she completed the introductory reading within two days. We are surprised that about a week to her fifth birthday, on November 25, 2007, she completed the recitation. She then started another aspect, which is Jurisprudence.

Lawal’s extraordinary intellectual abilities and mastery of the Quoran as well as her admission into the JSS I at such a tender age is already causing ripples, with many wondering whether such is actually possible.

An educationist, Mr. Olayiwola Oyenekan, while reacting to Atiyatullahi’s feat, noted: “It is a rare achievement, but the great challenge is for her to sustain it. A genius like that has the tendency to rubbish her records if she is not well guided, especially by her parents.

“An adage in Yoruba says it is not the beginning that matters, but the ability to sustain the rare feat. Her parents must ensure that she does not derail along the way. I recommend that they monitor her studies and ensure that she gets to the Promise Land, I mean the university, between the ages of 13 and 14.’’

An Islamic cleric, Alhaji Mohammed Tajudeen who commented on the ingenuity of the girl advised that her parents should guide her in the ways of God.

“She should be guided and shown the way of God,” he said. “She must be taught the principles of God and they should allow her move closer to God. She needs fervent prayers to actualize her dreams in life,” he said.

When Mr. Lawson Tekena, a graduate of microbiology, decided to make a U-turn in front of a building on Tombia Road, GRA, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, it did not occur to him that that singular act would land him in trouble.

He said what was uppermost in his mind was to avoid the traffic jam on the road so that he could get to his destination on time.

But the spot Tekena chose to make his U-turn was in front of the house of retired Admiral Festus Porbeni, a minister of transport under Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar’s regime.

Tekena told PUNCH METRO that some security men and naval ratings approached him and asked him why he wanted to park his car in front of their boss‘s house.

He said all his explanations to the naval ratings that his mission was just to make a U-turn in front of the house and not to park his car were rebuffed.

Tekena said before he could explain further, the naval ratings and the security men pounced on him. He added that one of them carried a big stone and hit one of his car‘s side mirrors.

Sensing danger, he said he attempted to manouvre his car so that he could leave the spot. But he said he was prevented by the naval ratings, who proceeded to give him the beating of his life.

He said as he was being beaten, one of the naval ratings dashed into their boss’ compound and brought out a gun.

Tekena said, “He (the naval rating) tried to drag me into the building, but I tried my best to resist him. Even when the crowd that gathered at the scene told them to leave me, they did not listen. The Naval men dragged me inside and began to punch me all over my body.

“The one who punched me while I was in the vehicle corked his gun and put it on my head apparently ready to shoot me.

”In the process, one of the bullets fell down and he went to hit me on the head with the butt of the gun. At that point, all my body was covered with blood, which was gushing from my head, precisely at the point where the rating hit me.

“In that state, the naval rating still asked me to lie on the ground. That was after he had removed the magazine of his gun and fixed it back. But I refused to lie down.”

He said after he was released, some officials of the Rivers State Government House took him to a hospital in an ambulance.

Tekena, who was wearing a cap to cover the deep cut on his head when he spoke to our correspondent, said, “When he (naval rating) carried his gun, I thought about my three daughters and my wife, who just gave birth and said if this man killed me here, what would become of my children? It would have been tragic because my new born baby wouldn‘t have known his father.”

He said he reported the incident to the police station, where the Divisional Crime Officer sent six of his men to investigate the matter.

He said when the policemen arrived at the scene, the naval ratings refused to listen to them, adding that at that point, the police decided to leave him to his fate.

Tekena explained that as they were about leaving, one of the naval ratings, whom he identified as Abubakar, appealed to him that the matter should be forgotten.

“This was the same man, who called me a ‘bloody civilian’ and asked me where I was when militants were everywhere in Port Harcourt,” he said.

But Abubakar, who appeared to be the most senior among the naval ratings guarding the house, told our correspondent on the phone that he was just a peace maker.

“I wasn‘t there. But when I came and saw them fighting, I asked them to stop and that was all,” he said.

Tekena, however, faulted Abubakar and wondered how he could have fought five men, two of whom were armed.

An eyewitness, who identified himself simply as Tony, said Tekena was treated like an animal on the fateful day, adding that if not for the crowd, the Microbiologist would have been shot by the naval ratings.

“They dragged him (Tekena) into the building and by the time they decided to bring him out, his shirt was already torn while his entire body was covered in his blood,” the eyewitness noted.

“The crowd that gathered at the scene knocked violently on the gate and pleaded that they released Tekena. Many people parked their cars outside to watch the show of shame. But by the time the naval ratings released my friend, they had already torn his shirt and hit him with the butt of the gun. His body was filled with blood”, Tekena‘s friend, who gave his name simply as Zukky, also said.

When contacted, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Dr. Rita Inoma-Abbey, said she could not comment on the issue because she had not been briefed.

Efforts made to reach the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Navy in the state, Mr. N. Yeibo, were abortive as he did not pick his calls when our correspondent called his two lines. Also, he had not responded to text messages sent to his line as at the time the paper was going to bed.

Our correspondent could not also reach Porbeni, but his Personal Assistant who spoke on the telephone declined comments. She demanded to know our correspondent’s “interest”in the matter.

“What is your interest in the matter? Are you Tekena‘s brother? I don‘t know what your interest is, but whatever it is; I will call Abubakar and tell him what you have told me. I don‘t know why you want to publish it in the newspaper; I don‘t know what your report will do,” she said.

San Francisco (AP) - When Rohan Coombs joined the U.S. Marine Corps, he never thought one day he would be locked up in an immigration detention center and facing deportation from the country he had vowed to defend.

Coombs, 43, born in Jamaica, immigrated to the United States legally as a child with his family. He signed up to serve his adopted nation for six years -- first in Japan and the Philippines, then in the Persian Gulf during the first war with Iraq.

Up to 8,000 non-citizens enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces every year and serve alongside American troops. As of May 2010, there were 16,966 non-citizens on active duty. The military does not allow illegal immigrants to enlist.

If non-citizens die while serving, they are given citizenship and a military funeral. If they live and get in trouble with the law, as Coombs did, they can get caught in the net of a 1996 immigration law that greatly expanded the list of crimes for which non-citizens can be deported.

"As far as I was concerned, I was a citizen," said Coombs, whose soft-spoken, introspective nature contrast with his physical presence. Coombs stands 6 foot 5 and weighs more than 260 pounds -- a gentle giant, according to his fiancee, Robyn Sword.

Now advocates of non-citizen servicemen and women are trying to change that. Attorneys are taking cases like Coombs' to court, arguing that an immigrant who serves in the Armed Forces should be considered a U.S. national and protected from deportation.

"These are people who served us -- whether they are model human beings or not," said Coombs' attorney, Craig Shagin of Harrisburg, Pa. "They served in our uniforms, in our wars. If they were POWs, they'd be considered American prisoners."

Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, is looking into potential changes to the law so immigrants who serve in the military can avoid deportation.

"You come back from Iraq or Afghanistan today, you have put yourself on the line for this country," said Filner. "An incredible number of kids come back with an injury or illness that puts them in trouble with the law. To simply have these people deported is not a good way to thank them for their service."

Advocates estimate that thousands of veterans have been deported or are in detention. Government officials say they have no tally but plan to begin tracking the numbers.

The push comes as criminal courts are increasingly listening to arguments for leniency for veterans.

So-called veterans courts, which give them specialized treatment, now number more than 30, with a dozen more planned.

Next month, new U.S. Sentencing Commission rules will make it possible for federal judges to consider a criminal defendant's military service and mental and emotional condition to issue a lesser prison sentence. The rules, however, would not apply to immigration judges.

Most immigrants serve with distinction. The Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded research and development center for the Navy and the Marine Corps, found that non-citizens are far more likely to complete their enlistment obligations successfully than their U.S.-born counterparts.

Coombs was one who did not make the grade.

He spent 10 months in the Persian Gulf and lost friends to combat, he said. After the war, he felt depressed and anxious. His family was far away in New York, and he said "whining" to fellow Marines didn't seem an option.

Instead, he got involved with drugs, and he got caught.

In 1992, he was court-martialed for possession of cocaine and marijuana with the intent to distribute, and was given 18 months of confinement and a dishonorable discharge.

He continued to struggle with drugs.

"Things would be going well, then something would happen," he said.

He got married, and that helped. When his wife died in 2001 of diabetes-related complications, he started smoking marijuana again.

In 2008, he was busted for selling marijuana to an undercover officer while working as a bouncer in an Orange County bar. He spent eight months in state prison.

"I don't want to make excuses. I made mistakes. I thought I knew the consequences -- I served my time," he said in a telephone interview.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement found that his criminal convictions made him eligible for deportation, and he was turned over to ICE after serving his sentence. He has been held in a San Diego immigration detention center for 22 months and is appealing to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court.

Coombs was stunned to realize he could be forced to leave the country for his crimes.

"This is the only life I've known," he said. "The only time I left this country was when I was deployed overseas. This is my home."

On the other side of the country, Dardar Paye is appealing his deportation case to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Paye came to the U.S. from war torn Liberia as a 13-year-old. He joined the Army in 1998, serving in Kuwait as part of Operation Desert Fox and then in a NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. He returned to New Jersey, where his family lives, to spend another year and a half with the Army National Guard.

In 2008, he was convicted of six weapons-related offenses, including two involving firearms dealing, and served time in federal prison. Now, like Coombs, he is facing deportation and is feeling betrayed.

"When I was in Kuwait, in Kosovo, I was like everyone else who was there, putting their lives on the line," said Paye, who in the Army was an armored vehicle crewman. "Now I feel like they just used me for what they wanted, and now they're throwing me away."

Advocates and immigration attorneys say that before the 1996 Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, few immigrant veterans were deported, because immigration authorities could take their service into consideration.

The law added crimes such as drug possession for sale to the list of serious crimes that could lead to deportation of a legal immigrant.

"Drugs, anger management, weapons charges, that's what a lot of vets are getting caught for, and there is no relief," said Margaret Stock, a recently retired Army reservist and immigration attorney who taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point. "The 1996 law really put the nails in their coffin."

Coombs' attorneys, Shagin and Heather Boxeth of San Diego, Calif., who have represented or advised immigrant veterans in similar straits, estimate up to 4,000 veterans who served as long ago as World War II are now in immigration detention or have been deported, but acknowledge that there are no hard numbers.

ICE spokeswoman Lori Haley said identifying and removing dangerous criminals from the country is an agency priority -- and that the cases of people with prior military service are carefully reviewed.

Meantime, the military has started to offer a fast-track to citizenship to immigrants currently serving. Now, most joining the Army can expect to be citizens by the end of basic training, said Stock. Other branches are expected to join the effort by the end of the year.

That help doesn't extend to those who have already served such as Paye and Coombs.

"If I had died," said Coombs, they would have made me a citizen, given me a military funeral, and given the flag to my mom. But I didn't die. Here I am. I just want another chance.

Shock awaits many politicians hoping to contest the 2011 general elections on the Peoples Democratic Party platform as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has submitted the names of members it found to be corrupt to the leadership of the party.



THE PUNCH’s findings over the weekend showed that 55 politicians, including six serving governors, are on the list.



Three of these governors are from the South, while the other three are from the North Two of the governors in the South are seeking re-election while only one of the three governors in the North wants to return to the Government House.



However, the affected governors, who are not seeking re-election, plan to contest other elective posts in the forth-coming elections in 2011.



A source in the PDP, who made this known to our correspondents, reiterated the party’s decision to stop its members suspected to be corrupt from contesting the general elections on its platform.



He said, “There is no way we will allow our members with corruption cases hanging on their necks to stand for elections in 2011. Doing so will not be good for our image. Since the Federal Government controlled by the PDP is serious about stemming corruption in the country, it will be wrong for us to allow people with questionable character to stand for elections next year.”



Asked to confirm the names of the serving governors and the other politicians, the source, a senior official of the PDP, replied, “There is no way I can tell you that. You have to wait until the party takes a final decision on it. You know it is a sensitive matter. We don’t want them to begin to pile pressures on our party and the EFCC.”



The source, who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case, did not say exactly when the list was submitted. “We got the list shortly before our chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, travelled to the United States recently.”



When contacted, the spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Femi Babafemi, confirmed the development.



He said, “Of course, the list is part of our advisory list on those who are standing trial for corruption.



“What we did was to remind stakeholders about the corrupt cases against politically- exposed persons.



“These are the people who are still standing trial for their alleged involvement in corrupt practices just as their cases are still ongoing in various courts.”



Nwodo is in the United States following medical advice from his doctors asking him to observe some rest.



The PDP National Working Committee had at a meeting with the EFCC in Abuja on September 27, 2010 requested for a list of corrupt members of the party seeking elective positions.



A member of the NWC, who was at the meeting told one of our correspondents on the condition of anonymity on Sunday, that the EFCC Chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri, complained that many of the people currently being prosecuted by the anti-graft agency were aspiring for elective positions.



Waziri was said to have noted at the September 27 meeting that majority of the affected political aspirants were hiding under the PDP umbrella.



According to the source, the anti-graft agency chief expressed disappointment that such people were also using their money to stall the cases against them in courts.



The source said, “The commission has submitted the list to our chairman. This is because, the chairman of the EFCC, at our last meeting, complained that many members of our party who are standing trial are also warming up for election.



“The PDP must set the standard by ensuring that we do not field such persons again. Besides, these politicians are rich and are hiring senior lawyers to frustrate the commission at the courts.”



The source said when Waziri was asked why the commission could not halt these politicians, she allegedly said that if it (EFCC) had instituted fresh cases against them, it would be tagged “political victimisation.”



Investigations by our correspondents on Sunday, further revealed that the EFCC chairman had asked the PDP leadership to use its “in-house mechanism” to stop some of the politicians.



However, it was learnt that the National Legal Adviser of the party, Chief Olusola Oke, told Waziri that it would be difficult for the NWC to stop such politicians on the “mere suspicion that they are corrupt.”



Oke, it was learnt, also reminded the NWC that even those that were being prosecuted were free to contest elections since they were yet to be convicted.



Oke reportedly reminded the committee members that the Governor of Abia State, Chief Theodore Orji, had been elected while in prison.



Apart from Orji, he also noted that Sen. Iyiola Omisore, had been elected into the Senate while in Agodi Prison, Ibadan, as he was being tried for the murder of a former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige.



Omisore was later discharged and acquitted.



However, the members of the NWC are said to be waiting for Nwodo’s return from his trip before a decision would be taken on the list.



But the Special Adviser to Nwodo on Media, Mr. Ike Abonyi, said on Sunday that he was not aware of the list.

As we officially kick of world cancer week, please take time out to get screened. Cancer kills slowly and painfully, painful for both patient and caregiver.I lost 2 people in 6 months to cancer, believe me a part of me died and a part of me was born. Early detection would have saved thier live but we watched helplessly as cancer ate them everyday. No word in the wold can describe the pain and heartache cancer brings, join us to say no to cancer.
 Men screen for postrate, lungs, liver (if u drink and smoke)and even bosom. Yes men also have bosom cancer men have bosom just thats its not protouding. Steve harvey the popular american comedian is a bosom cancer survivor, Herb Warner too: http://Bosom cancer.about.com/od/maleBosom cancer/a/herb_wagner.htm
Early detection saves lives, get screened today. Women scrren for bosom and cervical cancer.  i do dat twice a year. For bosom cancer i do self examination each month after my period. After your period, lie flat on the bed after your bath, use your index and midle finger to feel your bosom for lumps, then gently squeeze your unmentionables, if you have had a baby you will see milk or water coming out, its ok but if you see pulse or feel a lump please see a doctor. For cervical i used to do pap smear but now i do VIA which is visual inspection with asethic acid. The good thing about VIA is dat i, ts a single hospital visit, does not waste time and any HPV active virus can be treated there and then. HPv is the virus dat cause cervical cancer. 8m percent of segxwally active women have hpv virus but most times it remains inactive till we die, however, lifestyle and family history leads to hpv becaoming active, precancerous. If this is detected at this satge then its 100 percent treatable and curable but most women only go to the hospital when the whole cervix has become rotten from cancer esp my sisters in the north who have higher risk because of the number of children they have.
Risk factors that increase the possiblity of inactive HPV include, Drinking, prolong use of pills (Birth control) smoking, Frequent and unspaced preganacies etc.
Hpv stands for human papilloma virus. Hpv 16 and 18 causes 80 percent of cervical cancer cases. Prevention is better, cheaper and less painful than cure. Please get screened today.

 
The first successful cornea transplant operation on two patients by a local donor was yesterday applauded by members of the medical community, friends and family of the donors and recipients of the cornea at a press conference in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital.

The two patients, names withheld, had a successful cornea transplant in August 2010 following the death of Kola Shodipo, a 47 year old man who was killed on August 18, 2010. Prior to his death, he had pledged his eyes, which were removed some hours after his death, and the corneas used to restore sight to two individuals who had cornea blindness in one eye each.

Making the blind see

Cornea blindness, according to Mosun Faderin, the Medical Director of Eye Bank for Restoring Sight, Nigeria, is reversible because it is just the front part of the eye that is damaged. “When that part is damaged, the person cannot see,” she said. “But with a successful surgery, which involves the replacement of the damaged cornea with a good one gotten from a dead person, sight can be restored.” She added that for the cornea to be useful for a transplant, it must be removed within 12 hours after death with the consent of either the deceased, given before death, or the family members.

Olaseinde Akinsete, Chairman of the Board of Eye Bank, recalled that although corneal transplant is lawful in Nigeria under Decree No.23, titled Cornea Grafting Decree 1973, not many corneal grafting operations have been carried out in the country. “Under the Decree, any person can, either by writing or orally in the presence of two or more witnesses authorize the excision of his or her eyes after death. The law stipulates that the person lawfully in custody of the body after death may unless he has reason to believe that the request was subsequently withdrawn, authorize removal of eyes. Notwithstanding the promulgation of the above mentioned decree, not many corneal grafting operations were carried out in Nigeria.” He further gave an insight to the number of people with cornea blindness in Nigeria. “Nigeria has about 1,170,000 blind people, based on a blindness rate of 0.78percent,” he said. “Cornea blindness is about 7.9percent, that is 92,430. It is the latter that may benefit from corneal grafting.”

Getting in the history books

Late Mr Shodipo is the first Nigerian to donate his eyes for a cornea transplant. Prior to this, all cornea transplants in Nigeria has been done with corneas gotten from other countries, mostly from China. “Since the bank came into existence in 2004, not a single cornea has been harvested locally until very recently,” said Mrs Faderin. “The biggest challenge we’ve had is that the public first of all do not believe they should donate any part of their body after death and also that it is not possible to restore sight to a ‘blind’ person. In order to convince the public that someone who is cornea blind, and this group accounts for about 33percent of those with reversible or curable blindness worldwide, that the Board of the Eye Bank decided to source for corneas from abroad.”

She added that Mr Shodipo made his intention of donating his eyes in 2008 because of his love for people and applauded his humanitarian work. “Today, we are here gathered to celebrate the first locally harvested corneas from a Nigerian donor who had pledged/donated his eyes prior to his passing on,” she said. “Our hero today was a member of the International Association of Lions Club, who at the Lions convention in Ibadan in 2008, after he saw and heard the experiences of two cornea graft recipients who were presented; told me afterwards that he was going to be a donor.”

Femi Olugbile, the Chief Medical Director of LASUTH described the transplant as a landmark achievement and commended the family for ensuring that they obeyed Mr Shodipo’s wish. He also called for the creation of proper legislation that would make it possible for unclaimed dead bodies and bodies of destitute to be used for the extraction of useful body parts that can help sustain lives of those who are still living. “The challenge of harvesting corneas and other body tissues for use on live patients in our country is a major one,” he said. “Unfortunately, these bodies cannot be touched for cornea transplant and that is a major waste. There has to be a way in which that can be tidied up. A practical law creation exercise needs to be embarked upon to get access to these corneas.”

An aircraft conveying President Goodluck Jonathan’s aides, landed in a primary school last Wednesday amidst pandemonium. TOYOSI OGUNSEYE writes that over 12 students were injured in the stampede

It looked like a scene from a movie. Initially, pupils of Apostolic Church Secondary School, Ketu, Lagos, saw the aircraft hovering in the air and this was enough to distract those sitting close to the windows from their early morning classes.

The teachers in different classes that morning were curious about what their pupils were looking at, so they also looked out of the window and saw that the plane was descending closer to the roof of the building.

No one needed to tell them to run. Once the teachers took to their heels, perhaps thinking it was air mishap, the students followed en masse. With loud screams, everyone ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Some of the students on the second floor of the school building attempted to jump down in a bid to save their lives. One of them was an eight-year-old JSS1 student who landed on her buttocks and could no longer stand. Eleven other students were severely injured.

While this pandemonium was going on, the airforce plane with number NAV541 landed on the school premises. Heavily armed soldiers alighted from the aircraft and surveyed the area without saying a word.

When the fleeing students and members of staff saw that the aircraft had successfully landed, they surrounded it, with curiosity written all over their faces. The scene further attracted passers-by and people in the neighbourhood who trooped to the school. The armed soldiers ignored the crowd, went back into the plane and, after a few minutes, took off.

The injured students were then taken to the school‘s official clinic, Delta Crown Hospital, Ketu, where some of them were given first-aid treatment and discharged. Two of the students were still in the hospital as at last Thursday, including the young girl who fell from one of the two-storey buildings in the school. An X-ray showed that the girl had no broken bones but she had a severe tear in her private part, which had to be stitched.

The mothers of one of the children who were admitted in the hospital pleaded anonymity and said, “I have five children in that school. I thank God that my daughter is alive and I‘m not crying. I am not ready to make a case of this or even talk to the media because God has given me a reason to rejoice and not cry.”

One of the people in the area who witnessed the incident identified himself as Yemi. According to him, he was about to have his bath when he felt the building shaking. He said, ”I live just two houses away from the school. I had an appointment that morning and was about to have my bath when I heard a very loud noise outside; my room was also vibrating. So, I looked out of the window and saw a plane moving towards the ground. I ran out of my house in my boxers.”

Yemi added that he joined the crowd when the plane landed. ”When some of the soldiers alighted from the plane, they left the door slightly ajar. I saw some soldiers inside, but some people whispered that the President was inside the plane.”

It was gathered that the pilot and some of the crew muttered that the plane had ‘a problem.‘

The school authorities declined to make any comment about the incident. It was however gathered that Ketu Police Division, and the Lagos State ministries of health and education visited the school and the hospital a day after Jonathan‘s visit.

The Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Frank Mba, could not confirm SUNDAY PUNCH‘s findings. He said, he was not aware of the incident.

The President was on a visit to the flooded areas in Ajegunle, Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area on October 20 when the plane made an emergency landing in the school.

The Director, Public Relations and Information of the Airforce, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas said, “It was a flight to survey the area where the president was visiting. It was not an emergency flight. The presidential aides were in it. We were not aware that 12 children were injured.”

Efforts to speak to the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Ima Niboro, proved abortive. When our correspondent called his mobile line on Friday night, he did not pick it. Neither did he respond to the text message sent to him.

It could be recalled that a Cessna Model T9B training aircraft belonging to the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, Kaduna State, crash-landed at a village just outside Kano on May 2, 2010. It plunged into a farmland at Katoge Village, directly behind the Science Secondary School at Dawakin Tofa, about 20 kilometres from Kano City.

Three occupants of the light training plane escaped unhurt and the aircraft was not badly damaged. Those on board the plane included the college instructor, Mr. Ozogwu as well as Akerele Ojo Olu and Jafar Suleman, who are trainees.