Varsity teachers begin strike on Monday
THURSDAY, 07 OCTOBER 2010 00:00 FROM LAWRENCE  NJOKU, ENUGU NEWS - NATIONAL

IRKED by the alleged insensitivity of South East governors to the plight of lecturers in the zone, the national leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a nationwide strike from Monday, Oct 11. It affects all universities.

“That will be the first in a series of strong and telling actions which will follow shortly after, the National President of ASUU, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, declared in Enugu yesterday at a press briefing.

“For the avoidance of doubt and as a measure of our commitment to the struggle for the emancipation of the South East state universities in particular, and for the proper implementation of the Federal Government and ASUU 2009 agreement and the better funding of Nigerian Universities in general, the Academic Staff Union of Universities had directed academic staff in all Nigerian Universities to proceed on strike from October 11.”

Flanked by other officials of the Union, Awuzie stated that the three-day (October 11 to13) strike was in sympathy and solidarity with their colleagues, the affected institutions as well as students of the state-owned universities.

Academic activities have been paralysed since July this year in all state-owned universities in the zone following the inability of the state governments to meet the terms of the renegotiated agreement reached between representatives of Federal Government and leadership of ASUU.

Although governors of the zone had met on two occasions to discuss the over three months old strike, nothing concrete had been achieved as the meetings ended with them asking the teachers to go back to the classrooms.

Awuzie who lamented the ugly development stated that the governors had ignored the demands as well as the welfare of the generality of the people of the zone, stressing that ASUU would not renege in her effort to ensure the full implementation of the agreement.

He said: “The governors of the South East states have basically ignored the demands; they have completely ignored the sad and dangerous fact that over two hundred and fifty thousand of their youths have been idle, roaming the streets and merging with the hundreds of thousand other unemployed in the regions; they have ignored the fact that it is their duty to ensure that such a crisis never occurs; they have ignored the dangerous crisis completely and with impunity.”

Awuzie, who painted a gory picture of the situation of the state-owned universities in the South East said the rot arising from the criminal underfunding of the institutions was unmatch anywhere in the world.

In Abia State University (ABSU), according to him, staffing is utterly dismal as a result of conscious government policy not to attract or retain the appropriate staff in number and quality, adding that for a student population of about 30, 000, the university has only 63 professors out of whom only 32 are permanent members of staff.

For a student population of 21, 000, Anambra State University can only boast of five professors, four readers, and 49 lecturers, while government subvention to the institution had remained abysmally low.

With a student population of 20, 000, Ebonyi State University has 61 professors most of whom are borrowed either as adjunct or contract staff. At Evan Enwerem University in Imo State with a student population of 30, 000, there are only 32 professors.

While lambasting the Enugu State government for dragging members of the ASUU in its university to the National Industrial Court over the lingering dispute, Awuzie said the union was no longer ready to tolerate the situation and would engage Governor Sullivan Chime’s administration in a showdown.

Awuzie added: “It’s obvious that the political class in the South East has collectively failed their people. They include the governors, legislators at the state and federal levels, ministers and other government political appointees because they have all refused to ask the governors to address the problem. The interest of the people is completely abandoned.”

“ASUU wishes to make it clear to the governors of the South East and their conniving political associates that the crisis in their universities is one responsibility that they can neither shirk nor wish away. The current strike will continue as long as they compel it to, even if it takes them five years to make up their mind to either run their universities or totally abolish them.

Yar'Adua's Brother,Quits Military for Politics

7 October 2010

Katsina — Lt.colonel Abdul'Aziz Musa Yar'adua, younger brother to late President Umaru Yar'adua has resigned from the Nigerian military and may join the race for Katsina Government House.

Daily Trust learnt from sources close to the Yar'adua family that Abdul'Aziz, also known as Audu Soja, may be seeking to actualise his governorship ambition on the platform of the newly formed Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).


The source said the late President's younger brother tendered his resignation last week and it has since been accepted by the Nigerian military authorities, and that he had already handed over his official duties last Monday.

The source further confirmed that Yar'adua would be going into partisan politics but said he was yet to declare for any political party until his resignation notice expires at the end of October.

Before his resignation, Yar'adua was a Lieutenant Colonel in charge of records at the army secretary's office at the military headquarters, Abuja. He was closest to late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua amongst the family members.

Since the demise of the former president, rumours have been flying round Katsina that Audu Soja was joining politics and had since started mobilizing towards his ambition to contest the governorship race.

Daily trust gathered that Abul'Aziz is seen as the most appropriate and emerging leader of the late Yar'adua's family due to his acceptability in the family circle as well as his antecedents as a very religious, firm but easy going person.

Further checks revealed, however, that there may be a crack within the family if he decides to challenge the incumbent governor because some of the family members have public endorsed Shema for a second term.

Another hurdle the younger Yar'adua may face, sources say, is that the widow of the late President, Hajiya Turai Tar'adua may not support his candidature. Turai was said to have told her aides recently that she was not interested in supporting any politician or participating in any political activity.

A 43-year old policeman,  Corporal Lanre Ramoni, attached to Agbara Divisional Police  Headquarters in Ogun State, is currently being detained for having sex with his daughter  for four years. He also aborted her pregnancy four times.

His daughter (name withheld), 19, is an SSS 3, student and the only child.

P.M.NEWS investigation revealed that Corporal Ramoni, has been having sex with his  daughter since she was 15 years old.

He even compelled her not to tell anyone about the illicit affair.

The cat was let out of the bag on Monday when the girl got to the school with bruises all  over her body and when a classmate of hers asked her what happened, she opened up on what  transpired between her and her father.

P.M.NEWS further learnt that her classmate (Joke) on hearing this, ran to one of the  teachers who later told the principal of the school about it.

Her father was invited to the school. On arrival, the girl confronted him right in the  presence of the principal and the teachers.  She accused her father of having sex with  her several times and also showed all the love messages he sent to her phone.

Two of the messages which were shown to P.M.NEWS read: “I love you so much, you are good  in bed than your mother,” and “Hope you haven’t told anybody that I am having sex with  you?”

The police authorities later waded into the matter by arresting the Corporal who is now  in detention.

Narrating her ordeal to P.M.NEWS, she said: “please, brother, do not put my name in your  paper, my dad Corporal Lanre Ramoni, attached to Criminal Investigation Bureau, CIB,  Agbara police station has been having sex with me since when I was 15 years old and he  made me swear to an oath. He told me if I revealed my relationship with him I would die.

“And I kept it to my chest until now that I am 19 years old. My dad sent my mother  packing for no reason. Each time he wanted to make love to me, I always tell him ‘Dad,  but you are my father you slept with my mother now it is my turn.’ I would cry but he  always threatened to kill me. I aborted my pregnancy four times for him.

“Some times he would beat me when I refused but last Sunday, 3October, he wanted to sleep  with me and when I didn’t allow him, he beat me silly and that is why I have all these  bruises all over my body.

“When I go to school on Monday, my friend asked what caused the bruises and while I was  crying, I told her that I won’t talk because I would die. When she persisted I told her  how my dad beat me because I refused to let him have intimacy that night with me. Immediately  I told my friend what happened, she ran and reported to the school authorities who sent  for my Dad. And in the presence of everybody, I confessed and showed them the love  messages my dad sent into my phone. And Dad said yes it was true.”

Ramoni admitted the allegation in his confessional statement to the police at Agbara  where he is being interrogated.

Most guys and babes often find themselves in this situation; getting attention from people we have little or no affection for. It can be fun, it can also be annoying. I was previously passive about having many female friends till word went round that I was banging them, which isn't true.  I resolved to be on my own but it's proving impossible. How do I make them lose interest?

50th Independence: Jonathan orders probe of N6.6bn budget expenditure

Apparently worried by comments over how the N6.6 billion budgeted for Nigeria’s 50th Independent celebration was expended, President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered a probe into the use of the fund approved by the Federal Government.

Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, discolsed this while briefing State House Correspondents on the outcome the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.

She said that the president had directed that a committee be set up to review the week-long celebration to determine areas that could be improved upon for future celebrations.

According to her, government planned to commend officials who performed their duties well and sanction those found wanting during the Independence anniversary activities.

She noted that, “all monies spent will be accounted for by all those monies were given to, to make for transparency and proper accountability.

“There were contributions from other ministers on the successes recorded, observed lapses and way forward.

“A committee was put in place to examine the causes of the observed lapses with a view to correcting them in future events. We intend to commend those that have done well and reprimand those that did not do their work.

The Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has suspended the former Attorney General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa as a "Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)," pending investigations over a petition submitted by the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) requesting his removal as a SAN.

The removal of Mr. Aondoakaa further compounds his woes as he was recently barred from entering the United States due to acts of corruption and notable acts of obstruction of justice while he served under Umaru Yar'Adua' as AGF between 2007 and 2010.

A federal court in Calabar also recently barred him from holding public office based on a lawsuit brought before the court by a petitioner who claimed that Mr. Aondoakaa violated the tenets of democracy by corruptly impeding the judgment of the court in an election case.

Aondoakaa, who many legal and political observers have described as the most corrupt Attorney General in Nigeria's history was noted for abusing his office to cover up all manner of criminal elements in exchange for cash and kind.

SA Mercenary with 17,000 Ammunition Linked to Nigeria

A large quantity of ammunition which was allegedly stolen from the Hoedspruit air force base in South Africa has been found on a farm near Carolina in Mpum-alanga, News24.com reported yesterday.
The approximately 17,000 rounds, of which more than half are for R4 assault rifles, were found in a house rented by a former air force flight instructor.

The suspect, whose identity is known to Beeld, is currently in Nigeria where he is supposedly working as a mercenary.
The police carried out the raid on the farm Jaglus, about 10km outside Carolina, on Monday night after receiving a tip-off about the ammunition.
The suspect rents a house on the farm. Three firearms (for which the suspect does have licences) were also seized.
These firearms are a 9mm pistol, a .303 and a .22 rifle.

The police also suspect that there are illegal firearms in a second safe discovered in the house.
Apparently this second safe will only be opened once the suspect has returned to South Africa.
The information about where the ammunition was kept was apparently given to police after they conducted a raid last week on Willem Ratte and nine other men.

Leonard Hlathi, spokesperson for the unit against organised crime in Mpumalanga, confirmed that the seized ammunition is being kept at the police station in Carolina.
He could not say whether there is any link between the raids on Ratte and the farm at Carolina.
The ammunition also included hundreds of 12-gauge, .22, .303 and 9mm rounds.
Meanwhile Beeld has determined that plans are being made to bring the suspect back to South Africa from Nigeria by the weekend.

http://www.thisdayonline.info/nview.php?id=184633

A petty trader, Mrs. Kate Ude, has narrated to an Ojo Grade ‘A’ Customary Court, Ojo,  Lagos, how she begs, cajoles and pleads with her husband to have intimacy with her.

The mother of two who revealed this in a divorce suit she filed against her husband in  suit number OCCA/054/2010, added that all her pleas  to enjoy her conjugal rights always  fall on her husband’s deaf ears.

She said that instead, her husband would turn her into a punching bag at every slightest  provocation, a situation she told the court she can no longer put up with.

“He denies me my conjugal rights with him. I have to beg, cajole and plead with him. Yet  he would not let me enjoy the warmth of his strong areas around my cold body.

“He does not allow me access to our matrimonial bed any longer. I sleep in the sitting  room with the kids while he enjoys the comfort of our bedroom all alone,” she lamented in  court.

She said that lack of trust and understanding have destroyed their blissful marriage,  while she further accused her husband of not providing for the upkeep of the family.

“My husband does not trust or understand me at all. He suspects every move I make both at  home and in my shop. I was once a fashion designer gathering the little money I make to  support him financially, but he callously packed my sewing machines and sent them to the  village, leaving me empty handed.

“Yet, he would not provide money for me and our kids. I single handedly pay the  children’s school fees and then sometimes pay the house rent. I was frustrated when he  sent my sewing machines to the village. So, I managed to source for money to start  selling foodstuff.

“After all my efforts, my ever jealous husband mistook my contribution as an avenue for  me to make money and take over his authority as the head of the family and defy his  order. His argument was that when women become richer than their husbands they would  start disrespecting them,” she said.

She prays the court to grant her prayers for the dissolution of the marriage and grant  her the custody of their two kids for proper motherly care.

In his reaction to all the allegations levelled against him, her husband, Stephen Ude,  told the court that he has nothing to say but maintained that he still loves his wife  dearly and wants her back by all means.

The court president, Alhaji T. A. Saeed, after listening to both parties, adjourned the  matter till a later date for further hearing.

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - An international aid agency says 400 children have died from lead poisoning in northwestern Nigeria and contamination has spread to two more villages.

The U.K.-based office of Doctors Without Borders says residents in Zamfara state are receiving treatment after small-scale gold mining operations poisoned the area beginning in March.

The mining operations involve crushing and drying ore to extract bits of precious metal. The most recent batches of ore also contained lead. The mining process spread lead particles throughout the villages, contaminating living quarters, communal areas and water supplies.

Lead poisoning leads to vomiting, muscle weakness, and sometimes death.

http://www.wqow.com/Global/story.asp?S=13277960

Inspired by Bollywood musicals and Brazilian soap operas, the Nigerian film industry is now the second largest in the world!!

Full story here: http://www.cp-africa.com/2010/09/21/guardian-uk-nollywood-largest-movie-industry-world/

ABUJA BLASTS LATEST: SSS, EFCC trace $20m to politician’s account
•How Dokpesi’s messages were traced -Source
•Why IBB’s campaign organisation DG was released
Written by Taiwo Adisa, Abuja
Wednesday, 06 October 2010

DETAILS emerging from the Special Investigation Panel coordinating the investigations into the October 1 bomb blasts that rocked Abuja indicated, on Tuesday, that the government has traced the sum of $20 million to the account of a particular politician who is undergoing surveillance.

Reports at the disposal of the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja indicated inputs from two major institutions of government, including the State Security Service (SSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had confirmed the lodgment of the sum of $20 million in the account of a prominent politician, who is already being investigated in connection with the bomb blasts.

It was gathered that the said sum was moved from different accounts in the last one month and that it finally landed in one of the company accounts of the politician in focus.

Sources confirmed that the Financial Intelligence Unit of the EFCC had been on the trail of the said politician, who was said to have visited South Africa, two weeks ago.

“The Financial Intelligence Unit has sufficient capacity to detect movement of funds. The said money moved to some states in the North in four different accounts and the same later landed in the company account of one suspected source of the bombs. It appears that the said funds are being deployed in the execution of the dastardly acts,” sources said on Tuesday.

It was gathered that the SSS, which interrogated the Director-General of Ibrahim Babangida Campaign Organisation, Dr Raymond Dokpesi, on Monday, over the Abuja blasts had placed the media owner under close watch immediately he raised the alarm over his life.

Dokpesi, three weeks ago, raised the alarm that his life was in danger and that some political figures were planning to kidnap him. Former military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida, was to corroborate the claim a day later when he said that the threat to Dokpesi’s life was real.

Sources, however, confirmed that the check on Dokpesi had been thorough and that the security operatives initially were looking for clues on those who allegedly wanted to kidnap him.

Government sources told the Nigerian Tribune that the security agencies deployed SIM Card analysts to X-ray Dokpesi’s phones immediately he was linked to the nine persons arrested in respect of the bomb blasts.

Said a source knowledgeable about the ongoing investigations: “There have been checks on him (Dokpesi) since he raised the alarm that he was being targeted for kidnap. There were reports that he was sighted overseas. There are equally some details about certain funds movement which had to do with him. But I can tell you the reports coming from the security outfits about him and other persons are solid. There is no politics to the investigations.”

The source, however, said that the SSS decided to release Dokpesi and to allow him to appear for interrogation from his home so as not to give those who plan to politicise the ongoing investigations the opportunity to do so.

Teenage Nigerian weightlifter Augustina Nkem Nwaokolo has won the first gold medal of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi in the women's 48kg division.

The 17-year-old set a new Games record of 175kg after lifting 77kg in the snatch and 98kg in the clean and jerk to upset home favourite Soniya Chanu.

The Indian twice failed to lift the 103kg she needed to take gold and had to settle for silver with 167kg.

Fellow Indian Sandhya Rani finished third with an aggregate of 165kg.

BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/commonwealth_games/delhi_2010/9058006.stm

Security agency blames rain for failure to stop blasts

By Ini Ekott




In a curious admittance of laxity, the State Security Service (SSS) has admitted that it received warnings more than 30 hours prior to last week’s Independence Day bombings in Abuja.

It, however, blamed the early morning rain for its lack of ability to nip the deadly acts in the bud. The twin blasts, which killed 16 people, have triggered concerns about national security alertness after the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed it sent warnings to state agencies five days ahead of the killings.

Initial plot foiled

The SSS said on Monday that it nipped an initial plot scheduled two days earlier -Wednesday- by evacuating vehicles around the Three Arms Zone, but said the perpetrators “apparently” mixed with motorists to plant the lethal cars, during the Friday morning rains.

The SSS, in a statement yesterday, said, “On 1st October 2010, the Eagles Square and its environs were effectively cordoned-off and appropriate measures were put in place to prevent any untoward incident. However, the rain showers of that morning provided the leeway for double parking by motorists. In the process, the perpetrators apparently gained access to park on the road side as well.”

Henry Okah, the alleged leader of the MEND, was charged in South Africa yesterday for terrorism, in connection with the bombings. The SSS said it has made nine arrests so far, and all have direct links with Mr. Okah, the incident, and some “unscrupulous prominent elements”. It said the names of their sponsors would not be released since the investigations are not completed.

The statement, signed by Marilyn Ogar, the agency’s assistant director of public relations, said the SSS, with its head office about one kilometre from the scene of the explosions, received its first intelligence on the bombings, three days earlier -on Tuesday, September 28, 2010, about 1.30pm.

“As soon as the information was received,” the agency said, it foiled the initial plot, which was billed for Wednesday, September 29, to scare foreign dignitaries from attending the October 1st Golden Jubilee celebrations.

In the warnings it received, the Three Arms Zone, which hosts the Presidency, the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court, is said to have been targeted for bombings. The Service said it contacted the military, which provided three towing trucks to be combined with those of the SSS, for the removal of vehicles around the area.

The operations lasted from 2.15pm to 6.30pm Tuesday, and nine “abandoned” vehicles were towed away, the Service said. Of these, two were near the SSS headquarters, two facing the villa gate and the NASS, two close to the Louis Edet police headquarters, one at the Eagle Square, and two around Apo legislative quarters.

“It is worthy of note that out of the seven vehicles removed from the Three Arms Zone, four are yet to be collected,” the statement continued.

The operation later extended to the Federal Road Safety Corps, with a mandate to remove unclaimed vehicles in other parts of the federal capital territory. That lasted till October 1st morning, and saw the removal of 65 vehicles, according to the agency.

President Goodluck Jonathan has said the 6-3-3-4 system of education has failed to provide desired solution.
Cosequently, he called on initiators of the system to apologise to Nigerians. The system was introduced in 1982 by the Federal Government of Nigeria, stipulating six years in primary school, three years in Junior Secondary School, another three years in Senior Secondary and four years in a tertiary institution.

It had the primary focus of meeting the educational needs of Nigerians and equipping the youths with marketable skills that would make them self-reliant. Professor Babatunde Fafunwa was the Minister of Education at that time.

However, President Jonathan, at the interactive session of the Presidential Stakeholder’s Summit, at the Transcorp Hilton, lamented the picture painted by the National Universities Commission (NUC) of how an assistant lecturer 1 became acting dean, wondering what quality of education the students wiould get.
The Abe 1 of Uvwie Kingdom in Delta State, Ovie Emmanuel Sideso, insisted that only political will by the president could move education out of the doldrum it was presently in.

Chairman House Committee on Education, Faruk Lawan, also supported joint funding of the education sector. He advocated parental contributions and lamented that the value of education and the curriculum that was taught in higher institutions had become irrelevant to the overall needs of the country.
The Executive Secretary National Universities Commission (NUC), Julius Okojie, said morality on the part of higher education administrators was very crucial, saying only morality could bring standard in the system.

Professor Addison Wokocha, Registrar, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), blamed the teachers at all the levels of education as being responsible for the poor foundation in the country. He lamented that most state governments did not even employ qualified teachers.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/oct/05/national-05-10-2010-007.htm

Students of Anambra State University (ANSU), yesterday, disassociated themselves from the bomb scare presently rocking the state. The state government had on Sunday raised an alarm over a text message by unknown persons threatening to bomb the Government House, Awka, within 60 hours over the continued closure of Anambra State University following the strike embarked upon by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in state-owned universities in the South-east.

The text message reads: “The bomb blast that happened at Abuja yesterday will explode in Government House Complex, Awka, in the next 60 hours from now if ANSU strike is not called off. Tell Pita Obi.”

Following the alarm, many have pointed fingers at the students who had planned a mourning protest on October 1, to press home their call on the Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, to settle with their teachers and get them back to the classrooms.
They also warned parents to keep their children indoors on the independence day in order not to have them harmed should police attack them during their first protest, but, however, shelved the protest following the appeal by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Mike Udah, for them to respect their fatherland and join in the independence celebration.

But speaking to Daily Sun, yesterday, the ANSU Student Union Government (SUG) President, Mr. Paul Okafor, said they were not in any way associated with the alleged text message or plot to bomb the state.
He said, “we are worried about the news going around the state that we students want to bomb the Government House and we want to categorically disassociate ourselves from any person or group of persons planning to bomb the state.

“We have no intention and have never intended to bomb Government House or cause any problem for the state, knowing full well that bombing or causing trouble cannot solve the problem we are already in as two wrongs cannot make a right.
“We students here are not militants. I have not even seen bomb before and have no need to see or do anything with it. All we have been doing is to talk to the government to see the need to quickly return us to school. The state belongs to all of us, so how can we destroy our future?”

Okafor said, “we do not in any way have anything to do with the text message sent to the CP over the bomb issue. We hereby call on security operatives in the state to use every machinery to fish out the perpetrators of this unholy act.”
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in Awka, the state capital as bomb experts were seen everywhere especially at the Government House, where they search and screen people and vehicles coming into the government house.
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/oct/05/national-05-10-2010-003.htm

Suspension of the Nigeria Football Federation
(FIFA.com) Monday 4 October 2010
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The FIFA Emergency Committee decided today, 4 October 2010, to suspend the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) with immediate effect on account of government interference.

This decision follows the latest events linked to the NFF, such as the court actions against elected members of the NFF Executive Committee preventing them from exercising their functions and duties, the stepping down of the acting NFF General Secretary on the instructions of the National Sports Commission, the decision of the Minister of Sports to have the Nigerian League start without relegation from the previous season, and the fact that the NFF Executive Committee cannot work properly due to this interference.

The suspension will be maintained until the court actions have ceased and the duly elected NFF Executive Committee is able to work without any interference.

During the period of suspension, the NFF will not be able to be represented in any regional, continental or international competitions, including at club level, and also not in friendly matches. In addition, neither the NFF nor any of its members or officials can benefit from any development programme, course, or training from FIFA or CAF while the federation remains suspended.

culled from:http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/administration/releases/newsid=1312576.html#suspension+nigeria+football+federation

JOHANNESBURG – A South Africa-based Nigerian ex-militant leader was directly involved in deadly bombings that struck his homeland's capital during independence celebrations, according to South African prosecutors who charged him with terrorism Monday.

At a court hearing in Johannesburg, prosecutor Shaun Abrahams said Henry Okah was a senior member of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, which claimed responsibility for a dual car bombing that killed at least 12 people in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Friday. Lawyers for Okah, who has been living in Johannesburg since 2009, say he has denied any involvement and that they would argue his arrest was unlawful. Okah made no comment at Monday's hearings. His lawyers said he feared for his life in a central Johannesburg jail, worried another prisoner might try to gain notoriety by attacking him. The judge said Monday arrangements had been made to hold Okah in a private cell Monday night, and that he would rule Tuesday on whether to move the suspect to a jail Okah considered more secure.

Abrahams presented a charge sheet accusing Okah of breaking South African counterterrorism laws by participating in the bombings. "We will be interacting and have been interacting with Nigerian authorities," Abrahams told the court. Chris Iroala, who identified himself as an official at the Nigerian consulate in Johannesburg, was in court Monday, often standing at the prosecutor's side. Iroala refused to comment on the case.

In Nigeria Monday, a security agency spokeswoman said nine people linked to Okah had been arrested there. The spokeswoman, Marilyn Ogar, would not name the suspects.
Sunday, Nigeria's federal police force named two men — Ben Jessy and Chima Orlu — as the attacks' "masterminds." Federal police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu offered no further details about the two Nigerian men, other than warning the public it would be a crime to harbor them.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, also known by the acronym MEND, has destroyed oil pipelines, kidnapped petroleum company workers and fought government troops since 2006. It accuses Nigeria's government for doing nothing to end poverty in the delta even as the nation receives billions of dollars from oil revenue.

Okah has not recently been seen as a key figure in MEND. In 2008, he was arrested in Angola and extradited to Nigeria, where he was accused of treason and terrorism and linked to a gunrunning scandal involving high-ranking military officials. During his trial, word he was suffering from a kidney ailment emerged.
Charges were dropped and he was granted amnesty and freed in July 2009 as part of an initiative the government had hoped would end unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta. But a cease-fire quickly unraveled.

About an hour before Friday's attacks, MEND issued a warning to journalists telling people to stay away from festivities at Eagle Square in Abuja marking Nigeria's 50th anniversary of independence from Britain. One car bomb exploded, drawing police, firefighters and the curious to the street near a federal courthouse. Five minutes later, a second car bomb exploded, apparently intended to target those drawn to the scene.
A third, smaller explosion struck inside Eagle Square during the ceremony, apparently injuring one security officer. However, MEND has denied placing any explosives inside the venue. Nigeria's president, though, has blamed a "small terrorist group that resides outside Nigeria" for the bombings. A statement from his office Sunday night quoted Jonathan as saying "investigations show that members of MEND have said they know nothing about" claiming responsibility for the attacks. However, it offered no other details. The attack Friday marked the first time MEND targeted Nigeria's capital.
___
Associated Press Writer Bashir Adigun contributed to this report from Abuja, Nigeria

IN THE PICTURE: Henry Okah, a Nigerian ex-militant leader seeks cover on the back seat of a vehicle as he leaves the court in Johannesburg

50 events that shaped Nigeria’s history


October 1, 1960 - Nigeria gains independence from Britain, with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as the Prime Minister leading a coalition government of parliamentary system.

October 1, 1963 - Nigeria becomes a republic, breaking away from the British monarchy.

January 15, 1966 - Fall of the First Republic, as Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa is killed in unsuccessful coup led by some Majors.

January 16, 1966 - Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi takes over as the nation’s Head of State.

July 29, 1966 - Aguiyi Ironsi killed in a counter-coup by a group of northern army officers who revolted against the government, and he is replaced by Yakubu Gowon.

January 5, 1967 - Military leaders and senior police officials of each region (East, North and South) sign an accord in Aburi, Ghana and agree on a loose confederation of regions.

May 30, 1967 - Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Eastern Region’s military governor, announces the break-away of the eastern states as the Republic of Biafra, sparking bloody civil war that led to the deaths over a million people.

January 12, 1970 - Biafran leaders surrender, as the officer administering the government, Phillip Effiong calls for a cease-fire. The region was reintegrated into Nigeria.

July 25, 1975 - Yakubu Gowon overthrown in a coup led by Murtala Ramat Mohammed, while attending the OAU summit in Uganda

February 13, 1976 - Murtala Mohammed assassinated in a failed coup attempt. His deputy, Olusegun Obasanjo, takes over

September 21, 1978 - A new constitution, styled on American presidential system, published, and the ban on political activity lifted.

1979 - Nation heads to the polls for a general election which saw the election of Shehu Shagari as the democratic president.

January 1983 - Government expels more than one million foreigners, mostly Ghanaians, saying they had overstayed their visas and taking jobs from Nigerians.

August, September 1983 - Shehu Shagari re-elected as the president, amid accusations of irregularities and corruption.

December 31, 1983 - Muhammad Buhari heads military officers who seize power in bloodless coup, to be become Commander in Command and Head of State.

August 27, 1985 - Ibrahim Babangida seizes power in bloodless coup, curtails political activity.

1986 - Babangida launches controversial Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) which shook up the nation’s economy

October 19, 1986 - Foremost journalist, Dele Giwa, assassinated by a parcel bomb which is often blamed on the Babaginda regime

April 22, 1990 - Gideon Orka leads coup to topple Babaginda, but the coup is unsuccessful.

December 12, 1991 - Nigeria’s capital city moved from Lagos to Abuja

June 12, 1993 - Babangida annuls the presidential elections adjudged to have been won by businessman, Moshood Abiola.

August 27 1993 - Babangida transfers power to Interim National Government led by Ernest Shonekan, following massive protest against his administration

November 17, 1993 - Sani Abacha seizes power from the Interim National Government and suppresses opposition.

1994 - Acclaimed winner of the June 12 election, MKO Abiola, arrested after proclaiming himself president.

November 10, 1995 - Ken Saro-Wiwa, writer and campaigner against the oil industry damage to his Ogoni homeland, executed following a hasty trial. In protest, the US and European Union impose sanctions on Nigeria

June 8, 1998 - Abacha passes away under controversial circumstances and succeeded by Abdulsalami Abubakar.

July 7, 1998 - Abiola dies in custody days after meeting a US delegation

1999 - Parliamentary and presidential elections lead to the election of Olusegun Obasanjo as the nation’s president.

2000 - Adoption of Sharia law by several northern states in the face of opposition from Christians

2001 - Tribal war in Benue State, displacing thousands of people, as soldiers sent to quash the fighting kill more than 200 unarmed civilians, apparently in retaliation for the abduction and murder of 19 soldiers.

November 2002 - Many lives lost in four days of protest stoked by fury from Northern Nigeria over the planned Miss World beauty pageant in Abuja

July 10, 2003 - Governor of Anambra State, Chris Ngige, abducted by a team of police officials and forced to sign his resignation letter, which was upheld by the State’s House of Assembly but over-turned by the Supreme Court.

September 27, 2003 - Nigeria’s first satellite, NigeriaSat-1 launched via Russian rocket into the space.

May 18, 2004 - State of emergency declared in Plateau State, after more than 200 people are killed in Yelwa in what would result in bosom-for-tat killings by Muslims and Christians in the state

January 2005 - Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, forced to resign from office on corruption charges and subsequently tried and jailed by a court of law.

July 2005 - Paris Club of rich lenders agrees to write off two-thirds of Nigeria’s $30 billion debt.

January 9, 2006 - Militants in the Niger Delta commence major attack on pipelines and other oil facilities, and kidnap foreign oil workers for ransom, as they demand more control over the region’s oil wealth.

April 2006 - With record oil prices, Nigeria becomes first African nation to pay off its debt to the Paris Club of rich lenders.

May 17, 2006 - Senate rejects proposed changes to the constitution which would have allowed the President to stand for a third term in 2007.

August 6, 2006 - Nigeria cedes sovereignty over the disputed Bakassi peninsula to neighbouring Cameroon under the terms of a 2002 International Court of Justice ruling.

October29, 2006 - Sultan of Sokoto and tens of others die in a plane crash, the country’s third major civilian air disaster in the year.

August 14, 2008 - Nigeria finally hands over the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon, ending a long-standing dispute.

May 2009 - Niger Delta militant group, MEND, rejects government offer of amnesty and declares offensive against Nigerian military.

August 2009 - Two-month offer of a government amnesty for Niger Delta militants comes into force, as thousands of militants drop their arms.

November 23, 2009 - President Yar’Adua travels to Saudi Arabia to be treated for a heart condition. His extended absence triggers a constitutional crisis and leads to calls for him to step down.

February 10, 2010 - National Assembly votes to transfer power to the Vice-President, Goodluck Jonathan, until Mr Yar’Adua is able to resume presidency. Mr Yar’Adua returns to Nigeria but does not return to work.

May 6, 2010 - Umaru Yar’Adua dies after a long illness. His vice-president, Goodluck Jonathan, already acting in Yar’Adua’s stead, succeeds him.