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Seyi Rhodes
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Miracles, expensive cars, exorcisms and bodyguards: religion is big business in Nigeria. Reporter Seyi Rhodes and director Matt Haan travel to Lagos to reveal the extraordinary world of the millionaire preachers.

By promoting the dream of escaping poverty, they have turned their churches into corporations, which are changing the face of Christianity.

Every Sunday millions of Nigerians crowd into thousands of competing churches. The team visits one church in Lagos run by Dr Sign Fireman, an up-and-coming preacher who is attempting to break into the big time.

They find 2000 people at an event billed as the Burial of Satan. After a rock star entrance, Dr Fireman begins his service by exorcising the demons in his congregation.

Many Nigerian Pentecostal Christians believe that demons are the root cause of their problems in life and come to people like Dr Fireman to get rid of them. Over 20 men and women, including some who worked for Dr Fireman, have the evil spirits inside them expelled.

Sick members of the congregation come forward for miracle healing. Dr Fireman claims to have God-given powers that can change people's lives, from raising people from the dead to curing earache. One man tells the crowd he is crippled and blind. Dr Fireman then channels his powers to help the man walk and see again. Yet, earlier the team has seen the man walking unaided.

At the close of the event the crowd swarms forward and throws money at Dr Fireman's feet. There is so much cash it has to be collected in dustbins. Rhodes talks to one worshipper who says that those who give money are repaid by God with good fortune.

Some Nigerian Pentecostal Christians believe giving 10 per cent of their income will bring God's blessing into their lives, their families and their businesses. With the service over, Dr Fireman leaves in his yellow Hummer 4x4.

Through the marketing of his talents, Dr Fireman has expanded his Perfect Christianity Ministry to 40 branches. Key to this growth is the emphasis on prosperity preaching: teaching that prosperity is a sign of spiritual blessing. The idea is that to become rich, you should give money to the church.

Pentecostal and independent churches in Nigeria tap into the Nigerian dream: the aspiration of having and being seen to have cars, houses, money and power. To get more people to join his church, Dr Fireman believes portraying the right image is essential and shows the trappings of wealth his church has brought him. He travels everywhere with his bodyguards in one of his three yellow luxury cars with a combined worth of more than £150,000.

Dr Fireman's business model is not a new one. Most of the richest pastors in Nigeria use similar methods of expansion. The team meets Pastor Chris Okotie, the fifth richest pastor in the country, who had hits in the 80s with records such as Secret Love and Show Me Your Backside.

His church, House of God, attracts Nigerian film stars, celebrities and musicians. Pastor Okotie has used his power base to run for the last three presidential elections, believing the principles of prosperity preaching will provide a better future for Nigeria.

Local journalist Simon Ateba says it's almost impossible to establish their true wealth. Simon takes the team to the headquarters of Christ Embassy. He claims that two years ago when he tried to take photographs of the building, security guards dragged him inside and beat him until he fainted. Soon after he tells this story, security guards drag Rhodes into the building by his belt. He escapes unscathed.

The team visits Dr Fireman. He's busy in a music studio recording a new song as he expands his business into the music industry. Rhodes asks him how he can square his wealth and celebrity status with the teachings and life of Jesus.

Dr Fireman says that God wants him to be rich and denies that Jesus had a humble life. 'Jesus was rich and had an accountant who followed him
around,' he tells Rhodes.

By Kolade Adeyemi

Three gunmen yesterday stormed a cattle market in Wudil, about 40 kilometres south-east of the ancient city of Kano, killing one man and injuring four others.
The gunmen, who arrived the market on three motorbikes at about 9.45 am, opened fire to scare away hundreds of cattle merchants at the market, which is experiencing high volume of business in the build-up to the forthcoming Eid-el-kabir.
The gunmen, according to an eyewitness, went on the rampage, shooting sporadically before dispossessing the traders of various sums of money and other valuables.
The robbery incident was said to have thrown Wudil town into confusion, with many running helter skelter for dear lives.
The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris, in a telephone chat with The Nation, confirmed the incident, saying three armed robbers on motorcycles invaded the cattle market on Friday morning and shot sporadically in the air, killing one person and injuring four others.
Idris said the prompt response of the police averted what would have been a mayhem, adding that “my men responded immediately and the robbers fled through a cemetery near the cattle market on sighting my men.”
Calm has since returned to the cattle market and Wudil town. The robbery incident, The Nation gathered, was one of the many robbery operations recorded in Wudil town in recent times.

via The Nation

By Kolade Adeyemi

Three gunmen yesterday stormed a cattle market in Wudil, about 40 kilometres south-east of the ancient city of Kano, killing one man and injuring four others.
The gunmen, who arrived the market on three motorbikes at about 9.45 am, opened fire to scare away hundreds of cattle merchants at the market, which is experiencing high volume of business in the build-up to the forthcoming Eid-el-kabir.
The gunmen, according to an eyewitness, went on the rampage, shooting sporadically before dispossessing the traders of various sums of money and other valuables.
The robbery incident was said to have thrown Wudil town into confusion, with many running helter skelter for dear lives.
The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris, in a telephone chat with The Nation, confirmed the incident, saying three armed robbers on motorcycles invaded the cattle market on Friday morning and shot sporadically in the air, killing one person and injuring four others.
Idris said the prompt response of the police averted what would have been a mayhem, adding that “my men responded immediately and the robbers fled through a cemetery near the cattle market on sighting my men.”
Calm has since returned to the cattle market and Wudil town. The robbery incident, The Nation gathered, was one of the many robbery operations recorded in Wudil town in recent times.

via The Nation

By Kolade Adeyemi

Three gunmen yesterday stormed a cattle market in Wudil, about 40 kilometres south-east of the ancient city of Kano, killing one man and injuring four others.
The gunmen, who arrived the market on three motorbikes at about 9.45 am, opened fire to scare away hundreds of cattle merchants at the market, which is experiencing high volume of business in the build-up to the forthcoming Eid-el-kabir.
The gunmen, according to an eyewitness, went on the rampage, shooting sporadically before dispossessing the traders of various sums of money and other valuables.
The robbery incident was said to have thrown Wudil town into confusion, with many running helter skelter for dear lives.
The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris, in a telephone chat with The Nation, confirmed the incident, saying three armed robbers on motorcycles invaded the cattle market on Friday morning and shot sporadically in the air, killing one person and injuring four others.
Idris said the prompt response of the police averted what would have been a mayhem, adding that “my men responded immediately and the robbers fled through a cemetery near the cattle market on sighting my men.”
Calm has since returned to the cattle market and Wudil town. The robbery incident, The Nation gathered, was one of the many robbery operations recorded in Wudil town in recent times.

via The Nation

By Kolade Adeyemi

Three gunmen yesterday stormed a cattle market in Wudil, about 40 kilometres south-east of the ancient city of Kano, killing one man and injuring four others.
The gunmen, who arrived the market on three motorbikes at about 9.45 am, opened fire to scare away hundreds of cattle merchants at the market, which is experiencing high volume of business in the build-up to the forthcoming Eid-el-kabir.
The gunmen, according to an eyewitness, went on the rampage, shooting sporadically before dispossessing the traders of various sums of money and other valuables.
The robbery incident was said to have thrown Wudil town into confusion, with many running helter skelter for dear lives.
The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris, in a telephone chat with The Nation, confirmed the incident, saying three armed robbers on motorcycles invaded the cattle market on Friday morning and shot sporadically in the air, killing one person and injuring four others.
Idris said the prompt response of the police averted what would have been a mayhem, adding that “my men responded immediately and the robbers fled through a cemetery near the cattle market on sighting my men.”
Calm has since returned to the cattle market and Wudil town. The robbery incident, The Nation gathered, was one of the many robbery operations recorded in Wudil town in recent times.

via The Nation

By JADE WATKINS Last updated at 1:53 PM on 28th October 2011




Read more:http://www.naijapals.com.com/page.html#ixzz456 http://www.naijapals.com.com/group/moviesvideostv/forum/topics/police-called-to-nicki-minaj-s-hollywood-home-after-singer-gets-i#ixzz1c6DwWWf6


 
Drama: Police were called to Nicki Minaj's Hollywood home today after the singer got into a fight with her maid

Police were called to Nicki Minaj's Hollywood home after the singer got into a fight with her maid.

During the incident the 28-year-old's boyfriend interjected, and reportedly pushed the woman.

The showdown comes after Minaj fired the housekeeper two weeks ago, according to TMZ.

Police told the website that the woman was dismissed because she took  a picture of the pop star taking out rubbish.

The singer became angered when she presented it to her and asked her to autograph it.


Yesterday the maid returned to Minaj's property, and was once again meet with rage from the star.

Minaj order her to leave, but police told TMZ that an argument ensued when the maid refused.

The woman allegedly told Minaj that she would not be 'treated by an animal'.

Minaj then apparently barked back: 'I'll show you how to treat someone like an animal ... get the f*** out of my house!'

It was then that the singer's beau reportedly pushed her.

Police were later called by the maid's boss, who also filed a battery report.


At first, the woman reportedly requested a citizen's arrest, but later changed her mind.

Nobody was arrested on the scene.

But it seems that Minaj may have mixed her maids up.


Despite what the law enforcement told the website, a source later said that she had mistaken a different maid for the one she had fired.

Minaj won the Best Rap Video gong at this year's MTV Awards and has recently appeared on Willow Smith's latest single Fireball.

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Hackers have hit the website of Nigeria's top anti-corruption agency over a government official suggesting tighter Internet control in Africa's most populous nation.
A group of hackers calling themselves NaijaCyberHacktivists claimed the attack Friday on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's site, which saw its usual home page replaced with a warning from the group. The hackers said the attack was a response to suggestions the government censor Internet content.
Commission spokesman Femi Babafemi told The Associated Press on Friday it was the fifth time the commission's website has been attacked. He blamed the assault on corrupt politicians, saying "the volume of information on the site poses a lot of threats to some of the people we prosecute."
Hackers have hit other government websites this year as well.