With reports surfacing that some in NATO believe they have authority to kill Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, it raises the question; Should they go after him ahead of targeting his troops?

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/10/libya.nato.robertson/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." ~ Albert Einstein

Is there any connection between the Law of attraction and relationships, and how you can use it to get what your heart desires. Does the law of attraction work for your life and relationships! What is your experience?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of work place relationships. Do you know any one who has been in a relationship with a co-worker. What do they say about the flip-side or otherwise of romantic relationships in the workplace. You may as well share your own personal experience.

What do you do when you love someone who doesn't love you? While moping and trying to hang on is usually your first reaction, what is the best course of action?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

   
 * David Gergen: The noose around Libyan leader Gadhafi is tightening
   
* NATO has escalated bombing; diplomatic and economic pressure is mounting
   
* He says if Gadhafi is forced from power, Obama's approach will be vindicated
   
* Gergen: It's not clear if a new regime in Libya would be friendly to the U.S.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/06/08/gergen.libya.gadhafi/index.html

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

   
* Nine people are killed when assailants strike a police station in Borno state
   
 * Two die after an explosion outside a church
   
 * Police suspect the Boko Haram militant Islamist group is responsible for both attacks

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/06/08/nigeria.violence/index.html

What is a good reason to have a boyfriend or girlfriend?

What is the reasons why boyfriends and girlfriends have a baby? Tell us!

Relatives of a policeman jailed in Zimbabwe for using a toilet reserved for President Robert Mugabe are appealing for his release.

The policeman, Alois Mabhunu, was arrested last month in the city of Bulawayo after he used a special presidential toilet at a trade fair.

A police court on Wednesday ordered his imprisonment for 10 days.

Zimbabwean human rights lawyers said there was no law forbidding people from using the president's toilet.

They said Mr Mabunhu should not have been arrested.

Mr Mugabe, 87, visited Bulawayo, the country's second city, for the opening of the annual Zimbabwe International Trade Fair on 6 May.

Mr Mabunhu was on duty when he was caught short and rushed to use the reserved toilet. He was arrested several days later.

According to Zimbabwe's Daily News paper, his charge sheet did not specify what laws he had breached or how he had compromised security.

The BBC's Thabo Kunene in Bulawayo says his relatives are angry that he was tried before a police tribunal without lawyers present.

Mr Mugabe, who has been the leader of Zimbabwe for the three decades of its independence, is currently in a power-sharing government with long-time opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai.

The former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Khan, has entered a plea of not guilty in a New York court to charges of attempted rape and segxwal assault.

The 62-year-old Frenchman is accused of assaulting a maid at the Manhattan hotel where he was staying on 14 May.

The complainant's lawyer said outside court she "just wants justice".

Mr Strauss-Kahn's lawyer said there had been "no element of compulsion" in the incident between the two parties.

His next court date is set for 18 July.

The former finance chief - who faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty - arrived at New York Supreme Court on Monday with his wife, the French television journalist Anne Sinclair.

How much gas do you pass everyday?

Do Queens pass gas like ordinary citizens?

Tripoli –  NATO announced Saturday it had for the first time used attack helicopters in Libya, striking military vehicles, military equipment and forces backing embattled leader Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi.

"Attack helicopters under NATO command were used for the first time on 4 June, 2011 in military operations over Libya as part of Operation Unified Protector," the Atlantic Alliance said in a statement.

"The targets struck included military vehicles, military equipment and fielded forces" of the Qaddafi regime, said the statement, without detailing exactly where the strikes had taken place.

The Apaches hit two targets near the coastal city of Brega, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense in London.

It said they took off from HMS Ocean, stationed off the Libyan coast and returned safely after completing their mission in the early morning hours.

The French helicopters took off from the helicopter transport ship Tonnerre in the Mediterranean, said Col. Thierry Burkhard. He said the French helicopters struck 15 military vehicles and 5 military command buildings, without identifying the sites or their location.

He said the French helicopters came under light firearms fire but were not hit or damaged. Burkhard said the operation was aimed at putting "additional pressure on the Gadhafi forces who continue to threaten the civilian population."

Until now, NATO has relied on attack jets, generally flying above 15,000 feet (4,500 meters) -- nearly three miles (five kilometers) high and pounding Gadhafi targets in relentless overnight bombings.

But the helicopters are a game-changer, giving the alliance a key advantage in close-up combat, flying at much lower altitudes.

The news came as a report in Japan said that authorities there had frozen $4.4 billion in assets belonging to Qaddafi and his entourage under the terms of a UN Security Council resolution.

The assets included bank savings, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported citing data of the finance ministry, without giving fuller details. A spokesperson was not immediately available to comment on the report.

The UN Security Council, with strong support from Arab and African nations, on February 26 unanimously passed sanctions against the Qaddafiregime with the aim of stopping a crackdown on anti-government forces.

Meanwhile in London the Ministry of Defense confirmed British Apache helicopters took part in the Saturday's helicopter attacks. "Yes, we confirm" their intervention, a spokeswoman said, without giving further details.

London, which has since March 19 taken part in the international coalition's operations in Libya, announced late last month it was sending in four attack helicopters to be based on HMS Ocean off the north African coast.

Lieutenant General Charles Bouchard, commander in chief of the NATO mission in Libya, said "this success demonstrates the unique possibilities offered" by using combat helicopters.

"The use of attack helicopters provides the NATO operation with additional flexibility to track and engage pro-Qaddafi forces who deliberately target civilians and attempt to hide in populated areas," the statement went on.

It quoted Bouchard, the Canadian officer in charge of Operation Unified Protector, as saying: "We will continue to use these means when and where necessary, with the same precision as in all our missions."

NATO forces "are constantly reviewing their operations and use of available assets, including attack helicopters, to best maintain the momentum and increase the pressure on pro-Qaddafi forces."

The statement recalled that NATO's operation was being conducted under UN Security Resolution 1973, which did not authorize the sending of troops to occupy Libya but "which calls for an immediate end to all attacks against civilians and authorized all necessary measures to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in Libya."

At the end of May, Bouchard said French and British attack helicopters would allow NATO to conduct an "effective and aggressive" mission against Qaddafi forces threatening the civilian population.

"It's an additional capability to pinpoint these vehicles that are much more difficult to see from aircraft at high altitude," he said from his headquarters in Naples, Italy.

France was contributing four Tigre attack helicopters while Britain offered four Apaches, NATO military officials said, adding that the helicopters were being prepared to fly over sea water and desert conditions.

The choppers were based respectively on the helicopter carriers Tonnerre and HMS Ocean. The Tonnerre was also transporting a dozen Gazelle helicopters that are older than the Tigres, an alliance military official said.

Insisting that NATO had no intention to put troops on the ground, Bouchard said in late May: "The helicopters that are being provided to us are armed and attack helicopters and they are not the type that do mass movements of troops on the ground."

The Associated Press contributed to this report

This is an exclusive report on how some politicians in the North are already plotting on how to reclaim power by 2015. Will their plan work?

Lamentation song, pure and simple. The meeting was called to examine the failure of the North to stop President Goodluck Jonathan. But for a better part of the over two hours spent at the meeting, it was all about lamentation, about what ought to have been done but which was not done, things not meant to be done but which were done.

In fact, their discussions were so bitter in tone, pitiful in manner but desperate in approach, so much that they lamented why Jonathan had not been stopped much earlier, particularly during the heady days of the ailment which afflicted Umaru Yar’Adua, a time when just a handful of people held the country hostage.

To be fair, in recounting how the North lost an opportunity at seizing the moment, reference was made to a meeting held much earlier, where a former head of state was in attendance along with two serving ministers at that time, about the intrigues which went on in the Presidency.

Not totally representative of all the desperate interests in northern Nigeria, those in attendance assumed they were. But what the politicians represent were no more than political groups such as Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Unity Forum, UF, and General Muhammadu Buhari’s party, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC.

Other interests allegedly represented at the meeting of the group, on Friday, May 20, 2011 between 8 and 1015 p.m, were the representative of a former Vice- President, the representative of a former Inspector-General of Police, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, two former ministers and a former state governor who dumped the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but who has now ended up in CPC and who played a prominent role in the Yar’Adua administration.

That was not the first meeting of some leading politicians from northern Nigeria. In fact, since after the primaries of PDP which saw the defeat of the obtuse consensus candidate of the Northern Political Leaders Forum, NPLF, there has been a rash of meetings.

Facts of this latest meeting emerged barely 48hours after the swearing in of President Jonathan as he begins his four-year tenure in office.

The politicians vowed to ensure that they keep a  tab on the activities of  the President with a view to plotting a retake of power in 2015.

The meeting was held in the Maitama District of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

Participants at the meeting were informed of the “need for them to further earlier discussions towards the realisation of the northern presidency project in 2015, as well as the question of leadership in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was argued that the success of northern desires in 2015 will largely depend eventually on who secures the PDP leadership now.

”One of the participants described as unfortunate the present crop of northerners in the PDP, who he saw as only being used against the interests of the North”.

Speaking further, a  source close to the meeting disclosed that participants were charged not to see the present situation in the North as a light matter.

”It is a very serious one”, one of the attendees charged, remarking that they were aghast when “they read the comment of Senator Joseph Waku, in a national newspaper, where he allegedly revealed that Mr. President, the current Chief Justice of Nigeria, the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Directors-General of the State Security Service (SSS), and the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), are all Christians.

“That Waku had also wondered in the said publication that Senator David Mark, who is also a Christian, should not similarly be aspiring to return to the position of president of the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

”That even among the present service chiefs in the country, it is only one of them that is a Muslim”.

But the meeting was not all about lamentation as a bit of introspection was introduced when one of the participants admitted that “their respective attitude as northerners is creating the prevailing situation for the North, adding that they, however, do not know the level of havoc they have done and are still doing until the North will be out of political power completely”.

Another participant, who had worked inside Aso Rock Presidential Villa, went further to give a breakdown of the security configuration in the seat of power.

”During (our) period in office at the Presidential Villa”, he began, “there were about 1,500 personnel of the SSS, out of which almost 1,000 were of  northern extraction.

”That during the administration of the late President Yar’Adua, of the over 1,000 SSS personnel at the Presidential Villa then, most of them were northerners.

”That, there are about 700) SSS personnel presently deployed to the same Villa, with only few northerners amongst them, including one (names withheld) a namesake of his, who, he revealed, presently works with Mr. President.
”That similar situation obtains  in the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, NIA”.

Sunday Vanguard learnt that one of those at the meeting categorically stated that the “President should be put under check”.  It was gathered that “this position was generally accepted to the participants”.

Consequent upon an earlier point raised during the meeting, the participants were said to have enthused that some of the pieces of information gathered during their discussion would “make (for) progress”.

In fact, another speaker at the meeting remarked “that this reminded him of the on-going debate on the issue of leadership in both chambers of the National Assembly, particularly that of the Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives. He recalled that a fortnight ago, it was stated that there was no zoning, but that a week later, the same people maintained that there was zoning. He added that by the time media practitioners began to blame the Presidency and the leadership of PDP for doublespeaking on the issue, the Presidency and the PDP leadership could not defend it.

”The participants were thereafter admonished to document all comments made by Mr. President for the sake of posterity, so as to use same against him (Mr. President) later in order to also confront him that this and this, are what he (Mr. President) had stated at one point in time or the other”.

What Sunday Vanguard has also been able to discover is that whereas the meeting was expected to have more participants, the current agenda of ministerial nomination kept some of the expected participants away. It was also discovered that beyond the bravado of some of the leaders, there are those who are still hopeful of being appointed by  Jonathan.

The participants at the meeting admitted this much when reference was made to the unfortunate development that has ensued that some “northerners in PDP (who were) being used against the interests of the North”.

For Nollywood actress and Glo ambassador, Monalisa Chinda, it is time to go spiritual. And the actress is leaving no stone un-turn as she affects humanity with her new thinking.

Lisa has turned a preacher of the word on facebook. Her “Monalisa Chinda-Friend Limit Reached” is the platform through which she is propagating her new ideologies to her teeming fans across the globe on facebook.

In one of the thought-provoking comments, she posted on her facebook wall, Lisa writes “to celebrate yourself each day of your life is the best gift you can give your soul. When is the last time you wake up and celebrate yourself by thanking God for creating that person you see when you look into the mirror?”

Continuing she added, “love yourself all the time so you shall be loved by others, treat yourself with so much respect so you shall be treated with happiness and respect, be blessed people.”

Stars do not struggle to shine, rivers do not struggle to flow, and You will never struggle to excel in life, because you deserve the best. Hold on to your dream and it shall be well with you…. The eyes beholding this message shall not behold evil, the hand that….” In all, i f you happened to be one of the fans of Lisa, and you are not benefiting from her winning ‘words of wisdom”, then, you need to hook on with her on facebook.

By Olasunkanmi Akoni, Emmanuel Elebeke and Obinna Ekwem

Speakers and human rights groups at the 15th anniversary of the slain Alhaja Kudirat Abiola have renewed their call on Federal Government for the immortalization of the deceased believed to be a martyr of  democracy in Nigeria.

Kudirat Abiola, the wife of the late M.K.O Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the history of  Nigeria, was assassinated on June 4, 1996 in the wake of agitation for the actualization of the mandate of her husband.

According to the co-ordinator of the anniversary  who also doubles as the president for Women Arise, a non-governmental organization, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, the slow pace at which the judiciary is  handling the murder trial calls for concern as “justice delayed is justice denied”.

Okei-Odumakin, who said that the large turn-out at the event was an indication that the woman did not die in vain, remarked that it was necessary for the judiciary “to speed up the process of adjudication and ensure that the culprit is brought to book”.

In the address of the secretary general of Coalition of Self-Determination Group (COSEG), Rasak Oloko-oba, the Federal Government must ensure that  a major player in the Abacha regime is  made to face the consequences of his actions while in power.

According to Oloko-oba, one of the ways the present  government can prove to the world that it represents the interest of slain democrats like Kudirat Abiola, Pa. Alfred Rewane, Harry Marshal, Bola Ige and a host of others is to cater for the interests of ordinary men and women on the street who voted them into power.

Chairman of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Debo Adeniran, enjoined the civil society to ensure that the interest of the people is not jeopardized by elected political office holders.

In the remarks of one of the sons of  the late Kudirat, Abdul Abiola, who expressed satisfaction  with the turn-out of the people at the event, believed that his mother died for the mandate of the people, urging them to extol the virtues of her mother in stimulating the struggle.

The highlight of the event  was the laying of wreaths at the spot where the late martyr of democracy was assassinated in Oregun.

Since that stunning lover-girl role she played in 2face’s African Queen video, Annie Macaulay caught the attention of the entertainment industry.

Everyone wanted to know who the damsel on the power bike with 2Face was, especially when reports hit the streets that these two were actually dating. But later events was to change a lot of things as two other separate women came into the picture. And before Annie could say 2, both ladies were totting 2face’s babies almost shutting the door in Annie’s face.

Today, Annie is the mother of Isabella, a two year old -daughter she had for 2Face.

Last weekend, she was one of the guests at a 2Face tribute event tagged “Touch of a Genius held in honour of the ‘Enter the place crooner’, held in Lekki, Lagos. Showtime celebrity was able to engage her, where she talks about her career and relationship with Tuface Idibia.

Excerpts

This is a tribute to 2Face, how do you see the event?

It’s really wonderful. We didn’t expect it to eventually turn out this way but it has been one tremendous night. It’s really wonderful. You need to see his face, he’s all smiles, and giggling; he is dancing, so happy and it’s been such a beautiful night. He’s so happy and I feel so wonderful to be a part of this.

Tell us how it has been for you with 2Face?

I want to make one fact clear. 2Face has got his own life to live while I’ve got mine to live too. That’s exactly my position, regardless of what people might be saying about us. I’m going to concentrate on looking after myself and my daughter in spite of what is going on between me and him. It’s that simple.

How would you describe your relationship with 2face?

We are still very close to each other. As you can see, I accompanied him to this event and we are sitting together. That tells you, we are still inseparable. After all, he is still the father of my daughter so what else do you expect to hear from me. But then again, I repeat we both have our own independent lives to live. He does what he wants to do with his life, while I’ll do what I want to do with my own life.

Pardon me, but you still appear to be bitter; possibly angry at him. Is it because you feel he betrayed you?

Why will I think that way. Like I said earlier, he has got his life to live as well as I have got mine to live. He is free to do whatever he wants to do with his life. If I have not forgiven 2Face of the wrongs I feel he had done to me in the past, perhaps, I wouldn’t have been here to support him tonight.

Annie-and-daugther-Isabella

I realised I mustn’t think of myself alone but my daughter as well. What happened is between I and her father. She shouldn’t be allowed to suffer for it and please I don’t want to talk about this any further.

But people…?

Please no more. Please.

How close is he to your daughter?

(Her face brightens again) Oh! They are virtually inseparable. He is very close to her. She just had to here on this special night with him, and that’s partly why I’m here too. They are as close as any father and daughter could be. And they will remain so for a very long time to come, I assure you.

Again, how are you finding things, knowing fully well that you will always be linked to 2Face and the media will forever be at your heels?

Yes, it’s hard. But I’m a strong woman and I will continue to be there for my daughter. I really don’t care what is being said or written about me or my relationship with 2 Face anymore. I tell you I don’t care. I will continue to stay strong. He has his own life to live and I have mine. I have things that I am doing and I thank God for that. I have my hands full right now I don’t have time to think about anything else.

What are these things you are actually busy with?

I’m acting, I have my own Television show and I’m also into private businesses. So, I have my hands pretty filled with activities.

Are you currently on any location?

I’ve been on set for days now, and I’m actually coming from location. I’m starring in two movies at the same time, so, I’m pretty busy. I just had to be here to support 2Face.

Where are you shooting?

In Lagos. Somewhere in Festac and Okota.

What are the movie titles?

I can’t say for now. But you should know the way our movies producers are. You never know the title until it’s out. But then, I have a couple of my featured movies already out in the market. It’s a handful and they are doing pretty well in the market.

Do you plan to sing too?

No. I’m not going into singing. I have my TV show and I also have another project in the pipeline. It’s like a reality TV show. My daughter is going to be involved in it too. So, my hands are filled up and that is why I tell you I cannot be bothered by what is going on around me, or what people are saying or not saying about me or anybody else.

The battle for the speakership of the House of Representatives has shifted to the Asokoro lodges of governors from the Peoples Democratic Party, in Abuja, where they read the Riot Act to lawmakers-elect to respect the party’s decision by electing Mrs. Mulikat Akande-Adeola as speaker on Monday.

This is even as a rash of meetings of Reps zonal caucuses continued on Saturday to finalise strategies on the election of Speaker.

The life of the House under the superintendence of Mr. Dimeji Bankole ended on Saturday.

The contest for the exalted speakership seat has sharply divided the 360-member House, throwing up Adeola, Messrs Aminu Tambuwal and Muraino Ajibola, as aspirants.

The PDP leadership in league with its governors had endorsed Akande-Adeola as the party’s candidate after a meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

But a group of lawmakers led by Tambuwal, who is also aspiring for the most hallowed chair, has remained defiant, and vowed to contest the seat.

It was gathered that the adamant posture of the Tambuwal group, compelled the party to direct its PDP governors to individually reach out to their repsentatives to make them act in accord with the party position.

Consequently, PDP governors still in Abuja met the legislators last Friday to pressurize them to vote for the anointed candidate of the party.

One lawmaker outside the North, told Sunday Punch on Saturday that the governors called them to appeal and in some cases, intimidate, adding however, that they would still go ahead with the “Tambuwal project.”

He said, “The governors called us on Friday to read the Riot Act; but governors were not the ones that elected us. The electorate elected us.

“Our oath of allegiance is to the Constitution and not to any individual, mindful of the fact that the Constitution has no provision for either North or South, but one indivisible country called Nigeria.

“The important thing is that the Speaker of the House does not belong to the PDP alone, but also belongs to other political parties.

“Therefore, no amount of coercion, intimidation or threat will deter us from going ahead with our plan.”

Earlier, the South-West zonal plank of the PDP, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo had adopted Muraino as its candidate, but the party in Abuja and the legislators spurned the decision.

The caucuses of South-South zone led by Mr. Andrew Uchendu and North-East zone chaired by Mr. Jerry Manwe, on Saturday, issued a statement, backing Mulikat.

Uchendu, from Rivers State told one of our correspondents on the telephone that the South-South lawmakers believed in the supremacy of the party and that whomever the PDP supported would be adopted.

He said, “After we evaluated the candidates for the contest, we found out that Mulikat’s mien, conduct, educational background and humility prepared her well as a possible leader we need to support.

“We also believe in political compromise for the sustainability of our democracy and our country. No zone should be left out in the political equation of the country and for the stability of the country.

“We have told our colleagues that we should not question the PDP platform that brought us to Abuja.”

Also, Manwe stated, “The North-East caucus stands by the party’s decision. We are loyal party members.”

It is believed that Mulikat is pairing with Mr. Yakubu Dogara from Bauchi State, who until last Friday was the Chairman, House Services Committee.

The House has about 260 new members of the 360-member legislature, and the new lawmakers hold the power loop critical to the emergence of the speaker.

A thrice-elected lawmaker said, “These new members can easily listen to their governors than the ranking members who are supporting Tambuwal.

“If we take cognizance of the fact that the old members are about 100, it will be easy to appreciate that we don’t have what it takes to tilt the balance, only the new lawmakers can.”

Both Mulikat and Tambuwal have met former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu of Action Congress of Nigeria, in a bid to secure the support of the 70-member lawmakers of the party.

The two leading contestants in the race are lawyers, and Mulikat apart from enjoying the party’s support, is also being supported by President Goodluck Jonathan and his wfe, Patience.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has mapped out fresh strategies on how to arrest the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, SUNDAY PUNCH findings have revealed.

The commission, which rose from an emergency meeting on Friday, said it had also set up two teams to verify and ascertain Bankole’s properties in Lagos and Ogun states.

All unit heads at the Abuja headquarters of the EFCC attended the meeting.

SUNDAY PUNCH findings revealed that the teams were constituted and their members asked to go to the states immediately for the assignment.

They were also mandated to ensure that all Bankole’s properties in the two states are properly identified as this could aid the prosecution of the Speaker. Our correspondent gathered that the EFCC chair, Farida Waziri, vowed to detain Bankole on Monday.

A reliable source at the EFCC who did not want to be mentioned said, “He has boxed himself to a corner. Now, he cannot afford to be on the defensive any longer. If he had honoured our invitation last week and come to the office himself, we would not have detained him. The maximum time he would have spent with us would have been one hour. But now that he wants to do it his way, he cannot escape detention. We are going to detain him.

“It is obvious that we have given him a long rope and we are eagerly waiting for him to honour his words that he will come to us on Monday by 12pm. If he does not come to us, we will go to him. What happened on Friday will not repeat itself.”

Following the commission’s resolve, surveillance around the Speaker and members of his family has been stepped up on Saturday.

The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Femi Babafemi, said, “We got information that he was planning to leave the country so we put him on our watch-list and he remains on it till he turns himself in or we arrest him.”

Bankole, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Bakare, however said, “Contrary to widespread speculations that the outgoing Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, has been arrested or resisted EFCC arrest, the Speaker has informed officials of EFCC of his intention to honour their invitation on Monday June, 2011 at 2pm.”

The EFCC had launched an investigation into Bankole’s activities following a petition from a group, Youth Anti-Corruption League.

The group had called on the EFCC to investigate the N10bn loan controversy, Bankole’s role in the N2.3bn car scam, and the mismanagement of the N9bn capital budget of the House for 2008/2009.

Twice, Bankole had spurned the summons of the EFCC over the N10bn loan, the last of such invitations was Tuesday.

The outgoing speaker had written to the anti-graft commission, rescheduling the time to appear before the five-man panel of investigators probing into the alleged scam in the House.

Men of the anti-graft commission had invaded Bankole’s home following security reports that Bankole was preparing to flee to the United Kingdom and this prompted the operatives to mount surveillance in his residence around 8pm on Thursday night.

It was gathered that on sighting EFCC operatives, Bankole made frantic calls to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, and other prominent Nigerians asking them to come to his aid.

This call was said to have prompted Ringim’s visit to Bankole’s house where he reportedly increased the security around the Speaker.

It was learnt that all attempts by the EFCC operatives to gain access to him were resisted by a detachment of policemen, including some members of the Police Mobile Force and a shoot-out between the policemen and EFCC members of staff was quickly nipped in the bud.

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Thousands of people filled Hong Kong's Victoria Park on Saturday to mark the 22nd anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square.

The candlelight vigil comes after recent efforts by the Chinese government to quash would-be demonstrators from holding anti-government protests. About 26 people were arrested between February and March, according to a Hong Kong-based human rights group, when an anonymous group began an internet campaign calling for anti-government protests in China similar to ones that have taken hold in the Middle East.

In response to the campaign, authorities deployed heavy security along major thoroughfares, especially in Wangfujing, a busy shopping street in downtown Beijing that had been designated by the online group for protests. The government also tightened rules on foreign reporters, explicitly warning them that they risk detention, suspension of press cards and expulsion if they show up at planned demonstrations.

20 years on: Tiananmen remembered

Saturday's protest is an annual event organized by the Hong Kong Alliance, a pro-democracy group. Hong Kong police called it a "peaceful gathering."
Remembering Tiananmen Square
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    * China

Images of the demonstration showed a sea of flickering candles covering the length of the park.

A little more than 22 years ago, students gathered in Tiananmen Square to memorialize the recently deceased Hu Yaobang. He was fired as Communist Party chief in 1987 by Deng Xiaoping for pushing policies deemed too soft toward "bourgeois-liberal ideas" and tolerating student protests.

The April 15 memorial quickly turned into a pro-democracy movement, and students held talks with the government and later a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square to press their cause. On June 4, 1989, Chinese troops in armored personnel carriers and tanks rumbled toward Tiananmen Square. The soldiers, on strict orders to clear the square of demonstrators, had forced their way through the city's main thoroughfare.

Along the way, they met fierce resistance from students and city residents who barricaded the streets, so they fired at them.

When the firing stopped, hundreds if not thousands of people lay maimed or dead.

Relatives of victims renew their hopes every year that Beijing's leaders will reverse the verdict that the protests were a counter-revolutionary rebellion that had to be put down.

CNN's Aliza Kassim contributed to this report.