Incarcerated for 16 years
TIME was when some people of sudden wealth took over the landscape of Imo State. They did whatever they liked, when, how and where they chose. Some even felt that spotting policemen as orderlies were no longer fashionable hence they settled for armed soldiers.

More often than not, they were seen blocking the roads completely, while chatting with their friends. Anybody that dared to protest got the severest beating of his life. The “bouncers” around them descended on motorists at will and even went as far as denting people’s cars at the slightest “provocation”. Nobody dared to call them names. They were gods of sorts.

They threw money at people with ease. Royal fathers fell over heels and wanted to outdo each other in their mad rush to hand out chieftaincy titles to this class of people. All these acts angered the people.
It was no wonder that people’s anger boiled over in 1996, when they heard about the brutal beheading of 11-year old Innocent Okonkwo and his eventual burial in a shallow grave located in Otokoto Hotels, Amakohia, Owerri. That marked the limit of their endurance. They could take no more and the result was a mass protest in Owerri.

Angry residents of Owerri moved from point to the other in search of these people of very questionable wealth. Buildings belonging to such people were torched. Their personal effects were either burnt or looted by people. Cases of missing persons, dehumanization, brutalization, molestation and wanton destruction of property belonging to hapless and helpless citizens abated in the state.

The spontaneous agitation by the people gingered the security agencies into action. A lot of people were arrested and suffered serious deprivations as a result. A new vista of life commenced. Virtually all the people working in Otokoto Hotel, including the Hotel Manager, Mr. Ebenezer Egwuekwe, were arrested.

Summary trial
If residents of Owerri were given the opportunity, all the suspects would have been given summary trial by the mob and lynched. All the same, the suspects suffered varying levels of indignity. Members of their different families even had worse stories to tell than those cooling their heels in prison. A couple of those described by the police as “the prime suspects” were later arraigned in court. After a long tortuous criminal trial in Owerri, they were sentenced to death.

The convicts, including 62-year old Ebenezer Egwuekwe, were moved to Federal Prisons, Port Harcourt. However, armed with his stoic belief in his innocence, Egwuekwe appealed his death sentence. This battle for life lasted about 16 years! For the family, it remains a thing of joy that their bread winner did not die in prison while the legal battle lasted. They are also happy that 16 years after, the innocence of Egwuekwe has been upheld by the Court of Appeal.

His ordeal started when one of the staff of Otokoto Hotel was caught with a fresh human head at Eziama, in the Ikeduru Local Council Area. He was asked to report to police which he did. He was subsequently arrested and charged for murder.

Narrating his prison experience, Egwuekwe said he was moved from one prison to another. According to him, his worst experience was in Port Harcourt where he was treated like a condemned criminal. “If I had committed anything worthy of imprisonment, I would have accepted my fate but unfortunately, I did nothing to warrant 16 years of suffering. While in prison, all my friends deserted me and my wife and eight children passed through very difficult times,” Egwuekwe said.

He recalled with grief that his few landed properties were sold to pay his legal fees and take care of his feeding. He stated that he cannot fully express the level of hardship his family passed through as he was the only bread winner of the family.

Egwuekwe was, however, thankful to God that despite his travails, he has been released and cleared of all the charges slammed on him. He however appealed to people of goodwill to assist him get back on his feet and be integrated into the free society again. He added:“ I don’t know where to start life again. I don’t even know with what to start with again. My mates, who started the race with me, have since overtaken me.”

Speaking also, his first son, Mr. Ifeanyi Egwuekwe, affirmed that the family passed through very hard times since their father was arrested and incarcerated.

“Besides spending a staggering N2.5 million as legal fees, the family also incurred other expenses. In all, we are very happy that our dear father has been reunited with the family”, Ifeanyi said.

For months, fans of power couple Tuface Idibia and Annie Macaulay have been tossed back and forth, left and right  like a ping-pong ball, over the exact date and venue of the hot celebrities lavish white wedding; rumours, speculations and counter speculations have gone by since their quiet traditional wedding ceremony which took place at Annie’s parent’s home in Ajah, Lagos with one story at the thick of it all even claiming Tuface allegedly said there would be no lavish white wedding so as not to hurt his other baby mamas, yet no one was satisfied.

Then, news washed up online that February 14, 2013 had been chosen as the D-day, exactly one year after Annie said yes to her man at a nightclub in Lagos. The self styled investigators quoted sources who they say virtually ‘lived’ in Tuface and Annie’s minds and there was a resounding sigh of relief from many.
Well that gist is turning out not to be true.

New information emerging has it that Tuface Idibia has plans for Valentine’s day and it is not a wedding. The Benue born star has concerts lined up for him that week including the 14th and he could be honouring them all.

His wife Annie who recently appeared on Africa Magic entertainment programme Jara also didn’t give any indication of a wedding coming up soon.

With the Febuary 14 story trashed, another thread of rumour has again emerged.

This one states that the couple may be doing it somewhere in the middle east and that family and friends would be flown on a special chartered plane to the strictly by invitation wedding. This is further fueled by pictures posted recently by Annie on Instagram as she holidayed at a resort in Dubai.

Tuface warned right from the beginning that his dealings with Annie would be very secret. His traditional marriage almost passed un-noticed  and he is trying to do the same with his white wedding. If anyone truly knows Tuface, it should be the fact that he is a man who keeps his word.

His white wedding would hold secretly and quietly.

“ Life has been unfair to me”. This was the statement that greeted this reporter as he approached 19-year-old Chidi Okolie, who is currently going through psychological trauma following an act of gang-rape on him, Monday, in Badagry area of Lagos.

Chidi, as gathered,  left his home town in Izzih local government area of Ebonyi state for Lagos, two years ago, in search of greener pasture, following the demise of his parents.  The death of his parents, reportedly forced him to drop out of school.

But determined to irk a living, he decided to come  to Lagos, where he started hawking along the Mile two- Badagry expressway.

Along the line, he came across a middle-aged man who promised to offer him employment, an offer Chidi saw as a way out of  struggle.

But he got the shock of his life , on his supposed first day at work, as he was allegedly gang-raped and robbed by his supposed ‘messiah’

Hear him, “ I saw Okafor Emmanuel as my messiah when he promised to secure a job for me. I had barely finished selling on Monday when he called me on phone to come down to Abule-Ado. I bought a sachet of pure water, washed by face and straightened my clothes. I packed the remaining wares into a bag and kept it, hoping to finish them the next day.

When I got to the designated place, I met Okafor with four other young men. He told me to accompany them to distribute cigarets to his customers in Badagry, informing  that, that was my first assignment. We did that until 11pm and because it was late, he asked me to pass the night with him.

Gang -raped at midnight
But at midnight, someone tapped me on the thigh and when I opened my eyes, it was Okafor. Lo and behold, he was in his Nood! He bent over and said he would want to have carnal knowledge of me. I was shocked and concluded he could be drunk.

I lied to him that I wanted to urinate and left the room . But on getting to the sitting room, I met the other four men stack naked as well. At that point , I concluded the job offer was a mere trick to harm me.

At that point, I decided to run outside . But as I attempted to, they overpowered me and tore my shirts into shreds before pinning me to the ground with each having his way in turns.

As if that was not enough, they pushed  me out of the apartment that midnight, boasting that there was nothing I could do. When  I checked my pocket, I discovered they had collected the  N25,000 I made from my sales.

But I could not go  back to my uncle’s place that night so as not to be mistaken for a thief. All I did was to collect a shirt I saw on the line and wore. I remained there until 6am before leaving.

Since the incident, he has been begging for forgiveness, attributing it to the handiwork of the devil,without bothering to find out if I was hurt.

As I speak, I am still hurting all over but I can not go to the hospital because  I do not have money to buy drugs. I really do not know how to get money to start  business all over again. As it is now,  he has rendered me handicapped. You see why I said life has been unfair to me? He asked.

So far, Chidi did not report the incident to the Police as he claimed he was afraid he might not get justice at the end. He also feared that Okafor and his friends might carry out a severe deal against him, if he did.

The unscrupulous lifestyles of Igbo NOLLYWOOD Actresses, Cossy Orjiakor and Tonto Dikeh are just becoming too unbearable.

This duo has ignorantly and intentionally refused to stop their no-longer interesting/entertaining lifestyles that are now tarnishing the image of the Igbo female group as a whole.

It is so disheartening how Cossy has continued to tarnish the image of our Igbo sisters through her dirty lifestyles that now give all Nigerians the impression that Igbo ladies are all prostitutes using their bodies to climb to the ladder of fame in all works of life, whereas in reality, it is not true, rather it is being practiced by few unscrupulous Igbo girls who have nothing else to offer to the Nigerian society aside exposing their God-given feminine physique in s*xual-appealing manner to gain popularity, and by giving out their supposed holy-bodies to men (married and single) so long as he can pay the price.

Please Cossy and Tonto, Nigerians and most importantly, Ndigbo are no longer finding your ugly, dirty lifestyles funny, please you girls should turn a new leaf this new year and embrace God in your lives for your own good. You two maybe thinking that you are on top of the game, but you are only causing yourselves more harm than good, and if you ladies refuse to change for better, you will surely reap a negative fruit in future to come.

Finally, I am using this medium with other mediums to follow, to call on the Ohanaeze Ndigbo society to please write personally to Cossy Orjiakor and Tonto Dikeh to change their lifestyles as soon as possible, and if they fail or pay deaf ear, then the Ohanaeze Ndigbo should write to NOLLYWOOD, PMAN, Nigeria Censorship Agency, and every other entertainment industry in Nigeria through the major national dailies in Nigeria, to ban them from participating in Nigerian entertainment industries of any kind.

This is so sad because they are no longer entertaining Nigerians but rather teaching the upcoming Nigeria youths bad moral conducts.

Just see the unimaginable picture an African woman of Igbo origin posted publicly online in the name of entertaining her so-called fans. Yes, such rubbish can be done in the west, this is Africa, Nigeria and this also goes beyond to tarnishing the name of Igbo tribe. Spread this message as fast as you can. Thanks.

Serious war might soon brew between Liz Da Silva’s long time fiancée, the Oshodi transporter and strong member of National Union of Road Transport Worker, Musiliu Akinsanya popularly called MC Oluomo.
The popular transporter, who’s said to have dated so many Yoruba actresses, is allegedly said to be responsible for the recent pregnancy of Yoruba actress, Lizzy Da Silva.

According to gossip in the city, Lizzy Da Silva, who is four months gone, was said to have disclosed to a family friend that she is not even sure who’s responsible for her pregnancy- Akeem, the long time boyfriend or MC Oluomo who she also had s*xual relationship with.

What precipitated this confirmation is the actress’ recent movement as she`s said to always be the cynosure of all eyes at MC Oluomo’s office in Oshodi and she was also one of the VIP guests at the Oshodi carnival day where she was on the high table with MC Oluomo sporting her slightly heavy tummy.

Lizzy has been reported to be very excited with her present condition but only keeping truth about the paternity of her baby to herself.

According to a top security operative, police detectives are studying audio and video tapes of the sermons in which Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi, asserted that the late governor of Kaduna State, Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa perished along with former National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi while strategizing against Northern Nigerian Muslims.



Gumi allegedly affirmed that Yakowa had been engaging in an anti-Muslim agenda, and that it was therefore necessary to avoid the emergence of non-Muslims as governor of Kaduna State in the future, a point that some senior citizens of Kaduna State raised in a detailed memo in which they expressed concern that Gumi’s weekly sermon was likely to cause serious ethno-religious crisis in Kaduna town.

According to the source, the eminent personalities from Kaduna are of the view in view of the volatile nature of Kaduna State, urgent intervention and consultation has become necessary.

“The prominent people from Kaduna State wrote the memo, and included it with audio and video tapes of Gumi’s preaching,” the source continued. “Gumi in one of the tapes indeed said that Yakowa and Azazi died while meeting on anti-Muslim issues. He was also heard in the tape saying that it was a plan with General Gowon using the burial in Bayelsa as a cover up for them to meet and that is why Yakowa followed Azazi alone without his ADC.

“Gumi in the audio tape also said that the Muslims of Kaduna State should never allow a situation that will bring about a non-Muslim to be governor, alluding to the fact that it was Allah that did this crash for the impending danger being planned against Muslims.”

He said the Kaduna personalities who wrote the petition want action to be taken against any clerics, Muslim or Christian, who preach incitement and hate.

Dr Akinlolu Siyanbola, a Medical expert has warned Nigerians on the dangers of using bleaching products.

Siyanbola, a dermatologist at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Hospital, Osogbo, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Osogbo, maintained that consistent usage of bleaching products over a long period could lead to kidney failure, cancer and infertility. His assertion was also corroborated by Dr Abimbola Ibrahim in a separate interview.

According to Dr Siyanbola, consistent usage of bleaching products over a long period could make the kidney to fail, and could cause diabetes. He explained that bleaching products could also cause osteoporosis (loss of bone density), psychiatric manifestation and systemic hypertension among other ailments.

The dermatologist said that bleaching products contain chemical agents that reduce the activities of the natural cell which protects the skin from the adverse effects of sunlight. The agents, he said, change the skin to occhronus manifested in different colours of the body.

However, in his reaction, Dr Abimbola Ibrahim, disclosed that people who use bleaching products may end up being infertile. Ibrahim said products lighten the skin and cause it to lose its natural protective barrier, making it to be vulnerable. The medical expert added that infection spreads faster and broader, thus leading to skin cancer.

A group, the Nigeria HIV info, dedicated to the protection of the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, has condemned the mob beating of three men accused of engaging in homosegxwality in Imo State.
n a statement by Steve Aborisade, its coordinator, the group said it has “reliably confirmed and authenticated the incident and of the identity of one of the men.”

The three men were stri*ped unclad and allegedly lynched on Monday, in Ekwe, near Umuka in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.

Mr. Aborisade called on security agents to respond to the plight of the men.

“As it is, only the perpetrators and the community can tell the whole world what has become of these men who were seriously beaten up, stri*ped unclad and paraded around the community bounded together like animals on allegation that they were caught having s*x together,” Mr. Aborisade said.

Mr. Aborisade said a reliable source “reliably confirmed that the men were yet to be released from the location where they are being held in Umuka, Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.”

The group appealed to the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, to intervene to save the lives of the men.

“While acknowledging that several Nigerians find the practice of homosegxwality strange and unnatural, we also realize that it does not confer a license to trample on the rights of people who engages in it, with the sort of inhuman treatment that was meted out to these them.

“So many informed commentators, including Nobel Prize winner, Prof Wole Soyinka have commented on the scientifically proven fact that more than anything, gays are just victims of biology,” the group said.

Mr. Aborisade said instead of being singled out for harassment and prosecution, s*xual minorities deserve support and access to s*xual health services that they lack as citizens of this country.

He said s*xual minorities “remain a high risk group to HIV/AIDS infection, yet it is a community that has been denied of all access to life saving HIV/AIDS services.”

“We suggest that our parliamentarians should devote equal energy at fishing out and punishing our treasury thieves who are doing more harm to the continued survival of our nation instead of dissipating energy on an issue that borders on private morality.

“We enjoin other rights group to show solidarity and ensure that the rights of s*xual minorities are protected like other marginalised groups in the country,” Mr. Aborisade said.

In an unprecedented move, a man and his mother-in-law defied all social norms and got married two years after the death of the man’s wife.



The man, Judah Magarasadza’s wife Rozie Gopoza died in 2008 and two months later his mother-in-law Felistus moved in with him. It is reported that the two then started a love relationship which culminated in them trying the knot in 2010. The wedding reception is understood to have been low key. This was a result of the two’s families refusal to bless the marriage.

Both families reportedly declined to take part in wedding negotiations after the man and the mother-in-law approached them saying they wanted to solemnise their ‘illicit’ relationship. Despite the setback, the two would not allow anyone to flout their plans and went on to get married.

From 2010 to December last year, the two were living as husband and wife. However, after the man died, things took a downward trend for the mother-in-law c*m-wife. Sources said the woman was barred from the funeral by her husband’s relatives who vehemently told her that they did not recognise her relationship with their son.

“She was thrown out. Anyway who would blame them? They were very right in doing so. What kind of a relationship is that,” blasted the source.

It is said the woman was also barred from attending the burial at the man’s rural home. Our news crew finally got hold of Magaraszadza’s brother who identified himself as Joseph Magarasadza. He confirmed that his late brother was involved in a love relationship with his mother-in-law which he described as ‘illegal’.

“No such thing can be allowed to happen in our society. Both parents refused to take part in lobola negotiations after my brother and the woman said they wanted to get married,” he said.

Joseph said contrary to reports that the woman was banned from the funeral, she had actually made the decision herself.

“We had a meeting with her and her brother and that is when she said she would not be at the funeral because people were saying thing about her. No one stopped her from attending the funeral,” he said.

In an attempt to get a comment from the once a ‘mother-in-law’, a woman who answered the phone said the issue was not for public consumption.

Do you sometimes find yourself struggling to find the right things to say to the lady in your life? If there’s one thing that has always kept men wondering about women, it has to be figuring outwhat they love to hear. Whether you are in a committed relationship or wanting to take your relationship to the next level, here are 10 phrasesthat women never get sick of hearing.

1. “You’re very smart.” Women want to be appreciated for their intelligence. By acknowledging her intelligence, you’re communicating that you recognize her brains and not just her figure.

2. “You are the most beautiful woman I know.” Aside from making her feel aesthetically superiorto other women, this remark will put her on a pedestal among her peers and give her an ego boost. She’ll feel good about herself and will also feel less threatened by other women when they are around you. This phrase is particularly effective in long-term relationships, as you’re assuring your woman that she’s still hot.

3. “You’re my best friend.” Want to assure her that you are the kind of man who’s not just with her for her looks? All you need to do is to tell her that she is not just the love of your life, but also your best friend. Telling her how you feel above and beyond a s*xual context will make her feel overpoweringly connected to you.

4. “I am so proud of you.” Telling your woman how proud you are of her forworking hard to achieve her goals and showing your loving support will make her heart melt.

5. “You’re perfect just the way you are.” This statement says that you’ve accepted her completely. Giving her an ego boost like that makes her feel cognizant about how much you openly and willingly accept her flaws.

6. “I don’t want to be with anyone else.” This expression of enduring commitment says that she has become an essential, indispensable ingredient in your life and that you couldn’t live without her. This is a heavy line; it’s not many degrees away from proposing to her, so only saythis if you truly mean it.

7. “What do you feel/think about [anything]?” Women love to express their feelings on every topic imaginable. Asking this question tells your lady that you respect her views and that you’re genuinely concerned about her feelings and opinions.

8. “How was your day?” Asking about her day assures that you’re willing to lend her your pair of ears and focus on what she has to say.

9. “You’re great in bed.” Praising her performance in bed makes her feel like she really knows how to satisfy you and indicates that you appreciate her performance between the sheets.

10. “I love you.” Few men realize or appreciate the power of saying “I love you.” By saying those three magic words (when you really mean it), you’re acknowledging an attachment to your woman and satisfying her most basic emotional need–toknow how her man feels about her and to hearit. abuse the words.

Remember – saying this just to smooth over mistakes or as a precursor to every word out of your mouth won’t fill her with delight. Sometimes it’s not just about the words from a man’s mouth, it is also about showing your love through your actions.

A week after Nollywood actress, Bisi Komolafe was buried amid tears in Ibadan, Oyo State, her fiancé, Tunde Ijadola and members of her family are already at loggerheads over her property.

This development was made public during the week when Tunde cried out, saying “I don’t think it is a proper thing for family members to be fighting me for Bisi’s property less than 24 hours after her death when we should be mourning her.”Ijadola said this in reaction to the accusations levelled against him that he was not ready to release any of the deceased’s property to them.

“You will recall that after Bisi Komolafe’s burial, her family not only claimed that I was responsible for her death, but also ordered me to vacate her apartment and return her vehicle to them,”Tunde said. He added “I am sending the Honda Pilot back to them. Sad enough, Bisi’s parents do not have issues with me but her extended family members. Please note I have given them time and place to pick the car.”

Reacting to the accusation that he went back to pack Bisi’s properties, Tunde said, “I came back to Nigeria on October 24, 2012. Bisi and I left the Ikorodu flat on October 26, 2012 and until now I have never stepped into the Ikorodu apartment which I rented for her. I’m shocked by what I am hearing. Bisi was living in Ajao Estate before I rented the Ikorodu apartment for her.”

Also, on the accusation that he had been hiding Bisi from people, Tunde said; “I had to change Bisi’s numbers because she needed rest, when she was ill people kept calling her for work. It is sad that Bisi died the way she did. One of the main issues between me and her family was the fact that when Bisi’s sickness dragged on, I went spiritual to save her. We were told that her problems were spiritual but her family wouldn’t allow us to take her for spiritual care.”

Bisi Komolafe died in the early hours of January 1, 2013 after spending months on sick bed receiving treatment for a strange illness. She lost not only her life, but also her baby. Revelations after her death said she too about 40 units of blood in 3 months because the sickness was drying up her blood. Her sickness was initially attributed to complications on her pregnancy.

Do you believe in prophecies? Or do you just believe some of the prophecies been churned out are not rocket science and are predictable by just anybody with some level of exposure and foresight? Nonetheless, it is not hard predicting that there will be grave consequences if president Goodluck Jonathan decides to recontest in 2015 but what might not be so easy is predicting the possibility that only eight governors will finish their tenure unless urgent prayers are made to save the situation.

Those are the views of Apostle Johnson Suleman, the General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministry, one of the leading new generation churches in the country today situated on the Auchi-Abuja road in Auchi, Edo state.

Pastor Suleman who had in the past predicted the death of President Yar’Adua, spoke on his life and his views on the purchase of private jets by top pastors in the country.

Excerpts:

His take on pastors and private jets: “The truth is that some of these Pastors in fairness have really done a lot for the less privileged. We can never do enough but you can do a lot because there is still one less privileged person out there that needs to be reached. It is not possible for the soap factory to make sure that every body gets neat every day, but what they can do is to affect the ones they can affect and enlighten the ones they can enlighten. Most Pastors also have really taken it up as a challenge to touch the lives of the less privileged.

“But some of them have not. When a Pastor has spent many years in the Ministry and now owns an air craft, I have no problem with all of that. What I have a problem with is this pursuit to prove to the world that you have arrived. You are going to pay the pilot, the crew members, maintain the aircraft, it cost a lot of money. That is my worry with people in that category,” pastor Suleman said.

On 2015 and the possibility of a Jonathan candidacy, he has this to say, “One major thing that I will say now is that people should be careful not to be crazy about power. One good thing that I will advise President Jonathan is that he should not contest for the 2015 presidential election. And if prayers are not made, if we don’t pray, I see only eight governors completing their tenure. We should pray because with prayers, a lot of things can be averted but if we don’t pray, we will see eight governors only completing their tenure. What God wants to focus on this year is to reward politicians with their sins.”

Pastor Suleman also predicted a boom in the agricultural sector just as he said he sees “natural disasters coming up.” Recalling the mystery surrounding the presidency in the years past, which he says should not be ignored, pastor Suleman said, “I saw an African President being laid to rest and I saw Nigerian flag flying half mast. We need to pray for President Jonathan, if he goes ahead to contest there will be trouble. Abacha’s wife left the villa without Abacha, Yar’Adua’s wife left the villa without the husband, if Jonathan goes to contest, something very grave may happen” he said.

“Those who are pushing him now, they want to destroy him. I am not saying this out of any personal animosity. I am saying this now because it can be averted.

“He should seek counsel. I love him but destiny has to be taken very sacrosanct. So I believe that if he asks for counsel, people can help him not to run for the Presidency in 2015” he concluded.

84 suspected hoodlums from the popular Oshodi Bus Stop, Oshodi local government Lagos State were yesterday paraded by the State Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences, yesterday as part of efforts to flush out criminals from the area in particular and the state in general.

The suspects who are currently being detained pending their trial at the Special court, Alausa, were arrested at about 5:00am during a raid of the area.

The 84 miscreants paraded by the taskforce, include: 30 under-aged male children who would be transferred to one of the Lagos State Correctional Centres for Boys, for rehabilitation. 10 persons, who have been arrested over three times by the taskforce, were also re-arrested.
One of the suspects who was arrested with pistol, Tajudeen Yusuf claimed that he was arrested while relaxing with his friends at the Heritage Park.

20-year-old Yusuf stated that the pistol found on him doesn’t belong to him, saying “I saw the gun on the floor at the garage. I don’t know the owner of the gun.”

He added, “I have not seen gun since I was born. I don’t know where they sell it. I’m a professional barber who owns a shop in the market.”

Another suspect, Wasiu Fashola, 16, from Ogun State, said he left home November 1, 2012, in the company of his friend, saying, “I left home after my mother disowned me.”

The Taskforce Chairman, Supol. Bayo Sulaimon had earlier said that the taskforce moved into the area at about 4:30 am and effected the arrest of the miscreants.

“We arrested one of the miscreants with a toy gun which he uses to attack commuters at the Bus Stop. Who will see this in the dark and will not believe that it is a gun?” the chairman asked.

Sulaimon lamented that the large percentage of the under-aged miscreants leave their homes without their parents’ consent, adding “they come to motor parks and garages and any available open space and turn it into homes.”

Stand up comedian, Okey Bakassi has written a letter purportedly to God. Though it is hilarious, it contains some salient truths.

The letter:

Dear Almighty Sir,

I don’t know what time it is in your area so I’ll simply say good day Sir. I’m very grateful for making me experience 2013 and I’m sorry for all my sins in 2012.
I would have promised not to sin in 2013 but I don’t want to lie because you already know my future.
Please help me be a better and more successful person this year. Also protect and bless my family, friends and fans.

I hereby present some personal issues before you:

1. Will Nigeria be better this year or ever? If no I seek your approval to go and take up citizenship somewhere else but if yes be fast before they empty our treasury and our oil wells run dry.
2. Please help us with the exchange rate. Help de Naira catch up with the dollar.

3. Have you relocated Hell to Nigeria? If no, what are Boko Haram and Kidnappers doing here?
4. Do we allow GEJ do another term? If no please do something before we ‘Occupy Everywhere’.
5. Adjust the brain of our youths so that their savings will end up in bank accounts not boutiques and night clubs.

6. There are more diseases now than brands of condom available. What do we do? Urgent answer required.
7. Please is your son coming soon? We have forgotten the meaning of true love since the last time he came.
8. Please I need your BB pin if possible, I want to send you pictures and links of what pastors and government officials are doing with our money. I guess you already know.
On behalf of my wife and children I say thank you.
Yours Faithfully
Okey ‘Bakassi’ Onyegbule

Nigeria’s reggae legend, Majek Fashek who is currently being managed by A-Plus Entertainment, a record company which rehabilitated him last year  is hospitalised at the moment. He was allegedly abducted recently by one of his friends who wanted to lure him into signing concert deals outside the shores of the country.

The CEO of the outfit, Hajia Oluremi Dangaji disclosed this ugly development to Showtime, during the week.

According to her, Majek who was due to drop his latest album this week, disappeared from his Gowon Estate apartment since last December without traces. However, after futile efforts to trace his whereabouts, the reggae legend  resurfaced few days ago, looking haggard, weak and pale.

Narrating Majek’s ordeal, Hajia who claimed that her company had spent over N35 million to get the reggae master back on his track, said “This meeting is meant to formally intimate you with my company’s project with superstar, Majek Fashek whose latest album is finally ready for the market.
Unfortunately, just as we were getting ready for the release scheduled for this month, we got a shocker during the past holidays that he had been kidnapped and taken to an unknown destination by people suspected to be enemies of progress.”

“While the nightmare lasted, Majek’s former manager called to inform us that he was hospitalised in Lagos. But later, we found out that he was whisked away by one of his friends, to Ghana, who wanted to force him to sign concert deals outside the shores of the country without the consent of his management company.”

Haija said, while in Ghana, Majek’s conscience did not allow him to do the bidding of his captors, as he decided to return to the country.

At the moment,  she said, Majek has gone back to his old lifestyle. “He has become a shadow of his old self, breaking bottles and behaving very abnormal. In fact, he has not been himself since he returned to the country. Right now, he is hospitalised. We are trying to  stabilize his condition. That’s why we deemed it fit to intimate you about the ugly development,” Haija narrated.

Haija, a widely-travelled entrepreneur and philanthropist  who hails from Edo State has since resolved to resuscitate Majek’s dwindling music career, as well as embarking on a musical tour of some European and American cities.

Jos— One Salisu Mohammed, 23, of Nasarawa Gwong, yesterday, appeared before an Upper Area Court at Kasuwar-Nama, Jos, for molesting a 6-year-old girl. The Police Prosecutor, Mr Gokwat Ibrahim, said the father of the victim (names withheld) reported the matter to Nasarawa Gwong police station on Dec. 24, 2012, same day the offence was committed.



He said the accused was facing a one-count charge of molest. He added that the accused, who resides in the same compound with the girl, had invited her to his room where he molestd her. “The cry of the minor attracted neighbours who forced the door open and caught the accused committing the act.”

The prosecutor said the police had concluded investigation and were only waiting for the medical report from the hospital. He urged the court to suspend jugdement on the matter, pending report from the hospital where the girl had been taken for treatment. “We want to tender the report before the court as an exhibit, “ he added.

The accused person pleaded guilty to the charge and begged the court for leniency, saying  he was a first time offender.

“We are not Nigerians” Venus and Serena Williams said.  It is beginning to seem cliché that Nigerians are quick to speculate about the roots of successful Africans abroad. It doesn’t matter whether they can speak a Nigerian language, or have an American accent; whether they grew up in Lagos or spent their childhood on the streets of London.

We crave for a certain affiliation, and hold a strange hope that at least some of the Hollywood stars we see on our television screens, have ancestors who once graced our neighbourhoods. Venus and Serena hurt our feelings, but these stars cannot deny us. Even if they wanted to, like eba to soup, we would attach ourselves to their famous skirts because blood is thicker than water!

Hakeem Kae-Kazim

Wikipedia refers to this Hotel Rwanda star as an ‘English’ actor (But we know better). Hakeem was born in Lagos in 1962 to Nigerian parents, and was based in South Africa for a while. He is best known for his portrayal of Georges Rutaganda in the 2004 motion picture Hotel Rwanda. He also starred as Colonel Iké Dubaku in season 7 of the Fox television series 24 and the TV film tie-in 24: Redemption. This Hollywood hunk made us proud when he starred in the Nollywood blockbuster Last flight to Abuja.
Sophie Okonedo

Hotel Rwanda  had another Nigerian on the cast that would be downright uncharacteristic of us not to claim. Sophie Okonedo received an Academy award nomination for her role in the movie. If she had won it, it wouldn’t have mattered that her Nigerian father left home when since she was five, it would be ours to boast of. Sophie also received a Golden Globe nomination for Tsunami: The Aftermath, and BAFTA nominations for Criminal Justice and Mrs. Mandela.

Her other film roles included Aeon Flux, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Dirty Pretty Things, Skin, and The Secret Life of Bees. Okonedo was born in London, England, the daughter of Joan (née Allman), a pilates teacher, and Henry Okonedo (1939–2009), who worked for the government. Her father was Nigerian, and her mother, an Ashkenazi Jew, was born in the East End, to Yiddish-speaking immigrants from Poland and Russia. She was raised in her mother’s Jewish faith.

David Oyelowo

David Oyelowo, his British wife Jessica and his three beautiful sons are ours to claim. This versatile actor has graced some of the best productions in theatre and television. Oyelowo played the role of  MI5 officer Danny Hunter in the British TV drama series Spooks from 2002 to 2004. More recently he starred in A Raisin in the Sun

(2011), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), The Help (2011), Selma (2011)  where he played Martin Luther King Jr., Lincoln (2012) and many more. He also starred in Blood and Oil, a controversial production which many believe is not a true representation of the happenings of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

Next week, watch out for more Hollywood stars with Nigerian parentage. You just might find out the actual roots Beyonce, Rihanna and Will Smith. Besides, who knows the real meaning of ‘L’ in Samuel L Jackson… Lekan? No promises, just Dis n Dat!

Nigerians believe we are the happiest people on earth as we tend to still keep ourselves happy despite the terrible state of the country. Forbes on the other hand, has said otherwise. A List of the saddest countries were made, and Nigeria ranked 20th. See reasons given for our position below:

20. (Saddest) Nigeria

The best of the worst, Nigeria ranks 123rd overall on the Legatum Prosperity Index. Decades of corruption have squandered great oil and gas wealth, while new concerns involve sectarian violence. In this picture soldiers stand guard as people walk by near the site where a suicide attacker drove a car bomb into a Christian church in Kaduna, Nigeria, on October 28, 2012.