Since my brother, Christian, was gruesomely killed alongside over 90 other policemen a month ago by Ombatse cultist/ militiamen in Nasarawa, the need for justice – or rather the absence of it – has tormented me like a sore toe in an ill-fitting shoe. Though I’ve tried to airbrush the torture with a façade of occasional light-heartedness, I’ve only succeeded in switching from one level of depression to another like a danfo driver switching lanes in Lagos rush hour traffic.


My pillows should be renamed Insomnia. Even when I manage to sleep, it’s often in snatches – I’m violently roused to reality by frightful nightmares sweating like I took a dive in the devil’s pool. Leaving the house is terribly becoming unexciting these days. Almost everything that thrilled me suddenly tastes bland. I’m badly beaten and bruised all over by dejection.

One might argue that these are signs of intense grieving. True. I haven’t known grief this deep before. The pain I felt at the passing of my old man was nothing compared to this. However, I’m traumatized more at my helplessness to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice; it disturbs me greatly that 10 years from now I might have to tell my two nephews (3 and 1.5 years old) that the savages that killed their dad were never arrested or prosecuted. Worse, the government and police authorities have made only a feeble, or honestly, no attempt whatsoever to make them pay. They haven’t even bothered to tell the truth of how these men were led to their death. It breaks my heart that the founder of this cult group still talks freely to the media and brags about how “his gods sent fire from above to kill the policemen.”

I’m not saying this because I crave for people’s pity or sympathy. No. First, I want to express how brazen we have become at the brutal waste of human lives and the impunity that vultures around it. Further, I hope by sharing the trauma my family endured these past month, we can begin to, at least, imagine the suffering of thousands of families that have lost loved ones in the convulsing madness that has darkened the soul of the country. I also intend that this piece will serve as a wakeup call for those of us in our nice little bubbles outside the north that evil is roaming just down the street. But I doubt if that would be necessary. If anyone don’t still realize how dare our situation is at the moment, he/she probably just woke up from a thousand years hibernation.

More reading...http://www.spammer.com/2013/06/premium-times-reporter-whose-police.html

Nigerian health experts also have a view, belated though it may seem, on the oral-sex-throat-cancer controversy, or theory, set off by ailing American actor, Michael Douglas. They agree, as Douglas initially announced (although he later retracted) that throat cancer may be caused by oral sex!

The Hollywood actor was quoted as telling UK Guardian that the strain of cancer he was diagnosed with had been caused by the segxwally transmitted HPV (human papillomavirus).

But a statement from the 68-year-old’s publicist sought to clarify his remarks and said Douglas was not talking about his own cancer.

A statement from Allen Burry, said: “No. He [Douglas] did not say oral sex was the cause of his cancer."

The publicist reference medical evidence which links oral sex to throat cancer, but made it clear: �http://www.spammer.com/2013/06/yes-oral-sex-causes-throat-cancer.html

Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi’s suspension by the ruling People’s Democratic Party on Monday is a “political witchunt” that has nothing to do with the reason given by the party.

The party said Mr. Amaechi was punished for refusing to reverse his sacking of the executive council of the Obio/Akpor local government council of the state despite the resolution of the Rivers state PDP chapter asking the governor to do so.

“We are concerned as we believe this is political witch hunt. It is worrisome. The reason given is the suspension of the Obio Akpor council,” said Ibim Semenitari, the state commissioner for information and communications on Monday after the party's decision was announced.

“This is purely a legislative matter and done in accordance to the laws of local government councils in Rivers State.”

The state House of Assembly, controlled by Mr. Ameachi, suspended the leadership of the council weeks ago, drawing the wrath of the newly-installed leadership of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic party in the state. http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/rivers-state-says-pdps-suspension-of.html

The ruling People's Democratic Party has suspended the beleaguered Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, just days after a controversial election of the Nigerian Governors Forum, which Mr. Amaechi was declared winner.

The party said its decision to suspend Mr. Amaechi followed an emergency meeting of its National Working Committee on Monday. It claimed the governor was suspended for refusing to obey the directive of the PDP Rivers state chapter to reverse his sacking of Executive Council of Obio/Akpor local area council.
http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/breaking-pdp-suspends-amaechi.html

PDP governors known to be in support of President Goodluck Jonathan, have staged a speedy protest of Friday governors’ forum election the camp lost to the Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

Mr. Amaechi won the intrigue-filled polls 19 to 16, to beat the Plateau state governor, Jonah Jang, who was allegedly foisted as a consensus of the president’s team.
http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/breaking-pro-jonathan-governors-reject.html

A House of Representatives report has indicted the federal government-by implication President Jonathan- of “witch-hunting” Rivers state Gov. Ameachi, by grounding the state's aircraft under claims of false ownership and permit expiration.

The report said Rivers state's claim that its ownership of the plane was held in trust by the Utah Bank was a practice common in the industry and clear, documented and legal.

It said claims the ministry of aviation to deny same, was “unprofessional” and showed “ineptitude” and also gave credence to allegations the federal government was victimizing the state and its governor over a political row between Mr. Jonathan and Mr. Amaechi.http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/house-of-reps-aviation-report-indicts.html

Senate president, David Mark, spoke the bitter truth to authorities Wednesday, warning northern governors the nation can no longer accept the Almajiris system which leaves millions of alms-begging children potential “miscreants”.

``It is a system that is counter-productive, it is a breeding ground for irresponsible miscreants and we cannot tolerate it,” Mr. Mark said.

``I had to call the man who introduced Sharia on the issue(That should be Ahmed Yerima, former Zamfara state), because wrongly or rightly, I think he is knowledgeable in Islamic affairs.

``He told me categorically that the almajiri system is not an Islamic injunction. We must admit that politicians in the north have failed over the years to stem the almajiri system. More: http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/mark-says-northern-govs-feed-fat-on.html

Then if we are talking about 2011 election, yes, the governor supported me but he did so in fulfillment of God’s word that ‘at the appointed time, He would make your enemies to be at peace with you and they will work for you’. As he went round telling people they should not vote for me, ironically brought out money and shared to his Annang brothers without giving a dime to any Ikono/Ini person. He later reversed his earlier stand asking them to vote for me. After the elections, he asked for the refund N100Million being the money spent in campaigning for me according to him. I was constrained to give him N10Million.
http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/unheard-of-details-of-akpabios-row-with.html

President Jonathan said on Sunday the option of amnesty remains open for Boko Haram militants who surrender despite a huge military campaign against the sect in three states currently under emergency rule. http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/amnesty-still-available-to-boko-haram.html

Nigeria military have begun major offensive against Boko Haram Islamists, raiding camps in a remote northeastern park, while more than 2,000 troops have been deployed to retake territory seized by the insurgents, news agency, AFP, quoted a military source as saying Thursday.

“Our men raided some terrorist camps in the Sambisa Game Reserve,” in Borno state, said the senior officer who requested anonymity according to the AFP. “So far 2,000 troops have been deployed to Borno,” he added, declining to comment on the forces sent to the other affected states of Yobe and Adamawa.
http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/emergency-rule-update-army-raids-boko.html

 PRESS RELEASE ON BORNO, NASARAWA AND BENUE KILLINGS


We in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) hereby condemn the recent violence and killings in some parts of our country – Borno, Nasarawa, Benue, Adamawa and some other states. We also commiserate with the people and government of those states, our security agencies and the families of the victims and pray God to give them and indeed every Nigerian the fortitude to bear the loss.

While urging security agencies to continue to do their jobs as professionally as possible, we appeal to all aggrieved individuals and groups in Nigeria to appreciate the fact that violence can never be a solution to any problem. We have no other country to call home and it is important that we understand the danger and futility of destroying our land in the pursuit of a selfish agenda.

It is gratifying that government – Federal and State – are working hard to get to the root of the killings and nip these orgy of violence in the bud. We are impressed by the magnanimity of the Federal Government, which has demonstrated an uncommon love for the country by setting up a Committee to explore the possibilities of granting amnesty to the members of the Boko Haram sect. It is also a good step that government has agreed to cooperate fully with the National Human Rights Commission in the investigation of the killings in Baga.

We also commend our security agencies for the selfless sacrifice they are making in the interest of us all to restore calm to all parts of our country.

We urge the Federal Government to continue to support affected states in the bid to check violence. The Federal Government should remain focused and continue to provide leadership until every part of Nigeria is rid of violence and insurgency.

We also call on the Federal Government to ignore the ongoing agitation for a state of emergency in some parts of the country. These requests are being made by people who do not wish our country well and who are bent on plunging the country into a deeper crisis. The Federal Government should not allow itself to be distracted from our collective goal of curbing the insurgency in some parts of our country once and for all.

Signed:
Rt. Honourable Rotimi C. Amaechi
Executive Governor of Rivers State
Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum

An Iranian businessman, who allegedly imported arms into Nigeria in 2010, has been found guilty by a court. But guess what? He was given five years for a crime said to potentially carry a life sentence.

Isn’t that too lenient for the nature of crime and the scale of insecurity such weapons have wrecked. Again, noting that Nigerians caught in other countries of serious crimes have not been spared?

Azim Aghajani was convicted for smuggling rockets, mortars and grenades, labeled as building materials, inside 13 shipping containers in 2010.

He was sentenced alongside a Nigerian, Usman Abbas Jega. Mr. Aghajani is alleged to be a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/court-sentences-iranian-man-who.html

CT Minister’s wife, Aisha Bala Mohammed, was turbaned the Garkuwan Mata (Protector of Jiwa womenfolk) of Jiwa by His Royal Highness, Dr. Idris Musa, the Chief of Jiwa. Jiwa is a satellite town in Abuja Municipal Area Council. Her investiture took place during the weekend at the King’s palace.

And guess what the chieftaincy title was for: a dedicated programme of giving a befitting (according to a spokesperson), place of rest to the dead. Serving the dead one might say!

This is how the spokesperson, Nosike Ogbuenyi, of for the husband, put it:

“Always eager to help the less privileged members of the society, Bala Mohammed, set up the Al –Muhibbah Foundation in 2010 initially with the aim of rehabilitating, renovating and beautifying both Christian and Muslim burial grounds within the FCT. She strongly believes that the dead like the living deserve to rest with dignity.”
More http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/weird-gravesite-beautification-is-fct.html

Gov. Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa State has vowed to punish the new armed gang, Ombatse, dismissing the groups a political outfit with disgruntled backers.

Mr. Al-makura said the group is no a regilious one as speculated. His comments came after the group killed at least 30 policemen last week.

``The state government will not watch while some disgruntled individuals hold it to ransom and turn the state into theatre of death, undermining the development efforts of this administration,’’ he said. http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/nasarawa-gov-al-makura-dismisses.html

Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has spoken of his frustration as vice president reining his party’s governors in from arming youth who would later raise deadly groups that now threaten to tear the nation apart.

On BBC interview Saturday, Mr. Abubakar said he spoke to the governors in the Niger Delta, and in the north; but his advice was not heeded.

“During our time when there was such crisis in Yobe, you saw how we tackled it. First of all, we sent undercover agents who mixed up with the insurgents and understood their modus operandi. When the report was brought to us, we then sent security agents who rounded up the enclave, arrested some of them and killed those that had to be killed....http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/atiku-abubakar-governors-armed-boko.html

From the Eagle Square, former military, Muhammadu Buhari, put forward some awkward truths and evaluation of Nigeria's current ills on Saturday. His best lines, clear-cut and caustic, could have been more, but here are the best 10 in no particular order.



 1. There is an unprecedented fall in the nation’s standard of living and an astronomical rise in the standard of dying.

2. Anarchy is knocking on the door of many sections of this country and the Federal government has not demonstrated that it has the good sense to understand what is going on, or the competence to check it.

3. The patience of this nation and the various communities within it has been severely tried and stretched to its limits. And there is no end in sight.

4. Some areas of the nation are virtual war zones in a country supposedly at peace.

5. Marauders of every description armed to the teeth with all manner of sophisticated armaments roam the national landscape with total and murderous impunity.

7. The nation is hopelessly adrift.

8. The government has failed in almost everything.

9. There is spiraling lawlessness all over the country. There is widespread and rising poverty and unemployment across the length and breadth of the country.

10. All these evils derive and draw inspiration from a government that is itself immersed to its neck in a cesspool of corruption.

Last time anti-bullet charm made the news, it didn't work. Matter of fact, its maker died!

A traditional doctor in central Nigeria was shot dead in December 2003 by a patient who was testing the potency of an anti-bullet charm the herbalist had prepared for him, police told reporters on Wednesday.

Ashi Terfa died when patient Umaa Akor fired a gun at his head two weeks ago in south-central Benue state, police spokesperson Bode Fakeye said.

"Akor went for an insurance against bullets and contacted Terfa to prepare it for him," he said.
Read more: http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/do-bullet-proof-charms-exist-as.html

“The road is narrow and they allowed us into their midst before opening fire on us at close range,” the personnel was quoted by the paper as saying. Efforts to return fire and scare them into hiding ware futile as bullets were not penetrating them, he said.

The militiamen, dressed in black shirts and caps, kept approaching amidst heavy gunfire, which forced their Hilux van, the last van on the convoy, to turn back. “Due to the nature of the road and ensuing gun duel, our men could not turn back and 10 of us in our van were able to manoeuvre our way out but not without suffering bullet wounds,” he said.http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/nasarawa-militiamen-trapped-slain.html

US authorities and its nosy media delivered a rather surprisingly measured coverage of the appalling Cleveland, Ohio disappearances-where three women, who got missing a decade ago, were found Monday.
Despite fueled interests for the case, unlike the Boston bombings, reporting have been measured, photographs few, and statements from authorities sparse. Key reason is the need for privacy for segxwal abuse victims (having been imprisoned by their captor, regularly raped and abused for years).

Here, just within same moment, a police team in Imo state claimed Wednesday, as usual, to have plugged a forced-pregnancy-baby factory syndicate, rescuing 17 heavy young women.
And guess what our police did: as usual, they parade the teenagers, aged between 14 and 17, before the cameras. Read more: http://www.spammer.com/2013/05/segxwal-abuse-victims-worlds-apart-in-us.html

Nigeria's Dangote Sugar Refinery said on Friday it posted a 32.04 percent increase in its first quarter profit year-on-year to 5.44 billion naira, compared with 4.12 billion naira last year.

The amount is pretax.bit.ly/10z0Shr