Kate Henshaw goes into politics: to contest for House of Reps

Veteran actress Kate Henshaw has joined politics. She'll be aspiring to contest for the Federal House of  Representatives for Calabar Munical/Odukpani Federal Constituency under the PDP.

She will run within the PDP to get the ticket. The primaries is in October. If she wins, which is mostly like, she will become Hon. Kate Henshaw.

 She will be officially unveiled on www.campaign.ng tomorrow July 19th, which is her 43rd birthday

First photos of passengers of plane that was shot down, including 80 children

298 people died yesterday July 17th when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was blasted out of the sky at 32,000 by a surface-to-air missile, allegedly by pro-Russian rebels.

Among the dead were 80 children, including three Australian children, (pictured left), Mo Maslin, 12, (left), his brother Otis, eight, (centre) and sister Evie Maslin, 10, (right) who were traveling with their grandfather Nick Morris. According to Australian newspapers, the family had been on holiday and the children’s parents had remained in Amsterdam for a few extra days while Mr Norris took his grandchildren on MH17 to get them back to Australia in time for school. The plane was going from Kuala Lumpur to Australia.

More than 100 AIDS researchers who were heading to an international conference in Australia were also on board the plane.

There were 173 passengers from the Netherlands, 27 from Australia, 44 from Malaysia, 12 from Indonesia, 9 from the UK, 4 from Belgium, 4 from Germany, 3 from Philippines, 1 from Canada and from New Zealand

Jeremiah Useni escapes assassination attempt

A former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lt. Gen. Jeremiah Useni, on Wednesday escaped an attempt on his life when some unknown gunmen attacked his Langtang home, in Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Our correspondent gathered that no fewer than 48 bullet holes were inflicted on the walls of the house as the gunmen tried to gain entrance into the house.

Fortunately Useni, who is a delegate to the National Conference, was not at home at the time of the attack.

While one version said the attack was carried out by some gunmen, another said that it was caused by some rival youths who engaged themselves in a duel in front of the house.

It was further gathered that the heavy armed men suspected to be assassins came into the compound between 2am and 3am surrounded the building and started shooting sporadically.

The timely arrival of security men in the area was said to have prevented the gunmen from razing the house to the ground.

One eyewitness in Langtang said that the youths on hearing the gunshots rushed to the scene but were dispersed by the Task Force commander in charge of Langtang .

The witness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that some of the youths who rushed to the scene were manhandled by security men.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Abu Emmanuel, who confirmed the incident, said that nobody was killed in the attack. He also said that no arrest had been made.

Police arrest Ekiti APC leader, others for robbery

The Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force, Adeniji-Adele Street, Lagos, on Monday paraded a chief of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State, Itunnu Odeyemi, and eight others, saying they were notorious for snatching exotic cars in the country.

The police said Odeyemi was also an APC Local Government Area executive in Efon-Alaaye, Ekiti State.

Other members of the nine-man gang are Omoniyi Ajewole, Oluseye Jacob, Oluwadamiliare Rasaki, Ajisafe Olawale, Ogunniyi Sunday, Tolani Babatunde, Abubakar Umar, and Ayodeji Olumudi.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, said the suspects were arrested after a victim, who was robbed of two vehicles and other valuables on June 27, 2013 in Ile-Ife, Osun State, reported to the police. He added that the case was later transferred to the FSARS.

It was gathered that the arrest of Ajewole, a 28-year-old man from Ilesha, Osun State, had led to the arrest of other members of the gang which included Odeyemi, who Ajewole also claimed was his political godfather.

While speaking with journalists, Odeyemi denied being a member of the gang. He said he provided Ajewole with a locally-made gun, which the police have recovered, to protect him during the period of the recently concluded governorship election in Ekiti State.

He said, “Omoniyi (Ajewole) is my political thug. I brought him to my place and gave him a gun to secure me. I have never participated in any robbery operation, but he used to escort me with the gun. Having an escort was part of the gains of being a political leader. All APC leaders were working for the government during the election.

“Every political party, including ours has factions. That was why I gave him the gun, so that he could always protect me wherever I went. I also told him to be with me, particularly as the Ekiti election was approaching then. I had seen the gun on the ground during the 2007 elections violence in the state and had kept it.”

Ajewole, who was first caught by the police, confessed during interrogation that he had been working as a political thug for the APC chieftain.

He said, “He had given me the gun to use in protecting him during campaign violence. But I had not yet used the gun before I was arrested in September 2013. I am not a robber. I prefer to be called a political thug. I was the only one the honourable (Odeyemi) gave the gun, and he also paid me salary.”

Our correspondent learnt that after the arrest of the gang, the FSARS were able to recover 17 stolen cars in different parts of the country, most of which were Toyota and Honda brands. Three assorted guns were also recovered from them.

Mba said the suspects would soon be arraigned in court.

He said, “This is a case that started on June 27, 2013 when a Nigerian was robbed of two vehicles and other valuables and he reported the incident to the police. This arrest is one of the achievements of the FSARS. It led to the arrest of nine suspects who were clearly linked with not just the armed robbery reported, but a series of such in the country.

“An interesting aspect of the arrest is that Ajewole confessed to the police that he was not an armed robber, but also a political thug working for Odeyemi Itunnu from Efon Alaaye, Ekiti State. We want to warn politicians to steer clear of actions that are capable of posing a threat to the security of the country.”

We’ve taken over Boko Haram base, says military

Troops have cleared and taken over Balmo Forest in a military operation that lasted throughout the weekend, the Defence Headquarters has said.

Prior to the operation, Balmo Forest, which stretches from Bauchi through Jigawa states with links to the fringes of the Sambisa Forest, was used by terrorists as bases and hideouts for launching attacks.

A statement by the Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, in Abuja on Monday, said terrorists and armed gangs operating in the forests were completely rooted out while some were captured during the operation.

It however did not specify the number of those arrested during the operation, but said that two foreigners, suspected to be mercenaries, were among those captured.

Also recovered were several weapons and equipment including generating sets, communication equipment, vehicles, motorcycles, foodstuffs and kitchen utensils.

In another development, the military said over 44 terrorists died in Kerenoa and adjoining communities, following an encounter with troops who repelled their attack on the communities.

The military said that members of the sect armed with Improvised Explosive Devices and other high calibre weapons, had carried out a predawn attack on the communities but were overpowered by the troops.

During the operation, several of them were captured as well as weapons and ammunition of various calibre, according to the Defence headquarters.

“Meanwhile, troops on routine patrol around Banki and Miyanti in Borno State during the weekend fought through an ambush laid by the terrorists resulting in casualties on both sides.

“Altogether, a total of six soldiers were lost in the various encounters with terrorists while those wounded are receiving treatment,” the statement added.

Pics: Rwandan president welcomes Davido at airport as he performs to 60k fans

 

On July 4th, Rwandans celebrated their annual Liberation Day celebrations at Amahoro national stadium in Kigali. Davido was the headline act for this year and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda welcomed the BET winner with his wife and children at the airport.

The concert which started that night was headlined by Africa’s biggest act Davido. The 21 year old hit maker performed to 60, 000 excited fans. When it was time for his back to back hits Gobe, ‘Skelewu’ and ‘Aye’, the crowd went ballistic. There were 9 East African presidents at the show that night; Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta were among the presidents at the show.

After the show Davido was invited to perform Aye at the President’s home, however, no cameras were allowed during that time

Soldiers Dug Hole To Enter Boko Haram Kingpin’s Home In Kaduna-Military Source

 

A senior military officer at Nigeria’s Defense Headquarters in Abuja has shown a correspondent of SaharaReporters how soldiers in Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna State, had to dig a tunnel to gain entry into the home of a Boko Haram kingpin. The military operation took place last Sunday, said the source, who took our correspondent to the location.
According to our military source, the Boko Haram operative died in an exchange of gunfire at his home located in the Kinkinau area of Kaduna town.
The military officer disclosed that the Islamist kingpin and a few lower level terrorists had fled Boko Haram’s violence-prone northeast to different locations before arriving in Kaduna where they resettled with their families.
According to our source, the Islamist henchman and his cohorts had virtually integrated themselves into their community in Kaduna and had adapted to the local setting. He stated that they had started gathering guns and explosives-manufacturing ingredients before security agents traced them to their location based on vital information revealed by Boko Haram militants under military detention.
The officer, who traveled with a correspondent of SaharaReporters from Abuja to the scene of last Sunday’s attack in Kaduna, added that Nigerian troops fighting Boko Haram deserved commendation instead of unjustifiable criticism.
“You can now see the sacrifice our troops are making for the preservation of Nigeria's sovereignty and territory. The terrorists were hiding here for months until our breakthrough,” he said, pointing to the abode of the former Islamist terrorist kingpin.
The officer added, “Our soldiers had to dig a hole to enter the house as you can see. The [Boko Harm] men gave our soldiers a tough time, but we triumphed over them.”
He declined to answer some of our correspondent’s questions, pleading that he did not want to jeopardize an ongoing investigation.
He told our correspondent, “I have brought you here from Abuja to see what we have done, because the men we killed here had their hands in several severe attacks carried out by [Boko Haram] in the northeast and other parts of the North. Just imagine what they would have done in Kaduna and surrounding areas if they were able to establish a footing here.”
The officer pointed out that the Nigerian Army was making greater use of intelligence gathering and deploying other innovative methods in its campaign to combat the attacks of Boko Haram insurgents.

Confab endorses creation of Ijebu, Aba, 17 other states …supports rotation of presidency among zones

THE National Conference on Thursday voted for the creation of 18 more states in the country.

The creation of new states was one of the decisions taken by the delegates at their plenary while considering the report of the Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government.

Apart from the 18 new states proposed, the conference said a separate state-yet-to-be named should be carved out of the South-East to bring the number of the states in the zone to six.

In creating a new state from the South-East geopolitical zone, the conference said the creation would correct the imbalance of the zone having the least number of states.

In the existing 36 states arrangement, each zone has six states with only the North-West having seven states.

The new states proposed by the conference are: Aba, to be carved out of the present Abia State; Katagum, from Bauchi State; Ijebu, from Ogun State; Amana, from former Sardauna Province; Apa, from Benue State; Anioma, from Delta State, Savannah, from Borno State; and Etiti, from South-East.

Others are Njaba/Anim, from Anambra and Imo states; Gurara, from Kaduna State; Ghari, from Kano State; Adada, New Oyo from Oyo State; Orachi, from Rivers State; Ogoja, from Cross River State; and Kainji, from Kebbi and Niger states.

Two other states, one each from the South-East and South-West zones, are also yet to be named.

It was agreed by the delegates that the 18 new states would be shared among the six zones in a manner that no zone would have more states than the other.

Though it was also agreed that states were free to have their constitutions, the request to change the name of Adamawa State to Gongola State was overwhelmingly rejected by the delegates.

The delegates also voted that the Presidency should rotate among the six geopolitical zones of the country.

They said the rotation should be between the northern and southern regions.

It was also agreed by the delegates that in the case of death, impeachment or incapacitation of the President, the deputy would no longer assume office automatically.

Rather, they said that the Vice President should only act as President for a period of 90 days within which another election should hold.

“In the absence of the death of the President, the Vice President shall act as President for a period of 90 days within which an election to the office of the President shall be held,” the conference said.

The delegates argued that since the office of the President would be rotated among the six geopolitical zones, it would be unfair to allow the Vice President to take the turn of another zone by automatically assuming power.

President Goodluck Jonathan, a southerner from Bayelsa State, had assumed the Presidency in 2010 following the death of former President Umaru Yar’Adua, a northerner from Katsina State.

The delegates rejected the proposal that the President should be in office for a single term of six years, and favoured the present arrangement of two terms of four years each.

It was also agreed that the President and his deputy should run on a joint ticket, thereby rejecting the recommendation that the President should pick his deputy among members of the National Assembly after he must have won.

The conference also supported the bicameral legislature. This implies that there would still be the Senate and the House of Representatives.

It was also agreed that the office of the governor should rotate among the three senatorial districts in the state while the office of the chairman of a local government council should rotate among the components in the local government areas.

The conference also recommended that that the Independent National Electoral Commission should divide each council to two or three equal parts as the case maybe for the purpose of electing the local government chairman.

The delegates rejected a motion that the number of states in Nigeria should not be more than 55.

However, a delegate, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, condemned the decision to create more states.

He said the action was at variance with the decisions and resolutions earlier taken by the conference on the need by government to cut cost.

“Having regard to the several resolutions of the National Conference on the need to reduce the cost of governance, I found the recommendation for the creation of additional 18 states rather contradictory,” Falana said.

The conference also said that a referendum should be conducted in each of the states that want to merge with 65 per cent of the eligible voters in each of those states approving merger and that the National Assembly, by resolutions passed by a single majority of membership, should approve such merger.

On the running of local governments, the delegates said that states were free to create or reduce the number of local governments within their territory.

It was agreed that all government officials must use made in Nigeria cars.

The conference also agreed that the old national anthem, “Nigeria we hail thee…” should be adopted in place of the current one.

Probably to show their preference for the old anthem, all the delegates rose to sing it to the surprise of the leadership of the conference.

Another delegate and a SAN, Chief Mike Ozekhome, who spoke to one of our correspondents after the plenary, said, “I stand by the recommendation; we have recommended that 18 more states and an additional state should be created for the Igbo, they are the only one with five states.

‘‘With 54 states I believe that government would be brought closer to the people.”

However, a Nigerian Bar Association presidential aspirant, Mrs. Funke Adekoya, SAN, said, “I don’t think that creation of more states will solve the problem of underdevelopment. I don’t think that it will solve the problem of bureaucracy in the society. What I think we should focus on is the delivery of dividends of democracy to Nigerians. I don’t support creation of more states.”

Soldiers on the rampage on Ikorodu Road, burn BRT buses

Details later…

Edo lawmakers impeach deputy speaker

As the crisis in the Edo State House of Assembly lingers, the House on Wednesday impeached the Deputy Speaker, Festus Ebea, on allegations of misconduct and misdemeanor.

The 15 lawmakers, including the Speaker of the House, Uyi Igbe, endorsed the impeachment when it held plenary at an old chamber located at the Government House in Benin.

While moving the motion for the impeachment, a member of the House, Folly Ogedengbe, representing Owan East I, noted that the suspended Deputy Speaker was bound to be impeached, citing Section 92(2C) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 72, Rule 19, of the Assembly.

The lawmakers also elected a new Deputy Speaker, Victor Edoror, who took the oath of office immediately.

The House explained that it had to hold sitting at the old chamber following ongoing renovation in the chambers located at the Anthony Enahoro Assembly Complex, which he linked to the forcible entry by the Deputy Speaker and some aides.

“This renovation work going on there was caused by the fact that the former Deputy Speaker and a group of aides who forcibly entered the place, destroying doors and windows.

“Of course, we had to repair them and put them back to shape,” Igbe said.

The Speaker also disclosed that that it would take a couple of weeks for works to be completed, as informed by the director of works.

He said, “So rather than sitting at home doing only oversight functions, I think the idea is that we should have somewhere to do plenary.”

He said there were lots of reports in the House waiting to be attended to.

Also commenting, a member of the House, representing Etsako Central, Johnson Oghuma, who said that Assembly was a civilised and law-abiding House, however noted that it was disheartening that a member of the House could not obey a court order.

“If somebody who call himself Honourable in a state will not obey court order, it is disheartening.

“We cannot make law and yet we refused to obey the law that we make,” Oghuma said.

The House adjourned sitting to July 7 and said it would resume plenary in the old chamber.

However, the unseated Deputy Speaker, Festus Ebea, described his impeachment as “executive impunity and madness”.

Ebea said the development indicated that the crisis in Assembly was the handiwork of the State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who had ulterior motives.

Ebea, when contacted said, “These APC members are a bunch of dishonourable people who have lost sense of every human and legislative dignity.

“Finally, Edo people now know that Governor Oshiomhole precipitated the crisis in the House for his personal gain.

“He has finally collapsed Uyi Igbe and his Co travellers into his executive. What a shame.

“However, all they did in Governor Oshiomhole’s office today is not sitting but executive impunity and madness

“To all extent, it is null and void.”

The legislators had on June 27 adjourned sitting to today, while the group led by the Deputy Speaker adjourned to June 30 but could not gain access to the chamber.

Earlier at about 7am, when our correspondent arrived the Assembly Complex , there was a heavy presence of policemen with over fifteen police vehicles and personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to forestall any possible breach of peace.

Pressmen were at the entrance of the Assembly awaiting the arrival of the House members while staff of the Assembly were seen gathered in groups outside the complex and discussing the lingering crisis.

Africa’s Richest Man, Aliko Dangote Opens Talks With Community Where Soldiers Killed 7 Near His Cement Factory

Nigerian billionaire and Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, opened direct negotiations, Monday, with the Gboko community of Benue State where soldiers at his multibillion dollar cement factory killed seven locals.

The meeting came barely 24 hours after PREMIUM TIMES exposed the massacre.
Mr. Dangote arrived in Gboko early Monday where he met with state officials, including Governor Gabriel Suswam, and the leaders of Gboko and Mbayion community where the killings took place March 18, before naming a high-powered committee to negotiate and reconcile with the community.

The committee, headed by Joseph Makoju, the immediate past Chief Operating Officer of the Dangote group, and former Managing Director, Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, held its first meeting in Gboko Tuesday.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Benue State Governor, Cletus Akwaya, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the meeting took place.

Mr. Akwaya said the Benue State government had no hand in the killings, but noted that Mr. Dangote was ready to settle with the aggrieved community.

“I am sure they discussed every issue in dispute. The issue of the unfortunate killing of the youth was one of the things discussed at the meeting. I want to say that as a government, we are aware that some of the issues in dispute should have been ironed out at the highest possible level,” Mr. Akwaya said.

The Ter Gboko II, Gabriel Shosum, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Dangote visited the state governor in a bid to open discussion on the matter.
“They have started moves to dialogue with the community,” Mr. Shosum, said.

“Yesterday there was an inaugural meeting was held in Makurdi between representatives of the community and Dangote Group. I have supported the moves because I don’t want the people of my community to suffer.

“Mr. Dangote personally held a meeting with the governor and agreed that a committee should be put in place. We are ready to cooperate with the community but the company must be sincere in its dealings with us.”

The spokesperson of Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, also confirmed that efforts were being made at rapprochement with the host community in Gboko.

Mr. Chiejina noted that the President of the Group personally visited the state to kick off the process of dialoguing with the aggrieved community.

He said, “You can’t compare life with anything. Even if it’s one person that was killed, you cannot exchange profit with human life. We take life very seriously. We are a responsible company and we are doing everything to ensure that lasting peace returns to the area.”

The talks came as a breakthrough for the community that had waited for more than four months for justice and compensation after soldiers opened fire on protesters there, killing seven of them and injuring many more.

The demonstrators had gathered to protest the shooting, by a soldier, of 19-year-old Terhile Jirbo, who was attacked for relieving himself near the cement factory, and refusing to pack the waste with his mouth when a soldier ordered him to do so.

Mr. Jirbo survived the attack on March 18, but the bullet tore his mouth apart and left him permanently disfigured.

Villagers who responded after the shooting by staging what several witnesses said was a peaceful demonstration to the Dangote factory, met a bloody pushback by the troops.

After hours of protest, the soldiers opened fire killing seven of them, including a woman who was shot in the head at close range.

The 19-year-old woman, Doose Ornguze, a resident of Tsekucha, near Mbayion, survived the first shot at her, and was trying to crawl to safety before a soldier walked up close and fired into her skull.

Ms. Ornguze was the parent figure for her two younger siblings, and managed to keep after herself and two siblings in school, despite losing their both parents years back.

Months of investigations by PREMIUM TIMES showed years of tension between the community and the Dangote firm, and exposed how neither the government nor the company reached out to the community or punished the trigger-happy soldiers.
Military and police authorities told PREMIUM TIMES investigations were ongoing four months after the attack.

But the report, published Monday, sparked outrage from local and foreign human rights group who called for extensive and thorough investigations into the killings, and for punishment for the soldiers responsible for the attacks.

The United States-based Human Rights Watch called on the Nigerian government to “urgently investigate and bring to justice those responsible for the alleged shooting by security forces of Terhile Jirbo and the subsequent killing of peaceful protesters”.

The president, Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Anyakwee Nsirimovu, said the attacks again showed the military’s lack of regard for human lives and must be immediately investigated.

“When these kinds of things happen and people see other ways of getting back at society, they readily pick on it. That is why it is easy for groups like Boko Haram to continue to have recruits all over the place because of the structural violence and terrorism of the state,” said Mr. Nsirimovu.

“What happened in Gboko is an example of what turns ordinary people into taking extreme reaction against authority. Government must bring the killers of the youths to justice.”

Romy Mom, who heads the Abuja-based Lawyers Alert, a non-governmental organisation, said the killings merely conformed to a history of violence by the Dangote group against the Mbayion community of Benue State.

Mr. Mom said Lawyers Alert was in the process of compiling such cases of violations when it received reports of the latest attacks.

“For several years Mbayion community have cried and did everything to bring Dangote to the negotiation table but to no avail. It is a shame that it has taken the blood of the Gboko martyrs to bring him to the negotiation table,” Mr. Mom said.

The meeting between the community and the firm on Tuesday took place at the Royal Choice Hotel, Makurdi, and had two directors of the company, the acting company secretary and assistant general manager, community relations in attendance, PREMIUM TIMES understands.

The Gboko community team was led by a Sabestine Hon, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, while the traditional ruler of Gboko, Ter Gboko II, Gabriel Hosum, was represented by local chiefs from Mbayion.

Eight other leaders of Mbayion community also attended the meeting, while the Gboko local government Chairman, Nathan Zenda, and the state Governor, Gabriel Suswam, represented by the permanent secretary to the Government House, attended the meeting as observers.

A source at the meeting said first talks merely “laid the ground rules to be followed when the major issues in dispute are brought to the table”.
“I can tell you that the meeting was cordial and sincere but we can’t predict what will happen when our delegation brings some of the serious issues on the table,” the source said.

PHOTO: Charly Boy And His Female Bodyguards

China bans civil servants, students from Ramadan fasting

China has banned civil servants, students and teachers in its mainly Muslim Xinjiang region from taking part in Ramadan fasting, government websites said, prompting condemnation from an exile group on Wednesday.

China’s ruling Communist party is officially atheist, and for years has restricted fasting in Xinjiang, home to the mostly Muslim Uighur minority.

Xinjiang sees regular and often deadly clashes between Uighurs and state security forces, and Beijing has blamed recent deadly attacks elsewhere in China on militants seeking independence for the resource-rich region.

Rights groups blame tensions on religious and cultural restrictions placed on Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the vast area, which abuts Central Asia.

Several government departments posted notices on their websites in recent days banning fasting during Ramadan, which began this weekend. During the holy month, the faithful fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be more pious.

The commercial affairs bureau of Turfan city said on its website Monday that “civil servants and students cannot take part in fasting and other religious activities”.

The state-run Bozhou Radio and TV university said on its website that it would “enforce the ban on party members, teachers, and young people from taking part in Ramadan activities”.

“We remind everyone that they are not permitted to observe a Ramadan fast,” it added.

A weather bureau in Qaraqash county in western Xinjiang said on its website that “in accordance with instructions from higher authorities”, it “calls on all current and retired staff not to fast during Ramadan”.

A state office which manages the Tarim River basin posted pictures of its staff wearing traditional Uighur “doppa” caps tucking into a group meal on Saturday.

“Although the meal coincided with the Muslim festival of Ramadan, the cadres who took part expressed a positive attitude and will lead the non-fasting,” it said.

China has in the past said that restrictions on fasting are meant to ensure the health of government employees.

Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the exiled World Uyghur Congress, cited local sources as saying that authorities encouraged Uighurs to eat free meals on Monday, and inspected homes to check if the fast was being observed.

“China taking these kind of coercive measures, restricting the faith of Uighurs, will create more conflict,” he said.

“We call on China to ensure religious freedom for Uighurs and stop political repression of Ramadan.”

Kenyan plane crashes into building, kills 4

At least four people died when a cargo plane crashed into a building shortly after takeoff Wednesday from the Kenyan capital’s main airport, the busiest in east Africa, aviation authorities said.

“A Fokker 50 cargo plane with four people on board has this morning crashed at a commercial building,” after taking off from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Kenya Airports authority said in a statement.

The plane crashed before dawn Wednesday, a time when the building would be expected to be largely empty.

An AFP photographer at the scene said the plane had smashed into a low-rise building containing small stores and shops, some three kilometres (two miles) from the airport.

Police sources said all on the plane were dead.

“All four on board perished… it hit an electric post before crashing on a building and bursting into flames,” a senior police officer said.

Smoke rose from the smashed front wall of the one-storey concrete building, some of which appeared to be still under construction.

The area around the airport includes a mix of both industrial zones with factories, as well as housing and shops.

Kenya Red Cross said that one body had been recovered with “search and rescue ongoing” for more.

Airports Authority security chief Eric Kiraithe said the airport was briefly closed for “a few minutes as a matter of procedure”, but had now opened.

“The airport is now operating normally,” he said.

Police and security forces sealed off the area around the plane, which had been flying to Somalia with a cargo of khat, a herbal stimulant.

The leaves and shoots of khat, the shrub Catha edulis, are chewed to obtain mild euphoria.

Khat, also called miraa, has been chewed for centuries in the Horn of Africa.

Its psychoactive ingredients — cathinone and cathine — are similar to amphetamines but weaker, and can help chewers stay awake and talkative.

Regular flights deliver the leaves — which must be eaten fresh — daily to Somalia.

Doctors’ strike cripples hospitals nationwide

As members of the Nigerian Medical Association commence another round of strike, patients across the nation have no compliments but condemnation for what they describe as doctors’ insensitivity.

Ronke Adegborioye held her stomach in agony inside the premises of the Ifako-Ijaiye General Hospital, Lagos, Tuesday, as the persistent pains the pregnant woman had been experiencing for some time now warranted an early visit to the hospital.

But there was no doctor in sight as at 10:30am! As her husband waited at the car park, Adegborioye told one of our correspondents that her only option was a private hospital.

“Actually, I knew the strike would begin today, but I thought I would be lucky. There is no doctor to attend to patients. My case is not life-threatening and I have decided to go to a private hospital,’’ she said.

Adegborioye was not alone. Services at the tertiary hospitals in Lagos State and across the country yesterday were skeletal, though there was considerable patient traffic. While nurses got busy checking the vital signs of the patients, the general experience was that doctors stayed away.

At the General Hospitals in Somolu, Orile Agege and Alimosho, the ubiquitous crowd was present with few or no doctors to attend to them.

The conditions were not different at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. While other nurses and other support staff were seen at duty posts, it was different for doctors who had already downed tools. Except for the absence of doctors, though, the pace of activities at LASUTH did not falter.

Attempts to speak with the Chief Medical Director, Prof. David Oke were not successful, as he was said to be attending a programme. However, patients decried the latest development and the implications on their individual finances.

Patients bear the brunt

An insurance broker, Mrs. Dunsin Akinpelu, expressed disappointment at the latest development in the health sector and lamented the unnecessary fatalities that would be recorded.

“Each time doctors go on strike, it is the patients who suffer. Many people will be forced to seek treatment either at private hospitals or herbal practitioners. Many people will die as a result. I find it baffling that patients are not reckoned with in Nigeria. Why must the crisis get to this level?” she asked.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has described the strike action as “unfortunate.” In a text message to one of our correspondents, Chukwu, who is currently attending a meeting overseas, said he would cut short his itinerary and return to the country immediately.

“I understand NMA plans to embark on the threatened strike despite an apparent understanding reached with government last week. The (health) ministry has requested an immediate meeting with them. The minister of state for health is on ground and is handling the situation. I’m cutting short my participation at the meeting to return tomorrow (today).”

However, efforts to get the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Haliru Alhassan, on Tuesday were abortive, as he was said to be engaged with the NMA officials and the Minister of Labour, Emeka Wogu. His public relations officer, Mr. Clement Egbeama, said a statement would be issued at the end of the meeting. The meeting has not ended as at press time on Tuesday.

In Asaba, Ilorin, Osogbo, Ado-Ekiti, Akure and other parts of the country, doctors shunned hospitals as the strike got underway. However, at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Osun State, one of our correspondents observed that patients already on admission have yet to be discharged.

Other categories of health workers were seen in the hospital attending to patients, though.

‘We love our patients, but…’

The Chairman of Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria at LAUTECH, Dr. Kazeem Adebayo, in an interview, said the strike was very effective.

He said, “The strike is 100 per cent effective. But the ethics of our profession is to save lives, no matter the situation. You are expected to make patients under your care who are in critical condition stable. That is why some are still around, but there are no new admissions.

“In case of any emergency, you are expected to work to save lives, irrespective of where you are working. We love our patients and we don’t want them to die.”

He said patients were no longer admitted into the hospital due to the strike.

Visits to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo; and the State Specialists Hospital showed that with doctors’ absence, nurses were only able to perform skeletal clinical services among patients whose cases were not critical.

The Chief Medical Director, Dr. Adeniran Ikumola, said the hospital’s management decided to discharge patients in critical condition in order to reduce the suffering.

The nationwide strike also negatively affected medical services at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Kwara State; and the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

At the UITH on Tuesday, some patients complained bitterly about their ordeal. They said the strike could worsen their condition, as the doctors were not on ground to attend to them. As in other states, other categories of health workers at UITH were attending to some patients.

‘The strike is total’

In a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Tuesday, the NMA Chairman, Kwara State chapter, Prof. Olayinka Buhari, said the strike was “total.” He added that all the doctors in the chapter complied with the directive.

Buhari had, on Monday, ordered all the members of the association to comply with the directive.

Efforts to get the response of the Chief Medical Officer, UITH, Prof. Abdulwaheed Olatinwo, proved abortive; as he did not pick his calls.

The strike grounded medical services at the FMC, Lokoja; where many of the doctors complied fully. The situation made patients to plead with the doctors and the Federal Government to resolve their differences in the interest of the nation.

The Kogi State chapter chairman of the NMA, Dr. Kassim Davidson, on Monday, ordered members to join in the national strike.

FG reneged on its promise

Davidson, at a media briefing in Lokoja, had said the chapter would join the strike following the expiration of the 14-day ultimatum given to Federal Government by the union. The NMA had appealed to the government to honour the 2009 agreement it entered into with the association.

He noted that the government had refused to review the issues raised by the NMA.

He added that the inability of the Federal Government to resolve the issues forced the NMA to embark on the latest round of indefinite strike.

The Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State, also stopped admitting new patients following the commencement of the strike.

The Public Relations Officer of the hospital, Mr. Nnamdi Ogbogu, said the strike notwithstanding, the hospital has been able to cope with the situation.

“All other workers, along with consultants, are on duty. But we are not taking new admissions. Very serious matters will be referred to other places.

“But for now, the effect of the strike is minimal. We are only in the first day and we are coping very well,” Ogbogu said.

The doctors’ grouse

A press statement signed by the Lagos State Chairman, Dr. Babatunde Bamigboye, says the NMA raised 24 issues for resolution. The demands border on salary increment, establishment of a health trust fund for the upgrade of every public hospital facilities, swift passage of the National Health Bill, and a universal coverage for all Nigerians — as against the 30 per cent coverage advocated by the National Health Insurance Scheme. Another grievance of the NMA has to do with the retention of the post of the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee; and the opposition to the appointment of directors in the hospitals.

But other aspects of the demands have already pitted the association with other professionals like the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria. The age-long rivalry with PSN and other groups in the medical field is, perhaps, the biggest highlight of the statement. Again, the NMA stoutly opposed the extension of the consultant title to any other professional.

“The title, ‘consultant,’ in a hospital setting describes the relationship between the specialist medical doctor and his patient. It will be a source of confusion if the title is applied to any other health worker who statutorily does not own a patient.

“The NMA therefore declares with unmitigated emphasis that if ‘non-doctor’ consultants are appointed, it will lead to chaos in the health sector. This should not happen,” the association insists.

The NMA also disapproves of the appointment of any other professionals to the position of the Chief Medical Director, as provided for by the Act establishing tertiary hospitals.

“Why did they not ask that the post of vice chancellor be open to everyone in the university, since ASUU and SANU members are made up of graduates?

“Can you be a judge of the High Court or Court of Appeal if you are not a lawyer? Why do they think the hospitals, where lives are saved everyday, should sacrifice the established leadership — that is the Chief Medical Director?” asked Bamigboye.

The Ekiti State NMA chairman, Dr. Obitade Obimakinde, also toes this line. As far as he is concerned, pharmacists and nurses must be confined to supportive roles and continue to take directives from doctors.

NMA is selfish!

However the NMA has been knocked for its “selfishness.” In a phone interview, the Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Mr. Olufemi Ismail, says the NMA is not “broadminded” or “accommodating.”

“The NMA is just being selfish. The CMD is an administrative position. In other countries, we have individuals who are ministers for health and they are not even from the medical line. The NMA should be more broadminded and accommodate other professionals,” Ismail submits.

Meanwhile the President of the National Association of Resident Doctors, University of Uyo Teaching Hospital chapter, Dr. Dolapo Shittu, says the union has exempted doctors in private practice as well as those in non-governmental organisations from joining the strike for two weeks.

Blasts in Kaduna, Borno, Osun states

A suicide bomber, suspected to be a member of the terrorist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, early on Tuesday detonated an Impoverished Explosive Device at the popular Maiduguri Monday Market, killing no fewer than 17 persons.

Sixty-nine persons were reportedly injured in the attack.

Also in Ile-Ife, Osun State, a low-calibre bomb went off in the Onipetu area of the town around 4.00am but nobody was killed.

The Osun State police said they deactivated another bomb before it detonated.

“They were grenades of low calibre. The first one exploded and the other was defused. It happened in an isolated place, so it did not kill nor injure anybody. We have visited the scene and we are investigating the matter,” Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Mr. Ibrahim Maishanu, told The PUNCH.

Also in Kaduna, an explosion occurred around the Asikolaye/Bakin Ruwa area, along the Kaduna western bypass, late on Tuesday.

The casualty figure was not available as of the time of this report, witnesses however said many were killed and several injured.

The explosion reportedly shattered the glass windows of some of the surrounding buildings.

The Information Officer, National Emergency Management Agency in Kaduna State, Halima Suleiman, confirmed the explosion to one of our correspondents on the telephone around 9.45pm.

The Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, Umar Shehu, confirmed the incident but said that the blast caused no death. He said only two people were injured.

Suleiman explained that the bomb was planted near a makeshift shop where provisions were sold but that it was unlikely that the casualty figure would be high since many people had gone for prayers at a nearby mosque

She said, “We don’t have any casualty figure at the moment but rescue operations are still on. Our officials on the ground said there were pieces of shattered windows. We learnt that a bomb was placed near a container shop that sells provisions.

“We were told it occurred when most people had gone to pray. I will inform you of any development later.”

The attack on the market in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, occurred at about 8.30am and was said to have affected mostly petty traders and members of the youth vigilante group, popularly called Civilian JTF, in the area.

Nine members of the vigilance group were said to have died in the attack.

The Chairman, Sector 3 of the youth volunteer group, Iliya Saidu, said the vehicle carrying the IEDs broke the mirror of a commercial motorcycle, popularly called Keke NAPEP, following which an altercation ensued and many people were attracted to the scene, including members of the Civilian JTF.

He said it was in the process of settling the quarrel with the Civilian JTF assisting to push the vehicle off the road that the explosive device went off.

“Nine of my members were killed by the blast; we were able to identify them through the vest we gave them and we have already deposited their corpses at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and the state specialist hospital,” Saidu said.

An eyewitness told journalists that the explosives were packed inside a Peugeot 505 saloon car loaded with charcoal. The witness insisted that over 50 persons were killed in the early morning explosion.

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, who visited the scene of the blast, condemned the act, describing it as “un-Islamic, barbaric and inhuman.”

The governor thanked the Civilian JTF for their gallantry and assured them that N1m would be paid to each of the families of its deceased members.

He directed the state Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Lawal Tanko, to liaise with the leadership of the Civilian JTF to immediately identify the families of the deceased members to collect the N1m assistance.

The Manager of the Maiduguri Monday Market, Alhaji Bukar Jere, told the governor that 15 members of the Civilian JTF were among those killed in the blast and that 69 other persons sustained injuries.

Jere said four vehicles and four tricycles were burnt in the blast, adding that the incident also affected 49 shops as well as wares displayed by the petty traders.

Shettima, who also paid a visit to the Umaru Shehu Hospital and the Maiduguri Specialist Hospital to sympathise with the injured victims, directed the state Commissioner for Health to ensure that the victims were given the necessary care, promising that the government would settle all their medical bills and feeding.

In the Ile-Ife blast, a resident who identified himself as Adeoye Yusuf, told one of our correspondents that the first bomb exploded at about 4.00am and that the police came around to inspect the area. He added that the police deactivated the second one.

Yusuf said, “The explosion was not serious. But I was told that they were dynamites. One of the dynamites exploded around 4.00am and the police came in the morning to see what happened and they defused the second one.

“Nobody died and nobody was injured. It was not Boko Haram. We don’t pray for such here. I don’t know what really happened but maybe some of the dynamites used for blasting rock were the ones which exploded.”

Another resident told one of our correspondents that the explosion, though minor, damaged parts of some buildings close to the scene.

The CP assured the people of the state of adequate security. He said that the   command would reinforce security in all parts of the state to ensure that hoodlums were not allowed to come into Osun State.

He said that no arrest had been made but promised that the command would get to the root of the matter.

The Special Adviser on Security to the Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Mr. Amos Adekunke, told The PUNCH that the explosive devices were locally made.

He said that it was not clear if the person who put the explosives there was up to a mischief or if he was testing the capacity of the bombs.

Two low-calibre explosive devices were uncovered inside a branch of a first generation bank in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, in March.

A vigilant customer, who saw an isolated bag containing the explosives, drew the attention of the bank’s security guard to the bag.

The Bomb Disposal Unit of the police deactivated the explosives, which the CP later referred to as low calibre.