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.