Contemporary news
EXPOSED: HOW THE ‘WEST’ IS WASTING NIGERIA.BOKO HARAM’S WESTERN AMMUNITIONS SUPPLIER REVEALED.
In 2012, while Nigerians were on the street protesting over fuel subsidy removal, a British based 42 year old man was been arraigned in UK over the shipping of 80,000 rifles and pistols and 32 million rounds of ammunition to Nigeria. The shipment included 40,000 AK47 assault rifles, 30,000 rifles and 10,000 9mm pistols.
According to a report by the BBC, the man whose name was given as Gary Hyde, shipped these huge arm cache without receiving permission from the relevant government department in the UK.
Gary Hyde was not alone in this deal. It was carried out with his business partner Karl Kleber, a German national based in Germany, the court was told.
The pair acted as middle men between two Polish companies acting for the Nigerian buyers and Chinese companies, the court heard, according to the BBC report. Both men received commission payments for the deals totaling around $1.3m (£840,000) or N351 million.The story apparently left several questions unanswered. Who were the Nigerian buyers? Were these guns really delivered to Nigeria eventually?
It is also interesting that since this story broke out in the British media, the Nigerian government has not come out with any specific statement on it. Were these weapons imported by the Nigerian government? If they were not imported by the Nigerian government, have they made any efforts to trace the importers of these large numbers of weapons into the country? Thirty two million rounds of ammunition are enough to kill thirty two million Nigerians, assuming each bullet will kill a Nigerian? This may be an exaggeration, but there is no doubt that if there is this amount of guns and ammunition out there outside the control of the government, then every Nigerian has a serious course to be worried at this time.
The reputation of Gary Hyde, the man at the centre of the storm shows that Nigerians have to be concerned that he has set his eyes on supplying arms to the country. A report in February 2011, in The Observer in UK shows that Hyde is also facing charges in the US for smuggling arms into the country. The Observer describes him as “Britain’s very own lord of war; an international arms dealer, whose chief currency is the AK-47 assault rifle”
The Observer reports that US officials arrested Hyde in connection with the alleged illegal import into the US of almost 6,000 Chinese-produced AK-47 magazines, each capable of holding up to 75 rounds of ammunition.
The Observer also quotes a Wikileaks release of confidential US embassy cables which shows that in 2008 York Guns, where Gary Hyde is a director, tried to ship 130,000 of the assault rifles to Libya. The WikiLeaks revelation shows that Gary Hyde through his company acted as an intermediary between an unidentified Ukrainian arms manufacturer and Libyan officials. “The size of the deal raised eyebrows in diplomatic circles, as Libya has only 70,000 ground-force troops and these would be unlikely to use a weapon as dated as the AK-47. The cable noted that the export licence was rejected because the “UK is concerned that the intention may be to re-export the weapons, particularly to armed rebel factions backed by Khartoum and/or Ndjamena in the Chad/Sudan conflict”.
What emerges from these reports is that the two men now being named in connection with supply of arms to Nigeria should raise serious concerns in Nigeria. Have they supplied some other arms into the country, that the authorities are not aware?
The concern becomes even more real considering the fact that at the same time Gary Hyde was beEN arraigned in UK, the Ghanaian authorities intercepted a truck loaded with arms and ammunitions heading to Nigeria. The ammunitions included pump action rifles and live rounds. These arrests are coming at time the Boko Haram insurgence is getting worse in Northern Nigeria as bombs explode on almost on daily basis and masked men go on killing spree with sophisticated weapons.
The activities of Boko Haram, the penetration of eastern Nigeria by Boko Haram insurgents is no doubt raising serious concerns and fears of retaliation from other ethnic groups. Could this inflow of arms be linked to ethnic groups arming themselves? Are they arming themselves to defend themselves or to go on the offensive?
Is this how the west planned to waste Nigeria and Africa by extension?
How Herbalist buried Nigerian ex-Customs officer & daughter alive.
LAGOS— Emotions ran high, yesterday, at the Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja, following the startling confession of a 64-year‑old herbalist, on how he buried a 68-year‑old retired Customs officer and her 10-year‑old adopted daughter alive in a shallow grave behind his shrine in Ajuwon, Ogun State.
The suspect identified as Alhaji Olatunji Azeez, who was paraded by the command’s boss, Umar Manko, showed no sign of remorse as he said he committed the act in order to prevent the victim from demanding N9 million he used to prepare concoction for her.
Trouble started for the retired Customs officer, one Mrs Angela Kerry, who resided at New Oko‑Oba area of Lagos, following her inability to give birth.
In her search for possible solution, she was reportedly introduced to the suspect who confessed to have carried out series of rituals and also prepared concoctions for her to no avail.
Apparently disappointed, Kerry was said to have demanded the refund of N9 million earlier collected from her by the herbalist last month, consequent upon which he invited her to his shrine at 9, Wadoye Street, Ajuwon to collect the money.
Unknown to Kerry, who went in company of her adopted daughter, the herbalist had a sinister motive up his sleeves.
How mother, child were buried alive
Narrating how he buried both mother and child alive, the suspect who claimed to have three wives and five children said: “She provoked me to anger. I did what I did because I considered her an enemy who was out to kill me if I did not act fast.
“It all started five years ago when she was introduced to me by her friend, one Lizzy. She was attacked spiritually and I helped her out. She came again over a similar attack and I also prepared some concoction which saved her. She told me that her family members were after her and I said she needed to fortify herself.
“Three years ago, she revealed that she has not been able to give birth and had not been pregnant for one day. I told her it would be impossible since she had reached menopause but she objected, saying many prophets had told her God could do it.
“Along the line, she said she wanted to sell her property at Omole, that she wanted to travel abroad to be away from her family. After selling the property, I discovered so many pastors started coming around here to get a share from the money realised. In fact she told me that she had paid N15 million to some pastors already.
“Then I told myself that if I did not act fast, these people will collect everything from her. I had to tell her to bring N9 million to prepare some concoction for her pregnancy, even though I knew it was impossible for her to get pregnant.
“She gave me N9 million. But after nine months, she came back saying nothing happened and demanded a refund. That was where trouble started. I managed to pay her N 3.5 million and begged her to be patient for the balance.
“Then she charged into my temple one Friday demanding that she should be paid that day. I told her I won’t pay her and that if she had gone to the hospital and the treatment failed could she have demanded a refund. She threatened to deal with me if I did not pay her, saying she would show me she was in the force.
“I told myself that this is war because I remembered she once showed me a gun at her apartment. I knew it was not a mere threat because she said she would kill me and nothing would happen. That threat provoked me. I knew that when two people are fighting, the first to attack will emerge winner.
The plot
“So, I decided to act fast before she tarnished my image. I pacified her to come back next day for the money. When leaving, I told her not to come with the daughter.
“After she left, I told myself I needed to act fast. I went to a building at the back of my shrine where I dug a hole. I spread a mat on the hole and laid a white cloth on it, exactly the way it looks in my shrine.
“When she came next day, I told her to go inside the building that we needed to pray before we talk about the money. She asked if the prayer was for the pregnancy and I told her it was for fortification.
“I warned her not to take her daughter along but she refused. I did not argue any further because I did not want my plan to fail.
“On getting inside the building, I asked her to stand on the white cloth and immediately she did, she fell inside the hole and landed on her buttocks. All I heard when she fell was yeh! When she fell, I said I have seen the end of my enemy and I have gained victory.
“The daughter did not say a word. She just stood watching. I had to cover the hole with over 40 buckets of sand.
“After covering the hole, I asked myself what to do with the little girl. I left the room, locked it from outside. When I came back at about 6.30pm, I met her on the sand. I quickly removed my jacket and poured about 30 bucket of sand to cover her. Next day, I went to get two bricklayers to cement the place.”
The arrest
Describing the act as callous, the command boss explained that after committing the crime, the suspect took her Toyota Camry vehicle to a dealer’s workshop to sell.
But the bubble burst when the victim’s relatives reported at New Oko‑Oba Police Station that Mrs Kerry was missing.
The policemen, he said, traced the victim’s car to a dealer’s workshop where two persons were arrested, adding that their confessional statement led to the suspect’s arrest.
“We have been able to recover the decomposed bodies and the victim’s travelling bag containing her personal effects and that of her daughter from the shallow grave he buried them in,” Manko said.
Source: Vanguard
Breaking News: Sudan Orders Release of Woman Sentenced to Death for Faith
A Sudanese court on Monday ordered the release of a 27-year-old woman who was sentenced to death last month for allegedly converting from Islam to Christianity, the state news agency said.
The case of Mariam Yahya Ibrahim, who is married to a Christian American, triggered an international outcry. Britain had last month summoned the Sudanese charge d’affaires in protest at the sentencing.
“The appeal court ordered the release of Mariam Yahya and the cancellation of the (previous) court ruling,” Sudan’s SUNA news agency said. A government official had told Reuters on May 31 that Sudanese officials were working to release Ibrahim.
Ibrahim’s lawyer Mohaned Mostafa said she has already been released and sent “to an unknown house to stay at for her protection and security.”
“Her family had been threatened before and we are worried that someone might try to harm her,” Mostafa told Reuters.
Ibrahim was sentenced to 100 lashes for what it deemed her adultery for marrying a Christian. She gave birth in prison to a daughter, her second child by her American husband Daniel Wani.
MATTERS ARISING: WHAT EX-TOP APC MEMBER, CHIEF FEMI FANI KAYODE SAID ABOUT APC’s DEFEAT IN EKITI STATE.
Chief Femi Fani Kayode dangles between an intellectual collosus and a political giant in Nigeria. Chief Femi was a former top member of Nigeria’s controversial opposition party, All Progressives COngress before he decamped to the ruling People’s Democratic Party.
In a message titled EKITI: SOME HARD LESSONS FOR THE ALMAJIRI PEOPLE’S CONGRESS, Chief Femi Fani Kayode wrote:
“The rejection of Fayemi at the polls had as much to do with the disgust and opprobium that most people in the south west harbour and hold for the APC as it does for anything else. Their message is simple and clear and it is as follows:
1) They should stop playing religious politics, stop being petty and stop trying to implement a muslim agenda in our country.
2) They should stop behaving like a primitive cult where only the opinion of one or two leaders matter and where dissent and differing opinions have no place,
3)They should stop trying to demean others and stop treating them with contempt,
4)They should stop arrogating all knowledge and all power to just a handful of people at the top that have clearly lost touch with reality,
5)They should stop taking others for granted and stop calling our yoruba oba’s ”useless”.
6)They should stop telling people the most disgusting, hateful, shameful and monuemental lies about others.
7)They should rid themselves of their slave mentality and stop playing second fiddle to those that believe that they own Nigeria.
The simple truth is that God has turned His back on the Almajiri’s People’s Congress. This is because of the atrocities that are being committed by a few of their leaders right at the top, because of their evil, covert and subterreanean agenda, because they wish to turn the yoruba, and indeed the entire south, into perpetual slaves and because of their patently and unapologetic anti-christian agenda.”
Chief Femi Fani Kayode has recently been quoted as saying that “Nigeria will burn” if he opens up on the conspiracy behind APC.
In a similar development, a Nigerian Social Media Commentator had this to say about Mr. Ayo Fayose’s victory in the Ekiti gubernatorial election: “Ayo Fayose did not win the election because he is a sterling candidate; rather, what happened in Ekiti was that the people cast a protest vote against Kayode Fayemi and the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
BREAKING: Fayose wins Ekiti governorship election
Ayodele Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] has won Saturday’s governorship elections held yesterday in Ekiti State. As part of the Nigerian politics, defeated APC is expected to challenge PDP’s victory in the election tribunal and as usual, “figures and facts will humble them.” Omolere told Africa Thisday this morning from Ekiti.
UPDATE ON FLIGHT MH370: Official police investigation ‘identifies captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah as prime suspect over plane’s disappearance’
Mirror UK-The official police investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has reportedly identified the plane’s captain as the prime suspect.
Malaysian cops discovered that married dad of three Shah, 53, appeared to have made NO social or work commitments for the future, unlike other members of his crew, the Sunday Times reports.
Their probe also found that he had programmed a flight simulator with drills practising a flight far out into the southern Indian Ocean and landing on a island with a short runway, the paper claims.
The drills were said to have been deleted but later recovered by computer experts.
Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8 while en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing, China.
There were 239 passengers and crew members on board.
To date, no trace of the Boeing 777 has been found.
BREAKING NEWS: UPDATE ON THE SUICIDE BOMBER ARRESTED IN OWERRI CITY SCHOOL YESTERDAY.
Africa Thisday broke the news of the interception and arrest of a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber at Owerri City School located on Wetheral Road, Owerri, Imo State on Friday, 20th June.
According to Our source in Owerri, the suspected suicide bomber was sitting by the gate of the school pretending to be a mad man. But people started suspecting him when they saw that he was in possession of three “Ghana Must Go” Bags and started approaching him. When the suspect noticed that the people were advancing towards him, he brought out a mobile phone and made a quick phone call speaking in “Hausa” language. This further confirmed to the increasing crowd that the suspect might not be a real mad man.
Fearlessly, the people searched him and recovered three mobile phones. At this point, it was confirmed that the suspect was far from been a mad man. The police was alerted and the suspect was arrested.
A shop owner in the vicinity of the incidence told our source in Owerri that “something that looked like an explosive was recovered from the suspect’s Ghana Must Go bag.”
“I believe that the suspected suicide bomber was stationed at the school to monitor the security condition of the school so as to finalize plans to attack the school or perhaps kidnap more girls. He was there to gather intelligence for the Boko Haram sect.” Our source said.
When news of the incidence reached parents, they rushed to the school to take their children and wards home but were prevented from doing so by the soldiers already on ground.
Owerri City School is one of the biggest schools in Imo state comprised of both the primary and secondary sections.
Africa Thisday has learnt that some Northern Nigerians (generally called Hausas) living in Owerri and other parts of eastern Nigeria were seen packing out of the region for fear of been mobbed by angry Igbo youths.
BREAKING NEWS: BOKO HARAM SUICIDE BOMBER ARRESTED IN OWERRI.
Africa Thisday learnt from reliable sources that a suspected suicide bomber was intercepted and arrested this morning by 09:00 at Owerri City School, Imo state. Details soon. CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY.
5 QUESTIONS GEJ MUST ANSWER FOR ABACHA’S FAMILY.
Nigeria’s finance minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala recent told Nigerians that the Federal Government has withdrawn the N100 billion charges against Mohammed Abacha, to ease the return of the N36.32 billion.
Here is the 5-Point Querry issued by the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) on the matter.
1. If Mohammed Abacha is still in the opposition will President Jonathan wave N100 billion or to be exact N413.68 billion?
2. Does it add arithmetically to flush away N100 billion to ease the return of N36.32 billion?
3. Is it not the same government that pronounced publicly that they are recovering N446 billion from Mohammed Abacha?
4. Is it only the Abachas that looted and siphoned our commonwealth abroad?
5. Is the Jonathan administration not aware of the favourable international laws for the recovery of looted funds?
SOUTH AFRICA: HOW MALEMA WAS KICKED OUT OF PARLIAMENT.
EFF leader, Julius Malema was kicked out of Parliament on Thursday after he refused to withdraw remarks accusing the ANC government of being responsible for the deaths of 32 miners killed in Marikana in August 2012.
National Council of Provinces chairperson Thandi Modise ruled that Malema’s remarks were unparliamentary and that it did not accord with the decorum of the House.
This morning, members of EFF took to the social media in support of the action of their leader.
Kgaogelo K-gee Matheta, a social media commentator said: “ANC’s STATEMENT IN 1992 BLAMED F.W DE-KLERK AND NATIONAL PARTY FOR BOIPATONG MASSACRE, BUT NOW? ANC DONT WANT TO BE BLAMED FOR MARIKANE MASSACRE.”
AFRICA THISDAY 