Save Us From Ritual Killings and Marriages To Deities, Enugu-Ezike Women Cries Out

At least 100 women last Tuesday stormed the Enugu State Government House, protesting against alleged ritual killings and forceful marriages to traditional deities.

According to the claims, 11 ladies living in their respective communities were murdered within a space of 2 weeks.

The women alleged that suspected ritual killers and chief priests of different deities in the Enugu-Ezike, Igboeze-North Local Government Area of the state had roles to play in the death of the deceased.

Wearing black dresses and holding palm leaves, the protesting women pleaded with Governor Sullivan Chime to ban forceful marriages to traditional gods in council areas.

The protesters also pleaded with Chime to come to their aid to unravel and stop the killing of women through fetish activities of chief priests and deities in Enugu Ezike.

Their demands were listed in a petition to the governor at the Government House gate. The petition reads in part:

"We also appeal for outright ban of any deity from forced marriage of our women as it violates sections 34 (1), 35 (1) and 42 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria and Africa charter on human and peoples’ rights."

The protesters claimed that at Amachalla and Ugbaike communities, two ladies – Victoria Ugwuanyi and Rosemary Ugwuanyi – were forcefully "married" to a deity called "Iyakpala Ugbaike."

The chief priest of the deity is alleged to have also forced the daughter of a deceased man to marry him after claiming that the same deity killed the father of the girl.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/54563.html

SEE What Kogi Gov Convoy Did To Dr. Ngozi Iloh (GRAPHIC IMAGE)

The National Welfare Officer of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Dr. Ngozi Iloh, is still undergoing surgeries at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin, Edo State.

However, it was earlier reported that she had been treated and discharged in Lokoja, Kogi State, shortly after the accident, which was said to have been caused by the convoy of the Kogi State Governor, Mr Idris Wada, on November 12.

It would be recalled that the widely condemned accident, which happened while members of the union were on their way to Kano for a meeting, claimed the life of the former National President of ASUU, Prof. Festus Iyayi.

Iloh, who was severely injured during the accident, has so far undergone two major surgeries, one on her right leg and another on the left hand.

When asked about a deep tear in her left hand, Iloh was not specific if there was any medical report that the injury was a bullet wound.

According to some speculations as to the cause of Iyayi’s death until a medical examination, there was no evidence of bullets.

In the chat, Iloh said,

"We travelled in a convoy from ASUU Benin zone. We stopped at a filling station to refuel on the way to Kano. The travelling team was from University of Benin, Delta State University, Abraka, and Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma.

"The UNIBEN bus took off and I asked the driver to slow down so the others could catch up with us. My saving grace was that I kept looking back and the rest is history."

When Ngozi Iloh heard that she had been reportedly "discharged" from the hospital after having been treated for minor bruises, she was really shocked. 

She confirmed that she was still in hospital, noting that her injuries were not minor.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/54559.html

BUS DRIVER KILLED BY PASSENGER FOR CALLING HER NAMES OVER REFUSAL OF N10 BALANCE

A bus passenger was on Monday, Dec 16th arrested by Edo State police officials for allegedly killing an innocent bus driver over the weekend.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/54555.html

The young commercial bus driver identified as Eze was believed to be in his late 20′s while the woman that killed him is 38-year-old.

Last Saturday, Eze died when his bus passenger strangled him while holding on to his manhood.

The incident was said to have occurred in the early hours of Saturday after the bus driver carried the passenger to the junction of Ohovbe Road, Off Benin Agbor Road, Ikpoba Hill for N40, but the woman entered the bus on argument and refused to pay the N40 instead she paid N30. This angered the driver and when he requested for his balance she refused, this angered  the driver that he started cursing the woman calling her names like ashawo, prostitute, etc..

Angered by the name calling, the female passenger then held the driver’s neck while still inside the bus. People then gathered to settle the dispute and begged the woman let go of his neck. Moments later, the woman returned to meet the driver who had his seat belt on and held his neck with one hand and used her other hand to hold his manhood and started pulling it.

The man begged the woman to leave him but the woman was even more angry by this time, passers by intervened again but it seems the woman was bent on venting out her anger.

When the driver tried to come out of his car, he fell to the ground and started stretching and gasping for breath. People around rushed the driver to a nearby hospital while others whisked the woman to a nearby police station. The young man reportedly died few hours later.
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/54555.html

Man Punished By Soldiers For Crossing Ikorudu Express Road

A man was punished this morning by soldiers on Ikorodu road for crossing the express road instead of using the flyover bridge. The man ought to have used the bridge instead of crossing the road.

I think this should serve as a lesson to all the disobedient ones.

There is a saying that goes like this 'PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE'.

Lets save our lives today.

Conversation as it was captured and reported by a Yoruba fly on Stella Odua’s living room wall .

Stella: Old girl , how you dey ? 
Friend: I dey O! People wan chop you raw because of two small cars . 
Stella: No mind them, I chop pass my two female colleagues, the skinny one and the fat cheek one ? 
Friend: You think say na them set you up ? 
Stella: Who know ? Them too don dey avoid me, I flash them , no answer, I ping them, them no ping back, I BB them, for where ? . 
Friend: Wetin Oga on top talk ? 
Stella: He say make I relax becos he dey behind me like Iroko tree . He even say make I no go for the hearing, but I go there ,I show those little men my power nothing go happen, you know say their oga balls dey my pocket . 
Friend: Wetin you wear go for the hearing, you show them those curves ? laughter… 
Stella: I wear that Tie dye suit wey you give me for my birthday with matching head tie. 
Friend: Wetin your ex-husband talk about all this wahallah ? 
Stella: He say na God catch me . 
Friend : You go resign ? 
Stella: For where ? God forbid , You ever hear say Oba go transfer ?.. Laughter 
Friend : You dey read the things wey dem dey talk about you for punch ? 
Stella: I no dey read that Yoruba newspaper 
Friend: Your Ibo brothers and sisters dey fight for you there O! 
Stella : Make them dey fight for me , wetin them know ?..mugus. 
Stella: Chukwudi !!! Come kill this fly for wall… 
FLY.. Oh crap !!!… gat to go!!!!! 
That was when the house boy sprayed it with insecticide and the fly managed to fly in to file this report , he is recovering in a local hospital

Bayelsa State govt demolishes Dickson’s private home

Bayelsa State Government on Wednesday demolished a one-storey private building owned by Governor Seriake Dickson because it obstructed the Right-of-Way as well as intruding on the state Capital City Master Plan.             .

The demolished building, which had been marked by the Capital City Development Authority on June 28, 2012, was situated along the Opolo/AIT Road, Yenagoa, the state capital.

The demolition, which began about 12.48 pm, was supervised by the Deputy Governor John Jonah; Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Lawrence Ehwrudjakpor; Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Markson Fefegha; Commissioner for State Capital City Development; and Mr. Konugha Zuwa.

Other structures affected by the demolition exercise included that of the Director General of the State Agency for the Control of AIDS,  Dr. Temple Iluma.

Jonah told journalists that the location of the Governor’s house obstructed the Right-of-Way, hence there would be no compensation for him.

He said, “In line with the development control of the CCDA and urban renewal of the state, the government awarded contract for the dualisation of the road. Anyone who has built structures on the Right-of-Way should expect such buildings to be demolished.

“We have been talking about the master plan as well as some areas where we have to carry out urban renewal. For the master plan, we expect every builder to go and get clearance before he or she starts to build to see the extent that he can go outside the road.

“One of the houses we have found to have interfered with the plan of Yenagoa is this one-storey structure belonging to the Governor. On the advice of the CCDA that is concerned with development control of the state, the house was marked since last year for demolition. And you know we have awarded contract for the dualisation of the Opolo Road.”

However, some Yenagoa residents on Wednesday said the exercise was politically-motivated, notwithstanding that the governor’s house was affected.

The residents, who claimed that only a section of Dickson’s building was demolished, said the exercise was a strategy to enable the government to demolish buildings of perceived opponents without causing public outrage.

None of the complaining residents however agreed to be quoted.

In his comment, Ehwrudjakpor said the demolition had been on for some time and listed the affected areas to include Ovom, Igbogene, Imgbi, Diete_Spiff and Eradiri road expansion.

Culled from punchng.com

Pro-Oduah Group Protests Aviation Minister Stella Oduah’s Bribery Scandal Stella Oduah’s Paid Supporters Protest Corruption Scandal In Abuja

A group of women held a protest in favour of Aviation Minister, Stella Odua on Thursday morning in Abuja.

The group consisting of middle-age to elderly women gathered together to show their support for the Aviation minister currently battling a multi-million naira corruption scandal.

The protesters carried placards with the saying “a fight against Stella Oduah is a fight against women”

Contrary to their claims, the small group of women only represented themselves and not all Nigerian women.

Sources claim most of these women are uneducated people paid to carry the placards.

Check out more photos from the protests below

Related P

Amb. Ade Adefuye's open letter to Senator Ted CRUZ

 Prof. Ade Adefuye, Nigerian Ambassador to the US

Here is official letter from H.E. Amb. Ade Adefuye : Nigerian Ambassador to United States to Senator Ted CRUZ

Attention: Michael Flusche
North Texas Regional Director
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz
3626 N. Hall, Suite 410
Dallas, TX 75219

Dear Senator,

RE: NIGERIAN EMAIL SCAMMERS AND OBAMACARE

You are no doubt aware of the reaction of Nigerians and friends of Nigeria to a statement credited to your good self on the above.

Our immediate reaction at the Embassy is to assume that you were wrongly quoted and that the statement would be denied. We are however surprised that this has not happened. We have no choice than to assume that the statement was deliberately made by you.

For a start we are shocked that a high profile Senator of a country which is at the forefront in building a peaceful and stable world in which nations and peoples treat each other with mutual respect could be engaged in an act which offends the sensitivities of an important component of his constituency.

Distinguished Senator I am sure you are sufficiently familiar with the constructive contributions which Nigerians have made to economic, social and political lives of Texas especially in the Houston area. Every country has its own share of law breakers. To use the activities of few as an opportunity to cast aspersions on the integrity of a country and its people is not only unfair but also excessively offensive. You yourself made the point that the so-called email scammers have disappeared from the scene. But it is not because they were recruited to work on Obamacare. It is because of the successful efforts of our government working through the Embassy and the international law enforcing agents to curb the activities of these few law breakers.

It is not the practice of any Nigerian diplomatic mission to interfere in the domestic affairs of our host countries. But we will not sit back, fold our arms while a politician assaults the integrity of our country and people in the process of appeasing the base instincts of a few misguided elements in his constituency. Distinguished Senator the least we can say is that Nigerians feel offended by you. They demand an apology.

Professor Ade Adefuye
Ambassador, Head of Mission
Embassy of Nigeria
Washington DC

Ted Cruz

Nigeria Elected Into UN Council

Nigeria was on Thursday elected into the non-permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council, scoring a total of 186 out of a possible 193 votes.

This is the fourth time Nigeria would be elected into the seat since it became independent in 1960. It is also the second time the country would secure a seat in the Council under President Goodluck Jonathan.

The first time was in 2010-2011. Meanwhile, President Jonathan has welcomed Nigeria’s election into the Council, thanking all member- countries that supported the country’s bid.

A statement issued by his media aide, Dr. Reuben Abati, said, “On behalf of the Federal Government and people of Nigeria, President Jonathan wishes to convey his sincere appreciation for the support of all member-countries of the United Nations who voted for Nigeria’s election to the Security Council.

“The President believes that today’s endorsement of Nigeria’s candidature for the Security Council seat by the vast majority of member-countries is a glowing expression of support and encouragement for Nigeria’s active participation in the promotion of peace, security and political stability in Africa and other parts of the world.

“This is the fourth time since it became independent in 1960 that Nigeria is being elected to the UN Security Council. It is also the second time (2010-2011 and 2014-2015) that Nigeria will be elected to the Council under the Jonathan Presidency.

“The President is particularly delighted by this historic victory and assures the global community that Nigeria, under his leadership, will continue to make very significant contributions towards the achievement and sustenance of global peace and security.”
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/49933.html

SCANDAL: Dino Melaye Exposes Fraud Involving Minister Of Aviation Stella Odu

There is currently a scandal surrounding Aviation minister, Princess Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi, over allegations that she spent N255m on the purchase of cars.

Nigeria's leading anti-corruption crusader, Hon. Dino Melaye reportedly confirmed the claim that she spent the millions on two exotic cars although, he did reveal that he contacted companies in America and Germany and they told him that the "REAL" cost of those cars is N96million.

His Tweets Below:

Nigerians react to the issue below;

What do you think? Share your views in the comments section.

AILING GOVERNOR DISSOLVES CABINET THROUGH HIS YORIYORI

A serious political drama is playing out in Taraba State. A governor who was helped down from an aircraft in public glare, who couldn't say a word to the media at the airport and later when Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State visited him, is now taking actions through third parties.

He sent a letter to the State House of Assembly that he wants to resume as governor but the House say from what they saw at the airport they are not convinced. Hence, they requested that he appear at the floor of the House to address them, with a view to ascertain that he is indeed fit.

I learnt that Suntai's wife will never allow that to happen:

Since the governor can't even make coherent speeches, according to medical sources, it would be suicidal for his wife to take him to the House of Assembly. But the sad development is that executive functions are now being performed in the name of the ailing governor.

A reliable source said that the State cabinet appointed by the acting governor, who is the deputy governor, has been sacked by Governor Suntai. Yet no one is sure if the order came from him or his wife since he has neither address the state nor the media since his controversial return.

Governor Suntai, according to a statement, has appointed Timothy Katap as new SSG and Aminu Jika as new COS to the governor. Sources say his wife is now in-charge of the state.

Tension is in the air in Taraba, as the House of Assembly is insisting on hearing from Suntai himself before they can respect any statement released in his name.

Latest information:
The deputy governor has said all commissioners remain in office until he speaks with the governor!

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Femi Fani Kayode Apologizes to Nigerians and Three Ladies for Calling Names

Ex-minister of Aviation, Femi Fani Kayode mentioned names of three former Igbo girlfriends in an article he wrote a few days back to prove he wasn't tribalistic and has nothing against the Igbos. People felt calling out their names was disrespectful to the women. He has apologized. Find his statement below

'Chief Femi Fani-Kayode hereby expresses his deepest regrets for mentioning the names of three distinguished Nigerian ladies that he was once associated with in his last article titled ''A Word For Those Who Say I am A Tribalist''. He meant no harm by doing so and neither did he at any point make references to having had any sexual relations with any of these ladies when they were associated with him as is being suggested by some members of the public. He was simply trying to emphasise the fact that he has nothing against the igbo people and that his friendship with these three ladies in particular over the years provided some evidence of that.  

For the record he has not seen Madame Chioma Anasoh, Chief Adaobi Kate Uchegbu and Ambassador Bianca Onoh in many years and he admits that it was inappropiate for him to have mentioned their names in the essay, to use them as a point of reference in a public discussion or to make any references whatsoever to the nature of their past association. All references to them have been erased from the updated version of the essay.

Chief Fani-Kayode has reached two of the ladies concerned and he has personally conveyed his unreserved apology to them both and to their families for his indiscretion. He shall endeavour to reach the third lady to do the same in the next few days. Chief Fani-Kayode has nothing more to say on this matter and would prefer to remain focused on issues of national importance and not of a personal nature''-

Mr. Bisi Lawal, Press Secretary to Chief Femi Fani-Kayode

R-E-T-A-L-I-A-T-I-O-N: Nigeria Plans £5000 Visa Bond For UK Citizens

Three months to the commencement of the £3000 visa bond regime due to be imposed on Nigerians travelling to the United Kingdom, the Federal Government may have perfected plans to impose a £5,000 visa bond on prospective British citizens visiting Nigeria.
This is in retaliation to the new but controversial immigration policy of the UK scheduled to commence in November 2013.
The Home Office of the United Kingdom, recently classified Nigeria, India, as “high risk” and placed a £3,000 bond on every Nigerian visiting Britain.
The bond will be forfeited to the British government if an immigrant overstays his permit.
More than two million Nigerians are residing in the UK.
Uproar had greeted the immigration policy described as “discriminatory” since its announcement in June.
Nigeria is one of the countries put on the British “high-risk-list”. Others are India, Ghana, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The countries are slated for the pilot scheme of the new immigration policy to check immigration abuses.
A reliable source at the Nigerian High Commission in London told National Mirror that the refusal of the British Government to backpedal on the visa bond compelled Nigeria to fight back.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, had earlier assured that Nigeria would react appropriately if the policy was eventually implemented.
The source, who is a senior officer of the High Commission but did not want his name mentioned, told our correspondent in London that Nigeria had officially protested to the British government over the policy.
He, however, said that there was no sign that the British would rescind the decision.
“As a responsible country, we have protested officially against the discriminatory policy to the British government. But from all indications there is no going back on the policy. We have tried to make them see reasons on the need to review the new immigration policy, but it is like a done deal.
“Don’t forget that Nigeria has threatened to retaliate if the policy is implemented. So, we are only waiting for the implementation and the modalities of the new British immigration policy. But I can assure you that the Nigerian government won’t fold its hands. We would even raise the stake beyond the £3,000 they are asking Nigerians to pay as bond. We are looking at £5,000 as visa bond for UK citizens visiting Nigeria. This is our plan, which is subject to the approval of the Federal Government,” the source told National Mirror yesterday.
This stand is bound to strain the diplomatic relations between Britain and its former colony, Nigeria.
Early this year, British Prime Minister David Cameron chided Nigeria for passing anti-gay bill and threatened to cut aid to the country.
Also, Cameron recently berated Nigerian leaders for the mismanagement of the country’s huge natural resources.
But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesman, Ogbole Amedu Odeh, denied knowledge of the £5,000 visa bond.
“I’m just hearing that from you. I’m not aware of any £5,000 visa bond for British citizens,” Odeh told National Mirror on phone yesterday.
“Nigeria has not got official correspondence from the British government. Anytime Nigeria gets official communication on the policy, we will react appropriately.”
Meanwhile, Nigerians in the UK under the umbrella of the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom, CANUK, have said that if this bond is implemented, wrong people will be targeted.
In an interview with National Mirror in London, CANUK Chairman, Bimbo Folayan, said: “On the visa bond, we’ve expressed our feelings that this is not a right policy. We feel that the wrong people are being targeted. We believe that this will be counter-productive and we think this is more political, more economical than immigration related.
“We have protested to the Commonwealth Office, they have listened to us and they promised to get back to us.
“Because of the present situation of British economy, it is probably another way for the Home Office to make money. But that will be to the detriment of genuine travellers. The £3,000 bond will only swell the purse of the British government.”
They, however, opposed the planned retaliation of the British immigration policy by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Folayan added: “Our position is that two wrongs cannot make a right. I believe that Nigerian government should not retaliate wrongly. Three times this year, I have gone to Nigeria with British investors. So, it means if I’m going to Nigeria, I will have to look for £5,000 visa bond for each of the visitors.
“So, this can only hurt Nigeria. This can hurt investment inflow in Nigeria. We do not support the £5,000 proposed visa bond. Either way, from the British government or Nigerian government, we do not support the policy.
“Policies are made and can be changed. If this is injurious to the economy of the UK, they have to change the policy. I don’t see anything cast in stone on the matter.”
The group, however, said that there was no basis for Nigerians to come to UK illegally.
“The region of the world that is enjoying growth is Africa and that is where the focus is. In UK, we are not recording so much growth and the economic forecast is not too promising.
“So, everybody is feeling the pain. There are not many jobs in the UK any more. There is actually no basis for any youth to leave Nigeria and live in UK illegally because, one, there are no jobs. Two, if you come illegally, that is even worse because you cannot get a job without relevant papers like work permit whereas there are opportunities in Nigeria,” Folayan said.
Nigerians also decried their being labelled as “high risks”. “Nigeria is not high risk. The vast majority of Nigerians living in UK are students, workers and those born in the country. That is not to say that there are no illegal immigrants.
“We strongly feel that Nigeria is not a high risk country regardless of the statistics they might have gathered. We object to targeting a few countries, calling them ‘high risk’.
“We do not support illegal immigrants. We actually encourage Nigerians in the UK to regularise their papers. We’re also in the forefront of encouraging Nigerians living in UK illegally to embrace the opportunity that have been provided by the International Organisation of Migration, IOM, for them to go back home and live more meaningfully than staying in UK without getting a job because of lack of regular papers.”
The group noted that the £3,000 bond would only embolden desperate people rather than serve as deterrent.


Culled From NATIONAL MIRROR

Corruption: Why Dariye, Turaki, Kalu, Others Still Walk Free, By EFCC

Alamieyeswugha

Balogun

Kalu

Daniel

Fayose

 

Nyame

Dariye

Ibori

Turaki

COUNSELS to former governors and other high-profile Nigerians in the case file of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have been accused of colluding with accused persons to frustrate trials.

In an exclusive chat with The Guardian, Director of Legal and Prosecution Unit of the anti-graft agency, Mr. Chile Okoroma, admitted that, although the EFCC, which was established 10 years ago to fight corruption and economic vices, had made resonating impacts and got a few high-profile convictions, there have been public grumblings as to why major cases are pending in courts without reasonable convictions.

Specifically, the director mentioned the cases against former governors Orji Uzor Kalu, Jolly Nyame, Joshua Dariye, Gbenga Daniel, among others, which he claimed are in court and that one or two have entered trial stage.

Said he: “The case against Jolly Nyame is going on in court now. It was commenced in 2007 and we’ve called about nine witnesses. That case had to go to the Supreme Court on a preliminary issue and it came back to the trial court for trial to commence.”

“That was because they raised the issue of jurisdiction of the trial court—the High Court of FCT to try the case, which is becoming a norm now. When charges are filed, the first thing — even when it’s obvious that the court has jurisdiction — is that the defence counsels want to use one issue or the other to make sure the cases are frustrated. The issue was raised that there was no jurisdiction and prime official case to warrant him to stand trial. So it was canvassed, but the High Court overruled and they went to the Court of Appeal. They lost at the Court of Appeal and they went to the Supreme Court and they lost. Eventually, the matter had to come to the High Court of FCT for the matter to commence.”

According to the EFCC lawyer, the case against Dariye, which started about the same time, is taking the same process.

“They are now at the Supreme Court on the same issue of jurisdiction and the charge of not declaring a prime official case against him to warrant him standing trial. They lost at the court of first instance, which is the High Court. They have lost at the Court of Appeal and they are now at the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the trial is put on hold. It’s after we finish at the Supreme Court that we can now go back to the matter. That is if they don’t use another matter again to delay it.

On Fayose, he explained: “Now, we had the case against Ayo Fayose, former governor of Ekiti State. That case was commenced in 2006. It started at the Federal High Court Lagos. They had called one or two witnesses after raising some preliminary issues and following the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of Federal Republic of Nigeria against James Ibori, whose trial was started in Kaduna and later taken to Asaba. The counsel to Fayose then brought an application for the transfer of the case that the matter be brought to Ekiti State, because the crime was alleged to have been committed under the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Ekiti State.

“The case was transferred to Ekiti; of course, to start afresh. When we got to Ekiti, they brought an application again, challenging the charge that it does not disclose a prime official case against him.”

He added that Uzor Kalu just took his plea and “started the whole process and taking the matter to the Supreme Court on the same issue of jurisdiction.”

Okoroma was, however, optimistic that justice will be done in the end. He cited cases involving hitherto untouchable Nigerians like former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tafa Balogun, who was successfully prosecuted and punished, a feat for which the EFCC earned international respect.

“Even the international community has confidence in the EFCC. They write us from abroad; I mean, those who have been scammed through the Internet. I think we are succeeding. There are proceeds of crime, which have been recovered and repatriated to the victims.

“We have Alamieyesiegha case, a former chief executive convicted. They are just there for people to see and we are still working. It’s just that the impact we made when we started, those things we did resonated because of the circumstances we were in then, so that when we are doing the same things again, they don’t reverberate the way it used to.”

The lawyer called for an overhaul of the judicial system to enable the anti-graft agency successfully prosecute pending and new high-profile corruption cases in good time.

Author of this article: From Abosede Musari 
THE GUARDIAN

HEAVY DOWNPOUR IN KATSINA STATE LEADS TO COLLAPSE OF DAM AND DESTROYS FARM PRODUCTS WORTH MILLIONS OF NAIRA

Reports reaching me from the stables of Katsina State has it that there have been heavy downpour today 2^nd August, 2013. The heavy downpour has caused the collapse of the KANKIA DAM in KANKIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT of the STATE.

The rice and maize farms had been washed away following the collapse of the dam.

Some of the victims explained that the situation could affect irrigation farming, which could further lead to food security problem, unemployment and rural-urban drift.

A resident and a farmer, Malam Abba Almu said the incident, was the first of its kind in the history of the town and had destroyed crops worth millions of Naira.

The victims urged the State and Federal Governments to come to their aid as many of them would not have food for their families.

He also called for the immediate re-erection of the collapsed dam’s embankment.

Another victim, Abdulkadir Mai’unguwa, said the disaster would negatively affect the over 500 irrigation farmers in the area who relied on the dam for irrigation activities.

Mai’unguwa added that herdsmen had to move to nearby local governments following the collapse of the dam, and also urged the state government to assist them and reconstruct the embankment for the socio-economic development of the area.

The Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the council, Alhaji Abubakar Lawal, lamented that the dam was recently rehabilitated by the Federal Government.

He said it was rehabilitated under the constituency project of the member representing the area, Alhaji Ahmed Babba, “but yet, it collapsed.”

He appealed to the lawmaker, to as a matter of urgency, call the contractor back to site to reconstruct the embankment and widen the water spillway to avoid future occurrence.