MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING AND EATING DOG.

A man high on synthetic marijuana killed and ate a 30- to 40-pound dog, according to police.

Michael Daniel of Waco, Texas, was charged on Monday for an incident earlier this month in which he allegedly got down “on his hands and knees and chased a neighbor while barking and growling like a dog,” according to KWTZ.

Daniel then took a black dog onto a house's front porch, beat and strangled the canine and then “began to bite into the dog, ripping pieces of flesh away,” Waco Police Sgt. Patrick Swanton told KWTZ.

Daniel allegedly told neighbors he was high on synthetic marijuana, sometimes called K-2.

When officers arrived, Daniel had "blood and fur around his mouth," Swanton told KXXV.

Daniel is charged with cruelty to a non-livestock animal.

The story comes days after Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed bills banning the sale of synthetic marijuana. The drug was linked to several tragedies around the state, including a Bloomfield Township teen's reported fatal overdose.

More than 40 other states have passed similar bills.

Daniel's alleged attack also comes in the wake of a series of cannibalistic attacks, mostly on the East Coast, some of which have been linked to another drug commonly called "bath salts."

WORLD'S SHORTEST WOMAN DISCOVERED.

Guinness World Records Adjudicator Rob Molloy (R) and doctor Manoj Pahukar (2nd L) measure Jyoti Amge (C), 18, during a news conference in Nagpur on Dec. 16, 2011. Amge was officially announced by the Guinness World Records on December 16 the world's "shortest woman living (mobile)" measured as 62.8cm (24.7 inches) and will take the title from US woman Bridgette Jordan, previously held the record at 69.5 cm (27.4 in).

KETO COUTURE COLLECTIONS

The CEO and creative director of Keto couture, Mrs. Kenny Eyitemi Okorie, opened up to journalist on her plans to showcase her most recent collections in extra-ordinary fashion shows that will span across European countries, United States of America and South Africa, as the fashion world is preparing for summer collections.

The adorable black-skinned tall lady, who hails from Delta state, Nigeria, recently showcased some of her collections in a fashion show which she jointly organised with the publisher of Tru Star Magazine in Oriental hotel, Lagos.



While answering questions from journalists, she said, the reason for her tour is to show the rest of the world that, as far as fashion and style is concerned, Africa will be counted amongst the front liners.

She also stressed the need for the government to invest in the fashion industry by granting credit facilities to up and coming fashion designers to enable them break the barriers militating them from achieving their objectives. She also emphatically mention the need for modelling agencies to spring up to help propagate the fashion industry by identifying, recruiting and training models which the fashion industry will feed from.

Milan Menswear Latest

Gucci boy's wardrobe is going to be stocked with Capri-inspired sunshiney printed pieces next summer, that is if you don't clean it out before he has the chance to wear them. Printed jackets and trousers, and colour-pop suits, will look as good with your skinny jeans and summer dresses as with his shorts: Gucci boy, you have been warned.

PLAYING WITH THE DEVIL!

The International Snake show in Pattaya is a dangerous event! I think the snake charmer that performs has a DEATH WISH....He picks up a deadly poisonous pit viper with his teeth, extracts venom and demonstrates how sharp the a snake's teeth are, rests his head on a cobra...and etc.

Olympic torch bearer proposes during relay

LONDON (AP) — An Olympic torch bearer has proposed to his girlfriend as he carried the Olympics torch through the streets of northern England.

David State proposed to his girlfriend Christine Langham on bended knee in the middle of his relay Monday between the towns of Marske-by-the-Sea and Loftus in north east England. He handed the torch to a nearby security official while he proposed.

She accepted, State then took the torch back and continued his run.

Huge numbers of people have turned up all over the country to see the Olympic flame as it makes a 8,000-mile (12,875-kilometer) trek around the U.K.

Rioters, Defying State Curfew, Attacking And Burning In Kaduna

Rioters, in counter-reprisal attacks, are defying the curfew imposed by Governor Patrick Yakowa, and are burning houses in Malali area, a source has just confirmed to SaharaReporters.

About four houses, according to a security official who also confirmed the situation report, are in flames now in Ungwan Yer, in Malali. The source said the rioters have also burnt houses in Ungwan Dosa and Kawo.

He said soldiers and the police had a tough time before the rioters retreated to Kawo area where they allegedly came from. He said they were seen holding several AK 47 guns, and firing at their targets from distance. The situation has created panic in nearby Ungwan Gado.

At least 70 people have been killed in reprisal attacks following the bombing of thre churches carried out by islamist militant sect Boko Haram last Sunday.

In a related incident today, a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has taken to social media to appeal to the authorities to get them out of the Kaduna State, saying that the situation has become a religious crisis.

“We are trapped in the State and our parents are dead worried as to our safety,” he said in posting on Facebook.

“I am using this medium to call on the NYSC authorities to find a way to get us out of this State and possibly redeploy us to safer States outside the Northern part of Nigeria,” the unidentified NYSC member said. “We need to leave as soon as possible before it escalates. We are scared and the State is no longer safe and the crisis is beginning to affect us psychologically and we are depressed. We cannot continue this way. We need to leave as soon as possible.”

Boko Haram Promises Bloodier Days; Threatens More Attacks On Churches And Government Buildings

By SaharaReporters, New York
The militant Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad, an Islamist sect widely known as Boko Haram, has revealed to SaharaReporters that it plans to launch further devastating attacks on churches and government buildings in the coming days and weeks.

On the heels of this week’s escalation of sectarian violence in Kaduna State, the sect said it planned to make the month of June 2012 the bloodiest month yet in its violent and bloody campaigns against those it tagged infidels.

A contact for the sect told SaharaReporters that his group’s planned attacks would be focused and bloody. The group’s spokesperson claimed that Boko Haram had moved some 300 suicide bombers to attack churches in Southern Kaduna as well as Plateau State.

The source also stated that the sect was determined to exact massive revenge for the Muslims killed in the Jos and Southern Kaduna areas.

To achieve its current deadly agenda, the contact said Boko Haram had recruited the sons and daughters of some Muslims killed in past religious conflicts. He revealed that the new recruits are sworn to an oath of secrecy and allegiance before they are sent to train in handling weapons, bomb making and suicide bombing in Mauritania and Somalia. On the trainees’ return to Nigeria, they are handed over to Boko Haram “welfare officers” who ensure that all their needs are met.

The contact disclosed that Boko Haram’s welfare officers provide material support for the suicide bombers’ families and relatives before and after the recruits are sent on assignments, mostly suicide missions that end their lives. He stated that Boko Haram’s welfare officers continue to cater to the needs of suicides’ families, often paying them huge "gratuities."

The contact for Boko Haram stated that the planned attacks will almost quadruple on Sunday when the sect plans to attack several churches simultaneously to prove their deadly potency. "Boko Haram intends to show to President Jonathan that his military advisers are just deceiving him," said the source.

Apart from attacks on churches, the contact said the sect plans to attack or take over government buildings in Kano, Kaduna, Yobe and Gombe states. He added that the sect also plans a major attack on the Federal Capital territory (FCT) before the end of June to cap its possibly bloodiest campaign in June. He said Boko Haram wanted to prove that the Nigerian security agencies have in no way hampered the sect’s operations and that security forces cannot match the group’s deadly force.

The contact explained that the decision to intensify attacks this June was reportedly taken at the sect’s recent "parliamentary" meeting.

Egypt's Hosni Mubarak Is 'Clinically' Dead

Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's former ruler of 30 years, is reportedly 'clinically' dead at 84 years old. After suffering a massive stroke, the ousted Egyptian leader was recently moved from the hospital in Torah Prison to the Maadi Hospital in Cairo.

The medical diagnosis declares a cessation of breathing and blood circulation.

Reports from the Egyptian state news agency, MENA, stated that Mubarak's health condition had rapidly deteriorated.

"Medical sources told MENA his heart had stopped beating and did not respond to defibrillation," stated MENA.

A prison official, speaking on anonymity, informed The Associated Press that the toppled president had fallen unconscious. Other hospital prison sources, said doctors had recently treated Mubarak, twice, with a defilibrator.

Mubarak, sentenced to serve a life in prison for his failure to stop the killing of protesters during last year's massive uprisings, has suffered numerous health ailments since he was deposed in February 2011.

Since then, his health has been a subject of widespread speculation, headlined in news media outlets. He was reportedly suffering from high blood pressure, difficulty with breathing and acute depression. Mubarak's wife Suzanne and daughters-in-law, Khadiga al-Gamal and Heidi Rasekh, had recently visited him in Tora prison following rumors that he had died.

However, Mubarak's present state as 'clinically' dead is not yet final, as doctors have yet to pronounce that he is actually dead. Various reports claim that Mubarak is unconscious and is on a respirator.

BREAST EASE - Japenese out with ice bras.

A JAPANESE underwear company has launched a bra with built-in ice packs to keep women cool this northern summer.
The bra, unveiled yesterday, also comes with a wine chime and a sprig of mint.

In a nearly-naked publicity stunt, underwear firm Triumph Japan had models parading around showing off its "Super Cool Bra", featuring what appears to be a pair of small fish tanks encompassing the breasts.

These cups are filled with a gel that remains soft and supple even when frozen, giving the wearer "a cool sensation against her skin", the company said in a statement.

A traditional Japanese wind chime - and a mint leaf - dangle between the cups giving an impression of cooling "by way of its refreshing fragrance and sound".

The company, which has a long tradition of novelty launches that are never made available for public sale, said it conceived of the bra in response to a need to save energy during the hot summer.

With no working nuclear reactors amid heightened public mistrust over atomic power in post-Fukushima Japan, the country has once again begun its "Cool Biz" campaign, urging people to dress down for work and avoid the need to crank up the air-con.

We Will Not Watch Boko Haram Finish Us, Says Gurara Forum

By SaharaReporters, New York

The Gurara Forum, a Northern Nigerian Christian forum from Kaduna State, warned today that it will apply all means to protect its members from the menace of Boko Haram, and not watch Boko Haram annihilate them.

It called on people it called “uninformed, mischief makers and hardliners” to desist from pointing fingers at other people when they know the truth and the bombers, and said it will continue to hold the government and merchandisers of death responsible for their illicit actions against Christians.

In a press statement signed by Vincent Bodam, Chancellor and Jerry Adams, Secretary General, Gurara Forum underlined the ongoing annihilation of Christians in Northern Nigeria, and the orchestrated hysteria being peddled by selfish Northerners aimed at jeopardising the reality of Boko Haram’s insurgency and plot against Christians.

“Putting the baseless propaganda aside, the whole world and those following trends in Nigeria know better what Boko Haram stands for, the ideals and principles which they represent and of which they are working assiduously to achieve come what may,” the statement said.

“As our Churches were hit again yesterday in Zaria and Kaduna town, it became glaring that the sect meant what they represent, more so, they have cleared the air and claimed responsibility of the attacks which defied falsehood being advanced by selfish Northerners. Regrettably was the concern of the Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal which was largely on reprisal and not the suicide bombing that killed Christians. We will not succumb to photo shops manipulation and outright deviation of facts and reality of all these deliberate attacks against Christians.”

Referring to the recent pattern of bombings of churches on Sunday by suicide bombers, Gurara drew attention to Biblical teachings in which Christians are told to be magnanimous in their dealings with their fellow human beings and to respect the rights of other people, and be slow to anger and revenge, as vengeance is that of God only. Despite all that, it said, the perpetrators of the Satanic slaughtering of Christians have refused to desist or slow down.

“This means there is no remorse or regret from the actions of this evil machination,” Gurara Forum regretted. “The body language of the so-called leaders of the North shows an unfortunate and maniacal mischief going by their lingering efforts of saying the attacks are perpetuated by non-Muslims in contrast to the stand by Boko Haram that has always claimed responsibility. Their actions simply mean tacit support of Boko Haram.”

Noting that the although the government and security operatives claim to be doing their best have failed to end the impudence to an end, it stressed that security is the responsibility of all.

“We therefore observe with total regret that these people who live amongst us cannot be pointed by those who know them,” the statement said. “They thus continue to execute their evil plan of annihilation by bombing and killing in the course of charting their religious cause.”

At least 24 Dead, 125 wounded In Church Bombings And Reprisal Attacks In Kaduna-DailyTrust

Daily Trust has confirmed that at least 13 people lost their lives in the bomb attacks on three churches in Kaduna this morning.

In addition, about 11 others have been killed in reprisal attacks across the town.

According to Dr. Taylor Adeyemi, the acting Chief Medical Director of St. Luke's hospital in Wusasa, 40 victims, mostly children were brought into their hospital following the blast at ECWA in Wusasa. Of this number, three were dead on arrival.



From the blast at the Christ the King Cathedral at No. 80 Yoruba street Daily Trust confirmed 10 dead and over 50 injured. Daily Trust is yet to get details of the casualties from the Trikania attack.

Three churches were attacked this morning by suicide bombers in Kaduna. One went off at the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) church, Wusasa and another at the Christ the King Cathedral Catholic church at No. 80, Yoruba Street, Sabon Gari, Zaria, just behind the Army Depot, Zaria where all Nigerian soldiers receive their basic training. The third church, Shalom Church at Trikania close to Abuja Fly over and Textile Labour house, was hit by multiple explosions around 10:17am.

Also, about 35 victims of the reprisal attacks that followed the bombing have been taken to St. Gerard's Hospital within the metropolis according to the hospitals public relations officer. Seven of them were dead on arrival, burnt by their presumed assailants.

The explosions sparked violence in Kaduna as christian youths retaliated, moving around with cutlasses and sticks among other weapons. Sources say the youths burnt a mosque at Television area and another at Goningora was broken into and vandalised in retaliation for the attacks on the three churches.

Men of Operation Yaki are said to have taken charge of the situation, especially around Goningora which is along the Abuja-Kaduna expressway and where Christian youths were beginning to get violent. An eyewitness told Daily Trust he saw four dead bodies near the Goningora mosque. Other trouble spots so far identified are Sabo, Trikania, Television area, Tudun Wada and Unguwan Rimi.

Road blocks have been set up at strategic areas and traffic along the expressway which was initially halted is now being allowed with military escorts. Other areas of Kaduna metropolis are experiencing an uneasy calm.

The Abuja-Kaduna expressway links many states in the North to Abuja.

Suicide blast hits Somali army base

A suicide bomber has blown up a car at an army base in Somalia, local police have said.

Officer Mohamed Farah did not say how many people may have died in the blast in the town of Afgoye, which had recently been taken from insurgent control.

He said the bomber detonated the car after soldiers intercepted the vehicle and started shooting at him.



Witnesses said they heard a large explosion followed by billowing smoke.

Afgoye was recently liberated from the control of an al Qaida-linked militant group.

African Union and Somali troops seized the town on the outskirts of Mogadishu from al-Shabab militants after three days of fighting last month, marking the biggest victory over al-Shabab since the pro-government forces took control of the capital last August.

'Vampire' skeletons found in Bulgaria

(Reuters) - Bulgaria's history museum plans to display a "vampire" skeleton next week after unearthing the 700-year-old remains of two men stabbed through the chest with iron rods.

Archaeologists, excavating a monastery near the Black Sea city of Sozopol, discovered the skeletons which were buried in a pagan ritual that they said was aimed at keeping the men from turning into vampires.



"This was a pagan belief widespread in the Bulgarian lands in the 12th to 14th centuries. People were very superstitious then," National History Museum head Bozhidar Dimitrov said.

"Throughout the country we have found over 100 such 'vampire' burials of mainly noblemen from the Middle Ages who were branded bloodsucking immortals."

Dimitrov explained that these people were considered bad during their lifetime and according to pagan beliefs could become vampires after death and continue to torment the living.

"That's why they were often pierced with rods, wooden or metal," he said.

The Balkan country, which remained pagan until it embraced Christianity in the ninth century, borders Romania -- birthplace of the 15th century ruler often associated with the popular fictional character upon which Dracula is based.
Romania's notorious 15th century ruler Vlad Tepes, or Vlad the Impaler was no vampire, but his cruelty and name inspired the fictional Dracula created by novelist Bram Stoker.

The finds in Bulgaria have sparked interest from vampire enthusiasts all over the world and the small Balkan country may seek to capitalize on its pagan heritage.

Chris Brown injured after getting into NYC bar brawl with Drake over Rihanna

A beef over platinum-selling singer Rihanna sparked a bloody, bottle-throwing melee between her ex-boyfriends Chris Brown and Drake in a Manhattan nightclub, police sources said.

The pre-dawn brawl, involving the two chart-topping stars and their posses, left Brown sporting a nasty gash on his chin around 4 a.m. Thursday inside crowded Club W.I.P. in SoHo.

Brown reportedly took a bottle and a punch to his face from Drake near the end of the birthday celebration for Javon Smith, manager of singer/songwriter Ne-Yo.

The violence started with a gesture of good will, as the often-volatile Brown sent a bottle of champagne to hip-hop star Drake’s table, police sources said.

The rapper had the bubbly returned to Brown with a note reading, “I’m still f------ Rihanna” — and all hell broke loose, the sources said.



Drake’s 15-member entourage — a dozen pals and three security officers — peeled off their shirts as the fighting kicked into gear, a witness told police.

Drake had arrived only 45 minutes before the throwdown started, another witness told the Daily News.

The mood shifted after Drake walked in — “a thug vibe,” according to the witness. Prior to that, the 23-year-old Brown was “low-key, keeping to himself, partying, dancing,” the witness said.

Stars including Mary J. Blige, Maxwell, Fabolous and hoops star Tony Parker were among those at the bash earlier in the evening.

picture of Drake(l) and Chris(r) before the fight in the club

Brown and Rihanna were reportedly reheating their romance in recent weeks. Drake dated the sultry singer after Brown left her bloodied and bruised in a 2009 attack.

Brown remains on probation for the beating, and was ordered to undergo a year of counseling for his violent behavior.

Four innocent bystanders and a member of Brown’s security detail suffered lacerations as shards of shattered glass flew around the basement club, police sources said.

Neither of the stars was still on the scene when police arrive.

Alligator bites hand off Florida boat captain

An alligator chomped off the hand of a Florida airboat captain who witnesses say was feeding the gator before the attack.

Wallace Weatherholt, 63, of Captain Doug’s Everglades Tours, was leading a boat tour with six passengers through Everglades City on Tuesday afternoon when his hand was bitten off, the Sun Sentinel newspaper reports.

Weatherhold, also known as Captain Wally, was still conscious when he was rushed back the dock and later transported to a Naples hospital.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials say the alligator was euthanized and the hand retrieved from its stomach, according to the newspaper.

Doctors hope to be able to reattach the hand, WINK News reports.

The FWC told Naples Daily News newspaper an investigation is continuing, since it is a second-degree misdemeanor to feed alligators.
PIX: The above picture is the front view of the ticketing office where the captain works.

STONE AGE IN A CIVILIZED WORLD.

The dense forests of Papua are a rich and complicated mosaic of different tribal groups. Far from the coast, at the foothills of the highlands, from an aircraft the land seems like mile after mile of empty barren swamp. But this is where the Kombai have stayed hidden from the outside world for generations, pursuing their ancient way of life as hunter-gatherers.




There are 4,000 or so members of the Kombai, most of whom live in isolated family homesteads in tree houses. As well as providing an escape from the heat and mosquitoes, the tree houses probably originated as their height is a defence against flooding during heavy rains as well as offering protection in times of conflict. Headhunting tribes such as the Asmat from the south used to terrorise these swampy lowlands.



The tribal communities of inland New Guinea were arguably the last peoples on earth to trade in metal goods such as knives or axes. In the remotest parts of this island this is still the case and the local people use stone axes to fell trees, bamboo slivers to slice their meat and traded shells or bamboo to hold their water. Cooking is done without receptacles, but using a method of heated stones.

The Kombai are typical hunter gatherers. The men hunt a wide range of prey including cassowary, wild boar and marsupials in the forest using their bows and arrows with their dogs as trackers Pigs are domesticated for ritual use.



The staple food is starch harvested from sago palms growing wild in the jungle. It takes the women a few hours to drain and dry a few bundles of starch from the palm, and a large tree can provide enough starch to sustain a family for seven to ten days. Usually, dozens of trees are found in the same area. Once they have been used, a family will move to a new location within clan territory. In addition, the sago provides a particular Kombai delicacy: the sago grub, the larva of the Capricorn beetle. A palm is cut down, left for a month, then wrapped in leaves where it continues to rot, during which time the grubs develop within the tree. The Kombai return three months later when the trunk is full of larvae.

The jungle is divided into clan territories. There are also territories of the spirits where no clans live. For a stranger to enter a clan's territory is viewed as a threat - potentially to life itself. It's telling that kwai, which means 'spirit' or 'ghost', is also the word to describe an outsider.

It seems that cannibalism is still carried out by the Kombai. It appears to be a form of tribal punishment: only men identified as witches by the communities - known as Khakhua-Kumu or men who practice witchcraft - are killed and eaten. There are tribe members living who have clearly eaten male witches.

President Jonathan Arms Nigerian Civil Defence With Sophisticated Weapons

President Goodluck Jonathan and his security advisors today began moves to end the Boko Haram insurgency by arming the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to complement the efforts of the Nigerian armed forces and the police.


A military source in Abuja told SaharaReporters that the corps received about 5000 sophisticated guns (G3) and 250, 000 rounds of ammunition in a Kaduna military base.

The source said that the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, stood in for the president at the ceremony. The boss of the NSCDC, Ade Abolurin, led his corps. Major General Garba Wahab, head of the military base in Kaduna, represented the Nigerian Army.



It was learnt today that members of the corps have been undergoing rudimentary military training all over the country. A source said that the corps will help to address a shortage of man power and other logistics.
The NSCDC is a para-military agency of the federal government mandated to provide measures against threats and any form of attack or disaster against the nation and its citizenry. It was first introduced in May 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War within the then Federal Capital Territory of Lagos for the purpose of sensitization and protection of the civil populace. It was then known as Lagos Civil Defence Committee. In 1970, it became the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

President Jonathan has promised to end the threat of Boko Haram militancy this month.

TWENTY SEVEN VILLAGERS FEARED KILLED IN ZAMFARA BY UNKNOWN GUNMEN.

Twenty-seven persons, including one policeman were killed by unknown gunmen in the early hours of Monday in Dangulbi Village, in the Dansadau Emirate of Zamfara state, northwest, Nigeria.

An eyewitness, Lawalli Dangulbi, who spoke to journalist at Gusau Specialist Hospital, stated there was pandemonium in the village when the attackers struck, shooting sporadically.



Dangulbi, who is the candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) for Maru Local Government Area in the forthcoming Local Government Council polls, explained that the other dead bodies were discovered in neighboring villages of Biya, Guru and Sabuwar Kasuwa.

The Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, Mr Usman Gwary visited the scene of the crime sympathize with residents of the village.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Sanusi Amiru, confirmed the incident but refused to give further details.

The attack might be a reprisal for an earlier assault on the criminals’ enclaves in the emirate by security operatives and vigilante groups.

The attackers were reported as not having taken anything from their victims during the attack.

By Channelstv

Two former Auburn players killed, one player injured in shooting

The Auburn community is mourning after former Auburn football players Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips were shot and killed during an off-campus party Saturday night. Offensive lineman Eric Mack also was injured in the shooting, but his injuries are not considered life-threatening. A third person, who was not a football player, also died in the shooting.
"This is a sad, sad day for everyone associated with the entire Auburn family," coach Gene Chizik said in a statement released by the university. "I am devastated by the passing of three young men, including two that I personally knew in Ed Christian and Ladarious Phillips and my heart goes out to their families. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and all of the victims involved in this tragic incident. Nobody should ever have to endure such unimaginable grief, and we will love and support the victims' families during this terribly difficult time.
"We have a lot of people on our football team that are hurting right now and we're going to do everything we can to help them get through this. We are relieved that Eric Mack, who was also a victim in this incident, is expected to make a full recovery. This is a very trying time for everyone involved, and I would just ask that you lift up the victims and their families in your prayers."
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the fight broke out between several men over a woman, but no other details were given. Two of the men left the fight and returned to the apartment complex clubhouse where the party was being held with a gun and started shooting indiscriminately. One witness said the alleged gunman, Desmonte Leonard, blocked the only exit to the clubhouse before he started firing. Leonard is still at large and wanted on three counts of capital murder.

Graham Watson.

Oshiomhole and his lofty mansion.

The Edo state governor Adams Oshiomhole has shown that the revered position of a caretaker of the commonwealth of the Edo people and guardian of the hope and future of this great land is not one that should be kept in his custody any longer.
We all wait with eager anticipation for how he will explain away the "paradise" heis building for himself directly behind his house, in his compound, not far from Iyamoh primary school, in Iyamoh, off Auchi Okene road, near Auchi. We might think that the word paradise is a stretch of one's imagination until you take a tour of the mansion and its facilities.
His estate, which is the size of a Texas style ranch, with swimming pools, water fountains and a big occasion hall, amphitheatre, indoor cinema hall, to mention a few is heavily guarded by what can only be described as a battalion of armed vigilantes in 10 Hilux pick-ups and a detachment of fierce looking mobile policemen.
These vigilantes and armed policemen can clearly be seen, when driving along the Auchi-Okene road, on your right hand side.
Many questions arise. Why is Edo state in debt of almost 100 Billion Naira? One would have hoped that it was to provide the suffering people of Edo state with the much needed infrastructure that would have been the catalyst for an economic turn-around.
However with a paradise home that is rumored to be valued at over 10 billion Naira, your guess is as good as mine.
But don't take our word for it, visit Google earth,(CLICK HERE to see what the property was in 2009 before he became govenor) and see things for yourself.

Battle For Maiduguri Heats Up, At Least 10 Persons Are Dead

At least ten people were killed and over a dozen injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Borno state Police commnad headquarters in Maiduguri, as earlier reported today by SaharaReporters.

Hours earlier, a suspected bomber died when an explosive went off prematurely in another part of the city, prompting the Nigerian Red Cross to warn that conditions in the city were getting worse.

Maiduguri is now off limits to Americans following an alert issued by the U.S. Embassy where diplomats believe the situation is deteriorating. Boko Haram issued a statement yesterday assuring residents that the sect plans to take over the North Eastern city and establish Sharia rule in due course.

Yesterday, the JTF claimed 16 members of Boko Haram were shot dead in the same area during a gunfight with police. Civilians were reportedly hit by stray bullets but police suffered no injuries

"Some suspected Boko Haram terrorists attempted to open fire on (security) operatives but could not succeed," said army spokesman Col Victor Ebhaleme.

"We have so far shot dead 16 of the terrorists during a shoot-out," Col Ebhaleme told Reuters news agency.

Tuesday's late-night attack took place in Maiduguri's district of Lawan Bukar.
SAHARA REPORTERS

Crashed Plane Not Faulty, Dana Says, As Lagos State Government Appears to be Playing Politics With Plane Crash

Various published crash-related information and data about the Dana air plane crash, were yesterday challenged by the management of the airline.

Francis Ogboro, a director of the DANA Group of Companies, and John Oladapo Obafunwa, the Chief Medical Examiner and Forensic Pathologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital [LASUTH], claimed at a press conference that a total of 149 bodies had been recovered up till that point from the site of the crash.

At the conference, which was called by the Lagos State Government and DANA Airline, their representatives said that 52 identifiable bodies had been deposited at the LASUTH mortuary while unidentifiable bodies retrieved had been taken to the Mainland Hospital for further forensic checks.

Another early impression disputed by Mr. Ogboro was that the crashed plane had a hydraulic fault and was merely being ‘managed’ (risked) on the fateful flight from Abuja to Lagos.

“No pilot will risk his own life with a plane that was faulty [and] with passengers. So, the claim in the media that the crashed plane was faulty is false”, Mr. Ogboro argued.

He also disputed claims that the airline’s license has been revoked. “The normal thing to do in a situation like this is to ground such airline for some time, and that is what has happened in this case. Our airline has only been grounded for a while, but it is not true that our license has been revoked. We still have our license intact”, Ogboro added, apparently confident that the airline will later be permitted to resume operations.

Red Cross personnel assisting with the retrieval of corpses at the crash site had yesterday also said some 154 bodies had been retrieved, but Mr. Ade Ipaye, the State Attorney General who represented the government at the press conference said that figure could not be confirmed yet.

“For now, 149 bodies in total have been recovered, although we are not being rigid with this figure [because] investigations are still ongoing”, Mr. Ipaye said.

A more pressing issue that perplexed the press conference attendees concerned Dana Airline’s insurance, as the journalists wanted to know how the relatives of the crash victims and owners of the properties destroyed at the site would be compensated, but Mr. Ogboro was unable to disclose the names of the insurance companies, although he said they were many.

“I actually don’t know,” he said, “But I know DANA has more than one [insurance] company backing it”, he merely said, obviously caught unawares.

In a bid to rescue the confused DANA representative, Mr. Ipaye quickly cut in; “Actually this is not the reason this conference was called, but I have to say that we had verified that the DANA Airline had insurance arrangement and they shall do what is required of them in due course.” He did not list any of the insurance companies he claimed to have verified.

But a man soon took the stage from the floor, and identified himself as Otunba Yomi Oshikoya, a Nigerian Legal Practitioner and a correspondent to the Solicitor in London of Lloyds underwriters.

Mr. Oshikoya said, “In an accident leading to death or injury, a ceiling of liabilities is imposed. First and foremost, you are required as an Airline, this time through your insurance, to pay a sum of $30,000 within 30 days of the accident as an initial payment. But a substantive law imposes a ceiling of $100,000 for death or injury.

“As far as the grand claim is concerned, Lloyd’s underwriters have instructed a surveyor in Nigeria to go to the site and evaluate the values of the buildings and make a comprehensive report available to the airline. It is on the basis of this report, and this is very important, that the compensation will be determined.
“Let me assure you that Lloyd underwriters are very famous throughout the world and they don’t like legal polemics. We don’t want any family to surfer any additional hardship. Claims will be processed as soon as possible, maybe faster than you think”, Oshikoya concluded.

Dr. Obafunwa, who has also been named the new Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University [LASU], promised that the examination of the bodies would be completed in two weeks.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters has learned of certain worrying developments in the DANA crash story, including the personal interests of Dr. Obafunwa in the aftermath, and the attitude of the Lagos State Government in the whole scenario.

While it is suspected that the Lagos State Government’s fronting role may be to win a political edge for the State’s ruling party, a source who would not like to be named in LASUTH has revealed that Dr. Obafunwa, being in charge of the mortuary, enjoys certain personal pecuniary benefits from the autopsies and the embalming of dead bodies in the LASUTH morgue.

“This place [LASUTH’s mortuary environment] is oozing out odors now, and that is a very rare occurrence,” a source told us. “It shows the mortuary has been filled beyond capacity with corpses. Some corpses had been there earlier and addition of another 52 from the crash site will definitely overcrowd the place and that must be the reason for this rare smell.”

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were other mortuaries at Isolo and Lagos Island to which some of the bodies could have been sent, but that was not being done for what he suspected to be “greed” on the part of the management of the mortuary in LASUTH.

“They have connections in the State and they have almost privatized everything in LASUTH,” he complained.

The DANA crash site was yesterday still being cleared as of the time of filing this report, and residents of the demolished buildings have been asked to quit the area with no discussion about their compensation. It was also not certain how the relatives of the corpses will retrieve the bodies that belong to them.
SAHARA REPORTERS

Dana Flight 992 Tragedy: Pilot First Asked to Land On Longer Runway After First Engine Failed

CAPT PETER WAS FLYING THE PLANE

Air traffic controllers have told Saharareporters confidentially that the crashed airliner Dana aircraft most likely had one failed engine long before the pilot declared an emergency. Multiple sources confirmed that the pilot had requested to land on Murtala Muhammad Airport’s longer runway 18R before calling air controllers back a few minutes later to report a total emergency.



They believe that second call was most probably when the second engine failed. The aircraft crashed about seven nautical miles from the local airport.



One source further explained that the MD 83 plane was overloaded with passengers and luggage to the extent that when the first engine failed, the pilots urgently reduced speed to enable the flight land safely on the longer and better runway, an action that led the flight to an extra 20 minutes delay before crashing at 3:43p.m. It had been billed to land at 3:21p.m.



Our sources stated that the drastic reduction in thrust was the undoing of the pilot, given the heavy pay load. To underscore their point that the operators of the jet knew of its mechanical troubles, one of our sources said the jet conducted a short flight test between the Lagos and Ibadan airport on Saturday, apparently to prove to regulators that the jet was “airworthy”.



Several employees of the Dana airlines have publicly stated that the owners were aware as early as Sunday that the jet had mechanical troubles, as it had struggled on a flight to Calabar, but the operators forced the crew to fly it anyway, obviously with an eye on maximizing profit.



Residents that witnessed the crash at Iju Agege area of Lagos have also told Saharareporters that they watched as the pilot seemed to struggle to give the aircraft a final thrust of flight power before the crash, which killed everyone on board.



But speaking for the first time officially today, Dana Air's Director of Flight Operations, Captain Oscar Wason, suggested that a "bird strike" may have caused the crash.



Appearing on Silver Bird TV in Lagos, he said the management of the grounded airline found remnants of birds in one of the engines of the crashed plane.



According to him, “I don’t know what could have been responsible for the crash, but this morning we found remnants of birds in one of the engines.”



He noted that birds were a problem in Nigeria he has experienced several times. “We have bird strikes and it might have been that a mass of birds went through the engine and caused it to lose power.”



However, he said the investigations must be left to come out with an answer. “We have found the voice recorder and that has to be sent to either the UK or Washington. I am planning to travel out myself so that we can found out what is the real cause of the accident.”



It will take several months, if not years, to arrive at the real cause of the fatal crash of Dana Air 992, as Nigeria typically relies on American investigators to unravel the cause of airline accidents.

SAHARA REPORTERS

SoutheKaduna: Suspected Fulani Herdsmen Kill Father And Son, Set Home Ablaze

Two men, a father and his son, were killed sunday night in the troubled town of Zonkwa in Southern Kaduna by unknown Fulani herdmen, security personnel in Abuja have told SaharaReporters.

Another woman survived the attack by sheer luck, escaping with several gun wounds. She is receiving treatment in a hospital.  

The source said the attackers also set a house ablaze and hurriedly escaped before the community could mount a response.  The attack has created new tension and panic in the area, as more security re-enforcements have been dispatched there in order to prevent reprisals by irate youths.

SaharaReporters also confirmed the attack from a source in the area, Yunana Kantiyok, who said that two corpses were recovered.  He added that irate youths have invaded the bush in search of the suspects.

He said, “We will not agree, Southern Kaduna is our God-given land and we will not tolerate people coming to kill us in our homes. Go and cross check: have you ever heard a Southern Kaduna person claiming land and killing people in Zaria, Makarfi or Kano? The same people are coming to kill us in our homes and when we resist it becomes another issue and manipulation in their Daily Trust newspapers. I swear we will not agree.”

list of passengers on-board the ill-fated Dana plane.

some of the victims.

1. Abdu Aisha
2. Abdulrazak Lawan
3. Abikalio Tatoru
4. Adekola Ayoola
5. Adekunbi Adebiyi
6. Adeleke Oluwadamilare
7. Adijolola Abraham
8. Ahmed Mbana
9. Aikhomu Ehime, son of former chief of General Staff
10. Ailende Ehi
11. Ajani Adenike
12. Akinola Olumodeji
13.Akinsanya Moyo
14. Akinsanya Omonigho
15. Akwaeze Elizabeth
16. Alade Matins
17. Amiaka Raphael
18. Amina Idris Bugaje
19. Anibaba Tosin
20. Anthony Nwaokoagbara
21. Anthony Okara
22. Aouade Roger
23. Apochi Godwin
24. Ariyibi Temitope
25. Asuquo Niobong
26. Attuh Antonia
27. Awodogan Olusanmi
28. Bamaiyi Adamu
29. Benson Oluwayomi
30. Berkisu Myindadi
31. Bukhari Majkudi
32. Chukwuemeka Okere
33. Coker Olumide
34. Diawani
35. DavidKolawole Eyinojuoluwa
36. DavidKolawole Fortune
37. Dike Chinwe
38. Dike Chukwuezugo
39. Doherty Adedunni
40. Dukawa Mahmud
41. Ebuka Enumah
42. Echeidunbe
43. Ehioghae Sonny
44. Eribake Wale
45. Eyo Bassey
46. Fatokun Anjola
47. Fatokun Ibukun
48. Fatokun Olaoluwa
49. Faysal Inusa
50. Garba Abdu
51. George Moses
52. Hunna Walter
53. Hurriya Lawal
54. Ibrahim D
55. Ibrahim Jangana
56. Ibrahim Matankari
57. Ifeanyi Orakwe
58. Ifekawa Jones
59. Ijeoma Onyijuke
60. Ike Abugu
61. Ike Ochonogor
62. Ike Okoye
63. Ikpoki Abiola
64. Inusa Ahmed
65. Jennifer Ibe
66. John Ahmadu
67. Joy Allison
68. Kaika Farida
69. Kaltum Abubakar
70. Kamsiyonna Anyene
71. Kang Yi
72. Kayimarachi Anyene
73. Kayineochi Anyene
74. Komolafe Olugbenga
75. Lawal U. Anakobe
76. Levi Ajounuma
77. Li Huizhu
78. Li Rui
79. Li Janlas
80. Lt Col Chumbo Ochigbo
81. Mahmud Aliyu
82. Mamuna Anyene
83. Maj Gen Tahiru Umar
84. Maj IG Muhammad
85. Maria Okwulehie
86. Mbong Eventus
87. Mecha Eke
88. Mohammed Falmata
89. Mojekwu Adeobi
90. Mutihir Isttifaanus
91. N Chidiac
92. Nabil Garba
93. Nagidi Ibrahim
94. Ngozi Cole
95. Nnadi John
96. Noah Anyene
97. Norris Kim
98. Ntuko Charles
99. O Awani
100. Obi Chinwe
101. Obinna Akubueze
102. Obot Emmanuel
103. Ogechi Njoku
104. Ojugbana Amaka
105. Ojugbana Christopher
106. Ojukwu Alvana
107. Okafor Chinero
108. Okeke Hope
109. Okikiolu Olukayode
110. Okocha Christopher
111. Okonji Patrick
112. Okor Eseoghene
113. Oloko Tunji
114. Oluchi Onyeyiri
115. Olukoya Banji
116. Olusola Arokoyu
117. Oluwasegunfunmi Abiodun
118. Onemclease Amanehi
119. Onita Jennifer
120. Onita Josephine
121. Onwuliri Celestine
122. Onyeagocha Chimdinma
123. Onyegocha Ogechi
124. Onyeka Anyene
125. Osunbade Aderoju
126. Otegbeye Hadiza
127. Oyosoro Rajulie
128. Oyosoro Ugabio
129. Patience Sunday Udoh
130. Peter Nosike
131. Philip Chukwu-Buka
132. Rev. Ayodeji Cole
133. Ruoel Dhose
134. Saka Otaru
135. Sarah Mshelia
136. Shaibu Memuna
137. Shaibu Sam
138. Shehu Saad Usman, Director Of Mainstreet Bank
139. Shobowale Femi
140. Somolu Oluwakemi
141. Sparagano Lawrence
142. Stamford Ogrutse
143. Sunday Enumah
144. Taiwo Lamidi
*145. Tony Madichie-Group company secretary and Legal adviser of NNPC got on an earlier flight and thus did not board this ill-fated flight
146. Wang Yu
147. Wasa Awyetu
148. Wasa Ruth
149. Xie Zhenfeng
150. Yusuf Ali
151. Yusuf Ibrahim
152. Zhai shutao

OVER 150 FEARED DEAD AS DANA PLANE CRASHED INTO BUILDINGS. LAGOS, NIGERIA

AFP NEWS-Nigeria began three days of mourning on Monday after a plane carrying 153 people plunged into a residential area of the country’s largest city of Lagos on Sunday, with all those aboard presumed dead.
The plane, which was flying to Lagos from the capital Abuja, crashed near the airport, damaging buildings and setting off an inferno in the poor and densely populated neighbourhood.
Several people were believed to have been killed on the ground, an emergency official said, while 10 burnt bodies were removed from a damaged building in the area, which was littered with plane debris including a broken wing.


President Goodluck Jonathan declared three days of national mourning and pledged a full investigation into Sunday afternoon's disaster involving a plane operated by domestic carrier Dana Air.
AFP news agency says chaos broke out after the crash, with rescue workers facing large crowds and aggressive soldiers while trying to access smoldering wreckage in the hunt for survivors.
The cause of the crash of the Boeing MD83 was unclear, but the emergency official as well as an aviation official said the cockpit recorder had been located and handed over to police.
Skies were cloudy at the time of the crash, but there had been no rain.
Nigeria has a spotty aviation record, although Dana had been considered to be a relatively safe and reasonably efficient domestic airline since it began operating in 2008.
Officials confirmed that no survivors from the plane had been found by Sunday evening, but said search operations were continuing.


"We presume they are dead," Tunji Oketunbi, spokesman for the country's Accident Investigations Bureau, told AFP news agency, adding that definitive casualty figures would only emerge after the search and rescue operation has been completed.

UNILAG STUDENT CLASH WITH POLICE - LAGOS, NIGERIA

Armed police officers, on Friday morning besieged the Moshood Abiola University, firing tear gas into the crowd of protesting students.

The police are reportedly shooting and throwing tear gas at the students who continued their protest against the renaming of the school, after suspending it to honour the former vice chancellor of the school who was buried on Thursday.

The students, who held Lagos to a standstill on Wednesday, allegedly commenced the peaceful protest on Friday, chanting anti-government songs.

However, thugs and area boys have allegedly hijacked the peaceful protest.

The protesters, according to a source, surrounded an armoured police truck and beat on it. Police fired tear gas and students responded with a barrage of stones.

Following the protests, academic activities in the school were suspended for two weeks. Students have also been ordered to vacate the school hostels by 2p.m. on Friday.

FIVE ROASTED IN MULTIPLE TANKER COLLISION . -LAGOS, NIGERIA

No less than five persons were roasted to death in the early hours of yesterday after a multiple accident that occurred at Ibafo, a few kilometers to the Redeemed Camp when a trailer loaded with PMS, popularly called petrol, rammed into some trucks parked along the expressway.

The accident, according to an eyewitness, occurred when a trailer with registration number, Kebbi, XB370ZUR rammed into some of the petrol tankers haphazardly parked on the sides of the expressway, creating a loud bang and in the process, causing the vehicles to discharge their contents on the road.

The witness confirmed that the tankers immediately gutted fire and burnt no less than five of the motor boys while it also burnt no less than nine of the trucks.

Many other road users were stranded as there was heavy grid lock of traffic on the road.Vehicles were diverted to other areas of the road to allow thoroughfare.

Many commuters were also seen trekking a long distance as the vehicles conveying them had to make detour to other routes.
Men of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency, TRACE and the police were seen controlling traffic.

Speaking with journalists, one of the FRSC officials who pleaded for anonymity said the accident occurred at around twelve in the morning and there was little the command could do to control the situation from degenerating to such a degree. He however thanked the fire service for its prompt response to the situation.

He said there had been several attempts by the FRSC to dissuade the tanker drivers from parking along the roads but many times, they resisted.

As at the time of filling the report, the roads were still blocked as FRSC, TRACE, police and fire fighters battled to put the situation under control.

How Abducted German Was Killed in Kano Crossfire

Edger Fritz-abducted and killed.

More facts emerged last night on the circumstances that led to the killing of an abducted German, Mr. Raupach Fritz Edgar, in a crossfire between security operatives and his abductors at the Kano hide-out of the terrorists.

Apart from Edgar, who was kidnapped in Kano on January 26 by the terrorists, four other persons lost their lives in the shoot-out.

THISDAY checks revealed that the German, who was an engineer on the employ of Dantata and Sawoe Construction Company Ltd, might have been hurriedly killed by the terrorists who had fallen under a heavy bombardment of the security forces that had traced them to their hideout at the Danbare Quarters, opposite Bayero University Kano (BUK).

“Upon search of the premises, the security forces found the handcuffed, gruesomely murdered corpse of an expatriate, later identified as the German national, Mr. Edgar, who was kidnapped since January 26, 2012 along Zaria bye-pass, Kano. The German was apparently killed by the terrorists on noticing the security forces,” spokesman of the Joint military Rask Force (JTF), Lt. Ikedichi Iweha, said.

It was further gathered that the terrorists, who were holding their “Sura Council” meeting (described as the highest decision-making organ) that had in attendance – the commanders and strategists – had their gathering cut short, when the security operatives swooped on them.

It was also learnt that, on seeing the military operatives, the terrorists opened fire that triggered what a source called an “equally high-calibre” response of fire by the operatives.

The JTF spokesman said in a press statement that: “At the early hours of this morning, Thursday, precisely at about 0635 hours, based on intelligence of an ongoing meeting of senior commanders of the terrorists elements, the JTF raided an enclave near Bayero University, Kano, new site, where the terrorists’ senior commanders were meeting.”

He further explained: “On sighting the security forces, the terrorist elements opened fire and threw improvised explosive devises (IEDs) on the security forces. The security forces responded immediately resulting in a gun duel that lasted for about 30 minutes. During the encounter five of the terrorists were killed.

“During a further search of the terrorists’ hideout, they recovered two AK- 47 rifles, huge quantity of ammunition, 36 hand grenade and improvised explosive devices stored by the terrorists for possible attacks against innocent persons and security personnel.”

A witness told THISDAY that sounds of heavy gunshots were heard in the area during the raid, while corpses of the killed terrorists were taken away in military vehicles.
The residence of the terrorists, which formed the operation ground of the gun duel, also attracted hundreds of people who had rushed there for an on-the-spot assessment or information on the attack.
Ibrahim Shuaibu-This Day