40 students killed by Gunmen in Adamawa

Reports from Mubi, Adamawa state say some unknown gunmen men Monday night raided some apartments that hosts numerous students of tertiary institutions at Wuro Patuji, a suburb of Mubi town and allegedly killed about 27 students suspected to be students of Federal Polytechnic Mubi.

Witnesses said the attacks took place between 10 to 11 pm Monday night. Another witness says he suspect that over 40 students must have been killed.

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Sources Confirm that Ihejirika may emerge next Chief of Defence Staff

Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika:

INCUMBENT Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, may become Nigeria’s next Chief of Defence Staff.

If appointed, Ihejirika would be making another history  as the first Chief of Defence Staff from the South -East. He is the first from the zone to be made the Chief of Army Staff in 2010.

Investigations revealed that the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, who has put in 35 years in service, may soon vacate the position.

Besides Ihejirika, the other service chiefs are Vice-Admiral Ola Ibrahim of the Nigerian Navy and Air Marshal Diko Umar of the Air Force.

According to military sources, the new change may be announced on October 4.

Petinrin and the three service chiefs were appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan in September, 2010.

Investigation revealed that Ola, the current Chief of Naval Staff, and Ihejirika  are the two topmost contenders to the highest military position in the country.

Although, the Naval Chief is the most senior of the three service chiefs currently, military sources said Ihejirika had better chances to take over from Pentirin.

The sources were, however,  silent on the odds against the Navy Chief.

It was learnt that the President, in appointing the CDS, is usually guarded by certain factors such as seniority and an unwritten principle of rotation in the Armed Forces.

According to the source, Umar has very slim chances  apart from the fact he is the third in terms of seniority among the service chiefs.

Umar’s chances are further  said to diminish as Pentinrin and the  former CDS, Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike, who handed over to him in 2010, came from the Air Force.

Before Petinrin’s appointment, the expectations were that Dike was going to hand over to a Naval officer but that did not happen.

Between 1999 and 2012, the country has had six Chiefs of  Defence Staff out of which only one is from the Navy.

While the Army has produced three CDS, the Air Force has produced two.

The former Chiefs of Defence Staff are Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi (1999-2003), Gen. Alexander Ogomudia (2003-2006), and Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, June 2006 – May 25, 2007.

Others are Gen. Owoye Azazi (May 25,2007 –Aug 20, 2008), Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike (August 20, 2008-September 8, 2010 and Petinrin, September 8, 2010 – date.

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Saudi Arabia deports many more female pilgrims

A statement issued in Abuja on Monday and signed by Malam Uba Mana, the commission’s Head of media, said the development came after the resumption of the transportation of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

According to the statement affected pilgrims were from Kebbi, Kaduna and Niger States.

It said that the air carriers had been directed to return pilgrims without proper documentation.

It further said that NAHCON had successfully transported 3,786 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia since the resumption of the Hajj flight operation on Sunday.

The carriers had operatedeight flights into Saudi Arabia since Sunday, the statement said.

It also said that the success recorded was largely due to the directive to state pilgrims’ welfare boards and agencies, to ensure that only female pilgrims who had the appropriate Mahram (male guardian) were boarded.

The commission, however, appealed to all state Pilgrims Welfare Boards and agencies to comply with the circulars earlier sent to them regarding the marching of female pilgrims with their appropriate Mahram and to ensure that they travelled on the same flight.

The statement said that the commission would continue to deploy its staff at all hajj reception centres together in addition to the support of members of the immigration service and air carriers, to ensure full compliance with all necessary travel requirements.

Bayelsa to honour ex-convict, Alamieyeseigha, Abacha

An ex-convict and former governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, will be honoured by the state, current governor, Seriake Dickson, announced on Monday.

Mr. Alamieyeseigha, who has also been indicted of corrupt activities in England and the United States, will be acknowledged for his “commitment to the Ijaw struggle,” Mr. Dickson announced, Monday morning, during his address to mark the state’s 16th creation anniversary.

Mr. Dickson, in the announcement, broadcast on the state’s local radio station, said an auditorium in the Ijaw National Congress, INC, secretariat, built by the state, will be named after Mr. Alamieyeseigha, the first civilian governor of the state.

A Global criminal

In July 2007, Mr. Alamieyeseigha pleaded guilty to a six- count corruption charge before a Nigerian court; and was sentenced to two years in prison on each charge. He also forfeited many of his asset to the Federal Government which were subsequently returned to the Bayelsa State Government.

Before pleading guilty to the charges in Nigeria, the former governor jumped bail in the UK, in December 2005 and absconded by allegedly disguising himself as a woman. Mr. Alamieyeseigha, who is infamous for the disguise, however, denies he ever presented himself as a woman to evade arrest.

Mr. Alamieyeseigha was detained in London on charges of money laundering after Metropolitan police found about N253 million in cash in his London home at the time of his arrest. Later the police found a total of N457 million in cash and bank accounts. He also had real estate in London worth N2.538 billion.

He is still wanted in the UK and could face prosecution if he ever ventures there again.

On June 28, the United States Department of Justice announced that it had seized $401,931 in asset traceable to Mr. Alamieyeseigha.

US prosecutors had filed court papers in April 2011 targeting a Massachusetts brokerage fund and a $600,000 Maryland home, which they said were the proceeds of Mr. Alamieyeseigha’s corruption back home.

Despite Mr. Alamieyeseigha’s criminal past, the Bayelsa State Governor insists he is a “pillar” of the Ijaws; and would honour the former’s accomplishments with INC building which the former started as a governor.

Mr. Alamieyeseigha is also a close ally of President Goodluck Jonathan. Mr. Jonathan was selected by Mr. Alamieyeseigha as deputy governor to the latter in 1999, a position he held until the ex-convict was impeached from office in 2005, after which Mr. Jonathan became governor. Both men are still very close, with Mr. Alamieyeseigha playing an advisory role during Mr. Jonathan’s presidential election in 2011.

Immortalizing Abacha

It is not only an ex-convict that Bayelsa State would immortalize. The state will also immortalize a former dictator who has been indicted of looting Nigeria’s treasury and from whom several millions of dollar have been recovered.

Bayelsa will immortalise late Sani Abacha, Nigeria’s former head of state that died in office 1998 while trying to perpetuate himself in office.

Mr. Abacha, as Head of State, announced the creation of Bayelsa in 2005. To honour the former dictator, the Bayelsa Governor announced that he would name a planned 150-duplex housing estate after him.

Bayelsa state, in partnership with the INC, also named the main auditorium of the INC secretariat after the dictator.

A memorial tree would also be planted for the same purpose.

Controversial governor

This decision to honour an ex-convict and a former dictator is not the first controversial decision Mr. Dickson would be taking in his less than one year in office.

Shortly after assuming office, the governor appointed the president’s wife, Patience Jonathan, as a permanent secretary in the state. This drew the ire of citizens, criticizing the move as patronizing and seeking to curry favours from the president.

The governor has also just returned on Sunday from his trip abroad, where he allegedly went to “woo foreign investors.” This trip had fuelled speculations that he was away on failing health grounds. The governor has, however, denied that he was ill.

The governor would also, for the first time since floods inundated some communities in the state, conduct an assessment of the affected communities. He earlier said the issue of flooding is not peculiar to Bayelsa State; but a global phenomenon caused mainly by global warming and other issues related to the environment.

Cristiano Ronaldo demanding for £400,000 a week at Real Madrid

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo wants to become the first footballer to earn £400,000 a week, according to an ESPN source.

Because of Spain’s punitive tax laws, Ronaldo would need to break through the £400,000-a-week barrier for a big pay rise to take effect.

As Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain look on with interest, negotiations to secure Ronaldo’s future at the Bernabeu have got under way.

Ronaldo has issued a public statement insisting that his remarks about his “sadness” at the club were not related to finance.

But the source said he would want to double his current salary, and this would help to convince him the club was willing to fight for his future.

The Portugal international had been the world’s best-paid player when moving to the Bernabeu on a £200,000-a-week deal in 2009, but he has since slipped down the pecking order, with the likes of Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Neymar and Wayne Rooney all earning more.

Additionally, Madrid currently own 50% of Ronaldo’s image rights, and he has overtaken David Beckham as the game’s most lucrative commercial property in terms of shirt sales.

Ronaldo remains under contract until 2015, and his buyout clause would appear prohibitive even for the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. A move to Russia or China would not appeal to him, ESPN understands