Welcome To Lekki Gist Blog: February 2016

Monday 29 February 2016

Woman Holding ‘Child’s Severed Head’ Threatens to Blow Herself Up Saying, ‘I am a Terrorist’

A woman has been arrested after she pulled a child’s severed head from her bag and threatened to blow herself up, shouting, ‘I am a terrorist’.

A video showing the disturbing incident near Oktyabrskoye Pole metro station in northwest Moscow.

She is suspected of killing the child when it was in her care, officials said.

The current economic downturn in Nigeria coupled with the epileptic rise and fall in the Dollars as against the Naira , has started reaping the positive effect in the mindset of the average Nigerian, as for once, citizens are beginning to look inwards , especially towards Made in Nigeria goods and services.

According to the Greek Philosopher Plato, "necessity is the mother of all invention"

An Initiative currently making rounds on the social media is the “Think Naija Initiative” , championed by the co-ordinator , Mr Kazeem Bello, a logistics guru, to drag the spotlight and the attention of the average Nigerian to places , sights and goods that are originally Nigerian.

Rapper-producer Dr. Dre first made it big with hip-hop group N.W.A. in the 1980s. He has also enjoyed success as a solo act and worked with Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.

Gangsta rap pioneer Dr. Dre was born on February 18, 1965. A music fan from the start, Dre started working as a DJ in his teens. His first major success came with the rap group N.W.A. and he later co-founded Death Row Records in 1991. In 1992, his first solo album, The Chronic, became a huge hit. Dre started up Aftermath Entertainment in 1996 and signed Eminem and 50 Cent to his label. He eventually co-founded the company Beats Electronics with Jimmy Iovine -- and made millions on its 2014 sale to Apple.

NCC confirmed it received N50 billion from MTN last wednesay in down payment to settle fines imposed on the firm, after it flouted regulatory directives to deactivate invalid sim cards on its network.

The Nigerian Communication Commission says a team of federal negotiators is deliberating terms under which the mobile communications firm MTN will pay a balance of N730 in fines.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi has charged Nigerians to strive to promote their mother tongues so as to guard against language extinction.

He said the most spoken languages all over the world today like English had its origin in Yoruba language.

The monarch advised Yoruba speakers all over the world to make use of the language as means of communication in their homes so it won’t go into extinction.

National Drug Laws and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Monday rearrested a drug suspect Michael Nwobodo Alli, 31, after breaking through a glass wall in an attempt to escape at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja.

He was found in possession of 81 pellets of hard drugs packed in a clean Parker Whisky carton along with boxes of chocolates in a duty free bag, spokesman of the anti-narcotic agency Ofoyeju Mitchell said in statement.

A new explosion has rocked a coalmine in Vorkuta, northern Russia, killing five rescuers and one miner. The blast occurred during efforts to rescue workers trapped underground after the first blast at the mine earlier this week.

Five people have been reported injured as a result of the explosion. Three of them have been receiving treatment in the hospital: two are in a state of medium severity, one is considered to be slightly injured.

The Emergencies Ministry has officially confirmed that none of the 26 miners whom the rescuers were trying to save from the first blast had survived.

A twin suicide bombing claimed by Islamic State killed 70 people in a Shi'ite district of Baghdad on Sunday in the deadliest attack inside the capital this year, as militants launched an assault on its western outskirts.

Police sources said the suicide bombers were riding motorcycles and blew themselves up in a crowded mobile phone market in Sadr City, wounding more than 100 people in addition to the dead.

A Reuters witness saw pools of blood on the ground with slippers, shoes and mobile phones at the site of the blasts, which was sealed off to prevent further attacks.

Footage shows crowds gathering outside the home of a 35-year-old who took his own life after going on rampage at family gathering.

A 35-year-old man allegedly murdered 14 members of his family including seven children with a butcher's knife before killing himself outside the Indian financial capital Mumbai, police said on Sunday.

The attack happened after family members gathered late on Saturday at one of their homes in Thane, 20 miles from Mumbai, for a family function, police said.

An Ohio man who nearly 40 years ago killed his roommate and ate part of his brain is under review for parole.

Sixty-year-old David Allen Chapin is serving life at a prison in Lima (LY'-muh) for shooting his longtime friend Donald Liming in the eye in October 1978, in a dispute over religion. The two 23-year-olds were sharing an apartment in Milford, in southwest Ohio.

A man and woman died Saturday in a one-car crash, authorities said.

Alec Leatherman, 21, of Wadsworth, and Halle Schmidt, 19, of Copley, both died at the scene of the crash, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The two about 8:30 p.m. were in a 2006 Nissan 300 Z speeding north on Hametown Road, the patrol said.

A childhood dream come true! Leonardo DiCaprio couldn't stop smiling as he went backstage after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role at Sunday, February 28's Oscars 2016 - admitting the entire experience felt "surreal."

And as he addressed members of the press, including Us Weekly, backstage at Los Angeles' Dolby Theater, the actor admitted that getting his part in The Revenant and his (eventual!) Oscar win at the 88th Academy Awards, was something he'd been dreaming of since he was a kid.

Chris Rock had the very tough job of hosting the Academy Awards on Feb. 28. Luckily, he had nothing but support from his fellow stars, hosts and comedians.

Chris totally had his work cut out for him hosting the Academy Awards on Feb. 28. This may have been the hardest show to host of all time thanks to the controversial #OscarsSoWhite movement. As an African American, he faced a lot of pressure to refuse to host the predominantly whitewashed awards show, but he stuck to his guns and made the most of his stint as host.

This is the moment that Kate Winslet was captured on camera tearing up as her good friend Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar.

The pair have been BFFs since filming Titanic in 1996, and it was obvious that Leo’s win also meant a lot to Kate, who had previously admitted she was only going to the ceremony so she could see him pick up the gong.

Leo’s win came after five previous nominations and the star received a standing ovation from the audience.

Life With Isis Was ‘Really Hard’, Says Swedish Teenager

A Swedish teenager who was rescued from Isis for the second time has described life under the so-called caliphate as ‘really hard’.

Marlin Stivani Nivarlain, 16, was rescued by Kurdish forces from Mosul, northern Iraq, earlier this month.

She told a Kurdish TV channel that the house she was staying in had no water or electricity and she had no money, and when she gained access to a phone she called her mother back in Sweden and said she wanted to come home.

BA were forced to remove a plane after bed bugs were found.Staff were alerted to the problem during a flight from the US to Heathrow last week.

The aircraft was removed from service and a specialist team treated it.A BA spokeswoman said two bed bugs were found and an investigation has been launched.

An 18-year-old girl who claimed she was gang raped by five teenage boys while she was with her father in a park has admitted to having consensual sex with her father in early January.

The unnamed girl originally claimed that she was with her 39-year-old father in the park drinking at about 9pm on January 7 when the group of teens approached them.

She said the boys ordered the father to leave and then they raped her.Subsequently, Denzel Murray, 14, Shaquell Cooper and Ethan Phillip, both 15, and Onandi Brown and Travis Beckford, both 17, were charged.

Drew Uyi, the C.E.O of Drew Uyi Media Management has become the International Manager of versatile comedian, actor, producer, TV presenter, and event host; Ayo Makun aka AY Comedian. The appointment was made public few hours ago.

Drew Uyi is a seasoned International Artiste Manager and Event Manager with a Degree in Event and Sports Management from London Metropolitan University (Class of 2005). He is an influential and respected figure in the African Entertainment scene in the UK.

Lawyers – We Can’t Bring Tompolo to Court

Two Lagos-based lawyers, Messrs Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, representing a former Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, who is on the run, have said it is not their duty to produce him before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

They pointed to Paragraph 3(b) of the Federal High Court Practice Direction 2013, which provided that, “On the date of first arraignment, the prosecutor must produce the accused person in court.”

Ecobank Nigeria Limited has confirmed reports that it had carried out a downsizing of its workforce. According to a report, 50 top management staff, whose ranks range from Assistant General Manager, Deputy General Manager and above, with monthly salaries ranging between N1 million and N2 million were affected in the retrenchment exercise this year.

The report said that the officials were handed their sack letters at the bank’s head office in Victoria Island, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria last Tuesday.

The headquarters of West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Accra, Ghana, has denied that its Registrar, Dr. Iyi Uwadiae, made any derogatory remark against the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, over an allegation of corruption levelled against an unnamed examination body.

The minister had, last week, while appearing before the Senate, accused the examination body in the country of drawing about N6 billion from the Federation Account for salaries and capital expenditure and made as much as N16 billion from sales of form, but only declare a surplus of N3 million annually.

At last, the embattled South African telecoms company, MTN Nigeria, has withdrawn its case against the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) at the Federal High Court, Lagos, in response to a request by the authorities. In addition, MTN said it has paid N50 billion to the Federal Government as a gesture of good faith and commitment to continued efforts towards an amicable resolution.

New Telegraph learnt that the N50 billion payment represents just about 6.4 per cent of the N780 billion, thereby cutting the balance to N730 billion. The move is seen as a renewed step towards a negotiated settlement and to create a conducive atmosphere for further negotiations.

Tragedy struck Tuesday in Ajao Estate area of Lagos State when a thug to an importer allegedly stabbed a man to death during an argument over goods.

The deceased, identified as Ifeanyi Nwoha, 29, reportedly went to 2nd Francis Warehouse in the company of two of his friends identified as Samuel and Tony, to off-load goods from a container.

A 32-year-old horticulture apprentice, Abeng Oji, who was alleged to have raped a six-year-old girl, was yesterday arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court sitting in Lagos.

The defendant, who hails from Obubra area of Cross River State, was however, granted N5 million bail by Magistrate W. B. Balogun, with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case to April 13 for mention.

Woman ‘Raped in Her Hospital Bed Just Hours After Giving Birth’

A new mother was allegedly seriously sexually assaulted in hospital shortly after she gave birth.

The 23-year-old woman was attacked in the intensive care unit hours after delivering her baby via caesarean section.

A teenage girl has died after getting electrocuted while charging her mobile phone in the bath.

The alarm was raised by her mother after she noticed her 14-year-old had spent a long time in the bathroom.

She called for her to come out but got no response.She forced her way inside and discovered her daughter’s lifeless body.

A jury in the US state of Missouri has ordered Johnson & Johnson (J&J) to pay $72m (£51m) to the family of a woman who claimed her death was linked to use of the company's Baby Powder talc.

Jackie Fox from Birmingham, Alabama died of ovarian cancer last year, aged 62, having used the talc for decades.

Her family argued that the firm knew of talc risks and failed to warn users.

At least three people were killed as several powerful tornadoes hit the southern United States on Tuesday, officials said.

Tornadoes lashed Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida, destroying homes and businesses.

The deaths occurred when mobile homes were destroyed in Louisiana and Mississippi, officials said.

Meteorologists said the storm system could hit Alabama and Georgia later on Wednesday.

US health officials are investigating 14 new reports of possible sexual transmission of the Zika virus.

The cases include several involving pregnant women, the CDC said.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) made the revelation while publishing new guidance on sexual transmission of the virus.

Rescuers in western Nepal have found the wreckage of a passenger plane which crashed killing all 23 people on board.

The Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Tara Air, was travelling from Pokhara to Jomsom and lost contact with the control tower shortly after taking off.

A new device that could help in the treatment of malaria has been developed.

The device, when properly used, could sieve malaria from blood. At least nearly 3.2 billion people worldwide are at the risk of developing the mosquito-borne disease, which killed close to 450, 000 in 2015, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted through the bites of infected female mosquitoes.

Buhari Orders Mass Sackings at Budget Office

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the complete purge of the Budget Office because of the discrepancies and padding of the 2016 budget.

Our correspondent gathered on Wednesday that the President handed down the directive following the embarrassment that the budget discrepancies had attracted to his government.

A 40-year-old man, Lukman Jimoh, aka Oyeolorun, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly killing his bosom friend, Remi Oloyede, aka Ora.

Jimoh reportedly cut off Oloyede’s ears and stabbed him in the neck and eyes during a fight on Monday on Adedoja Street, Mushin.

Residents were said to have stayed away from the duo because they both wielded bottles.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday grilled Rear Admiral Alison Madueke (retd.), for several hours at its head office in Abuja.

Madueke, who is the husband of the immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani, was said to have honoured an invitation by the commission.

The interrogation of Madueke, one of our correspondents learnt, followed the discovery of about $600,000 in his personal accounts.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday arraigned two Catholic priests — Reverend Fathers Silas Nweke and E.C. Obiorah — before a Federal High Court sitting in Awka, the Anambra State capital, for allegedly attempting to swindle some people in a cement deal.

They were arraigned on 35 counts in suit no FHC/Awka/75C/2012, bordering on obtaining by false pretences, popularly known as 419.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will on Saturday conduct 22 re-run elections across eight states of the federation.The rerun elections range from Senatorial, Federal constituency and State Assembly.

Eight Appeal Courts sitting in different parts of the country had ordered the rerun elections following the 2015 general polls and directed INEC to conduct them from January to March 2016.

The Nigerian army yesterday said troops of 81 Battalion and 251 Task Force Battalion, laid ambush against some Boko Haram elements at Komala and Musafanari general area coming from Sambisa forest.

A statement yesterday by army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman said the ambush party dealt with some terrorists on motorcycles and some were killed while others fled with gunshot wounds.

The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS will March 15 hear the case of retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, the National Security Adviser (NSA) to former Nigerian President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

The embattled former NSA is asking the ECOWAS Court for redress over alleged violation of his fundamental human rights.

Dasuki’s case is among the 45 cases from 10 Member States that have been scheduled for the first quarter of 2016 by the Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS.

Grammys 2016: Complete List of Winners!

For the fifth year in a row, LL Cool J will host the festivities — featuring performances from a staggering list of superstars, including Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Adele, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and more!

The full list of nominees is below, and there's some tough competition among the contenders. We’ll be updating this list as the winners are announced, so keep an eye on this story and check back throughout the night!

Prior to Monday night, Justin Bieber was 0-for-2 at the Grammys. But the polarizing pop star completed his latest comeback by winning the first Grammy of his career ,at the 58th Grammy Awards.

Bieber won best Dance Recording for his memorable guest appearance on Skrillex and Diplo's "Where Are U Now." The duo, also known as Jack U, earned the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album.

Beyonce made a rather grand entrance to the Grammys after skipping the red carpet.

The Formation singer kept fans guessing all night but eventually arrived to present the Record of the Year award to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars for Uptown Funk.

The rapper has made Twitter his new best friend in recent days - and last night's rant topped the lot.

Kanye West has defended himself after shocked fans reacted to the news he's $53million in debt - in his own, Kanye-style way.

The rapper announced he was heavily in debt recently in a string of social media posts, writing: "I write this to you my brothers while still 53 million dollars in personal debt... Please pray we overcome... This is my true heart..."

A man with a huge penis tattooed on his inner thigh – which put his own three-dimensional member ‘to shame’ – has been rescued.The ten-inch long, two-inch wide stiffy was drawn in blue ink on Greg’s thigh during a wild night out in Magaluf.

Waking the next morning with the image of a throbbing gland on his thigh, Greg did not remember his tattoo session and merely thought it was a pen drawing.

Rihanna has reportedly cancelled her Grammy performance right at the last minute.

An hour into the prestigious awards ceremony the singer allegedly bowed out of performing having arrived for rehearsals.

TMZ has claimed the singer has been suffering with bronchitis and is on strong medication. She allegedly arrived at the Staple’s Center where the 2016 ceremony was being held, but but avoided the red carpet and headed straight to rehearsals.

Kanye West has a typically up front solution to sorting out his personal debts – he reckons that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg should bail him out – with a bit of pocket money for change too.

The controversial rapper, who released a song called I love Kanye on his new album The Life Of Pablo, recently told his confused followers that he has accumulated a staggering $53 million worth of debts.

A four-year-old has won some serious son points by taking his recently-divorced mum out for dinner with his jar of pennies.

Emma Schofield said Max reduced staff to tears when he offered to pay for the meal on Sunday in Pizza Express, Torquay, Devon.They were so touched by his gesture they waived the cost.

Taylor Swift just got her own back on Kanye West while accepting the biggest award of the Grammys.

During her acceptance speech for album of the year she made a subtle/not subtle dig at the rapper in response to him name checking her on his new album The Life Of Pablo.

Former senate president, David Mark, has alleged a plot by the deputy governor of Benue State, Benson Abounu, and some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress to assassinate him ahead of Saturday’s rerun in the southern senatorial district.

In a statement by his media aide, Paul Mumeh, on Monday, Mr. Mark said the APC candidate for the election, Daniel Onjeh, through his campaign Director, Okpokwu Ogenyi, in connivance with the deputy governor, had allegedly hired the services of cultists to unleash terror in the district and in the process target him (Mark) for elimination.

Of the 26 Directors-General and Heads of parastatals sacked yesterday, no fewer than 10 may be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission(ICPC) for investigation, a source said last night.

It was gathered that President Muhammadu Buhari opted to give some of the chief executives the push, following reports of large-scale fraud in their agencies. One allegedly spent N200 billion on last year’s Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) presidential campaign.

Some of the former chief executives also awarded contracts to cronies.

Former Director of Military Intelligence, DMI, Major-General Letam Wiwa, yesterday, denied report of his arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, saying he was neither arrested nor detained.

The EFCC corroborated his position, saying the commission has no record of his arrest or detention.

Major-General Wiwa said: “There was not even an invitation, let alone an arrest. I was really surprised when I read the report and I guessed it must be a magic arrest.

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