Suspected Islamists kill 25 in northeast Nigeria: Police

Suspected Islamist gunmen have launched a series of gun and bomb attacks in a remote town along Nigeria's border with Cameroon, killing at least 25 people, police said on Saturday.The gunmen carried out four simultaneous assaults on Ganye in Adamawa state on Friday, opening fire on a bar, a bank, a prisoner warder and separately attacking a prison, Mohammed Ibrahim, police spokesman for the western Adamawa state said."Twenty five people were killed in total in four different simultaneous attacks by gunmen in Ganye," Ibrahim said.Members of insurgent group Boko Haram were the prime suspects, he said. Violence by Islamist insurgents in northern Nigeria is on the rise again after a brief lull.Three bombs exploded in the north's main city of Kano on Saturday, Kano state police spokesman Magaji Majiya said by telephone.One of the bombings was a suicide attack, but did not claim any lives apart from those of the bombers. However, a remote control bomb targeting a joint military and police checkpoint wounded several police, he said.A separate gun attack in the city's Dakata area killed one person on Saturday, he said.Majiya said four people had been arrested in connection with the attacks.THREATIslamist insurgent group Boko Haram, factional offshoots of it and related criminal gangs have overtaken militancy in the oil-producing southeastern Niger Delta region as the main threat to the stability of Africa's top energy producer.On Monday, a bomb blast targeting a bus park in an area of Kano mostly inhabited by southern Christians killed at least 25 people and wounded 65.Boko Haram, which wants an Islamic state in religiously mixed Nigeria, has killed many hundreds in gun and bomb attacks since it intensified its insurgency two years ago, including 186 people in a strike on Kano in January 2012, it's worst single attack.Its fighters operate across northern Nigeria and in neighbouring states Chad, Niger and Cameroon.On Monday, an audio tape emerged of a man saying he was the father of a family of seven French tourists kidnapped by Boko Haram militants. He read out a threat by them to increase kidnappings and suicide bombings in Cameroon, if authorities there detained more of the group's followers.The French family was kidnapped from north Cameroon last month but is believed to be being held in Nigeria.Increased kidnappings of Westerners has raised alarm that Nigerian Islamists - under the influence of other groups in the region like al Qaeda's north African wing - are turning their sights towards Western targets.

NUJ Condemns Abduction Of NTA Reporter In Akure

THE Nigerian Union of Journalists, Ondo State branch, has condemned the abduction on Thursday,
a practising journalist and nursing mother, Mrs. Olubunmi Oke, by unknown gunmen as she was
driving home from the premises of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Akure, Ondo State,
where she is a reporter and newscaster.
It was gathered that Oke was seized by a four-man gang of kidnappers who used their vehicle to
block her side of the road in front of a new popular hotel located along the road to Oba-Ile, a suburb
of Akure where her office is located.
The gunmen, after stopping her, were reported to have ordered her out of the car and drove her
away in their own vehicle to an unknown destination, leaving behind her baby and housemaid who
were in the car with her.
The NUJ yesterday said the Ondo State Police Command has recovered Oke’s car at Igbara-Oke, a
border town with Ekiti State.
The union in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, appealed to security
agencies to ensure that the abducted reporter is freed without harm.
According to him, “Mrs. Oke, a nursing mother was abducted shortly after she read the news on
NTA that evening and was with her child and housemaid when she was abducted and driven away
in her car, with the baby and maid dropped from the car.”
He added: “Her car has since been recovered along Igbara-Oke road at the outskirt of Akure,
leading to the suspicion that she may have been taken outside the state to an unknown
destination.
“The union has since informed the state government and the various security agencies in the state
on this unfortunate development.
“We condemn this barbaric act in its totality and we therefore seek the support of the security
agencies and the government in securing her release from the den of the kidnappers.”

Chinua Achebe's death is a loss for Africa, and the world

London: Nigerian novelist and poet Chinua Achebe, widely seen as a grandfather of modern African literature, has died at the age of 82, publisher Penguin said on Friday.Achebe made his name more than 50 years ago with his novel "Things Fall Apart," about an African tribe's fatal brush with British colonialism in the 1800s. It told the story of colonialism for the first time from an African perspective.A spokeswoman for his publisher, Penguin, confirmed his death but had few other details. She said the family would be releasing a statement shortly

INEC invites All Progressives Congress

Abuja -  The Independent National Electoral Commission has invited All Progressives Congress over the controversy surrounding the ownership of an acronym, APC, Punch reports.The other parties laying claim to the acronym include African Peoples Congress and All Patriotic Citizens.Meanwhile, the African Peoples Congress on Thursday in Abuja raised the alarm that some conspirators had infiltrated INEC in order to deny it accreditation.

Assad vows to ‘cleanse’ Syria

Damascus -Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Friday condemned a deadly attack on a mosque that killed more than 40 people including a top pro-regime cleric, vowing that Syria would be “cleansed” of extremism.“I present my condolences to the Syrian people for the martyrdom of Sheikh Mohamed Saeed al-Bouti, a great figure in Syria and the Islamic world,” he said in a statement issued by the presidency overnight.“Those who killed you think they are silencing the voice of Islam and belief in the Syrian nation... they killed you for raising your voice against their ignorant and obscurantist ideas which are intended to destroy the principles of our tolerant religion,” the statement added.“I swear to the Syrian people that your blood, and that of your grandson and all the martyrs of the homeland, will not be spilled in vain because we will be faithful to your ideas by destroying their extremism and ignorance until we have cleansed the country,” Assad said.His statement came after state media reported that a suicide bomber had blown himself up in the Iman Mosque in the central Damascus district of Mazraa.On Friday, state news agency SANA said the toll had risen to 49, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog putting the number of dead at 46.Bouti was Syria's most prominent pro-regime Sunni cleric, and his weekly sermons were frequently broadcast on Syrian television. He called on Syrians to join the army to fight the uprising against the regime and was reviled by the opposition. - Sapa-AFP

Boko Haram suspects arrested in Lagos

Lagos - Two suspected Boko Haram members were arrested by men of the State Security Service (SSS) at Ijora Badia area of Lagos, Vanguard reports.Arrested in the Lagos building were two persons; a Chadian simply identified as Aminu and another man from the northern part of the country whose identity could not be ascertained.Recovered at the end of the raid were AK 47 riffles and some explosives said to have been hidden inside the ceiling.

Musicians Accused Of ‘Buying Virtual Fans’ On YouTube

Some music artists are buying social networking statistics to get into the charts, a Newsbeat investigation has found. The statistics, which can be bought, include YouTube views, Twitter followers and Facebook likes.BBC Newsbeat has found that you can buy 10,000 YouTube views for as little as £30 (N7,500).There is also a market for buying comments to attribute to the views to help authenticate them.A data monitoring company based in America says that it has a list of artists who they believe are buying statistics to increase their popularity with record labels and radio bosses.Next Big Sound says it plans to release the information on which artists are doing it later this year in a report.Justin Bieber was discovered after clocking up millions of views with his YouTube videos and Conor Maynard was discovered by singer Ne-Yo because of the performances he had posted on the video-sharing website.Nineteen-year-old Jordan Allen is an unsigned singer/songwriter who lives in Leeds. Newsbeat asked him his opinion on artists buying their social networking statistics in the video above.On a recent tour in the UK, singer Ne-Yo signed a British singer/songwriter, Sonna Rele, to his Universal Motown Records label after discovering her on YouTube.Ne-Yo says being active on social networking platforms is important, but having high numbers isn’t an issue for him when he’s talent searching.Alex White is the CEO and co-founder of Next Big Sound, which gathers information on daily physical music and online consumption around the world.He wouldn’t name which artists he suspected had been purchasing its data, but said sometimes it was obvious to see that they had.Martin V is based in Ottawa in Canada and runs a company where people can buy tens of thousands of YouTube views and comments for less than £100.Twitter says using a company or a computer programme to increase your online activity on Twitter is against its rules.In a statement it told Newsbeat: “Twitter reserves the right to immediately terminate your account without further notice [if] you violate these rules.”Facebook told Newsbeat that gaining “likes” from people who aren’t interested in that page is “no good to anyone”.They advised: “If you run a Facebook page and someone offers you a boost in your fan count in return for money; walk away.“Not least because it is against our rules and there is a good chance those Likes will be deleted by our automatic systems.”YouTube agreed that purchasing views or any other channel data was against its rules and said if it found out it had been done they could go as far as terminating your account.Culled from BBC

Nigerian Idol 3: 6 contestants go traditional to celebrate NMC

From Ankara shoes to strictly local songs, contestants of  Etisalat Nigeria’s sponsored reality TV show, Nigerian Idol 3 gave their ethnic best in celebration of the Nigerian Music Week during the Top 6 Gala Show.The show opened with laughter when the audience viewed baby pictures of the three judges -Femi Kuti, Jeffrey Daniels and Yinka Davies  and host, Ill Rhymz. The judges welcomed ace broadcaster and voice-over artiste, Femi Sowoolu, who brought a fresh perspective to the show.‘Now we have two Femi’s! He’s Femi (British accent) while I’m Femi (Yoruba accent),’ Femi Kuti said.The contestants chose songs that paid tribute to Nigeria’s music industry, mixing old hit singles with the newest pop songs.Decked in ethnic but funky outfits, the contestants began performances with a cover of Odyssey’s ‘Going back to my Roots’. The Top six is made up of three ladies - Safeeyat, Debbie Rise and Efezino and three men, Jay Feel, Abasi Akang and Moses.The first performance of the night was by Efezino who did an impressive cover of Seyi Shay’s ‘Loving your Way’. With a red tint in his new hairstyle, Moses arrived next to throw the audience into a frenzy with his azonto dance steps, with the judges also joining him as he rendered a thrilling version of D’Banj’s ‘Oliver Twist’.  Debbie Rise, Jay Feel, Safeeyat and Abasi Akang performed songs by other popular singers including Omawumi and Chuddy K.One special outstanding feature of the night  was the special duet segment. The first duet was by an unlikely pair, Efezino and Abasiakan, who performed Asa and Jeremiah Gyang’s ‘

PDP denies involvement in formation of APC

Abuja - The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it is not involved in the formation of any other political organisation with the acronym APC as being speculated by some politicians.National Publicity Secretary of the party Olisa Metuh made this known in a statement on Saturday in Abuja."Our attention has been drawn to unfounded and vexatious reports claiming that the PDP is behind the identity tug of war by groups claiming the acronym APC."The reports have suggested that agents of our party are involved in the formation of the African Peoples Congress (APC) to frustrate the merger of opposition parties under the canopy of the All Progressives Congress," Metuh saidHe decried the dimension the report had assumed, especially within a section of the online media.He further said that contrary to allegations, the PDP e-mail address had never been made available to any external body for the purpose of disseminating information."For emphasis, the PDP did not at any time use its e-mail address to circulate the so called APC's press statement of 15th March 2013."Metuh, however, said the PDP usually circulated its statements to a wide network of e-mail contacts and had no control over who chose to make use of them."The fact, however, is that the e-mail in question did not originate from our domain."He reiterated that PDP welcomed a strong and virile opposition and could not be threatened by the emergence of any group.Metuh added that the party had no cause to frustrate any alliance as it had always defeated such coalitions in the recent past.He said PDP would remain focused on strengthening its bond with Nigerians.

Remodelled Kano Airport Offers Hope

Despite the challenge of insecurity that Kano, a city well known for its trade and commerce, have had to grapple with in recent times and the fading hope that MallamAminu Kano International Airport may never regain its former glory, after several years of neglect, AdeolaAkinremi reports that the remodelled Kano Airport now offers a glimmer of hopeAs night wears into the day, conversations shift effortlessly from what once described the metropolitan city of Kano -Boko Haram insurgency- to something cheering. The crowd began to breathe again. Like someone upon a midnight pillow they sighed. It was a sigh of relief.  Kabir Al-hassan, 65, from Tundun Wada saw the early days of MallamAminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) when it was built. He had travelled using the airport too. He saw it decayed with years without any thought by successive government to rebuild it. So, on Friday, March 15, when a remodelledMallamAminu Kano International Airport was unveiled to his eyes, in the waiting crowd that had gathered at the airport to gaze at it, Alhassan shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ meaning God is great.To the delight of the mammoth crowd, Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor, MallamSanusiLamidoSanusi, stepped forward in company with the Minister of Aviation, Ms. Stella Oduah to cut the tape declaring open a new look MAKIA. And when that happened, they did it to a thunder of applause and warm smiles from the crowd expressing acceptance.“The city of Kano truly deserves the transformation that has taken place at the MallamAminu Kano International Airport, being the cradle of civil aviation in Nigeria,” says Oduah whose aviation ministry seeks a revamp of 11 terminals across the country. “Ironically, the MallamAminu Kano International Airport has suffered considerable neglect in the provision of modern infrastructure with the result that the international terminal, as it was then, became too outmoded for effective service delivery.”She acknowledged that all the previous efforts made in the past to refurbish the terminal did not make any reasonable impact because the infrastructure had become too old. “International passengers were no longer getting value for their money due to poor terminal facilities,” she says.Truly, with the passage of time, MAKIA, that was once the second most active airport in Nigeria where more than half of the international flights into the country were landing and taking-off either as final destination, a transit or stopover field has become decrepit and somewhat a shadow of its former glory.According to Oduah, the poor state of infrastructure at the international terminal of MAKIA and other airports across the country, prompted President Goodluck Jonathan to quickly establish the Airport Remodelling Project to arrest the infrastructural decay in the industry. The project according to her entailed the restructuring and in some cases, outright reconstruction of existing terminals in all the airports managed by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), to make them compliant with current international standards and practices, in terms of facilities and service delivery. “It is also the expectation of government that all the airports terminals so remodelled will begin to make more tangible contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), through increase in private investments at our airports,” she enthused.And now, fascination is the word at MAKIA. More space and improved passenger flow with the aim of saving time and improving passengers tell the story of the new look airport. New shops, new services, faster formality clearance and a new and welcoming architectural environment have once more brought back the glory.Before moving on to their departure lounges, passengers can now enjoy retail opportunities through innovative model provided by a journey through stores and of course the design equally allows disembarking passengers into the arrival hall to arrive straight into the embrace arm of their loved ones.The managing director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), George Uriesi painted the picture of the new look airport with words.He says, “The remodelled international terminal of the MallamAminu Kano Airport is a huge improvement on the old terminal that we all used to know, with regard to ambience, facilities and seating capacity. The entire cooling system in the terminal was replaced with a new one, to ensure effective cooling at all times, especially at peak periods while a walkway was provided on the airside, to protect passengers from the elements since the terminal does not have avio bridges. This is aside from the installation of new conveyor belts, check-in counters, immigration counters, toilets, offices, shops and other related facilities.“One major feature in the remodelling of this terminal was the extension of the departures lounges to double its original size to accommodate more passengers, apart from the refurbishment of the upper section of the departures lounge where the VIP and protocol lounges are located. Government, through the foresight of President Goodluck Jonathan and the dogged determination of the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella  Oduah, has repackage the Aminu Kano International Airport into an airport of choice for airline operators, passengers and other aviation stakeholders, including potential private investors.“By embarking on this huge development project, the government throws a challenge to all stakeholders, including the people and Government of Kano State and government agencies, including FAAN, to take advantage of the modern facilities provided now at this airport to turn Kano State and other surrounding states into industrial and economic havens in line with the aerotropolis concept that has turned airports all over the world to meeting points of economic development.”Interestingly, one of the cardinal points of the aviation sector master plan has been to establish cargo airports in different geo-political zones of the country to act as processing zones for the exportation of perishable goods, especially food items to different parts of the world.Perhaps the remodelled airport now offers such respite for the pyramid city.A passenger at the airport, GodswillUdeme, says, “there  are great opportunity around here now. I can see ample opportunity for the resuscitation of the popular groundnut pyramids in Kano and the start of a kind of revolution in the production of such cash crops grown mostly in the northern part of the country as potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, lettuce, tomatoes and millet.”He adds: “The positive economic effect of this reality on unemployment and urban-rural migration will be huge too. I also know that once the issue of insecurity is arrested foreigners will come back because there is something about Kano that makes everyone come back to it. It’s its historical sites and business environment unique only to the city.”Last year, the airport was designated as cargo terminal to make it a hub for freight services and in particular to ensure that government loss of revenue in that area is addressed.The designation of MAKIA into a cargo airport, experts say will help raise the bar and help to develop the nation’s cargo export potentials, since a lot of perishable agricultural products emanate from the Kano axis.They argued it will also help to diversify Nigeria’s economic drive to a multi-pronged one, as against an oil and gas driven.“The development of cargo terminals will ensure farm to market for agricultural produce and it will generate more employment, help to empower the farmers, reduce waste and generate wealth for the entrepreneurs which will help to raise the gross domestic product (GDP) of the nation’s economy,” says Ibrahim Muhammed, an agriculture expert.MallamAminu Kano International Airport is the oldest in Nigeria, with operations starting in 1936. In the first decades of operation, the airport became an important fuel stop for airlines flying long-haul services between Europe and Africa, but much later many international airlines stopped serving the airport.Just like MAKIA, three other terminals have since been commissioned in Lagos, Abuja and Benin in what industry watchers says may become quick gain for the economy.

Fresh Crisis Claims 35 Lives In Plateau

A fresh clash between Fulani and Taroh herdsmen in Wase local government area of Plateau state has resulted in the death of over 35 inidivuals and damages including the burning of 15 houses.The incident happened after the killing of two men said to be of Taroh extraction by people suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.The men were allegedly killed while riding along the Wase – Kadarko Road.According to an eyewitness account, the crisis broke out at about 1. 45am on Wednesday when some youths invaded Fili Mavou, the hometown of the state Commissioner for Water Resources, Idi Waziri and burnt 15 houses.“Many people were killed before men of the Special Task Force raced to the village.” The eyewitness revealed.The Police Commissioner, Mr. Chris Olakpe, who confirmed the incident, stated that only eight people were killed. He also disclosed that the “Emir has had a meeting with local government officials and security operatives on how to stop the ugly incident from spreading to other areas.”“Yes there was an attack in Mavou community early this (Wednesday) morning and eight people have been confirmed killed. Operation is going on to control the situation.” Mr. Olakpe stated.Spokesman for the Special Task Force, Capt. Salisu Mustapha, said security personnel were deployed in the area following a distress call from the Mavo community.He revealed that three of the attackers were arrested but was remained silent on the number of casualties.Olakpe said, “our personnel were swiftly moved to the scene of the incident and they repelled the attack. Three of the suspected attackers were arrested and are currently undergoing interrogation.”He assured the comunity that the situation has been brought under control as normalcy has been restored and that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the other perpetrators.

Kano Bombing: Senate Warns Of Military Takeover

As the death toll in Kano bombings continue to rise, one of the Senators representing Kano State, Kabiru Gaya has warned of a military takeover of government if solutions are not quickly found to the bloody terrorism ongoing in Nigeria.Senator Kabiru Ibrahim GayaHe disclosed this while contributing at Wednesday’s Senate plenary on matters of urgent national importance.Senator Gaya, a former Governor of Kano State said Nigeria has gradually become a failed state.He notes how school teachers and kids in Kano no longer attend schools, like their Borno state counterparts, for fear of being bombed by Boko haram.Warning of dire consequences if solutions are not found to the intimidating bombings and terror attacks on Nigerians, the Senator feared that the country may drift apart.Uche Chukwumerije, who jointly moved the motion with Senator Gaya, claimed that about 100 to 120 persons had been confirmed dead in the Kano blast.TheSsenate asked the executive arm of government to diversify its approach to tackling the problem of insecurity in the country.Raising a point of order in the chamber, Senator Chukwumerije condemned Monday’s bomb attack on a motor park in Kano pointing out that 80 per cent of the victims were from a particular part of the country.He also expressed concern over what he termed the perceived indifference of Kano state government to Monday’s bombing of the motor park.He said it was sad that more than 24 hours after the destruction, the Kano state governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, had not seen it fit to pay a visit to the motor park.The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary, condemned the attack and asked the executive to effectively tackle the insecurity challenges in the country.

2015 Elections: - Atiku. Vows to kick against amendment to PDP’s constitution in favour of Jonathan

FORMER vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has said any attempt to amend the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in favour of the incumbent president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, in order to make him a sole candidate while excluding other presidential aspirants for 2015 election, would be a fight to the finish and an attempt that would be resisted by members of the party.Atiku said this against the background of speculations that the PDP was working to amend its constitution, so as to make the president a sole candidate of the presidential slot, in the event of his willingness to re-contest.Speaking with newsmen in Kano, Atiku said such action was grossly unconstitutional, adding that it would never be allowed to succeed.“My position is that, as far as PDP constitution is concerned, any attempt to change the rule to favour President Jonathan as a sole candidate in the event of his willingness to contest is unconstitutional.“The contest should be open to all who have desires to pursue ambition on the platform of the PDP. I don’t see any such amendment of the party constitution successful. We are looking forward to a successful transition in 2015,” he said.The former vice-president, who also faulted a statement credited to a commissioner of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to the effect that “there would be no election in the North in 2015 on account of the security challenges,” said it was an inaccurate statement.“Again, all these talks that there would be no election in the North on the account of Boko Haram insurgency is rubbish. I disagree with INEC on this issue,” he said.He also spoke on the allegation that INEC and some PDP stalwarts were working to thwart the successful registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC), adding that “a private investigation exonerated him from the allegation.”

Kano Blast: Death Toll Rises To 70

The number of casualties from Monday’s bomb blast in a luxurious bus park in Kano state, has risen to 70.Tobias Idika, the President of the Ohaneze Ndi Igbo and a witness to the blast told Channels Television that 70 people have been confirmed dead and residents are still trying to identify their relatives.According to Mr. Idika, five buses were fully loaded with passengers ready to take off when a golf vehicle suspected to be laden with explosives drove into the park and exploded.According to Mr Idika, many people died instantly while a yet to be known number of the people were admitted in hospitals across the state for various injuries.Suicide BombersThe state’s Commissioner of Police, Musa Daura, while addressing a news conference on Tuesday, claimed that only 22 people were so far discovered dead from the blast while 65 others sustained injuries.The Police boss revealed that two suicide bombers drove a blue coloured car into luxurious bus park along New Road in Sabon Gari of the city.He added that investigation is on-going to further ascertain the extent of the casualties.The affected area has been cordoned off and search operation by the Joint Security Forces is on-going.The Police commission has called on residents to keep calm and continue their normal businesses as the command will continue to protect their lives and property.Meanwhile a police woman Hajiya Maimuna who was attached to Zone One police headquarters in the state was shot dead along farm center within the metropolis this morning. 

The Swiss tourist rape: ‘Unfortunate’ for all the wrong reasons

The gang-rape of the Swiss tourist in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh was front page news in newspapers across the country. The reverberations of the shocking story were felt well outside India’s borders. Even friends from as far away as California, emailed me the story.
But while going through the newspaper, it  was an inside page that shocked me even more.
Under the headline of news about the Nation, there were eight stories. Six of them were about violence against women.
Apart from the rape of the Swiss tourist in Madhya Pradesh, a two-year-old girl was raped by a ward boy in Shajapur district in Madhya Pradesh while her mother was delivering another child. A villager heard the child’s screams and rescued her.
A 16-year-old girl from Moradabad set herself on fire after being allegedly molested by three boys. She died on Saturday at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital.
A 37-year-old woman who worked as a labourer got on a bus near Indore on Friday and was raped by the bus conductor, the driver and a passenger when it reached the terminal point. The passenger was allegedly drunk.
A 24-year-old researcher pursuing a Ph. D. in nanotechnology was found murdered in her lab in Agra with multiple stab wounds. Police said she had been tortured for about 30 minutes and are not ruling out sexual assault.

Protests following the Delhi gangrape incident. Reuters.

A 20-year-old girl died in Katni district in MP (again) when a youth whose marriage proposal had been rejected by her parents set her on fire.  That was a sidebar to a story where Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir warned against the “baying for blood” that is the “knee-jerk” reaction to these gangrapes.
Whether the media now has an unofficial “rape beat” or whether the December 16 gangrape has forced it to suddenly pay more attention to stories that were always there, one thing is tragically clear from this collection – rape is not an exceptional crime in this country. Nor is the harassment of women in public places.
“I feel like I’m living in a human zoo, a wandering attraction that invites attention, all of it unwanted,” writes Sarah Elizabeth Webb in The Hindu. “I can’t get up and move to a separate part of my cage to escape the negative attention because in my cage, there are no bars and the men simply follow.” That column was written before the Swiss woman’s rape, when the issue at hand was more about gaping and groping. But even Webb admits that for all the Hollywood stereotypes about the promiscuous Western woman “sexual harassment and sexual assault are not a unique experience to Western women in India.” It happens “across the board.”
The Swiss woman’s rape, which made frontpage headlines, was remarkable only because the victim was a Swiss woman. Her story is nightmarish but not so rare. The Madhya Pradesh  home minister Uma Shankar Gupta’s bland bureaucratic response is predictable, pushing the blame, yet again, towards the victim.
She didn’t follow the laws he said. As foreign tourists they were supposed to inform the police about their whereabouts. And he trotted out that same worn banal platitude that Manish Tewari of the Congress had managed to come up with after the Delhi gangrape – “unfortunate”.
“What happened is unfortunate for our nation,” said Gupta.
The subtext is it is “unfortunate” for our nation because now our Eat, Pray, Love image abroad is turning into Eat, Pray, Rape. It is truly  “unfortunate” because that crime is so unexceptional. The real shocker here is that this keeps happening over and over again, that even two-year-olds aren’t safe in a hospital.
That even after all the outrage over the Delhi gangrape in a bus what looks like a copycat rape happens in another bus. At least when it comes to follow-up, the Swiss woman is a little luckier than most. Her story became front-page news unlike the labourer in the Indore bus. An English-speaking academic was found to translate for the Swiss couple in the little town on whose outskirts she was raped. Six culprits have been quickly nabbed and the police say they have confessed to the crime.
Kader Khan, the main accused in the Park Street rape case from February 2012 in Kolkata is still missing though that trial is underway. No one has yet been arrested in the case of the three young sisters who were allegedly raped and thrown into the well in Bhandara.
Now a forensic report is contradicting the post-mortem report and saying the girls were not raped. Either way they are dead. And no one has been arrested. “The first day when we filed the complaint, the police didn’t act on it,” their mother told the media. “Had they looked for the girls, my girls would have been found.”
It’s not that the outrage over December 16 or the law the cabinet is trying to thrash out in an all-party meeting will be a magic wand that will suddenly turn rape into a rare and exceptional crime. But if the reaction from the authorities to an allegation of rape is quick, decisive and stops blaming the victim, that will be more than a step forward.
We should not be ashamed about what happened to the Swiss woman because she was a foreigner. The real shame is that an entire page in the newspaper is filled with stories about violence against women, stories from across the board, from a 2–year-old to a labourer to a Ph. D. student. And those were only the ones that were reported over one weekend.

Diaspora Group Criticizes Nigerian President’s Pardons

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s pardons last week of four individuals, including former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, continue to stir negative reaction.

US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland described the pardons as a setback in the fight against corruption.

The Council of Ogoni Professionals International, a Nigerian Diaspora group in the United States, also disagreed with the pardons.

Council member Anslem John-Miller said, instead of pardoning corrupt officials and giving amnesty to militants, Jonathan should have called for a judicial review of the trial and conviction of environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa.

Saro-Wiwa and his Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) campaigned for greater control over oil and gas resources on Ogoni land and against environmental devastation.

Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogonis were executed in 1995.  John-Miller said he contributed to the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.

“It’s not that we are totally against individuals being pardoned by the federal government, but we feel that individuals who have been convicted of a certain crime, particularly corruption, should have been made to face the consequences of their actions so as to serve as a deterrence to others,” he said.

John-Miller said, by pardoning people like Alamieyeseigha, the federal government is leaving an impression that it is not serious about the country’s ongoing fight against corruption.

Butty interview with John-Miller

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Doyin Okupe, Jonathan’s senior special assistant on public affairs was quoted as saying that Alamieyeseigha had been adequately punished for his action, and that he had been playing a quiet role in helping to stabilize the volatile Niger Delta region.

“You don’t just jump up to pardon people.  There should have been a judicial panel to review the charges against the individual and then, on the basis of the recommendation of the judicial panel, the charges can then be dismissed or those individuals can be pardoned,” John-Miller said.

He said Jonathan should have called for a judicial review of the case of Saro-Wiwa and the eight other Ogonis.

“This was a man (Saro-Wiwa) and other Ogonis who were killed unjustly by the Abacha military regime.  In fact, the issue of the Niger Delta is where it is today because of the effort of Ken Saro-Wiwa.  And it is an indisputable fact, and undeniable fact, that Ken Saro-Wiwa remains a prisoner of conscience until the day he died.  Why is it that the Jonathan Administration has refused to do anything about the case of Ken Saro-Wiwa,” John-Miller said.

He said his group is not calling for Jonathan to pardon Saro-Wiwa and the eighth other Ogonis because they believe Saro-Wiwa and the others were unjustly convicted and hanged.

“We cannot say he should be pardoned, and we not in the position to beg the Jonathan Administration to do that because the Jonathan Administration is there today because Ken Saro-Wiwa contributed immensely to the restoration of democracy in Nigeria, and the Ogoni have not benefited anything from the present administration, and it is high time that the government takes proactive steps to address the Ogoni Bill of Rights, he said.

The Ogoni Bill of Rights was presented to the Nigerian government in 1990.  It called for political autonomy to participate in the affairs of the Republic as a distinct and separate unit, provided that this autonomy guarantees political control of Ogoni affairs by Ogoni people; the right to control and use a fair proportion of Ogoni economic resources for Ogoni development; and, the right to protect the Ogoni environment and ecology from further degradation.

Boko Haram crisis: Nigeria summons US ambassador

Nigeria has summoned United States Ambassador Terence McCulley over his comment on the Boko Haram insurgency.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, who invited the Ambassador, discussed with him his comment, which the government said it was not comfortable with.

But a government source said despite the interaction, there was no strain in the two countries’ relationship.

Speaking in a telephone conference with journalists from four locations in West Africa on Thursday, Ambassador McCulley said: “The Boko Haram phenomenon has not stopped as a result of the operation going on in northern Mali. I do believe that Nigerians feel that there is a link between extremist activity in the Sahel and in their internal extremist insurgency.

“The government of Nigeria clearly needs to address this issue with what we call a multi-pronged approach that focuses generally on the security threat that Boko Haram represents. Also, in addressing economic and social conditions that exist in the North, communicating to northern populations, who have suffered most from the deprivations of these extremist attacks.”

A source in the ministry, who pleaded not to be named because he is not authorised to speak officially, said: “It was shocking to the government for the Ambassador to have faulted our approach to the Boko Haram crisis. Apart from demanding a new approach to Boko Haram, he expressed doubts that the ongoing intervention in Mali might not solve the crisis.

“We felt the Ambassador did not explore appropriate diplomatic channels to air his views on such a volatile matter.

“But when the Ambassador came, he told the Minister that he was misquoted. He took time to explain what he meant during a telephonic conference call with journalists.

“So far, I can tell you that the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Ambassador had fruitful interaction. There is no cause for alarm at all in our relationship with the US.”

Asked if it was right to invite the Ambassador, the source asked: “Is it bad to seek clarification on any issue or comment? We need to find out if the US is not on the same page with us on Boko Haram menace.

“We are concerned because the US is a member of the UN Security Council which approved the intervention in Mali.”

Also on Friday, the Foreign Ministry summoned a top U.S. diplomat over the U.S. Embassy’s Twitter account critical of the unconditional pardon given to former Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, who was convicted on corruption charges.

Two short tweets were published by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja. The first said the U.S. was “deeply disappointed” over the Alamieyeseigha pardon.

The second tweet simply said: “We see this as a setback in the fight against corruption.”

The Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying it was urgently calling James P. McAnulty, the U.S. deputy chief of mission, for a meeting. The statement called the U.S. remarks “undue interference and meddlesomeness,” since the president had followed the provision of the Nigerian constitution granting him the power to issue pardons.

“The ministry finally expressed the hope that the embassy of the United States of America would henceforth desist from making unwarranted comments on Nigeria’s internal affairs, which are capable of undermining the friendly relations that exist between them,” the statement said.

The search for the bodies of the seven hostages allegedly killed by Jama’atu Ansarul Musilimina Fi Biladis Sudan (a.k. a Ansaru) has not yielded results.

It was also learnt that US drones are not in Nigeria to track down Boko Haram leaders.

A Foreign Affairs Ministry source, who spoke with our correspondent, said: “The Federal Government is aware that there are US drones in Niger Republic and not in this country as being insinuated.

“We have not entered into any agreement with the US to establish a drone base in this country.

“We understand the apprehension of some Nigerians because we share borders with Niger Republic. So if the drones are patrolling towns and villages close to Nigeria, people are bound to be concerned.”

The search for the bodies of the seven hostages killed by Ansaru has not yielded results.

Besides Nigerian security agencies, all the foreign missions with nationals among the hostages are carrying out investigations into where they were killed, what has become of their bodies and how to retrieve the remains of the victims.

Those purportedly killed were three Lebanese and one each from Britain, Greece, Italy and the Philippines.

They were all employees of SETRACO , a Lebanese construction company.

Also, there were indications that the United Nations might float a peacekeeping operation in Mali from July.

According to the UN news service, the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Edmond Mulet, gave the hint in Bamako on Saturday after a week-long assessment visit to Mali.

Mulet said: “July could see the transfer of African-led International Support Mission in Mali (AFISMA) to a UN stabilisation mission

“Any UN force would be limited and focus on supporting the Malian authorities and protecting civilians.

“The sovereignty of Mali is the main objective of this international support,” Mr. Mulet said.

“It is not to create a buffer between the north and the south. The members of the Security Council and the member states are very clear on the need for Mali to extend its authority over all its territory,” he added.

The News Service said the 15-member UN Security Council would be required to vote on any UN presence in the country.

“That authorization is likely to be up for debate following a report from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon due on 27 March. Following Security Council approval, it would take approximately another two month to deploy a force to Mali,” the News Service added.

Dana Airline Suspended Again

 

An air travel agency has been re-suspended six months after it was allowed to restart operations following a crash of one of its air crafts in June 2012 that resulted in the death of 153 passengers and 10 others on ground, the airline said on Sunday.

Dana Air said in a statement it did not know the reason for the suspension by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

In June, Dana Air flight 992, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83, crashed into an apartment block in a populated Lagos suburb, killing 153 people on board and 10 others on the ground.

Dana was suspended, but was allowed to start flights again in September, despite an inquiry into the cause of the crash not yet being complete.

President Goodluck Jonathan sacked the Director General of the NCAA last week and has proposed Captain Fola Akinkuotu as replacement to the Senate.

A statement by the Head, Corporate Communications, Dana Air, Mr. Tony Usidamen, said, “We regret to announce the temporary suspension of our flight operations following a directive from the Ministry of Aviation through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on Saturday, March 16, 2013; no specific reason was given for the action.

“A meeting is, however, scheduled between the management of Dana Air, the Ministry of Aviation and the NCAA on Monday, March 18, and we will update you as we get more information. We thank you for your patience and understanding, and we look forward to having the pleasure of welcoming you on board again shortly.”

The Senate Committee on Aviation had a few months ago recommended that the Federal Government should revoke the operating licence of Dana Air, saying it was not issued in line with standard safety procedures.

The committee also recommended the removal of the former DG of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren.

Low Voters Turnout For Abuja Area Council Elections

Many of the polling stations within and outside the city centre recorded low turn-out of residents for accreditation and voting.When Channels Television visited some centres around the city, it was observed that electoral materials arrived before 8am in many centres but few registered voters turned up for accreditation.However while some people believe that the incredibly low turn-out of voters is as a result of failed promises by the council leaders over the years, others simply commend the FCT INEC for the smooth organization of the elections so far.By 12noon some of the centres in Bwari area council rounded up accreditation and commenced voting.In other polling units in the outskirts of Abuja, the crowd surged, defying the extreme heat to ensure their participation in the electoral process.Security operatives were helpful in some situation and voting went on smoothly as many of the electorates queued to cast their vote while those that had already cast their votes waited patiently, vowing to ensure they see process to its end.Figures from most of the centres recorded thousands of registered voters but less than four hundred eventually casted their votes.Inspite of this disappointing response, what is certain for these grass-root dwellers is that they have been guaranteed an atmosphere for a free and fair area council election.Meanwhile the Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCT Mr Femi Ogunbayode has revealed that there was no security breach during the conduct of the f.c.t. area council elections.Speaking to journalists while he monitored the election, Mr Ogunbayode said that police officers were deployed to polling centres to forestall any break down of law and order.He also commended political parties for the conduct of their party agents at the various polling centres.The Police boss also commended Abuja residents for turning out for the election especially in the rural communities and also conducting themselves during the process.Abuja, the nation’s capital is currently made up of six local councils, comprising the Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, Kuje, Abaji, Bwari, Gwagwalada and Kwali.The major contenders in the local polls are candidates of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria People’s Party(ANPP), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and United Progressive Party (UPP).The PDP, ANPP, and ACN are producing the highest number of candidates with 74, 82 and 62 respectively, while the National Conscience Party (NCP) presented the lowest with two candidates.

'Oga at the top' speaks from Abuja

*No punishment for Commander Shem since he committed no crime.*NSCDC suspect that the Oil thieves are behind the social media attack.*until his resumption of duty in Lagos, the crime against Nigeria’s economy was swept under the carpet. How can this hero who means business in fighting oil theft, be paid this way?Officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) and the Civil Defense has broken their silence over the Lagos State commandant of the corps, Mr Obafaiye’s ‘My Oga At the Top’ saga.The NSCDC official condemned what he described as unholy celebration of a minor error, advised Nigerians to stop falling prey of the antics of mischievous persons who had chosen to sponsor the “dirty harassment in the social media, in a bid to halt the commandant’s openness in handling oil thieves.”They claimed that “the speculation of the error in the social media was the handiwork of vandals and their godfathers”.Do not be surprised that even the so-called chief executives of some agencies until now, did not know their websites.I am not saying that this is an excuse but I am saying that his personality should not have been dragged into the mud.247NaijaGossip was enlightened about Mr Obafaiye, whom the officer said,”as you may be aware, until his resumption of duty in Lagos, the crime against Nigeria’s economy was swept under the carpet.But how can this hero who means business in fighting oil theft, be paid this way? Those vandals should stop crying wolf over nothing.”He also noted that the man in question is a patriotic Nigerian who does his job with diligence and passion and should be celebrated instead of being maligned.Asked if he sensed any fowl play with the interviewers, he posited: “Well, what I do not understand is whether embarrassing their guest is part of their organisation’s goal and mission statement. I will however leave them for the public to judge.”The NSCDC officers maintained that there is no disciplinary measure against the Lagos commandant, as he did not commit any offense.

presidency finally Speaks on Alamieyeseigha state pardon

The Presidency yesterday ended its long silence over the state pardon granted Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, saying the
decision was taken to re-integrate ex-convicts who have shown penitence into the society.
A Presidential spokesman Doyin Okupe, in a statement in Abuja, said the pardon granted to eight Nigerians including the former
Bayelsa State governor was approved by the Council of State on Tuesday.
There was no official announcement of the pardon until yesterday morning when Okupe appeared on Channels TV.
Others who were pardoned include the late General Shehu Yar'Adua, former Bank of the North managing director Mohammed
Bulama, retired General Oladipo Diya, Major Bello Magaji, the late General Abdulkareem Adisa and Muhammad Biu.
Criticism against President Goodluck Jonathan followed the decision on Tuesday, with senior lawyers and politicians saying
the pardon to Alamieyeseigha amounted to encouraging corruption.
In his statement in response to the trailing criticism, Okupe defended the President, saying the decision was not his alone but a
collective one by the Council of State.
"The state pardon given by the Federal Government to some Nigerians who had been convicted of various crimes was not a
unilateral action of President Goodluck Jonathan but a decision considered and approved by the Council of State which is
constitutionally empowered by the 1999 constitution to do so," he said.
He said the council, which comprises the President, Vice President, all former presidents, former chief justices of the Nigeria, the
leadership of the National Assembly and all state governors, does "not take decisions on impulse but rather after due
considerations of vital issues connected with taking such decisions."
He said the eight Nigerians who were granted pardon were approved after "thorough deliberations by the statesmen and that
there were many other names that were not approved by the council".
Alamieyeseigha, who served as governor of Bayelsa State with Jonathan as his deputy from 1999 to 2005, was impeached and
later convicted for corruption. With the state pardon, he is now freed of the constitutional ban from holding public office in the
future.
Defending the pardon granted to the former governor, Okupe said "the very idea of a pardon shows that it was meant not for the
innocent but for those who might have been found guilty of some offences and have either finished serving their sentences or in
the process of serving those sentences."
He added: "The framers of the Nigerian constitution envisaged the need for some ex-convicts to be re integrated back into
society especially if they have shown penitence and willingness to contribute positively to societal growth."
'Wrong, shocking, disappointing'
In his reaction yesterday, former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, said
the pardon to Alamieyeseigha was a setback to the fight on corruption.
Ribadu was the EFCC chairman when the commission was believed to have engineered Alamieyeseigha's impeachment in 2005
and then prosecuted him for large-scale corruption. The former governor pleaded guilty to some of the charges in 2007 in a
plea bargain that saw him forfeiting property worth billions.
Speaking to the BBC Hausa radio yesterday, Ribadu said he was saddened, shocked and disappointed when he heard of the
pardon granted to Alamieyeseigha.
He said the action was capable of discouraging the fight on graft, and will send the wrong signal to the EFCC and other anti-
corruption agencies that they are simply wasting their time.
Also reacting, senior lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) said the state pardon extended to some of the convicts showed the reign of
impunity in the country.
In a statement in Lagos yesterday, Falana said those who are opposed to the pardon should be prepared to join the struggle for
the establishment of a new legal system which would not recognise sacred cows among convicts.
"But under the current political dispensation the exercise of the prerogative of mercy in favour of some convicted members of
the political class is an admission of error on the part of the federal government. In other words, the Presidency has said it loud
and clear that these Very Important Personalities should not have been jailed in the first place!," he said.
He said while some of the persons involved in the exercise may be deserving of pardon, the Council of State lacks the power to
grant pardon to any person convicted of a criminal offence.
"Being an advisory body the Council of State cannot usurp the powers of the President to exercise the prerogative of mercy on
convicted persons. To that extent the decision of the Council of State to pardon certain members of the ruling class is illegal
and unconstitutional," Falana said.
For his part, former Police Affairs Minister Broderick Bozimo said the pardon to Alamieyeseigha was overdue.
Speaking to news men in Yenagoa, Bozimo said the former governor deserved the pardon having contributed to the
development of the Ijaw nation.
"We used to hail him as the governor general of the Ijaw Nation. He is held in very high esteem among the Ijaw nation. It's a
healthy thing. People are human. You must make mistakes," he said.
Former gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Bayelsa State, Price Okuboesi Jack, also
described the pardon for Alamieyeseigha as "a good and wonderful thing for Bayelsa State."
But the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) called on President Jonathan to rescind the pardon granted
to Alamieyeseigha and Bulama or face legal action.
SERAP's Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, in a statement, said the pardon granted the two "amounts to an arbitrary
exercise of powers, which can only continue to weaken the rule of law, deny justice to the victims of corruption, and entrench a
culture of impunity of the country's leaders."
The group threatened "national and international legal actions to challenge this fragrant abdication of legal and moral
responsibility to combat corruption, which can only ensure that high ranking corrupt officials profit from their crime."

CHINA CONGRATULATES NEW POPE

BEIJING (AP) — China has congratulated former Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio on his election
as pope, but says its long-standing conditions for establishing formal ties with the Vatican remain
unchanged.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Thursday that Beijing hopes the pope will work
with Beijing to improve relations. However, she repeated Beijing's long-standing demands that the
Vatican cut ties with Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that China claims as its own territory,
and not interfere in China's internal affairs.
The Vatican has said it is prepared to sever ties with Taiwan if Beijing provides assurances that
Chinese Catholics will be allowed to worship freely and without Communist Party interference. The
sides have not had formal ties since China ordered Chinese Catholics to cut links with the Holy See
more than 50 years ago.