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A   Lagos-based female suspected robber  identified as Ikechukwu Abigael yesterday caused a stir at Ogun state governor’s office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta when she  attempted to steal a  car parked within the vicinity. Luck however ran against the middle-aged woman when men of the  Nigerian Security and Civil Deference Corp (NSCDC), Ogun state command burst the alleged robbery operation. Ikechukwu,32, was reported to have  attempted  to steal money from the  car which was parked at the governor’s office before she was apprehended. The robbery suspect  was said to have used a master key to open the door of the Mazda 626 car with registration number; (Lagos) CV 243 MUS belonging to Alhaji Imran Oke. According to an eye witness who pleaded anonymity,  the robbery  suspect  had stolen  a  sum of N98, 000 from the car parked at the portion of the governor’s office which housed the NSCDC and the State Universal Bas...

Maintenance work on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos will begin today, following a flag-off of the job yesterday by the Minister of State for Works, Bashir Yuguda. The 11.8 kilometres Third Mainland Bridge is the longest in Africa and the repair work that begins today would cost the government N1,055,477,608.16. The contractor, Borini Prono would mobilise to site today and the maintenance work is expected to be completed in November, this year, said Yuguda, who chaired a stakeholders' meeting before the flag-off. The minister said "security and traffic management issues had been addressed in the series of stakeholders' meetings held in anticipation of the repair work." He said alternative routes available for use during the period are; Ikorodu Road-Yaba-Oyingbo-Iddo-Lagos Island; Ikorodu Road-Western Avenue-Lagos Island; Agege Motor Road-Oshodi-Apapa-Lagos Island/Victoria Island and Apapa-Oshodi Expressway-Mile 2-Orile-Lagos Island/Victoria Island. Pres...

SSS has arrested some members of a gang who specialize in the making of fake currencies in Lokoja, Kogi State. The state Director, Mike Fubara who paraded one of them said the suspects were arrested after it was observed that fake currencies have been in circulation in the state. According to him, one of the gang members, Ugbeda Samuel Aba was the first to be arrested after depositing N40, 000 fake notes into an account in one of the new generation banks. Fubara further explained that the arrest of Ugbeda was used to lure other members of the gang which led to the arrest of another and one of their conveyors, Dada Gbenga, a graduate of Geology from the University of Ado Ekiti,(UNAD). Speaking with journalists, Dada who said that he was only used to convey money to their members across the country said one Iya Ibeji" was the one who asked him to give the fake N400, 000 of N1000 notes and $200 fake dollars to Abdul for onward transfer to Maiduguri. Unknown to Dada, the ...

An Umuahia Magistrate Court presided over by Mr. John Ukpai has sentenced a pregnant woman, Ijeoma Amarachi and Johnson Ndubuisi  to 10 years imprisonment for attacking Mr. Anyalewechi Onwuchekwa with acid. The court found them guilty of attempt to murder their fellow worker  by pouring acid on him.   Both Ijeoma Amarachi, Johnson Ndubuisi and Anyalewechi were staff of BAWAS Petroleum Ltd,Umuahia. Ijeoma Amarachi, 25 (F), and Ndubuisi Johnson 27 (M) were charged on two count charge of conspiracy and attempted murder of one Anyalewechi Onwuchekwe, all staff of Bawas Filling Station at Umuabali, Umuokpara in Umuahia North Local Government Area, Abia state. The prosecution claimed they committed the offence at Bawas Filling Station on September 13, 2008. Delivering the judgment, Chief Magistrate John Ukpai, said his court after reviewing the submissions by the prosecution and defence counsel was convinced that the accused persons committed the offence as charged. ...

Imo State government says it has, in collaboration with four foreign based universities, concluded plans to establish four new universities in the state this year. Disclosing this cheering news to newsmen in Owerri before he left for Lagos, Governor Rochas Okorocha said the arrangement was in line with the free education programme of his administration for Imo children. "The measure would help accommodate the overwhelming number of Imo indigenes seeking admission into institutions of higher learning in the country", Okorocha explained. Answering a question, the Governor said government has released the sum of N400 million in addition to what he termed "other logistics", to ensure immediate take off of the projects. Continuing, the Governor said his administration would in September this year; commence the distribution of free uniforms, sandals, desks and books to all primary and secondary school students, adding that this is part of the plan to encourag...

The Command of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) in Kaduna/Katsina State, has paraded three persons, who allegedly smuggled drugs worth more than N50 million into the country. Alhaji Yusuf Umar, the Acting Comptroller in charge of the command, while parading the suspects in Katsina on Friday said that they were arrested at Danzabuwa village on Katsina-Kano Road. According to him, the NCS operatives trailed the suspects from Madarumfa town in Niger Republic to Danzabuwa village on Katsina-Kano Road, where they were apprehended. He said suspects concealed the drugs in sacks and cottons loaded in articulated truck with registration number, XS 925 SMK. “The seized drugs comprise Maxagrip cold caplet, Tramadol 100, Diarea Cure, Da Caps pain reliever capsules, Ivercin 5% for Animals and Gold Seal Cigarettes,’’ he said. He alleged that the suspects offered N5 million bribe to the customs officers, adding: “they brought to us N2 million cash and wrote an undertaking to balance t...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla was convicted and sentenced to 50 years Thursday for executing a systematic plan to steal babies from prisoners who were kidnapped, tortured and killed during the military junta's war on leftist dissenters three decades ago. The baby thefts set Argentina's 1976-1983 military junta apart from all the others that ruled in Latin America at the time. Videla and the rest of the junta were determined to remove any trace of the armed leftist guerrilla movement that they felt threatened the country's future. The "dirty war" eventually claimed 13,000 victims according to official records. Many of them were pregnant women who gave birth in clandestine maternity wards. Argentina's last dictator, Reynaldo Bignone, also was convicted and received a 15-year sentence. Nine others, mostly former military and police officials, also were accused in the trial, which focused on...

BACKGROUND Omoni Oboli Sophie, the second of two girls was born in the historic city of Benin-City, Nigeria on the 22nd of April 1978. She is from Mosogar, a quiet and peaceful town in Delta State. Her primary education was at the Delta Steel Company Primary School 3, Ovwian-Aladja. Between 1989 and 1994, she attended the prestigious Delta Steel Company Technical High School (DSC THS) where had a chequered secondary education. A charismatic, natural leader, at various times, she held the positions of Head Girl (’94 set DSC THS), President Literary & Debating Society, Editor, Press Club & President, French Club all in her secondary school. Between 1995 and 1999, Omoni studied Foreign Languages (majoring in French) at the University of Benin, Nigeria. MARRIAGE AND MOTHERHOOD Omoni had a whirlwind romance with her beau, Nnamdi Oboli. They got married in 2000 and now have 3 adorable boys – Tobe (6years), Gozi (5 years) and Chizi (3 years). CAREER Omoni began h...

Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Mr. Adeseyi Sijuwade, said on Wednesday in Lagos the Lagos-Kano train service would be restored before the end of July. Sijuwade told the News Agency of Nigeria that although the commencement of the Lagos-Kano train service had been postponed twice, “it would surely be restored this July”. He said, “The railway engineers have just returned from the final inspection of the tracks; our contractors are now working on the minor adjustments recommended by the engineers. “We are going to begin trial runs very soon, and most likely, full restoration of train services between Lagos and Kano before the end of this month, July 2012.” The NRC boss said heavy rainfall in parts of the country, especially the South-West, damaged some of the facilities on the Lagos-Kano rail track, adding that repair work on the affected lines had been carried out. He also promised that the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri train service would be ready ...

The refusal of Mr Femi Otedola to testify before the House of Representatives Committee on Ethics and Privileges has unnerved the committee members, claiming the decision was misguided and that no one can dictate to the committee how to carryout its investigation. The Chairman House of Representatives committee on Ethics, Gambo Dan Musa, described Mr Otedola’s decision not to speak before the committee as misguided, when he addressed a press conference after Otedola’s departure. According to the chairman, Mr Otedola refused to say anything to the committee and he claimed the oil mogul was just laughing whilst their short conversation lasted. Related Article: Otedola Refuses to Testify Before Reps “We did all that we could by explaining to him our power under the constitution and under our rules and…..further explained that nobody will dictate how we are going to conduct our meeting, yet Femi Otedola refused to answer questions and he said he could only do so when we ...

Chika, the gay Nigerian who lives in Germany and is married to German Mark Schwartz, claims he is pregnant. You can read more about them The interview between Chika and Stella was in Encomium mag last week. Too weird...read below..:-) Chika: I've been having some strange feelings inside me Stella: How? Chika: Waking up late, sleeping early. My waist is at times hurting me and I keep spitting and almost vomiting. As I am talking with you now, I am running a temperature, and the worst is my legs are heavy as if its swollen. I am not just myself as I always have fainting spells and I don't know what to do. Stella: What you are describing is like pregnancy symptoms but you are a man so how can you be pregnant? Chika: I don't know o my sister. I am afraid I don't want that because I have had it once and it was taken out and now again, after a year and some months, it's back again. Stella: You were pregnant before? Chika: Yes. Please pray for me. B...

  This is becoming unbearable, students are meant to go to school to study. Their teachers are meant to teach them, and what do we have these days? Teachers sexually abusing their students, this is so so sad. The other day, it was a video of an 11years old girl and a younger boy. Do mothers come online at all? How long will this continue? When will the right authority act fast on this? This and many more questions are waiting for reply. We will update you soon as we can on any info we get on this. Let us hope this didn’t happen in Nigeria, but then if it was Ghana? Isn’t it still a country? Aren’t we all humans? What is really going on these days?? But sincerely we shouldn't conclude on what we see on this picture, but rather think of what would be done to eradicate such acts. Don't forget that it takes two to tangle.     My Great Web page

A ray of hope flickered yesterday for a possible re-start of talks between the government and Boko Haram as National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki announced that he is planning to meet with the sect’s leaders. Dasuki, who spoke in Jos during a meeting with stakeholders in Plateau State, said he will meet with the group to push for a ceasefire and dialogue, but he did not give a date of when this will happen. “I was in Yobe and Borno states last week and I have got the telephone numbers and contacts of key Boko Haram members and I will meet with them,” the NSA said at the meeting, which was attended by Governor Jonah Jang as well as top traditional and religious leaders. “I saw the dangerous effect of Boko Haram in these states and what I saw was pathetic. But I have the mandate to put heads together with religious and traditional leaders as well as the state governments to ensure an immediate ceasefire.” Dasuki said that the declaration of a state of eme...

From the various reports, Press releases and statements made by all the actors involved in this saga, certain undisputable facts have emerged: (1)    There was definite communication between Farouk Lawan and Femi Otedola (both by telephone and face-to-face) in respect of the offer and acceptance of bribe money concerning the investigation by the House Committee probing the fuel subsidy scam. The question of who initiated a relationship is completely irrelevant when determining the guilt or otherwise of the giver and taker of bribe money. (2)    The sum of $620,000 dollars out of a grand total of $3million price tag actually exchanged hands between Otedola and Lawan. No party is disputing this fact. (3)    Otedola involved the State Security Service (SSS) and the scene was recorded when the money was handed over to Lawan to prove that he was pressured to part with the money. (4)    Even though Lawan claims he...

Kuala Lumpur — An uncle enquired at a private college in Malaysia about the possibility of sending his nephew to the college. But the college informed him that they had closed admission for that year. H owever, an insider told him that was not the true situation; what the college failed to tell him was that they had a new policy of no longer admitting Nigerians. This policy seems to be travelling beyond private colleges and undergraduate degrees. Recently, a Nigerian PhD student had a meeting with his university's registry. At the meeting, he was told that the university would no longer offer places to Nigerians. The PhD student asked if the Nigerians in the university had done something wrong. He was told that on the contrary, they were doing well; however, it's the activities of Nigerians in other places, like Kuala Lumpur, that worried them. Interestingly, Nigerians, of the many Africans in this university, do well compared to others. Three of them (from both North and Sout...

African pop giant and former Mo’hits boss Dapo ‘D’banj’ Oyebanjo has signed with Mercury Records , an imprint in the UK under the  Mercury Records Group  of Universal Music UK . Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the  The Island Def Jam Music Group  in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group . Mercury Records lists D’banj on their  official website  as one of their acts alongside the likes of UK rock singer-songwriter  Elton John , Soft Rock singer  Taylor Swift  Irish rock group  U2 , former  The Beatles  musician  Paul McCartney  and others. Although his publicist and management are yet to respond to E-mails concerning the signing, D’banj seems to have confirmed the news himself as he has updated the bio section profile on his  Twitter page . D’banj has also launched his personal website www.dbanjofficial.com where the Mecury Re...

James Ibori, former governor of Delta state, has been jailed for 13 years for fraud totalling nearly £50m (12.5 billion Naira ). He was sentenced by a a Southwark Crown Court in London . This brings to an end years of probes both in London and Nigeria, where the ex-governor once held great political sway. According to the Associated press, James Ibori had admitted in February to fraud and money-laundering involving sums of approximately 50 million pounds (12.5billion). He was accused of stealing $250 million from the public purse and funneling much of the stolen funds to banks in England to fund a lavish lifestyle of private jets and luxury cars. Ibori, who evaded capture in Nigeria after a mob of supporters attacked police, was arrested in Dubai in 2010. He was extradited to the UK, where he was prosecuted based on evidence from the Metropolitan Police. One of the counts Ibori admitted related to a $37m (£23m) fraud pertaining to the sale of Delta State's share in Nigerian privat...