Photos from Cossy Ojaikor's birthday party

   

Last night, Cossy Ojiakor was hosted to a birthday party at Billionaire lounge in Lagos.
See more pics

   

     

Annie Teriba, Nigerian Lesbian Oxford Student Activist Resigns From Posts Over Non-Consensual Sex

    

Annie Teriba issues apology after admitting she had failed to get full consent before having sex with someone at this year’s NUS black students’ conference.

A prominent student activist from Oxford University is resigning from her political posts and campaigns after admitting she failed to obtain full consent before having sex at a conference earlier this year.

PHOTOS: ISIS forces a man to dig his own grave before being shot

        
Why do these people even agree to this knowing they want to kill them? See more photos..

Child Kidnappers Lay Siege To Benue State

Mrs. Wandoo Henikyaa is a daycare mother of three children living on Benue Crescent in Wadata area of Makurdi, the state capital. Her story of how her third child, Saaondo Philip, a four year-old pupil of Fountain Model Academy Nursery School, Makurdi was stolen has traumatized her to no end.

Crying profusely and with a terribly shaking voice, she managed to narrate how the ugly incident happened. Mrs. Henikyaa stated that she had gone out of the house for an engagement and only returned home to meet the sad disappearance of her child. “My children told me that ‘Uncle’ came here and took Saaondo away to buy him biscuit. We don’t know that uncle and since on August 27, 2015 my child has not come back and his whereabout is unknown.”

Photos From Ubi Franklin & Lilian Esoro's court wedding

  

Iyanya's business partner and co-CEO of Triple MG record label, Ubi Franklin shared more beautiful photos from his court wedding with actress Lilian Esoro.

They got married on Thursday and their traditional wedding is on the 1st of November.

Six Men Gang Rape 18 Year Old At Gunpoint In Lagos

                                

An 18-year-old girl has been ambushed and gang-raped by six gun-wielding men in the Somolu area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim, Blessing (pseudonym), was returning from a visit to an uncle’s house at about 8pm on Saturday when she was attacked by the hoodlums, suspected to be cultists, on Olaosebikan Street, Bajulaiye, in the Somolu area.

Instant Noodles: What Lurks Behind This Quick Meal?

According to the World Instant Noodles Association, Nigeria was the 13th largest consumer of instant noodles in the world in 2007. Ever since, this fast food has grown more in popularity in many homes in both urban and rural areas of Nigeria. There have, however, been concerns that its consumption may not be the best for the health-consciou, especially those who make a habit of eating it regularly. 

Man Abducted As A Four Year Old Is Finally Reunited With His Parents 20 Years After

This is the emotional moment when a Chinese father, who spent 20 years searching for his abducted son all over the country, has finally found his child yesterday.
Sun Wei was abducted when he was just four years old and sold to a family over 1,400 miles away from home. His father, Sun Zhenghua, has spent some eight months of every year searching for him ever since.

Bring the world cup home- Buhari urges Golden Eaglets

                             

Press statement from the Presidency.

President Muhammadu Buhari extends his best wishes for a triumphant outing to the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria who are in Chile to participate in this year's under-17 FIFA World Cup Tournament. As the tournament opens tomorrow, President Buhari urges the Golden Eaglets to do their utmost best to match the outstanding performance of their victorious predecessors who have won the competition four times including the inaugural edition in 1985 and the last tournament in 2013. 

Lamar Odom's heart responding

      

Lamar Odom's condition is said be have improved. According to TMZ,sources familiar with the situation say tests on Lamar's heart Friday morning revealed his heart function is "much better." Doctors have told Lamar's friends and family this is a good sign of improvement, that a critical organ is responding.
Doctors have asked for "calm" in Lamar's room because they do not want him stimulated .

 because non-stimulation promotes healing.
Toward that end, doctors have ordered that virtually no one have access to Lamar's room. Khloe is still by Lamar's bedside.

Kobe Bryant hits back at Master P for calling him phony over Lamar Odom

                          

Kobe Bryant obviously read Master P's comments about him being fake and phony now that Lamar Odom is unconscious and fighting for his life. Yesterdsay, Master P accused of Kobe of not being a friend to Lamar when he most needed him.

PHOTOS: The Faces of Nigerian Senators during Fashola's Ministerial Screening

      

They say a picture is worth a thousand words..These photos say it all.. While Nigerians were impressed by former Lagos governor,Babatunde Raji Fashola's ministerial screening,the senators looked spellbound during his over one hour session..

CPC says DStv obstructing investigations

The Consumer Protection Council has accused the Digital Satellite Television (DStv) of the obstruction of the ongoing investigation into the operations of the company, based on alleged infringement on consumer rights.

The CPC, therefore, on Thursday, “stormed” the Lagos office of the pay-media outfit to carry out an enforcement exercise, in line with relevant sections of the council’s enabling law, according to a statement from the council.

Helen Paul Clears Air On Alleged Frosty Relationship With Ali Baba

                                     

Popular comedienne and OAP Helen Paul has taken to social media to set the records straight on her alleged frosty relationship with A-list comedian Ali Baba.

‘I Was 18 When I Started Driving A Truck’ – Female Driver

Hajiya Gambo Muhammad, a senior driver in Dangote Cement Transport Obajana, has a high popularity rate among her officers at the transport department within the company. She was 18 years when she started driving a truck.

Tell us about your up-bringing

I was born in Jajimaji, Karasuwa, Yobe State. I am 35 years old. I completed my primary school and then got married, though we later separated. I even inherited driving from my father who was a driver for a decade. Also, my brothers were drivers and I am the only female among them, that is why I joined the line of driving.

How NTA, AIT Maltreated Us During The 2015 Presidential Campaigns – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated his gratitude to Nigerians for his victory at the general elections, saying he emerged winner against all odds.

Buhari, who spoke at the Red Media Summit in Lagos, yesterday, added that he won the election in spite of the deployment of state forces against him.

The president was represented at the occasion by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu.

Master P thrashes Kobe Bryant, says Lamar shouldn't have married Khloe, warns her new BF James Harden

            

Rapper and record label executive Master P was cornered as he came out of a grocery store by TMZ crew and they asked him what he thought about Kobe Bryant and the Kardashians visit to Odom in the hospital. Master P thrashed Kobe Bryant, saying he was not there for his former team mate Lamar Odom when he needed him the most and is now showing public sympathy.

Shakira shares photo of her adorable boys

                               

The 38 year old mum shared a sweet photo of herself cradling her sweet sons, two-year-old Milan and 10-month-old Sasha. Her sons with partner, footballer partner Gerard Piqué.

Oscar Pistorius Granted House Arrest By Parole Board

Olympic and Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, jailed for killing his girlfriend, is to be freed from prison to house arrest next Tuesday, a South African parole board says.

He was sentenced to five years in prison in 2014 after being found guilty of culpable homicide, or manslaughter.
He shot Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door but said he thought she was an intruder.
The prosecution has appealed, saying he should instead be convicted of murder.

Ikpeazu congratulates ex-Gov Orji over election petition victory

ABIA State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has congratulated his predecessor, Senator Theodore Orji, on his victory at the election petition tribunal, describing it as victory for the people of Abia State.

According to Ikpeazu, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Godwin Adindu, the ruling of the tribunal and that of the Appeal Court in Owerri, within the week had vindicated the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and also, a victory for democracy.

Lawmaker reminds Buhari of free education campaign promise

A member of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Gudaji, has reminded President Muhammadu Buhari of his campaign promise of providing free education to all when elected as Nigeria’s leader.

Gudaji, who represents Kazaure federal constituency, made the reminder in Dutse, while fielding questions from journalists.

Falae’s Kidnap: North-east Group Asks PMB To Caution Yoruba Elders

The North East Solidarity Forum has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) and other groups from the North-West zone their recent threat for self-determination and secession.

The group described as treasonable felony the secession threat by the groups, following the kidnap of former Secretary to Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae.

In a communiqué it issued on Wednesday after their meeting, the North East Solidarity Forum accused the Yoruba elders of inciting the general populace, especially the people of the South West region of the country to violence and bloodshed.

UK Government Urges Africa To Pioneer Solar Revolution

The United Kingdom Government has said that Africa can pioneer a solar revolution saying that a reliable solar power systems can help some of Africa’s poorest to cope with the continent’s chronic power shortages.

Speaking through the Minister of State for Africa, Mr Grant Shapps during a tour of solar energy facilities backed by the UK Government in Lagos, he called for international backing of solar energy projects to speed up access across the continent.


He said that more than half of the population of Nigeria have no access to electricity. Per head of the population, Nigeria’s energy access is one of the lowest in the world.

Grant Shapps said: “Blackouts and costly generators are a daily reality for millions of Nigerians. Many more simply have no access to energy and rely on candles or Kerosene. This is holding back an entire nation and continent from reaching its full potential.

“We simply cannot wait for full national grids to show up one day. The technology, expertise and knowledge to fix this is available and is ready to be deployed right now.

“So we’re going to harness this opportunity and get more people into this exciting energy market. Next week I will bring together African politicians, investors and solar experts in London to kickstart our Energy Africa campaign to bring power to millions of people.”

Agreed in New York last month, the UN’s new Global Goals made a commitment to provide universal energy access in Africa by 2030. On the current trajectory, this will not be achieved until 2080.

During his visit, Minister for International Development Shapps visited a Lagos health clinic run entirely by solar energy.

Registering 60,000 ante-natal patients every year, the centre only had two hours of electricity every day before the panels were installed last year. This severely limited their ability to treat patients. Drugs could not be safely stored in refrigerators, the laboratory stopped and births at night had to rely on candles or kerosene lamps, increasing the risk of complications or ill health.

Touching Photos of Ladies who Survived Cancer of The Breast

                     

Dear ladies, if you have your breasts intact don't joke with them by just flaunting to every man that comes your way, take care of them and do regular checks. These women now know better. See more photos:


                                     



     



                         

PHOTOS: Femi Otedola, El-Rufai Storm Tanzania As Dangote Opens New Cement Plant

               

The business man and Africa’s richest man is expanding his cement business. Here are photos from his new cement plant in Tanzania. His bestie Femi Otedola, Kaduna State Governor, and so many other Nigerian dignitaries were also there to grace the occasion and SUPPORT him. Three of his daughters and other family members were also spotted at the occasion.

Babies born in the summer will be healthier adults: study

A British study indicates that babies born in the summer, particularly girls, will grow up to be healthier than other adults.
Researchers at Cambridge University in the UK have turned their attention to a baby's birth month, which has an influence on weight, as previous studies have shown, but also on the child's health, particularly in the case of girls, when they start puberty.

This study, which was published in the October 12 edition of the journal Heliyon, analyzed health data on around 450 000 British people from the UK Biobank study in order to determine whether the birth month had an impact on birth weight, starting puberty early, and adult height.

PHOTOS: US Entrepreneur Builds $1billion Bunker that will Save Only 34 Super Rich Families when the World Ends

                           

The super rich have been invited to buy up a place in a five star shelter in Rothenstein, Germany, which is designed to allow them to live underground for a year and then emerge "when the world comes to an end''

Just 34 "high worth" families will be welcomed into the European doomsday den, with prices only
available on application.

The sumptuous $1billion building is fitted with swimming pools, gyms and theatres so the rich don't get too bored whilst the rest of us are all busy killing or being killed.













The building was originally a Soviet-era Cold War base but now offer the perfect balance between luxury and safety. Its owner wrote on their website:

"We have all heard the prophecies of the 'End Times', The Bible warns of it. Nostradamus foresaw it. Edgar Cayce predicted it. The Hopi Indians, the Third Secret of Fatima, Saint Malachy and prophets throughout the ages all warn of the same epic global catastrophes that will befall upon the Earth.

We have been warned of Armageddon, Nibiru/Planet X, a sudden pole shift, future plagues, an EMP blast, a solar kill shot, a super volcanic eruption, major earth changes, killer asteroids and comets, mega tsunami’s, an economic meltdown and even the anarchy that will certainly follow any one of these events. Vivos is the most affordable way to secure ownership and space for you and your loved ones in a real underground shelter built to withstand virtually any envisioned catastrophe''.


The Vivos website also lists all the bizarre conspiracy theories wheeled out to suggest the world is about to end. They are now on a "race against time" to build a global network of underground community shelters to save more lives, comparing its mission to the construction of Noah's Ark.

FIFA Presidency: Kalu to declare October 23

There are indications that former governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu may formally declare his intention to run for the office of the president of the Federation of International Football (FIFA), on October 23.
Sources close to Kalu disclosed that the businessman who is currently holidaying in America may return to Nigeria on October 19 and declare his intention four days later.

The source said since the story broke few months ago of Kalu’s intention, he had been going round the world consulting on the feasibility of the project. “It is likely he will declare his intention on October 23. He is also expected to pick the form and meet the deadline of October 26 for the submission of forms. He has been to almost all the continents and visited countries such as South Korea, Canada, France, England and the United States of America, where he consulted widely on the position. We have no doubt that if he runs, he will win. 

The football administrator the world needs today is not necessarily a footballer, but somebody who has the connections and can handle all the cartels associated with football. Kalu is a global businessman, widely connected. He has every right to be ambitious and the FIFA presidency is not beyond him.”
The source added that Kalu is in good stead than most candidates who had indicated interest in the race, because of his worldwide connections to both sports and political personalities.

“Football is beyond the ordinary. Look at what is happening to Sepp Blatter and other FIFA topshots. Do you think it is mere football?”
But when contacted, Kalu said he was keeping his cards to his chest, but would only speak when the time is ripe.

Ex-Liverpool Star, Djibril Cisse Arrested Over Alleged S*X Tape Blackmail Plot

     
FORMER Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse has been arrested after allegedly blackmailing French international Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.

The 34-year-old, currently without a club, is reportedly one of four people to have been arrested by French police.
Cisse – who also played for Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers – is said to be part of a plot to extort money from Valbuena.
The 31-year-old Lyon star was allegedly asked for money in exchange for the tape not being published.
The four men were arrested in the Bouches-du-Rhone and Oise departments.

Cisse has not been far away from the headlines this month after he laid into ex-wife Jude for featuring in Channel 5's Britain's Flashiest Families programme.
He branded Jude Cisse "a disgrace" after she allowed their three children to be filmed.
The programme showed Ms Cisse, who celebrated her divorce with a party and three-tiered cake depicting a headless groom, shopping for a Porsche.

He later shared a photo showing him with new love Marie-Cecile Lenzini, writing: "After 4 years u still talking about me? Get a life do like me find love."

Police Nab Abuja Bomb Blasts Masterminds

Two of the suspected masterminds of the October 2, 2015, Boko Haram bombings in Nyanya and Kuje, two satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that killed over 20 people and injured dozens of others, are already in police net.

Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase made this known yesterday during his monthly strategic police meeting with senior police officers from the rank of commissioners of police where he revealed that the Force had also foiled another plot by some suspects, Abdulazeez Muhazab, 27, and Isiaka Salihu, 25, to carry out another bomb attack in the FCT.

Arase revealed that the police recovered 12 primed home-made explosives concealed in soft drink cans, 28 pieces of electric detonators and huge quantities of explosive materials.

The police boss explained that the suspects, who hail from Okene, Kogi State, were assisting the police in their investigations into their broad terror network, affirming that they would be prosecuted after investigation.

Arase, who fielded questions from journalists, also said the police had apprehended five of the eight-man gang that participated in the abduction of elder statesman, Chief Olu Falae.

According to the IGP, the suspects, Abubakar Auta, Idris Lawan, Umar Ibrahim, Masahudu Mohammed and Bello Tanu, operated a state-wide kidnap ring and were arrested at their hideouts in Niger, Ekiti and Ondo states.

He listed items recovered from the suspects to include a Bajaj motorcycle used to transport their victim and N823, 990 cash which was part of the N5 million ransom paid to them.

“All the arrested suspects have made confessional statements highlighting details of the operations and their individual roles, as I address you now, the suspects are being charged to court in Akure, Ondo State,” Arase said.

The Department of State Services (DSS) had on Monday paraded two suspects, Babawuro Kato and Abdullahi Usman, in connection with Falae’s abduction. The suspects had claimed that the abduction was carried out by a three-man gang and that the mastermind, one Dantito, absconded with the N5m ransom.

When asked if the suspects paraded by the DSS were part of the kidnap gang arrested by the police, Arase said that he had requested for the transfer of the two suspects from the DSS director-general, Lawal Daura.

“I said it was an eight-man gang, and from the investigations we have carried out so far, those two that were paraded yesterday (Monday) by the State Security Service are part of that eight-man gang. I have written a letter to the DG, SSS, that we are arraigning the suspects and once they bring the two suspects, we can amend the charge,” Arase said.

The IGP stated that the conference with senior police officers would review police preparations for the governorship elections scheduled for November 21 in Kogi State and December 5, 2015 in Bayelsa State.

Khloé Kardashian "Completely Inconsolable,"After Lamar Odom Is Found Unconscious

           

Since the news broke, Khloé is "completely inconsolable and heartbroken,"E News reports.And while the reality star had "cut off contact with Lamar in the summer," she has been "worried about Lamar for a very long time.

His condition remains "critical" as doctors intubated Odom, who has yet to regain consciousness, before he was transferred via ambulance to a local hospital in Las Vegas.

Khloé is at mom Kris Jenner's home and trying to gather information. She is expected to fly to Las Vegas with Kris and Kim Kardashian later in the evening.
Khloé is "not good" according to a source and is clinging to her family during this difficult time.

74 year old British man sentenced to 350 lashes in Saudi Arabia for making wine

                      

The children of a British man have called on David Cameron to intervene to save their father from being subjected to 350 lashes in Saudi Arabia. Karl Andree, 74, faces being publicly flogged as part of a punishment imposed after bottles of homemade wine were reportedly found last year in his car by Saudi police enforcing strict laws prohibiting alcohol.

The family of the oil executive, who is being held at Jeddah’s Briman prison, say he is already weak as a result of cancer and fear that the flogging will kill him.
They said in a statement reported by the Sun:

“Our father has given 25 years of his working life to Saudi Arabia, and this is how he is treated. Until his arrest, he has always been happy working there and felt safe.
“He is 74 years of age, has had cancer three times and his wife is dying in a home in the UK. He now needs medical care for his cancer and asthma, and there is no doubt in our mind that 350 lashes will kill him. We implore David Cameron to personally intervene and help get our father home. The Saudi government will only listen to him.”The Foreign Office said:

“Our embassy staff are continuing to assist Mr Andree, including regular visits to check on his welfare, and frequent contact with his lawyer and family. Ministers and senior officials have raised Mr Andree’s case with the Saudi government and we are actively seeking his release as soon as possible.”Andree’s three children, Hugh, 46, Kirsten, 45, and Simon, 33, are reported to have been lobbying discreetly for their father for more than a month but have now decided to go public.

Election Tribunal upholds Stella Oduah's Senatorial election

                                  

The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Anambra state yesterday October 12th upheld the election of Stella Oduah as the senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District. The senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Dubem Obaze and his party had petitioned the tribunal over the emergence of the former Aviation minister as the Senator representing the senatorial zone in the March 28th election.

Delivering his judgment, the Chairman of the tribunal Justice Hezekiah Solanke, dismissed the petition for lacking in merit, stressing that the petitioners failed to prove their allegation.

Justice Solanke also added that the petitioners also failed to present relevant documents relating to the alleged malpractice carried out at Onitsha North, Onitsha South and Ogbaru local government areas during the election. He said the petitioners failed to prove that Oduah was not duly nominated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest the poll.

Okonjo-Iweala backs Buhari on corruption war, says president leading by example

A former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has expressed support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort at tackling corruption, saying graft remains Nigeria’s biggest impediment to achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking on September 30 as a guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, United States, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said the president was confronting corruption “head on” and was setting the example that would directly help root out corruption in other sectors of the government.

“The new president of the country who is just taking office has made it the central plan of his administration to fight corruption to root it out, and he sets about restructuring some of the key agencies where things are happening, setting example,” the former minister said at the 2015 Holts Lecture of the Pennsylvania University Law School.

“I think with that when you see example in one place, it sends the message about what should happen in other places. I think this is being confronted head on. And I think and hope that with what is going on and what we tried to do in the previous administration, bringing more transparency to way of doing business.

Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said with “the example being set by the president” she was hopeful Nigeria will get rid of corruption.
The former minister discussed Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, and how illicit financial flow could impede the post 2015 development agenda, especially in developing countries like Nigeria.

Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said although funds needed for SDGs are huge, blocking illicit financial flow could help free up the needed funds.

Eighty per cent of the SDGs are infrastructural goals which require $6 trillion in funding for the next 15 years, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said.

She said current global funding for infrastructures stood at $1.7 trillion, and 60 per cent of the SDGs and their funding are to be borne by developing countries – justifying why corruption must be confronted.

Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said as minister, she made efforts to improve transparency and fight corruption in the government, but regretted allegations of corruption directed at her after leaving office.

She also hinted that her decision to join the Goodluck Jonathan government — after serving in the Obasanjo government – may have been mistaken.

“When the opportunity came to go for it for the second time, I went, perhaps unwisely, but I went because no one will fight this corruption for us, we have to do it ourselves….,” she said. “But having left government, I have come under attack with people saying she’s done this or that, trying to join you in the group of the corrupt.”

Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala commented on Mr. Buhari assigning the petroleum ministry to himself.

“I think the president has the prerogative to do a lot of things, and this is not the first time in our country. President Obasanjo was also the president of Petroleum Resources in his time. I am not saying this is the best way or best practice but I am just saying for our circumstances it is not the first time,” she said.

“If that will bring more clarity, more openness, more transparency to the way the oil sector is done no problem, it’s ok. But if it will not, we have to ask questions.”

She lamented the failure of the Nigerian National Assembly to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, a failure she blamed on vested interests.

“This bill has the power to transform the entire petroleum industry where there is a lot of corruption,” she said. “And with that we would have commercialized the oil company (NNPC), made it open up its books but the heavy lobbying by both the domestic vested interests and the international vested interests blocked this.”

Florida Man Sets Up Fake Job Interviews To Steal People’s Urine and Social Security Numbers

         

Florida authorities say a man from Pensacola was caught stealing people’s identities and collecting urine samples after creating a fake online job ad, WCTV reports.
The Tallahassee Police Department and the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) said Gerald Washington, 19, posted a fake online ad that he was hiring 1,100 people for jobs.
“They say Washington then set up a temporary office in Tallahassee, obtained applicants’ social security numbers and even urine samples for jobs that didn’t exist,” WCTV reports.


He also collected bank information for the “job application” and charged a $25 fee, according to a news release from the DEO. The duped job seekers were even told what day they would start.

Washington was arrested on charges of criminal use of personal identification information and organized communications fraud.

We Abducted Falae to Get Money for Sallah

                            


A suspect, Babawuro Kato, who was allegedly involved in the abduction of elder statesman, Chief Olu Falae, said he and two others carried out the kidnapping to get money for Sallah celebration.

He also stated that the mastermind of the kidnap did not share the N5m ransom he received with his accomplices.

Falae was kidnapped on his farm at Ilado village in the Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The incident, which occurred on the day Falae, a former presidential candidate of the All Peoples
Party, clocked 77, caused apprehension in Ondo State.

It was reported that the gang had demanded a sum of N100m ransom from the family.

On Thursday, September 24, four days after the abduction, Falae was brought back to his residence in Akure at about 4.45pm.

However, Kato, who was paraded along with an accomplice, Abdullahi Usman, aka Kadiri, by the Department of State Services on Monday in Abuja, explained that the mastermind ran away with the ransom.

Punch  reports that the 23-year-old herdsman said that the unnamed man behind the abduction initially deceived other gang members that Falae family asked him to come for the ransom in Abuja, adding that the suspect fled after receiving the money, shortly before the former presidential candidate was released.

Speaking in broken English, Kato said:

“Three of us were involved in the kidnapping and we kidnapped the man (Falae) because we were looking for money to spend during the Sallah celebration. But the man who collected the ransom ran away with it and did not share it with us.”

The suspect, who claimed to be an indigene of Plateau State, said the gang fed their captive with loaves of bread and soft drinks.

The second suspect, Usman, however, denied involvement in the crime, saying he had been telling the DSS officials that he knew nothing about the abduction.

“I am not involved in the abduction, I have been explaining to the DSS that I don’t know anything about it, but they wouldn’t listen to me,” he said in Hausa.

A DSS official, Abdulahi Garba, who paraded the suspects, said they were arrested on October 5, 2015, at J. Zebra Hotel along Ganaja Road, Lokoja, Kogi State.

He said,:

The service wishes to state that the abductors were criminals and investigations have further revealed that their action was not targeted at Falae as a statesman and prominent Yoruba leader.”

Garba said it was unfortunate that the incident was being given an ethnic colouration, and urged Nigerians to live peacefully with one another and to shun “attempts by mischief-makers to give this incident an ethnic or any other colouration and use same to cause disaffection among the populace.”

He added that efforts were being intensified to bring to justice all those involved in the criminal act.