Blows, slap as Dogara, Gbajabiamila’s supporters fight over House c’ttees

                         
                            Dogara and Gbajabiamila

The exchange of blows caused the legislators to defer sitting and resort to caucuses during which a resolution was taken by the mainstream of the House to bring sanctions on House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila and his 23 loyalists who boycotted Monday’s inauguration of the House Committees.

That decision was, however, tempered following pleas at a closed door session between Gbajabiamila and some principal officers of the House in the speaker’s office.

Also yesterday in the Senate, muttering over the sharing of committee positions again reopened the fault lines as supporters of the Senate Presidency bid of Senator Ahmad Lawan accused Senate President Bukola Saraki of surrendering the chambers to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The melee in the House was upon the bad blood that followed the boycott of the inauguration of the 96 standing committees by House Leader, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, and his close loyalists.

Exchange of blows

It was gathered that trouble started when the newly inaugurated Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Rep Herman Hembe, representing APC, Konshisha/Vandekiya, Benue State, a close loyalist of the speaker, engaged Rep. Magaji Aliyu, APC, Birnin-Kudu/Buji, Jigawa State, a supporter of Gbajabiamila, over the sharing of the committees.

A slap was said to have followed when one of the two men could no longer control his emotion and the situation was said to have been quickly brought under control by the intervention of the Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun.

Tempers also overflowed on account of alleged moves by allies of Speaker Yakubu Dogara and those of Gbajabiamila to effect sanctions upon the other.

At the closed door session of the APC caucus, it was gathered that members resolved to remove Gbajabiamila as House Leader and refer his 23 loyalists who boycotted the Monday inauguration of the committees to the Privileges Committee of the House.

That move was, however, rescinded after a peace meeting between Gbajabiamila and the speaker attended by some principal officers of the House.

Sources privy to the development said Gbajabiamila had entered the speaker’s office and requested for a one-on-one meeting with the speaker but the other principal officers present were said to have refused and insisted on partaking in the meeting.

Among the principal officers present at the meeting were Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lashun; Minority Leader, Leo Ogor and Chief Whip, Ado Doguwa.

At the end of the interaction, the speaker was said to have promised to prevail on his supporters not to apply the sanctions as canvassed by the mainstream of the House against Gbajabiamila and his loyalists.

Gbajabiamila in an SMS response to Vanguard on the development said last night:“The Speaker and I, both know we will both look bad and no one will be the winner if there is ever another fight on the floor. The numbers are simply not there to remove any principal officer.”



It was a meeting

for APC family

Doguwa who briefed newsmen on the outcome of the APC caucus meeting said yesterday: “This was a meeting for the APC family, a meeting we intended to address ourselves that enough is enough of the misunderstanding among the APC family.

“I want to tell you precisely that by what we did yesterday, the flight of the 8th House of Representatives has taken off, it has not only taken off, it has taken off very successfully and it is a flight that is a four-year bound air flight, with Dogara as the pilot.

“I want to tell that we have maintained the status quo for now and Femi (Gbajabiamila) is our leader in the House of Representatives and even the speculations made earlier on that there is a move to remove Femi as our leader is unfounded and it is not from the leadership of the House or the APC.

“I also want to tell you that this morning I had a very close consultations with the leaders of the party, specifically Senator Lawali Shuaibu, who is the deputy leader of the APC in Nigeria and we have told them that there is no cause for alarm in the House of Representatives and we are moving as one.

“There is no two way about unity, this party was founded on the basis of unity and the House of Representatives as it is today is very much poised and ready to work with Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari, to deliver the change mantra we have promised Nigerians.”



Gbajabiamila camp denies plot to remove Dogara

Associates of Gbajabiamila were also quick to denounce alleged plots against Speaker Dogara, particularly an alleged meeting in Atlanta, United States of America.

“No such meeting was held in the US. Rather, the leader (Gbajabiamila) visited Brazil where he met his family. I repeat there is no plan to remove Dogara by Gbajabiamila men,” an associate of Dogara said yesterday.

“It was a concoction of Dogara’s men to get juicy committees. They have built a garrison around Dogara that only those close to him can advise him. In short, they have caged him.

However, a member of the House, Rep Mustapha Bala Dawaki, has denounced agitations for committee positions, saying that committee chairmanship is a privilege and not the right of any lawmaker.

He said “the primary responsibility of any lawmaker here in the 8th Assembly is to adequately represent his constituency not committee chairmanship.”

Dawaki, who represents Dawakin Kudu/Warawa, APC, Kano, described the move as in bad taste “as no lawmaker was elected by his people to come here to fight for committee chairmanship or the so-called elusive juicy committees.”



Saraki asked to apologise to Nigerians

Meanwhile, anger among loyalists of Senator Lawan in the Senate over the composition of the committees also boiled over at a press conference in the Senate building, yesterday.

Speaking under the aegis of Senate Unity Forum, spokesman of the group, Senator Kabiru Marafa, APC, Zamfara Central, however, shied away from saying any member of his group would resign from the committee positions assigned to him.

Affirming that tyranny had taken over the Senate, he urged Senate President Saraki to apologise to Nigerians for “abuse of the Constitution” and for increasing number of committees beyond the statutory provisions.

Trouble started shortly after Votes and Proceedings of the last Wednesday’s sitting was approved by the Senate. Senator Marafa, who cited a number of Constitutional Orders and the Senate Standing Order submitted that the constitution of the committees should be reversed as they failed to meet the benchmark.

According to Senator Marafa, the Senate Selection Committee chaired by the Senate President, was not duly constituted, in accordance with provisions of the Standing Order, saying as such, the committees they put together were null and void.

He also asserted that failure of the Senate President to comply with Section 100 of the Senate Standing Rules, which provides for Senate approval of the committees before they can go into operation, saying such development had also nullified the efforts of the Senate Selection Committee.

He insisted that the committees were not subject to the approval of all senators in plenary. He said that the Selection Committee was not properly constituted in that it was made up mainly of new senators, flouting the standing order, which specified that it should be constituted based on ranking.



Legislative tyranny

Hear him: “What we are witnessing today in the National Assembly and the Senate in particular is legislative tyranny, where impunity wants to be the order of the day.

“Laws are meant to be respected and if we can treat our Order with impunity, then we have no business being here.

“There is no committee. They are not legally constituted and they cannot function. Any further action is unacceptable to Nigerians and I have discharged that responsibility.”

Speaking in the same vein, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, APC, Kaduna North, said there were procedures for constituting standing committees.

Hunkuyi, who was appointed Vice Chairman, Federal Character Commission and Inter-Governmental Affairs, said there was no resolution on the committees at plenary.

But reacting to the allegations, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Abdullahi Sabi, said the committees were approved during the adoption of votes and proceedings.

According to him, no lawmaker had the power to declare any proceeding in the House null and void because they were not judges.

Source:

Beware, dirty notes can make you ill!

When next you handle a dirty currency, try and smell it. You’ll be surprised at how irritating to the nose it could be!

We are talking about any currency here, and not just the naira. However, because the majority of us only have access to our legal tender, we might as well focus on the naira.


The way the local sellers, especially the market women, handle the naira notes range from bizarre to the ridiculous.

Have you ever been handed money that was drawn directly out of the brassieres? Say, how does it feel holding money that has been soaked in someone’s sweat?

What about butchers who habitually smear money with blood of animals? Give them a neat note and right in your presence, they will smear it with blood, sending the pollution course in motion immediately.

As for bus conductors, if the naira could talk, it would cry foul each time those uncouth commercial bus conductors and the drivers use it to wipe sweat or clean dirty nose!

To some people, the naira note comes handy for picking ears. They simply roll it up and use the sharp edge to draw out ear wax.

And, what about people who lick their fingers repeatedly just to be able to separate the notes as they count money!

How often do you come across badly soiled naira, even when you withdraw money from the ATM? Usually, what comes out of the ATM are limp, torn and smelly notes that should have been withdrawn from circulation ages ago!

Yet, apart from the national shame that we feel each time we come across these badly handled notes, physicians are saying that dirty currencies are fully of germs that readily transit from hand to hand, such that no one could escape getting infected once you handle the money.

Germs and pathogens on money

When a child is playing with money, the average adult is only concerned about the money not getting lost. We hardly think of the possible ill health that could result from having an encounter with soiled notes!

Yet, unlike other commodities that could be neglected if found lying carelessly on the floor, the average person would pick up money, even if it perches atop a mound of poop! And when such money lands in your palm, you have no way of knowing how far it has travelled before it gets to you.

As such, it is dangerous to get careless with money by using your lips to hold it, for instance, while searching for something in your bag; or by allowing a child to play with money unsupervised.

A virologist with the Ministry of Health, Dr. Tolu Samuel, says the way the naira is treated leaves no one in doubt that each note carries thousands of several types of bacteria on its surface.

She says that without any fear of contradiction, the common bacteria that are likely to be found on dirty notes include the types that will be found in the mouth, bum and poop.

Elaborating further, the scientist says the act of licking the fingers when counting money introduces microbes that reside in the mouth; while those who don’t clean their hands properly after each bathroom use are responsible for the bacteria that are traceable to the private parts and poop.

She adds that though many viruses and bacteria cannot survive on any surface — including money surface — for more than 48 hours, live flu virus can survive on paper money for up to 17 days!

She says this is because, even without playing dirty with a currency, the human hands are colonised by millions of bacteria; and because money exchanges hands frequently, it is easy to pass pathogens around as money exchanges hands!

She counsels, “While scientists are not able to categorically say how much money aids in the transmission of disease-causing bacteria, common sense dictates that you should wash your hands after handling money, just the way you do after using the bathroom.”

Samuel warns that with the way some naira notes are heavily soiled, she wouldn’t be surprised to find multi-drug resistant pathogens on any of them if taken to the laboratory for analysis.

“What this suggests is that the population is exposed to the risk of not having effective prevention and treatment of a range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi,” Samuel warns.

Indeed, scientists warn that patients who have infections that are caused by drug-resistant bacteria are generally at increased risk of worse clinical outcomes, including death!

Have you ever taken ill after eating out, even in a swanky restaurant? It happens quite frequently and we sometimes think it’s because we developed sensitivity to the food.

Well, may be; as researchers warn that those who prepare food after handling contaminated currency notes have a higher risk of infecting themselves and others with food-borne pathogens such as shigella and salmonella.

Samuel says when you contact either salmonella or shigella, it can lead to abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhoea and fever, which will require medical attention without delay.

“What this translates into is that those who handle food must be careful to wash their hands after handling money. Otherwise, they may transfer disease pathogens that are on the surface of money into food. The situation is worse when that food wouldn’t need to be cooked before eating,” the virologist says.

The bottom line: Wash your hands frequently.

Policeman commits suicide for missing assessment exam

                      

There was pandemonium, yesterday, at the Police Training School, Ikeja, Lagos, following the discovery of the lifeless body of Corporal Agi Elias inside his car.

It was gathered that the policeman, attached to Safer High Way Patrol, reportedly committed suicide at about 8p.m, Monday, after he missed an assessment exam held at the training school.

Empty cans of pesticide and some tablets, suspected to have been taken by the deceased, were reportedly found inside the car.

Vanguard learned that Elias, who was part of the policemen undergoing a promotional course that ended Monday, was trapped in traffic on his way from Badagry.

He got to the school, only to discover that the assessment exam conducted by a Commissioner of Police was over. Report said passionate pleas to the examiners fell on deaf ears.

The distraught corporal, as gathered called his wife on phone and informed her not to expect him back home again. He was also said to have told her to come and pick his corpse at the training college.

When Vanguard arrived the scene yesterday morning, Elias’ widow, family members, friends and colleagues were seen weeping profusely.

Colleagues’ stories

According to one of his course mates identified simply as Sanni, “we have been here together since Friday on a training course. Yesterday, Elias was coming from his division in Badagry when he got trapped in traffic, which resulted in his missing the assessment exams.

“He begged the officer in charge to help him but they told him it was late and there was nothing they could do because it was the Commissioner of Police, CP Fatia Owoseni, that conducted the assessment exam.”

Another policeman, who spoke to Vanguard on the condition of anonymity, said: “Even if he missed the assessment exams, that is not enough reason for him to take his life. His death is not ordinary.

“Elias was comfortable. He had two cars: an SUV and the Passsat in which he died and two houses in different parts of Lagos. He did not even think of his family, his wife and two children.”

His corpse has been deposited in the morgue at Lagos State Teaching Hospital.

I thought he was

relaxing—VENDOR

A newspaper vendor, Bekky Onabanjo, who claimed to have seen the deceased park his vehicle Monday night, said: “One of his legs was outside while the other was inside the car. He was there till we closed for the day at about 7p.m. I thought he was relaxing.

“It was this morning (yesterday) that we found his lifeless body already stiff inside his vehicle. There was also an empty can of a pesticide inside the car, suggesting he could have committed suicide.”

Police statement

Confirming the incident, the command’s spokesman, Mr. Joe Offor, said: “A policeman was found dead in his car with number plates 489 AY, parked at the entrance gate of High Barracks, Ikeja today (yesterday) at about 7.30a.m.”

Vanguard

‘Expose Buhari’s ministers if they fly first-class’

The senator representing Bayelsa East, Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce, on Tuesday urged the soon-to-be-inaugurated President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministers to embark on cost-saving measures.

The inauguration of the ministers-designate will take place on Wednesday.

A minister-designate, Senator Chris Ngige, had on Friday disclosed that members of the soon-to-be constituted Federal Executive Council would serve without some perks of office associated with past government officials.

He said ministers would not operate with huge retinues of aides and long convoy of vehicles.

Speaking at the end of a two-day presidential retreat organised for ministers-designate by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Ngige said it was the desire of the present administration to block all leakages in the economy.

He said, “We shall operate a lean economy because we are going to block areas of leakages, retinues of aides, protocol staff. Large convoys of cars are things that will not fly in this administration.

“The important thing is that we want to move our people from where they are now; they are in abject poverty, a situation that affects about 75 per cent of the populace.

“So, we need to actually restructure the political and social structures of the country and that is what we are going to do. That means poverty will reduce.”

But Murray-Bruce, the founder of an entertainment conglomerate, the Silverbird Group, in a series of tweets, asked his followers to expose any minister caught flying first-class or riding in long convoy of cars.

He said, “Let’s monitor Buhari’s ministers. If you see them flying first-class, take a picture; send to me. Silverbird TV will air it.

“If you see Buhari’s ministers with excessively long convoys, take a picture and send to me. If you see ministers abusing power (beat red light, security harassing citizens), send to me.”

I’m not yet 100% fit – Oliseh

                        
                        Pinnick and Oliseh

Briefing journalists after the team’s training yesterday evening, Oliseh disclosed that due to the importance of the encounter he decided to return to ensure that the desired victory is secured.

However, the former national team captain quickly added that with the zeal displayed by the boys, that the team will find a way to get the better of their hosts even as he added that he has high regards for the home team.

“I am not 100% fit but this is a crucial match and we have to give it our all that is why I managed to be here. The boys are in high spirit and we have devised plans to get it right. We want to win all our matches so as to qualify for the world cup, that is our target.”

The former Juventus of Italy midfielder also spoke on the late arrival of some of his players including American based Obafemi Martins blaming that on international flight hitches especially as it concerns Lufthansa.

Meet Miss BumBum Brazil 2015 Winner

       

Suzy Cortez has been crowned Miss Bumbum Brazil 2015.The fifth annual contest saw over 500 women from around Brazil flock to Sao Paolo to be judged on their derrieres.


       

       

   

   

                                     

                                 



Images-Getty

ROBBERS RAPE NEWLY WED

Some residents of Adio, Ekimogun streets and Kehinde Lane in the Bariga area of Lagos State have started fleeing their homes after robbers kept attacking them repeatedly

Punch  Metro learnt that,during the raid of Ekimogun, a newly-wed woman who just moved into the house with her husband was raped while her husband was forced to watch.The security guard of a nursery and primary school on Adio Street was bound by his hands and feet and beaten up severely.

The landlady in one of the houses, who identified herself as Olubukola, said her children had stopped going to school because she no longer slept at home.
She said despite not staying at home, the robbers still broke into her room and carted away valuables.
She said,


“They have entered my house three times now. The first time was early Monday morning. They ransacked all the flats in the building.
“On Wednesday night cum Thursday morning, they returned and stole more things. Because of all these, people stopped living in their houses. My children and I now squat in a friend’s apartment in Alagbado.“But on Friday morning, we returned and discovered the robbers had come and because they did not meet anybody, they broke in and took away my television and DSTV decoder.”
Our correspondent learnt that in another house on the street, the robbers carted away handsets, laptops, money and ATM cards.

A resident, who identified himself as Solomon Johnson, said,
“They demanded the PINs of the cards. After they left and discovered that the PINs were incorrect, they returned to the room the next day and attacked the owners for giving them wrong PINs. They then asked for the correct PINs from them.”

It was gathered that the robbers, who were mostly teenagers and in their early 20s, wielded cutlasses, crowbars and axes.A resident said while some wore masks, others did not hide their faces.
A resident, Solomon, said he was attacked with a cutlass after the robbers thought he was hiding phones from them.He said,
“They cut my leg with a cutlass and beat me up, telling me to release the phones. I told them I did not have any phone. I was admitted in the hospital for two days.”
On Ekimogun where the rape took place, a resident said the incident happened around 2am.

He said,

“There is a sports viewing centre around here and some of us stay there. If we knew a robbery was going on we could have done something.
“But those robbers sneaked in and held those people hostage. The woman just moved into the house with her husband. They got married less than a month ago.
“One of the robbers raped her. She was taken to the hospital the next day for treatment.”
A community leader and Chairman, Security Committee for Adio Community, Femi Emiko, said the robbers always fled through the Oworonsoki Expressway, adding that the police were not using the right technique to arrest them.

He said,
“Actually, within one week, they have visited Adio five times. They have turned this community to an ‘ATM machine’ where they can withdraw money anytime they like.
“The police do come, but immediately the robbers hear their siren, they run away. We have been having meetings to see how to form vigilantes and fight these robbers. They are young guys and we can win this fight.”

Biafra protest in Port Harcourt: More graphic photos as number of casualties increase

Police are trying to disperse the crowd… Presently there are casualties as police are using every means necessary. Biafra protest is still ongoing in Port Harcourt

         

         


       

   

         



         

Ronaldo premieres his film in London

                

                                Ronaldo cries after winning the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or

From soccer pitch to red carpet, FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo, premiered his personal portrait film “Ronaldo” in London on Monday.

Ronaldo reunited with his former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson on the red carpet, which also saw a late arrival from Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

Posing with a line of fans, Ronaldo sought to break a selfie record upon arrival and was also awarded certificates for other Guinness World Records he had, including “most ‘liked’ person on Facebook”.

“The people who really know me, they are not going to be surprised about the movie,” Ronaldo told Reuters when asked about the film.

Asked if after his soccer playing career he might eye a position as head of FIFA or UEFA, the Real Madrid striker said that he would adjust accordingly to the dictates of his future endeavours.

“I’m not that smart to be president. I do not worry about that, about what is going to happen in my future.”

“I think I’m still able to play a few more years of football, but in future I have other projects, that will be more interesting than being president,” he added.

The film, made by the team behind documentaries on racing driver Ayrton Senna and singer Amy Winehouse, looks at his professional side as well as shows tender moments between Ronaldo and his young son.

“You have a chance to see the real Cristiano,” Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes said of the film.

Ronaldo is also captain of Portugal’s national team, which last month secured its spot for Euro 2016 in France.

Asked if he thought he could bring the side to victory, Ronaldo said: “Well, I will try. “I will help the team and I will give my best like always and let’s see what happens.”

“But I am looking forward to that.”

PHOTOS: World's Tallest Man dies at 26

      

The world's tallest man has died at 26. Pornchai Saosri, who measured a whopping 8ft 8ins (269cm), had been plagued by several illnesses related to his unusual rate of growth and had recently been treated in hospital.

Acxording to the Bangkok post, Pornchai was bedridden and being cared for by his father Saran, 60, his mother Mrs Woen, 56, and their 15-year-old granddaughter before his death..

   

Mrs Woen reported that her son had died at 10.05am on November 9 at their home on Ban Takaeo village in the Prasat district of Thailand.She said she had found her son dead after returning from washing dishes.After the media originally reported Pornchai's illnesses, locals had donated 110,000 baht (around £2020) to the family.

                  

Mrs Woen used some of the money to redeem her house which had been mortgaged to pay for Pornchai's medical bills.

In Oyo Female civil servants allegedly stage protests half naked

Reports say half naked female staff of Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), Ibadan, have staged a protest, demanding for the removal of the Executive Director, Professor Malachy O. Akoroda.

The female staff are accusing Akoroda of corruption and high handedness.

A petition signed by the Baale of Odo Onanla, Chief Yekeen Ogunyode, reads "Letters have been sent to the President Federal Republic of Nigeria and Federal House of Representatives regarding the lingering crisis in CRIN. In addition numerous petitions have been sent to the ICPC, the EFCC, the Auditor General, and Accountant General of the Federation concerning the mismanagement of funds through white elephant projects at the expense of research by Professor Akoroda.

“The workers alleged that Professor Akoroda use his influence to engage the security services to intimidate, harass, and victimize all those involved in the struggle to expose his maladministration through the issuance of queries, endless warnings, open confrontations and many more. Chief Ogunyode and other community leaders informed journalists during the protest that they identify with the plight of the workers and demand for the removal of Professor Akoroda

“We the Community Leaders have made several attempt to ensure this matter is settled, but Professor Akoroda will not listen. We cannot continue to fold our arms and watch this institute rot away or have our land taken away, most of our people are here. We want peace and I think peace cannot return to this place until Professor Akoroda is removed.”

Expert says breastfeeding can prevent cancer

Dr Mauris Nimark, Senior Registrar, Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, National Hospital, Abuja, said on Monday that breastfeeding could prevent the development of breast cancer in women.

Nimark disclosed this at a two-day retreat on 'Prevention and Treatment of Cancer, Hepatitis and Typhoid,' organised for Management Staff of the Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND) in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that A.I. Global Concept Ltd. in collaboration with the Corporate Medicals organised the retreat.

Nimark said women between 30 years and 40 years of age may likely contract breast cancer, explaining that at that age they were due to breastfeed.

"Breast feeding has been discovered to be protective towards development of breast cancer. So, women that breast feed reduce the risk than those that never breast feed.

"Generally, cancer is a disease that forms abnormal and uncontrolled growth within and outside the human body,’’ he said.

Nimark urged the participants to always go for cancer screening before the ailment got out of prevention and treatment.

According to him, participants should avoid tobacco, alcohol and processed food such as can foods in order to prevent cancer diseases.

"Regular exercise helps in controlling diseases such as hypertension, high blood pressure and cancers because when you are fit, you will be able to fight the diseases,” he said.

Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim, the Managing Director, A.I. Global Concept Ltd., a Human Resources/Medical Consultancy Firm, urged the Federal Government to urgently react positively to the needs of nation’s hospitals.

Ibrahim said the government should provide necessary and sufficient equipment to detect and drug to fight cancer scourge affecting women in the society.

He said it is regrettable to note that machines used to diagnose and treat cancer patients are virtually non-existent as most hospitals do not have functional machines.

He said that news report has it that the only one functioning is in Abuja, adding that patients are too many to cope with large number of patients.

Ibrahim said hepatitis became rampant in the country due to lack of awareness on causes of the ailment.

He stressed the need to overhaul the nation’s health-care delivery system to avoid epidemic in cancer and hepatitis ailments in the Nigerian society.

According to him, government should take the fight against corruption to procurement process of equipment for detection and treatment of ailments in order to succeed in the nation’s health-care reform.

"Government should ensure that right equipment for detection and treatment are procured at reasonable cost and as well as distributed to all our tertiary health institutions.’’

Gay men subjected to horrific electric shock therapy to 'cure homosexuality' in China

       

They are horrific images of young Chinese men with electrodes placed near their genitals and on their head before being subjected to huge doses of electric voltage to try and rid them of their homosexuality.

It's been revealed that men are still regularly subjected to gay electric shock therapy in China, 15 years after it was no longer classified a 'mental illness'.

Hospitals across the country continue to offer the brutal treatment, saying they can 'cure homosexuality'. Their barbaric methods are exposed by the Dateline program.


      

Viewers are taken inside medical facilities like the Tianjin Mental Health Hospital where undercover activist, John Shen, is told he can be prescribed drugs and shock therapy.

'It’s a small electric rod, when you have these urges, you shock yourself with the rod, then you know you should avoid these urges,' a psychiatrist tells Mr Shen.

In one particularly confronting image it appears a nurse even places electrodes near the man's genitalia as he calls out that 'I'm nervous'.

'Now what I want to make you to feel is scared,' the clinician tells him as she sends the charge through his body.

China outlawed the classification more than 15 years ago but that hasn't stopped the shocking practice taking place in medical facilities.


   
Undercover reporter


Another 'patient' went ahead with the treatment at the Huashan Hospital to secretly recorded the process.

'When these urges arise, you can take a cold shower or go jogging to release the excess hormones,” a psychiatrist suggested to him before offering the electric shock treatment. He is told it costs $800 each time and that several appointments will be required for him to be 'cured'..

   

Electrodes are attached to the man's head, which goes numb as the voltage is turned up.'He’s told it will rebalance his nervous system.'

Via Mailonline

Army arrests another wanted Boko Haram terrorist in Adamawa

THE Nigerian Army has arrested another wanted Boko Haram suspect barely a day after it apprehended one at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja at the weekend.

Army spokesman, Colo- nel Sani Kukasheka Usman said the suspect, one Ishaku Wardifen, was nabbed by

vigilant troops of 23 Brigade Special Battalion at a checkpoint in Maiha, Adamawa State.

Usman said preliminary investigation indicated the suspect is a Camerounian citizen, adding that “visual matching with photographs on the poster of the 100 declared suspected Boko Haram terrorists wanted list released by the Nigerian Army last month, shows that he clearly resembles the suspect on serial number 22 on the list.
“The suspect has been handed over to military intelligence for further in- vestigation and possible prosecution,” the army spokesman said.

He urged Nigerians to be more vigilant and security conscious to enable the military get rid of Boko Haram, insurgency and terrorism in the country.

The military had on Sun- day announced the arrest of one Chindo Bello by aviation security at Abuja airport, as he was about to board a commercial flight to Lagos.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Tukur Buratai last month dis- played photographs of 100 suspected Boko Haram fighters on the wanted lists of the military. Buratai said the wanted suspects were linked with various terror activities and violent at- tacks in troubled North-East states.

Pastor rapes teenager during deliverance, blames devil

The Nasarawa State Police command on Monday arrested a 46 year-old pastor, Ifeanyi Bernard, for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in the Karu Local Government Area of the state.

According to police authorities, the alleged rape took place on November 3 when the pastor was performing deliverance on the teenager.


However, the pastor described the incident as the handiwork of the devil.

While parading the suspect at the Criminal Investigative Department, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sani Mohammed, said the suspect was apprehended following a report by the father of the victim, Mr. Martins Ijiwo.

According to the police, the cleric, who lives in the Alikima Mararaba area of the state, lured the victim into his house under the pretext of casting out demons from her.

The police boss said the cleric allegedly pushed her to his bed and raped her repeatedly.

The commissioner said the suspect threatened to kill the victim if she reported the incident to any member of her family.

However, when the father of the girl learnt of the incident, he reported the matter to the police. The police subsequently stormed the pastor’s home and arrested him.

Policemen also recovered bottles of anointing oil from the suspect’s home as well as a bedspread.

The CP said, “The pastor took advantage of his closeness to the girl’s family – who are members of his congregation – to rape their 13-year-old daughter under the guise of casting out demons from her.”

While speaking with our correspondent at the police command, the pastor confessed to the crime, adding that he didn’t know what came over him when he committed the crime.

He said, “I had been into evangelism for some years now and I have been casting out demons from people who have spiritual and family problems before I met this young girl through her father, Mr. Martins Ijiwo.

“I have been a friend of the family for quite some time.

“I used my anointing oil to lure her into my room and all of a sudden, I was carried away and before I knew what was happening, I saw myself making love to her.”

Meanwhile, the police have also arrested four suspects for allegedly kidnapping a Taiwanese, Mr. Chew Williams, on October 6.

“We collected the sum of N7m from the Taiwanese before releasing him,” the suspects said.

It was learnt, however, that the police were only able to recover N750, 000 from the suspects.

Punch

Etisalat Doles N7m To Indigenous Software Developers

Etisalat Nigeria has doled out N7 million to two Nigerian software developers, Obi Brown and Chijioke Ezegbo, who emerged winners in the 2015 Etisalat Prize for Innovation competition for developing mobile applications that could run on its network.

Brown carted home N5 million in the most innovative product/service category. His start-up, StudyLabs developed Exammate 3.5, a complete interactive application for Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and post UTME computer based-text (CBT) examination to help students solve practical subjects.

On the other hand, Ezegbo went home with N2 million in the most innovative idea category. His start-up company DTMD developed a mobile interactive app that helps road users monitor traffic and find alternative routes using local dialects in the ever-busy Lagos roads.

Funke Opeke, CEO of Main One Cable Company who was a member of the board of innovators said the app would help Nigeria leapfrog into the digital economy, correct ills of the society as well as position students and commuters to be patriotic citizens contributing their own quota to growth and knowledge economy.

Director of digital business, Etisalat Nigeria, Adia Sohwo, said the company helps grow Nigeria’s innovation industry through the sponsorship of the Etisalat Innovation prize by giving software developers opportunity to develop apps. She noted that Etisalat has established an app store with about two million downloads already with local apps dominating

IPOB protests: Southeast Governors, Ohaneze to meet in Owerri

                           

Southeast Governors and the leadership of the Apex Igbo socio-political organization, Ohaneze Ndigbo, will convene in Owerri, Imo State, this weekend at the instance of the Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha, to find a lasting solution to the rising activities of separatist groups in the zone.

Okorocha, who had earlier denounced the activities of the pro-Biafra groups on behalf of the Southeast Governors and Igbo leaders, said the governors and leaders in the zone could no longer sit and watch the situation degenerate further, adding that the Igbo as a people cannot afford to have another Boko Haram in the region.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, the governor noted that the pockets of protests across the zone and in other neighbouring states, organized by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), is highly embarrassing, disturbing and counter-productive.

He said, “The pro-Biafra protests could not be in the interest of the Southeast people but are only sending wrong signals to the rest of Nigerians. And it has become increasingly necessary for the governors in the zone, Ohaneze leaders and other stakeholders in the area to meet, to call a spade, a spade.

“It is also expected that at the end of the Owerri meeting, the governors and other leaders will take a common position and will also invite the leaders of the pro-Biafra groups for a meeting, to let them know the socio-economic and political implications of their activities including their demand for sovereignty in a united Nigeria.”

Buhari sacks Lamorde

                              

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday sacked Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde as the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Allegation of corruption and disappearance of money and properties seized from financial crime suspects have been leveled against him.

Buhari, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has approved the appointment of Mr. Ibrahim Mustafa Magu as the Acting Chairman of the EFCC.

“Mr. Magu, who is an Assistant Commissioner of Police is to take over from Mr. Lamorde who is proceeding on terminal leave ahead of the formal expiration of his tenure in February next year,” the statement added.

Nigeria Discovers Crude Oil in Lake Chad Area – NNPC

                               

Nigeria is “on the verge of a significant oil find” in the Lake Chad area of the northeast, NNPC managing director Ibe Kachikwu was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the state oil company on Sunday.
Kachikwu, who is to be sworn in to President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet on Wednesday and is widely expected to become junior oil minister, also said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is projecting revenues of $20 billion in 2016.

Africa’s biggest economy has been hammered by the sharp drop in global oil prices, because it relies on crude exports for around 70 percent of government revenues.
“There are signs from the latest 3D seismic studies that oil may be very close to being found now in Lake Chad,” Kachikwu was quoted as saying in a statement issued by NNPC spokesman Ohi Alegbe.

“I am optimistic that by the end of the year we should be able to announce something major on this,” he said in a presentation in Lagos, according to the statement.
Kachikwu was quoted as saying it would be important to pass the long-delayed Petroleum Industry Bill aimed at overhauling the oil sector, and to encourage investment in the country’s oil and gas industry.
“Kachikwu stated that the NNPC is projecting the inflow of $20bn in 2016 to enable the corporation to fund major projects,” said NNPC spokesman Alegbe.

Portfolios have yet to be assigned to the 36 cabinet members chosen by Buhari, but analysts expect Kachikwu to report to the president, who will personally oversee the petroleum portfolio.

PHOTOS: Buhari, Osinbajo, Saraki at the swearing-in ceremony of new INEC chairman and commissioners

            

President Buhari this morning performed the swearing-in ceremony of the new INEC Chairman Professor Mahmud Yakubu as well as five INEC Commissioners namely Antonla Taiye Okoosi Simbine for North-central, Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo for North-east, Mohammed Mustafa Lecky for South-south, Amina Zakari for North East and Soyebi Adedeji Solomon for South-west.

             

            

            

One Of Britain’s Richest Men Loses Son

                   
                                             The deceased and his wife at a dinner in 2014

A boss at the steel company Caparo has died after falling from his penthouse home. Angad Paul, son of billionaire Lord Paul, fell eight storeys, landing on the roof of a building below where his body was spotted by horrified onlookers.


Fire-fighters were called to lead the operation to get him down and paramedics pronounced the 45-year-old dead at the scene in central London.


Police last night said there were no suspicious circumstances and they were investigating the circumstances behind the fall.


Indian entrepreneur, author and socialite Suhel Seth tweeted: “Deeply saddened. He was young and bright. Deepest condolences to Lord Swraj Paul and family.”


Mr Paul’s father Lord Paul is ranked the 47th richest person in Britain with an estimated wealth of £2.2billion.

Have You Seen P.Diddy’s Mum? Take A Look

 

He took the photo yesterday when he took her out on a date.

Bride and Groom Shot In Their Wedding Reception By DSS

                            


An official of the Department of Security Service (DSS), name withheld, on Saturday evening, went berserk and fired several shots at newly wedded couple during reception in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

Eyewitnesses told Nigerian Tribune that the incident which happened at Kugbaru community at the reception after church service left several other guests wounded and they were currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in the area.

Conflicting reports, however, said that the bride and bridegroom died before reaching the hospital, while another witness said the couple, alongside other victims were still in the hospital, responding to the treatment.
It was learnt further that the suspect, who made sudden appearance when the new couple was dancing, started shooting sporadically to scare the well wishers before firing several shots on the victims.

According to one of the witnesses, “after achieving his inhuman acts, he was trying to escape before the angry youths within the area descended on him. He was almost killed before the arrival of the policemen who rescued him and took him to the station.”

When contacted on phone in Lafia, the state capital, on Sunday, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ismaila Numan, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), confirmed the incident, saying the suspect has since been arrested, while investigation was ongoing.

The PPRO, who declined comment on the identity of the suspect, then added that the couple and one other victim were shot during the reception and they were all responding to the treatment.

Wanted suspected Boko Haram terrorist apprehended on Aero Contractors flight in Abuja

                           
Press statement from the Nigerian Army:

The declaration of 100 suspected Boko Haram terrorists has started to pay the desired dividend as one of them was arrested as he attempted to flee. Today(Yesterday November 8th) at Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, a man suspected to be one of the declared wanted suspected Boko Haram terrorists, Chindo Bello was apprehended by Aviation Security as he was boarding Aero Contractors’ Airline flight to Lagos.

MTN Group CEO to resign over NCC $5.2billion fine

                            

The Group CEO of MTN, Sifiso Dabengwa, is expected to resign over the recent $5.4billion fine by Nigerian Communication Commission for failing to cut off customers with unregistered SIM cards.

The telecoms company said in a statement today that Dabengwa will resign immediately and will be replaced by non-executive chairman Phuthuma Nhleko as the company continues to dialogue with the Nigerian government over the fine.

PHOTO: Lagos Lawyer In Street Fight Over Late Father’s Property, Blinds Sister In The Process

A woman, Mrs. Ifeoluwa Oluwaloseyitan (nee Alalade), has lost her right eye after she was allegedly attacked with a plank by her step-brother Mr. Olusegun Alalade, over their late father’s estate on Ladipo Oluwole Avenue, off Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja, Lagos.

Olusegun, who is a lawyer and his brother, Babasanjo Alalade, were said to have led some hoodlums to their father’s estate on Sunday, November 1, wielding cutlasses, among other weapons.


PUNCH Metro learnt that Ifeoluwa, her husband, Pastor Abraham Oluwaloseyitan; and her two elder brothers – Tunde and Kolawole – had been to the estate to inspect the painters working on one of the apartments therein.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Kolawole, who works in Abuja, had embarked on the renovation of the flat for him to be staying there whenever he came to Lagos.

Our correspondent learnt that they were about to leave the premises when the lawyer and his accomplices unleashed terror on them. Apart from the woman, the pastor was slashed in the head with a machete while Kolawole and others were also injured. But Tunde escaped unhurt.

It was learnt that a surgical operation was done on Ifeoluwa on Thursday to prevent the ‘ruptured’ eye from being infected.

One of the doctors treating her at the Lagos State University Hospital where she was admitted to confirmed to our correspondent shortly before the operation that the eye had become blind.

He said, “The trauma has ruptured the eye. The surgery we want to do is just to prevent infections. But medically, she can’t see with the eye.”

Narrating the incident to our correspondent, Ifeoluwa said Olusegun beat her severely and left her for dead.

She said, “It all started on Saturday when his younger brother, Babasanjo, used a machete to inflict wounds on a step-brother, Shola, in the palm inside our father’s estate. Babasanjo was arrested by the police from Man Centre Police Station but was released that same day. The lawyer was boasting before the policemen that he would deal with all of us.

“On Sunday, we went to the property to see the painters working on it. I was reading a magazine beside the gate when I saw the painters rushing out. I was approaching them to know what was wrong when Olusegun smashed a big plank on my forehead. He was hitting me, shouting ‘I will kill all of you’. He stopped when I pretended I was dead.”

Her husband, Pastor Abraham, said he wanted to rescue his wife when Babasanjo attacked him with a cutlass.

He said, “I moved her away from them (Olusegun and Babasanjo). Suddenly, they started clubbing me in the head. It was when two policemen came that they stopped beating me. Between Sunday evening and today (Thursday), I have spent over N200, 000 on her treatment alone. She is blind in one eye and her nose is affected too.”

Kolawole, one of Ifeoluwa’s step-brothers, accused the police of not handling the matter properly.

He said, “I am going to petition the Inspector-General of Police on this matter. Why would they release persons who attempted to kill? We are not happy with the way the matter is being handled by the police. It was because Babasanjo was released on Saturday that he was able to attack us on Sunday.”

Another brother, Tunde, said Olusegun had been ‘fraudulently’ administering their father’s property within and outside the state since he died in 2008, without giving them any share of the income.

But the lawyer denied attacking the victims. He said the apartment was under lock and key when Kolawole gained entry into it without his consent.

He said, “Tunde’s claims are not true. They were the ones that attacked me and I was injured in the head. I don’t know about the hoodlums and how Ifeoluwa got injured.

“They have been warned by the police to keep away from the estate. I just ejected a tenant from that place last month and locked the room. What was their mission on that premises on a Sunday? After all, they have sued me and my sibling.”

When contacted on the phone, Babasanjo simply told our correspondent that the squabble over the property “is already in court.”

One of the painters, Ayoola Henry, described the attack as ‘bloody’ saying he witnessed the incident from where he hid.

He said, “We were done with our work when Mr. Babasanjo, the lawyer and some people came with weapons and started attacking everybody. I ran to a corner but my partner was slightly injured in the leg. The lawyer was saying ‘I will kill everybody’. I am not sure whether it was the lawyer or Babasanjo that injured the woman (Ifeoluwa) because I was in shock.”

The Lagos State Police spokesperson, DSP Joe Offor, said he had yet to be briefed on the matter.

He said, “The officer in charge of the case is receiving treatment in a hospital. I will get back to you.”

Offor, however, had yet to do so as of press time.