Georgia prison escapee captured after 34 years on the run

The U.S. Marshals Service captured a prison escapee who had been on the run for 34 years.

Willie Lee Austin was arrested in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, on Wednesday after he escaped from the Central State Correctional Institute in Macon, Georgia, Dec. 27, 1981, U.S. Marshals Supervisory Inspector Tony Schilling said. Austin had been serving a 15-year sentence for armed robbery.

Investigators had learned Austin, 60, was living in South Florida using an alias, Schilling said. He was arrested without incident.

14-year-old in Arkansas charged with killing grandparents

A 14-year-old boy shot and killed his grandparents during a robbery-and-murder scheme concocted with his close friends so that he could 'run off with their money.'  

Justin Staton, 14, (pictured above) was charged as an adult with two counts of capital murder in the July 22 deaths of his grandparents Robert and Patricia Cogdell at their home in Conway, Arkansas.

His accomplice, Hunter Drexler, 17, was also charged with the same count and court documents reveal that he had egged on his friend to kill his grandparents. 

According to another 17-year-old boy who was at the Codgell's home at the time of the attack, the murder plan had been conceived while all three were in juvenile jail together.

'Justin's plan was to shoot and kill his grandparents, split a large sum of money and credit cards between the three of them and then they would all run away. Justin estimated their take at $50,000 to $90,000.' 

According to police, the hideous crime was carried out about 30 miles north of Little Rock when police said the teenagers shot the couple and dumped their bodies in a wooded area nearby.

An affidavit filed with the charges, revealed that Staton told officers that, after complaining to Drexler about his grandparents, Drexler suggested that he shoot them. 

A 17-year-old girl also at the home when the Cogdells were shot told police that Robert Cogdell didn't die immediately and was 'choking and gurgling' on the floor outside his bedroom.

'She told Justin that he needed to do something about the noise Robert was making and suggested that Robert be put out of his misery,' the affidavit said. 'Justin walked over and shot Robert one or two times.'

Drexler and the other teenagers were detained in Texas days after the killings and found with some of Robert Cogdell's personal and work credit cards. 

The other teenagers were not charged with any crimes.

Without speaking specifically about Staton or Drexler, Prosecutor Cody Hiland blamed a culture that would let young people behave outside societal norms.

'If the law would allow for you to come into our juvenile courts, you would see young men and young women who are lonely, and they are angry and they are bitter, because their mom and dad have checked out to pursue whatever immediate gratification is driving them at the time,' Hiland said.

'It's the breakdown of the family. Faith issues. Societal issues,' he said. 'I can tell you that our juvenile courts are full and that one day we will reap a bitter harvest when they grow up.' 

After the crime, Staton quickly emerged as a suspect according to police.

In May, the Cogdells had called police because the teenager was threatening suicide and had become verbally abusive. 

In January, Robert Cogdell and Staton had fought after finding marijuana in the boy's room and $300 missing from the grandfather's wallet.

Staton had lived with his grandparents but was arrested at his mother's house with $1,540 in a pants pocket. 

During one of two interviews with police on July 22, Staton cried a little and said, 'I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did it.'

Staton, of Conway, and Drexler, of Clinton, were also charged with two counts each of aggravated robbery, theft of property and abuse of a corpse.

 Daily Mail

Saraki's visit to Maiduguri not for 2019 presidential bid - Senate

The Senate has discredited claims in some quarters that Senate president Bukola Saraki's visit to some IDP camps in Maiduguri, Borno state on Monday August 3rd was geared towards his alleged presidential aspiration in 2019. Speaking through its chairman on publicity, Senator Dino Melaye, the senate said there was no truth in the claim.

“It is myopic to say the visit has a link with 2019. The visit was not the making of the Senate president but the resolution of the Senate during a plenary last week. The visit has nothing to do with the ambition of the Senate president.
The visit was as a result of the motion moved by Senator George Thompson Sekibo of Rivers East Senatorial District on the Boko Haram insurgency. It was during the debate at the floor that Senate resolved that a delegation led by the Senate president should visit the North East states,” he said.

President Buhari initiates move for domestic weapons production

President Buhari has initiated moves for the production of weapons in Nigeria. According to a statement signed and released by Senior Special Adviser to the president on media and publicity Garba Shehu today August 7th, President Buhari charged the Federal Ministry of Defence to produce a plan for the establishment of a modest Military Industrial Complex for the local production of weapons to meet some of the requirements of the country's armed forces. The statement after the cut..

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja directed the Federal Ministry of Defence to produce a plan for the establishment of a modest Military Industrial Complex for the local production of weapons to meet some of the requirements of the country's armed forces. Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the National Defence College, President Buhari described as unacceptable, Nigeria's current over-dependence on other countries for critical military equipment and logistics. "We must evolve viable mechanisms for near-self-sufficiency in military equipment and logistics production complemented only by very advanced foreign technologies. "The Ministry of Defence is being tasked to draw up clear and measurable outlines for development of a modest Military Industrial Complex for Nigeria. "In this regard, it is to liaise with other strategic MDAs and industries to re-engineer the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to meet national military hardware and logistics requirements," the President said. President Buhari told the gathering that his administration had, since its assumption of office, reviewed the nature and character of Nigeria's security threats and challenges. "We recognized first and foremost, the external dimensions of these threats and the need for international cooperation and common security mechanisms to tackle them," the President said.

President Buhari added that in the light of this realization, his Administration was "convinced that the best approach was to work within the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) to mobilize a collective regional effort in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.

The President urged the graduates and officers and men of the Armed Forces to work harder to win the war against Boko Haram, terrorism and insurgency.

"We must apply a comprehensive strategy and coordinate all elements of national power against terrorism and insurgency; we must show result oriented leadership at all levels of military Command; we must set up an optimal organization to manage and sustain operational performance; and we must show confidence and winning mentality," President Buhari told them.

The President assured that the Federal Government under his leadership will strive to meet the operational, logistic, training and welfare requirements of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

He also reaffirmed his commitment to ameliorating the hardships of people living in areas most affected by insurgency and terrorism.

"We have the will, resolve and conviction to apply a comprehensive strategy and coordinate all elements of national power against terrorism and insurgency," the President reassured Nigerians and the international community.

President Buhari said that the National Defence College had fulfilled the vision of its founding fathers, by becoming a strategic human capacity-building institution, making credible contributions to Nigeria and other friendly countries.

The President urged graduates of the College's Course 23 to resolve to make "a marked difference in your future deployments and contribute your quota to the evolution and implementation of national security, defence and military strategies."

"You should be the source that lights up the environment wherever you find yourselves," he told them.

Garba Shehu
SSA to the President
(Media and Publicity)
August 7, 2015

Photos: Chris Brown shows off his $200k Rezvani Beast sports car

Chris Brown bought a fancy toy for himself, a Rezvani Beast. A 500 horsepower street-legal race car that he paid an extra $35,000 to get sooner. A rep for Rezvani says Chris snagged the first Beast ever made after paying $200,000 for it, even though the list price was $165k. He said that the cars are usually handmade in about 12-14 weeks, but Chris couldn't wait.
The extra $35k guaranteed delivery of model 001 in just 2 weeks. The Beast has no doors, no roof, weighs just 1,650 pounds and goes 0-60 mph in just 2.7 seconds.
He was seen driving the car on set of his music video- Liqor.

7 killed as gunmen attack hotel frequently used by UN peacekeepers in Mali

Suspected Islamic militia this morning attacked a hotel frequently used by UN peacekeepers in Sevare, Mali, killing 7 people. The gunmen stormed the hotel as early as 8am today, shooting sporadically and gaining access. 1 white man, 4 Malian soldiers & 2 terrorists died in the gun battle.

"It started before 8 a.m. (0800 GMT). I saw a body in front of the hotel. It was a white man but I don't know his nationality," said an eye witness told Reuters.

The hotel is believed to be lodging nationals from South Africa, France and Ukraine. A U.N. source, said that the attackers are still laying siege at the hotel.

Skyy Vodka dedicates August edition of Life in the Skyy to award winner, Patoranking

Skyy Vodka is dedicating its August edtion of Life in the Skyy series to its ambassador and Nigeria's dancehall sensation, Patoranking, who has just returned from the MTV Africa Music Awards victorious outing in South Africa.

To this end, all routes lead to Maison Fahrenheit Club, Victoria Island, Lagos this Friday 7th August, as celebrities & fans gather to honour Patoranking at a top class all night party hosted by Skyy Vodka.

The party starts from 9 p.m.Similar parties will be held in Port Harcourt and Abuja at later dates. It will be recalled that Patorankingwon the Best New Act award at the 2015 MAMA awards which held recentlyin South Africa. The Best New Act award category was keenly contested by some of the brightest African top artists, including Patoranking(Nigeria),Stonebwoy(Ghana), CassperNyovest (South Africa), Duncan (South Africa) and Anna Joyce (Angola).

AbayomiAjao, Marketing Manager, Brian Munro Limited (exclusive marketers of Skyy Vodka in Nigeria) said the welcome party will be massive, with so many entertainment celebrities expected to be in attendance, adding that similar parties will be held in Port Harcourt and Abuja later to give fans in these locations the opportunity to hang out with their favourite star.

According to him, one of the activities of the night will be the symbolic “big 54 give-away”. This will involve Patoranking giving away 54 bottles of Skyy Vodka to 54 lucky guests, representing the 54 countries on the Africa continent covered by the MAMA awards.

Photos: EFCC arrest two bank officials for N3.6billion fraud

Press statement from EFCC below...

A crack team of operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, August 6, 2015 arrested one Kato Ifrahimu Nyam and Godwin Odali, both staff of a new generation bank for conspiring to defraud the bank to the tune of N3.6bn (three billion, six million naira) with an e-payment mandate purportedly from Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The suspects, who operate as syndicate, sometime in June 2015, through their cronies submitted an e-payment mandate of N1.4bn (one billion, four hundred million naira) to Zenith bank and Access bank Plc. The banks, sensing a foul play after noticing some abnormalities on the e-payment mandate discretely contacted the Ministry of Agriculture Agriculture for confirmation and authentication of the document. A response from the Ministry showed that, no mandate was sent to the banks. Hence, the EFCC was contacted for investigation.

While the investigation was underway, the suspects in furtherance of their dubious acts submitted another e-payment mandate of N1.398bn (one billion, three hundred and ninety eight million naira) to Zenith bank, Abuja branch though one Abiola Oloko, an accomplice.

In the process, Oloko was arrested by EFCC operatives. On arrest, Oloko confessed that, they have had several meetings to arrange and perfect “the deal”. Oloko, who claimed to be a job seeker said, he was lured into “the business” by the bank officials whom he claimed gave him an identity card of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to answer the false name “Femi Babatunde”, but with his real passport photograph affixed to it.

The suspects will be arraigned in court as soon as investigation into the matter is concluded.

Media & Publicity 6th August, 2015

Rapper The Game comes for Amber Rose

Rapper The Game came for Amber Rose after the reality star defended the woman who accused him of sexual assault. The woman, Priscilla Rainey, slapped The Game with a $10m lawsuit claiming she was sexually assaulted during the filming of his reality show 'She Got Game'.

The whole drama started after Baller Alert questioned Priscilla's motives, saying she had a long criminal history and that she continued to promote the reality show on her social media accounts months after the alleged sexual abuse happened. Amber got involved by telling Baller Alert they were victim blaming and that was when The Game confronted Amber for defending her 'slut' sister. Read the drama after the cut...

The Game responded

Photos: Commercial plane's engine catches fire at US airport

The engine of a Delta airline plane heading to Cincinnati from Nashville caught fire at a Nashville airport in the US this morning. The fire started when the pilot turned on the engine. The passengers were immediately evacuated from the plane with no one injured or any casualties.

One of the passengers, Phil Cobucci when recounting what happened said "No one heard anything. The plane really just stopped in the middle of the tarmac. The captain said, 'We had a misfire,' which didn't really make it sound like the picture I saw (later) when they started popping up on Twitter. There wasn't any drama. Everyone is fine. It was more like an inconvenience, really," .

Ex-FRSC Boss buys New N13m Jeep as Scrap, pays only 150k

A former Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Haladu Hananiya, is in trouble for allegedly paying just N150,000 for a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser jeep worth N13m.

Hananiya is alleged to have used his position as former Chairman, Governing Council of the Adamawa State University, ADSU, to convert the vehicle to his personal property.

The university bought the brand new vehicle on January 28, 2015, several months after the former FRSC boss ceased to be chairman of the institution’s board.

Seven days later, the car was passed to Hananiya who bought it as scrap, paying a token N150,000.

A whistle blower, one Luka Ibrahim Monduva, first made the alleged scam public in a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Mr. Hananiya was appointed chairman of ADSU governing council on August 16, 2014. About two months into his four-year tenure; the state government sacked the board on October 8, 2014.

However, three months after the board was sacked, the university, on January 28, purchased a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser V6 Jeep for Mr. Hananiya. He bought off the SUV as scrap seven days later.

According to PT,investigation showed that the vehicle was purchased from AS Galadima Motors, located at Dawaki Junction, opposite Charley Boy Bus Stop, Kubwa Express Way, Abuja.

In his petition to the EFCC, Mr. Monduva alleged that prior to Mr. Hananiya’s appointment; the university’s management passed a resolution that empowers principal officers to retain official vehicles after paying the scrap value of N150, 000.

“Principal officers are entitled to retain their official vehicles once during their tenures after paying the scrap value of N150, 000; and if for any reason an officer leaves office after spending two years or half of the tenure, he shall pay the scrap value of N150, 000,” part of the resolution reads.

But Mr. Hananiya only spent two months in office, and Mr. Monduva described his purchase of the new car on scrap value as “fraudulent and questionable”.

EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that they have commenced investigation in the matter.

Groom mistakes new bride for thief after seeing her without makeup

A groom is suing his wife for psychological  suffering after seeing her without makeup for the first time..

Emirates247 reports that the Algerian groom dragged his bride to court  a day after their marriage, accusing her of deceiving him with heavy makeup to conceal the fact she wasn't pretty .

Now seeking $20,000 damages, he told court in the capital Algiers that he was shocked when he got up in the next morning and could not recognize his wife who looked so different,He is reported to have even mistaken her for a“thief who came to steal his apartment".

“The groom told the judge that he could not recognise his wife after she washed the make-up off her face.He said he was deceived by her as she used to fill up her face with make up before their marriage,” the papers said, quoting a court source. 

 The groom told court that he is demanding $20,000 damages for his psychological suffering.”