Photos: Desmond Elliot receives his Certificate of Return

Actor Desmond Elliot who won the Lagos state House of Assembly seat for Surulere constituency I, received his certificate of return today April 29th. More photos after the cut...

Photos: Buhari at the induction of new members of the 8th National Assembly

Gen Buhari was at the induction of new members of the National assembly organised by the National Institute for Legislative Studies in Abuja today April 29th today. At the induction, Buhari promised to work closely with the National Assembly members, stating that for any democratic leader to work successful, he needs the cooperation of the national assembly members. See more pics after the cut..

"The legislature by nature is inherently democratic in the sense that all members are equal and are elected representatives of the Nigerian people. As President-elect, I recognize this fact and believe that legislators carry this heavy burden of representation with all the seriousness it deserves. For a president to be successful in addressing community development and general welfare of the various people of the country, he or she would benefit from working closely and in harmony with the legislative arm of government. “I therefore commit myself to working with the legislature as development partners motivated by the desire to deliver good governance.” he said

Very Graphic photo: fatal accident on 3rd Mainland Bridge

A power bike rider and his passenger died in a fatal accident that happened on Third Mainland bridge this afternoon. So sad! Another photo after the cut *graphic photo*

Military Rescues 293 Women, Girls From Sambisa Forest

Troops of the Nigerian Army yesterday, Tuesday April 28, rescued 200 girls and 93 women during a raid on Sambisa Forest – But it isn’t yet known, if the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram on April 14, 2014 were among those rescued.

The Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, confirmed the news of the rescue of the ladies, which was first announce via the Twitter handle of the military to PUNCH on the telephone.
The tweets read:

“Troops this (Tuesday) afternoon rescued 200 girls and 93 women from Sambisa. We cannot confirm if the Chibok girls are in the group.
“The troops captured and destroyed three terrorist camps, including the notorious Tokumbere Camp in the Sambisa Forest operation.
“Sambisa Forest: The freed persons are now being screened and profiled. We will bring you details later.”

We hope at least some of the abducted school girls were among those rescued or what do you think???

King Salman of Saudi Arabia Replaces Next in Line to The Throne

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday said King Salman bin Abdulaziz had removed his crown prince and foreign minister, as part of a dramatic reshuffling of his top officials.

The king replaced his younger half-brother, Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, as crown prince, appointing his nephew, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammedbin Nayef, as his new heir apparent. He appointed his son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as deputy crown prince, making him second in line to the throne.

He replaced veteran Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal with Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S. Adel al-Jubeir.

Photo: Prophet standing trial flees from court in Lagos

Drama ensued at the Ejigbo Magistrate court in Lagos State today when a self-professed prophet, Destiny Onwudinjo, who is on trial for assault and obtaining money under false pretense suddenly jumped from the dock and ran out of the court today April 28th.

According to PM News, Prophet Onwudinjo was arrested by the police at Shasha Division for brutalizing a commercial motorcycle rider, Chika Izuogu pictured above for refusing to pay him N120,000 for deliverance prayer.


While testifying in court, Chika, the motorcycle driver, said Destiny met him along Olukosi Street, Shasha, Lagos and told him that he had a revelation from God and that he needed to embark on seven days deliverance prayer so that his condition would improve for the better. Prophet Destiny explained to him that the money he asked him to pay covered the fasting and other spiritual materials he would use for the deliverance. He told him that he will receive a divine blessing from God as an unknown person will give him N3 million he would use to start a new life and become rich. Chika however told Prophet Destiny that he will conduct the prayers himself as he does not have any money to give him. This angered Prophet Destiny who immediately started beating him up. Prophet Destiny was arrested and charged to court with an attempt to obtain money under false pretence and assault.

During court proceedings today, he jumped out of the dock and started running. He was later apprehended

Meet the Nigerians Who've been Begging Aliko Dangote Money on Twitter

 lmaoo. What a brave man! Meet the second guy after the cut.

Photo: Indonesian firing squad head to prison Island where 9 men will be executed tonight. 4 Nigerian are among them

Heavily armed firing squad in full body armour have been spotted in a boat heading to the Indonesian prison island of Nusakambangan where 9 men, including 4 Nigerians, convicted of drug offenses are due to be shot tonight. The men will be shot in the heart and their coffins have already been taken to the Island. No clemency, despite pleas from the prisoners' families and world organizations.

8 of the nine prisoners.

Condemned Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran will be killed by midnight

Chan's parents

The coffins the men will be buried in

5yr old boy kidnapped in Lagos, found in Ogun (no one has claimed him yet)

Abraham Adeyemi, a five-year-old boy pictured above, believed to have been kidnapped in Lagos has been found in Ogun State. Abraham was found loitering in front of the Foursquare Gospel Church, Imedu Nla, Mowe, in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area in Ogun state on Sunday April 26th and brought to the Nigerian Union of  Journalists secretariat, Iwe Iroyin, Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta by the state police spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi yesterday April 27th.

During a brief interrogation, Abraham said he was taken away from his area by some people who promised to take him to Mr Biggs

"They told me that we were going to Mr. Biggs"he said

According to Punch, Abraham said he is a nursery one pupil of the New Way Nursery and Primary School here in Lagos and that his mother sells recharge card in their area. He however was not able to state where they live exactly in Lagos. He only mentioned they stay around a canal. He also could not give the names of his father and mother, referring to them as Mummy Sarah and Daddy Sarah, after his older sister. 

The state Police spokesperson, Mr Ajetobi said they have not been able to make any contact with the boy's family because he has not been able to give the names of his parents

"The police found him on Sunday at the Foursquare Gospel Church, Imedu Nla, Mowe. We suspected that Adeyemi must have been kidnapped in Lagos and dumped here in Ogun State. This is because the boy kept telling the police that he lives in Canal; and we all know that canals are common in Lagos. We are not sure whether any ransom has been demanded. The boy is currently with us.” he said

If anyone knows the boy...please let his family know...

Xenophobia: FG Seeks Forgiveness for South Africa

The Federal Government on Tuesday pleaded with Nigerians to forgive South Africa over Xenophobic attacks on foreigners in that country.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, made the plea when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs in Abuja. The Senate had summoned the minister for briefing on the recent xenophobic attacks in the former apartheid enclave.

Wali was accompanied to the session by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs II, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, the Nigerian envoys in South Africa, Messrs Uche Ajulu-Okeke, and Martin Cobham.

Wali specifically enjoined the Senate to reconsider its stand on the five-point resolution, seeking
severance of bilateral relation with South Africa.

The Senate had last week, in a resolution urged the Nigerian government to recall its two envoys in Pretoria and Johannesburg as well as drag the Zulu king, Goodwill Zwelithini,  before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague.

The minister insisted that such drastic actions against the South Africa would adversely affect its economy and that Nigeria might attract negative publicity in the process.

Wali in his presentations explained that what happened in South Africa was not targeted at Nigerians, adding that the incident had negatively affected few Nigerians.

He said:

 “As at now the situation has not warranted such drastic actions like recalling our envoys in South Africa.  We are big brothers of Africa. We cannot retaliate by recalling our envoys because it will send wrong signals which could affect their economy. 

Even countries whose citizens were killed and got their shops looted have not taken such action.”

Kidnapper Shot Dead while Picking N3m Ransom in Lagos (Graphic Photo)

A suspected kidnapper, Niyi Omosola,(pictured after the cut) has been shot dead by the police in the Epe area of Lagos.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Omosola was shot dead during a rescue operation by the police to free a victim, identified simply as Kudirat. It was gathered that Omosola, while collecting the ransom, sighted the police and decided to escape on a motorcycle when the operatives fired him.

Omosola, who hailed from Ondo State, allegedly led a gang which kidnapped the woman in the
Elemoro, Ajah area.

Sixty-two-year-old Kudirat, a businesswoman, was reportedly abducted by the gang on Thursday, April 16, at about 7pm. She was inspecting the construction work at a petrol station she owned in the area when the kidnappers swooped on her and took her away.

It was gathered that the gang later contacted the family and demanded a ransom of N50m. However, after negotiation, the gang and the family agreed to a ransom of N3m.

PUNCH Metro learnt on Wednesday that Kudirat’s brother, who had been communicating with the gang, took the ransom to an agreed hideout in the Epe area.

However, a team of operatives led by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad Commander, Abba Kyari, was said to have trailed Kudirat’s brother to the hideout.

A police source said Omosola, while collecting the ransom, initially opened fire when he sighted the police.

He added that when the kingpin saw that he was outnumbered, he tried to escape on a motorcycle, leaving the policemen with no choice than to fire him.

He said:

 “The kidnappers are a notorious gang. They had conducted several operations in the area. In the latest incident, they demanded N50m initially, but when the family could not produce the amount, they finally agreed to N3m. They also arranged where the place of meeting would be in the Epe area. 

The police trailed the brother, who was taking the money to Epe, where Omosola was waiting. Immediately he collected the ransom, he suspected that policemen were around and he began to shoot sporadically. 

He got on a motorcycle and was riding off when he was gunned down. He did not die immediately.”

PUNCH Metro learnt that Omosola, who was injured, led the SARS operatives to a bush between Epe and Ijebu Ode, where the woman was held. When the police arrived at the hideout, his gang members had reportedly fled the place.

It was gathered that Kudirat was rescued alive by the police, while Omosola eventually died from the gunshot injuries.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said efforts were on to apprehend the remaining gang members.

He said:

“When the information was received, the operatives trailed the gang to the location. The kidnap kingpin actually fired at SARS operatives, who were carrying out the rescue operation, and they fired back. In the process, he was fatally wounded. 

The woman has been rescued, while the corpse has been deposited at a public morgue. Efforts are being intensified to arrest other fleeing members of the gang.”

I Worked to Raise $6,000 for Libyan Pimp ─ Schoolgirl

Precious; phone lines used to contact the family; Lagos command hdqtrs | credits: Samson Folarin

Precious Nwaigwe, the 15-year-old schoolgirl, who was kidnapped in the Ajah area of Lagos State about a year ago, has said she was made to work for $6,000 the Libyan pimp paid to buy her.

She added that after paying the money, she was again used as collateral for a 500 Libyan dinars (N50,000) loan. She also stated that her abductors conducted pregnancy tests on her three different times, which were negative.

The schoolgirl, who was released on Friday, spoke to PUNCH Metro on Monday in Ikeja, Lagos.

She said she saw more than 1,000 Nigerian girls, who were also forced to work for the money paid by
the pimps to the human traffickers.

Precious was kidnapped in May, 2014 while returning to her school, Ikenne Community College, Ikenne, Ogun State. Her parents were contacted by the kidnappers in the Niger Republic, about two months after, demanding $100,000 (N19.9m) as a ransom.

Policemen from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad went to different parts of the country to arrest suspects.

A principal suspect and cousin of the victim, Kelvin Okito, was said to have eventually made a call to his accomplices in Libya, asking them to free the victim. She returned to Lagos on Friday.

Precious said she would never forgive her cousin for betraying her trust.

She said she was actually abducted in Ode Remo, Ogun State after she stumbled on some cultists en route to her school in Ikenne.

She said;

“When I left Sangotedo Park in Ajah for school, I was the only one in the vehicle, so the driver dropped me off at Ibeju Lekki. I got another vehicle from there, which took me to Ode Remo around 9pm. I could not find a cab that would take me to Ikenne where my school is. I did not know they were having a festival that day and people had been asked to stay indoors. 

I trekked for about two hours until I stumbled on some people who were talking. I discovered they were cultists and they accused me of eavesdropping. They added that I knew their secrets. The ladies among them descended on me. 

After the ladies were done beating me, they asked the men in the group to take turns to rape me.”

She said she faintly heard a man in the group protesting the decision. She said the man, who she later identified as Seun, took her to Ojota in Lagos.

She said Seun took care of her for two weeks, while she recuperated from her injuries.

Precious added:

 “One day, he said he wanted to help me to get eyedrop because my eyes were swollen. I begged him to allow me to follow him, at least to see the sun. He obliged me and while we were going, my slippers cut and I went back into the house to pick another one. I was on my way when I saw Kelvin (Okito) my maternal cousin.”

The Ohaozara, Ebonyi State indigene, said she narrated her ordeal to Okito, thinking that he would rescue her.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Okito, however, took her to the Alaba area of Lagos and connived with his friend, John, to sell the 15-year-old to John’s elder brother, identified as Nzube Chukwu. Chukwu was said to be based in Libya.

She explained that Okito deceived her that he had discussed with her mother to take her to Libya where she would continue her education.

She said:

“He said he had called my mum and told her he was taking me on a journey to Libya. I pleaded with him to allow me talk to her, but he said my mum was happy that I was going to Libya, where I would continue my education.”

She said together with some other migrants, they spent four days on the road before reaching Agadez in the Niger Republic. She said at that point, her co-travellers told her that it was a journey of life and death.

She said:

 “We spent four days on our journey to Agadez in the Niger Republic. The other people with me said it was a journey of life and death. I managed to get a phone, called my mum and asked her for money so I could return to Nigeria. They discovered the phone that I used to call my mum and they seized it. I was made to stay indoors in Agadez for three weeks.”

She said they later started the journey to Libya and spent seven days in the desert, adding that some people died on the way.

“We got to Bra in Libya seven days after. I met the wife of the man (Chukwu) and she asked me if I had been told what I was there for. I said, ‘Yes, to continue my school.’ 

I was taken to a place where there were so many girls wearing only pants and bras. I told them to wear their clothes. But they laughed at me and said, ‘this one is a JJC (naive)’,” she added.

Precious said the woman told her she had bought her and she must work to pay back the money.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the woman told her she would pay $6,000, including transport, accommodation and feeding costs. She said when she did not cooperate, she was beaten up.

“Every night, they would torture me with cigarette stubs. They locked me up in a room and beat me up,” she added.

Our correspondent learnt that the practice in the area was that every day’s job was documented in a notebook. At the end of the month, the total money made by each of the girls would be tabulated and divided into two.

The money would then be shared ─ one part for accommodation and feeding, and the other for transport cost incurred while travelling down to Libya.

Precious said she had pleaded with a man that had indicated interest to sleep with her on a night, to allow her make a call with his phone. She said she called Okito and told him she was suffering, begging him to talk to the woman to allow her go.

Okito was said to have assured the 15-year-old that he would do something.

She said:

 “But I paid the money back on my own. The man (Chukwu), who sold me to the woman, then came back and started making trouble again.”

It was learnt that Chukwu later used the victim to borrow 500 dinars (about N50,000). She said she was relocated to another part of the town, Baladia.

Precious said she was accused of sleeping with Chukwu and was subjected to three pregnancy tests, which were negative. While working to raise the 500 dinars, she said she met a Nigerian named Soni (Sunday). The two were said to have become friends.

PUNCH Metro was told that policemen at the SCID and SARS, in the course of investigations, arrested John and Okito in Lagos.

John’s brother, Chukwu, was said to have threatened Precious that she would not be allowed to return to Nigeria until the police in Nigeria released John. However, Soni helped the victim to pay the money and insisted that the victim was no longer in captivity and Chukwu could not decide her fate.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Soni, who worked as a tiles contractor in Libya, arranged Precious’ transport to Lagos.

She told our correspondent that while preparing to return home, the pimp in Libya urged her to recruit girls from Lagos.

She said:

 “She told me that now that I have seen how she worked and made her money, she would want me to join the business. There were more than 1,000 Nigerian girls who had been recruited to work in Libya. I was lucky to have survived and returned home safely.”

She said when she arrived in Lagos, she contacted a relative in the Okota area of the state, who took her to her parents.

“I can never forgive my cousin who did this to me. I trusted him and he decided to sell me for money,” she said.

Punch learnt that the victim would not return to her school in Ikenne. Her father, Okoro, said he was happy that his daughter returned home alive.

He said:

“There were four people involved in this sad tale and they were my town’s people. I spent more than N3m to get my daughter back. I was close to selling my house.”

Her mother, Blessing, commended police, The PUNCH and other Nigerians for their support. The Police Public Relations Officer, Kenneth Nwosu, said the suspects would soon be taken to court.