NAIJAFEED

Monday, February 6, 2012

Teenager sells two week old baby for $122 USD

The absurdity of child trading came to fore on Friday as a two-week old baby was sold by the mother, Blessing John, an SSS II student for a paltry $122 USD to one Mrs. Chikodili Jude of Mechanic Bye pass, Minna, Niger state.

The police who arrested the mother of the child and the buyer of the child as well as the guardian of Blessing, Mrs. Martha Obino who negotiated the sale of the two week-old baby said they acted based on a tip off.

The Police Public Relations officer Richard Adamu Oguche told journalists that his office got the information and swung into action and arrested them.

The PPRO said from information available to the police, Blessing was forced into an agreement to give away her baby girl to Mrs. Jude at a sum of $122 USD.

He said that the police would commence further investigation to unearth the circumstances surrounding the sale of the baby and also charge those found to have run foul of the law to court.

The 17 year old Blessing in an interview with LEADERSHIP said the decision to "lease" her daughter to Mrs. Jude was because she was unable to take care of the baby.

Leadership

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UK Court sentences Nigerian air hostess to 5 years in prison for cocaine trafficking

A Nigerian air stewardess, Chinwendu Uwakaonyenma Ogbonnaya, who was caught trying to smuggle cocaine worth N60million into the United Kingdom (UK) recently has been sentenced to five and a half years inprisonment.

The 29-year-old crew member had flown into London's Heathrow airport from Lagos as a member of crew on Arik Air flight from Lagos on December 18, 2011.

She was apprehended during screening by UK Border Agency officers at the airport's crew clearance facility, as her luggage revealed that she was carrying a rucksack with a false back hiding package of cocaine.

Forensic tests later showed that the package contained approximately two kilogrammes of high purity cocaine, with UK street value of about £250,000.

Ogbonnaya claimed that she had been given the bag by a friend and that she was unaware it contained drugs.

However, she later pleaded guilty to attempting to import a class A drug, and a judge at Isleworth Crown Court in West London on Thursday February 2 sentenced her to five and a half years in prison.

She will also face deportation at the end of her sentence.

Assistant director Pete Avery, from the UK Border Agency's Criminal and Financial Investigation Team, said: "The cocaine found here was of a very high purity and there is no doubt that had this woman not been stopped it would've ended up being cut and sold on the streets of London.

"Ogbonnaya sought to abuse her position as a crew member by bringing these drugs in. As a result she now faces a long time away from home and behind bars."

"UK Border Agency officers are on constant alert to keep class A drugs and other banned substances out of the UK and take them out of the supply chain before they reach the streets."

Speaking on the issue, managing director of Arik Air, Mr. Chris Ndulue said that the airline is taking measures in-house to ensure it forestalls such situations in the future.

He said the airline has put stringent checks in place but that despite all efforts one can never do enough in the area of security.

He said," When we started international operations, we were particular about drugs and all other banned substances as well as explosives. We bought equipment that has helped us and it has helped give credibility to our operations."

"We have a lot of personnel in-house that are experienced to deal with such difficulties and they are doing their job. If in three years that incident happened once, it means there are some checks. Despite all efforts you can never do enough."

"We have to and we will tighten all loose ends, bring in more equipment and personnel. We are also urging the press to educate and sensitise people and appeal to their sense of morality because it is a crime that affects innocents too."

Daily Champion

Nigerian government moves to restrict British airways flights to Lagos

Pregnant woman arrested with cocaine at airport

Friday, February 3, 2012

Video - Boko Haram attacks keeping Christians in hiding

In Nigeria, Islamic militant attacks have Christian parents keeping children home from school.

United Nations says Boko Haram must not divide Nigeria

Video - Boko Haram leader declares war on Christians

President Goodluck Jonathan looking to increase Nigeria's refining capacity

President Goodluck Jonathan has begun moves to raise domestic petroleum refining capacity for the country in a bid to reduce importation of petroleum products.

Speaking when he received a delegation of Brazilian investors at the State House yesterday, the President assured them of government willingness to raise local production by issuing licenses for private refineries.

The delegation led by Chairman of the Voigt Group, Mr. Reuben Voigt, is in the country to explore means of investing in various sectors that include housing, power, petroleum refining and oil spillage clearing.

President Jonathan told the delegation that with four refineries, Nigeria is unable to provide enough petroleum products for its domestic use saying, "we are willing to approve applications for refining licenses."

He said Nigeria is "still a green area in terms of investments and government has opened up sectors of the economy, which were previously restricted to private sector investments."

The President therefore directed Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to hold discussions with the Voigt Group to explore areas of mutual cooperation.

In his speech earlier, Mr. Voigt said his firm is donating 120,000 housing units to Nigeria in the next three years while exploring areas of investment.

The delegation was led to the State House by Mrs. Ngozi Olajeme of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

Daily Trust

Video - Reaction to reinstated fuel subsidy

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Doubts on Arsenal tour of Nigeria due to security issues

Passionate football lovers in Nigeria, who already look forward to the proposed Arsenal pre-season playing tour of the country in June, may have their hopes dashed if feelers emanating from the English Premier League club are anything to go by.

Stakeholders in the English Premier League side are beginning to query the rationale behind taking the players on a tour of a country 'plagued by terrorist bomb blasts.'

Arsenal officials had last month visited Nigeria to inspect facilities and met with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to discuss the tour, scheduled for July.

Also, in mid January 2012, organisers of the proposed tour, DanJan Sports, which features Razaq Bello-Osagie, Shehu Dikko and David Omigie met with Arsenal officials at the Emirates Stadium to finalise details for the planned visit, which will be the club's first ever visit to Africa.

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger, according to the club, has ratified summer tour of Nigeria, but concerned members of the club wonder if safety is an issue.

'The powers that be who pull the purse strings are keen to cash in on the fact that Arsenal have the biggest fan base (in Nigeria) of any Premier League side (basically because of Nwankwo Kanu who played for the Gunners between 1999 and 2004) and they reason that taking the brand there makes sense for so many reasons,' said the stakeholders in a memo posted on Arsenal's website where posers were raised about the Nigeria tour.

'But is safety an issue? The country (Nigeria) has endured spates of sectarian violence over the years, though some of the conflict stems from economic and political factors as well.

'The militant group, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for multiple bombings in the northern city of Kano that killed at least 185 people.

Boko Haram killed more than 500 people last year and more than 250 in the first weeks of 2012 in gun and bomb attacks. President Goodluck Jonathan has said members of the Islamist sect have infiltrated the security services and all areas of government.

'Naturally, security must have been discussed and presumably the club is happy with the assurances they have received that their safety will be guaranteed. Will that change if troubles escalate?'

Despite plans that Arsenal matches during the pre-season tour would be played in Lagos and Abuja, which are relatively peaceful, the stakeholders pointed out that bomb blasts have occurred in Abuja, while soldiers were deployed on the streets of Lagos only a few weeks ago to quell protests against the removal of petroleum subsidy.

The stakeholders urged Arsenal to instead 'hop over the pond to the United States, given that owner Stan Kroenke is an American.'

Efforts made at reaching the Nigerian promoters of the pre-season tour for their reaction to the development proved abortive. Calls made to Shehu Dikko's mobile telephone repeatedly yielded a 'not available' feedback.

DanJan Sports had in 2008 facilitated a pre-season tour of Nigeria by Manchester United and Portsmouth.

The Moment

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