NAIJAFEED

Thursday, August 25, 2011

English Premiere Leugue Trophy comes to Lagos

English Premier League trophy currently on global tour in Africa continent was yesterday in Lagos, the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria. It was received by Lagos State governor Babatunde Fashola in his office located in Alausa area of the state.

While receiving the trophy presented by the management of Multi Choice limited, Fashola said the English Premier League (EPL) has demonstrated the capacity to create a good economy for the tournament.

He said the country, especially Lagos, is challenged by the success of the EPL which he said started from very humble background, saying it has metamorphosed into a global economy that is viable and providing livelihood for many. "This is what we aimed to do and we have started it here, to mix education curriculum of young talented footballers with sporting commitment and we want to ensure those who participate in the Lagos Junior League are actually students in schools and we think that if we can create this partnership between school and football, we might be up to something very big.

I recall as a student that some of our colleagues used to play for big clubs like Leventis United, Mandillas, Wema Bank, Union Bank, LSDPC and so on and after school, they earn more income to support their family and I think that at this time when there is a lot of youth unemployment, this is one of the things that we can tap into.

With the followership that football has in this country and all of us that are involved in the administration of football at various levels we must get involved and grow it into big economies. I expect that we would be receiving Multi Choice hand in partnership as we go forward and as we provide a night away from destitution and violence."

Multi Choice Managing Director, Mr. Joseph Hundah, said it was important to present it to the governor who is a fan of Manchester United.

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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

NIS rescues 17 from human trafficking to Italy

Sokoto State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has rescued no fewer than 17 victims of human trafficking on their way to Niger Republic.
Parading the victims in Sokoto yesterday, Comptroller of the State Command, Mr. Abdulmalik Abdulmuminu, said the victims were nabbed by immigration officers at the weekend in Illela local government area.

According to him, the victims were on their way to Italy via Niger Republic. He explained that in the course of interrogation, the victims confessed that they were heading to Italy and intend to reach there through the Mediterranean.
The comptroller decried the high incidence of human trafficking in recent times and advised parents to monitor their wards against being misled by unscrupulous individuals.

He added that the victims have already been handed over to NAPTIP for further investigation. Meanwhile, the Zonal Coordinator of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Mr. Shehu Omar, has expressed dismay over the high incidence of human trafficking in the country.

He said the agency had rescued at least 125 victims of human trafficking in the last two months.
The NAPTIP coordinator said the victims would be trained on vocational skills to enable them acquire skills they can use to fend for themselves.

The victims, who included nine females and eight males, lamented that they embarked on the move to Italy because of lack of jobs and poverty in the country.

This Day

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Grandmother orders torture and execution of 16 year old granddaughter

A sixteen-year-old girl was strangled to death in Benin, allegedly on the orders of her grandmother.

The deceased, Miss Vera Oyemwen Efe, an SS2 student of Idia College, Benin, was the daughter of Publisher of Revolutionary Times, a Benin-based newspaper, Efe Stewart. Because her two parents were separated, Vera and her two younger sisters were staying with their maternal grandmother, Mrs Roseline Igiebor.

According to the deceased's sister Osamudiamen who witnessed what happened, Vera left the house for four days without telling anybody her whereabout.

When she came back after four days she could not give any satisfactory reason of where she had been to. The grandmother then called one of her sons, Ovbokhan Irabor to help her discipline the child. Ovbokhan was said to have given the girl the beaten of her life.

Not satisfied with the beating, Mrs Igiebor then instructed one of her neighbours, Adewale Karimu, to continue the punishment.

The deceased's sister said Adewale strangled the deceased, tied her hands and put a rope round her mouth, with her last strength she muttered "please, help I'm dying". She continued muttering it until she died.

The deceased's father, Efe Stewart, who confirmed the incident said then police was already investigating it. Police Public Relations Officer Peter Ogboi also confirmed the incident.

Daily Trust

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Monday, August 22, 2011

John Mikel Obi's father freed and his kidnappers arrested

The kidnapped father of the Chelsea midfielder Mikel John Obi was freed on Monday after detectives traced him to a city in northern Nigeria.

Olusola Amore, a police spokesman, said investigators followed Michael Obi's trail from central Nigeria's Plateau state to Kano, one of the nation's largest cities. Officers raided the area where Obi was held, freeing him and arresting a number of kidnappers, Amore said.

Mikel's management company confirmed Michael Obi's release. "Earlier today, Michael Obi called his family to advise them that he had been released by his abductors. [We] have waited until now to release this information to ensure that Michael was safe," it said.

"Mikel John Obi would like to thank everyone in Nigeria, his family and friends, Chelsea FC and their fans and his agents for their total support during this terrible time."

The statement does not reveal whether a ransom was paid. Michael Obi is reported to have told the BBC shortly after his release: "I am very stressed."

Michael Obi was kidnapped on 12 August while on his way home from work in the central Nigerian city of Jos.

Guardian

Video - John Mikel Obi's family speak about kidnapping

The father of Chelsea football star Mikel Obi is thought to have been kidnapped in Nigeria.

Micheal Obi has been missing for 10 days.

In an exclusive interview, Al Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege talks to the footballer's family about the disappearance. They believe Michael Obi has been kidnapped by men wanting to get money out of his son who earns up to $100,000 a week playing in the Premier League.

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