50 Cent loses legal battle to Chinua Achebe

Seems like 50 Cent had the perfect title for his new movie. Already dealing with one lawsuit over $200,000 in unpaid services for the film, Fif also recently lost a legal battle against an iconic Nigerian author over the movie's title.

Via Broadway Ghana, 50 Cent was recently forced to change the title of the film, Things Fall Apart, which took its name from a classic 1958 novel by author Chinua Achebe. Upon learning of the film's title, Achebe threatened to sue 50 and the film's producers for copyright violations. Fif and friends tried to settle out of court, offering the Chinua Achebe Foundation $1 million to use the title, but the Chinua Achebe Foundation turned down the offer.

"The novel with the said title was initially produced in 1958 (that is 17 years before rapper 50 Cent was born), [is] listed as the mostly read book in modern African literature, and won’t be sold for even $1 billion,” Achebe's legal reps said.

As a result of the setback, the film's backers have convinced 50 to rename the film All Things Fall Apart to head off any more legal battles.

The Mario Van Peebles–directed movie, set for a 2012 release, tells the story of a college football player whose sports career is cut short by cancer. All Things Fall Apart stars Peebles, Ray Liotta and 50 Cent in the lead role.

Nigerian Films

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Video - Secterian killing in Jos

14 members of one family were killed in Plateau state, Nigeria, in what appears to be a religiously-motivated attack.

Locals say they were a Christian family, shot or hacked to death, by Muslim herdsmen. To these villagers, this is part of a cycle of revenge killings that have left dozens of people dead in the last two weeks.

While killings motivated by religion, or battle for land, have dogged the area for many years, there now appears to be a new, more determined pattern; pitting communities who have lived together for decades against each other.

The murders are another headache for President Goodluck Jonathan, who is also dealing with more bombings, after last month's attack on the UN compound in Abuja.

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Baby factory discovered in Anambra

Proprietress of Divine Mercy Motherless Babies Home Obosi , Lady Ifeoma Okolo allegedly escaped arrest yesterday as police raided the home in connection with alleged child trafficking.

Found at the home were 8 babies , and about 20 pregnant young girls .

The Anambra state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development after the raid took charge of three babies. The ministry's Director of Child Development, Mr Emeka Ejide led his team alongside the police for the raid.

The home located at Enic Foam road has a very big warehouse . The building has several rooms . in the decrepit rooms were 20 young pregnant girls waiting to deliver their babies for sale.

Investigation had it that one Miracle -a three year old boy was already sold at N400,000 to a woman who was desperately looking for a baby boy. Ifeoma however defaulted in delivering the boy to her client even after she had paid the amount both parties agreed. That was to mark the genesis of the problem of the home.

When contacted on phone , Lady Ifeoma Okolo said she went to the hospital with the 5 babies (initially at Nkpor but later Onitsha) but did not say anything about the pregnant girls harboured there. His workers had said Awada hospital.

But on investigation, Daily Champion discovered that clothes , make up, and bags of young girls were in the various rooms in the warehouse which had secret key locks and confusing entrance.

A source at the scene confided to Daily Champion that the home takes care of pregnant young girls and about 12 of them were there as at last week she visited and a good number of babies present. She informed claimed that the home specializes in selling babies to baby seekers.

But a Home care in the home, Mrs Elizabeth Okoroji and Cleaner, Mrs Mercy Amadi denied knowledge of such deals of selling babies and keeping pregnant young girls in the home but later claimed they were new and may not give accurate account of happenings at the home.

A woman ( names withheld ) who hails from Enugu state confessed to buying a baby from the home at the cost of over N400, 000 , praying that she be forgiven as she was not the only one that engaged in that even as she blamed her predicament on a protracted quest for a baby boy . She argued that in Igbo land a family without a baby boy was not regarded, explaining that she had given birth to a baby girl. She denied ever thinking of using the child for ritual.

The two tender babies were taken to Tenderlove Motherless babies home Awka while the other one was taken to Model motherless babies home Awka . police said they are on the trail of the home owner.

Speaking to journalists later, Commissioner for women Affairs and Social Development, Dr Mrs Ego Uzoezie reaffirmed the commitment of the ministry to clean up the mess by those running illegal homes in the state.

Daily Champion

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Ritualist beheads six year old boy

A six-year-old boy simply identified as Dan-Haru was on Saturday afternoon beheaded by a suspected ritualist in Chanchaga, a suburb of Minna, the Niger capital.

The headless corpse was dumped in a well.

It was gathered that the victim was left at home with his four-year-old brother by their parents who were petty traders at Kasuwa dari, a popular night market.

The younger brother was said to have escaped from the assailant during the attack and reported the incident to their father who was selling kolanuts at the market.

Eyewitnesses, however, said the late response by the father led to the escape of the assailant after killing the victim.

The mother of the deceased discovered his clothes inside the well and raised an alarm which attracted the father and sympathisers.

The Police Public Relation Officer of Niger Command, Mr Richard Oguche, confirmed the incident, pointing out that the Force had commenced investigation into the incident.

He said the assailant might have used a block moulding engine found with blood stain at the house to smash the head of the deceased.

Oguche said the police had not made any arrest in connection with the incident while the corpse had been released for burial.

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Drunk police officers kills 3 at funeral

Authorities say four drunk officers with Nigeria's federal police force opened fire on a funeral service they were assigned to guard, killing at least three mourners.

The shooting took place this weekend in the village of Akoko in Nigeria's Delta state. Delta state police spokesman Charles Muka said Monday that the officers opened fire for no reason after drinking heavily.

Muka said the four officers were being held pending the filing of criminal charges over the shooting.

Nigeria's federal police remain incapable of stopping ethnic and religious violence sweeping the oil-rich nation. Critics say its officers instead shake down motorists for bribes and make sham arrests to demand bail money from families. Many officers serve as personal orderlies to the country's elite.

Associated Press

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