Photo: Man recounts how he and a friend were injured by Road Safety Officers in Minna, Niger State

Saddiq Dzukogi and his friend David were allegedly injured after some FRSC officers jumped on the okada that was conveying them home yesterday evening. He survived with minor injury but his friend's right arm was disclocated. (pictured on hospital bed) Below is what he wrote:
"This is the story- The Officer's Name is HB Mohammed. We recently initiated a weekly writing clinic, for ourselves, at AMAB bookshop. Today was one of such days where we go there to read, write poetry and talk about the things happening around the writing world.
I couldn’t drive my car today because of the fuel scarcity in Minna, so I took a bike to the rendezvous site. After spending hours there with David, we were drained and since there was power outage our computers couldn’t work beyond those hours we had stayed.

Pianist strangled & beaten to death by her Husband on their anniversary

A talented pianist was strangled and beaten to death in a loss of temper by her musician husband, a jury has heard.
Norwegian double bass player John Martin, 48, was said to have been jealous of Russian-born wife Natalia Strelchenko, 38, because her career had taken off while his had not.
Ms Strelchenko, also known by the surname Strelle, was found with head and neck injuries at their home in Newton, Heath, Manchester, last August, on the couple's second wedding anniversary.
Opening the case at Manchester Crown Court, Rob Hall said:

Johnson and Johnson ordered to pay $72 million for cancer death linked to talcum powder

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) was ordered by a Missouri state jury to pay $72 million of damages to the family of a woman whose death from ovarian cancer was linked to her use of the company's talc-based Baby Powder and Shower to Shower for several decades.

In a verdict announced late Monday night, jurors in the circuit court of St. Louis awarded the family of Jacqueline Fox $10 million of actual damages and $62 million of punitive damages, according to the family's lawyers and court records.

Photos: 6 Nigerian & Ghanaian pirates that hijacked the Panama oil tanker arrested by Nigerian Navy, one killed

 The Nigerian navy says it has rescued a hijacked oil tanker in a dramatic night-time operation in which one pirate was killed. The Panama-flagged Maximus, owned by a company in the UAE and on lease to a South Korean shipping company, was escorted on Monday into Lagos harbor with six captured hijackers from Nigeria and Ghana and the crew of 18 from India, Pakistan, China, South Korea, Sudan and Ghana. Rear Admiral Henry Babalola said the navy is still searching for two crew taken hostage by two hijackers who escaped in a pirate vessel. The Indian defence attache, Capt Gautam Marwaha said one hostage is Indian and the other is believed to be Pakistan. They have not received any ransom demand, he added. The bandits were after the ship's 4,700 tons of diesel fuel when they seized it on February 11. off the coast of Abidjan. The ship was rescued on Saturday night about 310 (500 kilometers) southwest of Lagos

How The Russian Air Super Power Changed the Middle East

Since it’s February 23, the Fatherland’s Defender Day, it would be appropriate to analyze the initial impact of Russia’s forces in Syria. First of all, Russian aircraft have been in combat for almost five months and secondly, the Syrian campaign is on the threshold of a pause largely thanks to the Russian forces.

Photos: Nigerian-born doctor left critically injured and fighting for life after being hit by lorry in Las Vegas

Dr Sebastian Kola-Bankole, from Camden, UK is fighting for his life after he was knocked down by a lorry as he crossed a road off the Sunset Strip on February 15. The 35-year-old doctor, from the Royal London Hospital, had flown out to Los Angeles before the accident for a friend’s wedding.

Turkey is screwed. And it’s all US fault (corrected text)

Amid rising tensions between Turkey and Russia over the situation in Syria, one important fact got lost. It’s not Russia that caused the current Turkish problems. It was the USA.

The most fundamental problem modern Turkey is facing is the Kurdish question. It’s a chronic problem, which threatens the integrity of Turkey and the Turkish elite perceives it as the largest security treat the country is facing. Turkish policies in Syria are determined by the Kurdish issue more than anything else. The change from the so called policy of zero problems with neighbors, which Erdogan and his government used to promote, came as a surprise to many and is directly related to the Kurdish issue and the events in Iraq after the disastrous US invasion.

15 year old boy shoots dead his 10 year old sister, cleans her body and dumps her in a field

 Disturbing new details has emerged in the case of a Florida teenager accused of murdering his 10-year-old sister, with the 15-year-old suspect claiming he shot the girl by accident and then dumped her body in a field.
Fredrick Matthew Lochridge, 15, was arrested Sunday in the murder of his 10-year-old sister, Isabella Heffernan, after she was reported missing by her family and was later found behind her home in Fountain.
According to an arrest affidavit released this afternoon, Lochridge, who was initially said to be 16 years old but is actually 15, admitted to shooting Heffernan with a .22 caliber rifle at around 3am on Sunday.

14 year old girl is elecuted after charging her phone while in the bath

A teenage girl who tried to use her mobile phone while in the bath was killed when the charger plugged into an extension cord, fell into the water. The tragic incident happened in Moscow where the girl lived with her mother, 40, and her older brother. Her mother found the 14-year-old and said she was so badly electrocuted that her body had started to burn. She had locked the bathroom door and used an extension lead to plug in her phone. When the mother realised that her daughter, who hasn’t been named, had been in the bathroom for a long time, she started to call for her to come out. After she heard no response, she forced her way inside and found her daughter’s lifeless body. The mum said the teenager had the charger in her hands and the mobile phone was on the floor, and she had used an extension lead because there were no plugs in the bathroom.

Photo: Liason office of Senator Magnus Abe in Bori, Rivers State attacked

 The senatorial liaison office of the candidate of APC in the March 19th re-run election in Rivers South East Senatorial District, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe was attacked in Bori, Ogoni on Monday February 22.

A statement by Parry Saroh Benson, Spokesperson to Senator Magnus Ngei Abe said, armed men clad in army uniform suspected to be thugs of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State is alleged to have been responsible for the dastardly act.

Greece Offers Russia the Use of Its Port to Bypass the Dardanelles and Bosporus

Translated by Ollie Richardson for Fort Russ
22th February, 2016

RT

The administration of Simferopol and the chamber of Commerce of the Greek region of Evros have signed a cooperation agreement. It aims to develop socio-economic and trade relations between Crimea and the Greek region. This was stated by the mayor of the city of Alexandroupolis - Evangelos Lambakis.

Joint Statement of the United States and the Russian Federation, as Co-Chairs of the ISSG, on Cessation of Hostilities in Syria

The United States of America and the Russian Federation, as co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) and seeking to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis with full respect for the fundamental role of the United Nations, are fully determined to provide their strongest support to end the Syrian conflict and establish conditions for a successful Syrian-led political transition process, facilitated by the UN, in order to fully implement the Munich Statement of the ISSG on February 11th, 2016, UN Security Council Resolution 2254, the 2015 Vienna Statements and the 2012 Geneva Communiqué.

Photos: Nigerian student and two other African students die in a fatal crash

 A Nigerian student and two other African students of Manchester University, UK, died and a fourth injured when a van driven by a man who authorities say was intoxicated struck them on Sunday, February 21.

Deangelo R. Evans is facing charges in connection with the crash. The 26-year-old from Chicago, was charged with three counts of operating while intoxicated causing death, one count of OWI resulting in serious bodily injury, and three counts of reckless homicide.

The crash happened shortly before 5:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes near mile marker 253. According to the Grant County Sheriff's Department, it appears that the students' van was stopped in the median with a flat tire. Seven people were standing outside when another van that was headed north on I-69 left the road and went into the median, striking four of the students.

Immigration tragedy: EFCC detains Abba Moro, two others

The EFCC today reportedly detained former Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, a former Permanent Secretary and a director over the N650million immigration recruitment scandal that led to the death of some job applicants in March 2014.‎ The three suspects were invited by the EFCC ahead of their arraignment in court on Tuesday. About 6.5million Nigerian youths applied for 5,000 immigration jobs, but the conduct of the test in March 2014 led to the death of several applicants during a stampede in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Minna. Each applicant paid a non-refundable application fee of N1, 000.

Photo: 19-year-old breast cancer patient at ATBUTH, in critical condition and needs radio therapy

 19-year-old mother of two, Saadatu Muhammed is currently a patient at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi. According to Surayyah Sabonkudi who shared the photo and details: "I came across this patient in a ward at ATBUTH Bauchi.Who is in need of radio therapy due to breast cancer. She is nineteen years old, a mother of two a villager and an orphan who cannot afford three square meals. Shes saadatu muhammed from giade female surgical ward four."

The Need for an Inland Container Terminal in Onitsha

Due to the dwindling economy, the Federal Government of Nigeria, the National Assembly, and many well-meaning Nigerians have suddenly come to a moment of self realization. We have reached that point in our lives where we are forced to consider where we got it wrong, how we got it wrong, and what we can do to make the cards that we have been dealt - in these dire economic circumstances - work in our favour.


With the current drop in oil prices, Nigeria has experienced a drop in the value of its currency. With the value of the Naira exchanging at $1 to ₦390, €1 to ₦407, and £1 to₦518. Even with these astronomical exchange rates, the Naira keeps dropping on a daily basis.

Forex Speculators From Benin Republic, Ghana, Others Invade Nigeria For Profits

FOREIGN exchange (forex) speculators from Benin Republic, Niger, Chad, Sudan, Ghana and other African countries are cashing in on the wide margin between the official and parallel market rates to make huge profits ,The Nationhas learnt.

The speculators are moving in huge dollar deposits to meet the rising demand by Nigerian importers and other buyers requiring dollar to pay their children’s school and medical fees.

Although the exchange rates are high, the urgency and necessity left the buyers with no option than to buy from the parallel market.

The official exchange rate has remained at N197 to a dollar in the last six months, creating a huge gap between the official or interbank rates and parallel market rates.

Febrile Rash Illnesses Hits Lagos Community, 20 Killed So Far

34 cases under examination
We’ll fight outbreak, says health Commissioner


An outbreak febrile rash illnesses (FRI) has been recorded in Otodo Gbame community in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State,leaving at least 20 kids dead.

Thirty-four other cases are currently under examination, Health Commissioner Jide Idris announced yesterday.

The outbreak was first identified by the Medical Officer of Health of the LGA on the 9th February, he said.

I’m Not A Hungry Governor - Obiano To Critics

The Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, has carpeted his critics who accused him of mismanaging the state’s resources, saying, “I’m not a hungry governor.”

The governor, who stated this in a media chat at the Governor’s Lodge, Amawbia, said he was an accomplished person by dint of a good career he had in the banking industry.

He said, “Look, let me tell you, I’m a wealthy person before I came here as a governor. I didn’t come here to steal, because there is nothing here for me to steal.
“I was enjoying my wealth in the United States of America with my family before I was approached to come and do this job as a governor.

Dasukigate: Metuh Wants Jonathan As Witness

•PDP chieftain files no case submission

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

NATIONAL Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, has told a Federal High Court that the Eco­nomic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) cannot prosecute him without inter­rogating former President Goodluck Jonathan regarding the source of the N400 million alleged to be part of arms purchase funds.

Metuh, who has filed a no case submission asking the court to discharge him from the seven- count money laundering charge preferred against him and his company, Destra Investment Limited, said the Prosecution Witness (PW5) evidence that presentation for which money was paid was made to Jonathan makes the investigation of his role as well as his evidence vital and indeed crucial without which no prima facie case can conceivably be said to have been made out. Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) led Metuh’s defence team.

INEC Declares Kogi Senatorial Rerun Election Inconclusive

There was confusion in the political circle of Kogi state on Sunday as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the two senatorial rerun elections in the state inconclusive.
The commission had in Saturday conducted the elections in Kogi East and Kogi West senatorial districts.

However as the people eagerly waited for the results to be declared, the commission again said no result could be declared as the elections were inconclusive.
Declaring the result of the Central senatorial district, the returning officer, Mr Salihu James, said Ahmed Salau Ogembe of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 45, 468, Senator Nurudeen Abatemi of the Progressive People Aliance (PPA) 31, 163, while Dr. Moses Wakili of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) scored 9, 962.

Creating The Devil In Their Own Image (must read)

This comment was chosen by Mod HS from the post “International Military Review – Syria, Feb. 18, 2016”.  The moderator believes this comment reflects the West’s obsession with President Vladimir Putin and how their media demonizes him.  The commenter, mmiriww,responds to the article written by Sharon Tennison. where she shares her thoughts as the Ukraine situation worsened. Unconscionable misinformation and hype was being poured on Russia and Vladimir Putin. Journalists and pundits scoured the Internet and thesauruses to come up with fiendish new epithets to describe both. Wherever Sharon makes presentations across America, she finds the first question ominously asked during Q&A is always, “What about Putin?”.

Putin explains Russian forces' Objectives in Syria

Russian military forces in Syria are destroying militants who have openly declared Russia to be their enemy and who do not conceal their plans to expand their activities onto territory of CIS countries, said Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. This statement was posted on February 20 on Kremlin’s web site.

“Our armed forces ought to be in constant readiness to quickly and appropriately react to potential threats, counter any provocation and aggression,” Putin said during his speech marking the Fatherland Defender’s Day celebrations at the Kremlin.

Chinese Rockets on disputed Islands in South China Sea

With the construction of a foothold in the South China Sea Beijing confirmed that it becomes the most serious military rival to the United States

Originally appeared at Politika, translated by A. Đurić exclusively for SouthFront

When the US Navy reconnaissance aircraft P-8A flew over coral reef in the South China sea in May last year, ignoring the warnings of Chinese warships, the crew filmed everything that was going on down there. Video showed dozens of cargo ships, full of stone blocks and gravel, around the reefs that the Chinese turned into an island. It was found that aero-naval base is being build, that the Chinese used coral reefs at seven positions to extend its territorial waters and economic zone.

North Korea Fire Artillery Shorts inside South Korea - Seoul

The incident comes at a time when in coming month the US and South Korea will conduct an annual joint military drill. Today, the South Korea’s Defense Ministry has said in a statement that North Korea has fired artillery shots during a military exercise near a disputed maritime border. The statement also said that Saturday’s firing prompted Seoul to call on residents on the Baengnyeong Island to go into shelters. Baengnyeong is situated less than 20 kilometers at its closest point to the North’s shore. The incident comes at a time when in coming month the US and South Korea will conduct an annual joint military drill. It is expected that some 15,000 US troops will take part in the two-phased exercises, known as Key Resolve and Foal Eagle.