Sunday, June 28, 2015
See Photos From The BET Celebrity BasketBall Game Ahead Of The Award Night
NEWS: 277 soldiers languish in Jos detention facility for various offences (read more)
A cross section of Nigerian soldiers charged for mutiny and other offences during a court martial at the Abacha Barracks
More
than 277 soldiers arrested for various offences in the ongoing war
against insurgency by Boko Haram in the North-East are currently
languishing at the Maxwell Khobe cantonment, Rukuba Barracks detention
facility of the 3rd Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army in Jos,
Plateau State.
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that the
soldiers were arrested at various times in the last six months in
Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, for various offences and are being
detained by the Military Police in the barracks.
Sources at the barracks told our
correspondent that the soldiers were being detained in dehumanising
condition without trial for the past six months.
It was gathered that some of the
soldiers had yet to know the offence for which they were arrested,
which, as a result, has made it difficult for the authorities to prefer
charges on them.
A relation of one of the detained
soldiers, who gave his name as Yakubu, told our correspondent that his
brother, a sergeant, had been in detention for six months with his
family unable to see him.
He said, “In fact, since he was
detained, no charges have been pressed on him and it is not certain when
he will be released. The Army authorities have also denied him access
to his family.”
In
his reaction, the Director of Army Public Relations, Maj.-Gen. Chris
Olukolade, who responded to an email sent to him, said administratively,
only the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Texas Chukwu,
could respond to the report.
NEWS: Traders protest The move of Boko Haram prisoners’ to Anambra
Commercial activities were paralysed on Saturday in Anambra State following protests by traders across the state.
The traders, who closed their shops as
early as 9am in major cities of Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi, Ekwulobia and
Agulu, took to the streets protesting what they termed plan by the
Federal Government to transfer Boko Haram detainees to prisons in the
state.
At Tarzan junction, Nkpor in Idemili
North Local Government Area of the state, traders and other residents
blocked the Enugu – Onitsha Expressway chanting songs suggesting they
would be forced to revive the clamour for Biafran Republic if pushed to
the wall.
The
traders carried placards bearing inscriptions like ‘Buhari should not
destroy the peace in Anambra State,’ ‘Biafra kanyi choro’ (We want
Biafra), ‘Buhari, Igbos cannot accept your prisoners, ‘We do not want
Boko Haram in Anambra,’ ‘Federal Government, why extend Boko Haram to
Anambra?’ and ‘Boko Haram prisoners are not allowed here.’
Speaking with journalists during the
protests, the Secretary-General, Anambra State Amalgamated Traders
Association, Chief Chuma Elucharu, stated that traders in the state
decided to shut markets to protest the rumoured relocation of Boko Haram
detainees to the state.
Eluchraru said the protests would be continuous until the Federal Government assured that there was no such plan.
At Onitsha, the protesters threatened to be violent should the rumour proved to be true.
There was tension as police used tear gas to disperse the protesters.
While addressing the traders, the
President-General of AMATAAS, Chief Okwudili Ezenwankwo, urged them to
be calm, saying further consultation would be made by the association to
get clear picture of the situation.
Also, the Police Public Relations
Officer in the state, Mr. Uche Eze, said there was no need to panic,
nothing that the police were handling the situation.
Eze enjoined the people of the state to go about their businesses without fear of molestation.
A senior officer in the Nigerian Prisons
Service in the state who spoke on the condition of anonymity to our
correspondent, however, said they got a signal recently to prepare to
receive some detainees of the violent sect.
But the Nigeria Prisons Service has said
there is no plan to transfer Boko Haram suspects in custody to prisons
in Anambra State as being speculated.
The NPS Public Relations Officer,
Francis Enebore, said most of the terror suspects in prison custody are
still awaiting trial and cannot be moved out of the jurisdiction of the
court where they would be prosecuted.
He dismissed speculations that the
prison authorities had formalised plans to transfer terror suspects from
the northern states to Anambra State, saying there is nothing like
that.
Enebore said, “Most of the terror
suspects are awaiting trial and so, there is no way they can be moved to
another state because they must be tried in the state where they
committed the crime.
“Apart from this, our duty is to move
them from prison to court for trial and since they have not been
convicted, how can we transfer them to other states outside the
jurisdiction of the court where they would be tried? People are just
saying things they know nothing about, there is no truth to the rumours
that we are transferring terror suspects to other states.
Same-sex ruling:Causes Mixed reactions in Nigeria
US President, Barack Obama.
Many Nigerians have condemned the United States for legalising same-sex marriage.
The US Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal throughout the country on Friday in a much-awaited landmark decision.
In a 5-4 ruling, the apex court stated
that the Constitution required all 50 states to carry out and recognise
marriages between people of the same sex. The ruling made the US the
21st country in the world that recognises same sex marriage as legal.
President Barack Obama who welcomed the verdict described it “a victory for America.”
While Obama considers the verdict as
being a welcome development, many Nigerians on the Internet on various
platforms however expressed dismay over the news.
One of the Nigerians who condemned the
judgement, Ataisi Frank, writing on his Facebook page said, “Any attempt
to discuss and implement the legality of same sex marriage in Nigeria,
then will politicians and the whole world know the meaning of ‘enforcing
righteousness and advancing kingdom authority’ by radical Nigerian
Christians. We are different from America; our foundation, culture and
spirituality is different. We are deep here; forget about our silence on
political happenings, a real Nigerian Christian loves God with his or
her life.”
Another
Nigerian, Ibrahim M with the Twitter handle, @ibrah_shuwa, said, “We
will see a breakdown of the family and family values if we (Nigerians)
ever decide to approve same-sex marriage.”
Similarly, Citizen Paul with the Twitter
handle @PaulUtho wrote, “For the law against same sex marriage in
Nigeria (not) to be overturned, we must stand our grounds against
western influence on this issue.”
Muhammadu Kabo, tweeting as @Minikabo said, “I am totally against same-sex marriage in Nigeria!”
Another Nigerian, E.A. Simpa
(@simpaAbel) tweeted that if Americans come to Nigeria to practise
homosexuality they would be considered as criminals.
DELSU bans wearing of miniskirts By Students
Delta State University
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Vincent Peretemode, in a statement made available to our correspondent, also ordered the reduction of fellowship centres in the school from over 80 to four.
The VC in the statement stated that the number of fellowships in the varsity’s three campuses portended crisis.
He said in the statement, “I have observed in the recent times that over 80 fellowship centres are on the three campuses. We cannot allow such. Fellowship centres have in recent time portended crisis that was almost unabated.”
He added that the school authorities also banned the wearing of miniskirts by female students.
The statement listed the four approved religious bodies to include Catholic, Anglican, Joint Christian Campus Fellowship and Our Saviours Chapel, as it indicated that there could be crisis among the students if the fellowship centres were not reduced.
The vice-chancellor said the number of religious centres in the institution was alarming, especially in Asaba campus totaling over 20. He stated that the figure tripled when added with that of Asaba campus.
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that the varsity’s authorities had been worried over the rise in fellowship centres in the Abraka main campus and the situation gave rise to crimes.
Meanwhile, three suspected rapists were arrested last week in the university by security operatives in Oleh and Abraka campuses.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects, identified them as Joseph Kenneth, Ejiro Philip and Monday Igba.
He said the suspects were arrested while attempting to invade the female hostels on the two campuses by the local security operatives in the two campuses.
Kalu added that the suspects were handed over to the police in Abraka who later transferred them to the state CID.
DJ Exclusive unveils debut album 'Accoding to X' at all-white party
DJ Xclusive has unleashed his long-awaited debut album on the world.
After
a prolific run of hit songs which have seen him take a stranglehold on
the airwaves and dance playlists all over the African continent, DJ
Xclusive has finally capped off months of hard work with his debut album
titled: ‘According to X’.
The
album was released today (June 28) at the hugely colourful all-white
party which had the best of Nigerian entertainers in attendance.
There were performances from Sean Tizzle, Phyno, Olamide, Banky W, Lil Kesh, Olu Maintain, Shaydee, Niyola, Skales, Patoranking, Terry G, CDQ, Iyanya, and 2face Idibia who gave a cameo appearance.
A
huge number of DJ’s came out in numbers to show support to Xclusive,
with Spinall, BigN, Sose, Rude, Kaywise and others in attendance.
Coming
off an incredibly successful year which saw him become established as
the go-to multitalented entertainer and media personality, DJ Xclusive
finally presents his highly anticipated debut project which will only
further serve to highlight his supremacy as one of Africa’s foremost
entertainers.
In keeping with what music lovers have come to expect from him, ‘According to X’ is a gloriously packaged audio buffet which is a real treat for the listening public.
The 21-track album features the cream of African music royalty, with names such as 2face
Idibia, Cassper Nyovest, Timaya, Terry G, Wizkid, D’Prince, Phyno,
Olamide, Sarkodie, Banky W, Davido, Tiwa Savage, Patoranking, Skales,
Burna Boy, Ice Prince, among others, expertly delivering Xclusive’s grand manifesto for taking over the industry.
‘According to X’, produced by some of the industry’s finest such as MasterKraft, Don Jazzy, Spellz, Del B and Pheelz is set to hit the streets and will be available nationwide from Monday June 29, 2015.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
ENTERTAINMENT: SolidStar Turns Model (see photos)
The campaign shows a mix of local and foreign labels with the goal of equipping men with great and fashionable pieces. See more photos after the cut...
Tunisia beach massacre: Killer joked as he selected his victims as His Kills Them (see photos)
One of the killers, who has been identified as Abu Yahya Qayrawani, 23 (pictured above) was reportedly seen laughing and joking with holidaymakers, looking like any other tourist but
used the time to carefully select the victims he would murder with a
Kalashnikov hidden in his parasol. The were said to be his primary
target. See more photos after the cut...
Culled from UK Daily Mail
'He
was laughing and joking around, like a normal guy,' said one witness.
'He was choosing who to shoot. Some people, he was saying to them 'you
go away'. He was choosing tourists, British, French.'
Tom
Richards, a university graduate who was on holiday with his mother and
younger brother, found himself face-to-face with a man with 'long black
hair and a beard', between 20 to 25.
He
and his mother Sam had fled from the pool when they heard the shots
ring out, but were confronted with the Kalashnikov-wielding terrorist
inside the hotel, where they were sheltering with other guests.
The
gunman shot two people in the head, before turning his attention to Mr
Richards. The 22-year-old told The Guardian: 'He looked right at me, I
thought I was dead.'
But
instead of shooting Mr Richards, he shot the floor - allowing Mr
Richards and his mother, who were injured by shards of marble, to escape
to a nearby toilet.
'I don’t know why he stopped. He could have killed everybody,' he said.
Many tourists barricaded themselves in their rooms after the 23-year-old student opened fire.
In another chilling account, Ibrahim el-Ghoul revealed how the killer had been smiling.
The
trainee mechanic, who works part-time at hotel nearby, said the gunman
told him 'I don't want to kill you; I want to hit tourists,' according
to The Independent.
 |
| The terrorist after he was killed by police |
Olivia
Leathley, 24, a chef from Chorlton, Manchester, said she and her
boyfriend escaped the massacre at the Imperial Marhaba hotel only
because she was charging her phone.
'We
then heard a shot from inside the hotel. Somebody just shouted 'run' so
we sprinted off in all directions,' she said. 'The machine gun fire was
so close, it sounded like it was right behind us.
'I was then on the phone to my dad, screaming at the top of my lungs and telling him 'I love you, I love you'.
'My
dad Glenn was saying 'I love you' and shouting prayers down the phone,
begging 'Lord, protect them'. We eventually found an office building and
hid in a room. As soon as I got somewhere safe, I threw up.
'I
later came across a woman who said her husband had been shot in the
stomach on the beach. He was bleeding heavily, but she had to leave him
there.'
A hotel
worker said a shoeless Yacoubi, who arrived on the beach by inflatable
boat, had tried to blend in with the crowd. He added: 'He opened fire
with a Kalashnikov. He was a young guy dressed in shorts – like he was a
tourist himself.'
Rafik
Chelli, Tunisia's secretary of state for national security, said the
gunman – named locally as Yacoubi – entered the Marhaba complex through
the pool area.
'He
entered by the beach, dressed like someone who was going to swim, and
he had a beach umbrella with his gun in it. Then when he came to the
beach he used his weapon,' Mr Chelli said. Yacoubi was shot dead by the
security forces.
Because
of the Ramadan religious period, there were few Tunisians on the beach
and few children because most schools have yet to break up.
Houcine Jenayah, a businessman, said the gunman arrived at speed on an inflatable Zodiac boat.
'He opened fire and had grenades with him,' said Mr Jenayah. 'He hid his Kalashnikov behind a parasol that he had in his hand.'
Within
minutes of the massacre, photographs had been posted on an Instagram
account showing a middle-aged man wearing blue shorts lying face down in
the sand with a pool of blood around his head.
Other bodies were covered with towels and marked with numbers.
 |
| A woman launches a furious attack on a man apparently arrested over the shootings |
Father-of-three
John Yeoman, 46, of Kettering, Northamptonshire, used a bed to
barricade himself and his family in the room of his hotel. 'We were in
the pool when we heard automatic gunfire. People ran past saying there
was an armed man on the beach,' he said.
Tweeting
a picture of his barricaded room, he added: 'Hope it's enough. It's
been going on for 20 minutes. We blocked in our room. There are sounds
of a gun battle.'
The
final moments of the terrorist were captured on camera as, weapon in
hand, he prowled the streets of Sousse. With the gunman dead, police
pursued suspects through the streets of Sousse, which is about 90 miles
south of the capital Tunis.
More than three hours after the massacre an apparent accomplice was arrested near the motorway.
Pictures showed him being punched in the face by a furious woman as he was marched through the town by armed police.
Police
were pictured detaining several men in the aftermath of the carnage but
it was not clear last night whether the suspects were connected to the
attack.
While
there were multiple accounts of what happened, most witnesses spoke of a
lone gunman who was later shot dead by the Tunisian security forces.
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