Pregnant woman, husband, sell unborn baby for N200,000

A 23-year-old pregnant woman caused a stir at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters on Thursday after she confessed that she had sold her unborn baby for N200,000, in advance.

The suspect, Adaeze Mba, who was arrested for conniving with her husband to sell their neighbour’s four-year-old son for N400, 000, said it was poverty that pushed them to crime.

She confessed that she and her husband, Chibueze, had sold two other children for N700, 000.

She said, “In March 2013, my neighbour’s son, Stanley Ezeaka, was following me about in the compound at Jakande Estate and it was at that time that my husband received a phone call from his partner that she needed a child for sale. My husband then suggested that we took Stanley even though he was a bit old.

“We travelled to Imo State the following morning and sold him for N400, 000 after  which we relocated to Calabar.”

When asked why she took to crime and how she would feel if someone bought her own children, she said, “I am seven months pregnant and as I speak to you, my husband has already sold our unborn baby for N200, 000.

“I was against it but he convinced me to agree to it, saying he had already collected the money.”

When asked about the other children she and her husband had sold, she said, “The male child was sold at N400,000 while the female child, who was two months old but is now over a year old, was sold at N300,000.”

Chibueze on his part, said he went into the business last year. He said he had sold ‘only’ three children to his business partner, Benedicta Ogbonna, and maintained that the children were in turn sold to caring parents and not ritual killers.

He said, “One of the children was born by a mentally challenged woman; so I have committed no crime by selling the child to people who would take care of her.”

Ogbonna, who bought the three children from Chibueze and his wife at different times, said she sold children to BAREEN.

She said, “I am doing this business for humanitarian reasons and not for monetary gain. I am 35 years old and I have four children. I can never sell my own children and in fact my husband does not know I am into this kind of business.

“Chibueze brought Stanley to me and told me that his mother was a prostitute so he sold him to me at N400, 000. I then sold Stanley to Mrs. Patricia Anibogwu for N600,000. So far, I have sold only three children. I buy boys at N400, 000 and girls at N300,000.

“I use the money to take care of people and also invest it in my business. I sell shoes for a living at Anambra Wholesale Market.”

Anibogwu, who was the final buyer, said she thought Ogbonna was an employee of an orphanage. She said she bought Stanley because she was lonely having lost her husband.

She said amid tears that, “I was married for 28 years without a child. After my husband died, I decided to adopt the child because I was lonely. Someone introduced me to Ogbonna. Ogbonna told me she worked at an orphanage and would sell Stanley to me for N600, 000.

“I used my savings to pay for him and she brought Stanley to a roadside. I took Stanley home and started taking care of him like my own child. I changed his name to Uchenna. Ogbonna promised me that she would give me legal documents later but, unfortunately, I was arrested.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, urged parents to be vigilant and also advised childless women to go through the formal process of adoption rather than buying children.

She said, “In March 2013, one Caleb Ezeaka reported at Ilemba Hausa Police Division that his son, Stanley, had gone missing the previous day, adding that he was last seen with his neighbour, Adaeze Mba. All efforts to reach the neighbour proved abortive as she and her husband had disappeared and their phones were switched off.

“Through investigations, we traced them to Calabar and they confessed that they had sold him at N400,000 to one Benedicta Ogbonna. We traced Ogbonna to Anambra who then said she had sold him to Patricia Anibogwu for N600,000. So we arrested them all.

“Adaeze and her husband, Chibueze, confessed that they had sold three children to Ogbonna and they were also rescued. One of the children was sold when she was three months old and she is now a year and three months old.”

POWER

By Nonso Nwagbo

Power, O power

Why have you blinded the eyes of our people with your evil fold?

You have watered their mouths with sweet tasting evil that made them grin without reason.

You have successfully polluted their minds,

And their nostrils can only smell the fear of their preys.

You have made the hearts of men so cold and stony,

Their hands so scratchy every now and then, looking for the commoners to lay hold of.

And now, O power, 

All that your men can think of is to oppress their subordinates.

Your evil is lurking through the hearts of our youths; the hearts of our young ones.

A  little drop of your oil in an individual is enough to trigger off the great inner darkness in him;

And it belittles me, it makes me sad and also makes me want to cry at the manner of terror such an  individual can unleash because of you.

At times like this it makes me regret why God left you at the hands of certain men.

Oh Power, may the Lord forever withdraw your evil power from man.

For you have intimidated us for so long a time.

But O power,

Do not take our silence for foolishness and timidity.

‘cos my Father in Heaven have already warned me before hand that vengeance is of Him alone

And at the appointed time, He shall judge and avenge you and the men you have corrupted.

When that time comes, common men will rejoice and spit at your face;

Stones will be casted on the roof of your once glamorous house;

All your treasures shall be taken away from you;

At that time, O power,

There shall be peace.

Joy will be all over the earth for there shall be PEACE.

Man-beater thrashed by a group of women

Police have arrested a 32-year-old man for brutally torturing his wife and he was thrashed by a group of women when he was produced in a court for remand.

Rupesh Jayram Tandel, a resident of Kalwa town, was arrested last night on the basis of a complaint lodged by his wife Bhanumati (29), Sub-Inspector P T Kale of the Kalwa police station said.

Tandel and Bhanumati got married four years ago and have a three-year-old son. All was well in the initial stages, but later on the couple quarrelled over petty issues and the husband used to often beat his wife mercilessly, police said.

A few days ago, Tandel bit his wife in 56 places on her body, put chilli power in her private parts and attacked her with an iron rod, they said, adding the woman is currently undergoing treatment in a civic hospital here.

Tandel was booked under IPC Sections 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 351 (assault).

Today he was produced in the District Court, where a mob of around 50 irate women bashed him up. The incident took place in the court premises when Tandel was being taken to the Magistrate's chamber, police sources and eyewitnesses said.

The police team escorting the accused intervened and took him away. The Investigating Officer of the case, who was accompanying Tandel, was also manhandled by the mob, they said.

Crocodile marked 110th birthday with 20kg cake made of dead chickens

A FAMOUS north Australian animal turned 110 this week - but there was no letter from the Queen as supposed

Instead, Cassius the croc had to make do with a cake made of chicken necks.

And it took him less than a minute to devour the birthday treat.

Far North Queensland keepers of the world's largest saltwater crocodile in captivity sang the old croc Happy Birthday before giving him the 20kg meat cake topped with candles.

"He destroyed it in about 30 seconds," Marineland Melanesia croc wrangler Billy Craig said. "It's one of the biggest meals he's had - we decided to spoil him."

The 5.48m giant reptile normally eats about 1kg of chicken and fish a day.

It isn't known exactly how old Cassius is but keepers, who estimate his age at about 110, decided it was time to celebrate anyway.

"Crocodiles usually replace their teeth but normally, once they're old and sick, they'll stop replacing them," Mr Craig said.

"The fact he's still got his teeth and that he's in pretty good shape means he could live another 30 years."

Cassius was caught in the wild in the Northern Territory 26 years ago after being deemed a nuisance for attacking boats.

No one wanted the croc so Mr Craig's grandfather, George, who owns the Green Island farm, gave him his new home.

In 2011 the reptile, named after legendary boxer Cassius Clay, was officially declared by Guinness World Records to be the biggest crocodile in captivity.

2 Donkeys Kill Man

A pair of donkeys will be put down after they chased down a pensioner on his motor scooter, dragged him off and killed him.

Sandor Horvath, 65, a retired firefighter, was visiting a pal's farm in Magyarszecsod, Hungary, last week when he was attacked by killer donkeys Muki and Szamoca.

The animals bit and trampled him to death after dragging him about 50 metres, according to Horsetalk.co.nz.

Horvath was so badly mutilated he was missing a hand and it was originally thought he had been ravaged by a wolf pack.

An autopsy determined the donkeys were responsible for killing Horvath, who lived in a nearby cottage.

Police said the donkeys will be treated like dogs that kill and euthanized.

Insects as food in Thailand

Researchers say Thailand is showing the world how to respond to the global food crisis: by raising bugs for eating.

The United Nations' Food and Agricultural Organization released a study and handbook Tuesday on what they call `six-legged livestock' - edible bugs and worms that can help meet global food demand that is expected to grow 60 percent by 2050. The agency says they provide a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals.

The study was conducted in Thailand, where insects including crickets, grasshoppers and bamboo worms have long been a part of diets, especially in rural areas.

Entomologist Yupa Hanboonsong says about 200 insect species are eaten in Thailand. Cricket farming alone is already a $30 million industry there, but only a few other species have been commercially marketed.

Bookseller jailed for selling pirated copies of El-Rufai’s book

Lagos – A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, on Wednesday, sentenced a book seller to three months imprisonment for selling pirated books.
The convict, Chibueze Akamu, a resident at No. 69, Owodunni St., Iwaya, Yaba, was charged by the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC).

He had pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of piracy and sale of pirated books.
Delivering judgment, Justice Saliu Saidu said: “Having pleaded guilty to the charge before this honourable court, the accused is hereby convicted as charged.

“The accused is sentenced to three months imprisonment on each count,’’ the judge said, noting that the terms would run concurrently.

The prosecutor, Mrs Lynda Alphaeus, had told the court that the accused was apprehended on April 25, at Oyingbo, Lagos.

She said the accused was caught at the bus stop, selling pirated copies of the book, “The Accidental Public Servant”, authored by former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Nasir El-Rufai.
The bookseller, who had no legal representation, had pleaded with the court for mercy, saying that the books were supplied to him by a customer.

He said that he was not aware that they were pirated copies and begged the court to temper justice with mercy.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the offences contravened the provisions of Section 20 of the Copyrights Act, 2004.

According to the section, anyone convicted of the offence shall be liable to a fine not exceeding N1,000 for every copy dealt with, or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding five years, or to both fine and imprisonment. (NAN)
Source: Vanguard News

17 years old kidnappers arrested, 3500 catridges intercepted

TWO 17 year old suspected kidnappers were among other suspects paraded at the Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan Wednesday.

This came just as the same command intercepted about 3,500 live cartridges that were about to be conveyed to Saki in Oke Ogun area of Oyo State.

The boys attempt to kidnap another teenager whose name was given as Victor were foiled by the police after a tip-off.

According to the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Indabawa, the suspects had contracted a motorcyclist who they promised to give N100,000 if the operation was successful.

The two boys who were weeping profusely said they regretted their action.
One of the boys, Tunde Alonge, an SSS 1 student said, “I was at home when Similoluwa called me that he had hatched a plan of how we would make money”.

The second suspect, Similoluwa told newsmen that he wanted to use the money to settle his admission problem.

“We hoped to demand N500,000 as ransom. I wanted to use the money to get admission which I missed last year”, he said.

When asked how they were caught, he said it was the okada man that exposed them.
He said the Okada man was suspicious when they promised to give him N100,000.
Other suspects paraded include trailer hijackers and armed robbers.

The suspect, Mr. Alimi Saliu who was caught with live cartridges said he was only told to load the items which they told him were vehicle batteries.

Malawi President to sell Presidential Jet

Malawi's cost-cutting president is selling her predecessor's jet.

Cabinet clerk Ernest Katchetche said Wednesday that the government has identified a buyer for the 14-passenger presidential jet, which was put up for sale. The presidential office says the buyer is a Virgin Islands company.

Malawi President Joyce Banda came to power last year after the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika, who had angered the political opposition as well as Western donors to his impoverished country when he purchased the plane for an estimated $22 million several years previously.

Banda had said the jet was a wasteful expense and that she would never fly in it. She is instituting austerity measures to try to revive the economy of a country that relies on donors for 40 percent of its budget.

4 Presidents, Archbishop of Canterbury at Achebe's burial

Anambra State Government on Tuesday said four Heads of State and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Rev. Justin Welby, would be attending the burial of the literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe, at Ogidi.

The burial of Achebe, 82, who died in the United States on March 21, holds on Thursday.

Secretary to the Government of Anambra State, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, confirmed the coming of the foreign dignitaries on Tuesday while briefing reporters on Achebe’s burial arrangements.

Obaze said President John Mahama of Ghana would be joining President Goodluck Jonathan and two other heads of state, whose attendance has been secured but awaiting final confirmation at the burial.

Although the state government had not declared a public holiday for the burial, Obaze said it was mandatory for civil servants to attend the ceremonies slated for the Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka on Wednesday.

Obaze said, “The whole effort is to give Prof. Achebe a burial that he deserves as a literary icon and a great Igbo hero. He was an international citizen.”

Achebe’s body, which arrived in Enugu on Tuesday, will be received in Awka on Wednesday (today).

Meanwhile, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim, on Tuesday  joined other stakeholders to receive Achebe’s corpse at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.

Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi; Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo; and the National Chairman, All Nigeria Peoples Party, Dr. Ogobonaya Onu, were among eminent personalities at the airport to receive the corpse.

The British Airways aircraft, that conveyed his corpse, touched down at the airport about 4am.

The corpse, which was prayed for by an Anglican Bishop, was driven from the international wing of the airport to the local wing in a Mercedes Benz ambulance with  number plate CHINUA ACHEBE.

Different Igbo cultural groups were at the local wing of the airport to welcome the renowned author of Things Fall Apart.

Anyim, who said Achebe left an outstanding legacy, urged his family to bear the loss with fortitude.

Obi, who represented other governors, said Achebe was a man of truth.

He said, “I am representing the governors here. Achebe led a life of truth and humility. He tried to preach truth that will make us a better nation.”

Ike, the eldest son of Achebe, said his father worked tirelessly for the good of humanity.

He said, “My father, as you know, was a writer, social critic, family man and one who worked tirelessly for the uplifting of his people. The definition of his people is actually very broad. It is for those who do not have a voice; it is for those who are oppressed and for those who are not really favoured. He stood against corruption and government oppression.

“However, as a family, we will miss his presence and I will miss his guidance and advice. But it is not really a time for mourning. We are celebrating a remarkable man, who lived a remarkable life. And we are very grateful that the world is better because Chinua Achebe was here.”

Achebe’s corpse, which arrived in Enugu about 12.36pm aboard a private aircraft, Overland Nigeria, marked 5N-BPE, was accompanied by his wife, Christy and children.

The author’s elder brother, Augustine, family members, Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Mr. Amechi Okolo, and commissioners were among personalities that were at the airport to receive his body.

Okolo, who represented Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, said the deceased would be missed by all.

“We are mourning Achebe today because he was part of the state,’’ he said.

President of Ogidi Union Nigeria, Chief Obi Okaro, said Achebe exhibited true leadership qualities in the union, adding that the community would  immortalise him.

A university teacher, Prof. Ike Ndolo, canvassed that a national monument be named after the literary icon.

Ndolo, who decried the poor reading culture in the country, called for a collaborative effort to fight the menace.

Murderers of Kwara state CP arrested

The Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar, on Wednesday said the suspected killers of Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chinwike Asadu, have been arrested.

Asadu was murdered about three months ago at his Amorji-Nike residence in Enugu State.

Making the disclosure to journalists in Enugu during his official working visit to the state, Abubakar said the arms used by the killers during the operation were also recovered by the police.

The IGP said following the confessional statements of the seven persons arrested, the police were on the trail of other collaborators in the murder.

He said, “We have arrested seven of those behind the killing of CP Chinwike Asadu. His killing was indeed a sad incident and that is why when I visited the family after the incident, I made a promise that we shall stop at nothing to get those behind that dastardly act.

“I am glad to tell Nigerians that of those who took part in the killing, seven have been arrested and arraigned before a court.”

He gave the names of the suspects as Ogechukwu Uzoh, Ogechukwu Nnadi, Ugwuoke Obiora, Okwuosa Anthony, Chukwudi Enete, David Elvis Aja and Amobi Nnamchi.

“These are the seven persons charged  with murder. Aside the killing of the CP, they also confessed to killing other innocent souls and several acts of criminality,” the IGP added.

He, however declined giving further details on the arrest as well as what could have formed the motive.

On the murder of several policemen by the Ombatse militia group in Nasarawa State, the IGP said the matter was still under serious investigation.