Welcome To Vanessa Michael's Blog

WELCOME BACK!!!!

2018-10-15T21:20:00.001+01:00

Hello Fam!!!!

Wow! It's been a minute........Like hypothetically!

The hiatus was pretty long yeah?

A lot has happened and trust me I miss being on this platform, doing what I love to do and getting feed backs from y'all.

This is more like a test run to see if a come back is possible.

Well......you never can tell.

Anything is possible.

Let's see how it goes.

Thanks for being there when I was up and running and hopefully, y'all get to ride with me as I make a come back.

Love y'all!!!!

PHOTOS: Blac Chyna gushes over Rob Kardashian While partying with Amber Rose in Cannes

2016-06-23T09:14:00.000+01:00

BFFS, ,Blac Chyna and Amber Rose partied really hard at the DailyMail.com Yacht Party in the South of France and preggars Blac Chyna spoke in details, for the first time about Rob Kardashian. Blac insists she has no doubt he will be a great dad. She said thus:

'He's a genuinely loving person... Rob has all the qualities of a good father.... he'll be straight,' she continued.

And as for the Kardashians praising her for 'saving' Rob she admits:

'It makes me feel good but I tell him to give himself some credit also.

More photos after the cut........

FIRS allegedly slams N75m on Linda Ikeji for tax evasion

2016-06-23T09:05:00.001+01:00

It’s really a sad case where people try to pull their fellow humans down, for whatever reason. It is quite appalling that when a man/woman is down, broke and busted, they would be the national topic of discussion as they would be constantly scorned and ridiculed. But once they manage to make it to the top, people would scream to the high heavens and still try to bring him/her down. This report is according to how #CapitaNg reported it. And let's hope she hasn't been evading tax. Read below:

Mischief makers are at their worst again. Like predatory locusts swarming on a bean farm, they have gathered to pierce at the jugular of Linda Ikeji, the celebrity blogger. No sooner did the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) swoop on Linda’s Banana Island home than her traducers march to town chanting victory songs. Too many of her readers are ecstatic about her recent ordeal in the hands of the FIRS.

According to a source in the FIRS, the celebrity blogger had been evading tax payment, which has amounted to the whooping sum of N75 Million. However, when asked about the purchase of the house, it was disclosed that Linda blatantly denied ownership of the N500 Million luxurious mansion which she allegedly purchased in 2015.

Linda’s denial of ownership of the edifice resonated as sweet melody to her detractors, many of whom she had consciously or unconsciously angered by persistent news of her professional and financial success. Foes of Linda are hauling invectives at her like lances claiming she is a big fraud who gloried in misleading the public about the ownership of the building and her actual financial status. Many of them are of the opinion that Linda should have simply come clean and make everyone understand that she is just a tenant in the building.

Linda’s critics are not ready to soft-pedal on her; they are vigorously attacking Linda every minute and condemning her for the way she openly bragged about the purchase of the building in 2015.

They keep referencing the fact that Linda took to her blog to post the exterior and interior pictures of the luxury apartment calling herself a ‘self-made woman’ and bragging afterwards: “I bought a two-storey luxury house in the exclusive Banana Island area of Ikoyi…and to be honest, I still can’t believe it. It’s everything I prayed my house would be. That’s me standing in front of my house. #ProudSelfMadeWoman.”

But while Linda’s detractors take her to the cleaners over her perceived fraudulence, close friends and associates of the celebrity blogger have risen to her defence. According to them, Linda’s detractors should let her be.

“Instead of attacking a career girl who worked her ass off to attain the greatest height in her chosen career, they should learn to appreciate her fortitude and grace. And if they can’t, let them go and bite a bullet,” said a very close friend of Linda. Indeed, Linda worked very hard to put herself and Nigeria on the world map; rabble rousers should go easy on her.

As you read, the FIRS has slammed Linda with a N75 million fine and the agency has initiated measures to prosecute her in a court of law. These are certainly not the best of times for Linda Ikeji but like they always say, behind every dark pall shines a silver lining.

CULLED: Capital.ng

ze-Iyamu wins PDP ticket in Edo

2016-06-20T18:07:00.001+01:00

Osagie Ize-Iyamu, former secretary to the Edo state government, has emerged candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the September 10 election in the state.

David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi state and chairman of the committee, which conducted the primary announced that Ize-Iyamu polled a total of 584 votes ahead of Mathew Iduoriyekemwen, his closest rival, who secured 91 votes.

N5.1bn scam: Dudafa, Jonathan’s ex-aide, granted N500m bail

2016-06-20T17:59:00.001+01:00

A Federal high court sitting in Lagos today admitted to bail the former Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to the former president Goodluck Jonathan, Warpamo Owei Emmanuel Dudafa, to bail in the sum of N500 million with two sureties in like sum.

The sureties are to swear to affidavit of residence, they must also be landed property owners within the jurisdiction of the court, the title deed of such properties must be deposited with the Chief Registrar of the court.

He was also ordered to deposit his international passport with the court.

However, the second accused, Iwejuo Joseph, a.k.a Taiwo Ebenezer and Olugbenga Isaiah who were arraigned alongside Dudafa were granted bail in the sum of N250million with two sureties in like sum.

The sureties must also be a landed property owners and must produce three years tax clearance with affidavit of residence. The sureties must also deposit the title documents of their landed property with the court. Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) was mandated to verify all the documents of the sureties.

Thereafter, the presiding Judge Mohammed Idris adjourned till 4th of July for trial of the accused persons to commence.

The the two accused, Dudafa and Iwejo Joseph, were arraigned before the court on 23 count-charge bordering on alleged conspiracy and N5.1 billion fraud, by the EFCC.

The two accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the counts charge. Consequently upon their pleas, the EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo, urged the court to remand them in prison Custody, and fix a date for trial

In the criminal charge filed before the court by Rotimi Oyedepo, it was alleged that Dudafa, and Joseph Nna, who also claimed to be Taiwo Ebenezer and Olugbenga Isaiah, had between June 11, 2013, and June 2015, used different companies to fraudulently steal total sum of

The companies alleged to have been used in committing the alleged offences are, Seagate Property Development & Investment Limited, Avalon Global Property Development Company Limited; Iwejuo Joseph Nna and Pluto LUTO Property and Investment Company Limited; Iwejuo Joseph Nna and Rotate Interlink Services Limited.

Others include; Ibejige Services Limited; DE Jakes Fast Food & Restaurant Nigeria Limited; and Ebiwise Resources.

The count one of the charge read in parts; “that you,Warpamo Owei Emmanuel Dudafa, and Iwejuo Joseph Nna (a.k.a. Taiwo Ebenezer and Olugbenga Isaiah), on or about the 11th day of June, 2013 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence, to wit: Concealing the proceeds of crime in the sum of N 1, 667,162,800.00 (One Billion, Six Hundred and Sixty Seven Million, One Hundred and Sixty Two Thousand, Eight Hundred Naira), and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 17(a) of the same Act.”

while Count 23 reads; “That you, Warpamo Owei Emmanuel Dudafa, on April 27, 2016 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court failed to furnish any information in relation to your interest in Ibijige Services Limited as required in page 12 of the Declaration of Assets Form and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 27 (3) (c) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004.

Tbe alleged offences are contrary to and punishable under sections 17(a), 18(c), and 27 (3) (c) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004.

The court then adjourned for the bail application to be argued. Arguing Dafuda’s bail application, his lawyer, Gboyega Oyewole, told the court to admit his client to bail in the most liberal term.

Oyewole told the court that his client was in the EFCC’s Custody for 60 days before he was charged to court. Adding that the charge against his client was a bailable one, while the maximum punishment if convicted is five years.

He further argued that there was no complainant who has claimed that he or she is a victim of the offence which his client is being charge against with.

He urged the court to discountenance the Commission’s argument that if his client is admitted to bail he will not interfere with the witness and evidence while adding exhibits attached to the charge are not certified. He therefore urged the court to admit his client to bail in the most liberal terms.

He added that his client is a man of substance who was once a member of Balyesa House of Assembly, a Special Advice to Balyesa State Government, and Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Counsel to the second accused person, Joseph Nna who is also known as Taiwo Ebenezer and Olugbenga Isaiah, Mr. Sunday Abumere, while aligned himself with the lawyer to Dafuda equally urged the court to admit the accused to bail to h in the most liberal terms.

In opposing the accused persons’ bail applications, EFCC lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, said the Commission’s opposition to bail applications was premise on the ground that the first accused was arrested by the men of Department of State Security, DSS, at the departure Hall of Murtala Muhammad International Airport, where he was to board an Arik Airline to London.

He said the Commission directed the DSS to place Dafuda on watchlist after he consistently evades arrest.

He also told the court that if the accused persons were admitted to bail, such could affect those the Commission wanted to arrest in connection with the offence.

However, the presiding judge, Justice Mohammed Idris after listening to the submission of both parties, adjourned the ruling on bail applications till today June 20,2016.

Culled from Today.ng

Donald Trump fires campaign manager amid dismal poll numbers

2016-06-20T17:57:00.002+01:00

Donald Trump on Monday fired his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, in the face of sagging poll numbers and a presidential campaign facing increasing pressure from the Republican Party.

A statement from Trump spokesperson cited by Washington Post and other U.S. media, thanked Mr. Lewandowski for his hard work.

“The Donald J. Trump Campaign for President, which has set a historic record in the Republican primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign,” the campaign spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, said in a statement.

“The campaign is grateful to Corey for his hard work and dedication and we wish him the best in the future.”

Four weeks before the decisive Republican convention in Cleveland and four months before the general election, the Trump team’s inner circle, including the billionaire’s children, met on Monday.

According to the statement, the purpose of the meeting was to discuss strategy in the face of falling poll numbers and a bad press in recent weeks.

A series of recent surveys showed presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton polling ahead of Trump by as many as 10 points.

Republican Party leadership, and most especially important potential big donors, have been critical of Trump’s campaign tactics and lack of discipline.

SOURCE: dpa/NAN

NFF, government abandoned me after my son’s death – Rashidi Yekini’s mother

2016-06-20T17:31:00.001+01:00

Mother of the late Super Eagles striker, Rashidi Yekini, Alhaja Sikiratu Yekini, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, for assistance, saying she has not gotten any substantial support since her son’s demise four years ago.

The 80-year-old woman said she does not want to die early.

She revealed how poverty turned her into a bread seller in a chat with the Punch.

The Octogenarian said, “I have been managing. It has not been easy at all. Since he died, I have not had substantial support. I have been surviving on the rent I collect from the house Rashidi built for me as well as the proceeds from my petty trade.

“As you can see here, I sell bread, biscuits and some other household cooking materials. I use the rent to do some little repairs on the house and also to find at least a meal a day or more depending on what the day brings.

“Since my son died in 2012, there was nothing else for me to survive on, so I started selling bread. I was not selling bread when Rashidi was alive; I started this business because of hardship.”

Continuing, she said the NFF, has not assisted her or the family since Yekini died.

She said, “They have not done anything. If government or people have been giving Yekini’s lawyer in Ibadan, things to give me, he has not been sending them to me.

“I am not aware that NFF has given any money to the family since my son died,” she said, adding that poverty was one of the reasons she took to selling bread.

Alhaja Sikiratu said, “Poverty is one of the reasons. I want to make money. I may buy bread at N300; when I sell at N350, I make N50 profit, which I use to survive.

“I do not want to stay idle. I am selling bread to make money, so that I won’t die early.”

She, however, called on the government, NFF, corporate organisations, groups and individuals for assistance.

She said, “If they can assist me with money, I will appreciate it.

“I plead with President Muhammadu Buhari, the NFF, state governments and everyone to assist me.

“They should remember that my son made Nigeria proud. They should not abandon me now that he is no more and I am now an old woman. When my son was alive, he was always there for me. If Nigeria helps me, God will bless the country more.

Debunking claims by Yekini’s lawyer, Jibril Olanrewaju, that she collects about N500, 000 from rent yearly, she said, “The lawyer is not being truthful. He is maligning me, and stopping people from assisting me through his statements.

“Since my son died, if people have given money to the lawyer for me, he has not given me. It is only now, due to media publicity, that people started helping me.

“We have five flats in this house. I use one flat, my surviving son, Akeem, and his family use one flat while I rented out the remaining three flats. This is almost a remote area. It is not like Abuja, Lagos or even Ilorin where you can collect substantial amount for rent.

“The tenants were paying N30, 000 per annum but I just increased it to N45, 000 per annum this year; that means that prior to this year, I was collecting only N90, 000 per annum from the three flats,” the bereaved woman added.

SOIURCE: Daily Post

Former Supreme Court Judge Niki Tobi Is Dead

2016-06-20T17:25:00.001+01:00

Retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Niki Tobi, has died. Tobi passed on in the early hours of Friday at the National Hospital, Abuja.

His corpse was later moved to the morgue of Harkin General Hospital. The retired judge had been having grave health issues since 2011. He subsequently went blind and totally lost his memory. Tobi was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2002 and retired in July 2010 after attaining the age of 70.

His record of service was significantly blighted by his membership of the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, which validated the flawed 2007 presidential election that installed the late President Umaru Yar' Adua. Tobi and other members of the tribunal were said to have been heavily induced by Yar' Adua who, in his inaugural speech as president, admitted that his election was flawed. Apart from financial inducement, his high court judge son, Ebowei Tobi was penciled for elevation to the Court of Appeal, but the deal fell through the crack after Saharareporters exposed it to the public.

Born July 14, 1940 in Esanma in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State, Tobi was an academic before his career on the bench. As an academic, he was variously the Dean, of Faculty of Law, University of Maiduguri and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Services) of the same institution.

Miss Tourism Nigeria 2016 contestant dies at 20

2016-06-20T17:21:00.000+01:00

Organisers of the Miss Tourism Nigeria 2016 have announced the death of one of their contestants.

The contestant, a finalist representing Ebonyi State, Maureen Onu, reportedly died in the early hours of Thursday.

This disclosure was made known by the CEO of the organisation, Mr. Santiago Roberts, at the weekend.

In a statement, Roberts said, “The brand lost a true and great gem.

“Maureen was always prompt to carry out instructions/tasks giving and willing to learn; she was looking forward to representing her state with pride during this year’s finals and with the hopes of becoming the first ever national tourism queen from Ebonyi State.

“The organization promises to redesign the content and production of the event to honour the lost contestant,” the statement added.

The deceased died at the age of 20.

SOURCE: Daily Post

Fire guts Lagos Airport Hotel

2016-06-20T17:17:00.002+01:00

The Lagos Airport Hotel in Ikeja was gutted by fire on Monday with valuables worth ‎millions of naira destroyed.

It was learnt that the inferno resulted from a power surge in a section of the Banquet Hall around 5am before it extended to the other parts.

It took the efforts of the officials of the Lagos State Fire Service and the state’s Emergency Management Agency to prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining buildings.

It was gathered that firefighters from the Alausa station battled the inferno with three trucks of water and ‎was later put out around 6am.

An emergency official, who spoke with PUNCH Metro ‎on condition of anonymity, said operation ended at the hotel around 9am, adding that nobody was injured.

“With quick response from all emergency agencies, we were able to salvage the situation. The fire was relatively much and property worth millions of naira was destroyed. But no life was lost and nobody injured,” he added.

Wizkid shuns Seyi Shay after she stated Drake's 'One Dance' was his song

2016-06-20T16:43:00.003+01:00

Give it to Wizkid to be subtly rude on social media. And he didn’t hesitate to shun his colleague, Seyi Shay. This came after Seyi Shay granted an interview with Onstage TV, in Jamaica, insisting Wizkid wrote the ‘One Dance’ song, in which rapper Drake featured him. He immediately took to twitter andliterally told her to shut up, responding to a fan stating she lied.

She said in her interview thus:

The same debate is going on in Africa right now, that he sampled an Afrobeat.That song is actually Wizkid's song .So it's not Drake's song. I don’t know if I can talk about this but Wizkid wrote it, Legendary Beatz did the beat and some other Nigerian producers produced it as an Afrobeats song and they stripped a lot of the music away and just left the rhythm”.

A few weeks ago,US /Nigerian rapper, Wale also said that was Wizkid's song judging from the sound and rhythm. So we all are wondering if he is denying the truth or just blatantly sticking with the truth that he didn’t write the song. He was not only featured on the song but was also acknowledged as a co-producer of the song.

PHOTOS: See London restaurant that allows only naked customers

2016-06-15T08:11:00.000+01:00

A restaurant where you can only be naked while eating has recently opened in London. This restaurant actually has a waiting list of about 40,000 people that are waiting to try it out.

The owners and the head chef believe people would concentrate better on their food and be encouraged to try new cuisines if they are naked.

The restaurant known as The Bunyadi, which will be open for only three months in South East London, allowed the public in yesterday, June 11. The restaurant is London’s first naked restaurant.

The restaurant owners claim to offer ‘pure liberation’ and the experience of eating food in the purest form. You are however given the option of either eating naked, or eating while wearing a robe.

The restaurant staff hand you a list of their rules once you enter the restaurant. See a picture of the rules below:

Here’s what a journalist who patronized them had to say: “No indecency or nuisance or any sexual activity of any kind is allowed. Guests who don’t follow this rule will be escorted out immediately. The rules are set out in no uncertain terms in a ‘rules of engagement’ document handed to all diners upon arrival, or a ‘Welcome’ note, as they call it.” See more photos of patrons below:

Orlando club shooting survivor Patience Cater-Gunman tried to spare black people

2016-06-15T08:03:00.003+01:00

20 year old Patience Carter is one of the few surviving witnesses to the last moments of the worst mass shooting in American history.
Carter, had fled into the bathroom of Pulse nightclub during the Orlando massacre, and as the situation was winding down, she said the gunman told police negotiators on the phone that he pledged his allegiance to ISIS, and that he wouldn't stop his assault until America stopped bombing his country.She also said he tried to spare black people because according to him, they had suffered enough..
Speaking at a press conference ,she narrated her horrifying ordeal

How did me and my friends end up at Pulse nightclub? Well, we just got to Orlando, Florida, from Philadelphia the night before. So we just got there. This is my first time ever being in Florida, first time ever being in Orlando, first time ever being at Pulse nightclub.
How did we even get there? Akyra, who unfortunately is no longer here, Google mapped popular clubs in Orlando and Pulse was the first one to come up. It had five stars, and we were so excited. We were extremely excited.
So her mom and her dad drove us there. And we actually reached Pulse nightclub outside of it around 11:50. But because we needed to go get changed to get inside, we walked over to 7-11 together. So by the time we got to Pulse nightclub it was probably a little after 12.

And at the door, they checked our IDs to make sure that we were over 18. But the sweetest face greeted me right before I paid my $10. Her name was Amanda. She was one of the victims who unfortunately did not make it. She had glasses and her bang. I told her that her shoes were the cutest I've ever seen.
She let me be her plus-one so I didn't have to pay. So when we entered together, Amanda, Akyra and Tiara Parker, who's my best friend, we were all having a good time for a short period of time before Amanda actually disappeared. We don't even — we didn't remember what happened to her. She said she was going to the bathroom because there are three parts of Pulse nightclub as you all know now.

There's a patio that's outside. There's a middle section. And there's an indoor — another indoor part where most of the live entertainment takes place back there. And at first when we got in we were hanging out in the middle section with Amanda.
And then when she went to the bathroom, we waited for awhile. But we realized she didn't come back, so we just... we decided to go to the bathroom too because we had to go to the bathroom, and we didn't see her in there.

So we just decided to go in the indoor part after that — the back indoor part where the rest of the live entertainment was taking place. And we stayed there the rest of the night until the gunshots started.
And we were having the time of our lives. Akyra was the life of the party, literally. And everybody loved her. Everyone just adored her.

Tiara Parker was her cousin. We were just all having the night that we dreamed of of going out. Literally it was the best. It was the most beautiful bonding experience any three girls could have on their first night out on vacation.
And it wasn't until about 1:58 when I looked at Akyra's phone, and I turned to Tiara. I said, "So how are getting home?" Tiara told me, "Oh, we're gonna get an Uber." So she started to order the Uber. And a few seconds from her ordering the Uber and me asking that question, that's when we started hearing the gun shots going off in the middle section where we had left from.

At first we didn't know that there were gun shots. I... I didn't know. I was so confused. I was like, "Wow. A club would do all this just to get people to leave their club?" Like they would have like BB guns — I thought it was a BB gun at first, or the DJ playing some sort of sound of gunshots. I didn't think they were actually real gunshots.
But the fear inside me made me drop to the floor anyways. So I'm scrambling on the floor. Tiara and Akyra run towards the bar, and I'm scooting backwards not realizing that I'm about to go out the door, and it was actually the exit there.

And I saw Akyra get up and run over to me, and I look up, and we're actually outside. Me and Akyra actually made it outside while the gunshots were still going on.
And I said, "Well where's Tiara? Where's Tiara?"
So... And the part of the poem where I feel so guilty about surviving is because if I would've told Akyra to stay outside and just wait and I tried to go back and get Tiara because she didn't make it. Me and Tiara did make it, and I feel really guilty about that. And I was speaking to her mom and she told me not to feel guilty. You know, God has his plan. But I told her, "Let's go get Tiara. We gotta get Tiara."

So when we went inside, we got trapped in there. So we saw Tiara, but everybody was rushing into the bathroom stall. Everyone was rushing to the bathroom stall. The gunshots were still going off rapidly. And it's still not real to me. It's still not real to me. I'm just like, "Why are they doing all of this?" And I was even Snapchatting in the bathroom stall once we got in there. We ran into the bathroom. Me, Tiara and Akyra were like actually the last ones to actually get into the bathroom stall, the handicap one, the biggest one.

And the guy... It was an African American male who ended up closing and locking the door who I believe got shot from doing that in the process.
And the gunman entered the bathroom and was shooting his machine gun. So we're all like scrambling around in the bathroom screaming at the top of our lungs when he was in there for the first time.

And then, you know, people were getting hit by bullets. Blood is everywhere, and then there was a moment where he stopped shooting in the bathroom, and that's when everyone looked around, and that's when I first realized that my leg was shot. There was several other people shot and bleeding in the bathroom.

That's when Akyra, who didn't make it, realized she was shot in her arm. And I'm not sure if that was when Tiara also got shot in her side, but we were all pretty bad. And at that point we knew that this wasn't... this wasn't a game. This was very real, and this is something that was really happening to us right now.
And it was shock. We just went from having the time of our lives to the worst night of our lives all within a matter of minutes.

So the gunman had stopped shooting for awhile. I don't know where he went, but I was lying in the bathroom floor. I was right underneath the stall wall. So the stall wall was like right above my face because I was trying to get most of my body into the second stall because there was a lot of people, and my leg was injured at the — I got shot in my leg, and it was actually pinned under the person who was laying right next to me, so it was very painful.

And we laid there for hours and hours hoping that someone came and got us and hoping that the police would come through at that point in time and just like save us all.
But throughout that period of hours, the gunman was in there with us, and he actually made a call to 911 from in there.

Everybody could hear it who was in the bathroom who survived could hear him talking to 911 saying that the reason why he's doing this is because he wants America to stop bombing his country. And from that conversation, from 911, he pledged his allegiance to ISIS and he started speaking and I believe after he got off the phone with 911, he started speaking in Arabic. And now that I know to be Arabic. At first I didn't know like what the language was.

And... and after that, he even spoke to us directly in the bathroom. He said, "Are there any black people in here?" I was too afraid to answer, but there was an African American male in the stall where most of my body was, the majority of my body was, had answered. And he said, "Yes. There are about six or seven of us."

And the gunman responded back to him saying that, "You know, I don't have a problem with black people. This is about my country. You guys suffered enough." And he just... He made a statement saying that it wasn't about black people, this isn't the reason why he was doing this.

But through the conversation with 911, he said that the reason why he was doing this was because he wanted America to stop bombing his country. So the motive was very clear to us who were laying in our own blood and other people's blood who were injured, who were shot, that we knew what his motive was, and he wasn't going to stop killing people until he was killed, until he felt like his message got out there.

And he made several other comments like while we were in the bathroom.
And just quickly to retract for a second, when he first came in the bathroom, there were like pellets. It felt, what felt like BB gun pellets is what I got... gave me the impression that it was a BB gun is because there were wall fragments hitting my legs, but that was really just the machine gun that he had blaring around the entire room.
And it actually got jammed. He was like, "Damn!" Like it jammed. So with my face under the stall looking I could see him put down his machine gun and try to... and you could hear him trying to click and fix his handgun.
So time goes on and people's phones are going off. People are obviously calling. And there was actually a... Before he came back in you know Akyra was on her phone talking to her mom asking, and that's when everybody was asking for people to come and get us and help and you know save us basically. And you know people were on the phone with 911.

But when he came back into the bathroom after that first round of machine gun shots went off, that's when he wanted everybody to get off their phones. He didn't want to hear anybody on their phones. He didn't want to hear any text message sounds. He didn't want to hear any phones ringing, so every time a phone rung or every time a text message went off, he would say, "Where is it? Give it up. Where is it?" And it was a point in time where there was somebody's phone who was going off. It wasn't even inside the stall. It wasn't even inside the stall. The phone was outside.

And because he was still saying, "Where is it? Give it up. Give it up." I just tossed my phone out because I didn't even... nobody was responding, so we're assuming that the person whose phone it was was either already shot, dead or they just didn't know it was their phone that was outside of the stall.
But the last shots that went off that he did inside the bathroom while we were held hostage was right before the police bust through our bathroom that we were inside of.

Alligator drags toddler into water near Disney hotel in Florida

2016-06-15T07:41:00.001+01:00

Police are searching for a toddler who was dragged into the water by an alligator near one of Disney’s premier resorts.
The reptile clenched its jaws around around the two-year-old and pulled the child into a nearby lagoon
The drama unfolded near the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa hotel, a popular Disney destination with Brits.

Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Rose Silva said the toddler was last seen at 9.30pm being taken into the the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Police are searching the waters and have put crime-scene tape around the water.

Fuel Price Hike: NLC, TUC, to go ahead with strike despite court order

2016-05-17T21:13:00.001+01:00

Despite an order of the National Industrial Court restraining the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress from going ahead with their planned strike to protest the hike in price of petrol, the strike will go ahead as planned on Wednesday, labour officials have said.

The General Secretary of the NLC, Peter Ozo-Eson, on Tuesday night told PREMIUM TIMES that from all indications the strike would go on as planned.

On the meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, earlier convened to attempt to broker a last minute truce on the matter, Mr. Ozo-Eson said the meeting was yet to hold at about 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

“There was no resolution yet. We are just going for the meeting now. ,” the NLC scribe said on telephone interview. “We have been meeting on our own on matters that are important to us. It is clear the strike will go ahead as planned,” Mr. Ozo-Eson told PREMIUM TIMES on telephone on his way to the venue of the meeting.

He however assured that an official statement would be issued on the final position after what promises to be an all-night meeting.

The General Executive Secretary of Medical and Health Workers Union, north central, Richard Gbamwuan, in an interview with this newspaper, shortly after an emergency NEC meeting of the NLC held in Abuja on Tuesday, said that they were going ahead with the proposed strike.

“We have resolved to go ahead with the protest nationwide, as far as we are concerned, we are yet to be aware of any court injunction,” he said.

“And if there is any court injunction, we are just doing what federal government is fond of doing. The same Industrial court had stopped federal government from increasing electric tariff but till date federal government ignored us, they still went ahead, so we are embarking on the protest.”

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had earlier on Tuesday approached the Industrial Court on behalf of federal government to stop the proposed strike by the organized labour.

Meanwhile, various union leaders in Plateau State said they were ready to comply fully with the directive of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC to embark on a nationwide protest on Nigeria.

The union leaders spoke to PREMIUM TIMES in Jos, Plateau state, on Tuesday, barely 24 hours to the deadline issued to the government to reverse the pump price of petrol to N86.50 by midnight, Tuesday.

The state director, Civil Society Organizations, Steve Aluko, on behalf of NLC, TUC and CSO, in an interview, said they were ready for a showdown with the government, until the new pump price of N145 per litre was reversed to 86.50 Naira.

Mr. Aluko said allied unions had been briefed and directed to mobilise for the protest en masse.

“NECs of the NLC, TUC and CSO’s met, and harmonized the positions, that a complete reversal of prices PMS, high electricity tariff and commencement of a structured inclusive multi-stakeholders dialogue process; by 12am on Tuesday, all members are to commence a general strike and Mass Action on Wednesday.”

The chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Plateau State, Yakubu Taddy, said members of the union were ready to participate in the protest, but urged that it should be peaceful.

SOURCE: Premium Times

Industrial Court Restrains Nigeria Labor Congress From Going On Strike

2016-05-17T13:09:00.002+01:00

The President of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Justice Babatunde Adeniran Ademjumo today granted an interim order restraining the Nigeria Labor Congress from embarking on indefinite strike slated for tomorrow to protest a hike in the price of petrol.

Presiding over lawsuit No.NICN/ABJ/179/2016 between Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigeria Labor Congress and Trade Union Congress the judge granted an interim order of injunction restraining the Defendants/Respondents, their agents, privies, employees, workmen, or servants from embarking on industrial action, demonstrating or engaging in any action that may disrupt the economic activities of Nigeria pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The Federal Government was represented by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN; Okoi Obono Obla, Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, and Dayo Apata, Director of Civil Litigation at the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The Attorney General of the Federation submitted that if the reliefs sought in the motion paper is refused, irreparable damage will be done to the country's national economy, security and corporate existence. He further submitted that the defendants having threatened to shut down the country have to be restrained otherwise there will be a breakdown of law and order.

In his ruling, today Justice Adejumo held that he has jurisdiction to hear the application and that having read through the affidavits in support of the application, he is satisfied that a case of urgency has been established by the Federal Government of Nigeria to warrant the grant of an interim order of injunction.

He said the threats of the defendants as contained in the communique issued by the NLC on May 15 to shut down all banks; airports, seaports, government offices, markets nationwide has proven that there is a res to be protected.

SOURCE: SaharaReporters

PHOTOS: As Bukola Saraki’s trial restarts today, he's assembled these alfas & Ulamas to ward off progress in the case

2016-05-17T12:54:00.003+01:00

Photo Credit: SaharaReporters

JUST IN: I was under serious influence during Tinubu’s trial - CCT judge

2016-05-17T12:51:00.001+01:00

Danladi Umar, chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), on Tuesday, said that he was under “serious” influence in the trial of Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos state and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He, however, added that despite the “influence” he was able to deliver justice in the case.

Tinubu was tried at the tribunal in 2011 for allegedly operating foreign accounts while he was governor between 1999 and 2007, but he was discharged and acquitted.

Speaking as the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki resumed, Umar also directed the defence counsel to restrict the number of lawyers who would cross-examine the prosecution witness to just one.

He said that the conduct of the cross-examination had been untidy with the frequent change of lawyers by the defence team.

“It is certainly unreasonable that all the 100 counsel of the defence will have a bite at the cherry,” he said.

“Kanu Agabi should continue to conduct the cross examination in this case.

“I want to say that in case of Bola Tinubu we were under serious influence, but we did what we had to do and discharged him. So we must be fair to ourselves not to delay this trial.”

Also speaking, Williams Atedze, a member of the tribunal, said that whichever way the case of Saraki went it would mark a watershed in the history of Nigeria.

“Today, the country is going down. We can’t buy fuel, we can’t tomatoes,” he said.

SOURCE: The Cable

Exchange Rate For 17th May 2016

2016-05-17T12:06:00.000+01:00

Photo Credit : Guardian NGR

'Eat More Goat Meat to boost sperm count' - Professor

2016-05-17T12:04:00.001+01:00

For those men desirous of ending their woes with low sperm count they can boost their fertility if they embrace a simple therapy: eat more goat meat and foods that contain different nutrients to boost their potency.

Professor of Applied Zoology, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Stephen Oluwagbemiga, gave the advice at the annual lecture of the National Association of Zoology Students, University of Ilorin on Friday.

Mr. Oluwagbemiga, who cautioned Nigerians against feeding too much on junk foods, said the advice was necessary because many people were deficient in calcium.

He said inadequate calcium in the body could adversely affect how peoples’ hearts and other vital parts of the body worked or functioned.

Stressing the need for people to increase their calcium in-take by eating crayfish, snails and biscuit bones, Mr. Oluwagbemiga said this was one of the ways to stay healthy.

The varsity don, who was speaking on the topic “Relevance of Zoology in Contemporary Nigeria” said Zoologists had been involved in solving some of the nation’s complex health problems in recent times including the effects of guinea worm infection, sleeping sickness and mosquito bites.

The Kwara State’s Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mahmud Ajeigbe, praised the students for organising the lecture, and urged them to face their studies at all times to realise the objectives of their being set to school.

Mr. Ajeigbe also charged them to cultivate the habit of reading widely in order to broaden their knowledge and excel in all fields of human endeavours.

SOURCE: NAN

Iran arrests models for posting photos of themselves online without headscarves

2016-05-17T11:57:00.000+01:00

8 models in Iran have been arrested and forced to grovel in public by the country's morality Police, for posting glamorous pictures of themselves online without covering their heads with headscarves. Stating that such 'un-Islamic acts' as women exposing their hair in public was unacceptable.

Popular Arab model, Elham Arab, known for her wedding-dress portraits, was interrogated on camera at the Iranian Revolutionary Court with her blonde hair hidden under a black chador.

She was charged with 'promoting western promiscuity' and forced to give public 'self-criticism.' 'All people love beauty and fame,' Arab said. 'They would like to be seen, but it is important to know what price they will pay to be seen.'

The arrests were made in a sting operation code-named Spider-2 which specifically targeted Instagram users.

The sting identified 170 people using Instagram pages - 59 photographers and makeup artists, 58 models, 51 fashion salon managers and designers, and two active institutions.

The head of the sting operation Javad Babaei said on state television on Sunday:

'We found out that about 20 per cent of the (Iranian) Instagram feed is run by the modelling circle,' They have been 'making and spreading immoral and un-Islamic culture and promiscuity'.

Babaei said it was the role of the judiciary to 'confront those who committed these crimes in an organised manner'.

In addition to the eight arrests, criminal cases have been opened against 21 other people, he said. The sting operation has homed in on a database of over 300 popular Iranian Instagram accounts and connected accounts.

According to reports those arrested include Melikaa Zamani, Niloofar Behboudi, Donya Moghadam, Dana Nik, Shabnam Molavi, Elnaz Golrokh and Hamid Fadaei

PHOTOS: Nursing mother electrocuted in Lagos, baby survives

2016-05-17T11:43:00.004+01:00

24-year old nursing mother, Yewande Busari was killed when an electric wire fell on her as she was crossing the ever busy Oshodi express way on May 6th. Yewande was carrying her baby Pamilerin on her back, fortunately he survived the electrocution.

According to Sahara reporters, the streetlight pole that caused the tragedy was said to have been left unattended by PHCN officials at the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.

Speaking on the sad incident, the elder brother to the deceased lamented the nonchalance of the government and the electrical company in charge of the streetlights.

“We have not heard anything from the government or seen anybody from them since my sister died. It was a government property that killed my sister, but nobody has come to pay us a visit,” he said

N145 pump price: FG, Labor meeting ends in deadlock, to continue today

2016-05-17T11:34:00.004+01:00

The meeting between the Federal government and organized labor over the planned strike against the recently increased pump price of petrol, ended in a deadlock yesterday night and will continue today May 17th.

At the meeting, Labor leaders insisted that the only way the planned strike action will be shelved is for the Federal government to review the minimum wage upwards, improve the palliatives to cushion the effects of the fuel price hike on Nigerians and reconstitution of the board of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).‎

At the meeting, the Federal government delegation recognized the genuine request of the labor leaders for an increase in minimum wage but however stated that the timing for such an increase is wrong as the Federal government is presently grappling with financial crunch. ‎Present at the meeting which lasted over 4 hours were Ayuba Wabba, President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, President of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Igwe Achese, and President of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Olabode Johnson, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, President of the TUC, Bobboi Bala Kiagama, NLC General Secretary, Peter Ozo-Eson, and the acting General Secretary of Trade Union Congress, Mr. Simeso Amachree, among others. Others are the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, and the Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly, Sen. Ita Enang, among others‎.

PHOTO: Scrap collector jailed 13 years for raping pupil

2016-05-17T11:20:00.001+01:00

An Ikeja Magistrate’s Court has sentenced a scrap collector, Nurudeen Oriyomi, to 13 years’ imprisonment without the option of fine for raping a 12-year-old pupil, Ngozi (pseudonym) in the Bariga area of Lagos State.

The magistrate, Mrs. B.O. Osunsanmi, delivered the judgment after the convict pleaded guilty to two counts bordering on rape preferred against him by a police prosecutor, Inspector S. Imhonwa.

PUNCH Metro had reported that Oriyomi had forcefully slept with his victim on April 9, 2016, on Alhaji Yinusa Street.

The victim, whose mother had travelled at the time, was said to be running an errand for her grandmother, when the Ilorin, Kwara State indigene forced her inside his room and raped her.

He had told our correspondent that he committed the act because his girlfriend had not visited him for more than a month, adding that he gave Ngozi N200 after raping her.

The act was uncovered after Ngozi’s mother returned from the trip. She was said to have discovered a whitish substance in her private parts and after probing her, the victim confessed that Oriyomi raped her.

The matter was reported at the Bariga Police Division, before it was referred to the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters.

The Investigating Police Officer, Sergeant Orebe Olakunle, had arraigned him on two counts of rape and indecent assault.

The charges read in part, “That you, Nurudeen Oriyomi, on April 9, 2016, at about 2pm, on Alhaji Yinusa Street, Bariga, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully have sexual intercourse with one (name withheld), aged 12.

“That you did unlawfully and indecently deal with one (name withheld), aged 12 years, by inserting your penis into her private parts.”

The prosecutor, Imhonwa, said the offences were punishable under sections 137 and 135 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges.

The IPO, Olakunle, who gave the facts of the case, said tests conducted by the police showed there was penetration, adding that the defendant made confessional statements to the police.

The magistrate, Osunsanmi, subsequently found him guilty and sentenced him to 13 years’ imprisonment without the option of fine.

Culled from Punch

PHOTO: Meet man in suit spotted as a windscreen cleaner in Ogun state

2016-05-17T11:04:00.000+01:00

Abdulahi Olatoyan is the dapper windscreen cleaner who was spotted wearing suit while doing his job in Abeokuta area of Ogun State.

Olatoyan who claims to be a drop out at the University of Ilorin, said he turned to the street after the demise of his father to make a living and save enough money to start a business and hopes to return to school to finish his studies one day.

Culled from Vanguard