Saturday 12 April 2014
Frank Edoho and new wife, sandra, welcome their first child together
Frank Edoho's wife, Sandra Onyenaucheya, gave birth to the couple's first child together in the US recently. Frank revealed the good news to friends. Not sure if it's a boy or a girl but big congrats to them. Frank already has three kids with ex-wife Katherine Obiang, while Sandra has a child from a previous relationship.
'Reeva was standing behind the toilet door talking to you when you shot her'- Prosecutors say
Oscar Pistorius' three-day cross-examination reached a dramatic climax today as the world-famous athlete was accused of deliberately shooting his girlfriend through a toilet door as the couple talked and argued in the early hours of Valentine's Day last year.
"You knew that Reeva went behind the door and you shot at her,' Mr Nel said. 'You shot at her knowing she was behind the door.'
Pistorius denied the charge as prosecutor Gerrie Nel pushed the Paralympic champion on his version of the exact events in the seconds before he killed Reeva Steenkamp by firing four times through the stall door in his bathroom with his 9mm pistol on February 14, 2013.
Mr Nel challenged the double-amputee sprinter repeatedly as to why Miss Steenkamp failed to scream when she was shot four times.Continue...
Mr Nel, one of South Africa's top attorneys, said it was beyond belief that 29-year-old law graduate and model Miss Steenkamp would have remained silent in the tiny cubicle with an armed Pistorius shouting and screaming in the adjoining bathroom.
Mr Nel later followed up with his central accusation - that the couple had an argument and Steenkamp fled to the toilet pursued by Pistorius, who then shot her through the closed wooden door.
Pistorius denied the accusation, before the court adjourned until Monday morning.
Pistorius, who claims he shot Miss Steenkamp by mistake thinking she was a nighttime intruder behind a toilet door in his bathroom, faces life in prison if convicted of murder.
Pistorius says he shouted at what he thought was an intruder in his house and also at Miss Steenkamp to call the police.
Mr Nel said that if that were the case, she would not have stood up against the door. She would have retreated away from it. And she would have responded to Pistorius, the chief prosecutor said.
'I don't think anybody could say where she would have stood,' Pistorius replied.
Mr Nel led the double-amputee runner through his own account of what happened in the moments before he shot Miss Steenkamp.
Pistorius said he heard a noise in the bathroom and moved down a hallway on his stumps towards the bathroom while screaming to his girlfriend - who he claims he had believed was in the bedroom - to get down and call the police.
He said he then heard what sounded like the toilet door slamming, then kept quiet as he reached the bathroom entrance, then heard a noise in the toilet that he perceived to be the sound of wood on wood, which he said made him think someone was opening the toilet door - which he said fit badly in the frame - to attack him.
And then, Pistorius said, he opened fire.
At each stage, Mr Nel argued that the account was improbable, questioning why Pistorius did not establish where Miss Steenkamp was and make sure she was okay, and why he would approach the alleged danger zone if he felt vulnerable on his stumps.
Mr Nel said: 'If you spoke to Reeva, the two of you could have taken lots of other steps.'
Pistorius said he thought the perceived threat could strike at any moment: 'There was no time.'
During the cross-examination, Pistorius said Steenkamp did not scream at any point during the incident.
However, the 27-year-old track star said that he may not have heard her cries because of his ears ringing from the first shot.
Several people living nearby have testified to hearing a woman's terrified screams before and during a volley of shots.
'She's awake. She's in the toilet. You're shouting. You're screaming. You're three metres from her. She would have responded. She would not have been quiet, Mr Pistorius,' Mr Nel said.
'She didn't respond, my Lady,' Pistorius replied, addressing judge Thokozile Masipa.
'Did she scream at all whilst you shot her four times?' Mr Nel continued.
'No, my Lady.'
'Are you sure? Are you sure, Mr Pistorius, that Reeva did not scream after the first shot?' Mr Nel continued. 'Are you, Mr Pistorius?'
After a brief silence, Pistorius said: 'My Lady, I wish she had let me know she was there.'
'After you fired the first shot, did she scream?' Mr Nel asked.
'No, my Lady.'
'Are you sure? Would you have heard her?' Mr Nel asked.
'I don't think I would have heard her.'
'Exactly.'
'A gunshot went off, my ears were ringing,' Pistorius said.
'How can you exclude the fact she was screaming if you couldn't hear?' Mr Nel asked.
'If I couldn't hear it then I couldn't hear,' Pistorius retorted.
'No, you said, Mr Pistorius, she never screamed. You couldn't hear. You're just saying that,' Mr Nel said.
'That is what I'm saying,' Pistorius replied.
'No, that's not what you're saying. You're saying she didn't scream,' Mr Nel followed up.
'My Lady, the sound of that gunshot in the bathroom, you wouldn't have heard anyone scream. The decibels of the gunshot, I don't believe you would have heard anyone scream. When I had finished firing the gunshots, I was screaming and I couldn't hear my own voice.'
Pistorius' return to the witness box today followed a week of testimony in which the double-amputee runner said he killed Miss Steenkamp by accident after mistaking her for an intruder in his home last year.
Mr Nel challenged the athlete's statements that he was worried about crime before the fatal shooting.
The prosecutor examined the details of the alarm system at Pistorius' house, questioning why the athlete would believe an intruder had broken into his home when he had extensive security measures, including interior and exterior sensors.
Pistorius said he activated the sensors on the home alarm system before going to sleep on the night he killed Miss Steenkamp, but feared that building contractors doing work on his house may have moved some of the security beacons.
The prosecutor said Pistorius had not mentioned immediately after the shooting that he had fears that building contractors had removed some of the security beacons, specifically near the bathroom window where he allegedly thought an intruder may have gained access on the night he killed Miss Steenkamp.
Querying why Pistorius had not mentioned those fears earlier, Mr Nel said the athlete was trying to build a story to explain his fears of an intruder and therefore a mistaken shooting.
'This is the biggest example of you tailoring your evidence,' Mr Nel said. Pistorius denied he was fabricating a story.
Pistorius also said he was struggling to give clear testimony because he was tired, prompting the judge to ask him if he was too tired to proceed with a tough cross-examination from the chief prosecutor.
Pistorius was responding to a question from Mr Nel, who pointed to a lack of clarity in the double-amputee runner's testimony about whether he turned off the alarm inside his home on the night of February 14, 2013.
Pistorius said he 'must have' turned off the alarm, which Mr Nel described as a vague response.
The prosecutor then asked Pistorius, who acknowledged making a mistake in his testimony, if he needed time before continuing with his testimony.
'I don't need time,' the Olympic athlete said. 'I am tired. It's not going to change.'
Mr Nel responded: 'You're trying to cover up for lies and I'm not convinced.'
Judge Thokozile Masipa interjected, asking Pistorius if he was too tired to proceed.
'You can be at a disadvantage when you're in that box,' she said, adding that it wasn't fair to the court if he was not alert during the proceedings.
Pistorius replied that he was able to go on.
Mr Nel also argued that Pistorius was prepared to lie about an incident as far back as five years ago when he claims someone shot at him from another car on a highway to build a backstory that he had a long-held fear of being attacked.
Pistorius said he saw a 'muzzle flash' and heard 'a banging noise' as a black Mercedes drove past him in the incident, which he said was in 2008 or 2009.
Pistorius said he slowed down, turned off the highway and eventually went to a restaurant car park and called someone to come and pick him up.
Mr Nel asked Pistorius who he called and Pistorius replied he couldn't remember.
'You cannot not remember,' Mr Nel said. It was 'such a traumatic incident,' the prosecutor said.
Mr Nel said Pistorius' failing to remember who he called was because 'it never happened.'
'It's the one night that someone almost shot you, am I right?' Mr Nel said. Pistorius said it was.
'If I could remember who I phoned I would gladly give you their name,' Pistorius said.
At one point in the proceedings, Judge Masipa had to warn Mr Nel to 'mind your language' as she reminded him not to call a witness a liar.
The prosecution says Pistorius killed the 29-year-old after an argument on February 14, 2013.
Culled from UK Daily Mail
Friday 11 April 2014
Pregnant woman, her daughter, 3 others die of electrocution
It was a sad day yesterday April 10th for residents of Onabanjo street in Oworonsoki, Lagos, as some of their neighbors including a pregnant woman simply identified as Mrs Ameh and her daughter were electrocuted by a live wire.
According to a Punch report, a heavy downpour in the early hours of yesterday morning resulted in the collapse of an electric pole that still had electricity running in it. The pole and its cables fell in front of a building on the street resulting in massive fire which was sparked by stored fuel inside one of the cars parked in front of the building. As the fire began to spread, residents of the building started running out of their house to save themselves from the fire, only to step on electric cables still running with electricity. 5 people, including 3 children were electrocuted, while two cars were burnt.
A neighbour and eye-witness tells Punch exactly how it happened.
"Around 2am, I was by the balcony of my house when I saw a wire spark. The wire then fell on some wood and caught fire. The fire spread to the tyre of a Toyota car. The Toyota car had some jerry cans of petrol inside it and when the fire got to it, the vehicle exploded in front of house number six.
"Some of the occupants of the house, who were trying to run for their lives, passed the back of the house and came out through the front of house number eight.”
They mistakenly stepped on parts of the wire and were electrocuted.
“The pregnant woman (Mrs Ameh) and her daughter were electrocuted by the wire. However, I quickly pulled away Jonathan, their son, and he survived.
“Three other residents, Basheet, Iya Fatimah and her daughter were also electrocuted.”
About an hour later, electricity officials disconnected power from the affected lines.
Pres. Obama stops Michelle's skirt from blowing up in the wind
The president to the rescue. President Barack Obama saved his wife First Lady Michelle Obama from an embarrassing situation by stopping her skirt from blowing up in the wind as they boarded the presidential jet today in Houston
"My colleagues want to run me down" - comedian Klint Da Drunk
In a recent interview with Punch, popular comedian Klint Da Drunk alleged that his colleagues are trying to run him down, peddling rumours that his love for computer game is the reason he hasn't gone far in his comedy career
"Now they say I would have gone far in my career if not for my love for computer games. It is this same set of comedians that went around telling people that I live in Abuja so that I will not be getting Lagos shows. My colleagues want to run me down, let them feel free. It is because they are afraid of me; they feel that if they run me down I won’t survive it. I am a gadget lover, that is the truth. Everyone knows that whenever I walk into a gadget shop the people there want me to educate them about some of their gadgets. Isn’t it better that I am a sucker for video games than a sucker for smoking igbo, marijuana?” he asks
On his relationship with other comedians, Klint said "They have cliques but that does not bother me because it doesn’t affect my career. God still chases away flies for a tailless cow. So, I'm not complaining".
Jilted NURTW member sets ex-lover ablaze
Adesanmoye Kehinde, a senior official of the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Ikotun Lagos branch, has been arrested and dragged before the Ejigbo Magistrate Court in Lagos for allegedly setting his lover, Janet, 31, ablaze after she called off their relationship.
Kehinde, 43, who is married with three children, had been dating Delta state born Janet for a while and was planning marry her. Janet however decided to call the affair off because she felt Kehinde was too troublesome.
According to Janet who testified in court today, Kehinde had threatened to deal with her but she didn't take his threats seriously. He however carried out his threat by setting her ablaze at Ikotun Roundabout while she was on her way to a friend's house. She said unknown to her, Kehinde had trailed her as she left her house on Olaoluwa Street in Abaranje, Ikotun, poured petrol on her and then set her ablaze. She suffered major burns and injuries and is still in a critical condition.
Kehinde was later arrested and charged to court on a two-count charge under Sections 243 and 244 of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011. When the charge was read to him today in court, he pleaded not guilty. He was however granted bail by the court but could not meet up with the bail conditions. The case was adjourned to May 15 2015.
I Can Start Thinking Of Marriage Until When I’m In My Late 30’s- Ice Prince
Ice Prince in a new interview with vanguard has said, he is not ready for marriage and will start thinking about it in his late 30’s. I don’t think I am planning to get married now because I am still young, I’m in my youth and moreover, I am just 27 years old. Maybe later in my late thirties I can start planning to get married or not, he said.
When asked what his real reasons were he said; It’s because I still have a long way to go before thinking of settling down. I can’t say because of what I have, that I am okay to get married, no. I don’t think I am mentally ready for marriage. I think before one could get married, one needs to attain certain level of understanding and awareness. I don’t think I have those qualities just yet.
He also spoke about his relationship and babymama; Yeah, but I wouldn’t want to talk about my girlfriend and about the mother of my baby. She is good and we are not talking about getting married because I’m not ready yet.
Tonto Dikeh & Siblings War Deepens
Tonto Dikeh and are siblings are still not getting along. It will be recalled last year that when Tonto Dikeh granted and interview and said while in school she strived hard to make a living. She said she remembers the days she had begged to eat, and everything she owns today she worked hard for it. But one of her sisters was so fast to call her out on twitter, swearing and insisting none of them suffered while in school because their dad would have died for them, that was how much he loved us, she said.
A lot of people were shocked that her blood sister instead of covering her up, exposed her. Now this morning being National siblings day, Tonto tweeted and said, she was her own ‘family and sibling’ because she has none and whoever has a worthy sibling/family should not forget to show them love today and continually. She posted the pic above to explain her ‘no sibling palava’.
Gumsu Abacha rants on twitter as her brother is charged with stealing N446bn
A few hours after it was revealed that her brother Mohammed Abacha is facing fresh criminal lawsuit from the Federal Government for unlawfully taking N446.3billion stolen from government’s treasury between 1995 and 1998, his sister, Gumsu Abacha took to Twitter to cuss people
From Sahara Reporters
The latest lawsuit follows a decision by the Nigerian Supreme Court in January ordering the Nigerian government to file fresh charges against the dictator’s son. Also, the US Government recently froze assets belonging to the late dictator through its kleptocracy initiative.
In the nine-count charge filed by private prosecutor, Daniel Enwelum upon a fiat dated February 18th, 2014 by Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, the government accused Mohammed of “dishonestly receiving stolen property” and “voluntarily assisting in concealing money.”
This fresh charge substitutes an earlier 121-count filed against Mohammed and Atiku Bagudu — the late ruler’s ally. However, Bagudu was excluded from the fresh charge.
According to a new charge, dated March 24th, 2014, Mohammed hid £141,100,000 $384,353,000 in cash and travellers cheques.
Mohammed, in Count One, is alleged to have dishonestly received between August and December 1995 in Abuja, $36,480,000.00 made up of cash and travellers’ cheques — property of the Federal Government — believed to have been stolen.
In Count Two, he is alleged, between August and December 1995 in Abuja, to have voluntarily assisted in concealing $57,960,000.00 believed to have been stolen from the Federal Government.
In another count, he was accused of receiving $26,913,500.00 believed to have been stolen from the Federal Government, between October and December 1996.
He was also accused, within the same time, of voluntarily assisting in concealing $26,913,500.00 allegedly stolen from the Federal Government. Also in June 1997 in Abuja, he allegedly dishonestly received $10,000,000.00 believed to have been stolen from the Federal Government.
Count Six accused him of dishonestly receiving, between February and December 1997, $87,000,000 and £41,143,000 believed to have been stolen from the Federal Government.
Two other counts accused Mohammed of voluntarily assisting in concealing the amounts mentioned in count six, and dishonestly receiving (between January and August 1998), $167,000,000 and £99,957,000 believed to have been stolen from the Federal Government.
The alleged offences are punishable under sections 317 and 319 of the Penal Code.
Mohammed was to be arraigned on Thursday before Justice Mamman Kolo of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, but the accused was absent in court.
Nevertheless, Enwelum notified the judge of Mohammed’s unwillingness to turn up in court, despite having been served with the charge and with evidence to that effect in a an affidavit sworn to by bailiff of the court
He urged the court to accept the fresh charge and consider the receipt of the charge by the defence lawyer, Abdulllahi Haruna, as an appropriate service.
Haruna defended Mohammed’s absence, saying he was unaware of the new charge and imploring the court to adjourn the case to a further date to so that the accused would be present in court.
Justice Kolo accepted the amended charge, also granting an order discharging Bagudu from the charge.
He adjourned the hearing to 29th April 2014.
Thursday 10 April 2014
31-Year Old Woman Steals Baby Through Window
For allegedly trying to steal a year old girl from her parents’ house early this morning, a 31-year old woman is currently being interrogated by the police at Ajuwon Station for kidnapping.
The suspect, Blessing Aransiola, was caught by the girl’s father, Mr. Seye Adanri, 34, as she attempted to escape with the girl, Oreoluwa Adanri. Continue after the cut.
Narrating the incident to P.M News this morning at the Ajuwon Police Station where the suspect was taken to, mother of the girl, Mrs. Adebisi Adanri, 29, who lives with her husband at 21, Ademola Coker Street, Alagbole, Ogun State, said she was woken up by the cry of her daughter in the hands of the suspect around 4.a.m.
“She was trying to run away when my husband ran after her and caught her. I raised an alarm to draw neighbours’ attention to the incident and everybody came out to assist us,” Mrs. Adanri narrated.
She disclosed further that the suspect got into her house by tearing the window net.
“She picked up the baby as she was sleeping on the bed by the window and stole N5,000 kept in a purse,” she added.
But in her statement to the police, Blessing, who said she was homeless, denied stealing the baby and the money.
She told her interrogators that she was looking for where to sleep when she saw that there was a veranda near the window of the couple’s house.
“I was looking for a place to sleep when I saw the veranda. I was trying to sit down when the net got torn. I was wandering about, I didn’t steal any baby or money.
“Last year November I sustained injury on my leg and I couldn’t walk properly again. Later, I developed problems in my eyes and I couldn’t see properly again. Since then I have been moving about,” she stated.
She disclosed further that she was living at 5, Modupeola Street, Iju-Ishaga when co-tenants conspired against her and labelled her a thief, adding that this made the landlord to send her packing.
“I am not a thief. They accused me of kidnapping but I am not a kidnapper, I was just wandering about because I have nowhere to sleep. I did not kidnap any child,” she stated.
A resident of the area, Labinjo Abayomi, warned that the police at Ajuwon should not try to cover up the case, adding that residents were ready to ensure that the suspect was brought to book.
Another resident who identified himself as Soji Ademuyiwa commended the parents of the girl for not sleeping with both eyes closed, adding that but for their vigilance, the suspect would have taken the baby away.
Banks Expose Female Bankers To Prostitution By Giving Them Unrealisable Targets- Female Delegate
Mrs Felicia Sani, a delegate at the on-going National Conference, has condemned what she called the exposure of female bankers to prostitution through unrealisable target set for them by their employers. She said such a trend which has had a great impact on socio-economic relationships should be discouraged.
“At the end of each year, banks make millions of Naira, yet they employ young girls and give them unrealisable targets. Why will you ask a young girl who is somebody’s wife, or sister or daughter to go from office to office to look for N400 million in a month? It is not possible. Let us discourage it
Tiwa Savage’s Wedding Yacht Crashes Into Rocks During Storm In Dubai
A luxury party boat, Superyacht Jasmin, owned by Epic Luxury Yachts in Dubai which is slated to host Tiwa Savage’s wedding ceremony on the 26th of April, 2014 has crashed. The yacht crashed last week Friday, 4th of April, 2014 during a storm.
It was hosting a private event with 95 passengers on board when the incident occurred around 3.30am.
The yacht is presently been repaired and will not be ready for use until June; two months’ time. Tiwa Savage and other individuals who have paid to make use of it have been contacted and their money returned back to them.
Wednesday 9 April 2014
Nigerian arrested in Thailand for selling cocaine
Ibenuba Henry Onyinyechukwu, a Nigerian living in Thailand has been arrested by Thailand police for possession and dealing in illegal drugs, cocaine. Ibenuba, who had been dealing in hard drugs in Thailand for a while, was arrested following a well planned move by the police.
A Thai lady named Somkid Kwanngern was first arrested with 1.2g of cocaine and upon questioning told the police it was her Briton friend, Curtis Martin Taylor, who gave them to her. She took the police to Taylor who confessed to buying the drugs from Ibenuba. The Thai police hatched a secret investigation on Ibenuba using the Thai lady who pretended to be a buyer. She called Ibenuba asking to buy 5.45g of cocaine from him and he asked her to come to his house at KK Apartment to receive it, which she did. After the deal was concluded and fake money provided by the police had been handed over to Ibenuba, she notified the police.
The police immediately moved in on Ibenuba, arrested him and charged him with possession of category 2 drug while the Thai and the Briton were charged with possession of category 2 & 5 drugs.
Tuesday 8 April 2014
FG ordered to pay families of Apo killing N10million each
On Friday Sept. 20th, military men stormed an uncompleted building behind Legislator’s Quarters in Apo, Abuja and shot dead 8 people.
Now the families of all 8 victims are to be paid N10m each by the Federal Government as damages, while the 11 people who sustained various injuries during the attack are to be awarded N5m each.
The Nigerian military had launched an attack on the building, suspecting it to be a hideout for Boko Haram members. According to the National Human Rights Commission, the Federal Government and security agents have till date not been able to substantiate their claim that the people found in the building had ties with Boko Haram, causing the NHRC to award them the victim's families damages.
Chidi Odinkalu, who presided over the panel of enquiry into the killing of some squatters in a residence in Apo by security operatives, announced this at the public presentation of the panel’s report in Abuja.
"Having investigated the complaint, heard all the parties and examined the relevant laws, there is no credible evidence to show that the victims were members of Boko Haram. The self defense asserted by the respondents was not supported by facts and the application of lethal force was disproportionate and the killing of the eight persons and injuries to 11 others were unlawful”, he said.
The Federal Government was given 30 days counting from yesterday April 7th to pay the damages and provide proof to the registry of the NHRC
Man Rapes Another Man In Lagos
A 38-year old gatekeeper, Sali Malu, has been arraigned before an Abule Egba Magistrate court for raping another gatekeeper at his residence. The suspect who was accused of lacing his victim’s food with drugs pleaded not guilty to a two count charge of sexual assault and causing a breach of peace.
“When the complainant woke up, his anus was paining him and there was some left-over semen in it. The complainant, who is also a gatekeeper in the estate they watched over, went to the room of the accused to charge his phone. The accused gave him food to eat. The man did not know that the food had been laced with drugs. After eating the food, he slept off only to wake up to the reality that he had been raped,’’ the prosecutor told the court.
The offences, contravene Section 166 (d) and 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. The Magistrate granted him a bail of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum, while the case was adjourned to May 5 for mention.
"My thoughts on the Arik-Air flight debacle" - Banky W
Banky W, one of the passengers on the Arik Air Lagos to New York flight on March 31st shares his thoughts on the incident that left passengers protesting on board.
Recently, footage from a camera phone has surfaced online about the dire circumstances that passengers suffered prior to take-off, on board an Arik Air flight from Lagos to New York; I was one of the passengers. For anyone who has not seen the footage, it’s available on Youtube and various News Websites and Blogs. However, for purposes of this write-up, I will recount what happened.
The flight was scheduled to take off at about 1150pm on March 31st, 2014. Boarding was completed on time, and all the passengers settled in their seats and prepared for the flight to begin. However, there seemed to be a delay in operations because although the ground crew had exited the aircraft and the cabin doors were shut, we weren’t moving. The pilot announced that there was a small delay in the ground crew operations on the plane, and that we should be patient as the flight would depart “in a few minutes”.
The problem was, the air conditioning was not turned on. Midnight soon passed, and there was still no A/C, neither did it feel like we were going anywhere, anytime soon. Passengers were vigorously fanning themselves, asking for water and ice from the Crew, and doing whatever they could to stay cool and hydrated. The reality was that the heat in the plane was quite frankly unbearable. It’s hot enough in Nigeria these days, and then you couple that with a cabin whose doors have been shut, and a bunch of people locked inside that enclosed space… suffice it to say it escalated from bad to worse very quickly. The Captain made another announcement about how he’s “sorry for the delay, but it was due to the ground operations”, and that there was only one engine on and that was why the A/C could not be turned on yet. By now it was well past 12:30 and people were becoming extremely frustrated. Parents had begun taking the clothes off their children, children were crying, one lady looked like she would faint. Still, there was no further update on when we would take off and when the A/C would come on.
Almost an hour into this debacle, many passengers became justifiably irate. We were all drenched in sweat, burning hot, and it was hard to breathe properly. Now, let me interject here to say this… I believe that up till now, it was actually Arik’s policy to not turn on the A/C on their Aircrafts until take-off. I’m not sure why, but I’ve flown on many of their local routes within Nigeria and 100% of the time, this is always the case. The difference though is that usually, once boarding has been completed, it only takes a few minutes before take-off begins, and the A/C comes on pretty quickly, so while it’s unacceptable, it has been… tolerable. In this case however, we had been on board for well over an hour, and now passengers that had surged up front into my section actually said people were fainting, and more people were going to pass out. It was disastrous, to say the least.
Just before the passengers surged into my section up front (I was in seat 1A), I actually saw the pilots pull the one foreign air hostess into the cockpit and lock the door behind them. I suspect that either the A/C may have been on in the Cockpit, or that he was concerned for his and her safety because the shouting from the back indicated that people were in a state of panic and riot. Either way, I thought his actions came off as incredibly ignorant and prejudice against the Nigerian Staff (who were doing their absolute best to try and calm people down), and against the very Nigerian passengers who he was employed to take care of. As the people surged up front and started banging on the cockpit door, the Captain made yet another announcement that people should be patient for a few more minutes, and of course it had been well over an hour so none of the irate passengers were having it. He also said that if people did not go back to their assigned seats, he would have to call the police. Of course this did nothing but provide further incentive for people to be angry, frustrated, irate… you name it.
By this time, the entire section around my seat was filled with screaming passengers, banging on the cockpit door and yelling at the Nigerian Staff who were still pleading with us. I actually feared for the safety of the Air Hostesses, and for the equipment on the plane; the captain was not saying anything to calm people down, and would not dare show his face, and was not hearkening to the cries of people that he should open the cabin doors and let us out until they were actually ready to take off.
I feared that more drastic measures were going to be taken by the irate passengers, which is why I stood up at that point to try and calm them down. My reasoning was that I’d been on enough Arik flights to know that this was their policy, so I didn’t feel like the plane was not fit to fly. I suggested that seeing as we’d already waited that long, we give them another 5-10 minutes, because if we disrupted the flight or caused damage, they would have to kick us off and begin the entire process from start. Some of the passengers calmed down after I spoke, while some were just intent on fighting or doing something drastic to express their displeasure… (one very short angry man actually tried to take out his anger on me, but I felt bad for him so I didn’t let that escalate).
In any case, soon after that, the Captain announced he was beginning take-off procedures, and I felt the A/C come on. This further helped me make my case to the passengers, and most of the people started going back to their seats. What further shocked me at this point was that the Captain actually started taxiing the plane on the runway, while people were still making their way back to their seats. This seemed to be both dangerous AND illegal, in my opinion. To be fair though, it did motivate people to quickly rush back to their seats. Including our short and irate friend who at this time was screaming at the top of his lungs, and topless. After this though, the rest of the flight went on incident free, thank God.
Many news agencies, upon seeing me in the footage online, have contacted me asking for details of what happened, and my opinion on the incident. My thoughts are as follows: it was an avoidable disaster, and one that could have ended up much worse for the staff and equipment of Arik Air. This policy of enclosing passengers within a cabin with no A/C is senseless; I suspect that it saves them some money because they don’t need to rent/buy ground power units to power the planes while they finish their operations, but it is unfair, cruel and inhumane to the clients of the airline to subject their comfort and even health to such conditions, all in the name of cutting costs.
A few years ago, I took this flight route on Arik Air for the first time, primarily because I needed to be in NYC as quickly as possible on business, and they were the only carrier that went directly with no layovers. I was very impressed by pretty much every aspect of the flight. It was convenient and clean; the seats were big and comfortable; the staff was friendly and courteous; I was so impressed that for a short while, I stopped using my usual international Carriers. The one downside at the time, was that the food wasn’t quite the best, and there was no frequent flier mileage program. I remember filling out a suggestion form at the time, along with some other passengers, and we all commented that the food could be better. Shortly after that, I was beyond impressed to find that they had changed their menu and food supplier, and stepped up the quality to the point that it was as good, or better than most other carriers. It felt like they were really responding to the needs and expectations of their patrons, and I thought this was a great start for the Airline.
I’m a proud Nigerian… and I’m a fan of all things good that are Nigerian. We have many issues as a country, but I’ve always been of the opinion that we have to fix ourselves. We have to police ourselves, and play our part in changing Nigeria and making Her better. As such, whenever possible, I try to support Nigerian owned businesses. My suits, for instance, are made by Mai Atafo; he has impressed me so much that I now refuse to buy suits from anywhere else in the world, because of the quality of his craftsmanship; and it is a source of pride for me when I’m asked by colleagues, clients and fans around the world where I got my suit from, and I’m able to tell them that it was made by a Nigerian Designer.
Arik is currently our only airline that flies to international cities like London and New York; however instead of being a source of pride, they’ve allowed their standards to drop over time. There are 24 seats in my section, about 10 of them are not functional and have not been in months. The entertainment system is a joke; there are only a handful of tv shows and films available for viewing, and they are the same exact films/shows that were available years ago when they started flying to NYC. They literally have not changed the movies in YEARS. They just flat out refuse to upgrade what they have, and seem content to let it deteriorate. There is still no frequent flier program, even though for years they told passengers to hold on to their boarding passes, as it would soon commence. “Soon” has taken an eternity with no end in sight. Attention to detail is crucial, and very often, it is the difference between greatness and mediocrity; between growth and decline, success and failure.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out some of the positives that the airline still has. For one, I’ve found their Nigerian staff to be very polite, courteous and helpful. The food quality is still great - I have no complaints on anything I’ve tasted so far, other than the fish peppersoup – yuck! The duck however, was fantastic, as well as everything else I’ve eaten on board. Generally speaking, their cleanliness standards have not dropped either, thank God. And lastly, the direct flight to NYC remains as convenient as it gets for someone like me who sometimes needs to save time spent in European layovers.
I’ve witnessed them make positive changes before due to the suggestion surveys passengers filled out; my hope, in writing this, is that they do the same again, fix the issues and give us a Nigerian Airline that will be a source of pride, not pain.
- B.W.
PS: Not everyone needs to be in NYC like myself; I suggest to the powers that be, to try and partner with an American carrier, so that once you touch down in NY, you can easily transition to a local flight to take you to your final destination.
PPS: I apologize for the extremely long article. I have even more to say but this will have to do.
Iyabo Ojo changes NGO name to refute Lesbian stories
Yoruba actress Iyabo Ojo started a foundation 3 years ago called Sexy Pinky Ladies which caused some people to insinuate that the female members of the group were all lesbians hiding under the name of the foundation to carry out their activities.
To correct this negative impression, Iyabo Ojo says she had no choice but to change the NGO's name to Pinkies Foundation. In a recent chat with Encomium mag, the actress who is celebrating 3 years of running the NGO talked about the lesbian rumours and how she dealt with it...
"It really wasn't easy but I think it was my fault. I think the name we started with attracted all the controversies. When it was Sexy Pink Ladies, people were attaching a lot of things to it. That was why we had to rebrand and tell people it is a foundation. We are just being focused because the bad press was too much. Some members even had to opt out because the impression people had of us. This is understandable because up to 80% of us are married and it was causing some of them issues in their homes, so had to leave the group for the sake of their homes. Some remained and their spouses got to know what we do and they saw that it's just unfounded rumor and they supported us" she said.
Chris Brown finally touches down in D.C after days in Con Air
Chris Brown was loaded onto a con-air flight to D.C. last Thursday to face misdemeanor assault charges for attacking a fan back in October but didn't get there until late yesterday, (the plane stops in different cities to pick other prisoners) making him miss his first hearing.
In his absence, a judge rejected his request to dismiss his case on the grounds that the prosecution unlawfully took the case before a grand jury, meaning his case is moving forward.
According to reports, after Chris Brown arrived D.C yesterday, he was transferred to the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia where he will stay until the start of his trial on April 17th
Oscar Pistorius recounts moment he shot his girlfriend at his home
Oscar Pistorius broke down in court today as he described the moment he shot & killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet door at his Pretoria home. Oscar claimed he was paralyzed with fear thinking an intruder had entered the house before he opened fire through a locked toilet door.
Now which girlfriend locks herself in her boyfriend's toilet at 3am in the morning if she's not trying to escape from someone? And how do you not check that your girlfriend is safe & around you before you start firing shots? I don't understand this, but anyway below is how he describe what happened..
"I wasn't sure where to point the firearm. My eyes were going between the windows and the toilet. I stood for some time. I just stayed where I was and kept on screaming. Then I heard a noise from inside the toilet that I perceived to be somebody coming out of the toilet. Before I knew it, I had fired four shots at the door." He said. Continue...
Describing the events leading up to Reeva's death, Oscar said Reeva cooked him dinner and they ate together at around 7pm. He went to his room just before 8pm and opened the balcony because it was "very humid". He said he fell asleep between 9pm and 10pm, then woke up in the early hours of 14 February because it was "extremely warm" in the bedroom.
"I noticed that the fans were still running and the door was still open. Reeva was still awake. She rolled over to me and said 'Can't you sleep my baba?'", to which I replied: "No I can't, not tonight".
He said he grabbed a fan, locked the sliding doors and then drew the curtains. He then returned to the room and heard the sound of "window sliding open". He thought the noise was coming from someone who had climbed inside the house from the bathroom window.
It was at this point that I heard a window sliding open in the bathroom. I heard the window hit the frame. I thought that a burglar had got into the house. I think I initially just froze. That's the moment that everything changed.
The first thing that ran through my mind was to protect Reeva and I and to get my gun. I rushed as quick as I could, with my hand in front of me, at times touching the floor before grabbing my firearm from underneath the bed.
At that point I just wanted to put myself between the person who had gained access to my house and Reeva. I slowed down and had my firearm extended in front of me. I whispered to Reeva to get down and phone the police.
As I entered where the bathroom passage is, I was overcome with fear. I screamed at the person to get out. I screamed at Reeva. I was constantly aware this person could come at me at any time. I did not have my legs on. Just before I got to the bathroom, I heard a door slam. It could have only been the toilet door. It confirmed that there was a person or people inside the bathroom.'
'I got to the entrance of the bathroom at the end of the passage where I stopped screaming. At this point I was certain that the intruders were in the bathroom.
I had my pistol in my right hand and peered into the bathroom.I didn't have much mobility on the tiles. I had my pistol raised to the corner of the entrance of the bathroom. I noticed that the bathroom window was open. I was with my back against the wall. I wasn't sure if the intruders were in the toilet or around the corner at that point. Then I heard a noise from inside the toilet that I perceived to be someone coming out of the toilet. Before I knew it I had fired four shots at the door. My ears were still ringing - I couldn't hear anything - so I kept shouting for Reeva to phone the police."
When I didn't hear anything from Reeva, I panicked. I didn't want to believe it could be Reeva inside the toilet. I didn't know what to do. I kicked the door. I was crying out, I was screaming. I used my cricket bat to smash down the toilet door and found Reeva. I have never screamed like that. 'I said "Oh, Reeva". I sat over her and cried."
Michael Adebolajo appeals life imprisonment sentence
He took someone's life but doesn't want to spend the rest of his life in prison. Michael Adebolajo, one of the two British men who butchered English soldier, Lee Rugby last year, today launched an appeal against his sentence. Adebolajo was sentenced to life in prison in February 2014 without the possibility of parole, while his accomplice, Michael Adebowale was given life with a minimum term of 45 years.
While handing out the sentence, the judge said Michael was condemned to life imprisonment without any minimum years because he led the attack on the soldier and "had no prospects of rehabilitation".
Adebolajo and Adebowale killed the father of one in broad daylight near Woolwich Barracks in south east London on May 22nd 2013.
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