Bryan Smith's Blog: News

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Thursday, 14 May 2015

Five Boko Haram members training under ISIS in Iraq killed

5 Boko Haram members who were in Mosul, Iraq to train under Islamic State, have reportedly been killed. According to BasNews, a youth vigilante group known as the Mosul Youth Resistance Movement killed the sect members in the Dargaza neighbourhood of eastern Mosul today May 13th.

Spokesperson of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Mosul, Saed Mamuzini, said the Mosul Youth Resistance Movement, was recently formed to act against Islamic State (IS) in Mosul.

“The Nigerian Boko Haram militants were in Mosul to take part in a military training course conducted by Islamic State (IS).” he said

Read this also: 19 year old chases family members away, stabs Dad to death

   Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomole set to re-marry this Friday

Lekki bank robber says he got N500k from the N15million they stole

President-elect Gen. Buhari has described as false media reports claiming he has endorsed a politician to become the next senate president. Speaking in Abuja today May 13th, the president elect said he has chosen not to get involved in any political appointments that does not directly relate to him. He asked the public and the media to disbelieve any reports alleging his involvement in the politics to produce the next Senate president.

Duke Odogbo, one of the four armed robbers recently arrested by the police in connection with the Lekki bank robbery in March, says he was given N500,000 from the N15 million they stole from the bank. The four robbers, Duke Odogbo, 38; Lawrence Kingsley, 31; Ebi Tosan, 20, & Ekelemo Kuete, 30 were paraded before newsmen at the Lagos state police command headquarters in Ikeja today.

"I was invited by a friend from Warri, Delta State, to come for bunkering job. But on reaching Lagos, I was told it was a bank robbery. I told them I was into bunkering and not robbery. But because they told me we were going to make much money from it, I decided to join them. On the day of the operation, we left Tarkwa Bay at about 4.30 p.m., in two boats; with 11 persons on each. But one of the boats developed fault on the way.

We all entered the good one. We got to the bank few minutes after 5p.m. Immediately we left the canal, some of us went to the road and started firing, thereby making way for those of us that would go inside. I led the team that went in. We were all putting on Army camouflage. I shattered the entrance glass with bullets and when we got inside, we demanded for the money realized for that day. The manager told us they did not make much. But we broke into one of their strong rooms where we got some money. We also broke into two ATM boxes, but there was no money in either of them. We told ourselves that the operation must not exceed 40 minutes. To my surprise, by the time we were leaving, I discovered that my colleagues were with seven extra rifles. When I asked, they said they saw some policemen in a van, concluded they were there for us and shot at them. I was not the one that shot the policemen. I did not kill anyone. It was when we got to the forest, located in an island in Ikorodu that we discovered that the amount stolen was N15 million and I got N500,000. I used my share to boost my bunkering business.” he said

Items recovered from the suspects were a 2008 model Honda Accord car purchased by one of the suspects from his share of the loot, one military face cap used during the operation,a white blackberry Z10 phone, an Apple iphone 5 and 120 expended ammunition.

Report not written by me. It was sent to me to share. Read below...

One of the Batch A Corp members currently in Nasarawa state Orientation Camp yesterday almost lost his life at the camp due to extreme torture by security operatives. The Corp Member Bunmi Adeyera (pictured above) with the State Code: NS/15A/0134 and Call-up no: NYSC/NIJ/2015/061287 who is said to be sick was today locked-up in the guard room for hours until he collapsed and became unconscious in the Guard room.

An eyewitness who pleaded anonymity has full details. Read excerpts below:

“To all my fellow NYSC corp members around Nigeria, today, I witnessed how one of my colleagues, Adeyera Oubunmi (State code: NS/15A/0134)(Call-up no.: NYSC/NIJ/2015/061287) almost died due to maltreatment in Nasarawa state NYSC camp by security officials.

What happened this morning was that Bunmi Adeyera who is also Platoon 4 leader and was obviously sick went to the Camp clinic to collect some drugs to combat his ailment and was approaching the camp market to get food (since food was no longer available in the camp kitchen) in order to use his drugs when he was stopped by security operatives (Nigerian Police force and Man’O War) and was asked to go back into the camp hall for lectures. He tried explaining to them that he was sick and needed to take his drugs but they did not listen to him, rather he was told to start ‘frog-jumping’. Bunmi quietly explained to them that he might not be able to ‘frog-jump’ because of his health status.

The next thing I saw was that the security operatives (who were obviously Hausas, because they communicated fluently in Hausa language) told asked him if he was Hausa or Yoruba. When he told them he was Yoruba and he hails Lagos state, they seized his NYSC identification tag and marched him straight to the ‘Guard room’ allegations of ‘being stubborn’ without give him any chance of speaking in his own defense.

This place called Guard room is a bathroom located at the entrance gate of the Nasarawa Camp where soldiers urinate at all time and with no cross-ventilation.

We all watched them take the poor sick Corp member to the Guard Room, and was detained there going to three hours. The next thing I saw was people from the camp medical unit running towards the gate with stretcher in their hands. Behold Bunmi had collapsed and fainted in the so-called guard room.

Even while the Red Cross team was trying to rescue the situation, the soldiers sent them back saying that all was pretence and that when he wakes up, he will return to the guard room.

The doctors battled for his life for about an hour before Bunmi Adeyera became conscious again and was later stabilized.

Every Corp member on Camp including NYSC officials know Bunmi to be easy-going, obedient and friend to all which is more reason he emerged the leader of Platoon 4.

The population of those who went to the clinic to check on him is one that I have never seen on camp although they wouldn’t allow us take pictures of this ugly incidence.

But my question is this why is it that we Corp members who have in good faith and humility come to serve our father land are being maltreated even to the extent of someone fainting. This should not continue.”

Bunmi Adeyera is a graduate of Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos. All attempts to reach the Nasarawa state co-ordinator, Mrs. C.I Uba, proved abortive.

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola has denied reports that one of his sons has been arrested for money laundering.

The Director, Bureau of Communication & Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr Semiu Okanlawon in a statement on Wednesday said the allegation that Governor Aregbesola’s son was arrested at Muritala Mohammed Airport by security agents on account of money laundering was untrue.

The clarification was made by Aregbesola on Wednesday, May 13, through a statement released by his media aide, Semiu Okanlawon.

Mr Okanlawon’s statement read in part, “It has become pertinent to inform Nigerians and others generally that there is no iota of truth in the story being peddled around by some misguided elements claiming that a son of Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun, Kabir Aregbesola was arrested at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Tuesday May 12, 2015 with a huge sum of money in foreign currencies”.

“We have discovered the authors of the wicked and malicious lie are doggedly pursuing their agenda by engaging in an aggressive push for the falsehood to reach a larger population especially using the social media.

“The younger Aregbesola neither traveled anywhere nor had any encounter with any security personnel today. It is obvious the evil minds at work are out to drag an innocent young man’s name into this dirt in order to get at his father.

“Obviously, part of the game plans of those behind this orchestrated lie is to whip up sentiments especially among the workers in Osun whose salaries are being delayed as part of the fallout of the national revenue crisis and demonise the governor.

“Aregbesola has maintained a life of a moderate family man with a set of highly disciplined children who cannot be found wanting on issues of morals and societal values.

“Members of the public are therefore urged to dismiss the falsehood because it is just another handiwork of mischievous minds”, he added.

Pulse Ng

PDP press statement below...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has admonished the spokesman of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed to learn to be truthful, honest and desist from fabricating lies that could be injurious to democracy and peaceful co-existence in the country.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Wednesday said “but for the maturity of President Goodluck Jonathan and the head of the APC’s Transition Committee, Alhaji Ahmed Joda, who cleared the air, the country would have been thrown into crisis over the false alert by Lai Mohammed that the Presidency was frustrating the transition process.

“After Alhaji Joda debunked Lai Mohammed’s false statement and denied that his committee was being frustrated by the PDP-led Presidency, we waited for forty-eight hours expecting the APC spokesman to apologize to the nation, but this has not been done.

“It would be recalled that Lai Mohammed in a press statement last Thursday alleged that the Presidency and the PDP had ‘bluntly refused to cooperate’ with the APC to ensure a successful transition and that the Transition Committee of the Federal Government had refused to hold any meeting with that of the APC.

“Even after the PDP through a statement last Friday debunked the false allegation with facts showing that the committees of the two parties have been holding fruitful meetings, Lai Mohammed vehemently stuck to his position, only for the head of the APC’s Transition Committee, Alhaji Joda to confirm on Tuesday that the two panels have been meeting and operating on the same page and that at no time did his team complain to anybody that there was no cooperation.

“The APC spokesman must realize that his style which is anchored on lies has negatively impacted the polity, especially hundreds of young Nigerians who now engage in insults and fabrications in the media thinking that such is what party publicity is all about.

“Lai Mohammed should know that the campaigns with its attendant propaganda are over and that Nigerians expect a more mature and patriotic behaviour from the political class. He should therefore learn to get his facts right and be truthful in his statements at all times”, the PDP said.

Calling on all Nigerians to be wary of actions that are capable of causing disunity in the land, the PDP reiterated its resolve to focus only on purposeful criticism while presenting credible alternatives to the policies and programmes of the in-coming administration in a manner that will promote democracy, unity and the well-being of Nigerians.

Signed:

Olisa Metuh

National Publicity Secretary

Boxer Manny Pacquaio, who reportedly made about $100m from his fight with Floyd Mayweather on May 2nd wore this diamond encrusted watch as he spoke at a press conference in Manila following his return home. I can imagine how much that watch costs. Dayum!

The boxer was received to a hero's welcome as he and his family returned to Philippine yesterday. See the photos after the cut...

A suspected member of the armed robbery gang that attacked a bank in Lekki, Lagos in March this year says he was given only N50,000 from the operation that claimed the lives of three police officers and a teenage street hawker. Ekelemo Kuete.

The suspect, an Ondo state indigene, who is one of the four arrested this week (all 4 pictured above), said 15 of them went for the operation and that he was the one that drove the speed boat that took the robbers to the crime scene and drove them after they had completed their operation.

"We were 15 in number that went for that operation and we used two speed boats. Five of us stayed back in the boat at Lekki while the other 10 went inside the bank. When they killed the policemen and two other civilians I queried them but they didn’t listen. I am the speed boat driver that took the armed robbery gang to Lekki on March 12, 2015. I didn’t want to go, they forced me, and after the operation, they gave me N50,000. I have not gone for robbery operation before now; I am into oil bunkering in Arepo along Lagos Ibadan expressway, a community in Ogun state. I know they were robbers when the contracted me to use my speed boat to convey them through the waterways to Lekki. I make money from oil bunkering between N50,000- N80,000 each time I go to work" he said.

A one-storey building is currently up in flames in Opebi, Ikeja axis of Lagos state. The cause of fire is yet to be ascertained. Fire service being expected. More details later.

Burundi presidency reacts to coup declaration by army general, says it's fake

Burundian presidency has reacted to the coup declaration by Burundi's army general Godefroid Niyombare earlier today. Gen Niyombare had told reporters that he has dismissed the government of President Nkurunziza following massive protest against his third term bid which has led to many deaths. Reacting, the presidency said people involved in the coup plot will be arrested. Read below...

"It is with regret that we have learned that a group of soldiers rebelled this morning and made a fake declaration about a coup. The Presidency of the Republic wants the public opinion both in Burundi and abroad to know that this coup attempt has been stopped and that the people who read that statement on private local radio are being sought by the defence and security forces so that they are brought to justice. The Presidency of the Republic is asking the people of Burundi as well as foreigners to keep calm. Everything is being done to maintain security across the national territory."

Meanwhile Burundi citizens have taken to the streets to celebrate with soldiers after the coup was announced. See the photos after the cut...

A 2-storey building used for storage of Kerosene located at Abakiliki street, Mile 1 in Port Harcourt caught fire this morning but fortunately the Rivers State Fire service was there on time to put out the fire. More pics after the cut...

Five people have been confirmed dead and 146 others injured after an Amtrak train carrying 248 passengers and five crew members going to New York from Washington DC derailed from its track in Philadelphia, USA yesterday night around 9.45pm.

Philadelphia Mayor, Michael Nutter while speaking on the incident, said the engine of the train separated from its body while it was on course. See the photos after the cut...

"This was an absolute disastrous mess. I have never seen anything like it in my life. Many of these folks are not from Philadelphia. It is a devastating scene down there. We walked the entire length of the train area, and the engine completely separated from the rest of the train, and one of the cars is perpendicular to the rest of the cars. It's unbelievable. We do not know what happened here. We're not going to try to speculate about that." he said

Aso speaking, the Philadelphia Fire Department Deputy Commissioner Jesse Wilson. said

"They're in pretty bad shape. You can see that they're completely, completely derailed from the track. They've been destroyed completely. The aluminum shell has been destroyed and they've been overturned completely.". Click here to read more