Earlier in the week, the news about town was that veteran actor, Jide Kosoko was assaulted and beaten by video club owners. It was said that the actor who is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Video Rental Operators of Nigeria was mediating in a crisis in the association when he was assaulted and injured during a fracas.
But the actor, in a telephone chat with Saturday Beats, said he was never beaten.
Kosoko, who was reluctant to talk about the incident as it was against his principle to grant t elephone interview however said it was impossible for anybody to beat him up.
"I was never beaten up. I am a member of the board of trustees of the Video Rental Operators of Nigeria and there was a crisis in the association. I was there to mediate and find way to resolve the crisis. While that was happening, there was a fracas with the video club owners as they began fighting one another. Someone threw a plastic bottled water and it hit me in the eye. That was it," he said.
Confirming what her father said, Sola Kosoko said it was impossible for anybody to beat her father up.
Sola said she heard about the story on the radio and wondered how they came up with such story.
She said, "I heard about the news on radio but how could anyone have beaten up my father? It is not possible."
Via:Punch
When you're a top African actress which so much fashion sense, you get to rock designer clothes that haven't even hit the stores yet!
Genevieve Nnaji attended day three of Lagos Fashion and Design Week 2013 dressed in this yellow Bridget Awosika Spring/Summer 2014 dress. Genny's dress is one of Awosika's designs on display at the fashion show.
Genny wore matching yellow shoes, rocking a contrasting hand bag. She was styled by VANE-STYLE designer and friend Veronica Odeka.
Via: Thene
Davido
During the week, Davido tried to dispel the criticisms trailing the video on his Twitter account. He wasn't the only person who has reacted to the criticisms. The director of the final video, Moe Musa has also reacted. Overwhelmed by critique on Twitter when the video dropped last Monday, Musa tweeted, " Love it or hate it, it's your issue not mine… All you haters out there are full of s**t, lol. "
Before now, reports said, Davido was not pleased with what Moe Musa shot in the UK for his hit single and planned to shoot another video with Clarence Peters".
He was said to have already paid Clarence Peters the sum of N7million to shoot a perfect video for him.
Via: Vanguard
Marie Harf, US State Department spokeswoman
The United States Chief of Mission Security at its mission in Nigeria has commenced investigation into the abduction of two of its nationals aboard an oil supply vessel on Wednesday by pirates off Nigerian coast, near Brass, Bayelsa State.
The US State Department spokeswoman, Marie Harf, disclosed this yesterday during a daily press briefing in Washington DC.
Harf expressed deep concern over the abduction of the two Americans and said that the United States government was closely monitoring the situation.
Said Harf: "Obviously, our concern at this point is for the safe return of the two US citizens. The Chief of Mission Security at our mission in Nigeria is investigating the kidnapping report. We do believe that this was an act of piracy. Again, we are continuing to seek additional information and for privacy reasons can't provide any additional information about the two U.S. citizens."
Pirates had on Wednesday snatched the two American nationals off an oil-supply vessel in the latest incident of high-seas terror that has plagued the Gulf of Guinea region.
Reports indicate that vessels carrying cargo and petroleum in the oil-rich region have recently come become prime targets of the pirates. The vessel, C-Retriever was said to be carrying supplies to offshore oil rigs when pirates boarded and took the two Americans.
The United States has also refused to designate the kidnap as an "act of terrorism. The U.S. State Department spokeswoman said that it was closely monitoring the situation with the hope of resolving it soon but that it did not believe it was an act of terrorism.
While responding to questions on the department's knowledge of the incident, Harf said: "Yeah, a little bit on this. Thanks for the question. We're obviously closely monitoring reports that two U.S. citizens have been kidnapped from a U.S.-flagged vessel.
"It's a motor vessel, the C-Retriever, in the Gulf of Guinea. We are seeking additional information about the incident so that we may contribute to safely resolving the situation.
"They (U.S. sailors) were certainly on board the U.S.-flagged vessel called the C-Retriever. I don't have any additional information about that...correct. Yes, that at this point, we do not have information that would indicate this was an act of terrorism. More broadly, we have been concerned by a disturbing increase of maritime crime, including piracy, in this area. So, I think at this point, that's certainly what we're operating under."
Asked about the options the U.S. might adopt, either specifically for its two nationals or more on the long-term basis to address piracy in the region, Harf said: "At this point, we're still looking into it.
Obviously, our concern is their safe return. We are concerned by this increase.
"We've worked and will continue to work with states on the Gulf of Guinea to help them respond effectively to maritime crime in these waters. We coordinate with our international partners on this. I know U.S. Africa Command has been working through partner nations to help increase their capacity to meet the piracy threat through a number of different programmes. I think two of them are the Africa Maritime Law Enforcement Programme and the Africa Partnership Station."
She however failed to indicate if the department or any of US officials have established contacts with the kidnapped nationals.
The 220-foot-long vessel is reported to be owned by Edison Chouest Offshore which is based in Louisiana.
The abduction of the American sailors is coming on the heels of report that pirate attacks off Nigeria's coast have jumped by a third this year with ships passing through West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, a major commodities hub, increasingly under threat from gangs aiming to snatch cargoes and crews.
Data from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) which co-ordinates the fight against maritime crime and malpractice world wide, showed that Nigeria remained the main source of piracy in the region with 29 attacks on vessels recorded in the first nine months of 2013, up from 21 in the same period last year.
"Pirates, often heavily armed and violent, are targeting vessels and their crews along the Nigerian coast, rivers, anchorages, ports and surrounding waters. In many cases, they ransack the vessels and steal the cargo, usually gas oil," Reuters quoted the IMB as reporting.
Analysts say while Somali gangs have focused on capturing vessels to extract ransom money, criminality in West Africa, including oil theft, poses more complex problems.
The IMB said in the first nine months of 2013, the Gulf of Guinea accounted for all crew kidnappings worldwide, 32 of them off Nigeria, and two off Togo. "In such incidents, sailors are taken ashore and usually held for ransom."
Despite the jump in West Africa, overall global pirate attacks fell in the period to the lowest level since 2006, helped by a slowdown in attacks by Somali groups.
Via:Thisday
AY and US actress Vivica Fox on the set of '30 Days in Atlanta'. Photo: Instagram
AY Makun is currently shooting his first movie titled '30 Days in Atlanta: The Adventures of Akpos', which features US stars Vivica Fox, Lynn Whitfield, and Karlie Redd.
The movie which was shot in two countries – Atlanta US and Nigeria also features Richard Mofe Damijo, Desmond Elliot, Ramesy Noah, Rachael Oniga, Omoni Oboli, Ada Ameh as well as Ghollywood actors Juliet Ibrahim and Majid Michael.
According to the comedian-turned-producer, he plans to conclude shooting at the end of October 2013.
AY seems to be borrowing a leaf from his US counterparts, someone like stand-up/comedian Kevin Hart who has long gone into film production.
Ramsey Noauh, Desmond Elliot and AY on the set of '30 Days in Atlanta'. Photo: Blogger/WarmHearts13
Via: Thenet
EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde
A team of operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has commenced investigation into the N255m bullet-proof cars scandal rocking the Ministry of Aviation.
A top operative of the anti-graft agency, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity in Abuja on Thursday, said that the EFCC commenced investigation into the scandal on Wednesday.
This is happening as the Federal Government is intensifying efforts to unmask those that leaked the documents on the purchase of two BMW armoured cars at an allegedly inflated price of N255m for the Aviation Minister, Ms Stella Oduah.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that the Federal Government had summoned all the heads of the agencies in the Ministry of Aviation to Abuja on Monday.
The source said a team of EFCC investigators from the Abuja office of the commission was under instruction to ensure a discreet investigation into the scandal.
It was learnt that some of the directors in strategic positions in the commission had been quizzed by the EFCC.
It was learnt that the hunt for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority official who leaked the story of the purchase to the public had also heightened tension in other agencies and parastatals under the ministry as workers were being quizzed by the management of these agencies. Investigations by Saturday PUNCH showed that the Aviation Ministry had been mounting pressure on the NCAA to fish out the whistleblower.
Our correspondent, who visited the Lagos office of the NCAA, also learnt that the staff members had been infiltrated by members of the State Security Service, prompting suspicion among the workers. The workers said they had been warned not to talk to journalists or any stranger on the issue.
It was also learnt that that members of staff from various cadres were randomly quizzed by senior management officials over the leaked documents.
Our correspondent gathered that the Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mr. George Uriesi, the Director General, Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, Mr. Nnamdi Udoh, and the Director-General, NCAA, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, were summoned to Abuja on Monday and were still in Abuja as at the time of filing this report.
Employees at the ministry hardly speak on issues touching the car scandal for fear of not being victimised or fingered as the possible sources of the leak.
Akinkuotu had stated that the agency would investigate the source of the leak, stressing that the information was released to the public illegally.
Akinkuotu's comment came after an online medium, SaharaReporters, revealed that the agency spent a whopping N255m on two BMW cars for the aviation minister.
The development had since sparked criticisms and protests in the country.
A senior personnel at the NCAA, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, told our correspondent that the investigation might start with the directors, who were still in Abuja. "They were invited as part of the investigation into unravelling the source of the leak of the information on the cars,'' the official said.
The official added, "The investigation has already commenced and it has intensified because our directors, especially those whose offices were affected, have been invited to Abuja. They will be there till the conclusion of the public hearing on this issue by the National Assembly."
Another official at the agency said the investigation had started in earnest although no worker had been threatened by the management.
The source said, "The investigation is on. They (management) don't need to let the workers know. But the DG said it and I don't think he was kidding. There is fear that innocent persons might fall victim and that is why we want the investigators to do a thorough job on this issue."
On Thursday, our correspondent contacted the Head of Media and Communications of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujanren, whose response confirmed the ongoing EFCC investigations into what has been termed 'Oduahgate'.
Uwujanren said that he would not say anything about the EFCC investigation into the issue as it would be premature to do so.
"I cannot make any comment on the ongoing investigation because it would be premature to do so," he said.
Also when contacted, the spokesperson for the aviation agencies in the ministry, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said what the NCAA boss said as regards plans to investigate the source of the leak was binding.
Dati, however, stated that threats of mass sack in the NCAA or the ministry were rumours.
He said, "I cannot respond to rumours and I don't react to speculations. If there is anything that needs to be said, it has been said by the DG NCAA."
The DG, while explaining why the agency bought the vehicles at a press briefing in Abuja, had said, "I am not saying that this particular information should not be put in the public domain. But how it was obtained is the concern. If somebody breaks into an office and makes copies of official documents, then the break-in has become criminal.
"So we are in the process of trying to find the source of this leak and I am very concerned about it. Because this information may look trivial but there are other information that we have that are confidential and it is only fair for us to respect the confidentiality of information. I am not saying that they broke into our office, but they obtained the information illegally."
Akinkuotu said he was stunned to see the documents in the open, stressing that the information were leaked illegally.
He said he was "shell shocked that government information and particularly information from the civil aviation authority has gotten into public purview in an illegal manner. It is criminal! However, what has been done has been done, but I think when such information is gotten, you should have come to the agency to ask. We are not shy to take your questions."
In Lagos, there was palpable tension within the premises of NCAA. Members of staff of the agency looked uncomfortable when our correspondent went there on Thursday. Some of them wondered why so many Nigerians were interested in the issue.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that although there were no fixed rules guiding the current probe, workers in the audit and accounts departments had especially been jittery over the development.
One of the staff members who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity expressed fears that some people not connected to the issue might lose their jobs.
The worker said, "There is general unease in the system, people are working in fear because we hear all those found guilty will be sacked and in matters like this, some innocent people could suffer for what they know nothing about.
"I think the issue is being blown out of proportion, and we guess that other similar issues in the past would be dug-up and more people may be in trouble."
Another worker said, "Well, we have been verbally warned about saying things anyhow to people, because we do not know the tactics they might employ in trying to trap anyone, so, I don't want to say anything that might land me in trouble.
"We hear that those quizzed are being asked not to tell others and that SSS officials are all over the place here, but I can't say."
When our correspondent tried to gain entry into the NCAA office on different occasions, she was denied entrance by some security operatives at the gate.
"You are from the press? We have not been informed of any press meeting here, and there are no cars here for inspection, you can go to Abuja for more information," one of them told our correspondent. However, there was no name tag attached to the operative's uniform.
The spokesperson of the NCAA, Mr. Fan Ndubuike, told our correspondent over the phone that he could not answer any questions on the issue.
"Listen to me, my boss cannot be facing enquiries in Abuja in the House while you people would also be quizzing me here on the same issue. You should watch the television, it is ongoing or you tell your guys in Abuja to monitor the issue," he said.
Meanwhile, workers of the ministry of aviation have called on the government to do a thorough investigation of the scandal. They expressed worry that the development had increased suspicion in the agencies affected.
According to them, people were becoming apprehensive to speak to colleagues on the issue.
A worker at the ministry said, "You can't comfortably speak with your colleague not to talk of speaking with a press man on the scandal, there is tension everywhere please."
Via: Punch
The Nigerian Army on Thursday launched a massive air and ground onslaught against Boko Haram in Borno killing 74 insurgents and destroying the deadly sect's camp in Galangi and Kawanti villages But in neighbouring Yobe State, members of the sect launched surprise attacks on Damaturu, the state capital, and engaged the military in gun duels for several hours, forcing the imposition of 24 hour curfew on the state by the Army.
The military confirmed that 21 members of the sect were killed in Yobe, bringing the total number of casualties suffered by the sect in both states to 95.
The spokesman of 3 Division, Special Operation Battalion, Capt. Eli Lazarus, in a statement said: "At about 5.30pm Wednesday 24, October 2013, gunmen in large number suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists attacked a military checkpoint close to NNPC Mega Station along Maiduguri-Damaturu Road. Troops of 3 Division Special Operation Battalion had fierce encounter with the terrorist in various parts of Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, for several hours.
"Twenty one of the terrorist were killed during the encounter while three of their vehicles were recovered."
He said items recovered include four AK47 rifles, one FN rifle, one rocket propel grenade, and one rocket grenade bomb (RPG).
Spokesman for the division, who said this in a statement, added that the 24-hour curfew took immediate effect.
"The 3 Division Special Operations Battalion, Damaturu, hereby imposes a 24-hour curfew across Yobe State, with immediate effect. Law-abiding citizens are enjoined to remain calm as the battalion steps up its operation to rid the state of insurgents", he said.
Lazarus did however not give civilian casualties in the attack on the town, but residents said about 50 persons might have lost their lives in the attacks.
Though the spokesman of the Army in Damaturu was also silent on the extent of damage, sources said that the mobile police base, the police Area Command, the state CID, all along Gujba road, were burnt down and some detainees freed.
Reports also indicate that the 234 Army Battalion along Maiduguri road was equally attacked by the insurgents.
There were reports that the insurgents went to Gen. Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital and carted away two brand new ambulances and huge quantity of drugs at the hospital.
There were also speculation that the Army and other security agencies recorded high casualties including a captain.
On the onslaught against the sect in Borno, a statement by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations of the 7 Division Maiduguri, Lt. Col. Muhammad Dole, said: "In continuation of the ongoing offensive operation against terrorists, the troops of 7 Division Nigerian Army destroyed another Boko Haram terrorists camp in Galangi and Kawanti villages within Mainok general area of Borno State on Thursday October 24, 2013."
Dole said several sect members fled the destroyed camp with serious injuries, while two Isuzu Tiger Pick Up vehicles and five Hilux Toyota vans belonging to the insurgents were also destroyed.
While noting that two soldiers were injured in the operation, Dole, expressed appreciation of the General Officer Commanding 7 Division Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Obidah Ethan, to the general public for their resilience and cooperation by providing timely and credible information to security agencies.
He also reiterated the commitment of the Division to ensuring safety of lives and properties of all citizens within its area of operation.
Also last night, unknown gunmen suspected be members of Boko Haram attacked a police checkpoint in Kaduna and shot three policemen. Details of the attack were still sketchy at the time of going to press.
Via: Thisday
The prosecutor, DSP Stanley Nwodo, told the court that the accused raped two 7-year-olds and a nine-year-old pupil on different occasions in the school, adding that the offence contravened Section 283 of the Penal Code, and if convicted, the accused would be sentenced to 14-years imprisonment, an option of fine or both.
However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
After arraignment, the counsel to the accused, Mr Uya Yamah, urged the court to admit his client to bail which was granted by the prosecutor being that the accused had been on administrative bail.
In his ruling, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, granted bail to the accused in the sum of N500,000 and a surety in like sum, while he adjourned the case till January 21, 2014.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have already agreed ... they will keep their assets separate by drawing up a prenup before they tie the knot ... TMZ has learned.
Multiple sources connected with the couple tell us ... both Kanye and Kim are committed to the marriage and they are not signing a prenup because they're worried the relationship might fall apart. But they're both business people and know given their vast wealth it's just the smart thing to do to have a prenup.
Kim especially understands the importance of a prenup because her late father, attorney Robert Kardashian, told her over and over about the necessity of having clear contracts when it came to money.
We're also told ... even though they will keep their assets separate, they will have a fat joint account for living expenses that will probably approach the gross national product of a small country.
As for how much they have ... some reports place Kim's wealth at $40 mil and Kanye's at $90 mil. But we're told Kim's actually worth more than Kanye.
