Deputy Speaker leaves police station after being quizzed over gay rape!

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons was arrested yesterday over allegations of rape and sexual assault relating to two men.

Nigel Evans was taken to a police station in Lancashire, where he is Conservative MP for Ribble Valley, and questioned over offences dating from 2009 to March this year.

Forensic teams were searching his two homes in London and Pendleton, Lancashire, as part of their inquiries. 

Yesterday afternoon, they could be seen examining his white Saab convertible, which was parked near his constituency home.

By last night, no charges had been made against Mr Evans, who came out as gay in a 2010 article for The Mail on Sunday.

This is the latest, and potentially most explosive, in a series of high-profile arrests over allegations of a sexual nature, some of which go back more than 40 years.

There have been wild rumours about the involvement of politicians – but until now, none has been arrested. 

The arrest of the Deputy Speaker, one of the most prestigious public positions in Britain, brings the matter right to the heart of the Establishment.

Allegations against Mr Evans, 55, concern incidents that are said to have taken place from 2009 right up to a few weeks ago, spanning the entire period during which he has officiated over Commons debates in the famous Speaker’s chair. 

They are understood to relate to two men in their 20s.

Both Speaker John Bercow and David Cameron have been told of the arrest. Mr Bercow said: ‘It’s been a total shock.

'Nigel is a popular and well-liked character. No one can quite believe what’s happened.’

A spokeswoman for Lancashire police told this newspaper yesterday: ‘A 55-year-old man from Pendleton in Lancashire has today been arrested by Lancashire Constabulary on suspicion of rape and sexual assault. 

'The man will be interviewed at a police station in Lancashire during the course of the day. The offences are alleged to have been committed in Pendleton between July 2009 and March 2013.

Nigel Evans was last night driven from Preston police station after questioning by detectives

Officers search the MP's white Saab convertible parked in his home village of Pendleton in Lancashire

Police enter Mr Evans' house looking for evidence

 Evans is pictured posing with two dancers

FBI ‘most wanted terrorist’ list: rapper Tupac’s aunt!

The FBI has added the step-aunt and godmother of rapper Tupac Shakur to its list of most wanted terrorists.

Joanne Deborah Chesimard is the first woman to be added to the list, and the US authorities are offering up to $2 million for information leading to her apprehension. She is also only the second domestic terrorist to be added to the list.

Chesimard was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper 40 years ago, but escaped from prison in 1979 with the help of accomplices.

The 65-year-old was a member of the Black Liberation Army, a revolutionary group that is described by US authorities as a “radical left-wing terror group” that murdered police officers throughout the 1970s.

It is believed that she is living in Cuba, having sought political asylum there, and is going by the name Assata Shakur.

The FBI has offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to her arrest, with the state of New Jersey offering a separate reward of up to $1 million – bringing the total up to $2 million.

Chesimard's brother was the stepfather of late American rapper Tupac Shakur and was his godmother, reported the Daily Mail.

The rapper’s career was cut short when he died at the age of 25 in a Las Vegas shooting in 1996.

“Joanne Chesimard is a domestic terrorist who murdered a law enforcement officer execution-style,” said Aaron Ford, a special agent in charge of the FBI’s Newark division.

“We want the public to know that we will not rest until this fugitive is brought to justice.”

The agency has claimed that she continues to promote her terrorist ideology while living in Cuba, although there was no new threat from her, according to a report by the Reuters news agency.

But some have argued that she was a victim of racism and mistreatment.

On 2 May 1973, Chesimard and a pair of accomplices were stopped by two troopers for a motor vehicle violation on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Chesimard was wanted for her involvement in several felonies, including bank robbery, at the time.

The authorities say she and her accomplices opened fire on the troopers – one officer was wounded and Trooper Werner Foerster was shot and killed at point-blank range.

One of Chesimard’s accomplices was killed in the shoot-out and the other was arrested and remains in jail.

Chesimard fled but was apprehended. In 1977, she was found guilty of first-degree murder, armed robbery and other crimes and was sentenced to life in prison.

Less than two years later, she escaped from prison and went underground before surfacing in Cuba in 1984.

Israeli planes bomb suspected chemical weapons site in Syria!

Israel launched an airstrike into Syria, apparently targeting a suspected weapons site, U.S. officials said Friday night.

The strike occurred overnight Thursday into Friday, the officials told The Associated Press. It did not appear that a chemical weapons site was targeted, they said, and one official said the strike appeared to have hit a warehouse.

The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Israel has targeted weapons in the past that it believes are being delivered to the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah. Earlier this week, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said his group would assist Syrian President Bashar Assad if needed in the effort to put down a 2-year-old uprising.

Israeli Embassy spokesman Aaron Sagui would not comment Friday night specifically on the report of an Israeli strike into Syria.

"What we can say is that Israel is determined to prevent the transfer of chemical weapons or other game-changing weaponry by the Syrian regime to terrorists, specially to Hezbollah in Lebanon," Sagui said in an email to the AP.

In 2007, Israeli jets bombed a suspected nuclear reactor site along the Euphrates River in northeastern Syria, an attack that embarrassed and jolted the Assad regime and led to a buildup of the Syrian air defense system. Russia provided the hardware for the defense systems upgrade and continues to be a reliable supplier of military equipment to the Assad regime.

The airstrike, first reported by CNN, came hours before President Barack Obama told reporters at a news conference in Costa Rica on Friday that he didn't foresee a scenario in which the U.S. would send troops to Syria. More than 70,000 peoples have died and hundreds of thousands have fled the country as the Assad regime has battled rebels.

The Israeli strike also follows days of renewed concerns that Syria might be using chemical weapons against opposition forces. Obama has characterized evidence of the use of chemical weapons as a "game-changer" that would have "enormous consequences."

While the U.S. has been providing nonlethal aide to opposition forces in Syria, even stepping up that form of support in recent days, the Obama administration has resisted calls from some American lawmakers to arm the rebels or to work to establish a no-fly zone to aid the insurgency.

On Thursday, however, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the administration is rethinking its opposition to providing arms to the rebels. He said it was one of several options as the U.S. consults with allies about steps to be taken to drive Assad from power. Officials in the administration who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss strategy said earlier this week that arming the opposition forces was seen as more likely than any other military option.

Obama followed Hagel's comments by saying options will continue to be evaluated, though he did not cite providing arms specifically. Concerns that U.S. weapons could end up in the hands of al-Qaida-linked groups helping the Syrian opposition or other extremists, including Hezbollah, have stood in the way of that change in strategy.

"We want to make sure that we look before we leap and that what we're doing is actually helpful to the situation as opposed to making it more deadly or more complex," Obama said Thursday at a news conference in Mexico.

JAMB candidate caught with pistol, ammunition on way to exam hall!

NIGERIA:

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on Friday confirmed the arrest of a 26-year-old man in possession of a French-made pistol during the just-concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination conducted by the Joint Matriculation Matriculation Board, JAMB.

The suspect, said to be from Awka, was arrested during a routine stop-and-search at Akenfa, a suburb of Yenagoa.

Frank Hannachu, the Commander of the NDLEA in Bayelsa, told newsmen that the suspect was arrested in a commercial bus conveying JAMB candidates for the examination to Bayelsa.

“The bus stopped for routine checks; the suspect was found with one French-made pistol with eight rounds of live ammunition.

“When he was interrogated, the suspect said he was coming from Awka to write the (JAMB) examination and that he was a member of a cult gang.

“He has been handed over to the police where he is being detained at the state police command headquarters for further investigations,” Hannachu said.

The NDLEA boss also said that between January and April, the agency had seized a total of 48.966 kilogrammes of different drugs and arrested 95 suspects, made up of 75 males and 20 females.

He decried the increase in women participation in the illicit drug trade and appealed to the public to always volunteer information that could lead to the arrest of drug dealers and consumers.

He hailed the agency’s synergy with the state government and commended Gov. Seriake Dickson for donating three vehicles to facilitate the agency’s operations in the state.

How Omotola made TIME’s ‘100 Most Influential People’ list!

WEEKS after she was named by respected American journal, TIME Magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people, facts have began to emerge as to why Omotola was listed.

Omotola made the list because of her exemplary works as an activist, according to recent findings. Just few years ago, she staged a protest against Shell Petroleum’s environmental degradation in the Niger-Delta region where she comes from.

Also, Omotola has taken her trade internationally by having a duet with American international R&B artiste, Valentino, thereby making her the first contemporary actress to do so.

Just last week, she travelled to the US for the dinner organized by TIME Magazine for the ‘100 Most Influential People in The World’. The event had the high and mighty of the world in attendance. There is no doubt that this feat will further boost Omotola’s growing brand which may somewhat set her on a popularity clash with her rival Genevieve Nnaji.

EFCC probes Amaechi over missing $10m!

The crisis over an aircraft owned by the Rivers State Government deepened on Thursday, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission commenced a discreet probe to determine Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s link to the alleged inflation of the cost of the plane by $10m. The aircraft has been the subject of a row between the Rivers State Government and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

It was learnt that the anti-graft agency is looking into the ‘high possibility’ of alleged money laundering in relation to the purchase of the aircraft.

A source said on Thursday that while the state government claimed to have purchased the Bombardier aircraft with $57m, records available to the EFCC showed that it may have been bought for $47m, thereby creating room for suspicion on how $10m was spent.

It was learnt that the state House of Assembly approved the purchase of the controversial aircraft within 24 hours.

It was further gathered that operatives of the EFCC might also be looking into how two aircraft purchased by the Rivers State Government under former Governor Peter Odili were managed.

One of the aircraft was sold to the Cross River State Government while the other aircraft manufactured by a Brazilian firm, an air ambulance, was said to have been phased out.

Investigations further revealed that the company wrote the Rivers State Government to say it was longer manufacturing the spare parts of the aircraft and so it was returned.

A source said the anti-graft agency was probing the management of the aircraft because rather than just phasing it out, it should have been traded in for another aircraft.

It was learnt that a focus of the investigation was to find out if there was any link whatsoever between the new aircraft and the aircraft in the area of cost.

Contacted, EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said he had not been briefed on the matter.

“I’m not aware of this,” he said on the telephone.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has said that the aircraft it grounded does not belong to the state government.

The General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, Mr. Fan Ndubuoke, told our correspondent on Thursday that the aircraft belonged to a private firm, contrary to claims by the Rivers State Government that it owned the controversial plane.

He said, “The document we have does not show Rivers State Government as the owner of the aircraft. The registration is saying that the plane is owned by a company and not Rivers. So it is you people that will ask Amaechi how he came in contact with the aircraft. What is his relationship with the owner of the aircraft? That is his own business and I cannot answer that question for him.

“From the records we have, we have told you the owner of the aircraft. So whether it is from his friend or whoever, is it for me to know? It is not for me to know. Because from our records there is nowhere Rivers State Government is stated as the owner of the aircraft.”

He admitted that the aircraft was registered in the name of Bank of Utah in the United States, stressing that the governor should tell the public what he knows about the controversial plane.

Ndubuoke explained that the plane, before it was grounded, only had approval to move from Accra to Port Harcourt. He wondered why the crew decided to fly to other destinations outside the aircraft’s approved routes.

He said, “The clearance for the aircraft was sought by Caverton Helicopters on March 27. Amaechi did not seek clearance and the Rivers state government did not seek clearance.

The route they were given the clearance to fly was Accra-Port Harcourt-Accra.

“That does not mean it is the only place that they can fly. But that was the route with which they applied for the clearance. So if they now want to fly to Owerri or Akure, they need to reapply for another clearance. That is just the true matter, nothing more, nothing less. Their movement to Akure was illegal because it was not captured in the clearance.”

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency had last Friday refused to grant approval to the governor’s aircraft to leave Akure airport.

According to NAMA, the development was due to the failure of the pilot of the plane to submit the required manifest of passengers on board. The airspace agency also said it was untrue that the aircraft was grounded by the airspace manager at the Akure airport.

The Managing Director, NAMA, Mr. Nnamdi Udoh, argued that contrary to the politicisation of the incident, the agency carried out its functions in line with the global aviation standard.

He was reported as saying, “By regulation, the manager has no power to clear any aircraft at that time of the day because Akure Airport operates day light operations. Approval must be given through the manager to the tower.”

On Saturday, NCAA had declared that the controversial aircraft operated illegally in the country.

As a result, the civil aviation authority grounded the Bombardier-BD 700 Global Express aircraft with registration number N565RS. It said the plane had an expired clearance approval effective April 2, 2013.

The Director, Airworthiness Standards, NCAA, Mr. Benedict Adeyileka, explained that while the aircraft was still operating illegally, it had been sighted in several places, including Owerri and Akure.

The NCAA also stated that the grounding of the aircraft had nothing to do with the President. Ndubuoke said, “The media always say that government grounded the aircraft because of issues with Amaechi. Reports have it that it was because the President and Amaechi are having problems, and that that was what may have led to the grounding of the aircraft.

“But I don’t know how the President will come from Aso Rock and say ground this airplane. In fact, I don’t how that will happen and I wonder why he will do that in the first place. So what we are trying to say that it is not true.”

Contacted, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. David Iyofor, said he would not react to speculations about the state government’s aircraft.

“I have no comment on the issue because I cannot react to speculations,” he stated.

However, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, in a statement on Friday faulted claims by the Ministry of Aviation that the aircraft was flown into Nigeria with forged documents.

The statement reads in part, “No aircraft can fly into Nigerian airspace illegally and land at various airports within the country unchallenged. The Rivers State Government-owned aircraft has been in operation since October 2012;

“The allegation that a state government would use the name of Caverton Helicopters to obtain various clearances is preposterous and embarrassing;

“The claim that the aircraft insured is owned by Acass Canada Limited of 6700 Cote de Liesse, Suite 206,Montreal, QC H4T 2B5, Canada is a deliberate distortion of facts. An insurance issued to Acass was used for entry into service while flying between Canada and the USA for pre-delivery tests. Rivers State Government took delivery on 5th October, 2012 and duly insured the aircraft and the certificate of insurance duly states this. Please note below:

“The Rivers State Government has been flying this aircraft since October 2012 with this same certificate and with the knowledge of the Ministry of Aviation. The ownership of the aircraft is not in question as we have clearly explained the relationship between the Rivers State Government and the Bank of Utah. “This is a verifiable relationship and is common place in the aviation sector as practitioners and stakeholders know. The Deed of Trust is proof that the aircraft is held in trust by the Bank of Utah on behalf of the Rivers State Government.

“We believe that all administrative procedures should and must be complied with. However, the state government is worried at what is beginning to seem like a witch-hunt of it and related parties that have conducted business with it. We will continue to engage with aviation officials and follow through with all administrative requirements and processes as is most appropriate.”

Also, the Majority Leader in the Rivers State House Assembly, Mr. Chidi Lloyd, explained on Thursday that the current administration traded off two aircraft it met on the ground because they were not durable.

Lloyd added that the state house of assembly approved the purchase of the aircraft based on the durability of the new one.

“When this state government came on board, it met two aircraft on ground. It also discovered that the two planes were not durable. Even the manufacturing company said that particular type had been phased out.

“The current administration decided to trade off the two planes and bought a more durable aircraft currently being used. The aircraft had been on the ground for almost a year, why is it being talked about now?” Lloyd wondered.

Lagos State Polytechnic graduate raped to death three days after graduation!

A 21- year -old lady, identified simply as Nofisat, was raped and slaughtered to death by unknown assailants in her home at the Magbon area of Ogijo in Ogun State.

The incident happened on Wednesday at about 2p.m.

The victim had just earned her Higher National Diploma from the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu on Saturday, April 27 and was still in a celebratory mood when the suspected culprits stormed her residence and raped her to death.

Nofisat was said to be the only person at home as her mother a school teacher and her siblings had gone to school.

Neighbours said the victim’s mother came back from school and saw her naked in a pool of her own blood as the rapists were also said to have slit her throat.

It was gathered that the police have arrested two men said to reside in the same premises in connection with the brutal murder.

A postmortem examination that will help the police in the investigation has been stalled as the victim’s remains have since been buried according to Islamic rites at the Alaba Muslim Cemetery at Ogijo at about 3 p.m. on Thursday.