Mysterious respiratory illness kills 2, leaves 5 others hospitalized in southeast Alabama!

A mysterious respiratory illness has left five people hospitalized and two dead in southeast Alabama, state health officials said Tuesday.

Seven people have been admitted to hospitals with a fever, cough and shortness of breath in recent weeks, Alabama Department of Public Health spokeswoman Mary McIntyre said in a statement.

Two of the seven have died. The Alabama Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control Respiratory Laboratory are analyzing lab tests from all seven patients. McIntyre says officials hope to have preliminary results on the samples back by Wednesday or Thursday morning.

The illness was first reported late last week and the last of the seven patients was hospitalized Monday, McIntyre said.

It wasn’t immediately clear which municipalities the illnesses were concentrated in.

“We’re only aware of the Southeast, but we don’t know — we haven’t received reports from anywhere else,” McIntyre said. “That’s why we’re trying to get the information out.”

McIntyre said it’s unclear what’s causing the illness but some of the seven patients also had the flu. Authorities are urging hospital staff to wear masks when caring for patients who appear to be suffering from respiratory illnesses.

The Centers for Disease Control referred all questions to Alabama health officials.

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Crews shift from rescue to recovery a day after Oklahoma tornado, official says!

 

A search-and-rescue effort to find survivors of a monster tornado that pulverized a vast swath of the suburbs of Oklahoma City shifted Tuesday to one of recovery, officials said. 

No new survivors or bodies have been found since the early hours after the tornado carved a trail 17 miles long on Monday afternoon.

"We feel like we have basically gone from rescue and searching to recovery," Glenn Lewis, the mayor of hard-hit Moore, told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

Lewis said he didn't expect the death toll to climb any higher. At least 24 people, including nine children, were killed, according to the state medical examiner's office.

"I think that will stand," Lewis said.

Earlier reports of at least 51 deaths were erroneous, said Amy Elliot, chief administrative officer for the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In the chaotic aftermath of the tornado, Elliot said it appeared some of the dead were counted twice. Damage assessments conducted Tuesday showed the tornado packed winds, at times, between 200 and 210 miles per hour, making it an EF5 -- the strongest category of tornadoes measured, the National Weather Service said Tuesday. Teams are still evaluating the destruction, and the rating released Tuesday is preliminary. So far, they've found that the tornado's width spanned 1.3 miles -- the length of more than 22 football fields lined up end-to-end. Given its breadth and power, it ranks among some of the strongest storms ever to strike the United States, CNN senior meteorologist Dave Hennen said. Hardest hit was Moore, Oklahoma -- a suburban town of about 56,000 and the site of eerily similar twisters in 1999 and again four years later.

The scene -- block after block of flattened homes and businesses, the gutted remains of a hospital and hits on two elementary schools -- left even seasoned veterans of Oklahoma's infamous tornadoes reeling. The devastation was so complete, the mayor said city officials were racing to print new street signs to help guide rescuers and residents through a suddenly twisted and unfamiliar landscape. A search-and-rescue team was sent from nearby Tinker Air Force Base, which also provided search lights, vehicles and water trucks, while neighboring Texas sent an elite 80-member urban search team. The American Red Cross sent 25 emergency response vehicles. Rescue crews were expected to complete a search for victims by late Tuesday, Moore Fire Chief Gary Bird told CNN. "We will be through every damaged piece of property in this city at least three times," Bird told reporters. "And we hope to be done by dark tonight." More than 230 people were injured, according to authorities.

‘I killed, sold four siblings’ heads for N32,000′!

A suspected human parts dealer, Agboola Kolawole, made a startling confession to the Lagos State Police Command yesterday. He told security operatives how he killed four of his siblings, sold their heads at N8,000 each, and invested the proceeds in his illicit trade.

The suspects

He was among three other suspects who allegedly specialised in the sourcing, distribution and sale of human parts, who were arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), of the Command.

The suspects – Ajibade Rafiu (30), Fatai Akiwowo (30), Kazeem Sanni (25) and Kolawole (40) – were paraded by the Command’s spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), yesterday, at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja.

One of the suspects, Jamiu Adeleke (40) allegedly died while trying to escape after his arrest. He allegedly attempted to jump off a moving vehicle while taking operatives to the home of Funsho Alabi and other buyers of his “goods” at Owode-Egbado, Ogun State. Adeleke allegedly sustained injuries and was rushed to a General Hospital where he died.

Kolawole said: “I killed two of my brothers and two sisters and sold their heads for N8, 000 each. I also roasted some of their parts which I ate before I buried them in a grave in our compound. I used them to improve on my business.”

Braide said the late Adeleke was arrested by operatives in Owode town, Ogun State, with a human head while trying to sell it to somebody for N120,000.

She said: “When he was arrested, he confessed that Sanni sold the human head to him for N6, 000. Sanni confessed that he had earlier supplied two human heads to another dealer, Akiwowo.

“Akiwowo also confessed that apart from the two he bought from Sanni, he had bought four human heads from Kolawole. When police operatives arrested him, he confessed that he killed two of his brothers and two of his sisters and cut off their heads which he sold. We also arrested the final buyer/receiver of the human heads, Rafiu, a herbalist. Detectives also recovered a drink of ground human head mixed with gin in a bottle from the herbalist’s home.

“The suppliers confessed that they got human parts from various graveyards in Ogun State. They claimed they sold human heads for N8, 000; hands for N6, 000 and private parts for N10, 000. The middlemen in the illicit business would double the prize and sell to the herbalist, the end user. Sanni confessed that two Alhajis in Owode had bought one head from him and also requested a living human being at the rate of N40, 000. He was arrested while in search of the living being.”

Rafiu said he bought the person he used for concoction for N17, 000 and roast his meat for his customers to drink beer and palm-wine with. He added that he sold each tumbler of the concoction for N20, 000, adding that whoever drank it would have all his wishes fulfilled within a week.

Akinwowo said: “I am a native doctor. It was Alfa Jamiu, who is now late, who sent me to buy human parts for him. I normally bought skulls from people dug graves and steal human parts, especially, bones, at cemeteries. The bones would be ground to powder by the late Jamiu who mixed the powder with hot drinks. We are based at Owode. Jamiu paid me N1000 for each skull I bought for him.”

Nigerian military to release women and children of boko haram militants from detention!

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the release of all women held in connection with "terrorist activity", the Defence Ministry says.

The decision was aimed at enhancing peace efforts in Nigeria, it added.

The army is conducting an offensive in three states, where an emergency was declared last week to fight the militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

The group had set the release of women and children as a condition for talks with the government.

More than 2,000 people have died in the conflict in Nigeria since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009 to create an Islamic state.

Earlier this month, it said it had abducted women and teenage girls in response to the security forces arresting the relatives of its fighters.

It said it would treat them as "slaves".

Human rights concerns:

The defence ministry said a number of suspects detained for "terrorist activities" would be handed to state governments for "further rehabilitation" before being released.

"The measure, which is in line with presidential magnanimity to enhance peace efforts in the country, will result in freedom for suspects, including all women under custody," it added, in a statement.

BBC Hausa Editor Mansur Liman says the decision signals that Mr Jonathan has not shut the door to talks with Boko Haram, despite ordering a military offensive against the group.

Boko Haram will have to decide whether it wants to reciprocate by freeing the hostages it is holding and entering into talks to end the insurgency, he adds.

Mr Jonathan declared a state of emergency in three north-eastern states - Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, where Boko Haram has been most active.

Some 2,000 soldiers were deployed to the region last week, in the biggest campaign to date against Boko Haram.

The military says it has also carried out air strikes, destroying the group's bases.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged the Nigerian army to show restraint and not violate human rights as it pursues the militants.

Mr Kerry said there were "credible allegations" of "gross human rights violations" by the Nigerian military.

Last November, Amnesty International accused Nigeria's security forces of carrying out widespread abuses in their campaign against Boko Haram, including extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture.

9 Fulani Herdsmen Arrested Over Benue Killings!

Nigeria:

Nine of the suspected Fulani mercenaries unleashing terror on Benue farmers have been arrested and arraigned before a Makurdi Chief Magistrate Court.

The suspects, who were apprehended at Gbajimba in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State by officers of the Special Forces Squad of the 72 Battalion, Makurdi, were arraigned yesterday and charged with culpable homicide and causing mischief by fire.

Police Prosecutor, Sgt. Patrick Sunday, told the court that the accused persons were arrested in Gbajimba on May 6 by the military personnel, who handed them over to the police.

According to him, the army officers told the police that they received reports that some Fulani mercenaries had attacked some villagers in Guma council, killing and burning the houses of their victims.

He explained that the army officers rushed to the area following the report, and were able to arrest the accused. They also recovered three locally-made pistols and four live ammunition in their possession.

According to Sunday, the army officers discovered four yet-to-be identified corpses of victims of the herdsmen at the scene of the attack.

The accused persons who told the court that they came to Benue State from neighbouring Bassa in Nasarawa State could not register a plea, for want of jurisdiction.

Police prosecutor asked for an adjournment of the case pending the completion of Police investigations into the matter, and the presiding Chief Magistrate, Mrs Cecilia Tsumba obliged and adjourned the case till June 11 for further hearing.

She also ordered that the accused be remanded at the Makurdi prison.

State pardon, Alamieyeseigha says Jonathan had no choice!

Former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-convict, DSP Alamieyeseigha has said that President Goodluck Jonathan had no choice in the state pardon he recently granted to him, as it was a deal that had been negotiated since the tenure of late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

“Well, it (state pardon) started during the late President Yar’Adua’s
reign,” he said in Lagos yesterday. “It was a pardon that was negotiated. People who don’t know what happened are the ones talking.”

The ex-convict held back on what the deal was, but boasted that President Jonathan was his deputy as Bayelsa State Governor, and was part of the entire deal that he would disclose in a memoir he is writing.

“Like I said, the pardon was negotiated and if I fulfilled my own part
of the bargain, why shouldn’t the Federal Government fulfill its part?” he asked.

“President Goodluck Jonathan was part of the negotiating team. There
is no person in this country that knows issues surrounding
Alamieyeseigha better than Mr President. He was my deputy governor and
all that transpired were known to him. I am already writing my memoir. At the appropriate time, you will know that my pardon was in order.”

Reviewing the comment today, a political observer in Abuja described Alamieyeseigha “a balloon of hot air.”

He told SaharaReporters, “There is nothing that an individual convict could have negotiated with the federal government by which to obtain pardon. Alams did not negotiate anything and could not have negotiated anything. This is like IBB telling Nigerians he will soon disclose the reason for annulling the 1992 elections. IBB has been making that promise for 20 years now, but he cannot fulfill it because words cannot frame the depth of his betrayal of Nigeria. Alams took advantage of a weakling in presidential office that used to be his Deputy Governor, that is all. I feel sorry for Nigeria and Nigerians.” 



Saharareporters gathered that Alamieyeseigha has begun moves to throw
his full questionable weight behind President Jonathan’s 2015 presidential ambitions, as that is the only way the ongoing hoax can survive.

Four Heads of State, Archbishop of Canterbury, expected for Achebe's burial.

Anambra State Government on Tuesday said four Heads of State and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Most Rev. Justin Welby, would be attending the burial of the literary icon, Prof. Chinua Achebe, at Ogidi.

The burial of Achebe, 82, who died in the United States on March 21, holds on Thursday.

Secretary to the Government of Anambra State, Mr. Oseloka Obaze, confirmed the coming of the foreign dignitaries on Tuesday while briefing reporters on Achebe’s burial arrangements.

Obaze said President John Mahama of Ghana would be joining President Goodluck Jonathan and two other heads of state, whose attendance has been secured but awaiting final confirmation at the burial.

Although the state government had not declared a public holiday for the burial, Obaze said it was mandatory for civil servants to attend the ceremonies slated for the Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka on Wednesday.

Obaze said, “The whole effort is to give Prof. Achebe a burial that he deserves as a literary icon and a great Igbo hero. He was an international citizen.”

Achebe’s body, which arrived in Enugu on Tuesday, will be received in Awka on Wednesday (today).

Meanwhile, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim, on Tuesday  joined other stakeholders to receive Achebe’s corpse at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja.

Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi; Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo; and the National Chairman, All Nigeria Peoples Party, Dr. Ogobonaya Onu, were among eminent personalities at the airport to receive the corpse.

The British Airways aircraft, that conveyed his corpse, touched down at the airport about 4am.

The corpse, which was prayed for by an Anglican Bishop, was driven from the international wing of the airport to the local wing in a Mercedes Benz ambulance with  number plate CHINUA ACHEBE.

Different Igbo cultural groups were at the local wing of the airport to welcome the renowned author of Things Fall Apart.

Anyim, who said Achebe left an outstanding legacy, urged his family to bear the loss with fortitude.

Obi, who represented other governors, said Achebe was a man of truth.

He said, “I am representing the governors here. Achebe led a life of truth and humility. He tried to preach truth that will make us a better nation.”

Ike, the eldest son of Achebe, said his father worked tirelessly for the good of humanity.

He said, “My father, as you know, was a writer, social critic, family man and one who worked tirelessly for the uplifting of his people. The definition of his people is actually very broad. It is for those who do not have a voice; it is for those who are oppressed and for those who are not really favoured. He stood against corruption and government oppression.

“However, as a family, we will miss his presence and I will miss his guidance and advice. But it is not really a time for mourning. We are celebrating a remarkable man, who lived a remarkable life. And we are very grateful that the world is better because Chinua Achebe was here.”

Achebe’s corpse, which arrived in Enugu about 12.36pm aboard a private aircraft, Overland Nigeria, marked 5N-BPE, was accompanied by his wife, Christy and children.

The author’s elder brother, Augustine, family members, Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Mr. Amechi Okolo, and commissioners were among personalities that were at the airport to receive his body.

Okolo, who represented Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, said the deceased would be missed by all.

“We are mourning Achebe today because he was part of the state,’’ he said.

President of Ogidi Union Nigeria, Chief Obi Okaro, said Achebe exhibited true leadership qualities in the union, adding that the community would  immortalise him.

A university teacher, Prof. Ike Ndolo, canvassed that a national monument be named after the literary icon.

Ndolo, who decried the poor reading culture in the country, called for a collaborative effort to fight the menace.