George Zimmerman's wife Shellie to file for divorce after six years!

The wife of George Zimmerman, a Florida neighborhood watch leader acquitted in July of murdering the unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, is filing for divorce, her lawyer said on Thursday.

Shellie Zimmerman, 26, will present documents to court officials on Friday in Florida's Seminole county, according to attorney Kelly Sims. The couple had been married for six years.

George Zimmerman's brother, Robert, appeared to confirm the news in a tweet on Thursday evening. "According to Shellie's atty Kelly Sims – Shellie is preparing to file 4 divorce. Doc have not yet been filed in Seminole Cty. Pray 4 them," he wrote.

Shellie Zimmerman was sentenced to 12 months of probation last month after she admitted lying to a judge about their finances during her husband's bail hearing in June 2012. She said in an interview after her conviction for perjury that she felt he had "beaten down her self-esteem" and that she was no longer sure if she wanted to remain married.

The announcement came on the same day that it was revealed that George Zimmerman, 29, received a speeding ticket after he was stopped earlier this week by police in Lake Mary, close to the central Florida town of Sanford where he shot and killed Martin, 17, in a confrontation at his gated housing community in February last year.

A jury of six women cleared him of second-degree murder after a three-week trial that ended in July, the verdict sparking demonstrations in many cities across the US. In an interview last week, Shellie Zimmerman said that the couple had received numerous death threats and had "lived like gypsies" in the months between the shooting and her husband's trial, spending many nights in a mobile home hidden in woodland.

She also revealed that she was not at the couple's home on the night of the shooting, having left the house the day before after a fight with her husband. When the interviewer, Good Morning America's Christi O'Connor, asked her if George Zimmerman had a volatile temper, she replied: "I'm not going to answer that."

Further tension between the couple was indicated by George Zimmerman's decision not to attend his wife's 28 August perjury hearing at the same Sanford courthouse in which he was acquitted more than a month previously. She said she felt "let down" by his absence after she attended every day of his murder trial.

In a plea bargain brokered by prosecutors, Shellie Zimmerman admitted to a misdemeanor charge of perjury for telling a judge in June last year that the couple was virtually penniless, despite having control of more than $150,000 (£96,000) in public donations to his defense fund that had been raised online.

The deal, which allowed her to escape a felony perjury conviction and possible five-year jail term, also required her to write a letter of apology to Judge Kenneth Lester, who was overseeing her husband's case at the time.

"I was aware that what I was saying was not true, and chose to take a path that I now regret with all my heart," she wrote.

The ABC interview gave further glimpses of how her opinion of her husband had changed over time. She said she felt he was insensitive when he visited the Florida gun factory of Kel-Tec, the manufacturers of the 9mm pistol he used to shoot Martin in the chest, and was photographed smiling and shaking the hand of an employee.

A spokesman for George Zimmerman's lawyer, Mark O'Mara, said the gun factory visit, six weeks after his acquittal, "was not part of our public relations plan".

Zimmerman's speeding ticket this week was the second time he had been stopped by police since the trial. 

In July, an officer in Forney, Texas, let him off with a warning after pulling him over. Zimmerman told the officer that he had a legally held weapon in the glove compartment.

Psquare become honorary Calgarians in Canada!

Nigerian music artistes Peter and Paul Okoye have just just been honored with the honorary Calgarian title in Canada.

Following their successful concert in Canada, Peter and Paul Okoye were presented with official white hats and sworn in as honorary Calgarians; 

an honor bestowed on foreigners of exceptional merit who also agrees to spread out Calgary’s brand of hospitality.

Landslide kills 9 people in Calabar!

No fewer than nine persons were buried alive while many others sustained injuries in a landslide at Edim Otop community in the Calabar metropolis on Wednesday.

David Akate, Information Director, Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria in Calabar on Thursday.

The landslide occurred after heavy rains which lasted for more than five hours.

Mr. Akate, however, said having warned residents of flood-prone communities of impending flood-related crisis, Cross River Government expected them to vacate such areas.

We have been talking to members of that community for several years now to vacate from there.

“We have been telling them that the place is not only a ravine but a flood-prone area, but they refused to take our advice,” he said.

Mr. Akate said the government had taken responsibility for the treatment of the survivors, whom he said, were responding to treatment.

According to him, the corpses of the deceased have been deposited at the state General Hospital mortuary.

A witness, Eno Akpan, said: “we were just sitting outside discussing about the down pour when suddenly we saw trees rolling down from the top of the hill.

“Within a twinkle of an eye, it collapsed on the building and buried the entire occupants.

“Well, at that time there was nothing we could do because everybody started running away in confusion, and we were hearing cries and shouts of some of children from within from the house.

“But by the time help could come, the family was gone and only three were rescued,” she said.

Housewife jailed 3 months for confessing to adultery!

A teenage housewife identified as Blessing Bisala, is to spend three months behind bars for cheating on her husband.

An Abuja Magistrate Court, yesterday, found Bisala, 19, guilty of having “unlawful” sexual relationship with her 34-year-old lover (names withheld).

Bisala was convicted after she pleaded guilty to the charge of adultery, for which she was arraigned by the police, while the lover pleaded not guilty.

She said: “My Lord, I am guilty of cheating on my husband. I want the court to pardon me.”

Magistrate Fati Tafida ruled: “Based on the admittance of the accused to committing the crime, and the evidence before the court, she is, hereby, sentenced to three months in prison, with an option of N1,000 fine, as a first offender.”

Earlier, Police prosecutor, Insp. Phillip Appolos, had said that the convict’s husband, reported the matter at the Life Camp Police Station on September 1.

He alleged that the convict’s husband caught her in the act in a guest house in Life Camp, Abuja and immediately alerted a police patrol team attached to Life Camp Division.

He said the team, led by Insp. Abdul Ogbe, arrested the two lovers and brought them to the police station.

Appolos said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 387 and 388 of the Penal Code.

Magistrate Tafida admitted the convict’s lover to bail in the sum of N100,000, with a reliable surety, and adjourned the case to September 23, to enable the court continue with the trial of the lover.

Alledged Female Graduate Leads 7-Man Robbery Gang!

A seven-man robbery gang led by a woman, Chioma Ezekwesiri, has been smashed by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, in Lagos, southwest Nigeria.

The robbery suspects were arrested while attempting to rob Bolatito Hotel, Kola Bus Stop, Ijaiye, Lagos.

Robbery gang leader, Chioma Ezekwesiri

In chat Chioma said she arranged for the guns with Raymond Chukwuka, a.k.a. Stubborn, they were to use for the operation, which she claimed was a land matter, whereas the police said that their mission was allegedly to rob a male customer of the hotel, who sells fertilizer, of about N8 million.

Other suspected members of the gang are: Amadi Igwe, 41, Raymond Chukwuka, 24, Ignatius Okeredi, 27, Michael Madu, 52, and Okechukwu Jerome, 28, and a yet-to-be identified member who is at large.

The alleged robbery operation, according to the police, was foiled by some staff of the hotel, who promptly made a distress call to SARS operatives.

The law enforcement agents were said to have surrounded the hotel, and later searched all its occupants. It was in the process that two locally made guns and 12 live ammunition were recovered from the robbery suspects.

“We received a distress call from a staff of Bolatito Hotel, who said they suspected some people around the hotel. The Special Anti-Robbery Squad moved in, surrounded the place and demanded to search everybody. It was in the process that two guns and 12 live ammunition were recovered in Chioma’s car. This led to the arrest of all her gang members,” a top police source said.

Following their arrest and conclusion of investigation, the police took them to court.

Chioma, 35, who claimed to be a Law graduate from the University of Lagos, was remanded in prison custody along with six other members of her gang by Magistrate A.O. Komolafe of the Magistrates’ Court, Ikeja.

They are facing a three count charge of robbery, conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms.

Chioma claimed that she graduated from UNILAG in 1999, was called to the bar in 2000, and owns a Non-Governmental  Organisation, Youth of All Nations Empowerment Association. But authorities of the University of Lagos said she did not graduate from that institution.

An officer of the school, who craved anonymity, said Chioma cannot claim to be an alumnus of the university if she cannot provide her matriculation number.

“The fact that she claimed to have gone to Law School with the first batch is not substantial enough. UNILAG usually sends graduating students at a stretch, not in batches. My position on the issue is that she did not graduate from UNILAG, and so she was not our student,” the officer said.

Chioma’s claim of being called to the Bar was also debunked by Barrister Tunji Busari of Cognate Solicitors, who explained that “we have a directory for all lawyers. We have all their names with the year they were called to bar, with their NBA registration numbers. When I checked through her name in the directory, I could not find her name in my record book.”

When our reporter called Mr. J.E. Joshua, the chairman of Youth of All Nations Empowerment Association, he denied that Chioma is the founder of the association.

“She just participated in a charity work which the association embarked on in April, and promised to participate fully in other projects of the NGO. But we decided to stop working with her when we realised that she wasn’t a straight forward person. She is not working with us,” Joshua stated.

Story culled from PM news

Teenage stowaway’s father speaks, I didn’t abandon him!

Two weeks after his son flew from Benin City to Lagos in the wheel compartment of an aircraft belonging to Arik Air, Daniel Ohikhenas father denies claims that he abandoned his family.

Osaigbovo Ohikhena

Little is known about Daniel Ohikhena, the 13-year-old stowaway who flew from Benin City to Lagos in the wheel compartment of a plane belonging to Arik Air, by his schoolmates at Ogbe Junior Secondary School in the Edo State capital.

Shortly before his celebrated escapade, Daniels mother, Mrs. Evelyn Ohikhena, had withdrawn him from a private secondary school for want of money to pay his tuition fees. She had enrolled him in OJSS, which was about 500 metres from her residence.

Investigation by our correspondent shows that the teenager had spent only a term in his new school before embarking on the dangerous adventure. A source said, on condition of anonymity, that Daniel joined the school, popularly known as Ezoti Junior just before the end of the third term.

A youth named Festus, who also resides in the same neighbourhood as the stowaway boy, said the latter was not popular in the area.

We hardly know him. It was recently that we heard he lives in the neighborhood  I have not seen much of him. He was very quiet at school. I have not known him for long, he said.

However, events took a dramatic turn on Tuesday when the boys father, Osaigbovo Ohikhena, 44, materialized as if from nowhere. Earlier, his wife (Daniels mother) had claimed that they did not live together.

Mr. Ohikhena, who is a driver by profession, said he had been separated from his family for a year because of a misunderstanding between him and Daniels mum. But he denied the latter's claim that he abandoned his family.

"I always pay my children school fees and provide money for their feeding regularly, contrary to claims that I abandoned my family. After I lost my job, I decided to move to a cheaper apartment and told my wife that they should move in with me. But she refused and continued to stay in the three-bedroom flat. My new residence is located on Siluko Road. I decided to come here (Government House) to tell the world that I am the father of Daniel".






Story culled from Punch

Pandemonium in Ikorodu as strange images appear in mosque!

Barely a year after a child was reportedly born with a copy of the Holy Quran in Lagos and another born with an Islamic rosary, (Tesbah) in Sagamu, Ogun State. 



Last Tuesday, another amazing event occurred at Owode Onirin, Ikorodu, Lagos; as images of some clerics who died decades ago were believed to have made sudden appearances on the walls of Dawiz Central Mosque in the area.

Thousands of people and passers-by storm the mosque to have a glimpse.

The images were identified as that of late Sheikh Ahmada Tijani, (Algeria) Sheikh Ibraheem Niass, (Senegal) Sheikh Jamiu Bulala. (Nigeria)

Although the images were not clear as at the time newsmen visited, but those who spoke, said the images were clearer on Tuesday when they were first noticed.

According to Eye-witness: “The images were noticed on Tuesday September 3, on the walls of the mosque which was constructed a few months ago and owned by Sheikh Musa Alegbeleye.”

It was gathered that four months ago, the image of Sheikh Jamiu Bulala Islamic Cleric, who had died two decades ago appeared first faintly to the consternation of Muslim faithful and they decided never to make it public to create any doubt.

The strange occurrence has turned the serene Owode Onirin area into a Mecca of sort as people thronged the area not only to see but to also offer some prayers. 

Right inside the mosque, people were seen holding bottles/satchets of water muttering prayers and shouting Allahu Akbar (God is great). Some were even seen bowing to the image.

Efforts to speak with the founder of the group and leader of the mosque, Sheikh Alegbeleye, was futile, as we were told he was sleeping after observing several vigil prayers.

Speaking on the development and an eye-witness, the President of Islamic society of Nigeria, Lagos State Mukadam Alhaji Samodu Onikoyi confirmed the appearance of the images. “We started noticing a very faint image which came with intermittent brightness on the inside wall of the mosque which were replica of the portrait of Sheikh Ibrahim Niass, Sheikh Jamiu Bulala and Sheikh Ahmaa Tijani engraved on the walls of the building.”

How it Happened: “A member of the mosque Alhaja Idayatu Idera Afolabi first noticed it and she rushed out to inform everybody and when we saw it, we decided to cover it, because we thought if we announce it, people will think it is ruse that one is trying to play on their intelligence. But when I also saw it, I was greatly terrified, wondering how such thing could have happened”.

“My thought was that the image would eventually disappeared but on the second day, it brightened more and started showing on all sides of the building which made us to still cover it until it became public“.

An eye-witness also disclosed that attempt was made by some individuals to wash off the images but to no avail; adding that the more they try to rub it off, the more the images become clearer.

Also, one Mrs Idayatu Afolabi said: “When we saw that the image, it was a strange thing, I told my husband to inform those that know better than us, it was then we called on the Imam who told us not to announce it until now that the images decided to brighten up on the wall of the mosque building “.

The shout of “Allahu Akbar” (God is Great) rent the air as hundreds of people continue to find their ways to the the Mosque in Owode Onirin to have a glimpse.

Story culled from Vanguard