Man And Daughter Dead After Vehicle Plunged Into Lagos!

Tragedy struck  on Tuesday morning along the Lekki expressway, when a  man and his daughter drowned after the Toyota suv they were travelling in fell off the Ikota Bridge, and plunged into the lagoon, along Lekki Epe express way, Lagos.

The incident which was confirmed to newsmen by the General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, occurred at about 1.00 a.m, the deceased wife was thrown out of the vehicle as it somersaulted before plunging into the lagoon. 

The LASEMA official said the dead bodies had been deposited at a mortuary while the woman was taken to a hospital. 

“We have recovered the dead bodies and have transferred them to the appropriate quarters for the necessary actions. 

“The woman, rescued at the scene by emergency officials, has been taken to a hospital for treatment. 

“Search for the vehicle, an ash Toyota jeep, is still ongoing. We are doing everything to get it out of the lagoon,’’ he said. 

The general manager, who had yet to ascertain the cause of the accident, urged the state’s residents to be safety-conscious.

EFCC re-arraigns Ajudua for defrauding foreigners $1.69m!

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday re-arraigned an alleged fraud kingpin, Mr. Fred Ajudua, and his co-accused, Charles Orie, for defrauding two foreign businessmen of $1.69m (270m) between July 1999 and September 2000.

The re-arraignment came more than 10 years after the charges were instituted against the accused on July 24, 2003.

The matter is therefore starting afresh after about six witnesses, two of whom were foreigners, had earlier testified before it was re-assigned to a new judge, Justice Kudirat Jose. More than 50 court sessions were said to have been conducted in the case since 2003.

Justice Jose, before whom the two accused pleaded not guilty to the four counts of fraud, took over the case from Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, who recently withdrew from the case.

Justice Oyewole reportedly withdrew from the case after a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd.), petitioned the EFCC, alleging that Ajudua used the names of the judge and others to defraud him of about $8.395m.

At the re-arraignment, EFCC alleged that the accused defrauded two foreign businessmen – Mr. Remy Cina (a German) and Pierre Vijgen – of about $1.69m between July 1999 and September 2000.

They were said to have defrauded the foreigners by collecting the money in tranches under the pretext that it was meant for “sundry payments to government officials” to secure an $18million worth of contract with number, FMA/PED/3040/S92.

After the re-arraignment Justice Jose ordered both Ajudua and Orie to be remanded in prison pending the hearing of their bail applications on February 19.

A Lagos High Court judge, Justice Ganiyu Safari, had on September 24, 2013, granted bail to Ajudua on health grounds during the last vacation of the judiciary in the state.

But the accused was unable to meet the bail conditions up till when the matter was recently re-assigned to Justice Jose.

The judge turned down the request by Ajudua’s lawyer, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, to allow his client to meet the bail conditions instead of being made to file a fresh bail application.

The prosecuting counsel, Mr. Olumuyiwa Balogun, had opposed Ojo’s request, reminding the court that since the matter was starting afresh, all previous orders and steps made in the case were no longer valid.

Balogun had also informed the court that prosecution would not oppose Orie’s request to be allowed to continue to enjoy the bail earlier granted the accused in January 2004.

But the judge ordered that both of them should file fresh bail applications. He directed the prosecution to respond to the applications before the next hearing date on February 19.

She also fixed April 28 and 29 for the re-commencement of trial.

Meanwhile, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja had fixed February 12 for the arraignment of Ajudua for the offence of fraudulently obtaining $8.395m from former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd).

59-year-old woman charged in connection with the death and dismemberment her 32-year-old son!

A 59- year-old Michigan woman has been charged in connection with the death and dismemberment of her 32-year-old son. 



According to report, Donna Scrivo was arraigned in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, on charges of disinterment and mutilation of a body. Law enforcement officials revealed that body parts identified as those of Ramsay Scrivo, the suspect's son, were found in garbage bags dumped along Michigan roads. 

Officials at the press conference said they expect more charges to follow. An autopsy is not complete and a cause of death has not yet been determined, Detective Sergeant Jay Cohoe said at the news conference. According to court documents, Donna Scrivo filed a petition seeking hospitalization for mental illness of her son in May and was granted guardianship. 

The petition was filed shortly after Ramsay Scrivo's father's death, Cohoe said. "From what I understand, it (the father's death) did have a negative impact on the family," Cohoe said. Officials stated that there was no history of assault allegations between Donna Scrivo and her son but police had been to the home on disorderly complaints. 

The body parts were found Thursday and Friday at five different locations in St. Clair County, a few miles from the Canadian border. A witness told police she saw a middle-aged woman in a light-colored SUV dumping what she initially thought was garbage in the area. 



Security camera footage from the area confirmed the witness' account. "A suspect vehicle was identified and images broadcast of a person of interest," the St. Clair Shores police and the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office said in a joint news release Saturday. Ramsay Scrivo had been missing since January 26. His remains were identified through fingerprints. 



A neighbor told CNN affiliate WDVI "He would sit outside, very friendly, "Well-respected, everyone talked to him. He would say hi to everybody." 

Donna Scrivo was being held with bail set at $100,000, and with a preliminary hearing set for February 14, according to officials at the news conference. She had not obtained an attorney as of Monday afternoon, officials said. 

Centenary- Labour Minister Assures Nigerians Of Better Future!

The minister of labour and productivity, Emeka Wogu, has enjoined Nigerians to take advantage of the unique opportunity of the Centenary celebration to support the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.




Wogu said the celebration is a sign of Nigeria’s resilience and resolve to launch into the future with renewed determination, hope and expectations.

The labour minister stated this while receiving the Nigeria Centenary Celebration Lapel Pin from the national coordinator of the project, Mr Chuks Chilaka.

According to the minister, “Centenary celebration will not be completed without reference to the contributions of labour leaders.”

Wogu further stated, “Hundred years in the life of any nation is worthy of celebration and for Nigeria, we are happy that we have attained such an enviable stage and this is coming at a time when we have a transformational president, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who has taken the country from a period of decadence to an enviable height in both human and infrastructural development”.
Earlier in his remarks, the coordinator of the Nigeria Centenary Celebration Lapel Pin, Mr Chuks Chilaka, affirmed that the federal government and notable organisations have come together to celebrate the 100 years of our existence as Nigeria.

“We cannot be hundred years again but only this once. We are here today to decorate you with the Nigeria Centenary Celebration Lapel Pin after due consideration as one of the outstanding Nigerians who have really contributed to the development of our great nation in various capacities”, Mr. Chuks stated.

JTF Rescues Indians, Arrests 17 over Oil Theft in N’Delta!

Three Indian nationals were reportedly rescued by a combined squad of 130 Battalion of the Joint Task Force, the Nigerian Navy and the State Security Department in Rivers State in Abissa,  a small fishing port in Akuku’ Toru, Local Government Area of Rivers State.

And in a related development,  troops of 3, 19 and 195 Battalions of Sector 1 anti illegal oil bunkering squads of the JTF have uncovered 12 illegal oil distillation camps at Agbede forest, Obi-Ayagha and Otegele communities in Etsako West, Ugheli South and Warri South West Local Government Areas of Delta State.

The Indians, Messrs. Kanishk Johrar, Mohinder Saini, and Balwinder Singh were abducted about a month ago   aboard a fishing trawler at Malabo and brought into the shores of Nigerian waters by the gang, which demanded a million dollar ransom.

Cancer Cases To Surge As World Population Ages!

According to a new report by the World Health Organization to mark World Cancer Day, the number of cancer diagnoses will reach 24 million a year by 2035 - up from it's current 14 million.

It says that the majority of the extra cases will be in the developing world.

As people in poorer countries become more wealthy they are likely to live longer, reaching an age when cancer becomes more likely.

They are also likely to adopt a Western diet high in sugar and fat.

Governments should do more to prevent cancer, the WHO said. Half the future cases could be avoided if people adopt healthier lifestyles.

That view was backed up by the World Cancer Research Fund, which released results from a survey showing that half the UK population is unaware that diet can affect the risk of cancer.

The charity's general manager, Amanda McLean, said: "About a third of the most common cancers could be prevented through being a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and being regularly physically active.

"These results show that many people still seem to mistakenly accept their chances of getting cancer as a throw of the dice.

"But by making lifestyle changes today, we can help prevent cancer tomorrow."

Meanwhile Cancer Research UK has launched a new smartphone game to help scientists find future cures. Gamers fly is a spaceship through an intergalactic assault course.

But the hazards and targets relate to DNA data from thousands of tumour samples - and the track taken by players will give scientists clues to key variations in the genetic sequences of patients.

Hannah Keartland, the citizen science lead for the charity said: "Our scientists' research produces colossal amounts of data, some of which can only be analysed by the human eye - a process which can take years.

"We hope that thousands of people worldwide will (try) Play to Cure: Genes in Space as often as possible, to help our researchers get through this data."

$20 billion still missing - Sanusi insists!

The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Mr. Sanusi insisted before the Senate investigative hearing over missing oil revenue on Tuesday that the sum of $20 billion is still missing. 

During the hearing which was chaired by Ahmed Makarfi, Sanusi said the issues raised by him in the letter he wrote to the Presidency concerning the CBN's observations, relate directly to why the NNPC is yet to remit money to the government account, insisting that what must be agreed is that the NNPC shipped $67 billion worth of crude, but what came to the CBN after all reconciliation, stands at $47 billion. 

"Let us know what happened to the remaining $20 billion, we have confirmed that the FIRS received $16 billion which was paid by IOCs. CBN has accepted that. We have accounted that out of $67 billion that NNPC shipped, $47 billion has come to CBN". He said 

Mr. Sanusi also said the NNPC’s claim on subsidy on kerosene cannot stand since a presidential directive had long barred such subsidy. According to him, “NNPC must show where it got the authority to buy kerosene at N150 and sell at N40, and then put the burden of loss on the federation account,”.

On his part, Ahmed Makarfi said some issues raised by CBN governor, Sanusi, in his letter to the committee, do not relate to the immediate subject of investigation. 

Stating further that the committee found the submission made by NNPC not comprehensible, Makarfi asked for a re-submission of a more detailed information latest Feb.14. While NEITI’s response which covered only 2011, should be resent with more information by February 7. 

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Diezani Allison-Madueke were conspicuously absent  at the hearing due to ill health. But the committee expects that by next week, both Ministers would appear before the committee.

The meeting was adjourned to next week, Thursday, when according to  Mr. Makarfi, the committee will go into actual examination of issues when they would have received all responses from the parties.