Rivers crisis: Joseph Mbu Removed As Commissioner of Police!

The Police Service Commission has approved the recommendations of the Inspector-General of Police for the redeployment of Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu.

The Police Service Commission has transferred the Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mbu, to Abuja as the new Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police.

Also, the Commissioner in charge of the Special Fraud Unit, Johnson Ogunshakin, has been redeployed to Rivers State to replace Mbu as the new Commissioner of Police.

The redeployment affects thirteen (13) Commissioners of Police who have been moved to various Commands nationwide, as contained in a press release.

CP Mbu has been at the centre of the crisis rocking the political scene in Rivers State and has been at loggerheads with the state government, which had accused the police boss of being partisan with regards to State politics.

The All Progressives Congress, APC and the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, have consistently called for the removal of Mr Joseph Mbu, accusing him of being used to frustrate the Governor and the emergence of the APC in the Niger-Delta state.

The Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Mohammed, has however denied knowledge of the redeployment, he said: “The Command for now is not in receipt of any official communication about the redeployment of CP Mbu.”

The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Sir Mike Okiro, in the press release issued by Mr.Ferdinand Ekpe, admonished the newly redeployed officers to put in their best in their various Commands’ operations, so as to provide a secure environment for business and life to thrive.

SSS releases Asari Dokubo!

The President of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, NDPVF, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, has been released by the Department of State Security Services, SSS.

He was invited to the SSS headquarters on Thursday morning for repeatedly making inciting comments.

His personal assistant (Media), Rex Asari, confirmed the release.

“Yes, he was released. We are heading home now,” Mr.  Rex Asari said.

Mr. Dokubo-Asari was quoted in several media reports on Tuesday as saying that he would make Nigeria ungovernable if President Goodluck Jonathan was not re-elected in 2015. He also asked the major political parties not to field non- South South candidates.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, and an Islamic group, Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, had asked the SSS to arrest and question Mr. Dokubo-Asari over the statements.

Tension rises as masquerades storm Baptist High School!

The ongoing crisis at the Baptist High School, Iwo, yesterday took a dramatic dimension when some students of the school mobilized some masquerades to the crisis-ridden school.

It was gathered that some angry students stormed the school premises clad in masquerade attires and thus paralyzed academic activities in the institution for several hours.

Findings revealed that the masquerades were mobilized to the school by some students who collaborated with some traditionalists in the town as various religious organizations have taken interest in the crisis rocking the school.

DailyPost reports that students of the school on Tuesday caused confusion in the school as they appeared in different clothes that correlate with their religious beliefs.

While the Christian students who wore white garments sown into choir gowns sang Christian songs, the Muslim students who appeared in veil on the other hand sang Islamic songs.

The state government last year introduced same uniform for all the secondary school students in the state and also legalised the use of veil (hijab) in public schools.

However, the school authorities have suspended 24 of the students indefinitely for alleged immoral, cult activities and disruption of academic programme in the school.

The suspension of the affected students followed an investigation conducted by the institution’s authority where it was discovered that the students actually belong to secret cult groups.

Eight dead in South African gold mine accident!

Rescuers recovered eight bodies and continued to search for another missing worker on Thursday after a fire and rock-fall at a Harmony Gold mine near Johannesburg, the worst accident in South Africa's mines in nearly five years.

Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu ordered an investigation into the incident at the Doornkop mine, 30 km west (20 miles) of the city, after initial reports that the fire was triggered by a small earthquake on Tuesday evening.

"The situation is deeply regrettable," Shabangu said in a statement. "We must ensure that we do all we can to get to the bottom of what caused this incident in order to prevent similar occurrences in future."

It is the most serious accident in South Africa's mines since nine workers died in a rock fall at a platinum mine in July 2009. Shares in Harmony, South Africa's third-largest bullion producer, fell 3 percent at the start of trade.

Rescue teams battled through smoke and debris nearly a mile underground on Wednesday to reach eight other miners who had managed to flee to a refuge bay equipped with a telephone and other survival gear. They were brought to the surface unharmed.

South Africa's gold mines are the deepest in the world and were ranked as some of the most dangerous during the apartheid era.

Since the end of white-minority rule in 1994, the government, unions and companies have worked to improve safety, but 112 people were still killed in 2012, the last year for which records are available.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Harmony said the fire broke out on Tuesday evening after an earthquake damaged ventilation and water pipes as well as power cables.

However, NUM questioned safety standards at the mine, saying the rescued miners reported that the ventilation system in one of the refuge chambers was letting in fumes.

"It does tell us that the rescue chambers were not according to safety standards," NUM Secretary General Frans Baleni told Reuters. "We cannot just say that it is regrettable. Heads most roll should the investigation find that there was negligence."

A Harmony spokeswoman said it was possible the refuge bays might have been compromised either in the earthquake or the fire that followed. An investigation by government, union, and the company's officials was already underway, she said.

Operations have been halted at the mine, which produces nearly 10 percent of Harmony's gold, and a prolonged safety shutdown could hit the company hard.

Harmony posted a quarterly loss last week due to a subdued bullion price and production problems at its key Khusalethu mine.

"Doornkop is a growth shaft for Harmony and any loss of production at the moment is not positive," SBG Securities mining analyst David Davis said.culled

Paul Walker leaves entire $25 million fortune to daughter!

The 40-year-old actor, who perished alongside his friend Roger Rodas on November 30, when the car they were travelling in lost control and crashed in Santa Clarita, California, named his 15-year-old child, Meadow Rain Walker, as the sole beneficiary of his entire estate in his will.

The Fast and the Furious star appointed his father Paul Sr. as the executor, who has filed the will with a probate court.

He has also petitioned to have the court appoint the late actor's mother, Cheryl Walker, as Meadow's legal guardian and the guardian of the teenager's $25 million fortune, as per his son's instructions in the will.

This is an unusual twist as she currently lives with her mother, Rebecca Soteros, but began living with her famous father full-time shortly before his tragic death.

Philip Seymour Hoffman- Police arrests four in connection to death!

Just two days after Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead with a syringe in his arm, New York City Police arrested four people thought to be connected to drugs found in the late actor’s apartment.

Three men and one woman were taken into custody on Tuesday night after a raid of three apartments in a Lower Manhattan building turned up more than 350 bags of heroin. An unnamed law enforcement official said that investigators were led to the building during their investigation of Hoffman’s death. culled

8-year old girl raped to death in Akwa- Ibom!

An 8-year old primary school girl was reportedly raped to death by suspected hoodlums at  Ikot Ekan community in Etinan local Government area of Akwa Ibom State.

Reports say, rapists attacked the girl at a bush track not far from her home, at about 7:30pm, while on an errand for her parents. 

She was said to have been raped by her attackers severally before she collapsed and died in the bush where she was taken to.

Sources said the late child’s grandfather who sent her on the errand raised the alarm when he discovered that she had not returned home after several hours and sensing danger, a search party was organised by her relatives and youths of the community and it was the party that later found her dead body in the bush naked with her private part bruised and stained with blood.

Meanwhile, the girl’s dead body has been deposited in a mortuary and residents of the community now live in palpable fear.

Confirming the incident, the public relations officer of the Akwa Ibom state police command, Mr. Etim Dickson said the command had commenced investigation into the matter with a view to arresting the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

He urged parents to always watch over their children and wards especially when sent on errands at night.