Another 'Cynthia story'- Movies makers have a field day!

The story has been circulating and some have said her name is Florence and she is a 300L student of University of Nigeria.


The real gist here however is that this is a scene of a movies believed to still be in the making





"This is a photo from a movie called Murder at Prime Suite Hotel, a fiction but similar to the Cynthia Osogwu murder story.
The character's name is Florence Ngwu played by an actress. The movie stars Joseph Benjamin and Chelsea Eze. The producers of the movie have released a statement. See it after the cut...

Over the last weekend, news broke out on the Internet about a certain girl, Florence Ngwu, murdered at prime suite, Lagos. We have tried to put a stop to the rumour but it keeps going viral.

I am Jumafor Ajogwu and I am the producer of the movie called, “Murder at Prime Suite” (MAPS). The movie featured stars like Joseph Benjamin, Keira Hewatch, Chelsea Eze, Okey Uzoeshi and a host of other talented upcoming acts. I want to categorically state to the general public that this is a movie; it is not a real life incident. This  movie would premiere nationwide on the 30^th of August, 2013 at Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, Lekki Lagos. We cannot trace how the rumour leaked as we had several journalists on our set during principal photography but we want to put a stop to this rumour and make every Nigerian and the rest of the world know that it is a movie and not another incident like the rumour claimed.

The movie is a total fiction and a C&C Screen production’s vision to promote the value for Nigerian lives. Florence Ngwu is a character in our movie and every other character or things in the movie do not represent any true identity of living or dead".

Jumafor Ajogwu

MAPS, Producer

Libyan activist Abdelsalam al-Mismari dies in Benghazi killings!

A prominent Libyan political activist and two senior security officials have been shot dead in the restive eastern city of Benghazi.

Activist Abdelsalam al-Mismari was killed as he left a mosque after Friday prayers, officials said.

A retired air force colonel and a senior police officer were also killed in separate attacks.

Libya's government is struggling to control armed groups nearly two years after Muammar Gaddafi was toppled.

The BBC's Rana Jawad in the capital Tripoli says that although Benghazi has witnessed many targeted killings, Friday saw the first assassination of an activist.

Mr Mismari, a lawyer, was one of the earliest organizers of protests that eventually led to the overthrow of dictator Col Muammar Gaddafi.

He later became a critic of the armed groups that helped to topple Gaddafi but which have since refused to lay down their weapons.

He has also opposed the presence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya.

"He was coming out of Friday prayers when he was shot," said Benghazi security spokesman Mohammed al-Hijazy.

"It seems it may have been the work of a sniper because he was shot in the heart."

His colleague and friend Hannah Ghallal told the BBC Mr Mismari was "a hero and a man of principle who did what he preached". Fighting back tears, she added that his death was a loss for Libya.

A large crowd later gathered in central Benghazi to protest against the killing.

BBC's correspondent says Mr Mismari's death marks a potentially dangerous turning point. Some feel it is an attempt to silence civic groups, she adds.

In separate attacks on Friday, retired air force Colonel Salem al-Sarah was killed as he emerged from a mosque and police Colonel Khatab Abdelrahim al-Zwei was shot dead at the wheel of his car, officials said.

Benghazi has seen a number of violent incidents since the fall of Gaddafi, including an attack on the US consulate last September in which the US ambassador and three other US citizens were killed.

Rivers State House of Assembly Fracas- Where is detained Chidi Lloyd!

Nigeria:



Reactions are beginning to trail the detention of the leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Chidi Lloyd, who is currently being held at the Force Headquarters in Abuja. Speaking in Port Harcourt Thursday, human rights lawyer, Ken Atswuete said it was wrong to have Mr. Lloyd detained after he willfully submitted himself to the police.

“We are warning the police to ensure that they put their house in order. All parties involved must be invited. We are saying it loud and clear. They have continued to detain Chidi Lloyd. He came out voluntarily, why not let him go after 24 hours?

“We are calling on the police high command to release Chidi Lloyd on bail, and the police should go ahead and invite Evans Bipi and his cohorts so as to be objective. Otherwise, we conclude that they are subjective, which is against the law”, he noted.

Also, the Legal representative of Lloyd, Beluolisa Mofor said the detention of his client beyond 24 hours was an infringement on his human right.

He said: “Chidi Lloyd went on his own to the Inspector General of Police. He was not forcefully taken there. He went on his own to tell them he is not on the run and he was detained since Tuesday. He has been kept there. It is not right in a country where we are trying to enthrone democracy and rule of law”.

It could be recalled that Chidi Lloyd was declared wanted by the police force for the July, 9 fracas, which erupted at the Rivers State House of Assembly.

7 killed in Florida apartment building shooting!

Seven people were killed, including the gunman, in an overnight shooting at a South Florida apartment building, authorities said.

Hialeah police Sgt. Eddie Rodriguez said that the gunman was shot dead by a SWAT team member following a standoff.

During the hours-long standoff, the gunman held two hostages, who were unharmed. At least four victims were found dead inside the building, Rodriguez said early Saturday.

At least one victim, a male, was found dead across the street from the building. It was unclear if the victim was purposely targeted or if he was hit by a stray bullet, according to Rodriguez.

WSVN.com reported that the manager of the West 46th Street apartment building and his wife were among the victims. Police did not identify the gunman or the victims early Saturday.

An investigation into the shooting is ongoing, Rodriguez said.

Source:Fox News

South African man told he's too fat to live in New Zealand!

Albert Buitenhuis, a South African who weighs 130 kilograms and his wife, Marthie, said they face deportation after an application to renew their work visas was rejected because of his weight.

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) cited the demands his obesity could place on New Zealand health services and said their medical assessors deemed Albert no longer "had an acceptable standard of health".

The couple said they moved from South Africa to the main South Island city of Christchurch six years ago when Albert weighed 160 kilograms and their annual work visas were renewed without any problem.

"We applied for year after year and there were no issues. They never mentioned Albert's weight or his health once and he was a lot heavier then," Marthie told The Press newspaper.

"The irony is that at the moment he weighs less than when we first arrived in New Zealand and also less than in his first medical, which was accepted by INZ."

An INZ spokesman said Buitenhuis was rejected because his obesity put him at "significant risk" of complications including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and obstructive sleep apnoea.

"It is important that all migrants have an acceptable standard of health to minimise costs and demands on New Zealand's health services," he said.

A recent OECD report listed New Zealand as the third most obese developed nation behind the United States and Mexico.

Police confirm death of Patience Jonathan’s foster mother!

THE Rivers State Police Command on Tuesday confirmed the death of the adopted mother of the wife of the Nigerian President, Patience Jonathan, Mrs. Charity Oba, in an auto crash on Monday.

Patience Jonathan

Oba was on her way to Bayelsa State when the vehicle conveying her, a Toyota Corolla saloon car, got involved in an accident along Isiokpo-Elele road in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State.

wreakage from the accident

State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Angela Agabe, who confirmed the incident while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt, said the accident occurred at 4pm near Isiokpo Bridge along Port Harcourt-Owerri road.

Agabe said apart from Patience Jonathan’s mother, a 12-year old girl, known as Favour, and a relative of the deceased, also lost their lives in the crash.

According to her, two persons, including the driver of the vehicle, were immediately rushed to a hospital in the state capital.

The state police spokesperson explained that the corpse of Oba, popularly known as ‘Sisi’, and that of the 12-year old girl had been deposited in Kpaima Mortuary in Port Harcourt.

Earlier, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission in the state, Dr. Kayode Olagunju, had said though the FRSC could not immediately ascertain the cause of the accident, it had begun investigation to unravel the cause of the accident that killed the President’s wife’s mother.

“What I can only tell you now is that we cannot say what caused the accident. We are still investigating and will definitely let you know the cause when we conclude the investigation,” Olagunju added.

It was, however, gathered that the vehicle conveying Oba to Bayelsa had veered off the road and somersaulted several times due to over speeding.

Meanwhile, Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, has, on behalf of the government and people of the state, expressed deep shock and regret over the sudden death of the mother of the First Lady.

Seriake Dickson

In a condolence message to the first family, Dickson described the death of madam Oba as “a great blow and an irreparable loss” to her immediate family and the nation as a whole. He said her motherly and wise counsel would be greatly missed by all who knew her.

He urged the First lady, the family and the Oba family of Okrika in Rivers State to accept the unfortunate incident as the will of God and take it with philosophical calmness.

Also, Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, expressed shock at the death of Oba.

Emmanuel Uduaghan

In a condolence message by Uduaghan’s Press Secretary, Mr. Felix Ofou, the governor said the news of the death of the First Lady’s mother was a big blow, not only to President Goodluck Jonathan, but to the entire South-South and Nigeria at large.

“Mama was not only a huge asset to the First Family, she was a mother to the South South. This is definitely a big blow to all of us,” he stated.

Uduaghan said the people and government of Delta State shared in the grief caused by the death, and prayed God to grant the First Lady, Jonathan and the nation the fortitude to bear the loss.

“Our earnest prayer is that such a disaster will not visit the First Family again. We also pray for long life and good health for the mother of the nation, Mrs. Jonathan,” he added.

Similarly, Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke commiserated with the President and his wife on the death of the mother of the First Lady.

Imoke described Oba’s death as painful and unfortunate.

In a statement on Tuesday, the governor said the incident was tragic and saddening.

Liyel Imoke

“It is with a sense of shock and loss that I received the sad news,” he said.

He urged the First Family to find consolation in the fact that “she lived an exemplary worthy of emulation.”

11-Year-Old Girl Speaks Out on Child Marriage (She’s Against It)!

Nada al-Ahdal, a brave 11-year old Yemeni girl, has managed to escape an arranged marriage to an older man.

After being taken under into her uncle’s house, Nada was brought up in a culturally rich environment which allowed her to take up singing, education, as well as learning English. However, when a rich Yemeni expatriate living in Saudi Arabia asked her parents for Nada’s hand in marriage, they didn’t hesitate in trying to take her back into the family for the express purpose of receiving money for the arrangement.

Unlike arranged marriages when exercised by the royal courts of Europe, for many female children in so-called developing nations, these contracted unions are nothing short of death sentences.

Nada says she has fled the home of her parents because Mom and Dad had threatened to kill her if she refused to play the sacrificial maiden in a marriage they had set up for her.

Taking sanctuary in the house of her uncle, little Nada counters her parents’ death threat with a promise to commit suicide if she is forced to the connubial bed they have made for her.

Her uncle, Abdel Salam tells NOW:

When I heard about the groom, I panicked. Nada was not even 11 years old; she was exactly 10 years and 3 months. I could not allow her to be married off and have her future destroyed, especially since her aunt was forced to marry at 13 and burnt herself. I did all I could to prevent that marriage. I called the groom and told him Nada was no good for him. I told him she did not wear the veil and he asked if things were going to remain like that. I said ‘yes, and I agree because she chose it.’ I also told him that she liked singing and asked if he would remain engaged to her.

Nada sent a message to NOW, which corresponds with the message she released in the a video:

I am a child and I want to realize my dreams. My aunt was forced to get married so she burned herself to death, and I saw pictures of her with burns. Let me realize my dream. I want to go to school, become a star, and help other children. I am not thinking about marriage, I don’t want to now. I want to say to fathers and mother, ‘let us realize our dreams, do not kill them’.

Bravo to Nada and her uncle who continue to fight the good fight against what might be one of the most deplorable things to happen to children in that part of the world.

NIGERIA: CHILD MARRIAGE: WE HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING NEW TO CONSTITUTION – EKWEREMADU

Against the backdrop of criticisms that had continued to trail its alleged support for underage marriage during last week’s consideration of the report, Chairman of the Committee and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said  it never did anything new to the 1999 constitution, following its failure to expunge section 29(4)(b), noting  that the Senator Ike Ekweremadu-led Review Committee had recommended it for deletion on the premise that it was discriminatory.

Similarly, former U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, had last year rebuked Senator Sani Yerima for “child slavery”.

Mariam Uwais

This is even as human rights activists  Mrs. Mariam Uwais, said Yerima’s ideas were not in the Sharia, wondering where he got them from.

 Ekweremadu however, appealed to the public not to crucify the lawmakers, saying the public view was completely different from its position on the matter.

Senator Ekweremadu 

Addressing journalists, Senator Ekweremadu noted that since constitution review was continual, the controversial clause 29(4)(b) in the extant law would be revisited, but remained silent on when it will be done.

He added that the position of the Senate retaining that portion of the constitution was not an endorsement of child marriage in the country as the clause had been in the constitution.

The explanation of the upper legislative chamber came just as women group, under the aegis of National Council for Women Society, signified its readiness to storm the National Assembly today to protest last Wednesday’s action of the lawmakers.

“We have no bill to approve early marriage. We are not sponsoring any bill against Islam. This particular provision has been in our constitution since 1979. Ours was an attempt to remove that aspect so that men and women would have equal footing regarding the issue of renunciation of citizenship. And we will never support early marriage.”

However, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, expressed concern about the passage by the Senate, saying it amounted to legalization of sexual abuse of underage girls.

It also criticized Senator Ahmed Yerima from Zamfara State over his comments, and noted that he was trying to cover up his case of marrying an Egyptian minor.

SenatorAhmed Yerima

This came as the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, expressed concern about the passage by the Senate. President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, who was irked by Yerima’s statement, found his argument offensive as it presupposed that Nigeria, a secular state, was populated only by Muslims.

Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor

Oritsejafor in a statement by his Special Assistant, Media and Public Affairs, Kenny Ashaka, noted:  “Yerima is again, advertently stirring up another controversy about the supremacy of Islamic Law to the Nigerian constitution after the one he raised, when he introduced Sharia, the Islamic Legal code, in Zamfara State.

“I think the problem is that people like Senator Yerima are approaching Qur’anic teachings from extremes and disturbing the balance. It makes me wonder the source of their emotions and thoughts that nurture them.

“As a senator whose case of marrying a 13-year-old Egyptian girl is still fresh in the memory of Nigerians, Yerima should only be seen and not heard in matters of this nature. If now he is commenting on a case in which he has interest, it can only mean the action of a man frenziedly trying to get himself out of the hook through some undeserved legislation.”

Meanwhile, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, had last year rebuked Senator Sani Yerima for “child slavery”.

The US State Department’s 2012 report on human rights  also complained that Nigerian authorities did nothing to prosecute Yerima, a foreign news agency, has said.

In a public outcry at the time, activists demanded that prosecutors investigate and Yerima be forced out of parliament.

The report said the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, questioned Yerima but said it lacked evidence to charge him. It said Yerima had paid $100,000 for the young bride, the daughter of his Egyptian driver.

Also, lawyer and human  rights activist, Mrs. Maryam Uwais, has faulted Yerima on marital age for  Muslim girls in Nigeria, saying his ideas were  not in the Sharia.

Uwais said there was  no unanimity on social interaction within Islamic jurists or the various schools of thought.

She said: “Surely where there is ‘silence in the texts’ (i.e primary sources) or lack of unanimity as regards a particular practice, that opening allows for a society to determine for itself what is in its best interest (maslaha), in its own context.”