CARNAGE IN MECCA - OVER 107 DEAD & 238 INJURED AS CONSTRUCTION CRANE COLLAPSES ON GRAND MOSQUE.

At least 107 people were killed and 238 injured when a crane crashed through the ceiling of the Grand Mosque of Mecca amid high winds and thunderstorms today. 

Dramatic footage shows the moment the crane toppled in heavy rain, with another video capturing the chaos and confusion inside the building as people ran for cover after the devastating impact.

Photos posted on social media sees the polished tiled floor of the mosque covered in rubble, bodies and pools of blood, and people fleeing the area bleeding and covered in soot.

ASSETS DECLARATION - WE WON'T FOLLOW BUHARI'S EXAMPLE - APC GOVERNORS.

Governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress have said they will not follow the example laid by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in declaring their assets publicly.

The governors, said it is not compulsory for them to declare their assets publicly and that they would not be pressured to follow the president’s action.

According to them, there is no law mandating the governors to publicly state their worth in terms of property and cash.

WIKE'S SLEEPLESS NIGHTS BEGINS AS INEC DECLARE APRIL 11 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION A TOTAL SHAM & MOCKERY OF DEMOCRACY.

The Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday dismissed the governorship election that took place in Rivers State on April 11 as a sham  and mockery of democracy.

The Head, Election and Party Monitoring Department (EPM) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Charles Okoye, told the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja yesterday that the election was akin to warfare, describing it as kangaroo.

Okoye, who was subpoenaed by the tribunal to give evidence on the findings of INEC’s team that monitored the election, told the tribunal that he was the coordinator of the team that monitored the election.

OBASANJO IS A DEVIL INCARNATE BUT I HAVE FORGIVEN HIM - DIEPREYE ALAMIEYESEIGHA.

Ten years after, the anger arising from the impeachment and subsequent imprisonment of former Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamie-yeseigha by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration is still reverberating even though Alamieyeseigha claims he has forgiven Obasanjo.

Alamieyeseigha, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard in his country home in Yenagoa, said that he had forgiven all those who plotted and sent him to jail purely for political reasons even though the experience remains very painful to him.

The former governor was impeached and removed from office in December 2005 and was subsequently sent to jail for alleged mismanagement of Bayelsa State funds.

COURT SENTENCE 25-YR-OLD MAN TO 14YRS IMPRISONMENT FOR DEFILING HIS NEIGHBOUR'S 13-YR-OLD DAUGHTER. - #SAYNOTORAPE.

An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on Friday sentenced a 25-year-old unemployed man, Ogboru Godspower, to 14 years imprisonment for defiling a 13-year-old daughter of his neighbour.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr Tajudeen Elias, sentenced Godspower after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

“The accused is hereby sentenced to 14 years imprisonment to serve as deterrent to others and to reform him to be a law abiding citizen,” he said.

PASTOR RAPES 16-YR-OLD GIRL DURING DELIVERANCE IN LAGOS. #SAYNOTORAPE.

A 40-year-old Pastor, Abraham Akpan, was arraigned in an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on Friday over the defilement of a teenager.

Akpan of No. 39, Hassan Ogunmola St., Ijaiye, a suburb of Lagos, is facing a three-count charge bordering on rape.

The prosecutor, Sgt. Jimah Iseghede, told the court that Akpan committed the offence between Aug. 27 and Aug. 29 at his residence.

NDLEA ARREST DRUG BARON WITH 1KG OF COCAINE.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a suspected drug baron, Chief Odugwe Joseph Azubuike over unlawful importation of 1.025kg of cocaine.

Odugwe who is currently on bail over several drug charges brought against him by the agency was allegedly found with wraps of powdery substances that tested positive for cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos.

The arrest was made during inward screening of passengers on Emirates airline flight from Dubai.

2 KILLED AS BLAST ROCKS INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS CAMP IN YOLA, ADAMAWA STATE.

The National Emergency Management Agency and Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency has confirmed a bomb blast at one of the Internal Displaced Persons’ camps in Yola.

According to Sanni Datti, spokesman of the state’s emergency agency, the name of the camp was identified as Malkohi and he said its inhabitants are currently being evacuated.

At least two people were killed in the blast at a camp for people displaced by the Boko Haram conflict in northeast Nigeria, the emergency services said.

“There was a blast at Malkohi IDP (internally displaced persons) camp in Yola around 11 o’clock this morning (1000 GMT),” Red Cross official Aliyu Maikano said. State police confirmed the blast.

UNICAL SUSPENDS RANDY LAW PROFESSOR WHO WAS ACCUSED OF RAPING 20-YR-OLD STUDENT. #SAYNOTORAPE.

The Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old 400-level student in his office was yesterday suspended by the panel instituted by the school’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivara Esu

Read previous reports HERE & HERE.

Professor Ndifon, who is the first professor of Law from Cross River State, was briefly arrested and detained by the police and later released on Wednesday before he was suspended yesterday evening by the panel set up to investigate him.

BEYOND THE SEARCH FOR UPRIGHT JUDGES.

On the heels of startling revelations from the presidency on how public funds were wantonly looted by some public officers in the last administration, President Muhammadu Buhari recently set up a Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption.   Its major mandate is to identify alleged treasury looters with the aim of bringing them to justice.

Beyond this, the Committee’s Chairman, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) revealed that selected judges handling anti-corruption cases are under surveillance. The action is aimed at monitoring them on moral, professional and ethical grounds.

It is trite law that the power to prosecute criminal cases, including looting of public funds, lies with the state. This power is however expected to be exercised within the ambit of applicable criminal law and constitutional provisions of fundamental human rights.

TRAGEDY - LONE SURVIVOR OF LAGOS FIRE WHICH WIPED OUT SEVEN FAMILY MEMBERS DIES.

Eight-year-old Chidinma Onoja, the only survivor in the fire that claimed seven other members of her family Tuesday night at Lawanson, Surulere, Lagos, died yesterday. 

Efforts by doctors at Gbagada General Hospital to save her life from the severe burns sustained on her face and other parts of her body proved abortive, as she reportedly died early yesterday.

Sources at the hospital attributed her death to her rejection by two hospitals and lack of immediate treatment at Gbagada General Hospital over payment.

NEGLIGENCE OF UNILAG MEDICAL WORKERS LED TO THE DEATH OF OLUCHI ANEKWE - SISTER'S VICTIM SPEAKS.

Nkem Anekwe, the elder sister of Oluchi Anekwe, a first-class student of the University of Lagos, who was on Tuesday electrocuted by a high-tension wire, says the negligence of the UNILAG Medical Center caused the death of her younger sister.

She also said the high-tension wire, which caused the death of Oluchi also fell on her younger sister, Uju Anekwe, but she survived the encounter.

This is just as the National Association of Nigerian Students, South-West zone, said it would sue the electricity distribution company for the death.

EFCC ARREST BGL BOSS ALBERT OKUMAGBA FOR N28.9BN FRAUD.

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested the Group Managing Director of BGL Plc, a Lagos-based financial services company, Mr. Albert Okumagba, for alleged N28.9bn fraud.

An operative of the commission, who confided in our correspondent, said that those investigating the matter had been grilling the BGL boss for allegedly obtaining money by false pretences.

Though Okumagba on Thursday made a bid for his freedom but he failed to obtain an interim injunction barring the EFCC from arresting him.

GOVERNORS REJECT DEATH PENALTY FOR LOOTERS.

Many governors out rightly rejected the suggestion that looters of the nation’s resources be sentenced to death.

Organised labour- the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress-at the beginning of the week said looters should be given the death sentence in order to serve as deterrence to others.

Labour said it was only by killing looters that the anti-corruption crusade being championed by President Muhammadu Buhari could succeed.

GANG RAPE OF TEENAGER IN LAGOS - COURT GRANTS SUSPECTS N1M BAIL.. #SAYNOTORAPE

Two Lagos security guards, who allegedly gang-raped a teenage girl, are on temporary reprieve of N1 million bail on the orders of an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court. The accused — Gabriel Vincent, 26, and Anthony Oguche, 25 — who reside at Akowonjo near Egbeda, a Lagos suburb, are facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, abduction and rape.

The Magistrate, Mrs Bola Osunsanmi, who granted them a bail of N500,000 each, also directed the men to produce two responsible sureties in like sum. She ordered that their files should be duplicated and sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

RE- DEAN FACULTY OF LAW AT UNICAL ACCUSED OF RAPING 20YR OLD 400L STUDENT. #SAYNOTORAPE.

I believe by now you all must have read the story of Prof.Ndifon the Dean of law university of calabar who was accused of raping a 400 level student of same faculty.

This post was ignited by response from people who believe that the dean is been set up, I believe its high time Nairaland and Nigerian authorities know about the man called prof Cyril ndifon the Dean Faculty of Law University of Calabar.

First if you come in contact with a law student or a friend to any body who has dealings with the faculty of law university of calabar, will strongly attest to the fact that the faculty has turned to a Red Zone for female students, this is not unconnected with the daily activities of prof Ndifon who takes delight in Raping students, what makes his worst from other lecturers is that he does not hide his acts from people..he flagrantly displays his randy tendencies from classroom to his office which is his ''Slaughter House''.

DEAN FACULTY OF LAW AT UNICAL ACCUSED OF RAPING 20YR OLD 400L STUDENT. #SAYNOTORAPE.

The Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, has been accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old 400-level law student (name withheld) .

The mother of the victim, Mrs. Irene Akpan (not her real name), who is resident in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, told our correspondent on Monday the incident happened between 3 and 5pm on August 29 at the dean’s private office in the faculty building.

She alleged that Ndifon forcefully had sex with her daughter.

25-YR-OLD STOWAWAY FOUND IN THE TYRE COMPARTMENT OF MEDVIEW AIRLINE PLANE.

A 25-year-old man was found inside the tyre compartment of a Ghana-bound Medview Airlines plane at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, on Wednesday, it was learnt.

Eye witnesses said the stowaway was found by the pilot during his final check on the plane before its departure to Accra, Ghana.

The incident happened at the departure wing of the MMA2 at about 7.30pm. The identity of the young man could not be determined as of the time of filing this report.

I WILL NOT DECLARE MY ASSETS PUBLICLY - NYESOM WIKE - GOVERNOR OF RIVERS STATE.

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, said on Wednesday that he had declared his assets to the relevant authority in accordance to law.

Wike explained that he had by his action, fulfilled the country’s constitutional requirement, adding that declaring his assets publicly was not part of the dictates of the law.

The governor, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Opunabo Inko-Tariah, pointed out that it was necessary for people to de-emphasise asset declaration, stressing that the sincerity behind such an exercise was crucial.

POWER FAILURE DISRUPTS SENATE'S POWER PROBE.

The ongoing probe of the power sector from 1999 till date by the Senate ad hoc committee was characterized by drama and confusion yesterday, as the proceeding was disrupted by power failure eight times.

Yesterday’s proceeding started at about 11:30a.m. and ended abruptly at 4p.m. due to about 15 minutes of power failure at intervals, for eight different times, from 2p.m. when the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Power, Ambassador Godknows Igali, was making a submission on behalf of the various electricity companies.

The situation forced operators from the power sector to make use of their phone light and video camera light to make presentation before the committee.