Suspected rapist of 16-year-old mother arrested, begs for mercy

Thirty-three-year old Ugochukwu Okparanta, a trader who allegedly raped a 16-year-old girl living with him and got her pregnant, has been arrested by policemen from the Shasha Police Division, Akowonjo, Lagos. Saturday PUNCH’s report on the case on November 14, 2014 chronicled the account of 16- year-old Gloria (not real name) on a sexual abuse which she alleged took place over the course of four years when she was living with Okparanta. She eventually became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy in September. The trader was arrested following a report by the child rights activist handling the case, Mrs. Esther Ogwu, on Tuesday. He was released on bail the following day. Okparanta at his arrest begged the girl’s family for mercy, promising to take care of the young mother and her child. “Please, forgive me,” he said. “I admit that I am responsible for the pregnancy. But I can assure you that I will pay N40,000 every month to take care of the child.” Okparanta whose relations joined him in appealing for leniency, said what he did was truly bad but that they would ensure he takes full responsibility for the child and mother. Okparanta made a statement at the police station, He also signed an agreement that he would not default in paying the agreed money monthly. However, Ogwu, said the agreement he had signed with the police was not enough to let him off the hook. She said, “He still has a case to answer with the office of public defender. If he has signed an agreement at the police station, he still has to sign another at the OPD. “At the moment, we are concerned about the upkeep of the baby, but we cannot determine who would take custody of the child until OPD takes a decision on it. But I think the family of the girl are going to be in charge of the child for now.” The Divisional Crime Officer at Shasha, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said the sum of N480,000, representing the agreed monetary support for the next one year had been paid to Gloria’s family. “That is their wish. Whatever was paid to the family has nothing to do with us. We would never handle any money on the family’s behalf. The family of the victim only called me on the phone to indicate that the man had paid for the next one year,” she said. Saturday PUNCH learnt that the police had decided to charge Okparanta to court but the family of the victim begged on behalf of the suspect to have the matter settled out of court. The OPD lawyer assigned to Gloria’s case, Mrs. Toun Akingboye, told our correspondent that whatever agreement reached with the police was not adequate. “If he has signed an undertaking with the police, he still needs to sign one in our office, which we will take to the court. That is to ensure that if he decides to default from whatever agreement is reached, he can be brought to book legally. “But at the moment, we will soon meet with both parties to ensure that the interest of the girl and her child is considered.

I’ll ride on Olamide’s success to be famous again –Lord of Ajasa

Once upon a time, Lord of Ajasa was one of the wave-making artistes in Nigeria with hits like Esa Lobade. But that was long time ago. These days, nothing much has been heard about the talented singer. Granted he has new singles which featured Olamide and Kinihun, the songs didn’t bring him back to the level he was before. In a chat with Saturday Beats recently, the rap artiste said he wants to use Olamide to get back to the top same way Olamide used him years ago when he was unknown. “It is normal because anybody can use anybody to climb to the top. When Olamide started his music career, he used me because I featured in one of his song and nobody knew him then. I was very popular then but I humbled myself and I helped him. That is the kind of person that I am. I feel that he is the one reigning in town now and people like him, so if I feature him on my album, it would be a good marketing strategy. I can use him to move up and be famous again,” he said. The dark-skinned artiste debunked rumours that he has any misunderstanding with Olamide, claiming that he is happy that he is successful. He said, “There is no ‘beef’ between me and Olamide. It is rumour mongers that create such news but the truth of the matter is that we don’t have any issue. In fact, we will soon shoot a video for the song we did together. We should have done it a while back but he has been busy performing at various shows within and outside the country. Why would I ‘beef’ him? It is his time and everybody has their own time. He did not do anything to me, so I cannot ‘beef’ him. Instead, I am celebrating him as he has become successful.”

Man shoots woman, himself at US store

A bustling Nordstrom store packed with holiday shoppers became the scene of a deadly shooting Friday night when a man shot a woman and then himself, Chicago officials said. Panicked Black Friday shoppers bolted when gunfire rang out in the crowded store. The gunman entered the store and targeted “his girlfriend or ex-girlfriend” on the second floor, according to John Escalante, the Chicago police chief of detectives. The man died and the woman was critically injured, said spokesman Larry Langford of the Chicago Fire Department. The woman, a seasonal employee at the store, was taken to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The gunman died at the scene. “I’m a big guy, and people were knocking me over,” shopper Scott Balloch told CNN affiliate WLS. “My feeling was just get the hell out of there.” Nordstrom said that store will remain closed until further notice, according to the affiliate.

BOKO HARAM: 120 killed in mosque bomb explosions

No fewer than 120 died and 270 were injured on Friday as the violent Boko Haram sect bombed the 10,000 capacity Kano Central Mosque where the Emir, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, usually leads prayers. About 10 gunmen went on a shooting spree after the blast at the mosque, which is close to the Emir of Kano’s palace. A rescue official, who spoke with Agence France- Presse, put casualty figures at almost 400, adding that 120 were killed and 270 hurt in the three explosions that rocked the mosque. The emir was said to have travelled to Saudi Arabia late on Thursday night from Paris. Witnesses said the incident happened just as residents were getting set for Friday prayers. “The attackers have bombed the mosque. I saw people screaming,” a local reporter who resides in Kano, Chijjani Usman, told Reuters. Another eyewitness told the British Broadcasting Corporation that he had counted over 50 bodies immediately after the blasts. Also, the Editor, BBC Hausa Service, Mansur Liman, was quoted as saying that people had witnessed “horrible” scenes in a nearby hospital. One eyewitness, who spoke with the BBC’s Focus on Africa, said, “The imam was about to start prayer when he saw somebody in a car trying to force himself into the mosque. But when people stopped him, he detonated the explosions. People started running helter-skelter.” Another worshipper, Aminu Abdullahi, who also spoke to AFP, said, “Two bombs exploded, one after the other, in the premises of the Grand Mosque seconds after the prayers had started.” “A third one went off in a nearby road close to the Qadiriyya Sufi order. The blasts were followed by gunshots by the police to scare off potential attacks.” His account was backed up by another witness, Hajara Tukur, who said she lives nearby. A senior rescue official confirmed that several bodies had been brought to just one Kano area hospital, while over 126 people had been admitted with injuries at three facilities. “Those figures are going to climb,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to the media. A military official, Capt. Ikechukwu Eze, also said scores of people were feared killed and many others injured in the attack. A check by one of our correspondents at the mortuaries of both the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital and the Nasarawa Hospital in the heart of the city showed they were filled with bodies of victims of the blasts while some of them littered the ground. Meanwhile, two suspected bomber were said to have been arrested at the scene of the incident, just as youths took to the street to protest what they called negligence by the police for not doing enough to protect the lives and property of the people. The Kano State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mustapha Abubakar,confirmed the incident but declined to give the casualty. The emir had recently called for people to arm themselves against Islamist militant group Boko Haram. Earlier this month, the emir told a prayer meeting that people should “acquire what they need” to protect themselves. The Boko Haram terrorist group has killed more than 2,000 people this year, according to rights groups’ reports. The Kano blasts came after a bomb attack was also foiled at a mosque in Maiduguri on Friday morning; five days after two female suicide bombers killed over 45 people in the city. The Emir of Kano last week doubted the Nigerian troops’ ability to protect civilians and end the insurgency. This had prompted his advice to Kano residents to arm themselves against Boko Haram attacks. The Emir of Kano is an influential figure in Nigeria, which is home to more than 80 million Muslims, most of who live in the North. Boko Haram has repeatedly attacked Kano before. On November 14, a suicide bomb attack at a filling station killed six people, including three policemen. In Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, civilian vigilantes said they had discovered a suspected remote-controlled device planted in the Gamboru Market area of the city. It was successfully defused by the police bomb squad but as the bomb was being made safe, another device exploded nearby. There were no casualties, as the area had been cordoned off. “Our assumption is that the bombs were planted ahead of Friday prayers in the mosque just nearby,” civilian vigilante Babakura Adam said. “Of course, it is Boko Haram’s handiwork because in the last few days several arrests have been made of suspected female suicide bombers.” Adam said the arrests were made on Wednesday and Thursday. Fears have grown in Maiduguri about an upsurge in Boko Haram attacks, after the militant Islamists took over more than two dozen towns in Borno and two neighbouring states in recent months. Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday promised that the attackers would be held accountable. He spoke in a statement at the commissioning of the Federal High Court complex in Asaba, Delta state. The President, who spoke through the Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, commended the Chief Judge and other justices in the state for their support for government’s resolve to hold accountable all the perpetrators of terrorist acts across the country. He said the presence of a high court in virtually all the states of the federation was a good development as it would bring justice closer to the people. Jonathan said, “I have been duly informed that the practice directions issued by the court has contributed significantly to the reduction of trial delays and engendered speedy trial of terrorism and allied offences. “This is in tandem with this administration’s determined efforts to expand access to justice for the people and ensure that Nigerians are able to access the courts for the purposes of resolving their disputes.” The President also directed all security agencies in the country to launch what he called a full-scale investigation into the blast that occurred at the Central Mosque in Kano. He asked them to leave no stone unturned until all terror agents across the country are apprehended and prosecuted. Jonathan gave the directive in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, in which he described the Kano incident as a heinous attack. In the face of the attacks however, the President called on all Nigerians not to despair “in this moment of great trial in our nation’s history.” He asked them to remain united to confront the common enemy. He appealed to them to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies to win the on-going war against terror. The statement read, “President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan extends heartfelt condolences to the people and Government of Kano State over the heinous attack on the Central Mosque in Kano, earlier today. “He commiserates with all the families who lost their loved ones. The President calls on relief agencies and medical personnel to deploy every possible effort to assist the injured, and the general public to heed the call for the donation of blood by the hospitals where the injured are being treated. “The President has further directed the security agencies to launch a full-scale investigation and to leave no stone unturned until all agents of terror undermining the right of every citizen to life and dignity, are tracked down and brought to justice. “The President reaffirms that terrorism in all its forms and manifestation is a despicable and unjustifiable threat to our society. He reiterates the determination of the government to continue to take every step to put an end to the reprehensible acts of all groups and persons involved in acts of terrorism. “President Jonathan calls on all Nigerians not to despair in this moment of great trial in our nation’s history but to remain united to confront the common enemy. “The President is confident that no terrorist act against fellow citizens will destroy the Nigerian spirit to remain positive, resolute and united in the quest for lasting peace and security in the country. “He appeals to all Nigerians to remain vigilant and cooperate actively with our security agencies to win the on-going war against terror.” The Northern socio-cultural group, the Arewa Consultative Forum, described the attack as wicked, callous and barbaric. The ACF, through its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim in Kaduna on Friday, said the group received the news of the blasts with shock and disbelief, adding that the several attacks in some part of the North in recent time were most disturbing. According to the ACF, the insecurity situation in the region is a clear manifestation of the Federal Government’s inability to protect the lives and property of Nigerians. The Forum, therefore, called on the Federal Government to deploy all its apparatus to areas that are being confronted with Boko Haram insurgency. A statement issued by the group read, “The Arewa Consultative Forum learnt with shock and disbelief the three bomb explosions that occurred in the Central Mosque near the Emir’s palace in Kano city. The bomb blast aimed at Muslims in the mosque that left many dead and scores of others injured was wicked, callous and barbaric. “The recent bomb explosions in Yola, Maiduguri, Azare, Kontagora and many other towns in the North coupled with the daily killing of innocent people by insurgents are very disturbing and worrisome. “This insecurity situation that has engulfed the North is a clear manifestation of Federal Government’s inability to protect the people as intelligence and equipment required to contain the situation appears lacking. “ACF urges the people of Kano in particular to exercise some restrain, remain calm and avoid taking the law into their hands or blamed innocent people that have lived with them peacefully. We equally call upon the people to unite and protect themselves through intelligence sharing with security agencies.” The ACF, however, appealed to the Kano State Government and other states rocked by bomb explosions in the last one week to provide free medical treatment to the injured victims.

Egypt court dismisses murder charges against Mubarak

An Egyptian court has thrown out a case against former President Hosni Mubarak for conspiring to murder protesters during the 2011 Egyptian revolution due to a technicality and lack of jurisdiction. Mubarak and his sons Alaa and Gamal were also cleared by Chief Judge Mahmoud Kamel al- Rashidi of corruption charges related to exporting gas to Israel. The same Cairo court acquitted Habib al-Adli, former Mubarak-era interior minister, and six senior security commanders of conspiracy to murder protesters. Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said the trial was highly politicised and the verdict was “stunning”. “I am speechless,” he said. “Because the judge has told us not to discuss his verdict until we have examined the 1,430 page document.” “This is an arrogant attempt to make the Egyptian people feel sorry for coming out to the streets,” he added. “This is trying to retrieve the old Egypt and basically clear three decades of dictatorship. Basically we have everyone that has been in charge of the violence and corruption cleared of all charges, while in prison we have thousands of peaceful civil rights activists.” Mubarak, 86, had been accused along with the former police commanders of involvement in the killing of 846 demonstrators during the 2011 revolt that ended his three-decade rule. Only 239 of the deaths were considered by the court, the presiding judge said. An appeals court had overturned an initial life sentence for Mubarak in 2012 on a technicality. The new verdict was initially scheduled for September 27, but Judge Rashidi postponed it, saying he had not finished writing the reasoning after a retrial that saw thousands of case files presented.

BOKO HARAM:Bombers kill 35, injure 150 in Kano mosque - Police

Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Kano State Police Command, Samuel Lemu, has said 35 persons were killed in the bomb explosion at the Kano Central Mosque on Friday. Lemu also confirmed that 150 others were injured in the blast, which occurred during the Jumat service on Friday at the mosque, which is a few metres away from the palace of the Emir of Kano. Details later…

Four dead in Egypt anti-government protest

At least four protesters have been killed and scores of others injured in the Egyptian capital as thousands took to the streets of Cairo against the government of President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, heeding to a call by the opposition Salafist Front. The protesters were killed after security forces opened fire in the district of Matrya in eastern Cairo, witnesses told Al Jazeera. The protests by the Salafist Front, a faction concentrated in parts of the Nile Delta, are being held at the same time as regular Friday demonstrations that have been held by supporters of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood since the toppling of President Mohamed Morsi. On its Facebook page, the Salafist Front has called for a “Muslim Youth Uprising” to “topple military rule in Egypt,” urging followers to “raise your Quran”. The protests are the first attempt in months to hold large demonstrations in the country. More than a 100 people were arrested ahead of the Salafist demonstrations. Meanwhile, two senior army officers were killed in seperate shooting incidents by unidentified assailants in Cairo. Two army conscripts were also injured. The attacks occurred despite heighened military and police presence in the captal in view of the latest demonstrations. At least four protesters have been killed and scores of others injured in the Egyptian capital as thousands took to the streets of Cairo against the government of President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, heeding to a call by the opposition Salafist Front. The protesters were killed after security forces opened fire in the district of Matrya in eastern Cairo, witnesses told Al Jazeera. The protests by the Salafist Front, a faction concentrated in parts of the Nile Delta, are being held at the same time as regular Friday demonstrations that have been held by supporters of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood since the toppling of President Mohamed Morsi. On its Facebook page, the Salafist Front has called for a “Muslim Youth Uprising” to “topple military rule in Egypt,” urging followers to “raise your Quran”. The protests are the first attempt in months to hold large demonstrations in the country. More than a 100 people were arrested ahead of the Salafist demonstrations. Meanwhile, two senior army officers were killed in seperate shooting incidents by unidentified assailants in Cairo. Two army conscripts were also injured. The attacks occurred despite heighened military and police presence in the captal in view of the latest demonstrations.

Four dead in Egypt anti-government protest

At least four protesters have been killed and scores of others injured in the Egyptian capital as thousands took to the streets of Cairo against the government of President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, heeding to a call by the opposition Salafist Front. The protesters were killed after security forces opened fire in the district of Matrya in eastern Cairo, witnesses told Al Jazeera. The protests by the Salafist Front, a faction concentrated in parts of the Nile Delta, are being held at the same time as regular Friday demonstrations that have been held by supporters of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood since the toppling of President Mohamed Morsi. On its Facebook page, the Salafist Front has called for a “Muslim Youth Uprising” to “topple military rule in Egypt,” urging followers to “raise your Quran”. The protests are the first attempt in months to hold large demonstrations in the country. More than a 100 people were arrested ahead of the Salafist demonstrations. Meanwhile, two senior army officers were killed in seperate shooting incidents by unidentified assailants in Cairo. Two army conscripts were also injured. The attacks occurred despite heighened military and police presence in the captal in view of the latest demonstrations. At least four protesters have been killed and scores of others injured in the Egyptian capital as thousands took to the streets of Cairo against the government of President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, heeding to a call by the opposition Salafist Front. The protesters were killed after security forces opened fire in the district of Matrya in eastern Cairo, witnesses told Al Jazeera. The protests by the Salafist Front, a faction concentrated in parts of the Nile Delta, are being held at the same time as regular Friday demonstrations that have been held by supporters of the now banned Muslim Brotherhood since the toppling of President Mohamed Morsi. On its Facebook page, the Salafist Front has called for a “Muslim Youth Uprising” to “topple military rule in Egypt,” urging followers to “raise your Quran”. The protests are the first attempt in months to hold large demonstrations in the country. More than a 100 people were arrested ahead of the Salafist demonstrations. Meanwhile, two senior army officers were killed in seperate shooting incidents by unidentified assailants in Cairo. Two army conscripts were also injured. The attacks occurred despite heighened military and police presence in the captal in view of the latest demonstrations.

Fayose blasts Obasanjo for attacking Jonathan

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, on Friday attacked former President Olusegun Obasanjo for his criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan. Fayose spoke at the Yoruba Progress Summit, held at the Oduduwa Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State. Fayose, who was impeached as the Ekiti State Governor in 2006 during the reign of Obasanjo as President, said the ex-president was corrupt and was not in a position to criticise Jonathan. The governor alleged that Obasanjo shared a huge amount of money to people he did not name during his attempt to go for a third term as the country’s number one citizen. He said, “If you give your blood to Obasanjo, he will not support you. He doesn’t want anybody with independent mind. “You (Jonathan) did not level Borno and Yobe the way he levelled Odi; for that, he will not like you. We know how he was when he came out of prison and how rich he was when he was leaving office.” Fayose said his wife, who predicted his return to power, had told him that Jonathan would win the 2015 poll.

BOKO HARAM AGAIN: Scores killed as bombers attack Kano Central mosque

Scores of people are feared dead in an explosion at the Kano Central Mosque on Friday. The bomb blast was said to have occurred around 2.30pm, near the Emir of Kano’s palace. Spokesman for the Joint Task Force, Capt Ikechukwu Eze, confirmed the blast