60 women reportedly abducted by Boko Haram in Adamawa state

There are reports that about 60 women were abducted by members of Boko Haram during fresh attacks at Waga Mangoro and Garta villages, both in Adamawa State this past Saturday October 18th.

Residents of the villages who confirmed the abductions to reporters said the sect men came in motorcycles in the early hours of Saturday morning, killed many, burnt down their homes and abducted 40 women from Waga Mangoro village and 20 women from Garta village.


Resident of Garta community who confirmed the recent abductions told reporters;

“The insurgents are still in the area. They slit the throats of three men in Garta and abducted many young women. We also heard from residents of Waga that they killed two men and took 40 women away,” he said

Ahmadu, a resident in Waga Mangoro who also confirmed the abduction said the Boko Haram members used the abducted women as human shields during reprisals by Nigerian troops. He added that the attackers took with them food items, animals and household items belongings of villagers.

In a related development, members of the House of Representatives yesterday October 22nd approved the $1bn loan President Jonathan had requested for to enable the military purchase more weaponry.

Gov Rotimi Amaechi insults Nollywood practitioners to their faces, says they are products of circumstances

This would have been funny if it wasn't pathetic. According to a few Nollywood practitioners who were present at the Best of Nollywood Awards, which held last night in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, the governor of the state Rotimi Amaechi practically insulted Nollywood practitioners to their faces.

According to a source who reached out to LIB, during his speech at the award after he gave veteran actress Liz Benson a Lifetime Achievement Award, Governor Rotimi said that people in Nollywood are products of circumstances/necessity. He said that the only reason they are in Nollywood is because they couldn't find other jobs, that if they had, they won't be actors. Rotimi said these actors studied sciences, law, medicine etc but because they couldn't find jobs, they embraced Nollywood.


Present when he said this were Nollywood veterans including Liz Benson, Kenneth Okonkwo, Shola Sobowale, Desmond Elliot, Moses Inwang, Dickson Iroegbu, Bob-manuel Udokwu, Patience Ozokwor, Elvis Chuks, AY, Iyabo Ojo, Emem Isong and many others.

Governor Rotimi also put two veteran actresses on blast. He told the crowd that he gives Joke Silva and Kate Henshaw bags of money whenever they come to Rivers state. And then claimed he was the one who encouraged Kate Henshaw to go into politics.

Like that wasn't enough, Governor Amaechi then said he went into politics for money.

Some of the Nollywood practitioners are angry about what the governor said and have asked the AGN to make sure it doesn't happen again.

"I can't wait to come back to Lagos" - Chris Brown's DJ confirms performance at Heineken Green Light Party!

http://www.shagarinews.blogspot.com

The green light party series, which kicked off with Akon’s Official DJ at Club Escape some days ago,is set to takeover Lagos again as Chris Brown's DJ, Babey Drew has confirmed that he will be the next DJ to take over a Lagos club in a few days at the coming green light party.

Real name Andrew Bisnaught, DJ Babey Drew who began turning tables at the age of 12 also doubles as a record producer and a radio personality is the second DJ in the Green light series to storm Lagos and will be shutting down Spice Route on Friday, October 24^th 2014.

The internationally renowned DJ Babey Drew, is in Vibe magazine's list of Top 100 DJs and has also made a name for himself as the official touring DJ for Grammy Award-winning R&B sensation Chris Brown. He has since then worked with a number of artists including Lil' Wayne, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Rowland and spins regularly for the Kardashian family.

Babey Drew has also performed in over 20 countries and sold out his own tours in Europe, Dubai, Africa, Brazil and Australia.

See announcement Video here.

Liz Benson, Patience Ozokwor, others at BON Awards + Full list of winners

Here are a few photos from the Best of Nollywood Awards which held last night in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. See more pics and full list of winners after the cut...

 

BON 2014 Winners...

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (ENGLISH)

WINNER: TOPE TELEDA IN A MILE FROM HOME

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING( YORUBA)

WINNER: YINKA QUADRI IN AREMO ITE

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (HAUSA)

WINNER:  SADIQ SANI IN HADARIN GABAZ

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE(IGBO)

OKEY BAKASSI IN ONYE OZ1

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE(ENGLISH)

WINNER: IVIE OKUJAYE IN BLACK SILHOUETTE 

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE(YORUBA )

SEYI ASEKUN IN FIFEHANMI

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING (IGBO)

WINNER: QUEEN NWOKOYE IN ADAMOBI 

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE (HAUSA)

WINNER: ASMAU ABUBAKAR HADARIN GABAZ

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (ENGLISH)

WINNER: FEMI JACOBS IN DREAM WALKER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (ENGLISH)

WINNER: RITA DOMINIC IN THE MEETING 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (YORUBA)

WINNER: DELE ODULE IN KORI KOTO

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (YORUBA)

WINNER: AYO ADESANYA IN SANBE

MOST PROMISING ACTOR

WINNER: ABDULATEEF ADEDIMEJI IN KUDI KLEPTO

MOST PROMISING ACTRESS

WINNER: IJEOMA AGU IN MISFIT

BEST CHILD ACTOR

WINNER: OLAMIDE DAVIDS IN BLACK SILHOUTTE 

BEST ACTRESS 

WINNER: KANYISOLA ENIOLA IN ORITOKE

AND PRISCILLIA OJO IN SILENCE

MOVIE OF THE YEAR

WINNER: SILENCE

COMEDY OF THE YEAR

WINNER: 30 DAYS IN ATLANTA

MOVIE WITH THE BEST SOCIAL MESSAGE

WINNER: OUR DIFFERENCE 

MOVIE WITH BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS

WINNER: A MILE FROM HOME

BEST KISS IN A MOVIE

WINNER: MICHEL MAJID AND BEVERLY NAYA IN FORGETTING JUNE

BEST USE OF MAKE UP IN A MOVIE

WINNER: COBRA

MOVIE WITH THE BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 

WINNER: APAYE

MOVIE WITH THE BEST SCREENPLAY

WINNER: RENDER TO CEASER

BEST SHORT FILM

WINNER: BRAVE

BEST DOCUMENTARY

WINNER: BAD BUDGETTING FOR DEVELOPMENT 

BEST TV SERIES 

WINNER: LEKKI WIVES

 

BEST EDIT IN A MOVIE

WINNER: A MILE FROM HOME

BEST USE OF FOOD IN A MOVIE

WINNER: BEING MRS ELLIOT

MOVIE WITH THE BEST SOUND

WINNER: RENDER TO CEASER

MOVIE WITH THE BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN 

WINNER: OSUNFUNKE

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

WINNER: DESMOND ELLIOT 

REVELATION OF THE YEAR (MALE)

DANIEL K. DANIEL

REVELATION OF THE YEAR (FEMALE)

LINDA EJIOFOR

Photos: See newly sworn-in Gov of Ekiti state, Ayo Fayose's official car

Ayo Fayose, who was sworn into office yesterday October 16th as the Governor of Ekiti state has chosen this 1965 model of Mercedez Benz car as his official car. He is quoted to have said he chose this car so he could be close to the poor in the state. Lol. OK. See another pic after the cut...

Photo: EFCC arrest Kingpin of fraudsters in Ondo state

Find the EFCC press statement below...

A deadly syndicate of fraudsters who virtually opened an office for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Akure, the Ondo State capital, from where they dispatch fake invitation letters to unsuspecting heads of government agencies purporting to be carrying out investigation activities against them, has been uncovered.

The kingpin of the syndicate, one Olubunmo Olalekan, who is currently in EFCC custody in Abuja, was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Service, DSS, and handed over to the Commission.

At the point of arrest, Olalekan who parades himself as a Principal Detective Superintendent of the EFCC, had in his possession fake letter head papers of the Commission, 30 GSM sim cards, assorted complimentary cards, a laptop computer and printer from where he churns out the fraudulent invitation letters.

His modus operandi is to send out the bulk invitation letters to as many agencies as possible, via courier, claiming to have pending petitions alleging corruption against their heads.

Investigations so far revealed that the suspect has written and distributed over sixty letters purportedly from the Commission to several top officials of ministries, department and agencies. Among them are the chairman, Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board, Ibadan; Managing Director, NPDC Limited, Sapele Road, Benin City; Professor Idowu Odeyemi, Provost Nigerian Institute of Mining and Geosciences, Jos; Managing Director/Chief Executive Office, Jebba Hydro Electric Plc, Jebba, Niger State; Medical Director, National Obstetric Fistula Centre, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State; Dr. Iyela Ajayi, Provost Federal College of Education, Okene, Kogi State and a host of others.

He would leave a GSM number in the letters asking the agency heads to contact a PDS Adeniyi. Those who fall for the scam are asked to pay money for the purported case against them to be dropped.

The syndicate had gone to the extent of issuing clearance letters to those that met their terms.

But some heads of agencies that are sure they had done nothing untoward to warrant investigation by the EFCC have been bold to contact the Commission, which was how Olalekan was nabbed.

Dr. Asunyikanmu Pius, director of Technical Aids Corps, Abuja was one of the agency heads targeted by the scammer. But once he received the invitation letter with instruction to contact a PDS Adeniyi, Dr. Pius alerted the Commission. He was encouraged to play along and consequently paid the sum of N2 million into an Access Bank Account as demanded by the suspect to throw the case. A sting operation was planned, but Olalekan was arrested by men of the DSS before he could draw the money.

Investigation so far revealed that the suspect who operates from his home in Shagari Extension, Akure, Ondo State has obtained millions of naira from victims who were willing to pay his price to escape the ordeal of a phantom investigation. Unknown to them, they had enriched a fraudster.

Olalekan is not the lone player in this scheme of trickery. His two accomplices, a certain Ahaji Yero and one Mr Bako are currently at large even as the EFCC launches a massive manhunt to bring them to justice.

Olalekan’s arrest represents a major breakthrough in the effort of the EFCC to break the ring of fraudsters that specializes in impersonating officials of the agency to dupe unsuspecting members of the public.

The Commission has repeatedly warned members of the public to be wary of invitation letters purportedly emanating from the agency with instructions to contact any supposed official through a GSM line.

No authentic EFCC invitation letter will request anybody to contact an official by telephone. Rather, you are asked to report at an EFCC office to be interviewed by a designated officer.

Members of the public are encouraged to report any suspicious invitation to the Commission’s Department of Internal Affairs by email: DIA@EFCCNIGERIA.ORG or call this number: 09- 9044758 between 8am and 5pm weekdays only.

Photos: Alaafin of Oyo and his Oloris step out once again

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Love seeing this family out and about...there's something regal about them. Oh, wait a minute, they are royal! They were photographed earlier today going to the mosque for Friday prayers. See more photos after the cut...

UPDATE: Chibok Schoolgirls To Be Released By Boko Haram Monday In Chad

Screenshot of video released by Boko Haram showing some of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls

Following a declared cease-fire agreement between the Federal Government and Islamist terror group, Boko Haram, there are strong indications that the 218 Chibok schoolgirls abducted by the sect six months ago will be released on Monday, October 20, 2014.

Friday, Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh had announced the agreement between the government and the dreaded terrorist group which has been running a bloody campaign in the North East of the country since 2009 killing over 10,000 people.

“A ceasefire agreement has been concluded between the Federal Government and the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal Jihad (Boko Haram),” Badeh said at a conference in Abuja. He informed the 3-day bilateral conference between Nigeria’s military and Cameroon’s that the service chiefs had been told to comply with the ceasefire agreement. The conference was focused on the coordination of trans-border military operations between the two countries.

The kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls had sparked international outrage and energised the war against terrorism in Nigeria. The terrorist group had demanded the release of their detained militants in exchange for the schoolgirls.

President Goodluck Jonathan’s Principal Secretary, Hassan Tukur, told BBC Focus on Africa that an agreement to end the Boko Haram hostilities had been reached after one month of negotiations in Saudi Arabia with the violent group. The negotiation was said to have been headed by the Chadian President Idriss Deby.

According to Tukur, Boko Haram had announced a unilateral ceasefire on Thursday and the government had responded likewise on Friday.

“The Boko Haram members have assured us that they have the girls and that they will release them. I am cautiously optimistic,” Tukur told the BBC.

A man named Danladi Ahmadu who identifies as the Secretary-General of Boko Haram told VOA’s Hausa-language service that the abducted girls would be released on Monday, October 20 in Chad and he assured that the girls are “in good condition and unharmed”.

The Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, said that the “ceasefire means is that there would be no fire”, stressing that there would be cessation of hostilities in line with the terms of the agreement.