31-year-old Electrician to Die by Hanging for Allegedly Killing His Client

A 31-year-old electrician, Abdulkadiri Issa, was on Wednesday sentenced to death by hanging at a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja for the murder of Mrs. Catherine Kate-Amadi in Ebute-Meta, Lagos. Issa was condemned to death for stabbing Kate-Amadi with a kitchen knife in her residence where he had been invited to repair some electrical faults sometime in 2006.

5 Things About Women And Dating That Every Man Should Know

In today’s post I want to share five things about women every man should know, things I’ve learned along the way that might be useful to some of you.

Flavour Joins League Of Nite Club Owners As He Sets To Open ’2nite Club’ In Enugu

Highlife artiste Flavour Nabania joins the likes Dbanj, 2face Idibia and Basketmouth who are club owners, as he is set to launch his own night club.
NET has gathered that Flavour will officially open the new club, “2nite Club” to the public on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 in his home state, Enugu.

Photos: Behind-the-scenes photos of 2face Idibia’s Ihe Neme video shoot

Photos: Behind-the-scenes photos of 2face Idibia’s Ihe Neme video shoot....

Ihe Neme is a song off 2face Idibia’s latest album “Away & Beyond”. Video directed by Clarence Peters.

2Face Is Proud Owner Of Two Multimillion Naira Haven Homes

Talk about hard work, talk about 2Face Idibia! The singer yesterday couldn’t hide his excitement as he took ownership of two haven homes. The ‘Ihe Neme’ crooner took to twitter to make the announcement:

M.I composes poem for murdered UNIPORT students

Nigeria’s talent rapper Jude Abaga popularly known as M.I has condemned the killings of the 4 University of Port-Hacourt students who were beaten and burnt alive in front of a crowd.

The young men were accused of stealing laptops and mobile phones before being burnt to death.
In reaction to this, M.I wrote the poem below:

Africa’s Rapper Number 1, MI Is A Year Older Today

Nigerian Hip Hop artiste and multi-award winner, Jude Abaga better known by his stage name MI (Mr Incredible), is today, 4th of October, a year older.

According to wikipedia, the rapper was born on this day in 1980 which makes him 32 years old. Here’s wishing the “short black boy from Jos” a happy birthday and many more successful years ahead doing what he knows how to do best.

Basket Mouth Reveals How His Wife Influenced His Choice Of A New Hair Style

Bright A.k.a  “Basket Mouth” Okpocha has attributed his new looks to the influence of his wife of almost 2 years, Elsie Uzoma.

The celebrated comedian had changed his looks from a full dread locked hair to a dreads Mohawk style. In his words:

Nigerians Bombard Hong Kong Billionaire’s Lesbian Daughter With Marriage Offers

Gigi Chao, the daughter of a Hong Kong billionaire says she has been bombarded with marriage proposals – and even nude photographs – from Nigerians and other nationals after her father offered £40 million to the man who could woo her.

Remember the story of the Hong Kong billionaire, who offered $65m to any man who could win the heart of his lesbian daughter? If you missed it CLICK HERE

Gigi Chao, daughter of property tycoon Cecil Chao, entered a civil partnership with her girlfriend of seven years in a ceremony in Paris five months ago.

But Mr Chao, 76, has told the South China Morning Post that reports of his daughter’s civil ceremony were “false”. He announced the HK$500 million dowry earlier this week.

Man Caught Having S*x With Donkey in Enugu

Crazy things now happen so often that one is left wondering why these things are happening. Have men lost the essence of their manhood?

A man named Anayochukwu Okarih has been arrested for allegedly having s*x with a donkey belonging to one Mrs Nnedi Moses of Umuhu, Eha-Amufu in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State.

Eyewitnesses told reporters in Enugu that the suspect was handed over to the police after he was allegedly paraded naked around the town at the weekend.

Okarih who hails from

Dj Jimmy Jatt, Kennis music all-stars set for Independence groove

As Nigeria clocks 52, some individuals are rolling out the annual green and white groove and getting ready for the events that will mark Nigeria’s independence come October 1.

According to one of the organizers of the Independence day

WOMAN DELIVERS GOAT-LIKE BABY

This latest news is coming from Jigawa state, north west Nigeria, where a woman is alleged to have given birth to the creature below – a baby without a clearly defined neck and with goat hoofs for feet. According to the source of this story, the woman is said to have lamented her plight as this is the fourth time she will be giving birth to

Floods kill eight; displace over 1 million in Kogi

Eight persons have been killed and about one million displaced from their home in Kogi State by the recent flooding that have ravage the state due to the release of Kainji and Shiroro dams of the River Niger, an official said on Monday.

The Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) operations in Abuja, Ishaya Isah, who in company of some members of the National Assembly from Kogi West visited one of the relieve camp in Lokoja, confirmed that about eight persons have lost their lives as a result of the flood while over 332 communities were washed away by the flood.

“About nine local governments were affected by the waters and over 332 communities have suffered this devastation of the flood. People lost their household utensils, their houses and over 70 percent of them lost all their farm products,” he said.

Mr Isah said that the eight persons that died were killed when a boat cap sided in Banda, a community which is about ten minutes’ drive away from Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

Apple seeks ban of Samsung sales in US

Apple Inc has asked for a court order for a permanent U.S. sales ban on Samsung Electronics products alleged to have violated its patents along with additional damages of $707 million on top of the billion-dollar verdict won by the iPhone maker last month.

Samsung has responded by asking for a new trial.

The world’s top two smartphone makers are locked in patent battles in 10 countries as they vie for top spot in the lucrative, fast-growing market.

Apple scored a legal victory over Samsung in late August when a U.S. jury found that the Korean firm had copied critical features of the iPhone and awarded the U.S. firm $1.05 billion in damages.

In a motion filed late Friday U.S. time, Apple sought a further $400 million damage award for design infringement by Samsung; $135 million for willful infringement of its utility patents; $121 million in supplemental damages based on Samsung’s product sales not covered in the jury’s deliberation; and $50 million of prejudgment interest on damages through December 31. The requests together come to $707 million.

Apple wants the injunction to cover “any of the infringing products or any other product with a feature or features not more than colorably different from any of the infringing feature or features in any of the Infringing Products.”

Such a wide-ranging sales ban could result in the extension of the injunction to cover Samsung’s brand-new Galaxy S III smartphone.

‘RECTANGLES WITH ROUNDED CORNERS’

Samsung, in a filing to the U.S. court, asked for a new trial to be held.

“The Court’s constraints on trial time, witnesses and exhibits were unprecedented for a patent case of this complexity and magnitude, and prevented Samsung from presenting a full and fair case in response to Apple’s many claims,” Samsung said.

“Samsung therefore respectfully requests that the Court grant a new trial enabling adequate time and even-handed treatment of the parties.”

In a separate statement, Samsung lamented the fact that patent rulings should cover issues such as the shape of the product in addition to technological points.

“It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over

Floods, landslides displace 1 million in India; 33 dead

Floods and landslides caused by relentless rain in northeast India have killed at least 33 people and displaced more than a million over the past week, officials said on Monday.

At least 21 people were killed in landslides and another eight were missing in the mountainous state of Sikkim, said state government spokesman A.S. Tobgay.

Three killed, 46 wounded in Bauchi suicide attack

Update: Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Otitoju Stevens told Channels Television in a telephone interview that the blast occurred along the Murtala Mohammed Way close to the Tafawa Balewa Stadium. He said the blast did not affect the church building.

 

Mr. Stevens however said three people have been confirmed dead from the attack; the bomber and a woman died on the spot while a boy believed to be around the ages of 8-10 died in the hospital.

He refuted the claims that journalists were stopped from gaining access to the blast site. Stevens blamed the barricade on the large crowd trying to gain access to the scene.

Mikel Obi apologises for Champions League blunder

Mikel Obi, Nigeria and Chelsea midfielder apologised for his blunder that caused his club Chelsea the much desired win in the first match to launch their campaign to defend their champions’ league title.

In a match that was almost won with a perfectly executed game plan, the Stamford Bridge club was on course to finish the game with a 2-1 score line when Mikel carelessly gave the ball away in the build-up to the equalizer  cancelling the two goals from Brazil midfielder Oscar.

Nigeria midfielder Mikel Obi has apologised for the Champions League blunder that allowed Juventus to snatch a 2-2 draw against holders Chelsea.

With just 10 minutes remaining at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, Chelsea were on course to open their title defence with a victory after two goals from Brazil midfielder

Mikel shuts Twitter account after racist abuse on mistakes against Juventus

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has quit Twitter after racist messages and other abuse was sent to him on the social network.

The club initially moved to deny he had terminated his account on the basis of receiving any communications but later condemned ‘unacceptable’ Tweets and said the police had been informed.

Here is the complete and full list of nominees for the “2012 MTV EMA”:

BEST SONG
Carly Rae Jepsen – ‘Call Me Maybe’
Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris – ‘We Found Love’
Gotye – ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’
Pitbull feat. Chris Brown – ‘International Love’
fun . feat. Janelle Monáe – ‘We Are Young’

 

BEST NEW
Rita Ora
fun .
One Direction
Lana Del Rey
Carly Rae Jepsen

BEST FEMALE
Rihanna
Katy Perry
P!nk
Taylor Swift
Nicki Minaj

BEST MALE
Justin Bieber
Kanye West
Flo Rida
Pitbull

D’banj battles Wizkid for MTV EMA Awards

Its the 19th edition of the MTV EMA Awards, an event that celebrates the biggest musical artists from around the globe.
The event will take place at Frankfurt Historic Festhalle on November 11 in Germany.

Africa’s hottest contemporary artists are also in the frame for an EMA award, as Sarkodie, Camp Mulla, Wizkid, Mi Casa and D’Banj fight it out for a slot in the Worldwide Act category, where they will compete against their peers in India and the Middle East (from Monday 15 October).

Obiwon's Wife Give Birth To A Baby Girl

Nigeria musical artist, Obiora Nwokolobia-Agu aka Obiwon is a proud father of a baby girl.

Obiwon's wife gave birth to the baby girl on Sept 4th.

Enownow Entertainment Says Congratulations.

Nigeria Actor, Jim Iyke Goes Nude In New Movie.

Jim Iyke has taken his trade to Ghana, and he seems to be obeying the old proverb of  'When you are in Rome, do as the Romans'.

The actor reportedly acted nude in new Ghallywood movie 'My First Wife', a feature which is characteristic of most Ghanaian movies. 

In a particular scene, Jim Iyke is seen nude with actress Nikki Samonas...

Though its not a new thing in Ghana, as actors like Majid Michel and John Dumelo have practically had sex on-camera, it is a first for Nollywood as no Nigerian actor has previously done such a scene.

Nigeria Financial Crimes Commission To Summon Indicted Judges Next Week

As investigation deepens in the alleged corruption rocking the judiciary, judges in the centre of the probe would be summoned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

A source close to the investigation revealed that the leadership of the commission had given the team of investigators in charge of the probe the go-ahead to issue summons for questioning on the indicted judges before the end of the next week.

Nigeria Man Caught Selling Vulture As Fried Chicken

An hausa man was caught trapping vulture with snuff in Onne, Port Harcourt and wanted to use them as roasted chicken for people to buy.

He said he has been doing this business for sometimes now.

lovers of roasted chicken from road side in Akajo and Onne or Eleme as a whole beware, because some of these roasted chickens are mixed them with vultures.

US explains reasons for not naming Boko Haram, a terrorist group

The United States government has given reasons why it has not labelled Boko Haram, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), saying the group is not a homogenous, monolithic organisation, but that it is made up of different types of groups.

US Assistant Secretary of state for African affairs at the US State department, Johnnie Carson, speaking via webcam on Thursday, at the US Consulate in Lagos, said the United States is very concerned about the effect the group has on the country and its neighbours.

He stated that Boko haram is focused on trying to discredit the Nigerian government, and show that it is ineffective in defending its people.

“But that the US government has identified three of the group’s leaders, that has been making contact with foreign terrorist organisations, and is monitoring their activities” he also explained.

CBN suspends introduction of N5000 note

Reeling from a barrage of public anger, disagreement and threats, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has buckled under pressure and suspended the planned introduction of the N5000 note following a directive from the presidency.

This is coming after the presidency through the Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Reuben Abati, on Thursday declared that President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered that the planned introduction of N5,000 be put on hold.

The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) had also on Thursday, called for the immediate

N5000 note: NBA calls for the dismissal of CBN governor

The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) has called for the immediate sack of the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi over the planned introduction of the N5,000 note.

NBA’s president, Mr Okey Wali at a meeting with some legal luminaries in Abuja on Thursday, said the introduction of the N5,000 note should not be imposed on Nigerians.

Mr Wali threatened that the association will go to court if the federal government goes ahead with the plan.

The lawyers’ meeting was called to deliberate on how to develop the bar association while appraising its performance with a view to identify lapses and suggest ways of reforming the legal profession.

Just One Click.....And U are on the Go!!! http://bignaija.blogspot.com

Hundreds of passengers stranded as Arik Air suspends domestic flights

Thousands of passengers across Nigeria are presently stranded at airports, as  the nation’s leading airline, Arik Air suspended all domestic flights unexpectedly.

Arik Air,  on Thursday morning announced that it is suspending all its domestic operations indefinitely over the “persistent hostility of the Ministry of Aviation and Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) management.”

The airline operates an average of 120 flights a day and is currently the leading carrier in Nigeria with 63% share of the market capacity.

WOMAN LEARNS LATE HUSBAND WAS HER BIOLOGICAL FATHER

Valerie Spruill (Pictured) A woman who is in her 60s was devastated to learn that her late husband was actually her biological father. She made the discovery after her husband passed away, reports Akron Beacon Journal. Her husband would have been around 15 years of age when she was conceived. The confusion occurred because the woman was brought up by her grandparents ever since she was three months old. When she turned 9, she learnt that the person she assumed to be her father was actually her grandfather. And the woman whom she thought of as her aunt was actually her mother. But by then, her mother had passed away and she never learnt who her biological father was.

Prophet Messi casting Out Spell.....lolz

THE GAME OF FOOTBALL......lolzzz

Windows phone 8 smartphone unveiled by Microsoft thanks to HTC

HTC has produced two new smartphones for Microsoft, running on its Windows Phone 8 operating system.

Microsoft and HTC yesterday unveiled the first two “signature Windows Phones”, the Windows Phone 8X and 8S. Both devices will be available from November, though more than 150 mobile operators worldwide, although pricing details have yet to be revealed.

The X and the S nomenclature mirror HTC’s existing one product line. The 8X is the higher device of the two, with a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 4.3-inch display and 8-megapixel camera (with the now obligatory burst mode). There’s also an 88-degree wide angle 2.1MP front-facing camera, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of memory and NFC capability.

The 8S is physically smaller and less capable, with a dual-core 1GHz S4 chip, 5MP camera and a non-HD 4-inch display. Both models come in a variety of bold colours, rather akin to Nokia’s Lumia series. Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, stretched credulity somewhat when he said:

“Windows Phone has clearly emerged as one of the top mobile ecosystems and is competitive against any other smartphone platform in the world.

We’ve been inspired by Windows Phone 8 to create new smartphones that give the platform the iconic design and personality it deserves.”

That’s salesmanship for you. Microsoft is going to need more support from HTC and others to bolster the early efforts of Nokia in getting more devices out into the market – and devices that truly stand out from the very capable

We have ourselves to blame for Juventus draw – Di Matteo

Chelsea Manager Roberto Di Matteo reacted to the poor finish of the Blues at home in Stamford Bridge against Italian club Juventus in their first game of the UEFA Champions League Campaign for the 2012/2013 season.

Di Matteo said Chelsea is blaming itself for blowing a two-goal lead and making the title defence sloppy from the start of the campaign after giving up the lead to settle for a draw against Juventus ending the game 2-2.

From the start, Chelsea proved to be ready for their title defence with debutant Oscar scoring a stunning first-half double, but the Italian champions ruthlessly exposed the holders’ defensive deficiencies to snatch a Group E draw at Stamford Bridge, with Arturo Vidal and Fabio Quagliarella on target.

Chelsea’s defending was bad enough when

India hit by national strike over economic reforms

Schools, shops and government offices were shut in some Indian states on Thursday as protesters blocked road and rail traffic as part of a one-day nationwide strike against sweeping economic reforms announced by the government last week.

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), joined by smaller parties from both the political left and right, called for the strike to protest against a 14 percent hike in heavily subsidized diesel prices, and a government decision that opens the door to foreign supermarket chains to invest in India.

The measures, part of a package of big-bang economic reforms aimed at boosting a sharply slowing economy, have triggered a political firestorm. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s biggest ally pulled out of his shaky coalition on Tuesday, raising the risk of an early election.

Wizkid, Banky W and Skales dazzle on MTV Iggy

The EME boys who have been on a tour in North American, where recently interviewed with an MTV Iggy where they shared the EME experience and their future plans.

The EME boss Banky W, spoke on the need for change in the Nigerian Society which inspired the track “Change”.

“A lot of young people are frustrated that we’re seeing the same issues plaguing Nigeria for years on end. It just feels like it’s time for us to speak up and to stand up and just force things to go in a different direction. And when I say force I mean not violently or anything crazy like that,” he said.

“I just think things remain the same because we don’t do anything about it. Nigeria can change for the better and it will change when young people especially decide that enough is enough and that’s really what the song “Change” is about,” Banky W said.

R. Kelly makes Soul Train Awards’ history as most nominated artist

R. Kelly is nominated for two awards at this year’s Soul Train Awards, making him the most nominated act ever at the awards show.

R. Kelly is up for the Ashford & Simpson songwriter’s award and album of the year, bringing his career total to 21 nominations.

Usher leads this year’s awards with five nominations. Estelle, Nas, Trey Songz and John Legend are also multiple nominees.

Sunny Ade plans big for 50 years on stage anniversary

Juju king, Sunny Ade has shortlisted top musicians from his generation to perform at a set of concerts that will commemorate the anniversary of his 50 years on stage.

The concerts will feature several activities including the musician’s 66th birthday and 35 years reign as the king of juju music.

King Sunny Ade in an exclusive interview with Channels Television said the concerts will be one of its kind and something to remember for a long time.

The show, with the theme ‘An evening with KSA’, will feature various artistes including Salawa Abeni, Dele Abiodun, Abass Obesere, Yinka Ayefele amongst others.

The event will hold on 1 October at the Premier Hotel Ibadan.

Apple releases ios6 latest version on iPhone,iPod Touch and iPad

Apple has released the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 6.

The free update is available for the iPhone 3GS and above, the iPad 2 and up, and fourth-generation iPod touch and beyond. The new iPhone 5 will come pre-loaded with iOS 6.

Users should be able to start downloading the update by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update on their iOS device (or by plugging their gadget into a PC/Mac). Once iOS 6 hits the device, there will be a “Download and Install” button (see below), provided you have enough space on your iDevice for the 597MB download.

The download process, however, will likely be very slow today with all the Apple fans eager to upgrade. If you can wait, it’ll likely be a faster experience in the coming days.

Apple unveiled iOS 6 at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June, and announced at last week’s iPhone 5 event that it would start rolling out 19 September. Among the more than 200 new features are a revamped Maps app, Siri on the iPad, as well as Facebook integration, and FaceTime video chat over cellular.

Arsenal Topples Montpellier in UCL Clash

Other English team in Champions League action last night recorded success as Arsenal opened their Group B campaign with a 2-1 victory in Montpellier. After going behind to a Younes Belhanda goal in the ninth minute, Arsenal struck twice in three minutes through Lukas Podolski and Gervinho and hung on despite second-half pressure from the French champions.

 

Arsenal was out to win even though it was not all good for the Gunners as the Assistant Manager

Without D’banj my production skills would have been wasted – Don Jazzy

Former Mo’Hits boss and the CEO of Mavin Records, Michael Collins, popularly known as Don Jazzy on Monday showed appreciation to his friends and people he had worked with in the past.

Don Jazzy who didn’t forget to thank his former partner D’banj in his statement said “Kudos to my bro D’banj, for without him my production skills which I gathered from JJC would have been wasted”.

He also didn’t forget to thank his former boss JJC, saying “Kudos to JJC for without him I will still be playing Tungba music” .

Wizkid Features on New Kardinal Offishal Track

The much anticipated single is here as Canadian dancehall rapper Kardinal Offishal has dropped his new track featuring the EME boy, Ayo Balogun popularly known as Wizkid.

The tune premiered on a Canadian radio station a few hours ago.

The single is title “Reppin For My City”.

Darey Signs Zaina to Soul Muzik

Co-founder of Soul Muzik, Darey Art Alade has announced that Zaina US based Nigeria is now signed to Soul Muzik.

Darey described the upcoming artiste as a talented singer, a performer and a fierce entertainer that wants to make her music fans happy.

The upcoming singer Zaina says she’s ‘here to stay, to play my part and add my voice to what’s going on in my great country’.

Zaina has in the past worked with Eldee, STYL Plus, Sasha, Lynxxx and received nods from the popular Nigerian Entertainment Awards.

Femi Kuti To Perform At The Headies 2012

Afro beat singer and one of Africa’s greatest music exports, Femi Kuti, is set to perform at Nigeria’s most prestigious music awards, The Headies, scheduled for October 20, 2012 at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

This is the first time an Afrobeat musician will be performing at the Headies.

The Headies, also known as Hip Hop World Awards, is fast becoming a blend of generational genres of music.

The Afrobeat legend and Grammy nominee, Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti, popularly known as Femi Kuti, began his international career in 1988 when he was invited by the French Cultural Centre in Lagos and Christian Mousset to perform at the Festival d’Angoulême (France), the New Morning Club in Paris and the Moers Festival in Germany.

Femi Kuti, in the course of his music career, has shown strong commitment to social and political causes. In 2001, Femi collaborated on his album Fight to Win with a number of U.S. musicians, including Common, Mos Def, and Jaguar Wright. He created his own band, Positive Force in the late 1980s with Dele Sosimi (Gbedu Resurrection), former key-board player of Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

According to Femi, “My career is not based on awards. I sincerely mean what I sing about. My music is truly fighting for electricity, good healthcare service, good roads, equal education for my people and African unity. It’s neither a love song, nor commercial and it still gets headlines and good reviews. I’m especially touched when young people appreciate what I am doing,”

This will be the first time Femi Kuti will be honoured on Nigerian soil as he will be inducted into The Headies Hall Of Fame. The Afrobeat legend says “It’s a kind of privilege, its good. I mean I would drink a bottle of champagne when I get it, we will celebrate here.”

Ayo Animashaun, executive producer of The Headies is extremely excited over this year’s line-up of artistes. “Every year, our target is to surpass our very best efforts. With notable artistes such as Femi Kuti and many more gracing The Headies this year, our fans should expect to watch the most exciting awards ceremony to be held in recent times.”

The full list of artistes scheduled to perform at the award ceremony will be announced in due course by the organizers.

Other Hall Of Fame Inductees includes Dayo D1 Adeneye, Kenny Ogungbe, Phillip Trimmel, Olisa Adibua, Obi Asika, Femi Akintunde Johnson, Sir Shina Peters and DJ Jimmy Jatt.

Lagos Chief Judge Frees 233 Inmates From Kirikiri Prison

The Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Ayotunde Phillips on Tuesday granted freedom to 233 prisoners, most of who have been awaiting trials for upwards of twelve years as part of the activities marking the beginning of a new Legal Year in the state.

130 inmates were released from prison custody at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison while another 103 from the Kirikiri Medium Security Prison.

Justice Phillips who ordered their release during a visit to the Kirikiri prison said that the exercise was “in pursuant of the powers conferred on her under Section 1 (1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2007″ and as part of the activities marking the 2012/2013 Legal Year.

She said ” there is a saying in the legal circle that it is better for 10 guilty persons to be free than for one innocent person to be incarcerated.

“We have gone through the list of those recommended for release. So for those of you qualified to be released, you are very lucky that your name has come up. So, go and sin no more”.

Justice Phillips counselled all those who regained freedom on Tuesday to turn a new leaf and go out to contribute their quota to the society.

She recalled that during her swearing in ceremony, she made a promise to decongest the prisons.

Towards this end, she promised that prison visits would not be confined to Legal year activity alone during her tenure.

She said that she intend to pay more regular visit to the prisons during her tenure than what obtained during the previous administrations.

Justice Phillips who noted that there has been a lot of human cry about prison congestion said that all those who qualified under the new criminal administration law would be granted freedom.

Welcoming the Chief Judge, the Deputy Comptroller of the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Olu Tinuoye said that it is very unusual for chief judges of Lagos state to visit the prisons.

“By this visit, a lot of them expect freedom. It is a matter of regret that Judges in the state have not being visiting the prison regularly. This is why their expectation is very high” he said.

Mr Tinuoye said a lot of the inmates awaiting trials have not found life easy behind the bars especially because they are in custody for petty offences.

His counterpart at the Medium Security Prison, Tunde Ladipo commended the efforts of the Lagos state government for taking care of the prisons.

Mr Ladipo however pleaded with government for the release of more awaiting trials in order to reduce the congestion in the prison.

Defence Headquarters Website Hacked – CDS

The dreaded cyber hackers have hijacked the Defence Headquarters website for their selfish and unpatriotic reasons in a similar way they reportedly did to the State Security Service (SSS) and News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recently.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Chief Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin yesterday disclosed this and called for concrete measures to be taken as the country adopts cashless policy in order to avoid sabotage.

He made these disclosures at opening of World cyber security conference in Abuja where he said it will be at nation peril to overlook the threat to the cashless policy because even before the pronouncement of the policy, cyber attacks have been a major threat to Nigerian Community.

He noted that cyber attacks on some major world corporations and institutions infiltrating their system and stealing confidential information are becoming rampant.

“Here in Nigeria, our defense and security institutions have not been left out. My Defence Headquarters’ website for example was hacked not long ago. One of the Services, the Navy, also had its website hacked. We also aware of similar experiences with other security agencies in the country,” he said.

He said that the armed forces need to build more ICT capacity because the threat posed by the Boko Haram sect through online reports of their activities needs to be effectively checked.

“So far, we have achieved successes in the deployment of Information and Communication Technology, surveillance and tracking equipment to locate criminals elements in our society and perpetrators of the Boko Haram menace”

He said that further successes would be achieved if we appropriately apply cyber technology and space researches to tackle the country’s contemporary security problems.

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LASU Students Protest Over Tuition Fees

First year students of  the Lagos State University (LASU), Main campus in Ojo on Tuesday,  protested against the school management over the high school fees.

The protesting students were reported to have abandoned one of their examination to register their grievances.

Local media reported that the students were reacting to the rumour making the rounds on the campus that the management had no intention to effect a cut in  tuition as promised during their admission into the school.

The Lagos State government, as part of moves to douse the rising tension caused by the  increase in the tuition of  LASU students, earlier said the proposed fees would only be paid by incoming students that would be admitted into the school in years to come.

The student were  however, directed to pay  N193,750 for Arts/Education;  N223,750 for Social and Management Sciences; N248,750 for Law while those in Communication/Transport, Sciences, Engineering and College of Medicine paid  N238,750, N258,750, N298,750 and N348,750 respectively as against old fees which ranges between N25,000 and N62,500.

Meanwhile, the Students Union Government, SUG, the umbrella body of every student in the institution has dissociated itself from the protest.

Top Official Killed In Nigeria State Hit By Islamist Attacks

KANO, Nigeria — Gunmen have killed the justice commissioner for a Nigerian state at the heart of an Islamist insurgency and also an ex-prisons chief in another volatile area, government and police sources said Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the killings, but they occurred after security forces on Monday shot dead two suspected high-ranking members of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram.

In Borno state, gunmen stormed the justice commissioner's home late Monday in the town of Bama in the country's northeast, the region where Boko Haram is based and which has been hard hit by gun and bomb attacks.

"We received the report of the death of the commissioner of justice, Zannah Malam Gana," a government official said on condition of anonymity. "He was shot dead by some gunmen in his house around 8:45 pm last night."

In the case of the former national prisons chief, a senior police officer said he was shot dead in Bauchi state in Nigeria's north as he was leaving a mosque near his house following evening prayers.

"The former comptroller-general of prisons is dead," the senior police officer said of Ibrahim Jarma. "He died from the wounds he sustained in the attack last night."

Boko Haram has been blamed for more than 1,400 deaths since 2010 in northern and central Nigeria as part of its insurgency.

Nigerian soldiers on Monday shot dead a suspected media spokesman for Boko Haram and another high-ranking member.

Troops involved in the operation on the outskirts of the city of Kano said one of those killed was suspected to have been the Boko Haram spokesman who has used the alias Abul Qaqa.

Statements are often issued on behalf of Boko Haram in the name of Abul Qaqa, and someone identifying himself with that name has regularly held phone conferences with journalists.

A second man, believed to be the "field commander" for Kogi and Kaduna states as well as the capital Abuja, was also shot and later died from his wounds, according to a top security source.

The group's attacks have grown increasingly deadly and sophisticated, including suicide bombings at UN headquarters in Abuja and an office for one of the country's most prominent newspapers. It has frequently targeted Nigerian symbols of authority.

Earlier this month, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for attacks on more than two dozen mobile phone towers, disrupting service in the northeast in a country where landlines rarely function.

Muslims have often been its victims, but it has attacked a number of Christian churches in recent months and Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that the group is seeking to spark a religious conflict.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer, is divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south.

There has been a lull in major attacks in recent weeks, with the government saying it was engaging in back-channel talks in an effort to halt the violence.

A previous attempt at dialogue earlier this year collapsed when a mediator quit over leaks to the media and a Boko Haram spokesman said they could not trust the government.

Boko Haram is believed to include several factions, and criminal gangs and others are thought to have carried out violence under the guise of the group.

Nigerians are 4th biggest foreign spenders in UK – Report

Nigerian shoppers are reported to be the fourth biggest foreign spenders in the United Kingdom. A report by the UK’s Guardian has revealed.

According to the report “Visitors from the west African nation are the UK’s fourth biggest foreign spenders, ringing up an average £500 in each shop where they make purchases – four times what the average UK shopper spends.”

One of the Nigerians interviewed in the report, Victoria Appiah disclosed that  she stocks up on everything she needs for the next six months in Nigeria whenever she visits the United Kingdom.

“I basically only do food shopping back home. It’s not that you can’t get these things in Lagos, but everything here is much more reasonably priced. If you want cheap products, Chinese-made have taken over in Nigeria, and you can’t always vouch for quality” she said.

Holidaying or visiting relatives abroad is increasingly open to millions of middle class Nigerians, with the number of visitors to the UK increasing by more than 50% to 142,000 a year in the decade ending 2011, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In a country projected to become Africa’s biggest economy next year, and the world’s fifth most populous by 2050, businesses at home and abroad are cashing in.

In Debenhams’ Oxford Street branch, signs in Hausa-one of the official Nigerian languages in the country’s largely impoverished north-direct shoppers to items on sale.

This year, the shop said that Nigerian customers were its biggest overseas spenders.

Daily flights plying the lucrative route between Nigeria and the UK have ballooned in the last decade. British Airways permits almost double the normal baggage allowance for the six-hour haul.

In some cases, Nigerians are literally using their deeper pockets on sprees.

Shola Obadeyu wore a heavy duffel coat while queuing in Heathrow for a flight back to her sweltering home city of Abuja.

“I can save [airline] baggage space by putting small things like vest tops and underwear in the pockets,” she said as she queued with other passengers, almost all struggling with bulging suitcases.

Back in Abuja, Obadeyu sells wares bought in London “at prices that don’t kill you”.

Others are tapping the market. A mushrooming middle class snapped up 10m microwaves last year. Big name brands from Apple to Zara have sprung up to feed those aspirations.

The African-based discount supermarket giant Shoprite is pouring $205million into its current three outlets in Nigeria, while the US hypermarket Walmart sees scope for 50 outlets in the country.

On a recent trip back from Europe, Marie Claire Lienou lugged 50kg of frozen meat in a freezer bag back to Nigeria. “You can’t compare [Shoprite's] prices here with their prices in Europe. For 10 steaks there I can buy two here. You just pay what you have to for the convenience and guarantees,” she said, pushing a trolley laden with relative luxuries such as bagged salads.

“Nigeria is very crowded, traffic is terrible, fakes [wares] are everywhere. The only thing I’ll buy from the market is fresh bulk vegetables, because there are no fake tomatoes,” she added.

Being middle class in Nigeria isn’t cheap. In a brightly lit KFC across the shopping centre, Taiwo Edun, an engineer, treated his girlfriend to crispy chicken and chips, a luxury beyond the reach of many at $20 (£13) a pop.”I don’t consider myself in the super-rich class, I’m not chartering flights for my friends to go on holiday like some Nigerians can. But I can come here maybe once a month,” he said.

The widespread corruption and infrastructure woes that plague Nigeria – including daily power blackouts that are smoothed over by millions of generators–push up the costs of running businesses here, keeping most dependent on informal, market-style retail.

Abrupt plans to introduce a new N5,000 (£20) note worth five times the current highest bill have caused an outcry, with market sellers saying it would drive up prices.

On the back of one of the notes will be Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, mother of the Afrobeat singer Fela Kuti.

Ransome-Kuti made her name as an activist with a mass protest against policies that increased prices for market women.

Meanwhile, those who can afford it continue to see a better deal abroad. The country’s central bank throws billions of dollars into propping up the Naira at artificially high rates, hurting millions of local exporters and encouraging Nigeria’s shopping exodus.

Indicating her clutch of M&S carrier bags, Appiah said it was her five-year-old grandson’s favourite shop. “As long as the weather is not too cold, Nigerians will be shopping in London,” she said.