Landlord Claims Members Of CDA Want Him Dead

Chief Asuquo Umoren has raised the alarm over a plan by some members of his community to kill him.

Umoren, a landlord at Umoren Street, accused some executive members of Ibeshe Titun Community Development Association of being the brain behind the plot, as he said his ordeal began when he exposed some shady deals being perpetrated by the CDA executive.

Umoren who was once the Public Relations Officer of the CDA said he left his position because his conscience could not bear extortion.

After falling out with the executive, there had been many threats to his life and that of his family members.

According to Umoren, his offence was telling the executive that the way the CDA was being run without recourse to accountability was wrong.

He alleged that on one occasion, the executive arranged some thugs in the name of a task force, invaded his house and beat him. He added that the task force also vandalised his property and cut off power supply to his building.

“When people enquired what I did, they said I owed the CDA some money and that I was inciting the people against the association,” Umoren said.

Although Umoren admitted owing some community levies, but he said he refused to pay because he was not convinced of what they were going to do with it.

“They told me they would make life miserable for me in the community. They said someone from Akwa Ibom State could not dictate to them how a CDA in Lagos should be run,” Umoren alleged.

“They said I should leave the area and that if I failed to leave, I would have myself to blame.

“Since that time, I have been wandering like a homeless person. The lives of my family are now in jeopardy. I hereby appeal to people of good conscience to come to my rescue as they are boasting to take my life.”

The matter has been reported at Area N police division in Ikorodu. Umoren also said he had petitioned the Lagos State Police Commissioner, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Lagos State Government.

In his reaction, General Secretary, Ibeshe Titun CDA, Mr. Muyiwa Joseph, said Umoren’s allegations were false.

Joseph on Wednesday said the people he called thugs were members of the community, adding that Umoren owed the community, and when the notice for all debtors in the community to fulfill their obligations to the CDA expired, he (Umoren) refused to pay and that was why the task force disconnected his power supply to prompt him to pay.

He also said members of the CDA were not after his life as he alleged and had no intention of doing so.

“Umoren’s allegations of extortion by CDA are nonsense. Every resident pays monthly fee of N150. Of the amount, N100 is for the running of the secretariat while the remaining N50 is set aside for people’s welfare. For instance, if a member of the community loses their loved ones, we use that to assist them.

“Because of people like him (Umoren), we have not been able to engage security guards for the area.

“We also collect CDA levy from people newly moving into the area. This is done because most of the electricity poles in the area were bought by the CDA and we therefore do so to recoup money we have spent.

“On the aspect of accountability, we have been in office for just 16 months. It was the people that handed over to us who had some issues with the financial records they left,” Joseph said

Extend Amnesty Package To Entire Northern Region Group Tells FG

A group, Association of Northern Youths for the Advancement of Peace Harmony and Development, has urged the Federal Government to extend the benefits of the amnesty it has proposed for Boko Haram to all northern states that have suffered any form of terrorism in recent times.

Lauding the recent decision by President Goodluck Jonathan to grant amnesty to the Boko Haram sect, president of the group, Melvin Ejeh in a statement made available to journalists in Jos yesterday, enjoined government not to concentrate the search for potential beneficiaries in states believed to be hotbeds of Boko Haram but to states such as Plateau that have had to endure acts of violence.

“Almost all the states in the north have had their own share of senseless terrorist attacks,” the group said, adding, “Middle Belt state like Plateau is one of the most hit, as it has lost thousands of innocent people and recorded the death of prominent victims of terrorist attacks like the late Senator Gyang Dantong and former Majority Leader in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Gyang Fulani.

“Limiting the program to some states will be counter-productive.”

The statement said, “We want to also call on the federal  government not to allow the would-be amnesty program to be hijacked by any group of  persons that might want to claim more ownership of the north.”

WICKEDNESS!!! Grandmother Pays 19-Year-Old Grandson To Kill Her Husband

Bond for a 64-year-old woman who allegedly paid her grandson to kill her husband was set at $500,000 Saturday [Apr. 6]. Janet Strickland of Chicago was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of armed robbery with a firearm after her husband was fatally shot in the gangway near his home on the Far South Side while on his way to dialysis, police said. William Strickland, 72, was shot six times in the back on March 2 while on his way to dialysis treatment in what police suspected to be a robbery.

Janet Strickland was reportedly not in court for her hearing Saturday because she was receiving treatment for a lung disease, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Janet Strickland allegedly commissioned her grandson to kill her husband, and watched as he did so before stealing a casino bag with money in it as her husband lied shot on the street, according to the Sun-Times.

Janet Strickland reportedly used the stolen money to take her grandson on a shopping spree. The 19-year-old grandson, also named William Strickland, was held without bond March 30 in connection with the murder and admitted in court to stealing his grandfather’s gun and committing the crime. He also said he used money from his grandfather’s wallet to purchase tattoos, new shoes, a cell phone and other items. A life sentence may be imposed, though the younger Strickland has no criminal background

Russian billionaire plans to make humans immortal by 2045

A Russian billionaire has unveiled plans to make humans immortal by converting them into 'Terminator-style' cyborgs - a creature that's part human and part machine - within the next three decades.

Thirty two-year-old mogul, Dmitry Itskov has been pushing the project forward since 2011 when he founded the 2045 Initiative.

His ultimate goal is to transfer a person's mind or consciousness from a living brain into a machine with that its personality and memories intact, according to website Digital Trends.

The so called 'Cyborg' will have no physical form, and exist in a network similar to the Internet and be able to travel at the speed of light all over the Earth, or even into the space.

Itskov's first highly ambitious goal, called Avatar A, involves a person controlling a robotic human replica through a brain-machine interface (BMI), a technology that already exists.

The deadline for this first stage is set for 2020, 'The Mashable' reported.

The Avatar B, due in 2025, would involve transplanting a human brain into an artificial body "at the end of one's life."

Next in line is the Avatar C, that rolls around in 2035, that would also involve a human-machine brain transplant, but with all personality intact.

Itskov hopes the Initiative will have learned enough about the human mind to free it completely from physical form finally, by 2045.

According to the report, from the Internet-like hive mind, individual personalities could manifest themselves as holograms when they need to interact with their environment.

"We believe that it is possible and necessary to eliminate ageing and even death, and to overcome the fundamental limits of the physical and mental capabilities currently set by the restrictions of the physical body," the project website says.

Itskov is recruiting scientists and authoring an open letter to the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, asking him to support to push society's transition to "neo-humanity."

NGO Takes Custody Of Minors As Police Investigate Alleged Molestation Of OrNGO Takes Custody Of Mino

A non-governmental organisation, Project Alert on Violence against Women has taken custody of two minor allegedly defiled by the Director of Light of Hope Orphanage, Mr Atunde, following his arrest by the Zone 2 Police Command on Wednesday.

Project Alert had on March 26 written a petition to Zone 2 after officials of a private secondary school where the minors were students made complaints that both girls had been molested.

“On Friday last week, 13-year-old (name withheld) came late to school crying and not walking well. On close observation, they saw a trickle of blood coming down her legs. When asked what happened to her, she said, ‘Daddy forced me to have s*x with him.’ according to the petition.

“She pleaded with the officials not to tell Mrs. Atunde; she was afraid Atunde would be informed and could drive her away from the orphanage,” the petition said.

The petition also claimed that the NGO had earlier received a complaint from a former cook of the orphanage, Mrs. Akintunde, concerning Atunde’s misbehaviour.

The cook had alleged that Atunde fired her late last year when she caught him sleeping with one of the female orphans.

Akintunde, as well as representatives of Project Alert and Atunde, it was learnt, met investigators at Zone 2 on Thursday.

“The girls are presently in our care, we have taken over their welfare. We got a document from the police to have them examined at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. They have been examined by doctors today but still have to undergo more tests tomorrow,” Executive director of Project Alert, Mrs. Josephine Effuah-Chukwuma, said.

“We intend to notify the Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs formally because they licensed Atunde to operate that orphanage. It is important that the ministry investigates what is going on there because the girls have already said they are not the only victims there.”

Commenting on the matter, Police Public Relations Officer Zone Two, Mr. Femi Balogun, said, “The investigation is ongoing; Atunde is in our custody.

Britain To Stop Free Legal Help For Foreigners

Foreigners will be banned from claiming free legal representation in civil cases until they have lived in Britain for at least one year, the justice minister revealed Sunday.

The crackdown on immigrants’ rights is among the changes to be announced by ministers this week to cut the £1.7 billion (Dh9.50 billion) legal aid bill by approximately £300 million.

It will hit illegal immigrants, failed asylum seekers and even those on tourist or student visas who have taken advantage of the lax rules or lack of checks on their status.

Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, said the measures would be “difficult but sensible”.

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph he said: “It’s not about denying people access to justice it’s about achieving the right balance for what you can afford.”

Grayling is to take an axe to criminal legal aid in an effort to limit large taxpayer-funded payments to lawyers. Some leading QCs can receive as much as £500,000 a year from the government for defending suspects.

The Justice Secretary said nobody whose earnings came from the public sector “should reasonably expect” to earn more than the Prime Minister, who is paid £142,000 a year. Under the range of new measures, prisoners are to be banned from using legal aid for cases that do not relate to the length of their sentences. “I am proposing to take legal aid away from prisoners who don’t like the prison they are in, or don’t like the cell they are in, or don’t like a part of the regime,” Grayling said.

In a separate move — with ministers determined to take a tough line on offending — Grayling disclosed that he is planning a change in court guidelines after a criminal convicted of attacking three people had his curfew lifted so that he could go on holiday to Thailand. In a letter to magistrates, Grayling said he had ordered his officials to “review” rules that had allowed Nathaniel McIntosh, 23, to apply to get his curfew lifted to go on a pre-booked month-long trip.

He had been convicted at Bodmin magistrates’ court of a “sustained attack” which included kicking and punching three victims. He received a 12-week suspended prison sentence and an eight-week curfew from 7pm to 6am. Mr Grayling’s letter warns of the need to “take steps to prevent things like this from happening in the future” and adds: “I do not believe that the public can have confidence in a system where an offender can delay a penalty in order to go on holiday.”

The residency test for foreign migrants claiming civil legal aid comes after a promise by David Cameron to make Britain the “toughest” country on benefits for them. Ministers will hold a consultation on a proposal to ensure that, in future, new arrivals will not be able to receive legal aid in cases that involve benefits, housing or relationship breakdowns.

A senior Coalition source said: “At a time when we have had to make difficult decisions about legal aid to ensure that taxpayers can have confidence in how we spend their money, we believe that in future, civil legal aid should be limited to those who have a strong connection to this country.”

There are currently no nationality or residence restrictions on civil legal aid. Ministers plan to make it a requirement for solicitors to see documentary evidence of at least 12-month residency before taking on cases. There will be some exceptions, including serving members of the Armed Forces and their families, and asylum seekers.

The move comes ahead of the expected arrival of tens of thousands of Romanian and Bulgarian workers who will be allowed to come to Britain from next year after European Union restrictions are lifted. Ministers have refused to put a figure on the number who are expected to come.

A report by MigrationWatch, a think tank, predicts that 250,000 could arrive by 2019. Grayling said: “There are a number of areas where somebody who comes to this country even on a tourist visa can access civil legal aid. We are going to change that.

“There have been examples of people who have come to the country for extraordinarily short periods of time who have had a relationship breakdown and then they end up in our courts at our expense to determine custody of the children.

“This will exclude people who enter the country illegally, who up to now have been able to access our legal aid system in a way I don’t think should ever have happened.”

Despite a previous crackdown on civil legal aid by Kenneth Clarke, who preceded Mr Grayling as justice secretary, Britain’s overall legal aid bill, at £1.7 billion a year, remains high. France, in contrast, spends pounds £400 million.

One Killed In Egypt As Funeral Ends In Violent Clashes

Police and armed civilians have laid siege to the seat of the Coptic church in Cairo, killing one person and injuring at least 21, as a funeral for four Christians killed in sectarian clashes on Saturday descended into chaos.

Thousands of mourners were attacked as they tried to leave Egypt’s largest cathedral, forcing them back inside the cathedral precinct and sparking a siege that lasted all afternoon and stretched into the night. Police fired teargas over the cathedral walls and stood by as unknown men armed with birdshot, knives and petrol bombs scaled nearby buildings to attack those inside the church grounds.

On Saturday, at least four Christians and one Muslim were killed in sectarian clashes that broke out north of Cairo after children allegedly drew a swastika on Islamic property. On Sunday Christians gathered in Cairo to remember the dead in a service that ended by further escalating sectarian tensions.

Witnesses said that riot police and crowds of protesters had been waiting for the mourners as the service ended. One claimed the violence started after members of the funeral march were drawn into an argument with a passing driver.

“They wanted a taxi driver to stop so that the funeral march could leave, but the taxi driver wouldn’t stop,” said Samir Adly, a Christian from north-east Cairo, who attended the service. Adly said the mourners were highly charged, and other reports said they had chanted slogans condemning the Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, who it is felt has not done enough to quell sectarian tensions.

In the mayhem, Adly said, it was unclear exactly what happened next, but police showed little restraint in firing teargas, and did nothing to stop those who had come to the cathedral armed for the occasion. “The thugs threw glass and rocks and molotov cocktails that burned trees inside,” he said.

Some Christians threw rocks and at least one petrol bomb in response. Other Christians were able to make their escape from the cathedral’s back entrance, where ambulances were driving in and out all afternoon, their eyes streaming with tears from the gas.

Christians form about 10% of Egypt’s population, and have lived largely peacefully alongside Muslims for over a millennium. Sectarian tensions have steadily risen over the past four decades, and the prominence of Morsi and his associates in the Muslim Brotherhood has raised tensions further. Egypt’s new constitution, drafted mainly by Islamists, is felt to inadequately protect the rights of Christians and other minorities.

Anger at the president crosses sectarian boundaries. Outside the cathedral on Sunday, a crowd of Muslims gathered in support of Christians, and chanted anti-Brotherhood slogans. “Christians and Muslims are from one hand,” they sang.

The violence was also condemned by one of Egypt’s most senior Muslim clerics, the presidency, and the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Ahmed al-Tayeb, the chief imam at al-Azhar mosque, an important institution within Sunni Islam, encouraged the government to help “preserve the national character that characterises the Egyptian people, Muslims and Christians,” state media reported.

The worst sectarian violence occurred in 2011, when the army killed at least 24 Christians in what became known as the “Maspero massacre”. 

Famous Evangelist Rick Warren’s Son Commits Suicide

The youngest son of Saddleback Valley Community Church pastor Rick Warren has committed suicide after a long battle with mental illness. Rick Warren, the head pastor of the 8th largest church in the U.S made the announcement today Saturday April 6th at his church in Lake Forest, CA.

Rick Warren told members of his congregation that his son took his own life Friday night after battling with mental illness for years which resulted in deep depression and suicidal thoughts. Matthew Warren (pictured left) was 27.

Rick is the author of numerous Christian books, including “The Purpose Driven Life,” which has sold over 30 million copies worldwide.

Bikini Model Maryam Basir Insists She Is A Faithful Muslim

Due to the nature of her job, a controversial bikini model identified as Maryam Basir has responded to critics of her career choice.

Maryam Basir who works as a full body bikini model boldly declared that she is a faithful muslim woman despite her career choice during a TV interview that aired on CNN on April 4th, 2013.

Guess she is a faithful Muslim by heart.

ASK TON: My Mother-In-Law Is Making My Life Miserable

Naturally, his mother sees me as an obstacle, even though he pretends about it. Although she doesn’t shout at me but she has a way of making my life in that house hell on earth.

For instance, if my husband has the urge to eat a particular kind of food and I make attempt to cook what my husband wants, she would come to the kitchen to tell me that the particular food is forbidden in that house. 

The worst thing is that when my husband comes and I tell him what his mother said, he won’t say anything. Although he is the breadwinner of the family, he cannot stand up to his people to defend me. The resultant effect is that I am on my own, begging them to like me a little bit but it seems the harder I try to please them, the more determined they are to make my life unbearable in their brother’s house.

I have been begging my husband to relocate, at least, a little far away from the family so that I can enjoy my very young marriage but he has refused to listen to me. His excuse is that I would soon be back in school which is six hours drive from home.

Anytime I raise the issue of the treatment I get from his family, he is instant in defending them. His mother is in charge of my less than a year old marriage.

It appears this is going to be the pattern of my marriage as my husband in his wisdom, built his personal house within the vicinity of the family house.

My sister-in-law who is also at home is over 30 years of age and she too is another source of my headache. I am dying slowly. Please help me. What should I do?

Actress, Mercy Johnson Returns

Nollywood most-sought-after actress, and mother of one, Mercy Johnson who is currently missing on screen, following her continues sojourn in the United States after giving birth to her first child, Purity, is set to reconnect with her fans again through the release of last movie, “ Baby Oku in America.”

Mercy starred  in the movie alongside, Chets Aniekwe and  fast rising star Ani Amatosero before embarking on sabbatical leave few months ago.

The movie produced by Gabriel Moses, the CEO of Amaco Films and I-Com International Company is a comedy that tells the story of a newly married Nigerian couple that relocated to the United States of America, a move that brought out the ignorance and unpleasant character of the woman in the marriage as she strive to live and preach the gospel of gender equality in their marriage in the wrong way.

According to Gabriel Moses, the executive producer of the movie, the cast and crew had to work in Nigeria and the United States to show the beauty of both countries while taking full advantage of the cordial bilateral relationship that exist between the United States of America and Nigeria.

Meanwhile the ace movie producer who has produced films like One Dollar, Abandoned, Old School among others, has promised that Baby Oku in America will not be his last movie in the business.

Janet Jackson Converts To Islam, Quits Music

Superstar Janet Jackson is reportedly quitting the entertainment industry and is going to leave the country to become a Muslim.

Rob Shuter tells reporters that Jackson is moving to the Middle East and is converting to Islam.

Shuter says that since she married billionaire Wissam Al Mana, she has tired of the grueling entertainment industry.

The pair got married last year in a very private ceremony, according to Shuter, and they want to live a private life away from the paparazzi.

Al Mana, a Qatar native, is involved in his family's controlled Middle-East-based Al Mana Retail Group.

This is Jackson's third marriage.

It should be noted that since her brèast was exposed at the super bowl she hasnt been able to redeem her career and it has been downhill for her music and tv shows ever since

Snoop Lion: See What he said to Frank Ocean After he came out as Gay

Snoop Lion made bold comments about gay marriage and rap music, even addressing singer Frank Ocean's coming out.

Snoop, 41, who has spoken in favor of marriage equality before, was asked by The Guardian if he believed the R&B singer's declaration of having loved a man meant gay relationships would soon be accepted in the rap community.

"Frank Ocean ain't no rapper," Snoop is quoted as saying. "He's a singer. It's acceptable in the singing world, but in the rap world I don't know if it will ever be acceptable because rap is so masculine."

In the genre largely dominated by men, several artists have made anti-gay remarks or slurs in their music - including Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and even Jay-Z, whose current affirming stance on gay equality contradicts some of his lyrics from years past.

"It's like a football team," Snoop continued. "You can't be in a locker room full of motherf----g tough-ass dudes, then all of a sudden say, 'Hey, man, I like you.' You know, that's going to be tough."

Though he feels that way about the industry, Snoop Lion made clear he doesn't personally have an issue with same-sex couples.

"I don't have a problem with gay people," he added. "I got some gay homies."

BREAKING NEWS!!! Kanye RESPONDS To Ray J's New Kim Kardashian DISS TRACK!!

Kanye West just SPOKE OUT about the new Ray J hit single - I HIT IT FIRST - about Kim Kardashian. Here's what he said, through a friend:

But the source assures us that Kanye sees the song for what it truly is — a publicity stunt. ”Kanye don’t condone broke ass, jealous [guys] who be trying to bite off he and Kim’s fame just to stay, wait, just to become relevant.” Kanye West & Kim Kardashian Will Not Give Ray J Attention 

Even though Kanye’s fuming, the source states that Yeezy won’t be giving Ray J the attention he wants. So we should probably stop hoping for Kanye to release a diss track of his own (that battle wouldn’t even be fair). Instead, don’t expect much of a response from Kim and Kanye, as Ray J fades back into obscurity. 

“Tell him to call Ye when he gets to the $100-million mark,” our source concludes. “Cause guess what — Ye ‘hit that’ first.”

Beyonce, Jay-Z turn heads in Havana

Beyonce and Jay-Z caused a big stir in Havanaas they marked their fifth wedding anniversaryThursday.

R&B's power couple was mobbed by dozens of well-wishers at the renowned restaurant La Guarida on Wednesday night, and police had to step in to keep the crowds at bay.

La Guarida staffers showed The Associated Press pictures of the two dining on typical Cuban creole favorites — fish, chicken, black beans and rice — accompanied by their mothers.

The privately run restaurant is famous as the filming location for the hit movie "Strawberry and Chocolate," and is a mainstay on Havana's tourist circuit.

Waitress Silvia Fernandez said Beyonce toured the eatery and looked at photos of past celebrity clients: Jack Nicholson, Jodie Foster, Danny Glover, Will Smith, James Belushiand more.

Their bodyguards' presence outside set the gritty, bustling neighborhood of Center Havana abuzz, and a crowd gathered downstairs shouting Beyonce's name until she went to a balcony and waved.

Police arrived and made sure she was able to exit without incident.

"She was beautiful, without a drop of makeup, very natural," Fernandez said. "What happened with the people was incredible."

On Thursday the couple toured colonial Old Havana wearing dark glasses and surrounded by bodyguards and excited fans. Beyonce posed for pictures with local schoolchildren while Jay-Z puffed on a Cuban cigar, and then they popped into another restaurant that boasts a rooftop terrace with a sweeping view of the harbor.

Beyonce and Jay-Z declined to speak to reporters, and it was not clear why they traveled to Cuba. State-run website CubaSi called it a tourist trip.

Washington's 51-year embargo makes it illegal for U.S. citizens to visit Cuba for mere tourism, although tens of thousands of Americans travel here each year on academic, religious, journalistic or cultural exchange licenses. In the past, artists who were challenged by the government have said they visited for cultural purposes.

The artists' publicists did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment, and the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which is responsible for licensing approved travel to Cuba, said it does not comment on individual cases.

Beyonce, the multiple Grammy winner who performed at this year's Super Bowl halftime show and President Obama's inauguration, and Jay-Z, the rapper and entertainment mogul who recently went into the sports-agent business, were married April 4, 2008, in New York.