Nigerian Police arrest 14-year-old girl for allegedly killing own husband, two others

“The husband and two of his friends died on the spot while 10 others were treated and discharged.’’

The police in Kano have arrested a 14-year-old girl for allegedly killing her husband and two of his friend.

This is contained in a statement by the spokesperson of the Kano police, Magaji Majiya, on Wednesday.

The incident happened at Gaya Local Government Area of the state, with the police suspecting that the accused teenager poisoned the victims.

“The husband took his meal outside and ate it with his 14 friends.

“And as a result, the husband and two of his friends died on the spot while 10 others were treated and discharged,’’ the police said.

Although the Nigerian law recognises a 14-year-old as an under-aged, religion and local customs, also recognised by the constitution, allow for such marriages.

Such child marriages are common in the local areas, particularly among Muslims from the Northern part of Nigeria.

(NAN)

Security officials prevent jobless graduate from committing suicide

An unemployed engineering graduate of Ekiti State University, Mr. Sunday Omotayo, was on Wednesday prevented from committing suicide by the police and prison officials.

Omotayo, who caused a stir along Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, when he deliberately jumped out of a speeding Toyota Hiace bus, expecting to be crushed to death by other vehicles, said he was tired of life as he had been searching for a job for the past 10 years after graduation.

Some policemen, who were on patrol at the time of the incident, told our correspondent that Omotayo had in the morning gone to the state prison asking the officials to either kill him or make way for him to rot in the prison.

A prison officer, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent that they saw him – well dressed and wearing a tie – running towards them. He added that his action forced them to become alert with their guns.

He said, “The next thing he said was ‘shoot me, shoot me, I want to die, I am tired of this world’. He added that otherwise, we should allow him to enter and die inside the prison.”

The official stated that Omotayo was later overpowered by the police, who counselled him and forced him into a bus heading towards the Ibom Plaza roundabout.

An eyewitness, Mr. Effiong Bassey, said Omotayo jumped from the bus into the major road for other vehicles to run over him.

Lying on the main road leading to Akwa Ibom Government House, It took a while for policemen to get him out of the road. He insisted that he must put an end to his poverty-stricken life by committing suicide.

Omotayo told newsmen, “There is no state that I have not gone to in search of a job in the past 10 years. I came to Akwa Ibom because this is my last hope because of the stories of Governor Godswill Akpabio and his uncommon transformation.

“I came with the hope that with what is going on in the state, getting a job would be easy so that I can begin to be a man. But since I came, I discovered that many people from Akwa Ibom are also crying because of poverty and joblessness.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Akwa Ibom State Command, Mr. Etim Dickson, promised to get back to our correspondent once he had confirmed the story from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area.

Interswitch links Quickteller, western Union on account based money transfer

Pan-African integrated payments company, Interswitch Transnational, introduced account based money transfer system in Nigeria, hooking up with Quickteller and Western Union service initiatives in the process.

The new offering followed collaboration and agreement between the parties to enable customers to receive Western Union transfers directly into their bank account through the Quickteller website or via their bank’s internet banking website.

High point of the new solution is that it eliminates the need to visit a physical bank branch to retrieve money sent through the Western Union service, as has always been the case. Another is that the additional charge or interest charged on the transaction is now no more as interswitch and partners make usage of the service, free.

Interswitch at the weekend, announced that the service has gone live with GTBank, StanbicIBTC and Wema Bank, while First Bank, United Bank for Africa, Skye, Diamond, Enterprise and Access are currently in the process of implementing the service.

Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Interswitch Transnational, Mr. Mitchell Elegbe said:”Interswitch is proud to be working with Western Union to introduce this new account-based money transfer service to the inward remittance market. This service ensures compliance with Central Bank of Nigeria regulations that make it mandatory for remittances into Nigeria to be account based” he added.

World Cup: ‘We’ll Intimidate Nigeria’ - Argentina

Argentina’s coach Alejandro Sabella believes Nigeria will be intimidated by the quality of attackers at his disposal in this summer’s World Cup.

Argentina are favourites to progress from Group F which also comprises of Nigeria, Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina. And Sabbella is confident that with the plethora of striking options at his disposal, all he needs is a stable defence to enable his side go all the way in the competition.

Sabella noted that his team are currently one of the best in the world, but cautioned that expectations should not be carried to high in order to avoid complacency.

“Our rivals will fear us. Argentina has an amazing front line,” Sabella said on the national team’s official website.

“It’s very hard to be World champions. We don’t have to believe that we are the best. In fact, we know we’re not the best, but we are a candidate. We can’t go into the tournament thinking we’ve won it.

“I don’t know if I’ll take seven or eight defenders. Depends on whether I include another midfielder. The best thing is to try and cover all the areas. Almost certainly those who are here now will be making it.”

Reps summon Gusau, IG, NSA over Zamfara killings

Minister of Defence, Gen. Aliyu Gusau (retd.)

The House of Representatives on Tuesday summoned the Minister of Defence, Gen. Aliyu Gusau (retd.), to explain the circumstances leading to the massacre of over 200 villagers by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Zamfara State last Sunday.

The attackers, said to be armed with sophisticated military weapons, had killed the villagers in Unguwar Galadima.

Many others were reportedly maimed, while the community was deserted.

Also summoned were the Inspector-General Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, and the National Security Adviser, Mr. Sambo Dasuki.

Incidentally, both the minister and the IG are from Zamfara State.

A member from Zamfara State, Mr. Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau, also sponsored the motion resulting in the summoning of the three top security chiefs.

They are to appear before the Joint Committee on Security.

Leading the debate on the motion, which he raised under matters of urgent public importance, Shehu-Gusau complained that till date, no reasons had been given for the attack.

He informed the House that the suspected herdsmen neither wrote a letter nor passed any form of message stating their grievances.

Shehu-Gusau said the, villagers were taken aback when “well armed men” invaded the community on motorcycles, shooting at anybody on sight.

He added, “The attack followed a pattern already established as we have seen in earlier cases in Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau states.

“Mr. Speaker, unless urgent steps are taken to stop these people, we may be facing another form of terrorism, which is fast spreading.”

The lawmaker called for the deployment of security personnel to the community to restore confidence in the villagers so that they could return home.

While endorsing the motion, the House directed the National Emergency Management Agency to send relief materials to the victims.

Members also observed a minute’s silence in honour of the dead.

The session was presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha.

Source ; Punch

‘I took Reeva’s life,’ Pistorius tells South African court

Oscar Pistorius told a South African court on Wednesday that his girlfriend died in his arms, blood pouring from her body, as he tried to revive her after shooting her by mistake.



Facing questioning from prosecutor Gerrie Nel for the first time in his murder trial, Pistorius admitted killing Reeva Steenkamp at his home on Feb.14 last year, but said “I made a mistake”.

The double amputee Olympic and Paralympic sprinter, once revered the world over for his triumph over adversity, faces life in prison, if convicted.

His defence hinges on his contention that he thought he was firing at an intruder when he shot Steenkamp through a toilet door in his luxury Pretoria home.

The prosecution aims to show he was a hot-headed character, who loved to play with guns.

Pistorius, fighting back tears, told the court how he desperately tried to revive Steenkamp, who was hit by three of four pistol rounds he fired through the door.

“I checked to see if she was breathing and she wasn’t,” he said. “I could feel the blood was running down on me,” Pistorius said.

Pathologists said she was mortally wounded by one shot to the head.

He eventually managed to carry Steenkamp down stairs where neighbours tried to administer first aid before paramedics arrived.

But Pistorius said he knew that Steenkamp – with whom he said he was planning to buy a house – was already dead.

“The paramedics arrived. They asked for some space to work so I stood up,” he said, his voice quavering with emotion.

“Reeva, Reeva had already died whilst I was holding her, before the ambulance arrived, so I knew there was nothing they could do for her.”

With no direct witnesses, Nel’s main task is to pick holes in Pistorius’ version of events and cast doubt on the veracity of his testimony about a perceived burglar.

He opened his case by asking Pistorius about his international reputation and strong Christian beliefs, before hitting him with the reality of what took place.

“You are a model for sportsmen, disabled and able-bodied sportsmen, all over the world?” Nel asked.

“I think I was, My Lady. I made a mistake,” replied Pistorius, answering to Judge Thokozile Masipa, only the second black woman to ascend to the South African bench.

“You killed a person, that’s what you did,” came the reply.

“I made a mistake. My mistake was that I took Reeva’s life,” 27-year-old Pistorius said.

“You killed her. You shot and killed her. Won’t you take responsibility for that?” Nel said.

Nel then went on to ask whether Pistorius, well-known as a weapons enthusiast, knew what a ‘zombie stopper’ was, to which Pistorius replied ‘No’.

After a brief adjournment, the court then viewed video footage broadcast on Britain’s Sky News of Pistorius firing a handgun at a water-melon at a shooting range.

As the melon disintegrates, a male voice off-camera that sounds like Pistorius says: “It’s a lot softer than brains. But (bleep) it’s like a zombie stopper.”

Pistorius admitted it was his voice, leading to Nel to press him on his motives for wanting to see the water melon explode.

“You know that the same happened to Reeva’s head. It exploded. I’m going to show you,” he said, before projecting a forensic photograph of Steenkamp’s head.

The side and back of her head matted with blood and brains, on the court monitors.

“Take responsibility for what you have done,” he told Pistorius, eliciting gasps from the packed public gallery.

Pistorius hid his head in his hands in the witness stand, rocking from side to side, sobbing and saying he took responsibility “but I will not look”. (Reuters/NAN)

Student on rampage, stabs 20 at US school

An American high school student stabbed or slashed 20 people, mostly teenagers, in a bloody 30-minute rampage in the classrooms and hallways of a Pittsburg high school on Wednesday, officials said.

Several had life threatening injuries, Chris Kaufmann, the trauma medical director at Forbes Regional Hospital, told CNN.



The attack at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, a suburb of Pittsburg, began at 7:13 am (1213 GMT) as students began arriving for what should have been a routine day.

The assault was over by 7:45 am with the suspect taken into custody almost immediately, Dan Stevens, a spokesman for Westmoreland County emergency management, told AFP.

Stevens identified the suspect as a male student.

Stevens said he was cornered by police officers who rushed to the scene. His age and identity were not immediately released.
“Twenty students were injured, four of those students were flown from the scene,” Stevens told AFP.

The victims, most of them aged 14 to 17, were slashed and stabbed in “numerous classrooms and hallways” of the high school, Stevens added.

The school has since been evacuated.

A statement on the website of the Franklin Regional School District said a “critical incident” had occurred.
“All elementary schools are cancelled, the middle school and high school students are secure,” the statement said.
Victims had been stabbed in the torso, Kaufmann said.

“These are quite serious injuries,” he told CNN.

“We had two patients who went immediately to the operating room,” Kaufmann said.

While most were students at the high school, an adult also was among those being treated at the hospital.
Wednesday’s attack comes after a long and frequent line of US school shootings that have inflamed a nationwide debate over gun control in the United States.

But even the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 young children and six adults were shot dead, ultimately failed to tighten gun ownership rules.