3 die as luxury bus plunges into lagoon in Lagos

While most Lagosians where still on their beds, a Luxurious Bus carrying about 59 passengers skidded off its track and plunged into a nearby waterway in Lagos.

Three yet-to-be-identified people lost their lives in this fatal accident which happened in the early hours of Friday around 3:23 A.M at Owode Elede, around Mile 12 area, Ikorodu Road, Lagos.

The bus, with registration number Anambra GDD 386 YE, belongs to GUO Transport Service Co. LTD and was enroute Maza-Maza from Aba, Abia State carrying

Three passengers, however, died on the spot. The victims include the bus conductor and two other passengers whose identities were not immediately known.



According to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, there were 59 passengers on board. Twenty three people got injured and were treated on the spot by a joint team of the agency’s Paramedics and LASAMBUS.

Kehinde Adebayo, LASEMA’s spokesperson, added that nine of the treated victims were taken to the Lagos State Trauma Centre at the Toll Gate for further treatment.

The bus being towed out of the canal,

The General Manager of LASEMA, Adesina Tiamiyu, said a proper investigation would be conducted on the incident.

He however advised motorists to be safety conscious and avoid over-speeding while driving, especially during night journeys.

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Tonto Dikeh, has confirmed that she has separated from her husband

Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh, has confirmed that she has separated from her husband

She revealed this on Instagram while responding to questions from her fans.

Tonto also said she has blocked her husband from accessing their son since they went their seperate ways, but that he can see him when he wants, as he had the contacts of his nanny and part-time help.

“When a woman leaves her husband, she takes her child because absolutely nothing else matters to her but the child.

“This is what I did and I happily give all access for his father to see him. Now my question to you is that did your source also tell you that he has never called for once to Ask how his son is doing? I will admit, I personally blocked his access to me for the sake of my emotional stability,” she said.

“But nonetheless he has the nannys no, my assistants contact,my part time helps number, and many other mediums of reaching the son your source claims I ‘took away’. He could use all possible mediums wisely if he wished to”, she added.

The actress urged her fans to pray for her while respecting her privacy.

She said: “As an acclaimed “concerned fan” I expect you to pray not to indirectly throw “concerned” shades..

“What goes on in my marriage and home is my personal life, i’m grateful for all the years of support you all have been giving me but when it comes to the matters of the heart have enough respect to let us go thru our moments alone..”

Tonto has been married to Churchill for 17months and rumours about the marriage falling apart have been in circulation for a while.


[Source: Daiy Post]

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Hero dad adopts 22 HIV-positive children who were abandoned by their parents

Rajib Thomas – or Papa Reji, as he is known to his adoptive family – has done something pretty extraordinary.

He has adopted 22 children who were abandoned by their parents after being diagnosed with HIV, and brought them to live in his Mumbai home.

Despite already have two biological teenage kids, he looks after the children's healthcare and education, while his wife Mini Reji cooks them all three meals a day.

He told Humans of Bombay that it all started after a chance encounter outside a hospital.

I saw a girl sleeping outside -- weak to the point that you could see her bones. I found out that she was HIV positive and had lost both her parents. I asked what she would like to eat and she said noodles, but I couldn't find them anywhere so I promised her I would return the next day.

She passed away that night and that incident kept haunting me, so I went inside the hospital and asked them to contact me if there were any such children in the future.

And from there it just continued.

At first it was difficult to make ends meet - we could afford one mattress on which my 4 children slept and my wife and I would make do without. Eventually, people started donating beds, grains and money. My family of 4 slowly expanded to 24 as more and more children with HIV were sent to me.

Thomas is also keen to break the stigmas attached to HIV.

Being HIV positive doesn't mean that they have to cut their life short. They can live as long as any normal person and that's what I'm here for - to save them and give them a long life.

And with love and care, everything is possible.

[Indy 100 Source]

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Scientists find a 'super-Earth' that could harbour life – and 60 more planet

Astronomers have found 60 new planets near our own – and many of them could hold life.

A team of international scientists found a further 54 potential planets, meaning that in all the researchers might have discovered a full 114 planets.

And at least some of those might be like Earth, and able to support life, the researchers have said.

One of the exoplanets was a hot "super-Earth" that has a rocky surface and is found in the fourth nearest star system to our own. That planet, known as Gliese 411-b, could suggest that all the stars near our own sun have planets orbiting them – and as such that those too might be like Earth and have the conditions for supporting alien life.

The results are based on almost 61,000 individual observations of 1,600 stars taken over a 20-year period by US astronomers using the Keck-I telescope in Hawaii.

The observations were part of the Lick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey, which was started in 1996 by astronomers Steve Vogt and Geoffrey Marcy from the University of California and Paul Butler, from the Carnegie Institute of Science, in Washington.

Dr Tuomi, who was the only European-based researcher working on the project and led analysis of the data, said: "It is fascinating to think that when we look at the nearest stars, all of them appear to have planets orbiting them.

"This is something astronomers were not convinced about, even as little as five years ago.

"These new planets also help us better understand the formation processes of planetary systems and provide interesting targets for future efforts to image the planets directly."

Dr Butler said: "This paper and data release is one of my crowning achievements as an astronomer. It represents a good chunk of my life's work."

The group's paper has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.

[From Independent]

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THE CALL: President Donald Trump Calls President Buhari

President Donald Trump has been increasingly chatting with other world leaders during his first weeks in office. On Monday he turned his attention to Africa.

Trump spent Monday morning calling two of the continent's most prominent leaders, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and South African President Jacob Zuma, to discuss combating terrorism, trade relations and other issues.

According to Buhari's aide, Femi Adesina, Trump assured the Nigerian president that the US is ready to help obtain "a new deal in helping Nigeria in terms of military weapons to combat terrorism."

In a statement to CNN, Adesina also said, "President Trump encouraged President Buhari to keep up the good work he is doing, and also commended him for the efforts made in rescuing 24 of the Chibok Girls and the strides being taken by the Nigerian military."

In 2014 nearly 300 girls were kidnapped from a boarding school in Chibok by terror group Boko Haram. Most remain missing, although the terror group released a group of them last October in a deal brokered in part by Nigerian authorities.

Trump also invited President Buhari to Washington at a mutually convenient date. Buhari, who congratulated Trump on his election, is currently in London on an extended break while he awaits the results of unspecified medical tests.

After his call with Buhari, President Trump also requested and completed a phone call with South Africa's Zuma.

According to a statement from Zuma's office, "The two presidents reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the already strong bilateral relations between the two countries. There are six hundred US companies in South Africa and strong trade relations between the two countries."

Trump and Zuma also "discussed the need to work together on multilateral issues as well especially the quest for peace and stability on the African continent," the statement said.

Trump, who so far has been mostly focused on his "America First" agenda, has not spoken at much length about his policies concerning Africa. But his controversial travel ban, one of his first major executive orders, has targeted three African countries: Sudan, Libya and Somalia.

[gotten fom CNN]

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Father Accused of Throwing 7-Month-Old Son Off a Bridge: 'Tell Everybody That I'm Sorry'

On July 5, 2015, just after 11:30 p.m., Tony Moreno made a desperate call to his mother: He was standing on the Arrigoni Bridge in Middletown, Connecticut — she was afraid he might kill himself.

More worrisome, she could hear over the phone that he was with his 7-month-old son, Aaden.

He asked her to come get the baby’s stroller and his cellphone, which had photos of Aaden. He told her, “Just tell everybody that I’m sorry.”

Then he jumped.

Testifying Friday at Moreno’s murder trial, his mother, Denise Moreno, recounted that phone conversation, according to the Hartford Courant and the New Haven Register. She recalled how she raced to the scene with Tony’s brother, how she tried to call Tony back and how she then called 911. (The tape of the 911 call was played for jurors.)

Denise arrived at the Arrigoni Bridge almost simultaneously with the first police officer on the scene, according to the Courant. They witnessed Tony throw himself from the bridge some 90 feet to the water below.

They never saw Aaden. Investigators allege Tony had already thrown his son to his death, from the bridge, in the midst of conflicts with the boy’s mother.

According to court documents previously obtained by WTNH, Tony sent Aaden’s mom a series of chilling text messages before the boy was killed, including “enjoy your new life without us.”

The boy’s dead body was recovered two days later.

Tony was pulled from the river soon after jumping, and he was hospitalized for serious injuries before being charged with murder and risk of injury to a child. Police say he later confessed to them, and a judge has ruled that his confession is admissible as evidence, according to the Associated Press.

As one officer previously alleged in court, according to the Courant: “[Tony] didn’t want his son being raised by his girlfriend’s family, so he knew what he needed to do, which was kill his son then kill himself. [The hospital psychiatrist] asked if he expected to die from jumping off the bridge, and his response was ‘That was the plan.’ ”

However, an officer testified Friday at the trial that in the immediate aftermath of jumping, Tony wouldn’t tell authorities what happened to his son, according to the Register.

“I went up, I got right up in his face and asked him were the baby was,” the officer said, adding he got no reply.

The first officer on the scene that night also testified Friday, describing how he urged Tony not to jump: “I said, ‘Tony, stop!’ and he looked at me and began to quicken his pace,” he said, according to the AP and the Courant.

“Moments later, [Tony] put both of his hands on the railing to his right and hurled himself over,” the officer said.

Denise — at times tearful in her testimony, according to the Register — said on the stand that she watched her son jump from nearby, and then she looked at Aaden’s stroller.

“There was just blankets,” she said.

Tony faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted, according to local news reports. The evidentiary portion of the trial is expected to last eight days, according to the Register, and Aaden’s mother is expected to testify.

Tony previously rejected a plea deal and his defense will reportedly seek lesser charges of manslaughter, according to the AP.

Though it is now unclear if Tony will take the stand, according to the Courant, his defense attorney previously said he would.

“We will unpack in studious detail what happened in the interrogation of Tony Moreno,” Norm Pattis told Fox 61 in May, “and a jury will decide whether what police got him to say is what happened or whether what Mr. Moreno will testify to is what happened.”

Pattis claimed that Aaden “tumble[d] to his death.”

Testimony in Tony’s murder trial resumes Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on People.com

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COURT ADJOURNS PATIENCE JONATHAN’S $15M SUIT

Feederal High Court sitting in Lagos on Monday adjourned to March 6 the suit filed by former first lady, Patience Jonathan, seeking to un-freeze her bank accounts.

Mrs. Jonathan had filed the suit suing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the agency froze the bank accounts containing a total of $15 million.

Not only is she sking for an un-frozen abnk account, she is also demanding $200 million as damages.

The judge adjourned the matter based on requests from the defence counsel seeking more time to study the case.

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Maradona, Messi, Kanu to Play Anti-Terrorism Match in Nigeria

Argentina football legends, Diego Amando Maradona and Lionel Messi are among a host of former and active football stars scheduled to play an international exhibition match against human trafficking, insurgency and terrorism. The match is listed for May 21 in Abuja.

The FIFA and Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) sanctioned initiative tagged: Africa My Africa is organised by next2none, a non-profit making organisation to use football to promote global security and fight human trafficking.

The novelty match between Africa Stars Vs World Stars will feature household names including Zinedine Zidane, Ruud Gullit, Ronaldinho, George Weah, Samuel Kuffour, Samuel Eto'o, Abedi Pele, Nwankwo Kanu, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Others include; David Beckham, Didier Drogba and a cluster of female footballers such as Sydney Leroux, Asisat Oshoala, Birgit Prinz, Sun Wen, Abby Wanbach, Homare Sawa, Kelly Smith, Marta, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Toni Duggan, Anouk Hoogendijk, Nayeli Rangel, Lauren Sesselmann, Julia Simic and Corine Petit.

At a media event to announce the project, Chairman of next2none, Ndukwe Sam Obu said a global initiative uniting all nations was required to combat terrorist activities which have been on the spike over the last decade.

Obu said that radicalisation of the youths into violent extremism was a great concern in Africa, given that approximately 70 per cent of African population are youths.

He said the organisers and other stakeholders including the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and National Agency for Prohibition and Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) sought to arrange the match by leveraging on football which has shown positive impact in bringing peace to different nations and as a tool for reconciliation.

[Source: All Africa]

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South Africans Burn Down Houses Belonging To Nigerians

South African locals, who were obviously annoyed, have accused the non-indigenes of turning their neighbourhood into a drug den and prostitution dens.

Some South African nationals in Rosettenville, south of Johannesburg, took their annoyance to burn down about 15 houses belonging to immigrants, especially Nigerians residing there.

According to Africa Review, some shops belonging to foreign nationals in the area were also looted on Sunday, February 12, 2017.

The South African residents in the area are of the opinion that Nigerians had illegally taken over most property and turned them into drug and prostitution dens, thereby calling for their sack from the neighbourhood.

Confirming the attacks when contacted, Marc Gbaffou, African Diaspora Forum (ADM) chairperson, blamed Herman Mashaba, Johannesburg mayor, for his inflammatory comments.

In December 2016, Mashaba had told a media conference that illegal immigrants got there criminally and should be treated as such.

“According to community members, these homes are illegally occupied by Nigerian foreign nationals who run the homes as brothels and have girls as young as nine years old working as prostitutes.”

“Many of the women in these brothels are also alleged to have no official identification documentation,” he said.

Gbafou said the Mayor should not have made such statement without proof.

“What proof does he have that foreigners are running these brothels? His remarks are very inflammatory, and it makes no difference that he has diverted from illegal immigrants to drug peddling. It is very dangerous and we see it as propaganda of hatred,” he added.



While some Nigerians in Johannesburg took to Twitter to vent their chagrin, Arewa Youth Forum ‏@ArewaYouthForum tweeted on Sunday, “Nigerians’ houses burnt in Johannesburg”.

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Nigeria: Govt to Introduce Speed Cameras On Nigeria's Roads

Abuja — The federal government has disclosed it will introduce speed cameras on Nigeria's roads to help the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) curtail excessive speeding by motorists and improve safe use of the roads.

The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said this yesterday after he inspected ongoing repair works on the different sections of the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway ahead of the planned closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and diversion of air traffic to the Kaduna Airport.

Fashola also explained that repair works on the road has recorded some impressive progress with 130 out of its 160 kilometres already covered.

Fashola said in a statement from his senior special adviser on communications, Mr. Hakeem Bello in Abuja, that he saw an accident that occurred a day before his visit, and that most accidents on Nigerian roads were not necessarily from failed road networks but from irresponsible use of the roads by drivers who he alleged were less qualified to drive on the roads.

He noted that his ministry would support the FRSC to improve safe use of Nigerian roads, and advocated for the retraining for drivers.

The FRSC, he stated, has continued to address the problem in terms of education, enlightenment and the introduction of speed limiting devices but that his ministry would further their efforts in the short to medium terms by introducing some speed cameras to deter people from excessive speeding.

"I think that it is fair to say that not many people who manage vehicles on our roads are actually trained to manage vehicles on the roads; many people are auxiliary drivers for want of something better to do. There are rules in the operation and utilisation of automobiles," said Fashola.

The minister also said that it was the job of the government to ensure safe use of roads and that it was not going to give it up.

On the outcome of his inspection, Fashola said the work on the road was an emergency repair and not a reconstruction which he said would come later after an ongoing procurement exercise on it is concluded.

According to him, the repair works would essentially remove the potholes and reduce the risk of accidents.

"The work that is being done here, you must understand this is a road of more than 160 kilometres. We are at kilometre 130 from Abuja. So, the work that is being done as I said is an emergency intervention essentially to remove the dangerous potholes and eliminate potential hazards that could cause accidents for motorists on this road.

"So, the road needs to be rebuilt because it has been subjected to a lot of axle load. But what we are doing right now is emergency repairs to remove the potholes to make the road safe for commuters ahead of the planned reconstruction and repair of the Abuja Airport runway which will lead to a diversion of air traffic and passengers from Abuja to Kaduna which will start on the 8th of March," he said.

He added that the role of his ministry was to make the road motorable and safe for commuters, and that it would be delivered on time for use.

"You can see that some sections have been resurfaced completely but that is not the main reconstruction of the road; let us be clear about what is happening here.

"The whole purpose of this contract is to cover the potholes on the 160 kilometres road two lanes on one side and two lanes on the other side; so that is really to cover 620 kilometres of potholes; that is a contract for N1 billion.

"So, let's be clear about that. This is emergency short term. When the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) gives the no objection contract, we will start when the airport runway would have been completed," he stated.

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