Friday, January 31, 2014

Man Bags 9 Years Jail Term for Attempting to Defraud Army General

Justice Fatu Riman of the Federal High Court Kano, today January 29, 2014, convicted and sentenced one Abdulkadir Mohammed to nine years imprisonment with an option of N1, 200,000 (One Million Two Hundred Thousand Naira Only) fine for offences bordering on conspiracy and forgery.

The convict was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 3-count charge
for attempting to defraud a retired army General, Garba Ali of N14, 000, 000 (Fourteen million Naira in a land deal.
The accused pleaded guilty to all the three counts and was immediately convicted by Justice Riman.

On counts one and three, Abdulkadir is to serve two years imprisonment each but with an option of N350,000 (Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira Only) fine while he is to serve five years imprisonment with an option of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) fine on count two. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Abdulkadir, a 40 year old resident of Kano is alleged to have deceived one Major General Garba Ali (Retd) under false pretence to deliver the title documents of his property to him by issuing two Fidelity Bank cheques in the sum of N14, 000, 000 (Fourteen Million Naira Only) to the General which on presentation to the bank were dishonoured as they were discovered to be forged.

N17m Scam: EFCC ARRAIGNS BUSINESSMAN FOR DUD CHEQUE

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission today arraigned a Jalingo, Taraba State-based businessman, Yusuf Isa Ahmed before Justice Filibus B. Andetur of the Taraba State High Court sitting in Jalingo on a 3 - count charge that borders on issuance of dud cheques contrary to Section 1(1)(a)(i) of Dishonoured Cheque (Offences ) CAP D11(Laws of the Federation) Act 2007.
The accused was arrested following a petition by Osychris Industries Nigeria Limited alleging that Ahmed who is the sole proprietor of Yuij Consult in Jalingo failed to fulfil his obligations in a contract to sell 230 units of Frajend motorcycles valued at N27million (twenty seven million naira)
 According to the petitioner, Yusuf was entrusted with 230 units of Frajend motorcycles worth N27, 000,000 (Twenty seven million naira) to sell and remit the proceeds to Osychris Nigeria Limited on a monthly basis over a 17 months period.
 
Yusuf allegedly remitted only N10, 357,000 (ten million three hundred and fifty-seven thousand naira only). Thereafter, he issued several cheques which were dishonoured by the bank for lack of sufficient fund in the account.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of N1.5m. His surety is also to show evidence of ownership of a landed property within the jurisdiction.
The case was adjourned till February 20, 2014 for commencement of trial.

Report Suspicious Transactions or Face The Law, Lamorde Charges Bank Executives

 Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mallam Ibrahim Lamorde has warned Chief Compliance Officers of banks in Nigeria to report suspicious transactions to avoid a situation where bank officials will be arrested in place of the criminals who carry out these transactions.
He gave the charge Thursday January 30, 2014, while presenting  a paper entitled, ‘AML/CFT Compliance By Banks: Contemporary Issues In Compliance and Enforcement’, at a meeting of the Committee of Chief Compliance officers of Banks in Nigeria which took place at Colonadese Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.

He told the bankers that as Chief Compliance Officers, they are the bridge between the law enforcements, regulatory agencies and the various banks they represent. “Compliance officers must not wait till the bank is invited by the EFCC before they make necessary information available to the Commission or any law enforcement agency, and they must be seen at all times to cooperate with law enforcement agencies”.
Lamorde also charged the compliance officers to check the rising incidence of bank officials tipping off customers under investigation by the Commission.
On  the friction in the relations between banks and the law enforcement agencies arising from mutual suspicion, the EFCC helmsman said  “It must be understood by banks that the primary target for the law enforcement officer is not the bank, but the criminal who uses the platform of the bank to either commit a crime or to launder the proceeds”.  He assured the banks that law enforcement agencies are trying to help them make profit by ensuring that crooks don’t use their platform to perpetrate crimes. He vowed that the EFCC will continue to clamp down on criminals who prey on the gullibility of a sector that believes so much in loyalty to their customers.
 
Lamorde urged banks to take solace in the fact that they have no legal liability in a civil suit by a customer for complying with the law. He assured that the EFCC was prepared to forge a better working relationship with members of the Committee of Chief Compliance officers of Banks in Nigeria to improve their capacity to ensure compliance with anti-money laundering regulations by reporting all suspicious activities within the banking sector.
https://s1.yimg.com/os/mit/media/m/base/images/transparent-1093278.png

MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF NNPC STAFF: POLICE UNMASK SUSPECTED KILLERS, RECOVER DECEASED’S REMAINS AND PERSONAL EFFECTS


*Suspects in Court on Charges of Criminal Conspiracy, Armed Robbery and Culpable Homicide Punishable with Death
Following a painstaking and diligent investigation, detectives from the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) of the Nigeria Police Force have successfully solved the riddle surrounding the sudden and hitherto unexplained disappearance of Mr. Sylvester Emefiele, staff of the Transformation Office of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Mr. Emefiele was reported to have left Lagos on 23rd September, 2012, sequel to a call from his office asking him to report to Abuja on 24th September, 2012 in order to process his Visa to Hungary for a Training programme.
On receiving this complaint through the Police email platform – policemonitor@npf.gov.ng, the Inspector-General of Police promptly ordered a discreet and comprehensive investigation into the case. Subsequently, detectives from the FSARS led by DCP Chris Ezike swung into action, and through systematic and high-level investigative technique, tracked down one Olaniyi Banjo, a 20-year old resident of Ilesa, Osun State, who bought the Blackberry phone of the deceased from one of the principal suspects, Akindele Taiwo. The sustained surveillance and investigative efforts of the police led to the arrest of the masterminds of the crime on 8th June, 2013, namely: a 30-year old Timothy Abidemi Lekan ‘m’ alias Leksit, who hails from Osun State, and a 41-year old Akinlade Taiwo ‘m’, a native of Modakeke in Ife East Local Government Area of Osun State.
The duo made very useful statements to the police in connection with the disappearance, robbery and killing of Mr. Sylvester Emefiele. The suspects equally led detectives to the scene of crime - a bush close to the Iddo Campus of the University of Abuja - where the abandoned and totally decomposed remains of the deceased, now mere skeletal parts, were recovered. A detailed forensic examination including DNA analysis has confirmed that the recovered remains were actually those of Mr. Sylvester Emefiele. Other personal effects of the deceased, including cash, ATM cards, Laptop, Blackberry phones, cheque books, personal apparels, etc were also recovered.
Also arrested in connection with the case was a witch-doctor, Saidi Babatunde from Osun State who was implicated by the suspects for preparing criminal charms for them.
Police investigation shows that the late Sylvester Emefiele, while en route from Lagos to Abuja, dropped at Giri in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT at about 8pm on 23rd September, 2012, where he unsuspectingly boarded a Nissan Sunny Saloon Car with Reg. No: AG-956-KEF driven by Akinlade Taiwo who further picked his accomplice, Timothy Abidemi Lekan on the way during which they jointly subdued their victim and led him to the bush where he was robbed. The suspects confirmed that they had earlier forced the deceased to disclose the Personal Identification Number of all his ATM cards which enabled them to make an initial withdrawal of N186,000 from his Zenith Bank, First Bank and GT-Bank accounts at Gwagwalada. On seeing that their victim still had an outstanding balance of over Eight Hundred thousand naira (N800,000.00), the robbers chose to kill Mr. Sylvester Emefiele by binding his wrists with twine and hitting his chest with their Talisman and other dangerous weapons until they were sure that their victim’s life had fizzled out. Thereafter, they continued making illicit withdrawals from the victim’s accounts until they were apprehended by the Police.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police has commended the officers that investigated the case for their diligence, dedication and professionalism, assuring Nigerians that justice will take its course as the suspects have already been arraigned before a competent court of law. The IGP has further called on the general public to be wary of the kind of vehicles they enter to avoid falling victim to these hoodlums.  The IGP also promised increased visibility of the Police on our highways through intensive vehicular patrols especially at nights for the safety and security of road users. 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

N10bn Pension Scam: Judge Flays Defence Counsel Over Frivolous Adjournment

Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja today warned counsel to desist from seeking frivolous adjournment on criminal matters, stating that criminal trial are serious matters and not to be treated lightly. Justice Kolawole said any counsel who is sick should provide a medical certificate as proof because the Chief Justice of Nigeria has ordered that cases of terrorism and corruption be dealt with expeditiously.
He issued the warning when Phina Chidi, Franklin Okey Nwankwo and nine other persons accused of complicity in the N10 billion pension scam in the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were presented for re-arraignment. But the accused persons could not take their plea as the second accused said he would not take any plea in the absence of his counsel who sent a letter to inform the court that he was ill.
The prosecution counsel, Godwin Obla, SAN didn’t oppose the refusal. He said he was aware that the right of legal representation is a constitutional right.
Counsel to the 1st accused, Chris Uche, SAN did not oppose the application for an adjournment but prayed the court to allow the accused persons to continue to enjoy the bail earlier granted them by Justice Adamu Bello.
 
The case was adjourned to March 26, 2014, while the accused persons are  to continue enjoying the bail terms already granted them by court.
In a related development, EFCC re-arraigned Abdullahi Tahir before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja oN one count charge bordering on advance fee fraud.
The count reads: “that you Garba Abdullahi Tahir at various times between 3rdJune 2009 and 17th May 2010 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, obtained by false pretence and with intent to defraud from the Pensions Account, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation of Nigeria, various sums in the aggregate amount of N47,251, 345.00 (Forty Seven Million, Two Hundred and Fifty One Thousand, Three Hundred and Fifty Four Naira) and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1(1)(a)  of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 2006.”
Prosecuting counsel Godwin Obla, SAN did not oppose the bail application as defence counsel Nicholas Eku urged the court to adopt the bail terms earlier granted to his client.
The court adjourned the case to March 5,6 and 14, 2014 for hearing while the accused is to continue enjoying the bail earlier granted him.

IGP REDEPLOYS DIGs AND AIGs

·        Charges them to provide effective leadership
 
 
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP MD Abubakar, CFR, NPM, mni, psc, has approved the redeployment and posting of Four (4) DIGs and three (3) AIGs. This is coming on the heels of the recent disengagement from the Force, of two (2) retired DIGs and the promotion and subsequent decoration of two new DIGs and three AIGs.
 
According to the Posting and Redeployment Order dated 27th January, 2014, DIG Atiku Y. Kafur, mni, who was in charge of the Department of Research and Planning now heads the Department of Training. The Department of Research and Planning is now headed by DIG Abdulrahaman O. Akano, NPM who until his recent posting was in-charge of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). DIG Zuokumor Michael, fwc one of the two newly promoted DIGs- is now in charge of the Department of Operations. DIG Zuokumor was until his recent promotion, the AIG in-charge of Zone 4 with Headquarters in Makurdi.  The Department of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is now headed by DIG Jonathan Johnson (also recently promoted). He was before now, the AIG in-charge Zone 6, Calabar.
 
Three other DIGs retained their previous postings. They are: DIG Suleiman Dauda Fakai, NPM, mni in charge of the Department of Finance and Administration; DIG Emmanuel Udeoji, fwc in charge of the Department of Logistics and DIG Peter Gana, NPM, mni in charge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department. All the DIGs are automatic members of the Police Management Team.
 
In a related development, the IGP has also ordered the posting of the three (3) newly promoted Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs). Accordingly, AIG Kakwe C. Katso, mni is now posted to National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Jos, as a Directing Staff (DS).
In the same vein, AIG Fana A. Salisu who was previously the CP Force Quarter Master is now the AIG in charge of Works, FHQ, Abuja while AIG Musa A. Daura, mni is now the AIG in charge of Zone 6, Calabar. Similarly, CP Adeola Adeleke Adeniji, mni now holds forte at Zone 4 Headquarters Makurdi.
 
While wishing the officers success in their new assignments, the IGP  enjoined them to provide effective leadership for their subordinate officers and intensify the war against terrorism and all shades of crime.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Girls who'll live to 105... and boys who won't see 67: Figures show disparity between life expectancy in different parts of the country


Life expectancy for girls born in certain areas of the country could exceed 105, new government data suggests (library image)

Life expectancy for girls born in certain areas of the country could exceed 105, new government data suggests (library image)

Life expectancy for girls born today in some parts of England could average more than 100 years.
Those living in part of one northern town might expect to reach 105, while those in one Home Counties town will notch up 104 birthdays, Government data suggests.
The statistics from Public Health England have also exposed the staggering disparities in life expectancy in different parts of the country.
At the other end of the spectrum, for example, girls born in parts of Bradford and Salford will, on average, fail to reach their 73rd birthdays.
Men born in the most affluent parts of London and in part of Crawley, West Sussex, could average lives lasting nearly 98 years.
They can expect to live more than 30 years longer than their contemporaries born in the worst part of England for longevity – Rock Ferry, in Birkenhead, where male inhabitants will be lucky to reach the age of 67.
A girl born on the Northburn Estate near Cramlington in Northumberland has an average life expectancy of 105. For those born in Beggarwood, in Basingstoke and Deane, the figure is 104.3.
The other top areas for women are Marlow in Wycombe, Grange Park in Swindon and Lyppard Grange in Worcester. In all three the average girl will live to over 95.
The worst area for women is part of Holme Wood in Bradford, a council estate thought to be the largest in Europe.
The other areas in the female worst five are Patricroft in Salford, Portwood in Stockport, part of St Helens, and an area west of Hull city centre.
Best five places

The data suggested a baby born near Cramlington in Northumberland could live to 105, but one born in Bradford will not reach their 73rd birthday (library image)
The data suggested a baby born near Cramlington in Northumberland could live to 105, but one born in Bradford will not reach their 73rd birthday (library image)

For men, the shortest lives are likely to be lived by boys born in Rock Ferry, Radford in Nottingham, Grange Park in Blackpool, and two areas in central Leicester.
The Northburn estate is a surprise in the best five because it is not particularly affluent. The average house costs £130,000.
The Rev Stephen Hewitt, team rector for Cramlington, said he had been struck by the number of women he had met who were 100 or well into their nineties.
‘I would say it’s likely down to them being a hardy breed, rather than their lifestyle,’ he told the Sunday Times. ‘Many of them grew up in a tough area, through the depression and war.’
Professor John Newton of Public Health England said that from 2000 to 2012 life expectancy in England rose by 3.2 years for men and 2.4 years for women.
But he said ‘profound inequalities’ remained and public agencies needed to work with local people to create healthy communities.

dailymail.co.uk

Customers' fury over new cashpoint crash: Debit cards are left useless in stores and at ATMs


Outrage: A quarter of TSB customers could not use their cards after two of the company's seven servers failed

Outrage: A quarter of TSB customers could not use their cards after two of the company's seven servers failed
Hundreds of thousands of customers were left unable to use debit cards and cashpoints yesterday as the result of a computer glitch.
Lloyds Banking Group, which has 22million customers and is the largest retail bank in the UK, apologised for the widespread disruption – the latest in a series of IT problems to hit UK banks in recent years.
It said debit card transactions were affected between 3pm and 6pm yesterday, while Lloyds, TSB, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers at around 3,500 of its ATMs suffered problems for four and a half hours.
But despite this, there was no mention of problems on the bank’s website last night.
TSB said a quarter of its customers’ debit card transactions were affected after it suffered problems with two out of seven computer servers.
It has 4.6million customers and more than 630 branches. Furious customers last night took to Twitter to vent their frustration, forcing the bank’s chief executive, Paul Pester, to post an apology.
He said: ‘My apologies to TSB customers having problems with their cards.
'I’m working hard  with my team now to try to fix  the problems.’
In December, an estimated 750,000 Royal Bank of Scotland customers were unable to use their credit and debit cards for three hours following an IT glitch on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
In 2012, a major IT failure locked many RBS, NatWest and Ulster Bank customers out of their accounts for several days.
Twitter users blasted the banking group as their inability to pay for low-cost items left them embarrassed
Twitter users blasted the banking group as their inability to pay for low-cost items left them embarrassed


TSB, which split from Lloyds last year, issued a statement on Twitter saying: ‘We’re having issues with ATMs and debit cards at present.
‘We’re hoping to have this fixed shortly, apologies for inconvenience caused.’ Customers yesterday reported difficulties paying for goods in shops and getting money out of ATMs.
Leanne Seaward, 29, from Verwood in Dorset, said she found she had problems when she went to pay for her weekly supermarket shop.
‘It was a little embarrassing,’ she said. ‘I put my card in and it kept saying “transaction void”.
'I thought it was because I am in the process of switching banks, so assumed they might have closed my account without telling me. Luckily I had my husband with me so he was able to pay, but if I was getting petrol and on my own it could have been a completely different matter.’
Apology: Paul Pester, chief executive of TSB Bank, took to Twitter to apologise to angry account holders
Apology: Paul Pester, chief executive of TSB Bank, took to Twitter to apologise to angry account holders


Paul Pester tweeted an apology

TSB also tweeted an apology

On Twitter one TSB customer, Nicky Kate, wrote: ‘Really embarrassed to get my card declined while out shopping, never had any problems with Lloyds then they changed my account.’
Another, Hannah Smith, said: ‘I am a TSB customer with a Lloyds card still (like everyone else). And I’ve been embarrassed three times today re: card declined.’
TSB customer Essie Young wrote: ‘Could not buy my twins a birthday present today with TSB card.’
Mark Logan wrote: ‘Put petrol in then realised my Lloyds card was not working. Great service Lloyds. Left me right in it.’
TSB was launched in September 2013 and was formed from a number of Lloyds TSB branches in England and Wales, all branches of Cheltenham & Gloucester and the business of Lloyds TSB Scotland.
A bank spokesman said last night the problems had been fixed but added that some customers ‘may still experience a short delay making payments’ while the backlog of payments was processed.

dailymail.co.uk

Can you foresee the death of a loved one... and choose the exact moment you die? These accounts from an intensive care nurse will astonish you

Four years ago, children’s author Shelley E. Parker suddenly had a strong premonition that her fiancĂ© was about to die. This made no sense at all. If anyone was going to die, it was more likely to be Shelley herself, as she was seriously ill with cancer.
But that night in hospital, her premonition was reinforced by a bizarre dream in which she met God.
She recalled every moment of it when she woke: how God had told her that it was time for Steven to go, and turned down her plea to take her instead.
Why do so many people who have had a near death experience describe hauntingly similar visions? Intensive care nurse Penny Sartori has spent years investigating them
Why do so many people who have had a near death experience describe hauntingly similar visions? Intensive care nurse Penny Sartori has spent years investigating them

At noon the next day, Steven, who was a helicopter pilot, was killed in a crash.
‘I now wonder whether I could have stopped him dying if I’d told him,’ says Shelley, 41, who lives in Farnworth, Lancashire. ‘But I don’t think I could have.’
There was no doubt in Shelley’s mind that she’d somehow tuned in to the future. Ten years before, she’d had another premonition — this time about a little girl.  The healthy three-year-old was the child of friends and Shelley had seen her only a few times. One night, she had a ‘very vivid’ dream about her.
‘I was walking along a path and in front of me was this little girl with her auntie,’ Shelley recalled. ‘I’m not sure how accurate the image of the auntie was, as I’d never met her or seen photographs of her — I just knew that she’d died about 20 years previously.
'She smiled and telepathically told me all was well' 
'The aunt said she was there to take the little girl to heaven. The child was dressed in pink and had a pink bucket and spade and glitter make-up on the side of her face. She was very happy and dancing around.
'I woke up the next day and felt really unsettled. I thought about phoning the little girl’s father but then thought better of it, trying to rationalise that it was just a dream. That feeling of anxiety lasted all day.’
That evening, Shelley went to dinner with relatives. At one point, she glanced at her watch. It was 10.10pm.
‘Suddenly, all of the unsettled feeling and anxiety just fell away and I thought: at last I’m starting to relax.’
The next day, she learned that the little girl had died the night before — soon after 10pm. The cause of her death was a mystery.
Should we dismiss Shelley’s premonitions — and many others I’ve been told — as macabre coincidences? Or could they be a genuine phenomenon, experienced far more than people imagine?
Consider the case of Janice Wright, a British woman who was visiting friends in Virginia, USA. In the middle of the night, she told me, she’d suddenly snapped wide awake.
No scientific theory has yet come close to explaining why a few people have near-death experiences Âż which can include visions of tunnels and bright lights
No scientific theory has yet come close to explaining why a few people have near-death experiences ¿ which can include visions of tunnels and bright lights

In her bedroom was her childhood nanny, whom she hadn’t seen in years, though they still corresponded.
‘In real life, she was well over 80,’ said Janice. ‘But in the vision, she was ageless and surrounded by an immensely bright light. She smiled at me, put her hand out and telepathically told me all was well.
‘I was shocked and stayed awake. The next morning, I told my hosts I thought my old nanny had died.
‘Later that day, a cousin called from England to tell me that’s exactly what had happened.’
How can we explain such accurate premonitions? Sadly, science has not even begun to find answers.
Similarly, no scientific theory has yet come close to explaining why a few people have near-death experiences — which can include visions of tunnels, bright lights and meetings with dead relatives.
Indeed, that was one of the problems facing me when I embarked on a PhD on the subject. Throughout my research, I was also working as a nurse in the intensive care ward of a British hospital. I was therefore able to learn at firsthand about some of the seemingly inexplicable events that can occur just before death. 
Throughout Dr Sartori's research, she was also working as a nurse in the intensive care ward of a British hospital (file photo) and was able to learn at firsthand about some of the seemingly inexplicable events that can occur just before death
Throughout Dr Sartori's research, she was also working as a nurse in the intensive care ward of a British hospital (file photo) and was able to learn at firsthand about some of the seemingly inexplicable events that can occur just before death

To my mind, however, it’s too easy to label these as paranormal or supernatural.
Instead, I’m increasingly open to the possibility that our brains are separate from our consciousness. In other words, the brain may be channelling what some people call the soul, rather than responsible for creating it.  
As a theory, it deserves scientific investigation. If proved, it would explain, for instance, why enhanced consciousness can be experienced separately from the body.  
And it would also help account for the extraordinary phenomenon known as ‘shared death experience’.
This is admittedly rare, but two separate cases have been reported to me by relatives who were present at a deathbed.
'I saw this tall man reach out to embrace mum' 
The first took place in 2004 in the north of England. A dying woman in her 70s was unconscious in a hospital, with her family around her bed. Her husband, Peter, and son, Harry, were holding her hands, and her daughter, Gail, had placed a hand on her forehead.
Subsequently, I interviewed both Peter and Gail separately about what they’d seen. According to Peter, he suddenly noticed a bright light a little distance away. As he watched, a tall man stepped forward from the light with his hands outstretched. Then his unconscious wife seemed to rise from her bed and walk towards the man.
‘He was waiting there as if to give her a welcoming hug; there was a sense  of peace and love,’ Peter recalled.
His daughter, Gail, appears to have had a fuller experience of the same vision. ‘All of a sudden, I could see Mum walking into the distance on a path,’ she said. ‘Around her head was like a sun, and on her right-hand side, I could see the silhouette of some people.
‘[Then] I saw this tall person — I don’t know who he was. When she reached him, he took her into his arms as if in a warm embrace that was full of love.
‘Mum’s breaths got shallower. And then there were no further breaths and the scene disappeared.’
One man Dr Sartori spoke to said he had seen a tall man step forward from a bright light, as his dying wife seemed to rise from her bed and walk towards him
One man Dr Sartori spoke to said he had seen a tall man step forward from a bright light, as his dying wife seemed to rise from her bed and walk towards him

Naturally, the family was devastated at their loss. But, unlike Harry, who’d seen nothing at all, father and daughter had what Peter described as ‘big smiles on our faces’.
‘There’d been such sadness leading up to my wife’s death — then this [vision] happened,’ he said. ‘The nurses and ward sister must have thought we were very insensitive because we felt this sense of elation and happiness.’
In the second case, a woman in her 40s called Laura was holding her mother’s hand as she started slipping into a coma. Then, suddenly, Laura said, her mother rose from her bed and began walking away. After just one pace, though, she turned around.
‘She looked so happy and well,’ said Laura. ‘Then she said: “Go back now — it’s not your turn.”’
When Laura next looked at her mother on the bed, she was in a deep coma. She died three days later, without regaining consciousness.
'He was making gestures to some invisible person' 
I’ve since been told of several such experiences. What makes them particularly fascinating is that they can’t simply be dismissed by cynics as the product of a malfunctioning brain.
Why? Because, unlike conventional near-death experiences, they happen to people who aren’t close to death themselves.
But what about Laura and Gail’s mothers — the people who actually died? Were they, too, experiencing the vision? Evidence from other cases seems to suggest they were.
My first encounter with deathbed visions in hospital was when I was a student nurse arriving for a  morning shift.
‘Billy’s in bed six — he’s been talking to his dead mother since three o’clock this morning,’ said the night-shift nurse. ‘He’ll be gone by the end of the day.’
After the handover, I kept my eye on Billy Jones, who was 78. He appeared to be asleep, but throughout the morning, he was making gestures to some invisible person and seemed to be speaking to his mother.
The last time I saw him, he was asleep with a big smile on his face. He died a few hours later.
This was my first encounter with death in a hospital — and it wasn’t long before I, too, could sometimes predict when patients were about to die. Like Billy, they’d start calling out and gesturing to some invisible presence.

Sometimes, a patient is able to describe his vision before dying. A hospice nurse in Wales told me about a 65-year-old man, Ernest, who kept seeing people he knew to be dead at his bedside.
The medical team put this down to hallucinations and reduced his medication — but it made no difference. The figures kept appearing.
In the end, the hospice staff seemed more concerned about them than he was. According to Ernest, he felt no fear yet knew perfectly well that his visitors signified approaching death.
I imagine that this is what my own paternal grandfather must have felt. In the days leading up to his death 18 years ago, he often used to point to the doorway and whisper: ‘Look who’s here — they’re at the door.’ He told my grandmother that his dead father had been visiting him. But whenever he tried to talk to her about this, she’d have to walk out of the room.
She knew that the vision presaged imminent death and she didn’t want him to see her upset.
Older generations, who had far more experience of seeing loved ones die at home, often knew all about death-bed visions and what they signified. Indeed, they have been documented since Victorian times.
More recently, in the 1970s, death-bed visions were the subject of a large survey conducted in both the U.S. and India. This concluded that patients usually died within two to five days of the start of a vision.
Numerous reports by healthcare workers have recorded other bizarre phenomena, including the stopping of clocks
Numerous reports by healthcare workers have recorded other bizarre phenomena, including the stopping of clocks

Other research suggests that such visions result in a peaceful acceptance of death — whereas drug-induced hallucinations tend to cause anxiety or confusion.
But conversations with invisible people aren’t the only signs that have been widely noted at the bedside of a dying person.
Numerous reports by healthcare workers have recorded other bizarre phenomena, including: a change in temperature, a light around the body, the malfunctioning of electrical equipment and the stopping of clocks. There have also been incidents of glasses smashing — without human intervention — at the moment of death. 
In addition, I’ve come to realise during my 17 years as an intensive care staff nurse that some patients actually have control over the timing of their deaths.
The first time I noticed this was one Sunday morning, when I was looking after an elderly woman called Jean Hunt. She’d been suffering from heart failure and her husband had visited her religiously every day for a week.
Unused to being separated from Jean, who’d been chronically ill for ten years, he was very anxious. But, that morning, her condition was stable so he’d been persuaded to accompany his mother on a day trip.
An hour after he left the ward, Jean’s blood pressure suddenly began to drop. She died not long afterwards, and we all blamed ourselves for encouraging her husband to go on the day trip.
That’s when it occurred to me that Jean may have chosen her time of death. And, since then, I’ve known many patients to die while their families were taking ‘a quick break’.
One I particularly remember is Sam, who was in his 80s. His family had been with him almost constantly for a week, and one day I suggested they have a break in the canteen. It was 2pm and they’d been keeping vigil since 8am.  
Within minutes of their departure, Sam was dying. I ran to fetch his family in the canteen, but he’d gone before we reached his bedside.
Why would anyone deliberately choose to die alone? It may be that love is sometimes the only thing keeping a seriously-ill patient alive — and the absence of loved ones makes it easier to let go.
I’m by no means the only person who’s noticed this. Hospice and palliative-care consultant Dr John Lerma has reported that 70 to 80 per cent of his patients waited for their loved ones to leave the room before dying.
Some patients, on the other hand, appear to be waiting for a specific event to take place before they can permit themselves to die. This could be a wedding or birthday, or the arrival of an estranged family member. 
Some patients appear to be waiting for a specific event to take place before they can permit themselves to die
Some patients appear to be waiting for a specific event to take place before they can permit themselves to die

In one memorable case, a male patient was expected to die very soon, yet lingered for days longer than expected. Finally, he died on the day that a crucial insurance policy became valid, thus ensuring his wife was financially secure.
Even people who appear to be incapable of understanding what’s happening to them can regain some control on their deathbeds.
Recently, researchers in Britain and Germany have started investigating reports of people with late-stage Alzheimer’s disease or dementia suddenly becoming coherent just before they die.
This case comes directly from a good friend.
‘My mother, Peggy, while in the latter stages of Alzheimer’s, was no longer able to converse with any coherency at all,’ said Lyon White, who lives in Sussex. ‘Her conversation consisted of what could only be described as ‘gobbledygook.’  
As Peggy’s condition deteriorated, she had to be admitted to hospital. One day, Lyon heard her speaking as he entered the ward. She was having a conversation with her father, a much-loved policeman in Kent who’d been murdered while on duty. Among the things she told him was that she knew that her husband — also deceased — had loved her very much.
Lyon was astounded. It had been a long time since his mother had even been able to form a word, let alone a sentence. But as soon as he interrupted her vision, she once again lost the power to speak.
Why do such remarkable events occur at the end of life? Naturally, some of the people who’ve witnessed them invoke religion and the after-life. But, equally, many remain agnostic.
Whatever our beliefs, we should keep an open mind. And when death comes — as it must — it may not be as fearful as we imagine.

dailymail.co.uk

173 terrorists, kidnappers arrested by police

About one hundred and seventy three suspected terrorists have been arrested in recent times by the Inspector General of Police Task Force on Terrorism and other Violent Crimes.
Among the arrested suspects were people identified to be members of the dreaded Boko Haram group, cultists, rapists and kidnappers who were allegedly involved in violent crimes in many parts of the country.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the IGP task force also recovered 59 A.K rifles, 11 pump action guns, one Rapid Propeller Grenade, three locally-made pistols, five dane guns and 44 vehicles.
The force, headed by Umar Garba, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, arrested the notorious member of Boko Haram group and also swooped on kidnappers hideout in Oru Local Government Area of Imo State, where they held a 75 years old man captive.
A source at the unit, while speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, disclosed that the four persons, including the leader of the kidnap gang, were picked up by detectives and set the kidnapped septuagenarian free.
The officer said that members of the public, especially in the North, have continued to furnish the unit with information that led to the arrest of some suspected Boko Haram members.
“We picked up suspects in Bauchi, Damaturu, Kano and Kaduna states. We equally uncovered two bomb making factories in Kawo, Kaduna State and another in Bauchi State, the source said.
TRIBUNE

Hoodlums vandalise buildings, 50 cars in Lagos


Manko
Some suspected hoolums  invaded Olaiya Street, Mafoluku in the Oshodi Isolo area of Lagos State on Sunday morning.
They vandalising no fewer than 50 vehicles and some buildings, including that of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Tree of Life parish.
The residents said the men, identified as Garage Boys, numbering over 100 and armed with bottles, cutlasses and other weapons, attacked the area and did the damage around 2am.
The residents said it was the fourth time the group would wreak such havoc without any challenge from policemen that usually come after the harm had been done.
PUNCH Metro  gathered that the Sunday morning attack was a reprisal for an earlier onslaught against the Garage Boys by the Alagbole Boys, another notorious group in the area.
While the cultists unleashed the mayhem, our correspondent learnt that residents were holed up in their houses for fear of being killed by the rampaging gang who dared residents to come out.
A secondary school student, Bose Abidogun, said she woke up around 2am and began taking note of the incident.
In her account obtained by our correspondent, she said, “It was like a nightmare, the worst I have seen. Around 2.38am, I woke up because I heard a bang outside. I first thought it was a robbery operation, but then I peeped through the window. I saw a group of boys armed with sticks, cutlasses, hitting the glass of every car on the street.
“I watched as Pastor Dare (a resident) looked at them destroying his car and could not do anything. The boys kept moving from car to car, breaking the cars’ glasses and winthrdscreens.”
Pastor Dare Majadeogbe said he watched helplessly as his private and church cars were damaged. He put his loss at N300, 000.
Majadeogbe said the gang had destroyed some cars and buildings on the adjoining street in 2013.
“Last year, they invaded Ayoni Street and destroyed many cars in a similar fashion. Now they have finished off Olaiya Street and vandalised all the cars they saw, ” he added.
Another resident, whose three cars were damaged, Timothy Adeniran, said he had lived in the area for 28 years and the problems started three years back.
Adeniran said he called the police during the incident, but they did not show up until two hours after the men were gone.
The Chairman of the Landlords and Tenants Association, Dauda Sulaiman, berated the attitude of the Makinde Police Division, which he described as non-challant.
He said, “I was out of Lagos when the incident happened. But immediately it started, the local vigilance group on the street called me around 12am. I asked them to alert the Makinde Police Station which is three streets away from us. I was reliably informed that they informed the police immediately, but the police came around 4am. While the boys were destroying the cars, some of the residents even went to the station at that odd hour, but the policemen there did not respond.”
Biodun Adeoto said it was the second time he was suffering heavy losses, alleging that the police had always made arrests in the past, only to later let suspects off the hook.
“They destroyed four windows of my car about four years ago. I was in Ilorin when I heard they had damaged another car. I couldn’t believe it. What have we done? I believe the police know the people disturbing the street, and if they want to show seriousness, they should go and get them,” he said.
The traditional ruler of Mafoluku, Husam Elemo said,“This has been happening for a long time, and I have always showed my dislike for things like this. Most times, the Special Anti Robbery Squad and Makinde Police Division would come in, and nothing would come out. The Alagbole boys and Garage Boys have been disturbing us. We do not want them to bury this recent devastation, like other cases. I want the government to wade into it this time so we can have lasting peace.”
PUNCH

Rivers police claim arrest of 320 B’Haram suspects


Boko Haram
THE police command in Rivers State on Sunday said its men had arrested 320 persons suspected to be members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram.
The suspects were said to have been in a convoy of 17 buses when they were nabbed at about 5am on Sunday between the border of Imo and Rivers states. Young women were said to be among the arrested suspects.
The convoy of the suspected insurgents was said to have been led by a man identified as Bala Dambam and they were said to be coming from Jigawa State, in buses belonging to a transport firm owned by a former Inspector General of Police.
Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Joseph Mbu, who confirmed the arrest of the suspects, said he would not make any comment until the end of police investigation into the matter.
Mbu said, “It is a top security issue. I don’t know how you got the information and I won’t ask you. But there cannot be any comment now from the Rivers State Police Command until we finish the investigation.
“The issue of Boko Haram is a very sensitive matter. It borders on national security. Investigation is on-going and the Rivers State Police Command will not give out any information until investigation is concluded.
“Boko Haram is a highly sensitive issue of state policy. Investigations into matters that have to do with Boko Haram are conducted with utmost sensitivity.
“At this moment, the Rivers State Police Command has no information for the media or for anyone who is not involved in the investigation. And I will not offer you any comments whatsoever.”
The police did not allow journalists to sight the arrested suspects.
Some residents of Port Harcourt, who heard about the arrest of the Boko Haram suspects, expressed fear that the group had finally found their way into the state.
A student of the University of Port Harcourt, Magnus Ndele, told The PUNCH that the presence of Boko Haram members in the state was a looming danger.
“Boko Haram means danger to all of us in this state. We hear how they throw bombs and many lives are lost. The police and other security agencies should do more to ensure they stop the operation of the group anywhere in Rivers State,” Ndele said.

PUNCH



Friday, January 24, 2014

Wife, son’s killer arraigned in court, remanded in prison

A 29-year-old bricklayer, Muyideen Opeyemi Arowolo, who was arrested last Friday in connection with setting his wife and son ablaze in their residence at Ita Baale, Labiran area of Ibadan, Oyo State, has been remanded in Agodi prisons, after he was arraigned in court on Thursday.
He was brought before Alhaja Sefia Oyediran at Magistrates’ Court 2, Iyaganku, Ibadan on a three-count charge of murder, murder and arson.
On a charge sheet with suit number MI/93C/2014, count one read: “that you, Arowolo Opeyemi Muyideen, on the 26th Dec, 2013 at about 10.30p.m. at Ita Baale area, Ibadan, in the Ibadan magisterial district, did cause the death of one Felicia Opeyemi by setting  her ablaze and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 216 and punishable under section 319 of the criminal code cap 38 volume 2, laws of Oyo State Nigeria, 2000.”
On count two, Muyideen was accused of, on the same date, time and place, causing “the death of one Gbolahan Opeyemi by setting him ablaze and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 216 and punishable under section 319 of the criminal code cap 38 volume 2, laws of Oyo State, Nigeria, 2000.”
Count three also read “that you Arowolo Opeyemi Muyideen, on the same date time and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district did set on fire a one-storey building at Labiran area, Ita Baale, occupied by the two deceased, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 443 of the criminal cap volume 2, at the Ibadan magisterial district.”
The plea of the accused was not taken and the magistrate, Alhaja Oyediran, ordered that he should be remanded in the prison, while the case was adjourned till February 10 for further hearing.
TRIBUNE

Boko Haram suspected financier sues SSS for N10bn •Over unlawful detention

BILLIONAIRE oil and gas magnate, Alhaji Salami Abdullahi, accused of funding the terrorism activities of the Boko Haram sect has sued the State Security Services (SSS) for a sum of N10 billion at a Federal High Court, Abuja, over alleged unlawful arrest and detention.
The Kogi State-based industrialist, who is also the Chief Executive and Managing Director of ASTA Nigeria Group, claimed that he was apprehended in one of his petrol stations since October by combined operatives of the SSS, soldiers and police and was detention without trial since then.
The applicant claimed that he was denied access to his family members, medical doctors and the legal team.
In the application for enforcement of his fundamental rights, the applicant asked Justice Gabriel Kolawole to compel the SSS to file charges against him in a law court or set him free.
In the application filed by Chief James Ocholi, the businessman asked the court to declare that his detention since October last year without trial was in breach of Section 35(1) and Section 36(8) of the 1999 Constitution.
He also applied to the court to stop the SSS from further harassing, intimidating and threatening his liberty to freedom.
The applicant asked the court to compel the SSS to pay him the N10 billion jointly and severally as exemplary fundamental rights and loss of legitimate businesses.
In the affidavit in support of his motion, the applicant claimed that he was arrested at one of his oil stations at Ayangba, in Kogi State since October last year.
He averred that the combined team of the security agents conducted thorough searches in his residence and business premises but found nothing incriminating.
The applicant also indicated that he was moved from Ayangba to Lokoja, where he spent 10 days before he was subsequently moved to the SSS headquarters in Abuja, where he had been held without trial.
Abdullahi averred that while in the SSS custody, an identification parade was organised by SSS and that none of the people he was alleged to be sponsoring linked him with any Boko Haram activities.
He described as unfounded and spurious, the allegation that he was financing the Boko Haram sect.
Justice Kolawole adjourned ruling in the case indefinitely, though the matter would be mentioned on January 28.
TRIBUNE

30 years after FBI arrest New York mafia suspected of carrying out the infamous 1978 Lufthansa heist

It has taken them over 30 years, but the FBI have finally charged members of the New York mafia with the 1978 Lufthansa heist at JFK - made famous by the movie Goodfellas.
Five high-ranking members of the Bonanno organized crime family were arrested and charged in pre-dawn raids on Thursday morning in connection with the $6 million robbery that is still one of the largest cash thefts in American history.
The arrests took place across New York and included Thomas 'Tommy D' DiDiore, who is believed to be the highest ranking member of the Bonanno family outside of prison and Vincent Asaro, 78, who is alleged to be a captain, or capo in the ranks of the crime family.
Arrest 35-years later: Vincent Vinny Asaro (2-R), a captain in the Bonanno crime family, is escorted by FBI agents out of a federal building in New York, on Thursday 23 January 2014 - Asaro is suspected of being involved in the infamous Lufthansa heist of 1978
Arrest 35-years later: Vincent Vinny Asaro (2-R), a captain in the Bonanno crime family, is escorted by FBI agents out of a federal building in New York, on Thursday 23 January 2014 - Asaro is suspected of being involved in the infamous Lufthansa heist of 1978
Busted: Vincent Asaro, an alleged captain in the Bonanno crime family, is led from Federal Plaza as he is charged in connection with the 1978 Lufthansa heist at JFK International Airport
Busted: Vincent Asaro, an alleged captain in the Bonanno crime family, is led from Federal Plaza as he is charged in connection with the 1978 Lufthansa heist at JFK International Airport


Boss: Thomas (Tommy D) DiFiore (C), reportedly connected to the Bonanno crime family, is escorted by FBI agents out of a federal building in New York, New York, USA, on Thursday to be charged in connection with the Lufthansa heist of 1978
Boss: Thomas (Tommy D) DiFiore (C), reportedly connected to the Bonanno crime family, is escorted by FBI agents out of a federal building in New York, New York, USA, on Thursday to be charged in connection with the Lufthansa heist of 1978
Boss: Thomas (Tommy D) DiFiore , reportedly connected to the Bonanno crime family, is escorted by FBI agents out of a federal building in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday after being charged in connection with the Lufthansa heist of 1978

Arrest: TWo of five men arrested by the FBI this morning in connection with the infamous Lufthansa heist of 1978 leaves the court in Brooklyn this morning
Arrest: TWo of five men arrested by the FBI this morning in connection with the infamous Lufthansa heist of 1978 leaves the court in Brooklyn this morning
Pinched: Two of five men arrested by the FBI this morning in connection with the infamous Lufthansa heist of 1978 leaves the court in Brooklyn


Bowed head: This morning 78-year-old Vincent Asaro, 55-year-old Jerome Asaro, 70-year-old Thomas Tommy D DiFiore, 52-year-old John Bazoo Ragano and Jack Bonventre were arraigned in Brooklyn for the 1978 Lufthansa heist
Bowed head: This morning 78-year-old Vincent Asaro, 55-year-old Jerome Asaro, 70-year-old Thomas Tommy D DiFiore, 52-year-old John Bazoo Ragano and Jack Bonventre were arraigned in Brooklyn for the 1978 Lufthansa heist

Tough guy: A man connected to the Bonanno crime family is escorted by FBI agents today in Brooklyn. Court papers unsealed in New York charge that the men were members of the Bonanno crime family
Tough guy: A man connected to the Bonanno crime family is escorted by FBI agents today in Brooklyn. Court papers unsealed in New York charge that the men were members of the Bonanno crime family

This is the first time any accused member of the mafia has ever faced charges in connection with the crime.
The arrests of the five men follows a discovery by the Federal Bureau of Investigation of human remains at a New York property tied to James 'Jimmy the Gent' Burke last summer.
Burke, the suspected mastermind of the heist, died in prison in 1996 while serving time for the murder of a drug dealer. Actor Robert De Niro played a character based on Burke in the film.
Vincent Asaro, identified as one of the leaders of the Bonanno gang, was charged with the theft of $5 million in cash and $1 million in jewelry from the Lufthansa Terminal at Kennedy on December 11, 1978.
At the time, it was the biggest cash heist ever in the United States. The stolen $5 million would be worth $17.9 million in 2013 dollars, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The crime stumped investigators for years, but a break in the case came last summer during a search that turned up human remains buried at the former home of Burke.
The indictment charges Asaro with the murder of Paul Katz in 1969, as well as robbery, conspiracy and other charges tied to the 1978 heist.
The Asaros, both alleged captains in the Bonanno organized crime family, also were charged together in a 1984 robbery of $1.25 million worth of gold salts from a Federal Express employee.
Information on their attorneys was not immediately available.

Burke owned Robert's Lounge, the saloon that a fellow Lucchese associate, the late Henry Hill - played by Ray Liotta in Goodfellas - described as Burke's private cemetery.
'Jimmy buried over a dozen bodies ... under the bocce courts,' Hill wrote in his book, 'A Goodfella's Guide to New York.'

Law enforcement have said that the arrested are Bonanno crime family members Vincent Asaro, 78; Jerome Asaro, 55; Thomas 'Tommy D' DiFiore, 70; John 'Bazoo' Ragano, 52; and Jack Bonventre, whose age isn't known.
Two of the suspects live in Queens, two in Long Island and one in upstate New York.
Life and film: James "Jimmy the Gent" Burke is led handcuffed from a law enforcenemt vehicle in this April 1979 file photo - and (right) as portrayed by Robert De Niro in the 1990 film Goodfellas
Life and film: James "Jimmy the Gent" Burke is led handcuffed from a law enforcenemt vehicle in this April 1979 file photo - and (right) as portrayed by Robert De Niro in the 1990 film Goodfellas
Life and film: James "Jimmy the Gent" Burke is led handcuffed from a law enforcenemt vehicle in this April 1979 file photo - and (right) as portrayed by Robert De Niro in the 1990 film Goodfellas

The exact connection between the search of Burke's home in Queens and the Lufthansa heist has not been made clear by the FBI as of Thursday.
Before today the only person ever convicted in connection with the robbery was airport insider, Louis Werner - who tipped off the men who stole the money.
The theft occurred in the middle of the night on December 11, 1978 and netted the robbers more than $5 million in cash and $1 million in jewels.
At the time, it was the largest heist ever in America and led to a huge, decades-long search for the perpetrators that until now has been fruitless.
Six masked gunman took 64 minutes to steal the packets of cash, toss them into a van and escape.
The FBI has always agreed with the plot of the movie Goodfellas about all loose connections to the robbery being killed off by paranoid mob bosses.
Anger: The character of Jimmy Conway - played by Robert De Niro - becomes angry in the aftermath of the Lufthansa robbery and begins to kill those associated with the heist
Anger: The character of Jimmy Conway - played by Robert De Niro - becomes angry in the aftermath of the Lufthansa robbery and begins to kill those associated with the heist

Iconic: The 1990 Martin Scorsese movie Goodfellas is considered by some to be one of the best movies about organized crime in modern American history
Iconic: The 1990 Martin Scorsese movie Goodfellas is considered by some to be one of the best movies about organized crime in modern American history

Federal agents believe that Asaro was the key mafia overseer for JFK and as such would have been informed of Burke's plan to rob the currency shipment from West Germany.
The indictment charges Asaro with the murder of Paul Katz in 1969, as well as robbery, conspiracy and other charges tied to the 1978 heist.
ABC News reported Katz was killed, and his remains buried, because Burke believed he was working with law enforcement.
Burke was a specialist in hijacking and was arrrested in 1982 for a parole violation and was sentenced to 12 years in prison for match fixing involving the Boston College basketball team.
During his prison term, Burke was indicted for the murder of a known drug dealer whose body was found tied up hanging in a freezer truck in Brooklyn.
He was sentenced to 20 years to life for second-degree murder and died behind bars in 1996, at age 64, almost two decades after the airport robbery.
The cash has never been recovered from the robbery.
dailymail.co.uk