Man Charged With Plotting Against US Abroad

A man who prosecutors said was an overseas operative of Al Qaeda during the years following the Sept. 11 attacks was charged in Brooklyn with a host of terrorism charges, in the latest example of a foreigner accused of acts of terrorism abroad being extradited to American courts. 
The man, Ibrahim Suleiman Adnan Adam Harun, who was from Saudi Arabia and a citizen of Niger, traveled to Afghanistan shortly before the attacks and stayed there afterward, training in Qaeda terrorist camps and then fighting American and coalition forces during the early years of the Afghan war, prosecutors said.

Mr. Harun, 43, is accused of traveling to Nigeria next to plot attacks against American diplomatic facilities in that country.

The charges include conspiring to murder American citizens, conspiring to bomb United States government facilities and providing material support to Al Qaeda. Court papers do not indicate whether he took steps to carry out attacks.

Mr. Harun, who is known by the Pashto pseudonym Spin Ghul, or White Rose, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in Federal District Court in Brooklyn on Friday.

A lawyer for Mr. Harun, David Stern, declined to comment.

Mr. Harun landed on American soil in October after first being detained by two other countries. He was arrested in Libya in 2005 and held there until his release in summer 2011, when the Libyan government was crumbling.

According to his own account, cited in court records, Libyans placed him on a refugee ship bound for Italy. Mr. Harun said he was arrested by Italian law enforcement and imprisoned in that country after proclaiming his affiliation with Al Qaeda and assaulting Italian officers on the ship.

American law enforcement officials interviewed Mr. Harun in September 2011 while he was in Italian custody. Prosecutors said he waived his Miranda rights.

In a motion that was unsealed on Wednesday, prosecutors said that starting more than a decade ago, Mr. Harun was in direct contact with prominent Qaeda leaders, trainers and fighters. While in Africa, the defendant was also in contact with members of other extremist groups that were either affiliated with Al Qaeda or otherwise targeted Westerners.

A grand jury indicted Mr. Harun in February and the case remained under seal until Wednesday. Prosecutors said they kept the case secret to pursue information provided by Mr. Harun.

“Whether they try to attack our servicemen on the battlefield or scheme to kill our diplomats and citizens in embassies abroad, terrorists will find no refuge,” Loretta E. Lynch, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

The case of Mr. Harun follows several others in New York federal courts involving defendants who were apprehended abroad and extradited to the United States.

In December, three men of Somali descent — two were Swedish citizens and one a British citizen — appeared in Federal District Court in Brooklyn on charges that they had trained to be suicide bombers with a Somali terrorist group, Al Shabab. In June, an Eritrean man pleaded guilty in Federal District Court in Manhattan to conspiring to support Al Shabab.

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Oteh Must Go, Reps Tell Jonathan

Three days after President Goodluck Jonathan, protested the non-inclusion of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) budget in the 2013 Appropriation Act, the House of Representatives has restated its position that the Director-General of the SEC, Ms Arunma Oteh, was not qualified to hold the office and should be sacked.
This is just as the Committee on Legislative Compliance has been mandated to monitor and report the level of compliance to the House within 21days.
The House, had last year, following the report and recommendations of the  Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi-led Adhoc Committee that investigated the near total collapse of the capital market last year passed a resolution mandating President Goodluck Jonathan, to remove Oteh from the office for not possessing the requisite professional qualification prescribed in the Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC) Act for appointment to the office of director-general.

However, the executive has failed to respect the resolution which presidency spokespersons have described as advisory, leading to the resolve of the House to allocate zero budget to the commission. The president has described this move as having negative impact on the capital market.
During the plenary session yesterday, Garba Datti (CPC, Kaduna)brought a motion under Matter of Urgent Public Importance  “on the blatant disregard for resolutions of the House of Representatives.”

Datti said while leading the debate that the executive has persistently disregarded resolutions of the House.
 “Aware that most of these resolutions, though products of motions, hinge on fundamental public duty placed on public officers by the constitution under the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy.

“The motion urging the removal of Ms  Arumah Oteh, for instance, was hinged on the fact that her appointment as director-general of the Securities Exchange Commission(SEC) was a gross violation of the Commission’s  Act as she does not possess the minimum professional qualification prescribed for appointment to that position.

“Alarmed that recently the Executive has adopted the dangerous and vexatious approach of picking and choosing the implementation of resolutions of the Senate on the dismissal of Abdulrasheed Maina which was passed much later in time while still disregarding the long pending motion on the removal of the director-general of the SEC.”

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Nigerians’ll Get Stable Power Supply By June 2014 – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has stated that with the level of effort being put into the power sector by his government, the country will start getting stable electricity supply in the middle of 2014.
Jonathan stated this yesterday while addressing a cross -section of Nigerians resident in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea in the side lines of his two -day working visit to the country. He also
reiterated his administration’s resole to improve the living standard of Nigerians.
He said, “I want to assure you that our power situation is improving. By the time we conclude our privatisation process that is ongoing, we will conclude it this year and things will begin to improve. Before the middle of 2014, things will get to a point where we will begin to enjoy relative stable power supply”.
On the current security challenges facing Nigeria as a result of the activities of the Boko Haram sect, Jonathan claimed that the development will soon come to an end the terrorists would soon bow to defeat.
Admitting that Boko Haram was a major challenge for his government, even though such terrorist activities were not peculiar to Nigeria, Jonathan said government would continue to confront the societal menace head on and crush it completely. He added that “we are not sleeping, we are working very hard.”
Earlier, the Nigerian Ambassador in Equatorial Guinea, Sunday Bassey, had called for the strengthening of the Nigerian mission in the country in view of the Central African’s strategic interest to Nigeria.

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100 soldiers storm terror suspects’ hideouts in Lagos

Fear gripped many residents of Lagos  on Thursday  when news  filtered in that troops numbering about 100 stormed terror suspects’ hideouts in Ijora, a  densely populated part of the city.

The soldiers, who were assisted by men of the State Security Service, were  believed to have acted on a tip-off. They were said to have arrived in the area around 7am in search of the suspects said to be  members of an Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram.

It was learnt that their search yielded fruits  when  two persons were arrested at 24 Aromire Street and three others at a location in an adjacent street.

The soldiers then ransacked the building at Aromire Street  where one of the arrested persons,  Ibrahim Musa,  occupies five rooms. A bomb  kept in a cooler and hidden inside the ceiling of one of the rooms in Musa’s apartment was recovered by the soldiers.

Musa, who a security source described as an illegal alien from Chad, was  said to be leader of the suspects.

Other items found  were AK-47 rifles, cartridges and daggers.

The security  source, who craved anonymity,  added the raid was as a result of an investigation which began a month ago.

He said, “Security agents got information a month ago that there was a terrorist hideout in  the Seven-Up area of  Ijora. Although we were not sure if they were Boko Haram members or not, we did not want to take any chances so we decided to go and raid the place.

“It was discovered that the place was being run by a Chadian and arms were recovered during the raid,  including AK-47 riffles. Investigations are ongoing and those who are found not culpable will be released.”

Musa’s neighbour,  who craved anonymity, told one of our correspondents that they did not suspect  he  was a member of Boko Haram.

He said the suspect  moved into the house less than three months ago.

 “Musa rented  his  apartment  about three months ago. However, since he moved in with  his wife, who recently had a baby  and a brother, none of them  had any known form of livelihood. Musa and his brother, particularly were always going about with their laptops and expensive phones.

“Though he (Musa) was not working, he was usually the first to pay for anything in the house. It was when the soldiers came that we got to know what they truly are. It was in the course of beating him (Musa) that he told the soldiers where he hid the bomb and   guns.”

Another  resident of the area, who identified himself simply as Olu, said that when  the suspects were  being taken away by the soldiers “we did not know they were living here.”

“When soldiers were taking them away, we wondered if they were living in the neighbourhood. It was my neighbour, who told me he had seen Musa once or twice,” he said.

Olu said when the soldiers were going, they told them to be vigilant in the area, saying Boko Haram members had infiltrated the area, particularly the Hausa settlement.

When one of our correspondents  met  the Ojora of Ijora  , Oba Fatai Adeyinka,  he  said he was shocked that Boko Haram members had infiltrated  the area.

The spokesman for the Army 81 Division, Colonel Kingsley Umoh, confirmed the raid but said the army had been carrying out constant raids across the state in response to the rising level of insecurity in the country.

Umoh said over 36 people had been arrested recently. He however said he had yet to receive  the details of Thursday’s operation.

He said, “The Nigerian Army is carrying out a proactive approach. We are raiding every nook and cranny of the state in order to rid it of criminal elements. We are not ignorant of the insecurity in the country so we are carrying out preventive measures and we want to make sure that Lagos is safe for all its inhabitants.

“The raids have been in collaboration with sister agencies like the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the SSS, the police and others. It is the OP MESA of the army that is at the forefront of the raids and we have recorded many successes of late as we have also arrested some soldiers who were found wanting.

“I will not be able to brief you fully about Thursday’s raid.”

Lagos State Director, SSS, Achu Olayi, also confirmed the raid but  said that it was too soon for him  to say if the suspects were Boko Haram members or not.

The   raid on Thursday  on the predominantly Hausa settlement came a month after the SSS uncovered  a terror network coordinated by Iranians in Lagos.

The SSS had said while parading a leader of an Islamic sect, Abdullahi Berende, and two others that they  believed  that  the  operators of the Iranian terror cell were  gathering information about Israelis and Americans living in Nigeria.

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62 Fake Corpers Arrested In Nasarawa State

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Monday discovered a fake National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp at Tammah village, Nassarawa Local Government Area of Nassarawa State, with 62 ‘corps members’.

It was gathered that the fake camp was to operare for just a day, in which all the fake corps members would take their pictures with the NYSC crested vests and other kits and be likely issued fake certificates for future reference.

The fake corps members, consisting of 44 females and 18 males, were arrested and paraded by the state commandant, Mr Andekin Amos Musa, who said that the routine surveillance of the command made the arrest possible.

He added that the four drivers who conveyed them to the village, and the photographer hired for the illicit job, were also arrested.

He said, “The suspected fake corps members were arrested at the outskirts of Nassarawa Town near the Government Secondary School. Investigations are still on, and as soon as they are concluded, they will be charged to court.

“So far, our investigations reveal that one Chinedu is the coordinator and director of the fake camp. We also discovered that the fake corps members paid sums ranging from N120, 000 to N200, 000 before being admitted to the camp.

“I want to warn parents and guardians to watch their wards very closely so as to curb their excesses.”

Some of the suspects who were interviewed claimed to be running evening classes at the University of Jos, Jos, Plateau State.

They also claimed ignorance of the fact that it was a fake camp, saying they were lured into it out of desperation as without an NYSC discharge certificate, one would not be able to secure a job in future.

It will be recalled that the NSCDC had recently arrested and paraded fake corps members caught at two different fake camps preparing for orientation and induction at the outskirts of the state.

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Woman cuts off her cheating boyfriend's private parts and flushes it down

Cheating men should take a lesson of what might happen during their sleep.

A woman who discovered that her boyfriend had been cheating cut off his private parts with a kitchen knife and flushed it down the toilet in his sleep, according to reports in the news media.

Julia Munoz Huaman, 41, confessed that she castrated her boyfriend Ramon Arias, 46, in a jealous rage.

The shocking incident at a resident’s hostel stunned the Brena Lima neighborhood where they lived. Security guards grabbed the woman and detained her as Arias complained of pain.

He was taken to a hospital and placed in intensive care, according to a report in the local newspaper.

He will likely need psychological treatment for several months or longer.

Julia Munoz Huaman, was charged with aggravated assault and faces many years in prison.

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Plane carrying players of Italy’s national team struck by lightning

The aircraft in which Italian players were travelling to Switzerland, was struck by lightning on Wednesday.

The Azzurri were hit by the lightning bolt, as they landed in Geneva, after flying in from Florence, but none of the players were harmed.

Members of the squad were left shaken by the incident, although the plane’s captain waved aside any suggestion that there could have been a crash.

“The situation was always under control,” Roberto Andolfato told Sky Sport.

The coach of the team, Cesare Prandelli, however admitted that the incident left his players afraid.

“I challenge anyone to say they weren’t scared,” Prandelli told journalists at a delayed press conference in Switzerland.

“There was a loud ‘boom’ and then silence. The bolt of lightning hit the wing.”

Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio then took to Twitter to say, “Beautiful plane scare today! We are now in our hotel in Geneva, and tomorrow big challenge against Brazil.”

Italy will playBrazil on Thursday in a friendly match, before they face Malta on Tuesday.

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CAC Leader, Prophet Obadare is dead

Information reaching our newsdesk, has it that the leader of the Christ Apostolic Church, Prophet Timothy Oluwole Obadare has died.

Stay Tuned We will bring you more update as we get them.

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May7ven Dazzles In New Promo Photo Shoot.Afro beat singer

UK-based Nigerian Afrobeats singer May7ven stuns in her new promo photos as she switches up colours but maintains her signature platinum blonde locks. Click the link below to check pictures:


what do you guys think?

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Sexy Mama" Video Shot - Iyanya ft. Wizkid x Emma Nyra

Its MMG things in South Africa, As Iyanya flew Wizkid down for the shoot of their collaborative effort, "sexy mama". Some photos from the video shot below:

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End Times! EFCC Arraigns 3 Pastors Over N7.9m Fraud

Three pastors David Eshiet, Samson Ugbara and Adesanmi Aderoju, were yesterday arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over alleged N7.9 million fraud.

The defendants who were arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade of an Ikeja High Court, are facing a six-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, forgery and uttering.

The defendants were charged by the anti-graft agency alongside their company, Prince and Zion International Service Ltd.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges proffered against them.

The trio were accused of defrauding their victims of the sum under the pretense of helping them to secure large sum of money as loan.

The EFCC counsel, Mr Ben Ubi alleged that the defendants had conspired among themselves to fraudulently obtain N4 million and 25,000 US dollars (N3.9 million) from one Angel Estate Residents Development Association in Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos.

Ubi alleged that the money was obtained on October 27, 2011 under the pretext of helping the complainants source for a 100 million US dollars loan facility.

He stated that the loan was being sourced by the association to finance some community projects, adding that the defendants had obtained the money as processing charges.

Ubi, however accused the defendants of forging various documents which were used in facilitating the fraud.

Adding that after collecting the money, they  failed to secure the loan as promised which led the complainants to petition the EFCC.

Ubi said their alleged offences contravened Sections 1, sub-sections 1,2,3 and 8 of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

He said it also contravened Sections 363 and 364 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2011.

However the judge ordered the defendants  be remanded in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prisons pending the hearing of their bail applications fixed for March 27.

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