groups demand Biafra referendum

A wedding day is a joyful, bright and festive event to celebrate love. At least for a bride and a groom. However, a photographer responsible for photos you will show your grandchildren often faces difficult and sometimes even dangerous challenges. Next time you want some “special” photo, thank your camera man, because he or spares no pain to provide you with the best shots! 1. They seem to enjoy nothing less than Versailles Ponds! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter chrischamberstraining.co.uk 2. The most important is to set the priorities straight… Share on Facebook Share on Twitter chrischamberstraining.co.uk 3. How on earth did they manage to lift the bride up there? Share on Facebook Share on Twitter philbrickphoto.com 4. I hope, the groom doesn’t mind Share on Facebook Share on Twitter petmaya.com READ ALSO: Have you seen the like of this most unusual wedding?! 5. Luckily, none of these were merry-go-round sick Share on Facebook Share on Twitter theweddingphotographer.pro 6. This seems to be their main professional pose Share on Facebook Share on Twitter chrischamberstraining.co.uk 7. Despite gravitation forces Share on Facebook Share on Twitter aocuoinganha.com 8. Good physique is a must have for a true pro Share on Facebook Share on Twitter maiwedding.com 9. Anything for the sake of perfection! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter maiwedding.com READ ALSO: You won’t be able to stop watching this epic wedding dance! 10. The experienced photographer always has a mini pillow up his sleeve Share on Facebook Share on Twitter facebook.com 11. Is he doing everything right??? Share on Facebook Share on Twitter danielmoyerphotography.com 12. There’s a lot of work behind any masterpiece. Literally. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter portalbeleza.com 13. Aphrodite would burst with envy seeing this camera guy Share on Facebook Share on Twitter delsolphotography.com 14. Their grandchildren will hear different story, real rain involving Share on Facebook Share on Twitter portalbeleza.com
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Nigeria’s Military Wants To Be Part Of Human Rights Violation Probes

                             The Nigerian military has appealed to human rights organizations to carry the military along during any human rights violation investigations involving the armed forces. 

  

                                        

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, made the call at a seminar on the “administration of military justice system” on Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
He decried that most times, the military was indicted before they were asked to comment on the recommendations of a report.
General Buratai noted that the military should be involved from the moment the violations were identified and co-opted into the investigation process.
He told the gathering that the military had established a human rights desk to address the perceived impunity carried out in the army.
On his part, the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Professor Bem Angwe, spoke on the state of human rights within the Nigerian Army.
The facilitator, Nigerian Military/ Human Rights Dialogue, Mr Olawole Fapohunda, said the aim of the seminar was to improve the human rights record of the Nigerian military.
The military said it was committed to tackling the challenge of compliance with the minimum human rights standard in the administration of military justice in Nigeria.

Edo 2016 Governorship Election: Results Compilation Ongoing In Local Councils

                                    
       
Compilation of results in the Edo State governorship election is ongoing at the different local  government areas across the state, with the electoral body getting ready at the headquarters to receive the results.
The compilation started after voting and counting of ballot papers at different polling units.
The exercise is said to have been largely peaceful. However cases of ballot box snatching have been reported at some polling stations.
Over 1.9 million people were registered to vote in the poll, which was supervised by over 18,511 officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with 19 candidates contesting for the position of governor.
Edo State has 192 registration areas 2,627 polling units and 4,011 voting points.
Earlier, an official of the electoral body, said polls went on smoothly.
INEC National Commissioner, Mrs Amina Zakari, said the electoral process was going on as expected while the INEC officials and security agents were working professionally.
Mrs Zakari made the observation in an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday at one of the polling centres in Benin City, the state’s capital in south-south Nigeria.
“It (the electoral process) has gone based on our expectation.
“The ad-hoc staff are working professionally (and) the security agents are doing their work (while) the people of Edo State are actually doing what we expect of them.
“They are behaving adequately, they are lined up neatly and everything is going smoothly,” she said.
But the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Osaro Onaiwu, called for total cancellation of the poll.
He claimed that there were cases of financial inducement and intimidation of Party loyalists.

Saudi Arabia uncovers Daesh-linked terror network; 17 arrested

               

Saudi Arabia's security forces uncovered an Daesh-linked terrorist network that was involved in past attacks in the kingdom and was planning future attacks against civilians, security personnel and government sites, the Saudi Interior Ministry said on Monday.
The terror network was comprised of three cells.
Seventeen suspects, among them one Saudi woman, were arrested in the months-long operation.
Eleven are Saudi citizens, in addition to three Yemenis, two Egyptians and one Palestinian, Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour Al Turki said in a press conference.
Al Turki said the network was involved in preparing suicide vests and improvised explosives, and providing logistics, cover, funding, arms and transportation for terrorist operations inside the kingdom.
The network also communicated "with leaders abroad in all their activities," he said.
The official said the terrorist network was also involved in harbouring two attackers involved in a bombing and shooting in the eastern al-Ahsa governorate against the Imam Reda Mosque.
That attack in January killed two security officers and a civilian, as well as a suicide bomber.
He said the group was also involved in a car bombing against a security officer in the capital, Riyadh, in February, a bombing against a security checkpoint in Riyadh in July 2015, and a failed attempt to bomb an oil pipeline in the governorate of al-Dawadmi.

Dubai Municipality warns public against gold, jewellery trade at home

Dubai Municipality has warned the public against dealing with people trading in gold and jewellery inside apartments and offices, saying that these are unlicensed practices and are not subjected to any monitoring.
Amin Ahmed, Head of Gold and Precious Stones Committee at the Dubai Central Laboratory of Dubai Municipality, called on the public not to support these traders.
He also denied reports of the existence of any major fraud or manipulation by gold and jewellery traders in Dubai.
"We would like to reassure everyone that we have put in place precautionary measures to avoid any possibilities of fraud in the gold and jewellery sector by using the most advanced laboratory technologies in the world," said Ahmed.
Purchase of gold and jewellery usually peaks with Asian expats in Dubai in the lead up to the festival of Diwali, followed by Christmas shopping.

Son of China's richest man buys eight iPhone 7s for his dog

                                        

Coco the Alaskan malamute poses with her iPhone 7 handsets.

The 28-year-old only son of China’s richest man, Wang Jianlin who is worth £23 billion, has just set the internet on fire after he bought his dog, Coco – an Alaskan Malamute, eight iPhone 7 handsets.
According to a Dailymail, pictures emerged on China’s social media showing the lucky canine posing next to a stack of eight boxes believed to contain a £800 phone in each which its eccentric owner, Wang Sicong, who was educated at Winchester College in UK bought for her.
The new photos were uploaded by Wang Sicong who is already worth £430 million to the dog’s very own social media account on Weibo, which has nearly 1.9 million followers.
The images were posted in the afternoon of September 16, the first day the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 went on sale.

30 missing after overcrowded ferry capsizes in Bangladesh

An overcrowded ferry capsized and sank in southern Bangladesh on Wednesday, leaving around 30 people missing after the latest in a long series of river accidents in the country.
While some passengers managed to swim to the shore, others were feared to have drowned in the river Sandhya shortly after the single-tier vessel set off from the town of Banaripara in Barisal district, police said.
“At least 30 people are still unaccounted for. No bodies have been found,” Mohammad Akhteruzzaman, the police chief in Barisal, told AFP.
Another local police official said between 70 and 80 people were reported to have been travelling on the ferry and witnesses had reported it as being overcrowded.
The initial figures for the number of missing in Bangladeshi boat disasters are often revised downwards as details emerge of passengers who manage to swim to shore.
Boat accidents are common in Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed with some of the world’s mightiest rivers, including the Brahmaputra and the Padma, the main tributary of the Ganges.
Every year hundreds die as boats sink due to overcrowding and the poor condition of the craft.
A ferry accident in February last year left 69 people dead in central Bangladesh, just a fortnight after five others were killed when an overloaded ferry sank.

'High' European woman runs wild at Dubai Airport

'High' European woman runs wild at Dubai Airport

Hassan Ibrahim and his team conducting a search. (Supplied)

A European passenger was acting strangely after landing in Dubai as she was shouting at the customs officers. She could not even stand straight and was always moving and fidgeting.

She was high, and her behaviour raised the customs officer's suspicions that she might have taken something before landing in Dubai. And their instincts proved right, as the inspection led them to a small quantity of marijuana leaves and seeds in her handbag.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Hassan Ibrahim, Senior Inspection Officer at Dubai Customs said that at that moment, she started screaming and shouting and said “I will go, I don’t have anything!” and grabbed her handbag and started running away from them.


As the team was dealing with a very unstable female passenger, they approached the situation cautiously.

"We didn’t want to physically grab her so a policewoman approached her instead and identified herself,  but the passenger hit the officer’s hand, threw off her shoes and ran away from us."

The suspect then pushed people as she rushed out of the airport and onto the street screaming for help. By then the entire team were already alerted and followed her.

Hassan said: "We were concerned for her safety, we didn’t want to push her to go somewhere and hurt herself, or get knocked down by the passing cars."

The Senior Inspections Officer said he and his team were in control of the situation, yet kept a safe distance, as a team of Dubai Policewomen arrived to zone in on the suspect at the airport parking lot.

Hassan said: "That’s when we were forced to place handcuffs onto her wrists and complete our check."

He added: "We always try to treat people in a polite manner, with kindness, and with respect, never to be rude to them, even if they’ve done something wrong or they’ve been caught with drugs, but sometimes when they’re completely high or drunk, it makes our job a little bit difficult."

That includes working along sobs and cries from the high-strung suspect as the inspection officers continued on with the search of her belongings.

"Because she was high, she was feeling scared and unsafe, saying she didn’t know where she was, we told her you are at Dubai International Airport, the place is being monitored by CCTV, and we assured her that she’s in one of the safest cities in the world," explained Hassan.

As the team calmed her down, she had a request from him.

"Can I speak with my teddy bear?" she asked.

He agreed to reunite her with her bear as speaking to it seemed to cool down her nerves.

He told her he would ask the police to remove her handcuffs, as long as she calmed down, stopped being aggressive and started cooperating with the inspections team.

She finally cooled down and said: "Now I have my teddy bear, you can just do your job, it's ok."

Hassan explained: "Some passengers think that by being rude and shouting at us, we will let them go, but that’s never going to happen, we have to do our jobs professionally and diligently, to make sure you are not carrying anything illegal or harmful to our country and hurt our society."

He concluded: "But we are here,  we’re doing a good job and we always catch them."

He explained that most passengers are aware of the country’s laws on illegal drugs, but still try to bring them in,  sometimes unaware that inspection officers are prepared to check.

Hassan explained: "We have a lot of these cases with passengers arriving from Europe, where the consumption of marijuana for personal use is allowed."

With hundreds of thousands of passengers arriving at Dubai International Airport per day,  the vigilant Dubai Customs team are alert and ready for anything.

Woman hanged herself after her Private tape was leaked online (Photos)

A devastated woman hanged herself after a S3@.x:’ tape of her leaked online, sparking a barrage of abusive comments, it is reported.

Tiziana Cantone, from Naples, Italy, was filmed performing a S3@.x:’ act on her lover in the explicit footage, widely shared on social media.
The 31-year-old killed herself in her basement after spending months feeling deeply depressed about the tape, according to her loved ones.


She could not handle the negative attention – including mocking memes – that stemmed from the leak, her close friends and relatives claim.
In the tape, Tiziana could reportedly be heard saying: “Are you making a video? Bravo.”
This phrase was subsequently used by many YouTube users who made parodies of the footage and shared them online.
When the S3@.x:’ tape began to go viral, Tiziana apparently began receiving nasty and inappropriate messages, leaving her feeling ashamed.
She was also reportedly often recognised on the street and even had to quit her job.
The intimate footage became so widely known that the young woman was even forced to change her name in a bid to escape the abuse.
She reportedly underwent a legal process at the court of Naples North, where she was granted a new legal name to avoid being recognised.
Her lawyer, Roberta Manzillo, has since taken action against various Internet platforms, as well as people responsible for sharing the S3@.x:’ tape on social networks.
The lawyer said: “We have appealed to right to be forgotten law. Facebook was immediately ordered to remove the content from its social network platform and to remove every post or publication containing images (photos and / or video) that refer specifically to the person.”
Tiziana had allegedly been on the brink of suicide for months before her death.

#1 Man In Malaysia Heard Weird Noises Coming From His Home

A fruit orchard owner in Malaysia was in his home, dozing off to sleep, when he heard weird noises coming from the second floor of the house. They sounded similar to rabbits and tigers.He surveyed the created and was shocked to find out it was a dragon with fluffy, white rabbit-like fur. He told reporters, he didn't think the animal was a White Dragon.

 

Massive, snaggletooth gator captured near Florida schools

Massive, snaggletooth gator captured near Florida schools

The snaggletooth, half-blind monster gator lurked along a canal bank in Southwest Ranches on Wednesday morning — mere feet from an oblivious jogger and near two schools. Sure, the strong-jawed reptiles are synonymous with South Florida, but this 11-foot, 450-pound alligator was massive enough to cause a stir. Davie police, who respond to incidents in Southwest Ranches, arrived at about 10 a.m. to subdue the gator with the help of a licensed trapper. The male gator was found near a bike trail along a canal in the area of Griffin Road and Bonaventure Boulevard, about two blocks away from Falcon Cove Middle and Cypress Bay High schools, authorities said. The gator, which had a distinctive pronounced

Woman Rolls Her SUV Into The Sea While Escaping From Rat In The Car... (Photos)

A woman who was startled by a mouse in her car jumped out and helplessly watched as her SUV rolled straight into the ocean. The woman was leaving Swantner Park in Corpus Christi, Texas, around 10.30am on Monday when she felt a mouse brush against her leg.

She managed to escape the rodent, but accidentally threw her car into gear in the process, which sent it rolling into bay before it was overtaken by the water.

The SUV was seen about 20 feet from shore, with the roof still visible as waves lapped at the windshield. 

The unnamed woman was very embarrassed by the accident, but managed to escape unscathed, Corpus Christi police officer Carl Knapick said.

Actor Odunlade Adekola And Wife Hold 13th Wedding Anniversary Thanks Service

Even as marriages break down and some are on the brink of collapse in Nollywood, the multiple award winning actor, Odunlade Adekola and his wife, Ruth Abosede, have decided to celebrate the ‘sanity’ in their 13-year-old marriage today.

 In an Instagram video, which was recorded in Yoruba, actor Odun, as he is fondly called, and his wife, Ruth said, “We have been married now since 2003. Yes, that is like 13 years now. We appreciate God. Though we do fight a lot, you can see our smiling faces now but we usually settle it between us.”

In furtherance of marking their wedding anniversary, they put up a couples contest.
In his Instagram post, Odun explained on the couples contest:
“Good day my people, this contest is to celebrate couples that have been together for at least ten years. Almost half a number of divorces in this country happen in their first ten years of marriage. So, can you see we need to celebrate them? Let's celebrate them because they had been through a lot and still stand against all odds. Let's celebrate them to encourage our young couples.
"Post a video of yourself with your partner testifying to the glory of God in your marriage...""

To further celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary actor Odunlade Adekola and wife, Ruth had a thanksgiving service on Sunday at the Christ Apostolic Church, Lafenwa, Abeokuta, Ogun State. 
Here are some of the pictures at the event

Proud Mum: Actress Toyin Afolayan aka Lola Idije And Daughter Who is Set To Wed (Photos)

Toyin Afolayan aka Lola Idije with daughter

Toyin Afolayan popularly called Lola Idije in Nollywood Yoruba, received families of her daughter’s fiancée who came for the traditional introduction ceremony at Lagos home.  It was an occasion to rejoice as she didn’t hide this fact with her friends, all gorgeously dressed in common white lace attire which they accessorised with navy blue.
She took to Instagram to rejoice and share pictures with her fans.

Pictured: Man Dies in Thailand After Wild Sex Romp With A Transgender

A foreigner died in the early hours of Sunday morning, May 15 after hitting his head on a wall during a wild romp with a ladyboy (pictured with the police) in a Pattaya hotel. For those who don't know, Ladyboy is a Thai term that refers to either a transgender woman or an effeminate gay male in Thailand.




Authorities were alerted to the death at around 5am on Sunday morning and when they arrived at the second floor room of the short time hotel just off Walking Street. They found the naked body of an unidentified male, thought to be aged between 40-45, laid naked on the floor.

Also present was a 22-year-old ladyboy from Buriram who told investigators the couple had met earlier on Walking Street and had agreed a fee of 3,000 baht for short time sex.

The unnamed ladyboy said the man was very drunk and rather wild when it came to doing the horizontal mambo. She said that during their moment of passion the man banged his head on the wall and fell to the floor.

The body was sent for autopsy and police are now trying to identify the man.

Investigators said the man likely tripped due to his intoxicated state causing him to injure himself, however, they will await the results of the autopsy to determine the exact cause of death before questioning the ladyboy further.

LagosToday! Shocking Photo Of A "Controversial" Meal That Was Served In A Restaurant

Would you eat this if served in a restaurant? This picture featuring a meal which looks like a manhood -has sparked heated debate online due to is "sensitive" nature. Does it looking appealing to the eyes or appalling to the mind. 

Horrible Accident On Calabar Itu Highway (Graphic Photos)

A fatal accidemt occurred on Calabar Itu Highway on Friday 25th September 2015 and claimed about 10 lives.  Apparently, the driver of the trailer lost control of his vehicle due to the bad highway which is dotted with potholes and unmotorable patches.

  The trailer driver lost control and rammed into a couple of vehicles in its path squashing the vehicles into a mangled steelwork and killing about 10 passengers travelling in them.

Nigerian Woman Arrested In Connection With Assault Of Ola Cab Driver In Delhi

 

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Janet and Kefa had booked 51-year-old Nooruddin's cab through Ola cabs for Dwarka. (File Photo)

New Delhi:  A 26-year-old Nigerian woman has been arrested in connection with the alleged assault of an Ola cab driver by a group of Africans in south Delhi's Rajpur Khurd area earlier this week, the second arrest in the case.

A Rwandan woman, identified as Kefa, was arrested on May 30, the day the incident was reported, police said today.

"The second accused, Janet, who is a native of Nigeria, was arrested yesterday in Delhi," a senior official said.

Both Janet and Kefa were allegedly living in Delhi with expired visas. While Kefa was arrested once in Bangalore last year, records pertaining to Janet are being checked, the official said.

From preliminary investigation, it has emerged that Janet and Kefa had booked 51-year-old Nooruddin's cab through Ola cabs for Dwarka. Once he arrived at Rajpur Khurd, the same locality in which Africans were allegedly attacked by locals earlier, he saw that six persons - four men and two women - were waiting for him.

He had alleged that the group was drunk. As he refused to take more than four passengers, a heated argument broke out and he was allegedly thrashed by them on May 30.

The four accused men have also been identified. Efforts are on to arrest them, the official added.

 

Police shoot out tyres on drug suspect’s car after chase

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Police pursuing a suspect on a busy Nicosia road on Friday resorted to shooting out the tyres of his car in order to bring it to a standstill.
The incident happened shortly before noon when Drug Squad officers, acting on information received that the 38-year old from Larnaca was trafficking drugs, signaled him to pull over. He ignored them, instead speeding off along Troodos avenue, near the Orphanides traffic lights and the entrance of the capital, in Strovolos.
“A 38-year old Larnaca man was arrested and quantity of cocaine seized after refusing to pull over when asked to do so” a spokesman from the press office of the police said. “Following a chase the drug squad officers shot out the tyres of the vehicle. One to two kilos of cocaine were discovered in the car.”

List of Drug Smugglers Sentenced To Death By The Buhari Military Regime (PHOTO)

Today, it is not uncommon for you to pick up a piece of magazine and newspaper and see that a Nigerian or Nigerians have been sentenced to death in a foreign land. Their crimes? They were drug pushers. Although it is quite shocking to many, there was a time in Nigeria when drug traffickers were sentenced to death by firing squad based on Decree 20 put in place by the military junta of the Muhammadu Buhari regime. Today, I will take a look at what happened back in time, the intrigues surrounding the executions and the responses that came with the killings. The following Nigerians were executed on Nigerian soil by the Nigerian government for trafficking drugs and how it all happened:

Buhari as the Nigerian military head of state.

1. BARTHOLOMEW OWOH, 26. His last words were: ‘If I knew this would happen to me, I would not have been involved in drugs.’ He was arrested on the 26^th of May, 1984 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos for being in possession of cocaine.
2. BERNARD OGEDEGBE, 29
3. ALHAJI AKANNI LAWAL OJUOLAPE, 29: He was arrested on the 18^th of June, 1984 also at MMIA for unlawful possession of cocaine.

The trio of Owoh, Ogedegbe and Ojuolape were executed on 10^th April, 1985 at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prisons in Lagos and Nigerians protested seriously over the matter describing it as too harsh, tyrannical and inhuman. They were shot by six marksmen at exactly 0932 AM and certified dead by the police doctor three minutes later. They were the first to be executed for offences under Decree 20 of 1984.
The next three people on the list (Tairu, Oguntayo and Omosebi) were sentenced to death the same day in the same court by the same judge in April 1985. Their cases were handled by the Special Tribunal (Miscellaneous Offences) chaired by Justice Adebayo Desalu. The judge sentenced the three (two ladies, one man) to death by the firing squad.

4. SIDIKATU TAIRU (aka ALHAJA SIDIKATU TAIRU): She was arrested alongside Shola Oguntayo on the 21^st of August 1984 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, for concealing heroin in their private parts. That was how they landed in front of the tribunal for possession of the drug without lawful authority. 
   

   Sidiqatu Tairu.
5. MISS SHOLA OGUNTAYO (aka Mrs. AYISAT AJIKE MOHAMMED): She had given birth to a baby boy while she was in detention and awaiting trial. As she was taken inside the dock, a stream of tears ran down her face. Once inside the dock and listening to the stone-faced judge, all Oguntayo could do was cry. It was as if she could smell death in the air.
6. OLADELE OMOSEBI: He was charged with aiding in the possession of heroin, also without lawful authority. Bald-headed Omosebi was wearing a cream French suit and as the judge was reading the verdict, he just stared at the space below him, looking away from the tribunal judges.

Omosebi.

As the trio (Tairu, Oguntayo and Omosebi) were marched into the dock on Tuesday, 23^rd April, 1985 to listen to the final judgment, they were followed everywhere by journalists and photographs who blasted their faces with unwanted lights from television cameras, flash bulb cameras and all sorts of gadgets. As the first set of the Decree 20 convicts were executed just six days earlier, the courtroom was besieged by Nigerians anxious to know what the verdict was going to be.
  As Judge Desalu read the judgment, his voice was in a dreaded monotone and his face did not betray a single emotion. The ominous signs were everywhere: the wall backed by the tribunal members was black and Desalu himself was seated on a black leather chair. His navy blue suit pointed to the sober nature of the event. The accused were so emotionally subdued that they could not even look in the judge’s direction. Tairu was so tensed and stressed that all she was doing was to gnaw continuously at the wooden panel of the dock with her right thumb and index finger. Judge Desalu was not moved. From the tone of his voice, it was clear the three accused were doomed and the most emotional of the three of them, Oguntayo was almost convulsing and tried but failed to hold the hot tears back. Desalu continued reading:
‘We are convinced that the statements of the accused were voluntarily made. The second accused person had full knowledge and was aware of the contents of the package put in her private part. Decree 20, as amended, places the proof of lawful possession on the accused persons and there was no evidence that the first and second defendants had lawful possession. The prosecution has established its case beyond reasonable doubt and accordingly, we find the first and second accused guilty…’
As Desalu mentioned the word ‘guilty’, a frightening, alien-like scream pierced the entire courtroom. Everyone was shocked and confused, some were terrified. The scream was from Oguntayo, who was so mortified with the fear of an impending death that she collapsed on the floor and five mobile policemen rushed to hold her, while 10 others formed a ring around her in the dock and one cupped her mouth and gripped her neck with his palms. She must have been thinking of not just her death via the bullets but what was going to become of her baby.

Oguntayo was gripped with fear.

As for the third accused, Desalu continued in relation to the second count:
‘All the evidence against the third accused, remained uncontradicted. We believe that, apart from the confessional statement of the third accused, the statements of the first and second about the third accused are worthy of credit. We are satisfied that the third conspired with the first and second accused to commit an offence under Decree 20 as amended by Decree 34.’
To cut the story short, Omosebi was also sentenced to death. The defence counsel of the convicted pleaded that the sentence be mitigated but Desalu said the law under which the tribunal was operating was absolute and fixed. He said:

‘The only penalty prescribed by Decree 20 on the conviction of death is by firing squad. In compliance with this provision, the sentence on the three accused persons is death by firing squad. May the Lord have mercy on your soul.’
After the final verdict was given, Omosebi turned and took a look at the crowd and as he did so, his forearms flashed and on them were tattoos on each. The tattoos had the same floral design with green and red patterns and on both arms were written:
Lara, kiss me.
But that day, Lara was nowhere to kiss him. It was death that gave him a cold cuddle.

7. GLADYS CAROLINE IYAMAH: She was a postgraduate student of the University of Bombay, India. She was 29 as at the time of her execution and was the mother of a toddler and two paraplegic and badly-deformed girls. Mrs. Iyamah was convicted for cocaine trafficking and there were concerns then over whether she should be executed in public or not. She became the very woman in Nigeria to be sentenced to death by firing squad for cocaine trafficking and she pleaded that her sentence be reduced as she was forced into cocaine smuggling as she had to provide for her kids. The Lagos Zone of the Miscellaneous Offences Tribunal pronounced that Gladys should be shot, subject to ratification by the Supreme Military Council (SMC) which is the confirming authority. The photos of her kids were circulated widely in the press and by groups calling for her to be spared the death sentence.
8. LASUNKANMI TAJUDEEN AWOLOLA
9. JIMI ADEBAYO: He was an accountant.
10. MISS MORONKE FAUSA LAWAL (also saved from execution by the Babangida regime).

On the 15^th of May, 1985, the Supreme Military Council (SMC) confirmed the death sentences by firing squad passed on Iyamah and co. But she and Shola Oguntayo were spared from public execution when General Ibrahim Babangida took over in a military coup on the 27^th of August, 1985. IBB abolished the death penalty for drug trafficking and the smugglers were soon in business – till date.
THE RESPONSE OF NIGERIANS THEN
Hmmm…well, you know that today on social media whenever I post that a Nigerian has been killed in Indonesia for drugs, the comments you will be seeing will be like, well, what was he looking for carrying drugs, oh, na dem again, it is good for him like that and stuff but Nigerians of the 1980s were much more vocal and defended their positions much more intelligently even if they were under the iron-grip of a military dictator. They protested against the executions. In fact, as Desalu was given his judgments, there were protests against the trio of Owo, Ogedegbe and Ojulope executed days earlier. One of the loudest voices of those against the executions was that of Wole Soyinka, then a professor of comparative literature at the Ife University (now Obafemi Awolowo University). He called the executions of Tairu and co a ‘triple cold-blooded murder’ which every Nigerian was forced to be an accomplice. He was not alone in the condemnation.
 Olubunmi Okogie, an army chaplain during the Nigerian Civil War and then Catholic Bishop of Lagos was also against the killings. He said:
‘Life is a sacred thing which should not be toyed with.’ He argued further saying: ‘God’s laws forbids killing except in ‘just wars’. Without being specific, decrees dealing with human lives when carefully looked at should not per se attract capital punishment.’
Olu Onagoruwa also added his voice saying that a cocaine pusher cannot be deterred by the certainty that he would be shot. He said:
‘It is therefore unnecessary to impose the death penalty where there is no evidence that it deters.’
  The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) condemned it calling a ‘dangerous precedent’. Bola Ajibola, the NBA President said:
‘…it is against the rule of law for people to be charged, tried, convicted and sentenced on any law that was not in existence at the time the offence was committed.’
   But, there were others who supported the executions, and they also did it as loudly as they could. One of them was the late Gani Fawehinmi, who became the first Nigerian to publicly support the execution then when he said:
‘How can anyone in his right senses pity these messengers of death? The criticisms are thoroughly unjustified, misguided and emotively sentimental.’
NB: The sentencing to death of these people marked the first time in the history of Nigeria that such would happen. Prior to that time, no one was condemned to death for drug trafficking, let alone executed. Thus, to many Nigerians of that time, it was truly a shocker. Many expected the sentences to be commuted to life imprisonment but were disappointed when the convicts were swiftly executed. It was a brutal time of War Against Indiscipline spearheaded by the late Major-General Tunde Idiagbon in a repressive junta headed by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (now the president and a reformed democrat). Later under the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo, the family of Bartholomew Owoh sent a barrage of petitions over the retroactive legislations (Owoh, Ojulope and Ogedegbe were awaiting trial when the decree was promulgated so the law used to execute them was not in existence as at the time they committed the said offence) to the Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission (HRVIC, aka Oputa Panel) against General Buhari who was summoned repeatedly to appear before the panel which he never did. The story of Gloria Okon, Nigeria’s most mysterious drug pusher is an entirely different episode on its own

REFERENCES

1. Dele Olojede, A Kiss of Death, Newswatch, April 29, 1985, pages 22-23.
2. Talking Drums, Volume 2, Issues 26-47, 1985.
3. West Africa, Issues 3592 – 3616, West Africa Publishing Company Limited, 1986.
4. ‘Lai Joseph, Nigeria: Shadow of a Great Nation, Dubeo Press Limited, 1995.
5. Dickson Agedah, The Military in Politics: From Aguiyi-Ironsi to Ibrahim Babangida, Perception Communications,1993.
6. Sam Iroanusi, The Making of the Fourth Republic, Sam Iroanusi Publications, 2000.
7. Concord Weekly, Issues 22-44, Concord Press of Nigeria, 1985.
8. Nigeria and the rule of law: a study, International Commission of Jurists, 1996.
9. Summary of Decisions of the Federal Military Government on the Recommendations of Justice Dr. Akinola Aguda Judicial Tribunal of Inquiry to Review Cases of Persons Convicted Under Decrees 7 and 20 of 1984, Government Printer, South Africa, 1986.
10. New African, Issues 208-219, IC Magazines Limited, 1985.
11. Perspectives on Human Rights by Awa U Kalu and Yemi Osinbajo, Federal Ministry of Justice, 1992.