The mega city has now become the mega dustbin

The mega city has now become the mega dustbin

Refuse heaps have taken over Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital and residents aren't finding it funny.

“It was never this bad. Honestly, the smell from the dustbin is threatening our health and businesses”, Chidi tells Pulse. He was covering his nose as he spoke.

Chidi runs one of the shops perched along the Ojuelegba-Tejuosho-Yaba road.

Municipal waste is threatening to submerge Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital. Road medians, street corners, parking lots, drainage channels—nowhere is left out. As you drive round the city, the stench from residential and commercial waste, rises to meet and greet you.

“We don’t know what happened. All of a sudden, the waste collectors stopped coming with the same frequency. They used to come collect waste once daily. Now it is once weekly or not at all. Please beg the Lagos State government on our behalf. We know we will all die one day, but please it shouldn’t be from dustbin stench”, 

Garbage heaps often end up in drainage channels

Herbert Macaulay way in Yaba is also dotted with garbage heaps creeping onto roads and street corners. We counted at least 20 putrefying, mountainous garbage sites from Adekunle to Yabatech junction.

“Eko ti baje pata pata”, says Mama Sikiru who roasts Boli (plantain) and Yam at the Yabatech end of Herbert Macaulay way. “Ambode no dey try. E no dey try at all. Lagos don spoil finish.”

Along the Oshodi Apapa expressway, Patrick stands beside a huge garbage heap at the Ilamoye bus-stop end, wondering why it has to come to this.

“We don’t know what is going on”, Patrick says. “They don’t come for the refuse as frequently as they used to. So, we are forced to live with this stench and the danger it portends to our health. You can see for yourselves what we are going through. No one should be subjected to this kind of suffering by government”.

 

As Pulse drove through Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki, the refuse heaps were there as well in their decaying glory. On Admiralty way in Lekki, for instance, waste has clogged drainage channels around The Place—a restaurant milling with the upwardly mobile all day long.

Refuse smack in the middle of the road in Lagos (Pulse)

On Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island, a banker who identifies himself as Chris, was holding his nose in his three piece suit when Pulse stopped by. He declined to say a word, only pointing to the refuse heap to portray his agony and scurrying into the safety of his marbled office.

It is a familiar tale around Lagos. The stench and agony is a hot mess in a city where decibel levels from traffic bedlam is already grave cause for concern.

 

PSP Vs Visionscape

Lagos generates an estimated 14,000 metric tonnes (about 490 trailer loads) of solid wastes daily, according to the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA).

Before now, the job of disposing of this huge ton of waste was the lot of the Public Sector Partnership (PSP) operators.

However, in July of 2017, the Lagos State government announced that it was terminating its contract with PSP and handing the job to a foreign firm called Visionscape.

Visionscape is a Dubai based environmental utility group.

In making the announcement, State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode made it clear he didn’t care how the PSP operators were going to take their sack.

Gov Akinwunmi Ambode has promised to deal with waste sinking Lagos (Punch)

Lagos also outlawed the activities of itinerant truck pushers who were accused of dumping waste indiscriminately. The truck pushers were banned in early January of 2018.

“This occasion is to make sure our city is not dirty. There are about 350 PSP operators and we have 25 million Lagosians. Do we want to satisfy 350 to the detriment of 25 million people?’’ Ambode asked at the time.

Visionscape was described by the Lagos State government in glowing terms. The firm was tasked with bringing the State government’s Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) dream to fruition.

However, as soon as Visionscape nailed the job of disposing of waste in Lagos, road medians around the city turned into eyesores.

A staff of VisionScape told Pulse on the basis of anonymity that his company is still overwhelmed by the volume of waste in Lagos.

“First, the landfill  used by PSP is the one in Ojota. We can’t use the same landfill for obvious reasons. So, we are using the one in Epe. We have two big trucks for waste disposal to Epe. But maybe that’s not enough”, the source said.

 

Sabotage?

The source also added that VisionScape is not ruling out sabotage.

“We have been doing this job well, then all of a sudden, the volume of waste in Lagos triples or quadruples? This is just politics. Where is the waste coming from? We haven’t been resting since we were handed this job. But the waste keeps growing. Some people who are unhappy that we got this job, are trying to sabotage us. It’s as simple as that", he said.

Street corners are overflowing with refuse in Lagos (Pulse)

Other staff of Visionscape who didn’t want their names on the record for this story, told Pulse that some PSP operators have been arrested dumping waste at garbage sites just to embarrass their company and make them look so bad before Governor Ambode.

Two other employees of VisionScape also told Pulse that they are being sabotaged and that they are fifth columnists working behind the scenes to make them fail.

When Pulse visited the Visionscape office in Alausa, Ikeja, a staff who identified herself as Ijeoma told us that the company will emerge from the mess it has found itself.

      Streets overflow with waste in Lagos

“All we ask for is patience from Lagosians. It’s a transition period and we are determined to get this right”, Ijeoma told Pulse.

On its website, Visionscape claims that it has a “workforce of over 29,000 dedicated employees who  utilise specialist vehicles and equipment to perform a wide range of services for the efficient management of every phase of the waste stream.”

A call for help

On February 12, 2018, an embattled Visionscape placed advertorials in at least two national dailies—it was a call for help, basically. The company was visibly overwhelmed.

In the advertorials, Visonscape asked interested PSPs to partner with it to rid Lagos of municipal waste.

PSP operator, Margaret Oshodi, told Premium Times that the advertorial was Visionscape’s way of admitting that it has failed.

“They advertised their incompetence, their inability to fulfill their contractual obligations for which they are celebrated as experts and to which our State Assembly unprecedentedly passed a law exclusive for them inserting the name of their company in Lagos State law to be the only ones that must collect domestic waste from the State.

                      The Apapa Oworonshoki-Oshodi express has become sight for sore eyes (Pulse)

“By this publication, they appropriated to themselves the role of state agencies of Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) and Ministry of Environment (MOE) amongst other regulating and statutory agencies.

“They also tacitly show that the PSPs are good at what they do. PSPs have been helping them move most of the waste they appropriated to themselves through state laws while their promoters look helplessly as their contractor daily engage the services of these same operators they have disparaged all over their sponsored media.”

However, Visionscape’s expression of interest advertorial was viewed as cunning by PSP operators.

“In the spirit of possible collaboration, we wrote a letter to Visionscape to draw their attention that, presumably, this is in line with us working together but it should be done with a great degree of respect on both sides”, a consultant with the PSP operators also told Premium Times.

“And you can’t just be inviting our members to come individually when we had told you our resolution, that if we are going to consider working with you, let us know what the terms are. Let’s see what the terms are and we can then explore that possibility.

            

“Two days to come and reapply for a job that was taken away from us and you have not specified what the terms and conditions will be, you have avoided talking about this and we have been on this for over a month.”

For Mrs Oshodi, Visionscape will never come good.

“Visionscape is just a glorified PSP whom our State resources, land, building and money is placed at its beck and call. Somewhere along the line they will run out of money or the State will go broke funding them without private capital.

“If the government is really interested in Cleaner Lagos or even cleanest Lagos, let them give the PSPs the same contract terms as Visionscape and we will deliver in a week.”

For the moment, Visionscape waste bins are overflowing across Lagos even as the company continues to allege sabotage from PSP operators.

“This is definitely not the Lagos Fashola left us. If they don’t want to be collecting the waste, they should come and take away their stupid bins from our street”, a resident, Hajiya Hasan, screamed in anger.

Repeated calls placed to the Lagos State Ministry of Environment were not answered.

Pulse also sent a text message to Lagos State Commissioner of Environment, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti for a response to this story. The text message hadn’t been responded to before this story was published.

 

This is what president will be up to when he visits Lagos

This is what president will be up to when he visits Lagos

President Muhammadu Buhari is due in Lagos from Thursday March 29 to Friday March 30, 2018.

For Lagosians who are wondering what the president would be up to when he shows up in their city, here’s what Buhari’s itinerary will look like.

PS: The schedule below is subject to slight changes, but hey, we tried.

Thursday, March 29:

1. Lagos will be observing a public holiday.

2. President Buhari touches down in Ikeja and then clambers into a waiting motorcade.

3. This motorcade takes Buhari to the Ikeja bus terminal which sits pretty at the intersection of Airport Road and Simbiat Abiola way. Sorry Computer Village, you won't be in business this once.

4. Buhari commissions Ikeja bus terminal and heads for the Eko Convention Centre (Eko Hotel) in Victoria Island.

                              

                     

5. The Eko Convention Centre is where the 10th Bola Tinubu Colloquium would be holding in honour of Asiwaju’s 66th birthday.

6. Buhari is Chairman of the event which runs on the theme: 'Investing in People'.

7. The event starts at 10:30am which means expect certain major roads to be closed to traffic; from the Mainland to the Island.

8. The Commissioner of Police in Lagos, CP Imohimi Edgal, says there would be temporary road closure and diversions in the following areas: “Ikeja, Maryland, Agege Motor Road, Victoria Island and Ikoyi axis".

That’s basically the spine of the nation’s commercial capital shut down.

9. But not to worry, Edgal says traffic will be managed so well, you won’t even notice the disruption the president's visit will bring.

              The police say they've got Buhari's back in Lagos (Presidency)

10. "Security engagements are in top gear, as we are working with the Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA).

”We have done threat assessment and engaged all stakeholders such as the National Union of Road Transport Workers and commercial bike riders. We are appealing that they abide by our agreement at the meeting.

”This is to ensure that Mr President’s visit to Lagos is smooth, safe and hitch-free, ” Edgal says.

11. All blocked roads will be immediately re-opened as soon as the president’s motorcade breezes past, they say.

12. So, there you have it—don’t lose any sleep. This will all be over before you know it.

Friday, March 30

13. Buhari is probably chilling at the Lagos House in Marina or somewhere more exquisite and upbeat, to receive visitors.

14. Later in the day, he heads out to tour the Eko Atlantic City on Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island.

15. Remember, there are still traffic restrictions on Day 2 of Buhari’s visit to Lagos.

                            Governor Akinwunmi Ambode meets President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, April 29, 2016, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He is expected to receive the president on Thursday, March 29, 2018, in Lagos.
(Vanguard)

It’s a Friday and a public holiday so, sitting that butt at home and going through your social media feed is going to be your best bet, trust us.

16. Buhari heads for the official flag-off ceremony of the construction of the Lekki Deep Sea Port Project in Epe.

17. And then as evening nears, he begins to pack his bags to leave Lagos for Abuja.

18. Buhari is chauffeur driven to the airport in Ikeja and off he goes until the next election campaign season.

 

Lagos lock-down: Buhari, Ambode under fire

                                

Nigerians have condemned the virtual shutdown of Lagos due to the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari.
They also berated the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led government for shutting down the nation’s commercial hub.

Currently, Lagos is trending on Twitter and most comments are harsh words for Buhari, Ambode and the Nigerian system in general.
Below are some reactions gathered by DAILY POST.
@MrTomide: Today is a terrible day to be a Buhari/APC supporter. my good friend @stalyf challenged anyone to mention JUST ONE project initiated and completed in 3 years of the disastrous Buhari/APC administration and get 20k but NOBODY could rise up to the challenge.
@OlusosuD: If Ambode ever builds a light rail in Lagos, we will just have to leave Lagos for him at the time of commissioning. Because, he will invite Jesus Christ.

@biolakazeem: Lagos is shut down because the president is in Lagos to commission a bus station. Not an underground train station. Or even a monorail. A bus station. A state supposedly led by a lettered man. Folks, Nigeria is finished. We can pack & go home now.
@DemolaRewaju: Agents of the State are mobilising 10 people from each ward in Lagos with a promise of NGN3,000 to come and hail Buhari while the police has caged the NBA Ikeja Branch which wishes to protest against Ambode’s retrogressive policies. Any crowd you see in Lagos today is rented.
@Chxta: Let’s focus. The compulsory exercise that we are participating in in Lagos today isn’t because of the old man. He has not even brushed his teeth this morning. It’s the pot-bellied one that is doing eye service that we should direct our ire at.
@newscantell: Ambode declared tomorrow as work free because Buhari is coming to commission a bus stop in Lagos. Lagos is the 5th largest economy in Africa. The person that declared tomorrow work free, the person that will commission the bus stop, and the people that will attend are all mad.

@akaebube: This New Airport Terminal in Lagos was built and commissioned by GEJ. No public holiday was declared for its commissioning. No road closures. No fan fare. Buhari is coming to Lagos to commission a “Bus stop” and we have a State of Emergency on our hands
@gossyomega: People booked their flights many weeks ago. So many people flying out of Lagos for Easter. Yet you block roads leading to the Airport with 24hr notice.
@tolulopeab: Lagos DON’T DO IT. Absolutely avoid VI of you can today. Entering via Bonny Camp thru CMS is a no. You are diverted inside Lagos Island. Many side roads close to Eko hotel are closed. Drove around for 20 minutes trying to get to my office
@4eyedmonk: I really don’t know why Lagos had to shutdown for President Buhari’s visit. He lives here in Abuja and moves around amongst us on a regular basis, and we have never had to shut down the city for one day.

 

The true story behind the viral knife crab is actually disturbing

 

 

Remember 'Hitler crab' , the angry knife-wielding crustacean that baffled the internet (and turned out to be a hoax)?
Well, it clearly has a cousin, as another sword-fighting crab has arrived on YouTube and, inevitably, the internet has fallen in love with the latest shellfish superhero. 
Handling the blade with ease and immense skill, the little crab scuttles around the sink trying to avoid its human opponent who is teasing it with a much, much bigger knife. Doesn't sounds so endearing now, does it? 
In an interview with IFLScience, marine biologist Molly Zaleski said that the knife was almost certainly put in the crab's claw by someone tormenting it:  

I would bet with 99 per cent certainty somebody put that knife in the crab’s claws to make a funny video.
It’s definitely not normal crab behaviour to use knives as tools or to use knives as defence against humans.

She continued:

The crab is happening to grab the knife opportunistically at the handle.
Toward the end of the video, you’ll notice it’s starting to grab at the blade, which is too thin. It’s not because the crab knows how to use a knife, it’s because the width of the handle is more conducive to its claw grab than the width of the blade.

 

UK news Police search for teenager Nathan Wood seen near river 'possibly under influence psychoactive drug'

UK news Police search for teenager Nathan Wood seen near river 'possibly under influence psychoactive drug'



Police are searching for a 16-year-old boy, who was last seen near the River Dart possibly under the influence "of a psychoactive substance".
Nathan Wood was spotted by a canoeist who saw him running naked heading towards the river in a seemingly distressed state on Friday evening. The canoeist then contacted the emergency services.
The teenager had been out with a group of female friends when he set off through a field near their school in Devon. Friends have reported "hearing a splash", although none said they saw him enter the water.
He may have been on a psychoactive drug of some sort, said police. Emergency services arrived at the scene of the incident in Totnes about an hour after Nathan was last seen by his friends.
Psychoactive drugs include legal highs, as well as synthetic cannabis.





                                 






                             

How science is helping the police search for bodies in water

      

 

Police divers have started searching a canal in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, hoping to find the remains of schoolgirl Moira Anderson who disappeared, suspected murdered, in 1957. The operation follows an investigation by my colleagues and me, identifying five areas of interest in the canal.
This kind of search is often challenging, as is the forensic recovery of a body. But by increasingly combining technology with traditional methods such as diving, we are getting better at it – greatly boosting our chances of discovering victims of homicide or accidental drowning. The techniques we use depends on the environment, ranging from ditches, canals and rivers to large lakes, estuaries and oceans.
I specialise in the first set of locations: bodies in small, enclosed spaces. These are common locations for bodies to end up in, due to their covert nature and ease of access without a boat.

Typically, the first step when searching for a missing person that is suspected to have ended up in water is to employ old-fashioned leads from police or search and rescue operations – such as points of access to the crime scene or the kind of distance the perpetrator and victim could have travelled. This may narrow down the search area.
Sonar, a technique that uses sound propagation to search for objects underwater, may then be used from a boat or held by a diver to image the pond or lake bed. If there’s a chance that the body could have sunk into soft sediment, a ground penetrating radar, which uses radar pulses to image the subsurface, could be placed at the base of a small boat to search for it.

Radar can be deployed in a boat

If the sonar and/or radar detects an object, specially trained victim recovery dogs may be deployed from the boat to detect any scent rising from a decaying body.
In fact, we typically use a numbered system (one to four) of prioritising targets for dive teams to investigate. Four means high priority – with (theoretically) location, sonar, radar and dogs all indicating a possible sunken body. Three, two or one all mean that there are fewer indications than this. The end aim is to save dive teams from crawling along large areas of water conducting a fingertip search, or indeed draining the water body, with consequent environmental implications. The size and intensity of an anomaly on the radar data gives some clues as to what the target or contact may be, providing some important information for me to give the dive teams.
These techniques are extremely effective and apply to a large range of cases. For example, a few years ago we found a drowned victim in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, using sonar, victim recovery dogs and penetrating radar. I am currently also assisting police with a number of searches for historic missing persons cases in some dams south of Belfast in Northern Ireland and in a canal in Scotland.

 

British backpacker Aiden Webb missing in Vietnam for three days

               

 Aiden Webb, 22, has been missing since Friday 

A British backpacker has gone missing after falling while climbing the Fansipan Mountain, near Sa Pa, northwest Vietnam.
Aiden Webb, 22, has not been heard from since Friday when he was supposed to meet a friend at the bottom of the mountain following his climb.
His girlfriend, Bluebell Baughan, said on Facebook she lost contact with him after he called her to tell her fell and couldn't find the trail again in.
She said he had injured his arm and knee in the fall.

 

Missing persons: the lost children who were found 

 

Steven Stayner was seven when he was abducted in California by Kenneth Parnell on the way home from school in 1972. Parnell called Stayner "Dennis" and told people he was his son, while moving around different areas of California. Stayner escaped aged 14, while Parnell was at work, rescuing another boy at the same time. Stayner died in a motorcycle crash nine years later. His story was dramatised in the TV mini series I Know My First Name is Steven.

• Natascha Kampusch was abducted by Wolfgang Priklopil on her way to school in Vienna, Austria, in 1998, aged 10. Priklopil held her in a small cellar under the garage of her house, although after a while he allowed her to move about the house during the day. He also began taking her out of the house with him, warning Kampusch he would kill her if she attracted attention. She escaped in 2006 while her captor was on the phone. Priklopil killed himself before police could find him.
• Natasha Ryan disappeared from her family home in Queensland, Australia, aged 14, in 1998. In 2003, convicted child murderer Leonard John Fraser was on trial for Ryan's murder, after being secretly taped confessing to killing her, when she was found hiding in a cupboard at her boyfriend's home, half a mile from her mother's house, after an anonymous tip-off. Her boyfriend, Scott Black, was later jailed for perjury for telling the Fraser trial he did not know Ryan's whereabouts. He later married Ryan.
• Shawn Hornbeck went missing aged 11 in 2002 while riding his bicycle near his home in Missouri. More than four years later he was discovered by police searching for 13-year-old Ben Ownby, who had gone missing four days before the two boys were found in the Missouri flat of Michael Devlin. Devlin made Hornbeck pose as his son and took him along, against his will, when he abducted Ownby. Like Kampusch, Hornbeck was suspected of suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, a psychological phenomena sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage-taker.

Since you’re here …

… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too.

 

Nigerian Govt Lied, 5 Million Euros, Boko Haram Fighters, Swapped For Dapchi Girls

Contrary to the claims of two ministers of President Muhammadu Buhari, SaharaReporters can report that a handsome ransom of five million euros was paid to Boko Haram to secure the release of Dapchi girls freed by the insurgents early Wednesday morning.

he claims of two ministers of President Muhammadu Buhari, SaharaReporters can report that a handsome ransom of five million euros was paid to Boko Haram to secure the release of Dapchi girls freed by the insurgents early Wednesday morning.

This isin addition to Boko Haram fighters in the custody of the Nigerian military exchanged for the release of the girls. Nigeria's Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed as well as Minister of Defense, Mansur Dan-Ali had denied that ransom was paid to Boko Haram to secure the freedom of the girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in their school in Dapchi, Yobe State on 19 February.

PHOTO: Boko Haram terrorists rolling into Dapchi to drop off abducted #Dapchigirls about 7am Nigerian time
The two ministers said instead of paying a ransom, the federal government relied on 'backchannel negotiations" to ensure that the girls were released by Boko Haram.

But a source who also participated in the negotiations with Boko Haram that led to release of over 80 Chibok girls in 2017 told SaharaReporters that the federal government not only made the ransom payment of five million euros to the insurgents, it also exchanged some Boko Haram prisoners in return for the Dapchi girls.

However, the lie that no ransom was paid to secure the return of the Dapchi girls followed a consistent pattern of such under the table millions of dollars payments by the Nigerian government to Boko Haram to secure freedom of abductees, especially since the advent of the Buhari administration.  
It was believed that huge ‘ransom’ was paid to Boko Haram for freedom of three university lecturers and the 10 women recently released by the insurgents while between two to three million euros were also paid by the Federal Government to Boko Haram in exchange for the release of 82 Chibok girls in 2017.
The BBC had reported that millions of euro in cash were handed over to the insurgents in exchange for the release of the girls in addition to the release of five senior Boko Haram militants were bomb-makers.
"The ransom was €2m. Boko Haram asked for euros. They chose the suspects and gave us the list of girls who would be freed,” BBC quoted a source as confirming the deal with Boko Haram.
Sources said Lawal Daura, the Director General of the Department of State Services, DSS, who has been in charge of the ‘opaque negotiations’ with terrorists has, along with some government officials, build a big business out of kidnap for ransom negotiations. Analysts have also argued that the eagerness of the Buhari administration to pay ransom for abductees is fueling the thirst of various factions of Boko Haram for mass kidnappings.

Nigerian lawmakers had alluded to this during a debate on the abduction of Dapchi girls at the plenary of the Senate last month.  
The lawmakers had argued that Boko Haram now kidnap women and girls so as to negotiate and "get money” from the federal government "just like the case of Chibok girls.”
“What happened is a lesson for us. That Boko Haram sees girls or women as value targets. What they did in Chibok earned them some funds, because negotiations were held somehow and they got a lot of money," Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan said during the debate.“They devise a means of going to abduct people so that they would negotiate with the federal government for ransom. It happened with the recent abduction of Maiduguri staff that were on an exploration. The government negotiated with them and they got money. Now they have been empowered, even with police officers wives, the federal government went and negotiated with them and they were given money,” Senator Joshua Lidani representing Gombe South said.

UPDATE: #DapchiGirls Liah Sharibu, the only Christian amongst high school girls kidnapped at Dapchi in Yobe remains in Boko Haram custody
“We need to be very proactive in this case because the idea of sitting down to always negotiating and paying ransom with this action, we are empowering the Boko- Haram so that they would continue to do more,” he added.
However, 5 out of the 110 abducted students were said to be dead while one is still in custody of the kidnappers.

The freed students are currently undergoing medical checkup.

Dapchi Schoolgirl: We Were Flown In Planes and Taken Over Rivers In Boats

More curious details about how the Dapchi schoolgirls were returned to their town by Boko Haram on Wednesday morning have emerged, with one of the girls telling a British newspaper, The Guardian, that they were flown in planes, and taken over rivers in boat by the terrorists. Hafsat Abdullahi phoned the British newspaper on Wednesday afternoon to say her 16-year-old sister Fatima, who had been taken, had been dropped off in Dapchi. She puts her sister on the phone.

curious details about how the Dapchi schoolgirls were returned to their town by Boko Haram on Wednesday morning have emerged, with one of the girls telling a British newspaper, The Guardian, that they were flown in planes, and taken over rivers in boat by the terrorists.

Hafsat Abdullahi phoned the British newspaper on Wednesday afternoon to say her 16-year-old sister Fatima, who had been taken, had been dropped off in Dapchi. She puts her sister on the phone.

“It took us three days to get back to Dapchi,” said Fatima. “We were divided into three groups and flown in planes, and taken over rivers in boats.”

Freed Dapchi School GirlsAlabingo

Waving the black and white flag used by the Islamic State and wearing balaclavas, military fatigues and ammunition belts, members of the group released most of the girls they had abducted in Dapchi, Yobe State, early on Wednesdaymorning.

Witnesses said the militants pulled up near Dapchi police station on Wednesday and shouted that parents should pick up their daughters. Initially, villagers ran away fearing another attack. But when they realised what was happening, they began to cheer and wave at the militants, chasing after their pickup trucks, some recording videos on their phones.

“Dapchi is full of joy,” said Mohammed Mdada, who saw the girls being whipped as they were driven away a month previously. He said the militants apologised to some of the girls’ parents in their language, Kanuri, and shook their hands before driving off.

“They said that if they knew they were Muslim girls they wouldn’t have abducted them,” Mdada said. “They warned the girls that they should stay away from school and swore that if they came back and found any girl in school, they’d abduct them again and never give them back.”

Usman Mataba, whose niece was among those returned, said she had talked to the militants. “I approached them and they told me that they had brought all the girls except six – that five had died on the day they were taken,” he said. “They said they discovered they were dead when they arrived at their destination, so they buried them.”

Mdada said he had been told the five girls were trampled to death. The sixth had “refused to cooperate” with them, Mataba said.

Amnesty International later said four girls were still missing. Locals said Boko Haram also dropped off a boy who had apparently been kidnapped by accident.

Soon after arriving back in Dapchi, the army took Fatima and her schoolmates

 “They took all of them to the hospital, Fatima is in the hospital now,” Hafsat said later, waiting at home to see her sister. “I heard that the chief of staff of the army is here and wants to take the girls with him to Damaturu. I don’t like that – I want her to stay.”

Their parents were not allowed in to see them, and the girls were soon put into vehicles and driven away. Their destination was Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, where they were to meet the president, Muhammadu Buhari.

In the aftermath of the Dapchi attack, Buhari said his government would negotiate with the militants, but in a statement released on Twitter on Wednesday he claimed there had been “backchannel” negotiations and that no ransoms had been paid.

This raises the question of what was offered to secure the girls’ release. The Nigerian government held several Boko Haram commanders who could have been handed over as barter.

Other aspects of the abduction and release remain murky. According to anAmnesty International report, the army and police had been warned that Boko Haram would abduct the girls and made no attempt to stop them.

They also had been warned that they would be brought back on Wednesday morning, according to Dapchi residents, and positioned themselves at the school they had been taken from, thinking that they would be dropped off there.

However, their kidnappers drove them into the centre of the village, close to the police station.

Neither the military nor the police attempted to apprehend the militants, who even stopped to change a tyre before leaving Dapchi, according to Mataba.

The big questions are: How did Boko Haram secure an aircraft to fly about 110 schoolgirls? Which airport did they land?

Nigerian Army Disowns 'Soldier' Who Claimed Dapchi Abduction Was Staged

The Nigerian Army has disowned one ‘Sergeant’ David Bako, who claimed in a viral message on social media over the weekend that the abduction of 110 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Dapchi, Yobe state, on February 19 was staged by officials of President Muhammadu Buhari administration.   Sergeant Bako had confessed to being part of a 16-man team who rehearsed and hatched the abduction of the schoolgirls for a lump sum of N80 million. He claimed some top loyalists of President Buhari were part of the scheme. ergeant’ David Bako, who claimed in a viral message on social media over the weekend that the abduction of 110 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Dapchi, Yobe state, on February 19 was staged by officials of President Muhammadu Buhari administration.  

Sergeant Bako had confessed to being part of a 16-man team who rehearsed and hatched the abduction of the schoolgirls for a lump sum of N80 million. He claimed some top loyalists of President Buhari were part of the scheme.

However, in a statement on Sunday, Brigadier General Texas Chukwu, Army’s Director of Army Public Relations, said there was no officer with the name David Bako either as a serving or dismissed in the list of personnel of the military.

Nigerian Army

He, therefore, urged Nigerians to disregard the confession of Mr. Bako who also claimed he had traveled out of Nigeria to avoid prosecution on the account of his revelation.

The statement reads: “The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a news report making round on Facebook and other social media to smear and drag the Nigerian Army into politics of calumny by mischief makers, that one deserted Sergeant David Bako leaks how Dapchi Girls abduction was planned in the villa and executed with N80 million.

“The information was said to be provided by Sergeant David Bako who claimed to be deserted soldier and one of the abductors of the Dapchi School Girls.

“The Nigerian Army, therefore, put the record straight that it has crosscheck it records and cannot find anyone call Sergeant David Bako who neither serves in the Army, deserted or dismissed. The Nigerian Army, therefore, disassociate itself with such fictitious report and request the public to disregard the confession made by the so call Sergeant David Bako who has not been in the Army at all.

“It is imperative to know that these baseless and inane allegations are not new in the cyberspace, knowing the fact that we are in the age of information warfare. Open Source Intelligence reveals that the website Dailyglobewatch.eu with country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .eu used in publishing stories is obviously fake and therefore not correct.

“Based on our findings the website was registered on the 14 of April 2017 and the last update was on the same date and will expire on the 14th April 2018, we are very familiar with reports of this nature and will advise the general public to disregard such claim and desist from sharing such information on the New Media as this is against the Nigerian Cybercrime Act 2015.

“However, it is really worrisome to the level at which some people could condescend so low to fabricate facetious allegation against the Nigerian Army and the military at large for cheap political gains or simply an act of pure wickedness, thus the public should disregard such facetious allegation.

“The Nigerian Army wishes to reiterate its commitment to remain apolitical and non-partisan in the discharge of its constitutional roles. We would also like to reaffirm our unconditional support and obedience to civil authority as well as reassuring Nigerians that these Fifth columnists will not succeed in their mischief as they will be fished out and dealt with accordingly.”

Similarly, the minister of information, Mr. Lai Mohammad had dismissed the confession of the alleged deserter, claiming no such name exists in the Army database.

He said: “I can tell you categorically that this David Bako is fake. There is no such soldier in the Nigerian Army. There was no conspiracy anywhere. The intention of those behind the disinformation and fake news is to cause disaffection between Christians and Muslims, and between Southerners and Northerners.”

A Snake Ate A Porcupine Only To Discover Some Snacks Aren't Worth The Risk

It looks like the type of shit Blanka used to pull on Street Fighter 2, but I kid you not - this is actually what happened when a snake ate a porcupine.
The footage isn't pretty and it appears to show a snake writhing in pain after being pierced by a porcupine's spikes.
Off camera, the now impaled reptile had attempted to eat the porcupine - but it came off worse when the animal defended itself with its quills.
The snake slithers and thrashes for almost two minutes, clearly in agony, while a man records its pain.
As always, the reaction to the animals going toe-to-toe was mixed.
One snake sympathiser wrote: "Help the poor thing out."

 

However a third decided some banter was in order, writing: "That's a new fashion statement!"
Boa constrictors typically live on a diet of bats, mice, birds and lizards and take approximately four to six days to digest food.

 

15 Celebs who pretend to own mansions they actually rent – You won’t believe Rihanna doesn’t have a house in her name (With Pics)

See More at : https://www.theinfo.ng/2018/03/15-celebs-pretend-mansions-actually-rent-wont-believe-rihanna-doesnt-house-name-pics/

15 Celebs who pretend to own mansions they actually rent – You won’t believe Rihanna doesn’t have a house in her name (With Pics

See More at : https://www.theinfo.ng/2018/03/15-celebs-pretend-mansions-actually-rent-wont-believe-rihanna-doesnt-house-name-pics/

15 Celebs who pretend to own mansions they actually rent – You won’t believe Rihanna doesn’t have a house in her name (With Pics

See More at : https://www.theinfo.ng/2018/03/15-celebs-pretend-mansions-actually-rent-wont-believe-rihanna-doesnt-house-name-pics/

Woman treated in hospital after snake hiding in toilet bites her bum

                     

The snake (actual snake not pictured) has not been seen since the attack

A woman has been released from hospital after receiving a snake bite on her bottom while using the toilet.
Iris Castroverde, 30, was using the toilet when she heard some odd splashing in the bowl, followed up with a stinging bite on her backside.
As she leapt to her feet and flushed the toilet, the mother of two caught a glimpse of a 20cm long green and yellow snake disappearing down the drain.
In a daze of fear and pain Ms Castoverde, from the Spanish town of Narón, managed to get to hospital, where she was treated and discharged.
She told Spain’s ABC newspaper: ‘It happened to me, but it could have happened to my two children.’
Snakes seem determined to invade the sacred space of the lavatory.

 

Man Kills His Wife In Lagos,Dumps Her Body In Water(Photos)

Man Kills His Wife In Lagos,Dumps Her Body In Water(Photos)

The lifeless body of a woman was found beneath in water in Oke Eri street area of Oworonshoki. From the report I gathered,the deceased and her husband were constantly having fights and this was known to the neighbors. Some days ago, they had a fight which resulted in the husband getting her arrested. She was detained in the police station in Oworonshoki and later released the next day.

On arriving home she met her demise.Report has it that the husband battered her to stupor until she passed out. Noticing she was lifeless, he shaved all her hair and dumped her body in the water.

Neighbors who were bothered about her whereabout inquired from the husband who was quick to deny having knowledge of where she has gone.Her lifeless body which was seen was seen in water was found by a neighbor who alerted the people in the neighborhood.At the time of filling this report, the man had since been arrested and whisked way to the Oworonshoki police station.

 

 

 

Parents arrested after 3 children found living inside box for years

A California couple was arrested Wednesday after it was discovered their three children were living inside a box, officials said.

Deputies made the gruesome discovery while conducting an area check in Joshua Tree, according to a press release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Parents arrested after 3 children found living inside box for years

A California couple was arrested Wednesday after it was discovered their three children were living inside a box, officials said.

Deputies made the gruesome discovery while conducting an area check in Joshua Tree, according to a press release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

They found "a travel trailer, which appeared to be abandoned, and a large rectangular box made of plywood on the property," the release reads. "The property had no electricity or running water. Several large holes and mounds of trash and human feces were located throughout the property."

Attackers kill seven in coordinated assault on Burkina Faso capital

Policemen secure the municipal stadium where an emergency medical post was established, after a coordinated assault on the army headquarters and French embassy in the capital Ougadougou

Policemen secure the municipal stadium where an emergency medical post was established, after a coordinated assault on the army headquarters and French embassy in the capital Ougadougou, Burkina Faso March 2, 2018. REUTERS/Anne Mimault  OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Attackers in Burkina Faso's capital killed seven people and wounded some fifty others in a coordinated assault on the army headquarters and French embassy that a French ambassador said was a terrorist attack.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which is the third major assault on Ouagadougou in just over two years.

Previous attacks were conducted by allies of al Qaeda in reprisal for Burkina Faso's participation in a regional fight against Islamist militants.

Speaking on state television, government spokesman Remi Dandjinou said the unidentified gunmen killed five Burkinabe soldiers and wounded around 50 others at the military headquarters. Two members of Burkina Faso's paramilitary gendarmes were killed defending the embassy, he said.

An emergency medical post was established at the municipal stadium.

A government statement said four gunmen were "neutralised" at the French embassy. The defence minister said three assailants were killed at the army headquarters.

The police said one member of the group, who had attempted to flee near the city's main market, was being surrounded by security forces.

A French diplomatic source said that no French nationals were killed in the attacks.

Witnesses said masked gunmen attacked the downtown army headquarters at around 10 a.m. (1000 GMT).

"I saw people with sacks on their backs attack the guard. Then I heard the explosion. I saw soldiers flee the army headquarters building running," witness Kader Sanou told Reuters.

The explosion inside the headquarters shook surrounding buildings, set the compound on fire and sent up a thick column of black smoke.

Panicked residents fled the city centre on foot or motorbikes as dozens of Burkina Faso special forces and armoured vehicles took up positions in the area.

A Reuters reporter saw an ambulance entering the army compound.

FRENCH TARGETS

Around two kilometres (1.24 miles) away the French embassy also came under attack. Police also took up positions near the offices of the prime minister where gunfire was also reported.

"Burkinabe security forces are mobilized against the attackers with the support of security forces at our embassy," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in a statement.

An aide to Le Drian later said the diplomatic compound and Ouagadougou's French cultural institute, which the embassy had earlier said was involved in the attack, were no longer in danger.

A Reuters reporter said gunfire had largely ceased by noon.

The French targets attacked are symbolic given that French President Emmanuel Macron chose to outline his Africa strategy, including the fight against militants, in Ouagadougou in November.

Burkina Faso is a former French colony and, like several others countries in west and central Africa, retains close security and trade links with Paris. The landlocked country of around 19 million exports cotton and gold.

Macron was being kept up to date with events in Ouagadougou, the Elysee Palace said in a statement.

Jean-Marc Châtaigner, France's ambassador to West Africa's Sahel region, tweeted: "Terrorist attack this morning in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: solidarity with colleagues and Burkinabe friends." He urged people to avoid the city centre.

Islamist militants have stepped up attacks in major cities in West Africa the last few years, including deadly assaults in Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Niger.

Suspected jihadists killed at least 18 people last August during a raid on a restaurant in Ouagadougou, and militants have targeted Burkinabe security forces along its remote northern border region with Mali.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for an attack on a restaurant and hotel in Ouagadougou in January 2016 in which 30 people were killed.

Five countries - Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Mali and Mauritania - launched a new taskforce last year to tackle Islamist militants in the arid Sahel region, to which international donors have committed half a billion dollars.

France which has some 4,000 troops in the region as part of a counter-terrorism force, has bemoaned that the militants have scored military and symbolic victories in West Africa while the G5 force has struggled to win financing and become operational.