Swiss Court orders retrial of Sani Abacha's Son

Abba Abacha and Late Sani Abacha

The High Court of Switzerland has ordered the retrial of Abba Sani Abacha, son of the late former military Head of State, Sani Abacha who was charged by Geneva authorities for taking part in a criminal organisation.

Abba Abacha was sentenced to a suspended jail term of two years and his assets confiscated in the initial court hearing, but he won an appeal at the Swiss Federal Tribunal which ordered that the sentence be annulled and a retrial held due to procedural irregularities and the fact that the accused had been unable to attend the trial because he was unable to obtain a visa in time.

The Swiss Federal Tribunal annulled the sentence and ordered the retrial on the grounds that Abacha's rights had been violated.

In June 2010, Geneva police's court found Abba Abacha guilty of participating in his family's pillage of Nigeria’s assets.

Abba Abacha was ordered to return $350m of illegally gained assets at his trial last year in the police court in Geneva.

Nigerian government had asked the Swiss government in 1999 to help recover the money, much of which was thought to be hidden in Swiss banks.

Switzerland has so far handed back about $700m to Nigeria.

His father, Sani Abacha who took over power in 1993 and ruled till he died in 1998, was believed to have syphoned about $2.2 billion from the Central Bank, which his sons  Abba and his brother Mohammed controlled.

ABIA GANG RAPE: REVEAL YOUR IDENTITY...LAWMAKER ABIKE DABIRI-EREWA’S MESSAGE TO THE VICTIM

House of Rep Member, Erelu Abike Dabiri-Erewa issued a statement on Abia Gang of 5 rapists. Her statement below:

It saddens my heart to watch and read the story of the Young Lady who was gang-raped by Five men in a video that has circulated on the internet in the last few days. On the 20th of September 2011, I intend to raise the issue on the floor of the House of Representatives. In the meantime, I will appeal to the lady herself, to at least let a few of us know her.

I will ensure that she is protected. She cannot get the justice she deserves if she remains anonymous. From the information I have gathered, I was told that this has become a regular occurrence in some parts of Nigeria. Ladies are gang-raped and they are too timid to speak up for fear of stigmatisation and reprisals..


I plead with anyone who knows her real identity and location to please convince her at least to reach out to me or the appropriate authorities so we can put an end to this. There is no reason or excuse for any woman to be raped. It is illegal and irresponsible. All men and women of good conscience in Nigeria should join me to totally condemn this abominable act.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa,

Member Federal House of Representatives

Ikorodu Federal Constituency 2011.

HIP-HOP ACT WHIZKID IN THE NEWS AGAIN...ASSAULTS LADY

Ayodeji Balogun aka Whizkid

Just when the scandal over his love child is dying down, Leads University dropout and sensational Hip-hop star, Ayodeji Balogun popularly called Whizkid,has run into trouble again. Last week Friday, a video started circulating on Blackberry Messenger and other social networks. The video has Whizkid in action with a lady who is believed to be older than the music star in a Ghanaian hotel. Whizkid was shown in an upright position ramming into the lover’s behind.

The sordid picture also saw Whizkid slapping the behind of the lady at intervals.

Ever since the video started circulating, it has been the major topic for discuss. While some believed it can’t be Whizkid, many others believed it was no one else but him.

In Lagos alone, over two million people have seen the video according to a research done over the weekend. Many more concluded it was just like Wande Coal who was a victim of hidden camera.

The ‘Holla at ur Boy’ crooner recently did something that raised questions among his fans. The act, to the surprise of many,embarrassed a female fan at KFC, Opebi Ikeja Lagos.

Whizkid who was surrounded by fans at the eatery in a bid to have photographs with him, wrote out his phone number on a piece of paper and threw it into the b***bs of a young lady who had requested to have a photographs with him.

To Whizkid, he had thought because the lady requested for the photograph session, she was definitely interested in him. The lady felt insulted and she made that known to the music star. But instead of him having a feeling of remorse, he did as if nothing was wrong.

One of the onlookers who was furious at the young star’s action walked up to him and told him to apologise to the young lady but Whizkid refused, saying that she’s too cheap for an apology.

This action was said to have made some of his fans that were around the scene furious and they kept wondering if it’s as a result of fame or wealth he has acquired.

Source: Ghanamma

MTV EMA BELFAST 2011 UNVEIL NOMINEES: FAST-RISING ACT, WIZKID NOMINATED

MTV yesterday announced the nominees for the “2011 MTV EMA” with Lady Gaga leading the pack with six nominations, and Katy Perry and Bruno Mars following closely behind with four nominations. 

British songstress Adele, who stands as the top-selling artist of the year, has been nominated for three awards, with Justin Bieber and Thirty Seconds To Mars also up for three. 

Fast-rising act, Wizkid also nominated alongside other acts Fally Ipupa, Black Coffee & Cabo Snoop, Abdelfattah Grini, and Scribe in the Africa/ India/ Middle East category.


Five regions are under the newly added category, World Wide Act - Africa/India/Middle East, Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America and Europe.

The nominee with the highest vote in each regions will be nominated for worldwide act.

According to MTV, the newly added category " celebrates diversity and the breadth of all the music that MTV has to offer by nominating incredible artists from all corners of the world."

The 18th annual MTV EMA will take place on Sunday 6 November at Belfast's Odyssey Arena, airing on MTV channels around the world including MTV (DStv 321) and MTV Base (DStv 322).

Acts like Dbanj, 2face are past winners. 

Voting starts has started on www.mtvema.com and the nominees for the world wide act will be revealed on October 24.

Here is the list of nominees for the “2011 MTV EMA”:

BEST SONG

Adele – “Rolling In The Deep”
Bruno Mars – “Grenade”
Jennifer Lopez ft Pitbull – “On The Floor”
Katy Perry – “Firework”
Lady Gaga – “Born This Way”

BEST LIVE

Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Red Hot Chili Peppers

BEST POP

Britney Spears
Justin Bieber
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga
Rihanna

BEST NEW

Bruno Mars
Far East Movement
Jessie J
LMFAO
Wiz Khalifa

BEST FEMALE

Adele
Beyoncé
Jennifer Lopez
Katy Perry
Lady Gaga 

BEST MALE

Bruno Mars
David Guetta
Eminem
Justin Bieber
Kanye West

BEST HIP HOP

Eminem
Lil Wayne
JAY Z & Kanye West
Pitbull
Snoop Dogg

BEST ROCK

Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Linkin Park
Kings of Leon
Red Hot Chili Peppers

BEST VIDEO

Adele – “Rolling In The Deep”
Beastie Boys – “Make Some Noise”
Beyoncé – “Run The World (Girls)”
Justice – “Civilization”
Lady Gaga – “Born This Way”

BEST ALTERNATIVE

Arcade Fire
Arctic Monkeys
My Chemical Romance
The Strokes
Thirty Seconds To Mars

BEST WORLD STAGE

Arcade Fire
The Black Eyed Peas
Diddy Dirty Money
Enrique Iglesias
Kings of Leon
Linkin Park
My Chemical Romance
Ozzy Osborne
Snoop Dogg
Thirty Seconds To Mars

BEST PUSH

Alexis Jordan
Big Time Rush
Bruno Mars
Far East Movement
Jessie J
Katy B
LMFAO
Neon Trees
Theophilus London
Wiz Khalifa

BIGGEST FANS

Justin Bieber
Lady Gaga
Paramore
Selena Gomez
Thirty Seconds To Mars

AFRICA/INDIA/MIDDLE EAST (Top vote-getter will represent Africa/India/Middle East in the World Wide Act category)

Abdelfattah Grini
Cabo Snoop
Fally Ipupa
Black Coffee
Wizkid
Scribe

Dbanj requests for Nadia Buari for Vodafone 020 Live concert

 Nigerian international music star, Dbanj has made a passionate plea to have Ghanaian actress, Nadia Buari available for the Vodafone 020 Live concert slated for The Dome on Tuesday, September 20 so that he could perform his latest single, ‘Oliver Twist’ to the fullest.

The song which has Dbanj singing about liking some female celebrities including Nadia for various reasons has become a smash hit especially on the internet.

The singer in an interaction with a select group of Ghanaian journalist explained that the success of Oliver Twist has been amazing single the song was released over a month ago. He said the Oliver Twist competition launched on YouTube to find the most entertaining fan, which will also feature in the official music video for the single, has triggered entries from all over the world including an entry from a white family in Scotland.

“So many entries blew my mind. We are seeing a whole white family from Scotland dancing to the song and I felt so humbled. There is one beautiful girl with just one leg and she danced better than people with two legs. That has only opened me to think that we did the right thing and we will continue to do that.”

Dbanj also explained that he couldn’t make it to the Vodafone 020 Live concert last year in spite of being advertised on the bill, due to reason beyond his control. He however was emphatic that it had nothing to do with his contract with Nigerian Telecoms giant, Glo.

He added that fans in Ghana should expect an exciting performance like never before since this would be his first major performance with his band in the country.


“This is the first ever concert that I will perform; I have been on stage in Ghana more than three times but only on awards. I have never performed to my fans, only selected people make it to the GMAs every year and I often perform for about 10 minutes. This is the first concert I am performing, standing on stage, bringing my band and bringing everyone to come onboard for me. So I would say its Dbanj 1 on 1 so get ready ‘toh bad!’”

Dbanj will perform alongside US R&B Star Trey Songz, VIP, 5five, R2bees, Stay Jay, RnM, and Dr Cryme at the Vodafone 020 Live at the Dome of the Accra International Conference Centre.

Gang Rape: Abia State Govt Denies Rapists Are ABSU Students

Abia State Government has issued a statement on the alleged gang sex video. The statement is here below: 

Alleged Rape Case
The Abia State Government has carried out an investigation on this matter and the truth is that, the alleged video never emanated from the university.

The victim and the perpetrators are not students of Abia State University. Those associating ABSU with such barbaric visor should please desist from such. The university is safe for academic activities as known for.

Thank you

Nnaji Obed Asiegbu

S A to the Abia State Governor on E-Governance.

And here's a press release from Minister of Youth Development

Minister Condemns Rape of Young Nigerian Girl, Promises to Rehabilitate Her
The attention of the Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi has just been drawn to a despicable, immoral and depraved video of a young lady being raped by five men. The condemnable act allegedly took place at the Abia State University, Uturu.

In the video, the young woman was threatened, rough handled, and sexually exploited by the men, who are said to be cultists. To make matters worse, this despicable and wicked act was recorded and circulated by the alleged rapists, who blurred their own faces. This behavior has rightly caused
outrage among young Nigerians, parents and all those who have seen the video recording.

The Honourable Minister views the behavior of the perpetrators as decadent and barbaric; and believes the attitude of these men, if indeed they are young Nigerians, does not represent the character and nature of the Nigerian youth.

Mallam Abdullahi therefore calls on the University authorities and relevant security agencies to step up action to ensure that the heartless and wicked perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted. He has also promised to help rehabilitate the young victim if she would make herself available to the Ministry.

The Honourable Minister calls on Nigerian youths to remain focused and positive-minded, disclosing that his Ministry will soon begin to implement programmes that will address their concerns.

Signed
Julius Ogunro
SA Media to HMYD


Culled from: Lindaikeja's blog

So much as rape incident is on the increase in the country, I only wish this unfortunate incident is dealt with fairly and squarely

World Exclusive: 17 Years Old Jay-Z Son Pops Up!

Jeremy...Jay Z's Son?

After the story of Jay-Z’s alleged secret son with video vixen Shenelle Scott hit the media recently, not too long after Beyonce’s public announcement of her pregnancy, there seems to be craze for being Jay-Z’s son in the US. A photo of an older boy who bears striking resemblance to the rap star and hiphop mogul has surfaced on the web.

The 17 year old New York resident called Jeremy, has not made any public claims yet about any paternity link with Jay-Z but his photos were shared on Twitter by his friends from school following the buzz on Jay-Z’s secret children.

Sudanese Twins Joined At Head Survive Odds Of 10 Million To One

Sudanese twins joined at the head have overcome odds of 10 million to one by surviving a series of operations to separate them. The eleven-month-old sisters Rital and Ritaj Gaboura appear to have suffered no neurological damage after months after complex surgical procedures. The pair were finally separated in an operation last month at Great Ormond Street Hospital, a specialist children's hospital in London.

Little miracles: Sisters Ritaj (left) and Rital Gaboura after their successful operation

Brought to Britain from Khartoum by the British children's charity Facing the World, the girls had been born by caesarean section in October 2010 with the tops of their heads fused together. Although only one in 10 million such twins survive such a condition, the surgeons at the hospital embarked on four months of treatment and four major operations to re-route blood supplies and nerves before the final procedure to separate the girls on August 15, the charity announced yesterday.

One of the problems confronting the doctors was that Ritaj was supplying half of her sister's brain with blood. Most of it was then draining back to her own heart resulting in her body doing most of the work for both of them. "The incidences of surviving twins with this condition are extremely rare, said David Dunaway, a senior surgeon with the cranio-facial unit at Great Ormond Street and a trustee of Facing the World, yesterday. "The task presented innumerable challenges and we were all very aware of our responsibilities to the family and these two little girls.

Joined together: The twins were born with their heads fused, a rare condition that only one in 10million survive

"The Gaboura family have been extremely brave throughout a very stressful journey and their love for their children is clear to see. It is a testimony to the support of the British public that we are able to do any of the charity work that we do." Their parents, Abdelmajeed Gaboura, 31, and Enas, 27, are doctors in Khartoum and they turned to the charity for help because they could not afford to pay for the complex surgery abroad that their daughters needed.

"We are very thankful to be able to look forward to going home with two separate, healthy girls," the parents told the Mail on Sunday.

"We are very grateful to all the doctors who volunteered their time and to Facing the World for organising all the logistics and for paying for the surgery.

The charity, which depends on public donations, said that conjoined twins are only found in about one in 100,000 births, with only five per cent being joined at the head.

Dr Dunaway, who led the surgical teams involved in the separation procedures, will give further details on the ground-breaking techniques used at a news conference in London today.

Ali Baba, Damasus Campaign Against Domestic Violence

Stella Damasus

Ali Baba and Stella Damasus, Ambassadors of Project Alert, have joined in the campaign against domestic violence in Nigeria alongside staff of Skyebank, GTbank, St. Nicholas Hospital Ambulance and organisers of Project Alert, Promasidor.

The campaign which started from Falomo down to the City Mall, featured the staff sharing hand bills, while also educating Nigerian men on domestic violence against women in the country.

Stella, in her short speech, said “you don’t have to take another person’s life; you don’t have to beat the person you claim you love. If someone is beating you, scream out loud because there are people to help.”

Ali Baba 

She blamed mothers and religious leaders for the violence against women in their various homes. Ali Baba, in his own contribution, told parents not to encourage their children to go back to the house where they are being violated.

The campaign was also supported by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagoon Hospital, City Mall, Wemy Limited and Arch Bishop Vinning Memorial Cathedral.

Emmys 2011: The complete winners list

Here Are The Winners:

Outstanding comedy series: Modern Family

Outstanding drama series: Mad Men
Outstanding miniseries or movie: Downton Abbey
Outstanding lead actress, miniseries or movie: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Outstanding supporting actor in a miniseries or movie: Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Outstanding directing for a miniseries, movie or dramatic special: Brian Percival, Downton Abbey
Outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie: Barry Pepper, The Kennedys
Outstanding supporting actress, miniseries or movie: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Outstanding writing for a miniseries or movie: Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey
Outstanding lead actor, drama: Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Outstanding lead actress, drama: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Outstanding supporting actor, drama: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Outstanding directing, drama: Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire 
Outstanding supporting actress, drama: Margo Martindale, Justified
Outstanding writing, drama series: Jason Katims, Friday Night Lights
Outstanding variety, music or comedy series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Outstanding directing for a variety, music or comedy series: Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live (host: Justin Timberlake)
Outstanding writing for a variety, music or comedy series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Outstanding reality competition: The Amazing Race
Outstanding lead actress, comedy: Melissa McCarthy (Mike & Molly)
Outstanding lead actor, comedy series: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Outstanding writing for a comedy: Steve Levitan, Jeffrey Richman (“Caught in the Act”), Modern Family
Outstanding director, comedy: Michael Alan Spiller (“Halloween”),  Modern Family
Outstanding supporting actor, comedy: Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
Outstanding supporting actress, comedy: Julie Bowen (Modern Family)