House of Reps probes 3 members over sex scandal

Nigeria’s House of Representatives is set to probe three members alleged to have committed sexual misconduct in the United States.

A report today said the allegedly randy members will appear before the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges to state their case.

The accused lawmakers are the Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Mr. Mark Gbillah ( APC, Benue); Mr. Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom); and Mr. Mohammed Garba-Gololo (APC, Bauchi).

According to the report, the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, had placed the Committee on Ethics and Privileges on notice.

The committee is chaired by a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Delta State, Mr. Nicholas Osai.

Under the rules of the House, the committee is empowered to recommend punishment for misconduct as it “deems appropriate” after investigation.

Penalties range from suspension from House services for weeks or up to six months, which the Speaker may also extend as it suits him.

Garba-Gololo, Gbillah and Ikon were in the US recently to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Programme on Good Governance organised by the US Government.

The three legislators were on a team of 10 members nominated to attend the leadership programme, which took place in Cleveland, Ohio, between April 7 and 13 this year.

While there, they allegedly solicited the services of prostitutes through car park attendants while one of them assaulted a hotel housekeeper with the intent to rape.

The allegation was contained in a letter the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, wrote to Dogara.

Entwistle, in his June 9 letter to Dogara, stated, “It is with regret that I must bring to your attention the following situation.

“Ten members of the Nigerian National Assembly recently travelled to Cleveland, Ohio, as participants in the International Visitor Leadership Programme on good governance. We received troubling allegations regarding the behaviour of three members of the delegation to the U.S. Government’s flagship professional exchange programme.

“The U.S. Department of State and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs received reports from employees of the Cleveland hotel where the representatives stayed, alleging the representatives engaged in the following behaviour:

“Mohammed Garba Gololo allegedly grabbed a housekeeper in his hotel room and solicited her for sex. While the housekeeper reported this to her management, this incident could have involved local law enforcement and resulted in legal consequences for Representative Gololo.

“Mark Terseer Gbillah and Samuel Ikon allegedly requested hotel parking attendants to assist them to solicit prostitutes.”

The members have since denied the allegation and have threatened legal actions to clear their names.

On Thursday, the leadership of the House gave the nod to investigate the allegation.

The US, on its part, quickly revoked the visas of the three members, indicating that they are temporarily barred from visiting that country.

Obanikoro slams N100m suit on EFCC over rights violations, seizure of properties

Read the statement below…

Former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro yesterday slammed a N100 million suit on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the Federal High Court in Lagos over an alleged breached of his fundamental human rights.

The former Minister is demanding the sum as general damages for the alleged unlawful and unconstitutional seizure and detention of several items, properties and personal effects belonging to him and family by the EFCC on June 24, 2016.

Other applicants in the suit are: Mrs. Fati Obanikoro, Alhaja Moroophat Obanikoro, Gbolahon Obanikoro, Babajide Obanikoro.

Obanikoro in the fundamental rights enforcement suit, filed on his behalf by his lawyer, Chief Ogwu Onoja (SAN), is also praying the court to restrain the EFCC whether by its officers, Servants, privies, assigns or agents from arresting, detaining, harassing any of the applicants or any of their relatives pending the hearing and determination of the suit.

                      The applicants also want the court to restrain the commission from further entering their premises and an order Directing it to tender an unreserved public apology to them for the unlawful action.

They are also asking the court to direct the respondent to release all the items, properties and personal effects seized from their premises.

The applicants further want the court to hold that the action of the EFCC constitute a gross violation of their fundamental rights as guarantee under section 43 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 14 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

In a 15 paragraphs affidavit attached to the suit and sworn to by Mrs. Fati Obanikoro, states that on June 14 some officials of the EFCC numbering about 20 stormed their premises situated at 10 Mojisola Onikoyi Street, by Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos and took away several items.

She also alleged that the respondent thereafter proceeded to also search the personal house of the former Minister at 4 Layi Ajayi-Bembe road, Parkview,  Ikoyi, Lagos

She also claimed that before the alleged invasion of the premises there was no prior notice by way of letter or invitation served on any of the applicants and there was also no order of court mandating them to carry out the action.

She list some of the items seized by the Commission to include: building plans, cheque leaflets, company documents, car keys, phones, two company seals and six company stam

The applicant further averred that the EFCC officials claimed that they are investigating the former Minister and two of his children but some of the properties taken away do not belong to them.

She also insisted that unless the court issued an order compelling the commission, it will not return the seized properties.

No date has been set for the hearing of the suit.

TB Joshua rescues stranded Nigerian deportees from Libya

Nigerian Prophet, T.B. Joshua, has splashed N6m ($30,000) on over a hundred Nigerian deportees who arrived from Libya on the evening of Thursday 16th June, 2016.
According to media reports, 162 Nigerians were deported from the North African nation with the aid of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with the Swiss government and the Nigerian Embassy in Libya.
However, rather than return home, 107 decided to ‘seek refuge’ at The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), the popular Lagos-based church of T.B. Joshua.

According to a post on Joshua’s official Facebook Page, after feeding the dishevelled and frail-looking Nigerians who arrived at the church late in the night, the sum of N50,000 was given to each of them alongside a bag of rice.

                         

“Let me be honest with you, if not for this gift from T.B. Joshua, I had the plan of joining the militants in the Niger Delta,” admitted Friday, a returnee from Delta State, who fell to his knees in gratitude after receiving the gift.

The deportees explained to this reporter that most of them had been surviving by doing menial jobs in the war-torn nation before being arrested and imprisoned.

“We came back with nothing but the clothes on our backs which were given to us by United Nations officials,” said Michael, an Edo State indigene who had been in Libya for nearly ten months, washing cars for a living while nursing the hope of reaching Europe one day.

Arrested in February for staying illegally, Michael endured several months in a Libyan prison before the insufferable conditions of the prisoners attracted the attention of United Nations officials who procured their eventual release.

“I was thinking of how I was going to start my life again,” he admitted. “Many of us would have ended up in crime if not for this gift.”

Upon arrival, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) provided transportation vehicles for the returnees to their respective states along with a gesture of N10,000 by the Swiss government.

However, the majority chose to seek help from Joshua, who is famed for his extensive humanitarian gestures.

“We decided to come to The SCOAN because we know how Prophet T.B. Joshua has been helping people around the world,” Michael explained, referring to multiple other occasions where Joshua has rendered assistance to Nigerian deportees.

“I can only thank the man of God. Which other Nigerian could have done this for us at such a time in this country?” he tearfully pondered, decrying the muted response from the Nigerian government to their plight.

According to Collins, the young Nigerian had no intention to traverse Libya. Wild promises from a ‘friend’ of a glamorous life in Europe lured him away from a stable job in Abuja, not knowing that the European dream would lead him to a Libyan dungeon.

The fantasy turned to a nightmare as Libyan police broke into the commune where he was residing with dozens of other Nigerians en-route to a ‘better life’ abroad that never materialised.

“We are not here to blame or accuse the Libyan government,” he stated, recounting the inhumane conditions he endured in prison in which several of his colleagues died.

One of the deportees hobbled to the church on crutches. “I had a serious motor accident shortly after arriving to join my wife in Libya,” he narrated. “I have been in pain ever since but I thank God for using Prophet T.B. Joshua to wipe our tears away today.”

Joshua, who recently celebrated his 53rd birthday on June 12th 2016, also assisted Nigerian deportees who returned from Libya earlier this year, as well as aiding Nigerians returned from South Africa last month.

Ihechukwu Njoku is a freelance Nigerian journalist.

American kills himself in Taiwan courtroom after he was sentenced to 4 years in jail on drug charges

A 41-year-old American man and father of two, Tyrel Martin Marhanka, was sitting in a courtroom in Taiwan during his sentencing on drug possession charges when he suddenly pulled a sharp object and stabbed it deep into his neck, unleashing a gush of blood, according to the Taipei Times.
Some witnesses said the object he stabbed himself with was a pair of scissors, while others said they saw him use two metallic objects. Court officials told the Times that Marhanka separated a pair of scissors into two sharp blades and plunged it into his neck.

The shocking incident took place after a judge gave Marhanka a four-year prison sentence for smuggling poppy seeds into the country and growing marijuana.
Marhanka was married to a Taiwanese woman and had two children, and he had lived in the island for over 15 years, AFP reported.

Marhanka was arrested in April 2015 after police discovered a large stash of illegal drugs at a rented house which he lived in. The drugs included hundreds of cannabis plants and 10 opium poppies.  

He told police the plants were a “hobby” that he intended to use on his own and that he had no intention to sell them.

Witnesses said that after the judge read the sentence out loud, Marhanka turned to the interpreter, who informed him of the sentence.

“Four years?” a shocked Marhanka was heard saying.

The interpreter explained to Marhanka that the sentence could be appealed, but Marhanka said he didn’t want to do so.

“I don’t want to live anymore,” he yelled, before stabbing himself in the neck and severing at least one artery.
He was rushed to a hospital, where he died. 

“We deeply regret that Tyrel Martin Marhanka killed himself during the sentencing,” the court said in a statement. “He was cooperative during the investigation and the trial. His attitude was mild and he did not show any signs that he would commit suicide.”

Source: The Times

Photos:- Civilian JTF Gun Down Two Suicide Bombers In Maiduguri

The Civilian JTF in Maiduguri, Borno state this morning shot dead two male suicide bombers who attempted to attack a mosque at Kusari area near CBN Staff Quarters in Maiduguri.

According to Sahara Reporters, the suicide bombers attempted to strike the mosque after many Muslim faithfuls converged there for their early morning prayers.

They were heading to a mosque to detonate the bombs strapped on them when they were stopped by some members of the state vigilante group.

They were gunned down after they tried to escape while they were being questioned. A search carried out on them showed they had bombs strapped on their bodies.    Se-e photos below:

                    

                                    

“Our elders sighted them in our community roaming around, so our they called them and tried to know their identities because their faces were strange to us. Instead, they started running, and we pursued them, shot and killed them.

There were IEDs wrapped on their bodies that did not yet explode “. the source narrated.

“Wizkid Is Too Short, He Can’t Handle Me,” – Singer Saeon Says

Saeon indirectly rejected Wizkid, She said the Mega super star is too short and he can’t handle him.

She said, “I like my Man tall, So I can jump at him and climb him”..

Singer, Niyola Opens Up On Romance With Boss, Banky W

Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) singer, Niyola has opened up on the alleged romantic relationship between herself and her label boss, Banky W.
The singer, who said she is still single, in response to the recent rumors that she was living with Banky W and that the two were reportedly involved in a romantic affair, claimed that the reports were totally untrue.
The singer said, ”I don’t live in Banky’s house and no, we never dated.”

Niyola’s sojourn into music began in 2000, when she emerged runner up at the Amen Starlet Competition. In 2005, Niyola began her professional music career and was briefly affiliated with eLDee’s Trybe Records.

Niyola was signed to Empire Mates Entertainment (EME) in 2012 as the first lady in the house.