Dutch Oil Giant, Shell paid a compensation of £55million to a community devastated by oil spills in the Niger Delta

Dutch Oil Giant, Shell has paid a compensation of £55million to a community devastated by oil spills in the Niger Delta, said a press release signed by Amnesty International and the Center for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD).

“Six years after two oil spills destroyed thousands of livelihoods in the Bodo area, legal action in the UK has driven Shell to make an out-of-court settlement of £55million to compensate the affected community. The £55million will be split between £35million for 15,600 individuals and £20million for the community,” said the press statement.

Director of Global Issues at Amnesty, Audrey Gaughran, emphasised that while the pay-out amounts to a long awaited victory for the thousands of people who lost their livelihoods in Bodo, it shouldn’t have taken six years to get anything close to fair compensation.

“In effect, Shell knew that Bodo was an accident waiting to happen. It took no effective action to stop it, then, it made false claims about the amount of oil that had been spilt. If Shell had not been forced to disclose this information as part of the UK legal action, the people of Bodo would have been completely swindled,” said Gaughran.

The group noted that the long wait has taken its toll on Bodo residents, many of whom, it noted, had their fishing and farming livelihoods destroyed in the spill.

“Throughout this time they have had to live with the ongoing pollution and, without compensation, many have faced grinding poverty,” the press statement said.

For the director of programmes of the CEHRD, Styvn Obodoekwe, the compensation is a step towards justice for the people of Bodo. However, he emphasised that justice will be fully achieved when Shell properly cleans up the heavily polluted creeks and swamps so that those who rely on fishing and farming for their income can begin to rebuild their livelihoods.

Two oil spills occurred at Bodo in the Niger Delta in 2008, the first in August and the second in December. Amnesty International and CEHRD have worked on the Bodo spills case since 2008, supporting the community to secure compensation and clean up.

Woman daughter was killed by lover on Xmas day

IT was a sad way for any family to celebrate Christmas; infact nobody would wish what happened to the family of Ms Rose Aifuwa, an Edo born Nigerian based in Austria, to happen to his enemy. It was a love story turned awry between Festus Aimufua, aka two million, a spare parts dealer in Benin-City, and Rose. Sunday Vanguard learnt that Rose and Festus became business partners about three years ago.

The money was said to be in excess of N20million. It was gathered that goods including cars and spare parts imported into the country under the custody of Festus were sold but the proceeds not remitted to Rose. Rose allegedly arrived Nigeria insisting that Festus should pay her the money but Festus allegedly became evasive. On the eve of Christmas, Rose was said to have invited Festus to her residence at Upper Mission Road, Benin-City. Festus, married with two kids, slept at the residence of his lover and when he was about leaving in the morning of 25 December, Rose demanded for her money after she expressed displeasure with the way and manner Festus is running her chains of businesses here in Nigeria.She was sending spare parts and used cars, popularly known as Tokunbo from Austria to Nigeria and Festus became her links man here in Nigeria. It was learnt that the duo enjoyed the business relationship until January 2014, when they fell in love and started dating. Their relationship was rosy until last December when Rose arrived Nigeria demanding the money owed to her by her lover.

Sunday Vanguard was informed that when they started dating, Rose handed her business empire to Festus to run for her. Initially, Festus used to purchase spare parts from her and pay immediately, but when they started dating he continued to purchase goods from her money. The proceeds were put around N20million. After a heated argument Festus was said to have rushed to her car that morning and Rose followed suit insisting that her money should be paid.  Festus was said to have raced off in his Honda car but in the process hit his lover who was pursuing him.

When crack team of detectives from the Police Command took the suspect to the scene of the crime, it was discovered that after hitting her he dragged the body of the decease under the car for another 500 meters before dumping the mangled body at the end of Upper Mission Extension. People who identified the body where it was dumped ran to the family of the lady to inform them.

The family immediately went to in search of Festus. Sunday Vanguard learnt that when they saw Festus he was tricked to believe that her lover was still alive but in hospital, so he was advised to report himself to the police. The obviously confused man went to Oregbeni Police Station where he reported the case of accident instead of murder, apparently believing that his lover was still alive. He was arrested. The police consequently visited the scene where the body was dumped and found that the man had committed alleged murder.

The incident is creating tension now between the Austrian government and the Nigeria Police. The deceased was said to have travelled to Nigeria with her Austrian passport and, following her death, the Austrian Embassy last Wednesday contacted the police in Edo State over her death. The Edo State Police Commissioner, Foluso Adebanjo, who detailed detectives to unravel the mystery behind the death, confirmed to Sunday Vanguard that the Austrian Embassy contacted them.

While the siblings of the deceased may not know much about Rose’s relationship with Festus, their octogenarian mother, Madam Victoria Aifuwa, claimed to have the details of the relationship. Sunday Vanguard met her in their family house at Aduwawa area of Benin-City and she was a complete wreck. She wept uncontrollably, raining curses on Festus for allegedly cutting the life of the family’s bread winner short. ‘Iye’, as aged women are called in Benin, narrated what transpired some 24 hours before the death of her daughter.

She said: “I was with my daughter at her residence at Upper Mission on 24 December, 2014. When it was 7pm I told my daughter that I wanted to start going home because I wasn’t feeling well, so she started laughing, calling me old woman. She asked me to come back the next day which was Christmas day. Festus, my daughter’s boyfriend, was with my daughter with some of his friends having drinks when I left them only for me to hear knock on my gate the next day that my daughter’s dead body was lying at a junction.

Later, the people that came were trying to hide the matter from me by saying it was minor injury that she sustained. Some people said she was shot at the back while others said her intestine came out. The killer of my daughter said they both slept together and that when he wanted to leave my daughter held him insisting he must pay her the money he owed over some business transaction. It was at that point he knocked her down with his vehicle and dragged her on the ground which led to her death.

My world has crumbled, I don’t know what to do, I am in hell without my daughter, she is all I had. Each time my daughter brought goods from abroad, I usually called Festus and after selling won’t remit money. I never knew the same man will eventually kill my daughter and leave me in deep pain”. She wept.“ “She went further: “My daughter even rented an apartment for him (the suspect), spending over N250,000 in the process because they were going out. My daughter said he wanted to uplift his social status and went as far as buying him a car because her friends usually mocked her for going out with some one that was not up to her standard. Beside, she had started building a house for him at Aduwawa.

Festus controlled most of her business dealings in Nigeria.  Recently, she complained to me that the bulk of her money unremitted was in the custody of Festus; so I advised her not to give him any other goods. My daughter trusted him and that was why she opened her heart to him by ensuring that he was in charge of her business. My daughter was the one that had been sustaining the family, now she is dead. My world has crumbled. I am begging the police and Governor Adams Oshiomhole to come and help me. They should ask Festus why he killed my daughter despite all my daughter did for his in life. I have never seen this kind of wickedness in my life. Instead of killing her he should have gone with the money. I am finished”

Pastor operates shrine behind church

A man, who claimed to be a pastor in Ozoro, Delta State, but allegedly runs a shrine in his house, has been arrested by the police after he was said to have killed a boy identified as Evi Samson, brought to him for prayer.

He was nabbed by the police following a report by the father of the victim, Mr. Samson Uwhemw, of Erovie quarters, Ozoro, who claimed to have taken Evi to the pastor after his son developed swollen head and eyes in the night and died after drinking a black concoction prepared by the pastor.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the incident, yesterday, said the pastor is also a Registrar in a magistrate court in the state.

She said, “on receipt of the report, detectives swung into action and arrested the said pastor. The suspect claimed that what he gave the deceased was a bottle of coke.

“Items recovered on searching his house include some charms from his shrine behind the church.

“Meanwhile, the corpse of the deceased has been deposited in an hospital for autopsy while discreet investigation in the matter has commenced.”

Police arrest 482 robbery suspects, recover 125 stolen vehicles

The police command in Kano State said it arrested 482 armed robbery suspects and recovered 85 arms and 546 ammunition in 2014.

This is contained in a statement issued by the command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Magaji Majiya, made available to newsmen in Kano on Thursday.

He said “the command was also able to recover 125 stolen motor vehicles abandoned during the period.’’

Majiya added that the command also recovered 24 high calibre Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in different locations in the state.

He stated that 214 suspects charged with rape were arrested, in addition to 27 others charged with homicide within the period under review.

“These achievements cannot be ruled out of the cordial synergy enjoyed with all sister security organisations, the state government, traditional institution, members of the press and good people of Kano State,’’ the PPRO said.

While commending the people for their cooperation, Majiya called for the sustenance of the tempo in 2015 and beyond, so as to ensure a crime-free society.

Nigerian Army dismisses 203 soldiers after secret night trial

According to an online journal, Premium Times, one of the sacked soldiers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the soldiers were dismissed for asking for support equipment, following the army’s plan to convey them in a tipper for an operation in Bama and Gwoza, two strongholds of Boko Haram insurgents.

The Sacked Soldiers

The soldier, who is originally of the 19th Battalion in Okitipupa in Ondo State, but attached to the 7th division in Maiduguri, said the army detained them for over 90 days before dismissing them after a mid-night trial. He said they are owed up to five months in unpaid salaries.

Narrating the event that led to their dismissal, the soldier said his unit reconvened in Maiduguri last August, after they were dislodged by the insurgents in Damboa in an operation where their commanding officer and several other soldiers were killed.

He said they were given two weeks pass and that at the expiration of their pass, they were issued new uniforms, boots and 30 rounds of bullets each as opposed to the statutory 60 rounds. And were going to be conveyed in a tipper lorry to Gwoza and Bama for an operation.

He said having engaged the insurgents in several past battles, majority of the soldiers argued that the operation would be fierce, and therefore, requested support equipment.

“So we asked for support weapons. No support weapon was provided. Our Commanding Officer, CO, said he would discuss with the General Officer Commanding, GOC, of the 7 Division at the headquarters. When he came back, he said we should stand down. We thought all was well,” our source said.

But the request made by the soldiers fetched them more than they bargained for.

The next day their new CO, Mohammed A, a lieutenant colonel from 195 battalion, Agenebode, ordered them to submit their weapons and uniforms or be charged with mutiny.

“On the morning of 16 of August, after the GOC briefing, our commander started calling our names and he said anyone whose name is called should submit his uniform and weapon. He added that anyone who failed to do that would be charged for mutiny. We were surprised at what was happening.

“He started from the most senior soldier among us, a warrant officer who had served for almost 30 years. They asked us to go back to the barrack. It is a war zone and our weapons had been taken from us. Staying around was of no use, so we left Maiduguri and went back home.”

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/nigerian-army-dismisses-203-soldiers-secret-night-trial/#sthash.jbtbog7G.dpuf

Man decapitates mother with ax on New Year’s Eve

A schizophrenic Florida man decapitated his mother with an ax on New Year’s Eve because he was fed up with her nagging, US authorities and media said Thursday.

Christian Jose Gomez, 23, was arrested and charged with first degree murder after admitting to killing his mother, Maria Suarez-Cassagne, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Police in the city of Oldsmar went to the woman’s house after a relative called to say Gomez “had cut her head off,” the sheriff’s office said.

He then dumped her body near the home’s garbage cans and disappeared on a bicycle before police caught him.

“He just left the body sitting there, next to the trash can, went into the garage, tried to clean up the scene a little bit,” Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told NBC News.
“When he saw that wouldn’t happen is when he left.”

According to several US media outlets, authorities said Gomez is a diagnosed schizophrenic.

Gualtieri told WFLA television that Gomez had killed his mother, because he was upset she had been asking him to put some boxes in the attic.

“Because he was mad at her … he planned her murder for two days,” Gualtieri said.

The murder weapon, an ax, was recovered.

Suicide bomber attacks church in Nigeria

A suicide bomber has blown himself up outside an evangelist church in northeast Nigeria, injuring several people, witnesses and a rescue worker said.

"There was an explosion outside the ECWA church this morning. A suicide bomber who was restrained from getting into the church blew himself up," said Abubakar Yakubu, who heads the Nigeria Red Cross in Gombe.

"Luckily no one was killed but some people were mildly injured."

A witness said the man arrived during the church service and refused to park his motorcycle outside a security barrier set up by church volunteers.

"He insisted on riding through the barrier," said Dahiru Badamasi.

"It was while he was arguing with the volunteers that his suicide belt exploded."
Another witness heard an explosion and rushed outside.

Northeast Nigeria has seen a relentless string of attacks blamed on Boko Haram, which is increasingly using female suicide bombers.

Gombe, capital of the eponymous state, has until recently been spared the violence that has shaken the neighbouring states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa, where Boko Haram has taken around 20 towns.

But attacks have increased in recent weeks.

A female suicide bomber was killed as she tried to enter a military barracks in Gombe on Wednesday.

Seven others died in a bus explosion Wednesday in a village close to Potiskum, in Yobe state.

Experts have cast doubt on Nigeria's ability to hold planned national elections in February due to rising unrest in parts of the northeast.