Crush in the Big Brother Africa House

This week, the sweet smell of love is in the air!

The Housemates, with a little prodding from Big Brother of course, are setting the foundation for earth shattering romance and fun flirtation. After giving the Diamond and Ruby Housemates time to get to know each other, Biggie is trusting them to take matters into their own hands.

The Housemates have been tasked with making a gift for the person in the House they like the most. The gift must be a smaller version of the maker and have all the elements that make them unique and will be presented to the deserving Housemate on Thursday night.

This Task is guaranteed to cause quite a bit of drama in the House, as the Task Presentation slowly draws nearer. Some Housemates have already gotten comfortable enough to be more than on 'friendly' terms. The Betty and Bolt coupling is the first to come to mind. What happens should another Housemate hand over a gift to either of these two, while the other watches? Eyes shall roll and fur should definitely fly!

Many of the girls are pretty divas with big egos and it will no doubt be interesting to see who gets the most gifts and how the others react. A lot of the guys have not revealed who they have the ‘hots’ for, but this Task should definitely blow the lid off secret crushes and expose cattiness and loads of gossip and speculation. The confident Diamond Housemates have Wagered a cool 100 percent for this week's Task. The Rubies on the other hand, have Wagered a modest 50 percent.

This week, Denzel,Betty, Hudda, Selly and Natasha are up for possible Eviction. Vote to keep your favourite Housemate in the game,here.

Visit: http://bigbrotherafrica.dstv.com/News/15164/Task-Gowifts-for-your-secret-crush.html to follow the show.

Failed Bulgarian Assassination Attempt

A 'would-be assassin' who aimed a gun at the head of a Bulgarian politician as he was giving a speech had no intention of killing his victim, it has been suggested.

Oktay Enimehmedov stormed the stage at the National Palace of Culture in Bulgaria's capital Sofia on Saturday during a political conference and held the gun at the head of Ahmed Dogan, leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

But it has now been revealed the gunman used a gas pistol loaded with pepper spray that would not have killed the opposition leader.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2265805/Ahmed-Dogan-Was-assassination-attempt-Bulgarian-politician-hoax.html#ixzz2Ugyz5Day

Boko Haram claims victory over military

LEADER of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, on Tuesday claimed in a video that Nigerian soldiers had retreated from the ongoing military offensive against terrorism and that insurgents had sustained little damage, AFP reports.

The video marks the first public comments from Shekau since the military offensive which started on May 15 following the declaration of emergency rule in the stronghold of the sect, Borno, as well as Adamawa and Yobe states.

Shekau also reportedly called for foreign Islamists to join the fight against Nigeria in the video which AFP claimed was in its possession.
The AFP reports thus: Shekau’s whereabouts cannot be determined in the video, in which he is shown seated while dressed in camouflage with a turban, an AK-47 at his side.

His comments contradict statements from the military, which has claimed much success during the offensive, including the destruction of Boko Haram camps and dozens of arrests.

It has been impossible to verify the claims of either side independently, with the military having cut mobile phone service in much of the country’s northeast and access to remote locations restricted.

“Since we started this ongoing war which they call a state of emergency … in some instances soldiers who faced us turned and ran,” Shekau said in the hour-long video.

He claimed Nigerian forces “threw down their arms in flight.”

He called on like-minded Islamists in countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq to join the fight to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.

“We call to us our brethren in these countries I mentioned. Oh! Our brethren, come to us,” he said in the video, which alternates between Arabic and the Hausa language spoken across northern Nigeria.

The video later purports to show vehicles and weapons seized from Nigerian soldiers.

Shekau, designated a global terrorist by the United States last year, repeats earlier statements that Boko Haram “will not stop the kidnap of your women and children until you set free our women and children, and our brethren.”

He also says Boko Haram’s goal is either the creation of an Islamic state or “martyrdom”.

The video was delivered to AFP through an intermediary in a manner similar to previous Boko Haram messages. The images of Shekau in the video are consistent with those previously released.
Nigeria launched the offensive against Boko Haram after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in three states in the country’s northeast, the Islamist insurgents’ stronghold.
Several thousand troops were deployed and fighter jets hit alleged Boko Haram camps.
On May 20, the military said it had re-established control in five remote areas of the northeast where Islamist insurgents had seized territory.
 It had also claimed the arrests of 120 suspected insurgents.

 For More details on the story, visit: http://www.punchng.com/news/boko-haram-claims-victory-over-military/

Boko Haram still killing people in Borno —Ndume

 

Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South Senatorial District, has lamented the continued killings of citizens by the terrorists group in the state, in spite of the proclamation of a state of emergency in the state.

Ndume, who spoke to Senate correspondents on Monday, acknowledged that the armed forces were doing their best, but certainly could not be in every part of the emergency area.

He however appealed to all Nigerians to rally round the Federal Government to fight the terrorists in order to restore peace to the area.

He said, “The group still razed the primary school I attended in Gashua town over the weekend and shot dead a Reverend friend of mine. nThis is in spite of the state of emergency in the state.

“The problem of Boko Haram needs to be taken more seriously by all Nigerians because it is not the issue of Borno alone. There is no price that is too much for peace.”

On his relationship with the sect, Ndume said, “I’ve been convicted by the press, but I won’t comment further for fear of subjudice.”

He also blamed the media for the problems bedeviling the nation following sensational reporting.

He said, “The last 14 years of democracy in Nigeria has recorded very little dividends for the citizenry at all levels due to failure of governance in the land caused by series of factors, one of which is the subjective press that thrive on one-sided cum fictitious story reporting.

“For Nigeria to have concrete things on the ground to celebrate for practising democracy within the next two years, precisely by 2015, there must be change of altitude by the press in the mode of actually been the watch dog of the society, reporting things as they are, without any coloration.”

He also noted that his current ordeal over alleged sponsorship of Boko Haram was compounded by sensational reportage of the issue by the media.

He added that media reports had  indicted him even before he was arraigned in the court of law.

French and Nigerian forces end Islamist hostage seizure

Nigerian army units and French special forces stormed an army installation in northern Niger on Friday ending a hostage seizure by fanatical Islamist fighters responsible for twic suicide bombings that killed at least 20 people.

The operation which took place in the early hours came after the jihadist group “Signitories in Blood” claimed Thursday’s blasts and issued threats to continue attacking Niger until the country withdraws its forces from neighbouring Mali, where they are fighting alongside a French-led mission against Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists.

Also, according to the BBC News, the Nigerian army says it has destroyed a number of well-equipped camps used by the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram, in the north-east of Nigeria.

Senior officer Chris Olukolade revealed the extensive nature of the camps, which he said were used to co-ordinate attacks on nearby local communities.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify the army's claim.

Some 2,000 soldiers were deployed to the region last week, in the biggest campaign to date against Boko Haram.

On 14 May, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan gave security control to the military after declaring a state of emergency in the three north-eastern states where Boko Haram have been most active - Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

At a news conference on Friday, Brigadier General Olukolade gave details of the military offensive, showing photos of what he said were hospital facilities and dormitories set up by the militants in the camps.

Photos included a destroyed fuel depot and what appeared to be bomb-making equipment, says the BBC's Mark Doyle.

"These camps were mini-enclaves from which the insurgents planned their operations and from there they attacked neighbouring communities, going to municipalities and returning there," Brig Gen Olukolade told the BBC.

"Most of their planning and activities was co-ordinated from these camps," he said.

Women and children 'freed'

Meanwhile, three women and six children abducted by Boko Haram have been freed, the authorities said on Friday.

According to Brig Gen Olukolade, the group were abducted on 7 May during an attack by the militants on the north-east town of Bama.

"Efforts of the troops' operation around the Sambisa forest resulted in freedom for nine of the women and children that were held hostage in that camp," he told journalists.

Two children and one woman remain missing, he added.

Those rescued from the Sambisa forest were among the kidnap victims who appeared in a recent propaganda video for Boko Haram, which featured its leader, Abubakar Shekau, the military says.

In the video, Shekau claims he is holding women and children in retaliation for the wives and children of Boko Haram militants held by the military, AFP news agency reports.

However, earlier this week President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the release of all women held in connection with "terrorist activity".

The decision was aimed at enhancing peace efforts, the defence ministry said.

More than 2,000 people have died in violence in Nigeria since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009 to create an Islamic state.

The group, whose name means "Western education is forbidden", says its quest is to overthrow the Nigerian government and create an Islamic state.

There has been growing concern that Boko Haram could be receiving backing from al-Qaeda-linked militants in other countries.
 

BOKOHARAM- Kerry criticizes Nigeria on human rights

In his first official trip to sub-Saharan Africa, the U.S Secretary of state (Left) stated in his visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that Nigeria has the right to defend itself against an Islamic terrorist group threatening the country's north, but must condone human rights violations committed by its own forces fighting the Boko Haram.

“Boko Haram is a terrorist organization, and they have killed wantonly and have upset the normal governance of Nigeria in ways that are unacceptable, and so we defend the right completely of the government of Nigeria to defend itself and to fight back against terrorists,” Kerry said as he attended an African Union summit.
“That said, I have raised the issue of human rights with the government, with the foreign minister, we have talked directly about the imperative of Nigerian troops adhering to the highest standard and not themselves engaging in human rights violations and atrocities,” Kerry said at a brief press conference.

Click here for more details on the story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/kerry-criticizes-nigeria-on-human-rights/2013/05/25/6bc928ca-c510-11e2-9642-a56177f1cdf7_story.html

Man beheaded in broad day light in Woolwich, South London

A man, believed to be a serving soldier, was attacked and beheaded with a machete in broad day light this afternoon in Woolwich, South London by two men in what is suspected to be a terror attack.

The soldier was attached with knives and meat cleavers following a car crash. Two black men in a blue Vauxhall car rammed into the soldier on John Wilson Street, then jumped out of their car and started attacking him with meat cleavers. An eye witness said the attackers were "chopping this guy to pieces, literally hacking at something like it was a piece of meat".

After the attack, they waited for about 20 minutes for the security operatives to show up and then attack. but were unfortunate as they were shot by police. They have been rushed to the hospital where they are currently receiving treatment.

LEKKI AND HITECH ROAD CONSTRUCTION

The nature of work by Hitech (contractor handling the Lekki-Epe road) has become alarming to residents as they are beginning to wonder why the road is taking ages to be completed.

 

Discussions with motorists plying the route suggests that Hitech is not experienced enough to handle this road. To make matters worse, they have battled for days, weeks and now into months over a the little bridge just before VGC roundabout for months now.  Unexpectedly, it is surprising to see what they are doing between VGC roundabout and Abraham Adesanya. Na wa oo for Hitech.

What is your opinion about this?