Outrage as woman dresses up as Syria refugee for Halloween

One woman thought it funny to make fun out of the tragedy of others. For Halloween, she dressed up as a syrian refuge with a baby in a sling and twitter didn't find it funny.

One user wrote: "She'll never have to deal with the hardships a Syrian refugee has to. It's just a costume that she can take off. Smh". Another added: "Dressing up as a Syrian refugee 4 Halloween is a new level of low. Human suffering is not a costume. Unbelievable."

Trial Of Gaddafi Son Adjourned To December

The son of deposed Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi appeared in a Tripoli court on Sunday to face charges of murdering a football player and other crimes before the 2011 revolution that ended his father's rule.

The judge adjoined proceedings against Saadi Gaddafi, who was extradited from Niger last year, until Dec. 6 after his attorney asked for more time to examine the case against him and to have access to military prosecutor documents. Saadi, dressed in light blue prison garb, sat inside a black caged area of the courtroom.

In July a Tripoli court sentenced another of Gaddafi's sons Saif al-Islam and eight other former officials to death for crimes committed during the 2011 uprising against his father, who was later killed by rebels.

The sentences have not been carried out although the men, including Gaddafi's ex-spy chief, are in jail. Since his capture after the 2011 uprising, Saif himself has been held by forces in the western city of Zintan by a faction beyond central government control.

After 5 Deputy Comptroller- Generals Left Customs, 400 More To Go

Following the voluntary retirement of five Deputy Comptroller-Generals of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, and 35 other officers last week, there are indications that another 400 officers will soon leave the service for various reasons ranging from corruption, insubordination, indiscipline to absenteeism.

Also, some of the officers pencilled down for next round of retirement were said to have flouted re-deployment directives as well as influenced their promotion even when they were not due to be promoted.

Vanguard gathered that some of these officers refused to report at their new postings and instead obtained notes from legislators, who lobbied customs management to stop such re-deployment.

MTN reportedly agrees to pay N1.04 trillion fine

Telecommunication company, MTN, has reportedly agreed to pay the N1.04 trillion fine slammed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission NCC for flouting the regulatory body's directive on SIM deactivation. MTN is reportedly pleading for a staggered payment plan to pay-up the fine.

Vanguard quoted a source as saying that the agreement to employ the staggered payment model followed a series of meetings between top executives of MTN Nigeria and South Africa with VP, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. 

There have been series of meeting at the Presidency between Vice President Osinbajo and MTN team both from South Africa and the Nigerian arm.

 MTN wanted a waiver considering their level of investments in the country, but government did not buy the idea of waiver. Instead, I think there will be concession, but certainly not a waiver. 

At the conclusion of the meeting, the MTN people negotiated on how to stagger the payment. 

The Presidency is even angry because MTN was a signatory to the regulation, but they are failing to comply with rules.” the source added.

Governor Amosun allegedly orders arrest of Blogger again

After being granted bail by the magistrate court in Abeokuta, the Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun this morning November 1st allegedly ordered the rearrest of Ojo Emmanuel, a blogger who has been at loggerhead with the him over allegations that spread a false story about the First Lady of Ogun State on social media. 

Ojo was rearrested at the court premises of the magistrate court by men of the mobile police force at the resumed hearing of the case against him by the state governor. Ojo is said to be presently at the state command office in cuffs with no charges yet.

Senators on a fact finding tour on status of Federal roads in South East Nigeria

Senate adhoc Committee on works led by Senator Barnabas Gemade this morning visited some states in South East Nigeria to see the state of some Federal roads. 

IDPs in New Kuchigworo camp, Abuja, accuses leaders of selling some of the items donated to them

The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) made the accusation on Sunday, November 1, when members of Advertising Practitioners Association Abuja Chapter visited the camp to make donations.

Confirming the allegation that those in charge of the camp sell some of the items donated to them by Nigerians and corporate organizations, one of the IDPs, told Vanguard that the leaders, especially from the Gwoza camp usually take the advantage of the far distance of IDPs in the Bauchi camp and other far away camps to hoard their share of the donations and sell them to food sellers and sometimes to the real owners when they are faced with food scarcity.

     "It is true that most of the donations made to us are not getting to us. They sell some of the gift items to people. What the leaders do is that they sell some to the food items to food sellers and those that care to buy. Some IDPs too, sell theirs after collecting their share when they need money." he said

Other IDPs who spoke to Vanguard also confirmed the allegation and called on government to address their plight without further delay.

97-year old woman receives high school diploma 80yrs after she was forced to drop out of school

97-year old Margaret Thome Bekema fulfilled a lifelong goal when she received her high school diploma 80 years after she was forced to drop out in order to help her family. 

School administrators from Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids presented her with the diploma at the Yorkshire and Stonebridge Manor senior community in Walker.

Bekema would have graduated with the Class of 1936, but she left during her junior year to care for her three younger siblings because her mother was ill with cancer.

 She said leaving school at age 17 broke her heart and she's thankful for the recognition.

BVN registration continues- CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced the continuation of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) registration exercise despite the expiration of the deadline on Saturday, October, 31.

The spokesman of the CBN, Ibrahim Muazu speaking to newsmen yesterday November 1st, said although the exercise still continues, costumers who failed to register before the expiration date will not be able to access their accounts until they do their registration.

He said the registration exercise was generally satisfactory “Deadline was successful because the awareness has been created to millions of customers and the banking hall were empty unlike the June deadline where there were chaos everywhere in the banking halls”

Nigerian man sentenced to 30 years in prison for human trafficking in SA

Durban Regional Court on Tuesday, October 27, handed Emmanuel Uche Odii, a 30-year jail term for human trafficking. National Prosecuting Authority spokeswoman Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said that the 32-year-old was handed the sentence following his conviction in August on two counts of human trafficking, two counts of kidnapping, one of rape, one of sexual assault, one of assault, one of running a brothel.

His South African accomplice Bonginkosi Shange, 46, was handed a five year jail term for two human trafficking charges while his Nigerian accomplice, William Ojiaku, 30, was convicted in the on charges of kidnapping and handed a two year jail term that was suspended for five years
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She said the three men had used the false promise of employment to exploit the two victims in the case. Odii had paid Shange (a South African citizen) a sum of R1 000 for each woman he recruited.

The first victim was 19 years old when she was offered a job as a domestic worker by Ojiaku in June 2010.

     "Travel arrangements were made by the accused and the woman went to Pretoria. On arrival, she was taken to a flat where she was sexually assaulted and raped by accused 1 [Odii]," said Kara.

She said the woman was then taken to another flat where she saw women bringing in men to have sex with. Odii told her that she would have to do the same, and when she refused she was kept locked up in the flat.

In August 2010 the second victim, an 18-year-old girl, was offered a job to take care of Odii’s flat while he was out of town. She accepted the offer. Thereafter travel arrangements  were made and she went to Pretoria.

Odii threatened her and forced her to smoke rock cocaine which had a serious effect on the young woman’s health and resulted in her being hospitalised later.

The victim was also told to conduct prostitution for the financial benefit of Odii. In aggravation of sentence senior state advocate Val Dafel told the court that human trafficking is regarded as the fastest growing criminal activity in the world and it generates billions of dollars in earnings for traffickers. She urged the court to deliver sentences that would act as a deterrent to other would-be offenders.

NFF says they will not sack Siasia

Despite intense media speculation that national U-23 team coach, Samson Siasia would be sacked soon, a member of the Technical Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ahmed Yusuf Fresh has informed that the football house has no intention of sacking the Olympic silver medal-winning coach.

Speaking exclusively to Sports Vanguard yesterday, Yusuf said:

“There has never been a time we in the technical committee or at the executive committee level discussed any such thing. I am a member of both committees and never has that come up for discussion.”

Fresh admitted however, that Siasia was queried after what was taken as an affront against his employers. 

He added: “But that was not enough for the media to suggest that it would lead to Siasia’s sack.

“Siasia was queried and he has since answered to the query. It is a normal administrative procedure which should not call for speculations that are unfounded. There is no intention to sack Siasia,”he repeated.