Boko Haram: Shekau impersonator killed by Nigerian troops?

The Nigerian military may have recorded a major victory in the war against Boko Haram as the man suspected to be mimicking late Abubakar Shekau in recent videos from the sect, may have been killed during the September 17th battle in Konduga, Borno state.

A senior military source said "it is getting more certain that the terrorists' commander who has been mimicking Shekau in those videos is the one killed in Konduga on September 17."

Sources at the image making company of the Nigerian government, PR Nigeria, say the death of the man believed to be the leader of the group is responsible for the scattering of the sect members in different independent locations in neighboring countries.


Security sources did not deny the suspicion but cautioned that "the process of confirming that the dead body we have is the same as that character who has been posing as Shekau is ongoing. He is definitely a prominent terrorist commander. I don't want to say anything about this yet please."

Another high ranking military source said that the resemblance between the man killed and the one seen in recent videos posted by the sect group is quite striking, citing his facial marks, beards and teeth as some of the striking resemblance features.

Military officers say the Defence Headquarters will address the nation after a full investigation of their 

latest discovery has been done.

Meanwhile the Defense headquarters say five members of the sect group surrendered their arms 

to the Nigerian troops yesterday, pleading for mercy. They said some captured members of the sect

 group are helping with useful information regarding future planned attacks by the sect.

Source: PR Nigeria

Lagos State Schools to Re-Open on October 8th

Lagos (NAN) –  Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State on Sunday directed 

public primary and secondary schools in the state to start academic activities on 

October 8th.The schools had earlier been scheduled to open on September 22nd.

Fashola made the announcement at an interactive session with principals, vice 

principals, head teachers and teachers in public primary and secondary schools in Lagos.

He directed principals, vice principals, teachers to re-open schools on September 

22nd for the distribution and supply of preventive materials against the Ebola Virus 

Disease in all schools ahead of the new resumption date.

He said that the new date was to allow smooth distribution of all necessary materials 

to the schools.

“We will use from tomorrow (September 22nd) as getting ready week.

“My proposal is that tomorrow, the principals, the teachers and the district heads get 

to the schools and sort out what else is missing.

“We will use from tomorrow through the week, to get the schools ready. This week is 

getting ready week.

“Academic work I propose, instead of starting and stopping, should start immediately

 after the Sallah festival, on Oct. 8,” he said.

The governor said he was also scared of the disease just as the teachers were

 but was determined to overcome.

He said that medical personnel have declared the state safe of Ebola and, 

therefore, the schools were safe to commence normal academic activities.

“I am not afraid or ashamed to tell you that I was scared of the Ebola disease.

 I am not ashamed to say it but being afraid does not solve the problem.

“I have a job to do. If the fear overcomes me then I should leave the job, so I do 

not allow the fear to overcome me.

“The doctors have told us that the schools are safe to re-open, so let us go 

back to our schools and observe all the preventive measures.

“We have awarded contracts to provide water in about 800 schools, over 200 

have been completed.

“Whether there is Ebola or not we must provide water for the schools and make 

our schools safe for our children,” the governor said.

Fashola urged the schools to increase hand washing and personal hygiene exercise

 among the pupils and students to prevent the disease.

Segun Raheem, Lagos State Chairman, National Union of Teachers commended 

the state government for postponing the resumption date.

Raheem told newsmen, after the programme, that the governor’s decision 

was to ensure that the schools were ready to receive the students.

Earlier, he urged the state government to provide all necessary preventive equipment

 before the schools re-open.

He said that most schools in the state did not have potable water supply, 

while other preventive materials have not been provided ahead of September

 22nd resumption date.

The Special Adviser to the State Governor on Public Health, Yewande Adeshina 

said that thermoscans, a scientific instrument used to measure body temperature,

 have been distributed to 1,688 primary and secondary schools.

Adesina said that 1007 Ebola Focal Officers in public primary schools and 668 

Ebola Focal Officers in public secondary schools had been sensitised on the 

management of the disease.

She explained that the officers would be responsible for surveillance and monitoring 

of the disease in each school and interface between schools and Primary 

Healthcare Centres in the area if  needed.

She assured the principals and teachers that it was safe to re-open the schools.

Ibrahim Babangida Reportedly Hospitalized in Germany

Former head of state, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) has 

reportedly been hospitalized in Germany.

He was rushed to Germany from his residence in Minna, Niger State ten 

days ago, according to Sahara Reporters.

Sources allegedly say that Babangida is “severely ill,” and that his condition is as a 

result of a “chronic back ailment” which  he had previously had surgery for in Germany.

NFF Fire report reedy next week

Unless there is a sudden change of plan, the much expected report of the Federal Fire
 Service (FFS) on the fire incident that ravaged the accounts section and the office
 of the general secretary last month will be out this week.

A source at the NFF secretariat told Sports Vanguard that earlier last week;
most of the top management staff of the football house were at the office of the FFS in
 continuation of the investigation to unravel the real cause of the fire incident.

The source further explained that throughout last week, most of the junior and intermediate
staff also visited fire service office to make further explanations on all they knew of the development.

“Most people think that the fire incident has been swept under the carpet as usual but I want
to tell you that investigations have been ongoing and in fact throughout last week,
many people including the management, senior 

and even junior staff have been visiting the fire service and by the end of this week they will
 come out with their report” our source added.

The Operational Commander of the Federal Fire Service, Imeh Eyo, had informed journalists

 that the report would be made ready after a proper assessment an investigation of what might

 have led to the devastating fire incident which has left the once beautiful glasshouse as shadow 

of its old self.

“Professionally we must have to speak after a disaster like what happened at the NFF office 

but that must be after through investigations and I want to say that we have done a lot to in 

that regard and very soon the outcome would be made public”.

He however insisted that much would have been saved if his men were notified about the fire

 in good time regretting a situation where organizations always rely on self-help only to invite 

the experts after the matter had gone out of hands.

Many analysts have blamed the devastating nature of the NFF fire incident on outright neglect 

after a shocking discovery that all the fire extinguishers at the office had expired since two years ago.

Ebola: Lagos clears last suspect, affirms Sept. 22 resumption date

Ikeja –  The Lagos State Government on Friday said the last suspected case of the Ebola

 Virus Disease (EVD) in the state had been cleared having tested negative after surveillance.

Gov. Babatunde Fashola disclosed this while giving an update on the virus at the Secretariat Central Mosque, Alausa, where he observed Jumat Prayers.

The governor said the development meant that the state was now Ebola free and that it was safe enough for schools to resume on Sept. 22.

“The last time when we discussed the issue, I told you that about 19 people were still under observation over the Ebola Virus Disease.They were there not because they had the disease but because they were showing suspected symptoms.

“But I am glad to report to you that the last person under surveillance was cleared this morning. He tested negative and that means there is no more Ebola in Lagos.

“Now that the disease has been successfully contained, schools can resume for normal academic session,” he said.

Fashola said the declaration that the state was now free did not mean Ebola threats

 had been completely eliminated.

According to him, the situation in Sierra Leone, Liberia and other high risk countries meant cross–

border transmission threat is still there.

He, however, said the state government was implementing strict measures to ensure the disease

 was confined
to history.

The governor urged residents to be vigilant and to take precautions that would ensure their 

safety from the disease.

Fashola also advised residents to keep their environment clean and maintain good personal 

hygiene as diseases thrive in dirty environments.

Suspected mad man kills 2 girls in Darazo LGA

Darazo (Bauchi) - Bauchi state Police Command has arrested one Musa Sale for stabbing 

two girls to death in Sabon Garin Sade village of Darazo Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

The command, in statement made available  on Sunday, said the culprit, aged 6o and suspected 

to be insane, went berserk on Saturday evening, killing the girls and injuring others, using a sharp knife.

The statement, signed by the command’s spokesperson, DSP Haruna Mohammed, said one 

of the injured, six-month-old baby girl, Maryam Disu, narrowly escaped death after the culprit 

slit her throat.

It gave the names of the two girls killed as Ilawisa Abdullahi and Ummi Saidu, aged two and 12, 

while two other persons, Ilu Masani and Hassan Garba, were also injured, along with the baby.

“The suspect killed two girls Ilawisa Abdullahi and Ummi Saidu aged 2 and 12 years respectively.

“Two other persons Ilu Masani and Hassan Garba were also attacked and injured by Sale,” it said.

The command said that the corpses of the deceased had been released to their parents after

 an autopsy was carried out, while the injured had been admitted at the General Hospital, Darazo.

It said investigations into the matter had commenced.

Will they say "They are Fighting in the name of Allah

What image comes to your mind when you hear that a Christian Group is coming to town

 and what would be your reaction? In all probability, it would be the image of a boring group

 of Scripture Union adherents in long, loose fitting attires, probably made of dull colours.

And if the group is of the Pentecostal bent, in sharp, well cut suits. Either group would wield

 the Bible like a sword and use honeyed words to pierce our conscience. So the only wound 

that could be inflicted on us would be spiritual at best. There is no physical harm whatsoever and 
we can chooseto ignore them Now, what image comes to your mind these days when you hear that an 

Islamic group is coming to town? Your mind races ahead to the violence that could be unleashed 

on the community as you think of an unwieldy group carrying bayonets and cutlasses. 

You immediately make a mental 

note to stay at home or if possible, leave town for them because you know the harm that

 could be done goes beyond the spiritual. You also know you cannot choose to ignore them.

How did it happen that   two dominant religions, both preaching the salvation of souls, both

 preaching life after death, both preaching the tenets and commandments of one Supreme God, both 

rooted in the ancient Jewish traditions, and more importantly, both preaching peace, have completely

 different perception in people’s mind today? How did it happen that the perception that one believes

 in the use of force and compulsion while the other believes in moral suasion to win converts

 has now been strongly re-enforced in people’s minds?

Many of us who have Muslims as friends or even benefactors, know that an average Muslim

 is peace loving. Those of us who grew up and went to school with Muslims know there is really no

 difference between them and us. They are as good or as bad as the rest of us. But tell that to a 

man who has never had to live with a Muslim; whose knowledge of Islam is what he sees on 

TV and reads on the internet. It would seem to him that all the flash points of the world are fuelled and 

managed by the Islamic faithful.

Boko haram, Al Shabbab, Al Qaeda and now the ISIS are all variants of Islamic terror groups.

 They have links with each other and compete with each other in brutality and viciousness.

 Even animals do not kill so wantonly, so needlessly. And they kill, they say, in the name of Allah.

It would be completely misleading and wrong to call these people Muslims just as it would 

have been wrong to call Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin Christians. Or Chairman Mao a Buddhist. 

Theirs were twisted minds who managed to find ideological pegs for their atrocities.Unfortunately,

 unlike Hitler, Stalin or Mussolini who really didn’t hide under Christianity, their modern day clones 

claim to be fighting for Allah. Allah does not need anybody to fight for Him. The Creator of the

 universe does not need anybody to avenge for Him. He says clearly ‘Vengeance is mine’. 

So who are these people fighting for?

It is not a coincidence that they thrive on chaos and in areas where law and order have broken down. That is why you find them in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Chad and lately,Nigeria.

Their ready made recruits are the disenfranchised, the disgruntled, the aggrieved and

 the extremely poor.They lure this group, along with another group which comprises the young

 and the impressionable; those looking for meaning and affection in a seemingly callous and 

apathetic world, with promises of justice and purity of religion.

They promise opium to hopeless minds and purpose to drifting souls. Many of these recruits 

are then radicalised to the extent that they genuinely believe that they are fighting for justice and doing 

Allah’s will who will in turn compensate them with places in His bosom. I don’t however, believe for a 

second that the leaders from Osama bin Laden to Baghdadi to Shekau believe a word of what 

 they dish out.Their goal is more demonic—the pun is deliberate—and more sinister.

It is to reduce the power and influence of the Western world; to acquire money, influence 

and power of their own which they can use as bargaining chips.

So it is no surprise that no territory captured by these people practices what they preach. 

They do not practice or believe in humanity which all great religions espouse.Unfortunately,

 they find sympathies and funds from some world leaders who have axes to grind with

 established norms.

As it is in the Arab world, so it is in Nigeria. People who should condemn the evil they 

represent think they see some phantom good which can be exploited. Many main stream 

Muslims and free thinkers had supported them in the past because they thought these

 groups were fighting the excesses of the West especially America.

Now,more and more discerning minds find there is nothing pure or altruistic about these terror groups.

 In fact, their definition of justice is worse than anything the world has ever seen. The West that is 

being accused is more accommodating of foreign religions, beliefs and cultures than the accusers.

It is time to realise that these people are worse than Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse Tsung and 

Mussolini put together and if allowed, will actually destroy world peace and order. 

We should stop feeding this monster which camouflages as religion and join hands to exterminate.

 it if we don’t want to lose our common humanity. Worse, a great religion could be stained forever.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/fighting-name-allah/#sthash.efrOOI9m.dpuf