Assassins murder hotelier in Imo

A gang of dare devil hoodlums, suspected to be hired assassins, have murdered an international businessman, Mr. Kevin Ezekwem, in his Umuocha Awa country home in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.

Vanguard investigations revealed that the deceased commissioned his brand new hotel in the community and invited people to “come, drink and eat whatever they wished.”

It further was gathered that the event turned sour at about 9pm when some young boys stormed the place and asked for a particular brand of beer (names withheld).

“As Kevin made to serve his supposed guests, the boys drew out their guns and started firing into the air and people ran for safety,” a female villager told Vanguard.

Messi wins Ballon d'Or prize

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has claimed the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or award after he netted 91 goals to break the record for goals scored in a calendar year.

• Barcelona blog: Messi golden again
• A statistical look at Messi's win

Messi, 25, beat team-mate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo to the prize.

It was a record fourth successive trophy for the Argentina star, who won both the FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or in 2009 before then claiming the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010 and 2011 when the two prizes were merged.

An emotional Messi said it was "unbelievable" and thanked everyone who had helped him reach the pinnacle of his profession as he picked up the trophy in Monday night's gala awards ceremony at Zurich's Kongresshaus.

"To tell you the truth this is really quite unbelievable," Messi said. "The fourth award that I have won is just too great for words. I want to remember my team-mates at Barcelona, especially Andres. It is with great pride that I am beside you today and that you play and train with us.

"(I also want to thank) my team-mates with Argentina, my colleagues who voted for me, the captains and coaches, my family, my friends, and lastly and most especially my wife and my son. Thanks very much."

Pete Edochie alive – AGN

A  statement by the National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, Ibinabo Fiberesima, reads that Edochie is hale and hearty, urging his fans to ignore the malicious rumour.

Edochie’s actor son, Yul, in his reaction said “people please, I’m tired of all the messages, questions and broadcast. My father, Chief Pete Edochie is alive and well, not dead. Please spread the word.” The rumour came as a shock to Edochie’s colleagues, who were still mourning the death of prominent practitioners in the industry. Edochie is currently in his hometown, Enugu.

Prostate cancer: Know the facts

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men worldwide and ranked second as the cause of death in cancer-related diseases.  About 20,000 men die of prostate cancer every year in Nigeria. On daily basis, at least 14 men die in the country.

Men with prostate cancer do not always experience symptoms

Most of the time, men don’t have symptoms. Some men, however, do experience changes in urinary or sexual function, including frequent nighttime urination, painful or burning urination, difficulty getting or maintain an erection or a dull pain in the lower pelvic area.

2013 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS FINAL DRAW

The full draw:

GROUP A (Durban)
A1 - South Africa
A2 - Angola
A3 - Morocco
A4 - Cape Verde


GROUP B (Port Elizabeth)
B1 - Ghana
B2 - Mali
B3 - Niger
B4 - DR Congo


GROUP C (Mbombela)
C1 - Zambia
C2 - Nigeria
C3 - Burkina Faso
C4 - Ethiopia


GROUP D (Rustenburg)
D1 - Cote d'Ivoire
D2 - Tunisia
D3 - Algeria
D4 - Togo

Girl gang-raped to a coma in Delta

A lady believed to be in her early twenties has been raped to an unconscious state by four men around Cemetery Road in Warri, Delta State. The victim, who is now receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital, was said to have boarded a taxi cab with four male passengers from Odion Road to her residence in Aguowe Street, Off Mac Demot Road.

Daily Sun gathered that the driver suddenly took a different direction towards Cemetery Road to the chagrin of the victim. It was further learnt that the victim challenged the driver of the taxi but the other passengers drew a dagger and threatened to kill her if she raised any alarm.

They, thereafter, drove down to a storey building on the Cemetery Road where the miscreants had a field day raping the victim until she became unconscious.

Read full story on Daily Sun website

Pastor accused of raping 12-year-old girl

A pastor, Alasco Sobowale, has been accused of raping a 12-year-old girl (name withheld) in Epe, Lagos State. The pastor was said to have allegedly had carnal knowledge of the girl at their home located at 10, Togodo Street, Temu Town.

The victim’s aunt, Mrs. Ngozi Anjorin, told PUNCH Metro that the incident occurred on December 15, 2012.

Anjorin said the victim only spoke Igbo Language and had recently arrived Lagos from Imo State.

She said Sobowale, who also speaks Igbo, allegedly lured her niece to the toilet around 9pm and had sex with her.

She said, “My niece was sent to Lagos about two weeks before the incident so I could send her to school because she doesn’t speak English Language. She only speaks Igbo and only I and the pastor, who is our neighbour, speak Igbo.

“On that particular night, my children were in the room watching television but I couldn’t find my niece. I kept on shouting her name but I got no answer. I then proceeded to the toilet which is detached from the building. I knocked on the door of the toilet and the pastor immediately ran out and I saw her inside the toilet.

Read full story on Punch Website

Demba Ba new Chelsea signing

Senagalese international Demba Ba has completed his move to Chelsea from Newcastle.

The Blues agreed a fee with Newcastle for Ba after making an official bid on Wednesday.

Ba has a release clause, understood to be £7.5m, which was triggered by the European champions.

While the initial fee of £7.5m for a player with Ba’s track record, including 13 league goals this season, appears a bargain, the true cost of the deal could be much more. The Independent revealed that the total could be closer to £30m once agent fees of £5m and a four-year deal worth £80,000 a week are factored in.

My dad impregnated me, aborted it twice

The Human Right department of Ilemba Hausa Police Division, in Ojo area of Lagos has arrested a 49- year-old man who allegedly had been having carnal knowledge of his teenaged daughter for five years.

It was discovered during investigation that his daughter Janet(not real name)got pregnant in the  process twice, only for her father to allegedly abort the pregnancy with the aid of a herbalist.

Sitting at a corner in the Human Rights Office,  17-year-old Janet could not raise her head to face her father, Wale Akinusi, who was also there. When approached, she simply stated  that at last, she had been freed from the psychological trauma associated with her father’s sacrilegious act.

Crime Alert gathered that Janet’s tale of woe started after her mother abandoned her barely when she was  two-year-old for her  paternal grandmother.

Read full story on Vaguard website

President Goodluck Jonathan's New Year Message

 President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday called on Nigerians to unite in building a peaceful and prosperous nation. The president also called for more support for his administration towards realizing its goal of transforming the country.

The president in his New Year message said, “let us all therefore resolve as we celebrate the New Year to place the higher interests of national unity, peace, stability and progress above all other considerations and work harder in our particular fields of human endeavour to contribute more significantly to the attainment of our collective aspirations.”

He said his administration will continue to ignore cynics that see nothing good in government saying, “I also want to assure Nigerians that we will refuse to be discouraged by those who have taken it upon themselves to pick on every initiative and effort of this administration.”