Boko Haram invades Kogi prison, frees 143

The police and the Army have launched a manhunt for inmates of the Koton-Karfi Prison in Kogi State, who were set free by gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram insurgents.

There were about 145 inmates in the 80-year-old prison as of 10pm on Sunday when the gunmen gained entry into the prison   by blowing up its iron bars with an improvised explosive device.

A male prison officer and an inmate were injured while another inmate   was   found dead after the attackers left.

Twelve of those who fled were said to have returned to the prison under controversial circumstances.

A prison source told one of our correspondents on Monday that the 12 returned of their own volition but the Nigeria Prisons Service Public Relations Officer, Ope Fatinikun, said they were captured.

Fatinikun added, ‘‘Unknown gunmen invaded Koton- Karfe prison between 9.30am and 10pm and immediately it happened, the acting Comptroller-General of Prisons, Aminu Suley,   informed the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh, and they ordered policemen and soldiers to beef up security around the prison and to arrest the fleeing inmates.”

The gunmen were said to have also   broken some of the prison’s walls before vandalising its record office.

Our source who pleaded anonymity said sounds of gunshots caused     panic close to the prison which is located on the Lokoja-Abuja Road.

According to him, the gunmen operated unchallenged for hours   before security operatives arrived in the prison after they had left.

The comptroller-General of the NPS   told   journalists when he visited the Prison in company with   Governor   Idris Wada on Monday that the gunmen forcibly freed the inmates.

He said that 26 of the inmates were convicts   while 119 were   awaiting trial for different offences.

He lamented the congestion of the prison and pleaded with Wada to prevail on the judiciary to quicken  the trial of those on awaiting list.

Wada said he would invoke his power of prerogative of mercy to set free some of the inmates.

He said that he would also urge   the chief judge of the state to free some of the inmates.

The governor said security operatives were prompt in their response when they were alerted, adding that it was regrettable that much damage had been done before their arrival.

He also decried the deterioration of the prison, saying it was not good for human habitation

The governor promised to provide beddings for the inmates who had been forced to live in sub-human conditions.

Wada urged the Federal Government to expedite action on the new Koto-karfi prison. He added that when the   prison was completed, the old building which was established in 1934 would become a tourism centre.

The Koton-Karfe prison was   attacked in February 2012 by   Boko Haram members who freed 119 inmates.

Meanwhile, the Police in Yobe State have confirmed the killing of   four persons   by a suicide bomber who attacked   a religious procession in Potiskum.

This figure was however disputed by the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in   the town, Mustapha Lawan, who lamented that 26 people died in the incident.

The suicide bomber was said to have joined the procession by Shiites muslims celebrating the annual Ashurah (the 10th day of Muharram 1436 celebration).

The state Commissioner of Police,  Markus Danladi, who addressed journalists, said that five people were injured in the blast.

He said, “The blast killed three members of the Muslim brotherhood plus the bomber. Before we got to the scene, the group had evacuated the bodies of those effected by the blast.” 

But Lawan told journalists on the telephone that apart from the 13 persons who died on the spot, 13 others who were among the injured   later passed on where they were being treated.

Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam condemned the attack on the   procession as heinous, barbaric and unwarranted.

The governor, in a   statement by his media aide, Abdullahi Bego, said it was regrettable that the attack came at a time that peace was gradually returning to the state.

Gaidam, who described those behind the attack as “criminals who want to fan the embers of religious discord,” called on   the people   to remain calm and vigilant.

The governor directed government hospitals in the area to provide immediate medical treatment to all the victims of the attack free of charge.

NEW YORK - World Trade Center reopens for business

Thirteen years after the 9/11 terrorist attack, the resurrected World Trade Center is again opening for business — marking an emotional milestone for both New Yorkers and the nation.

Publishing giant Conde Nast will start moving Monday into One World Trade Center, a 104-story, $3.9 billion skyscraper that dominates the Manhattan skyline. It is America's tallest building.

It's the centerpiece of the 16-acre site where the decimated twin towers once stood and where more than 2,700 people died on Sept. 11, 2001, buried under smoking mounds of fiery debris.

"The New York City skyline is whole again, as One World Trade Center takes its place in Lower Manhattan," said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that owns both the building and the World Trade Center site.

He said One World Trade Center "sets new standards of design, construction, prestige and sustainability; the opening of this iconic building is a major milestone in the transformation of Lower Manhattan into a thriving 24/7 neighborhood."

With construction fences gone and boxes of office equipment in place, Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend planned to walk Monday into what Foye calls "the most secure office building in America."

Only about 170 of his company's 3,400 employees are moving in now, filling five floors of the tower, said Patricia Rockenwagner, a Conde Nast vice president and spokeswoman. About 3,000 more will arrive by early 2015.

The building is 60 percent leased, with another 80,000 square feet going to the advertising firm Kids Creative, the stadium operator Legends Hospitality, the BMB Group investment adviser, and Servcorp, a provider of executive offices.


The government's General Services Administration signed up for 275,000 square feet, and the China Center, a trade and cultural facility, will cover 191,000 square feet.

From the northeast corner of the site, the tower overlooks the National September 11 Memorial & Museum built in the footprints of the twin towers. Its stated aim is to honor those who perished on that sunny September morning.

For years, the grisly pit where workers found mostly body parts was dubbed the "ground zero" of the aerial terror attack.

Now, the illuminated spire of One World Trade Center serves as a beacon to planes that fly over the city, seemingly at eye level with the high rise's open rooftop. The view stretches from Manhattan to the Statue of Liberty into New Jersey and Connecticut and all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

At night, the incandescent steel-and-glass behemoth can be seen from vessels in New York Harbor approaching Manhattan.

An observation deck eventually will be open to the public.

The eight-year construction of the 1,776-foot high skyscraper came after years of political, financial and legal infighting that threatened to derail the project.

The bickering slowly died down as two other towers started going up on the southeast end of the site: the now completed 4 World Trade Center whose anchor tenant is the Port Authority, and 3 World

Trade Center that's slowly rising.

The spirit of renewal did not quash memories of the horrific act of terror, but the area has prospered in recent years beyond anyone's imagination. About 60,000 more residents now live there — three times more than before 9/11 — keeping streets, restaurants and shops alive even after Wall Street and other offices close for the day.

Still, it's a bittersweet victory, one achieved with the past in mind as the architects created One World Trade Center.

T.J. Gottesdiener of the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill firm that produced the final design told The Associated Press that the high-rise was built with steel-reinforced concrete that makes it as terror attack-proof as possible.

He said the firm went beyond the city's existing building codes to achieve that.

"We did it, we finally did it," he said.

Dangote cement reduces prices to N1000 per bag

LAGOS—LEADING cement manufacturer, Dangote Cement Plc, weekend, announced drastic reduction of the prices of its cement.

The new price regime announced by the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, GMD/CEO, of Dangote Cement, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, pegged the Dangote 32.5 cement grade at N1,000 per 50 kg bag, while the higher 42.5 grade would sell for N1,150 per bag.

A statement by the company at the end of a management meeting said, however, that the new prices were exclusive of the Value Added Tax, VAT, representing about 40 per cent discount on the prevailing market price of the product currently sold for N1,700 irrespective of the grade, across the country.

Edwin said the move was in line with the company’s commitment to the nation’s dire need for the development of infrastructure and to boost the federal and state government’s ongoing effort to reduce the near 20 million housing deficit in Africa’s largest economy.

He said, “we recognize the need for an increased rapid response to the huge infrastructure and housing deficit in the country, and one of the ways of addressing the issue is bringing the price of building materials down to much more affordable levels especially cement which is within our control as part of our contribution to the transformation agenda of the Goodluck Jonathan administration and the attainment of key milestones in the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs.

“Since the commencement of the implementation of the backward integration policy for cement in the country over 12 years ago, the local production capacity of the product rose from less than three million metric tonnes per annum to about 38 million metric tonnes per annum. During the more than 12-year period of the backward integration policy, nearly $20 billion has been directly and indirectly injected into the Nigerian cement industry with Dangote Cement Plc accounting for 60 per cent of that spend.”

The GMD/CEO added that Dangote Cement Plc would continue to ensure alignment of its corporate social responsibility with its strategic business initiatives and will continue to evaluate its pricing regime in Nigeria’s best interest.

Meanwhile, the timing of the initiative has confounded industry watchers, who say that from experience, the cement market is on the verge of entering the accelerated demand phase as the raining season is tapering and the dry season which provides the opportunity for increased construction and building activities is setting in.

Burkina Faso: Opposition urges protest at army takeover

Demonstrators are gathering the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, to protest against the army takeover and demand that a civilian lead the transitional government until the next presidential elections.

On Saturday, the armed forces named Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida as the country's transitional leader this follows the resignation of Prersident Blaise Compaore on Friday.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook - 'I'm proud to be gay'

Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook on Thursday became the most prominent American corporate leader to come out as gay, saying he was trading his closely guarded privacy for the chance to help move civil rights forward.

The 53-year-old Alabama native and self-described "son of the South", who has spoken out against discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, declared his sexual orientation in a magazine editorial, confirming a fact widely known in the close-knit Silicon Valley tech community but rarely discussed.

Cook's announcement comes as gay marriage is becoming widespread, but the nation remains divided over gay rights. Same-sex marriage is legal in thirty-two U.S. states and in polls a majority support same-sex marriage, with a clear generational divide between younger Americans who are more likely to support it and older ones who are less likely.

"I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," Cook said in an article he wrote in Bloomberg Businessweek. (http://buswk.co/1DBoBfo)
He invoked civil rights luminaries Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King in his long essay.

"I don’t pretend that writing this puts me in their league. All it does is allow me to look at those pictures and know that I’m doing my part, however small, to help others. We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick. This is my brick."

The fact the chief executive of the most valuable U.S. publicly traded company felt he could disclose his sexual preference in such a public way, and with the backing of his company's chairman, shows how times have changed.

Former BP Chief Executive Lord Browne, who kept his sexual orientation secret for decades, was forced to come out after a boyfriend made it public in 2007. He later resigned.

"By deciding to speak publicly about his sexuality, Tim Cook has become a role model, and will speed up changes in the corporate world," Browne said in an email to Reuters on Thursday.
Cook, who cuts an easy-going figure at Apple's product launches, is an intensely private person. On Thursday, he wrote that it was this desire to keep his personal life private that had held him back until now.

"If hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy," he wrote.
Even in the United States, it's a tough decision for a public figure to be open about being gay, civil rights advocates say. More than half of LGBT workers in the country are not open about their orientation, according to the Human Rights Campaign.

While never commenting on his sexual orientation, Cook has frequently spoken out against discrimination of the LGBT community, most recently when he journeyed back to his home state, which bans gay marriage, where he was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor.

At an award ceremony, Cook criticized his state's lack of progress on rights for gay people, as well as minorities. Local news reports of his comments drew hundreds of negative comments, many saying Cook had betrayed his roots.

"What a slap in the face to the Alabama Academy of Honor by such an ungracious recipient," GE123 wrote in comments to a website report by the Alabama Media Group. "Common decency should have prevailed, but instead he uses this occasion to denigrate Alabamians and further an immoral agenda."

EFF says Malema will never apologise for taking on racists who swear at black workers

The EFF have released a statement in which they confirm the altercation between Malema and Cassie Moller at Steers restaurant in Tzaneen in August.

According to the statement, Malema heard Moller shouting swear words which allegedly included f*** and the derogatory term ka***r at black cashiers. Malema confronted Moller about his behaviour, urging him to allow the cashiers to do their job.

"The CIC strongly indicated to him that he must be mindful that workers are overworked and underpaid and that he must immediately desist from insulting workers.

"After Malema together with other customers removed Moller physically from the position of shouting and insulting workers he left the shop, he shortly returned to get his order from his lady friend. The man was then seen aggressively spinning off in a car in which he even almost crashed into petrol tanks risking the lives of everyone," read the statement.

The EFF went on to commend Malema for his swift action in apparently attending to Moller whom they deem a racist, arrogant bully. The party, which is known for it's outspoken views added that Malema was merely defending the workers from abuse.

"It is also the duty of EFF members everywhere to defend the dignity of black vulnerable workers without any apology or hesitation as the policies of EFF state."

On the physical assault case brought forward by Moller, the EFF said it was simply a cover up to protect racism. The political organisation likened AfriForum to the American Ku Klux Klan who lynched and killed thousands of black Americans, explaining that the organisation only reacts when a 'racist' is collectively put in it's place. AfriForum assisted Moller to lay charges against Malema.

W.H.O Has Officially Declared Nigeria Ebola Free

The World Health Organisation on Monday declared Nigeria free of the deadly Ebola Virus. Nigeria has not recorded a new case of Ebola for 42 days or two incubation period of 21 days.
The disease gained entry into the country in July when Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, came in on diplomatic assignment.

The diplomat had fallen ill and was admitted at the First Consultants Hospital, Obalende, in Lagos.

Power Generation Drops By 1,000MW Due To Gas Pipeline Vandalism

Speaking in Abuja on Monday, the minister said the poor electricity supply across the country in the past one week was due to the 1,000MW drop in power generation.

Nebo said this during the Presidential Expert Group Meeting on Infrastructure Ranking and Scorecard Roadmap organised by the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

The minister, who attributed the drop to the menace of gas pipeline vandalism said, “We want to be very sure that this is nipped in the bud with regards to gas supply and we are doing everything possible to minimise the incidences of vandalism.

“Now, look at what vandalism has cost us; nearly 1,000MW of power in the past one week on a daily basis. And this means that every Nigerian is cringing in pain because of the loss.”

Earlier, during the meeting proper, Nebo explained that two major gas plants were severely affected and this had warranted the fall in electricity generation.

Chika Ike Shows Off her Sexy Body As She Sails On Luxury

Nollywood actress, who is currently vacationing in Dubai, said she rented a yacht for two days to kill hotel boredom. She wore a sheer cover-up over her bikini.

Athletics - Pistorius 'will serve just 10 months of five-year sentence'

Oscar Pistorius will be in jail for just 10 months of his five-year sentence for culpable homicide.

After the proceedings one of Pistorius's legal team, Roxanne Adams, told Sky News that Pistorius will serve just a sixth of his sentence in prison, due to the terms of the law under which he was sentenced.

He will serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest, she added.

A sixth of his sentence equates to just 10 months' jail time.

FULL COVERAGE: Pistorius jailed for five years for killing girlfriend

After the initial widespread acclaim for the five-year sentence, with Reeva Steenkamp's family saying that "justice was done", news that the athlete will serve so little jail time after a brutal killing outraged many.