Panic in Abuja as gunmen invade school

L-R: The driver, The Vine Kiddies Academy bus, Abu Sunday, fielding questions on his encounter with unknown gunmen who hijacked the school bus at Nyanya. With him are Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba; and the Executive Director of the school, Mrs. Temitayo Fola-Kolade, in Abuja... on Tuesday
| credits: NAN

There was panic in the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday when three unknown gunmen invaded a private school, The Vine Kiddies International Academy, Nyanya,  Kurudu, in a white Golf Volkswagen car.

The school is located a few kilometres from the scene of the first and second bomb blasts that occurred on April 14 and May 1, 2014 respectively.

The three gunmen, according to the security guard of the school, arrived in the area at about 6 a.m. in the car and parked a few metres away from the school gate but waited until  8am when classes began.

The security guard, Gabriel Fishing, told our correspondent that no harm was done to any of the pupils during the attack.

Jonathan allowed insurgency to fester, says Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka
| credits: File copy

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Tuesday said the era of denial of President Goodluck Jonathan on the magnitude of the Boko Haram menace was over.

Soyinka said the President should have sought international assistance long ago before allowing the situation to fester and escalate.

He accused the President of failing to heed his earlier warnings and addressing the insurgency “very late and lackadaisically.”

He spoke on Tuesday during a global affairs interview television programme, Amanpour, on Cable News Network, monitored by our correspondent in Lagos.

Soyinka described the video released by the leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau, as  “gleeful obscenity” and called on the international community to intervene.

He said, “President Jonathan should have asked for it (assistance) from the very beginning. I don’t believe in false pride. The history of the movement to which Boko Haram belongs is one which is a menace to the entire world.

Reps to Jonathan: Diezani must appear before us

Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke

FEDERAL lawmakers in the House of Representatives on Monday described as unfortunate President Goodluck Jonathan’s comment on the credibility of the probes being conducted by the House during his Sunday’s media chat.

Stopping short of saying they were disappointed in the President, the legislators said Jonathan had been the “highest beneficiary” of the House resolutions, hence the least they expected from him was to encourage his ministers to respond to parliamentary inquiries.

The President had said during his Presidential Media Chat that the House was conducting politicised probes and that his petroleum resources minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, had appeared before the lawmakers up to 200 times.

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, reacting to the President on Monday, said the comment was  “unfortunate, particularly coming from Mr. President.”

Mohammed said Jonathan did not consider the House intervention as politicised when he wanted to succeed his late boss, former President Umaru Yar’Adua.

He said, “We recall the Doctrine of Necessity; this House contributed to his (Jonathan’s) stability in office.

“We hold the office of Mr. President in high esteem, but it is unfortunate that he said we conduct politicised probes. The House is about accountability; Diezani has to appear before us because we cannot ask questions in her absence.

“She has to come; she has to be accountable to the Nigerian people.

“As legislators, we are also accountable to our electorate.”

He said the House could summon any member of the President’s cabinet, including Alison-Madueke, “1000 times” if the legislators needed to do so in the course of their investigation.

Mohammed said, “There is no limit to the number of times a minister can appear before the House for the purpose of accountability. There are many investigations or issues being considered by the House.

“That a minister had appeared before over a particular issue does not mean that when summoned over a different subject, the minister cannot appear again.

     Theories of Boko Haram insurgen 

It is common knowledge that a problem whose origins we have not taken enough pains to trace is often difficult to solve. It is like treating the symptoms of a disease, without running adequate diagnostics to identify the precise triggers of the symptoms. This is especially true of political problems, including the ongoing security crisis for which the Boko Haram terrorist group is held largely responsible. The urgency to solve this problem has been heightened by the recent waves of terrorist activities, including the audacious abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State.

Given the public outcry over the government’s enduring failure in effectively dealing with Boko Haram’s insurgency, questions must now be raised about the origins, motives, objectives, sponsors, and targets of Boko Haram’s terrorist activities. Unless and until these questions are satisfactorily answered, ad hoc responses to Boko Haram’s terrorist attacks would be analogous to merely treating the symptoms of a disease.

A first step is to understand the history of the North-East zone, encompassing Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Yobe, and Gombe states, in which Boko Haram’s operations are rooted. This zone was central to the Bornu Empire, which operated as a sovereign Sultanate run according to the principles of the Constitution of Medina. With a majority Kanuri population, the Bornu Sultanate maintained its distinction from the Sokoto Caliphate of the Hausa/Fulani to the west, even after the two came under British control in 1903.

The people of the zone resisted colonial authority as much as they resisted the influence of the Sokoto Caliphate. The Kanuri were particularly suspicious of Christian missionaries who used Western education as a tool for proselytisation. Increased dissatisfaction among them and others in the zone gave rise to many fundamentalists, whose opposition went beyond Western education. Mohammed Marwa, also known as Maitatsine, was such a fundamentalist. The riots he instigated in 1980 resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. Some analysts view Boko Haram as an extension of the Maitatsine riots.

Police admit ‘evidence of drugs’ was found in Peaches Geldof’s home

Police have confirmed drugs were found in Peaches Geldof’s home after her death (Picture: PA)

Police have confirmed that drugs paraphernalia was found in the home of Peaches Geldof following her death – despite previous reports to the contrary.

Prince Charles unintentionally gatecrashes wedding

The Prince of Wales offers his congratulations to newlyweds Barry and Kirstie Rooney (Picture: PA)

Uninvited guests are not normally welcome at a wedding but when Prince Charles showed up unannounced at this couple’s union, they couldn’t turn him away.
The Royal stumbled upon the nuptials of Private Barry Rooney, 28, and his new wife Kirstie, 22, while he was in Ayr for a parade by the Queen’s Own Yeomanry.

The ‘female version of Simon Cowell’ Mel B ‘offered £1m to join The X Factor 2014′

Simon Cowell is apparently keen to get Mel B on board (Picture: Getty Images)

Mel B is reportedly being offered the scary sum of £1 million to become a judge on The Factor this year.
X Factor head honcho Simon Cowell is said to be keen to secure the former Spice Girl before auditions for this year’s run kick off in June.
Mel is said to have been in serious talks with ITV bosses, and it’s only a matter of ironing out scheduling issues.