POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa (AFP) – South Africa’s deputy president glossed over rivalry with his boss Jacob Zuma on Thursday, delivering a speech in the president’s honour just days before a party conference that could see the men battle to control the ANC.

Kgalema Motlanthe delivered a hagiography of the president to mark the ANC’s 100th anniversary, dodging suggestions that he may challenge Zuma at the conference in 10 days’ time.

Some of the country’s nine provinces have backed Motlanthe to take over the storied but faltering party. But Motlanthe has so far shied away from publicly throwing his hat in the ring.

Thanks to the party’s electoral standing, the leader of the party is highly likely to become president after the elections in 2014.

In his address Motlanthe praised Zuma, describing him as an example of how “positive thinking thrives against all odds” referring to the autodidact’s rise to power.

He said that to understand Zuma one needs to understand the environment and conditions that shaped that person.

“Zuma stands on the shoulders of the giants who came before him,” he said.

His lecture was preceded by energetic chants of pro-Zuma slogans, the crowd making no secret of their preferred candidate for the party’s top job.

Motlanthe smiled and often made uncomfortable swaying moves as supporters from the central Free State province sang enthusiastically about their choices to take up key ANC positions, pointedly omitting Motlanthe’s name, who is currently the party’s number two.

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A 29 year old man, Joseph Nwudu arrested by the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola was on Thursday arraigned before an Alausa, Ikeja Special Offences Court for road traffic offence.

Mr Nwudu was arrested by the Policemen in the convoy of the governor for driving one-way on November 2, 2012 when he ran into the convoy of the governor.

The Lagos state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ade Ipaye was the prosecutor in the suit filed before a Special Magistrate Court presided by Senior Magistrate E. M. Johnson.

The commissioner for Justice who led two other lawyers, George Okeke and Femi Alabi for the prosecution alleged that the defendant was accosted by the policemen working with the governor for driving his Honda Accord IV- TEC model marked XW 646 AGL against on-coming traffic at about 1.05 am on the day of the incident.

He said that the defendant, who faced a one count offence of violation of road traffic offence, was coming from Campbell Street inward to J.K. Randle road on the Lagos Island.

Mr Ipaye said that the defendant’s vehicle was impounded and brought to the office of the Task Force at Alausa while he was subsequently charged to court.

The commissioner urged the court to proceed to apply the Lagos Traffic Law 2012 against the defendant.

When the charge was read, the defendant pleaded guilty as charged and to the facts of the case as narrated by the state Attorney General.

His counsel, Segun Ayodele however pleaded for leniency for the defendant who he said is a first offender and has no record of breach of traffic law of the state.

Ayodele said that the defendant does not reside in Nigeria but in Dubai and that he was in Nigeria to attend to his ailing father who died five minutes before his arrest.

“He is remorseful having realised what he did is against the traffic laws of the state” Mr Ayodele told the magistrate adding that on the day in question, he just lost his father about five minutes before his arrest.

According to Ayodele, the defendant had on the day preceeding his arrest, took his ailing father to St. Nicholas Hospital and was with him till he suddenly passed on during the night.

He said the defendant was going to his hotel room to pick some things, including money to be paid before the body of his father could be admitted into the morgue.

“It was in this emotional condition that the defendant set out to go to his hotel room when he inadvertently went into one-way against on-coming traffic.

“The route he even took that day was a longer route to the alternative route available”, he said adding “in view of this, I urged the court to be compassionate with the defendant”.

Mr Ayodele pleaded with the court to take the situation of the defendant into consideration and for the magistrate to use her discretion in determining judgement in accordance with section 36(3) of Road Traffic Law 2012.

Delivering judgement, the magistrate found the defendant guilty as charged having considered the facts of the case as stated by the AG and admitted by the defendant.

She thereafter sentenced the defendant to eight hours of community service.

The magistrate said she was mindful of the circumstances on hand and the emotional shock the defendant was going through as at the time the offence was committed in arriving at her decision.

She however stated that the defendant must also give an undertaken that he would not violate Lagos Traffic laws again.

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The Kano State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of eight suspects for allegedly throwing an explosive device at a police vehicle along Ring road on the outskirt of Kano.

A statement by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris in Kano, said the incident happened at about 7.30 a.m. on Thursday, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

“On Thursday at about 07.30hrs, when a police patrol team was heading to its duty post along Ring Road,  the occupants of a Taxi Golf car coming behind threw an explosive device at the police vehicle,” the statement said.

It added that the policemen immediately disembarked from the vehicle, cordoned off the area, and arrested the eight occupants of the car.

The statement said nobody sustained injury during the attack while investigation had commenced.

NAN recalls that the state had within the week recorded two incidences of bomb blasts.

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Abuja – An Army Officer told the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday that the bomb components seized from four suspects of the Suleja bombing could produce 200 explosives.

The officer,a prosecution witness, whose name was not given for security reasons, revealed this when crossed examined in the case filed by the State Security Service against the six accused Suleja/Madalla bomb attack.

He had on Dec. 5 in his evidence-in-chief testified that Salisu Ahmed, Umar Babagana-Umar, Mohammed Ali and Musa Adam were arrested on July 28, 2011 at Gumel Junction, Kachia in Kaduna with the items.

Umar Ibrahim and Shuaibu Abubakar, were also standing trial for alleged multiple bombings and killings in Suleja and Madalla both in Niger.

When asked how he concluded that the items were components for making explosives, the officer explained that the materials were subjected to expert scrutiny.

He further said that “as an army officer exposed to proper training I could tell from my experience and exposure on warfare that the items are for IED’’.

Countering, Mr Emeka Okoro, Counsel to the accused persons’ claimed that the items were not complete explosives at the point of his clients’ arrest, the witness said “I guess it was deliberate to transport them like that in order to beat security and to guide against untimely explosion before reaching targets’’.

The officer further countered Okoro’s submission that the suspects were quarry workers who used similar explosives to blast rocks, as according to him, “the mission of the suspects was to cause mayhem’’.

He said that the other items seized from the suspects were indicative of the fact that they were out to cause destruction of human lives, adding that “they had departed from Madalla and Suleja and taken delivery of the consignment in Azara in Nasarawa State’’.

The witness had during his evidence in chief, read two messages from the phones confiscated from the suspects containing secret code to arrange and detonate explosives.

The other message was a promise of 72 virgins to each of the suspects as incentives for carrying out the “deed’’.

Justice Bilkisu Aliyu adjourned the trial to Dec. 20 for continuation. (NAN)

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A 20-year-old man, Matthew Iroko, was on Thursday sentenced to two years in prison by an Abeokuta Magistrates’ Court for stealing a chicken, valued at N1,000.

The sentence, followed a plea of guilty by Iroko, after he was arraigned before Magistrate Idowu Olayinka.

Olayinka sentenced Iroko to two years in prison without an option of fine.

Earlier, the Police Prosecutor, Cpl. Augustine Ozimini, told the court that the offence was committed on Nov. 22, at about 6 a.m. at Apesin Compound, Osiele Abeokuta.

He said that Iroko, of no fixed address, stole a chicken belonging to one Mrs Taiwo Alani .

“Iroko stole the chicken and headed for Osiele market to sell it, the complainant (Alani) saw the chicken with him and raised an alarm.

“An angry mob nabbed and beat him. My lord, Iroko is a common thief, who has been stealing chickens in the community.

“He has been caught several times, but people pardon him and let him go.

“Am afraid my lord, if the court pardons him, he will steal again and he might not be lucky the next time if he is given the jungle justice,” he said.

Ozimini argued that the offence contravened Section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Law of Ogun, 2006.

In his ruling, Olayinka said, “From all the evidence before me, it is obvious that you are guilty of the offence.

“You are hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labour and without an option of fine.” (NAN)

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A brand new city to be located in the Federal Capital Territory that will strictly attract private sector investment is in the offing, as the nation prepares to celebrate the centenary of the country’s amalgamation in 1914.
The Federal Government gave the approval for this Wednesday, preparatory to the centenary celebrations in 2014, hinting that the festival would celebrate the country as the largest single black nation in Africa.
The Federal Government also approved N478 million for the construction of a standard gauge rail lines from Ajaokuta-Lokoja-Abaji-Abuja and a feasibility study for a coastal rail line from Benin-Sapele-Warri-Yenagoa-Port Harcourt-Aba-Uyo-Calabar-Obudu. The contract sums for the projects are N334 m and N144m respectively.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Labaran Maku told State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting yesterday that the framework for the celebration of the centenary drawn up by a committee headed by Secretary of the Government of the Federation (SFG), Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, was approved by the council.
The new city, Maku said, will be carved out of the nation’s capital, so as “to create the enabling environment for new infrastructure development.”
He said the celebration is aimed at showcasing the impact made by Nigeria on the African continent and the world in general, stressing that the occasion was going to be an extended one that will cut across states and local government areas.
The Federal Government also yesterday defended the approval of a contract for a new N2.2 billion Banquet Hall at the President Villa.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sen. Bala Mohammed who debunked reports that new project was a duplication of the existing one, said the new structure will be “a multi-purpose hall where the president will host his colleagues and other important dignitaries.
“The new banquet hall is for ease of work, which will be attached to the president’s office. It is not a duplication or replacement of the existing one.”
He continued: “It will contain a private lounge and broadcast facilities for addressing the nation. Anytime the president needs to hold some important events, we don’t need to go elsewhere and start improvising. It will be very useful for ECOWAS and AU meetings.
“It is absolutely a necessity and not a duplication. The main Banquet Hall which is 2 kilometres away from the president’s office is meant for big concerts and dinners which can contain up to a thousand people but this new one will serve different purposes since it is attached to the president’s office.”
Courtesy This Day

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In its bid to monitor and arrest the Chairman of Bi-Courtney Limited, Dr. Wale Babalakin, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday evening deployed a detachment of policemen and other operatives of the commission to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-araba where he is on admission.
Babalakin, who is believed to be suffering from an undisclosed ailment, has been on admission in the hospital since Wednesday last week.
Investigation revealed that the policemen, who were conveyed to the hospital in a lorry on Tuesday, have been keeping a tab on Babalakin with the aim of arresting him at the slightest opportunity.
It was gathered that EFCC’s determination to monitor and arrest Babalakin was predicated on its understanding that no court can stop it from carrying out its statutory duties.
A source at the hospital yesterday informed that the EFCC operatives initially resisted the hospital’s security staff and attempted to force their way into Babalakin’s ward, leading to a face-off that lasted till about 1 am Wednesday morning.
It was learnt that as soon as the policemen stormed LUTH at about 7 pm on Tuesday, they cordoned off the ward where the lawyer cum businessman was receiving treatment ostensibly to prevent him from escaping.
The operatives were, however, prevented from carrying out their mission by the management of the hospital, which denied them access to the ward where Babalakin was on admission.
According to the source, “We just saw policemen everywhere and on enquiry, we were informed that they came to arrest Babalakin.
“Within minutes, 20 of the policemen entered the ward where he was while others waited outside brandishing guns and looking determined to deal with anybody that would stand in their way.”
Investigations showed that at the time of filing this report, operatives of the commission, including uniformed policemen, were still at the entrance of the hospital’s private wing where Babalakin was admitted and its adjoining areas.
Speaking with THISDAY last night, the spokesman of Bi-Courtney, Dipo Kehinde, condemned the action of the agency, describing it as a violation of Babalakin’s rights and an attempt to thwart justice.
Kehinde said: “This is a new trend in judicial administration in Nigeria and it reflects desperation by EFCC to violate the provisions of the law and constitution in order to circumvent justice, and a violation of the basic human rights of the citizen.
“It is noteworthy that this brings back sad memories of the days of Gen. Sani Abacha, when the rights of Nigerians were trampled upon with ease.”
The EFCC had filed a 27-count charge against Babalakin and four others – Alex Okoh, Stabilini Visioni Limited, Bi-courtney Limited and Remix Nigeria Limited – at the Ikeja High Court for fraudulently transferring various sums of money amounting to N4.7 billion on behalf of the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, through third parties to some foreign accounts under the guise of purchasing a Challenger Jet aircraft.
However, the arraignment of the embattled businessman was stalled on the day he was to be arraigned in court, as his counsel, Mr. Ebun Sofunde (SAN) told the presiding judge, Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, that Babalakin had been admitted in LUTH.
Sofunde informed the court that a letter and medical report dated November 26, by Babalakin’s doctor, Dr. Charles Harmon, had earlier been forwarded to the court registrar.
He said Babalakin’s health had deteriorated immediately after he appeared before the EFCC in Abuja on November 26 for questioning probably due to the stress he went through.
He therefore asked the court to adjourn the matter to allow his client recover from the illness, a request which the judge granted by adjourning the matter to December 12.
The same day, Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos, based on the ex-parte application filed by the businessman, stopped the EFCC from proceeding with the arraignment.
Justice Idris, however, turned down two other prayers sought by Babalakin seeking specific prayers to restrain the respondents from prosecuting him, explaining that the prayers were unnecessary as they were already embedded in the leave granted.
Courtesy This Day

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A Guatemalan official says software company founder John McAfee has been arrested in Guatemala City for entering the country illegally.
Interior Minister Mauricio Lopez Bonilla said McAfee was detained by police at a hotel in an upscale neighborhood.
Police in Belize have called McAfee a “person of interest” in the slaying of fellow American Gregory Viant Faull and asked him to turn himself in for questioning.
Faull was shot to death in early November.
McAfee acknowledges that Faull had complained about McAfee’s dogs, which were poisoned shortly before Faull’s killing, but says he didn’t kill Faull.
CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports McAfee’s location in Guatemala was given away after the high-tech entrepreneur invited reporters from VICE.com to join him on the lam. The online magazine was interested in documenting McAfee’s edgy lifestyle, which in recent years has revolved around drugs, sex and guns.
To promote its exclusive access, VICE published a smartphone picture of McAfee with reporter Rocco Castoro. That was a big mistake.
Digitally embedded in the photo was the location where it was taken, and it placed McAfee in Guatemala — just across the border from Belize. Now the world knew where John McAfee was hiding.
Joel Brenner, who until 2009 was the nation’s top counterintelligence official, says the computer security guru was done in by the phone’s GPS technology, which attached precise longitude and latitude coordinates to the photo.
“This is a tracking device, there’s no question about it, and we’re all carrying one now,” Brenner says.
When smartphone users use the tracking device to take a photo and send a photo, their information is also sent.
“And some of that data, depending on how the phone is set, is going to include the location where it was taken,” says Brenner.
On his blog, McAfee called the disclosure an “accidental release … by an unseasoned technician at VICE headquarters.”
Courtesy CBS News

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Divers have rescued whale shark caught in thick rope off the coast of Mexico.

The pregnant whale shark had got wrapped in a thick rope which had to be cut off by the divers who were accompanying tourists when they spotted the distressed creature.

It took two trips, to 30m below the surface, to check the condition of the 10m-long shark and then to remove the rope.

A large, deep scar could be seen on the whale shark’s back once the rope was removed, leading the divers to believe that the animal had been trapped for some time.

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