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Tag: killer

  • Killer squad on the loose?

    Killer squad on the loose?

    A new dimension has been added to the conduct of elections. Last week, armed personnel wearing masks were deployed in Osun State for the governorship election. They were carrying sophisticated rifles but their gears were not really the army’s. Who were these snipers? The development is coming against the backdrop of anti-militarisation of election compaign by Nigerians. This and the various challenges in the country have further raised anxiety about the 2015 elections, writes ADEBISI ONANUGA.

    Aside from the Boko Haram insurgency in the North, there is another sign that terrorism in gradually goring in Nigeria.

    A week to the June 21, 2014 governorship elections in Ekiti State, armed personnel were drafted to the  state to carry out surveillance before the election was held.The armed personnel were equipped with helicopters, armoured personnel carriers, patrol vans, sniffer dogs and other gadgets. The then Inspector- General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, charged  them “to respect  the citizens’ rights, the rule of law and other rules  guiding the conduct of the election”, adding that the Police Code of Conduct must be their guide in the discharge of their duties.

    But no sooner did they get to Ekiti that they threw caution to the wind and started assaulting people without any justification. The armed soldiers committed a lot of human right abuses, maiming innocent people, including illegal arrest of those whose names were believed to have been penciled down for arrest, just  as they usurped police duties of maintaining law and order before and after the election. Even the Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, was not spared as they shot at his convoy. Heavily-armed policemen and military personnel were visible in almost every entry and exit point of the state ahead of the election.

    Expectedly, the action of the security agents received wide spread condemnation. A number of residents outside the capital were disallowed from coming back to town on the eve of the election, thus, disenfranchising them. Some non indigenes and others suspected to be All Progressives Congress (APC) members were harassed and expelled from the state by the “army”, some who are chieftains of the PDP, including two serving ministers, were allowed to “monitor” the election.

    Similar acts were  repeated in Osun State about two weeks to the August 9, 2014 governorship election. This time, the operatives in army camouflages who were hooded and wore brown boots were seen brandishing weapons. In spite of the fact that they wore military camouflages, the masks and the non-conventional boots (brown colour) they wore made it difficult for people to accept them as real soldiers. This was so because the governorship candidate of one of the parties in last Saturday’s election, was going round the town with masked security men intimidating those perceived to be in opposition.

    Reports from Osun State stated that the armed personnel mid-last week  took over the venue of a rally organised by workers to show support for the re-election of Governor Rauf Aregbesola. According to reports, stern and gun-wielding security operatives stormed the Nelson Mandela Freedom Park, venue of the rally, as early as 7am and disrupted activities and occupied the place. The securitymen gave no  reason for the unlawful occupation of the venue.

    Kunle Oyatomi, Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy for the APC in Osun, said more worrisome was the concealment of the identities of the supposed security agents some of whom threatened to shoot those who had arrived early for the programme. And like they did in Ekiti, there were a lot of human rights abuses since they arrived Osogbo.  It is these developments that observers of the polity described as “official terrorism”.

    In what pundits described as a declaration of war on the citizens of Osun State,  about 73,000 armed security personnel from the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, State Security Service, Federal Road Safety Commission, Nigerian Prisons Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Nigerian Security and Defence Corps were allegedly deployed in Osun State  for last Saturday’s election. More disturbing was the masked men, who shot sporadically into the air to intimidate people.

    Media reports also said on the eve of the election,  many who did not commit any offence were arrested by the armed personnel who played their well thought-out script for the election.

    National Publicity Secretary of APC Alhaji Lai Mohammed was arrested in Osogbo a few hours to the commencement of the election. He was said to be one of the many leaders of the party and supporters targeted by the security agents.  About 30 students said to be staunch supporters of the APC were said to have been picked up in Ilesa before the election. Also arrested was a member of the state House of Assembly representing Ilesa West, Hon. Fafowora Fafiyebi. In another incident, suspected PDP thugs  abducted the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Adedoyin and the Osogbo Local Government Area chairman. They were released after the election.

    Another of such illegal arrests took place at Oke Ila in Ifedayo Local Government Area, where an 80-year-old lawyer, Chief Dapo Fakayode and 50 others were taken to an unknown destination. Femi Falana (SAN) said they were eventually traced to the compound of a retired army captain in a neighbouring town where they were held incommunicado throughout the election.

    “Through my appeal to the Police Authorities, Chief Fakayode was released unconditionally after he had spent over 10 hours in illegal custody. But the 50 others were held illegally and prevented from exercising their democratic right to vote for the candidates of their choice. They were only released after the election had been concluded! Several other persons were arrested last night by the snipers. In fact, some of the detainees were brutalised by the state sponsored terrorists. In some polling units party agents were beaten up and chased away by thugs with the connivance of the security personnel,” he added.

    Former President Chief  Olusegun Obasanjo last December, in an open letter, alleged that President Goodluck Jonathan was equipping a killer squad ahead of the 2015 elections. He alleged that no fewer than 1,000 people have been placed on “political watch list” in a bid to achieve his ambition. He further accused the President of  secretly training snipers and other armed personnel at the same place that the late Head-of-State, General Sani Abacha, “trained his own killers”.

    In an 18-page letter to the President, dated December 2 and titled: A letter of appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan: Before it is too late, Obasanjo accused Jonathan of taking actions that are against the country’s best interests.

    “Nigeria is bleeding and the haemorrhage must be stopped,” Obasanjo wrote in the letter, adding that Jonathan has failed to deliver on his promises to stem corruption, and strengthen national unity and security. Jonathan, according to him, is determined to win the 2015 presidential election at all costs.

    “Allegation of keeping over 1000 people on political watch list rather than criminal or security watch list and training snipers and other armed personnel secretly and clandestinely acquiring weapons to match for political purposes like Abacha and training them where Abacha trained his own killers, if it is true, it cannot augur well for the initiator, the government and the people of Nigeria,” he further stated.

    Pundits reasoned that if Nigerians failed to take heed, then developments in Ekiti and Osun states may actually be a pointer to the fact that a killer squad may actually be on the loose.

    This position is further reinforced by the statements  creditted to the  Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, who said last week in Lagos that the deployment of armed security during an election does not discourage people from participating in electoral process but, instead, helps to drive people’s confidence to participate in the process.

    Citing Ekiti State election, Jega said despite the presence of heavy security during the election, it recorded an unprecedented voter turnout of 49 per cent, which is the highest in the electoral history of Nigeria.

    He said: “I want to state that the use of military is not necessarily a disincentive for participation in an election. In fact, Ekiti election that we had and people were complaining of the highest level of military mobilization, had 49 per cent voter turn-out, which is the highest in all the elections we have ever had in this country. This means that the presence of security gave people the courage to come out and vote.”

    Observers who watched developments in the two states are suspicious that there may be  a sinister motive behind the deployment of masked armed men for elections other than for ensuring peace as claimed by the authority. Many of them  feared what might likely happen in 2015 given the abuses perpetrated  by  the masked armed  personnel s  before and during the  elections in Ekiti and Osun states.  Aside from the fact that they considered the deployment of armed personnel as a breach of the constitution, pundits are quick to ask if wearing of mask by “military men” is a new phenomenon in the country.

     

    Reactions

     

    Falana, however, see the development from another perspective. He said under this constitutional dispensation the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces lacked  the power to involve soldiers in maintaining law and order during elections. According to him, the deployment of the armed forces for the maintenance of law and order during elections cannot be legally justified in view of section 215(3) of the Constitution which vested the Police with the exclusive power to maintain and secure public safety and public order in the country.

    However, the President is empowered by virtue of Section 217(2) of the Constitution to deploy the armed forces for the “suppression of insurrection and acting in aid of civil authorities to restore law order”.

    This, in effect, means that before the armed forces may be involved in the maintenance of law and order there must have been insurrection or civil disturbances which cannot be contained by the Police. The Constitution, he said,  never envisaged that the armed forces will usurp the powers of the Police with respect to the “preservation of law and order” in any part of the country. I wish to submit that under the current constitutional dispensation the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces lacks the power to involve soldiers in maintaining law and order during elections. Even in the Northeast region, a state of emergency had to be declared by the President to justify the deployment of members of the armed forces as part of the extraordinary measures he was required to take to restore law and order pursuant to section 305 of the Constitution. Even then, the President had to seek and obtain the approval of the National Assembly for the said deployment for a specific period of time.

    Contrary to the positions of the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Suleiman  Abah, the erudite lawyer argued that neither the Police Act nor the Electoral Act has authorised  the wearing of  masks by security personnel during elections in Nigeria.

    He drew the attention of the Federal Government to Section 280  of the Nigeria  Police Force Regulations which provides that “Orders of dress and  dress  regulations, shall be promulgated by the Inspector-General  of Police in Force Orders.”

    “The  Inspector  General of Police has neither promulgated that police  personnel involved in  election duties should wear masks nor published any such  dress order in the  Police Force Orders. To that extent, it is illegal on the  part of the police or  other security personnel not to wear name tags for proper  identification during  election duties,” he stated.

    He also observed that in the governorship election in Ekiti State, there was no  deployment of  security personnel wearing masks.  He, therefore, wondered what has warranted the desperate deployment  of masked men to police the Osun State governorship  election.

    Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja branch, Yinka Farounbi said it is illegal and grossly unconstitutional to deploy the army to monitor elections in any part of the country as that assignment purely belongs to the police, and “we were not told the police could not cope.”

    “To worsen the violation, no approval of the National Assembly was sought and obtained before the redeployment. Could it be that we are being governed by illiterates who see the fundamental law of this country , the constitution, as mere book meant to dress the shelf rather than for governance.

    “As if the illegal deployment of our army to Osun was not enough, some “militants” were seen parading the street to equally monitor the election. I called them militants because their faces were masked. So, why send masked men to Osun?” Farounbi said.

    A member of the Ogun State Judicial Council, Abayomi Omoyinmi, said the deployment of masked personnels to both Ekiti and Osun states during elections is against all civil norms and contrary to civil process of electioneering. “I think it is the police that should provide the necessary security.

    Otunba Olusegun Otayemi, recalled that the  masked men first manifested behind Senator Iyiola Omisore, the Osun State gubernatorial candidate of the PDP as he moved around during the campaign.

    “I was shocked when a retinue of so called DSS operatives moved into Osun dressed in black, wielding sophisticated guns and wearing hoods like armed robbers or kidnappers. The act of terrorism is unprecedented,” Otayemi noted.

     

    Way forward

     

    Farounbi said the implication of what the government did in the two states “is that if the army did it in Ekiti and militants in Osun,  then gorillas will do it in 2015 throughout Nigeria, particularly for the presidential elections.  In fact, the results of 2015 are with us already”, he stated adding any aberration on our laws should not be encouraged in order not to truncate  the nations’s nascent democracy.

    Omoyinmi said the presence of military men could be intimidating and should not be encouraged under any guise for conduct of election “otherwise we are indirectly extending invitation to the military in our very fragile democracy. The only way to prevent manifestation of such deployment of military for 2015 election is for the government to provide a conducive environment towards preparation for the election. Allow the police whose responsibility is to provide security and prevent breakdown of law and order to perform their constitutional role as oppose to usurpation of their duties by the military”, Omoyinmi stated.

    Otunba Otayemi said: “If Jonathan can go this far to get Osun, then opposition parties, civil society groups and everyday voter in Nigeria must brace up for the worst in 2015. We must all rise up to resist this despot! With the level of desperation displayed in Osun, I won’t put anything past him (Jonathan)  in 2015.

  • Alleged lover’s killer held two weeks after

    Alleged lover’s killer held two weeks after

    Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a 33-year-old man who was earlier declared wanted for allegedly strangling his lover to death.

    The suspect, Kelechi Williams, was said to have killed Njideka Lizzy Nzewe (39), a mother of four and Executive Officer/Managing Director of Edmark International at her Green Estate, Amuwo Odofin, Festac, Lagos home, on July 22.

    Williams allegedly made away with the deceased’s $50,000, phones, laptops, N8 million and her Range Rover, a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).

    Williams is believed to have fled to Ghana with the loot after allegedly committing the act.

    He was arrested last Sunday in Cote d’Ivoire by crack detectives attached to the Area ‘E’ Command. Police said he would be paraded by the police in Ikeja today.

    It was gathered that Area Commander Dan Okoro, an Assistant Commissioner (ACP), used a tracking device to locate the suspect in his hideout in Cote d’Ivoire while he was preparing to flee to Europe.

    The deceased, whom many described as a multi-millionaire, was found on the floor of her apartment with the twine allegedly used to strangle her hanging on her neck. It was also discovered that in the course of struggling with her assailant, she urinated and defecated on her body with white foam in her mouth.

    The suspect’s hideout was said to have been discovered by the police through their ‘forensic auditing investigation of his social media networks and assistance of Interpol.”

    Preliminary investigations revealed that Williams and the victim had been having affairs for years, to the extent that the suspect who is one of her staff, proposed marriage, which the late Lizzy turned down.

    Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the incident, said that the deceased was a single mother, who had since separated from her husband.

    The late Lizzy was supposed to travel to USA on July 24 on vacation with her kids; she also planned to move into her just-completed building at Satellite Town before embarking on the journey, a source said.

    “She had already made these plans, when Williams came in from Ghana to visit her. Nobody thought his visit was unusual. He used to come and go in her home the way he likes. Everyone knew them,” said a source.

    Braide said the strangulation of the late Lizzy occurred at about 2.30am, adding: “He strangled the woman with a rope inside her apartment. He locked up the place, packed her money, phones, international passports and about N8 million she meant to leave for him for the running of the business while in USA and ran away. We believe he ran to Ghana.”

    A police detective said: “We believe he is a serial killer. Most of them who kill without qualms are usually within that age bracket of Williams’. This is why the police have always advocated for youths to be involved in community policing. We should educate the youth in a way that they would be able to report their friends without fear or favour in case of commission of crime.”

  • Diabetes

    Diabetes

    Why it is called ‘silent killer’

    How to manage it

    DRESSED in a purple mix ankara gown, Felicia Akinrinmade lay forlornly on the narrow hospital bed that morning. She looked lean and pale, which is not surprising considering the ailment she has been battling with for years and which led to her admission in the hospital in the first place. The 33-year-old housewife is a diabetic patient on admission at the Ajeromi General Hospital, Lagos. She was first diagnosed with the ailment about 10 years ago when she was 23. “It was during my first pregnancy when I was 23 that I got to know about my condition,” she told The Nation. Unfortunately, she lost that first baby due to the disease. “My first born died because of the disease. Even the second one I had is affected by diabetes,” she stated sadly.

    The disease, she lamented, has become a serious problem to her because of the cost of managing it. “It’s expensive to manage,” she noted.

    Popular musician and crooner, Stella Monye, is another person living with diabetes. The artiste, who shot to fame with her hit tune, Oko mi ye, some years back, first learnt of her condition after two fainting fits or coma caused by the disease. The first incident took place while shopping at the popular Balogun market on Lagos Island. She disclosed in a chat: “I did not just wake up one day and found out that I had diabetes. It was gradual. Twice, I went into coma in a public place. My first experience was at Balogun market in Central Business District area of Lagos Island. It actually happened while I was shopping there. While my second experience was at the Muritala Mohamed International Airport on my way out of the country. In both cases, I just blacked out and did not come round for several hours. It was a taste of death so to say. But even after those two attacks, ironically, I had no knowledge that I had become a diabetic. So, I did not understand why I had gone into coma.”

    The Samba Queen as she is also popularly known from her kind of music, became alarmed at her health condition and decided to seek help. Upon approaching medical experts, she was diagnosed as a diabetic. It took her sometime to digest the meaning and the implications. “Initially I was not scared. But the doctors explained the implications and informed me that if not well managed, it could kill very fast. So that scared me!” she said.

    “I suddenly realised that I had a difficult health condition to battle. Confirmation in my case also meant that treatment must be embarked upon. So I summoned courage and strictly embarked on the medication prescribed to me by my doctor. I also adhered to the foods prescribed as part of the crisis management approach, a point which I had already got to, which is quite expensive when you consider the cost of the drugs and all other things put together.”

    In terms of number, diabetes is the fastest growing long-term disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Figures from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) indicate that over 371 million people have diabetes and half do not know they have it. The world’s most populous country, China, tops the list of 10 countries with the highest number of people; 92.3 million between the ages of 20 and 79 years are said to be suffering from the diseases.

    Statistics for Nigeria are equally frightening. IDF 2012 figures show that over three million Nigerians between the ages of 20 and 79 years have diabetes, while 2.5 million Nigerians living with the condition are unaware and undiagnosed. It also showed that the country lost 88,681 persons in 2012 due to diabetes-related illnesses and has a 4.83 per cent comparative prevalence, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard.

    These figures indicate that Nigeria led other African countries in diabetes, closely followed by South Africa with 1.9 million people having the disease.

    So, what is it about this disease that is afflicting so many, causing deaths and disabilities everywhere?

     

    The silent killer

    Diabetes is a condition in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar) either because insulin production is inadequate or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin or both. Patients with high blood sugar will typically experience polyuria (frequent urination), become increasingly thirsty (polydipsia) and hungry (polyphagia). If you have diabetes, no matter what type, it means you have too much glucose in your blood, although the reasons may differ.

    Glucose is vital to the health because it’s an important source of energy for the cells that make up the muscles and tissues. It’s also the brain’s main source of fuel. But too much glucose can lead to serious health problems. What makes diabetes such a serious ailment is that it can go undiagnosed for years, with many sufferers living with it without being aware they have it. This is the reason it’s often called the ‘silent killer.’

    “Diabetes is the elevation of sugar in the blood as a result of insufficient insulin or insulin deficiency,” said a medical practitioner, Dr Saheed Ogunmola. He noted that the disease is caused by excess intake of fine sugar. “It is not when someone takes sugar the first time but sugar that is stored in the body and is not digested.”

    “Also diabetes has two types : Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is hereditary, genetic and is common among mothers and children, that is children inherit it from the mother. Type 2 is common among the middle aged people and the elderly,” he said.

    “In type 1, the body does not produce insulin. Some people may refer to this type as insulin-dependent diabetes, juvenile diabetes or early-onset diabetes. People usually develop type 1 diabetes before their 40th year, often in early adulthood or teenage years.” Approximately 10% of all diabetes cases are type 1. Patients with type 1 diabetes will need to take insulin injections for the rest of their life. They must also ensure proper blood-glucose levels by carrying out regular blood tests and following a special diet,” Ogunmola added.

    In Type 2 diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin for proper function or the cells in the body do not react to insulin (insulin resistance). “Type 2 is common among the middle age,” he stated, noting that 90% of all cases of diabetes worldwide are of this type.

    On the ailment, Dr Godwin M. Inwang, Senior Medical Officer of St. Luke’s General Hospital, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, stated: “Diabetes is a disease which results from the poor management of glucose in the body. Diabetes could be divided into two; the first is Diabetes Insipidus, which is directly the poor management of sugar in the body. Diabetes Malytus manifests in different forms, basically the problem of poor sugar management in the body, caused by either the lack of insulin or the non-sensitivity of the body cells to insulin.”

    He stated that Insulin is a hormone secreted in the pancreas in the abdomen, which sensitises the cells to admit sugar and pass on to the body. “Basically, all the foods that we eat turn into some form of sugar that can be used by the body. And that primarily is glucose. When there is no sugar in the body, it starts breaking down protein and eventually turns it into sugar for the body. For instance during starvation, when the body does not get sugar from foods, it starts breaking down the fat cells to turn into sugar. These are called ketones. They are burned to produce energy for the body.”

    Describing the body as a big chemical laboratory that does all sorts of things, he added: “It is similar to a factory. When there is a lack of insulin, then you can say someone has insulin-dependent diabetes, which is Type 1. When it is as a result of the cells not recognising the presence of insulin, it is called Type 2. The second one could also be caused by the fact that a body has so much insulin but the insulin is not functioning the way it should be functioning. This could be as a result of obesity. Maybe the person is so big, has so much single unit substances and too much fat. Type 1 diabetes basically affects children and younger people. However, it can also be found among older people, while Type 2 affects more of the older people.

    On how she manages the sickness that has no discernible cure, Stella Monye, the music star, admitted that she endeavours to manage it as best as she can. Said she: “Though, it hasn’t been easy because already my heart has been affected. That is what diabetes does. Most often, it affects your heart first and goes on to attack your kidneys.”

    In the past, diabetes was associated mostly with the elderly and middle aged persons. Now, the young too, including children, are affected. Fourteen-year-old school girl, Sandra Ogochukwu, is one of such children whose lives have been blighted by the incurable disease. She was first diagnosed for Type 1 diabetes at 11 in 2010. She has been on medication since then which includes regular shots of insulin as she has insulin-dependent diabetes. She also has to stay away from sugar and sugary foods. On this, her mother, Madam Janet, stated: “It’s tough keeping her away from sugar as she has a sweet tooth. We can monitor her when she’s at home but at school, nobody is there to keep an eye on her so she can stay away from soft drinks and other sugary treats like biscuits and cakes she likes so much. I keep praying that she listens to my pleadings and those of the doctor to avoid such things as it could worsen her health.”

    On why the disease affects children and other young people, Dr Inwang said: “It’s the same reason- lack of insulin. Maybe the child has a disease that affects the pancreas, which affects the cells that produce the insulin, or not just able to produce insulin, or has been taking things that require so much use of insulin that the body burnt out its reserves. For instance, somebody who has had a steady long habit of drinking too much of sugar and non-sugar sweetened things is likely to have it. It is even worse with people who are used to taking non-sugar sweetened things. Because if you take sugar, the brain is sensitive enough to sort it out and decide what quantity the body needs and communicate such message to the necessary cells.

    “But in the case of non-sugar sweetened substances, the brain cannot decode it. And that causes a lot of chaos in the body. You know, people say ‘do not take sugar but take sugar substitute,’ I tell you it is worse because some of those non-sugar substances contain dangerous compounds. That is because if insulin comes around and does not see sugar, after the sweet taste has attracted it, it causes a whole lot of complexities for the body such as hunger, excessive eating as a result of over stimulation. It is a complex thing because there are so many hormones in the body dealing with insulin.

    In Type 2 diabetes, the body has excess insulin, but the insulin is not effective for the body. “Everybody can be affected,” said Ogunmola. “Even children are not left out. It’s because the intake of sugar by this set of people is much, which can lead to diabetes,” he explained.

     

    A lifelong ailment

    Since diabetes has no cure, those who have it have to learn to live with and manage it well to avoid complications. Experts warn that if not well managed, it can cause death. “Diabetes is deadly, very deadly,” affirmed Inwang. He added: “Diabetes is deadly because it is associated with various types of complications. One of such complications is that it can lead to sudden death. In the younger people, there is so much insulin in the body which is not used and eventually it leads to coma. If the person is not treated immediately, the person can die. Even if you treat immediately, if you are not careful, you will still lose the person to death.”

    “There is so much that too much sugar in the body does. It draws water away from the cells and makes the cells flabby, makes the person dehydrated; increases acid in the body, and then it affects the heart, liver, practically every other organ of the body. Diabetes is very dangerous.”

    “Diabetes is usually managed and cannot be treated,” Ogunmola noted, stating that the patient ‘lives with it till death.’

    On the symptoms, Inwang said: “Early symptoms could show in one being thirsty too often. Not just the love of water but being really thirsty too often. Also, when one complains of thirst too much and passes lots of urine too often. This could be because there is a lot of sugar in the body but it is not entering the cells. It is when sugar enters the cells that the body is satisfied because the cells have something to use, which produces energy. But if sugar does not go to the cells, the person remains hungry and thirsty. Though he will continue to eat! Other symptoms are weakness of the body and obesity.”

    “From my experience, the symptoms come in different forms,” stated Monye. “In some cases, it makes one vomit from time to time; sometimes it puts you in a sort of temporary coma, and you can also be dizzy and weak. At such times, the digestive system does not function well.”

     

    Managing diabetes

    To manage the ailment, experts advocate proper medication as well as a healthy lifestyle. “If you indulge in taking a lot of sugar, you will burn out your pancreas,” Inwang warned. “You have to eat rationally and sensibly. Most recommended diet in order to avoid diabetes is to eat farm-fresh foods. Avoid processed foods and you will improve your chances of getting healthy nutrition,” he advised. He also advised people to avoid living an excessive lifestyle, stating: “What you eat or drink contributes a lot to getting diabetes or not. Do not live an excessive life. Do not take unhealthy drinks and avoid sugar and non-sugar sweetened foods.”

    He noted that patients may be able to control their Type 2 diabetes symptoms by losing weight, following a healthy diet, doing plenty of exercise, and monitoring their blood glucose levels. “However, Type 2 diabetes is typically a progressive disease – it gradually gets worse – and the patient will probably end up having to take insulin, usually in tablet form.”

    Having lived successfully with diabetes for quite a while, Monye has some tips for people who may be diabetic or just discovered that they are. “It has a lot to do with the foods that we eat. I would say that such people should eat and drink right. Eating and drinking right is very important! They should also drink a lot of water. Being diabetic also means that you have to find out about the illness. You have to learn to do research about what diabetes is all about and how you can cope. There are newer discoveries from time to time and a diabetic is better placed if you keep in touch with growing knowledge. You could search for such knowledge on the internet. They should search on the Net for the right things to eat to avoid diabetes.”

    Apart from the genetic factor, experts point out that some people are at risk of diabetes due to their weight and lifestyle choices. For instance, overweight and obese people have a much higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared to those with a healthy body weight. People with a lot of visceral fat, also known as central obesity, belly fat or abdominal obesity, are especially at risk.

    Being overweight, physically inactive and eating the wrong foods all contribute to the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, they warn. Drinking just one can of (non-diet) soda per day can raise the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 22%, researchers from Imperial College London reported in the journal Diabetologia. The scientists believe that the impact of sugary soft drinks on diabetes risk may be a direct one rather than simply an influence on body weight.

    If badly controlled, complications can arise with diabetes. Some of these, according to Ogunmola, include male infertility, low ejaculation, Erectile dysfunction (male impotence), obesity, eye complications such as glaucoma and cataracts, foot complications (neuropathy, ulcers and sometimes gangrene, which may require that the foot be amputated) and skin disorders.

    Others are heart problems, hypertension (common in people with diabetes, which can raise the risk of kidney disease, eye problems, heart attack and stroke), mental health (uncontrolled diabetes raises the risk of suffering from depression, anxiety and some other mental disorders), hearing loss, gum disease, healing of wounds (cuts and lesions take much longer to heal in diabetics), among others

  • Drugs you should know about Pain killers

    Paracetamol (British name) or acetaminophen (American name) is popularly marketed as Tylenol, Panadol, Exedrin, etc. It is commonly used for headache. It may also be used for the conditions that aspirin is used for. Tylenol has been identified as the number 1 cause of acute liver failure in the USA. Therefore do not use pain killers unnecessarily. Some women, especially young women, who have strong and painful menstrual cramps may routinely down painkillers as soon as they expect their menstrual period. Painkillers should be saved for the highpoint of the period when the cramps are severe and interfering with normal life.

    Another popular NSAID used as a painkiller is ibuprofen that is marketed as Advil, Motrin, Nuprin and other names. It is stronger than either paracetamol or aspirin and is prepared in 200 mg formulas (paracetamol is usually 500mg, a higher dose). For stronger pains 800mg preparations of ibuprofen (Motrin 800) are also available. It is used for aches and pains including toothache, backache, muscle aches, menstrual pain, colds and fevers. A woman in the last trimester of pregnancy should not use this drug.

    NSAIDs are not just painkillers. NSAIDs inhibit the cyclooxygenase enzyme which produces prostaglandins as well as chemical mediators of inflammation such as thromboxane. NSAIDs therefore reduce inflammation and fever (high body temperature). Another group of painkiller drugs called the opioids (e.g. morphine) relieve pain but not inflammation because they act directly on pain propagating nerves rather than on the chemical pain mediators.

    There are many other NSAIDs such as naproxen and ketoprofen both of which are painkillers with strong anti-inflammatory actions. Others are diclofenac, diflunisal, etodolac, flurbiprofen, indomethacin, ketorolac, oxaprozin, piroxicam, sulindac, toletin, and nabumetone. They are used for pain of arthritis, rheumatism, and musculoskeletal pain.

    As NSAIDs are commonly used as painkillers without prescription, we need to identify the main facts to be aware of in using these drugs. These are: they kill the pain but if the pain keeps coming back you need to find out the real medical problem, i.e. get a diagnosis; they increase blood pressure; they cause stomach bleeding, they are linked to erectile dysfunction.

    A group of painkiller drugs were derived from NSAIDs. Through biomedical science research, it was found that there are at least two types of the COX enzyme and they were named COX 1 and COX 2. COX 1 operates normally in the body and produces certain beneficial effects e.g. in the stomach, kidneys, and blood platelets. COX 2 is brought into play under disease conditions. The useful painkiller or analgesic effects of NSAIDs were found to be mediated by blocking COX 2 and most of the adverse effects of NSAIDs were found to be mediated through COX 1, i.e. interfering with normal physiological effects of COX. Therefor scientists developed COX 2 inhibitor pain killers that have little or no COX 1 effects and affect COX 2 that is released during disease conditions. These designer drugs were nicknamed COXIBs and include celecoxib, valdecoxib and etoricoxib. Like NSIADs, COXIBs are effective pain killers but do not cause stomach ulcers like NSAIDs often do. Some of the first widely used COXIBs produce cardiovascular problems and are no longer circulated. Because of this, the presently employed COXIBs are used with caution.

     

    Dr. ’Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA. For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 07028338910 or 08160944635

  • Rivers communities decry ‘killer’ waste dumpsites

    Rivers communities decry ‘killer’ waste dumpsites

    He said: “Look at this place; we are no longer doing business here, because no customer will spend his money in this stinking environment. Not only here, many people have packed out of this area. I hope you saw those shops at the front; they are all locked because those who were doing business there relocated. The situation has seriously affected the landlords who now beg house agent to get tenants, even the landlords are relocating to another environment.”

    Mr. Victor Wanor, a roadside Mechanic, whose workshop is behind the dumpsite said he and his apprentice fall sick regularly, due to the odour they inhale from the waste dump. He said he stayed on because he had no money to relocate.

    Mr. Wenneka Chidah, one of the landlords in the area, had just been discharged from the hospital when our reporter met him. He suffered from bleeding nose and anus.

    He said, “I inhaled the toxic from the waste during the fumigation of the dumpsite. When I got to home, blood was discharging out of my nose and anus. I think it is time for government to listen to our cry; it is getting out of hand.”

    A senior lecturer on Public/Environmental Health at the Rivers State School of Health and Technology, Mr. Nahikpo Nyiedah, confirmed that there are diseases associated with bad waste disposal.

    “Improper disposal of wastes, such as solid waste, human excreta and sewage, is one of the major risk factors that affect the health and comfort of individuals. Poor waste handling and disposal can lead to environmental pollution. It encourages the breeding of disease-vector insects, animal scavengers and rodents. It results in a range of diseases through different routes of exposure such as lymphocytic choriomeningitis, etc.

    Nyiedah said the prevailing situations at Oyigbo and Rumuolumini could lead to “Hepatitis E, which could result to infection and inflammation of the liver. The illness starts with an abrupt onset of fever, body weakness, appetite loss, nausea and abdominal discomfort, followed by jaundice within a few days.”

    Our reporter’s effort to get the views of staff of the RSESA on site at Rumuolumini was violent rebuffed. He was even prevented from taking photograph of the scene by menacing men who accused him of being a nosy journalist who wanted to spoil their means of livelihood.

    It was later learnt that they were ‘levy’ collectors from the waste contractors. An elderly source in the community said “each of the youths represent some strong men in the community who make a lot of money from the landfill. It is these strong men in the community who make it impossible for government to listen to the cry of the people over relocation of the dumpsite.”

    Our source said the waste contractors, called service providers, pay heavily to the men at the dumpsite before their trucks are allowed to dispose waste. He said as the louder the people complained of odour, the more the levy imposed on the contractors.

    If the people of Rumuolumini are cowed by the antics of the beneficiaries, the people of Oyigbo are not. Residents of the area have protested severally of the health implication of the stinking dumpsite located in their area. During a recent protest, they gave the government, which they accused of planning to poison them, two weeks ultimatum to relocate the dumpsite.

    It was gathered that from the beginning of the construction of Oyigbo landfill, the residents had resisted the choice of the site because of its proximity to living area. But they were reportedly deceived that the government was constructing a fish pond that would employ them.

    A resident, Chief Odinaka Umezie, accused the state government of insensitivity to the plights of the people. “This odour has sent many people to early grave. Every day people get ill, infected with all kinds of skin diseases because of the odour. We are calling on the government to relocate this dumpsite to where people are not living. We will continue to protest until the dumpsite is relocated.”

    Like in Rumuolumini, the malodorous stench from the Oyigbo site is affecting the business of the area. The Headmistress of AA International School Mrs. Nkem Onu whose school is directly opposite the site lamented the effect of the site on the school. She said many parents withdrew their children because of health concern.

    “We have severally written to the authority who promised to do something but till date they have refused to do anything. The odour is very offensive; the dump is made up of both animal and human waste. I am calling on the government to do something to save the lives of the people around the area.”

    Our findings at Eliozu and Igwuruta revealed that the RSESA got it right with there. Eliozu’s is located far from the major road and residential areas. But for a few abandoned buildings near the dumpsite, human presence is minimal.

    However, the sanity in the area may not be for long as it was gathered that congestion in Port Harcourt and other parts of the metropolis are forcing desperate residents to move into Eliozu and Igwuruta. A source said almost all surrounding lands have been sold to developers, raising concerns of building springing up around the dumps.

    Conversely, it was a mountain of waste that crept in on residents of Njemanze and other areas of Mile One, Diobu. The land bordering Njemanze and the water was opened up by the state government in 2009 as part of the waterfront demolition exercise to chase away criminal.

    Since that demolition, the area has been turned into a dump site, much to the consternation of residents and business owners in the area. Worst hit is the premises of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation newspapers. Staff of the company said they have been forced to contend with revolting odour and thick plumes of smoke resulting from incineration of waste on a daily basis.

    The company’s Assistant General Manager, Mr. Olatunde Olasoga was forced to call in fire-fighters on a wet August morning when fire from burning tyres and other waste materials threatened to engulf the company’s building and ultramodern press.

    Residents said they are perplexed by the variegated forms of waste poured into the huge gulf on a daily basis. “There was one time a dead child was found among the wastes dumped there,” a resident of Nsukka Street said.

    Mr. Godwill Otenga, the youth leader in the area said, “We have severally complained to the appropriate authority to save us from dying early but nobody is listening to us. Most of the waste dumped at Njemanze water-front is rotten waste and that is what we are inhaling. Sometime if you want to pass Njemanze Street, whether driving or walking, you have to close your nostril because it (smell) could be terrible.”

    Our checks revealed that the Njemanze site was not designated as dumpsite, but was converted by the government, which now uses waste to fill the wasteland there.

    Meanwhile, there are about 35 receptacles (waste receiving point) from Mile 1 to Igwuruta. Most of them are cited in front of residential buildings, markets and schools. They create problems for those living around, especially when they are not evacuated early. When it rains it washes into compounds and contaminates sources of water.

    The Sole Administrator of RSESA, Mr. Ade Adeogun, conceded to our reporter that the landfills and receptacles may have caused harms to residents. He assured that the government was willing to relocate some of those sites to other areas.

    Speaking through his media officer, Mr. Olalekan Ige, he said: “The government has increased the deodorising of the dumpsite to reduce the offensive odour. RSESA fumigates the place weekly to eradicate the presence of any form of dangerous reptiles. I am pleading for patience from the people as it takes some time to complete the construction of landfill.”

    Ige said the state government spends over N500 million monthly to remove about 60,000 metric tons of waste generated by four local government areas in the state. He said the sum includes waste collection, disposal, sorting and fumigation.

    Ige said the RSESA covers only five Local Government Areas, including Obio-Akpor, Port Harcourt City, Eleme, parts of Etche and Ikwerre Local Governments.

    He also revealed that 70 service providers are contracted go round the areas areas daily to collect refuse at the receptacle sites designated by the state government.

    “The challenges the authority faces come from some residents who dump waste indiscriminately and in unauthorized places. In January to May 2013, over 700 sanitation offenders have been arrested and charged to the state’s sanitation magistrate court.”

    Director of Operation RSESA, Mr. Job Emmanuel, said its health officers are working hard to ensure that Port Harcourt and its environs were kept clean. He also regretted the attitude of some residents.

    He said: “When drains are cleared the water flows. I regretted that some residents in Port Harcourt intentionally dump waste at the drains. Every day we are on the road doing sensitisation campaign including using the media to inform the people on the health implication of dumping waste indiscriminately but yet only few people understand what we are talking about.”

    Pastor Kingsley Egunatu, of Numac Project Company Limited commended the Adeogun-led RSESA for discipline brought into waste management in the area. “Adeogun has sanitized the whole place. He made it compulsory that evacuation at the receptacle must be daily and should be from 6pm to 12pm. And if service provider violates any of the rules he or she will not only see his contract with RSESA terminated but he will be arrested. In fact, since he came onboard service providers are more serious than before. Trucks are being positioned at the receptacle point before 5pm to enable waste generators dump directly to the truck instead of dumping on the ground.”

     

  • Killer policeman for trial

    Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Umar Manko, yesterday set up a panel to investigate the circumstances behind the shooting of innocent citizens by a drunk policeman.

    The committee will also investigate how the policeman attached to Mobile 17, Akure, Ondo State capital, sneaked into Lagos with riffle.

    A police source told The Nation that the killer policeman had fled, but that his Squadron Commander had been ordered to spot him out and recover the AK 47 rifle he escaped with.

    When contacted, Lagos State Police Spokeswoman, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP) confirmed that Manko had constituted a committee to look into the issue and had also got the assurance of Mopol 17 Command to hunt for the killer policeman.

    Three men and a pregnant woman were shot by the suspect, Corporal Mohammed Abubakar, attached to MOPOL 17, Akure, at Diamond Estate, Festac Town, following an argument over who to be served first at a fast-food joint.

  • Killer diseases of our times

    Heart disease

    In recent times, heart attack, heart problems, stroke and cerebrovascular disease were the major killer diseases. The World Health Organization indicates that 31.5% women and 26.8% of men die of heart disease.There are various causes of heart disease but some risk factors are well recognized and these include, excessive fat or salt in one’s diet, lack of physical activity, and obesity.

     

    Cancer

    Cancer is one of those killer diseases that statistics predict will keep increasing in the next two decades. It is predicted that as many as 17 million people will die of cancer yearly. The chief causative factors are related to diet and consumables.

     

    Infectious diseases

    Children and young adults tend to die from infectious diseases more than from other killer diseases.

     

    Tuberculosis

    One third of the world’s population carry Mycobacterium tuberculosis which causes tuberculosis (TB), a disease that kills about 2 million people annually. You can catch it if you breathe from the cough or sneeze of someone with active TB. It may take a long time before the disease manifests. People with immune deficiencies such as AIDS die more easily from TB. The BCG vaccine is used as a preventive measure against TB.

    Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

    COPD causes difficulty in breathing. Smoking is a chief known culprit of COPD. Environmental pollutants are also causative factors, especially through occupational exposure or other constant long-term exposure to hazards. Lung damage can be counteracted or slowed by lung stimulating exercises and immunity strengthening diet.

    .Lower respiratory tract infections

    These lung diseases include tuberculosis, whooping cough, and pneumonia. Children under five years of age are especially vulnerable if they do not have good immunity-strengthening diets. Pneumonia ends the lives of about 4 million people yearly.

     

    HIV/AIDS

    It appears that 50% of people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide are women. New infections are usually in young people under25years of age. HIV-positive people can survive on antiretroviral drugs for decades.

     

    Malaria

    Malaria, causes 1-5 million deaths yearly.Many people in tropical areas where mosquitoes thrive have good immunity against malaria. Malaria can be fatal for visitors in endemic areas.

     

    Diarrhoea

    Poor hygiene leads to transfer of infectious viruses, bacteria, or parasitic worms through drinking water and food causing diarrheal diseases such as cholera and dysentery. Diarrhoea kills about 2 million people each year, mainly through dehydration in children.

     

    Measles

    Half amillion children die of measles yearly. Vaccination covers children against infection.

    Killer disease can be prevented through education, information, and constant reminders of the populace.

    Minus killer diseases, life expectancy is actually improving in modern times because of improved way of life in many parts of the world and advanced medicine. If we take good care of ourselves, if we avoid or beat killer diseases, there is a good likelihood that we live longer than our ancestors.

  • Lawyers demand arraignment of policeman’s ‘killer’

    Members of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in Ondo town yesterday threatened to sue the police, if the alleged killer of a police Inspector attached to Yaba Division Police Station in Ondo, the late Adelakun Lawal, is not prosecuted.

    The late Lawal, who was a prosecutor at the Magistrate’s Court, was allegedly killed by his friend, Mr. Kazeem Shehu, a police officer.

    The NBA chairman in the area, Kunle Adetowubo, told reporters that the association would ensure that the matter was not swept under the carpet.

    Adetowubo: “Though the NBA hails the police for arresting the suspect on the scene of the incident, we are waiting for the result of the Orderly Room Trial (ORT) and the arraignment of the suspect.

    “The only weapon we have is the court. We are ready to tackle the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Patrick Dokumor and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, if the suspect is not prosecuted.

    “We are disappointed with the slow pace of the investigation and failure to arraign the suspect.”

    Dokumor said investigation is ongoing and the suspect would be prosecuted.

  • ‘Help, my wife’s, daughter’s killer is after me’

    His wife and daughter were killed. Now, he is in danger too; the suspected killer is threatening to kill him.

    The man, Henry Ekene Ozor, cried out yesterday to the police for protection. Ozor alleged that Henry Chibueze had threatened to kill him within seven days.

    In tears, Ozor relived how Chibueze allegedly killed his daughter in Igando, a Lagos suburb, four days ago. He prayed the government to save his life and that of his two surviving daughters, Bethel and Victory, from “this nightmare.”

    “The killer has been calling my phone since Saturday, threatening to fish me out and kill me as well. He even sent SMS to me that no matter where I hid, he would kill me within seven days,” Ozor said.

    An SMS shown to The Nation read: “Henrri, if u don’t want to pk my call eni place u like ron enter, I we get u.”(sic).

    Ozor lamented that his seven-month pregnant wife, Praise, and seven-year-old daughter, Happiness, were among the seven persons killed by Chibueze.

    Chibueze was said to have gone berserk when Praise’s younger sister, Sandra Ijedinma, who was dating him, said she was no longer interested in the relationship.

    Those who survived the attack were Bethel; the late Praise’s elder sister, Mrs Ngozi Odia, and three of her children.

    The survivors are in hospital; the others’ bodies have been deposited at a morgue.

    Ozor said: “My life is at risk. Government and the police should come to our rescue. This man should be apprehended. I do not even know where to start from. Chibueze has been threatening me ever since he killed my family members. He came to my house between 8:30 and 9pm on Saturday.

    “It was Sandra’s twin sister, Katherine, who saw a man scaling the fence. When she looked closely, it was Chibueze. She asked him what he was doing there and why he scaled the fence.

    “Getting closer, Katherine said she saw him with a gun while he tried to escape, but Chibueze told her he was here to kill everybody. He said Katherine was the one who told her twin sister not to marry him and ordered her to lift her clothes up that he wanted to shoot her in the stomach. Katherine obeyed out of fear; he shot her but she jumped up and the bullet hit her thigh.”

    Ozor said Chibueze went inside his house where his teenage children had scurried into hiding out of fear.

    He said: “That bastard shot my wife before my kids. Out of fear, they went to hide under the bed, but he fished out my innocent children and shot them one after the other.

    “Happiness could not survive the bullet; she died on the spot, but Bethel survived. Then, three-year-old Victory was the only one spared. She was there and saw how the man shot them. What is our offence? Was it my family that jilted him? Or is he even the first man to be jilted? I have never seen this kind of thing in my life. It is like a horror film to me.”

    He described his late daughter as “intelligent”, adding: “She was full of hopes for a bright future. She was a very peaceful and innocent girl that knew nothing about the man in question.”

    Ozor, who recalled that Sandra brought Chibueze to his house about four months ago and introduced her as his lover, said she later changed her mind on the relationship when she discovered the suspect was a kidnapper.

    He said: “The killer has visited my house. Sandra brought him when he was proposing marriage to her. She met him in Port Harcourt about four months ago. She said she was at a bus stop when the man approached her and that was how they started dating. He proposed marriage to her and asked her to resign from her job as an Optician at Madonna University, Elele.

    “When she told her parents, they were opposed to her resignation, saying that it was an unwise decision to take. Along the line, she discovered his secrets that he was a deadly kidnapper and criminal and said she was no longer interested in the relationship.

    “So, he felt that since we know his secrets, he is no longer safe. That is how the man started hunting us. He said he is going to kill everyone related to Sandra and now, he has taken seven lives in one day. It would have been nine if my daughter and Katherine did not survive the bullet. After killing Sandra, he took her phone and has been calling me with her phone number. Even the SMS he sent to me was through her phone number.

    “I have been devastated since this incident occurred. I have not even changed my dress or had my bath. I am even afraid to go to my house. After attacking my home, he went to my wife’s elder sister, Mrs. Ngozi Odia, where he killed Ngozi and three of her children. As it stands now, we are all scared. We need the government to come to our rescue.”

    Sympathisers have been trooping in to commiserate with Ozor, who has been given 24-hour protection by the police. A sympathiser, who pleaded anonymity, described the situation as unfortunate, adding: “The man is heartless. Why did he not face his girl-friend and leave others out? Why did he not leave the little children out of the issue? He won’t go unpunished.

    “I learnt that the police were also guarding her parents who are in Agbor, Delta State. My kinsman has spent nothing less than N200, 000 on hospital bills since this incident occurred. The states and the Federal Government should wade into this matter and get that criminal arrested.”

    At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), where the victims are receiving treatment, stern-looking policemen were seen on guard yesterday.

    Two vans were stationed there with policemen; others patrolled.

    Lagos State Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said yesterday that no arrest had been made in respect of the matter because investigations were still ongoing.