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  • Siasia’s 80-year-old mum: My ordeal in kidnappers’ den

    She wept like a baby, tears rolling down freely from her eyes before a battery of television cameras and a horde of reporters.

    The 80 years old grandmother was reliving her 75 days experience in the custody of her abductors, who freed her on Sunday.

    “It was terrible,” she said asking: “Why do they like to kidnap me?”

    Madam Beauty Uguoere Siasia inadvertently answered the question, saying, “They said my son is a millionaire.”

    The abductors of the mother of former Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia are  ready to make money from what has become a lucrative business —kidnapping for ransom.

    It was the second time she was being kidnapped. The first time in November 2015, she was released after 12 days in captivity. Perhaps, those who did it then made a haul and returned or it is a new team seeking new avenue.

    Read Also: Siasia’s mother’s 59 days in captivity

    Around 2a.m on July 19, some armed men stormed her home in Odoni, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

    They took her away.  They demanded ransom which her son did not have.

    Siasia is one of Nigeria’s most successful footballers and coach.

    As a striker, he scored some of the most memorable goals for the country as a member of the golden generation of the national team that represented the country in its maiden appearance at the FIFA World Cup, USA 1994.

    Siasia scored Nigeria’s goal against Diego Maradona-led Argentina team in the group stage. After retirement, he went into coaching, taking the Under-23 team to enviable heights before he was upgraded as coach of the Super Eagles.

    Madam Siasia said after whisking her away to an unknown place, her assailants fed her with garri and bought drugs for her.

    Admitting that they “took care” of her by not beating her and sometimes preparing soup for everybody in their camp to eat

    She said: “I was in my house when they came to kidnap me. They took me to their place. They took care of me. I was sick and they bought me drugs. They cooked and gave to me. They didn’t beat me. There were days that there was no food. Those days they drank garri and gave me garri to drink as well.

    ”Sometimes, they cooked soup, prepared garri and we ate. But on Sunday, they told me we had stayed for too long and they were tired of our problem. They carried us on a flying boat and dropped us in a village. I don’t know the name of the village.

    ”They carried us to their chairman’s place. I don’t know the man. But they called him Seifa. As I am talking to you, I am not well. Before they took me, I was ill. I wanted to go to the hospital”.

    On the type of house where she was kept, Madam Siasia said: They put us in a small house and use tarpaulin to cover the top.”

    But another victim who was abducted when he took some undisclosed amount of money to the kidnappers, was not lucky. He had a raw deal in the hands of the abductors.

    According to him, on getting to where they directed him, gunmen surrounded his boat, blindfolded him and took him away.

    He recollected: “Where they kept us was very bad. I didn’t see anything there and I didn’t recognise anybody because before I got to the place, they blindfolded me.

    ”But the place was rough. We slept on benches. There was no foam. At times, they fed us with garri and beans. We used oil to eat garri. Sometimes, they cooked yellow soup and any how they cooked it you will eat because you want to live.

    ”I was in a critical condition. They were fond of beating me, maybe, because I am a man. They would beat me morning, afternoon and night. They would tie me before I sleep. Even if mosquitoes were biting me, I couldn’t chase them away.

    They kept four people to guide me. I suffered a lot”.

    Yesterday, Bayelsa State Police Commissioner Uche Anozia visited Madam Siasia at her residence. Police spokesman Asimni Buswait said:  ”The police command wishes to inform the general public that Mrs Beauty Siasia, who was kidnapped on 15 July, has been released in the early hours of Sunday, Sept. 29,” the statement said.

    The statement added that the victim was in a stable condition and had volunteered useful information that would assist the police in their investigation.

  • #BBNaija: Eight things to know about Diane

    Dear #BBNaija fans, here are the eight basic things you need to know about Diane, one of Housemates who got evicted from the #BBNaija 2019 Pepper Dem edition on Monday, September 30.

    * Her full name is Precious “Diane” Russet Yunana Yashim 

    * Diane who is aged 23 was one of the youngest housemates in the Big Brother Naija season 4.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Diane evicted from #BBNaija

    * She was born on the 28th of February 1996.

    * She is a model and enjoys travelling alot.

    * She is also an aspiring TV host/presenter, Face of Hoxy model, actor, influencer chief chef at Russets Kitchen

    * Her father is from Kaduna state while her mother from the Yoruba tribe.  Her late father was a chairman of Kaduna South Local Government Area.

    * She attended Command Secondary school Kaduna.

    * She is a graduate of University of Debrecen in Hungary

  • EPL: Arsenal hold Man. United at Old Trafford

    Manchester United and Arsenal played out a grim stalemate at Old Trafford that provided compelling evidence to illustrate just how far away from a Premier League challenge both clubs are.

    In a disappointing encounter that was a pale shadow of their mighty clashes of years gone by, Scott McTominay gave Manchester United the lead at the end of an attritional first-half with a rising drive from the edge of the area.

    Arsenal equalized just before the hour courtesy of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s cool finish. It was originally ruled out for offside but the video assistant referee confirmed the striker had been played onside by Harry Maguire.

    Read Also: Kanu blasts Arsenal over Iwobi sale

    Goalkeeper Bernd Leno excelled for Arsenal with fine saves from Maguire and Marcus Rashford’s late free-kick, while Bukayo Saka’s goalbound shot crucially struck Victor Lindelof and flew over the top.

    McTominay also headed a great chance well over from Ashley Young’s corner but neither side could force a winner.

    The result takes Arsenal into the top four but Manchester United are now down in 10th after an outcome that means they have made their worst start after seven games in 30 years, failing to reach double figures for the first time since 1989-90, a season in which they finished 13th.

    BBCSports

  • BREAKING: Diane evicted from #BBNaija

    Diane has been evicted from 2019 Big Brother Naija house

    Diane on Monday joined the rest of the contestants that has lost the bid for the N60 million grand prize, leaving the show’s finalist to be Mercy, Mike, Omashola, Seyi and Frodd.

    Read Also: #BBNaija: Eight things to know about Diane

    Until her exit from the house, Diane, has been lucky to not be up for eviction too many times in the Big Brother Naija house.

    Her best friend, mercy was seen in a sober mood as she broke down down uncontrollably.

    The BBNaija ‘Pepper Dem’ season is at fever pitch with only 5 housemates left in the competition.

    Details shortly.

  • Wamakko to Nigerians: Join hands with Buhari for the Next Level

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Defence and Deputy Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption,  Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko,  has appealed to Nigerians, to join hands with President Muhammadu Buhari,  to move Nigeria to the Next Level of prosperity.

    The remark  is coming from Wamakko as the nation marks its 59th independence anniversary.

    Read Also: Buhari denounces Kaduna school of torture

    The lawmaker who represents Sokoto North Senatorial District in a statement on Monday night by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Bashir Rabe Mani  said all well-meaning citizens of the country owe it a duty to the nation,  to render the necessary support, with a view to ensuring the existence of a Nigeria, commensurate to the dreams of all .

    According to him, “the President is making commendable and plausible efforts to take Nigeria to greater heights.”

     

     

  • Nigeria should be beacon of hope, democracy, freedom – Atiku

    The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said that Nigeria should be the beacon of hope, democracy and freedom, not only to the African continent but to the black Diaspora all over the world.

    In a statement released via his official twitter page, to commemorate Nigeria’s 59th independence, he said Nigeria belongs to all and Nigerians have a role to play in making the nation great.

    He said: “You see, when we put Nigeria first, we not only revive the Nigerian Dream, we also revive unity & faith, peace & progress, which were the ideals our founding fathers had in mind when they came together to put forward this new & independent nation 59 years ago on October 1, 1960”.

    Atiku, however, lamented the issues plaguing the nation, saying that “all is not well”.

    He berated the attack on the judiciary, level of extreme poverty in the country, clampdown on freedom of the press and other issues.

    Read Also: Atiku: Any enquiry into God’s work?

    He said rather than calling for prayers, he charged all Nigerians to believe in the betterment of the nation.

    He said: “So, rather than just call for prayers today, I am calling on all Nigerians to believe in Nigeria’s betterment, to work for Nigeria’s betterment, and to insist that no one in Nigeria, no matter how highly placed, shall be bigger than the laws of our land.

    “We all have a duty to support and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And this we must do, so help us God,” he added

  • UPDATED: Diane evicted from #BBNaija

    Housemate, Diane has been evicted from the Big Bother Naija reality show, leaving Mercy as the last woman standing in the race to win the N60 million cash prize.

    With her eviction, the five remaining housemates, Frodd, Mercy, Mike, Omashola and Seyi made it to the final, with one of them expected to win the coveted prize.

    Tonight’s Pepper Dem twist saw Diane leaving the House after being randomly picked out from an unlucky draw.

    The Task of picking Diane to leave was performed by Frodd as the second and final part of the privilege of his Ultimate Veto Power.

    The choice wasn’t entirely in his hands as he had to randomly pick from a magic hat.

    To get the ball rolling, the Housemates were asked to fetch all their remaining Bet9ja Coins, including the big gold Bet9ja Coin they were each given four weeks ago.

    The Housemates were asked to drop all their Bet9ja Coins in the magic hat except the big gold ones.

    Their ordinary Bet9ja coins had become redundant at this point. It was a good thing some of them spent theirs when they did.

    Read Also: #BBNaija: Eight things to know about Diane

    After yesterday’s eviction that saw Ike and Elozonam leaving, the Pepper Dem Gang were left with six Housemates and the finale only had slots for five so someone had to leave.

    But before the process started, a few of the Pepper Dem Gang were assured of their presence in the Finale.

    Seyi, by virtue of winning the Head of House the previous week, secured a spot for himself in the Finale.

    The immunity Mercy bought got her sitting pretty in the finale.

    Mike’s public save during the Live Eviction Show guaranteed him a spot in the Finale.

    Diane and Omashola were the only two left without a guarantee so the decision had to be made between the two of them on who will bid the House goodbye.

    Diane and Omashola wrote their names on their gold Bet9ja coins and dropped it in a magic hat with the rest of the coins leaving Frodd with the final Ultimate Veto job of picking which Housemate to go home through an unlucky draw.

    It was a tense moment in the House as Frodd reached into the sac picking again and again till he eventually picked Diane.

    This makes Diane the 21st Housemate to leave the Pepper Dem House leaving the lucky five certain for the finale.

  • Nigeria at 59: Let’s rebuild our nation — Okowa

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has called on citizens to eschew divisions and unite to rebuild the nation as the nation marks its 59th independence anniversary.

    The governor made the call in a goodwill message to Nigerians on the anniversary as conveyed in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Olisa Ifeajika on Monday in Asaba.

    He said there was need for all Nigerians to shun primordial sentiments of ethnicity, religion and all forms of sectionalism, and collaborate to rebuild a nation where peace, justice and economic growth would reign.

    He said that the people had suffered avoidable hardship because of lack of commitment on the part of leaders and called for a greater commitment toward nation-building.

    He said Nigerians should engage in more constructive and patriotic citizen-participation in governance, adding that the country was grappling with the inability to realise the dreams of its founding fathers, who fought for its independence.

    According to him, citizens have failed to change the narratives by allowing sentiments to determine their choice of leaders and what national interest should entail.

    He also charged leaders to be more committed to the cause of nation-building and shun corruption, ethnicity, religious and regional considerations in taking critical decisions affecting the nation.

    The governor thanked Delta people for living in peace in spite of the states’ multi-ethnic configuration, assuring that his administration would continue to work hard to provide solutions to issues plaguing them.

    “On behalf of Government and the people of Delta, I congratulate Nigerians on the occasion of the 2019 Independence celebration.

    Read Also: Kidnappers free Okowa’s sister-in-law

    “As a people, we have enjoyed democratic governance in the last 20 years, but we have not fully harnessed the gains of democracy.

    “It is appalling that after 20 years of democracy in Nigeria, we are still faced with same challenges of corruption, insecurity and infrastructure deficits as a nation.

    “I urge all Nigerians to use the occasion of the 59th Independence Anniversary to redefine what should constitute national interest, and unite and rally to achieve that dream.

    “Let us only support and elect leaders with competence and capacity to realise the dream of rebuilding and uniting the nation.

    “As a people, we must take interest in politics and ensure that our choice of leaders is devoid of religious, ethnic and geo-political considerations, and it should permeate all levels.

    “I urge leaders at all levels to re-dedicate themselves to the ideals of politics and good governance to ensure that they deliver a better nation to our people,’’ he said.

    Okowa added that “at this point, let me thank all Deltans, especially the people of the oil-producing communities, for giving peace a chance which has culminated in uninterrupted oil production in our state.

    “Let me reassure you all that as a government, we will continue to proffer solutions to address challenges in all sectors of our state’s economy.”

    NAN

  • Youths beat up pastor for flouting community’s order

    General Overseer of the City of God Rest Ministry, Pastor Destiny Eguavoen, was on Sunday beaten up by youths of Urora community in Edo state for flouting the community’s order to stop church service before 8am.

    Chief Priest of the community, Chief Ugiagbe Aiwaguore, Ohen Ugbodeyaen of Urora, had ordered owners of shops in the community and residents to stay indoors for the celebration of the annual Ikpoleki festival.

    All churches were asked to end their Sunday service before 8am.

    Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Bishop Oyenude Kure, kicked against the order saying it violated the freedom of worship as enshrined in the Nigeria Constitution.

    Bishop Kure asked churches in Urora to go about their normal church service on Sunday.

    He said the restriction on movement was unacceptable to the church as the body of Christ.

    Read Also; BEDC begins costumers’ metering

    It was gathered that youths of the community moved from street to street to ensure compliance as shops were closed and some churches hurriedly ended their service while other refused to open for business.

    Many residents in the community were indoors.

    At the City of God Rest Ministry, the youths were peeved that the Pastor was still preaching as at 9am and they disrupted the service.

    Members of the church scampered for safety as the youths used chairs to beat anybody in sight.

    Speaking to our reporter on phone, Pastor Eguavoen said he was badly injured during the attack.

    Pastor Eguavoen who said he was at the police headquarters said the leadership of CAN has promised to take over the matter.

    According to him, “We were in the church and I saw a man standing in the front pointing at me. It was few minutes past nine. I told my members to concentrate for me to round up service but the youths stormed in and started beating us.

    “They said we did not comply with their directive. They told us to open church between 6am and 8am but we Pastors met and said Sunday’s is a day of our worship and there is no way they can stop us.”

    Spokesman for the community, Sunday Osagiede, said they gave churches time within which to open service on the day of the Ikpoleki festival.

    The Chief Priest said all the Pastors agreed to hold service between 8am and 9am.

    Police spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwabuzor, said the matter was being investigated.

  • Nigeria @59: We’ll always provide quality representation – Senate

    The Senate Monday congratulated all Nigerian compatriots, both home and in the diaspora, on the occasion of the nation’s 59th Independence Anniversary.

    The Senate in a statement by the Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adedayo Adeyeye, said it would always provide quality representation and legislation that would enhance the living standard of Nigerians.

    The statement reads in part: “Though there are challenges facing us as a nation, we are strengthened and hopeful in our collective resolve and spirit of brotherhood as Nigerians that all said, Nigeria shall be great.

    “And as true people’s representatives, we stand by all actions necessary and sufficient to realise this greatness.

    Read Also: ‘Reps will ensure accountability in security spending’

    “The 9th Senate, an indispensable stakeholder in our country’s blossoming democracy reaffirms once again, her total commitment to always provide quality representation and legislation that will enhance living standard for our people.

    “We shall partner with the Executive, Judiciary, Civil Society Organisations /NGOs, the Media and every relevant stakeholder in the Nigerian project to find lasting solution to the challenges that we currently face as a nation. Happy 59th Independence Anniversary Nigerians.”