ONE: Accusations of extra-judicial killings in response to the Kano bombings have caused anger and more resentment towards Nigerian security forces. Local communities have reported disappearances of people they believe to be innocent, including a pregnant women.
TWO: Hamza al-Mustapha is going to be hanged for killing Kudirat Abiola in 1996. He has been in detention for over ten years, since 1999. al–Mustapha was a close aide to Sani Abacha, serving as Abacha’s security chief. He denied the charge.
THREE: Henry Okah, accused of being the mastermind behind the twin car bombings which killed 12 people during the 2010 independence day celebrations in Abuja will face trail in October to allow lawyers more time to prepare their arguments after a South African court ruling. Okah is a permanent resident in South Africa and is believed to have orchestrated the attack from there.
FOUR: Whether fact or fiction, a female suicide bomber was arrested in Abuja last weekend by staff of a private security firm. She is suspected to be a member of Boko Haram and attempted to attack the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) complex during work hours with explosives. There has been no word as to the evidence that identifies the woman as a suicide bomber except that she is a slim young lady who is fair in complexion from Alkaleri local government in Bauchi.
FIVE: Chinwendu Uwakaonyenma Ogbonnaya, the 29 year old Arik air stewardess who was caught with two kilos of cocaine at Heathrow airport on the 18th of December 2011 has been jailed for five and half years in the United Kingdom. Ms Ogbonnaya claimed that she had been given the bag with the false back behind which the cocaine was hidden by a friend and that she was unaware it contained drugs. Yet she later pleaded guilty to importing A class drugs into the United Kingdom during her trail.
SIX: For the past two weeks an offshore rig exploring oil and gas fields fire in the Niger Delta has been burning. The rig is owned by Chevron who deny that the fire is causing any environmental damage. According to Chevron two workers are missing and 152 others have been found. They are yet to say what caused the fire though the Nigerian government believes it to be caused from gas pressure from drilling.
SEVEN: The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) are back and they are threatening to attack South African companies with investments in Nigeria, in particular MTN and SacOil. They have claimed that President Jacob Zuma is interfering with their fight or justice in the Niger Delta.
EIGHT: A Boko Haram leader was arrested on Wednesday morning in Kaduna, however there seems to be some confusion with regards to his identity. While security officials claimed that they had captured Boko Haram spokesman Abul Qaqa, Boko Haram revealed that the captured man was actually their ‘head of enlightenment’ Abu Dardaa.
NINE: 400 children have died in parts of Northern Nigeria due to lead poisoning. Thousands are also affected in what is now being referred to as the worst lead poisoning epidemic in modern history. The poisoning is said to have been caused by illegal gold mining in villages in northern Zamfara. There has been no clean-up in several areas and children are still waiting for treatment.
