Edo State Government Discredits Deputy Governor's Assassination Attempt Story

Yesterday i reported on the assassination attempt on the live of the Edo state deputy Governor (Read here); but today the Edo state government has discredited the claim by the state's deputy governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, that there was an attempt to assassinate him at a political gathering in Auchi on Saturday April 30th. 

All hasn't been well between the state governor, Adams Oshiomole and his deputy after the latter declared his intention to run for governor of the state in September this year.

In a statement released yesterday May 1st, the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Kassim Afegbua, said the state government condemned the incident but is however not happy at the hasty conclusion that it was an assassination attempt.

According to Afegbua, investigations by the state government revealed that the gunshots fired at the gathering resulted from an internal disagreement in the deputy governor's campaign organization. It described as lousy the conclusion that it was carried out by some hired assassins.

Adams Oshiomhole’s Deputy Escapes Assassination Attempt

Gunmen on Saturday opened fire on the Edo State Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, and his entourage in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area of the state.

Accoring to Punch, a policeman, an operative of the Department of State Security and three other persons were injured during the attack and were taken to an undisclosed hospital.

Odubu had last Wednesday formally declared his intention to contest the September 10 gubernatorial election in the state under the All Progressives Congress amidst wide speculation that his decision did not go down well with Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

It was learnt that the former lawmaker had earlier been denied access to the party’s secretariat in Fugar, allegedly on the instruction of an official at the Government House.

Pastor On The Run After He Stabs Wife To Death in Edo, Nigeria

A Pastor identified as Henry Ojochunu Ekukpe is wanted for  allegedly stabbed his 29 year old wife to death in the presence of their six year-old baby, leaving a note containing ten questions he expected his late wife to answer.

 It was learnt that Henry who got married to Patience in 2014 has been having issues that forced the deceased out of his house months ago. The run away Pastor is said to Pastor in one of the branches of Mountain of Victory and Fire Deliverance Ministry in Benin City. 

Vanguard learnt that trouble started last Sunday when the Pastor invited the deceased for a dialogue under the guise that he wants her back to the house.

It was learnt that when the deceased came, the Pastor used a hidden knife to stab her in different parts of her body and escaped from the area. 

Edi Lawani Gets HRM, Oba Erediauwa Honors Him With Excellent Award

The bearded prolific producer extraordinaire and showbiz mogul was one of the recipients of the 2013 Oba Erediauwa Awards for Excellence. He no doubts was quite pleased with the attention accorded him.  More photos after the cut:

Governor Oshiomhole Employs Widow He Insulted - "Go & Die", Gives Her N2m

Days after apologizing to the widow he told to 'go and die', Gov Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has offered employment to the woman, now identified as Mrs Joy Ifije.

Aside from the job offer, Oshiomhole also gave the woman  N2million grant for her to get a shop and trade. The governor met with Mrs Ifije today at the Government House and offered her the job which is to join the State’s War Against Indiscipline in the campaign against street trading & to keep the state clean.

"When you put your things on the road a vehicle can run into you and they have killed some people like that and that was why I said if you are a widow do you want more people to be widowed? But when I said go and die, that one was said in a fit of anger. And I am really sorry”, Oshiomhole said.“I want you to join us. We would employ you and pay you salary. You would help us to campaign to other women not to trade on road sides. We should not use poverty as a yardstick.

Cult Groups in Edo State Unite To Fight Kidnapping, Robbery

SOME school-based cult groups in Edo State have come together in an alliance against the spate of kidnappings, armed robberies and other violent crimes in the state. The cult members, belonging to various fraternities in schools across the state converged at the Sand Beach Resorts, Benin, for a summit tagged “Interactive Peace Summit: Strategy for Social Cohesion.”

At the summit, the groups, which came together under the aegis of Rainbow Consolidated Forum said they were not satisfied with the spate of violent crimes and insecurity in the state and vowed to fight the situation. Some of the fraternities at the summit included the Green Circuit (a.k.a Maphites), Norsemen (aka Vikings), Black Axe, Eiye confraternity, Family Fraternity of Nigeria and Avarian Organization of Nigeria.

Torrential Rains Create Havoc in Benin, Ibadan

Several major roads and streets of Benin City, capital of Edo state in southern Nigeria were Monday flooded following a heavy down pour that lasted for over fifteen hours.

Homes were also flooded and scores of cars that attempted to wade through the water-logged roads were abandoned.

The rain which started at about 2 am and continued till about 6pm when this report was filed, paralysed all forms of business activities in some areas in the city, forcing many people to stayed indoors.

Teenage Stowaway’s Father Says - He Didn’t Abandon Daniel

Culled from Punch: Two weeks after his son flew from Benin City to Lagos in the wheel compartment of an aircraft belonging to Arik Air, Daniel Ohikhena’s father denies claims that he abandoned his family, writes JAMES AZANIA

His schoolmates at Ogbe Junior Secondary School in the Edo State capital know little about Daniel Ohikhena, the 13-year-old stowaway who flew from Benin City to Lagos in the wheel compartment of a plane belonging to Arik Air.

Shortly before his celebrated escapade, Daniel’s mother, Mrs. Evelyn Ohikhena, had withdrawn him from a private secondary school for want of money to pay his tuition fees. She had enrolled him in OJSS, which was about 500 metres from her residence.

Benin Airport Shut Over Tax Evasion By FAAN Staff

The Edo State Government, through its Inland Revenue Services, has shut  the Benin Airport, over evasion of taxes by airport workers.

However, in a shift reaction, the spokesperson, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Yakubu Dati, described the development as an ``invasion``.

Dati said this in a news release made available to aviation correspondents at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

``We learnt early this morning that some people belonging to the Edo State Inland Revenue Service shut the Benin Airport over what our staff described as non-payment of taxes.

 ``This is coming to us as a rude shock, because they could have explored all lines of dialogue, instead of just taking the laws into their hands.

 ``To close Benin Airport is not good for the security and safety of the airport environment, `` he said.

46 YEAR Old Cripple Says Women Love Me Because "HE" Satisfy Them "Sexually"

Pedro Ken Ogbebor, alias New Yorker is a 46 year-old cripple, residing by the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Benin City. He is one person that his disability had never hindered from embarking on any mission he sets his mind too. Although he has not been to America, his American accent gave him the name, New Yorker. Even as a cripple, he is popular and loved by many including women. Vanguard spoke with this father of three whose wife abandoned few months ago on why he is a fan of beautiful ladies despite his disability. This encounter was quite revealing:

Since your wife left, how have you been coping with women because I found out you have a lot of female friends and people also claim you use charms to seduce beautiful ladies?

The truth is that staying with women gives joy though some people view it differently. I feel good when I am with a woman. If you can satisfy a woman, you don’t have a problem. It is not all about money. Women like men who satisfy them. And I think I am good in that. I don’t have money to spend on a woman but I have my own way of satisfying them. Women always love me even though I am a cripple. They don’t care. Women love bold men, people who can protect them and not really money. More after the jump:

4 Feared Dead In University Of Benin Cult War

No fewer than four persons, including students of the University of Benin and commercial bus drivers have been killed and many others injured in a raging cult war that started last week in Benin. Sources said one of the injured identified as Snazzy, a 200 level Mathematics student, was shot in the neck inside the university main campus at Ugbowo during a biometric verification exercise.

He was later rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), where he is receiving treatment. Two others, whose identities could not be ascertained as at press time, were reportedly shot dead at an off-campus hostel of the university.

I Saw Death But God Didn’t Allow Me To Die – Woman Bathed With Acid By Ex-Lover

Paulina Oghenemere, the beautiful woman who men found irresistible was a shadow of her former self after she was discharged from University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, Benin City, two months ago. She spent a year in the acid victims’ ward. When Sunday Vanguard visited her home, she fumbled about her sitting room, unable to see, but eager to welcome the team. What came to mind was man’s inhumanity to man.

Today, Paulina, 38-year-old, an indigene of Kokori in Ethiope –East Local Government Area of Delta Statea divorcee and mother of two, needs a lifeline of N10 million to restore her dignity.

Survivor Tells His Story About The Fatal Benin-Lagos expressway Fire Accident

Two weeks ago, many families mourned, following the death of no fewer than 80 people, including 57 passengers of a commercial luxury bus, which collided with a fuel tanker in Ugbogui, on the Benin-Lagos expressway and burst into flames.

The victims were burnt beyond recognition and were given mass burial last week. However, today the family of Kenneth Chinedu Nwaokoro, a 24-year-old final year student of Information Technology of Caritas University, Enugu, who survived the accident, is rejoicing.

This lucky young man, from Imo State, was returning to Enugu to complete his final year project, after visiting his brother in Lagos. He is currently on admission at the Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu. Narrating what happened and how he survived, Nwaokoro told Saturday Sun: “When we left the park to embark on the journey, our bus was half filled; so the driver picked passengers along the road until the bus was filled, except for the seat beside me, which I did not allow anybody to occupy.

NIGERIA: Man, 73, stabs 27-year old to death

Edo State Police Command has arrested a 73-year-old man, Williams Uwadia, for allegedly using a kitchen knife to stab 27-year old Gabriel Aigbosuria to death.

The suspect, according to a police source, was arrested at the scene of crime shortly after the alleged murder, in Benin.