Good Morning - Things You Need To Know This Friday!

-Nigerian Army and local hunters, Wednesday night recaptured Mubi from the hands of the Boko Haram insurgents. Report further says five Nigerian Armoured Personnel Carriers earlier seized by the Islamists were recovered after the town was recaptured.

-The Nigerian Senate has summoned Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, Major Gen. Kenneth Minimah to its session to explain the continuous capturing of the territories by Islamist Boko Haram militants.

 -Some members of the House of Representatives under the platform of the APC have said that the choice of Tambuwal as the 2015 presidential candidate would be the best for the party. Report further revealed that the nomination and expression of interest forms of the Speaker was actually bought by the members agitating for him.

- The Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Thursday said that Nigeria would this month start to feel the impact of the falling oil prices that started since June. She said that as a result, the country was expected to brace for tougher times ahead by reviewing its expenditures and building economic buffers through budgets that would be based on modest oil prices.

- The United States has insisted that it was not ready to sell fighter helicopter to Nigeria considering its concern over the ability of the Nigerian Military to use the helicopter effectively. State Department spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, disclosed on Wednesday.

- Report says the House of Representatives has not received yet any detailed breakdown of the $1bn loan the National Assembly approved for President Goodluck Jonathan last July for the procurement of military hardware and the training of members of the armed forces to beef up the war against Boko Haram insurgents.

- The All Progressives Congress has again challenged the Federal Government to expose and prosecute sponsors of the Boko Haram Sect since it says it knows the sponsors. The National Chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun, had challenged the PDP at a press briefing on the state of the nation in Abuja on Thursday to do so and on time.

-Commercial banks in Akure, the ondo state capital closed abruptly on Thursday when information filtered in that some armed robbers were in the town to invade some banks.

- Police in Onitsha are currently interrogation an unnamed man for allegedly killing a pregnant woman in what is believed to be a marathon sex. Report alleged that the man took the woman to a hotel in the commercial city only for the woman to die after a marathon sex. Report says the woman was 7-month pregnant.

-The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, are holding a joint emergency meeting on Monday to conclude on its planned strike action. The unions had threatened that they would embark on a strike action if the management of Total Exploration and Production, TOTAL E&P does not recall sacked members of the unions within 14 days.

--Hon Sani Ribadu, the younger brother of former EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu has been freed by his captors.Ribadu was freed five days after he was whisked away by unknown gunmen from his farm in Adamawa State.It was gathered that he was released unhurt.

-A 55-year-old resident of 5, Osunnike Street, Alakuko, a Lagos suburb, Kazeem Busari, has prayed the Alakuko Customary Court to dissolve his 13-year-old marriage with his wife, Rasheedat, because “she is troublesome”.

He also alleged that she constantly fought him over trivial issues.Busari, a plumber, said: “I married her solely because my first wife died and I felt my daughter needed motherly love. But since we got married, I have not known peace.

“She enjoys attacking me and my children. I have never gone on a successful business trip because I always receive distress calls from home.

“It is more than a year since I stopped sleeping with her because of her incessant fights. I have informed her relations about her behaviour. Since she can’t stand the sight of my children, I don’t want her anymore.”

However, Rasheedat, 42, told the court: “My husband barred me from working when we got married. His children virtually complain about everything I do in the house.”

“Even when I tend to correct my step-daughter, she wouldn’t listen. In fact, the last time I sent her on an errand, she slapped me. His children are mean.

“They regard me as a slave, not their father’s wife. I also don’t want the marriage anymore because of his children.”

The marriage, which was sealed under the Native and Customary Law, is blessed with a one-year-old child, Lateef.The court’s President, Chief Awos Awosola, ordered the parties to maintain peace and be law-abiding.He adjourned the case till November 27 for further hearing. - Dailypost reportage.

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Okada rider rapes 14-year-old tuberculosis patient in Lagos

A 35-year-old man, Andrew Ekanem, has been arrested by the police for allegedly raping his neighbour’s daughter in the Bariga area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the 14-year-old victim was still undergoing a six-month treatment for tuberculosis when she was attacked by the suspect on Monday morning.

Our correspondent was told that the victim was the first of four children.

The mother of the victim, Mrs. Adenike Aderinkomi, a trader, told our correspondent at their house on Akilo Street that her daughter went to ease herself in the early hours of the morning when she was cornered by the Cross River State indigene.

She claimed the suspect penetrated her daughter through the anus and vagina.

She said, “It was around 2am on Monday when my daughter woke up and said she wanted to go and ease herself.

“I was having my quiet time and didn’t know when I slept off. I woke up about 15 minutes later and didn’t see her in the room.

“I woke her father up and he said he didn’t know her whereabouts. We both became anxious and went outside to search for her.

“Another neighbour also joined us in the search.”

She said she was shouting her daughter’s name in the backyard, but did not get any response.

Aderinkomi said about 10 minutes later, her husband saw their daughter coming out of Ekanem’s room.

Our correspondent learnt people overwhelmed her with a barrage of questions, but the Primary six pupil insisted she went to ease herself.

Her mother said she pulled her away from the growing crowd of neighbours and pressed her to talk.

“My daughter became afraid. She then told me that while she was on her way to ease herself, Ekanem grabbed her and took her inside his room to sleep with her. She said while I was shouting her name, he covered her mouth.

“People seized him and wanted to beat him up. But I had to quickly report the matter to the police very early in the morning so people would not take the law into their hands,” she said.

Aderinkomi said she was surprised because when her daughter fell critically ill in February, last year, Ekanem assisted her family in taking her to Calabar, the Cross River State capital, for traditional treatment.

PUNCH Metro learnt that after the alleged rape, the victim was taken to the Gbagada General Hospital for testing and treatment.

A medical report, which was sighted by our correspondent, revealed that the victim sustained bruises in her private parts.

The paper, signed by one Dr. Ojekunle of the hospital, stated, “The child was caught with a neighbour around 2am today. She confessed that the neighbour called her on her way to ease herself and forced her and had sex with her.

“She sustained bruises in her anus and vagina (as a result of) sexual assault.”

Our correspondent was told that the victim had been taken to an undisclosed orthodox church for “prayers and deliverance”.

A carpenter, Tunde Hassan, who lives in the house where the incident happened, expressed surprise, saying nobody imagined Ekanem could do such a thing.

Hassan said, “Up till now, I cannot comprehend what happened. The man was a gentle man and he never fought or made trouble with anybody.

“But at the same time, people should learn to forgive when things like this happen, because you never can tell. Somebody that was bad to you today can be good to you tomorrow.”

It was learnt that the suspect was arrested by policemen from the Bariga Police Division.

A police source told our correspondent that investigation revealed the suspect was fond of the act and usually induced his victims with money.

He said, “That was not his first time of doing such a thing. This particular girl, he had slept with her about three times. He was always giving her money ranging from N200 to N500.

“But this time, he was caught red-handed and that was why the girl’s parents are insisting on taking him to court. When he was queried, he didn’t give any reason for his behaviour. He’s just fond of sleeping with little girls.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect had been taken to court.- Punch reportage.