Looks like Timaya just acquired a new home

He posted the pic above of that lovely house and wrote that below....

Two Germans killed in Nigeria

Two Germans killed in Nigeria

Two German Nationals have been shot dead in Nigeria. According to German newspaper, Ostsee Zeitung, the two nationals, both male aged 34 and 20 were working as engineers at Julius Berger and were shot dead last Saturday December 27th while riding on a motorbike in Abuja.

Confirming the incident to AFP, a foreign affairs official said “Unfortunately we can confirm that two German nationals were killed in Nigeria last weekend".

Soldiers Clear Boko Haram Forest Base: Capture Foreign Agent

Despite their limitations, Nigeria's security forces are getting on top of their game in the fight against the blood sucking Boko Haram sect. A group of gallant soldiers have recorded a major breakthrough. More photos...

 A statement by the Military authorities reads:
“Troops have cleared and taken over Balmo forest in a military operation that lasted throughout the weekend. Prior to the operation, Balmo forest stretching from Bauchi through Jigawa States with links to the fringes of Sambisa forest was used by terrorists as bases and hideouts for launching attacks.

“Terrorists and armed gangs operating in the forests were completely rooted out while some were captured during the operation. Among those captured were two foreigners who are suspected to be mercenaries. Also captured are several weapons and equipment including power generating sets, communication equipment, vehicles, motorcycles, foodstuff and kitchen utensils.

“In another development, over 44 terrorists have died in Kerenoa and adjoining communities, following an encounter with troops who repelled their attack on the communities. Armed with IEDs and other high caliber weapons, a large number of terrorists had carried out a predawn attack on the communities but met with stiff resistance of the troops. During the operation, several of them were captured as well as weapons and ammunitions of various calibre.

“Meanwhile, troops on routine patrol around Banki and Miyanti in Borno State during the weekend fought through an ambush laid by terrorists resulting in casualties on both sides. Altogether, a total of 6 soldiers were lost in the various encounters with terrorists during the weekend while those wounded are receiving treatment.

Chris Olukolade
Major General
Director, Defence Information

Vice Principal Caught Doing It In His Office with Female Student

The Vice-Principal of a government school, 57-year-old Taiwo Ajayi, has been caught defiling a 12-year-old student of the school. He was caught by one of the staff in the school, Mr Victor Babayemi.

He reported the matter after suspecting the movement of the young girl inside the vice principal’s office.

“The witness became apprehensive when the student, after spending a considerable time in the VP’s office, did not come out. The witness went near the door and discovered it was bolted from behind, she knocked and the movements, sounds and subsequent demeanor of both the suspect and the victim gave them away.”

According to a police statement in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Mr. Ajayi was said to have allegedly committed the offence inside his office at Saint Mary’s Girls Grammar School, Ikole Ekiti.

The state police image maker said investigation revealed that the randy vice-principal had a similar case in the past which was not reported and added that the young girl also admitted that the man had carnal knowledge of her on the table inside his office.

“The report of a medical examination confirmed that the young girls’s hymen is not intact,” the staff who caught them in the act said.

“With the evidence against him, he will soon be arraigned in court for defilement,” according to the police but Mr Ajayi is however denying the allegation. He said "I didn't do anything o!"

PSquare's Brother Jude Okoye Set To Wed Ifeoma This Month

Jude Okoye and his beautiful fiancée Ifeoma Umeokeke, who was the MBGN Tourism 2012, got engaged on April 24th and will have their traditional wedding on July 17th in Anambra state. Check out the love birds...

We wish them a fruitful journey!

"Some of the Chibok girls are being raped and shot at on camera" - Nigerian senator claims

Senator Ahmed Zanna, who represents Borno Central in the Senate, was a guest on Sahara TV a while back where he made shocking revelations about the missing Chibok girls. He said over 500 women, including the Chibok girls, have so far been abducted and some of the girls have been raped and shot at on camera. What he said below...

"Actually the information I am getting, some of them are very disturbing. Although I don't want to mention but they are just raping the girls you know in camera and even showing them on video, releasing it to the public. You know somebody told me that they are being raped and in turn, it is the girl who was raped that came down and was seen kneeling down, begging the man to be patient. Do you know the reason why?....

They say when they rape them, they shoot them so therefore the girl after been raped, she curled down to the man, kneeling down and begging him to please be patient. Continue..

So disturbing. Although I didn't see the video, but the person who narrated to me said he had the video and he was narrating to me, look at the situation and then the other scenario is that the Boko Haram are now out of fund, they are not getting enough food, so they are going from one village to another, taking the little the villagers have and going away and infact most of the villagers are now out and have moved out of their villages and have moved to cities and gone into neighboring countries. So more or less they don't have any chance of getting food so I don't know what they are going to do if food is not available. Are they going to sacrifice to give it to the girls? And then the other information I have is because you know the kidnap is a continuous process which they have been doing before the 200 and after the 200. So in their possession there are up to 500 or over 500 women who are been taken from the streets, on the main roads where they are traveling or go to the villages and collect them or you know all kinds of abductions"

National Conference Approves Creation Of 18 New States

Many surprises are coming from the National Conference holding in Abuja. The Confab on Thursday took a bold and unprecedented step under a democratic dispensation when it approved 18 requests, in principle, for state creation across the country as a way of meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the people. It has also put to rest decades of agitations by promoters of new states.

The resolution was among others adopted by delegates at plenary while considering the report of the Standing Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government, which was subjected to robust debates.

The approved requests, subject to the amendment of the constitution, were proposed by the committee and they are:

Apa State from the present Benue, Kainji from Niger State, Katagum from Bauchi State, Savannah State from Borno, Amana from Adamawa, Ghari from Kano, Gurara from Kaduna, Etiti State from the South-East zone, Aba from Abia, Adada from Enugu, Njaba/Anim from both Anambra and Imo States, Ogoja from Cross River, Anioma from Delta, Ijebu from Ogun, New Oyo from the present Oyo State and unnamed others.

Henceforth, it has been resolved that state creation should be on the basis of parity between the geo-political zones to ensure equality of zones.

Power Rotation gets legal backing
Meanwhile, delegates have also resolved that henceforth the office of the President of Nigeria shall rotate between the North and South divide and simultaneously revolve among the six geo-political zones of the country.

This resolution applies to the office of the state governors, which shall be rotated among the three senatorial districts of each state while that of the local government chairmen shall be rotated within the local government areas.

The Committee, among others, had examined Nigeria’s attendant political challenges and the need to lay a solid foundation for an all-inclusive and cost-effective system of government which would serve the best interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.

Whenever the President dies in office, is incapacitated, is impeached or resigns, Conference agreed that the Vice President shall take over the position in acting capacity for a period of 90 days during which an election to the office would be conducted in order to allow for each geopolitical zone to run the full course of the constitutionally allowed tenure without undue disruption.

Delegates also agreed that based on the adopted zoning formula, whenever a president leaves under any of the circumstances mentioned above, another president would be elected from the same zone where the previous one came from.

Conference also voted in support of the recommended Modified Presidential System of Government, which is seen as home-made model of government that combines the attributes of Parliamentary and Presidential systems.

New Presidential powers
A President elected under this new system shall exercise full responsibility for his government and shall select not more than 18 ministers from the six geo-political zones of the country.

It was agreed that henceforth, the Minister of Finance and no longer the President as presently obtained, would present the annual budget estimates to the National Assembly.

Conference also voted to retain the existing bicameral legislature instead of the unicameral proposed by the committee.

Referendum coming
As the conference is about to finish its business in two weeks’ time, delegates have resolved on the need for modalities for the entrenchment of referendum in the Constitution in order to decide the outcome of the confab.

BOKO HARAM STORIES

We are living in desperate times now and it’s becoming clear as the days go by that the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan’s burning ambition to be re-elected would come at all cost even with the blood of Nigerians. The recent bomb explosion in Ife, Osun state has all but exposed the hands of the PDP and shown that Boko Haram is of three types - There is the religious Boko Haram led by Abubakar Shekau which all know, there is the criminal minded ones and there is the political Boko Haram which in the run-up to the 2015 elections everyone would find out is the militant wing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In my article some months back on Boko Haram I mentioned the three forms of the terrorist group including the political one. I gave the example of Kano during the 2012 fuel subsidy protest and reminded Nigerians of the church worshippers who were killed according to eyewitness account with semi-automatic rifles, the type issued to government secret service agents, that together with other incidences including the Boko Haram suspects that were arrested in an abandoned Bayelsa state government building in Ijora-Lagos state, plus the bombing in Ife penultimate Tuesday shows for a fact Boko Haram has a political arm used by faces in this present government to terrorise Nigerians.

The PDP has set the stage for its tactics ahead of the elections in 2015 and it is simple - bomb parts of Nigeria and indeed Nigerians and place the blame on the door of the opposition APC. Men like Femi Fani-Kayode are being used to attack them in the press and various online media as sponsors of terror. Isn’t it queer that days after Fani-Kayode accused the APC without proof of having a militant terror wing and an evil character in Musiliu Obanikoro accusing Bola Tinubu and his friends as starting Boko Haram that suddenly Ile-Ife was bombed? Coincidentally, the crown witness in Fani-Kayode’s EFCC corruption case was nowhere to be found when the trial resumed last week, an obvious step towards throwing out the case by the judge for lack of diligent prosecution as scripted by the Presidency and the PDP in exchange for his recruited job of blackmailing the APC and its leaders.

The same Fani-Kayode who has no...

Known Political constituency and has never won an election as a politician is the one castigating the APC and pontificating for the people of the South-West and indeed Nigerians. He defected to the APC and called the PDP all sorts of names but came back to the same PDP and now he is calling the APC all sorts of name too.

A man who called President Barack Obama of the US the Antichrist prior to his re-election in 2012. In a sane and civil society such a man would not be taken seriously and would have been forced to have himself checked to prove his mental sanity but in Nigeria such people bestride our airwaves feeding us with garbage. Obanikoro on his part I wouldn’t blame too much, I lay all the blame on Tinubu’s shoulders. Tinubu it was in 1999 who brought back such dubious anti-democratic element from exile in the US claiming he wanted technocrats and ‘sons of the soil’ in his government.

Tinubu did this against all the advice of Lagosians then who cited how Obanikoro burnt down the ancient landmark City Hall building in Lagos during the Sani Abacha regime when he was the chairman of Lagos Island Local Government and a popular campaigner for Abacha’s life presidency at a time Tinubu was in exile fighting for democracy with NADECO. He didn’t listen and rehabilitated Obanikoro politically, going on to make him a senator in 2003 under the Alliance for Democracy (AD) banner and today his fingers are being burnt with those decisions. Of all the so called technocrats Tinubu brought into government, its ‘non-technocrats’ like Babatunde Fashola and Rauf Aregbesola that are still standing strong by him today. Most of the rest have since bitten the fingers that fed them. I lay the blame on Tinubu for not identifying and even up till now talents amongst the die-hard party supporters who have stood with the party from AD, AC, ACN and now APC and are the foot soldiers who have the grass-root appeal but I believe things are changing now.

An Obanikoro who after leaving the AD for the PDP did not win its governorship primaries in 2007 losing out clearly to Hilda Williams (the widow of the late Funsho Williams) but the ticket was still given to him by Bode George and then PDP chairman Ahmadu Ali. His campaign in 2007 proved to be the most violent in the history of Lagos state perhaps in the entire South-West. Every single campaign he held from Idumota to Ojota to Ikeja, at least five AC supporters and innocent bystanders were killed in hails of bullets. It was the darkest time I ever witnessed in the history of Lagos state not even Abacha’s regime was that terrifying in the state. It was so bad, Lagosians were asking themselves if Obanikoro’s thugs kill everyone, who would be left to vote for him on election day? Not surprisingly he lost the election by a handsome margin. Now, that same terror template is being imported into the West ahead of the elections in Osun state on August 9th and the elections in 2015.

In the lead up to the elections in Osun state, Ile-Ife (where PDP candidate Iyiola Omisore hails from) has been bombed and obviously it would be pinned on APC by the likes of Omisore, Obanikoro and Fani-Kayode. The plan is to get Omisore interacting with the masses eating pop-corn and climbing iron horses (okada) and claiming to the popular with people, then the political Boko Haram, the militant wing of the PDP would be bombing parts of Osun state including Ife and claim its the APC doing it because they are jittery of him winning like Fayose did in Ekiti state and they are trying to stop him campaigning especially in Ife where he hails from.

Its the same template they would use across the whole South-West so as to win sympathy for President Jonathan and claim the APC are the demons who have prevented him from performing and that is where I worry. The real Boko Haram promised to bring their campaign of terror to the South particularly our oil refineries and oil installations in Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta state but definitely not Ife. Everyone remembers Akure prison was attacked by people suspected to be Boko Haram but it was to release their members jailed there, but they have no reason to bomb Ile-Ife. Lagos state naturally is a target for any terror organisation as its the commercial nerve of the country but the state government has done well so far to limit attacks there through prompt intelligence operations and arrest of suspected extremists and aliens including the ones arrested in the Bayelsa state government lodge in Ijora but to bomb Ile-Ife is far-fetched for the real terrorists as it gives them no political mileage. The APC governor in Osun state, Aregbesola, cannot bomb his state as that would be senseless. The bombers were clearly the militant wing of the PDP, the political Boko Haram who would soak the feet of Jonathan in blood so as to get re-elected.

The signs are as clear as daylight, and places where they feel they would struggle for votes like in the South-West would be the epicentre of bombing campaigns. Expect to see their activities increase in Osun state, then they move to Lagos, Ogun and Oyo state with more bombings as all those places are controlled by the APC. On standby would be the likes of Fani-Kayode and Obanikoro to blame it on Tinubu and APC and try to turn the people against him rather than against Jonathan who has shown generally, he does not care about Boko Haram believing they are killing Northerners anyway so its none of his business. 

But for me these terror war has become personal as I have families in Lagos and Ogun, lots of friends in Oyo and Osun state. Its also time Tinubu, APC governors and stalwarts organise a high-powered emergency security meeting (call it the COBRA meeting like the UK Prime Minister chairs when there is clear danger) and face this new threat from the PDP’s Boko Haram militant wing who are hell bent on bombing Yorubas and indeed Nigerians in the South-West to death.

In part two of this article I would highlight why the life of the Ooni of Ife is in danger and he needs urgent security protection before his cousin allegedly kills him and pins it on Boko Haram, APC and Tinubu who was reported to have generally made some remarks against some Obas in the South-West. I would also explain why the lives of Obas in Yorubaland are at risk (Boko Haram has killed and attempted to kill Emirs in the north, so its easy to kill an high profile Oba in the west by PDP’s political Boko Haram and blame it on Tinubu). 

While I would give my recommendations to the APC on what needs to be done urgently before things gets out of hands, also I would give my one pence advice to President Jonathan and hopes he listens, as he has surrounded himself with immature, power hungry and evil men who would assist him in bringing our country to the end.

Written by Ola’ Idowu

he is a Management Consultant and Researcher who writes in from the UK.

Naija Big Boy, Onyeachonam, Caught In Fraud Deal In London; Sentenced To 8yrs In Prison

Nigerian big boy, Frank Onyeachonam, who has a big mansion in the country, has been jailed for 8 years in the UK for running a lottery scam which targeted vulnerable pensioners. He was said to have stole from $3,000 to $800,000 and spent the money to fund his lavish lifestyle in London and in Nigeria. Details:

According to the Daily Mail, a fraudster nicknamed 'Fizzy' because of his love of champagne has been jailed for eight years for conning vulnerable pensioners out of their life savings. Frank Onyeachonam ran the UK end of global lottery scam that was orchestrated from his native Nigeria for seven years to fund his lavish millionaire’s lifestyle. 

It involved hundreds of perpetrators in several countries, detectives say. In the UK, 38-year-old Onyeachonam conned pensioners out of sums from £2,000 to £600,000, deliberately targeting his victims because they were potentially vulnerable to his tactics. 

While he bled them of their life savings, Onyeachonam enjoyed a life of fast cars, champagne and designer clothes...

Pictures he posted on Facebook show he spent the cash on Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Armani designer clothes, Rolex watches, Porsches and Maseratis.

He even stuck wads of what look like £50 notes in his Buzz Lightyear toy. Onyeachonam, of Canning Town, east London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiracy to defraud following a three-week trial.

Lawrencia Emenyonu, 38, and Bernard Armah, 51, both of Wood Green, north London, were also found guilty of money laundering. All three denied the charges. Emenyonu was jailed for 18 months while her partner Armah received an eight-month term.

Judge Rebecca Poulet QC, said there had been 'some very serious outcomes' for the victims caught up in the scam. She told married father-of-two Onyeachonam: 'I judge your culpability to be very high. This was a very well thought out operation, sophisticated in both its planning and its operation.

'Mr Onyeachonam, you targeted these individuals because they were elderly and likely to agree and be tricked by this scam.'

This was demonstrated in the fraudster’s own notes in which he described them as 'crippled, old or poor', she said. The harm that was caused to these people could not just be calculated in financial terms but also on the 'dreadful impact ' on their lives, mental capacity and relationships with loved-ones.

The judge went on: 'You contested the case in the face of powerful evidence. You demonstrated the arrogance that you must have carried with you throughout this fraud by continuing after you knew that the police had raided your premises.'

The ruse - known as an 'advance fee' fraud - saw Onyeachonam send victims emails claiming they had won millions of pounds on a non-existent Australian lottery and requesting a charge to release their winnings.
Investigators traced 14 victims - mainly from the U.S. but including one from Britain - who were defrauded of a total of around £900,000.

But detectives believe this is the 'tip of the iceberg' with evidence suggesting there may have been as many as 400 victims and the sum may be as high as £30 million.

Onyeachonam was seen as the key figure in UK but police suspect a criminal network was in place in several countries around the world. Authorities found an alleged co-conspirator abroad had an email containing the details of more than 100,000 potential victims. Check out more of his expensive stuffs:

The end of a fake lifestyle!

Here are the winners of LIB Giveaway Mondays

So I have eight winners and y'all are going to get N25,000 each.

I said it would be random selection and the winners would be the 1st, 10th, 30th, 45th, 70th, 100th, 125th and 187th to comment.

Unfortunately the first three people to comment and some others didn't include their email address and since we have no way of contacting them, we moved to the next person with an email address.

See the eights winners after the cut...



1. Came as anonymous. Email address is blues099@gmail.com (numbers 1-3 didn't drop their email addresses, which automatically made the 4th person who dropped his email address number 1

10. Name Bola. email address lamie_aa@ymail.com

30. The 30th person didn't drop his or her email address, which automatically made number 32 the 30th person. email address is giftdene@gmail.com

45, There was no 45, so I picked from number 48. email address is pharellsauce@gmail.com

70,comfory01@gmail.com

100, No email address for 100, so I picked the next person, 102. email address is christina.dolama@ng.multichoice.com

125. luckyiwunzechuka@gmail.com

187. queennolee@yahoo.com

 

If this is you, you will receive an email asking you for your account details. Please send it...and as soon as you get an alert, please drop a comment on LIB let's know that you received the money.

 

Congrats to all the winners...we will do this again by the end of the month. Till then...

Beyonce shares pics of herself and Blue Ivy wearing matching outfit

The most influential celeb in the world shared these adorable family photos showing her and her daughter Blue Ivy wearing matching vintage style floral dress as they take a stroll in NYC with Jay Z

10 Richest Bloggers in the World

Blogging has always been not more than a fun and part-time activity for these guys, but who knows where the luck will bring to us. These persons, who are now considered ten richest bloggers in the world, started their writing career just like you and me, but it was their luck which turned their part-time activity into a full-time job. Now all of them are earning hundreds of thousands per month.

1.Pete Cashmore:

Born on September, 1985, Pete is the founder and CEO of the world famous blog Mashable.com. For those who are looking for social media, tech, business, entertainment, lifestyle and various other gossips and hot news always make mashable their prior choice. According to an estimate, Pete’s monthly earning from his own blog and his weekly column (which he writes for CNN) is about $560,000.

2.Michael Arrington:

Michael Arrington can be named the second richest blogger in the world. He was born in March, 1970 and is the founder of TechCrunch.com. Tech Crunch is one stop destination for tech news and article lovers. You can keep yourself updated with the latest hot news of tech world and get influenced all the time by subscribing the blog. Born in California, Michael’s monthly earning is around $500,000.

3.Perez Hilton:

Perez Hilton, a famous American blogger and TV personality, graduated in 1996. He is nowadays named to be one of the most promising and richest bloggers in the world. He is writing news articles and features about entertainment and photography. Perez’s monthly earning is said to be round about $400,000.

4.Vitaly Friedman:

Vitaly Friedman, forth richest blogger in the world earns $150,000 to $190,000 monthly from his blogging career. His own blog, SmashingMagazine.com is ranked among the top notch blogs in the world for web design and development articles. Vitaly has been an inspiration for those who had have planned to initiate their own tips and tutorial blogs in web niche.

5.Timothy Sykes:

Timothy Sykes, another famous American blogger and stock expert. He is the owner of top ranked finance blog, TimothySykes.com. Timothy makes around two million dollars per month from his stock operation business and around $180,000 monthly from his blog. You can find every hot news and inspiring article about stock, investment and finance at this blog.

6.Jake Dobki:

Jake Dobkin runs the famous blog Gothamist.com. His total monthly earning from the blog is estimated to be around $110,000. Gothamist is a blog with more than 50,336  facebook likes and it covers the news / articles related to food, arts and events. If you have a plan to visit some other country and want to know about its cuisines, then get the information from Gothamist Network.

7.Collis Taeed:

Collis Taeed is named to be the seventh richest blogger in the world. He is not only a contributor to a number of famous blogs but also the owners of TutsPlus.com. At TutsPlus, you can find plenty of lectures, tutorials and useful information about designing tools and application software. Collis’s total earning per month is almost $120,000.

8.Gina Trapani:

Gina Trapani yet another blogger, enlisted in the ten richest bloggers in the world. She is the CEO and founder of the popular blog Lifehacker.com. She is not only a famous and one of the richest bloggers in the world with a total monthly earning around $110,000 but also an active social media participant and a member of different social media communities / groups.

9.Matt Marshall:

Matt is yet another popular blogger in the world and the owner of Venture Beat.com. At VentureBeat, you can find plenty of tech, money and finance articles as well as know about the different business techniques to earn a lot from your investments. His per month earning is round about $50,000 to $100,000.

10.Ewdison Then:

Ewdison is the executive editor and co-founder of SlashGear.com. His blog is dedicated to consumer electronic and tech news. He is also a media publisher of his blog and the CEO of R3 Media LLC. His estimated monthly earning is about $50,000.

Spot the difference

...and no, it's not the baseball cap, that's too obvious, or the enlarged white sneakers, obvious too. There's something else that's different in the pics...can you spot it?

How These women Kidnap A Girl In Lagos, Sell Her for N650,000

How can you sell your fellow human being? The quest for money is really pushing people to the extreme:
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four women for allegedly abducting and selling a nine-year-old girl, identified as Blessing, for N650,000. The women are Fausat Ogidan, Abibat Oresanya, Bola Obajuruwa and Idiyat Abass.

The women were apprehended on Sunday, June 6, after a tip-off. The Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, had directed the command’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad, led by SP Abba Kyari, to go after the child sellers’ syndicate.

Mrs Fausat Ogidan, who was with the nine-year-old girl, and had collected the money on behalf of others, was arrested in the Gbagada area of Lagos.

According to Punch, that the 51-year-old woman, who is married with four children, had arranged to sell the girl on that Sunday. The girl was given to Ogidan by Mrs Bola Obajuruwa, commonly known as Iya Alaje, who lives in the Suberu Street in the Alakuko area of Lagos.

Iya Alaje also confessed that she had told Ogidan to sell the girl for N350,000 before she was caught.

In her confession, she said, “I used to sell herbs in the Agege Market. I told Fausat (Ogidan) to sell the girl for N350,000, but Fausat added N300,000 as her own profit. The girl was sold to me by Idiyat (Abass) and her elder sister, Abibat.

“I bought her from them for N130,000. They said they were going to give the money to the girl’s mother who wanted to get rid of her because of poverty.”

Obajuruwa, when arrested, led the police to the other two ladies, Abass and Oresanya, who got the girl from her parents and connived to sell her.

It was gathered that Oresanya claimed that Blessing’s mother had wanted to dispose of her and use the money obtained to take care of her other children.

But during interrogation, Blessing, who said her real name is Yetunde, told the police that she was kidnapped from their residence in Ibadan.

Man with Knife Apprehended After Claiming He Wanted to Kill Michael Strahan

Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

Michael Strahan got a scare on Tuesday when a man showed up at ABC Studios in New York City's Times Square with a knife, claiming he wanted to kill the talk-show host.
ET can report that 25-year-old Andre Johnson was spotted near the security entrance of the studio by an off-duty police officer who was working as a security guard. Johnson then pulled a knife out on the off-duty officer in an attempt to stab him. He was quickly apprehended, taken into custody and charged with a felony attempt of assault and menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.
RELATED: Why Michael Strahan Is Keeping His Gap-Toothed Grin
Though Strahan, 42, was not there when the incident took place, but when questioned by police, Johnson claimed he wanted to kill the Live! with Kelly and Michael co-host. The New York Post says Johnson made these threatening remarks while wielding a knife but that's not been confirmed.
ABC released a statement to ET regarding the incident, saying: "There was an incident in Times Square, an individual lunged at one of our employees and was heroically tackled by a police officer. We understand the man was taken in for psychiatric evaluation. It was a scary situation but thanks to the fast actions of NYPD the situation was quickly under control. Michael was never in any danger."

JAMB Finally Releases Admission Cut-Off Marks

Too many people have called me and send messages to ask about this cut-off mark issues. Anyway, after a long wait, the Federal Government, in consultation with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, has come out with the cut-off marks for 2014 admissions into universities and polytechnics.

The cut-off points were arrived at on Tuesday, after the 5th Combined Policy meeting on admissions to tertiary institutions, held at the National Universities Commission in Abuja. The cut off marks are...

180 for universities while polytechnics and colleges of education were put at 150, respectively.

The Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, who declared the meeting open, frowned on the inability of most tertiary institutions to utilise their admission quota. Wike, however, said in view of efforts to boost access, institutions which failed to utilise their admission quota for 2014 would be sanctioned.

The Registrar and Chief Executive of JAMB, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, in his presentation gave a statistical run down of candidates’ preference for tertiary education.

He said after the conduct of the 2014 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, candidates who applied for degree awarding institutions totalled 1,584,348, representing 70 per cent; National Certificate in Education applicants totalled 25,767 representing 1.6 per cent; National Diploma, a paltry 22,072, representing 1.3 per cent while National Innovation Diploma had just 46, representing 0.003 per cent.

Ojerinde complained that Nigeria’s educational system has consistently failed to embrace technical education in its quest for industrialisation, noting that the British system which Nigeria copied now award degree in all its polytechnics.

Bomb Blasts Rock Kaduna, Borno and Osun States; Kill Many

A suicide bomber, suspected to be a member of the terrorist sect, Boko Haram, early on Tuesday detonated an Impoverished Explosive Device at the Maiduguri Monday Market, killing about 17 persons. Sixty-nine persons were reportedly injured in the attack.

In Kaduna, an explosion occurred around the Asikolaye/Bakin Ruwa area, along the Kaduna western bypass, late on Tuesday. The casualty figure was not available as of the time of this report, witnesses however said many were killed and several injured. The explosion reportedly shattered the glass windows of some of the surrounding buildings.

Also in Ile-Ife, Osun State, a low-calibre bomb went off in the Onipetu area of the town around 4.00am but nobody was killed. The Osun State police said they deactivated another bomb before it detonated.

“They were grenades of low calibre. The first one exploded and the other was defused. It happened in an isolated place, so it did not kill nor injure anybody. We have visited the scene and we are investigating the matter.”

Commissioner of Police in Osun State, Mr. Ibrahim Maishanu, told Punch on Tuesday.

Information Officer, National Emergency Management Agency in Kaduna State, Halima Suleiman, confirmed the explosion to a Punch correspondents on the phone around 9.45pm.

The Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, Umar Shehu, confirmed the incident but said that the blast caused no death. He said only two people were injured. 

Halima Suleiman explained that the bomb was planted near a makeshift shop where provisions were sold but that it was unlikely that the casualty figure would be high since many people had gone for prayers at a nearby mosque

She said, “We don’t have any casualty figure at the moment but rescue operations are still on. Our officials on the ground said there were pieces of shattered windows. We learnt that a bomb was placed near a container shop that sells provisions.

“We were told it occurred when most people had gone to pray. I will inform you of any development later.”

The attack on the market in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, occurred at about 8.30am and was said to have affected mostly petty traders and members of the youth vigilante group, popularly called Civilian JTF, in the area. Nine members of the vigilance group were said to have died in the attack.

The Chairman, Sector 3 of the youth volunteer group, Iliya Saidu, said the vehicle carrying the IEDs broke the mirror of a commercial motorcycle, popularly called Keke NAPEP, following which an altercation ensued and many people were attracted to the scene, including members of the Civilian JTF.

He said it was in the process of settling the quarrel with the Civilian JTF assisting to push the vehicle off the road that the explosive device went off.

“Nine of my members were killed by the blast; we were able to identify them through the vest we gave them and we have already deposited their corpses at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and the state specialist hospital,” Saidu said.

An eyewitness said that the explosives were packed inside a Peugeot 505 saloon car loaded with charcoal. The witness insisted that over 50 persons were killed in the early morning explosion.

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima, who visited the scene of the blast, condemned the act, describing it as “un-Islamic, barbaric and inhuman.”

The governor thanked the Civilian JTF for their gallantry and assured them that N1m would be paid to each of the families of its deceased members.

Shettima, who also paid a visit to the Umaru Shehu Hospital and the Maiduguri Specialist Hospital to sympathise with the injured victims, directed the state Commissioner for Health to ensure that the victims were given the necessary care, promising that the government would settle all their medical bills and feeding.

Federation Cup katakata go start today

Afta all de World Cup waka wey Naija waka go, anoda kompition go start on Wednesday as de 2014 Naija Federation Cup go hot up.
Enyimba, wey win am las year go begin dey defend am wen dem go jam Sokot team Sokoto North FC for de Fifa gol project field for Abuja on Wednesday.
For Minna, Na Giwa FC go jam ABS of Ilorin as Kwara United go waka enta Benin City go nak head wit Sharks too.
Enyimba kaptin Chinedu Udoji bin tel us for supersport.com say: "No more small team or big team for ball again oh. All dat big club, big club tok na jus yeye tok.
"De team wey we go play try kwalify reach hia, and we sef must respect everibodi, no be say becos dem no dey play for Premier League we go carri dem play.
Na de matches wey go shele be dia for de Federation Cup round of 64
WEDNESDAY, JULY 2
Enyimba vs Sokoto North (FIFA Goal Project, Abuja, 4pm)
Zara Studio (Kebbi) vs Niger Tornadoes (Gusau)
CBN Cashless (Jigawa) vs Nembe City (Katsina-Ala, 4pm)
Ibom Youth vs Katsina Sportlight (Lafia)
Heartland FC vs Ebonyi United (Umuahia)
Kwara United vs Sharks FC (Benin City)
Apa United vs Ekiti United (Lokoja, 2pm)
Nasarawa United vs Young Elephants (Jos, 4pm)
Bobbies FC vs Ajiroba FC (Enugu)
ABS FC vs Giwa FC (Minna)
Yarma Light FC vs Jigawa Stars (Kaduna)
AS Racine vs FC Taraba (FIFA Goal Project, Abuja, 2pm)
Sky Academy FC Vs Plateau United (Gombe)
Abia Warriors vs Mafara United FC (Old Parade Ground, Abuja)
Dolphins FC vs Ingas FC (Warri)
Remo Stars vs Bayelsa United (Rojenny)
FC Lokoja vs First Bank FC (Akure)
Gombe United vs Baton FC (Ilorin)
THURSDAY, JULY 3
Dalhatu FC vs 3SC FC (FIFA Goal Project, Abuja, 4pm)
Dynamite FC vs Ranchers Bees (Lokoja, 2pm)
Kaduna United vs Leopard FC (Katsina-Ala, 4pm)
Bright Stars vs Crown FC (Benin City)
Bendel Insurance vs Sunshine Stars (Kaduna, 4pm)
Enugu Rangers vs Ikpeazu FC (Umuahia)
Lobi Stars vs Tornadoes Feeders (Jos, 2pm)
Wikki Tourists vs El-Kanemi Warriors (Gombe)
Yobe Desert Stars vs Kogi United (Jos, 4pm)
Binani FC vs FRSC (Katsina-Ala, 2pm)
Akwa United vs FC Abuja (Enugu)
Gateway FC vs Kano Pillars (Lokoja, 4pm)
Prime FC vs El-Kanemi Babes (Minna)
Dan Buran FC vs Warri Wolves (Area 3, Abuja)

Barca to open Suarez talks

Luis Suarez © Action Images

BPL Fantasy League

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Barcelona officials will meet their Liverpool counterparts in London on Wednesday to open negotiations on a possible deal for disgraced Anfield striker Luis Suarez, according to British media reports.
Barcelona appear to be leading the race among clubs linked with the 27-year-old Uruguayan, who was expelled from the World Cup and handed a nine-match competitive international ban as well as a four-month sanction from any soccer activity for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in a Group D match.
A meeting between the Merseyside club officials and a delegation led by Raul Sanllehi, Barcelona's director of football management, was scheduled to discuss the future of last season's Premier League top scorer, the reports said.
In order to prise Suarez away from Liverpool, the Spanish club will either need to meet the release clause, reportedly around £70-80 million, in his revised contract or possibly offer a player-plus-cash deal. Should the Merseysiders opt for the latter agreement, Barcelona's Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez - a Liverpool target in the past - appears to be the Anfield side's preferred choice as Suarez's replacement.
After initially denying that he bit Chiellini in Uruguay's 1-0 win in Natal on 24 June, Suarez issued a carefully-worded statement on Monday, admitting his offence and vowing there would be no repeat.
Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta stoked rumours of a possible move for Suarez to the Catalan club on Tuesday by praising him for his 'humility' in admitting his mistake.
In the run-up to the tournament in Brazil, Suarez scored 11 goals in 16 qualifying matches to help Uruguay secure a berth at the finals, while at Liverpool, his 31 league goals were the catalyst for the club's surprising second-place finish.
Suarez also finished the season with a share of the European Golden Boot and was named Footballer of the Year by the Professional Footballers' Association and the Football Writers' Association.
However, his life in England has not been without controversy since he arrived from Ajax in January 2011.
He has served lengthy bans twice during his stay at Anfield, once for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra and again for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in 2013.

Neymar recovering well - doctor

Wed 2 Jul '14 | © Sapa - AFP

Neymar is making good progress in his recovery from thigh and knee knocks ahead of Friday's World Cup quarter-final against Colombia, Brazil's team doctor said on Tuesday.
The Barcelona forward came out of last Saturday's last-16 win against Chile battered and bruised but has undergone treatment at Brazil's Teresopolis training base and will train normally on Wednesday.
"He took a blow to the left thigh and the right knee, but he has worked alongside the rest of the squad. He is recovering very well," doctor Jose Luiz Runco told journalists.
For the second day running, those players who started the epic clash against Chile were restricted to indoor work, and Runco hit back at suggestions in the Brazilian media that the team are not training hard enough, with the match against Colombia only three days away.
"I need my team to play, not to train," he said.
"They need to rest. They played 120 minutes at one in the afternoon and it was a game that used up a huge amount of strength physically and emotionally."
Neymar was one of those who watched on as a team of Brazilian reserves won 2-0 in a practice match against a youth side from Rio de Janeiro club Fluminense on Tuesday, with Paulinho scoring both goals.
The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder was dropped from the side against Chile after disappointing during the group stage, but is the leading contender to come back into the team against Colombia in the absence of Luiz Gustavo due to suspension.
The other options for coach Luiz Felipe Scolari are to introduce Hernanes for the first time in this World Cup, or even push David Luiz forward into a holding midfield role with Dante coming into central defence.
Meanwhile, Chelsea midfielder Ramires, another player on the fringes of the starting line-up, insisted that Brazil are better prepared to handle stress after the dramatic win over Chile.
"If we have to go through the same thing again, we will be much better prepared," he said at a press conference, recalling the penalty shoot-out success against the Chileans.
Several Brazil players broke down in tears after, and even before the shoot-out, including captain Thiago Silva.
Ramires added: "It was the emotion of the occasion, playing for 90 minutes plus extra time and penalties in the heat and with 200 million people urging you to win.
"The team is prepared to deal with the emotional side of things both on and off the field."