Michael Ojuroye Initiative (Ngo)

DETECTIVES in Ondo State have arrested  a quark nurse over the death of an 18-year-old girl, Omolayo Afolabi, who she helped to terminate a two-month pregnancy in Iju/Itaogbolu area of the state. Also arrested by the police is Joseph Endurance, the deceased lover said to have been responsible for her pregnancy. The quack nurse, Favour Adebiyi, was reportedly approached by the deceased to help her abort the pregnancy. Vanguard gathered that the deceased, who was introduced to the quack nurse by one of her friends, informed her to help them terminate the pregnancy since her boy friend was too young to father a child. The nurse was said to have given her some drugs to use which, according to information, led to her untimely death. It was gathered that the drugs taken at night by the deceased later led to some complications. Instead of seeking medical help, the deceased, according to report, thought she could still salvage the situation until the pain became unbearable and resulted...

A teenage girl said to have been locked up in a wooden cage for about 30 months by her parents over alleged strange ailment attributed to witchcraft has finally been released by members of a foundation. The rescued victim, a twin, identified as Blessing Olokumo, an indigene of Ayibatari quarter, Opokuma, in Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, according to investigation conducted by the group, was diagnosed with a strange illness. According to the acting President of the foundation, Comrade Tonyon Ebitei Robert, the strange illness led to the isolation of the girl by her parents due to her alleged constant incidence of defecation and soiling of the house. Father of the girl, who is also a twin, allegedly built the cage and locked up the girl to keep her away from the main house. “She was kept like a rabbit. She was given food when it is available and was allowed to sleep in her vomit, faeces and urine. She lost weight and could have died,” Robert  alleged. A...

The emergence of Senator Ibikunle Amosun as the gubernatorial flag bearer of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN in 2011 predicted trouble for the status quo. It didn’t take long for it to burst. BY DAUD OLATUNJI The simmering crisis in the Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC had been predicted after the controversial entry of Senator Ibikunle Amosun into the fold of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria and his eventual emergence as the party candidate prior to the 2011 general election in the state. His announcement as gubernatorial flag bearer in 2011 was followed by violence as supporters of aggrieved governorship aspirants in the party threw caution to the wind as they damaged furniture and fittings at the party secretariat located along Abiola Way in Abeokuta that day. Before Amosun’s entry into the defunct ACN, many aspirants had jostled for the governorship ticket, among whom were Remilekun Bakr, Lekan Tejuosho, Gbenga Obadara. However...

The 2014 Screen Actors Guild Awards were handed out at Los Angeles' Shrine Exposition Center on January 18. Take a look at the full list of winners, marked here in bold. WINNER: American Hustle Motion Picture Nominees Outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture • "12 Years a Slave"  • "American Hustle" -- WINNER  • "August: Osage County"  • "Dallas Buyers Club"  • "Lee Daniels' The Butler" WINNER: Matthew McConaughey Outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role • Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"  • Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"  • Tom Hanks, "Captain Phillips"  • Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club" -- WINNER  • Forest Whitaker, "Lee Daniels' The Butler" WINNER: Cate Blanchett Outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role • Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" -- WINNER  • Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"  •...

The prospect of being blown up makes defusing landmines dangerous work, particularly in Afghanistan. But that is just one of many dangers that explosives workers face there. On Tuesday, armed men abducted 68 mine defusers who were on their way to clear explosives in the western province of Herat, on Iran's border, a spokesman for the mine disposal organization that employs them said. Eight of the abducted were able to flee, said Dr. Farid Homayoun of Britain's Halo Trust. Afghan security forces have surrounded the area, and Halo Trust is trying to enlist the help of local tribal elders to secure the release of the remaining 60. The organization has 150 mine defusing teams and employs more than 3,000 Afghans, it says on its website. It also destroys other munitions. Since the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, multiple warring parties have laid landmines, bringing the total number of mines to as many as 640,000 Halo Trust reports. The kidnappers first took the exp...

The Thai government has declared a state of emergency for the tense capital of Bangkok amid anti-government protests, a security official said Tuesday. It will go into effect Wednesday and will last 60 days, Thailand's national security chief, Lt. Gen. Paradon Patthanathubut, told CNN. Since demonstrations against Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government began in November, at least nine people have died and more than 450 have been wounded, according to authorities. The emergency decree gives authorities the power to impose curfews, detain suspects without court permission, censor media and declare parts of the capital off-limits. In a bid to resolve the crisis, Yingluck dissolved parliament last month and called for new elections to be held February 2. But the move has done little to appease protesters. They have called on Yingluck to step down from her caretaker position and be replaced by an unelected "people's council," which would see through ele...

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday expressed the belief that with the measures put in place by his administration, especially the new National Automotive Industry Policy; the country would soon be exporting cars to other countries. Jonathan spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while granting audience to a delegation of the business community from Anambra State led by Governor Peter Obi. In responding to an address by the delegation, the President said, “I will refer all the issues you raised to the various departments of government. We are totally committed to creating jobs. Nigeria is a country with huge population of youths. If jobs are not created, there will be crisis. The housing, agriculture and power sectors are also receiving attention. “In the next few years, Nigeria will begin to export cars to other countries. We are encouraging the government to support local manufacturers.” Jonathan promised that the industrialists’ basic needs such as roads, power and port fac...