Straight from the Headlines! What Everyone was Talking About This Week

 The spotlight this week was for once in a long while turned on the Christian religion as issues arising from some Christians and their recent actions spurred heated debates across the country. After the video where the founder of Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome made a comment that “masturbation is not a sin against God but a habit and God is not offended by it” went viral last week, mixed reactions (mostly in objection) to his comment have followed. Pastors in Nigeria have especially made angry reactions to his comment. In a story published by NigerianEye recently where several Pastors made comments on the video, the head of INRI Evangelical Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele made one of the several objections saying it is stated clearly in the Bible that masturbation is a sin against God. “That is his own view. Where did he see it in the Bible that masturbation is not a sin? Maybe he has his own Bible. It is a bad thing. Maybe it is in his Bible.” Also, the Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, Dr. Ola Makinde said there was only one way of having sex permitted by God in the Bible, which is only through marriage. “There is only one way of having sex in the Bible which is natural. Masturbation is unnatural and unethical. Whatever is unnatural and unethical is abomination. I leave him to his own opinion,” he said.

In another act by Christians, nine Christian men were apprehended in Bauchi state this week, trying to bomb a Church. It came as a shock to many that when the Islamic sect ‘Boko Haram’ has severally been blamed for such actions, Christians are now following suit, making attempts to destroy lives and property of their supposed ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’.

It is only hoped that such actions would not be replicated among other groups or sects or religions across the country.

Here is a recap of some of the stories that made headlines this week:

Nine bombers, believed to be Christians, were apprehended on Monday, February 27th when they attempted to bomb a COCIN church at Miya Barkate, 20 kilometres along Jos-Bauchi Highway in Bauchi State. The suspects are members of the same COCIN church, Unguwar Rimi, a new and small Christian settlement between Tilden Fulani and Shere Hills. They were thoroughly beaten by the public and rescued by the police and then detained at the Toro Divisional Police Division before they were transferred to Bauchi State Police Command, Bauchi.

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The former Governor of Delta state, James Ibori, has pleaded guilty in a British court to laundering millions of dollars during his tenure as Governor in the oil-rich state. He pleaded guilty on Monday, February 27^th, 2012 to ten counts of money-laundering and conspiracy to defraud. He pleaded not guilty to a further 13 similar charges. The British police accuse him of stealing $250m over eight years.

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A Primary school in Maiduguri, Gomari Costain Primary School was on Tuesday February 28th, 2012 razed by fire by persons suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect. According to some eyewitnesses, a group of persons, mainly teenagers, drove away the security guard in the night before setting the school ablaze. Pupils and teachers of the school resumed to find out their school had been brought down by a fire.
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Unidentified gunmen attacked Demsa Divisional Police Office in Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa on Tuesday, February 28th, 2012. The Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Altine Daniel, confirmed the incident and said that a corporal and one of the attackers were killed in the incident, adding that no explosive was used. The attack came after a similar one on Sunday in Shuwa Village of Madagali Local Government Area of the state, where three policemen were killed and one injured.

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The Senate on Wednesday, February 29th ordered the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, to stop issuing new vehicle number plates and drivers’ licenses. The Chairman, Rules and Business of the House, Sam Tsokwa, disclosed that investigation had uncovered a syndicate which had flooded the country with fake number plates. Some of the Senators condemned the indiscriminate fees charged by FRSC on the new number plates and drivers’ licence and described the new vehicle number plates issued by the commission as illegal, noting that the Act that set up FRSC did not empower it to issue number plates.

The new driver’s licence, which the commission launched in 2011, is now issued for N6,000 as against N3,000, while the new number plates have suddenly jumped from N5,000 to an astronomical N15,000.

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A lady in Akure, Ondo state, Miss Sade Babatunde was arraigned before a court for pouring a bag full of faeces on Miss Agnes Olasehinde, at her work place in the main branch of First Bank of Nigeria PLC. Eyewitness accounts say that Miss Babatunde went to the cashier, Miss Olasehinde and accused her of snatching her husband in the presence of other bank workers and customers inside the banking hall. She then poured the entire content with its offensive odour on her and slapped her on the face severally.

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A 17-year-old HIV positive maid from Gutu, was arraigned before a court for lacing the porridge of her employer’s four-year-old child with menstrual blood. Her employer last week noticed a drop of blood when her child was eating porridge and took it to the Hospital where tests confirmed it was the maid’s menstrual blood. The toddler’s mother immediately pressed charges against her, leading to her arrest. She was sentenced to a 10-year prison term.

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 A 30 year-old housewife, Rukayat Alalade, was arrested in Oyo state
for allegedly macheting her 11 year-old stepson to death. It was gathered that the suspect, whose husband Lukman Alalade, married after
he separated from his first wife, had always had ill-feelings for her
two stepchildren. She reportedly cut him on the head and hand after he
returned from an errand which he sent him until he gave up the ghost.
After which she dragged the remains of the little boy to the backyard
of the family’s building and hid the cutlass under the bed.

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A multiple car crash killed two people and left nine others injured in
Lagos on Friday, March 2nd, 2012. The accident involved a trailer
carrying heavy steel pipes and another loaded with goods and seven
other cars. The accident occurred in the early hours of Friday along
Berger road on the Magodo axis of the Lagos Ibadan express way.

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A Nigerian-born teenage girl, Victoria Osoteku, 19, has been found
guilty of killing a 15-year-old boy who was stabbed at Victoria
station in London. Victoria was convicted of the manslaughter of
Sofyen Belamouadden by a majority verdict at the Old Bailey. She was
seen on CCTV kicking Sofyen in the head as he lay dying on the ground
after the attack by rival school pupils, which lasted about 10
seconds. He was stabbed nine times to the body and suffered wounds to
his heart, a lung and major blood vessels.

How do you feel about what happened in the country this week? What other stuff happened that you would like to share?

Have a great weekend!