Customs arrests passenger with $320,000 at Lagos airport

LAGOS — The Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Command of Nigeria Customs Service yesterday arrested a passenger with over $320,000 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, about boarding a Qatar Airways flight bound for Doha, in the Gulf region.

The passenger identified as Onwuekwe Anthony Chidi, was checking in on Qatar Airways, when he declared the money, but could not explain the source of the currency as well as show adequate proof of his business to officials of Customs at the airport.

The passenger and the money have been handed over to officials of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for further investigations.

According to a statement signed by the Customs Area Controller, Mr. Eporwei Charles, “About 13.00 hours on November 19, 2012, a passenger by name Onwuekwe Anthony Chidi, with passport number A04086671 was checking in on Qatar Airways, he declared the sum of $320,000 on both forms CDFIA and CDFIB but could not explain the source of the currency nor show adequate proof of his business to the Customs officer.”

Meanwhile the money and suspect have been handed over to the EFCC for further investigations.


Vanguard

Police arrest five hotel workers over colleague’s death

Mr. Wisdom Edu

Five workers, including the Manager of Treasureland Hotel in Calabar, Cross River State have been arrested by policemen in connection with the death of another employee of the hotel, Mr. Wisdom Edu, sources have said.

Nineteen-year-old Edu, a native of Adadama in Abi Local Government Area of the state, was found dead in the hotel swimming pool on November 9, 2012.

Sources at the hotel said he drowned after close of work, but the family of the deceased alleged that he was killed.

The family said he had complained before the incident that he was no longer comfortable working in the hotel.

A family member, Mr. Icha Mbotor, wondered why the management of the hotel opted to take Edu’s corpse to a mortuary, instead of contacting them first.

Mbotor said Edu was wearing a wristwatch but with his shirt and shoes removed while his jeans trousers and boxers were still on his body.

He added that it was strange that Edu’s stomach was flat, yet the boy drowned in a “shallow” swimming pool.

Mbotor said, “On getting to the mortuary, we discovered that what we saw on the picture were real. The hotel workers claimed that he was our observation, it was noticed that he was killed and thrown into the pool.

“Our suspicion is that he was killed. If he had gone to swim, there should not have been cuts on his head and his hands folded. He was killed and thrown into the pool. He had complained the week before he died that he was no longer comfortable working there.

“The fact that they did not deem it necessary to contact the family of the deceased is suspicious and we strongly feel that the management have something to hide and given the standard of the hotel, there should be security officers around.”

But the Manager of the hotel, Mr. Mendie Udoh, described what happened as a natural death, adding that the police were still investigating to know exactly what led to the death of the worker.

He said, “The incident is just a natural death. Police are still investigating it. I may not know the cause but police have gone for autopsy.”

Udoh said he had seen Edu the previous night and sought to know why he was still around when he ought to have gone home.

“When I saw him in the night, I asked him why he was still around and he said his friend was celebrating his birthday and that he was invited to use the host’s laptop to play music at the occasion. There was no incident of fight, the event ended about 2am.”

When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. John Umoh, said investigations were ongoing.

The PPRO also did not disclose the number of arrest made though he said that some persons were invited to make statement on the matter.


Punch

VIDEO: Keri Hilson Rocks Azonto, Etighi, Oliver Twist.. In Abuja

Keri Hilson who was at the 2012 Face of Sofa event held in Abuja last weekend stunned guests when she asked her DJ to throw on some Nigerian songs.

The pop singer who says she's a big fan of African music did the popular Azonto and Etighi dances to Flavour's 'Ashawo' and D’banj's 'Oliver twist' leaving the guests cheering...

WATCH HER IN ACTION BELOW:

What do you think of her dance moves?

At Least 388,864 Nigerians Infected With HIV In One Year

At least, 388,864 Nigerians were infected with the HIV disease in 2011 alone, says the Lagos State Government.

The government quoted the National AIDS Control Agency statistics, which revealed that there were 388,864 fresh cases of HIV reported as at the end of 2011.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Youth and Social Development, Dr. Dolapo Badru, spoke at a one-day HIV Prevention and HTC Workshop organised by his office in conjunction with Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, LSACA, in Surulere, Lagos, southwest Nigeria on Thursday.

“For the 26 years period dated 1986 to December 2011, that AIDS was first reported in Nigeria, 3,459,363 people now live with HIV. An estimated 1,449,166 people require Anti-Rectroviral; 388,864 new infections occurred in the year ended 2011.

“The data collected from the National AIDS Control Agency shows 217,148 AIDS-related deaths between 1991 and 2001 and Nigeria witnessed an increase in the prevalence of HIV in the country,” said Badru.

“As at today, 5.4 million young people out of the global population of 1.7 billion are living with HIV and 40 percent of new HIV infections occur among young people, they have the highest rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections, STIs.

“In Nigeria, the prevalence among young women aged 15-24 is estimated to be three times higher than among men of the same age. Female constitutes 58 percent (about 1.72 million) of persons living with HIV in Nigeria. Each year, 55 percent of AIDS deaths in Nigeria occur among women and girls,” he added.

Badru, whose speech was read by the Director, Finance and Administration in the ministry, Olalekan Akodu said there was the need to intensify collective efforts to meet the serious challenges to elimination of HIV among young people in Nigeria and Lagos State in particular in order to move toward an HIV-free generation by 2015.

PM News

Newborn baby kidnapped from labour room

Gunmen have invaded the labour room of a maternity home in Nkwoegwu, Ohuhu, in Umuahia North LGA of Abia State and took away a baby delivered a few minutes back, while nurses were battling to save the mother from bleeding to death.

The baby, a boy, was still dripping with blood when the evil men seized and folded him with the bed sheet in which he was lying.