Voodoo Practitioners Accused Of Robbing Graves In West Africa For Charms

It's a grave situation in the West African country of Benin where more than 100 coffins have reportedly been desecrated in a cemetery near the capital city of Porto Novo, and dozens of bodies mutilated.

The unburied bodies had been sliced open, decapitated in some cases, with internal organs removed, according to TheMorningStarr.co.uk. Locals fear the stolen corpse parts are being used to make voodoo good luck charms.

Cemetery director Joseph Afaton believes the bones and organs are being sold by the thieves as charms.

"The desecration of graves is about money in this region," Afaton told Reuters. "It is for sacrifices, or for bewitching."

The robberies were initially discovered by a mason who had forgotten his tools at the cemetery and he alerted the police, the BBC reported.

The discovery has created a lot of turmoil among the relatives of the deceased since many of them believe in reincarnation and fear their dearly departed will be reincarnated without their currently missing body parts.

A voodoo high priest said that grave robbing is not part of the voodoo mainstream and told the BBC that the grave robberies were condemned.

REAL VOODOO CEREMONY (All images and captions are shown courtesy of LIFE.com).

 

 

 

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Nigerian oil tycoon, Folorunsho Alakija, takes Oprah's place as richest black woman in the world

Wealthiest: Folorunsho Alakija, a 61-year-old oil tycoon from Nigeria, is reportedly worth at least $3.3 billion, or $500 million more than Oprah's $2.7 billion net worth

Oprah Winfrey has lost her long-held title as the richest black woman in the world to a Nigerian oil tycoon, according to a report by an African business magazine.

Edging out Oprah is Folorunsho Alakija, a 61-year-old woman from Nigeria who is reportedly worth at least $3.2 billion, or roughly $500 million more than Oprah's $2.7 billion net worth, Ventures Africa reported.

Alakija is the founder and owner of Famfa Oil, which owns a 60 per cent interest in OML 127, an offshore oil field that produces roughly 200,000 barrels of oil per day and is worth an estimated $6.44 billion.

Also a fashion designer and philanthropist, Alakija is married and has four grown sons, as well as one grandchild. She owns at least $100 million in real estate and $46 million private jet, Ventures Africa reported.

Born into a wealthy Nigerian family, Alakija started out as a secretary in the mid 1970s at the now defunct International Merchant Bank of Nigeria.

Several years later, she quit her job and moved to London, where she studied fashion design. She later returned to Nigeria and launched her fashion line, Supreme Stitches, which caters to upscale, high-society women.

While she was building her name as a fashion designer, Alakija in 1993 applied for an Oil Prospecting License -- an expensive permit that allows for oil exploration in a specified area.

The Nigerian government granted her request and allocated a 617,000-acre block of land to Alakija for oil exploration -- but she knew nothing about finding and extracting oil.

So in September of 1996, she appointed Star Deep Water Petroleum Limited -- a subsidiary of Texaco -- to act as a technical adviser for her business.

In 2000, Star Deep Petroleum determined that Alakija's land contained an excess of one billion barrels of oil. When this was discovered, the Nigerian government tried to re-acquire half of the oil-rich block it had sold to Alakija.

The Nigerian government was successful and Alakija lost control of all but 10 percent of her oil company until 2012, when Nigeria's highest court reversed the government's actions.

With Alakija now back in control of 60 percent of the oil company, her net worth has shot up to $3.2 billion, an estimate that Ventures Africa calls extremely conservative.

Alakija's sons now run Famfa Oil and her husband, Modupe Alakija, is the chairman of the company.

She recently purchased a $102 million property at One Hyde Park in London, as well as a Bombardier Global Express 6000 jet, which she bought earlier this year for $46 million.

Her charity, Rose of Sharon Foundation, gives out grants to widows and orphans.
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PHOTOS AND VIDEO: Carine Felizardo Wins Brazil's Miss Bum Bum 2012!

Carine Felizardo, 25, is the winner of Miss Bum Bum 2012 Pageant, which honors Brazil's best female butt.

The eyes of the world are on Carine Felizardo these days--- but not her very pretty face.

Felizardo, a curvy Jessica Simpson-lookalike from the Brazilian state of Para, has just be crowned Miss Bum Bum, a title that rewards her for having the country's sexiest female posterior.
WATCH VIDEO BELOW:

“I am overwhelmed, very, very happy,” the 25-year-old "booty queen" said tearfully upon receiving the coveted honor, according to IOL.co.za. “I would like to thank those who voted for me, those who believed in me, my family, my friends.”

Felizardo's bottom rose to the top on Friday after a jury of six women and five men examined the tushes of 15 finalists in a Sao Paulo hotel.

"I'm very happy with the victory. I was confident because I know I'm in my best shape right now," she said, according to IBTimes.co.uk. "I expect much change for the better from now on. Already I'm very happy with everything that happened... but I will invest even more in my modeling career."

SEE BELOW PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT:

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(Photo credit: YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)

FOOTBALL FANATICS... Man stabbed to death in Nigeria over Chelsea/ Man City match

LAGOS, NIGERIA - Two suspects identified as Kayode Ogunwa and Oluwa Femi, are currently cooling their heels at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos, following the stabbing to death of a hotel attendant, identified as Mr. Otumala Ukama Benson, a 32-year-old, a native of Benue State, over a misunderstanding during penultimate Sunday English Premiership League, EPL, clash between Chelsea and Manchester City football clubs.

The incident happened at one of the popular hotels (name withheld), along Isheri- LASU- Igando Road, near Diamond Estate. The two suspects were promptly arrested and detained in a cell at the Area ‘M’ Police Command, Idimu, and are now facing murder charge in connection with the incident.

According to a police source, the suspects reside at Diamond Estate, opposite the hotel and drove there to watch the match.


Match Victim

On the fateful day, the hotel, it was gathered, was filled to capacity and some customers who wanted to buy drinks could not get chairs to sit.

Customers seeking to buy drinks

This prompted the late Ben to ask those watching the match without buying drinks to get up and allow those willing to buy drinks to be seated. The suspects who did not buy drinks refused to vacate their chairs and this resulted in an argument between them and the late Ben. The argument later degenerated into a brawl during which one of the suspects ran to the car and brought a knife with which he stabbed Ben in the neck.

Kindergarten Death.....Victim’s Parents Demand N2b From Bishop Oyedepo

The General Overseer of Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo has been asked to pay N2 billion within 14 days as general damages or face legal action, for the death of three-year-old Imienfan Omokaro who got drowned at Kingdom Heritage Model School operated by Winners Chapel in Benin.

Late Imiefan Omokaro

A letter written by Omokaro’s Counsel, Prince Peter E. Uwadiae-Igbinigie and, dated November 28, 2012 and made available to journalists in Benin, explained that the amount was “for the callous and senseless killing of our client’s daughter, Miss Imienfan Omokaro.”

Mr Omokaro’s lawyers also want Kingdom Heritage Model School to publish its apology in three national newspapers, warning that if the demands were not met within 14 days, “we have the irrevocable instructions of our client to commence legal action against the school (Kingdom Heritage Model School) and Church (Winners Chapel) without any further correspondence from this Chambers.”

Imienfan Omokaro, a KG I pupil of Kingdom Heritage Model School, was said to have drowned in a drum of water in a toilet in the school on November 1, 2012.

Teachers of the school allegedly did not inform her mother when she came to pick her from school on that fateful day until late in the evening.

Reports say the school authorities and Winners Chapel had kept the girl for more than an hour, praying for her before finally taking her to Irowa Hospital in Benin, where she was confirmed dead.

The doctors disclosed the girl had died long before being brought to hospital.

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