President Jonathan and Gov. Shettima during his recent visit to Borno
Two top leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Borno State were yesterday assassinated by gunmen suspected to be operatives of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. The slayings came less than one week after the officials participated in welcoming President Goodluck Jonathan during his tour of the troubled state.
The victims were Usman Gula (who was the PDP's vice chairman for Southern Borno), and Hajia Gamboa, who served as the party’s women’s leader for Shehuri ward in Maiduguri. A security source told SaharaReporters that both officials were killed by gunmen yesterday at their respective homes. The source added that, even though no group had claimed responsibility for the assassinations, the State Security Service and the Borno State police command were working on the assumption that the attacks were the handiwork of Boko Haram.
“We’re carrying out our investigations,” the source told SaharaReporters.
Louise and Martine Fokkens have decided they are now too old
Became prostitutes before they were 20 to escape violent relationships
Mother-of-four Louise says arthritis makes some positions 'too painful'
Complain Amsterdam's prostitutes no longer have 'sense of community'
Twin sisters believed to be Amsterdam's oldest prostitutes have retired after more than 50 years each in the sex trade.
Louise and Martine Fokkens, 70, have finally decided they are too old for the business after claiming to have slept with 355,000 men between them in a combined 100-year career.
Louise, a mother of four, has said her arthritis now makes some sexual positions 'too painful'.
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And mother-of-three Martine admits she is finding it hard to attract new punters - except one elderly man who still comes for his weekly sado-maschism session.
She said: "I couldn't give him up. He's been coming to me for so long it's like going to church on a Sunday."
The pair were the subject of a documentary film last year called Meet the Fokkens, and have now written a book about their combined 100-years of sexual exploits called The Ladies of Amsterdam.
Both women - who usually dress in identical red clothes - became prostitutes before the age of 20 to survive financially after escaping violent relationships.
They now look back on the 'golden years' of the profession before the Netherlands legalised prostitution and the sex trade was invaded by 'eastern European mafia'.
Louise said: "It is very different now. We used to sit in the windows with clothes on. Today they are totally naked.
"There are few Dutch women and no sense of community these days."
Martine added: "The legalisation of brothels in 2000 has not improved prostitutes' lives.
"There is no point working just for tax. That is why the girls are working from the internet and from home - you are less likely to be spotted by the taxman.
"It is better for the pimps and the foreigners, but not for the Dutch girls."
Martine and Louise said they now hoped to be able to live off their earnings from the book and film rights.
Heavily armed robbers on Wednesday night invaded the International Wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos, killed two policemen and made away with a huge amount of foreign currencies from some bureau-de-change operators at nation’s premier gateway, officials said.
The dare devil robbers, who arrived the airport some few minutes to nine, headed for the BDC operators centre near the car park and started shooting sporadically, eyewitnesses said.
The robbers, numbering over 10, were said to have been engaged in a gun duel for about 30 minutes by policemen attached to the airport.
The gunfight, it was learnt, resulted in the death of two policemen and one armed robber, who was said to have tied local magical bands all over his arms and body.
As at a few minutes past 9pm, the two dead policemen were being conveyed in a van to the mortuary, according to eyewitnesses.
The Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Mr. Bayo Ajileye, could not be reached for comments. His telephone line was switched off when our correspondent made a call.
However, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Yakubu Dati, confirmed the robbery.
He, however, said he could only confirm the death of one of the robbers. He said the level of casualties was being ascertained.
He added, “The situation has since been brought under control by the swift intervention of joint security force. They were apparently attempting to rob a bureau de change operator near the airport. Normal operations and flight have not been affected by the incident.”
The event has exposed the porous security network of the nation’s flagship airport.
Last year, robbers came to the airport and made away with millions of dollars from BDC operators.
An eyewitness said the robbers came into the airport through the car park.
Man jailed for 14 years for trafficking teenagers from the UK to use as prostitutes across Europe
Odosa Usiobaifo, 35, admitted conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration
Had collected two Nigerian girls to be placed on a flight from UK to Spain
The girls, 14 and 15, had been in local authority care in London
Jailed: Odosa Usiobaifo, 35, from Enfield, was found guilty of conspiring to traffick young girls for the purposes of sexual exploitation
A man has been jailed for 14 years for his role in the 'horrific' ordeal of two teenage girls being trafficked via London to work as prostitutes in mainland Europe. A court heard Odosa Usiobaifo, 35, from Enfield, north London, was involved in a 'significant' organised crime gang trafficking young women for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Usiobaifo was arrested after two Nigerian girls missing from local authority care in London were given false passports and tickets and placed on a flight to Spain. The 35-year-old, who had collected the girls from a pre-arranged meeting point before they were given the false documents and put on the flight, was found guilty of conspiring to traffick for the purposes of sexual exploitation following a four-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court. He had pleaded guilty to conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration earlier in the trial. The court heard the girls, aged 14 and 15 at the time, had previously been stopped by Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport separately on September 17 and November 23 2011. Both were using false passports which indicated they were adults. They had arrived on flights from Lagos, Nigeria, and were attempting to travel on to Paris, the trial heard.
During interviews with the Serious Organised Crime Agency's Vulnerable Persons Team it became clear that the pair were being trafficked to mainland Europe, via London, for the purposes of sexual exploitation.
'Organised crime group': Usiobaifo's arrest followed an investigation by Sussex Police, the UK Border Agency, Border Force and the Serious Organised Crime Agency They were placed in local authority care but on 6 April 2012 were reported missing to Sussex Police by their respective foster carers.
Investigations revealed that contact had been made with the girls and Usiobaifo had collected them from a pre-arranged meeting point before they were given false passports and tickets and placed on a flight to Spain.
One of the girls was refused entry to Spain and returned to the UK, where she remains in the care of the UK authorities. The other passed through Spanish border controls and is still missing.
'Abhorrent': The two Nigerian girls are circled in red outside Heathrow Airport in this photograph
'Horrific ordeal': Isleworth Crown Court heard the two Nigerian girls, seen at Heathrow Airport, were being trafficked via London to mainland Europe
Missing: One of the girls was refused entry to Spain and returned to the care of authorities in UK, the other is still missing
Usiobaifo was arrested at his flat in Enfield on 3 September 2012 alongside his partner Katie Igha, 25. Last Thursday a jury found Usiobaifo guilty of all charges but acquitted Igha of trafficking. They failed to reach a verdict on a charge of conspiring to facilitate against Igha.
Investigation: Odosa Usiobaifo is seen walking through Heathrow Airport in this image
Senior investigating officer Jonathan Bush, from the UK Border Agency's Criminal and Financial Investigation team, said: 'We believe our investigation has disrupted a significant organised crime group suspected of being involved in the trafficking of young women into Europe through London.
'The ordeal these girls went through was horrific and tragically one of them remains missing.
'Working with Border Force, the police and SOCA we are determined to do all we can to stop the abhorrent crime of trafficking.'
Chief Inspector Jo Banks, who led the Sussex Police investigation into the girls' disappearance, said: 'This was a joint investigation with the UK Border Agency that led to the identification of Usiobaifo, and after a complex investigation showed his involvement in an organised crime group with the aim of trafficking young women for sexual exploitation.
'The two girls went through a turbulent ordeal, clearly aware of what was intended for them, and under the control of the traffickers. We will continue to search for girl who remains missing.'
A joint UK Border Agency and Border Force investigation, codenamed Operation Hudson, has involved law enforcement agencies in Britain and abroad. It is targeting a number of organised crime groups suspected of trafficking young women, via London, for the purposes of sexual exploitation.
Meet the Rooti dolls! Talking African figures wearing colourful clothes challenge racial stereotypes by breaking the Barbie mould
Dolls created by Chris and Ada Ngoforo who felt their children did not know enough about their roots
The couple have now made 12 dolls from different African countries
Each doll can speak a range of different African languages
A range of dolls have been created to help children of African origin to stay in touch with their heritage.
The dolls were created by Chris and Ada Ngoforo, from London, who were concerned their children did not know about their West African roots.
They decided to take matters into their own hands and what started off as project to help their family, has now transformed into a business venture.
Ama (left) is described as a 'bubbling dynamic girl' according to the company's website and speaks the Ghanaian languages of Twi, Ga, Ewe and Krobo while Nubya, (right) whose parents moved to London from Cape Town years before her birth, is programmed to speak Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, and Afrikaans
They have launched their own range of toys, called Rooti Dolls, which are programmed to speak in several native African languages.
The couple have now made 12 dolls from different African countries.
Chris Ngoforo told CNN: 'We observed that over 90 per cent of children born or living in the diaspora and millions in Africa do not speak or understand their mother tongues.
'Our research made us understand that the reason for this is not because our children don't want to learn their mother tongues, but more because there are not many essential tools that can easily be both educational and fun at the same time.'
Shiroh (left), of Kenyan and Somali mixed origin can speak Swahili, Kikuyu and Luganda while Keza (right) has parents who originate from Zimbabwe and Zambia can speak Shona, Ndebele, Bemba, and Nyanja, according to the dolls' creators
Rooti Dolls was set up by Chris and Ada Ngoforo who were concerned their children were losing touch with their West African roots
Among the dolls is Nina, who can speak Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa and Ibibio and loves to watch 'Nollywood' - popular term for Nigerian movies.
Then there is Ama, who dreams to be a doctor, and can speak the Ghanaian languages of Twi, Ga, Ewe and Krobo.
The couple hope the dolls will breakdown stereotypes and provide a more accurate representation of black people.
Debbie Behan Garrett, author of 'The Definitive Guide to Collecting Black Dolls', said: 'Today's black dolls have evolved from negative caricatures to play-scale representations of haute couture fashion models and other positive images of babies, toddlers and adult black people.'
