Police Arrest 71-Year-Old Pastor, Wife For Buying Baby For N500,000

Rev. Egbochiogum (right), his wife, Ugo (middle), and Mba

A 71- year old retired pastor of a Pentecostal church in Abriba, Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State, Rev. Chima Egbochiogum, and his wife, Ugo, have been arrested for an alleged illegal adoption of a baby. Commissioner of Police, Joshak Habila, who paraded the couple in Umuahia, alongside other suspects in connection with the incident, alleged they bought a stolen baby. The police boss said the pastor and his wife were nabbed following a confession by a notorious child trafficker who was arrested last month for human trafficking.

According to him, the child trafficker, identified simply as Ekwutosi, stole an 11-month-old baby girl belonging to a 21- year -old pregnant mother, who he had pretended to assist.

Infected Bees Seek Out Medicinal Flowers - Study

© Nikola Solic / Reuters

Bumblebees sickened by an intestinal parasite are apt to visit flowers containing nectar and pollen that have a medicinal effect, a new study reports, indicating the current decline in the bee population could be abated through beneficial plants.

Iridoid glycosides, or secondary metabloites found in floral nectar, reduce common parasites in bees, previous research has found. In this case, scientists from the University of Vermont, Dartmouth College, and the University of Colorado-Boulder increased concentrations of two iridoid glycosides – aucubin and catalpol – in turtlehead, a wetland plant frequented by bees in eastern North America. Some plants were given high volumes of iridoid glycosides, while the other half's iridoid glycosides were diluted with sugar water.

Parasitized bees -- afflicted with reproduction and foraging complications -- preferred the flower with the highest iridoid glycoside concentrations, the researchers found. Theirresults are being published in the journal Ecology.

'Lucrative' Business Of People Smuggling Thriving Amid Europe's Refugee Crisis – Report

Migrants are escorted to buses by Hungarian riot police in front of a migrant reception centre in Roszke, Hungary, September 4, 2015. © Marko Djurica / Reuters

As refugees continue to pour into Europe each day, smuggling networks are thriving. Traffickers are advertising their services on social media, cashing in huge sums to transport vulnerable souls to the shores of Europe.

Taking advantage of a desperate situation, smugglers offer their help to those fleeing war and persecution – at a significant cost, a report by The Washington Post reveals. 

With a “package” to satisfy most price points, traffickers are offering refugees increasingly complex options, Patrik Engström, head of the Swedish national police's national border policing section, told the paper.

Nigerians In CAF/FIFA To Kalu, Odegbami – ‘Stop Embarrassing Us With Your FIFA Presidency Ambition’

Chief Segun Odegbami and Dr Orji Uzo Kalu (Image source: PaceTV.com)

The positions of Chief Amanze Uchegbulam, Paul Bassey and Sani Toro left a sour taste to their ambitions after they, in separate interviews warned the duo to ‘’stop embarrassing Nigeria’’. Former Abia State Governor, Dr Kalu was the first to hint of joining the fray to succeed outgoing Sepp Blatter before Odegbami, former captain of the Eagles and businessman joined in.

Former Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation and member of CAF’s Judicial and Board of Appeals Committee, Amanze Uchegbulam said that he had nothing against Kalu and Odegbami’s entrance into the FIFA presidency race but frowned that it was being done the wrong way.

‘’There is nothing wrong with their ambitions but they are doing it the wrong way and embarrassing Nigeria’’, he said in a matter of fact manner.

'Gigantic' Fraud In Malawi

Lutepo had requested special treatment because of his disability AFP

Malawian business tycoon Oswald Lutepo had committed crimes of "exceptional gravity" by defrauding the government of a "gigantic" amount of money, a judge has said, AFP news agency reports. Lutepo, a former senior government official, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to money laundering and defrauding the government of US$9.3m (£6m) in what has been dubbed 'Cashgate' - the biggest corruption scandal in Malawi's history.

Lupeto told AFP that the judge had been "inconsiderate" by giving him an 11-year sentence, as he had pleaded guilty. 

He attended court in a wheelchair saying he was too unwell to walk, but Judge Redson Kapindu dismissed his claim.

A Literary Prize For Nigerian Students

Clark and Soyinka

Nigerian Literature got a strategic intervention on Friday, when Globacom unveiled a prize for undergraduates of Nigerian universities at a programme tagged ‘An Evening with Wole Soyinka’, Globacom unveils a literary prize for Nigerian undergraduates. The annual prize will give N1.5m to the winner of the three categories coming in prose, drama and poetry. Although the competition will give the judges an added challenge of having to ascertain that entries would truly and wholly have been produced by the students who submit them, the competition is capable of re-engineering the country’s literary heritage.

The reason is that there have been concerns over the quality of works by younger writers, just as many of them appear to be attracted more to music than to literary endeavours.

Number Of Homeless In Nigeria Rises; Over 2.1 Million Displaced In Nigeria: IOM

DTM Report extract

Over 2.1 million people or 300,000 households are now internally displaced in northern Nigeria, according to IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). The recent spike in attacks by insurgents triggered the increase. Released yesterday (03/09) in Abuja, the 5th DTM report tracks displaced populations in the six northeastern states covered in the previous four rounds of the DTM - Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe. It also covers Nassarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja in the north central part of the country.

The increase in the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the 1.3 million recorded in the June DTM report can be attributed to the intensification of attacks carried-out by the insurgents, as well as to improved access to previously inaccessible areas of Borno State, where the IDP population is now well over 1.6 million.

1 In 7 British Men Believe They Will Go To Hell – Study

© Jim Bourg / Reuters

One in seven British men have acknowledged they are not saints and admit they deserve to go to hell when they die, a YouGov study has found. The market research firm YouGov surveyed 1,770 adults and found that a minority – 10 percent – of the British population, believe they will go to hell if it exists.

Some 14 percent of male respondents believe they are destined to burn for eternity after dying, compared to six percent of women.

2015 ALL-AFRICA GAMES: Nigeria Set To Challenge For Top Honours With 573 Competitors

At the airport to see the contingent off was the DG, NSC seen here speaking to the press (Image source: footballville.ng)

The National Sports Commission (NSC), says Nigeria is set for opening of the 2015 All-Africa games in Congo Brazzaville tonight. Nigeria had arrived Congo on August 30 with a 573-man contingent, according to the NSC DG, Mallam Al-Hassan Yakmut.

GRAPHITTI NEWS reports that the Nigerian contingent is made up of participants in 21 sports out of which there are 201 male athletes, 178 female athletes, 79 coaches, 40 medical crew members, 25 helpers/loaders/guild runners for Para sports, 19 team secretaries, 18 federations’ presidents, 12 secretarial staff, one Chef de Mission and deputy, totaling 573 athletes and officials.”

Zambia Currency Hits All-Time Low

Zambia is going through tough economic times (Photo: AFP)

Zambia currency has fallen to a record low against the US dollar, Reuters news agency reports. The kwacha hit to an all-time low of 10.1500 per dollar before recovering to trade at 9.8200, it reports. "The apparent slowdown of China's economy is negatively impacting financial markets in the short run. Panic buying may have set it," analyst Peter Sitamulaho is quoted as saying.

Zambia is Africa's second biggest copper producer, but the industry has been hit by a fall in commodity prices.

Mines have also been hit by a power shortage, with a union saying that this has forced one copper producer, China's NFC Mining, to shut down some of its operations, Reuters reports. 

All Set For All-Africa Games; UK Scholarship For Sierra Leone Sprinter

The new Kintele stadium will host (Photo: AFP; Image source: BBC Africa Live)

Tonight, September 4, 2015, is the opening ceremony for the 11th All-Africa Games, which are being held in Congo-Brazzaville. Sporting stars from across the continent will be descending on the capital Brazzaville to compete in the event, which takes place every four years. Athletics, as well as football, basketball, boxing and many other sports are all included in this year's games.

Meanwhile a sprinter from Sierra Leone who ended up sleeping rough on the streets of London has been offered a sports scholarship in the UK, The Guardian Newspaper reports.

South Africa's Tutu Discharged From Hospital After Treatment

Archbishop Tutu pictured with his wife in July (Photo: Oryx media)

South African anti-apartheid activist and veteran cleric, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has been discharged from hospital where he received an intravenous course of antibiotics over the past two weeks, the foundation that bears his name said on Friday. Reuters reports that the 83-year-old, who used the pulpit to preach against apartheid, had been admitted to hospital for the second time in August for treatment of an "inflammation".

Tutu has been receiving treatment for a recurring infection unrelated to the prostate cancer he has been fighting for 18 years, his family has previously said.

Tutu, a Nobel peace laureate who used the pulpit to preach against apartheid, retired from public life in 2010 but has kept speaking out in a wide range of issues, including corruption among South Africa's political elite.