Popular Lagos businessman and younger brother of Lolu Sodeinde, Kolapo
Sodeinde, married the love of his life, model and Miss South Africa 2007
(top 5 Miss World 2008) Tansey Coetzee yesterday Sunday November 23rd
in South Africa. Congrats to them. See more photos after the cut...
Engaged couple actors Damilola Adegbite and Chris Attoh Christen their 2
months old son, Brian, in Accra, Ghana. Dami recently returned home to
Ghana with the baby after being in New York for months to give birth.
See another pic after the cut...
Stephanie
Linus has released a statement addressing the rape allegations against
her older brother, Daniel Okereke, who was arrested for allegedly raping
a UNILAG student named Arinola (read here). Like any right thinking woman, Stephanie is devastated by this. See her statement below..
"Rape is Rape, Regardless of Who the Face of the Accused is” - Stephanie Linus
I
am distraught and devastated to hear of the recent allegation of rape
brought against a relative of mine, Daniel Okereke (my brother).
While
it is a very difficult time for me, and my family; I feel the need to
make clear my position, lest there be any doubt. Rape is rape,
regardless of who the face of the accused is.
Indeed,
the irony is not lost on me. I have spent my lifelong career
advocating and living my conviction that women around the world should
be able to live free of violence, sexual harassment or any form
of abuse against their persons. This conviction led me to be involved in
numerous initiatives combating violence against women in several
countries including the U.S, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The
conviction also led me to place much of my energy on my work
with Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF), a passion that dates back to my time
at the University of Calabar.
As
a student, I heard a story about young girls who had been forced into
early marriage and were suffering the negative and embarrassing effects
of VVF. The story stayed in my consciousness and drove me, for years, to
seek ways to raise awareness on the condition; leading to my work with
a team of dedicated doctors to carry out repair surgeries for
VVF victims across the country; and my self-produced, soon to be
released movie, ‘DRY.’
So,
again, it is indeed heart breaking for me to receive and deal with news
alleging a family member of mine is an alleged perpetrator of sexual
violence against a woman. I am devastated.
This
case is now in Nigeria’s criminal justice system as the accused awaits
arraignment. I have also encouraged and assured the alleged victim of my
stance against rape and applaud her for her bravery to upset the
culture of silence, in Nigeria; even as I accord deference and
patiently wait for the criminal justice system to determine the guilt or
innocence of my brother.
For
Nigerian press and blogs; I call on you to please report this case in
an ethical manner. I am a married woman living my life. The alleged
transgression of my relative does not make it mine. The focus should be
the impact of rape on the alleged victim, and resources for other
alleged victims, not me.
Some
members of the press and blogs have turned me into the accuser; using
my name for sensational headlines and putting my images, exclusively, in
their stories. This is a form of victimization of me as a woman, its
unethical and extremely hurtful. I am not the alleged accused.
I
therefore please ask all bloggers and the media who have placed my
pictures and name to this story to refrain from further using me to
sensationalise this story.
I thank my fans, and all well-wishers for your continued support and ask for your continued prayers.
Report sent it by freelance journalist, Ihechukwu Njoku...read below...
The
experience of Ifekoya Adejoke is as harrowing as it is heart-breaking. Lured by
a false promise of ‘greener pastures’ abroad, the young Nigerian ended up a merciless
victim of human trafficking, chained to a bed in a dingy, dirty Libyan room and
forced to sexually satisfy up to 30 men in a single night...
Adejoke, a Lagos indigene, explained
that an impoverished background led her to survive by hawking water as a young
girl before she becoming an apprentice hair stylist.
“When
I lost my dad, his family claimed my mum was responsible for his death,” the 21 year old
tearfully said, sharing her experiences at a popular church in Lagos.
“They left us with her and ever since
then, she has been the one catering for us.”
Aged 19, a middle-aged lady
walked into the shop where she was styling and approached her with an unusual
proposal. “She came to me and said there
was a country she was staying in and if she took me to that country, I would
make money and would be able to cater for my family.”
“My
happiness knew no bounds,” she recalled, her judgement veiled by the blind
promise of greener pastures. “I said,
‘Finally, an angel has come’. Unknown to me, she was a devil in human’s
clothing.”
Just one week later, without
even informing her mum or siblings, Ifekoya was in a vehicle with the mysterious
lady en route to Libya. “She said when we
got there, we would board a flight to Spain where I would start work as a stylist”.
The long journey by road through
the infamous Sahara Desert was nothing short of hellish. “We were seeing dead bodies strewn on the ground,” she reminisced,
shuddering at the grisly recollection.
“Even
the vehicle that was following us directly passed on top of a buried bomb; the
vehicle just exploded and everybody there died.” Ifekoya witnessed scenes far
too horrific to repeat as masked men attacked a vehicle close to hers, beating
the occupants to a stupor and raping the women inside.
Finally making it to Libya’s
capital city of Tripoli, Adejoke was taken by the woman to a duplex. The first
glimpse of her new home was a shock to behold. “I met five Nigerian girls there who were half-naked,” she stated. Smiling
wryly at her bewildered confusion, the woman said she would ‘explain everything
tomorrow’.
“The
following morning, when I woke up, she brought some underwear for me and said
these were the clothes I must use to work,” the young Nigerian narrated
to the sober crowd.
As realisation dawned to
what she had unknowingly entangled herself in, Ifekoya bluntly refused. “That afternoon, people said they wanted to
meet me because I was new but I protested,” she continued.
“So,
the woman went outside and brought a cane. They really beat me up until I was
very weak. She then took me to one of the rooms and tied me down there. She
tied my hands to the back of my head and tied my legs separately so that they
were open. That very day, 30 men used me in the room where I was chained.”
Shackled as a sex slave
alone in the dark, dirty room save for the ravenous men who forced themselves
on her, Ifekoya’s willpower slowly began wilting.
“After
two weeks, the other girls came to me and said that if I didn’t accept to do
this, she would tie me down for two years. When I knew the whole thing was like
that, I just accepted.”
Informed that she would have
to repay a total of $9,000 to the devilish lady to ‘cover the costs’ of her
travel to Libya, the young Nigerian prostituted for almost one year before
finally ‘earning’ enough to ‘buy’ her freedom.
However, as hope finally
beckoned that she could leave such hellish lifestyle, fate struck another
venomous blow. “Immediately I planned to
leave the place, I started falling sick – seriously sick.”
Nearly one year of sleeping
with multiple men on a nightly basis had taken its toll on her young body. “To my greatest surprise, my womb fell. I
had to be taken to the hospital where they operated on me to remove it.”
Feeble and practically
penniless, Ifekoya now faced the ominous challenge of making enough money for
the journey back to Nigeria. Her options were limited. “At the end of the day, I had no choice. I still had to resort to the
same thing to come back to Nigeria,” she admitted.
Eventually ending up in
another brothel, she began saving up for the return leg of her nightmare
journey. After encountering a fellow Nigerian prostitute who had a similar
story as a victim of deception and exploitation, the duo struck a strong
friendship and resolved to make the journey together.
At this point, they made
what turned out to be a life-changing discovery. “It was when we were in one of our friend’s houses that we were
introduced to Emmanuel TV,” she explained. “We started watching and praying along with it.”
Almost 2 years after her intrepid trip across the Sahara Desert, Ifekoya and her friend embarked
on the journey back to Nigeria. Inspired by the clips they had seen on Emmanuel
TV, the television station of controversial Nigerian pastor T.B. Joshua, they
decided to make The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) their first port
of call.
After receiving prayer for
‘deliverance’ from the ‘spirit of prostitution’ and hearing of their sordid stories, Joshua decided to give the
ex-prostitutes N200,000 ($1,200) each to restart their lives.
“God
has kept me alive to pass this message across to the youth,” the young
Nigerian emotionally concluded, admonishing her age-mates not to fall prey to
the same tactics used to lure her into slavery.
The 2014
American Music Awards held in Los Angeles last night Sunday November
23rd and the stars came out in style. See the red carpet photos and full
list of winners after the cut...
Even though the girl, allegedly consented, the 75-year-old man who
claims he wants to marry her, has been arrested and is about to be
charged to court. Below is how Tribune reported it
Most of the teeth of
the 75-year-old man are missing but Pa Muse Alabi is still going
strong in meat consumption – both animal and human.
He is not a cannibal, he is
simply a lady’s man and goes for young or old, single or married.
However, he has bitten more than he could chew as he is currently at the
State Criminal Investigation Department of the Oyo State Police
Command, where the anti-social behaviour unit is investigating a case of
defilement of a 13-year-old girl allegedly committed by
the old man, and which has resulted in pregnancy
Crime Reports learnt that Pa Alabi was doing carpentry work for a
lady under whom the victim was an apprentice. The young girl seized the
opportunity to tell Pa Alabi to build a safe for her. After giving her
the safe, Pa Alabi wooed the girl and she agreed to his proposal. After
the first sexual intercourse they had, it was learnt that the suspect
gave the girl N200. When she also demanded for a handset, he gave her
N1,500 to buy i-tel phone.
Four days after, they made love again. Both times were in September
this year. But the grandmother of the girl was said to have noticed
recently that she was showing signs of pregnancy. Though she denied, she
secretly went to her lover to inform him. To her surprise, Pa Alabi
demanded to know how she could be pregnant since he only had sex with
her twice.
The girl decided to keep to herself and would not talk to Pa Alabi
whenever he went to her mistress’s shop. This was said to have prompted
the man to inform the mistress that her apprentice was pregnant for him,
warning against the abortion of his unborn child. Shocked, the mistress
informed the girl’s grandmother who, in turn, told the girl’s mother.
Eventually, word got to the girl’s elder sister who went to a police
station on Saturday, November 15 to lodge a complaint and Pa Alabi was
promptly arrested.
A police source informed Crime Reports that the suspect’s neighbours
said it was in the old man’s character to go after under-aged girls. The
ultrasound scan carried out revealed the expected delivery date of the
girl as July 7, 2015 meaning she is two months pregnant. Strangely, the
girl was reported to have never menstruated before the pregnancy.
In an interview with Crime Reports, Pa Alabi admitted having sex with
the girl and the paternity of the baby. He also agreed to marry her and
take care of her and the baby when born. According to the man who lives
at his family house at Oje area, “I am a carpenter and I still work
till the present time. I even take roofing jobs. I am very strong.
“I have two daughters and a son. My first wife gave birth to the
female children but had to be taken away by her people when she
developed mental illness. My second wife is the mother of the boy who is
an SSS3 student but she has left for another man. Currently, I have no
wife.”
So how does he satisfy his sexual needs when it looks as if he is
very active? Crime Reports asked. Pa Alabi replied: “I don’t go looking
for any woman. I usually have sex with any of the married women who like
me and come to me for sex. This is not always though.”
Speaking on how he came in contact with his victim, the elderly man
said: “I used to do carpentry work for her boss who sells tailoring
materials. That was where I knew her. One day, she asked me to help her
build a safe in which she could be keeping her money. When I finished
it, I asked her to come to my shop for the safe late one evening and I
gave it to her.
“She used to pass by my shop whenever she was going home and used to
stop by to greet me. On a particular day, I expressed my interest in her
and she promised to think about it. She later consented and on one of
the days she stopped to say hello to me, we had sex when I had an urge.
And it was mutual. About five days after the first time, we had sex
again and she stopped coming.
“One day, she came to me and told me that her grandmother said she
was pregnant. She stopped coming again and I didn’t see her again until
policemen came to arrest me.”
When asked whether he knew that his action was in contravention of
the law, Pa Muse replied that he didn’t know, describing the outcome of
his relationship with the young girl as “an act of God”. He said:
“Mistake has no master. I pray that God should forgive me.”
The suspect said he doesn’t use any sex performance enhancement drug
before making love to a female. “I don’t take any herbal drink for
enhancement of sexual performance. They are alcoholic and I don’t take
alcohol as a good Muslim. I observe my five-times-daily prayers
faithfully.”
Pa Alabi said he was ready to take responsibility over the pregnant
girl and the baby she is expecting. “I can take care of her adequately. I
have a nephew who is a medical doctor and he has promised to help too,”
he stated.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Olabisi Okuwobi-Ilobanafor however said that the suspect would be charged to court.
