RCCG Pastor Butchered in Borno,Whereabout of Wife & Children Unknown

A pastor with the Redeem Christian Church of God in Borno state, Pastor Taiwo Dokun was shot dead and butchered by Boko Haram men during the Monday July 14th attack on Dille village in Askira-Uba LGA of Borno state.
The late pastor's wife and three children are feared to have been taken by the sect men who reportedly abducted some people on the day of the attack. A resident of the village, Jacob Mamza, gave an account of how the pastor was killed to Vanguard;

"The pastor was in his house at about 6am when the insurgents attacked the village. His house was surrounded by the hoodlums and while attempting to run he was shot. Pastor Taiwo was running to a neighbour’s house and it was in the course of his fleeing that he was shot in the head and the chest and the insurgent equally came to butcher him to make sure that he was dead.” he said. Continue...
Church members say the late pastor's wife and children's whereabout is unknown as they have not been seen since the attack on Monday. They have ruled out death as their bodies are not among those they gathered after the attack and suggested they may have been taken away by the sect men who abducted some people on the day of the attack.

Photos: Wendy Williams

Talk-show host Wendy Williams turned 50 today Friday July 18th but threw an early birthday party yesterday night at Out Hotel in New York City. The former radio DJ and her massive boobs, (which she got when she was on the big side over 20 years ago and has refused to reduce it since she lost all the weight), walked the red carpet in a slinky black gown with a plunging neckline.

Photos: Malaysian Flight MH17 Believed To Have Disappeared While Flying To Beijing From Kuala Lumpur

A haunting photograph of flight MH17 is believed to have been posted on Facebook by a Dutch passenger just moments before he boarded the doomed plane. The plane, pictured on tarmac, took off from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport at lunchtime today and was shot down hours later on the Russia-Ukraine border in an 'act of terrorism', killing all 295 people on board. Cor Pan, who is listed on Facebook as living in Volendam in North Holland, uploaded the picture of the aircraft with the caption: ‘If it disappears, this is what it looks like.’ Continue....

The comment is believed to have been a reference to Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 which disappeared while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March. After seeing the photo friends initially went along with the joke and wished him a good trip, but their messages quickly turned frantic when news of the crash emerged. Posting underneath the picture they asked whether his flight was the one that had gone down and said that they were praying that it wasn’t true.  His cousin later posted the flight number underneath the picture and wrote: 'Turns out our cousin Cor was on this plane.’  Friends and family members began to leave touching tributes to the Dutch traveller, with one posting ‘rest in peace’.  Their posts also suggested that he was on board the plane with his girlfriend Neeltje Tol. One said: ‘Rest in peace Cor and Neel this is surreal, with sympathy for family and friends.’ Another posted: ‘Terrible and unfair. Rest in peace Cor and Neeltje.’ 

Mr Pan, who lists himself as 'self-employed' on his Facebook page, is thought to have posted the image through a window at the boarding gate, just a few minutes before getting onto the flight which took off at 12:15pm in Amsterdam.  The plane has the words Malaysia emblazoned on the side and appears to be being refuelled. A total of 151 Dutch passengers are believed to have been on board the plane.

Culled from UK Daily Mail

Nigerian Troops Clear Terrorists Bases in Balmo Forest: Capture Foreign Mercenaries

The Nigerian military released a statement on their website today saying that they have cleared and taken over terrorists bases in Borno state and also captured mercenaries.

Read the statement below
Troops have cleared and taken over Balmo forest in a military operation that lasted throughout the weekend.  Prior to the operation, Balmo forest stretching from Bauchi through Jigawa States with links to the fringes of Sambisa forest was used by terrorists as bases and hideouts for launching attacks. Terrorists and armed gangs operating in the forests were completely rooted out while some were captured during the operation.  Among those captured were two foreigners who are suspected to be mercenaries. Also captured are several weapons and equipment including power generating sets, communication equipment, vehicles, motorcycles, foodstuff and kitchen utensils

In another development, over 44 terrorists have died in Kerenoa and adjoining communities, following an encounter with troops who repelled their attack on the communities.  Armed with IEDs and other high caliber weapons, a large number of terrorists had carried out a predawn attack on the communities but met with stiff resistance of the troops.   During the operation, several of them were captured as well as weapons and ammunitions of various calibre.

Meanwhile, troops on routine patrol around Banki and Miyanti in Borno State during the weekend fought through an ambush laid by terrorists resulting in casualties on both sides.  Altogether, a total of 6 soldiers were lost in the various encounters with terrorists during the weekend while those wounded are receiving treatment.

FIFA Lifts Ban on Nigeria

FIFA has lifted the ban it placed on Nigeria on July 9th after a high court sitting in Jos sacked the President of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, Aminu Maigari and other board members.
FIFA had frowned at the court ruling, stating that the move was a government interference in football activities which is against its policy. FIFA then directed that a new court order reinstating Maigari and other NFF executives be obtained before it can lift the ban.

The new court order reinstating the NFF President and other executives was obtained two days ago, Tuesday July 15th, hence the lifting of the ban today. Maigari and his board will resume their duties tomorrow and stay there until next month's elections when they could be sacked through the ballot, in line with FIFA's policies.