Four Prisoners Hanged in Nigeria

Four prisoners have been hanged in Nigeria, an official said on Tuesday, in the first known executions since 2006 which Amnesty International described as "a truly dark day for human rights in the country".

Nigeria has faced international criticism over its death penalty and an estimated 1,000 people are on death row.

The four prisoners were convicted of either armed robbery or murder and were hanged in southern Edo state on Monday, the state's justice minister told Reuters by phone.

"They have been on death row for a long time and they were executed yesterday," Henry Idahagbon said. He did not say why authorities had decided to use the death penalty after a gap of seven years.

"These executions mark a sudden, brutal return to the use of the death penalty in Nigeria, a truly dark day for human rights in the country," said Lucy Freeman, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Africa.

Idahagbon said two of the death warrants had been signed by Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, and the other two by the previous governor.

"If the international community deems it wrong they should approach the national assembly for review of the law," he said.

Lagos: Police Kill Suspected Kidnappers of Ejigbo Local Government Chairman

By Ayodeji Dedeigbo

The Lagos State Special Anti-robbery Squad has killed seven suspected kidnappers and arrested two others during a cross fire in Agbara area of Ogun State, southwest Nigeria. Police alleged that the suspects were behind the kidnap of Lagos politician Kehinde Bamigbetan, Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria.

Police said the arrested suspects are 27-year old Ogbonna Emenike and 25-year old Uchenna Nwanyu. The shootout took place at the weekend. The items recovered from the suspects include four AK 47 Rifles, twenty-Eight AK 47 Magazine fully loaded and a thousand round of live ammunition. Others are army uniforms, a Honda CRV jeep with Reg

No.ABC106AE and a Nissan Pathfinder Reg No.AGL730AZ as well as local charms. The officer in charge of SARS said: “when I received the information about their hideout in Agbara in Ogun State, I quickly mobilised my men to their camp where they lodged.

“After 72hours of waiting in ambush, I and my squadron team stormed the place where all the kidnappers have gathered around 6.30 am on 24/06/2013. “As a result of this,seven of the kidnappers were fatally wounded during a heavy gun battle between the kidnappers and my men.

“Two of the kidnappers one Ogbonna Emenike and Uchenna Nnwayu were arrested alive with bullet wound. “Also an Indian National one Mr. Vivex Changrani who was kidnapped in Ikoyi,at about 12.am was also rescued successfully in the kidnappers hideout.”

The Lagos State commissioner of Police Mr. Umar Abubakar Manko warned other kidnappers to flee Lagos. “Criminals will not have comfort in Lagos. Lagos is not a comfort zone. My advice (for criminals) is to go away from Lagos,” Manko said.

Bamigbetan was kidnapped in April by unidentified gunmen while he was about to enter his street, Ona Iwa Mimo, Ori-Oke near Egbe bridge in Ejigbo. He was with his driver, Abiodun Olayiwola, in his black SUV with customised registration number Lagos KOK when the gunmen waylaid him.

The council boss was said to be on his way home from an official assignment when the incident occurred. His SUV was badly damaged by an electric pole which stopped it while the driver tried to escape from the gunmen.

New Cold-War?: FBI, Microsoft team up against global cyber-crime ring

Cyber espionage and cyber-attacks are the new form of waging sophisticated wars; hacking and stealing vital official secrets and documents and using it against targets in countries.

Kaspersky Lab recently uncovered a cyber espionage ring linked to China. The United States has been doing all within it capabilities to stem the tide with the latest being the partnership of Microsoft and FBI on cyber-crime.

Microsoft Corp. and the FBI, in cooperation with officials from more than 80 countries, have launched a major operation against one of the world's most powerful cyber-crime rings, believed to have stolen more than $500 million from bank accounts over the past 18 months.

Microsoft said its Digital Crimes Unit on Wednesday successfully took down about 1,000 of an estimated 1,400 infected computer networks known as Citadel Botnets, which infected as many as 5 million PCs around the world and, according to Microsoft, were being used to steal from dozens of financial institutions.

The FBI told Reuters it is working closely with Europol and other overseas authorities in an effort to capture the unknown criminals. The FBI has obtained search warrants as part of what it called a "fairly advanced" criminal investigation.

Official: Foreigners aid Oil Crime in Nigeria

'A bad workman blames his tools.' -English proverb

A Nigerian official in the Petroleum Industry says the increase in oil crime rates and pipelines vandalisation is a result of foreign interventions in the purchase of illegal crude oil from criminals in Nigeria.

Abolore while visiting Areppo, scene of the most recent pipeline vandalisation and fire mishap stated that the power of the vandals and perpetrators of oil crimes is on the rise because there are ready-made foreign buyers and foreign cash for the illegal products.

The worrisome aspect of this statement is maybe there exists any difference between the vandals, the government and oil officials cum workers. They are all oil thieves. The government condemning foreigners berth oil in the coast of Togo so as to perform 'magic' in supply. An act similar to piracy. Officials also connive with oil marketers to fraud the country and the people.

One begins to wonder where lies the legitimacy in the statement when Shell pays government specially for security to avoid being subjected to environmental laws and accountability. Where is the legitimacy when citizens are executed as in the case of Ken Saro Wiwa for Shell BP to continue operations.

The government indicting the foreigners is the same government with numerous oil scandals; swimming in corruption without any iota of responsibility, accountability and concern for the welfare of the people. Without any crack in the wall, lizards cannot partition the inside of a fence into rooms.