Woolwich Murder Suspects Adebolajo & Adebowale Deny Murdering British Soldier Lee Rigby

Pictured: Lee Rigby's widow fighting back tears in the court room when the suspects denied killing her husband

Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale have both denied murdering Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich.

At a pre-trial hearing at the Old Bailey criminal court in central London via videolink on Friday, September 27, Michael Adebolajo from Romford in Essex and Michael Adebowale from Greenwich in southeast London entered their pleas to the murder charge. 

At the funeral

The soldier's widow Rebecca Rigby watched in tears as Adebolajo, 28, and Adebowale, 22, each denied attempting to murder a police officer on the day of Drummer Rigby's death.

They also denied conspiracy to murder on or before that day.

The suspects are scheduled to go on trial later on November 18. 

Chaos In the Senate As Law Makers Pay Tribute to Late Ex-Governor of Ondo State

A showdown between lawmakers of the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party was averted yesterday by the Senate President on the floor of the Senate, as the crisis in the ruling party spilled into plenary, while lawmakers were eulogizing the late governor of Ondo state Olusegun Agagu.

Events at plenary clearly showed that the political crises in the ruling PDP is gradually creeping into the Senate.

It all started, when Senator Boluwaji Kunlere moved a motion on the demise of the former governor of Ondo state, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, as lawmakers poured eulogies on the late former governor, but while Senator Danjuma Goje rose to also pay his respects, his opening words caused a stir in the chamber, as referred to himself as belonging to the new PDP.

Senator Goje’s remarks were not taken lightly as another lawmaker Senator Smart Adeyemi from Kogi challenged him and that increased tension on the floor of the upper house.

Normalcy finally returned when the Senate President, Senator Mark called for order to return to the house in the midst of the escalating tension.

There has been several moves since the walk out by the G7 governors from the PDP special national convention to resolve the impasse between the aggrieved members who have now floated the ‘New PDP’ led by Abubakar Baraje and the Tukur–led leadership of the party, but what may go down the ‘make or mar’ reconciliation meeting has been fixed for October 7^th by the president and leader of the ruling party, president Goodluck Jonathan.

Rapist Gets 'Death By Hanging' Verdict in Delta State

A Delta State High Court sitting in Warri yesterday sentenced one Chijioke Ede, a furniture maker to death by hanging, for robbing a couple and raping their teenage daughter. The condemned armed robber and rapist was arraigned before Justice Marshall Mukoro on a three-count charge of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery and rape.

He was found guilty on all the charges and sentenced to death on count one and two while he got life imprisonment on the charge of rape.

Prosecution from the Delta State Ministry of Justice had told the court that Chijioke Ede, age 26, resident at No 17, Iyela Street, Warri with another person now at large, on or about October 12, 2009 at Okoro Street in Warri, off Marine Gate within the Warri Judicial Division, robbed his victims (names withheld) of DVD player, a laptop computer, cash, jewelries and other valuables at gun point and raped their teenage daughter while the parents watched helplessly.

The convict was, however, arrested by a vigilante group in the area as they made to escape with their loot.

Justice Mukoro in his judgement said: “With avalanche of facts and evidences before this court, for the accused to say he was not involved in the crime is laughable and afterthought. For the court to hold the evidence of the accused will amount to denial of justice thereby bringing the Bar and the Bench to disrepute. I thereby uphold the evidence of prosecution as all the ingredients of the offence has been proved beyond reasonable doubt and sentence the accused to death by hanging on count one and two.”

Meet the Woman Who Poisoned Her Kids to Keep Them From Ex Husband

According to CBS News, a 42-year-old woman Marilyn Edge is a mother of two who poisoned her 9-year-old daughter Faith, and her 12-year-old son Jaelen on Sunday because she had lost custody of them last week and was supposed to hand the children over to their father, Mark Edge. Their divorce and custody battle had been contentious, and in the end, Edge decided that she would rather not have her children at all than to let their father take care of them.

Since then, Edge has been arrested and charged with two counts of murder. Now according to KTLA, she has asked the presiding judge to give her the death penalty. At a hearing earlier this week, Edge reportedly repeatedly asked the judge to give her the death penalty after being asked about setting an arraignment date. Her response to such questions was, “Only if you promise me the death penalty.”

Samklef, Jayfeel and Optima Group Sued for One Billion Naira

Optima media group/Samklef/Jayfeel has been sued for N1billion by Qinc Music.

In a press release statement by the media correspondent  of the Artist Management company – Qinc Music, Mrs Aisha Inusa states that:

It is with regret that, the Management of Qinc Music will be sueing the following; Optima media group/Samklef/Jayfeel for Inducement to breach contract and a breach of contract by the artist in person of Jayfeel (Joshua Enakhimion). The artist who entered into a lawful contract with Qinc Music and subsequently entered into a second agreement with Samklef and OMG despite several media releases, pre and post his participation in the Nigerian idols under the management of Qinc Music.

With various failed mediation attempts, the management is now forced to seek legal redress..The CEO of Qinc Music felt it best to keep it brief in his statement:
” Its sad to see promising acts bring about self inflicted ruin on their careers but this is a fight for justice and my team and I are more than willing to go all the way”.
A representative of Ivory & Wellington Solicitors in person of Mr Wellington had this to say:
“The issue at hand is simply to put forward facts and evidence brought foward by our client and let the court be the arbiter”.

The statement issued by the legal team is apparently engineered by the altercation Samklef had with one of his dispatch persons.

This is another ugly Artist/Management rift that has hit the music industry.

Ozekhome Urges Federal Government to Grant Amnesty to Kidnappers

Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), who regained his freedom on Thursday after three weeks of his abduction, has appealed to the Federal Government to grant amnesty to kidnappers in the country.

He said this on Thursday while recounting his ordeal to newsmen at his residence in Lagos, after he was released by his abductors on Thursday morning. He described his abductors as ”angry and desperate well-read graduates” who had a network of cells across the country.

He said during his interactions with them, they told him that they were pushed into kidnapping due to unemployment and poverty. The human rights lawyer said he fell sick twice during his three-week ordeal, adding that his abductors brought a doctor who treated him for malaria and typhoid.

Watch him narrate his ordeal in the hands of the kidnappers:

He also said:

“As a matter of extreme urgency, I want the Federal Government to immediately grant amnesty to all kidnappers and institute an amnesty programme for all kidnappers.

“They told me that if they are given assurance that they will not be killed, they are ready to agree to the deal.”

He urged the government to declare a national state of emergency on youth unemployment and infrastructure decay and went further to appeal to the government not to neglect the families of the four policemen who were killed while trying to rescue him from his abductors.

“It was this morning that I was briefed that those gallant officers died while trying to rescue us from our abductors.

“Let me hereby call upon the Federal Government to set up a special foundation to cater for the welfare of the wives and children of these officers.”

He also urged the National Assembly to allow for state police in the ongoing amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

Delhi Gang Rape Trial: All Four Men Found Guilty

Four men have been convicted of the gang rape of a 23-year-old woman as she travelled on a bus in Delhi.

Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Pawan Gupta and Mukesh Singh lured the woman and her male friend onto the bus as they returned home from watching a movie last December.

The physiotherapy student was raped and assaulted with an iron bar before she was dumped on the roadside with her friend.

She suffered serious internal injuries and died in a Singapore hospital 13 days after the attack.

The brutality of the assault triggered waves of protests across India, with new laws introduced and existing ones amended to give women greater protection.

Fast-track courts were also set up to try men accused of sexual crimes.

The conviction of the four men follows an eight-month trial, during which more than 100 people gave evidence.

The case had been expected to finish sooner, with defence lawyers accused of using delaying tactics.

The men, who were found guilty of all charges against them, including rape and murder, are expected to be sentenced on Wednesday, when they could be given the death penalty.

Defence lawyers for Thakur, Sharma and Singh, who occasionally drove the bus and cleaned it, said they will appeal the verdict.

A fifth defendant, Ram Singh, was found hanged in his cell in Delhi's Tihar prison in March. His family and defence lawyers believe he was murdered.

A sixth person, who was a juvenile at the time of the attack, has already been found guilty of murder, rape and kidnapping.

He was sentenced to three years in a correction facility - the maximum penalty he could be given.

The parents of the victim, who argue the punishment is too lenient, called for him to be tried as an adult and to be hanged.

SkyNews

FaceOff: Bianca & Femi Fani Kayode Set to go to Court as FFK Taunts Bianca Ojukwu Over Legal Threats

Culled fro SaharaReporters

Controversial former Nigerian minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kanyode, has threatened to reveal details of his past private relationship with Nigeria's ambassador to Spain, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu after the ambassador rejected his apologies in several newspaper withdrawing earlier claims they had a romantic past.

Mrs. Ojukwu through her lawyers had ordered the minister to withdraw claims made in an article that he had intimate relations with her several years ago. Shortly after receiving the legal threats, Fani-Kayode went on to issue an apology, asking to remove the word "intimate" from the claims made relating to Bianca and two other ladies.

However, Mrs. Ojukwu rejected the apologies claiming they were not sufficient, she thereafter threatened to institute a lawsuit to seek redress.

 

The latest legal threat might have prompted Fani-Kayode to issue a statement today daring Mrs. Ojukwu to put the matter before the courts.

 In the statement , signed by his personal assistant, reproduced below, Mr. Fani-Kayode threatened to expose the ambassador and put the details of their past relationship in the public domain.

 

See full text of Mr. Fani-Kayode's press release.

''We read the comments of the P.A. to Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu in the Sun Newspaper of 9th September and in a number of other newspapers where she expressed the view that the withdrawal of the comments made about her by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode were ''not enough''. We really do wonder what Mrs. Ojukwu really wants from Chief Fani-Kayode and what her agenda really is? Throughout this matter Chief Fani-Kayode has chosen the path of peace and has attempted to avoid an ugly and public quarrel with Bianca Ojukwu out of respect to the memory of her late father Chief C.C. Onoh and the memory of her late husband, Dim Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu .

Consequently he has publicly apologised to her and the two other igbo ladies that he mentioned in the said article (namely Miss Chioma Ansoh and Miss Adaobi Ucgegbu) on two separate occassions, in three separate national newspapers and online. He has has also publicly withdrawn the words that they found offensive, he has edited the said article, he has ensured that no newspaper in Nigeria that published it mentioned their names in the revised version, he has admitted that the word ''intimate'' that was used in the online version of the article was ''indiscreet'' and he has bent over backwards to tread the path of peace and to appease all those concerned. Despite all these efforts Bianca Ojukwu has refused to be appeased or to let go and she has continued to peddle the shameless lie that she has never met Chief Fani-Kayode.

This is sad and unfortunate and it is beyond the imagination of anyone that a serving Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria would so readily and so easily be given to telling such lies. Chief Fani-Kayode is not comfortable with publicly joining issues with ladies when it comes to matters of a private nature such as this because he was well brought up and he is a gentleman but it is clear that Bianca Ojukwu is desperate to go to war over this issue and to cover up the truth about their past. It is also clear that she has constituted herself into the arrowhead of a group of people that are determined to use her and this whole unsavoury episode to attempt to distract attention from the wider and more important issues raised in the essay and to discredit him. Since that is the case we welcome whatever action Ojukwu wishes to take in court and we shall gladly meet her there. We will also be instigating our own legal proceedings against her in due course for her barefaced and malicious lies and her consistent claim that she has never met Chief Fani-Kayode all in an attempt to libel, defame, diminish and discredit him before the entire world. We wish to state clearly and categorically that not only did Chief Fani-Kayode know her but he also knew her far better than she cares to publiclly admit. The precise nature of that relationship will be explored and exposed in open court. It is not in the nature of Chief Fani-Kayode to fight unnecessary and distractive battles over flippant matters such as this but on this occassion he has been compelled to do so simply because he will do whatever it takes to protect his integrity and establish the fact that he has told no lie.

Since she has continued her shameless perfidy and wishes to tread the path of deceit and confrontation then so be it. Finally let it be clearly understood that at no point did Chief Fani-Kayode lie about the nature of his relationship with Ojukwu. However he did not feel that it was appropiate or necessary to share the details of that relationship with the public because he felt that such matters were strictly private.

The fact that she mistook his mature exercise of restraint and discretion, even when provoked and insulted, his desire for peace and his gentlemanly nature for weakness is not only unfortunate but also a grave miscalculation on her part. Once again we reiterate the fact that we counsel Ojukwu to take whatever course of action she pleases and we welcome this opportunity to expose her for what she is. The matter has been referred to our lawyers for final preparation. They will prepare a vigorous defence to Ojukwu's absurd allegations and they will also determine our next line of action against her''

- Mr. Tosin Emmanuel, P.A. to Chief Femi Fani-Kayode.

Bianca Ojukwu Rejects Femi Fani-Kayode's Article Retraction & Apology; Says it Wasn't Satisfactory

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain, Mrs Bianca Ojukwu has rejected Chief Femi Fani-Kayode’s withdrawal of his comments made about her in the social media and a national daily, saying that the former Aviation minister’s statement was only a riposte.

The former aide to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo had in his article entitled, "Neither a tribalist nor a hater" claimed to have had "intimate relationship" with three Igbo ladies, including Mrs Ojukwu as a spinster, a claim the ambassador said was a lie and only aimed at tarnishing her image.

Consequently, Mrs Ojukwu, through her lawyers, Wall Street Attorneys, wrote to Fani-Kayode on August 27, demanding that he retract his statements and offer an unreserved apology to her in The Sun and Thisday newpapers, giving the former minister up to September 6, to do so.

But when Fani-Kayode on September 6 withdrew his comments in the two newspapers, he insisted that he knew Mrs Ojukwu in the 1980s and that some of those who knew she was his girlfriend are still living.

But two days after his response, Mrs Ojukwu has insisted that she did not know Chief Fani-Kayode as she had not met him before.

The wife of the late Igbo leader, who spoke through her Personal Assistant, Mr Isaac Igboanu, therefore, said the retraction made by Chief Fani-Kayode last Friday was not sufficient and satisfactory.

Rejecting Chief Fani-Kayode’s comments in the two newspapers, her personal assistant said:

"The attention of Her Excellency, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu has been drawn to a statement purportedly issued by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode through one Mr Akinola Babatunde Rotimi and published in the Daily Sun and ThisDay Newspapers of September 6, 2013.

"The phantom claim in the said statement that Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu were once good friends to the knowledge of mutual friends who are still alive is not only false, baseless and typical, but a further attempt by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode to create the impression of a connection between himself and Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu.

"Whilst it is important to reiterate that Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu has never met Chief Femi Kayode and does not know him in person, it is pertinent to note that the statement issued through Mr Akinola Babatunde Rotimi, falls far short of an apology and retraction of Chief Femi Fani-Kayode’s false and libelous outbursts and is merely a desperate attempt to lend credence to fabrications, which he seeks to present as reality with intent to gloss over the very serious issues arising from the reckless publication.

"In the circumstances, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu is left with no option than to leave the matter in the hands of her lawyers."

Lagos State Government Drags Al-Mustapha To Supreme Court Over Kudirat Abiola’s Murder

The Lagos State Government has gone to the Supreme Court to appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, which freed Maj. Hamza al-Mustapha and Lateef Shofolahan, who were accused of killing Mrs. Kudirat Abiola.

 

Kudirat was the wife of the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola.

The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, at a briefing in Lagos on Tuesday, said there were "good grounds of appeal" in the case.

Ipaye said his ministry filed two separate notices of appeal against the judgment on Monday.

Al-Mustapha, a former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, and Shofolahan, a Personal Assistant to Kudirat, were on January 30, 2012, sentenced to death by hanging by Justice Mojisola Dada of a Lagos High Court.

The Justice Amina Augie-led appellate court on July 12, 2013, however, set aside the judgment of the lower court.

Ipaye, who refused to give details of the appeal, said the apex court would provide the final resolution of the case.

He said, "I can report that we have indeed appealed the judgments, one in respect of al-Mustapha and the other in respect of Lateef Shofolahan.

"Both have been studied closely and we came to the conclusion that there were good grounds for appeal and we have since filed all the necessary papers.

"We did that on Monday. Officially, we have put in our indication that we want to contest the judgment of the Court of Appeal at the Supreme Court.

"This step will also ensure that all issues are fully articulated and the victim’s family, the defendants and the society are not deprived of the last window of opportunity provided by the constitution for the resolution of the case."

Meet the Woman who was Impregnated FIVE times by her MTV Award Winning Music Video Director Father, in bid to create a 'pure' bloodline

Ayinde, who is also known as Charles McGill and gained fame after directing The Fugees' 'Killing Me Softly' video, was sentenced to 50 years in prison on July 26, finally ending Kibibi's nightmare.

The incredibly brave woman, who is now 35, married and running a promising baking business, spoke out about the traumatic childhood this week for the first time.

Aziza Kibibi was only eight-years-old when her father - an MTV award-winning music video director -  started raping her. By 10, Aswad Ayinde's lessons teaching his daughter 'how to be a woman' turned violent and his regular raping produced five children out of incest in a perverse attempt to create a 'pure' bloodline.

 

Kibibi told NJ.com her childhood started off relatively normal. She lived with her mother and father on the third-floor of an apartment in Paterson, New Jersey, with her Jamaican immigrant grandparents living below.

The Culprit: Aswad Ayinde

Kibibi was home-schooled but still allowed to play with the neighborhood children. When her family grew to include eight children they moved into a bigger apartment in the same building.

It was when Kibibi started to mature that her father started giving her unwanted attention.

'He told me I was special. Initially, it was to teach me to be a woman,' she said. 'By the time he started having intercourse with me, he was getting more and more violent. When I would start fighting him, he would hit me. It was more about threats.'

Her father began to change, and became more controlling over the family. He moved them out of their grandparent's apartment to another house in Paterson before relocating to Eatontown in Southern New Jersey. The children were only allowed to watch a small amount of TV, and nothing that depicted traditional family life. 
Modern medicine was outlawed in the house, and he actually told his wife that his relations with Kibibi were to treat her eczema.

Kibibi wasn't the only one Ayinde was having sex with. He had a mistress - a Manhattan lawyer whom he had another two children with - and was also abusing one of Kibibi's sisters.
He called himself a polygamist and a prophet. His family was allowed to pray to god but could only do so through him. 

'He said the world was going to end, and it was just going to be him and his offspring and that he was chosen,' his ex-wife, Beverly Ayinde testified at a 2010 pre-trial hearing. She said he was attempting to create a 'pure' bloodline by procreating with his daughters.

Standing Trial

When Kibibi's first child was born without defects, Ayinde took it as proof and continued to rape the girl to get her pregnant. 

 But the following children would not be so lucky. Two further daughters born from her father would be diagnosed with phenylketonuria (PKU) a disease that prevents the body from breaking down amino acids. PKU can cause brain damage and seizures.
Dr. Anna Haroutunian, a PKU specialist who has treated Kibibi's children, said they definitely got the disease because of inbreeding.
PKU is a recessive gene, so both parents must have the gene in order for it to pass along to the child. The gene only appears at a rate of 1 in 4,000 world wide and is must lower for African-Americans. Likely Kibibi's paternal grandfather had the gene.

Better now: Since escaping her father, Kibibi has gotten her GED, married and started her own baking business

Over the years, Kibibi became obsessed with escaping. She would sleep just because her dreams were better than real life.
'I'd dream about running away. I'd dream about getting all my brothers and sisters — one of my sisters was a baby, and I was taking care of her — I'd dream about growing breasts and getting milk and running away with them somewhere,' she said.


When she was older and one of her sons fell sick, she finally got the courage to take him to the hospital since Ayinde was out of town on a business trip.

But she didn't know how to interact with the doctors and a social worker stepped in, alerting the Department of Youth a Family Services.

When Ayinde returned from his business trip he was enraged, and threatened to forcibly remove his son from the hospital. 
Child services stepped in before he could do that and placed them in separate homes.
After that Kibibi, her mother and her sisters moved away from Ayinde as she attempted to get her children back.

Her performance in state-mandated courses and counseling impressed the government officials and eventually her children were returned to her.

'She has been an exceptional mother,' Haroutunian said. 'She was so attentive and patient, it's remarkable. For a young girl - with all she's had - she has been just wonderful.'
Having to fight to get her children back also empowered Kibibi, and translated to her life after abuse. She now lives in East Orange, New Jersey with her husband.
 

 She went back to school for her GED and will finish her liberal arts degree from Essex County College this fall. She also runs her own baking business and plans to start a restaurant someday.
Kibibi and her sister decided to finally bring charges against their abusive father. They delayed pressing charges since they were unsure the affect it would have on the children.

She shared her story in hopes of making a difference with those in a similar situation.

'Instead of just being an experience that I had, maybe this strengthened me. What doesn't break us makes us stronger.'

Rivers' Crisis: High Court Grants Embattled Rivers House Leader Chidi Lloyd N10 million Bail

Rivers State High Court presided over by Justice Letam Nyordee on Wednesday granted bail to the detained leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Chidi Lloyd.

Lloyd, who is standing trial on a six-count charge of attempted murder and wilful damage of public property, was granted bail with the sum of N10 million, with three sureties in like sum.

According to Nyordee,  two of the sureties must be owners of landed property within Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital and its environs. The judge further stated that one of the sureties must be a public servant of Grade Level 16, with an endorsement from his head of department. 

Nyordee also ordered that  while Lloyd will also deposit his international passport, each of three sureties must submit two recent passports and a sworn affidavit to show proof of ownership of the land.He further stated that all documents must be verified by the Chief Registrar of the High Court. 

Delivering ruling on the bail application, the judge held that bail was not intended to set an accused person free, but to allow him prepare adequately for his trial and to ensure the presence of an accused at all times required by law as enshrined in Section 36 sub -section 5 of the Criminal Code. 

He said after carefully examining the bail application, there was need to grant the accused bail as the charges levelled against him were bailable offences.

Nyordee, however, struck out grounds 3, 4, and 5 of the bail application, which bothered on the health condition of the accused, saying that the issue before the court was not on enforcement of fundamental human rights. 

The court later adjourned to November 21, 2013 for hearing of an application filed by Counsels to Lloyd seeking to dismiss the information. 

Reacting to the ruling, lead Counsel to Lloyd, Mr. Beluolisa Nwofor, SAN, hailed the court for granting the application.

Recall that Nyordee had Tuesday ordered that Lloyd be remanded in prison custody pending the ruling on his bail application on Wednesday.

SHAME as NJC Finds Former Chief Judge Of FCT Guilty Of Judicial Corruption

The National Judicial Council, NJC, at the end of its two-day crucial meeting in Abuja, yesterday, found the former Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Hassan Gunmi, who had resigned to become an Emir in Zamfara State, guilty of judicial corruption.

In a statement yesterday, the council said it was satisfied that the ex-CJ perverted the course of justice in a case involving a company, Nestello Gateway Group, and the Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Abubakar Yari. 

Describing the conduct of Justice Gunmi pertaining to the case as "most unethical and highly reprehensible," NJC said it decided not to take punitive measures against him considering that he had voluntarily bowed out of office.

The council, however, warned that "henceforth, any similar misconduct by any judicial officer will be visited with severe sanctions".

Beyonce's sister Solange Knowles Leads rally in protest of Zimmerman 'not guilty' Verdict

 
Beyonce's sister Solange Knowles has used the message once spoken by human rights activist Malcolm X to express her outrage after Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges in the shooting death of teenager Trayvon Martin.

 

The 27-year-old entertainer held the rally on Sunday at Borough Hall in Brooklyn, New York.

Solange held a plaque between her hands which quoted Malcolm X's words: 'I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against.'  
 
She remained somber and calm while speaking in front of a crowd that numbered in the hundreds.

Seeing & gathering with people today/tonight all for the same fight helped to restore my faith in humanity... pic.twitter.com/oid0vuBJfU
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) July 15, 2013

Solange tweeted.

Earlier in the evening, Solange gave out a big hug to all who showed up at the rally.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support #Bklyn4trayvon rally! This was just a start to a long journey of Justice and Equality!
— solange knowles (@solangeknowles) July 14, 2013

Solange wrote.

Beyonce, 31, took a moment to honor Trayvon Martin during her Mrs Carter Show World Tour concert at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. 
She said:
'I'd like to have a moment of silence for Trayvon,'

The Knowles sisters are just two of the dozens of celebrities - Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Kate Walsh and Stevie Johnson among them - who have voiced their opposition to the decision made by the six-woman jury in Florida.

PS: This is the story of George Zimmerman, 29, who was yesterday acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter in the shooting death of 17 year old Trayvon Benjamin Martin, on Feb, 26th, 2012.

A jury of six women took more than 16 hours and 20 minutes to come to come to their unanimous decision that the death was justifiable.

Zimmerman, who was a neighbourhood watch volunteer, was charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting Martin on February 26, 2012.

The court was told that he had followed the unarmed youngster through a park because he looked like he was 'up to no good.'

Zimmerman, a volunteer neighbourhood watchman, claims he shot Martin in self-defence, and that the teen punched him repeatedly before deciding to use lethal force.

for Full story, see HERE

Lagos Court of Appeal Discharge & Acquit Al-Mustapha from the Murder Kudirat Abiola

 

The Court of Appeal in Lagos has discharged and acquitted Hamza Al-Mustapha from the murder of Kudirat Abiola.

The judgment overturns that of the Lagos High Court which sentenced him to death by hanging.

The presiding judge accused the lower court of being "stroked to secure a conviction by all means."

The Court of Appeal, in their ruling, said there was not enough evidence to incriminate Al-Mustapha in the murder of Late Mrs Abiola.

Mr. Al-Mustapha was a former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

He was sentenced to death on January 30, 2012 for conspiracy and murder of Mrs. Kudirat Abiola.
Mrs. Abiola, 45, was shot in Lagos on June 4, 1996, as the lower court ruled, on the orders of Mr. Al-Mustapha.

Rapper ‘Fat Joe’ Sentenced To Prison Over Tax Charges

 

Hip hop artist Joseph Fat Joe Cartagena was sentenced on Monday to four months in federal prison and fined $15,000 for failure to file tax returns on more than $3.3 million in income.

The 42-year-old rapper faced the possibility of up to two years in prison after pleading guilty in December to two counts of failing to file with the Internal Revenue Service.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy Waldor gave the Bronx-born rapper credit for paying $718,000 in back taxes prior to his sentencing and for his charitable work.

The court received more than 60 letters on his behalf, including one from Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, who cited Cartagena’s efforts to donate computers to local schools.

Cartagena apologized to his family and friends, saying he let them down. He said his 6-year-old daughter was being taunted in school by classmates who said her father was going to jail.

"There was a lot going on in the years that I didn’t file my taxes, but it was my responsibility," he said. His hits include the 2004 song Lean Back.

His attorneys had asked for probation in light of the three-month prison sentence handed down to hip hop artist Lauryn Hill in May on similar tax charges.

Cartagena was originally charged with failure to file returns from 2007 to 2010 but under a plea agreement the charges were reduced to not filing returns for two years.

His income came from three companies, including Somerville, N.J.-based Terror Squad Production Inc and Miramar Music Touring, which he owned. 

(Reuters)