Brad Pitt Prankster Faces Assault Charge

The Ukrainian TV personality who struck actor Brad Pitt in the face at a Los Angeles movie premiere will be charged with battery and assault. Vitalii Sediuk, 25, faces four counts, including unlawful activity and interference at a theatrical event, said the city prosecutor's office on Friday. Pitt, who was on the red carpet for his partner Angelina Jolie's new film Maleficent, has obtained an emergency protective order against Sediuk. The prankster, who leapt over a fence to hit the actor, was being held in police custody, pending payment of $20,000 (£12,000) bail. Pitt, 50, was unhurt after being struck. Sediuk has become infamous for crashing celebrity red carpets and events, most recently breaching a red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in France to try to climb under actress America Ferrera's dress as she posed for photographs, before he was ousted by security. In previous exploits, Sediuk has hugged actor Leonardo DiCaprio around the crotch at a Santa Barbara Film Festival event; stormed the stage during singer Adele's Grammy acceptance speech, and was slapped by Will Smith after kissing the actor at a Moscow premiere. Maleficent is Disney's new live action spin on Sleeping Beauty and stars Jolie and the couple's daughter Vivienne.

Boko Haram runs out of food supply

There are indications that the need to feed the over 200 students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, abducted by Boko Haram insurgents on April 14 has put pressure on the Islamic terrorist group to steal food items and loot communities close to Sambisa Forest in the North East. Saturday PUNCH investigations revealed that the violent Islamic sect had in the past week stepped up the looting of villages, markets and food stores in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states for food items including grains and bread. Residents of these communities told Saturday PUNCH that the rate at which the insurgents stole their foodstuffs was unprecedented, noting that the pressure to feed the abducted girls might have contributed to the desperation of the insurgents to steal and kill the villagers in the process. One of the villagers, Bukar Umar, who resides in Kamuyya village in Borno State, told one of our correspondents that though it was normal for the insurgents to ask communities to contribute money towards “God’s work,’’ they were usually satisfied when communities raised money for them. He, however, said the insurgents in recent times had stepped up their activities by invading their communities and carting away food items. With the pressure on Nigerian soldiers to clamp down on the Islamic sect, it was learnt that the insurgents no longer felt safe to go to markets to buy food items for fear of being arrested. Some of the insurgents recently met their waterloo in Madagali, Adamawa State, where they were given up by a local food vendor from whom they had planned to buy foodstuffs. Consequently, members of a vigilance group pounced on them and killed over 70 of them while seven others were reportedly handed over to the police. The vigilantes acted after they were tipped by the local food vendor that the insurgents were coming to get food before going for a major operation in a   neighbouring village. A Madagali resident, who did not want his name mentioned, had said, “The vigilance group mobilised, laid ambush and waited patiently for the insurgents. “As soon as the insurgents, numbering over 100, showed up in the village to pick up their favourite meals, the vigilantes attacked them, killing most of them in a hail of bullets.” Security personnel, during the week, also repelled attacks by the terrorists on Kubla, a border town between Adamawa and Borno states. A security source said, “The heavily armed terrorists arrived in Kubla and started burning houses and stealing foodstuff, until a contingent of the military was mobilised to confront them. “The soldiers engaged the militants in a fierce exchange of gunfire to repel them,” the source said. The source, who did not disclose his name because he was not authorised to provide details of the attacks, added that the insurgent had set to extend their stealing spree to Taraba State. Residents of Limankara, Kamuyya, Kirenowa, Kimba and Makor communities in Borno State said the insurgents usually carte away food items and livestock after killing people in their areas in recent attacks. In Limankara, a Borno border village with Adamawa State, the insurgents who killed many persons and carted away property worth several millions of Naira were said to have particularly gone for the available food items in the village. In Kamuyya village, a resident, Bukar Umar, said over 20 insurgents, who must have emerged from the bush, stormed the Kamuyya weekly market when traders were conducting their businesses and opened fire into the crowd before setting shops and vehicles on fire. According to him, the hoodlums were well armed with sophisticated weapons, and after raiding the area, they went to the major market and shot sporadically and indiscriminately into the crowd, killing 20 persons on the spot and burning most of the shops in the market. He said the attack lasted for over two hours last Sunday. “The invaders had a field day wreaking havoc on us. They snatched several vehicles and loaded them with bags of assorted foodstuff, before fleeing the area.” In Kirenowa town, where 20 persons were killed last week Thursday by the insurgents, they were said to have ransacked the town for food items, which they subsequently packed away in stolen vehicles. The insurgents on Sunday intercepted a vehicle loaded with bread, killed the four occupants and drove the vehicles towards Sambisa Forest. The vehicle, which was on its way to Polka from Gwoza, was attacked at Waraba village. Some of those who spoke to our correspondents appealed to both the state and the Federal Government to immediately come to their rescue by giving them food and rebuilding their burnt houses. One of them, Modu Kaka, said: “It has been difficult for our people to feed because our food items have been carted away and we are left with little to share among ourselves. “To even get another supply is a problem, if you get that, you are only inviting them to come back and that makes it necessary for security personnel to be deployed here.” The village District Head of Limankara, Alhaji AbdulKareem Wahab, claimed that 1,750 bags of assorted grains were loaded in seven stolen vehicles that were taken away by the insurgents during the week. He said, “The invaders had a field day wreaking havoc on us. They snatched several vehicles and loaded them with bags of assorted foodstuffs, before fleeing our area.” Also in Kirenowa town, residents said scores of armed insurgents invaded the area around 12noon, shooting everyone at sight and setting houses, shops and vehicles on fire. A resident of the area, Mallam Goni Bukar, said, “The militants, armed with sophisticated weapons, raided the area and proceeded to the major market and began sporadic shootings into the direction of crowd, killing 20 people on the spot and burning most houses and shops in the town. “They snatched several vehicles and loaded them with bags of assorted foodstuffs and fled. They destroyed everything we have, carted away our food and burnt down the remaining ones.” It was also gathered that after wreaking havoc in Marte, the hoodlums invaded nearby Kimba and Makor villages, where five people were killed in each of the villages. Bukar added, “After the carnage in our area, the militants proceeded to the two neighbouring villages and killed 10 persons, even as they set ablaze several houses and vehicles. They equally carted away their food items.” In a recent attack on Shawa, a neighbouring Chibok community, the terrorists stole food, after killing no fewer than 10 people. In another attack on Alagarno village, Borno State, the gunmen also stole food and razed their victims’ homes. One of the residents who spoke with journalists, Mallam Umaru Saina, said, “They destroyed everything we had and burnt down our remaining food after stealing what they needed. What is most painful is that they did not spare our kids. They killed children and women.” Apagu Maidaga also said Alagarno residents hid in the bush and watched while the extremists set ablaze their homes of thatch-roofed mud huts. The British newspaper, The Mail, had last Sunday reported that Nigerian journalist, Ahmad Salkida, who is trusted by both the Federal Government and the Boko Haram leader as a mediator, visited the camp where the abducted schoolgirls were being kept. Sakilda was quoted as claiming to have seen the abducted schoolgirls being “well fed and adequately sheltered.” Saturday PUNCH gathered during the week that the insurgents resorted to stealing following the shortage of food to feed themselves and their hostages. It was also learnt that the thirst for more loot prompted the terrorists to invade Kamuyya village in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State last Sunday. The recent activities of the sect have left the communities attacked further impoverished and many found it difficult to feed as their food items have been carted away. It was also learnt that the violent sect had begun to pile up food items in preparation for a long drawn battle with the military, especially as the United States, United Kingdom, France, Israel and other foreign collaborators are assisting the Federal Government to ensure the safe return of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. With the allied forces believed to be on the ground to help the Nigerian military rescue the girls, it was learnt that the insurgents did not want to be caught unawares by running out of strategic resources, especially food. Saturday PUNCH further learnt that this development also contributed to the latest strategy of carting away food from communities, and the rustling up of the residents’ cattle in the last one week. In recent publications, some residents of the communities close to Sambisa Forest told journalists in Maiduguri that the insurgents had visited their towns recently asking for money to execute “God’s work.” The villagers were only able to raise N70, 000. The insurgents left with the money but with a message that they would come back for the balance. They threatened to come back for the balance at a stipulated time or they would kill the villagers. One of the villagers, Bukar Umar, said the villagers took the threat with levity. They thought it was “madness gone too far.” He said, “Actually when they issued the threat, we took it lightly as we were all relaxed and nobody bothered to make any extra effort to raise the amount they requested. May be that was what caused this bloody attack because we were unable to meet their demand.” Speaking on the growing raid of the insurgents for food, a military source said, “The military is aware of this and knows that the insurgents are doing this for a strategy but it is inevitable that we have to confront them if the schoolgirls and other girls and women they have abducted are not released.” He said, “They should continue to pile up food items as much as they can but wars and battles have different complexities and when we get to that stage we will definitely know which strategy to deploy.’’ Unconfirmed reports had indicated that certain helicopters used to drop food items and other needs in the Sambisa stronghold of the Boko Haram group. Security experts said the growing focus on the Sambisa forest must have disrupted the routine of the helicopters, thus putting pressure on the group’s supply chain and fueling more attacks on villagers in the North-East.

I have my list in my head- Keshi

Coach Stephen Keshi has  said that he has an idea of the players who will make the final 23 man list that Nigeria will be parading at the World Cup in Brazil. WORRIED — Keshi He however insisted that he will still wait till the last minute before making it public. Speaking after the team had their first training at the Philadelphia Eagles Stadium in Philadelphia, Keshi said he was thrilled by the level of tactical and technical depth displayed by the  players but noted there was need to be cautious. “Yes, I have an idea of those who will go with us to Brazil but we will still wait till the last minute before we announce the list”, he was quoted as saying by Team’s Media Officer Ben Alaiya. Keshi said he was delaying naming the list so as to have a second look at those who are not measuring up. Asked when is the last minute for him to make public his list, Keshi responded   “June 2 is the date we are looking at”.

Mikel plays negative football — Nwosu

1980 African Nations Cup winner, Henry Nwosu in this interview with JOHN EGBOKHAN says that Super Eagles midfielder John Mikel Obi must change his playing style at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Nigeria’s midfielder John Obi Mike What are your expectations from the African champions in Brazil? Do you see them doing better than they did in their previous appearances? I do not belong to the category of people who are already saying that the team will get to the semifinal. I am a great believer in the Super Eagles ability to excel in any international tournament but I strongly believe that before we can begin to run, we must first crawl, not to talk of flying into the semifinal just like that. I am patriotic but it is important to put things into context and not start counting your chicks before they are hatched. Even if we are so good, we cannot say for now that we are getting through or not to the quarterfinal round. But I see us doing well if the players show enough passion and discipline on the pitch.   Who in your consideration are the players who you feel will make the difference for us in Brazil? The team is essentially a good and strong one. The players have shown that they can hold their own amongst their peers in the world. Like I said earlier, team is going to be vital for our success in Brazil but when you want to single out some players who can make the difference for us at the World Cup, then you cannot overlook Emmanuel Emenike, who I dare say will shine in Brazil. Emenike will do very well for us, likewise Osaze Odemwingie. I also believe that Ogenyi Onazi will do very well for us. I also believe that Obinna Nsofor, if chosen by Coach Stephen Keshi, will do very well for us because he is strong, aggressive and determined.   Surprisingly, you did not mention Mikel Obi as one of the players who can make the difference for us. I did not mention Mikel’s name because the Chelsea player does not believe a midfielder can score goals. He is not adventurous and only adventurous and daring players can make the difference for their teams at the World Cup. Mikel likes making square passes and that cannot do us any good in Brazil. Mikel must stop his backward movement in Brazil or else, we will suffer from his actions. He plays negative football. He must change in Brazil. The era of playing backward has stopped and I am surprised that he has not changed. The players I mentioned earlier are those who can win games for us at the World Cup and Mikel, unfortunately, does not fall into that category, unless he changes now. It is always unfortunate that instead of attacking and creating chances for his teammates to score, Mikel is always giving square passes. Even if that is the pattern used by his club, when he comes to Nigeria, he must change to suit our style and quest for glory.   There is a general agreement that we are taking good goalkeepers to the World Cup, except that there are concerns surrounding the suitability of Chigozie Agbim for the tournament. Do you see Daniel Akpeyi beating Agbim to the final third choice? Generally, Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide are good goalkeepers who have earned their way to the World Cup. I do not have any fear concerning both players. Between Agbim and Akpeyi, I do not have a preference but I know the coaches will select the better one from the pair.   With about 12 days to the start of the World Cup, the talk in Nigeria has been about our match against Argentina on June 25. The focus is on Lionel Messi as people talk less of the first match against Iran on June 16 and the following one against Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 21. How dangerous can this be to our World Cup aspirations? Honestly, I am taken aback with this our over-concentration on the match against Argentina. They are not the only ones we will play in Brazil. We know Argentina as we have played them thrice at the World Cup, so they are no strangers to us. They are our perennial opponents at the World Cup and even though they have beaten us three times, they did not get the victories on a platter of gold. I am more concerned about Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran because they are the unknown teams and we we must be very careful with them. Unknown teams come with the surprise factor and such surprises can shock teams who take things for granted.   How do we prepare and approach our matches against Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina? We must be very conscious of our defence because any silly mistake can be costly. In as much as we must be conscious of our defence, we must be an attacking team. World Cup is about goals and only teams who score goals get to win laurels.   What kind of World Cup do you see us having in Brazil? World Cup is the greatest show on earth. It is where all players want to be and I hope that our boys make us proud. Even if they do not go far, I hope they will do well for themselves and the country..Speaking after the team had their first training at the Philadelphia Eagles Stadium in Philadelphia, Keshi said he was thrilled by the level of tactical and technical depth displayed by the  players but noted there was need to be cautious. “Yes, I have an idea of those who will go with us to Brazil but we will still wait till the last minute before we announce the list”, he was quoted as saying by Team’s Media Officer Ben Alaiya. Keshi said he was delaying naming the list so as to have a second look at those who are not measuring up. Asked when is the last minute for him to make public his list, Keshi responded   “June 2 is the date we arelooking at”

World Cup city gripped by dengue fever

The Brazilian city where Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Nigeria’s John Mikel Obi will train for the World Cup is in the grip of a crippling dengue fever epidemic. Workers in Campinas have embarked on a huge operation to eradicate mosquitos, which spread the disease, before the Portuguese and Nigerian teams arrive. Some 32,384 people have been infected by dengue this year in the southeastern city about one hour from Sao Paulo. At least three people have died. “It’s a record epidemic. It’s bigger than the 11,500 cases registered in all of 2007,” said Andrea Von Zuben, who coordinates the Campinas dengue control program. Dengue is a viral infection carried by the aedes aegypti mosquito. The fever is like chronic influenza with severe headaches, muscle and joint pain, vomiting and a rash. Severe cases can be deadly. Three people have died of dengue this year in Campinas, women aged 27, 69 and 81. Three other deaths are being investigated to see if they were caused by the disease. There is no cure for dengue, so prevention is the best medicine. The World Health Organization recommends people in infected areas prevent mosquito bites with window screens, insect repellant and mosquito coils. It also suggests covering up exposed skin — advice that may cramp Portuguese captain Ronaldo’s bare-chested style, a topic of much commentary after his pectoral-flexing goal celebration at this year’s Champions League final. Brazil has been hit harder by dengue than any other country so far this century, with seven million cases reported between 2000 and 2013. Von Zuben said the Campinas outbreak was being driven by a heatwave at the beginning of the year, the prevalence of a particularly virulent dengue strain and poor sanitation that leaves pools of standing water where mosquitos breed. But she said the areas where the Nigerian and Portuguese squads will be are a mosquito-control priority for health officials. “We put larvicides and anti-mosquito poisons at the airport, in the training centers and in the hotels, so the teams will run a much smaller risk than the local population,” she told AFP. - Team doctors ‘concerned’ - The authorities have been in touch with the teams’ doctors, who were “concerned,” Von Zuben said. She said her staff had recommended insect repellant. “We’ve been guaranteed that the situation has been identified and is under control. There shouldn’t be any reason for alarm,” said the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). In early May, when Portuguese coach Paulo Bento visited the training center, city officials told him three mosquito-control operations would be carried out before the team arrives on June 11. The army has helped sanitation workers clean up 83,000 tonnes of rubbish and dozens of buildings have been sealed off and sprayed. Campinas is not the only city facing the dengue threat. Medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases recently said World Cup host cities Natal, Fortaleza and Recife in the northeast were also at risk. Of course, infectious diseases are a two-way street. Campinas has also launched a program to give citizens free vaccinations before World Cup fans descend on the city from Africa and Europe, where “polio and measles are still persistent,” it said. Priority will be given to taxi and bus drivers, employees at restaurants and tourist attractions, and the staff of six major hotels.

Patience Ozokwor’s midnight drama

Call it a midnight drama on AMAA stage, you may not be wrong. Patience Ozokwor,  popularly known as Mama G, thought she was on a movie set last Saturday as she graced the just concluded 10th edition of the AMAAs. Mid way into the awards night, Patience did the unexpected. While one-time MTN Project Fame reality show winner, Timi Dakolo was performing his celebrative song, “Great Nation”, Ozokwor like every other guest that thronged the main auditorium of the newly refurbished Gabriel Okara’s Cultural Centre, Yenagoa venue of the glamorous event was moved with the lyrics of the song. Suddenly, out of excitement, the Iron Lady of Nollywood climbed the stage and kissed  Dakolo’s hand to the bewilderment of the cheering crowd. She did the same thing when  comedian Funny Bone performed on stage. But it was Peace Aniyam-Osigwe’s glowing tribute to the late Amaka Igwe who was a member of AMAA Jury till her death that Ozokwor showed how emotional she could be. Unable to control her emotions, the no-nonsense actress who stormed the event venue with her last son, cried profusely like a baby, leaving everyone wondering whether AMAA stage has turned into another movie set. In a twinkle of an eye, Ozokwor was up and about, as if nothing happened. She won the Best supporting Actress award which she dedicated to her late husband.

Producers, directors threaten to ban actress for exposing them

Fast rising actress, Ebele Anna-Patrick who recently exposed the rot  in the Asaba sector of Nollywood, where desperate actresses not only pay money to get roles in movies but also, sleep around with producers  and directors just to hit the top is currently  under heavy attack by the industry players. Aggrieved by her outburst in a recent interview which she granted to HVP, producers as well as directors are said to be spitting fire and brimstone, threatening  to ban the embattled actress  for daring to expose the rot in the industry. At one of the meetings, where the actress was summoned  by the industry players, Ebele, it was learnt,  exonerated members of Directors Guild of Nigeria,DGN,as well as Film and Video Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria,FVPMAN,saying that, she was not referring to them . “I wasn’t referring to DGN members or members of other registered associations in Asaba”, she said, adding “Just like we know in every gathering there must be a Judas and that’s why it’s pertinent that actors should endeavour to work with verified movie practitioners. While working in Asaba, I have come in contact with a lot of sincere producers and directors who dare not compromise on the standard they have set for themselves. In fact, my mentor, Nonso Ekene Okonkwo has always stressed the need for up and coming actors to strive to work with recognised guild members.”