James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 for $4.1 Million "Auction"

An American businessman bought James Bond's 1964 Aston Martin DB5 was bought at a London auction on Wednesday by American Businessman Yeaggy for 2.9 million pounds ($4.59 million) reports say.

The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 which was driven by Sean Connery as secret agent 007 in Bond Movies "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball" was sold to the American businessman by auctioneers.

The final sale price fell short of the expected five million USD (three million pounds).

Car enthusiast Yeaggy, who works in real estate in the U.S. state of Ohio outbid his sole opponent, a British man, who was also on hand at the auction.

"It's in original condition so that's probably one of the best things about it. It's just like it was when it was in the movie," Yeaggy said.
When asked how he would celebrate the night after now owning a piece of cinema history, Yeaggy said: "We're going to take it out and drive it tonight. We're going to take it on the streets. We got to find somewhere where we can drive it on the right side of the road though."

He added that he plans to put the car in a garage along with his other fleet in a 10000 ft square hangar in central Ohio.

Wednesday's auction marks the first time the silver-coloured car was available to the public to buy.

The car became a sensation following its appearances in the 1960s Bond films.

Previous owner U.S. radio station broadcaster Jerry Lee said his reasons for parting with the iconic car were to fund research into crime prevention at the University of Pennsylvania.

"Every dollar that comes out of this I can do more good in the world. That's what I'm all about. I'm a very passionate person. I'm very passionate about James Bond but also I'm extremely passionate about doing good in the world," he said.

Lee bought the car from the Aston Martin Factory in 1969 for just 12,000 USD, equivalent to 80,000 USD today. He said the car was always the centerpiece at parties and the star attraction amongst his James Bond collectibles but he never drove the Aston Martin two blocks.

Some of the car's unusual features include a passenger ejection, oil slick spray, smoke screen, machine guns hidden behind sidelights and tyre shredders.

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Blackout Ceases in Togo a New Electricity Plant Surfaces

Togo has been recognized for its consistent blackout due to chronic electricity shortages on a daily basis in the French speaking West African nation which sometimes takes the whole day without electricity supply to the country.

This is norm that the citizens are now used to but the opening of a new electricity plant in the port capital Lome just last week, marked the beginning of a new era for the country and bought hope to residents of a brighter future.


The 192.4 million US dollars aid-funded plant was switced on for the first time by Togo's head of state, Faure Gnassingbe, at a grand inauguration ceremony recently.
Built by US-based power company ContourGlobal, the triple-fuel technology is designed to give operators maximum flexibility and means the plant can switch between using natural gas, heavy fuel and diesel.

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Saboteurs Attacked Agip oil Pipelines

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Security sources say that two Agip oil pipelines in the Niger Delta region have been attacked with explosives by saboteurs, causing around 60,000 barrels per day of production to be shut in.

The two pipelines from the Osiama oilfield to Brass in Bayelsa state, were attacked with explosives in what appeared to be a local dispute rather than a wider resurgence of violence by militants in the restive region.

The attacks would be the first significant hit since an amnesty was agreed last year between the government and thousands of gunmen, who laid down weapons in return for promises of stipends and retraining.

Agip Oil confirmed the attack in a statement, stating that over 4,000 barrels per day has been shut down.

"During the night between October 28 and 29 an act of sabotage occurred in a minor pipeline of the Osiama field in Bayelsa State, Nigeria," Eni said.

"The production affected is 4,000 bpd, of which 800 bpd is Eni equity. No force majeure has been declared due to the minor amount of production involved," the Italian firm said.

Osiama is one of the fields feeding the Brass River crude oil stream, a light crude popular with U.S. buyers due to its high gasoline yield. Exports were expected to average around 114,000 bpd in November, according to loading programmes.

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Israeli Officials Says Seized Arms were heading to Gaza

Israeli officials have said that the military-grade armaments seized at the Apapa Wharf in Lagos state came from Iran and were bound for the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip.

The military officials would however not provide evidence to support their claims, citing security concerns.
Back here in Nigeria, spokesman for Nigeria's customs service Mr Wale Adeniyi, says that the Mv Cma-Cgm Everest dropped the weapons off in July.

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Deputy Speaker of Ekiti is Dead

The Deputy Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr. Saliu Abayomi Adeoti, is dead.

Mr Adeoti died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan in Oyo State.

The former Deputy Speaker, who lost his wife in February in the same circumstance, was said to have been rushed to the hospital on Tuesday, when it was discovered that the nature of the sickness was fast degenerating.

The 39-year old former Deputy Speaker, who was the Acting Speaker during the 79-day administration of Tunji Odeyemi as the acting governor of the state, hailed from Otun Ekiti, in Moba local government area of the state.

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Dr. Jonathan approves relief funds for Flood Victims

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Victims of the recent flood disasters in Lagos, Ogun and Jigawa states, will soon receive the much needed relief as President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the sum of N2.1 billion to mitigate the effects of the disaster in the two connecting states, each state is to receive the sum of 700 million Naira.

While sympathising with affected persons in Isheri Olofin community in Ogun state and Ajegunle community in Lagos state, President Jonathan assured them that apart from the cash assistance the federal government is assembling a team of experts to find a permanent solution to the recurring problem of floods.

He assured the people of the areas that apart from the cash assistance to complement the efforts of NEMA and the state governments, the Federal Government is assembling a team of experts to undertake a comprehensive study of the recurring floods with a view to finding a permanent solution to them.

Dr. Jonathan pointed out that the effects of the global warming and its resultant rise in water levels cut across the globe, affecting not only riverine but desert communities, as witnessed in Sokoto and Kebbi states recently.
We cannot run away from the problem every year. We live in a technological age and our generation must change this situation for the better. We will work with state governments to carry out a comprehensive survey of the areas, using geographic information systems and satellite imagery to identify the problem areas and find a permanent solution, he stated.

President Jonathan, using a chopper, had earlier carried out an aerial inspection of the flood ravaged communities including Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Warewa, River View Estate, Isale Oro and Gateway City Estate, all in Lagos and Ogun states, in the company of the governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos) and Gbenga Daniel (Ogun) and also did ground inspection of the Oyan River Dam and the Gateway city in Abeokuta, as well as the Ajegunle community in Lagos before addressing the communities, respectively.

Speaking separately, the Governor of Lagos, Babatunde Fashola, and his Ogun counterpart, Gbenga Daniel, thanked the President for coming to sympathize with the victims, pointing out that the gesture has rekindled hope among the people that their sufferings will be alleviated. They praised President Jonathan for standing by the flood victims in their time of distress, noting that the federal presence has comforted them greatly.

The Baale of Ajegunle Community in Lagos State, Mojosola Oladunjoye and his counterpart in Isherin Olofin in Ogun State, Alhaji Abdulahi Tajudeen, also thanked President Jonathan for identifying with the sufferings of their people.

Experts who conducted the President and his entourage around the flood ravaged areas including the Lagos Commissioner of Environment, said the floods which affected no less than 1, 500 homes in Ajegunle alone, have reoccurred annually since 2007, leading to the loss of properties, farmlands and infrastructure including houses and schools.

They attributed the floods largely to the effects of global warming and its attendant rise in water levels, as well as intense and prolonged rainfalls this year, resulting to overflows from the Ogun River and surrounding tributaries.

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Charles Okah, 5 Others Arraigned

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Mr Charles Okah, the brother of the acclaimed leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta [MEND] and four others alleged to be masterminds of the Independence Day bombings in Abuja have appeared before a Chief Magistrate court in Abuja.

The five suspects were brought to the court in Wuse zone 6 magistrate court amidst tight security.

It was not clear whether the State Security Service [SSS] arraigned the suspects or took them before the magistrate for an order to remand them in custody till investigation is concluded, the suspects lawyers and journalists were barred from the court proceedings.

Spokesperson for the SSS, Ms Marilyn Ogar revealed on Wednesday that Charles Tombra Okah, who is one of the known users of the "Jomo Gbomo" pen-name in e-mails purportedly from the militant group, Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), and five others (names withheld) would be charged to court.

Spekesperson for the SSS, Marilyn Ogar however refused to answer questions by newsmen, stressing that she was not allowed to speak to the press on the matter.
I cannot say anything to the press on this matter as I am not permitted to do so. The fact that I have done you people a favor by allowing you to take pictures, is that not enough? This is how you people usually put someone into problem, she asserted.

Efforts to get a copy of the criminal charge preferred against the accused persons equally proved abortive, just as the defence team in the matter, led by one Barrister Oghenovo Otemu, decried the closed door pattern adopted by the SSS in prosecuting the matter as a quintessential violation of section 36 of the 1999 constitution, adding that not only were the accused persons denied assess to their counsels, but that the SSS has further refused to furnish them with a copy of the charge upon which they are standing trial.

According to Otemu, "we have repeatedly applied for the charges against our clients but both the court and the SSS blatantly refused. It is important for the prosecution in this matter to realize that the accused persons also have their fundamental right enshrined in the constitution.

"So far as we are concerned, there is no proper charge before this court and whatever decision the court takes in this political trial will amount to a nullity and we are taking steps to ensure that the constitutional right of the accused persons to fair hearing and defence by counsel of their choice as stipulated in section 36 of the 1999 constitution is respected and enforced" he said.

Meanwhile, its been gathered that the presiding Magistrate, Oyebola Oyewumi before adjourning the matter till November 24 , threatened that she would stay off the case on that day should the SSS continue to shroud the prosecution in secrecy and the accused persons denied right of representation.

The source who pleaded anonymity, disclosed that Magistrate Oyewumi went ahead to order an open trial in the matter, stressing that she would only hear the matter when it is allowed to undergo a normal court proceeding.

The magistrate was said to have also ordered the SSS to furnish the defendants with a copy of the charge against them, as well as allow them access to their counsel of choice.

Though little information has been gathered about what transpired in the court room, SSS PRO, Mrs. Ogar, however, maintained that all the accused persons were properly arraigned in court.

Charles is the younger brother of Henry Okah, a former leader of MEND, who is currently being tried in a South African court on terrorism-related charges.

Ogar stated that investigations by the service had determined the person that drove and coordinated the vehicles brought into Abuja for the bombings, and the one who directly coordinated the bombings with the fugitive Henry Okah.

The person, at whose residence in Port Harcourt the vehicles were wired for detonation and from where they took off for Abuja, the PRO said, had been established, as well as the one that confirmed to his accomplice that he had completed the job.

She pleaded to Nigerians to desist from politicizing the issue, noting that several Nigerians were interviewed and released in the course of the investigations.

"We plead with Nigerians to desist from politicizing the issue as such tendencies remain a serious concern of the SSS because they promote insecurity and hinder the rapid development this country needs.

"However, we wish to reassure the public that we will not be deterred in our investigations while urging everyone to be more security conscious about our respective environment and also collaborate with security agencies in safeguarding our national interest," she said.

Charles was arrested on Saturday at his Apapa, Lagos home alongside his son, Bolaebi Okah and three others by the men of the security operative. Family members and his embattled wife's efforts to have access to them have proved abortive and they claimed that Charles is on medication and has one kidney after he was operated upon some years back when he suffered a terminal illness.

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