New US law would force the federal government to treat marijuana like alcohol

On Thursday, March 30, 2017, a new set of bills was introduced in the U.S. Senate and House that would drastically reform the way marijuana is regulated at the federal level and allow state-legal marijuana programs to move forward without federal intervention.
The bill was Introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, the legislative package would remove marijuana from the Controlled Substance Act’s list of most dangerous drugs and set up a federal framework for regulating it.

The lawmakers say this would close the gap between federal and state-level marijuana policy, keep people out of jail for minor drug offenses and allow marijuana businesses to thrive.

“As more states follow Oregon’s leadership in legalizing and regulating marijuana, too many people are trapped between federal and state laws, it's not right, and it’s not fair" Blumenauer said in a statement.

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Tragedy: Fire outbreak at watt market calabar cross river state- photos

A section of the Watt Market in Calabar along the Bedwell Road axis was gutted by fire Wednesday evening millions of Naira worth of property wwere lost to fire, Some Spare parts shops which most dealers are igbos were affected..
The fire also affected were several shops among which included a major rug carpet dealer.
The fire which started at about 6pm it was learnt started from a generator and was made worse by a container of petrol nearby.
It took concerted efforts of traders who were still around to put off the fire with soapy water.
One of the traders who gave his name as Okonkwo and who helped put out the fire said they had called the emergency response centre but they did not turn up until the fire was put out.
He was grateful the situation did not escalate to a major disaster.
No one was hurt in the incident.

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Two friends in court for drug and raping of childhood friend

Two friends, Chidiebere Ejide, 18, and Chidi Amadi, 22, have appeared in court for alleged gang rape of their female friend.

They were docked before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s’ Court in Lagos on Friday.

The duo, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.Amadi is to stand trial on a charge for conspiracy, while Ejide is facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, rape and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Cousin Adams, told the court that the offences were committed on March 27 between 4pm and 10pm at Haile Selassie Hotel, Aguda, Lagos.

He said the complainant, Aduke Solanke, had followed Amadi, her childhood friend, to the hotel.

During investigation, Solanke claimed that she woke up in the hotel room and discovered she had been drugged and gang raped.According to the prosecutor, Amadi had connived with Ejide and another person, who is presently at large, to rape her.

Adams also told the court that the accused stole Solanke’s N150,000 cash, which she kept in her bag.

The offences contravened Sections 260 of the Criminal law of Lagos State, 2011.

The Magistrate, Helen Omisore, admitted the duo to bail in the sum of N50,000 each, with two sureties in like sum.Section 260 provides that “any person who attempts to commit the offence of rape or sexual assault by penetration is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for 14 years”.

The case was then adjourned until April 24 for mention.

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Why I defiled my 7-month-old child – Man, 57

A 57-year-old man, Magaji Dansale, on Friday admitted that he defiled his seven-month-old stepdaughter.

He said his action was “regrettable and an act of the devil”.

The native of Dangaske Village of Jikamshi in Danmusa Local Government Area said: “I had dreamt that if I had sex with the girl, I would stop my frequent travels, so I went ahead and did what I did.”Dansale spoke when he was paraded alongside other suspected criminals at the Katsina Police Command headquarters.

He added that before he married the girl’s mother, he was fond of travelling frequently and never stayed in one place but when his first wife left him with six children, he began to stay at home.

“No sooner had I remarried than my past habit of travelling returned, that was when I had the dream one night.

When asked why he chose the step daughter instead of his biological daughter, Dansale said, “She is also my child, I just don’t know how it happened. I regret my action and want to plead for leniency.”“I swear, there was no motive behind my action, it was just ordained by God that such would happen to me and it happened,” he said.

The girl’s mother, 25-year-old Zinnai Muntari, said when she woke up for the morning prayers and saw blood on the private part of the baby, her husband asked her to bring the child and after observing her, said it was pile and hurried out to bring some herbs to use on her.

“As a mother, I felt this was unusual and reached out for help at the General Hospital Malumfashi where the doctor confirmed it was a forceful entry that tore the vagina up to the anus.

The girl’s biological father, Ibrahim Nuhu, said there was no going back until justice is served.“They later referred us to the Umar Turai Children and Maternity Hospital in Katsina,” she said.

“All I want now is to save the life of my daughter and for justice to take its course to serve as deterrent to others,” he said.

The state Commissioner of Police, Usman Abdullahi, described the matter as “disheartening and very pathetic”.

“We suspect that the woman was drugged, for how come with probably all the screaming of the baby the mother couldn’t wake up?

“I assure you, we will charge him to court to get the case to its logical conclusion.

“It is worrisome for Katsina, the rise in rape cases is alarming. Last year alone, over 110 cases of rape were handled”.

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