Snake in WC bites NAF personnel to death in Abuja

Late Lance Corporal Bercy (right) and snake charmer.

A Nigerian Air Force personnel identified as Lance Corporal Bercy, has died after she got bitten by a poisonous snake when she sat on the toilet seat in her room.

It was gathered that the snake made its way into her toilet bowl (WC) and bit her on Saturday at her residence at the Air Force Base, Bill Clinton Way, Airport Road, Abuja.

She was rushed to the medical centre, but she didn’t survive and was pronounced dead at the medical centre.

The snake is suspected to have found its way into her home through the septic tank to the waste dislodger.

A snake charmer was said to have been called after the incident to remove the huge reptile from the toilet.

Pregnant mother, 3 children feared dead as another fire outbreak hits Nembe waterside

*Many missing,  some rescued with burns, 

*7 boats, other valuables razed

ANOTHER Port Harcourt fire outbreak, the third in three days, hit Bonny/Bille Jetties of Nembe Waterside, Creek Road, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Rivers State, yesterday, with a pregnant woman, three children feared dead, while others sustained burns. Boats and other property were razed.

It would be recalled that before the latest incident, Rivers State government had on Sunday set up a probe into the spate of fire outbreaks in the Rivers capital city after Saturday night’s incident at D-Line and another the day after at Rumuagolu axis, which razed property estimated at hundreds of millions of naira.

The cause of the latest fire incident was not know at press time, but like the two previous incidents, it was alleged that indiscriminate storage and movement of illegally refined fuel products in the area might have been the cause.

Eyewitnesses alleged that yesterday inferno was caused by the lighter of a cigarette smoker, who was offloading fuel from a boat, as he tried to light-up,  engulfing six other house boats within.

Bodies of the pregnant woman and three children were reportedly recovered as scores were feared missing and several others who sustained severe burns rushed to nearby hospitals.

A witness simply identified as Johnson said: “Children and many others are fear dead. The boat was parked beside six others. One loaded passengers with timber, crayfish, garri, kerosene and other food items waiting to take off. 

“You know here, they bring fuel and diesel, even the water is covered with so much fuel that any spark  spreads fire. The spark is what caused the fire.”

Madam Elijah, who also saw it happen, said: “These boys that don’t want to be useful to themselves have just wasted the lives of people. My greatest pain is the children. A baby of a month old and the mother were burnt because of carelessness.

“They were offloading products from a boat, a man was smoking. I don’t know what he did, next thing we saw was fire that engulfed the offloading boat. Since the place is already saturated with oil and various fuel products, the fire became uncontrollable.

“Heavy wind helped spread the fire to umbrellas and tables of traders buying and selling. Fire service personnel, who came were driven away by traders for perceived late response when much damage had been done.”

It would be recalled that state Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Peter Meede, had, after inspecting the level of damage of the two previous infernos, said Sunday that the reports of investigations ongoing would unravel the actual causes.

How bandits killed ex-FCT Director, Sagir — Brother

Fresh facts have emerged on  how the former FCT Director, Sagir Hamid, was waylaid and killed by bandits on the dreaded Abuja-Kaduna road, who blocked the road on Sunday afternoon.

His driver, however,  narrowly escaped bullet shots, and was able to narrate how his boss was killed.

The relations of late Sagir said the bandits fired at the vehicle conveying him to Abuja, when his driver attempted to make a detour and return to Kaduna.

Malam Mohammed Hamidu, younger brother to late Sagir Hamidu, told journalists, yesterday: “We were told kidnappers blocked the road. When my brother got there, they quickly reversed to head towards the other direction but three gunmen came out from hiding and waylaid them.

“The gunmen said nothing but only shot at them. A bullet hit Sagir on his chest and another hit his leg.

“Allah saved the driver, he survived and told us what happened. He said as the gunmen were shooting, he quickly jumped out of the vehicle and hid in the shrubs of a corn farm.

“He said the bandits even ran over him while searching for their targets and that he was beneath while they jumped over him. They said Sagir was also with his orderly they travelled together.

“No fewer than 40 people were abducted. This thing is overwhelming, even the government, we can only pray. May Almighty Allah bring an end to this ugly situation.”

Culled from Vanguard.