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The Assassination of General Murtala Muhammed on February 13 1976

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The car in which Gen. Murtala Muhammed was killed

The nation was thrown into turmoil on the 13th of February, 1976 after the Head of State and Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, was assassinated in Lagos during an unsuccessful coup led by Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka.

History has it that General Murtala Muhammed lived a low-profile life which made his assassination easier for the coup plotters. Around 8 am on the 13th of February, 1976, Gen. Murtala Muhammed set out for his office at Dodan Barracks in an official black Mercedes Benz saloon car. He was in the company of his Aide-de-camp (ADC), Akintunde Akinsheinwa, an orderly, Michael Otuwu and a driver…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

Murtala Muhammed's Car

The only visible sign of protection was a pistol carried by Michael Otuwu. Unlike many other Nigerian leaders, Murtala did not go around with a dozen of reckless-driving convoy. Near the Federal Secretariat at Ikoyi in Lagos, a traffic controller stopped the lane on which the Head of State’s Mercedes-Benz car was.

Lt-Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo who was the Chief of Staff (Supreme Headquarters) and Lt-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, the Chief of Army Staff, were also marked for assassination on the same day and almost the same time as the Head of State. General Murtala wasn’t lucky like Lt-Gen. Obasanjo and Lt-Gen. Danjuma who survived the attack.

Assassination of Murtala Muhammed
General Murtala Muhammed

Lt-Col. Dimka and three other coup plotters (Major Rabo, Captain Parwang and Lieutenant Seri) were already in a petrol station, waiting for Murtala’s car. As the car stopped in the traffic, Dimka and his men opened fire on Murtala’s car killing everyone except the orderly, Michael Otuwu who still lives to tell his part of the story.

Otuwu explained that he had earlier seen a man on babanriga (Hausa traditional attire) approach their car immediately it stopped; this man was later identified as Dimka. Otuwu said,

“He (Dimka) shot the driver in the head, then other soldiers loyal to him ran towards the car and opened fire. Murtala would have survived the attack had the coup plotters not noticed the door of his car opened shortly after it was riddled with bullets from AK-47 assault rifles. The moment Dimka’s boys noticed the opened door, another rain of bullets fell on the car and killed Murtala this time.”

Immediately after the assassination, Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka ran to the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) to announce the success of the coup which unknowing to him was not yet successful. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Murtala muhammed's burial
General Murtala being laid to rest in 1976

At the NBC, Dimka read his first speech:

“Fellow Nigerians, Murtala Muhammed’s deficiency has been detected. His government is now overthrown by young revolutionaries. All the 19 military governors have no powers over the states they now govern. The states affairs will be run by military brigade commanders until further notice…”

Lt. Col. Dimka, thinking the coup was successful, bragged on,

“Unfortunately for him too, he didn’t live to rectify his dream of ruling Africa’s most populous country. Unlike his predecessor, General Yakubu Gowon, General Muhammed was considered tough, dogged and fearless. It is touted that he applied these characteristics in his resolved fight to rid the country of all form of corruption by some military governor-politicians under General Gowon, whom he said had betrayed the trust and confidence reposed in them by the nation and betrayed the ethics of their profession.”

General Murtala's car
Murtala’s car

“His fight against public sector corruption led to mass dismissals and the retirement of over 10,000 public officials on the grounds of inefficiency and corruption. As it is in modern Nigeria, many of those dismissed or retired were people regarded as highly placed, with connections in high places. Perhaps, it could be said that the difference between General Muhammed and Nigeria’s current crop of leaders is that while the General was willing to make the hard decision for a greater and brighter tomorrow even though as a military regime, today’s leaders lack the political will to make hard choices that could better the lots of the country.”

Col. Ibrahim Babangida led a detachment of soldiers to dislodge Dimka and his men at Radio Nigeria on the others of Lt-Gen. Danjuma. It was reported that Dimka escaped through a tunnel.

Dimka and other coup plotters executed
Dimka and other six coup plotters during their execution

Lt. Col. Dimka was arrested near Abakaliki in Eastern Nigeria on the 6th of March, 1976. On the 15th of May, 1976, Dimka and other six coup plotters were publicly executed by firing squad at the Maximum Security Prison in Lagos.

Gen. Muhammed Murtala was succeeded by Lt-Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo who stayed in power till 1979 when he handed over power to the democratic government of Alhaji Sheu Shagari.

 

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Mother left everyone in disbelief after they heard her excuse why she left her baby alone with pit bull only for the dog to chew on the child’s hands and leave her without 5 fingers!

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The young mother, later identified as Chloe, was arrested and charged with neglect after leaving her baby daughter with pit bull. The dog reportedly chewed on the baby’s hand when she left her alone, resulting in the girl losing 5 fingers.

Three of the fingers on the girl’s left hand were fully amputated and two fingers on her right hand were partially amputated. The incident left neighbors startled and in disbelief.

The mother reportedly left her 3-month-old baby alone with the dog so she could take a shower. During and interview with investigators, the 21-year-old mom said that she was feeling ill and put the little girl in her bassinet before heading to the bathroom, per reports.

The woman then turned on the shower and turned it back off again when she heard the baby girl scream. Chloe then found the 3-month-old pit bull puppy chewing on the baby’s hands. She wrapped the baby’s hands in cloth and called 911…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

When the mother found her baby, she couldn’t look at her baby daughter’s fingers because there was soo much bl00d. ‘You never leave a baby or infant alone with an animal. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

You just don’t. Thank God the baby’s still alive,’ neighbor, Kecia said. NBC2 reports the three-month-old puppy that was just brought into the home less than 24 hours earlier after the mother coming across a post for the dog on Facebook.

The mother was charged with child neglect following a four-month-long investigation. Investigators in bringing charges forward said the mother kept changing stories as to why she left the baby alone with the pit bull.

The puppy was quarantined as part of protocol following a bite. The pit bull passed the quarantine and was transferred to the Animal Welfare League.

As the baby recovers with family members, the mother, who posted $7,500 bond, was granted supervised visitation. This incident remains under investigation.

 

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6-Year-Old Boy Left In Coma After Being Sent Home From School With Headache

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Ellis Artist of Clayton, West Yorkshire was living a normal, 6-year-old life when everything went downhill.

One night, Ellis woke up in pain and screaming to his parents, 37-year-old Paul Artist and 34-year-old Sarah Girdwood.

His head and neck were in tremendous pain and he began to vomit profusely.

This all happened after a minor illness, which he seems to recover quickly from earlier that day.

Ellis’ parents rushed him to a nearby hospital, and a rash started to develop.

First, doctors thought it was meningitis, but antibiotics didn’t help and Ellis was mumbling and moaning in his sleep, unable to wake up…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

Doctors then performed an MRI scan.

The resulting diagnosis was shocking and horrifying: acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or ADEM.

This extremely rare condition causes brain swelling, and Ellis now has repeated seizures as a result.

ADEM is a little-understood disease that can begin from even a small infection.

It causes negative reactions to the white matter of the brain, which then affects the body’s immune system.

The result is a severe allergic reaction that involves attacking the immune system and the eroding of nerves’ protective layers.

This condition tends to affect different people in different ways, meaning it is usually impossible for doctors to provide an accurate prognosis – as is the case with Ellis.

75% of those who develop AEDM are able to recover fully, but the remainder may develop significant impairments and disabilities as a result. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

It is unsure whether Ellis will recover, how severe his condition is, or if he will have any long-term effects from it.

After the AEDM diagnosis, Ellis was placed in a medically-induced coma and rushed to the Leeds General Infirmary.

A week later, another scan revealed that the swelling was no longer just in Ellis’ brain – it was beginning to make its way down his spine.

He was also having mini-seizures due to the brain swelling. But it’s not all bad news – after a while of being on a ventilator, Ellis is able to breathe on his own again.

The Sick Children’s Trust has put up Ellis’ family, including his three brothers, the youngest of which still doesn’t know what is really happening to Ellis.

Ellis, meanwhile, is still in a coma with his parents by his bedside as he receives the 24/7 care that he needs.

It is still unknown whether Ellis will recover fully or not, but doctors are doing everything they can to provide information to his worried family.

It’s expected that Ellis will be at the hospital for at least a couple of months, and will then need constant care at home once he is able to leave.

In order to ease the financial strain, family and friends, as well as Ellis’ school Clayton St John CE Primary School, have been working hard to raise funds for the family.

Ellis is a strong, tough boy and everyone is rooting for him and hoping for his recovery.

A fundraiser for the family with a £5,000 target goal has been set up, and around 92% of funds have been raised at the time of writing.

If you’d like to donate to the cause, you can do so at their JustGiving page.

 

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Did An Angel Save Girl From Dying In Hospital?

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Losing a child can be a devastating event, no matter what age.It is, however, universally agreed upon that it is worse when the child is lost at such a young age.

Sadly, this sort of early death is expected for some families, due to the circumstances that their child is involved in.

Despite the advancement of modern medicine, there are still plenty of children who suffer from severe health problems from either a young age or even from birth. These children are often predicted to not survive very long.

In a way, their passing can be considered them finally having rest and relief from their life, which has been an uphill battle all the way…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

Most of these children and their families, however, find themselves with plenty to live for.

They fight, they strive, and they try to use everything at their disposal to push forward and see another day.

Alas, this is a war, and sometimes, the inevitable happens.

In the case of North Carolinian Chelsea Banton, she wasn’t expected to see her third day.

A premature baby born five weeks early, Chelsea had a major problem – she had to deal with excessive fluids creating pressure against her brain.

The doctors gave her at most 36 hours to live.

However, the baby girl would defy all odds, and would live to grow up.

Her life, however, did not get any easier after that first major hurdle.

The girl would spend the following 14 years of her short life fighting against one health problem after another.

Infections, life-threatening viruses, fluid retention, shunt revisions, hydrocephalus – you named it, she suffered it at some point.

In the fall of 2008, Chelsea was struck by yet another round of advanced pneumonia, which had developed from a bad cold she caught. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

This latest bout of illness seemed to be the last one she could handle – the girl was forced to stay in the hospital for seven weeks, completely dependant on life support.

It was at this point that Colleen Banton, her mother, was forced to make a heartbreaking decision.

In the interest of not prolonging her daughter’s suffering, she opted to keep the ventilator off the next time her daughter was strong enough to breathe on her own.

It was essentially plugging the plug for the girl – by this point, Colleen had decided that should her daughter’s time had come, then there was no use in delaying the inevitable.

While praying with friends and family who had come out to support this mother, Colleen was suddenly called over to a nearby monitor by the pediatrician nurse.

There, her attention was directed to the bright light that had appeared in front of the door to the pediatrician unit.

Astonished, Colleen took a quick photo of it with her camera, then went to check this strange light in person.

Oddly enough, it wasn’t there physically.

A miracle occurred shortly thereafter – three days later, Chelsea was well enough to return home once again.

Colleen is convinced that the figure was an angel who helped her daughter.

Chelsea would then go on to live for another 7 more years before passing away in 2015, at the age of 21.

Her story is one for the ages!

 

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