Faces of the 5 Police officers killed by the sniper in Dallas

A newlywed and a Navy veteran of three tours in Iraq were among the five Dallas police officers killed in a sniper ambush on Thursday night. The victims were identified on Friday by officials, relatives and the media as Dallas Police Department officers Senior Cpl. Lorne Ahrens, Officer Michael Krol, Sgt. Michael J. Smith, Officer Patrick Zamarripa, and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) police officer Brent Thompson.

Seven other police officers and two civilians were wounded in the shooting at the end of a protest over this week's killing of two black men by police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. The Dallas shooter was a U.S. Army reservist who served in Afghanistan.
Transit Police Officer Brent Thompson, 43, worked for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) system since 2009 and was the first officer killed in the line of duty since the transit system formed a police department in 1989, DART.

Thompson spent more than four years in Iraq, working for private U.S. military contractor DynCorp International as a police liaison officer who supervised Americans training and mentoring the Iraqi police force, according to his LinkedIn profile. Thompson got married to a fellow DART officer only 2 weeks ago.
Thompson was also a father and a grandfather from a previous marriage.

Patrick Zamarripa

Navy veteran Patrick Zamarripa, 32, served three tours in Iraq and was killed in the attack, his family told Reuters. He served in the military reserves as well as working as a Dallas policeman.



His uncle, Hector Zamarripa, said by telephone that Zamarripa was a proud Mexican-American who leaves behind a wife, their toddler-age daughter and a stepson.

 

 

Although he did not speak much Spanish, he went by the name Patricio among his Spanish-speaking friends and relatives.

Michael Krol

Michael Krol, a 40-year-old officer with the Dallas Police Department, was killed, according to a statement from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office in Michigan, where Krol worked as a deputy in the jails from 2003 to 2007. "We are saddened by the loss of the dedicated officers in Dallas - one of whom was a former member of this agency - and also the wounding of the other officers," Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon said in the statement.

Lorne Ahrens

Senior Corporal Lorne Ahrens, a 14-year veteran with the Dallas police, was one of those killed, the Dallas Morning News reported. Ahrens, a 48-year-old California native, was married to a Dallas police detective and had two children, ages 10 and 8, the newspaper reported.

Michael Smith, 55, also died in the attack. He served in the military as an Army Ranger before joining the Dallas police in 1989. His family said he left behind a wife of 17 years and two daughters, ages 9 and 14.


May their souls rest in peace.

Ten killed in Boko Haram suicide bombing in Cameroon

At least ten people were killed after a Boko Haram suicide bomber blew himself up in the town of Djakana near the Nigerian border, a security source said on Thursday.

"Seven people were killed immediately, including the bomber. Four others later succumbed to their wounds", the security source said. "Others who were wounded are in hospital. We fear the number of victims could rise."

Most of the victims were members of a local vigilante group tasked with hunting down Boko Haram fighters.

"They were gathered in a video room when the attacker entered and triggered his explosives," the security source said.

Boko Haram's seven-year insurgency has left at least 20,000 people dead in Nigeria and neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, and made more than 2.6 million homeless

Bloomberg writes on the Devaluation of the Naira, says excitement is short-lived as Nigeria economy sinks further

International business website, Bloomberg, has written a new article on the recent devaluation of the Naira. According to the magazine, the excitement from the devaluation is shortlived as the Nigerian economy has since sunk further. Read the article below 

Optimism that a devaluation of Nigeria’s naira would breathe life into the country’s banking stocks faded almost as quickly as it started.

The central bank’s abandoning of a 16-month currency peg was greeted with a world-beating rally in the nation’s shares on expectations foreign investors would return to Africa’s largest economy. It didn’t last, with all but two of the country’s biggest banking stocks falling since the naira started trading freely on June 20.

The main risk is coming from a possible recession that will make it harder for lenders to make money and extend credit with unpaid loans on the increase. Trading in foreign currency, which all but dried up because of the exchange controls, is yet to pick up. Foreigners have not flocked back amid lower oil prices and the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union, with investors such as AllianceBernstein LP and Loomis Sayles & Co. saying the naira’s 29 percent depreciation isn’t enough.

“The devaluation of the naira is not a silver bullet,” said Jaap Meijer, the managing director of research at Dubai-based Arqaam Capital Ltd., who helped his clients make a 55 percent return if they followed his advice over the past three months on Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Nigeria’s biggest lender by market value. “There are just too many headwinds, with a devaluation probably worsening the asset quality outside the oil and gas industry.”

For a foreign-currency column on the naira’s devaluation, click here.

The 10-member Nigerian Stock Exchange Banks Index has declined 6 percent since surging to a 9-month high on June 23. That compares with a 4 percent drop in the NSE All Share Index over the same period, with Sterling Bank Plc, Unity Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and FBN Holdings Plc among the 10 biggest losers.

‘Natural Concern’

“The ability of companies to pay back the money that banks have given them is a natural concern,” said Adewale Okunrinboye, an analyst at Lagos-based Asset & Resource Management Co., which has 690 billion naira ($2.4 billion) under management. “Companies will be struggling to sell products and generate cash flows.”

Not everyone is bearish on banks following the devaluation, with the country’s lenders trading at 4.5 times future earnings compared with 9.2 for South African banks, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

“The benefits outweigh the risks,” although smaller lenders may struggle to replenish capital levels, said Derrick Mensah, an analyst at African Alliance in Accra. “Net-net the depreciation is positive, not just for banks, but for the broader economy. It’s not going to happen overnight.”

Long Dollars

Most of the country’s biggest lenders have long-dollar foreign-exchange positions, which will result in revaluation gains that will compensate for any deterioration in the quality of their assets and capital levels caused by the currency’s decline, Renaissance Capital analysts Adesoji Solanke and Olamipo Ogunsanya said in a June 27 note. An interest rate increase will also help improve margins on loans, they said.

“The economy might not immediately return to growth, but at least the bleeding should stop,” said Ronak Gadhia, an analyst at Exotix Partners LLP in London, who has buy ratings on Guaranty Trust Bank and United Bank for Africa Plc, and sell recommendations on Access Bank Plc and Skye Bank.

“If the foreign-exchange market functions properly, it should allow bank customers to source foreign currency, which is a positive,” he said. “It will enable the banks to grow their letters of credit and commission income.”

Rules Delayed

 

Nigerian authorities delayed by at least a year the introduction of more stringent capital rules for banks on June 27, as the regulator seeks to spur the economy and encourage lending. The economy shrank for the first time since 2004 in the first quarter as investment shriveled and businesses battled to find dollars to import materials.

The ratio of loans not paid for more than three months worsened to 4.9 percent at the end of last year from 2.8 percent in 2014, according to the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corp. The naira, which weakened to a record low of 286.50 per dollar on June 21, gained 0.1 percent to 282.50 by 7 a.m. in Lagos.

Nigeria may have to again consider buying bad debts to reverse a contraction in lending, Arqaam’s Meijer said. Regulators six years ago had to rescue the industry from collapse after a debt crisis and amid allegations of corruption, setting up the Asset Management Corp. of Nigeria to take on non-performing loans.

“There are a lot of issues that haven’t been addressed that still need to come through in terms of asset quality,” with the devaluation probably increasing leverage by 20 percent and pushing foreign-exchange loans to 50 percent of the system, he said. “A weak banking sector isn’t conducive to economic growth.”

Young Nigerian migrant graduates from Cambridge University with a First Class degree in Economics

A young Nigerian migrant Sogo Akintaro recently graduated from Cambridge University with a first class degree in Economics. On his Facebook page on June 26, Akintaro wrote:

"Being a first generation migrant, a black male living on a council estate in South London, it's fair to say that I wasn't 'supposed' graduate from Cambridge University with a First Class degree in Economics.

 

If you know my journey, you'd know that it hasn't been an easy one. I'm blessed and fortunate to have a strong support network around me. Those who made me believe anything was possible. My mother has sacrificed everything to provide me with the opportunities I've had. She's my rock. Nevertheless, I can't help but believe there's been divine intervention through out this journey.

This is not just an achievement for me and my family, but also to those on the ends going through struggles. Not everyone is dealt a good hand at life, but we can hustle to better it. Make your family proud.

This is only the beginning."

‪

According to UK media, "statistically this does not often happen. He defied statistics, He did NOT allow his environment dictate his future and he worked hard."

Congratulations to him!

The internet goes 'mad' after someone starts 'Heterosexual Pride Day' celebration on Twitter

On Wednesday the hashtag 'HeterosexualPrideDay' started trending on Twitter after a twitter user began the hashtag to purposely evoke a negative reaction from the public, considering the recent tragic events in Orlando where a gay shooter killed 49 people. Some Twitter users have taken up the hashtag seriously, criticizing members of the LGBT (lesbian,gay, bi-sexual and transgender) community for starting the topic while many are mocking the trending topic saying that LGBT Pride started in the 1970s to combat discrimination against gay people, while no such discrimination against heterosexual (straight) people exist. More tweets after the cut....

Toke Makinwa stuns for Glam Africa Magazine’s Power sssue

Nigerian TV, radio and YouTube sensation,TokeMakinwa is featured on the cover of the Summer 2016 edition of Glam Africa Magazine. Aptly called the Power edition, the magazine speaks to Toke about her recent challenges and how she overcame them to maintain her crown as Nigeria’s top social media personality. Toke is on a mission “to showcase ‘New Africans’ who are working hard and creating their own wealth and affluence” and she shares the secrets behind that in her interview.

 Adding to an exclusive interview with Toke, Glam Africa’s Power edition is “full of strong men and women with competitive mindsets – those who are hungry for success and strive for the best. And, of course we also bring you the best of lifestyle too: new adventures and culinary delights” according to the Editor-in-Chief KarineLaudort. Glam Africa Magazine is currently sold in the UK, Nigeria, Ghana and in South Africa, as well as on glamafrica.com for worldwide delivery.

Photography by Paul Ukonu

Court grants ex-Chief of Air Staff, Adesola Amosun N500million bail

Former Chief of Air Staff, Adesola Amosu, who is accused of being involved in a N21 billion fraud while he was in office, was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos today and was granted N500 million bail. Amosu was arraigned alongside Jacob Adigun, an Air Vice Marshal, and Gbadebo Olugbenga, an Air Commodore on a 26-count of stealing about N50 billion.

They pleaded not guilty to all the charges. The judge afterwards granted them bail in the sum of N500 million each.