VIDEO: Nigeria's dirty capital

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqPcRQXn5zia0sT4kVB4w8TueCT4CrJiz6VCutindeE6jA27lP9vVIxADHueH9pwvsfA2VC3ykBX9sD3mS9tfips05ddlhFA-zSvZ2UvMh4EBS4ACx3MnKIFnK3v8mNPpJGyXjP2fkr0/s1600/buhari+rr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="412" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbqPcRQXn5zia0sT4kVB4w8TueCT4CrJiz6VCutindeE6jA27lP9vVIxADHueH9pwvsfA2VC3ykBX9sD3mS9tfips05ddlhFA-zSvZ2UvMh4EBS4ACx3MnKIFnK3v8mNPpJGyXjP2fkr0/s320/buhari+rr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> The current state of Nigeria's capital, Abuja<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> <iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VZ0ZcxBZOYg" width="560"></iframe>

Latest-News VIDEO: Nigeria's dirty capital

The current state of Nigeria's capital, Abuja

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Guardiola blasts Manchester United, Chelsea for rejecting VAR

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVSQomKL2OlO1moTR6LbwjHnzNG8VAnlw4ahqb5rEOY13eBqlp1NLTrwMO9PQ_kHO9XFiXO2Dsz4FF6IoE9HpdRdCXBi97MzBwYNP4qbs9vLV152UyLCtz585iMmq7XKmlGgZ7fttUDIl/s1600/pg2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVSQomKL2OlO1moTR6LbwjHnzNG8VAnlw4ahqb5rEOY13eBqlp1NLTrwMO9PQ_kHO9XFiXO2Dsz4FF6IoE9HpdRdCXBi97MzBwYNP4qbs9vLV152UyLCtz585iMmq7XKmlGgZ7fttUDIl/s320/pg2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has accused Manchester United and Chelsea of being among the clubs that rejected the introduction of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) in the Premier League next season.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Guardiola, speaking after the decision was made official, claimed City voted in favour of VAR.<br /> <br /> “I think Manchester City agreed to it but the other top teams, United and Chelsea I think, they didn’t want it,” the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss said.<br /> <br /> In a statement after a shareholders’ meeting on Friday, the Premier League noted: “The decision came after comprehensive discussions regarding the progress made in VAR trials in English football, and key learnings from the many competitions using it elsewhere.<br /> <br /> “The clubs recognised and are grateful for the substantial developments made by PGMOL Managing Director Mike Riley and his team.<br /> <br /> “The clubs agreed that advanced testing will continue to the end of Season 2018/19 to make further improvements to the system, especially around communication inside the stadium and for those following at home and around the world.”</div>

Latest-News Guardiola blasts Manchester United, Chelsea for rejecting VAR

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has accused Manchester United and Chelsea of being among the clubs that rejected the introduction ...

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‘They’re only trying to discourage us’ — DHQ reacts to report that 98 Chibok schoolgirls are dead

Latest-News ‘They’re only trying to discourage us’ — DHQ reacts to report that 98 Chibok schoolgirls are dead

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‘We only drank water when it rained’ — tale of Chibok schoolgirl who spent three years in captivity

Latest-News ‘We only drank water when it rained’ — tale of Chibok schoolgirl who spent three years in captivity

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Chibok schoolgirls frustrated despite escaping Boko Haram

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXe6bKnf5pCDfC3IJIiMiUjbjYCPIfJ1OAMboWsj_nfZeGs7I_q6hzkb_vdIzKvpqLypTY_JWyYkzjtrbH_CFYTgIRu6JjudOqvzRVLScybnjLFYfhrJhRtFSeph4zlYcnZci7ELfADjl/s1600/Chibok+girls+released.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisXe6bKnf5pCDfC3IJIiMiUjbjYCPIfJ1OAMboWsj_nfZeGs7I_q6hzkb_vdIzKvpqLypTY_JWyYkzjtrbH_CFYTgIRu6JjudOqvzRVLScybnjLFYfhrJhRtFSeph4zlYcnZci7ELfADjl/s320/Chibok+girls+released.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> On April 14, 2014, Saraya Amos and 56 of her classmates staged a daring escape from Boko Haram jihadists who raided their secondary school in Chibok, northeast Nigeria.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Unlike the 219 girls who were spirited away in a convoy of trucks into the darkness, most of them not to be seen again for several years, the 57 were considered the lucky ones.<br /> <br /> But as Nigeria on Saturday marks the fourth anniversary of the mass abduction that captured world attention, some of the ones that got away are unhappy and feel abandoned.<br /> <br /> Most of the 106 who have been found or freed as a result of government negotiations with Boko Haram are now studying at the private American University of Nigeria in Yola, Adamawa state.<br /> <br /> “We deserve equal treatment and opportunity,” said Amos, who still lives with her parents in Chibok and helps on the family farm.<br /> <br /> “Those rescued are now studying at the university while we have been forgotten.”<br /> <br /> While the former captives have gone back to education at the AUN, Amos and other escapees say they have struggled to finish theirs, despite government pledges of support.<br /> <br /> High school tuition fees were covered but auxillary costs such as travel and food have made staying in education impossible, they say.<br /> <br /> Amos said that has “destroyed” her dream of becoming a lawyer.<br /> <br /> “We feel extremely bad and abandoned, our future is hanging in the balance because the chance of furthering our education is bleak,” she added.<br /> <br /> – ‘Frustrated’ –<br /> Hadiza Fali, 20, wants to become an agricultural engineer. She said it was painful and frustrating to see that not all the Chibok girls’ fortunes have turned out the same.<br /> <br /> “I don’t envy my colleagues who are in school, I only feel let down and treated like a second-class citizen. I so much want to continue with my education if given the chance,” she said.<br /> <br /> “We are not in school, we have been idling away at home for the past one year doing nothing, apart from helping out parents on the farm.”<br /> <br /> Yakubu Nkeki, chairman of the Chibok girls parents association, said students who gained the results to head to university were in limbo and their impoverished parents were unable to help.<br /> <br /> “It is true the girls are still at home without anything to do because the promise that the government made to them has not been fulfilled,” Nkeki said.<br /> <br /> “I met with some of the parents of the girls who bitterly complained that the government has abandoned their daughters at home.”<br /> <br /> Despite global publicity about the kidnapping, the girls’ plight is not unusual in Nigeria’s remote northeast, where access to education was low even before the start of Boko Haram’s bloody insurgency in 2009.<br /> <br /> According to Nigeria’s Demographic and Health Survey in 2013, just eight per cent of women in the region complete secondary school.<br /> <br /> Nine years of fighting has equally made it harder for students in impoverished rural areas, as Boko Haram has targeted schools and teachers.<br /> <br /> – ‘Too difficult’ –<br /> The Borno state government pledged to spend 1.5 million naira ($4,167, 3,400 euros) on each of the girls who escaped their abductors every year until they finished university.<br /> <br /> Three attended a missionary college in the United States with the help of a Christian charity.<br /> <br /> Fifty-four others from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok were enrolled in two private boarding schools elsewhere in Nigeria.<br /> <br /> Christians were sent to study in the central city of Jos while Muslim students were taken to the northern city of Katsina.<br /> <br /> Seventeen girls dropped out because their parents could not afford to pay for food and basic toiletries, such as sanitary napkins.<br /> <br /> “Surprisingly, the parents of the girls were left to substantially pay for their daughters’ upkeep while in school,” said Ayuba Alamson, a community leader in Chibok.<br /> <br /> “On one occasion I had to kneel before a mother and begged her to allow her daughter return to school in Jos.”<br /> <br /> Three of the girls sent to Katsina dropped out because their parents could not raise the 12,000 naira ($33, 27-euro) transport fare for the 730-kilometre (450-mile) trip back to school at the end of holidays.<br /> <br /> “They found it too difficult to cope and dropped out,” said Yagana Yamane, who wants to be a doctor.<br /> <br /> Instead of forging a potential career, they are following a familiar path.<br /> <br /> “One of them has gotten married and the other two are planning their weddings,” said the 18-year-old, who fears marriage may be the only option for her as well.</div>

Latest-News Chibok schoolgirls frustrated despite escaping Boko Haram

On April 14, 2014, Saraya Amos and 56 of her classmates staged a daring escape from Boko Haram jihadists who raided their secondary school...

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PDP must have popular presidential candidate in 2019 — Lawmaker

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0V7iW0hi2gIThfB1fouvlXh09mC2P2m8gM0yETM-MEuc_SRPpn07x1p7n2MwCWVexai1L7GYNySzRgC3ozrg4uEK6m1fRf7cSc8u3XZYkmAPTVTs_pymqFulekU3wZ32xGgS_6Qn9rL5/s1600/pdp-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0V7iW0hi2gIThfB1fouvlXh09mC2P2m8gM0yETM-MEuc_SRPpn07x1p7n2MwCWVexai1L7GYNySzRgC3ozrg4uEK6m1fRf7cSc8u3XZYkmAPTVTs_pymqFulekU3wZ32xGgS_6Qn9rL5/s320/pdp-logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The only PDP member in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Dipo Olorunrinu says the party needs a popular presidential candidate in order to reclaim power in the 2019 general elections.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Olorunrinu spoke in an interview in Lagos on Saturday.<br /> <br /> He spoke against the backdrop of the recent declaration by President Muhammadu Buhari to seek re-election in 2019.<br /> <br /> Expressing optimism that the party would reclaim power in 2019, Olorunrinu said “nothing is impossible in 2019 as long as the PDP presents a popular candidate.<br /> <br /> “The party has apologised to Nigerians on whatever it might have done wrong.<br /> <br /> “People should reconsider PDP; as the party has learnt how not to fail again.<br /> <br /> “The PDP will take the bull by the horn; looking at the credibility of the candidate it will present.<br /> <br /> “We don’t need a candidate that the party will begin to start selling.<br /> <br /> “We need someone who is already selling himself or herself before the party begins to sell him or her.’’<br /> <br /> On the increasing number of aspirants eyeing the PDP presidential ticket, the lawmaker said that a candidate with good credentials and credibility would help the party at the polls.<br /> <br /> According to him, though everybody has the democratic right to contest the presidential ticket, the party should also consider experience, background, capability and credibility of would-be candidate.<br /> <br /> “We don’t need time wasters to come on board. We need the PDP to be formidable to go against the ruling party at this moment.<br /> <br /> “We need to listen to what the people at the grassroots are saying in selecting our candidate.<br /> <br /> “We need to move in the direction people are going,’’ he said.<br /> <br /> Olorunrinu urged the party to sell socio-economic recovery and inclusive governance to the people.<br /> <br /> The lawmaker advised the party to repackage itself for a good outing in the 2019 general elections.</div>

Latest-News PDP must have popular presidential candidate in 2019 — Lawmaker

The only PDP member in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Dipo Olorunrinu says the party needs a popular presidential candidate in orde...

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Giroud double keeps Chelsea in Champions League hunt

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgrP5KvYrEkSY3F4PP7lf550byCJNLp2vnJqc8bIlamQTRG5wHyXMYX0oSLDZPZj2bD42xyJaHbAMcRk3PIPZQ1DJ87ESKErw01KmFlx1tlZvf4XGduZIJyfhZqnXW9AtwcjORIa6IwOh/s1600/sou+2-3+che.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgrP5KvYrEkSY3F4PP7lf550byCJNLp2vnJqc8bIlamQTRG5wHyXMYX0oSLDZPZj2bD42xyJaHbAMcRk3PIPZQ1DJ87ESKErw01KmFlx1tlZvf4XGduZIJyfhZqnXW9AtwcjORIa6IwOh/s400/sou+2-3+che.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Chelsea’s kept their slim hopes of playing Champions League football next season alive as Olivier Giroud came off the bench to inspire an eight-minute turnaround from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Southampton on Saturday.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Defeat is another body blow to Saints’ chances of avoiding relegation as they remain rooted in the bottom three when for so long they seemed set for a first home win in the Premier League since November.<br /> <br /> Dusan Tadic and debutant Jan Bednarek put the hosts in command, but Giroud’s first league goals for Chelsea either side of Eden Hazard’s equaliser cut the gap on Liverpool and Tottenham in the fight for a top-four finish to seven points.<br /> <br /> The two sides will meet again in the FA Cup semi-finals next weekend, and Southampton will do well to raise themselves for cup glory with their place in the Premier League next season looking ever more precarious.<br /> <br /> It was a former Chelsea player who got Saints off to a perfect start as Ryan Bertrand burst past Cesar Azpilicueta down Southampton’s left before squaring for Tadic to apply a simple finish.<br /> <br /> Only a fine save low to his right from Thibaut Courtois denied Saints a second through James Ward-Prowse as Chelsea struggled to create anything of note before the break.<br /> <br /> And their frustration overspilled as tempers flared when Marcos Alonso was lucky to escape unpunished for raking his studs down Shane Long’s calf.<br /> <br /> Long nearly doubled Southampton’s lead early in the second period when he turned Andres Christensen and Gary Cahill before his mishit effort almost looped over Courtois, who scrambled to turn the ball behind.<br /> <br /> Courtois was left exposed by his defence moments later when Ward-Prowse’s free-kick found Bednarek completely unmarked at the back post to half-volley expertly across the goal and into the far corner.<br /> <br /> Conte swiftly responded by hauling off the disappointing Alvaro Morata and Davide Zappacosta for Pedro Rodriguez and Giroud.<br /> <br /> The French international striker has largely struggled to make an impact since his deadline day move from Arsenal in January.<br /> <br /> But Giroud showed what he is capable of with a brave near post header from Alonso’s pinpoint cross to get Chelsea back in the game with his first league goal for the club and spark an incredible fightback 20 minutes from time.<br /> <br /> Five minutes later Hazard levelled by smashing home Willian’s cross from close range.<br /> <br /> And with Southampton reeling, Giroud completed Chelsea’s comeback when he pounced on a loose ball inside the area to drive into the bottom corner.<br /> <br /> Chelsea still needed Courtois to secure just a fourth league win in 12 games in 2018 as the ‘keeper got down well to deny Josh Sims as the game entered stoppage time.</div>

Latest-News Giroud double keeps Chelsea in Champions League hunt

Chelsea’s kept their slim hopes of playing Champions League football next season alive as Olivier Giroud came off the bench to inspire an ...

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How Iwobi, Welbeck were subjected to monkey chants against CSKA Moscow

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxfbhOrEQkplGp5P230KiUyj032AW_0IG17DUdzjFXy6kBRCFY5unOlXu4Z_N8lS_sw4nQX85Jui8RIV9aUORu2L87PkBdTggAKdCbun162DwA2Wo69gjn8KnR8kMyaBpBfpCqpBSw8ie/s1600/iwobi.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxfbhOrEQkplGp5P230KiUyj032AW_0IG17DUdzjFXy6kBRCFY5unOlXu4Z_N8lS_sw4nQX85Jui8RIV9aUORu2L87PkBdTggAKdCbun162DwA2Wo69gjn8KnR8kMyaBpBfpCqpBSw8ie/s400/iwobi.jpg" /></a></div> Arsenal players, Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck, were the target of racist abuse during their Europa League clash against CSKA Moscow on Thursday.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Reuters reports that the home supporters made monkey chants at the Gunners’ black players several times.<br /> <br /> According to the news agency, one of their photographer at pitch level, heard dozens of home supporters make monkey chants towards Iwobi and Welbeck, as they neared a section of the stands when the ball went out of play.<br /> <br /> The Premier League side were two goals down in Russia, despite winning the first leg 4-1 at the Emirates. But Welbeck scored 15 minutes from time, while Aaron Ramsey equalized in stoppage time, to ensure they progressed into the final four.<br /> <br /> Iwobi came on as a second half substitute when he replaced Alexander Lacazette in the 77th minute.<br /> <br /> The chants were heard when Welbeck celebrated his goal that brought Arsenal back into the game from 2-0 down.<br /> <br /> A third Arsenal player who did not come off the substitute’s bench was targeted with the same chants after the final whistle, as he jogged to warm down on the pitch at the CSKA Arena.<br /> <br /> The player, who Reuters was unable to identify, was also black.<br /> Attachments area</div>

Latest-News How Iwobi, Welbeck were subjected to monkey chants against CSKA Moscow

Arsenal players, Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck, were the target of racist abuse during their Europa League clash against CSKA Moscow on Thu...

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"Terrorism has become a multi-billion dollar industry — Jonathan spent N2bn daily on security"

Latest-News "Terrorism has become a multi-billion dollar industry — Jonathan spent N2bn daily on security"

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Obasanjo’s ex-wife reveals why God should abort Buhari’s re-election bid

Latest-News Obasanjo’s ex-wife reveals why God should abort Buhari’s re-election bid

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SHOCKER: Only 15 Chibok Schoolgirls Out Of 113 Still Alive

Latest-News SHOCKER: Only 15 Chibok Schoolgirls Out Of 113 Still Alive

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Why no ‘corrupt’ ex-president has been charged to court -Sagay

Latest-News Why no ‘corrupt’ ex-president has been charged to court -Sagay

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Media championed ‘Jonathan must go campaign’, silent under Buhari – Wike

Latest-News Media championed ‘Jonathan must go campaign’, silent under Buhari – Wike

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Femi Fani-Kayode: The Archbishop of Canterbury and his cruel husband

Latest-News Femi Fani-Kayode: The Archbishop of Canterbury and his cruel husband

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South Africa buries Winnie Mandela

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nJce9pRlkjZdZ5ZYqUJxgbSAsTfXU32tRW829zmImJvvakrcG6wnq6-wX-Ea8TcgVS-CnoHIvfAw8Rgymtbpq5uz3Z0ECUMKCckeCmkdMos4flNswYEB8pfjRfHVwRm0YAPvSGS4kfFz/s1600/Winnie+Mandela.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nJce9pRlkjZdZ5ZYqUJxgbSAsTfXU32tRW829zmImJvvakrcG6wnq6-wX-Ea8TcgVS-CnoHIvfAw8Rgymtbpq5uz3Z0ECUMKCckeCmkdMos4flNswYEB8pfjRfHVwRm0YAPvSGS4kfFz/s320/Winnie+Mandela.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> South Africa lays to rest anti-apartheid icon and Nelson Mandela’s former wife Winnie Mandela with full state honours at a stadium funeral in Soweto on Saturday.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Tens of thousands of mourners burst into loud cheers as the casket carrying her remains was wheeled into the stadium, less than two kilometres from her home.<br /> <br /> The casket draped with the multi-coloured South African flag was placed in the middle of the 37,500-seater stadium in front of a stage, decked in white and yellow flowers.<br /> <br /> Mourners dressed in the colours of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), as well those of the radical opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), sang “there’s no-one like Winnie”, an adapted popular liberation struggle song.<br /> <br /> The ceremony concludes 10 days of national mourning during which time thousands of South Africans have paid tribute to the “Mother of the Nation” at her Soweto home and elsewhere.<br /> <br /> Winnie Mandela, who died in Johannesburg aged 81 on April 2 after a long illness, has been celebrated for helping keep Nelson Mandela’s dream of a non-racial South Africa alive while he was behind bars for 27 years.<br /> <br /> – ‘Go well Mama’ –<br /> <br /> “She was one of the most profound leaders of the ANC,” said 53-year-old mourner Brian Magqaza. “She fought from beginning to the end. Go well Mama.”<br /> <br /> EFF supporter Mufunwa Muhadi, 31, said “Mama fought for our freedom. It is important to honour her and continue the fight”.<br /> <br /> South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, who took office two months ago, is leading the mourners at the pre-burial service in Soweto’s Orlando stadium.<br /> <br /> Former South African presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki are also attending the funeral. Mourners booed when the presence of scandal-tainted Zuma was publicly acknowledged.<br /> <br /> Foreign dignitaries at the funeral include the leaders of Namibia, Swaziland and the Republic of Congo, as well as American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson.<br /> <br /> “She is truly the mother of South Africa,” Jackson told journalists on Friday.<br /> <br /> The township of Soweto is hugely symbolic in South Africa as it became a crucible of black resistance against white minority rule, which ended with elections in 1994.<br /> <br /> Winnie Mandela’s husband became the first black president of democratic South Africa, but she refused to follow many other struggle-era politicians who moved from townships like Soweto to formerly white-only suburbs after the end of apartheid.<br /> <br /> Instead she remained embedded in the community where she met Nelson Mandela at a bus stop in 1957.<br /> <br /> After the formal service, Winnie Mandela’s body will be buried 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Soweto, at a privately run graveyard in Johannesburg’s upmarket Fourways suburb where two of her great-grand children are also buried.<br /> <br /> – ‘Symbol of resistance’ –<br /> <br /> The funeral closes the final chapter in the history of a woman who was exalted for her fearless defiance of apartheid rule but also implicated in violence and corruption in later life.<br /> <br /> In 1991, she was convicted for kidnapping and being an accessory in the assault of a 14-year-old boy and was more generally accused of overseeing violence in black townships.<br /> <br /> In 2003 she was found guilty of fraud.<br /> <br /> But her controversial reputation has been largely brushed aside in the wake of her death with tributes to her bravery, independence and integrity dominating public commemorations.<br /> <br /> The United Nations staged a special memorial sitting at its New York headquarters on Friday to mark her passing.<br /> <br /> UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres described her as “an international symbol of resistance”.<br /> <br /> South Africa’s communications minister Nomvula Mokonyane told AFP that Winnie should not only be remembered for “mistakes or the casualties of the struggle”.<br /> <br /> In old age, Winnie Mandela emerged as a respected elder who was feted as a living reminder of her late husband — and of the long and celebrated struggle against apartheid.<br /> <br /> Most of her 38-year marriage to Nelson was spent apart, leaving her to raise their two daughters alone as she kept his political dream alive.<br /> <br /> But when Nelson Mandela died in 2013, it emerged he had left Winnie nothing in his will.<br /> <br /> On Saturday, a 21-gun salute will be fired and a full honour guard is expected to escort Winnie’s remains to her final resting place.</div>

Latest-News South Africa buries Winnie Mandela

South Africa lays to rest anti-apartheid icon and Nelson Mandela’s former wife Winnie Mandela with full state honours at a stadium funeral...

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Blasts shake Damascus as US and allies launch Syria strikes

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4x2D6rBlSJX9ziopUTWzojX7zeVmxzkxFkfhID5y-2HOdisklkkhnDZtFtzEzymhsb5hxVVnezjah0cBoJJNAHdqiwdl9coAC72YiAzzgMRXWQVIJb8qEZQ-I3oNhFLs3ZydrsIxCyLgm/s1600/BOMB+BLAST.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4x2D6rBlSJX9ziopUTWzojX7zeVmxzkxFkfhID5y-2HOdisklkkhnDZtFtzEzymhsb5hxVVnezjah0cBoJJNAHdqiwdl9coAC72YiAzzgMRXWQVIJb8qEZQ-I3oNhFLs3ZydrsIxCyLgm/s320/BOMB+BLAST.png" width="320" /></a></div> The United States, Britain and France carried out a wave of pre-dawn strikes against Syria’s regime Saturday in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack, lighting up the sky of Damascus as explosions shook the city.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Branding the alleged gas attack the “crimes of a monster”, US President Donald Trump announced the action against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in a White House address, defying fierce warnings from Damascus ally Russia.<br /> <br /> A few minutes later, an AFP correspondent in Damascus heard a series of huge blasts and residents rushed to their balconies. For around 45 minutes, explosions echoed and the sound of warplanes roared over the city, as flashes flared in the distance.<br /> <br /> As dawn broke, plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the city’s north and east.<br /> <br /> In the biggest foreign military action so far against Syria’s regime, Western officials said a barrage of cruise and air-to-land missiles hit targets near Damascus and in Homs province including a scientific research centre, storage facilities and a command post.<br /> <br /> Trump had suggested US military action could be on a large scale, but Saturday’s attacks were narrowly targeted and the facilities hit had reportedly been evacuated in recent days.<br /> <br /> Syrian state media reported only three people injured and Russia’s defence ministry said there were “no victims” among Syrian civilians and military personnel.<br /> <br /> – ‘Evil and despicable attack’ –<br /> <br /> Trump left no doubt the strikes were a direct response to an alleged April 7 chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Douma that rescuers and monitors say killed more than 40 people.<br /> <br /> “The evil and the despicable attack left mothers and fathers, infants and children thrashing in pain and gasping for air. These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead,” Trump said.<br /> <br /> US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said no additional strikes were planned for now. “Right now this is a one-time shot,” he said.<br /> <br /> Syria’s regime, which has repeatedly denied any use of chemical weapons, immediately denounced the strikes as a “brutal, barbaric aggression” that was “doomed to fail”.<br /> <br /> Russia said it was calling an emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss the “aggressive actions” of the United States and its allies.<br /> <br /> “Without the sanction of the UN Security Council, in breach of the UN charter and the norms and principles of international law, an act of aggression was committed against a sovereign state,” the Kremlin said.<br /> <br /> Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also denounced the leaders of the United States, France and Britain as “criminals”.<br /> <br /> Joseph Dunford, Washington’s top general, said Syrian surface-to-air missile batteries had attempted to fire back, but there were no initial reports of losses, he added.<br /> <br /> The Russian military said the allies had fired 103 cruise missiles including Tomahawk missiles but that Syrian air defence systems managed to intercept 71 of them.<br /> <br /> – Defiant rally in Damascus –<br /> <br /> At a rally in central Damascus, 48-year-old Nedher Hammoud claimed to have seen missiles “being shot down like flies”.<br /> <br /> “Let them do what they want, kill who they want… History will record that Syria shot down missiles — and not just missiles. It shot down American arrogance.”<br /> <br /> The impromptu early morning rally saw crowds of people heading to the famed Umayyad Square to show their support for Assad.<br /> <br /> Draped in government flags and blaring patriotic tunes, dozens of Syrians arrived on bicycles, on foot and in cars spray painted with the red, white, and black colours of the Syrian flag.<br /> <br /> Inspectors with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons were due later Saturday to start work on a probe into the events of April 7 in Douma, the last rebel-held pocket of the onetime opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus.<br /> <br /> The Jaish al-Islam rebel group in control of Douma said the attack forced them to agree to a Russia-brokered evacuation deal, paving the way for Syria’s government to secure Eastern Ghouta.<br /> <br /> Mohammad Alloush, a key member of Jaish al-Islam, said Saturday the Western strikes had not gone far enough.<br /> <br /> “Punishing the instrument of the crime while keeping the criminal — a farce,” Alloush wrote on Twitter.<br /> <br /> Syrian state media reported that internal security forces had entered Douma on Saturday and that the town would be secured within hours.<br /> <br /> The strikes had been expected since harrowing footage surfaced of the aftermath of the attack in Douma, which prompted a furious reaction from Trump.<br /> <br /> Trump’s anger was shared by France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who signed his country up for a joint response.<br /> <br /> “We cannot tolerate the normalisation of the use of chemical weapons,” Macron said in a statement.<br /> <br /> France said it fired cruise missiles from frigates in the Mediterranean and deployed fighter jets from home bases as part of its strikes.<br /> <br /> Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said “a large part” of the Damascus government’s stocks of chemical weapons had been destroyed.<br /> <br /> Britain’s defence ministry said that four British Tornado jets had fired Storm Shadow missiles at a base 15 miles (25 kilometres) west of Homs city.<br /> <br /> “This collective action sends a clear message that the international community will not stand by and tolerate the use of chemical weapons,” Prime Minister Theresa May said at a press conference after the strikes.<br /> <br /> – UN chief urges restraint –<br /> <br /> In the days between the attack in Douma and the US-led response, Washington and Moscow clashed repeatedly in duelling statements and debates.<br /> <br /> Moscow denied Assad had any role in the alleged attack, pushing a variety of alternative theories that peaked with a claim that Britain staged the event.<br /> <br /> Washington, Paris and London have nevertheless insisted that their own secret intelligence points to Assad’s guilt, and on Friday, a US spokeswoman said they had “proof.”<br /> <br /> The Western leaders apparently found the evidence conclusive enough to launch a punitive strike, but other observers are concerned the crisis could escalate.<br /> <br /> The Russian military had vowed to respond to any attack, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s administration had repeatedly warned that Trump was taking America down a dangerous path.<br /> <br /> UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for calm, delaying a planned trip to Saudi Arabia to deal with the aftermath of the military action.<br /> <br /> “I urge all member states to show restraint in these dangerous circumstances,” he said in a statement.</div>

Latest-News Blasts shake Damascus as US and allies launch Syria strikes

The United States, Britain and France carried out a wave of pre-dawn strikes against Syria’s regime Saturday in response to a suspected ch...

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Yemi Osinbajo represents Nigeria at ECOWAS meeting in Togo

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6soCPJ8NGJT4vK5mmyyn3hn2G-IR04z-T5N8jK6cS-AoGL1vdcOZ8qrq_8hfcatwqEVtUrxm3VhsSRt2Bd31d5YYxk_lOWzYnIkJuCmG6mx-vWF-KNb_jeDEMUnLBKeAk7iZdJaARZEPz/s1600/yemi+osinbajo.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6soCPJ8NGJT4vK5mmyyn3hn2G-IR04z-T5N8jK6cS-AoGL1vdcOZ8qrq_8hfcatwqEVtUrxm3VhsSRt2Bd31d5YYxk_lOWzYnIkJuCmG6mx-vWF-KNb_jeDEMUnLBKeAk7iZdJaARZEPz/s320/yemi+osinbajo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has travelled to Lome, Togo where he is representing Nigeria at an emergency meeting of leaders of the Economic Community of West African States.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> According to a statement on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, the Vice-President is expected back in the country later in the day.<br /> <br /> The statement read, “Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, is representing Nigeria today at an emergency meeting of leaders of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, holding in Lome, the capital city of Togo.<br /> <br /> “The meeting is to take stock on developments in Guinea-Bissau. ECOWAS leaders will receive a report on the situation, deliberate on the presentation and issue a communique at the end of the meeting.<br /> <br /> “Prof. Osinbajo, who is accompanied to the meeting by Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, is expected back in Abuja later today.”</div>

Latest-News Yemi Osinbajo represents Nigeria at ECOWAS meeting in Togo

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has travelled to Lome, Togo where he is representing Nigeria at an emergency meeting of leaders of the Econom...

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Hollywood is ready for Nigerian stories – John Boyega

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qdhaTZeJk4FU4AQXJvlz0qD0tVpGGiqjjuLxwtJoo6K9KLYD7nSomMlqAdOZ_njfK-sL4j-Ehb9BeUONwg0cKma1YpilZL1G5NmBtTFIeapO44NhjBINNgDypWp3z2BJz5drlBjDTcbt/s1600/john+boyega.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1qdhaTZeJk4FU4AQXJvlz0qD0tVpGGiqjjuLxwtJoo6K9KLYD7nSomMlqAdOZ_njfK-sL4j-Ehb9BeUONwg0cKma1YpilZL1G5NmBtTFIeapO44NhjBINNgDypWp3z2BJz5drlBjDTcbt/s400/john+boyega.jpg" /></a></div> Hollywood actor of Nigerian descent, John Boyega, is currently in the country to speak to stakeholders on ways to improve Nollywood and also premiere his recent work, ‘Pacific Rim Uprising.’<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> In a chat with Saturday Beats, the actor revealed how he was able to break into the Hollywood scene with the movie, ‘Star Wars: Force Awakens.’ He said, “My life as a Hollywood star has been great and fantastic. In the long run, you are who you are and where you come from does not really matter. It is all about the audition and the process and that has been fantastic. I was able to get a role in Star Wars because I was persistent and auditioning for so many things and it just so happened that the movie was what shot me to prominence. I also had a connection with the director of the movie, J.J Abrams, so I had an understanding of the roles.”<br /> <br /> Speaking on his new movie, ‘Pacific Rim Uprising,’ he said that he really wanted to shoot the opening sequence in Nigeria but could not because he felt the nation was not ready for such. “Because of the success of ‘Black Panther,’ Hollywood is ready for African stories and I think Nigeria has a lot of stories to share and they are ready to hear the stories. As an actor, I was inspired by seeing the movie but as a producer, I realised it means that they are ready to see movies about Osun, the Northern riders from Kano, and the other epic stories we heard of Nigeria in the previous centuries. At the early stages of this production, I really wanted to shoot the first sequence in Lagos, I wanted a monster to come out of the river and crash into the Third Mainland Bridge and destroy everything. It was an idea that I had because I wanted a Nigerian twin in one of the robots that they built themselves and I wanted it to have a worldwide appeal but the reality is that, is Nigeria ready for something like this? This has challenged me and I am going to come back and do something in Nigeria because I know we are ready,” he said.<br /> <br /> The actor was quick to correct the notion that he had only recently begun to visit his fatherland. He added that he was still searching for a Nigerian girl to date but so far, he is still single. “To be honest I have been coming to Nigeria for a very long time; so it is nothing new to me. However, to be here on a professional level is very exciting to me. I am single and in search of a relationship in Nigeria,” he said.</div>

Latest-News Hollywood is ready for Nigerian stories – John Boyega

Hollywood actor of Nigerian descent, John Boyega, is currently in the country to speak to stakeholders on ways to improve Nollywood and al...

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2019: We have 8 million PVCs awaiting collection – INEC

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKMyF9uuY5jvB5pSpld0DG9Q736FzYU8QH7PfJ9RrsVRDtya3r47zgV6eogZ6YPQN20FWTeIR-TJGz_WthEH2a3knf3wXyQi9Vs6WFM7qEvPJrJlmVFi4fK2LDUxE_mv1LkOdwVmS6v8I/s1600/inec.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKMyF9uuY5jvB5pSpld0DG9Q736FzYU8QH7PfJ9RrsVRDtya3r47zgV6eogZ6YPQN20FWTeIR-TJGz_WthEH2a3knf3wXyQi9Vs6WFM7qEvPJrJlmVFi4fK2LDUxE_mv1LkOdwVmS6v8I/s320/inec.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> To avoid a repeat of some of the mistakes and flaws that hallmarked the 2015 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has embarked on moves to ensure credible polls, next year. It has also urged the electorate to do their part of the duties by getting registered as voters, collecting their Permanent Voter’s Card, PVC, and coming out to vote during the elections.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Lamenting that some Nigerians are already hurting the electoral process, the INEC told  Saturday Vanguard that many people are unwilling to collect their PVCs, lamenting that it now has over eight million of such uncollected cards in its kitty.<br /> <br /> Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)<br /> INEC’s Director in-charge of Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Civil Society Liaison, Mr Oluwole Osaze Uzi, in an interview with  Saturday Vanguard, added that while the commission in some cases had tried to reach out to some Nigerians to come and claim their cards, many of them said they were not interested or that they had relocated from were they were registered.<br /> <br /> His words: “You know we do not distribute PVCs. They are collected. The onus is on those collecting. There are quite a few cases where the cards have not been printed but that is not the main issue. The issue is the collection. We have over eight million cards lying down in our offices, uncollected, and we have distributed them to our distribution points. It is now an issue of the collection. ‘’So, we are putting in place measures to assist those that are willing to collect their cards. We are simplifying the process, ensuring maximum publicity so that people will know the importance because, automatically, they are disenfranchising themselves when they do not pick up their cards. We are trying to persuade people. Some are not interested.<br /> <br /> ‘’Sometimes, we even try to call them. In Oyo State, I know that they even had to call people on phone but those that they were able to reach said they were not interested in the cards. Some said that they had relocated. So, we are making efforts. In some states, they have sent text messages too for collection.”<br /> <br /> 2015 election mistakes<br /> <br /> Non-distribution/collection of PVCs was one of the problems that plagued the 2015 election. While the INEC insisted on individual collection in some parts of the country, it allowed monarchs or district heads to collect and distribute the cards in other parts of the country.<br /> <br /> Other problems included: malfunctioning card readers; inability of Direct Data Capturing Machine, DDCM, to capture fingerprints of voters in many locations; some states had surplus DDCMs and accessories while others had few;  people dislocated by violence vote in some locations but could not vote in some parts of the country; and poor handling of the voters register in which 82,206 men were captured as housewives (due to input error during voter enrolment) among others.<br /> <br /> According to the INEC’s ‘’Smart Card Reader Accreditation Backend Transmission System’’ of the 2015 Presidential and National Assembly Elections, only 10,266,139 (43 per cent) of the 23,643,479 voters accredited had full-biometric authentication while 13,377,340 (57  per cent) failed biometric authentication and were allowed to vote if they showed their PVC.<br /> <br /> Going further, there were 23,643,479 accreditations but the total votes cast (declared result) was 29,432,083 and percentage of voters accredited with smart card readers, CSRs, was put at 80.<br /> <br /> A breakdown of the accreditation showed that while the INEC enforced full-biometric accreditation in many parts of the South the measure was relaxed in most parts of the North.<br /> <br /> For instance, states where most of the voters voted without full-biometric accreditation include: Kano (82.5%), Nasarawa (78.6%), Sokoto (77.1 %), Zamfara (75%), Taraba (75 %), Kwara (73.4%), Katsina (72.4%), Borno (69.6%), Yobe (68.6 per cent), Kebbi (66.8 %), Jigawa (66%), Bauchi (61.3%), Niger (57.2%), Kaduna (54%), and Plateau (52.6%).<br /> <br /> Southern states where most voters voted without full-biometric accreditation were Bayelsa (77%),  Imo  (64.1%), Ebonyi (59.4%), Anambra (57.1%), Akwa Ibom (55.2%), Enugu (52.9%, and Ekiti (50.5%).<br /> <br /> States where the INEC strictly ensured full-biometric accreditation until later in the day had a lower percentage of people voting with only PVC accreditation. Most of such states are in the South. They include: Lagos (24.6%), Abia (31.9%), FCT (36.5%), Osun (38.9%), Delta (39.8%), Oyo (41.2%), Kogi (42.2%), Edo (43.7%), Ogun (44.4%), Cross River (45.5%), Ondo (46.3%), Gombe (47%), Benue (48.5%), and Adamawa (48.9%) (see table).</div>

Latest-News 2019: We have 8 million PVCs awaiting collection – INEC

To avoid a repeat of some of the mistakes and flaws that hallmarked the 2015 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commiss...

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Army arrests masterminds of Taraba killings

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijww0HbuyZ4DT80T6zt2ekdZ5otwiLzj06_QnEpZKE1nrs4a3JOgdPF0waJXCTykMPLbyGumZ14r6s2Y8MkSuvHnObvARg2urQTkgQXI74Biy9hQbnGqmHqi5i3C587rqeC7jPFEplD5k6/s1600/Nigerian+army.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijww0HbuyZ4DT80T6zt2ekdZ5otwiLzj06_QnEpZKE1nrs4a3JOgdPF0waJXCTykMPLbyGumZ14r6s2Y8MkSuvHnObvARg2urQTkgQXI74Biy9hQbnGqmHqi5i3C587rqeC7jPFEplD5k6/s400/Nigerian+army.jpg" /></a></div> The Nigerian Army said it has arrested the masterminds of killings in Taraba State.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The army said its troops on the ongoing Exercise Ayem Akpatuma, last Friday, arrested two persons, Mr Danasebe Gasama and Mr Danjuma a.k.a. American in connection with the killings and uprising in Takum and Ussa Local Government Area of Taraba State.<br /> <br /> Army spokesman, Brigadier General Texas Chukwu, in a statement, Saturday morning, said the two suspects were arrested at Takum “following an intelligence that they were the coordinators of several attacks both on Fulani and the locals.”<br /> <br /> The statement said:” Preliminary investigation has further identified these two individuals as key players in the killings and uprising in the two local government areas of the state.”<br /> <br /> “The general public is advised to always give useful and timely information to the security agency for prompt action, “it added.</div>

Latest-News Army arrests masterminds of Taraba killings

The Nigerian Army said it has arrested the masterminds of killings in Taraba State. The army said its troops on the ongoing Exercise Ay...

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I saw hell over attempt to implicate Senator Sani, says suspected killer

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBwvUhOL_1uiARJ04qd7pOgqg8rXXjkj-5SqTlBJ_sBqYSHv6bA7A98XlTpkEs3ifOChXkw1J7CVTLwhap5p9pbG8b-3cqQpCdsZryU_E3FlMgtvfs4FN0Ecq847gKQWKtW5xNIxmox1U/s1600/Shehu+Sani.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPBwvUhOL_1uiARJ04qd7pOgqg8rXXjkj-5SqTlBJ_sBqYSHv6bA7A98XlTpkEs3ifOChXkw1J7CVTLwhap5p9pbG8b-3cqQpCdsZryU_E3FlMgtvfs4FN0Ecq847gKQWKtW5xNIxmox1U/s320/Shehu+Sani.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div> A principal suspect over the alleged murder of One Lawan Maiduna of Kaduna state Garba Isa, weekend painted a gruesome picture of how the military compelled him to frame a Senator representing Kaduna Central at upper chamber, Alhaji Shehu Sani.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Isa, 46 a resident of Kabalan Doki in Kaduna state told newsmen that “I saw hell in the hands of the military and police over their desperate attempt to implicate senator Sani”.<br /> <br /> He said “Iam a professional painter and also a member of vigilante, I swear to God that Shehu Sani never knew me. Even if he can passes here, I believed that he does not know me all but they insisted I must implicate him which I declined’.<br /> <br /> Isa said they tortured him to “accept the fact that Senator Sani gave one Bashir Hamdada money to kill Maiduna”.<br /> <br /> He told Vanguard that the military took him to Ahmed Aruwa’s Farm located along Kaduna- Abuja road were they threatened to kill him if he did not accept to implicate Senator Sani as the man that hired to kill Lawan Maiduna.<br /> <br /> Isa explained, “I never knew Bashir Hamdada, let alone his illicit activities, but tortured and forced to make a statement that can implicate the senator over the alleged murder.”<br /> <br /> Speaking further over his experiences at the military detention centres, Isa revealed that ” I spent two weeks facing different kinds of tortured while with the military before I was handed over to Kaduna state CID”.<br /> <br /> He said that it all began when “I was invited by the military to identify some persons arrested in connection with the alleged, murder of the said person.”<br /> <br /> ” Immediately was there to identify the arrested persons, the military began to torture me and insisted that I must mention Sani’s name as the behind the murder”.<br /> <br /> ‘At Kaduna police CID, I spent a month before I was taken to prison on awaiting trial, but quickly granted bail to go and seek medical attention over wounds sustained while in detention that arose from right violation”.<br /> <br /> He lamented that “I was accused without any physical evidence to support their charges”.</div>

Latest-News I saw hell over attempt to implicate Senator Sani, says suspected killer

A principal suspect over the alleged murder of One Lawan Maiduna of Kaduna state Garba Isa, weekend painted a gruesome picture of how the ...

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Dogara calls for the rescue of remaining Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkxHA7slYjduqk0h4qLW3qj4kv7d1nclkn2nb4aAx12Skom7RYUK1AQfWpKAHtNLTqJJwjTlY-Xvi7xfncdaxrz1_-resH2vSF9aXB98CADBMcuHysyZA8oMxKK6Ofz2hphY45my2qu9P/s1600/Yakubu+Dogara.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkxHA7slYjduqk0h4qLW3qj4kv7d1nclkn2nb4aAx12Skom7RYUK1AQfWpKAHtNLTqJJwjTlY-Xvi7xfncdaxrz1_-resH2vSF9aXB98CADBMcuHysyZA8oMxKK6Ofz2hphY45my2qu9P/s320/Yakubu+Dogara.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> In commemoration of the 4th year since the abduction of Chibok Schoolgirls, speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has expressed sadness that all the abducted girls have not been accounted for while urging the executive to intensify efforts towards providing adequate security to schools in the country.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> This, he said in a statement on the fourth year since the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls.<br /> He also called on the executive to intensify efforts for the release of Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi girl who was not released along with other abductees, reportedly for refusing to renounce her faith.<br /> <br /> Hon Dogara said, “It is unfortunate that four years after, all of our daughters have still not been accounted for. This underpins the need to take swift action when such incidents occur and to provide adequate security, not on a temporary basis but permanently, so that such tragedies can be prevented.<br /> <br /> “Nigeria has an alarming number of children out of school and if we genuinely want to solve this challenge, then we must make our learning institutions as safe and secure as possible.<br /> <br /> “One can only imagine the amount of grief that the parents of those whose daughters are yet to be rescued have to cope with on a daily basis. While we may offer words of support, the fact remains that nothing will put them in better spirits than to be reunited with their children.<br /> <br /> “I hereby call on President Muhammadu Buhari, as the father of the nation and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, to put an end to their sorrow by freeing their daughters from captivity.<br /> <br /> “We must also remember Leah Sharibu and her remarkable bravery and intensify efforts as a nation to bring her home. All others who were taken by these terrorists against their will must also be reunited with their people. The security of lives and property is the foremost function of government and we must fulfil this responsibility because the Constitution makes it binding upon us to do so.<br /> <br /> “We must ensure, as a nation, that attacks on schools and on our children are brought to an end; for there is no better way to safeguard the future than to guarantee access to education.<br /> <br /> “We will not forget the Chibok Girls and everything that they represent, and we in Parliament will not cease to push for their rescue.”</div>

Latest-News Dogara calls for the rescue of remaining Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu

In commemoration of the 4th year since the abduction of Chibok Schoolgirls, speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, h...

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Buhari’s comments on Gaddafi twisted for cheap political goals – Presidency

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZli9LSNeFnom3836BcpjFp3O3I_ZtZBs29J6xiiFSwZS9II8fJ74aDC9mBrAVnIxwDXZX34wTLzKJ1dwXcACSOoAD3PidBM03C_1eOYw1n_2WaNJlHXbSpeIXArkWfvYksR3REbnzvSFH/s1600/buhari2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZli9LSNeFnom3836BcpjFp3O3I_ZtZBs29J6xiiFSwZS9II8fJ74aDC9mBrAVnIxwDXZX34wTLzKJ1dwXcACSOoAD3PidBM03C_1eOYw1n_2WaNJlHXbSpeIXArkWfvYksR3REbnzvSFH/s320/buhari2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>  Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s comments on former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, on the killings by herdsmen in Nigeria was misinterpreted to score cheap political goals.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Buhari had on Wednesday in London told Archbishop Justin Welby that the farmers/herdsmen clashes were made worse by the influx of armed gunmen from the Sahel region in Nigeria and other parts of West African sub-region.<br /> <br /> The president was quoted at the meeting as saying: “The problem is even older than us. It has always been there, but now made worse by the influx of armed gunmen from the Sahel region into different parts of the West African sub-region. These gunmen were trained and armed by Muammar Gadaffi of Libya.<br /> <br /> “When he was killed, the gunmen escaped with their arms. We encountered some of them fighting with Boko Haram. Herdsmen that we used to know carried only sticks and maybe a cutlass to clear the way, but these ones now carry sophisticated weapons.<br /> <br /> “The problem is not religious, but sociological and economic. But we are working on solutions.’’<br /> <br /> The presidential aide, however, frowned at the way and manner Buhari’s comment was twisted in the social media and some traditional media outfits for political reasons.<br /> <br /> He said: “Since President Muhammadu Buhari met with the Archbishop of Canterbury in London on Wednesday, and spoke on the likely impact of gunmen trained by former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, on the killings by herdsmen in Nigeria, some people have virtually flown off the handle, ululating as if wailing was going out of fashion.<br /> <br /> “They twisted the meaning of Mr President’s words (yes, some people twist everything, even the words of God; 2 Peter:3, 15,16). They claimed he was blaming Gaddafi, long dead, for the killings in Nigeria.<br /> <br /> “But let’s see the vacuousness and intellectual laziness in the twist they have given what President Buhari said, out of sheer malice and evil hearts. Sadly, even a Senator was involved in the sickening display of poisonous heart.<br /> <br /> “That’s what you get when small minds get into high places.’’</div>

Latest-News Buhari’s comments on Gaddafi twisted for cheap political goals – Presidency

 Presidential spokesman Femi Adesina has said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s comments on former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, on the ...

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PVC: Ekiti residents accuse INEC of manipulation

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftNyWYLldatlrGUDOyruylIpvR5YUCLH3hnQ47_TPszaPEoegR4RxjqqIAPwnLtAfZHJbrMIjWTu_3G1s9vC5gODI_7zN_5qjFR4Jh2I5nGxc0nXgnRN-rS4EnuWQk7lVsszHoJ9r3397/s1600/inec.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftNyWYLldatlrGUDOyruylIpvR5YUCLH3hnQ47_TPszaPEoegR4RxjqqIAPwnLtAfZHJbrMIjWTu_3G1s9vC5gODI_7zN_5qjFR4Jh2I5nGxc0nXgnRN-rS4EnuWQk7lVsszHoJ9r3397/s320/inec.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Residents of Ekiti State yet to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards have accused officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission of manipulating the entire process for pecuniary gains.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Many of the aggrieved residents, who had visited various centres where the exercise was being conducted, alleged that officials, rather than attending to them, paid attention only to their friends and those ready to yield to their financial demands.<br /> <br /> A young lady, Ilesanmi Susan, said that after visiting Unit 16 polling centre at L.A. Nursery and Primary School, Olobe Okeisa, for several days without being able to register, she had to abandon the idea.<br /> <br /> She said, “Instead of attending to us, they give priority to a list of over 120 names with them. It appears as if they have their friends that they are registering. I don’t think I will come for the registration again.”<br /> <br /> While accusing the INEC officials of demanding money before registering voters, another resident of the state, Adigun Bisi, said, “It is appalling that at the centre where I would have registered, INEC officials were demanding a sum of N1,000 from each person to get them registered. This is not fair.”<br /> <br /> However, while debunking the allegations, an INEC official, Mr. Babafunso Tunde, said that if the people were patient, all of them would be attended to.<br /> <br /> He said claims of officials demanding money from persons seeking registration were untrue.<br /> <br /> He said, “The essence of bringing this to ward level is to enable INEC officials to withstand the pressure during the governorship poll.<br /> <br /> “But what all the people want is to be attended to immediately, which cannot be possible because of the crowd.<br /> <br /> “Claims of officials demanding money are not true. No INEC official can do such.”</div>

Latest-News PVC: Ekiti residents accuse INEC of manipulation

Residents of Ekiti State yet to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards have accused officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission...

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Offa robbery: Police arrest 12 more suspects, recover victims’ phones

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8FwP1k_fYR5VflChix2M07hsQHjT2HGYlHtBTL2S-vo9BUJS3bBQvBnOWEEpvzrhSAOJaVonsGSRMhsA_3JwN5T0byReEidUFFcGvthdfrOpBYMcbFPk0muyp62WYH5wKAjD3Ha5bSk1/s1600/Nigeria+Police.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8FwP1k_fYR5VflChix2M07hsQHjT2HGYlHtBTL2S-vo9BUJS3bBQvBnOWEEpvzrhSAOJaVonsGSRMhsA_3JwN5T0byReEidUFFcGvthdfrOpBYMcbFPk0muyp62WYH5wKAjD3Ha5bSk1/s320/Nigeria+Police.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The police say they have arrested 12 additional suspects in connection with the April 5, 2018 bank robbery at Offa in Kwara State.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The police had earlier arrested eight suspects bringing the number of suspects in their custody to 20.<br /> <br /> The Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, in a statement in Abuja on Friday, said the police recovered from the suspects, phones, IPads and SIM cards belonging to those who were killed during the robbery. He added that the suspects all confessed to the crime.<br /> <br /> Those arrested included Adegoke Shogo, 29; Kayode Opadokun, 35; Kazeem Abdulrasheed, 36; Azeez Abdullahi, 27; Alexander Reuben, 39; and Jimoh Isa, 28; who were both arrested in Lagos.<br /> <br /> Others were Azeez Salawudeen, 20; Adewale Popoola, 22; Adetoyese Muftau, 23; and the trio of Aminu Ibrahim, 18; Richard Terry, 23; and Peter Kuunfa, 25; who were apprehended in Ilorin.<br /> <br /> “These last three suspects were found with a Beretta pistol and 14 rounds of live ammunitions, which were recovered,” Moshood stated.<br /> <br /> Other exhibits recovered were Beretta pistol, 20 rounds of live ammunition, four phones and SIM cards.<br /> <br /> He explained that an investigation team deployed in Kwara State by the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, arrested the suspects, noting that some of them engaged the team in exchange of gunfire.<br /> <br /> The Force PRO stated that the suspect named Shogo, alleged to be a drug baron and dealer in Indian hemp, was arrested in Offa.<br /> <br /> He said, “According to intelligence gathered from cultivated and reliable informant, he is alleged to be one of the sponsors of the robbery and the attack on the police station in Offa. He has made useful statements on the roles he played in the armed robbery.”<br /> <br /> He also disclosed that Opadokun was released from prison three months ago after serving eight months of his sentence for armed robbery.<br /> <br /> He added, “A Beretta pistol and six rounds of live ammunition were recovered from him. He has admitted to the criminal roles he played in the Offa bank robbery.<br /> <br /> “Reuben, a native of Isoko Local Government Area of Delta State, is a notorious bank robber from whom GMPGs, rocket launchers and several rifles were recovered in 2015. He was released from prison in December 2017.”<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, the Arewa Consultative Forum said it was shocked by the robbery incident and that it was unfortunate that innocent lives were lost. While commending the quick response of the police in arresting some of the suspects, the ACF, therefore, called on the Federal Government to equip the police to carry out its responsibilities more effectively.<br /> <br /> The forum, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Ibrahim, on Friday, said, “While ACF urges the security agencies to always be proactive by constantly reviewing their security and intelligence gathering strategy to avert such ugly incident, we equally appeal to the Federal Government to provide the Nigeria Police Force with adequate trained police personnel, equipment and motivation in order to enhance their performance.”<br /> <br /> Also, the Chairman, Kwara Coalition of Business and Professional Association, Chief Hezekiah Adedeji, has said the recent attack was a setback for business and banking operations in the state. He said efficient security would improve commercial and banking activities as well as boost industrialisation in the state.</div>

Latest-News Offa robbery: Police arrest 12 more suspects, recover victims’ phones

The police say they have arrested 12 additional suspects in connection with the April 5, 2018 bank robbery at Offa in Kwara State. The ...

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$1.8bn Malabu deal: Adoke not liable, says court

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpsVGQHn9v7OIje7z8OxNH2iTO-NTXXUEb6XQ28a_hPZ08JhYYLPVfgby7qGSATjA6uuYE3mr0rX8G3ducqfPlLxhEIPPuh_br_qOWG-QlWM3SF_Wfc6NBIU2SVrYnG7ZjbAn94zKM9ef/s1600/Mohammed+Adoke.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpsVGQHn9v7OIje7z8OxNH2iTO-NTXXUEb6XQ28a_hPZ08JhYYLPVfgby7qGSATjA6uuYE3mr0rX8G3ducqfPlLxhEIPPuh_br_qOWG-QlWM3SF_Wfc6NBIU2SVrYnG7ZjbAn94zKM9ef/s320/Mohammed+Adoke.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday held that the immediate-past Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN), could not be held liable for his roles in the Oil Processing Licence 245 transactions, commonly referred to as the Malabu deal.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Delivering the judgment in the suit filed by Adoke against the incumbent AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), Justice Binta Nyako, held that since Adoke only executed the lawful directives/approvals of the then President Goodluck Jonathan, the former minister was free of any liability for his roles in the deal.<br /> <br /> The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had charged Adoke with various offences involving his alleged roles in the transactions in which Nigeria was said to have been defrauded of about $1.8bn.<br /> <br /> The transactions involved the chains of transfer of the ownership of the OPL 255 covering a lucrative oil field.<br /> <br /> Adoke subsequently filed the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/94/446/2017, against the incumbent AGF praying to be freed from any criminal liability in respect of the transactions and declaring his prosecution by the EFCC null and void.<br /> <br /> The suit was opposed by Malami.<br /> <br /> But in her judgment, Justice Nyako resolved all the issues raised for determination in favour of the plaintiff and also dismissed the preliminary objection raised against the suit by Malami.<br /> <br /> She granted four of Adoke’s prayers but refused one which sought a declaration that his prosecution was null and void.<br /> <br /> Justice Nyako noted that contrary to the defendant’s contention that the plaintiff exceeded the directive of the President and in the process committed a crime, Exhibits 19 and 20, which remained uncontradicted and unchallenged, confirmed that the plaintiff actually remained within the confines of the lawful directives given to him by the President and is therefore protected by law.<br /> <br /> Exhibits 19 was a letter written by the AGF to the Acting Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, to the effect that Adoke had no case to answer in respect of the actions he took pursuant to the directives/approvals of the President in respect to the implementation of OPL 245 Resolution Agreement.<br /> <br /> Exhibit 20 was a letter from the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources to the Chief of Staff to the President in response to the latter’s request for advice on the letter by the AGF to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC on OPL 245 Settlement Agreement implemented by the plaintiff, in which the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources agreed with the opinion of the AGF.<br /> <br /> Justice Nyako said by the provisions of sections 5(1), 147, 148 and 150 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), the executive powers of the federation were vested in the President and which he could exercise either personally or through any of his appointed ministers.<br /> <br /> She said, “I have carefully studied the provisions of sections 5(1), 147, 148 and 150 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).<br /> <br /> “A community reading of sections 5(1), 147(1), 148(1) and 150 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) leaves you in no doubt that the executive powers of the federation, as vested in the President, are exercisable by him directly or through a minister of the federation.”<br /> <br /> She held that Adoke could not be personally held liable for acts done in furtherance of the lawful directives/approvals of the President.<br /> <br /> She held that Adoke, in that situation acted as an agent of a disclosed principal.<br /> <br /> Justice Nyako said, “It is a fact that Exhibits 19 and 20 are not challenged by the defendant. Not having been challenged, the court is entitled to come to a reasonable conclusion that the plaintiff has discharged the burden required of him in accordance with Section 132 of the Evidence Act.<br /> <br /> “On the whole, I am convinced that the provisions of sections 5(1), 145(1), 148(1) and 150 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) are clear and unambiguous and should be given their literal and ordinary meanings.<br /> <br /> “I, therefore, hold that the executive powers of the federation, vested in the President by virtue of Section 5(1) of the Constitution, can be exercised by him directly or through ministers appointed by him.”<br /> <br /> She granted four of the prayers.<br /> <br /> But the judge refused to grant relief  5 where Adoke prayed for a declaration that his “prosecution by the EFCC, on account of his carrying out of the lawful directives and implementation of the approvals of the President while he served as a minister of the government of the federation, is illegal, null and void and inconsistent with the intendment of Section 5(1) of the Constitution.”<br /> <br /> Justice Nyako said the prayer was unnecessary and amounted to an academic exercise in the light of Exhibit 19 (Adoke’s letter to the Acting Chairman of the EFCC).<br /> <br /></div>

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Order Justice Nganjiwa to face trial, EFCC urges Supreme Court

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjvciJ9nVgX1Iul9JHiZuy2iZm6Nzc-JchqFmTkoTgv_M_JVL_hIQFaTHzFCvIoU3Lk6U94lSFsGNvo7u2tGcO6IQ2QKF0UxxvAlB13FRZHSW5SGrk3yyCRM9bDtygIFLLFEQKIsa-AJp/s1600/efcc+2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjvciJ9nVgX1Iul9JHiZuy2iZm6Nzc-JchqFmTkoTgv_M_JVL_hIQFaTHzFCvIoU3Lk6U94lSFsGNvo7u2tGcO6IQ2QKF0UxxvAlB13FRZHSW5SGrk3yyCRM9bDtygIFLLFEQKIsa-AJp/s400/efcc+2.jpg" /></a></div> The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has urged the Supreme Court to order a judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Hyeldzira Nganjiwa, to face his trial on corruption charges which were struck out by the Court of Appeal in Lagos in December last year.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The anti-graft agency, in its appellant’s brief of argument filed against the December 13, 2017 judgment of the Court of Appeal, asked the apex court to “forcefully apply the law” not minding if the interest of a member of the judiciary was involved.<br /> <br /> Mr. Wahab Shittu, the lawyer who filed the brief of argument on behalf of the EFCC, on Thursday, argued that the judgment of the Court of Appeal was not based on law.<br /> <br /> He said, “Respectfully, the apex court owes a sacred duty and responsibility to forcefully apply the law even when, as in this case, the interest of a member of the judiciary is involved.<br /> <br /> “We are optimistic that the Supreme Court appreciates that the law operates on a scale of even balance without discrimination, without favour, not minding whose ox is gored because the Supreme Court is a court of law, a court of justice and a court of highest precedent in our judicial hierarchy.”<br /> <br /> He, therefore, urged the apex court to apply the law without discrimination or favour even when a judge is involved.<br /> <br /> He said, “Based on the foregoing, we urge this honourable court to allow the appeal, set aside the order striking out the charge against the respondent and direct that the respondent proceed to face his trial before the High Court of Lagos State.<br /> <br /> “My Lords, please allow this appeal in the larger interest of respect for the rule of law.”<br /> <br /> The EFCC had in June 2017 charged Nganjiwa before the High Court of Lagos State with 14 counts ranging from unlawful enrichment by a public officer to making false information contrary to Section 82(a) of the  Criminal Law of Lagos State and Section 39(2)(a) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.<br /> <br /> On being served with the charges, he filed a notice of preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the trial court to hear the case against him mainly on the grounds that the conditions precedent to the filing of the charges had not been fulfilled.<br /> <br /> In its ruling delivered on June 23, 2017, the trial court dismissed the preliminary objection.</div>

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Commonwealth Games: Adekuoroye, Oborodudu Win Gold In Women’s Wrestling

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinj-SV2vsP3sQTjedR7B3ZSd-vnFYFcp5rekYRseeAEBSO0ocJ2gV1hifg-5frjsGHIE6Spw7c9sZRtfS92KHhxGoJFMMb0dl9JQKEeAymfx5Hws6X292so0yb5ZhusOO7tOkjLr1U6t0/s1600/Odunayo-Adekuoroye.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="412" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinj-SV2vsP3sQTjedR7B3ZSd-vnFYFcp5rekYRseeAEBSO0ocJ2gV1hifg-5frjsGHIE6Spw7c9sZRtfS92KHhxGoJFMMb0dl9JQKEeAymfx5Hws6X292so0yb5ZhusOO7tOkjLr1U6t0/s400/Odunayo-Adekuoroye.png" width="400" /></a></div> Nigerian duo of Odunayo Adekuoroye and Blessing Oborodudu both won gold medals on Friday in the women’s wrestling event at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.<br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Fighting in the freestyle (57kg) class, Adekuoroye defeated Pooja Dhanda of India via victory by points decision, 7-5.<br /> <br /> It is now back-to-back gold medals for Adekuoroye who also won gold at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.<br /> <br /> On her part, Oborodudu, fighting in the freestyle (68kg) category, also secured a point decision win against Canada’s Danielle Lappage, winning 4-3.<br /> <br /> In the men’s freestyle (65kg), Amas Daniel of Nigeria overcame Vincent De Marinis in their bronze medal match.<br /> <br /> Despite both wrestlers tying at 4-4, Daniel was awarded the bout on technical rules.<br /> <br /> And in another bronze medal match, Soso Tamarau of Nigeria was not so lucky as he lost on points decision, 2-1 to Cypriot’s Alexios Kaouslidis.<br /> <br /> Following the feat of the wrestlers, Team Nigeria now have eight gold, five silver and five bronze medals, bringing their total medal haul at this year’s Games to 18.

Latest-News Commonwealth Games: Adekuoroye, Oborodudu Win Gold In Women’s Wrestling

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Why I’m frustrated at Chelsea – Giroud

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTFf7HkGTfx4utKTZ08bPsMH-ErQP3XIzxTICkAWo0DCKVAEtu-NS-XTDUn4gJ4eS9-Ms2TWl5U0CB16sJf0LeRbZTLz8M95qDKnKBvB9SFdqGRA8pomFi2vbRCYXfePv6AnKgEzYTQ9v/s1600/Olivier+Giroud2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLTFf7HkGTfx4utKTZ08bPsMH-ErQP3XIzxTICkAWo0DCKVAEtu-NS-XTDUn4gJ4eS9-Ms2TWl5U0CB16sJf0LeRbZTLz8M95qDKnKBvB9SFdqGRA8pomFi2vbRCYXfePv6AnKgEzYTQ9v/s320/Olivier+Giroud2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Former Arsenal player, Olivier Giroud, has admitted that he has not done enough to help Chelsea since signing from Arsenal in January.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Since moving over to the side of London, Giroud has scored just once for his new club, failing to find the back of the net in seven Premier League appearances.<br /> <br /> The France international netted over 100 goals in 253 games for the Gunners and admits he is frustrated not to have started his Chelsea career more positively.<br /> <br /> Giroud told L’Equipe, “I am happy with my adaptation, the welcome I received, the relationship on the ground with my partners.<br /> <br /> “But, that could have, it should have, been more goals. In terms of statistics, I am very attached to this, I remain stuck at one goal and three assists. It is sure that it is not enough, but in time I will do it.<br /> <br /> “If I signed to Chelsea, it’s to have a new challenge. I knew there was going to be a wait.<br /> <br /> “When you sign like that in January, it’s never easy because you have to acclimatize to your team.<br /> <br /> “But I really wanted to be ready right away, even though I was coming back from almost six weeks of injury. It was a little paradoxical.”</div>

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Former Arsenal player, Olivier Giroud, has admitted that he has not done enough to help Chelsea since signing from Arsenal in January. ...

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EPL Clubs Vote Against VAR For Next Season

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9BD_XTLLCVN8Qcy9McYgEEahnOhfueqaY5IREtMkjZJH5z2Ri4NLvoDChZ0IRAYdGM_JNzfMDjCKnXq8WpuwQkOaE2Vk8FeQn660AuOsFE6-HXdy4JZnMyVDhEX5HhwrehqMA66oDdzT/s1600/var.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9BD_XTLLCVN8Qcy9McYgEEahnOhfueqaY5IREtMkjZJH5z2Ri4NLvoDChZ0IRAYdGM_JNzfMDjCKnXq8WpuwQkOaE2Vk8FeQn660AuOsFE6-HXdy4JZnMyVDhEX5HhwrehqMA66oDdzT/s320/var.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Premier League clubs have voted against the use of video assistant referee (VAR) system for next season.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> According to BBC Sport, the decision to vote against the system next season was made at a Premier League shareholders meeting in London on Friday, when all 20 member clubs voted.<br /> <br /> The clubs came to the conclusion that advanced testing on the use of the video technology will continue to the end of 2018-19.<br /> <br /> Also the clubs want improvement in communication inside the stadium and for TV viewers.<br /> <br /> The decision to vote against the video technology was due to some notable high-profile problems with the new technology when it was used for matches in this season’s FA Cup.<br /> <br /> In Manchester United’s victory at Huddersfield in the last 16 of the FA Cup, for example, on-screen lines used to adjudicate on an offside decision were curved and distorted.<br /> <br /> A statement said the clubs “recognised and are grateful for the substantial developments made” by referees chief Mike Riley and his team.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) is expected to approve VAR when it meets in Zurich, in time for this summer’s World Cup in Russia.<br /> <br /> IFAB technical director and former Premier League referee David Elleray said 40 countries were using, trialling or interested in VAR technology.<br /> <br /> Germany and Italy introduced VAR across their top leagues this season.<br /> In the Bundesliga, technical problems led to 47% of players wanting to abolish the system, according to a survey published in Kicker magazine in January.</div>

Latest-News EPL Clubs Vote Against VAR For Next Season

Premier League clubs have voted against the use of video assistant referee (VAR) system for next season. According to BBC Sport, the de...

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VIDEO: Soldiers coerced me to implicate Shehu Sani for murder, says suspect

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Headies 2018 nominees list is out, Davido, Wizkid pack highest nominations

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Adoke not liable for obeying Jonathan’s directives over OPL 245, court rules

Latest-News Adoke not liable for obeying Jonathan’s directives over OPL 245, court rules

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Melaye’s attempted assasination: Court issues Bench warrant against accused

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOuyYBQ27z4f6TflmTdTSsBjZ1P4uu2_7_R-qrtonlo376qHNBZH3JByYs0xIvFK5MEInZ-2dulnGj6sgKW92f9u8vsvS4dEsogwmdZ-a-3SVJtipgW8NAhrpp63FPCdf9HezvAoiQTB0/s1600/dino_melaye.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPOuyYBQ27z4f6TflmTdTSsBjZ1P4uu2_7_R-qrtonlo376qHNBZH3JByYs0xIvFK5MEInZ-2dulnGj6sgKW92f9u8vsvS4dEsogwmdZ-a-3SVJtipgW8NAhrpp63FPCdf9HezvAoiQTB0/s320/dino_melaye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> A Kogi High Court on Friday issued a bench warrant against one Ade Obege, charged with four others for alleged assassination attempt on Senator Dino Melaye on April, 2017.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Justice Fola Ajayi, issued the bench warrant following Obege’s absence at the trial. He also ordered that summons be served on Obege’s sureties.<br /> <br /> There was no cogent reason for Obege’s absence on Friday.<br /> <br /> The prosecuting counsel, Lough Simon, was also not in court.<br /> <br /> Samuel Ikutanwa, who held the brief of Simon, told the court that the prosecutor could not attend the sitting because of the death of his father.<br /> <br /> Ikutanwa said the development had already been communicated to the parties, adding that he was not availed with the details of proceedings on the matter.<br /> <br /> Obege’s counsel, Mr. Ayo Jonathan, told the court that his client was last seen on March 22 when he came to court for his trial.<br /> <br /> Jonathan told the court that the wife of the accused said she had not seen her husband since March 22 when he left Okene for Lokoja, saying that he wanted to conclude that Obege was missing.<br /> <br /> Reacting to the submission of the counsel, Ikutanwa prayed the court to issue a bench warrant against the second accused since there was no cogent reason for not being in court.<br /> <br /> Ajayi, in his ruling, issued a bench warrant against Obege, and ordered that his sureties be summoned to court.<br /> <br /> The court said that the suit could not go on due to the absence of the second accused and the prosecutor.<br /> <br /> The judge, therefore, adjourned the case till May 14 and May 15 for definite hearing.<br /> <br /> NAN recalls that the Administrator of Ijumu Local Government Council, Taofiq Isa; and four others including Obege, were arraigned before late Justice Aromeh Akogu for alleged attempt to assassinate Melaye in April 2017.<br /> <br /> Unidentified gunmen allegedly attacked the lawmaker’s residence in Ayetoro-Gbede, Ijumu Local Government, fired several shots into the compound and destroyed property.<br /> <br /> No life was lost in the alleged attack.</div>

Latest-News Melaye’s attempted assasination: Court issues Bench warrant against accused

A Kogi High Court on Friday issued a bench warrant against one Ade Obege, charged with four others for alleged assassination attempt on Se...

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ECWA declares 3-day fasting, prayer for Leah Sheribu

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2AMCQ4eHWIno4t5qkPIk2kTR3488mjNcQOJCYJr0rGLGWbjcdzYIyVrL5n9eJwzYTF1EPg4el4iFGAP_ZzvUpswiKXsdj2iG8ooFH6GuGwTuEGJrl5E2REJhhB8MVfJDTW8VTOspKr0S/s1600/leah+sharibu.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2AMCQ4eHWIno4t5qkPIk2kTR3488mjNcQOJCYJr0rGLGWbjcdzYIyVrL5n9eJwzYTF1EPg4el4iFGAP_ZzvUpswiKXsdj2iG8ooFH6GuGwTuEGJrl5E2REJhhB8MVfJDTW8VTOspKr0S/s320/leah+sharibu.jpg" width="203" /></a></div> The ECWA Church has declared a three-day fasting and prayer for the release of Leah Sheribu, one of the girls abducted by insurgents at the Girls Technical School, Dapchi, Yobe State.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Leah Sharibu and her mother, Rebecca Sharibu<br /> The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 15-year-old Leah, who was abducted along with 115 other girls last month, is the only student still in the captors’ custody.<br /> <br /> Reports had claimed that she was not released along with others because she refused to denounce her Christian faith.<br /> <br /> The Federal Government has promised to ensure her release, with government officials stating that negotiations were ongoing toward securing her freedom.<br /> <br /> Dr. Jeremiah Gado, ECWA President, who announced the Church’s resolve at the end of a four-day General Church Council meeting on Friday in Jos, urged members to fast and pry for God’s intervention toward freeing Leah.<br /> <br /> Gado, who read the communique to newsmen, directed members to also use the period to pray for God’s intervention in the security and economic situations of the country.<br /> <br /> According to him, the fasting and prayer will start on April 27 and end on April 29, 2018.<br /> <br /> “The fasting and prayer will be rounded off with special Church services in all ECWA Church branches the world over, on April 29,” he said, and urged other Christians to join in the intercessory prayer.<br /> <br /> The Church tasked the Federal Government to extend the negotiation mechanism being applied to free the remaining Chibok girls, to free Leah, and called for stringent measures to end such abductions.<br /> <br /> It decried the worsening spate of killings and kidnappings across the country, and urged government to strive to end attacks on rural communities allegedly by herdsmen.<br /> <br /> It kicked against suggestions that the violence was a clash between herdsmen and farmers, and claimed that it was “an expansionist mission meant to takeover people’s ancestral land”.<br /> <br /> The Church endorsed the call by eminent Nigerians asking citizens to defend themselves, and challenged government to make that unnecessary by protecting Nigerians from such invaders.</div>

Latest-News ECWA declares 3-day fasting, prayer for Leah Sheribu

The ECWA Church has declared a three-day fasting and prayer for the release of Leah Sheribu, one of the girls abducted by insurgents at th...

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Commonwealth Games: Team Nigeria strikes gold in hurdles event

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIUuZriyv5jaK9oOKqTnc3MxJTYlGDlm7FQCxWTlN_D5tTKLgecfSr1JXWTcb2X9sH5rqxqG-GuXMeeVkgw8D4ravjflGFWjA-yatqFjS5BlvYqRuX6msevY2YU25Q_Xp2zgquYxb8k7c/s1600/Oluwatobiloba+Amusan.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIUuZriyv5jaK9oOKqTnc3MxJTYlGDlm7FQCxWTlN_D5tTKLgecfSr1JXWTcb2X9sH5rqxqG-GuXMeeVkgw8D4ravjflGFWjA-yatqFjS5BlvYqRuX6msevY2YU25Q_Xp2zgquYxb8k7c/s320/Oluwatobiloba+Amusan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Nigerian sprinter, Oluwatobilola Amusan, has won the Women’s 100 metres hurdles gold.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Amusan picked the medal in a time of 12.68 seconds after running past Jamaica’s duo of Danielle Willimas and Yanique Thompson who finished on 12.78 and 12.97 seconds respectively.<br /> <br /> Team Nigeria has shot itself into 8th position on the 2018 Commonwealth Games medals table with eight gold, five silver and five bronze.</div>

Latest-News Commonwealth Games: Team Nigeria strikes gold in hurdles event

Nigerian sprinter, Oluwatobilola Amusan, has won the Women’s 100 metres hurdles gold. Amusan picked the medal in a time of 12.68 second...

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‘Buhari’s delay in combating herders attacks not tantamount to unwillingness’

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI5DAhh_UL5qLkb85APclaHbq0X4aT7tIbLvjANpD1JT1T52_wZcH4PaQHMOgM5_VFqF293UnER1OXsZSYGmSx9Epkq9S9iAYJ9Nm8wVXwQXcN6ixt_rX_UwUVwWrTZHaKfAfnw-waH-k/s1600/buhari2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI5DAhh_UL5qLkb85APclaHbq0X4aT7tIbLvjANpD1JT1T52_wZcH4PaQHMOgM5_VFqF293UnER1OXsZSYGmSx9Epkq9S9iAYJ9Nm8wVXwQXcN6ixt_rX_UwUVwWrTZHaKfAfnw-waH-k/s320/buhari2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Despite the renewed attacks on some communities in Benue by herdsmen, a chieftain of the APC in the state, Dr Joseph Orkar, is optimistic that President Muhammadu Buhari will provide an enduring solution to the crises.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Speaking on Friday in Makurdi, Orkar, immediate past Deputy Chairman of the party in the state, said the crises would not continue to linger on "as solutions will soon be found".<br /> <br /> “The president has promised to provide a solution to it and we just have to wait for that solution,” he advised.<br /> <br /> He said the attacks on rural communities were condemnable but assured that ” very soon they will become a thing of the past”.<br /> <br /> Orkar said the president’s delay in combating the herders attacks was not tantamount to unwillingness to deal with the situation but an act of deliberate planning.<br /> <br /> “As a Tiv man in Benue, where the attacks are worse hit, it is painful but I assure you, the president will find a solution to it, it will not continue like this; we can’t say the killings have erased his achievements in other areas.<br /> <br /> “Remember where we are coming from, you need to know the quantum of rot and decay that was in the system before Mr president took over, its not easy dealing with the issues but the man is doing his best,” he said.<br /> <br /> He said the APC would adhere strictly to its guidelines on the conduct of congresses and shun impunity to ensure the election of credible state officers to handle party affairs.<br /> <br /> He said Gov Samuel Ortom was still the best candidate for the APC in the state and lambasted those criticizing him as been unfair to him.<br /> <br /> According to him, if by 2019, they was another aspirant with better credentials than Ortom, he will support such person.<br /> <br /> Orkar commended the agricultural programs of the Federal Government saying, they impacted positively on the food value chain.<br /> <br /> The party chieftain pointed out that more farmers were engaged in local production of crops which has brought down massive importation of food into the country.<br /> <br /> ” Local rice production has increased thereby leading to massive decline in rice importation during this administration,” he explained. </div>

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Whistleblowers CANNOT get 5% of recovered loot if it’s an extremely large amount -Sagay

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Gold Coast 2018: Nigeria’s Galadima claims athletics gold

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_k2-kUxFI-UYFhyphenhyphenM8-erxzd5JqAcTkP-hwBWEEPC3bjuTjTwkN6sTD3KAAvJoxIUE_JNCZ4PW8gL-U4_QZTGp2q2yWLH0b3v39F2S_UJix_Tluz0LPHjtVl4U16QXq9mVmDG6redud8b/s1600/Suwaibidu+Galadima.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_k2-kUxFI-UYFhyphenhyphenM8-erxzd5JqAcTkP-hwBWEEPC3bjuTjTwkN6sTD3KAAvJoxIUE_JNCZ4PW8gL-U4_QZTGp2q2yWLH0b3v39F2S_UJix_Tluz0LPHjtVl4U16QXq9mVmDG6redud8b/s320/Suwaibidu+Galadima.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Nigeria’s Suwaibidu Galadima has won gold in the men’s T47 100m at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> T47 is a disability sports classification for athletes with disability primarily for competitors with a wrist or below amputation.<br /> <br /> Galadima recorded a time of 11.04 seconds to win the final on Friday.<br /> <br /> James Arnott from England won silver with a time of 11.30 seconds while Jamaica’s Tevaughan came third to win bronze with a time of 11.63 seconds.</div>

Latest-News Gold Coast 2018: Nigeria’s Galadima claims athletics gold

Nigeria’s Suwaibidu Galadima has won gold in the men’s T47 100m at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. T47 is a disability sports c...

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FG to review framework for whistle blower policy

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL2xKFhcnY3y58zykI6EFwXEQYzS-ZN0dJg7KDrJ8kbFiSBtRomCDCwk0pcchbs5LZC0n3XXnPJGQV4QZvkTPI7zpCljtPX11S-W5NnpKksnG46QQs3YTlsOmhiY2rs6IXATKRVJyLpf-/s1600/Federal+government+of+Nigeria.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfL2xKFhcnY3y58zykI6EFwXEQYzS-ZN0dJg7KDrJ8kbFiSBtRomCDCwk0pcchbs5LZC0n3XXnPJGQV4QZvkTPI7zpCljtPX11S-W5NnpKksnG46QQs3YTlsOmhiY2rs6IXATKRVJyLpf-/s400/Federal+government+of+Nigeria.png" /></a></div> The Federal Government on Friday said that it would review the investigative framework of the whistle blower policy to make its implementation more effective.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, revealed this during an evaluation workshop on the whistle-blower policy and asset tracing team organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption.<br /> <br /> The purpose of the workshop is to initiate discussion on how to improve the implementation of the policy in accordance with global best practice.<br /> <br /> Adeosun said since the policy was introduced in December 2016, the Federal Government has received 8,373 enquiries and 1,231 tips.<br /> <br /> The finance minister added that that out of these tips a total of 791 investigations had been carried out while 534 of those investigations had been concluded.<br /> <br /> She said as a result of these investigations, the Federal Government had recovered the sum of N7.8bn, $378m and £27,800 respectively.<br /> <br /> Adeaoun said while the government viewed the policy as being successful, there is still work to be done.<br /> <br /> She said the government would focus more on tight control measures that would make it difficult for a few people to take away assets that belong to an entire country.<br /> <br /> She said, “The whistle blower policy is aimed that improving institutional governance, strengthening mechanisms for the fight against corruption and supporting the implementation of open government partnership principles in advancing anti-corruption reforms.<br /> <br /> “The Federal Government has recovered directly, as a result of tips received from whistle-blowers, the sum of N7.8bn, $378m and £27,800.<br /> <br /> “We will begin to focus more on preventive measures, putting in place tight control measures , making it difficult for a few people to take away assets that belong to an entire country. In addition to this, investigation framework of the whistleblower policy will be reviewed.”<br /> <br /> She said the government would continue to work with all stakeholders to improve the effectiveness of the policy, stating that required institutions and tools to achieve the objectives would be put in place.</div>

Latest-News FG to review framework for whistle blower policy

The Federal Government on Friday said that it would review the investigative framework of the whistle blower policy to make its implementa...

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Court fixes May 3 to hear Oyegun’s tenure elongation case

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtA1d1SXrdO8Gss9bkICBfyrkqKdTZItjusTWuRDLtJErrUJb9952AJlEteQlvR5UbQribHT2OlgJ9jLfo4zj6oenl5Zqpo1opMss8Oxy93-DFfNu4p3JltE6fyUK8a1zkzfhWPPibG6Ck/s1600/John+Odigie-Oyegun.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtA1d1SXrdO8Gss9bkICBfyrkqKdTZItjusTWuRDLtJErrUJb9952AJlEteQlvR5UbQribHT2OlgJ9jLfo4zj6oenl5Zqpo1opMss8Oxy93-DFfNu4p3JltE6fyUK8a1zkzfhWPPibG6Ck/s320/John+Odigie-Oyegun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> A Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday fixed May 3 to hear a suit by a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Adewale Hameed, challenging the purported tenure elongation of APC ’s national officers including its Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Listed as defendants are Odigie-Oyegun, Deputy National Chairman (South ), Segun Oni; and Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shaibu<br /> <br /> Others are; National Secretary, Ibrahim Gubi; Vice-Chairman (South-west)Mr. Pius Akinyelure as the fourth and fifth defendants.<br /> <br /> APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission are joined as sixth and seventh defendants respectively.<br /> <br /> When the case was called on Friday, Dr. Muniz Banire (SAN), counsel to the APC, told the court that the sixth defendant had filed an application to set aside the service of the originating processes on them.<br /> <br /> Banire said the order for substituted service on the sixth defendant was obtained fraudulently as the address stated on the order was wrong.<br /> <br /> He said the address of the APC secretariat is No. 40, Blantyre Street, and not No. 16, Blantyre Avenue that was stated in the order.<br /> <br /> “The website, the applicant claimed to have got the address from is not ours, a Good Samaritan brought our attention to today’s date, we are yet to receive any process.”<br /> <br /> Banire said that they had also filed a further affidavit to prove same and attached correspondence from INEC showing their correct address.<br /> <br /> The applicant’s counsel, Mr. Babatunde Fashanu (SAN) sought the leave of court to withdraw the motion ex-parte for substituted service on the fifth defendant (Akinyelure) that he had been served personally.<br /> <br /> He also told the court that the applicant had filed a counter-affidavit to the sixth defendant’s (APC) motion to set aside the order.<br /> <br /> According to him, the sixth defendant should be stopped from denying the address as the website was clearly APC website and an exhibit had been attached to prove same.<br /> <br /> “If they were claiming the website is fake, they should have taken appropriate steps to bring down the website.”<br /> <br /> Fashanu said moreover, the bailiff of the court had sworn to an affidavit of proof of service on oath that it was at the APC secretariat he served the processes.<br /> <br /> In a short ruling, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun held that it was essential for proper service to be effected on the defendants.<br /> <br /> “The website may be fake but I find no evidence of fraud, I see no reason to set aside the service, so we do not waste time; another set of processes should be served at No. 40, Blantyre Street,” she held.<br /> <br /> Consequently, she adjourned the suit until May 3 for a hearing of the originating motion.<br /> <br /> The News Agency of Nigeria reports that at a joint meeting of the National Executive Committee and the National Working Committee of the party in Abuja, the tenure of the officials was extended by one year with effect from June 30.<br /> <br /> The applicant had on March 9 filed an originating summons, seeking the determination of the court whether the extension of the NEC and NWC elected or appointed members was constitutional.<br /> <br /> He wants the court to determine if the defendants had the constitutional right under Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution and Articles 13 and 17 of the APC Constitution to extend the tenure of its NEC and NWC members.<br /> <br /> At the last adjournment, the applicant’s counsel, Fashanu (SAN), had moved a motion ex-parte urging the court to grant four orders pending the hearing of the substantive suit.</div>

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A Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday fixed May 3 to hear a suit by a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Adewale Hameed, challe...

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Rivers pastor in detention over abortion scandal, allegation of attempted murder

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EFCC loses bid to seize Patience Jonathan’s $8.4 Million, N7.35 Billion

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKpGvZ_tkb6HTyaRQfXLVRCS0HLVHdfu6sw6hNGUuCOO3j9JDLvdI-tSAfjFBhn40EVFWrnlzMPW8UNvJOsWxFNIRm1cOJulrt9c8Yw8TZ7kXSSXKr6VjLUv7aRqukA_cxQ8nJfvdJhc/s1600/patience+jonathan+happy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="626" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKpGvZ_tkb6HTyaRQfXLVRCS0HLVHdfu6sw6hNGUuCOO3j9JDLvdI-tSAfjFBhn40EVFWrnlzMPW8UNvJOsWxFNIRm1cOJulrt9c8Yw8TZ7kXSSXKr6VjLUv7aRqukA_cxQ8nJfvdJhc/s400/patience+jonathan+happy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br /> The Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday rejected an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission seeking to seize the funds in 15 bank accounts linked to Mrs. Patience Jonathan.<br /> <br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The funds, which the EFCC sought to seize include a total of $8,435,788.84 and over N7.35bn.<br /> <br /> Justice Mojisola Olatoregun rejected the ex parte application filed by the EFCC for the seizure of the funds, saying the funds were already subject of litigation before two other judges.

Latest-News EFCC loses bid to seize Patience Jonathan’s $8.4 Million, N7.35 Billion

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday rejected an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission seeking to seize the ...

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Friends mock young man who barks like a dog once every month as a condition for money ritual

<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="412" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_e4E91B5ewxQ3s8CniRXxta6q8azKT6uLuoowVUgqPycNuhm_ieuqc3SDdK6KlK-u3UfVqQLuaKf3RRtZ1yqotoWKs1PTSBBP908FtCJ5P1qnxt1uKvdrObf7t8kZktgHnZzOpRsbEUo/s400/cyber+crime+yahoo+internet+fraud+computer.gif" width="400" /></div> <br /> A disturbing video of a young man who allegedly did money rituals (Yahoo Plus) in Ijebu Ode and now barks like a dog once in a month has emerged<br /> <br /> Watch video below...<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a0OEyitfNi0" width="560"></iframe><br /> <br /> As a condition for getting illegitimate riches, a young man based in Ijebu Ode area of Ogun State has been subjected to barking like a dog, once every month, uncontrollably for several hours<br /> <br /> It appears it is not too much of a sacrifice for this yet to be identified young man as against the idea of working for a means of livelihood.<br /> <br /> The young man who has been exposed and mocked by his friends is captured in a video having a regular ‘moment’.<br /> <br /> One of his friends who shared the video explained further saying this is not the first time a similar occurence took control of his friend.<br /> <br /> He added that the same young man was having fun in a popular night club; ‘Club royal’ when the episode over took the victm and his friends had to lock him up in a car pending when he would come around.<br /> <br /> It was also gathered that this embarrassing conditions for money ritual is a trend in that part of Western Nigeria.<br /> <br /> What are your thoughts about this? Kindly share in the comment section below...

Latest-News Friends mock young man who barks like a dog once every month as a condition for money ritual

A disturbing video of a young man who allegedly did money rituals (Yahoo Plus) in Ijebu Ode and now barks like a dog once in a month has ...

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Abramovich eyes Napoli coach as Conte’s replacement

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglN0gz5QNKnuM-hs3oFVZGMAD42MqS2xLianquoLtNuLbCe2PG6VNMhrBcX3x_3-75BaDjiRagB_IjM-oNUTSmvWIEZZfOAvw0t0XYFOk4wP6QkX-nQyRY_U_I-KajGWkpUEN3Cxs7KVkX/s1600/Maurizio+Sarri.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglN0gz5QNKnuM-hs3oFVZGMAD42MqS2xLianquoLtNuLbCe2PG6VNMhrBcX3x_3-75BaDjiRagB_IjM-oNUTSmvWIEZZfOAvw0t0XYFOk4wP6QkX-nQyRY_U_I-KajGWkpUEN3Cxs7KVkX/s320/Maurizio+Sarri.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, is considering Napoli manager, Maurizio Sarri, as Antonio Conte’s replacement.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> Conte looks certain to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of this season, after just two years in charge.<br /> <br /> Sarri, an Italian like Conte, has emerged as a serious contender after inspiring hometown club Napoli, to threaten the dominance of perennial Italian champions Juventus.<br /> <br /> The 59-year-old is understood to have a £7million release clause, valid until May 31, in his contract.<br /> <br /> Talks over a new deal have stalled, with Sarri not ready to make any decisions until his team play leaders Juventus in a title decider next weekend.<br /> <br /> Napoli sit second in Serie A, four points behind with just two defeats in their last 12 games.</div>

Latest-News Abramovich eyes Napoli coach as Conte’s replacement

Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, is considering Napoli manager, Maurizio Sarri, as Antonio Conte’s replacement. Conte looks certain to ...

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Bomb kills 5 during football match in Somalia

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PYxVGEnT14m2orWleYZV3c9UvPdBzyGynweQ9I-EoaeCdONcvhkIpHNP3UEWfqWScrbYZ2yrwqQ-X-uOtH-4HQSZdtWAcW0t_fpDUPaQeEmhZS3Lcd_S3r8oNlDqyKt3fwcjLyG34VrI/s1600/BOMB+BLAST.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PYxVGEnT14m2orWleYZV3c9UvPdBzyGynweQ9I-EoaeCdONcvhkIpHNP3UEWfqWScrbYZ2yrwqQ-X-uOtH-4HQSZdtWAcW0t_fpDUPaQeEmhZS3Lcd_S3r8oNlDqyKt3fwcjLyG34VrI/s320/BOMB+BLAST.png" width="320" /></a></div> A bomb killed five spectators at a football match in southern Somalia, police and a lawmaker said on Friday, the first time an explosion has targeted a stadium.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The blast went off in the port town of Barawe, in the Lower Shabelle region, when residents were watching a football match on Thursday afternoon, police said, adding that al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab could be behind the attack.<br /> <br /> Police said it appeared to have been detonated by remote control.<br /> <br /> “The bomb killed five people and injured a dozen others in the football field.<br /> <br /> “All the casualties were from the onlookers,” Mahad Dhoore, a lawmaker for South West state told Reuters.<br /> <br /> Police officer Mohamed Aden said al Shabaab group was suspected of being behind the attack and put the number of dead at four and wounded at 12.<br /> <br /> “We believe al Shabaab was behind (it) and that the target was officials who were not seated there at the time of the match.<br /> <br /> “The bomb looked like a remotely controlled one that was planted there,” Aden told Reuters from Barawe.<br /> <br /> Al Shabaab are fighting to topple Somalia’s Western-backed central government and establish their own rule based on their strict interpretation of Islamic law.<br /> <br /> The group frequently carries out bombings and gun attacks in the capital Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia.<br /> <br /> “Al Shabaab carried out an explosion that killed teenagers who were just playing football in Barawe town.<br /> <br /> “Al Shabaab is the only enemy we have,” President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said during a farewell party for Somalia’s outgoing parliament speaker</div>

Latest-News Bomb kills 5 during football match in Somalia

A bomb killed five spectators at a football match in southern Somalia, police and a lawmaker said on Friday, the first time an explosion h...

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Ogun debt profile about N103bn – Amosun

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJPu5l0Ln1EDyxpJ214Jb1c_b4iB0PLrCNEmvdQvcQzkBCrEd-uIq-rQ2KHd0VlxhzDwKxG0GqbfTcl4l-8QRqw6Ivtiffotsqn9S4DPl8Y-gfTK1xwAcV2tU0Mlj_p19Do8WfeBB0NCC/s1600/Ibikunle+Amosun.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJPu5l0Ln1EDyxpJ214Jb1c_b4iB0PLrCNEmvdQvcQzkBCrEd-uIq-rQ2KHd0VlxhzDwKxG0GqbfTcl4l-8QRqw6Ivtiffotsqn9S4DPl8Y-gfTK1xwAcV2tU0Mlj_p19Do8WfeBB0NCC/s320/Ibikunle+Amosun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, says the debt profile of the state  as of Thursday April 12. 2018 stands at N103bn.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> He, however, promised that he would pay the debt before his administration concludes its term.<br /> <br /> He said this on Thursday at the ‘2018 Conversation with State Governor’ programme organised by a civil society group in the state.<br /> <br /> The governor who was talking on his successes and the ordeals of his government in the last seven years, said he was happy the residents saw the projects monies were spent on.<br /> <br /> He promised the workers he would equally pay their outstanding cooperative deductions.<br /> <br /> He said, “As I speak today, Ogun State debt profile is about N103 billion but because our people are happy, it keeps me going.<br /> <br /> “You can go around to Ijebu, Yewa and even Abeokuta, you will see that joy in our people even those that do not know what they are saying, everybody is happy and it gives me joy.<br /> <br /> “It is written in the two Holy books that, one must not allow the sweat of a worker to dry before you pay him or her and by God’s grace, I will pay the debts.<br /> <br /> “You can see what we have done all around Ogun State, in fact, I have always ensured that before the 31st of every month, salaries should be paid. The same thing for the pensioners. If you check my phone now, you will see text messages of  prayers being sent by pensioners.<br /> <br /> “If you add the contributory pension scheme of both local government and state, it is about N1.30 billion which is not up to two months salary. So don’t worry, I will pay.<br /> <br /> “The way I am trained as an accountant, the money made to be used for building must not be spent on feeding and vice versa. We would pay.”<br /> <br /> Speaking on the state deplorable condition of the  Lagos- Abeokuta Expressway, the governor also said the Federal Executive Council has given the nod for the re-construction of the road.<br /> <br /> He said, “I have been on the neck of the Minister of  Power, Works and Housing, Barrister Babatunde Fashola, but to God be the glory, yesterday at the FEC meeting the road has been assented to be constructed.<br /> <br /> “In fact, I have been calling him to thank him but he has not been picking his call.”</div>

Latest-News Ogun debt profile about N103bn – Amosun

The Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, says the debt profile of the state  as of Thursday April 12. 2018 stands at N103bn. H...

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They want to frame me up like Dino Melaye – Shehu Sani cries out

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Reps investigates $16.9m legal services for the recovery of Abacha’s loot, urges Buhari to suspend payment

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2019: Confess your sins to Nigerians to win second term – Bishop Isong tells Buhari

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Champions League Semis: Bayern Munich v Real Madrid, Liverpool v Roma

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="696" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCvmDowoHImNrkYQQLBiCHbn0YGBb2LPacsw4xgvWRfH7O3KI88F-_UlZjVn4G7fdyAMcaO0lQpS4QdGr1BCj7A79vv-TZAwH5EksejX-oCeVco-TFK58odyoNdyBYeG_TomQ30L-9u-M/s640/uefa+champions-league-.jpg" width="640" /></div> <br /> <br /> Liverpool will play Roma in the Champions League semi-finals, with Bayern Munich facing Real Madrid.<br /> <a name='more' id="more"></a><br /> <br /> The Reds, who overcame Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, will host Roma on 24 or 25 April before the return leg on 1 or 2 May.<br /> <br /> Arsenal will face Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-finals, while Red Bull Salzburg meet Marseille.<br /> <br /> The Gunners will play the first leg at home on Thursday, 26 April, with the second leg a week later on 3 May.<br /> <br /> The Champions League final will be held in Kiev, Ukraine on Saturday, 26 May.<br /> <br /> The Europa League final will be in Lyon, France on Wednesday, 16 May, with the winner guaranteed a place in next season's Champions League.<br /> <br /> <i>Which teams will make it to the final?</i>

Latest-News Champions League Semis: Bayern Munich v Real Madrid, Liverpool v Roma

Liverpool will play Roma in the Champions League semi-finals, with Bayern Munich facing Real Madrid. The Reds, who overcame Manchester...

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