News, Events and People.

Chelsea XI vs. Liverpool: Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Kante, Matic, Alonso; Willian, Costa, Hazard.  Liverpool XI vs. Chelsea: Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Matip, Milner; Henderson, Can; Wijnaldum, Lallana, Coutinho; Firmino.

The acting Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Walter Onnoghen has given lawyers three days to apply for appointment as justices of the Supreme of Nigeria. A notice issued by Nigeria Bar Association President Mr Abubakar Mahmoud said the acting CJN asked the NBA to nominate suitably qualified legal practioners to apply for appointment as justices of the Supreme Court. The announcement confirmed speculation that the Presidency prefers to appoint the Chief Justice from outside the present crop of justices of the apex court.

Former US President Barak Obama has broken Hus silence on events taking place since leaving office. Obama praised the surge protests against his successor and condemned religious tests. 'Citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble, organise and have their voice heared by their elected officials is exactly what we expect to see when American values are at stake.

  John Cena has won the world wrestling championship for a record 16th time. The victory makes him only the second wrestler to achieve such feat after 'nature boy' Rich Flair Cena defeated An Styles via a pinfall at the 2017 Royal Rumble. Congrats to a refined athlete.

The French Ligue 1 club have confirmed Payet has signed a four-year contract and he will be officially unveiled at a press conference at the Robert Louis-Dreyfus centre - Marseille's training complex - on Monday. The 29-year-old will be joined by OM president Jacques-Henri Eyraud and sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta, after costing them £25m. He has taken a £25,000-a-week pay-cut after also rejecting huge offers from China. There had been a protracted stalemate over the transfer fee but West Ham finally agreed to Marseille's final £25m offer on Sunday, after accepting the insertion of a 25 per cent sell-on clause. Payet leaves West Ham having scored 15 goals in 60 appearances for West Ham.

It emerged at the weekend that China is now Nigeria’s leading source of imported goods with an import value of $1.6 billion (N478 billion) equivalent to 20 per cent of Nigeria’s total imports. This is, according to the merchandise trade data released by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its latest foreign trade statistics for the third quarter of 2016. According to the NBS data, Belgium emerged the second largest source of imports in the review period, with an import value of $1.1 billion (N331billion). The NBS data put the total value of trade at N4.72 trillion, representing an increase of 16 per cent on the preceding quarter. The data, however, showed a trade deficit of N104 billion, which compared with N482 billion in the second quarter of 2016. Analysts at FBN Quest noted that the increase in imports in a recession in the first three quarters of last year was due to the weakness of the naira exchange rate. Analysis of the NBS data showed that total e

Burkina Faso this evening defeated Tunisia by two goals to nil, thereby booking their place in the semi-final of AFCON GABON 2017. The Burkinabes scored their two goals late in the second half.

Lawyers for two Iraqis with ties to the US military who had been granted visas to enter the United States have filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and the US government after they were detained when they arrived in New York Friday. The lawsuit could represent the first legal challenge to Trump's controversial executive order , which indefinitely suspends admissions for Syrian refugees and limits the flow of other refugees into the United States by instituting what the President has called "extreme vetting" of immigrants. Trump's order also bars Iraqi citizens, as well as people from six other Muslim-majority nations, from entering the US for 90 days, and suspends the US Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days until it is reinstated "only for nationals of countries for whom" members of Trump's Cabinet deem can be properly vetted. According to court papers, both men legally were allowed to come into the US but were detained i

Five Iraqi passengers and one Yemeni were barred from boarding an EgyptAir flight from Cairo to New York on Saturday following President Donald Trump's ban on the entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, sources at Cairo airport said. Trump on Friday put a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily barred travellers from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries, saying the moves would help protect Americans from terrorist attacks. The six passengers, bound for John F. Kennedy International Airport, were prevented from boarding EgyptAir Flight 985 at Cairo airport despite holding valid immigration visas, the sources said. The five Iraqis had arrived in transit from Erbil and were being held at the airport until they could be re-boarded on flights back to Iraq, whereas the Yemeni passenger had arrived at the airport from elsewhere in Cairo, they added. Trump halted the entry of travellers fr

Serena Williams has outclassed her sister Venus, in straight sets to win her seventh Australian Open in an open-era record, 23rd Grand Slam singles title. The 35-year-old won 6-4 6-4 to pass Steffi Graf in the all-time list of major winners since the grand slam accepted professional players in 1968. The second seed overcame a stuttering serve to take a Topsy turvy opening set and one break of 36-year-old Venus’s serve proved enough to claim the second after 82 minutes on Rod Laver Arena. Australia’s Margaret Court is the only player still ahead of Serena in terms of grand slam singles titles on 24. The American regains the number one ranking from German Angelique Kerber.

Suspected assassins have killed the village head of Ikot Anta Eneng Obom in Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Emmanuel Jim Umahaeyo. The yet-to-be identified gunmen numbering about two were said to have shot the royal father in his compound. The late village head who assumed leadership in December 2010, was said to be having protracting disagreement with a deposed youth leader in the village, Eyak Umoekpo, by ensuring the emergence of another person, Esitime Emmanson, as the new youth leader. The deceased village head was alleged to be uncomfortable with the leadership of Umoekpo, by running a parallel government in the village. Disturbed by the development in the village, the village head was said to have dissolved the factional youth leadership to pave the way for a new one, an action that angered the sponsor of the factional youth leader to pitch a tent against the village council. It is said a member of the deposed Umoekpo last year shot

Venus and Serena Williams will tomorrow meet in a Grand Slam final for the ninth time after the American sisters came through their semi-finals at the ongoing Australian Open 2017 in Melbourne. Thirteenth seed Venus, 36, beat fellow American Coco Vandeweghe 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-3 to reach her first major final since 2009.   World number two Serena, 35, saw off unseeded Croat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-2 6-1 in the second semi-final. Serena is attempting to win an Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam singles title It would also be a seventh Australian Open victory for the younger Williams sister, while Venus hopes to win an eighth major title, first in Melbourne and first since Wimbledon in 2008.  Tomorrow will be their first Grand Slam final against each other since Wimbledon 2009 when Serena won in straight sets  It is unbelievable to watch Serena play tennis – the way she hits the ball and the competitor she is,” Venus Williams said after the first semi-final “It would be a d

President Muhammadu Buhari’s media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina launched another attempt yesterday to allay fears over the health of his principal, who is on a ten-day vacation in the United Kingdom, but has not been seen or heard from since his departure last week.  Speaking on a live CNBC Africa interview, Adesina said Buhari was not ill or on admission in any hospital in London, adding: “When he was travelling last week, the statement we put out was that he was going on vacation and during the vacation he would undergo a routine medical check up and nothing has changed from what we pushed out last week. “If anybody has fed something else into the rumour mill that is just what it is, a rumour.” However, Adesina stirred the hornet’s nest, when he said the president would decide if he wanted to speak to Nigerians from the UK or not. He said: “The fact that he is a president, he still has his rights. Compelling him to come out and talk will be infringing on his rights. “The

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has alleged that the police high command dismissed the six policemen attached to him because they refused to allow the security agencies execute their plot of assassinating him. Speaking when he received the Aluu Council of Chiefs at the Government House, Port Harcourt yesterday, Wike said there was a detailed plan by the security agencies to assassinate him, but his security details resisted the execution of the evil plot.  He said: “The policemen were dismissed because they did not allow the security agencies to assassinate me as was planned “The security agencies planned to assassinate me, but those attached to me resisted the plot and refused to allow them kill me. That is why they are angry and desperate.” The governor said he would continue to defend the interest of the state, noting that he would never plead with the offending security agencies to stop their illegal activities.

After 12 days in captivity, the kidnappers who abducted five female students and three members of staff of the Nigerian Tulip International College (NTIC) in Ogun State, tuesday finally released them into the waiting hands of their respective families. All the victims were freed at about 8.30p.m. and dropped off behind the school premises. Although details of their release were sketchy as at 9:20p.m. when the news broke of their release, the victims were said to have been first taken to the hospital under heavy police protection. While a version claimed that the kidnappers released the victims to the management and representatives of the parents, another account indicated that security forces found the tired victims wandering in the forest behind the school premises. A source who spoke on account of anonymity, said the kidnappers succumbed to the massive pressure mounted on them following the deployment of Aerial Patrol Helicopters and Tactical forces by the Inspect

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has thrown his weight behind the South eastern part of the country to produce the President in 2019. Obasanjo, who said his was personal added that the problem of injustice and marginalisation had always been the source of conflicts between ethnic and regional divisions in the country. The former President was speaking in Abeokuta when leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Ogun State that was part of what he intended to do when he supported the South south in 2009.Irrespective of the thinking of people towards 2019, I think south east should have a go at the Presidency too.

Chairman of Senate Ad hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in North-east, Senator Shehu Sani, on Tuesday accused the presidency of lies and hypocrisy, saying it has cultivated the habit of telling lies to cover up its shortcomings. Sani made this accusation while responding to President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter, clearing the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), of allegations of corruption as read by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

The Lagos State University on Tuesday urged parents, guardians and well‎-meaning Nigerians to collaborate with the institution by donating buildings and equipment ‎for infrastructural development. The Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, made the appeal at the matriculation of the newly admitted students for the 2016/2017 academic session in Lagos. Fagbohun was represented by Prof. Olumuyiwa Noah, the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the university.  He said that the donation would be accepted as part of effort to make the institution one of the best ‎universities in the world. ‎ He solicited the co-operation of parents and guardians by joining the Parents Forum of the university.  According to him, such forum will enable the parents and guardians to participate in molding the character of the students to become responsible men and women of the country in future. Fagbohun charged parents to partner with the university in nurturing the minds of the

Jack Ma’s online shopping empire now has 493 million users who access its China marketplaces every month on mobile devices, up from 393 million at the end of 2015, said Alibaba today in its latest earnings report. The Taobao and Tmall marketplaces now have 443 million annual active buyers, rising strongly from 407 million 12 months ago. Alibaba makes the equivalent of US$35 in revenue from each shopper. The new figures come amidst a strong performance for Alibaba in the quarter from October to December 2016 in which it pulled in US$2.5 billion net income from total revenue – up 54 percent in the past year – of US$7.7 billion. The ecommerce behemoth beat analyst expectations with plenty of legroom.  Alibaba, which no longer reports quarterly consumer spending on its marketplaces, also heralded fast growing revenues from newer areas, such as corporate cloud computing services – in which it competes against Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure – and digital media. Alib

Sen. Joel Ikenya, the immediate past Minister of Labour and Productivity, has announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Ikenya hails from Taraba and served in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. He told newsmen on Monday in Jalingo that his defection was informed by the numerous achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari- led administration. He urged Nigerians especially those from the North-East, to key into the policies and programmes of the President for the socio-economic development of the country. “My reasons for decamping from the PDP to pitched tent with the ruling party are based on the many achievements the president have recorded within his first one year in office. “The success he achieved in restoring peace to the troublesome North-East zone alone is something we cannot shy away from no matter our political party differences. “Buhari’s fight against corrupt practi

Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have reportedly abducted the immediate past transition committee chairman of Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief Friday Akpoyibo, along two others. Sources close to Akpoyibo told journalists on Monday in Ughelli that Akpoyibo and two others were kidnapped along Auchi-Abuja road on Sunday on their way to Abuja. A younger brother and another close ally of Akpoyibo who was traveling with him were also  abducted by the arms-wielding herdsmen who allegedly blocked the expressway with their cattle. However, a female passenger who was said to have been traveling with the victims was left behind by the abductors. Akpoyibo’s ex-aide who spoke under strict condition of anonymity said, “He was going to Abuja to attend the inauguration of the recently appointed executives of the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority when the hoodlums struck. “They were taken into the bush after being disposed of their personal it

An aide to the newly inaugurated President of The Gambia, Adama Barrow, Mai Fatty, has accused the ousted leader, Yahya Jammeh of stealing over $11m and shipping out luxury vehicles by cargo plane. Addressing reporters in Dakar, Senegal, Fatty said the new administration met an empty treasury.  He said, “The coffers are largely empty. “Over two weeks, over 500m dalasi ($11 million) were withdrawn” by Jammeh, adding that “As we take over, the government of The Gambia is in financial distress.” Fatty also alleged that a Chadian cargo plane had transported luxury goods out of the country on Jammeh’s behalf, in his final hours in power, including unknown number of vehicles.   Jammeh initially insisted on clinching onto power , despite his defeat to Barrow during the December 1, 2016 Presidential election in the country.  Despite his insistence, Barrow was last Thursday sworn-in as President in the country’s embassy in Senegal. After much mediation, Jammeh eventually conced

Kano Pillars 2 v 3SC 1,  Wikki 1 v Akwa United 0, Plateau United 3 v Sunshine Stars 1, ABS 1 v Ifeanyi Ubah 0, Rivers United 1 v Tornadoes 0, Rangers 1 v El Kenemi 0, Katsina 1 v Nasarawa 0, Remo Stars 1 v Abia Warriors 0

"At a challenging moment in our history, let us remind ourselves that we the hundreds of thousands, the millions of women, trans-people, men and youth who are here at the Women's March, we represent the powerful forces of change that are determined to prevent the dying cultures of racism, hetero-patriarchy from rising again. "We recognize that we are collective agents of history and that history cannot be deleted like web pages. We know that we gather this afternoon on indigenous land and we follow the lead of the first peoples who despite massive genocidal violence have never relinquished the struggle for land, water, culture, their people. We especially salute today the Standing Rock Sioux. "The freedom struggles of black people that have shaped the very nature of this country's history cannot be deleted with the sweep of a hand. We cannot be made to forget that black lives do matter. This is a country anchored in slavery and colonialism, wh

A team of Ugandan engineers has invented a “smart jacket” that diagnoses pneumonia faster than a doctor, offering hope against a disease which kills more children worldwide than any other. The idea came to Olivia Koburongo, 26, after her grandmother fell ill, and was moved from hospital to hospital before being properly diagnosed with pneumonia. “It was now too late to save her,” said Koburongo. “It was too hard to keep track of her vitals, of how she’s doing, and that is how I thought of a way to automate the whole process and keep track of her health.” Koburongo took her idea to fellow telecommunications engineering graduate Brian Turyabagye, 24, and together with a team of doctors they came up with the “Mama-Ope” (Mother’s Hope) kit made up of a biomedical smart jacket and a mobile phone application which does the diagnosis. Pneumonia — a severe lung infection — kills up to 24,000 Ugandan children under the age of five per year, many of whom are misdiagnosed a

As part of its plans to ensure food sufficiency in  the South-East,  the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has concluded plans to site two rice plants, one cassava processing plant and one palm oil plant in Nzerem community, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. The Transition Committee Chairman of Ehime Mbano LGA, Chike Ojiako, disclosed this on Saturday while addressing journalists on the activities to mark his first anniversary in office.  Ojiako said Governor Rochas Okorocha and the senator representing Imo-North, Benjamin Uwajumogu, were working in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to realise the project.

There was consternation in several quarters in Abuja and beyond over the weekend as rumours circulated that President Muhammadu Buhari had passed on at a London hospital where he was said to be receiving treatment. As the day wore on, the rumours gained ground after a news website published a story that the President was dead. The rumour soon spread like wild fire in different parts of the country with many Nigerians making frantic phone calls to ascertain the story’s accuracy.  The presidency however said on Saturday that there was no truth in the news. Buhari had on Thursday travelled to London, United Kingdom, after writing to the National Assembly that he would be proceeding on a vacation and that Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo would be performing the duties of the President while he was away.  “The report is hogwash,” the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, simply said. Adesina also denied the report on his Twitter handle, praying

Wayne Rooney scored his 250th goal in Man U shirt today, cancelling out the former record holder Bobby Robsons feat of 249 goals. His goal against Stoke away from home was also the highest ever scored away from home in the Premier League history by any player. .

Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh has attributed his decision to step down to the pressure from West African armies which entered the Gambia this week. Mr Jammeh had rejected the result of the presidential election he lost to Adama Barrow, even after he had earlier said he accepted the defeat. Jammeh is yet to leave the presidential palace but his announcement on state television overnight appears to signal an end of a political impasse. It also brings to a close a reign that began in 1994 when he seized power in a coup. While Jammeh held on to power, tension rose, countries withdrew their nationals from the tiny nation and some 7,000 soldiers from Nigeria and Senegal entered Gambia backed by tanks and warplanes. They were poised to move into the capital as Jammeh’s army provided no resistance. ECOWAS delegations led by Nigeria’s leader, Muhammadu Buhari had at different journeys to the country tried to convince Jammeh to hand over power but he insisted he was staying on. After ta

T he Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has congratulated the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, on his emergence as the new Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors Forum.  Ekweremadu, who described the Forum as an important group within the party, expressed confidence in the ability of Fayose to rally the governors elected on the platform of the party, theming PDP faithful, and supporters to hold the fort in opposition. He said: “Governor Fayose is a strong voice in the opposition. He is an unapologetic PDP faithful and has the audacity, political sagacity, and benefit of experience from his number of years as a Governor to provide quality leadership for the Forum. I, therefore, nurse no doubts that he is the right man for the job.  “However, I would like to see a greater synergy and understanding between our governors on one hand, and National Assembly Members of PDP.  extraction on the other hand, to avoid the usual needle

Monthly share of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) to the three tiers of government recorded a marginal increase in December 2016, from N386.879 in November to N400 billion. The December allocation, which is N13.1 billion higher than the preceding month (November), is however lower than N420 billion shared by the three tiers in October.Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun traced the marginal increase to increase in royalties collected, Company Income Tax (CIT) and Value Added Tax (VAT). Giving further details, Adeosun, who is the Chairman of FAAC, disclosed that N224.883 was shared as Statutory Allocation with the federal government receiving N105.762 billion; states, N53.644 billion; local governments, N41.357.   billion, with N15.504 billion as 13 per cent derivation for oil mineral producing states. Adeosun stated that N79.273 billion was shared from VAT, giving the breakdown

Yayah Jammeh has finally agreed to leave as President of the Gambia. New President Adams Barrow made the announcement via his twitter handle. According to him, Jammeh said hr would vacate the exalted position today. President Barrow had been sworn in at the Gambian embassy in Senegal following Jammeh's refusal to quit office as a result of his defeat at the polls.

"Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans and people of the world, thank you. We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people. Together, we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come. We will face challenges. We will confront hardships. But we will get the job done. Every four years we gather on these steps to carry out the orderly and peaceful transfer of power. And we are grateful to President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for their gracious aid throughout this transition. They have been magnificent. Thank you. Today's ceremony, however, has a very special meaning because today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to yo

An American returnee, billed to have travelled back yesterday, died in a fatal head-on collision with a trailer fully loaded with granite, while her driver sustained grievous injuries. The incident, which occurred around 2:03a.m., happened at Stadium Bus Stop, inward Alaka, Surulere, Lagos State. According to an eyewitness, the car carrying the American returnee, a black Camry Saloon car with registration number KUJ 412 AA (FCT), had rammed into the trailer with registration number EKY 668 XL. Responding to the distress call, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said its operatives immediately activated the agency’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) to the scene of the incident.  Preliminary investigation conducted by the ERT at the scene of the incident revealed the immediate cause of the incident as reckless driving. According to the agency, the driver of the saloon car was driving recklessly, as well as over-speeding when he rammed into the trailer. He

The noon deadline given to Gambia’s Yayah Jammeh, to relinquish power could be pushed back, as the Presidents of Mauritania and Guinea – who are due in the Gambia for last-ditch talks, are only now leaving the Mauritanian capital.   This means more time is needed for the Presidents to arrive and hold talks. West African leaders had given Mr Jammeh, a noon deadline to leave office or be forced out by UN-backed regional military. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is acting in support of Adama Barrow, who was sworn in as the new Gambian President on Thursday.

An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Lagos on Friday ordered the remand of 30-year-old Elvis Aihuaen, who allegedly murdered his lover and her five-year-old son. The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Oluyemisi Adelaja, ordered that Aihuaen should be kept at the Ikoyi Prisons pending the advice of the state Director of Prosecutions. Consequently, the court did not take the plea of the accused. According to the News Agency of Nigeria   the accused, who resides on Omolaja Street, Obadore, Igando, a Lagos suburb, was charged with killing 28-year-old Blessing Ajayi and her son, Ogomide. According to the prosecutor, Insp. Chinalu Nwadione, the accused committed the murder on Aug. 21, 2016, at about 11p.m., at his residence. Nwadione said that Aihuaen beat Ajayi to death and dumped her lifeless body inside a septic tank, adding that he straggled her son and hit his head with a big stone on the same day. He submitted that the accused dumped the li

THE solidarity rally organised by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra turned violent in Port Harcourt on Friday as one person was shot dead by security operatives and injuring several others. IPOB members were said to have been attacked in Okporo around Artillery axis of Port Harcourt, as they planned to march towards Mile One through Aba Road in the Rivers State capital. A security source, who confirmed the incident, explained that some of the advancing members of IPOB, who were carrying and waving Biafra, American and Russian flags refused to stop when they were asked to do so. The incident, which occurred at about 10.20am forced shop owners to close their businesses for the day.

A socio-cultural group, Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF), yesterday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to also beam the searchlight of his anti-corruption crusade on some members of his cabinet whose names were being mentioned in slush funds. The forum yesterday said: “For the anti-corruption fight to achieve its objectives, it needs to be less selective and more thorough. “Special courts must be set up for speedy trials of corruption allegations, the Bar and the Bench must first be cleansed of corruption and people found guilty of corruption must be jailed and shamed to deter others.” The group stated in an open letter to President Buahri and read by the Vice Chairman, Mr. Ayo Ladigbolu, who represented the Chairman, Rt. Reverend Bolanle Gbonigi, at the Ikenne country home of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. YUF noted that it was not captivated by the president’s fight against corruption as it argued that only news of stolen funds were being heard no culprit has been sent to

Following allegations of defamation of character and libelous story published against the Chief of Army Staff  (COAS), Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, the Publisher of an online newspaper, Premium Times, Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, as well as the judiciary correspondent of the medium, Evelyn Okakwu, were yesterday arrested by the police. He was however, later released following pressure from above. The arrest was  coming on the heels of a petition written by Osuagwu Ugochukwu, lawyer to Buratai, to the Federal capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police, decrying a “false and malicious story” written by the news medium against his client and its refusal to retract the story The police, it was gathered, acted on a warrant of arrest issued against the newspaper by a Wuse 2 Magistrate Court yesterday evening as to enable the police carry out a thorough investigation into the matter.  The court order for the arrest was issued at the FCT Chief Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja earl

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has urged the new American President Donald Trump to use his good offices to look into the daily killings in Nigeria particularly in Southern Kaduna where over 1,000 people were slaughtered like goats and buried in mass graves. Fayose reiterated: “The Southern Kaduna killings are a clear case of genocide that must be thoroughly investigated and unraveled. “We appeal to Trump to ensure that the voice of the opposition is not silenced in this country.”

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Teori Zavascki, who was overseeing a graft investigation into scores of powerful politicians, was killed in a plane crash on Thursday, raising questions about who will take over the country's biggest ever corruption case. Rescuers found three bodies in the wreckage of the small, twin-prop plane that crashed off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state amid heavy rains, firefighters said. Federal prosecutors and police said they would immediately open an investigation in addition to that of aviation authorities. Zavascki, 68, had in recent weeks been reviewing explosive testimony from executives at engineering group Odebrecht, expected to implicate an array of politicians in a vast kickback scandal centering on state-run oil company Petrobras and other enterprises. The Hawker Beechcraft C90GT carrying Zavascki left a Sao Paulo airport around 1 p.m. (1500 GMT). The plane crashed into the sea about 80 minutes later, roughly 3 km (2 miles) f

A senator elected on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has defected to the ruling All Progressives Party (APC). Senator Nelson Asuquo Effiong is representing Akwa Ibom South in the upper chamber of the National Assembly. Senator Effiong said he was pitching his tent with APC due what he called 'moving the country forward and bringing peace to the it'

President Muhammadu Buhari will leave Abuja for the United Kingdom on Thursday on a short leave, which is part of his annual vacation. Mr Femi Adesina, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity said this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday. “He is expected to resume work on Feb. 6, 2017. “During the vacation, the President will also undergo routine medical check-ups. “In line with Section 145 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the President of the Senate, and Speaker, House of Representatives, have been duly communicated. “While away, the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, will perform the functions of the Office of the President,” he said.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana, has said for any fight against corruption to be effective it must be championed by the citizens rather than the government. According to Falana, since corruption was perpetrated by people in position of authority, it would be unrealistic to expect the government to effectively fight corruption. No government all over the world fights corruption, because the people in government are the most corrupt. It is the duty of Nigerians to take over the fight and own it; otherwise you cannot abolish corruption in Nigeria,” Falana declared. The human rights lawyer spoke in Ikeja alongside others at the 13th edition of the annual Gani Fawehinmi lecture. The theme of the lecture for this year was, “Nigeria Anti-corruption war: Wither the legal profession and the judiciary?” Apart from Falana, other discussants at the lecture, which was delivered by Prof. Omotoye Olorode, include Prof. Jacob Dada of The Gambia Court of Appeal; M

The Traditional ruler of Jema’a Chiefdom in Kaduna State, Alhaji Muhammad Isa Muhammad II, was on Wednesday attacked by rampaging youths in Samaru Kataf, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna    An eyewitness and a member of the emir’s cabinet, said the emir was returning to Kafanchan after attending a security meeting with the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai in the state capital when he was attacked. He told reporters that the meeting had centred on issues relating to the recent Southern Kaduna killings Although the traditional ruler was not injured during the attack, three of his cars which were in the convoy in which he was travelling were destroyed by the attackers. “When we reach Samaru Kataf, some armed youths surrounded us with all kinds of weapons and started attacking our convoy. We immediately turned back to Kachia for our safety,” he narrated. He asked the government to fully investigate the Southern Kaduna crises holistically, adding that the people b

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has announced that the state government will offer automatic employment to six indigenes of the state who graduated with First Class honours. The governor made the announcement on Wednesday while speaking at the 2016 Academic Excellence Award ceremony held at the International Conference Centre, Akure. The beneficiaries are:  Akinbowa Tope (Medicine) from the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife; Ogundare  Michael (Industrial Chemistry) University of Ilorin; and Omotuyi Ajoke (System Engineering) University of Lagos. Others are Akinola Oluwatoyin (Chemical Engineering) University of Lagos; George Oladayo (System Engineering) University of Lagos; and Falade Olayinka, the first female student to have first class in Law School from Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko. Mimiko said  his administration had achieved huge success in education sector, saying he had been able to bring together balance of performance of public a

Palestinian man Nabeel Mussa, who keeps scorpions and snakes as a hobby and eats them, has his face surrounded by a snake at his house in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The U.S. Labor Department has sued Oracle America Inc, alleging that the technology company systematically paid its white, male employees more than other workers and unlawfully favored Asian applicants in its recruiting and hiring efforts. The department in a complaint filed with an administrative judge in Washington said the company was prohibited from engaging in racial discrimination given the hundreds of millions of dollars it receives as a contractor with the federal government. Oracle America is a unit of Oracle Corp. Oracle spokeswoman Deborah Hellinger in a statement said the claims were baseless and "politically motivated," and that the company bases employment decisions on experience and merit. "Oracle values diversity and inclusion, and is a responsible equal opportunity and affirmative action employer," she said. In the complaint, the department says Oracle paid white male employees at

A South Korean court on Thursday dismissed a warrant to arrest the head of the Samsung Group [SAGR.UL], the country's largest conglomerate, amid a graft scandal that has led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. The pre-dawn decision by the Seoul Central District Court to allow Jay Y. Lee to go home is likely to come as a major relief to the company, whose leadership vacuum Lee has tried to fill since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014. Lee, who had been questioned for 22 hours last week and was held overnight on Wednesday while the court reached its decision, left the Seoul Detention Centre carrying a white shopping bag and climbed into a car without talking to reporters. The judge said in a statement that an arrest now was not necessary. "After reviewing the contents and the process of the investigation so far ... it is difficult to acknowledge the necessity and substantiality of an arrest at the current stage," he said.

A Zimbabwean activist pastor appeared in court on Wednesday after police arrested him for predicting that President Robert Mugabe would die in October this year. Patrick Mugadza, a preacher in the tourist resort town of Victoria Falls, told journalists last week that he had received a prophecy from God that Mugabe would die on Oct. 17. Mugadza was arrested on Monday after appearing at the magistrate court on a separate charge of abusing the national flag. He also faces another charge of public nuisance after holding a one-man anti-government protest last year. Prosecutors could not formally lay charges of criminal nuisance on Mugadza because his lawyers objected to an additional charge of "offences to persons of particular religion or race." He will return to court today. Mugadza was arrested on Monday after appearing at the magistrate court on a separate charge of abusing the national flag. He also faces another charge of publ

Manchester United have returned to the top of the Deloitte Football Money League for the first time in 11 years after recording the highest annual revenue for a football club in history. United's record revenue for the 2015/16 season of £515.3m sees them leapfrog Spanish giants Barcelona (£463.8m) and Real Madrid (£463.8m), who sit second and third respectively. Champions League holders Real slip to third after 11 years at the top, despite breaking the €600m revenue barrier for the first time.  The Deloitte Football Money League measures a club's earnings from matchday revenue, broadcast rights and commercial sources, and ranks them on that basis. The study does not include player transfer fees.'

A woman has been arrested in the southern Indian city of Bangalore for throwing acid on her ex-boyfriend. (Warning: Some readers may find the image below distressing) The man recently ended his relationship with the woman after four years. City police say it is their first case of a woman throwing acid at a man. Estimates say more than 1,000 acid attacks a year take place in India. In almost all cases men carry out the attacks and women are the victims. "One can say this is the first case in the West Division of Bangalore police. As per our records of 12 years, there is no other such case of a woman attacking a man with acid," deputy commissioner of police MN Anucheth told said. "The acid fell on the right side of Jayakumar Purushottam's face, burning his ear, cheek and temple." His eyes were not damaged. Mr Purushottam, 32, told police that his ex-girlfriend Lydia Yeshpaul, who worked as a nurse, threw acid on him before slashing his face wi