Global Naija Info

President Muhammadu Buhari and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Friday, had a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Daily Post reports. It was gathered that the meeting was prompted by the rising spate of attacks in the Niger Delta as well the long awaited looters’ list. However, the outcome of the meeting remains unknown as newsmen were not allowed entry into the venue. The meeting came barely 24 hours after Buhari and his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, met at the presidential villa over the bombing of oil facilities by the Niger Delta militants. The meeting between Buhari and Jonathan took place at the official residence of the president, which Jonathan occupied for six years. According to reports, President Buhari during the meeting made it clear to Jonathan that there was no plan to arrest him or his wife, Patience over the ongoing anti-corruption war.

Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President. The Senate on Friday ‎commiserated with crown prince and Edaiken N’Uselu, Eheneden on the demise of his father, Oba Erediauwa of Benin. Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who represented Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, led the delegation of senators to the Palace of the Oba. Among those in the delegation were ‎Francis Alimikhena (Edo North), Clifford Ordia (Edo Central), Matthew Urhoghide (Edo South) and Gbenga Asafa (Lagos East). Others were Jeremiah Useni (Plateau South), Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta North), Magnus Abbe (Rivers Central) and Foster Ogala (Bayelsa West). While presenting the heir apparent with a letter of condolence, the Senate President expressed confidence in the ability of the crown prince to build on the legacies of his father. Saraki described the demise of Erediauwa as shocking to the people of Edo to whom he had been instrumental in facilitating socio-cultural and economic development and Nigerians in g

Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s Vice President Vice President Yemi Osinbajo left Abuja on Friday for Dakar, Senegal, to attend the 49th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). A statement issued by the Vice Presidential spokesman, Mr Laolu Akande, in Abuja on Friday said Osinbajo would be representing President Muhammadu Buhari at the event. According to the statement, the event takes place at the weekend while Osinbajo is expected back in Abuja on Sunday.

0 Comments Sahara Reporters Niger Delta Militant Group Blows Up Shell Facility, Warns Other Oil Companies 5 Hours Ago

Crisis rocking Nigerian football reached its climax on Friday as members of the Chris Giwa faction attempted a forceful take over of the secretariat of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, in Abuja. Staff of the football governing body in Nigeria however stood their ground against the invaders and drove them out. A statement from the Media Department of the NFF Friday evening narrated how Giwa and his group launched an attack on the NFF secretariat. “Giwa and his group, who continue to claim they have a ‘court order’ to take over the NFF, had arrived in a convoy of cars at the period that some of members of staff had gone for the Friday Jumat service. They drove into the premises around 2pm. “In their typical ‘steal in’ manner, Chris Giwa led Effiong Johnson, Sani Fema, Rumson Baribote, Ben Agary, Yahaya Adama, Jide Fashikun, Fatai Olayinka, Abdulazeez Mohammed and a number of thugs to the Glass House when only a couple of management staff were around. “Also typical of the group

A Lagos-based Lawyer Olumide Babalola has dragged the popular celebrity blogger, Linda Ikeji before the Lagos High Court for several reliefs bordering on unauthorized and offensive use of picture. In Suit No. LD/3265MFHR/2016 before Hon. Justice O.H. Oshodi, the lawyer sued the blogger for damages in the sum of N50, 000,000 (Fifty Million Naira) for the unauthorized use of his picture on her blog for crime-related stories which he claimed has subjected him to mental and psychological torture in violation of his constitutional right to dignity of human person and freedom from degrading treatment. Pending the time of the hearing of the main suit, Justice O.H. Oshodi granted an injunction restraining Linda Ikeji from further use of the lawyer’s picture otherwise she would be committed to prison for contempt of court. PM News obtained the copy of the court order which was granted on the 12th of May, 2016, wherein the court restrained the blogger from further publishing Mr. Olumide Baba

A former Commander of Guards Brigade and erstwhile Commander of the Joint Military Task Force, OPERATION PULO SHIELD, Major General Emmanuel Atewe was on Friday arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before Justice Saliu Saidu of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi on an 11-count charge bordering on conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering. The officer who is currently serving with the army’s Training and Doctrine Command in Minna, Niger State was charged alongside a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NMASA, Patrick Ziadeke Akpobolokemi; Kime Engozu and Josephine Otuaga. The accused persons allegedly conspired to divert over N8 billion paid into the account of the Joint Military Task Force by NIMASA during the tenure of Akpobolokemi. The money was converted into foreign exchange and the proceeds shared by the defendants. Specifically, payments to the tune of N8, 537,586,798.58 were allegedly made to the JTF’s accou

Late Oba Erediauwa of Benin The Benin Traditional Council has instructed residents not to cook with fire on Sunday, June 5, as part of activities for continuation of the 15 days funeral rites for late Monarch, Oba Erediauwa. The instruction is contained in a statement issued by the Secretary to the Benin Traditional Council, Mr Frank Irabor, made available on Friday in Benin. Irabor stated that Sunday would be the day of Edenagberen-Mwiwu in the royal funeral rites programme and as such, there would be no cooking with fire, in accordance with Benin customs and tradition. He then called on Benin indigenes and non-indigenes in the kingdom to observe the Igberimwin rite.

The gavel of justice Paul Iyoghojie/Lagos: Operatives of the Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos Island, Western Nigeria have arrested three car dealers for allegedly stealing three Honda cars belonging to a complainant Bridget Ofunne. The police identified the suspects as Yinka Olowokere, 50, Saheed Owolabi, 39 and Peter James, 38. The suspects were arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos on a four-count charge of felony, to wit, stealing and receiving stolen cars. Police prosecutor, Sergeant Innocent Odugbo informed the court in charge No D/31/2016 that the accused persons committed the alleged offence between September and October, 2015 in Lagos. Odugbo told the Court that the accused persons tricked the complainant, Bridget Ofunne and collected three Honda cars, 2008 and 2004 models, all valued at N6.2m, from her to sell and refund the proceeds, but that they converted the cars to their personal use. He further told the court that Peter James received one Honda Acco

Madonna Pop singer Madonna prevailed in a copyright lawsuit over her song “Vogue” that alleged one of her producers copied a fraction-of-a-second segment of horns from a song he had also worked on. In a 2-1 vote, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal in Pasadena, California ruled that a general audience would not recognise the 0.23-second snippet in “Vogue” as originating from the song “Love Break.” Shep Pettibone, a producer of “Vogue,” also recorded “Love Break” in the early 1980’s according to the court ruling. The plaintiff, VMG Salsoul LLC owns the copyright to “Love Break” and alleged Pettibone sampled the “horn hit” from the earlier work and added it to “Vogue.” But the appeal court ruled in favour of Madonna, Pettibone and other defendants including Warner Bros Records. “Defendants copied at most, a quarter-note single horn hit and a full measure containing rests and a double horn hit,” Circuit Judge Susan Graber wrote for the majority. “A reasonable jury could not concl

Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai The Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt has arrested seven men for allegedly parading themselves as army and navy personnel in Rivers and environs. Captain Eli Lazarus, the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, presented the suspects to newsmen on Friday. He said that one suspect, used the army uniform for illegal bunkering, while others impersonated military personnel to defraud unsuspecting individuals and companies. Lazarus listed the suspects as Abba Ibrahim, 40; Lucky Nyeke, 32; Abba Mohammed, 25; Godwin Okeke, 25; Tijjani Kano, 29; John Inuwa, 29 and Gabriel Ameh, 44. “On June 1, troops from 2 Brigade arrested one Abba Ibrahim 40, along Bodo in Gokana while fully dressed in military camouflage uniform with the badge of rank of Captain. “Ibrahim was sighted alone by our men, who became suspicious and when questioned could not provide answers satisfactorily. “The suspect revealed

Senator Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment The Federal Government on Friday directed banks, insurance and financial institutions to suspend the on-going retrenchment in the sector. This is contained in a statement signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, and made available to newsmen in Abuja. “Following spate of petitions and complaints from stakeholders in the banking, insurance and financial institutions, I hereby direct the suspension of the on-going retrenchment pending the outcome of the conciliatory meetings in the industry. “This is as a result of the apprehension by my office of the various disputes in the sector in accordance and in compliance with the provisions of the labour laws of Nigeria,’’ it said. The statement said that the decision was further predicated on the fact that the continued retrenchment and redundancy by the sector were jeopardising the outcome of the reconciliatory and mediatory processes undertaken by the ministr

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State Jethro Ibileke/Benin‎: No fewer than 95 part-time students of the Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, who were arrested during a violent protest at the institution, have been remanded in prison custody.‎ The part-time students who were protesting against the school’s policy of no school fees, no examination, introduced by the Acting Rector of the institution, Jimoh Bramah, were accused of destroying properties worth millions of naira. Items destroyed by the rampaging students include vehicles and school buildings. Edo State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, who visited the institution on Friday to ascertain the level of damage, confirmed the arraignment of the students in court, adding that the court remanded them in prison custody till 29 June. He described the incident as unfortunate, stressing that the school library and computer laboratory were vandalized with impunity. The police boss ‎vowed to arrest other students involved in the wanton des

The new Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Bayo Onanuga, has reiterated his resolve to make the agency to report from the Nigerian and African perspectives. Addressing members of staff of the agency in Lagos, Onanuga said he would ensure that the vision and mission of the founders of the agency were realised. “Part of my mission here is to restore NAN to what it used to be in 1976. “We have deviated a lot from the vision and mission of those who founded NAN. “NAN was founded because our government and the entire Africa found out that reports were being written from the jaundiced views of those we called imperialists at that time and their news organs,’’ Onanuga stated. The MD, however, said the task of strengthening the agency was not his alone. He, therefore, urged members of staff to give him the kind of support he would need to move the agency forward. Onanuga said he was aware of the many challenges facing the organisation and promised to do his best to addr

More than 13,000 foreigners are being held in British prisons, the House of Common Home Affairs Committee said in a report on Friday. The report stated that the continued failure of Britain’s internal affairs department, the Home Office, to remove Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) remaining in British prisons and communities, was undermining confidence in the immigration system. “Progress is too slow and the number of FNOs still in the UK is at over 13,000, the size of a small town,” with many being housed in prisons at great expense. “The Home Office must immediately set out the practical steps which it will take to “significantly” reduce this figure or see the committee set its own targets to be monitored in future quarterly reports. “Of the 13,000, there are 5,789 FNOs living in various local communities, with over half of them held for more than two years.” According to the report, the Home Office must set out how many of these they have decided can remain in the UK, and how m

Swazi police were on Friday accused of dumping a seriously-injured popular Swazi magician on the street and left to die. Eyewitnesses said that the magician was dumped by two police officers in the middle of a Mbabane township road in the early hours of Wednesday, and left to die. Mduduzi Gama was later pronounced dead at the scene by medical authorities. “While he was on the ground, he was screaming and asking to be helped up. I was worried that he would get cold and that he would be hit by passing cars so I asked some men to move him to the other side of the road,” said a woman vendor quoted by the Swazi media. The incident occurred shortly before 5 a.m. Witnesses saw two uniformed male police officers remove Gama from a police van. One of the officers reportedly told Gama that this was his stop. Witnesses who then came to assist Gama described seeing a bloody head wound. “The police left him in a sleeping position, but he on several occasions attempted to sit up but failed. It

The bodies of at least 104 migrants have washed up on a beach in the western Libyan town of Zwara, the navy said Friday, warning however that the toll could rise. “The number of bodies retrieved Thursday evening was 104 but the toll is expected to rise since an average boat carries 115-125 passengers,” Libyan navy spokesman Colonel Ayoub Qassem said. People smugglers have exploited the chaos gripping Libya since the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi to traffic migrants across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. It is a lucrative business for the smugglers who cram migrants into boats that are small and unsafe for the perilous journey to Italy just 300 kilometres (190 miles) from Libya’s shores. Thousands of migrants try each year to make the crossing, but many drown when their boats founder. Qassem said that migrant boats leaving from western Libya usually set off from the port cities of Sabratha and Zwara, with passengers who are mostly African or Arabs from Moro

The Chief Imam of Area 10 Juma’ah Mosque, Sheik Yahya Al-Yolawi, has urged Muslim faithful across the globe to exhibit good moral behaviour before, during and after the month of Ramadan. Al-Yolawi gave the advice while delivering his Juma’ah sermon titled, “Guiding Rules of Ramadan Fast,’’ on Friday in Abuja. According to the cleric, Ramadan is a month that provides Muslims with a “sense of happiness and spiritual upliftment in which Allah grants his servants the ability to change”. Furthermore, he said that Ramadan is a month of divine mercy and forgiveness and a period when Muslims are no longer influenced by the devil. He encouraged Muslims to observe their fasting with passion and a high level of sincerity and commitment to Allah. Al-Yolawi also advised Muslims to shun destructive sins capable of harming their fast. “Unfortunately, these sins are now becoming a habit within most of the communities and are not viewed as something bad in many of our gatherings. “These sinful a

Omoni Oboli, Adesua Etomi, Linda Ejiofor and Chioma Onyenwe are four strong women who have put in their best into their art and they are the beauties gracing the cover of this week’s edition of Vanguard Allure Magazine. These women have done greatly in some of their amazing roles like we have Omoni’s electrifying performance in “Fifty”, Adesua in “Falling”, Chioma Onyenwe for steering the ship in her directorial debut “8 bars and a clef’ starring Linda Ejiofor. These women have undoubtedly shown serious passion, drive and tenacity, and they let their guard down on the cover of this week’s Vanguard Allure with Allure’s Yemisi Suleiman to discuss and open up on what it took to get to where they are today. See photos from their spread below.  

President Francois Hollande of France Representatives from 30 countries were on Friday meeting in Paris to begin talks on pursuing peace in the Middle East, without the Israelis and Palestinians in attendance. French Foreign Ministry said the goal was simply to begin a process that would bring everyone back to the table by the end of the year. It said that the French-led negotiations were an attempt to build support for conditions that would eventually bring the sides together, a little more than two years after the last bid to broker a long-lasting truce collapsed. Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, who travelled recently to meet with Netanyahu and Palestinian leaders, has said the deteriorating security situation puts the prospect of peace further at risk. He said “two states, that’s the goal, a state of Israel that lives in absolute security and a state of Palestine. “At the moment, this perspective gets dimmer every day and without peace in Israel and Palestinian there wou

Governor Umaru Al-Makura of Nasarawa State Medical doctors in Nasarawa State have embarked on an indefinite strike action over salaries. Dr Friday Omolei, Chairman of the state chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and Secretary, Dr Peter Attah said at a news briefing on Friday in Lafia. The doctors said that the strike was due to alleged government failure to correct their salaries in tandem with the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS). The association had issued a one-week strike notice to the state government on May 26. Omolei said the association took the “painful” decision, as the government had failed to respond to the doctors demand since 2014. The chairman said that the association was open to dialogue, but would not return to work until its demands are met. “From January 2016 till date, there has been mass exodus of doctors from the employment of Nasarawa state government due to poor remuneration and high tax regime. “So far, 43 doctors have le

The Kogi Government says it is intensifying efforts to eradicate the scourge of malaria in the state. The State Director, Malaria Elimination Programme, Ministry of Health, Dr. Hussein Akor, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday. Akor said the state government has continued to distribute treated mosquito nets to residents to reduce the disease. He added that drugs worth thousands of Naira have also been made available for the treatment of people infected with malaria. The director said that the state government would continue to give critical attention to the effect of the malaria disease in the state. He maintained that government would not rest on its oars until the disease was completely eradicated. Akor called on residents to keep their environment clean, noting that drainages should be opened to avoid stagnant water which breeds mosquitoes within the localities. He explained that malaria was prevalent in the state because of people’s fail

Two fighter jets belonging to U.S. Military Aerial Performance Units crashed in separate locations Thursday, killing one of the pilots. The death was confirmed by the U.S. Navy after a F/A-18 jet belonging to its Blue Angel Aerial Show Unit crashed after taking off for a practice flight near Smyrna, Tennessee. “The other five Blue Angel jets were not involved in the incident and landed safely moments later,” the Navy said in a statement. It said that the team was preparing for the Great Tennessee Air Show set to take place at the weekend. The statement added that the other crash involved a U.S. Air Force fighter jet belonging to the Thunderbirds Aerial Performance Unit. It said that the incident occurred in Colorado after the jet participated in a flyover at a graduation ceremony at which President Barack Obama spoke. The pilot of the fighter jet ejected safely, the Air Force said on Twitter. He had saluted Obama and shaken his hand before taking off to perform at the Air Force

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has assured international and potential investors that Nigeria remains a sure haven for ICT investors with over 107 per cent teledensity for voice segment of telecommunications services already achieved. According to NCC quarterly magazine, Prof. Umar Danbatta, the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC gave this assurance during a panel discussion in Spain. Danbatta assured the international community that the NCC’s eight-point agenda had been carefully packaged to cushion all aspects of investments, especially “as we move to the next frontier of ICT revolution broadband for Internet connectivity.’’ He said that NCC would keep fate with the National Broadband Plan, adding that in line with this, the country now had seven zones and each zone would have one operator which would deploy broadband services to every part of that zone. “So far, two infrastructure licenses have been issued for Lagos and North Central Zones, including the Federal Capita

Governor Muhammad Badaru of Jigawa State expressed shock over his passing Governor Muhammad Badaru of Jigawa on Friday commenced distribution of 827 tonnes of grains worth N350 million to residents of the state ahead of the Ramadan fast. Badaru said at the flag-off ceremony in Dutse that the gesture was to alleviate the hardship faced by residents in getting food during the holy month. The governor said 300 tonnes of maize and 527 tonnes of guinea corn would be distributed to people in every nook and cranny of the state. According to him, he purchased the items to be shared to people, not only to ease economic hardship, but also to bring down the prices of the commodities in the market. “This step we have taken will bring down the prices of the products and enable people to get them cheaper,’’ Badaru said. The governor urged the committee mandated to distribute the items to ensure that residents of the state, irrespective of their political affiliations, benefit from the distrib

Gov. Muhammadu Jibrilla of Adamawa has directed local government council chairmen in the state to account for the salaries of their workers. The governor also asked the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Gazali Mohammed, to investigate four acting local government council chairmen over alleged misappropriation of money meant for workers salaries. Jibrilla gave the directive on Friday after an emergency meeting with the acting chairmen of the 21 local government council of the state over the problem of salaries. The affected local governments are Lamurde, Jada, Shelleng and Demsa. The governor said that his administration hinged on transparency and accountability, adding that public funds must be adequately accounted for. He flayed the attitude of using staff salaries for other purposes, warning the councils to desist from unauthorised expenditures. “I must emphasise on accountability and transparency because this is a change administration. “Our change should not be by mere

A photo grab taken from a video made available by the Guardia costiera, Italy’s coast guard organization on December 28, 2014 Greek rescuers pulled 250 people from the Mediterranean and were searching for more survivors on Friday after a boat with hundreds of migrants capsized south of Crete. “We have rescued 250 people so far and are searching for more migrants in the sea,” Greek Coastguard spokesman NIkolaos Lanadianos told state TV. The boat – its origin not immediately clear and carrying migrants of undetermined nationality – capsized 75 miles south of Crete in the central Mediterranean.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said diplomatic shuttles by the Minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, helped in the appointment of Mr Mohammed Barkindo as the new Secretary General of OPEC. This is contained in a statement signed by Malam Garba Deen Muhammad, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, on Friday in Abuja. “After months of shuttle diplomacy anchored by Dr Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria’s quest to clinch the top job at OPEC yielded dividend on Thursday with the appointment of Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo as the Secretary General of the Organisation,” it said. It also commended the effort and support of President Muhammadu Buhari for his support in ensuring that Nigeria got the position. The statement said Barkindo was expected to occupy the position for three years in the first instance with effect from Aug. 1. It appreciated the outgoing Secretary General, His Excellency Abdalla Salem El-Badri, for his leadership of

Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara casts his ballot in Cocody, a district of Abidjan, on October 25, 2015 AFP The process of writing a new Constitution in Cote d’Ivoire has begun with the formation of a committee of experts by President Alassane Ouattara. A statement from the presidency in Abidjan on Thursday said the 10 experts would come up with proposals on the new constitution. The president is expected to hold talks with the opposition, community leaders and civil society actors whose contributions would be captured in the new document. Report says rewriting of the new constitution was one of the campaign pledges by Ouattara who was re-elected in October 2015 for his second term. “We need a new constitution which should guarantee the equality of all, national cohesion and stability of our institutions’’, he declared then. A referendum would be organised so that all Cote d’Ivoire citizens could have a say on the new constitution.

Governor Seriake Dickson The Bayelsa Police Command has apprehended three out of the six suspects that allegedly abducted Mrs Seighe Samson, younger sister of a member of the House of Representatives. The suspects on Tuesday abducted Samson, younger sister to Mr Henry Offongo, the member representing Southern Ijaw Federal Constituency of Bayelsa. DSP Asinim Butswat, Bayelsa Police Command Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria. “We are aware of the abduction and three suspects have been arrested in connection with the abduction. “I would not like to mention their names because investigation was still ongoing”, Butswat said. It was gathered on Thursday that the victim was kidnapped at about 11p.m. on Tuesday from her home in Igbomotoru, Southern Ijaw. She is said to be in her late 30s and has six children. The suspected kidnappers, numbering about six, reportedly stormed the coastal community in a speed boat, and made straight to the hous

FIFA denied on Friday reports in German media that president Gianni Infantino was under investigation for a possible ethics violation. Die Welt newspaper reported that Infantino had improperly ordered the destruction of the minutes of a FIFA executive committee meeting held at last month’s congress in Mexico city. According to the paper, FIFA’s independent ethics committee was looking at the issue and could impose a 90-day ban on the new president if the allegation was confirmed. But a spokesman for the ethics committee’s investigatory arm, Roman Geiser told AFP that “there are no formal proceedings going on against Mr. Infantino”. FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer, in a separate statement emailed to AFP, said the allegations were baseless. “The email exchange that makes mention of the deletion of audio files refers to a copy of the original audio file of the meeting that was improperly stored on a local drive,” she said. “This mention does not refer to the officially archived audio

Reports reaching us has it that no fewer than nine persons have been confirmed dead after an 18-seater commercial bus rammed into a truck in the Fadeyi area of Lagos‎. The accident which happened at about 5.30am on Friday left 10 others with varying degrees of injuries rushed by emergency officials to the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Centre in the Tollgate area for treatments. Men of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Emergency Agency,  Nigeria Police Force and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority were on the ground to clear the wreckage. Michael Akindele, LASEMA General Manager‎ speaking on the accident said it was caused by the over speeding commercial bus, who swerved and rammed into the path of the truck. He said, “The agency received an emergency alert of an accident involving two vehicles at Fadeyi Bus stop around 5.45am this morning. This prompted immediate activation of the Emergency Response Plan.‎ Total number of nine people lost their lives in the inci

Three soldiers and four civilians were among the seven persons killed, Wednesday evening by a militant group suspected to be members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), when the gang attacked a houseboat between Omadino and Ifiekporo, Warri South Local Government Area, of Delta State. According to The Sun, the attack recorded the first set of casualties in the renewed hostilities in Delta creeks which have in turn raised tension and apprehension in the area. The three soldiers, according to reports were on guard at oil installations when they were attacked. The four civilians who died in the attack, two males and two females were domestic staff contracted to oversee the welfare of the soldiers. The Commanding Officer (CO) 3 Battalion Effurun Barracks, Major Monday Anzaku, when contacted on his mobile phone promised to call back but has not. However, an inside military source, who spoke in animosity, confirmed the attack. He said two soldiers and five civilians were killed while seve

Prof Wole Soyinka Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, has described a paid advertisement published by the EKO Foundation in the Punch of 2 June 2016 that the Soyinkas had no family house in Lagos, as ”a statement born of ignorance.” ”Worse still, the critics said that Wole Soyinka does not know the “sounds and sights” of Lagos. Soyinka dismissed this as “a sweeping claim with no deductive basis,” adding that he grew up not only with the sounds and sights, but also the smells of Lagos. “I smelt Lagos at its most rancid when my father was building the family house at Ebute Metta, on Franklin Street, which was then nothing but swampland, occupied by overfed mosquitoes and mudskippers. Even after completion, we continued to fish out mudskippers and sprats from the living room anytime it was flooded – which was every rainy season. In short, my family was one of the pioneer developers of that former swampland, now a flourishing sector of Yaba/Ebute Metta. By the way, at that time, my

Cristiano Ronaldo has once again proved he has a large heart Cristiano Ronaldo has proved his heart is as big as his medal cabinet – by handing his Champions League bonus of nearly £500,000 to charity. Spanish journalist Pipi Estrada revealed that, before last week’s final, the Real Madrid superstar “had spoken with (agent) Jorge Mendes and asked him to take charge of distributing the money to the needy”. Three-time world player of the year Ronaldo sparked doubts over his fitness with a muted display in the showpiece against Atletico Madrid in Milan, although he fired the penalty shootout winner. But any short-term criticism he receives might be overshadowed by the long-term good his donation of 600,000 Euros (£463,000) will do. Ronaldo – Portugal’s main hope at Euro 2016 – winded down after the final with a holiday on a yacht in Ibiza with friends. And he provoked more mixed reaction when Wolfsburg star Bruno Henrique disclosed how the former Manchester United flier spent much

Members of ACOMORAN, Ogun State, at the seminar Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta: Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun has commended the state chapter of the Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners & Riders Association of Nigeria, ACOMORAN, for remitting taxes of members to the government and managing the environment. The governor gave this commendation while declaring open this year’s ACOMORAN Day in Abeokuta. Speaking at a seminar organized by the association entitled ‘Building capacity in the transportation sector: Panacea for economic downturn. A case study of commercial motorcycling,’ Amosun described governance as a collective assignment, which requires the input of all and sundry. Represented by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Surajudeen Ishola Adekunbi, the governor lauded the association for supporting government in the area of creating job opportunities for the teeming youths in the state. ”Today’s programme, being a seminar aimed at educating and re-orientatin

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has fixed June 7, 8 and 9 for the continuation of the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on the alleged false declaration of assets. In a statement signed yesterday by the Head, Press and Public Relations, CCT, Ibraheem Al-hassan, the Chairman of the Tribunal, Danladi Umar, yesterday fixed the dates for the continuation of the cross-examination of the Principal Witness 1 (PW1), Mr. Michael Wetkas. According to reports by The Guardian, the statement stated that the decision for the adjournment to the new dates was sequel to the abruptly written request from the lead prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), stating that his PWI, Mr. Wetkas, was scheduled to testify before the Federal High Court, Abuja, the same date (June 1). “The letter, which was captioned; Charge No: CCT/ABJ/01/2015 Federal Republic of Nigeria V Dr. Olubukola Saraki Request For Adjournment and addressed to the Registrar of CCT, was dated June 1 and signed by Rotimi Jac

Pep Guardiola hopes to continue signing spree Manchester City’s signing of 25-year-old Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is the start of a summer spree in which new manager Pep Guardiola could spend £250m. (Daily Mirror) City are ready to pay a £39m release clause to sign 22-year-old French defender Aymeric Laporte from Spanish club Athletic Bilbao. (Guardian) Guardiola wants to sign another six players, with Real Madrid’s 26-year-old midfielder Toni Kroos and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, 23, also among his targets. (Manchester Evening News) Manchester United have made a British transfer record bid of £60m for French midfielder Pogba, who left Old Trafford for Juve in 2012. (Sun) French champions Paris St-Germain are prepared to pay £46m for Liverpool’s 23-year-old attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho. (Le10 Sport via Daily Star) The French champions have spoken to Coutinho’s representatives but Liverpool have not received a firm offer. (Liverpool Echo) Everton want the

Ibrahim Magu, the acting EFCC chairman The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Mustapha Magu has vowed to ensure that there is transparency and accountability in the use of the resources meant for internally displaced persons in Maiduguri, Borno State and elsewhere in the country. He made the declaration in Maiduguri while speaking at the newly reopened Zonal office of the Commission. The EFCC boss expressed worry about complaints of corruption in IDP camps, coming from international humanitarian organizations and other civil society organizations that are helping the distressed victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in the city and beyond. “We want to be sure that there is transparency, accountability and judicious use of the money allocated to Internally Displaced Persons in Maiduguri and elsewhere. “What we are doing is gathering intelligence but the culprits behind the sufferings in the IDP camps will be invited sooner or later by the EFCC,”

Boxing great Muhammad Ali is being treated in a hospital for a respiratory issue, a spokesman for the former world heavyweight champion has confirmed. Ali, 74, is being treated by doctors as a precaution and is described as being in a “fair condition”. A brief hospital stay is expected. Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1984, after quitting boxing. The three-time world champion was last hospitalised in January 2015 following a severe urinary tract infection. A family spokesman confirmed Ali’s condition to the Associated Press but did not divulge which hospital was treating him or when he was admitted.

Gunmen in Niger Delta The Niger Delta Avengers in the early hours of Friday claimed responsibility for another catastrophic attack on an oil facility owned by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SDPC) in Delta State, saying it had issued a prior warning to the oil giant to desist from carrying out any repair activities in the area, PREMIUM TIMES reports. “At 3:00 am today @NDAvengers blow (sic) up the SPDC Forcados 48″ export line. We warned SPDC not to go ahead with repair works but they refused.” The attack followed a series of bombings that rocked Chevron, Agip and NNPC oil and gas installations across the Niger Delta in the last few days. Last night, the group made a similar claim on its favourite communication platform, Twitter, saying it blew up “Ogboinbiri to Tebidaba and Clough Creek to Tebidaba crude oil pipelines in Bayelsa State,” as part of its campaign to cripple Nigeria’s oil production. On Wednesday, the Avengers said it was responsible for the destruction of Chev

Golden State backup guard Shaun Livingston outscored MVP teammate Stephen Curry by nine points in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. PHOTO: THEARON W. HENDERSON/GETTY IMAGES The Golden State Warriors are almost exactly the same team as the one that won last year’s NBA championship. They have the same starting lineup, the same superstar player and the same way of demoralizing the rest of the NBA with their devastating onslaught of 3-point shooting. It was for all those reasons that the Warriors were better this season than last season—and maybe even the best NBA team ever. But it was for none of those reasons that the Warriors now have a 1-0 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. It turns out there is another collection of players who are mostly the same as last year’s Golden State title team: the ones who begin the game on the bench. Their offensive style isn’t as seductive as Stephen Curry’s. The way they play almost seems blasphemous for a team that was built around

Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai The 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Benin, has confirmed Wednesday attack on military houseboat in Ejere community in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta. Capt. Jonah Unuakhalu, Assistant Director, Public Relations Unit of the Brigade, made the confirmation in a press statement issued on Thursday to newsmen in Warri. He said that six persons died in the attack. Unuakhalu said that suspected militants attacked the houseboat with five speed boats mounted with 250 horse power outboard engines and disguised as normal commuters. According to him, at about 5.50 p.m. on June 1, 2016, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) Houseboat deployed at Ejere junction in Warri South Local Government Area was attacked by suspected armed militants group. “During the deliberate attack, two soldiers were killed, one wounded, one soldier missing while four civilian staff attached to the houseboat were shot dead. “The attack occurred when

Solomon Arase, Inspector General of Police The Police Service Commission (PSC) on Thursday said it shortlisted 338,227 applicants out of the 911,438 that applied for recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force. The Chairman of the Commission, Mr Mike Okiro, who disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja, said screening of successful applicants would begin on June 6 in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Okiro explained that 44,661 were shortlisted for cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), 87,736 for cadet Inspector and 205,830 for Police Constables. He said: “I would like to emphasise that the initial shortlisting of applicants was done electronically. “Invitation letters were also sent to successful applicants through SMS and to their personal email addresses.” He, however, warned applicants against fake letters from criminal elements, stressing that “the invitation states the date for each person’s screening and venue of the screening.

Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives The House of Representatives on Thursday de-listed petroleum products from list of commodities being regulated by Federal Government as enshrined in the Price Control Act. The House took the decision after considering the recommendations of its committee, which studied the bill to amend the Price Control Act, to provide for concessions and waivers, stiffer penalties and to enforce implementation. The bill sponsored by Rep. Gabriel Onyeama (APGA Anambra) seeks to amend “the first ‎schedule of the principal Act” by deleting the existing list and substituting it with a new list in the schedule”. Based on the recommendations by the committee of the whole house at plenary, 14 commodities were approved under the new price control legislation. The commodities are bicycles and spare parts, flour, matches, milk, motorcycles and spare parts, motor vehicles and spare parts, salt, sugar, rice, grains, cereals, electrical/electronic equipment,

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on Thursday swore in the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Usman Alhaji and six permanent secretaries. The permanent secretaries are Baba Dantiye, former Director-General Media to the Governor, Malam Danlami Garba, Malam Aminu Garba, Hajiya Sa’adatu Saidu, Alhaji Aliyu Sani and Hajiya Bilkisu Waziri. The governor described Usman as a thorough-bred civil servant, politician and educationist, adding that the appointment marked a further demonstration of the task of repositioning and fine tuning the state. The governor charged them to be dedicated to duty. Ganduje also advised them to not to allow their personal ambition to override the interest of the state in order to achieve better results.

Professor Ojerinde, JAMB Registrar The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and tertiary education stakeholders on Thursday in Abuja adopted 180 as the cut-off mark for 2016 admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. The decision was reached at the 2016 Combined Policy Meeting on Admissions to Degree, Nigerian Certificate of Education (NCE) and National Diploma (ND) chaired by the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu. In his opening remark, Adamu said that if there was confidence in JAMB’s conduct of the University Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME), there should be no need for post-UTME. The post-UTME is organised by various tertiary institutions to screen candidates who applied to such institutions and who had scaled through JAMB’s UTME. “If the universities have problem with what JAMB is doing, they should come forward with it and we will address it. “JAMB is one of the most active parastatals in the ministry; I expect that pol