Global Naija Info

L-R: Friday Dominion, Roland Ode, Desmond Ozo and Innocent Lucky Desmond Ozo, a 32-year-old kidnap suspect, on Thursday narrated to journalists how his gang kidnapped a middle-aged woman (names withheld) and also raped her serially. Ozo who was arrested alongside three other members of his gang, namely, Innocent Lucky (27), Roland Ode (22) and Friday Dominion (26), kidnapped their victim in Benin. He said the gang also raped their victim after collecting N2 million ransom from her relations. “We slept with her several times before we released her. We also collected N2 million ransom. When asked if he used condom while raping their victim, Ozo said, “I did not use condom when sleeping with her.” Luck ran out on them when they were arrested by operatives of Edo State Police Command on new year day. Narrating how they were arrested, one of the gang members, Innocent Lucky, said the four of them were driving in their car along Sapele Road, when policemen on patrol stopped them. Th

Riyad Mahrez Leicester City midfielder and Algeria international, Riyad Mahrez has been named the 2016 African best player of the year award as he beat Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who plied his trade for Dortmund to the first position. Mahrez thanked all for the award. Deails later…

Barack Obama Outgoing U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday published a letter to the American people, outlining his proudest accomplishments and biggest regrets from his eight years in office. Obama’s letter entitled: ‘Cabinet Exit Memos: Our Record of Progress and the Work Ahead’ was obtained by the Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York. The two-term president in the letter, bid Americans a long goodbye, proudly sold his record and sharing his regrets in his farewell letter. The letter was accompanied by 27 individual “exit memos” from top Cabinet and other administration officials. The U.S. Department of State had earlier released the memo from Secretary of State John Kerry entitled: ‘Exit Memo From Secretary Kerry to President Obama’. Obama, in the letter, again, chronicled the challenges America and Americans faced when he was inaugurated on January 20, 2009. “Eight years later, an economy that was shrinking at more than eight per cent is now grow

Buhari The Presidency has reassured that the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the seat of Power, is safe and well secured to all citizens and foreigners alike. Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, gave the reassurance in a statement he issued in Abuja on Thursday. He explained that the security official involved in the incident was not attached to the Presidential Villa but a visitor, who was at the State House on the fateful day, in respect of an ongoing investigation into a certain case. He said the security operative and a lady, who sustained injuries as a result of the accident, had been medically treated and discharged from a medical centre in Abuja. The statement read: “Following an incident involving the accidental gun discharge in the State House on Wednesday, the Presidency wishes to reassure all Nigerians and foreigners of the safety of the seat of power in the country. “According to the reports received so far, the securit

Peace Corps of Nigeria Thousands of unemployed youth in Ogun on Thursday struggled to get the registration form of the Peace Corps of Nigeria at Asero Housing Estate, Abeokuta. The bill to establish the Nigerian Peace Corps is awaiting the Presidential assent. The exercise which was being carried out by the command to screen intending cadets on medical, fitness, mental alertness, educational standard among others was led by the Commandant of the Corps, Patriot Olalekan Yusuff. The screening was a preliminary exercise before the one month intensive training of the corps, which would qualify the successful cadets to be officers of the Peace Corps of Nigeria. Addressing the applicants, Yusuff said the corps was a dignify profession and would not recruit anybody with criminal records. He also admonished those who were screened out based on health reasons and pregnancy not to see the corps as being discriminatory but to commend it for being safety conscious. He noted that the one mo

President Muhammadu Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security agencies to take decisive measures to bring an end to the recurring acts of violence and destruction in the southern part of Kaduna State. This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu. Shehu said that already, on the directive of President Buhari, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, was in Southern Kaduna on Saturday and Sunday to assess the situation. He said that in addition to the conventional policemen deployed to the area, a squadron of mobile policemen had now been stationed there to ensure law and order. According to the Presidential aide, Nigerian army is also in the process of setting up two battalions in Southern Kaduna, while the military continues to carry out air surveillance across flash points of the area. “President Buhari has equally directed the National Emergency Management

The new President Muhammadu Buhari has welcomed the recovery of another Chibok school girl, Rakiya Abubakar, in the Alagarno area of Damboa Local Government Area of Borno. Buhari made his feelings known in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Thursday. He noted that the recovery had raised renewed hope that the other captured girls would one day be reunited with their families, friends and community. The president also commended the military for the diligent investigation which led to the recovery of Rakiya and urged them to continue in the spirit with which they cleared the Sambisa Forest of terrorists. Buhari assured that the Nigerian Government would continue to do all within its powers to assist the military in locating the rest of the girls and eradicating the menace of terrorism in Nigeria. With the recovery of Rakiya Abubakar, the rescued Chibok girls, in the last four months, are now 23. It would be recalled that

The traders arrested The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force ) has concluded arrangement to charge 71 arrested street traders and miscreants to the Lagos State Environmental courts for immediate prosecution. A statement from the taskforce said the operatives of the agency carried out an enforcement exercise to dislodge traders from hawking, selling and displaying wares on road setbacks/walkways in order to protects their lives and pave ways for the free-flow of traffic on Ketu axis to Ikorodu roundabout. Those arrested included 33 miscreants and 38 traders. The traders were majorly women who hawked or displayed wares on road setbacks/walkways thereby causing obstructions to free-flow of traffic from Ketu to Ikorodu roundabout. Other 33 arrested miscreants are those who specialise in terrorising people living around Ketu, Owode-Elede, Ajelogo, Alapere and Mile 12, including those collecting illegal fees from motorists. The enforcement exerci

Fola Adeyemi By Fola Adeyemi In contrast to Napoleon Bonaparte, who once said that “the best way to keep one’s word is not to give it”, an uncompromising penchant for keeping his word has become the trade mark of Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode. One of his campaign promises was to ensure that Lagos becomes the tourism and entertainment hub of Africa. This he hopes to achieve through T.H.E.S.E. which is an acronym for Tourism, Hospitality, Entertainment and Sporting Excellence. With the current economic downturns in the country, the pursuit of T.H.E.S.E. has become an urgent necessity. Hence, Governor Ambode has left no one in doubt about his resolve to grow the Lagos economy and empower the youth through several alternative means which include the tactical promotion of tourism, entertainment and sports. Consequently, Lagos has played host to a number of A rated entertainment events. One of such is an evening of Jazz which the Governor hosted in commemoration of 2016 Int

Among the 3D printers and robots at CES 2017, there are several gadgets and wearables made for athletes and sports fans alike. from Latest News http://on.si.com/2hVJkGI via IFTTT

Get to know Sarah Stage in her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2017 Casting Call.  from Latest News http://on.si.com/2hVGema via IFTTT

Malaria A malaria vaccine that uses a weakened form of the parasite has passed a “critical milestone” in human safety trials, say researchers. Doctors used a genetically modified form of malaria that was unable to cause a full infection in people. Trials, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggested it was safe and generated a good immune response. Tropical disease experts described the findings as “promising”. The malaria parasite goes through multiple stages both in mosquitoes and inside the human body. The team at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research, in Seattle, deleted three genes from the parasite so it could not infect liver cells. The idea is that “infecting” people with the weakened parasite will expose the immune system to malaria, but the parasite will not be able to complete its lifecycle to cause disease. Ten people took part in the safety trials. No-one went on to develop the disease and there were no severe side-effects to the treatme

The found Chibok girl and her baby Army spokesman, Brigadier General Sani Usman says another Chibok schoolgirl has been found, one of the 219 stolen by Boko Haram insurgents on 14 April 2014. She was identified as Rakiya Abubakar. She has a six month old baby. She is the 23rd to be recovered so far, since the Buhari administration came into office. She was discovered by troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, in Maiduguri, during investigation of arrested suspected Boko Haram terrorists Usman, the Director, Army Public Relations, on Thursday in Abuja, said in a statement that preliminary investigation discovered that “she is the daughter of Abubakar Gali Mulima and Habiba Abubakar of Chibok”. ” She further stated that she was a student of Senior Secondary School Class 3B (SS 3B), before her abduction along with her colleagues on April 14, 2014 by the Boko Haram terrorists. “Rakiya Abubakar is presently undergoing further medical investigation and would soon be released to the Borno Go

L-R: Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare , Permanent Secretary, Engr Adeyemi Saliu, Sole Administrator Igando-Ikotun LCDA, Pastor Ojo Samuel and Special Adviser to the Governor on the Environment, Mr Babatunde Hunpe at the sanitation inspection tour to Egbe Idimu and Igando-Ikotun LCDAs on Thursday. The Lagos State Government has vowed to sanction traders who dumped their refuse indiscriminately on roads or setbacks in the state. Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare made this vow on Thursday during an inspection tour of Egbe-Idimu and Igando-Ikotun LCDAs to monitor the evacuation of refuse from the streets. Adejare, who frowned at indiscriminate refuse disposal under any guise reminded Lagosians, especially market women and men who were notorious for illegally dumping refuse on the road, of government’s policy on zero tolerance to all environmental infractions. While restating government’s resolve to expeditiously apply regulatory and enforce

The five suspects The Nigerian police have arrested five suspected armed robbers in connection with December’s foiled Access Bank robbery in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, South-South Nigeria. The principal suspect and the master mind of the foiled bank attack, who is a staff of the bank, Samuel Ndudiri, 28, was arrested with the other four. Others are an ex-police sergeant, Promise Ukwuoma, Samuel Nwala, 28; Lucky Ukwuoma, 26 and Kaale Taagabah, 27. Recovered from the suspects are; two AK 47 Rifles and magazines fully loaded with ammunition, a welding machine, two gas cylinders and iron cutters, a big chisel, cutting saw, hammer and acetylene gas power. The ex-sergeant and the mastermind of the robbery attack Force Public Relations Officer, Don Awunah, in a statement on Thursday, said the suspects and others still at large, had on 22 December, 2016, stormed a branch of Access Bank PLC in Port Harcourt, relying on information and active involvement of one of the staff of the bank

Lookman Everton have completed the £11m signing of Charlton Athletic’s teenage forward Ademola Lookman. The 19-year-old joins on a four-and-a-half-year deal until June 2021. The England Under-20 international has scored seven goals in 25 games in all competitions for League One Charlton this season. Lookman said: “It feels great to be an Everton player. As soon as I heard about Everton’s interest I knew this would be the right place for me.” Charlton had hoped Everton would loan Lookman back to them for the rest of the season but he is seen as someone who could quickly play a part at Goodison Park under manager Ronald Koeman. “Everton has a big history and I was also attracted by the manager,” Lookman added. “When you look at what he did at Southampton, and what he does with young players in terms of developing them, that was a big attraction. “It was great playing in the Championship last season and for the last six months in League One but I feel like I’m ready to make the s

FUOYE No fewer than 600 students of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) in Ekiti will graduate at the maiden convocation of the university in March. The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the university, Mr Godfrey Bakji, made the disclosure on Thursday in Oye-Ekiti. Bakji said that the students were from the two sets which had so far completed their academic activities since the university’s inception in 2011. “We are hoping that our maiden convocation comes up in the first week of March, 2017, based on the ceremonial committee’s report. ” The institution has waited this far for its first convocation to enable its first set of engineering students to graduate. ” FUOYE is the first university among the eight established by the Federal Government in 2011 to commence academic programmes with faculty of engineering. Our engineering students are so dear to us,” he said. He gave the assurance that the detail of the convocation ceremony would soon be made public by the universi

Grace Mugabe Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe, is defying a court order to leave three properties she seized from a Lebanese businessman in a dispute of 1.35-million-dollar diamond ring, the businessman’s lawyer said on Thursday. Mugabe seized Ahmed Jamal’s properties after he failed to reimburse the cost of the ring, which was due to be President Robert Mugabe’s gift to her on their 20th wedding anniversary in 2016. For unknown reasons, she refused to accept the ring on delivery, and sought to get the money back. A judge in December ordered her to leave Jamal’s properties within 24 hours. “She has not made a step in complying with the provisional order issued by Justice Clement Phiri,’’ Jamal’s lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said. “We have since advised the deputy sheriff to have her evicted from the properties in line with the court’s directive,’’ she added. There has been no comment from her, who is currently accompanying her husband to China on a month-long vacation. Jamal has

Lawyers An Abuja-based legal practitioner, Mr Abiodun Ajayi, has challenged his colleagues on tutelage as means of sanitizing the legal profession. He gave the charge on Thursday in Abuja. Ajayi, who stressed the need for new and young lawyers to practice under experienced lawyers, explained that under their tutelage, the young ones could become first-rate legal officers. “This is because it is the condition whereby new lawyers will be supervised and protected by the learned ones.’’ He explained that the things taught in schools were just the theory knowledge of law and not the practice, which should be the real business. “No matter what the law study has bestowed on one at various schools, it is proper to acquire sufficient knowledge of the law practice in its totality under an experienced practising senior. “We live in a competitive world where everyone must prove his or her worth to earn a living. “No matter the improvement in legal education, without the practical knowledg

illegal structure The Jos Metropolitan Development Board is to embark on the demolition of illegal structures in Jos in the first quarter of this year. The General Manager of the board, Mr Mathias Hata, made the announcement on Thursday in Jos. He said that structures marked for demolition had been identified and that owners of such structures had been notified. Hata disclosed that among structures to be demolished were those on waterways, under high tension poles and those erected without approval. The general manager said that various notices had already been served on the owners of the structures marked for demolition. “It is now left for us to do the needful by demolishing the properties. “Some of the people wait for public holidays to start erecting illegal structure but we are aware.” Hata said that the board had set up a monitoring team to enforce compliance and to also ensure that structures marked for demolition were not spared. The manager advised residents of the

Leading Brexit campaigner, Nigel Farage said at a Trump rally in Mississippi during the U.S. presidential campaign that he will be attending the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration later this month. Farage said that he wants to be a bridge between the British government and the new U.S. administration. He said that he will attend the event as a guest of Mississippi Governor, Phil Bryant. He was the first British politician to meet the president-elect after his victory, ahead of Prime Minister Theresa May. Farage spent decades campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union and helped to force then Prime Minister David Cameron to call the June 2016 referendum that resulted in the Brexit vote. Trump has said that Farage, the former leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), would be great as Britain’s envoy to Washington, but the British government has dismissed the suggestion. Asked if he would be attending Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, Farage said

The gavel of justice A Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday granted N100,000 bail to a woman, Bukky Babalola, who allegedly inflicted injury on her neighbour’s genital organ over N100.00 debt. The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Ipaye Nwachukwu, also granted the accused two sureties in like sum. Nwachukwu ordered that one of the sureties must be a civil servant who should not be on less than Grade Level 14.‎ She said sureties should also provide evidence of tax payments and their addresses verified. ‎ Babalola, 38, who resides at No. 7, Atan St., Surulere, Lagos, pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault.‎ ‎ The Prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, had told the court that the accused committed the offence at No. 7, Atan St., Surulere, Lagos, at about 1:20 a.m. on Dec. 27, 2016. ‎ Osayande said that the accused, who resides in same compound with the complainant, Segun Atan, had sold N100.00 worth of local gin (Ogogoro) to the complainant which he refused to pay. She said when

ministry of defence Mr Musa Garba, a retiree of Ministry of Defence, Civil Personnel Unit Headquarters, 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, has lamented the non-payment of his pension for over six years. The affected staff with pension number: 1311201525111112 made the known in Zaria, Kaduna State. He said that the call was extremely necessary due to the difficulties he and members of his family had been going through ever since. Garba said that he went through series of verification exercises without any fruitful result, saying that it had been the tradition that pensioners undergo verification every two years. The complainant appealed to relevant authorities to come to his aid to ameliorate difficulties he had been going through due to lack of pension in the last five years. R“Despite attending all these rigorous exercises, yet nothing comes out of it. “ It is very sad for a person to devote his youthful agility for the service of his nation only for him to be abandoned. “I

Boko Haram members The Chairman of Kaga Local Government in Borno, Alhaji Lawal Wasaram, on Thursday, denied the claim by the Nigerian Army that it had arrested the Vice Chairman of the Council, Malam Mustapha Bukar, for alleged link with the Boko Haram sect. Wasaram made the denial in a statement in Maiduguri. He said the allegation was not only untrue but a total misinterpretation of facts. “The attention of my council has been drawn to an allegation made by the Theatre Commander, Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, during a live press briefing on Operation Rescue Final on Wednesday. “The military claimed that they had arrested my Vice Chairman, Malam Mustapha Bukar and that he is in their custody for complicity with Boko Haram. “I, therefore, stress that the report was untrue and total misinterpretation of facts. Neither my Vice Chairman nor Councillors are being investigated or detained over any criminal offence. “We, therefore, advise that the military issue a press statement to disc

Nigeria-police The police in Bayelsa on Thursday confirmed that two persons were killed on Tuesday by a gang of gunmen at the popular Swali Market in Yenagoa, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. NAN gathered that the incident occurred at about 4 p.m., causing traders and their customers to run in different directions. DSP Asinim Buswat, Police Public Relations Officer, Bayelsa Command, confirmed the incident to NAN in Yenagoa. Butswat said that “four gunmen with pistol attacked one Raymond Agada in Swali Community”. He said the hoodlums killed two persons and snatched N120,000 from one of their victims. “Policemen were quickly dispatched to the scene and the victim was rushed to the hospital, where he later died. “The culprits have been identified and efforts have been intensified to arrest them,” Butswat said. Eyewitnesses said the hoodlums operated with sophisticated weapons and other dangerous objects. One of the victims who died on the spot was said to be carrying

Magistrate-court A 35 year-old trader, Ebunoluwa Akinya, who allegedly defrauded a man of N400,000 on the pretext of selling land to him, is to remain in police custody till Jan. 10, an Okitipupa Magistrates’ Court in Ondo State ruled on Thursday. The Magistrate, Mr Banji Ayeomoni, who gave the order, directed the police to carry out necessary proper investigation in the case. The accused is facing a charge of advance free fraud to which he pleaded not guilty. Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Zedekiah Orogbemi told the court that the accused committed the offence on Sept. 10 at No. 2, Akinwunmi St. Okitipupa. According to him, the accused defrauded the complainant, Ayodele Enikanoselu, on the pretext of selling two plots of land to him along Erinje Road, Okitipupa. “The accused knew that the plots of land had been sold to someone else but still collected N400, 000 from the complainant. “He disappeared with the money until he was arrested by the police.’’ The offence contravened

A cross section of lawmakers at the national assembly The Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) has called on Nigerians to support the passage of the bill on `Not Too Young To Run’ by the National Assembly. The YIAGA Executive Director, Mr Samson Itodo, said in Abuja on Thursday that the passage would fast track eligibility of youths for elective political offices. Itodo said youths played active roles in promoting democracy and national development aside from being in the vanguard of fighting for Nigeria’s independence from the British. According to him, young men and women in civil society groups and human rights activists have remained steadfast in defending Nigeria’s hard-earned democracy. “The widely acclaimed elections that saw the ceding of power from the then ruling People’s Democratic Party to the All Progressives Party was largely serviced by the youths. “Some of them worked as electoral officials, either from the ranks of National Youth Service

A cross section of lawmakers at the national assembly A lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Jude Idimogu, on Thursday, urged the National Assembly to conclude work on the 2017 budget and pass it before the end of January. Idimogu, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) member representing Oshodi/Isolo Constituency II at the Assembly, spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. According to him, such development has become imperative in the light of the current hardship facing many Nigerians as a result of the economic recession. “I want to call on the Senate and the House of Representatives that have before them the Appropriation Bill for 2017 to hasten the passage as soon as they resume from recess. “It should be passed before the end of January. “The process should be done harmoniously in the interest of the suffering masses that are finding it difficult economically because of recession. “We need not waste time because time is running out f

Some Nigerians have said that the judiciary will be more focused in 2017, having had a very controversial 2016. Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja, Mrs Sele Aigbonoga, a lecturer, said she believed that the judiciary had learned a bitter lesson in 2016 and would not allow a repeat in 2017. “The judiciary is the one arm of government which is usually conflict-free to a large extent, but this was not the case in 2016. “We had the issue of controversial judgements and defendants refusing to be tried by certain judges whom they felt would not give them justice. “Then there was a clamp down on the judges themselves over allegations of receiving gratification. “So I am sure the judiciary now knows that the searchlight is on it and it would, therefore, do everything possible to restore the confidence of Nigerians in its ability to do justice,” Aigbonoga said. She urged Nigerians to give the judiciary the benefit of the doubt and not allow the events of

A University Don, Prof. Emmanuel Ome, on Thursday, said that 2016 was a linkage year from recession to Nigeria’s breakthrough. Ome, Head of Department of Philosophy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that “nothing good comes easy’’. “Year 2016 was a very important year in the history of our country, Nigeria. It is a transition from recession to apparent prosperity. “Nothing negative lasts long, no condition is permanent. The reality is to transform the lessons from scarcity to apparent prosperity, ‘’ he said. According to the political philosopher, 2017 will be purposeful and a happy year, because suffering will be eliminated through lessons learnt from the recession. He suggested that in line with the ongoing Change Agenda, all hands must be on deck to achieve the desired goal. “Every family should strive to produce its own food locally. When unit families are fed, the nation cannot go hungry. “Apart from unit families, the states should also

catfish A medical practitioner, Dr Arikawe Adeolu, said on Thursday in Abuja that excessive consumption of catfish could increase the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases. Adeolu, a practitioner at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, Abuja, gave the warning. He said that catfish contained omega-6 fatty acids, which could increase the level of inflammation in the body. He added that inflammation was the underlying cause of cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers and diabetes. He said that although catfish also contained omega-3 fatty acids, which had a lot of health benefits, the ratio of omega-6 was far greater than omega-3 fatty acids. Adeolu said that this made it necessary for the fish to be consumed in moderation to prevent health complications. “Catfish is rich in two fatty acids – omega-3 fatty acids and the omega-6 fatty acids. “The omega-3 fatty acids help reduce the concentration of bad cholesterol in the blood stream and increase the concentration of good ch

There is wide spread condemnation of the recent increase in price of cooking gas in Lagos. The price of cooking gas has risen by about 30 per cent in Lagos and other parts of the country. A 12.5kg cylinder, which previously sold for N3,500, now goes for N4,500 in most parts of the metropolis. Some domestic gas users disclosed that they were irked by the sudden price increase which they said was arbitrary and thoughtless. Mrs Rebecca Aleshinloye, a resident in Surulere, complained that gas sellers annually exploit users by increasing price of the product during festive periods. “I filled my cylinder with gas at N3, 500 in December, but surprisingly I was told the price has been changed to N4,500. “In annoyance, I went to a gas plant inside a filling station, thinking that it would be cheaper, but was told they me to buy at N5,000. “I had no choice, but to go back to the first gas plant to fill my cylinder. This practice of gas sellers is highly unfair to users considering the eco

Dolapo Badmos, Lagos State Police Command spokesperson The Lagos State Police Command has arrested two suspected murderers in connection with the murder of a 24-year-old stylist at Ijede. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Dolapo Badmos, said in a statement that the suspects were arrested on Jan. 4, at about 4. 05 p.m. Badmos said that their arrest followed a distress call reporting to the police that, one Ademola Olarape had been shot dead by some unknown assailants. “On Jan. 4 at about 4: 05 p.m, there was a distress call from one Sunday Olaifa of No. 11, Ijede street, Igbe Kapo. “He said that his brother, one Ademola Olarape, a stylist in a barbing saloon opposite Ijede palace was shot dead by unknown assailants. “Combined teams of operatives from Area N and I divisions swung into an action immediately. “Consequently, one Saheed Araba and Femi Omolajau were apprehended. “Among the weapons we recovered from the suspects at the scene of the crime included one loc

Funke Akindele and husband Popular Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele-Bello and husband JJC Skillz on 2nd January held their house warming party at their new home located at Amen Estate in Lagos. Present at the party were Nollywood artistes, friends and family members. Watch the event here.

FILE PHOTO: A woman rides her bicycle through the German Floods The worst flooding to hit Germany’s north-eastern coast since 2006 has caused serious damage, with weather forecasters predicting storms in other parts of the country on Thursday. Water levels along the Baltic Sea coast rose late Wednesday to between 1.5 and 1.7 metres above their normal levels before dropping to around one meter above average, according to the Maritime and Hydrography Agency. In the cities of Luebeck and Flensburg cars were carried away by the flooding and parts of Luebeck’s World Heritage-listed old town became impassable for pedestrians. “W e can’t comment yet on the extent of the damage,’’ a police spokesperson said. However, Luebeck’s famous brick gothic Holsten Gate had been spared by the floods. On the island of Usedom parts of the beach-side promenade as well as staircases and food stalls were ripped away by the flooding. “It’s no children’s birthday party,” said Achim Froitzheim, spokespe

The gavel of justice A Mararaba Upper Area Court in Nasarawa State, on Thursday remanded a 25-year-old driver, Paul Oluwa and his conductor Yahaya Danboyi, 28, in prison custody for alleged conspiracy. The area judge, Mr Ibrahim Shekarau, ordered that the duo should be remanded in Keffi prison after the accused persons denied the allegation leveled against them. Shekarau adjourned the case till Jan. 26 for hearing. The prosecutor , Cpl. Heman Donald , told the court that Abubakar Mohammed of Kerimo, FCT, Abuja, reported the matter at the ‘A’ Division Police Station, Mararaba, Nasarawa state. Donald said that while the complainant was at Mararaba junction, the two accused came to where he was standing and removed his phone valued at N45,000 out of his pocket. He explained that after that act, they both absconded to unknown destination, before they were traced and arrested. The accused persons are facing two –count charge of criminal conspiracy and theft. The prosecutor said th

Buhari More Nigerians on Thursday commended the Federal Government for recording great achievements in 2016 particularly in the area of security. They said the successes recorded in tackling insurgency, especially in the North east had restored confidence among Nigerians and prospective investors. They however called on the government to sustain the efforts and improve the economy for a better and prosperous Nigeria in 2017. Chief Charles Nwodo, the National Chairman, Progressive Action Council (PAC), urged the government to completely tackle the issue of farmers/herdsmen clashes in the New Year. “The issue is still not tackled in consonance with the expectations of Nigerians and we believe that in 2017, the government will make it a serious project to unravel the people behind the farmers/herdsmen clashes. “Government needs to bring the perpetrators of the clashes to book in order to restore complete confidence of Nigerians with regards to unity and progress of Nigeria. “Alth

The abused Chicago victim Four young men have been arrested in the Chicago over a video streamed online showing the assault of an 18-year-old man, a statement by the police said. Police announced the arrests after a video of the attack targeting the teenager with mental disabilities was streamed live on Facebook. The Chicago Police Superintendent, Eddie Johnson said that the “brazenness” of suspects’ actions in streaming the “brutal” attack on social media. In the video of the assault, two men and two women can be seen threatening, mistreating and swearing at the victim, who is tied up in a corner. “They cut part of his scalp and hair as well as his clothing with a knife. One of the attackers holds a leash tied around the victim’s neck. “Fuck Donald Trump, nigger, fuck white people,” one of the attackers says. According to the report, one of the suspects allegedly knew the victim. The police believed that the victim, who was afterwards found wandering on the street, had been

Chief Ndubue Iko, a chieftain of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to put more efforts in addressing food security in 2017. He gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), saying that the president’s increased effort would check the “worrisome” level of hunger in the country. Iko, PPA’s House of Representatives candidate in Abia 2015 general elections, said that increased agitations, crime and criminality was due to inadequate food and other challenges facing Nigerians. The chieftain also urged the President to initiate quick intervention policies that would reduce other challenges posing serious hardship to the people. “A hungry man is an angry man. When there is no food, there will be crisis, crime and agitation. The president should urgently tackle the issue of hunger in the land. “Food intervention policy is needed to address the anger in the land. “Another serious issue the President should look into is th

King Sunny Ade King Sunny Ade is to perform at this year 2017’s edition of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, Indio, California, USA. The Coachella Festival is an annual music and arts festival. Organized by Golden Voice, a subsidiary of AEG Live since 2001, the event features many genres of music including rock, indie, hip-hop, electronic dance music as well as art installations and sculptures. He is to perform alongside alongside other international artistes like Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Beyonce, Bon Iver, DJ Snake, DJ Khaled, Tory Lanes, Hans Zimmer, Radiohead and much more. This year’s edition of Coachella holds on two weekends between April 14 – April 16, 2017, and April 21 – April 23, 2017. Last year’s edition saw Nigerian trio, The Young Fathers of Liberian and Scottish origin participating at the event alongside African acts such as Black Coffee. from Entertainment – P.M. NEWS Nigeria http://bit.ly/2hUfHe1 via IFTTT

King Sunny Ade King Sunny Ade is to perform at this year 2017’s edition of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, Indio, California, USA. The Coachella Festival is an annual music and arts festival. Organized by Golden Voice, a subsidiary of AEG Live since 2001, the event features many genres of music including rock, indie, hip-hop, electronic dance music as well as art installations and sculptures. He is to perform alongside alongside other international artistes like Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Beyonce, Bon Iver, DJ Snake, DJ Khaled, Tory Lanes, Hans Zimmer, Radiohead and much more. This year’s edition of Coachella holds on two weekends between April 14 – April 16, 2017, and April 21 – April 23, 2017. Last year’s edition saw Nigerian trio, The Young Fathers of Liberian and Scottish origin participating at the event alongside African acts such as Black Coffee.

Mr Muda Yusuf, Director-General Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Thursday advised the Federal Government to stimulate investment in order to overcome the country’s current economic challenges. The LCCI Director-General, Mr Muda Yusuf, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota, Ogun. According to Yusuf, stimulating investment will help in bringing the nation out of its economic recession. “The economic recession experienced in 2016 was the consequence of internal and external factors. “The attack on oil installations by militants in the Niger Delta is the internal factor. “The external factors are, principally, the slump in oil price and other adverse developments in the global economy,” he said. Yusuf urged the Federal Government to urgently devise a framework that would ensure liquidity of the foreign exchange market to accelerate the economic recovery process in 2017. “Forex

FILE PHOTO: Fire Fire on Wednesday night gutted the depot of the Nigerian Bottling Company office on Abak Road, Uyo. Eyewitnesses told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that goods worth millions of Naira were lost in the inferno. One of the eyewitnesses, Mr Ekong Charles, told NAN that the fire started from where the pallets were packed and engulfed the entire packing zone. Charles said that it was the quick intervention of firefighters from the state Fire Service that prevented the fire from spreading to the office complex. “The fire started from where the pallets are packed and the fire service was quickly alerted to control the spread to other buildings. “In fact, it was so serious; if not for the quick intervention of the firefighters it would have consumed the entire depot. “Five trucks of firefighting vehicles were brought to put out the fire,” Charles said. The Chief Fire Officer in Akwa Ibom, Mr Ndarake Ukpe, told NAN that he had to mobilise firemen from Ik

Gbenga Ogunbote, The new head coach of Enyimba FC of Aba, Gbenga Ogunbote, on Thursday said that matching the club’s previous success under him was challenging due to the club’s daunting pedigree. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ogunbote was employed by the management of the Elephants of Aba to replace Paul Aigbogun, citing poor results. The seven times league winners, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2015, had an uninspiring campaign in the 2015/2016 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) with 12th place finish on the log. The people’s Elephants, four times champions of FA Cup 2005, 2009, 2013, 2014, also lost to Nasarawa United in semi-finals of the FA Cup in Ibadan in 2016. The two-time back to back CAF Champions League winner could not replicate their earlier competition results crashing out in the group stage, winning just one game. The management of the Aba Warlords have given Ogunbote charge to get the team back to its winning ways. Ogunbote said t

Turkey policemen Turkish Police detained, Yahya Üzdiyen, the Chief Legal Advisor and a former Chief Executive of Dogan Holding, one of the country’s biggest conglomerates, on Thursday. This happened in a probe link into the network of a U.S.-based cleric blamed for a failed coup, sending its shares tumbling. Dogan, which has interests in media, finance, energy and tourism and owns newspaper Hurriyet and broadcaster CNN Turk, said the raids were only in the personal offices and homes of the two individuals. He said that its operations were unaffected. Its shares fell as much as 9.9 percent after the market opened, although they later recovered somewhat to trade down 3.7 percent at 0.78 Turkish lira (0.22 dollars) by 7 a.m. while Hurriyet fell as much as 7.6 percent. In December, another Dogan’s executive, Barbaros Muratoglu, was remanded in custody on an accusation of “aiding a terror group” as part of an investigation into the exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and his follow

Felix Owolabi Former Green Eagles player Felix Owolabi on Thursday stressed the need for the players in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) to be of world class standard. He made the remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday. “Our leagues should take advantage of modern day technology and make it high standard. “Ours is not the problem of lack of talents, it is a problem of the absence of viable structures that should engender developmental programmes,” he said. He, however, said that it was never too late to start afresh. “We have the manpower, talents are everywhere, this should be the focus of relevant authorities, ‘he league cannot sustain itself; there is need for structures to be put in place to achieve the desired result “The only way the world sees us is through our league, so we will be doing a great disservice to the nation by not paying more attention to the league,” Owolabi said. According to him, the country’s d

NDLEA operatives The Kaduna State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), said on Thursday it had arrested 269 suspected drug traffickers and convicted 53 in the state from January to December 2016. The Commander of the agency in the state, Mr Samuel Azige, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna. Azige noted that the number of those arrested was higher in 2016 compared with the 232 arrested in 2015. He also said that 18,298.375 kilogrammes of illicit drugs were seized from the suspects during the period under review, indicating a decrease from the 23,169.596 kilogrammes seized in 2015. Azige attributed the reduction to the massive public enlightenment carried out within the year to educate the public against drug abuse. “Out of the figure, psychotropic substance constitute the highest with 16,550. 239 kilogrammes, an increase from 14, 129 kilogrammes seized in 2015, while Indian hemp decreased from 23, 285 kilogrammes

Manuel Valls Manuel Valls, who quit as Socialist Prime Minister remains the clear favourite to win the left-wing primaries later in January, an opinion poll that was published on Thursday showed. Valls resigned a month ago to prepare a campaign for this year’s presidential election. He is seen coming top in the Jan. 22 first round vote with 43 percent, ahead of second placed Arnaud Montebourg, a former Economy Minister. Montebourg who is set to win 25 per cent and third-placed Benoit Hamon on 22 percent, the report said. He would go on to win the left-wing ticket by beating either of these two opponents in a run-off second round vote on Jan. 29. This might be between 55 and 57 percent of the vote, according to the poll which is a similar outcome to other polls that was conducted in December. Opinion polls of voting intentions for the presidential election itself show Valls closely associated with the record of unpopular outgoing President Francois Hollande with little chance o