Global Naija Info

FILE PHOTO: Nigerian troops parade some arrested Boko Haram militants A total of 963 suspected Boko Haram members have been arrested in the last five days, says the Nigerian Army. The army said the suspects were arrested between 4 and 9 January, 2017. The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor, who disclosed this on Wednesday at the weekly review of the Operation Rescue Final at Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri, Borno State said on 3 January at about 1240hrs, four women and 13 children were apprehended by vigilantes at Buni Yadi and were later handed over to our troops. “Preliminary investigation revealed that the women were wives of Boko Haram terrorists who fled from Sambisa forest as a result of our operations. All suspects are in our custody undergoing investigation. “On Jan.9, a surrendered Boko Haram member was identified as a male sympathiser and spy in Monguno area: We also identified two wives of Amir (Boko Haram Commander) from the arres

Geoffrey Onyeama China is investing additional $40 billion in Nigerian economy, its Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Wang Yi, said on Wednesday at a bilateral meeting with his Nigerian counterpart, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, in Abuja. The Minister said China has already invested up to the tune of $45 billion in the Nigerian economy. “Nigeria and China are strategic partners; our relations have been developing well. China has already invested or financed a total number of $22billion projects here in Nigeria, another $23billion projects are on-going. “In addition, we are also following up another over $40billion of investments which is in the pipeline. Compare with the size, population and market of our two countries, our cooperation still have large potential to be deepened,” he said. The minister said in order to achieve further development and prosperity of the two countries, the nation need to strengthen its political, mutual trust and deep complementary between developments. According

Buhari and Saraki President Muhammadu Buhari and the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday met behind closed-door to discuss national issues. Channels television reports that after the meeting, Dr. Saraki told reporters that there was no crisis in the Senate over the removal of Senator Ali Ndume as Leader of the upper chamber. The All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus in the Senate in a letter to the Senate President on Tuesday announced the replacement of Senator Ndume with Senator Ahmed Lawan. He said the institution was bigger than every Senator. Asked to react to comments in some quarters that Senator Ndume was sacrificed, he laughed and said: “do I look like someone that does things like that?” On the purpose of his visit to the villa, Dr. Saraki said he held talks with the president to get the government going especially on the issues of budget.

court-of-law A girl, Habiba Ishaku, 18, on Wednesday dissociated herself from a suit instituted on her behalf by a foundation and the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) over her conversion to Islam. The church and the foundation went to court when the girl eloped, embraced Islam and married one Jamilu Lawal in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State. Her father, Mr Ishaku Tanko, had gone to a Katsina High Court in collaboration with Trustees of Stefanos Foundation and ECWA to challenge the action, claiming that Habiba was a minor. During the court sitting on Wednesday, the judge, Justice Baraka Iliyasu-Wali, drew the attention of the plaintiff and defence counsels to a letter addressed to the court by Habiba, disassociating herself from the suit. In the letter, Habiba also disputed the claim that she is a minor, putting her age at 18. In his submission, counsel to the plaintiff, Mr Bawa Yakubu, urged the court to disregard the letter, arguing that since it was written

Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji Deposed Baale of Olode town in Oluyole Local Government Area of Ibadan in Oyo State, Chief Lukman IIufemiloye Alao has dragged the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, to court for deposing him. In his suit, Chief Alao is equally asking the court to award him N2m general damages against the monarch for the pain, embarrassment and degradation suffered over his unlawful removal. The deposed Baale, in a motion on notice filed by his counsel, Mr. Saani Oyedele, also joined the Olubadan-in-council, Oluyole Local Government, and his successor, Mr. Dauda Odeyemi as co-defendants in the suit. Chief Alao claimed that the meeting held on 9th January 2017 by the Olubadan-in-council was not properly constituted and that it breached all principles of fair hearing as he was not given any petition written against him nor was he heard by the council ‎before the decision to remove him and instal a new Baale was taken. He prayed the court to

Lawyers The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Wednesday strongly condemned the gruesome murder of some Nigerians in Southern Kaduna, describing it as a violation of human rights of citizens living in the communities where the carnage was carried out. In a statement signed by the NBA President, Abubakah Balarabe Mahmoud, SAN, the lawyers averred that there could never be any justification for the carnage. “Recent events in Southern Kaduna leading to wide spread killings and maiming of innocent persons including women and children as well as destruction of properties. These latest unfortunate killings are only part of a series of attacks and disturbances in different parts of the country”. The NBA called on the Federal Government and Kaduna State Government to intensify efforts in bringing these killings to an end and finding a lasting solution to the crisis. The association reminded all that security of lives and property is the primary purpose of government adding, “Yet peace and

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (right), being presented with a Art frame by Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II during a courtesy visit by the Ooni of Ife at Lagos House, Ikeja, on Wednesday. The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi has charged Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State to partner with Southwest States to boost agricultural productivity in the state. Ogunwusi, who paid a visit on Ambode on Wednesday at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria said he heard of the LAKE rice, a partnership between Lagos and Kebbi State in December, saying that there was so much land in the Southwest that Lagos could leverage on to boost food security. “We can partner in the area of food security, we have land for agriculture same in Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo,” he said, while lamenting that 80 percent of all the products from those farmlands were wasted. “It is only about 20 percent that gets to Lagos State from Maiduguri. If only we can synchronize and wo

Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State Dr Agnes CALLAMARD, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, United Nations, UN, has confirmed that the body is probing recent allegations of killings of over 800 citizens mostly women, children and the elderly in Southern Kaduna by suspected herdsmen, and to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice, as well as provide reparations to victims. This followed a petition dated 30 December, 2016 and sent by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP). The development on Dr CALLAMARD’s investigation of the killings was disclosed today by SERAP’s Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni. In the communication sent to SERAP on Wednesday, Dr CALLAMARD said: “Many thanks to SERAP for your petition. I am writing to confirm that I have well received it and will review it with great attention. I will update you on follow-up interventions.” SERAP said: “We welcome the attention by the Special Rappo

Nigerian soldiers The Nigerian Army said it had recovered corpses of “one officer and 15 soldiers’’ earlier declared “Missing in Action” during an operation to dislodge the Boko Haram insurgents from Gashigar Area in Borno on Oct. 16, 2016. The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj.- Gen. Lucky Irabor, disclosed this at a weekly review of Operation Rescue Final at Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri, on Wednesday. “The corpses were recovered along Kamadugou River line area in Maiduguri. “Among the recovered corpses was that of Lt.-Col. K Yusuf, the former Commanding Officer (CO) of 223 Tank Battalion. “They have since been buried in Maimalari Cantonment Cemetery with full military honours,’’ Irabor said.

Senate The Senate, on Wednesday, unanimously rejected the Federal Government’s ban on the importation of vehicles through the land borders in the country. It described the policy as ‘anti-people and meant to further impoverish Nigerians.’ Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided, specifically urged President Muhammadu Buhari to listen to the cries of Nigerians and rescind the decision. Ekweremadu noted: “From the contributions made, it is obvious that the policy is unpopular. We are representatives of the people and the people have spoken through us that they do not want this policy. I think those in government should listen to them.” Adopting two of the three prayers, the Senate called on the Customs Service to immediately suspend further action on its policy of an outright ban on the importation of vehicles through our land borders as from 1st January, 2017. The Senate Committee on Customs and Excise was mandated to investigate the circumstances that led to the su

Mohammed Babandede, Comptroller-General of Immigration The Adamawa State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has apprehended 128 foreigners who attempted to acquire the National Identity cards. The command’s comptroller, Mr Sule Wunti, disclosed this on Wednesday in Yola while reviewing the activities of the command for 2016. Wunti said those arrested comprised of 63 Cameroonians, 31 Chadians, 27 Nigeriens and seven Malians. Wunti said that the command during the period under review processed 39 applications for Regularization of Stay. It also processed 56 applications for Combine Expatriate Resident Permit Aliens Card (CERPAC) and 92 applications for extension of visitor pass. “Due to the current border closure that affects Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, 20 aliens were repatriated and three other foreigners were refused admission. “They are a Cameroonian, Chinese and Norwegian nationals, “he said. The comptroller said that currently 17 foreigners were serving va

Marriage put asunder One Omolara Lateef, on Wednesday approached an Agodi-Ibadan Grade `C’ Customary Court, to dissolve her 15-year-old marriage to her U.S. based-husband, Lamidi Lateef. Omolara told the court that Lamidi had abandoned her and the three children of the marriage for 10 years, saying she was tired of waiting. The plaintiff, a fashion designer, also said that she had not set her eyes on Lateef since he travelled to the U.S. in 2007. According to her, Lateef made three- phone calls to her from the U.S. in 2007 after he left Nigeria. She said that then, he pleaded with her to be patient with him, saying he was planning to relocate to another city in the U.S. “He advised me to relocate to my family in Kaduna from Ibadan where we were both residing before he travelled. “But, I decided to stay back in Ibadan since I have my job and can take care of myself and the three children with comfort. “Since then, he had refused to either call or come to Nigeria to see me, whi

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (right); presenting an Eyo plaque to Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II during a courtesy visit by the Ooni of Ife at Lagos House, Ikeja, on Wednesday. The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II paid a courtesy visit on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Wednesday. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (right), being presented with a Art frame by Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II during a courtesy visit by the Ooni of Ife at Lagos House, Ikeja, on Wednesday. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (right), with Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II (middle) and Executive Director, HANSMAG Nig. Ltd., Mr. Gbenga Awofionaye (left) during a courtesy visit by the Ooni of Ife at Lagos House, Ikeja, on Wednesday. R-L: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II and

Senate The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of Mr. Ayine Anthony Mkpe as the Auditor-General of the Federation. This was even as the Senate confirmed the receipt of petitions against the nominee with some Senators also standing on his way of confirmation. The Senate had at its plenary session on Wednesday, 14th December, 2016 considered the request of President Muhammadu Buhari for the confirmation of the appointment of Mr. Ayine Anthony Mkpe to take over the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. Consequently, the Senate, after careful deliberations referred the request to the Public Accounts Committee, for further legislative action. DAILYPOST reports Presenting the report of the committee at the Wednesday’s plenary, the Chairman, Senator Andy Uba said, “The committee examined his educational qualifications, career progression, experience, character, Federal Character principles, understanding of the functions of the Office of the Auditor-General

Tupac Shakur An explicit hand-written love letter by late African-American rapper and actor Tupac Shakur has been offered for sale at 25,000 Dollars, 20 years after his death. According to Goldin Auctions who displayed the legendary love letter on hits auction blog, the romantic poetic prose was penned by Tupac during his 1995 prison stint. “Tupac wrote this letter to his paramour in black pen. “The letter is incredibly explicit, and is a reply to a ‘passionate letter’ received by Pac.” The letter describes the ‘sexual gymnastics’ that Tupac wishes to perform with his partner, in extremely vivid detail. It includes an eye that Tupac drew and he mentioned blindfolds, bubble baths, oily massages and “12 positions of lovemaking”. Tupac was a vocal participant during the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry, becoming involved in conflicts with other rappers, producers, and record-label staff members. On September 7, 1996, he was fatally shot in a drive-by shooting and was taken

Gianni Infantino FIFA approved a 48-team 2026 World Cup with “one hundred per cent unanimity”, a confederation president has claimed. In the face of fierce opposition to expansion from European clubs, Victor Montagliani, the head of Concacaf, said: “The decision was made on the facts and the figures, not on, hey, a wink and a nod. Maybe the time has come when we don’t do things on a wink and a nod anymore.” Fifa’s 37-member Council waved through a scheme for 16 groups of three, with more countries from each of the six confederations. But Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, said penalty shoot-outs in group-stage games may not be approved until “two years” before the 2026 tournament, which could be jointly hosted by America, Canada and Mexico. An alternative, Infantino said, would be for finishing positions in groups to be decided on “rankings”. While the Canadian Montagliani claimed there was “no opposition – period”, Spain, Germany and the European Club Association (ECA), who ca

Unfortunately, the story will remain the same with the reluctant attitude towards the criminal prosecution of bankers and the banks themselves. It is unfortunate that legal safeguards cannot be maintained because the money the banks spend taints the political process from beginning to end. Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor The “temporary” forfeiture of $153 million looted funds by the former minister of petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke to the federal government, once again points to the felonious nature of Nigerian banks and their executives. It is a crying shame that there are no sacred institutions in Nigeria. Actually, there are no institutions. Criminality seems the norm everywhere. Only a few are interested in building an enduring enterprise, company or the nation. Everyone else wants to “hammer”! Everyone wants to steal from the system. The shame that a woman is involved in this monumental heist and crime against the Nigerian state is crippling to those of us who wonder if anyo

Lakunle Jaiyesinmi There is a generous gibberish being bandied about, emanating from Nigerian Wendell Simlin, I mean Reno Omokri, former Special Assistant to ex-President, Goodluck Jonathan on New Media. In his perfunctory or fanatical defense of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and popularly supported by many commentators mostly subjectively, he came out as a child struggling to clutch at the last straw of courage that he could, in order to die, if he must, a martyr in the face of this modern antagonism against his faith. Common, wake up. Are you expecting some perverse fun in heaven? I woke up to headlines that had variations of “Adeboye was forced to resign because he praised Fayose over his anti-Fulani policy – Reno Omokri”. If we are not to deride the peddlers of such titles, understanding the need to make ends-meet and keep body and soul and family’s together, maybe an objective glimpse, at least, will afford some understandin

Dylan Roof A U.S. jury on Tuesday condemned white supremacist Dylann Roof to death for the hate-fueled killings of nine black parishioners at a Bible study meeting in a Charleston, South Carolina, church in 2015. The same jury last month found Roof, 22, guilty of 33 federal charges, including hate crimes resulting in death, for the shootings at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Roof was unrepentant at his federal capital trial on Tuesday, telling jurors who will decide whether he should be executed that he still felt killing nine black people at a South Carolina church was something he had to do. Roof, a 22-year-old white supremacist who is representing himself, did not ask the jury to spare his life for the 2015 massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. “In my confession to the FBI, I told them that I had to do it,” Roof said during his short closing argument. “I felt like I had to do it when I said that and I still feel that wa