Boko Haram suspect held in Lagos (Nation)
A man the police described as a notorious Boko Haram Commander was yesterday arrested in Lagos. The suspect, Abdulmalik Umar, was said to have been responsible for the death of more than 200 people. Umar, 39, was arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police (IG) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) around Mowe at a nurse’s house where he was receiving treatment for the bullet wounds he sustained during a recent gun battle with the police in Abuja. It was… Read more
Budget presentation: NANS wants NASS to apologise to Nigerians (Nation)
The National Association of Nigerian Students ( NANS ) has called on members of the National Assembly to apologise to Nigerians for their unruly behaviour during President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 budget presentation . The Public Relations Officer of NANS, Mr Azeez Adeyemi, made the call on Friday in Abeokuta. Adeyemi condemned the lawmakers’ behaviour, saying that it had further tarnished the external image of the country. He urged the lawmakers to always promote the integrity of the country, while according… Read more
Buratai visits troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE (Nation)
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has embarked on operational visit of troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE, as part of effort to enhance campaign against Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast. In a statement on Friday in Maiduguri, Brig. Gen. Sani Kukasheka, the Director, Army Public Relations, said that Buratai had on Thursday visited troops of the 27 Task Force Brigade and the Nigerian Army Special Forces School, Buni Yadi in Yobe. Kukasheka said the visit was… Read more
Fire guts Abakaliki rice mill (Nation)
A fire outbreak last night at the Abakaliki Rice Mill Company premises located at Onuebonyi has destroyed over N50m worth of machinery and Rice products. The fire which affected one shop was however put out by the Ebonyi State fire service before it could cause further havoc. Though the exact cause of the fire outbreak was yet to be ascertained, some residents of the area said that the fire incident may have been caused by power surge. They described the damage… Read more
Labour rejects proposed technical committee on minimum wage (Nation)
Govt gets 10 days ultimatum to pass report to National Assembly Labour leaders have rejected Federal Government’s plan to set up another high-powered technical committee on the new national minimum wage. The leaders of the union, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC), stated this in a communiqué jointly signed and issued at the end of national leadership meeting of organised labour in Nigeria held in Lagos yesterday. According to the… Read more
Buhari warns Police against torture, extra-judicial killings (Nation)
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday warned the police to desist from acts that could pit them against the society. The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, said unprofessional conducts such as illegal detentions, extrajudicial killings, torture and violation of fundamental human rights were unacceptable and must be avoided by the Nigeria Police Force at all times. He gave the directive in his address at the convocation and passing out parade of the… Read more
‘Southeast experienced 42 disasters in 2018’ (Nation)
Forty-two disasters were recorded in Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states in 2018, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said yesterday. The disasters include flooding, fire, communal conflicts, erosion, windstorm, among others. NEMA’s Southeast Zonal Coordinator Walson Ibarakumo Brandon, who said this during a stakeholders’ meeting in Enugu, said over 300 persons were affected by the floods that ravaged Anambra between September and October. A check on their disaster profile and their emergency management outlook showed Anambra experienced 15, Ebonyi, 11… Read more
Ajudua to Bamaiyi: show proof of source of $8.4m (Nation)
A Lagos socialite, Fred Ajudua, has asked former Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd) to provide proof of the source of the $8.4million for which he was alleged to have defrauded him in 2004. He made the request yesterday through his counsel, Olalekan Ojo (SAN), before Justice Josephine Oyefeso at an Ikeja High Court in Lagos. Ajudua is standing trial before the court for allegedly defrauding Lt. Gen. Bamaiyi of $8.4million while they were both in Kirikiri Prisons… Read more
Navy jails three ratings for theft (Nation)
- Convicts dismissed The Navy has dismissed three of its personnel, who were arrested in June for stealing equipment stored at Mieka Jetty in Warri, Delta State, where they were on guard duty. The personnel, Petty Officer Ekong Samuel, Leading Seaman Elijah Sagwada and Seaman Usman Shuaibu, were handed over to the Nigerian Prisons Service, Okere, Warri, to continue a five-month jail term given them by the naval court martial, which tried them in Warri. Addressing reporters after the de-kitting of… Read more
Fayemi: Ekiti N3.9b Paris Club refund for salary arrears payment (Nation)
The Ekiti State government yesterday received N3.9 billion from the Federal Government as the last tranche of its Paris Club refund. As directed by President Muhammadu Buhari, N3.3 billion was also deducted and paid as outstanding 2016-2018 counterpart fund for Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) being owed by the state. A statement in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, by Yinka Oyebode, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Kayode Fayemi, said the governor had directed that the N3.9 billion Paris Club refund… Read more
841 on trial, 68 convicted in 11 states over killings (Nation)
Fed Govt tackles Atiku, Amnesty Those who claim that no suspect has been held for the killings in the land are wrong, the Federal Government said yesterday. It tendered facts and figures to back its claim. In all, 947 suspects have been arrested in connection with the farmers-herders clashes. Of the lot, 841 are being prosecuted. In fact, 68 of the accused persons have been convicted. The suspects were arrested in 11 states – Taraba, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger,… Read more
Cash shortage hits Liberia’s Christmas shoppers (BBC)
The streets of Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, are usually heaving with Christmas shoppers at this time of year – crowding around vendors to buy in treats for the festivities. But this week hawkers have been standing around for hours without a single customer showing interest. “It is a troubling sign when you have more sellers than buyers,” a honey seller on Carey Street told me…Read more
Madagascar captain: ‘We’re more than a movie’ (BBC)
In October, Madagascar celebrated an unlikely sporting success story, as successive 1-0 victories over Equatorial Guinea sealed their place at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. The squad are now hoping their achievement will bring footballing fame to a nation which is internationally associated with DreamWorks’ movie called Madagascar. It was a hugely popular animated film from 2005, and if you search for the country’s name online, you get a lot more hits for the adventures of Alex the Lion and his friends than you do for sporting success…Read more
Diamond Platnumz sorry for defying ‘horny’ song ban (BBC)
One of Africa’s biggest music stars, Diamond Platnumz, has offered a formal apology to the Tanzanian authorities over a performance of a sexually suggestive song after it had been banned. It resulted in the authorities barring him earlier this week from performing in East African country. Diamond Platnumz’s hit song Mwanza contains the Swahili word for “horny”, and dancers are seen in a video simulating sex…Read more
‘Six dead’ in DR Congo election plane crash (BBC)
AFP news agency reports that six people were killed on Thursday when a plane, hired by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s electoral commission, crashed near the airport in the capital, Kinshasa. The electoral commission told the BBC that no election materials were destroyed in the crash…Read more
Crowds await Tshisekedi speech in DR Congo (BBC)
Hundreds of people have gathered at the headquarters of one of the opposition parties in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Presidential opposition candidate, Félix Tshisekedi’s, is due to give a press conference responding to the news that Sunday’s presidential election has been pushed back by a week…Read more
Solskjaer would ‘love’ fulltime Man Utd job (Supersport)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told his first official press conference as Manchester United’s caretaker manager on Friday that he would relish the opportunity to be the permanent boss. The 45-year-old Norwegian, a legendary former player at Old Trafford, has been appointed interim boss until the end of the season, replacing Jose Mourinho, who was sacked on Tuesday. Solskjaer, on loan from Norway’s Molde, conceded that he has not looked beyond the end of the current campaign with the club where he spent nearly 15 years as a player and coach. Read more
World Cup winners France unexciting – Xavi (Supersport)
Former Spain and Barcelona midfielder Xavi has said France’s World Cup triumph this year left him feeling “unenthusiastic” due to their style of play. Didier Deschamps’ side, containing the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba, beat Croatia 4-2 in an action-packed final in Moscow after beating Argentina 4-3 in the tournament’s stand-out game in the last 16. They also saw off Uruguay and Belgium on their way to the final. Read more
Asensio to miss Club World Cup final (Supersport)
Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio has been ruled out of Saturday’s Fifa Club World Cup final against Al Ain after the European champions confirmed he had sustained a thigh injury. The Spain international, who has underperformed this season and has not scored in La Liga since September, picked up the injury in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Kashima Antlers in the semifinals. He came on as a substitute and then had to be replaced 14 minutes later. Read more
Hazard can be Chelsea’s all-time great – Zola (Supersport)
Chelsea assistant manager Gianfranco Zola has urged Eden Hazard to reject a potential offer from Real Madrid and focus on becoming the Blues’ all-time greatest player. Hazard has been strongly linked with Real for several months after the Belgium star refused to rule out a move to the Bernabeu and admitted playing for the Spanish giants would be a dream come true. The 27-year-old’s current contract with Chelsea expires in June 2020 and he is yet to agree to an extension as he weighs up his future. Read more