BREAKING NEWS ....NIGERIA

Former President Goodluck Jonathan is to lead the African Union Elections Observation Mission, AUEOM, to the Zambian general elections scheduled take place on October 11, 2016. A statement posted on AU’s website yesterday stated that Jonathan would be leading members of the short term mission to join the continental body’s deployment of long term election experts who are already on ground in Zambia, adding that the chairperson of African Union Commission, AUC, approved it. The statement read, “The Chairperson of the AUC has approved the deployment of African Union Elections Observation Mission, AUEOM, to the General Elections scheduled to place in the Republic of Zambia on October 11, 2016. “The deployment of the AUEOM will take place in two phases. The first phase comprise the deployment of long term election experts and took place from July 14 to August 22, 2016 and it is made up of 10 observers. “For the first time, the AU long term experts include election/ legal political/media/c...

David De Gea is excited by the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Manchester United and expects the former Sweden striker to settle into Premier League life quickly. Ibrahimovic, 34, scored in the first four minutes of his United debut during the 5-2 friendly win against Galatasaray. And De Gea has been impressed by what he has seen of his new teammate in training and on the pitch so far. De Gea told MUTV: “It’s really good to have Zlatan already here, training with the team. You can see he’s a top player. He’s massive, very big, with a lot of quality and of course he is a top striker. “I think he will settle in very quickly. You can look and it seems like he has been playing here many years already and it’s the same with the other guys we’ve signed.” De Gea believes United’s trio of summer signings, which includes Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan as well as Ibrahimovic, have energised the squad and he is looking forward to the Community Shield against Premier League champions Leicest...

Togo’s President, Faure Gnassingbe, is in Lagos for a visit to the Dangote Refinery at the Lekki Trade Zone. President Gnassingbe on Tuesday arrived the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. The President and his entourage were received by the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enalemah, President of Dangote Group, Alahaji Alinko Dangote and some members of the business community. President Gnassingbe’s visit to the refinery is premised on a possible business partnership between Dangote Group and the West African country.

Liverpool wonder-kid Sheyi Ojo netted their consolation goal against Italian giants AS Roma on Thursday night. English Premier League (EPL) giants suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Roma in the International Champions Cup game. The pre-season encounter was played at the Busch Stadium, a baseball park located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America (U.S.A). Ojo, who restored parity for the Reds towards the half-time break with a great header, is looking forward to the 2016/17 campaign. “Dejan (Lovren) headed the ball across, I just assumed he was going to do that and luckily for me I was there to head it into the net,” Ojo told Liverpool’s official website. “The most important thing is the team and everyone got fitter and we are getting stronger and looking forward to the new season.” The 19-year-old whose full name is Oluwaseyi Babajide Ojo, recently represented England at the 2016 UEFA Under-19 Championships in Germany. The England-born winger is still eligible to play for Nig...

The head of an international criminal network behind thousands of online frauds has been arrested in a joint operation by INTERPOL and the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC). The 40-year-old Nigerian national, known as ‘Mike’, is believed to be behind scams totalling more than USD 60 million involving hundreds of victims worldwide. In one case, a target was conned into paying out USD 15.4 million. The network compromised email accounts of small to medium businesses around the world including in Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Romania, South Africa, Thailand and the US, with the financial victims mainly other companies dealing with these compromised accounts. Heading a network of at least 40 individuals across Nigeria, Malaysia and South Africa which both provided malware and carried out the frauds, the alleged mastermind also had money laundering contacts in China, Europe and the US who provided bank account details for the illicit cash flow. Following his ar...

Port Harcourt – A militant group in the Niger Delta, Adaka Boro Avengers (ABA) has said it had concluded arrangements with other militant groups to declare the Niger Delta region an independent republic on August 1. The militant group also gave the Federal Government an ultimatum to withdraw its personnel and establishment from the region before the date of its declaration of independence It also ordered all northerners and people of the South West to vacate its territory. ABA in a statement issued on Sunday by General Edmos Ayayeibo, its spokesperson, mandated the Federal Government to use the three weeks’ notice to “move out all military personnel and all government agencies out of the Niger Delta,” and warned that “failure will lead to destruction of military barracks and personnel.” “We, the Adaka Boro Avengers and all the freedom fighters in the Niger Delta region have met and come to a conclusion that we are declaring the Niger Delta Republic three weeks from today July 18,...

A decorated ex-US Marine sergeant opened fire on police in Baton Rouge on Sunday, killing three officers, nearly two weeks after the fatal police shooting of a black man there sparked nationwide protests, one of them shattered by the massacre of five Dallas policemen. The Baton Rouge suspect, dressed in black and armed with a rifle, was himself shot to death minutes later in a gunfight with police who converged on the scene of a confrontation that mayor Kip Holden said began as an “ambush-style” attack on officers. Two Baton Rouge police department officers and one sheriff’s deputy were killed, and one sheriff’s deputy was critically wounded. Another police officer and one other deputy suffered less severe wounds and were expected to survive. Colonel Mike Edmonson, superintendent of the Louisiana state police, told a news conference the gunman was believed to have acted alone, contrary to early reports that police may have been looking for other shooters. Sunday’s bloodshed ...

The Concessionaire of Alade Shopping Mall, Master Reality International Concepts Limited on Sunday said the relocation of shop owners and traders from old Alade Market to the new one followed due process. The concessionaire also debunked allegations of unlawful invasion into the market and forceful ejection of the traders which some aggrieved traders under the aegis of Association of Concerned Traders in Alade Markets leveled against it. Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Master Reality International Concepts Limited, Lai Omotola made the clarification in a statement he issued in response to an open letter a legal practitioner, Jiti Ogunye wrote to the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday on behalf of the concerned traders. In the letter to Ambode, the concerned traders had alleged that the officials of Ikeja Local Government and by extension Lagos State Government continued “to invade the market and eject traders therefrom.” However, Omotola said the letter contained some ...

President Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the abortive coup attempt in Turkey by a group of rebel army officers and men, which resulted in the reported death of more than 100 people. Reacting to the tragic events in Ankara, Istanbul and other centres, President Buhari said he was “deeply saddened by reports of a violent attempt to dismantle constitutional authority and disrupt the democratically elected government of Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey.” “The removal of a democratic government by force is no longer acceptable. Violence can never solve any problem but only complicates them and sets back the progress of democratic societies.” The President also noted that President Erdogan was one of Nigeria’s close international partners and sincere supporters in its current war against terrorism, adding that all should resist the “destabilization of democratic countries through coups d’état in the 21st century.” According to the President, “democracy provides peaceful options of changing ...

Ils ont annoncé jeudi qu'ils souhaitaient favoriser le retour des 40 000 réfugiés de la crise ivoirienne (2002-2010) qui ne sont pas encore rentrés au pays

A group of suspected Muslim youths, yesterday, attacked St. Philip’s Catholic Parish, Baki Iku, close to Zuma Rock in Niger State, destroying properties worth thousands of naira. This is coming just some days after a female Evangelist in the Redeem Christian Church of God, Mrs. Eunice Olawale, was brutally killed by suspected Muslim extremists. According to the Vicar-General of Parish, Revered-Father Gobep Luka Sylvester, about 200 Muslim youths stormed the Church premises yesterday and destroyed properties of the church. According to Thisday newspaper, some Catholics had gone to the church to pray and were attacked by the Muslims who claimed that Friday was their day of prayer and that the Church only had right to worship on Sundays. According to Reverend Sylvester, “Sometime around 2pm, some Muslim youths in numbering 200 left their Mosque after their Friday Jumat prayer and rushed to the Church premises, climbed the wall and destroyed everything in the Church: the windows, t...

ne of the militant groups in the Niger Delta, the Ultimate Warriors, on Saturday rejected the position taken by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta to lead the agitators’ negotiations with the federal government. The group, in a statement by its spokesman, Sibiri Taiowoh, accused MEND of lacking the credibility to take on such a huge task, noting that the ex-militant group would only worsen the current situation. “Furthermore, MEND should stop playing itself up as if they are one credible body to reckon with in respect to the renewed agitations. “We did not embrace the dialogue initiative because of MEND; so, it is not for MEND to dictate and set the pace for us. Let them not give us or any of our affiliates bogus criteria… otherwise, they would only succeed in worsening the situation”, the group said. But MEND, while recently accepting the dialogue option, held that the aegis under which all militants would negotiate should be its Aaron 2 Peace Initiative to be...

It was looting on an epic scale; a month’s worth of food aid for over 220,000 South Sudanese, all stolen in just two days along with the giant warehouses that stored it. As fighting raged between rival forces in the capital Juba last week, the UN’s World Food Programme’s main logistics hub was picked clean. WFP says it is “outraged” by the theft of more than 4,500 tonnes of food “intended for the poorest and most vulnerable people” in a country trying to stave off famine. At least 300 people were killed in the city between July 8 and 11 during clashes pitting government forces against former rebels, and in the anarchy of war, many took advantage to steal what they could. On Saturday, an angry soldier waving a gun stopped anyone entering or photographing the fenced compound, but it was clear to see that nothing of value remained.

The United States would consider an extradition request for the Pennsylvania-based cleric blamed for the attempted military coup in Turkey, Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday. In a televised speech, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the U.S. should extradite Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric who self-exiled from Turkey to the Poconos in 1999. Erdogan and the Turkish government say Gulen is behind the clashes that broke out Friday night when the military attempted and failed to usurp the government. At least 194 people were killed in the turmoil. But Gulen denied any involvement with the coup, telling reporters Saturday that he thinks it may have been "staged." Erdogan has long accused Gulen, a former ally, of trying to overthrow the government. Washington has never found any evidence particularly compelling. A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that Turkey "has been preparing a formal application with de...

A Niger Delta group, Urhobo Monitoring and Development Group, on Saturday called on President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to fix the country’s ailing economy from sliding into total collapse. Prince Kingsley Oberuruaria, National President of UMDG, told journalists that Nigerians are hungry noting that the economy needs proactive measure to prevent it sliding into eminent ‘recession.’ Oberuruaria stressed that there was nothing wrong for a government to wedge war against corruption but the same attention should also be accorded to the nation’s dying economy where the average Nigerian can hardly afford a meal per day at present The group said it has observed that the APC-led federal government was not doing enough to tackle the economy which it reminded the government that hunger knows no political or religious affiliations. It also expressed reservation with the ongoing diversification into economy and other sectors saying that the Niger Delta region was being ignore in ...

Troops of the 29 Brigade Reaction Force, QRF, in conjunction with Civilian Joint Task Force during a mop up operation on Friday killed two suspected Boko Haram members in Marguba, Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State. Disclosing this in a statement, the Army spokesperson, Col. Sani Usman said the two insurgents were killed while several members of the group escaped with gunshot wounds. The statement reads, “In their bid to clear the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists hiding in some parts of the North East of the country, troops have intensified efforts in clearance operations. “It is in this regards that the 29 Brigade Quick Reaction Force (QRF), in conjunction with Civilian JTF carried out an ambush against Boko Haram terrorists east of Marguba village in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State yesterday, Friday. “The troops killed two of the Boko Haram terrorists, while some of them sustained gun shot wounds as could be seen from traces of blood during mopping up.” Usm...

Following the attempted regime overthrow attempt in Turkey on Friday, Barcelona have reassured the public that Arda Turan, along with former players Carles Puyol, Deco, Eric Abidal, Samuel Eto’o and past executive Alejandro Echeverria are all safe. All of them were on Turkish soil set to participate in Eto’o’s charity match that is scheduled to take place on Saturday in Antalya. Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, also expected to play in the event set up by their Cameroonian ex-teammate, had not yet travelled to the country, and now won’t. Other football personalities whose presence is in doubt for the Eto’o Charity Match are Xavi, Fabio Capello, Diego Maradona, Jose Mourinho, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Karim Benzema, Didier Drogba, Demba Ba, Geremi, Eden Hazard, Nwankwo Kanu, Kolo Toure, Lassana Diarra, Louis Saha, Marcel Desailly, Michael Essien, and Jay-Jay Okocha. Turan, arguably the most recognisable Turkish player at the moment, uploaded a photo of his national flag to his In...

The UFC released a statement Friday evening that Lesnar and the promotion had been notified by USADA of a potential Lesnar anti-doping violation. The potential violation comes from the failure of an out-of-competition drug test June 28, the release said. The UFC said USADA received the testing results July 14 — five days after Lesnar defeated Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in his MMA return. The sample was tested at UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory, a WADA-accredited lab. USADA, as is its policy, did not release the name of the substance Lesnar tested positive for. The UFC's anti-doping partner will conduct a full adjudication process before any sanction is levied. The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) also has jurisdiction, because of the test's proximity to UFC 200 in Las Vegas. Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight champion and current WWE star, had not fought since 2011. The UFC waived the four-months notice an athlete is required to give before coming out of retirement to be ...

The Barcelona striker has withdrawn from Samuel Eto’o’s World Stars vs Turkey Stars charity match due to the volatile situation in the country Lionel Messi has cancelled a scheduled flight to Turkey on Saturday after the country was the subject of an attempted military coup. The Barcelona striker was due to take part in former teammate Samuel Eto’o’s benefit match in Antalya along with a host of other stars. Messi was set to be joined by Roma icon Francesco Totti as well as a number of Barcelona players past and present, including Diego Maradona, Neymar, Luis Suarez, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Eric Abidal, and Deco.