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Sunday, 19 March 2017 03:42

Man killed at Paris airport planned to 'die for Allah' - prosecutor

A man shot dead by French soldiers at Paris Orly airport on Saturday shouted he was there to "die for Allah" and tried to seize a soldier's assault rifle, apparently intending to open fire on passengers, a prosecutor said. The latest in a series of attacks in France forced the evacuation of France's second-busiest airport and thrust security back to the forefront of France's presidential election campaign. The attacker, named as Ziyed Ben Belgacem, arrived at Orly airport on Saturday morning, threw down a bag containing a can of petrol and seized hold of a woman air force member who…

Saturday, 18 March 2017 03:05

Pressure on Buhari to disclose medical bills

President Muhammadu Buhari is under Pressure to disclose the amount of money spent on his medical treatment in London, the United Kingdom. Though many Nigerians showed gratitude to God for the President’s safe return to the country on Friday, March 10, 2017, after spending 49 days on medical vacation, they said it was still important for the citizens to know the cost of the President’s medical treatment abroad. Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), and Campaign for Democracy, among others, said it had become imperative to release the…

Saturday, 18 March 2017 03:03

Don’t use Fanta, Sprite to take any drugs, FG warns Nigerians

Although they are safe for consumption, Fanta and Sprite should not be used to take any medicine, the federal government has said. Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, said the two beverages, manufactured by the Nigeria Bottling Company, NBC, are safe for human consumption but cannot be taken with any drug. The minister stated these on Friday, after a meeting with Department of Food and Drug Services, Federal Ministry of Health; National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC; and Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON; to address the concerns raised over the drinks by a judgement of a…

Saturday, 18 March 2017 02:59

Army, police using gunfire to clear Lagos slum: Reports

Thousands of people were fleeing a Lagos slum as security forces used gunfire and tear gas to make way for demolitions in defiance of a recent court order, rights groups said Friday. The operation was unfolding in Lagos, sprawling commercial hub of one of Africa's largest economies, Amnesty International and Slum Dwellers International said. Both the military and police were at the scene in the Otodo-Gbame waterfront community, said Amnesty International's Nigeria researcher, Morayo Adebayo, calling the situation "chaotic and dangerous." Bulldozers have destroyed the homes there, Amnesty International said. There were no immediate reports of deaths. A High Court…

Saturday, 18 March 2017 02:58

Trump to Merkel: We were both wiretapped under Obama

President Donald Trump has stood by claims he was wiretapped under Barack Obama, telling visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel: "At least we have something in common, perhaps." US intelligence agencies under Mr Obama reportedly monitored Mrs Merkel's phone, sparking an angry response. But both Republican and Democratic congressional leaders have said they do not believe Mr Trump was wiretapped. Mr Trump and Mrs Merkel have discussed key issues including Nato and trade. Her visit had been scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed due to a snowstorm. Mr Trump made his wire-tapping jibe in a joint press conference with Mrs Merkel.…

Saturday, 18 March 2017 02:57

N'Delta amnesty programme faces cash crunch, says Buhari's Adviser

The amnesty programme which provides vocational training and stipends to former militants who attacked oil facilities in its Niger Delta energy hub is struggling with a shortfall of funds, a special adviser to the president said. The government has been in talks with militants to end the attacks which cut Nigeria's output by 700,000 barrels a day (bpd) for several months last year, reducing total production at that time to about 1.2 million bpd. It has since climbed. Under the amnesty programme, each former militant is entitled to 65,000 naira ($213.68) a month plus job training "The main challenges the…

Friday, 17 March 2017 16:44

Buhari, Magu, DSS boss pray inside Aso Rock

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday joined Muslims for the Jumat prayer inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Top government officials who joined Buhari for the prayer inside a mosque near his office included Director-General of the Department of State Services, Lawal Daura; and acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu. Buhari’s nomination of Magu as substantive chairman was on Wednesday rejected by the Senate based on a security report by the DSS. Others who participated in the prayer are Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje; Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazzau; and National…

Friday, 17 March 2017 16:41

Boko Haram leader, Shekau surfaces in new video, denies 5,000 hostages freed

A man purporting to be leader of Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, appeared in a video posted on social media on Friday in which he said it was not true that 5,000 people held by the group had been freed earlier in the week. On Wednesday, Cameroon said West African forces freed the people, who were held in villages by the jihadist group, in an operation along the Nigeria-Cameroon border. "You are telling lies that you killed 60 of our men and rescued 20 children, and that you rescued 5,000 of your people, Paul Biya," said the man…

Friday, 17 March 2017 16:34

Court reverses seizure of oil block from Shell, Eni

An Abuja Federal High Court has set aside its order for the temporary seizure of one of Africa's richest oil blocks from multinationals Royal Dutch Shell and Eni. Justice John Tsoho upheld the application filed by Shell and Eni challenging a January court order ceding control of Oil Prospecting License 245 to the government while Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigates a $1.2 billion corruption scandal. The judge ruled that the forfeiture order was irregularly filed. Nigeria has filed criminal charges of corruption against Shell and Eni over the sale of the oil block. The charges allege the companies paid…

Friday, 17 March 2017 16:30

Trump says North Korea 'behaving very badly,' China has done little to help

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday North Korea is "behaving very badly" and China has done little to help, hours after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said a U.S. policy of strategic patience with North Korea had ended. "North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been 'playing' the United States for years. China has done little to help!" Trump said in a message on Twitter. Tillerson, who is currently in Seoul, is due to visit China on Saturday and Sunday to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Reuters

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Friday, 17 March 2017 16:28

Nobel laureate Derek Walcott, Caribbean poet, dies at 87

Derek Walcott, a Nobel-prize winning poet known for capturing the essence of his native Caribbean and became the region's most internationally famous writer, has died on the island of St. Lucia. He was 87. Walcott died early Friday at his home in St. Lucia, according to his son, Peter. The family planned to issue a statement later. Walcott received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1992 after being shortlisted for the honor for many years. In selecting Walcott, the academy cited the great luminosity" of his writings including the 1990 "Omeros," a 64-chapter Caribbean epic. AP

Friday, 17 March 2017 03:04

Buhari orders fresh Paris Club loan refund to states

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday directed Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, to immediately release second tranche of London-Paris Club loan refund to states. He said the presidential order should be carried out “appropriately and with dispatch.” The President, who returned to the country on Friday from his 49-day medical vacation, also turned down advice by state governors to take more rest. Buhari said he would not take any further rest until he had addressed all issues affecting Nigerians. According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and…

Friday, 17 March 2017 03:01

Massive tax evasion as only 214 wealthy Nigerians pay tax in excess of N20m - FG

Only 214 Super rich Nigerians pay income tax in excess of N20 million yearly. Others are tax dodgers. Minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, tabled this sobering information before National Economic Council and blamed the situation on why Nigeria posts one of the lowest tax per GDP ratio in the world. Adeosun estimated the tax ratio to GDP for Nigeria at six percent. Federal government however plans to change the narrative with a programme christened NIGERIA VOLUNTARY ASSET & INCOME DECLARATION SCHEME (VAIDS). Government plans a roll out from May this year and will at the same time announce some incentives…

Friday, 17 March 2017 02:50

Several soldiers killed in Boko Haram attack, Borno Deputy Gov says

Deputy governor of Borno state says many soldiers may have been killed after Boko Haram extremists attacked and burned down a military base. Usman Mamman Durkwa spoke to journalists Thursday after visiting the scene of Wednesday night's attack in Magumeri town. Durkwa says at first officials heard two soldiers had died. But he said "when we got there today, we discovered the number of lives lost was far beyond that." He says he can't give a specific death toll. His account contradicts Nigerian army spokesman Sani Kukasheka Usman, who had said soldiers in Magumeri succeeded in repelling an attack on…

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