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(Nigeria) A former governorship aspirant in Delta, Great Ogboru, on Thursday filed an application for a stay of contempt proceedings before a Federal High Court, Lagos, pending his appeal. Ogboru filed the application through his counsel,  following a contempt proceeding against him by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, for flouting an order of court. He sought for stay of proceedings pending an appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the suit. Counsel to AMCON,  however, raised an objection to the application, arguing that the notice of appeal was not properly filed and served. He argued that there was no evidence of proper filing before the court, and that it was also not duly certified. AMCON, therefore, urged the court to refuse the application for stay, describing it as being unwarranted. Justice Okon Abang, in his ruling,however, held that the notice of appeal was duly filed by the applicant, adding that he would f

Syrian rebels under siege near the Lebanese border pleaded for help on Thursday against government troops and their Hezbollah allies as a confident President Bashar al-Assad spoke of having new Russian missiles, reports Reuters. Though Moscow contradicted suggestions he had taken delivery of an entire, long-range S-300 anti-aircraft system which alarms Israel, Russia's plan to send them highlighted the international confrontation brewing over Syria , even as Moscow and Washington work together for a peace conference between the warring sides. With Iran and its Lebanese partner Hezbollah also rallying to Assad's defense and his Western-backed Syrian opponents mired in squabbles, the president was quoted sounding confident of his position at home and abroad. He would attend talks in Geneva, he said, but he expected to keep fighting the revolt. Among his enemies on the battlefield, rebels in the besieged border town of Qusair warned that it could be wiped off

(Nigeria) Nigeria’s   House of Representatives, Thursday, approved   a 14 year jail sentence with no option of fine for same sex couples. The House also outlawed gay clubs and societies in Nigeria. The federal lawmakers took these decisions after   considering the report on a "Bill for an Act to prohibit marriage or Civil Union entered between persons of same sex, solemnization of Same and for other matters related ".   The House imposed   a 10 year jail term for members of gay associations or those engaged in gay processions. The legislature   resolved that any marriage or civil union entered into by persons of same gender is prohibited. The bill on same sex was introduced on the floor of the House last year. A public hearing on the matter was held in October, 2012. It will be recalled that the Senate had also passed a bill prohibiting same sex union with similar jail terms for offenders. With the consideration of the report, the bill will now wait for h

(Nigeria)  The Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, on Thursday directed teachers in the 11 states that had not implement the 27.5 per cent Teachers Peculiar Allowance to begin an indefinite strike from June 1. The NUT National President, Michael Olukoya, gave the directive at the end of the union’s National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Abuja. The meeting was held to discuss the pending strike to enforce the payment of the allowance and the 2011 approved National Minimum Wage. ``With effect from June 1, 2013, we are aware that it falls on a Saturday, but all teachers should disengage from any work that will make them to come to school as from this Saturday. ``Be it examination, social engagements in schools, all activities should be disengaged from Friday midnight. ``All the services of teachers in those states where the issue of the 27. 5 per cent and the minimum wage is still on should stay off school, you are hereby so directed, ’’Olukoya said. Oluko

(Nigeria) Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State on Thursday said that inconsistency in policies was destroying the nation’s education sector. Jang said in Jos while receiving the Senate Committee on Education that such inconsistency was ``very dangerous’’ and challenged the national assembly to halt the trend. ``The National Assembly must quickly rise to this challenge before it gets out of control and destroy the future of the younger generation,’’ he stated. He said that it was not good for the sector that each administration would discard the old policies and introduce new ones, adding that consistency was key to any progress. ``Nations like Germany practise the 6-3-3-4 (system) like Nigeria, but they have gone far because they have been very consistent with it,’’ he said. He called on the Federal Government to ensure that state governments had direct access to Universal Basic Education funds, to ease planning the deployment of resources. Jang said

Explosions in Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim neighbourhoods across Baghdad on Thursday killed at least 10 people, deepening fears of a return to levels of sectarian violence not seen since a civil war five years ago. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Sunni Muslim Islamist insurgents and al Qaeda's Iraqi wing have increased their operations since the beginning of the year as part of a campaign to intensify inter-communal tensions. A car bomb exploded in the mainly Sunni district of Binoog in north Baghdad, killing at least four people and wounding 12, while improvised roadside devices killed six people and three in districts in the south and centre of the capital, police said. The Police also said that a further group of seven people, including three policemen, were killed in clashes between gunmen and security forces in the northern city of Mosul. The surge in violence began in April when Iraqi forces raided a Sunni protest camp in the nort

(Nigeria) An Abuja Magistrate Court on Thursday declined jurisdiction in a case of alleged rape involving a 19-year-old security guard, Bado Longtong. The magistrate, Mr Abdullateef  Abolaji,  said that having gone through the First Information Report (FIR), the court was convinced that the matter was a clear case of rape which it lacked jurisdiction to entertain. ``Going through the FIR, it reveals a clear case of rape which this court lacks jurisdiction and the case is hereby transferred to the High Court,’’ he said. The reports that the police had earlier arraigned Longtong of EFAB Estate Life Camp, Abuja before the Court for allegedly raping a house help, Janet Emmanuel. Police prosecutor, Mr Simon Emmanuel told the court that one Emeka Ugoma of same address reported the matter at Life Camp Police Station, Abuja on May 21. Emmanuel said that on the same date the victim went to fetch water from a neighbour's compound and in the process the accused f