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(Nigeria) No fewer than 22 shops were destroyed and property worth millions of naira lost during an inferno at Makole, Dawakin Kudu Local Government Area in Kano State. The Public Relations Officer of the state fire service, Mallam Kasim Musa, told News Agency of Nigeria in Kano that the incident occurred around 2 a.m. on Tuesday. He said officers of the service were able to put off the fire, saving some of the property from the inferno. Musa said that in spite of the enormity of the disaster, no life was lost, adding that the cost of the damage was yet to be determined. Musa warned people to be safety conscious, particularly during the harmattan. One of the victims, Sani Ali, said they were still in shock having lost belongings worth millions of naira to the incident.

(Nigeria) Passengers travelling out of Lagos State to parts of Western and Eastern Nigeria for the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations on Tuesday groaned, following the exorbitant fares charged by transport operators. Some of the passengers who spoke with News Agency of Nigeria, in separate interviews, described the transport operators as ‘inhuman’ and ‘wicked’. According to them, the attitude of raising fares during the Christmas was a sin of greed, extortion and covetousness, which God frowns at. NAN's visits to Iyana-Ipaja, Oshodi, Ojota and Jibowu Motor Parks showed that many passengers were stranded following the exorbitant fares they never prepared for. Joy Chukwu, a Benin-bound passenger, who said that the fare rose from N1,700 to N3,050, expressed sadness over the hike, which she described ‘ruthless’. ``I really feet bad about this excessive increase, of course, this is the festive period but the gap is abnormal,`` Chukwu told NAN. Another Port

Hua Chunying, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswomaan, on Tuesday, said the country had safely evacuated its citizens from South Sudan. She said the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan, as well as embassies and consulates in neighbouring countries and cities where relevant flights would stop for transit, offered assistance in consulting services, customs procedures, coordination and resettlement. Chunying said safety alerts were issued to warn Chinese citizens against travel to South Sudan in the near future and demanded that non-essential personnel should evacuate as soon as possible. ``So far, there have been no reports of death or injury of Chinese nationals," she added. The spokeswoman noted that China had asked relevant authorities in South Sudan to reinforce security protection for Chinese citizens and organisations. She stated that  Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Embassy in South Sudan would closely follow the developments of the situation and tak

(Nigeria)  The Defence Headquarters has confirmed that over 50 insurgents were killed and about 20 vehicles destroyed in an operation it carried out on Monday night. This is contained in a statement signed by the Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade in Abuja on Monday. It said that the operation was carried out to track insurgents who carried out the last Friday pre-dawn attacks on Mohammed Kur Barracks in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State. The military said that the vehicles which were destroyed were the ones used during the attack on the barracks. ``The vehicles were sited through air surveillance as the terrorists were making efforts to cross the borders. Although a good number of the insurgents escaped with bullet wounds, some have been arrested. ``Over 50 of them died in the course of exchange of fire with ground troops in the ongoing operations to apprehend fleeing terrorists," the dir

(Nigeria) The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on Tuesday said it arrested four suspected drug traffickers connected with unlawful importation of 2.375kg of substances that tested positive to cocaine. This is contained in a statement by NDLEA spokesman, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, in Lagos. He said that the suspects were arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos during routine screening. Ofoyeju said that the suspects were arrested with 144 wraps of cocaine concealed inside the inner wear of two of the suspects. “All four suspects arrested are currently under investigation,” he said. The spokesman said that one of the suspects claimed to be an apprentice at Idumota market, Lagos, and was offered N200,000 to smuggle the drugs from Abu Dhabi. “I am looking for money to get married and settle down. If I had known that it will end this way, I should have rejected the offer,” Ofoyeju quoted the suspects as saying. He said that

(Nigeria) The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, says it has activated its National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, NOSCP, to respond effectively to oil spill disaster in the country. The Director-General of the agency, Mr Peter Idabor, told News Agency Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday, that in order to ensure the workability of the plan, NOSDRA in collaboration with Shell Petroleum Company put the plan to the test by mimicking an oil spill situation. Idabor, who said that the test was successfully carried out, explained that one of the reasons for the creation of NOSDRA was to ensure prompt response to oil spill disaster in the country. ``We simulated a spill had happened and we called all the stakeholders, including the Army, the Police, the Customs and the Immigration. ``All these were deployed as if there was a real spill; there was a plane that came from London and another one from Ghana. The background of the simulation is that we pre

(Nigeria) The Federal Government has concluded arrangements to commence the repatriation of 508 Nigerians living in Saudi Arabia, beginning from Wednesday. This is sequel to the clampdown on illegal immigrants by the Saudi authorities after the expiration of the four months amnesty given them to regularise their stay. Nigeria’s Consul-General in Jeddah, Amb. Ahmed Umar, told News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja that the 508 Nigerians were those who voluntarily decided to return home. He recalled that the repatriation, earlier scheduled to begin on December 22, was stalled when the aircraft that was meant to convey them developed technical problems on the eve of their departure. Umar commended the federal government’s generosity in repatriating those who chose to return home. ``The federal government responded promptly to the need of those Nigerians who indicated their desire to return home. The consulate had provided items such as food, blankets and other needs fo

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has warned warring factions in South Sudan that reports of crimes against humanity will be investigated, as eyewitnesses spoke of a wave of brutal ethnic killings. Ban asked the Security Council to nearly double the size of the UN mission in the country, which has been hit by more than a week of escalating battles between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those backing his rival Riek Machar, a former vice president who was sacked in July. With fighting ongoing, badly overstretched UN bases in the capital Juba and across the country have been flooded with at least 45,000 civilians, some of whom have recounted an orchestrated campaign of mass killings and rape by government forces. The official toll is 500 dead, although the real figure is believed to be far higher, aid workers say. Hundreds of thousands of others have fled to the countryside, prompting warnings of an imminent humanitarian disaster. Fighting has spread to half of the you

Angry Egyptians standing on piles of debris and shattered glass pointed the finger of blame at the Muslim Brotherhood after a car bomb ripped through Mansoura's police headquarters on Tuesday. "The people want the execution of the Muslim Brotherhood," shouted the residents amid the wreckage of burnt-out cars and collapsed walls left by the pre-dawn blast, which peeled off a section of the building. Fourteen people, most of them policemen, died in the attack and more than 100 were wounded. At a nearby hospital, the floor of the emergency room was slick with blood as medics rushed in casualties. Mostafa Hadi, a policemen who survived the attack, said the blast sent him flying through the air moments after he had left the safety of his armoured truck outside the headquarters. "I heard a massive explosion behind me, I flew through glass and wreckage and then lost consciousness," he said from his stretcher, his head swathed in a bandages. Egypt has bee

A bomb struck the acting Iraqi defence minister's convoy west of Baghdad on Tuesday, wounding two of his guards, the ministry said in a statement. A roadside bomb hit Saadun al-Dulaimi's convoy as it travelled between Fallujah and Ramadi, "wounding two of his guards and damaging one of the vehicles," spokesman Mohammed al-Askari was quoted as saying.

(Nigeria) Malam Mohammed Amate, the Director-General, Nigerian Mining Cadastre, said the office generated N523.8million for issuing mining titles between January and September. Amate disclosed this at a media roundtable on The Review of Roadmap for Development of Minerals and Metals Sector organised by the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development in Abuja on Monday. He said the office had the highest revenue of N84.6 in June, while only N34.5 was generated in May. Amate added that 1,858 applications were received between January and September while 1,179 were approved for various mineral titles. He said lack of adequate documentation to accompany applications; companies carrying out activities their licences did not cover and consent from host communities were some challenges facing the office. Mr Utsu Adie, the Chairman of Solid Minerals Development Fund, said the Board had facilitated the grant of $2million from Australian and Canadian Governments for analytical

(Nigeria) An Osogbo Chief Magistrate Court, Osun State on Monday ordered that six secondary school students be remanded in juvenile remand home for allegedly breaking into another school, where they stole textbooks. The prosecutor, Abiodun Fagboyinbo, said the accused persons (name withheld) committed the offence on December 21, at 3 p.m. in Oroki High School, Agunbelewo area, Osogbo. He said the accused persons broke and entered into the school without the consent of the school authority and stole 19 different textbooks from the school library. He added that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 516, 413 (1) and 390 of the Criminal Code Cap. 34 Vol.11 Laws of Osun 2003. The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Their counsel, Mrs Abiodun Raji and Mrs Bose Dada, applied for the bail of the accused in the most liberal terms. The Chief Magistrate, Mr Olusola Aluko, ordered that the accused be remanded and adj

Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of the AK-47 rifle that has killed more people than any other firearm in the world, died on Monday at the age of 94. Kalashnikov, who was in his 20s when he created the AK-47 just after World War II, died in his home city of Izhevsk near the Ural Mountains in Russia, where his gun is still made. The Russian state media that announced the death, however, did not give the cause. It said Kalashnikov was fitted with electric heartbeat stimulator at a Moscow hospital in June and had been in the hospital in Izhevsk since Nov. 17. The AK-47, which rarely jams even in adverse conditions, went into service in the Soviet armed forces in 1949 and today, Kalashnikov rifles are still a mainstay of Russia's armed forces and police in the world. Also known as the weapon of choice for guerrillas, the gun and its imitations have been used in conflicts around the world for decades. At a lavish Kremlin ceremony on Kalashnikov's 90

The United States Embassy in India Monday sought an extension of deadline to file visa and other key details of people employed by it or by its consulates in this country, sources said reports Xinhua. The Indian government last week asked American diplomats and consulate staff to submit their ID cards by December 23, following the arrest and strip-search of Indian woman diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York on December 12 on charges of visa fraud and underpaying her maid. The tough stand was taken by the government to show that India means business and the new ID cards of U.S. diplomats and consular staff would be based on reciprocity, the sources said, adding the Americans will now enjoy only what their Indian counterparts do in the U.S. The issue has sparked a major diplomatic row between India and the U.S. with the former asking for an apology from Washington while the latter refusing to drop charges against the woman diplomat. Khobragade, Deputy Consul General

(Nigeria) A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, on Monday ordered the remand of a Briton, Gareth Wilcox and four others at the Special Fraud Unit, SFU, for alleged N15 billion fraud. Wilcox, a former Managing Director of Ibom Power Company and LYK Engineering Company, is standing trial alongside Prince Johnson Adebami, and Uche Uwechia, on a 21-count charge bordering on the offence. Adebami is a former Managing Director of the defunct Gulf Bank Plc, while Uwechia is a former legal adviser to the bank. Also charged along with the accused are Ibom Power Company and LYK Engineering Company, owned by Wilcox. The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Trial judge, Justice Mohammed Yunusa ordered their remand following an oral application for remand made by the prosecutor, Mr Dania Abdullahi, who said he required adequate time to study the bail application sought by the accused. Yunusa, who adjourned the case to December 27 for hearing of th

(Nigeria) Edo State Government on Monday confirmed the sack of 836 teachers following a verification carried out by the Department of Information and Communication Technology. The state's Commissioner for Basic Education, Mr Patrick Aguinede, who confirmed the sack, told News Agency of Nigeria in Benin that those affected were screened by the ICT Department. Aguinede said it was discovered that some of the affected teachers had stayed above 35 years, which made it impossible for the state government to recruit new teachers. “Some of the affected teachers were found to have stayed above 35 years. “Some were physically blind, some manipulated their results and age, which later showed that they finished school before they were born.” NAN reports that the affected teachers learnt of the sack when they discovered that their names were missing from the December salary voucher. Reacting to the development, Mr Akin Adeojo, the Secretary of the Nigeria Unio

(Nigeria)  Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State swore-in 25 new permanent secretaries on Monday in Asaba, the state capital. He called on permanent secretaries in the state to be committed to their duties, ensure transparency and have fear of God in the course of service. He said the appointments were necessitated by available vacancies in the state’s civil service, adding that the selection was based on merit. Uduaghan said that the position of permanent secretary was a career and political one, adding that it was meant for civil servants who distinguished themselves in service. He said some of them, especially those in the education sector, would be deployed to zones, to help government achieve success in its educational policies. “We have many permanent secretaries retiring from service, but we take our time in appointing new ones because the position is not a retirement gift. “We have given out these appointments to enable us to achieve our agenda of “Delta Bey

(Nigeria) The Kano State Police Command, on Monday confirmed the abduction of a Lebanese national, Mr Hassan Zein, at the Sharada Industrial Area of Kano metropolis. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Magaji Majiya, confirmed the abduction to News Agency of Nigeria in Kano. He said Zein, the Managing Director of M.C Plastic company, was seized in the early hours of Monday from the company's premises. ``Unidentified gunmen stormed the area between 7 am and 8 am and abducted the man in the company's premises'', he said. He added that the command had since mobilised personnel and alerted its patrol teams and check points to track down the kidnappers. Majiya said the command had also commenced special operation within Kano metropolis and environs since the incident occurred. The police spokesman did not however comment on the report which indicated that two of the factory workers were shot and injured during the abduction.

(Nigeria) Mr Tony Nwoye, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate in the November 16 gubernatorial election in Anambra State, says he has filed a petition challenging the election of Chief Willy Obiano of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA at the election tribunal in Awka. Nwoye, who made the disclosure on Monday in Awka, during an interactive session with stakeholders of the part, said he went to court to challenge the verdict of the poll. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had on December 1, declared  Obiano of APGA winner of the election. Nwoye said the need to challenge the verdict of the poll became imperative because ``the whole world attest to the fact that the governorship election was fraught with fraud”. He said that the leadership of the PDP both at the zonal and state levels had decided to petition  against the outcome of the election. ``This is contrary to speculations that the PDP will not go to court over the

(Nigeria) Environmental Rights Action/Friends of The Earth Nigeria, ERA/FoEN,  an civil rights group, has urged Shell to clean up oil spill sites within its oil field in Ikararama community in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. ERA/FoEN, an environmental rights focused non governmental organisation, criticised the slow response of Shell to an oil spill incident, which occurred in Ikarama on November 2. The oil spill from Rumuekpe crude delivery line operated by Shell had discharged some 482 barrels of Shell’s Bonny Medium crude stream into the environment at Ikarama community. Mr Alagoa Morris, Head of Field Operations at ERA/FoEN’s Bayelsa office, told NAN that the oil firm had yet to commence crude recovery and clean up of the contaminated site. He said that the development had led to continued exposure of the community's residents and the environment to the toxic effects of crude oil since November 2. However, Shell in a report on its website, claimed that it