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(Nigeria) Former Military Governor of Lagos State  and a chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC in Adamawa,  retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, has formally defected to People's Democratic Party, PDP, with his teeming supporters. The decision by Marwa to defect to PDP followed a meeting held on Sunday with his supporters in Yola, Adamawa State, after their  complaint of  being marginalised in the  APC. In his speech,Marwa accused APC's  national leadership of handing over the party in the state to Gov Murtala Nyako. Marwa, who contested the last state governorship election with Nyako under defunct CPC, said his supporters were marginalised during the recent APC membership registration in the state. He noted that as members of the legacy parties that formed APC he would not accept a situation where Nyako, who came from PDP, would just take over the party from "the original founders in the state". Marwa said he would dialogue  with the PDP so as to ensure

(Nigeria) The National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, has sought the collaboration of the Joint Task Force in Niger Delta to tackle environmental pollution caused by oil spills. This is contained in a statement by Mr Henshaw Ogubike, the spokesman of NOSDRA, on Sunday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The statement said that the Chairman, Governing Board of NOSDRA, retired Maj. Lancelot Anyanya, led NOSDRA management on a courtesy call to the JTF Commander, Maj.- Gen. Emmanuel Atewe in Yenogoa. According to the statement, Anyanya as said that the essence of the visit was to solicit the JTF’s support in tackling the menace of oil “spillage caused by third party interference.” It quoted Anyanya as saying that the roles of JTF and NOSDRA were interrelated and thanking the force for providing security for oil installations and the entire region. The statement said that Anyanya commended the force for its effort in dealing with the problem of oil theft which resulte

(Nigeria) The Shell Petroleum Development Company, on Sunday in Yenagoa State blamed the incessant oil spills in Bayelsa on the activities of oil thieves. Shell’s spokesperson, Mr Joseph Obari, told News Agency of Nigeria, that oil thieves were responsible for 80 per cent of the oil spills in Bayelsa State. Obari said the state’s Okordia-Ikarama area was a hotbed of pipeline vandalism, and the spills caused by equipment failure were even remotely linked to activities of the oil thieves. “Shell is committed to a prompt clean-up and remediation of spills impacted sites within its operational base, in spite of the cause of the spill. `The perpetrators’ personal gains are the driving force of the illegal activities. A total of 21 spills have been recorded in the area between 2009 and now. ``Of the number, 17 of them were due to deliberate cutting of Shell pipelines and manifold. The four spills caused by equipment failure occurred at previously-clamped sabotage points, already

United States Secretary of State John Kerry meets his Russian counterpart on Sunday hoping to ease global tensions over the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea and sudden buildup of troops near Ukraine. The latest attempt to resolve the worst East-West standoff in the post-Cold War era follows a sudden call placed by Vladimir Putin on Friday to US President Barack Obama -- the first by the Russian leader since he sent troops into Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula in response to the February 22 fall in Kiev of a pro-Kremlin regime. After the call to Obama who was visiting Riyadh, Kerry decided mid-air to divert his Washington-bound flight home Saturday and travel to Paris instead to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Lavrov said ahead of the Paris talks, expected to start at 1630 GMT, that Moscow had "absolutely no intention and no interests in crossing the Ukrainian border". He called on Western powers to back a proposal for Ukraine's Russian-speaking

Palestinians and Arab Israelis commemorated on Sunday Land Day with rallies remembering six of their number who were shot dead during a 1976 demonstration against land seizure. In the northern Israeli town of Arraba, thousands of people turned out for the main demonstration, many waving Palestinian flags, an AFP correspondent said. A smaller gathering also took place in Sawawil, a Bedouin village in the southern Negev desert which is not recognised by Israel, with police saying hundreds participated. The annual Land Day demonstrations are held to remember six Arab Israeli protesters who were shot dead by Israeli police and troops during mass demonstrations in 1976 against plans to confiscate Arab land in Galilee. In annexed east Jerusalem, some 70 demonstrators gathered outside the walls of the Old City by Damascus Gate, throwing stones and chanting slogans, a police spokeswoman said, adding that the rally was quickly broken up and one person arrested. Spokeswoman Luba Sam

(Nigeria) The All Progressives Congress, APC, has strongly warned against any attempt to put pressure on the House of Representatives Committee that is currently probing the disturbing jet scandal involving Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke. In a statement in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the investigation into the scandal is of great public interest, hence those who are reportedly piling pressure on the House Committee on Public Accounts should back off. It said the allegation that the minister has spent N10 billion of taxpayers' funds to junket around the world in chartered private jets is very serious and cannot be swept under the carpet as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led Federal Government will like to do. ''Scandal is the hallmark of the PDP-led Federal Government and the presidency, hence both may not feel the public anger at the report that a minister, whose most

Eight people were killed and 18 others injured on Sunday in clashes amid the ongoing local elections in southern Turkey, private Dogan News Agency reported. Two people died and nine others were wounded when they were fighting for the election of neighborhood unit in Golbasi village of Kirikhan town of southern Hatay province, according to the report. Six Turkish citizens were killed and five others wounded in exchange of fire between candidates for neighborhood unit and their relatives in southern Hilvan town of southern Sanliurfa province, said the report. Another fight erupted in Hamamoren village of Siverek town of Sanliurfa province between the members of ruling Justice and Development Party, AKP, and pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, BDP, due to casting vote, leaving four people wounded, said the report, adding that the Turkish Armed Forces reportedly increased measures in the village.

Attacks in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq killed nine people Sunday, exactly a month before parliamentary polls with violence at its worst since the country emerged from a bloody sectarian conflict. The latest violence came hours after seven soldiers were shot dead at a checkpoint in a late-night attack by militants in the north, the latest in a surge in bloodshed that has killed more than 2,200 people already this year. The unrest has been driven principally by anger in the Sunni Arab minority over alleged mistreatment at the hands of the Shiite-led authorities, as well as by the civil war raging in neighbouring Syria. A suicide bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives on a major bridge in Ramadi, a city west of Baghdad where security forces are still grappling to retain full control after militants took over several neighbourhoods two months ago. The blast killed seven people and wounded 10 more, and also badly damaged the Hauz Bridge, a key crossing used by civilians

(Nigeria) Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has charged the men of the State Traffic Management Agency, ESTMA, to stop and arrest him or the State Deputy Governor if their vehicles beat the red light rule, saying no one is too big to contravene laws in the state. Speaking during a meeting with officers and men of the Agency at the Government House, weekend, Oshiomhole said men of the agency to be firm but civil in carrying out their duties, saying they must not treat ‘big  men’ with levity because of their status in the society. He said: “you must not extort, you must not criminalise innocent people, you must not let offenders go after extortion, if anybody beats the red light, you must arrest the person no matter his status. If it’s the Governor or Deputy Governor, you must block him and interrogate him. The only person exempted from the red light rule is the President or Deputy President when they visit, in which case the road will be blocked for their easy passage. “

(Nigeria) The Emir of Agaie, Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar, has died on Sunday in a private hospital in Abuja, the Secretary to the Niger Government, Alhaji Saidu Kpaki, has said. Kpaki confirmed the monarch’s death in a telephone interview with News Agency of Nigeria in Minna, Niger State, saying “I can confirm that the Emir of Agaie, Alhaji Abubakar, is dead and the burial is slated for 5.00.p.m in Agaie, today (Sunday)." Abubakar Ubandoma III, aged 52, was appointed the traditional ruler of Agaie Emirate in Niger on April 30, 2004. He had Higher Diploma in Animal Health and Husbandry and a Post-graduate Diploma in Public Administration from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Abubakar was one of the promoters of the creation of the proposed Edu State out of Niger and Kwara, being homeland for the Nupes with the capital in Bida.  

(Nigeria) The Department of State Services, DSS, on Sunday morning, foiled an attempted jail break at its headquarters in Abuja, a statement has said. The statement, which was signed by Marilyn Ogar, the Deputy Director, Public Relations, DSS, said that the attempt occurred at 7.15 a.m. Ogar said that ``this was when the service suspect handler went to the detention facility within the headquarters to feed suspects. ``One of the suspects attempted to disarm the handler by hitting him at the back of his head with his handcuff. The suspect’s attempt to escape drew the attention of other guards at the facility, who fired some shots to warn and deter others.’’ She explained that the gun shots attracted the attention of the military ``with whom we have an understanding of mutual assistance in the event of any threat. ``The Army immediately deployed a team to reinforce our perimeter guards to forestall any external collaborators. The situation has since been brought under control,

The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, has shut the operations of Nigerian Independent Petroleum Company, NIPCO, reports NAN. A NAN correspondent who visited NIPCO operational headquarters at Apapa, Lagos, on Friday, reports that more than 100 trucks were on queue at the loading bay. A top management staff of NIPCO told NAN on condition of anonymity, that this was done on the orders of NUPENG. He said that the issues surrounding the shut in followed the leadership tussle within the top echelon of the Nigeria Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN). According to the source, the situation, which is the fallout of union politics, i-west, to another round of petrol scarcity. “We don't have any industrial crisis that could have warranted the shutdown of operations. “I urge the Federal Government to intervene in the matter before its gets out of hand,” the source said. The top management source said that the company was losing an av

(Nigeria) No fewer than 40 stalls were burnt in a fire outbreak at the Garki Model Market in Abuja on Saturday morning before it was put out. Mr Ibrahim Yahaya-Joe, the Manager, Abuja Market Management Limited, AMML, told News Agency of Nigeria that the fire started at 6.02 a.m. Yahaya-Joe said he received a phone call and was informed that the fire started from a cold-room store before spreading to other parts. ``I received a distress call at exactly 6.02 this morning that there was fire outbreak in one of the shops with a big refrigerator and gas cylinders. We used fire extinguishers as an interim measure to curb the outbreak before the arrival of the fire service personnel. The fire fighters came from the State House, the Federal Fire Service and the FCT Fire Service.’’ He said there were also other cold rooms and cylinders around the area which aggravated the fire’’, he said. Yahaya-Joe commended the men of the fire services for their prompt response to stop the fire. He add

(Nigeria) The Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions, DPP, has absolved the founder of a church -- Perfect Christianity Mission -- Pastor Sign Fireman, of complicity in the murder of a 12-year-old girl. This is contained in a legal advice by the DPP to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, State Criminal Investigations Department, M.A.K. Smith Street, Yaba. The legal advice, dated February 27, was signed by Ms Olayide Eboda on behalf of the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Ade Ipaye. The girl was allegedly strangled to death by one Ikechukwu Egbo in Badagry, Lagos State on December 31, 2013. Egbo had in a confessional statement claimed that it was Fireman, who asked him to murder the girl and obtain her excreta for a N100, 000 reward. However, the DPP cleared Fireman of the crime after the conclusion of Police investigations into the incident, while Egbo was found culpable. The DPP said the facts in the file revealed that the suspect tricked the

(Nigeria) The Shell Petroleum Development Company says its use of vacuum trucks to convey crude from oil fields in the Ikarama community of Bayelsa is a measure to clean-up an earlier spill incident. A Shell spokesman, Mr Joseph Obari, stated this in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Yenagoa. He said the use of trucks to lift crude from Ikarama manifold was part of a clean-up process, and described as untrue allegations by members of the community that the company had abandoned the use of its vandalised pipelines. He said there was no alternative to the use of pipelines to lift crude from oil facilities in Ikarama, adding that pipelines remain the best option in every sense. ``On January 27, there was an act of sabotage on the Ikarama manifold, resulting in the spill of about 302 barrels of crude oil into Shell Right-of-Way and beyond. ``Some 0.74 hectare of the environment was affected by the spill, but almost all of the spilled oil was recovered. ``Oil reco

(Nigeria) The Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, has arrested 2 Britons and 12 Nigerian technicians over their alleged involvement in illegal bunkering at the Chanomi Creek in the western delta. It was gathered that the suspects offered the operatives of the JTF  the sum of $66,500,  to allow them to siphon crude oil into their barges from a Shell Petroleum Development Company pipeline along the Chanomi creek in Delta State, but same was said to have been rejected. The two Britons are Piers Eastwood and Vincent Haywood attached to a United Kingdom based maritime security firm with regional branch in Lagos, according to the JTF, were to provide security/consultancy to MT Crete, a vessel believed to have positioned at Brass open waters for supposed illegal bunkering. Speaking in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, where the suspects were paraded, the commander of the outfit, Major General Emmanuel Atewe who was represented by the Coordinator, JMCC, Col Onyema  Nwachukwu, aid two Briton

(Nigeria) Chairman of National Conference, Justice Idris Kutigi, has expressed shock over the death of the confab’s member, retired AIG Hamma Misau. This is contained in a statement by Assistant Secretary of the conference, Mr Akpandem James in Abuja on Friday. It said Kutigi expressed shock and disbelief as he announced news of the death of Misau on Thursday. 'While sympathising with the family and the entire nation, Kutigi, however, said it was gratifying to note that Misau died in the service of his country. ``He prayed to Allah to grant his soul eternal rest.’’ Misau was a delegate to the conference on the platform of Association of Retired Police Officers of Nigeria, ARPON. James announced that the plenary session of the conference would resume on Monday, March 31. He added that the Vote of Proceedings of March 24, 25 and 26 would be adopted by the conference for deliberation. ``Top on the list of issues would be a report of the outcome of the consultative meeting betw

(Nigeria) The police command in Delta has commenced investigations into the death of two lawyers inside a vehicle at Ozoro, near Warri, Delta State. The Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Celestina Kalu, told reporters in Warri on Friday that it was too early to determine the cause of the death. ''Investigation is still on because they were found dead inside a vehicle.'' Kalu said the bodies had been deposited in a hospital in Warri, adding that autopsy would be conducted to ascertain the cause of death. A reliable source told newsmen that the lawyers, Horis Dafiaghor and Samuel Ekuwangju, were found dead inside a vehicle. The source alleged that the deceased were on their way to court for a high profile case when they were waylaid and killed by hired assassins. It said that the deceased were both of Whytfort Jurisconsult Chambers of at No 81 Udu Road, Ovwian in the Udu Local Government Area of Delta. However, the Warri Chapter of the Nigerian Bar Associ

(Nigeria) A Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday struck out a suit filed by 79 lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the All Progressives Congress, APC. The plaintiffs, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, 78 Senators and Reps members, had prayed the court for an order restraining the defendants from declaring their seats vacant following their defection. Joined as co-defendants in the suit, filed in September 2013, are the PDP National Chairman, Senate President, House of Reps Speaker, the PDP and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Delivering judgment, Justice Ahmed Mohammed held that the suit was an `academic exercise’ which the court would not adjudicate upon. He said that the PDP, being the fourth defendant in the instant case, had similarly filed another suit before him asking the court to declare the seats of the defected legislators vacant. ``In the final analysis, the lawmakers’ suit is based on the threat of declaring their seats vacant, and the

Russian government on Friday in Moscow expressed displeasure that Kiev and its foreign sponsors support the United Nation s resolution on Ukraine's territorial integrity. The Russian Foreign Ministry was referring to the UN General Assembly's recent vote on the resolution, which does not recognise Crimea's absorption by Russia. The Russian ministry said a potential cold war era propagandist machine was used to mask the deepest political crisis in Ukraine and to blame Russia for rising tension in Ukraine. ``The wide difference among the positions of the UN members, big number of those abstained or absent from voting, is an eloquent evidence that one-sided interpretation of events in Ukraine has not been accepted," it said. It added that it was unfortunate that pressure, political blackmail and economic threats were used to coerce UN members to support the resolution. It described the resolution as counterproductive, adding that the move would complicate the settlem

(Nigeria) Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, said on Friday that the 2014 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, will also be conducted in seven countries abroad. Ojerinde stated this on Friday while fielding questions from newsmen at the University of Ilorin. He said the examination, scheduled for April, would also take place in Accra (Ghana), Johannesburg (South Africa), Cameroun, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia),  Ivory Coast, London (UK) and Cotonou (Benin Republic). He said JAMB was prepared to conduct a smooth and hitch-free examination in all accredited centres in the country. He said about 160 examination centres were accredited to conduct the electronic-based examination, pointing out that the number of centres was increased this year. ``Last year, the board had only fifty-five centres,” he said. The Registrar said about 300 examination centres applied, adding that only 160 were accredited because they met with the Board’s req

(Nigeria) The Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, FRCN, on Thursday said the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, did not comply with the  International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) in its 2011/2012 financial year report. The Executive Secretary of the FRC, Mr Jim Obazee, said this at the hearing to investigate the CBN on its activities for financial year ended Dec.31, 2011 to 2012 in Lagos. Obazee said that CBN budgeted N50 million in 2010; it also budgeted N200 million each in 2011, 2012 for International Financial Reporting Standard, IFRS, compliance, but did not comply with it. The CBN, according to the council, also budgeted N150 million for IFRS compliance, which was reflected in the 2013 financial report, but without board approval. The investigation also included related matters arising from transactions and events which impacted on the 2011 and 2012 from earlier year. It also included the impact of the development on the later period. Obazee, who is also the Chairman

(Nigeria) The Nigerian Union of Journalists, NUJ, has condemned a purported attempt at the on-going National Conference to undermine the work of journalists covering the conference. President of the union, Mr Mohammed Garba, who expressed dismay over the action of some delegates, gave the union's position in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja. He said that the media would maintain its neutrality in the reportage of proceedings at the conference, adding that it would resist any form of intimidation from any group or individual. Garba described the attempt as a ``blatant attack on the freedom of the press’’ and called on stakeholders to resist such acts to avoid a repetition. ``The NUJ is unhappy over the reported attack on some journalists by some delegates participating in the conference; it is unfortunate because this is an attempt to undermine the press freedom we all fought, very hard, for. ``The responsibility of the media in the conference is to report

An Ebola epidemic which has killed dozens of people in Guinea's southern forests has spread to the capital Conakry, health sources said on Thursday, confirming four new cases. The patients were immediately put in isolation centres to avoid the highly contagious virus getting into the population, the sources told AFP. Between 1.5 and two million people are estimated to be living in Conakry, a vast, sprawling port city on Guinea's Atlantic coast. The tropical virus leads to haemorrhagic fever, causing muscle pain, weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea and -- in the most severe cases -- organs failure and unstoppable bleeding. Authorities in the city identified three cases of haemorrhagic fever -- two of them fatal -- on Sunday but samples taken from the victims tested negative for Ebola.

The United States is quietly blocking exports of sensitive dual-use materials and technologies to Russia, an apparent response to its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, which oversees sensitive exports, especially to US rivals, revealed earlier this week that it is refusing to issue licenses for sales of goods. A terse statement on its website reads: "Since March 1, 2014, BIS has placed a hold on the issuance of licenses that would authorize the export or reexport of items to Russia. BIS will continue this practice until further notice." The State Department said its parallel agency, the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, has since Monday also put a halt on licensing of the export of defense-related goods and services to Russia. "We've been taking steps as part of our ongoing response" to Russia's actions in Ukraine, said Deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf.

(Nigeria) The Abia State Police Command on Thursday confirmed the killing of a tricycle rider identified as Chidera Agu in Aba by gunmen, reports NAN. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Ibrahim Adamu, told newsmen that his men have launched a manhunt for the assailants and appealed to anyone with useful information to assist the police. ``The command wants to appeal to residents who have useful information which could lead to the arrest of the culprits to inform the nearest police station in their area,” he said. The commercial tricyclist was shot at Nwanguma Street in Aba South Local Government Area of the state. A resident of the area said that the tricycle operator was shot at around 9 p.m. while the attackers made away with his tricycle. “When we got to the scene, the gunmen had dispersed but we later heard that a patrol team from Ndiegoro Police Division picked the corpse. “His family went to the police station where they identified him as a tricycle operator

(Nigeria) The Oyo State Police Command said on Thursday that it had arrested eight people  in connection with the discovery of a horror forest in Soka area of Ibadan. The command’s Public Relations Officer, Mrs Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor, stated when Mr Femi Omolaja, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 11, visited the site. The police spokesperson said that the names of the arrested suspects would however not be made public yet. ``We are working hard on the case and very soon, we shall bring to book perpetrators of the deadly and inhuman act. We are already making headway with the arrested eight persons, but we would love to keep their identities secret for now because investigations are still on,’’ he said. The AIG, however, assured members of the public that the police would not relent until those who operated the death camp were arrested and prosecuted. He said his visit was at the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Malam Mohammed Abu

The United Nationa General Assembly on Thursday adopted a Western-backed resolution declaring Crimea's breakaway referendum illegitimate and refusing to recognize Russia's annexation of the peninsula. The non-binding resolution passed with a comfortable majority in the 193-member body, with 100 votes in favor and 11 votes against. But 58 abstained and more than 20 did not vote. Ukraine, which drafted the resolution, welcomed the adoption of the resolution and called for a "stronger and more concrete" united, international front against Russian aggression. "I'm very much satisfied with the vote...(an) overwhelming majority of nations in the world supported this resolution," acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya said. He had urged the international community to back the text, hoping an overwhelming show of support would ward off further Russian intervention on its territory. "I am convinced that a strong vote today will hel

The International Monetary Fund, IMF announced on Thursday a $14-$18 billion bailout for Ukraine that requires the crisis-hit country to pursue painful and unpopular reforms to avert bankruptcy amid its escalating standoff with Russia. The vital economic breakthrough was reached just as Ukraine's presidential campaign heated up with the announcement by opposition icon Yulia Tymoshenko that she will contest the race to see who will replace the ousted pro-Russian regime that sent her to jail. Washington and its EU allies hope the rescue and a mounting diplomatic offensive against Russia should keep Ukraine on a stable enough footing to conduct snap polls on May 25 that could help unite the culturally splintered country of 46 million behind one democratically elected leader. But the pledge of Western assistance comes amid growing worries about a rapid Russian buildup at Ukraine's eastern border that one Kiev official said had now reached 100,000 troops. German Chancello

(Nigeria) A Nigerian police officer on Thursday shot dead his wife and five other people before turning the gun on himself in Ogun State, a police spokesman said. "Sunkanmi Ogunbiyi shot and killed six people, including his wife, a policewoman in uniform. He later killed himself," Olumuyiwa Adejobi, from Ogun State police in southwest Nigeria, told AFP. An investigation has been launched into the incident, which happened after Ogunbiyi, who lived apart from his wife, returned from work early on Thursday. He went to his wife's house in the state capital, Abeokuta, and once there shot her with a rifle before killing five other people. "I knew Sunkanmi personally," Adejobi told the private Channels television. "He was not insane. He has been having domestic problems with his wife over a long time," he added, without disclosing the nature of the problem. The identity of the five other people was not immediately available.      

Three sets of bombings in Baghdad killed at least a dozen people Thursday evening, the latest in a surge in bloodshed in Iraq just weeks ahead of scheduled parliamentary elections. Two roadside bombs that exploded in Amriyah in western Baghdad, a car bomb in the northern district of Adhamiyah -- both of which are Sunni-majority -- and another vehicle in the Saidiyah neighbourhood also wounded at least 30 people, the sources said. The car bomb in Adhamiyah, which struck near the massive Abu Hanifa mosque, killed at least seven people and wounded 22, while the twin bombings in Amriyah left four others dead. Another car bombing in Saidiyah killed one more. The blasts came just ahead of the weekend in Baghdad, when markets and cafes are typically packed, and continue a trend of post-sunset attacks in the capital. Violence in the city had previously been concentrated during morning rush hour. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. Sunni militant groups s

(Nigeria) The Edo State House of Assembly on Thursday passed a bill for a law to establish a University of Science and Technology at Uzairue, in the Etsako-West Local Government Area of the state. Considering the bill on clause-by-clause basis, the Chairman, House Committee on Education, Mr Folly Ogedengbe, APC-Owan East, said the university would be a fee paying institution and self-sustaining. Ogedengbe noted that the university, if passed, would boost economic activities in the Edo-North senatorial district. The motion for the passage of the bill was moved by the Leader of the House, Philip Shaibu, APC-Etsako West, and seconded by the Minority Whip, Emmanuel Okoduwa, PDP- Esan North East. The bill noted that the institution shall be known as Edo State University of Science and Technology, Uzairue. The tenure of the Vice Chancellor shall also be for a single term of five years. According to the bill, the university shall have autonomy in administrative matters, while the

(Nigeria) The Nigerian military on Thursday said it had apprehended a group of insurgents attempting to escape to Cameroon through Taraba and Adamawa states’ borders. The information is contained in a statement issued by Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, the Director, Defence Information and Coordinator of Joint Information Centre, Counter terrorism Campaign. Olukolade said the insurgents were attacked by troops on patrol of the areas in the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign. He said ``the terrorists were trapped following the ongoing offensive launched by troops along the borders. Some of them could no longer bear the hunger in their make-shift camps at the forest. Those apprehended led the troops to some hideouts where fierce fighting ensued and seven terrorists died, while Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, rifles and 70 motorcycles were recovered.'' The director said ``a similar encounter in Gumbi also led to the death of four other terrorists.'' He added that

(Nigeria) A 20-year-old apprentice, Shina Ikare, was on Thursday remanded by an Akure Magistrate Court, Ondo State over alleged attempt to kidnap a teenager. The Prosecutor, Mr Pelumi Adejuwon, told the court that the accused committed the offence on March 14, at 12p.m., at Owalusi quarters, Iwaro-Oka in Akure, Ondo State. ``He attempted to kidnap one Faith Adeniyi, female, aged six years, by taking her to Osuru garden via Oka against her wish with the intention of collecting ransome from her parents before releasing her," he said. He explained that the offence was contrary to and punishable under Section 4 of Ondo State Anti- Kidnapping and Anti-Abduction Law of 2010. Adejuwon applied for an adjournment to enable him duplicate the case file and send to the Ministry of Justice for legal advice. He prayed the court to remand the accused in prison pending the receipt of the legal advice. The Magistrate, Miss Olubukola Kuye, ordered that the case file should be duplicate

(Nigeria) An Abuja High Court on Thursday revoked the bail it granted to a Polish woman, Dora Gilmaska, for absconding from trial on two occasions. Gilmaska is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for issuing N9 million dud cheque to one Tayo Olugbemi in 2012. Trial judhe, Justice Abubakar Umar, therefore, ordered that the accused be arrested and remanded in Suleja Prisons, Abuja. He also ordered that the surety must appear before the court on the next adjourned date to explain reasons for her absence on the two occasions. The EFCC counsel, told the court that the case was slated for adoption of written address. Prosecution drew the attention of the court that the accused was not in court and dis not appear on October 8, 2013 and on February 17. Counsel urged the court to revoke her bail, arguing that `` this is not the first time the accused is jumping bail and no reason was given for her absence”. Counsel to the accused, did not oppo

(Nigeria) The National Judicial Council, NJC on Thursday announced the suspension of the Chief Judge of Rivers, Justice Peter Agumagu. This is contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the office of the Acting Director of Information, NJC, Mr Soji Oye. It said that the Council took the decision at its emergency meeting on Wednesday.     Agumagu, a former president, Rivers Customary Court of Appeal, was sworn-in as substantive Chief Judge of the state on March 18. The statement said Agumagu’s appointment did not comply with the provisions of Section 271 of the 1999 Constitution which stipulates that a state governor must appoint a Chief Judge ``on the recommendations of the NJC’’. According to the statement, the NJC did not recommend Justice Agumagu to the governor of Rivers for appointment as the state Chief Judge. ``The National Judicial Council did not at any time make any recommendation to the Governor of Rivers State that Justice P. Agumagu, President, Customary