ONE WORD

Boko Haram terrorists killed seven Chad soldiers and wounded 15 in an overnight attack that saw 63 “terrorists” killed in return, an army spokesman told AFP on Monday. “The terrorists attacked our forces at midnight in Bouhama… in the Lake Chad region,” Colonel Azem Bermandoa told AFP, adding that “63 terrorists were killed” and the search for other attackers continues. Chad’s Defence Minister Daoud Yaya Brahim and army chief of staff Taher Erda were on their way to the scene of the fighting Monday to “evaluate the situation,” said Azem. Last month, 23 soldiers were killed in the Lake Chad region in the deadliest attack yet on the Chadian army by Boko Haram, which launched an insurgency in Nigeria a decade ago. The unrest has spread to neighbouring Niger and Chad with the Boko Haram revolt claiming more than 27,000 lives and uprooting more than 1.7 million people. Troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have been grouped into a mixed, multi-national force to fight B...

  Onnoghen A disagreement broke out in the camp of the prosecution in the trial of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, as the proceedings resumed on Monday. The disagreement started after the prosecution led by Mr. Aliyu Umar (SAN), and the defence led by Mr. Okon Efut (SAN), announced appearances for their teams. As Umar informed the tribunal that he was ready for the business of the day which was the adoption of final addresses, a member of his team, Prof. Zainab Duke, attempted to speak to the bench. With a paper in her hand, Duke tried to speak into the microphone but Umar grabbed the microphone and shouted on her to sit down. “There cannot be two leading counsel. Sit down. You cannot speak,” Umar shouted. Struggling to stand up after she sank to her seat in the middle of a struggle for the microphone with Umar, Duke told the bench, “my lord I need your protection”. Responding, the Chairman of the three-man bench, Danladi Umar, u...

The bodies of two students of Benue State University (BSU), which drown in River Benue on Friday had been found by a search and rescue team. The two students are Adakole Christopher a 100- level Math and Computer science student and Miss Emmanuellla Mson, a 100- level MBBS student. The second body of the female student identified as Emmanuella Mson was discovered around Orlam rice farm Nassarawa river rout, barely 48 hours after the body of Adakole Christopher was discovered and deposited at the morgue. According to reports, Emmanuellla’s lifeless body was found and brought back to the bank of river Benue and has since been taken by the school ambulance to the Benue State University teaching hospital. The Vice Chancellor of Benue State University (BSU) Professor Msugh Kembe, who confirmed the unfortunate incident in an exclusive interview with correspondent, described it as unfortunate and sad. Kembe said: “For we practising Catholics, it’s really a sad and regrettable ...

•Nigeria playing with disintegration without restructuring •Nigeria can’t afford severance package for non-returning federal lawmakers Second Republic Politician and lawyer, Chief Guy Ikokwu, 81, is not happy with Nigeria’s development path and wants an urgent action to stop the country from sliding into what he called irredeemable trajectory, which will lead to dismemberment. With good governance system, civility, education and technology, Ikokwu, who argued that Nigeria is still in recession, said the country will start growing at six to seven per cent per annum. In this interview with Vanguard, he among others, said that Nigeria does not need a full time legislature and cannot afford the humongous severance package for non-returning members of the National Assembly. By Clifford Ndujihe, Acting Political Editor Guy Ikokwu On the raging killings in Nigeria It is quite a serious and dangerous situation. There are more killings in Nigeria now than in any other African coun...

Tiger Woods of the United States plays an approach on the seventh hole during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 14, 2019, in Augusta, Georgia. Mike Ehrmann / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP Tiger Woods completed an epic “full circle” comeback from career-threatening injury and scandal by winning the 83rd Masters on Sunday, capturing his 15th major title with an unprecedented back-nine rally. Ending an 11-year major drought, the 43-year-old American superstar — who underwent spinal fusion surgery in 2017 due to chronic back pain — seized his first major title since the 2008 US Open. “It’s overwhelming just because of what has transpired,” Woods said. “I could barely walk. Couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t walk. Couldn’t do anything. “To have the opportunity to come back, it’s one of the biggest wins I’ve ever had for sure.” Winning a fifth Masters title, and his first since 2005, cemented a fairytale comeback to the pinnacle of golf for Woods, who...

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has asked those he offended during the just-ended electioneering period in the state to forgive him. Speaking during a family thanksgiving at the Salvation Ministry Headquarters in Port Harcourt on Palm Sunday, Wike also said despite the long drawn battle against him during the same period, he has forgiven those who offended him as well. He said: “Nobody has won and nobody has lost the elections. But Rivers State has won. “I forgive anyone that has wronged me and I also ask for forgiveness from those that I have wronged.“ The Governor said that he was in Church to give thanks to God for his faithfulness in the face of fierce political battles during the 2019 General Elections. “We have come here to give God thanks because he is so faithful to us. We have come to thank God for the fight he fought on our behalf. “It is only God who can fight for us. We have no power of our own to fight,” he said. He thanked the Presiding Past...

Bayern Munich’s German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer makes a save during the German first division Bundesliga football match against Borussia Dortmund in Munich, southern Germany, on April 6, 2019. Christof STACHE / AFP Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer may face another spell on the sidelines after being substituted with a calf injury during Sunday’s win over Fortuna Duesseldorf. Neuer picked up the injury early in the first half of Bayern’s 4-1 win, pulling up after making an apparently innocuous pass. He was immediately taken off, and Bayern coach Niko Kovac confirmed after the game that it was the same calf problem which saw Neuer miss two games earlier this month. “It is the same calf that has caused him problems recently,” said Kovac. “We will examine him tomorrow, and we obviously hope it is nothing serious.” Neuer has faced an ongoing battle with injury in recent years. Two metatarsal fractures kept him sidelined for most of last season, while injuries to his finger ...

Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League, following a 2-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday. The Reds came into the game in second place, following Manchester City’s 3-1 victory at Crystal Palace in the first fixture of the day. The first half ended goalless at Anfield, as both sides struggled to impose themselves in the game. However, Sadio Mane opened scoring after the break, heading in Jordan Henderson’s cross at the far post. Mohammed Salah made it 2-0 almost immediately, firing past Kepa Arizzabalaga from long range. The win takes Jurgen Klopp’s men up to 85points, two more than City, although Pep Guardiola’s side have one outstanding game. Source:https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2019/04/epl-table-liverpool-defeat-chelsea-to.html

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, has asked the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, to provide him with information regarding the “loss of $60 billion oil revenue”. He made the request in a letter addressed to the minister and dated April 10, 2019, a copy of which was sent to Channels Television on Sunday. The senior advocate said the Federal Government has refused to collect the said amount from International Oil Companies (IOCs) as at August 2017. He urged Kachikwu to provide details on how the nation lost $60 billion oil revenue from non-implementation of Production Sharing Contract (PSC) terms between the government and the IOCs. Falana noted that he had informed the minister while he was the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2015 about the non-implementation of the PSC terms. He added that Kachikwu had also confirmed the huge oil revenue loss and blamed it on “publ...

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sunday dismissed as reckless and groundless the claims made by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is a Cameroonian. It also said the claim was a calculated attempt by the APC to trivialize and divert attention from the compelling issue of their criminal rigging of the 2019 presidential election. PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, said it was a disingenuous claim designed by the APC to overburden, distract and bog down the presidential election petition tribunal with trivialities, lies and falsehood, so as to derail the course of justice. Ologbondiyan added, “Such diversionary tactic has however only helped in further exposing the fact that the APC has no answers to the plethora of overwhelming evidence before the tribunal that the election was won by Atiku Abubakar and the PDP. “Whereas Atiku Abubakar’s citizenship by birth, even under our constitution, cannot be contested, it...

Banking industry’s profit has become a manifest of tale of mixed fortunes. While the nation’s Deposit Money Banks regale with huge numbers in the harvest of earnings, their customers are losses and deprivations, mostly facilitated by low-level financial literacy. Indeed, a combined numbers of five top-flight financial institutions, among others, in the country- Access Bank, Ecobank, Guaranty Trust Bank, United Bank for Africa and Zenith Bank showed N653 billion profit after tax. It is an indication that the banking industry is fast-regaining its lost mojo in the wake of Treasury Single Account (TSA) era. It is also a sign that the industry is coping despite global and domestic headwinds; the direct impact of government’s fiscal crisis; assessed long-standing risky environment and its negative impact on credit creation, as well as loan performance. However, it is obvious that a chunk of the billions declared by banks represent lost earnings to customers, particularly, the savin...

PHOTO: arnapress.kz • PPPRA allays fear of product’s scarcity • NSCDC begins clampdown on hoarders today • NUPENG, PENGASSAN fault IMF on economy • Why Brexit won’t hurt Nigeria, by Emefiele Finance Minister Zainab Ahmed yesterday reiterated government’s resolve not to remove fuel subsidy. She made the emphasis against the backdrop of long queues emerging at some filling stations amid the fear that a removal was imminent. Mrs. Ahmed spoke during a joint briefing with Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele and Minister of Budget and National Planning Udoma Udo Udoma on the sidelines of the 2019 IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC. “There is no plan to remove subsidy now because we have not yet found an alternative package to subsidy. We will not remove subsidy without another social safety net package,” the minister said. She noted: “One of the issues that always comes up in the report, especially by the International Monetary Fund (IMF...

Former Manchester United midfielder, Paul Scholes has advised the club not to renew the contracts of Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian this summer. Mata, Herrera, Valencia and Darmian’s contracts will expire at the end of the season. Scholes also urged Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side not to allow midfielder, Paul Pogba, leave Old Trafford amid interest from Real Madrid. The ex-midfield maestro stated this following Man United’s 2-1 victory over West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday evening. When asked if Man United should renew the contracts of Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian this summer, Scholes told BT Sport: “None of them. “I think there was a time going back a few years, when if United lost a player, no matter how big a player it was. Whether it was David Beckham, Roy Keane, Cristiano [Ronaldo] at times. It didn’t matter, it really didn’t matter.” He added, “But at this point now, if you’re losing Paul Pogba....

Chelsea’s Brazilian-Italian defender Emerson Palmieri (L) vies with Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (R) during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on April 14, 2019. Paul ELLIS / AFP Liverpool powered back to the top of the Premier League after Mohamed Salah’s stunning strike clinched a 2-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp’s side had surrendered pole position a few hours earlier when Manchester City won 3-1 at Crystal Palace, piling pressure on the Reds to respond as the title race heats up. Liverpool rose to the challenge as Sadio Mane’s opener five minutes after the break and a blistering long-range drive from Salah two minutes later moved them two points clear of second-placed City on a raucous afternoon at Anfield. City have five games left compared to just four for Liverpool, leaving the destiny of the title in the hands of the champions. But there is a growing feeling...

You don't need a WAEC certificate to become the president of Nigeria - Festus KeyamoLawyer and spokesperson of the 2019 Buhari campaign organization, Festus Keyamo, was a guest on Channels TV last night where the issue of President Buhari’s WAEC certificate was discussed. The main opposition party, PDP and other political parties, have contested President Buhari’s eligibility to be the President on the grounds that he has not tendered his WAEC results to INEC. In his interview, Keyamo says a WAEC certificate is not a prerequisite to becoming the President of Nigeria. According to him, if you have occupied public office for a reasonable length of time, by the provisions of the constitution, you do not even need a WAEC certificate to become President of Nigeria. See excerpts from his interview below; source:https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2019/04/you-dont-need-waec-certificate-to.html

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Sunday said it has lost an airman in a parachuting accident in Kaduna. The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday. “NAF is sad to announce the passing of one of its airmen, Corporal Meshach Iliya Komo, who died in Kaduna today, April 14 2019, in a parachuting accident during recurrency training. “On behalf of officers, airmen and airwomen of the NAF, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, commiserates with the family of the late airman over this irreparable loss. “We pray that the Almighty God grants his soul eternal rest,” the statement read. Source:DAILY TRUST source:https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2019/04/naf-loses-airman-in-parachuting-accident.html

Just 14 months after making his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, Israel Adesanya has become a middleweight champion after defeating American, Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 in Atlanta. Adesanya, who is unbeaten in 17 professional fights, defeated Gastelum via unanimous decision to claim the UFC’s interim 185-pound championship on Sunday morning, making him the second African to achieve the feat following Kamaru Uman’s victory at UFC 235 last month. All three judges scored the five-round bout for Adesanya, including 10-8 marks in the decisive fifth round. According to UFC Stats, Adesanya out-landed Gastelum in total strikes 135-68. He also stuffed eight of Gastelum’s nine takedown attempts. The result sets up a title unification bout between Adesanya, who was born in Nigeria but lives and trains in New Zealand, and Australian champion, Robert Whittaker. Whittaker was forced to withdraw from a title defence earlier this year because of a hernia but is expected to return i...

Teni Changes Name To 'Teni Dangote' At A function, Dangote reacts The richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote burst out laughing at Singer Teni as she changed her name to ‘Teni Dangote’ at a function. Teni was seen performing her hit single ‘Case’ at an event attended by Dangote as she changed the lyrics to ‘ Cause my papa na Dangote’ and she asked her fans to start calling her ‘Teni Dangote’. Watch video: source: https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2019/04/teni-changes-name-to-teni-dangote-at.html

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has called for a collaborative efforts towards protecting telecom infrastructure across the country. NCC Mrs Amina Shehu, NCC Director Zonal Operations made this call in a statement on Sunday in Abuja. Shehu was speaking at the commission’s sensitisation programme on the protection of telecoms infrastructure in Okene Kogi State. She urged all stakeholders, including traditional rulers, and individuals to collectively protect telecoms infrastructure in their communities. Proliferation of substandard mobile phones worries NCC Shehu, represented by Mr Ekisola Oladisun,  Principal Manager, Zonal Operations Directorate, told the audience that concerted efforts of all stakeholders were needed to protect telecoms infrastructure. “If the Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) enjoyed by the consumers are to be improved upon, the consumers needed to play a role by joining hands in protecting telecoms infrastruct...

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari and the 36 state governors to provide specific information regarding the spending of public funds appropriated as security votes between 2011 and 2019.” In separate Freedom of Information (FOI) requests sent to the president and the governors, SERAP is seeking to know if public funds meant to provide security and ensure the protection of the lives of Nigerians have been spent for that purpose. “Given the current security realities in the country, we need the information to determine if public funds meant to provide security and ensure respect and protection of the rights to life, physical integrity, and liberty of Nigerians have been spent for this purpose. Our request is limited to details of visible, specific security measures and projects executed and does not include spending on intelligence operations.” Serap cites the current security realities in the country as the reason f...

Manchester United midfielder, Paul Pogba has reacted to his side’s Premier League 2-1 victory over West Ham United on Saturday evening. Pogba scored twice from the spot to give Man United all three points against West Ham at Old Trafford. The France international admitted that Ole Gunnar Solskjear’s men “didn’t play well” against the visitors. “Even if, you know, we didn’t have a good performance as a team, the result is there,” Pogba told BT Sport. “We will think only about this today. It was really open, but we didn’t play well. “The chances we had, the space that we had, we had the players but we maybe played a bit too slow. “We weren’t dangerous, so we’re going to have to fix that. “Now the game is gone, we’ll learn from that and move on to the next one. “I really don’t know if we are tired because of the Champions League game. “We are going to have to rest now and be fit for Tuesday.” Source:https://samueljackson12.blogspot.com/2019/04/epl-what-pogba-said-af...

Alleged killers of "Ajegunle Two". Photo source: Lagos Police PRO, Bala Elkana According to a report by Punch Metro, operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested five Police officers and declared an Inspector, Dania Ojo, wanted, for allegedly shooting dead a girl, Ada Ifeanyi, in the Apapa area of Lagos State. One Emmanuel Akomafuwa was said to have sustained life-threatening injuries as a result of the shooting that killed the 20-year-old girl. The policemen arrested were identified as: Inspector Adamu Usman, Sergeant Adeyeye Adeoye, Sergeant Kashim Tijani, Sergeant Lucky Akigbe and, Sergeant Paul Adeoye. The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said the Police officers were already facing internal disciplinary actions at the Command’s headquarters, adding that if found wanting, they would be prosecuted in conventional court for murder. Elkana said in a Press statement, “The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, Zubairu Muazu, has or...

Members of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group are marking the 5th anniversary of the abduction of over 100 girls by the Boko Haram terrorist group in the Chibok community, Borno State. The group is demanding the release of the remaining girls still held in the captivity of the terrorist group and also asking the Federal Government to make schools in the northeast safe. In a sit-out in Lagos to honour the Chibok schoolgirls, the faces and names have been posted at the Falomo roundabout in the Ikoyi area of the state as well as other parts of Nigeria. President Muhammadu Buhari in a statement on Saturday renewed his vow to ensure the release of the remaining Chibok girls and  Leah Sharibu in Boko Haram’s enclave. He disclosed this in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok girls. He said he is aware that the promise to rescue the girls is the main reason the people of Chibok voted overwhelmingly for him in the February election. The Pre...

Palm Sunday: Cleric urges Christians to emulate Christ’ humility A cleric, Rev. Fr. Simon Tizlee, on Sunday urged Christians in Nigeria and the world in general to emulate the humility of Jesus Christ. Tizlee gave the advice in his sermon to mark the 2019 Palm Sunday at the Church of Assumption Parish, Chongo’Pyeng, Jos. Reports have it that Palm Sunday is the last Sunday before Easter, which signifies the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Tizlee who is on a visit at the Parish said Jesus humbled and offered himself freely to save mankind, but God in turn exalted and made him king. The cleric noted that humility remains the only way to greatness, hence Cristians should humble themselves at all time. “Like a lamb Jesus was led to the slaughter house and was even jarred by many, but he never uttered a word. “He offered himself to suffer, not for himself, but for others. He humbled and emptied himself to be a servant. This is humility per excellence. “Though he...

Nigeria midfielder, John Obi Mikel has revealed how it feels captaining English second tier side, Middlesbrough to the successive victory. Middlesbrough are still in contention for the playoffs after beating Hull City 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday. It was their second successive win in the Championship with Mikel captaining the side. The Super Eagles midfielder was at the right place at the right time, clearing off the line as the opponents searched for an equaliser towards the end of the game. Speaking post-match, Mikel told BBC that he has enjoyed the captaining the team in their last two matches against Bolton Wanderers and Hull City. ”’It is always nice to be the captain, to lead the team,” he said. ”Great team, great players, great lads too, so it is always nice, it is always positive. I am really honored to have captained the team in the last two games. ”Hopefully we can keep winning games, I think that is the most important thing.” In the provisiona...

One of the strange stories you will read on the internet today, is that of a UK-based Ghanaian woman who was born with two vaginas and two wombs. The lady identified as Elizabeth Amoah, who has lived with this condition for years, has now decided to let the world know about it. Meet the woman born with 2 Vaginas and 2 Wombs as she opens up on her condition One of the strange stories you will read on the internet today, is that of a UK-based Ghanaian woman who was born with two vaginas and two wombs. The lady identified as Elizabeth Amoah, who has lived with this condition for years, has now decided to let the world know about it. Elizabeth also known as ‘Special Lady’, spoke on 3FM’s Drive with Giovani Caleb, where she revealed she had to undergo seven medical surgeries after she was diagnosed with having sexual complications. “I discovered I had a double womb and a double vagina canal in 2015 after an MRI scan, so I had to undergo about 7 surgeries,” she told Giovani Cal...