Nigerian Military Claims Arrest of 8 Suspected Insurgents

The Nigerian military said Wednesday that it has arrested eight of the suspected insurgents who launched deadly attacks since the weekend in the northeast in which more than a dozen students were killed.

Gunmen On 38 Motorcycles Invade Zamfara Village, Kill 32

More than 32 persons were reported killed in the early hours of Tuesday when gunmen numbering about 150 attacked Kizara village in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara.

The heavily armed gunmen, who came on 38 motorcycles, invaded the village at about 4 a.m., shooting sporadically at anybody in sight.

Governors Handed More Powers After State House Talks

County governments will take over the running of health, transport, agriculture and tourism in their areas starting from next month, it was agreed on Wednesday.

President Kenyatta directed that counties take over all functions outlined in the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution from July 1. He gave the order during the first governors’ summit held at State House, Nairobi.

UN Experts Say Top Charles Taylor Associate Living Freely in Sierra Leone

A notorious arms supplier and top associate of former Liberian President Charles Taylor has been living freely in Sierra Leone's capital city, according to United Nations experts.

A Sierra Leone police official said Wednesday that a man going by the same name as the suspect, Ibrahim Bah, was detained after the U.N. experts' allegations were published on May 31.

Army Warned Against Tribalism, Sectarianism

The Ugandan army has been told to observe the NRM government’s four principles of patriotism, pan-Africanism, social economic transformation and infrastructure development.

President Yoweri Museveni said his government does not accept ideology based on tribalism, religious and gender chauvinism including sectarianism of tribe and religion.

PDP Accuses ACN of Backing Terrorists

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) of exposing its support for insurgents in the country, even though it is trying to hide under the guise of fighting for freedom of the press.

In a reaction to ACN’s statement criticising the Federal Government’s recent proscription of the Boko Haram and Ansaru radical Islamic sects, PDP noted that ACN was trying to use the press as a subterfuge to hide its support for insurgents

Collapsed Building Kills 1-Year-Old Baby in Lagos

Several others were injured when the three-storey building collapsed in Mushin.
A year-old baby was killed and several others injured on Tuesday when a three-storey building collapsed at Challenge Bus stop, Mushin, Lagos.

Ibrahim Farinloye, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South West, spokesman, confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said that victims, who were injured when the building collapsed, had been rescued and taken to Mushin Hospital.

UNILAG Authorities Force Down, Fix Commodity Prices on Campus

UNILAG students have been protesting the hike in prices of commodities in the school since Monday.

The authorities of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, have forced down the price of Indomie and also fixed other commodity prices on the campus, following days of students’ protest.

The school authorities stepped in after students protested hike in commodity prices on campus, forcing all shops within the school premises to shut down.

Indomie [Hungry Man pack] which sold for N120 is now to sell at N90. Pencils which sold for N30 before the protest will now sell for N10.

Ajudua Remanded in Prison Over Alleged $1.69m Fraud

JUSTICE Olubunmi Oyewole of an Ikeja High Court, Lagos, Tuesday remanded Fred Ajudua in Kirikiri Prison pending the hearing of his bail application in an alleged $1.69 million fraud case.

Before he was remanded, the judge had on May 20, 2013, ordered that Ajudua be produced in court to face the trial he has evaded since 2006.

Ajudua and Charles Orie were arraigned in 2003 for allegedly defrauding two Dutch businessmen, Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen, of $1.69 million between July 1999 and September 2000.

Military Arrests 55 Suspected Terrorists in Borno State, Yobe

• IG lauds move against Shekau, others

THE Nigerian military Wednesday announced the arrest of 55 suspected Boko Haram terrorists in the hotbed of insurgent activities in North Eastern states of Borno and Yobe.

Among the 55 was a group of five insurgents of Nigerien origin who were arrested when troops stormed their hideout at Mallam Fatori area of Maiduguri as they attempted to escape in two Toyota Cruiser Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV).

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar has described the $7 million bounty placed on the leader of the extremist Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, by the United States (U.S.) as a welcome development.

The Nigerian Special Forces also arrested another batch of 49 suspected terrorists in various locations in Yobe State following tip off by locals in some communities.

The troops also said they arrested a key terrorist who allegedly specialised in recruiting young men into the Boko Haram group.

Director of Defence Information, Brigadier Gen. Chris Olukolade said in a statement in Abuja that the arrested individual also keeps watch over the insurgents’ armoury.

The three sets of insurgents were arrested during cordon and search operations by the Special Forces operating under the code name Operation Restore Order III.

Olukolade stated that as troops continue to patrol the “notorious” Sambisa forest in Maiduguri, they are also cordoning the Alou forest and Gwoza Hills where they are taking possession of more abandoned vehicles, weapons and other items left by the fleeing insurgents in their camps.

He listed items and equipment recovered in their camps to include rifles, double barrel guns, various charms and amulets, machine guns, camouflage uniforms, bows and quiver, assorted rifle magazine, mobile phones, walkie talkie, car number plates and some food items. Abandoned vehicles recovered include a Golf car, a Honda, Customs Pickup Van, Honda (2003 Model) and a Volkswagen Monte Carlo.

Olukolade added that during the arrest of the 48 insurgents, various weapons including AK 47 rifles, locally made pistols and ammunition were recovered by the troops who were combing the vicinities of towns such as Rugan Fulani, Arikime, Afghanistan and Ngandu villages.

General Olukolade also said that for the first time in years, police stations are now being reopened in some parts of Borno State.

According to him, “at Kirenowa, detachments of Police Anti-Terrorist unit have been deployed to complement security in the area.”

But Olukolade said there is a developing “trend whereby some particular crimes have now taken the place of terrorism as the criminals now resort to brigandage, robbery and attempted assassination of business rivals.

All law abiding Nigerians were, however, assured of the safety of their lives and property as troops of the Special Forces, comprising various security agencies including the police anti-bomb squads are working round the clock to nip the negative trend in the bud.

Citizens were further encouraged to continue to volunteer information on activities of any terrorists in order to help troops rid the state of insurgents.

The IG, who was in Ibadan, Oyo State to commission an ultra modern police hospital at the state command headquarters, said the bounty placed on the Boko Haram leader is a boost for the fight against terrorism in the country.

He also promised better days ahead for members of the Nigeria Police and their families.

“Our officers have been left unattended to for years. But things have changed now. We are doing this because we want to show love to our people. I have commissioned similar projects in many other states and before the end of the year, we shall do more,” he said.

PDP Ready to Discipline Erring Members - Tukur

National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday, warned that to avoid distractions as the party prepares for 2015 presidential election, it was prepared to wield the big stick against any erring member.

Tukur said that failure of PDP in the past to strictly enforce its laws for whipping non-conforming members into line had accounted for the frequent breakdown of confidence among members on one hand and the troubles with the leadership on the other hand.

Suicide Bomber Flops an Attempted Attack

BAMAKO - A suspected Islamist suicide bomber blew himself up but caused no other casualties in an attack in the northern Malian town of Kidal, the bastion of Tuareg separatist MNLA rebels, witnesses said on Tuesday.

In a separate development, the Malian army said its troops were moving towards Kidal, which the government has said it will retake from the MNLA before a presidential election next month.

A French-led military offensive launched in January succeeded in ending a year-long occupation of Mali’s desert north by al Qaeda-linked insurgents, ousting them from urban areas.

Dangote Is Continent's First U.S.$20 Billion Man, Joins World's 25 Richest

The cement mogul, and Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote has scored yet another first. This time, he has been named Africa's first $20 billion man, thus becoming one of the top 25 richest men in the world.

Dangote, the President/Chief Executive of the pan-African conglomerate, the Dangote Group, has become the first African entrepreneur to lay claim to a $20 billion fortune, as the stock value of the flagship of his holding, Dangote Cement, leaped just about three-fourths since March, when Forbes last released its annual ranking of the world's richest people.

U.S. Places Huge Bounty on Boko Haram Leaders

Lagos — THE United States took an unprecedented step, yesterday, when it posted a price tag of $23million, an equivalent of N3.3 billion on the head of top Al- Qaeda-linked terrorists in Nigeria and West Africa. Nigeria's Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, attracts the highest reward of $7 million (N1.1 billion) for anybody that can provide information that can lead to his capture.

Ghana’s Removal of Fuel Subsidy Spurs Nigeria’s Move to Hike Fuel Price

THERE are indications that the decision by the Ghanaian government to scrap its fuel subsidies to curb fiscal deficit saga in its budget may have elicited fresh fears for Nigerian government pursuing similar policy direction.

Besides, President Goodluck Jonathan’s special committee set up to review the Ribadu report on fuel subsidy scam, may have abandoned their assignment due to pressure from some quarters to kill the report.

Lagos ACN Faults Minister Over Alleged Non-Performance

IN reaction to the Federal Government’s statement on Monday that the administration of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola was doing nothing significant in Lagos, the state chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described the Minister for Information, Labaran Maku, as a disoriented wayfarer and a serial blackmailer who has ridiculed the Information Ministry with his attempt to extort states for a phantom good governance tour when he had done nothing to lift the Ministry of Information above the said position of purveyors of infantile propaganda.

Boko Haram Suspects Stage Prison Break In Niger Republic

A Niger republic official has revealed that members of Boko Haram sect tried to escape from the central prison in Niamey on Saturday afternoon, killing two guards.



Niger republic prosecutor Ibrahim Waziri explained that three prisoners from the sect managed to grab a gun and killed two prison guards and injured three others in their attempt to break out of the prison. He adds that the three prisoners were captured.

The attempted prison break attack comes less than a week after the country was rocked by a double suicide bombing by radicals in the towns of Agadez and Arlit in which 35 were killed, including the attackers.

“Three inmates convicted of conspiracy to commit terrorism attempted a mass escape. They attacked the prison guards who returned fire. Two guards were killed and three were wounded,” state prosecutor Moussa Waziri told journalists.

A government spokesman said all three of the inmates had been captured alive.
“The situation is now under control,” Morou Amadou said.

Hunger Strikes Boko Haram members As 56 Insurgents Nabbed While Searching for Food

MILITARY authorities in Borno State they had arrested a group of 56 terrorists that were moving from village to village in search of food, following a tip off from civilians.

Some member of the group, according to the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier-General Chris Olukolade, who were moving around in a Toyota Land Cruiser Jeep with registration number Borno XA 428 ADM, suspected to have been stolen, were arrested at Daban Masara village while looking for food.

Court Stops PDP on Amaechi As Jang leads 14 Governors to Jonathan

A high court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has stopped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from taking further actions against the state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, pending the hearing of a substantive suit challenging his suspension from the party.

Justice Emmanuel Ogbuji handed down the order following a preliminary application brought before the court by Governor Amaechi’s lawyers, led by Akin Olujimi (SAN).

Give President, Governors, Legislators Automatic Tickets: Anenih

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, governors and members of the National Assembly of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may get automatic tickets to run in the 2015 general elections.

This is, however, premised on the party accepting the suggestion by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, who said the automatic tickets could only be given to a sitting president and governors, who had performed creditably in office.