BREAKING NEWS

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said on Tuesday that a former Director of Finance and Account at the Abia State Government House, Umuahia, Jones Udeogu, once claimed that the state engaged the company of a former governor of the state, Orji Kalu, to import Okrika (second-hand clothes) from Cotonou, Benin Republic. According to an investigator with the EFCC, John Egem, Udeogu made the claim when he was confronted with documents showing movement of funds from the coffers of the Abia State Government House into the Inland Bank account of Kalu’s private company, Slok Nigeria Limited. Egem said when Udeogu was, however, asked to produce documents showing any contractual agreement between the government house and Slok Nigeria Limited, he was unable to do so. Egem appeared on Tuesday as a prosecution witness before the Federal High Court in Lagos where Kalu, Udeogu and Slok Nigeria Limited are being tried for an alleged fraud of N2.9bn. The EFCC, in the charges, claime

The European Union, United Nations and African Union have agreed to an emergency plan to dismantle people-smuggling networks and repatriate stranded migrants, in an effort to ease a human rights disaster in Libya, officials said. Images broadcast by  CNN  earlier this month appeared to show migrants being  auctioned off as slaves  by Libyan traffickers, sparking outrage in Europe and anger in Africa. It forced the issue of abuse of African migrants heading for Europe to the top of the agenda of a summit meant to focus on Africa’s youth. European Council President Donald Tusk called the slavery reports “horrifying” during the opening ceremony of the African Union-European Union summit yesterday. French President Emmanuel Macron said the plan included the establishment of an “operational task-force” composed of European and African police and intelligence services. “The goal will be in very short order to be able to arrest identified traffickers, dismantle these networks and t

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said today that Lebanon had been “hijacked” by Hezbollah and could only flourish if the group disarmed. “Lebanon will only survive or prosper if you disarm Hezbollah,” Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir told a conference in Italy. “As long as you have an armed militia, you will not have peace in Lebanon.” Al-Jubeir said the situation in Lebanon was “tragic” and accused Iran of fomenting unrest across the Middle East. “Since 1979, the Iranians have literally got away with murder in our region, and this has to stop,” he said. A month ago, Saad Hariri  resigned  as Lebanese prime minister while he was in Saudi Arabia, triggering a political crisis in Beirut and thrusting Lebanon onto the front line of the regional rivalry. Saudi Arabia denied coercing its long-time ally to quit, and Hariri has now returned to Beirut and indicated that he might  withdraw his resignation . However his children remain in Saudi Arabia and no details have been given a

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed the desire for Israel to become a member of the African Union, in a renewed bid to increase cooperation with the continent, according to Kenyan newspaper  Daily Nation. On a trip to several African nations, Netanyahu has repeatedly emphasised the importance of increased ties between Israel and African governments. During a speech in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, with 11 other heads of state present, Netanyahu pledged to deepen trade, security and agricultural relations with neighbouring countries. “This is my third visit to Africa and second to Kenya, we believe in the future of Africa, we love Africa and I would like very much not only to cooperate on an individual basis with each of your countries but also with the African Union.” “I hope that we all find a way to have Israel become an observer status in the African Union because we can help, we cannot only observe but we can help build together a better future for Afric

orji uzor kalu former Abia state governor The Federal High  Court sitting in Lagos has adjourned further trial of a former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu till January16th, 2018.  The former governor is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside his former Commissioner for Finance, Ude Udeogo, on 34 counts bordering on fraud involving N3.2 billion. Also charged with the accused is Kalu’s company - Slok Nigeria Ltd. The accused had pleaded not guilty to the charges. The anti-graft agency claimed that the money was allegedly diverted in tranches of N200m, N50m, N200m, N300.8m, N545m, N429m, N288.4m, N190m, N157m, N152.8m, N100m, N84m and N50m between August 13, 2003 and January 12, 2005.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has said that most Nigerian leaders lack the courage to take the right decisions in the interest of the country. “We know what is good for Nigeria, but sometimes we are afraid that if we do it, what are the consequences, but if we continue to do this, we will continue to talk about the potentials of this country, not the reality that Nigeria can achieve,” he said. The Senate President stated these yesterday in Abuja, during the 5th-anniversary lecture in honour of his father, late Senator Olusola Saraki, organised by the Northern Union. He noted that, “We all know what the right things are most times, we are never ready to stand and do what is right for this country. One thing Oloye had, Oloye had courage and it is that courage that we all need today; the courage to do what is right for this country. The courage to do Nigerian first, not our states, not our religion but to put Nigeria first.” While extolling the virtues of his late father, th

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said it would on December 8 and 9 launch its headquarters in Langenfeld, Germany. The group said it became necessary to open a headquarters so as to be able to coordinate its activities from across the world, which it said has risen to a high height as a result of the massive sensitisation of Biafrans all over the world. Emma Powerful, the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary in a statement to THISDAY in Awka, said that public opening of the headquarters would be done by the Deputy Leader, Uche Mefor, and all members of the ruling Directorate of State (DoS) on December 8 and 9, 2017 in Langenfeld Germany. The statement reads: “Due to increased global awareness generated by the activities of the lPOB and the need to effectively harness the positive attention this has brought on the activities of our movement, we the family members of IPOB and it’s leadership worldwide wish to proudly announce the public opening of our brand new offici

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday, blamed anti-graft agencies in the country of making it difficult for the Federal Government to convince other nations to return funds looted. The Senate President who spoke at a one-day strategic retreat on Tackling the progress of Anti-corruption bills in the National Assembly, said many assets recovered were relooted by anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria. Saraki who was represented by the Deputy leader of the Senate, Bala Na’Allah said: “Nigeria is finding it difficult to convince other nations to return funds looted from our treasury. This is because of other nations’ exasperation over the management of returned assets. “‎Only recently, Mr. President inaugurated a committee to audit all assets recovered by various government agencies. The National Assembly has been strident about the opacity shrouding the management of recovered funds, which in many cases get reported by the agencies that investigated and recovered them. “An a

A team of archeologists from the University of Tel Aviv have uncovered a collection of ancient scrolls in the West Bank region, near the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were originally uncovered in 1947, and which promise to shed a new light on the life and physical appearance of Jesus Christ. The newly found documents which are believed to have been written by a small Jewish sectarian group, called the Essenes, retraces different elements of the Old Testament and New Testament similar to the Dead Sea Scrolls, but scholars have turned their attention to a peculiar fragment which describes the birth of the Christ figure in a new light. The manuscripts that have been dated between 408 BCE to 318 CE describe the son of Mary as of a “darker color” of skin than her parents, a revealing information admits professor Hans Schummer. The manuscripts that have been dated between 408 BCE to 318 CE shed a new light on the physical appearance of Jesus Christ, admits professor

The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) worldwide, has in very distinct terms, challenged the Nigerian government through her Information and Communication Minister - Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to fix a date for Biafra referendum to ascertain the weakness or strength of IPOB. The Minister  had at the end of the massively boycotted Anambra State gubernatorial election of 18th November 2017, mischievously stated that the Indigenous People of Biafra is already weakened due to desperation and frustration of the Nigerian government in fruitlessly trying to scuttle the activities of the worldwide group under the supreme command of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The occupational central government is hereby challenged unequivocally, to put to test, the popularity, might, resilience and control of Biafrans by fixing a date for a referendum. If the government of Nigeria thought that capturing and keeping incommunicado, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) worldwide, Mazi Nnamdi

A ccording to the   World Poverty Clock , Nigeria’s struggle with overpopulation will be a problem now, rather than in 2050. Nigeria will by February 2018 overtake India as the country with the most people in extreme poverty. Currently, 82 million Nigerians live in extreme poverty, which is 42.4 percent of Nigeria’s population. The World Poverty Clock , a brainchild of the World Data Lab, tracks poverty estimates in about 99.7 percent of the countries in the world, using data obtained from the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, United Nations, and the governments of these countries. Using this data, it estimates the rate at which poverty is being reduced globally, and also how many more people are becoming extremely poor in these countries. Living in extreme poverty as  defined by the World Bank  is living under $1.90 per day. People living in extreme poverty are unable to meet their minimal needs for survival. The  first goal of the Sustainable Development Goals , set by t

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the federal government of seeking to frustrate the hearing of its fundamental human rights enforcement suit. It said this while reacting to the application filed by the government at the community court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), challenging the fundamental rights suit before the court. In 2016, Nnamdi Kanu, IPOB leader, filed an $800m compensation suit at the court against the federal government for his “unlawful” arrest and detention in 2015. But the government through its counsel — Maimuna Shiru — urged the court to quash the suit, while accusing Kanu of jumping the bail granted him by the federal high court in Abuja where he is being tried for alleged treasonable felony. Reacting to an application filed by the federal government, IPOB alleged that the federal government had resorted to “blackmail, cheap lies and misinformation” in the matter. “The case of abuse of fundamental human right

Biafrans are humans living in Nigeria against their wish, a people  whose territories are forcefully occupied by the sons and daughters of both Usman Dan Fodio and Oduduwa without their permission. The so-called unity of Nigeria is a sham, a fraud of incomparable magnitude that ought to have been corrected if the international community truly desired the best for nations under them. The Biafra question, one bursting at the seams with cases of inhuman acts of torture, wanton killings, genocide/progrom, and unprovoked rape and cataclysmic invasion by Fulani herdsmen, has continued to receive cold shoulders from the supposed international watchdogs, and one cannot help wondering why. Why is there graveyard silence from the world concerning the very loud and obvious Biafra question? After a lengthy discussion with one of our brothers that resides in the US against his wish, we concluded that the international silence that has greeted the Biafra agitation is occssioned by what we refe