De - Bliss

Olisa Metuh, spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), slumped at meeting at the party’s secretariat on Tuesday, his associate has told TheCable. The incident occurred during the inauguration of caretaker committees of the party in Borno and Kebbi states. According to the source, Metuh slipped from a swivel chair and was unable to get back up. “He was rushed to the national hospital where I was an hour ago,” he said. He added that the PDP spokesman was in stable condition in spite of the incident. Metuh is facing a seven-count charge of criminal breach of trust and money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). His trial is expected to continue on Wednesday at the federal high court.

Prince was treated for a drug overdose 6 days before his death ... multiple sources tell TMZ. We broke the story ... Prince's private jet made an emergency landing in Moline, Illinois last Friday, hours after he performed in Atlanta. At the time his reps said he was battling the flu ... something we questioned because his plane was only 48 minutes from home before the unscheduled landing. Multiple sources in Moline tell us, Prince was rushed to a hospital and doctors gave him a "save shot" ... typically administered to counteract the effects of an opiate. Our sources further say doctors advised Prince to stay in the hospital for 24 hours. His people demanded a private room, and when they were told that wasn't possible ... Prince and co. decided to bail. The singer was released 3 hours after arriving and flew home. We're told when Prince left he "was not doing well." We know authorities in Minnesota are trying to get the hospital records from Moline to ...

According to a statement by the Police Service Commission, barely three weeks after they opened the portal for applications, 705,352 applicants have sent in applications for just 10,000 vacancies. The statement said '202,427 had successfully applied for the position of Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police', '169,446 for Cadet Inspector' & '333,479 as Constables'. The commission only needs 500 Cadet Asps, 500 Cadet Inspectors, 1,500 Specialist Officers and 7, 500 Constables to meet President Buhari’s approved 10,000 new entrants into the Force. The Police Service Commission chairman, Sir Mike Okiro, said there will be fairness and equal opportunity for all applications as the Commission was only interested in recruiting the best brains for the police force.

They returned to their community over the weekend. Photo credit: Yusuf Dabbam

The victim who is in her 20s says she was attacked by seven men while she was waiting for a bus after shopping for mother's day on March 6th. She was allegedly bundled into a van and raped severally by the men for three hours. The sexual assault is believed to have happened in a car park at Bluewater in Kent, formerly Britain's largest shopping centre A police spokesman said: “As part of ongoing inquiries, 11 arrests have been made in connection with the investigation.”The attack is said to have happened on Mother’s Day, March 6. All those arrested have been bailed while inquiries continue. A spokesman for Bluewater said: "Kent Police is investigating an incident that took place in a Bluewater car park on March 6."From day one this has been a police matter and therefore we can’t and don’t comment on an ongoing investigation. “The safety and wellbeing of our staff and guests is our highest priority. "Bluewater’s security procedures are regularly reviewed and t...

Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Chief Odigie Oyegun, Deputy National Chairman, Chief Segun Oni and others’ criticism of Governor Ayodele Fayose’s letter to the Chinese government on the $2 billion loan sought by the federal government as brazen display of political hypocrisy. He described President Buhari’s non-signing of any direct loan agreement with the Chinese government during his visit as a vindication of the governor’s position, maintaining that; “what Nigeria needs is the collaboration of the Government of China in the area of technology transfer, rather than granting loan that will be mismanaged under the guise of building infrastructure.” In a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Monday, the governor’s spokesperson said “people like Oyegun, Oni and Prof Itse Sagay lack moral rights to complain even if President Mohammadu Buhari is called wha...

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari’s daughter of flying first class on a British Airways to London on April 19, Tuesday. The PDP released ticket information saying that 16 year-old Hanan Buhari was spotted flying first class. President Buhari’s administration has recently announced its decision to bar ministers and other government officials from flying first class. The decision was taken in a bid to reduce the amount being spent on overheard expenditure. The officials said that the travel expenses would drop by about 20% if the provisions of the new circular were fully implemented.

Boko Haram fighters attacked Nigerian troops early on Monday, the army said, after two suspected suicide bombers were shot dead near military positions. Army spokesman Sani Usman said in a brief emailed statement: “Boko Haram terrorists attack troops of 113 Battalion at Kareto, northern Borno state. “The troops have been battling the insurgents since the early hours of today.” A soldier with the regiment told AFP the troops were ordered to the town of Damasak near the border with Niger and took up position in Kareto, some 38 kilometres (24 miles) away. “Today at about 6:30 am (0530 GMT), two suicide bombers approached us and we shot at them and they exploded,” he said. “As soon as the explosives went off, there were barrages of heavy artillery fired by Boko Haram, who came in large numbers with heavy weapons. “We took up position in our trenches and fired back but they kept firing RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), which we didn’t have. “We lost some men, I don’t know how many, ...

Ahmad Gumi, a prominent Muslim cleric, has described the preaching bill that has been generating controversy in Kaduna state as unconstitutional. Nasir El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, had said the bill was an updated version of an existing law required to curtail inflammatory sermons by faith leaders. But in an interview in the April edition of The Interview, Gumi said the bill had gone too far. “If you are trying to fight terrorism and extremism, you don’t clamp on the freedom of speech, freedom of thought and freedom of propagation of thoughts. These liberties are enshrined in the constitution,” he said. However, he said that the bill could drive extremism underground. The cleric also described Boko Haram as “100% a Muslim problem”, accusing some people in the north of “cooperating with and working to protect them.” “Boko Haram as it now is cannot prosper in Ibadan, because the locals will expose them. The same in Enugu. The people agitating for Biafra cannot prosper in the nort...

The Nigeria army says its troops have uncovered an underground facility used by Boko Haram to store food. Sani Usman, army spokesman, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. Usman also said that the troops uncovered well-concealed observation posts used by the insurgents to monitor the movement of government forces. “On Saturday 16 April 2016, troops of seven division strike group team b and 22 task force brigade conducted a simultaneous dawn raid on suspected Boko Haram terrorists hideouts at Biggoro, Warpaya and Aura, north of Kumshe in Bama local government area,” the statement read. “The essence of the operation was to stop the reported criminal activities of remnants of Boko Haram terrorists hiding in the three villages. “This became necessary as previous efforts were futile. The suspected terrorists kept coming in search for food, water and shelter. “The surprised dawn attack yielded positive result as the troops discovered well concealed observation posts on trees in th...

Kemi Adeosun, minister of finance, says Nigeria will overcome its economic challenges “without taking loan facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)”. According to Festus Akanbi, media aide of Adeosun, the minister made the remark at the ongoing spring meetings of the IMF-World Bank in Washington DC in response to why the government has refused to apply for IMF loans. Christine Largarde, managing director of IMF, has advised Nigeria to seek help on its economy, saying the organisation is willing to assist. “Our recommendation is that Nigeria seeks help from the international institutions that can best help… We remain completely available to help,” she had said. But Adeosun said the government was already applying a “cocktail of measures” to address the problems confronting the country at the moment. “Nigeria is not sick. The real vulnerability in the Nigerian economy is over-dependence on a single source of revenue; oil,” the statement quoted her as saying. “We have re...

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), says Nigeria’s economic situation is alarming, calling for a flexible exchange rate regime. Speaking on the World Bank/IMF special edition of BBC’s HardTalk anchored by Stephen Sackur, Lagarde said Nigeria has huge potential, especially in her youth. Largade maintained that IMF was ready to help Nigeria, appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to take steps to move in the direction of “flexible exchange rate”. “We are not suggesting that flexible exchange rate is the panacea in all cases, but in this particular instance, we believe that it would help,” she said. “I know it is going to be difficult, and we very much hope that the Nigerian government under the leadership of President Buhari will be able to distinguish the value of moving in that direction, rather than causing the circumstances that can precipitate, a much more difficult decision making process at some stage. “We remain completely availab...

Enoch Mark, one of the parents of the abducted Chibok girls, says he has lost faith in the ability of President Muhammadu Buhari to rescue his daughter. Meanwhile, Pogu Bitrus, chairman of Chibok Community Development Association, says at least 14 of the Chibok girls’ parents have died. Speaking with TheCable on Wednesday, Mark, who formerly chaired an association of the parents of the missing girls, said that he had expected the Buhari government to do more in rescuing the 219 schoolgirls abducted from their dormitory at Chibok Borno state, on April 14, 2014. “It has been two years since the abduction of our daughters. When the former government was in office, I was not happy. I was saying they were not doing well. But when Buhari came in, I was expecting him to do something to rescue our daughters,” he said. “It looks like the past government and this present one the difference is very little. Concerning the Chibok girls, the past government was a bit closer to us. I was expecti...

Read the statement from Pinnick's lawyer, Festus Keyamo below... We are solicitors to the Nigerian Football Federation led by Amaju Pinnick. We are also solicitors to the Defendants in Suit No. FHC/J/CS/77/2016: Between Yahaya Adama & Anor. V. Maigari & Ors. Our attention has been drawn to several media reports to the effect that the Federal High Court sitting in Jos sacked the Board of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) led by Mr. Amaju Pinnick and installed Mr. Chris Giwa as the new Chairman of the NFF. This is nothing but total and complete falsehood. We are constrained to issue this statement to set the records straight owing to the sensitive nature of football administration in Nigeria. For the purpose of clarity, at no time did the Honourable Court order the installation of one Chris Giwa as Chairman of the NFF as neither Chris Giwa nor Amaju Pinnick are parties to the present suit in JOS. It is therefore a distortion of the Order of the Honourable Court to ass...

According to a report by Daily Trust, the federal government is investigating Switzerland’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Eric Mayooraz, after it was alleged that he brought his gay partner with him to Nigeria. Mayooraz who was posted to Nigeria last year to head the Swiss mission, is alleged to have arrived the country in company of his gay partner, a Brazilian whose name was given simply as Carlos. Spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Akinremi Bolaji, confirmed that the Federal government was indeed investigating the claims and that if the Swiss ambassador is found guilty, he will be made to face the law. “We are aware of the development and have started investigation. It is either they have deceived us because we would never have allowed such a person to enter the country if we were aware before now. We have a law, which must be obeyed by all. If we find him culpable, he will be made to face the full wrath of the law.”he said In 2013, the Goodluck Jonathan led admini...

A TEXT OF WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIAN STUDENTS (NANS) ZONE B ON THE STATE OF THE NATION; NATIONWIDE FUEL SCARCITY AND INCESSANT HIKE ON PREMIUM MOTOR SPIRIT (PMS) Gentlemen of the press Greetings in the spirit of Aluta Movement PREAMBLE: The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Zone B is the apex umbrella body of all Nigerian Students in South South and South East regional block of Nigeria, with the inalienable mandate to defend the aims and aspiration of the zone and Nigerians in general. OUR POSITION: The National Association of Nigerian students (NANS) Zone B, having painstakingly watched in utter dismay the growing intensity of fuel scarcity in the country, has resolved to cautioning the Federal Government to address the looming phenomenon of fuel scarcity in the country or face her scorching reaction. The apex students' organization is not currently happy with the ugly development vis-a-vis the unavailability of Premium Motor Sp...

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, says a single local government in the state has more gold than the entirety of South Africa. Speaking at the opening of the Kaduna economic and investment forum in the state on Wednesday, el-Rufai said solid minerals would attract as much as N40 billion. “On solid minerals, you’ve seen the presentation, the minerals we have in Kaduna, but they missed out a very important mineral: gold,” he said. “We’ve just confirmed that Kaduna state, indeed Birnin Gwari local government alone, has more gold than South Africa. This is proven, this is verifiable; we have all the data and we are collaborating with the federal ministry of solid mineral.” He said the investment in mining gold would also focus on the local miners and help them improve and make money. “To ensure that we bring international companies that would invest billions of naira in Birnin Gwari, to exploit our gold and export it, so that Kaduna state and Nigeria gets the benefits. “But ...

Senate President Bukola Saraki was receiving monthly salaries from the Kwara state government even after he became a senator, Michael Wetkas, a detective of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has said. While giving his testimony at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on Wednesday, Wetkas claimed that Saraki was receiving monthly salaries from June 2011, when he left office as governor of Kwara state, to August 2015 while he was a senator. “In the course of our investigation, we wrote to Access Bank for them to give us details of the salary account of the defendant. The salary that was coming into the account was N254, 212 as of 1 August 2007. “As of June 3, 2011, the salary was N291, 124. On July 4, there was another payment with the narration Kwara State Government (KSG) June 2011 salary. The amount was N572, 286. “On August 29, 2011, there was another payment in the sum of N744, 002 from the Kwara state government. “On September 29, 2011 there was another payme...

Temitope Aluko, the Ekiti politician who went on television to spill secrets of how the 2014 governorship election was manipulated with money and soldiers in favour of Governor Ayodele Fayose, has swallowed his vomit. Aluko who appeared to be helping the police and DSS with useful information on how the election was rigged has now reconciled with his principal, Fayose. The duo addresses journalists after settling their differences in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state capital. Aluko whoclaimed that he made restitution by coming out with the secrets, was a former secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state. What he and Fayose agreed was not made public but they seem to have settled. Fayose on camera said Aluko is his son and that whatever happened in the past is now history. Aluko, while he ran his mouth about town, telling Nigerians about the $37million earmarked by former president Goodluck Jonathan, was said to be on the payroll of a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress....

Considering the level of investigations con­ducted on the Good­luck Jonathan admin­istration, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may arrest the former president before May, 29, 2016, when the current administration would have clocked one year in office, a top official of the agen­cy has said. The EFCC top shot, who spoke with The AUTHORITY at the weekend, disclosed that the arrest, two weeks ago, of the Managing Director of Kakatar Engineering and Construction Company Limited, Mr. Azibao­la Robert, whom the official de­scribed as “closest kinsman of former president Jonathan so far,” was a clear indication that “we are inching close to making former President Jonathan our guest.” The official dismissed as reckless recent comments by another former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, dismissing the anti-graft agency as a “tooth­less bulldog.” The EFCC chief predicted that “unfolding events in the next few weeks will actually confirm whether the EFCC has indeed beco...