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A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up around 6pm at a motor park in Bauchi road, Jos, Plateau state. Many are feared dead as a result of the incident which occurred besides the University of Jos Pharmacy gate, a usually crowded spot where travellers from Jos to Bauchi board vehicles. Men of the Special Task Force and Nigerian Police are seen evacuating corpses and the injured.

The Adamawa State Police Command on Wednesday confirmed the abduction of the Vice Chairman of Hong Local Government, Bijida Yakubu, by gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram. The Public Relations Officer of the command, Othman Abubakar, who confirmed the incident, said three vigilante members that were with Mr. Yakubu lost their lives in the encounter. Mr. Abubakar, who did not give details, however, said the police officers investigating the incident have so far recovered the vice chairman’s shoes. A resident of Hong who simply identified himself as Hussaini said that the incident occurred in Gayafa Village of the area. “You know, insurgents attacked the village last week. The vice chairman who hailed from the village was on an assessment visit with some hunters when the insurgents attacked and over-powered them. “About seven insurgents were killed in the encounter before they over-powered the hunters and took away the vice chairman,” he said. Mr. Hussaini claimed that t

OVER 12 soldiers from 31 Artillery Brigade of the Nigeria Army on Tuesday invaded a school, Hill Top Model Secondary School, in Minna, Niger State, holding teachers and students hostage. Our correspondent reports that the solders, who stormed the school premises, were armed with AK-47 riffles and had removed their name tags. They were said to have arrived the place in a vehicle, with registration number, 31 AB 035 NA. It was gathered that the soldiers came on the invitation of one Umar Alhassan, a civilian who was said to be a friend of one of the army officers. A teacher with the school, Mr. Mohammed Mamud, told our correspondent that at about 8am, Alhassan, wearing a military fatigue, drove into the school in a black Nissan with registration number, Niger AA 551 KUG. Mamud said Alhassan came on the invitation of one Farida Mustapha, a senior secondary pupil of the school who was punished by a teacher for an offence. He explained that the teacher was taking Mustapha’s class

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested over 20 members of the Peoples Democratic Party in connection with last Thursday’s fracas between the National Union of Road Transport Workers and some PDP youths in the Oshodi area of Lagos which left many dead. The campaign team of the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, however, accused the police of arresting PDP members, noting that the police were acting the script of the All Progressives Congress to frustrate the campaign of Agbaje. It accused the police at the Mosafejo police station of going from house to house to effect the illegal arrests. According to a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mr. Remi Adefulu,   the campaign team said the APC’s “tactics would not deter Agbaje’s resolve to win the coming election in a free and fair contest.” But the Police Public Relations Officer, Kenneth Nwosu, dismissed the claim that the police went after PDP supporters. In a telephone inte

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says the audio file which purportedly captured some Peoples Democratic Party leaders giving orders to a general to rig the June 21, 2014 governorship elections in Ekiti State must be investigated by the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission. Soyinka said this in a statement while reacting to a front page advert in the PUNCH sponsored by Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, in which the governor discredited the authenticity of the tape based on a report by the US that the Ekiti governorship poll was transparent. The playwright said the issue was too weighty to be dismissed without being investigated. He said since Fayose had referenced the US report, the Federal Government could also call on the US to assist in investigating the tape. Soyinka said no one would lose anything by investigating the tape since it was the job of law enforcement agencies to inves

Two weeks after former President Olusegun Obasanjo tore his Peoples Democratic Party membership card, the party claimed on Tuesday that the card being held by the former President had expired. It said that the card hitherto owned by Obasanjo was signed by the party’s former Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Kawu Baraje. Baraje has since left the party and he is now a chieftain of the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress. While declaring his leaving the party, Obasanjo had asked the Chairman of the PDP in his ward at Abeokuta, Mr. Usman Oladunjoye, to tear his membership card. Commenting on Obasanjo’s action, the National Secretary of the party, Dr. Wale Oladipo, said the card had been changed. Oladipo spoke during a courtesy call on him by some students, who claimed to be working for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan. He said the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, and himself signed the current cards being used by the pa

The House of Representatives for the second time on Wednesday, asked the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to submit the full version of the forensic audit report on the alleged missing Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ‎$20billion to the legislature. The House gave the first directive on Thursday last week, following a motion moved by its Minority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila. On Wednesday, the House again asked the minister for the report after Gbajabiamila complained that almost one week following the first resolution, Okonjo-Iweala had not responded. He said, “Mr. Speaker (Emeka Ihedioha presiding), we request the Clerk to the House to formally write the Minister to produce that report to every member of this House. “She has not produced the report, irrespective of the standing resolution of the House. “We want to have the full report, not the snippets that they have been flying about.” The House endorsed his submission and directed the mini

One person died and several others injured after some hoodlums clashed in the Oshodi area of Lagos on Wednesday. Our correspondent observed that no fewer than 12 vehicles were vandalised and 15 others burnt during the mayhem, which reportedly began on Tuesday evening. Business activities in the Mosafejo and Under-brige sections of the popular market have been grounded as security operatives took over the areas. Traffic on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway and the Ikorodu Road remained at a standstill for hours while the battle raged.

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved nine new private universities for the country.  The approval was given at a meeting presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo. Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka, announced the decision at a post-FEC press briefing.  The new private universities, according to Chidoka, include Hallmark University, Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Kings University, Mountain Top University, Augustine University, Chrisland University and Summit University among others.

South Africa is gradually emerging as the nemesis of Nigeria in continental football as the country’s Under-17 bundled Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets out of the ongoing African U-17 football championship in Niger Republic in the semi-finals. The South Africans pipped the Golden Eaglets by a lone goal scored in the 26th minute by Eric Khanyisa. Bafana Bafana’s 2-2 draw with the Super Eagles in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, last year knocked Nigeria out of the African Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea earlier this year.

The Senate at resumption of plenary  on Tuesday  received a list of eight ministerial nominees from the Presidency in accordance with Section 147(2) of the 1999 Constitution for consideration and approval. The nominees include former Minister of State for Defence, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, for Lagos State; Senator Patricia Akwashiki, Nassarawa State; Prof. Nicholas Ada, Benue State; Colonel Augustine Akobundu (rtd), Abia State. Others are Fidelis Nwankwo, Ebonyi; Hauwau Lawan, Jigawa; Kenneth Kobani, Rivers; and Senator Joel Ikenya, Taraba. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the new ministerial nominees will replace former ministers who resigned their positions. They are former ministers of Information, Labaran Maku; Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu; and Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu. Others are the former Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike; and Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Samuel Ortom. The others are the former of Minister of State f

Mr President Sir, I must thank you for having the courage and the cleverness to tell all your predecessors in office that you truly are in charge and that their time is past. You are today, by the grace of God and the rare luck that you possess, the President of the single largest assembly of African peoples in the world.  NIGERIA  boasts 180 million peoples and you sit atop their fortunes as well as their failures. You were quick to remind the likes of General Yakubu Gowon, PhD, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, General Muhammadu Buhari, General Ibrahim Babangida, Chief Ernest Sonekan and General Abdulsalami Abubakar that you are not only in office but in power. And to boot, you are also the Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces with all the ferocious powers attached thereto and the Forces’ custody of the weapons of terror. This well rehearsed confidence must have led you to loan your voice to National Security Adviser, to Security Chiefs, and lamely

We    learned of a new twist in the desire of some top officials of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for a six-month postponement of polls in Nigeria, with several sources saying a faction of the party would work to replace President Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s presidential candidate.  In separate interviews with SaharaReporters, numerous PDP officials disclosed that many founding members of the party had lost confidence in Mr. Jonathan’s viability as a candidate, adding that a faction within the party had discussed easing the incumbent president out of the presidential race, and replacing him with another candidate from the Niger Delta zone.  “The only obstacle to the plan is that the South-South might kick against it, so we have arrived at a consensus to find another candidate,” one of our sources, a northerner, said.  “If elections could be postponed for six months, we will definitely replace President Jonathan as our candidate,” another member of the faction confirmed.

Contrary to wide spread propaganda which has labeled the Goodluck Ebele Jonathan led administration as the umost corrupt in the country's history, a look at data's from Transparency International (TI) has shown that Both General Buhari and Former President Olusegun Obasanjo's tenure were more corrupt.  According to the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) which ranks every country in the world in accordance with perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country analysts, the GEJ led administration has fared better than every other in its 5 years in office. The latest report as of 2014 scored Nigeria 27, 136th less corrupt in the world, a feat neither General Mohammadu Buhari or Olusegun Obasanjo's led administration could attain. In fact, according to the report, General Olusegun Obasanjo's regime as a civilian President between 1999 and 2003 saw the country plunge to a record lowest ever CPI of 13.3 thereby ranking the

Mrs. Mulikat Akande-Adeola, lawmaker representing Og­bomoso North/South/Orire Federal Constituency in Oyo State, has been in the lower chamber since 2007. Having been elected twice by her people in 2007 and 2011 to represent them, the House Majority Leader, who is gunning for a record third term, said she still needs to be in the House to enable her complete all outstanding projects and make her constituency the envy of all. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) law­maker urged Nigerians to vote back the PDP because the opposition has got nothing to offer. You’re a second term member of the House of Representatives; why are you seeking a third term in the House? I think the reasons are not farfetched because the issue of ranking is very important in the House of Representatives, and right now the people of Ogbomoso do not have people at the top except me, and if, assuming somebody else goes to represent them, he or she will have to start from the scratch, that is from the bottom