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A FIFA court on Monday banned Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini for eight years after finding them guilty of abusing their positions over a $2 million payment that was made to the suspended head of European football. Both were “immediately” banned from all football activity. Blatter, FIFA’s president since 1998, was fined 50,000 Swiss francs ($50,000). Platini was fined 80,000 Swiss francs. A statement by the court said both showed “abusive execution” of their powers. In the case of Platini, the court said he “failed to act with complete credibility and integrity, showing unawareness of the importance of his duties.”

The three-time Ballon d'Or winner was photographed in a touching embrace with Haidar, whose parents were killed in an ISIL attack in LebanonAway from the field, Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is known for being a tireless supporter of good causes. And the striker made one tragic young fan's day with a special meeting. Three-year-old Haidar lost both his parents on November 12 when extremist group ISIL unleashed a double bombing attack on the Lebanese capital Beirut. The toddler made a miraculous escape from the car thanks to being on his mother's lap, which shielded him from the blast. Haidar was wearing a Real Madrid shirt at the time of the attack, and after learning of the tragedy the club quickly organised a visit so he could meet none other than the three-time Ballon d'Or winner, his favourite player.

      The National Youth Service Corp(N.Y.S.C) was established to foster national integration and peace among the diverse ethnic groups in Nigeria. This noble cause to a large extent has been successful but i believe that the institution needs to upgrade its structure, operation and vision. Prospective Corp Members are the next Otondo probably waiting in-line to be mobilized and they're always feeling the pressure like O'God let's this day come as quick as possible because they feel like experiencing the Camp environment... The feelings that encompasses been the next Otondo do filters so many questions in the minds of Prospective Corp Members ranging from how the experience is going to look like, kits to impress, thinking about how to meet new people and stuffs like that.. These are the 10 interesting things about prospective corp members; 1. The foremost interesting thing about Prospective Corp Members is that they will wish to be addressed as Otondos till they finally

When I look back at yesterday I see a group of heroes looking like the next big thing in the world but suddenly the beautiful empire got razed by fire and the leader of the empire keep blaming the hero's one by one till he got to realize that the light that razed the community started in his Room. The humble supporters of the Empire believe in his leadership so much that they believe in whatever he says even when the whole community knew he is lying. The leader of the empire of this Great hero use to have his Ship above every other ship in the community but after the Fire incident, things fall apart and the leader and his fallen  heroes keep stumbling and crumbling. The empire that use to be the Greatest home of pride has now become a home in which a man from a local village can ditch the leader of heroes without plying through the route of pride. A Great man is never a man who hype is achievement to mock others but the one who accommodate others and give Glory to God for all

Los Angeles (AFP) – A 20-year-old gunman opened fire at a community college in the US state of Oregon on Thursday, killing up to 10 people before he died in a shootout with police. The shooter opened fire inside a classroom at Umpqua Community College in rural Roseburg, reportedly moving to other classrooms and methodically gunning down his victims. Police were alerted shortly after 10:30 and rushed to the site where the tragedy was unfolding, Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told a news conference. “Upon arriving there they located the shooter in one of the buildings,” Hanlin said, adding that police exchanged fire with the gunman who was later confirmed dead. Governor Kate Brown identified the shooter only as a male aged 20. It was not yet known if he was a student at the college. Local media quoted police and rescuers as saying that between seven and 10 people were killed and at least 20 injured, including a woman who was shot in the chest. No official toll has yet been rel

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State on Thursday said all Nigerians who went to Saudi Arabia for this year’s pilgrimage would be accounted for. Two hundred and forty four Nigerian pilgrims are still missing. This, the governor assured, would be ensured in spite of the twin tragedies of the crane crash and the stampede that had befallen this year’s Hajj exercise. Tambuwal gave the assurance when he visited families of those affected by the tragedy in Sokoto. A statement issued by Imam Imam,the governor’s Spokesman in Sokoto noted that “Hajj officials are working round the clock to ensure that all victims are properly identified and documented. “The areas most affected in Sokoto State are Illela, Binji and Wamakko local government areas. Addressing the families during a stop in Jamali village of Binji Local Government Area, Tambuwal said government was still collating the number of pilgrims who died, suffered injuries or missing. He announced that as soon as the collation was do

Edo State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, has directed that office personnel in the state police command be reduced by 50 percent. Ezike who was recently deployed to the state from Rivers state, also charged the officers to use scientific method in tackling crimes within their jurisdiction, even as he enjoined officers and men of Edo Police Command to sacrifice their personal comfort for the safety of the people. He announced this while addressing Senior Officers, Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers and Heads of Departments at meeting in Benin, adding that, these were parts of strategies he has mapped out to fight crime in the state, because, according to him, “adequate policing is done in the field.” He therefore ordered the immediate recall of policemen posted to unauthorized individuals as well as other policemen who were posted illegally. He listed other strategies to be used to combat crime in the state to include high visibility policing strategy, crime-mapping,

French President François Hollande has pledged that his administration will assist the Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) with intelligence gathering and equipment to check the activities of insurgents in Nigeria and beyond. Hollande announced this on Monday at the Elysee Palace in Paris after a closed door bilateral meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, who is on a three-day official visit to France. The French President, who was addressing a joint news conference, said that his government was concerned about the increasing spate of insecurity in Nigeria and the entire West Africa sub-region. According to him, his administration is ready to render support and assistance to Nigeria to enable the country to tackle insurgency and all forms of extremism in the country. He said himself and President Buhari discussed new strategies of partnership that would enable Nigeria and its neighboring countries of Cameroun, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic, through the joint action of the MJT

A panel of experts on Border Management convened on Addis Ababa from Sept. 3 to Sept.4 to finalise the Draft African Union Strategy on Enhanced Border Management. A press statement from AU said that the panel institutes policies for the promotion of African border security, conflict prevention and socio-economic integration. The statement said that the panel, organised by the AU Border Programme (AUBP), was composed of experts on trade facilitation, migration, border security and cross-border cooperation from various Member States. It said that the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), non-governmental sector, as well as several national agencies and ministries in charge of customs, immigration and territories and lands were on the panel. The statement said, Amb. Fred Gateretse-Ngoga, the Head of the AU Conflict Prevention and Early Warning Division, in his opening remarks, commended the progress made on the draft document. It said that Gateretse-Ngoga underscored the importance o

Mr Asuquo Ekpenyong-Ekpe, the older brother to Mr Ekpenyong Ita, the immediate past Director General of the Department of State Sevices (DSS) has been abducted by unknown gunmen. ASP Hogan Bassey, the Police Public Relations Officer in Cross River confirmed the incident which he said occurred at the victim’s residence in Creek Town, Odukpani Local Government Area on Friday. Bassey also told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the police were on top of the situation. He said that the state police command would ensure his release without any harm and re-united with his family. He added that the police were unaware of any ransom demand. Ekpenyong-Ekpe was kidnapped at about 4a.m. on Friday by unknown gunmen who raided his Creek Town home. A relative of the victim, Mr Etim Edet, told NAN in an interview that the gunmen whose number could not be ascertained, gained access to the area in a boat through the creek. Edet said “several armed men just burst into his house at about 4 a.m.

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno has renamed Legacy Gardens Estate in Maiduguri, after his late deputy, Alhaji Zannah Mustapha who died month ago in Yola, Adamawa. The governor made the announcement on Friday in Maiduguri when he received delegation from the National Library Board and members of Biu Forum, Abuja chapter, who paid him condolence visit. He said that the estate, formerly called Legacy Gardens, consisted of 50 blocks of two-storey luxury buildings, located along Airport road, had been renamed Zannah Mustapha Legacy Gardens. The governor directed Alhaji Jidda Shuwa, Secretary to the State Government, to supervise the immediate renaming of all sign posts containing the old name around the estate. He said that his action was predicated on the fact that the late deputy was the chairman of the committee that executed the project. “Mustapha virtually relocated to the site of the project at some point without neglecting other duties assigned to him. “He was so passionate a

Barrister Bassey Okon Willie, a witness for the Akwa Ibom governor, Udom Emmanuel and the PDP, told the governorship tribunal sitting in Abuja on Friday that he signed all the result sheets for Oron Local Government Area, contradicting the statement made by another witness, Elder Effiong Atanang. Willie who admitted that he was the Local Government Collation Agent, noted that, he signed the result sheets for Ward 4, even though Elder Effiong Atanang was the PDP Ward 4 collation agent. His testimony however contradicted the disposition of Elder Effiong Atanang, who also claimed to have signed the Ward 4 result. Willie said the result sheets were signed by one agent because other ward collation agents could not make it to the Local Government Collation Centre, as the engine boats in which they were travelling developed a fault. He said the development caused the ward collation agents to resort to manual paddling. Barr Willie, during cross examination also told the tribunal that elec

Former MD of Cashcow Microfinance Bank Limited, Mrs Titilayo Adesanya, a director of the bank Olufemi Tinuoye and one Oluwakemi Adebayo were today arraigned before a Yaba Chief Magistrate Court on two count criminal charge of conspiracy and stealing of the sum of N14,500,000 of their employer – Cashcow Microfinance Bank Limited. The offences alleged to have been committed by the accused persons are contrary to and punishable under Section 285(7) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos state of Nigeria 2011. When the charges were read to the accused persons, they all pleaded not guilty. Consequently Barrister Banji Baruwa who appeared for all the accused persons orally applied for bail on their behalf on liberal terms. However, the prosecutor, Sergeant Benedict Aigbokhan opposed the bail application on liberal terms on the ground that some of the accused persons are still at large and that it took the police considerable time and effort before the present accused could be apprehended. He the

The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), on Wednesday said it had commenced investigation into the Bristow helicopter that crashed into the lagoon in Lagos. This was contained in a statement issued by the bureau’s General Manager, Public Affairs, Mr Tunji Oketunbi, in Lagos. The statement said the investigation had commenced with the AIB Commissioner, Dr Felix Abali, leading the team. The statement said 12 persons were believed to be on board. NAN recalls that Bristow-owned helicopter crashed inside ExxonMobil Facility in Port Harcourt on August 3, 2007. Another crash involving Bristow Helicopters also occurred on July 14, 2011 in Port Harcourt

Ganiyu Adams, the national coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) has said the death of Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, the Olubuse II, is an irreparable loss which he described as the “biggest Elephant transited to the vault”. Adams made the remark while reacting to the announcement of demise of the monarch. According to him, the Olubuse II has completed his mission as assigned to him by Almighty God. “He has gloriously relocated to the ancestral abode of his progenitors, to feed them back after the completion of his assigned role as the protector of the ancestral stool of the Yoruba. “Ooni Olubuse has gone to eternally dine and wine with his ancestors and to give the feedback to those who sent him to tender their stead. “The biggest Elephant has transited to the vault. He said it was sad but not tragic that he returned home at 85. He said the late monarch was able, not only to sustain the royal majestic and reverence left behind by his predecessors, but also “added

Some members of the All Progressives Congress from Rivers on Wednesday staged a protest at the headquarters of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja. The protesters were led by the governorship candidate of the party in the last election, Dakuku Peterside. Peterside said they were protesting against the refusal of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers, Mrs Gesila Khan, to release election materials for inspection in accordance with the ruling of tribunal. Peterside wondered why the commissioner refused to comply with the order of the tribunal, adding that the 180 days for adjudication of electoral matters was fast approaching. He said the commissioner claimed that she was working under the instruction of INEC headquarters. Some other protesters included Sen. Magnus Abe, Andrew Uchendu, Otelemaba Amachree, Chidi Julius Lloyd, and Victor Amadi among others. The state Chairman of APC, Denis Ikanya was also one of the leaders of the protest. The protest,

Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola has broken his silence on the death of the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade following his passing in a London hospital. Speaking for the first time in public, Aregbesola said that the last text message that he received from the late Oba Sijuwade would soon be revealed. According to the governor, the message was touching and he promised to share the content of the message with the people of the state when the time is right. The governor while speaking at a special sitting at the Osun State House of Assembly on Friday to mark the 50th birthday of the Speaker of Osun Assembly, Najeem Salaam, explained that he discussed the message with the Ife Royal Traditional Council during his meeting with them in Osogbo over Ooni’s issue. Aregbesola maintained that a traditional ruler does not die in Yoruba land and prayed for long live for all the traditional rulers who were present at the Assembly to felicitate with the Speaker on his golden jubilee. H

News report that former governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola shelled N78.3million of Lagos tax-payers money on his personal website, has stirred a huge buzz on twitter. In tweets and retweets, commentators have been expressing derision and disgust that the former governor could have approved such a questionable expenditure under his watch. The consensus is that the cost was grossly exaggerated and over-inflated. A WordPress website, like http://tundefashola.com/http://tundefashola.com/ should not cost more than N3million, according to expert opinions. The story was broken by BudgIT, quoting a budget report on the website of the Lagos State Public Procurement Agency. The contract was awarded in 2014 to “Info Access Plus Limited”. A Google search by TheNEWS did not turn anything out about the company.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, says Nigeria has the poorest exclusive breastfeeding rate in Africa with only 17 per cent of the children being exclusively breastfed. Awute made this known at the ministerial launch of the 2015 World Breastfeeding Week in Abuja on Monday. Represented by Dr Bridget Okoeguale, Director Public Health, Awute said many women fed their infants with breast milk along with water. “All the water the child needs is contained in the breast milk; there is no need to give the child water or any other liquid,” he said. According to him, exclusive breast feeding means that water or other liquid is not given to the child, except oral rehydration solution, drops or syrups of vitamins, minerals and medicines. “The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that infants be exclusively breast feed for the first six months of life to achieve growth,” he said. NAN reports that the theme of this year’s celebration is “Breastfeeding and

Former governor or Rivers state, Rt Hon. Rotimi Amaechi has stated that under the government of Goodluck Jonathan the money for fuel subsidy rose from N300 billion to a staggering N1.9 trillion, noting that, the administration was going to milk Nigeria dry. “The fuel subsidy was N300 billion under former President Olusegun Obasanjo and it remained the same under President Umaru Yar’Adua. “Within six months under President Goodluck Jonathan, the fuel subsidy rose from N300 billion to N1.9 trillion,” he said in Abuja on Monday at a reception organised for him by the Committee of Friends at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. He said he fell out with Jonathan because he wanted more money. “Yet, Jonathan wanted more money for fuel subsidy. This prompted the trouble between me and the Jonathan administration,” he explained. Amaechi noted that the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in this year’s general elections was engineered by God. He said God engineered the vic

The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Oyegun has credited former Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi for bringing passion and energy to the party. Oyegun who lauded Amaechi at a reception organised for him (Amaechi) by the Committee of Friends at the International Conference Centre, Abuja said he had the ability to struggle, fight and win power, describing him as “hyper-active”. “Amaechi brought passion and energy into APC and he was aware of the risks of failure. The man we are celebrating today deserves honour,” Oyegun said at the reception. In response to the gesture shown to him, Amaechi said all members of the party played a role in ensuring that the party won the presidential election. “Governor Amaechi did not contribute more than you did. We all worked together; in fact, it will be unfair for us to claim the glory,” Amaechi said to all those in attendance. He added that: “This is because I believe that the victory of APC was engineered b

Governor Ayodele Fayose seems to have swapped jollying with Ekiti residents at Palm Wine joints to going hard on them for taxes after Ekiti State Government on Monday said that henceforth any taxable adult that evades tax would be treated as an economic saboteur. The same treatment, the government said, would be given to private and public premises owned by all tiers of government operating in the state, but refused to remit their annual tax dues. Special Adviser to the Governor on Revenue Matters Ropo Ogunjobi said this at a public enlightenment on tax payment in Ado-Ekiti. He said that all tax dues should be remitted to government’s coffers, warning that anyone that flouted the order would face the wrath. Also, any private or public premises that refused to pay their annual dues would be sealed-off and prosecuted. The steps, according to Ogunjobi, are taken as a way out of the current economic crisis in the country, as well as boost the revenue tempo of the state. “We have to t

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state and Chairman of the Committee of Friends who hosted Rotimi Amaechi to a reception at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital has described him as “transformative leader” who transformed Rivers within the seven years he governed the state. “I know this because I have visited Rivers many times and have seen the work he did. The primary schools in the state are better than some state universities,” he said. Adding that: “He also transformed the roads, health sector and created jobs, among other things. All these feats make him a transformative leader,” El-Rufai said. The governor said that Amaechi was constantly strategising for the party, making him an arrowhead in the lead-up to the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states. El-Rufai said Amaechi particularly contributed to efforts to increase the collection of the Permanent Voter Cards from 50 per cent to 90 per cent nationally, shortly before the general electio

An Ijaw leader, Regent Youmor, on Monday said the appointment of retired Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh would facilitate the payment of fees of ex-militants schooling abroad. Youmor, the adviser of the Ijaw National Congress, Lagos chapter, said this in an interview with NAN in Lagos. President Muhammadu Buhari, on July 28, appointed Boroh as the coordinator of the amnesty programme to replace Mr Kingsley Kuku, the former Special Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan. Youmor said that over 3,000 beneficiaries of the programme had been ejected from their various institutions abroad due to non-payment of the fees. He said that the beneficiaries were sent back home from their various schools in Italy, Germany and US. According to him, the appointment of Boroh has brought hope to the ex-militants as it will ensure quick return of those students to their schools. “In fact, by next week, the students will be going back to their schools; and the issue of non-payment of amnesty programme

Prof. Julius Okojie, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), on Monday, said the standard of Nigerian universities was high in spite of their low global ranking. Okojie, who said this at the opening of a two-day workshop on African Centres of Excellence (ACE) Project Post-Effectiveness in Abuja, said that the problem with Nigerian universities was low Internet presence. NAN reports that Nigeria has 10 out of 19 African Centres of Excellence. According to Okojie, the Nigerian Research and Education Network (NgREN) is solving the problem of Internet connectivity in Nigerian universities, saying it will improve global presence of Nigerian universities. He said “what has happened in NgREN is a big boom because of Internet connectivity to 27 universities; you can almost share resources, knowledge and findings. “The people that do the ranking do not really visit universities; they go to the Internet and find out what you are doing. “Whatever research we are doi

ABUJA, (Reuters) – Nigeria’s new president should overhaul how Africa’s biggest oil producer sells its state oil company’s share of crude oil output to save billions of dollars in wasted and lost revenues, a report by an international governance watchdog said on Tuesday. About half of Nigeria’s 2 million barrel per day (bpd) crude output goes to NNPC, the state-owned oil company. NNPC sells half that oil to its subsidiary Pipelines and Product Marketing Co for the country’s refineries. The poorly maintained plants are however unable to process the bulk of the oil and over the years this allocation has devolved into a “nexus of waste and revenue loss,” according to the report by Natural Resource Governance Institutes (NRGI), a non-profit. The other half of NNPC’s oil share is mostly sold to “unqualified intermediaries,” earning significant margins for little or no added value, rather than directly to the end-users, NRGI said. A spokesman for NNPC declined to comment on the report.

Colonel Sani Kukasheka, acting Director, Army Public Relations, said troops of 7 Div. Nigerian Army have mopped up Dikwa and environs of Boko Haram terrorists. Kukasheka, who disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, said the troops recovered four Toyota Hilux vehicles. He said that they also discovered that the terrorists had converted the abandoned Chemistry laboratory of Dikwa College of Education into an Improvised Explosives Devices making factory. “Some of the equipment recovered from the laboratory include a welding machine and mine detector. “The gallant troops are in a very high spirit and more determined to further pursue the fleeing terrorists to all known enclaves and sanctuaries,” he said.

There seems to be no let up in the war between workers at the Abuja national secretariat of Nigeria’s main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and members of the National Working Committee, NWC of the party. Workers of the party had yesterday called for investigation of members of the NWC by the anti graft agencies over allegations of mismanagement of N12 billion realised by the party from the sale of nomination forms for the 2015 general elections. The accusation of massive funds mismanagement followed moves by the party’s NWC to sack about 50 per cent of the workers and also cut wages by 50 per cent. But while responding to the allegations, Olisah Metuh, the PDP National Publicity Secretary had accused the workers of being used by the opposition All Progressive Party. The PDP Staff Welfare Association however described the claim by Metuh as “an absolute bunkum, a clumsy, and blundering blackmail”, in a statement issued on Saturday, signed by the Chairman of the Associat

Chad said on Thursday its forces had killed 117 Boko Haram insurgents during a two-week military campaign aimed at clearing islands on Lake Chad used by the militants as hideouts and bases to launch attacks. Chad has deployed thousands of soldiers alongside troops from neighbours Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger to tackle the militant group whose six-year insurgency has killed thousands. “We killed 117 Boko Haram fighters during the two-week operation. We lost two men and several wounded,” Colonel Azem Bermandoa, spokesman for the Chadian army, said. “We destroyed their boats and seized various weapons during the operation,” he said. Boko Haram, which calls itself the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) since pledging allegiance to the militant group that controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, has stepped up attacks in countries around the lake in recent months in response to a regional offensive. Last weekend, suspected militants from the group raided several remote localiti

Chad said on Thursday its forces had killed 117 Boko Haram insurgents during a two-week military campaign aimed at clearing islands on Lake Chad used by the militants as hideouts and bases to launch attacks. Chad has deployed thousands of soldiers alongside troops from neighbours Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger to tackle the militant group whose six-year insurgency has killed thousands. “We killed 117 Boko Haram fighters during the two-week operation. We lost two men and several wounded,” Colonel Azem Bermandoa, spokesman for the Chadian army, said. “We destroyed their boats and seized various weapons during the operation,” he said. Boko Haram, which calls itself the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) since pledging allegiance to the militant group that controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, has stepped up attacks in countries around the lake in recent months in response to a regional offensive. Last weekend, suspected militants from the group raided several remote localiti

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday in Abuja declared that the party has no preferred candidate for the forthcoming governorship election in Kogi. APC Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, who was represented by the Director of Administration, Abdullahi Yusuf Gashua, disclosed this during the presentation of forms to one of the governorship aspirants, Alhaji Yahaya Bello. “APC stands for change and the party has no preferred candidate and it will prepare a level playing ground for every aspirant,” he said. Izunaso urged the aspirant to give an undertaking that he will abide and play by the rule of the game and supportany aspirant that emerges as the party’s candidate. Izunaso urged the aspirant and his supporters to conduct themselves in an orderly manner no matter the outcome of the party primaries. In his response, Bello said he was on a historic rescue mission to salvage the “Confluence State from the grip of a few cabal who have underdeveloped the state. “T

Looking at the events unfolding in the State of Osun, “Ipinle Omoluwabi,” especially in the past few months and concerning the payment of salaries for civil servants in all cadres and pensioners in the state, is enough for me to make some clarification. Many headlines, articles, commentaries had taken over national dailies, magazines, the electronic media as well as the new media – Facebook, Twitter amongst others – on a daily basis. While a lot of commentators saw the event in the State of Osun as a national phenomenon which wasn’t peculiar to the state alone, but brought about by the maladministration of the Jonathan government, others, especially the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, and its allies spread across the nation, saw it as an avenue to rubbish the good work done in the past five years by the indefatigable leader and people’s Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola. The projects done by Ogbeni are monumental in the State of Osun and are today used as models by all a

The Chief Commissioner of Scout in Nigeria, Chief Soga Sofolahan has described Nigeria participation at this year World Scout Jamboree currently going on in Yamaguchi Kirara, Japan as historical and part of the change process that will bring about a desired impact on the youth development sector in Nigeria. Sofolahan, who led 39 others to the 23rd world event posited that the quadrennial event is a unique opportunity for scouts to be a global citizen and experience scouting as a worldwide movement for youth. This was contained in a statement forwarded to our correspondent Thursday afternoon in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital. One hundred and fifty countries across the world with 34,000 scouts are participating in the event in far away Japan. Addressing the opening ceremony, the Chairperson, World Scout Committee, Joao Armando G. noted that scouting is an educational movement that engages young people from all over the world to promote unity, respect, friendship, understanding and

FILE PHOTO: A Naval personnel takes a pose with some of the rescued women and children Nigerian soldiers rescued 71 people, almost all girls and women, in firefights that killed many Boko Haram militants in villages near the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the military said Thursday. Some captives told The Associated Press they were in the clutches of the Islamic extremists for as long as a year. “I was waiting for death … they often threatened to kill us,” said Yagana Kyari, a woman in her 20s who said she had been kidnapped from her village of Kawuri and taken to a militant camp in Walimberi, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Maiduguri, the biggest city in the northeast and the birthplace of Boko Haram. Kyari said they often went hungry because the extremists never provided enough food. “Our gallants troops have rescued a total number of 59 civilians in two camps of the terrorist group,” army spokesman Col. I.T. Gusau said. “Many of the terrorists were killed in the co

The Nigerian Air Force has announced on Wednesday that it has succeeded in blocking routes through which petroleum products and other materials are supplied to the Boko Haram insurgents. Air Commodore Dele Alonge, Director Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, said in a statement that the feat was achieved through patrols along the Nigeria-Cameroon borders which, according to him have greatly strained the supply efforts of the terrorists. “The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) through its intensified and persistent efforts in the ongoing fight against Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) has intercepted over 4,000 drums and jerry cans of petroleum products and other smuggled items. “The items, suspected to be supplies meant for BHT, were confiscated from the smugglers in Pepe, Dashin-Hausa, Belel Bilachi, and Konkul villages located along the Nigeria-Cameroon Borders on Tuesday, 28 July 2015. “The NAF was able to achieve the recent feat through its air patrol activities, covering bot