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An application filed by former President Goodluck Jonathan before the Federal High Court in Abuja has revealed further reasons why he wants to be excused from appearing as a witness in defence of a former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh. Metuh is standing trial on charges involving, among others, the N400m he (Metuh) received from the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2014. The former President in his motion challenging the subpoena issued on him, stated that with “with several attempts by some persons in the current dispensation, to harass, intimidate and rubbish” his reputation and that of his wife, the witness summon issued on him upon Metuh’s request was a ploy to drag his name in the mud. He also argued in the motion filed on his behalf by his lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), on Monday, that his testimony being sought in Metuh’s trial, would not only amount to an invasion of his right to privacy, it would also expose him to a cri

President Muhammadu Buhari has confirmed speculations about an impending cabinet reshuffle and the reconstitution of the boards of federal agencies, to make the government function better. Buhari made his plans public in an address to party leaders at the APC NEC meeting yesterday. While admitting that the reconstitution of boards had been long in coming, the President explained that the need to ensure the right balance was largely responsible for the delay. This is coming two years after he took office in 2015. Those familiar with the President’s plan, said the planned cabinet reshuffle is likely to lead to a split of the Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Works, Power and Housing. Observers are of the view that the President’s latest move is aimed at dousing growing tension. President Buhari said, “I am keenly aware that our supporters are very eager for these appointments to be announced. By the Grace of God, these appointments will be announced soon, es

ice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday challenged Nigerians to rededicate themselves toward the building a nation they would be proud to bequeath to unborn generations. “We must make sacrifices toward building a nation of our dream. It certainly cannot be easy, but it is very possible,”  Osinbajo said at the official inauguration of a 10,000 capacity ecumenical centre in Yenagoa. The centre was built by the Bayelsa Government and dedicated by Pastor Enoch Adeboye of RCCG. He urged Nigerians to support government’s efforts to rid the nation of all forms of corruption, saying that the menace had stalled national growth over the years. Represented by Seyi Malono, the State House Chaplain, Osinbajo said that Nigeria was in dire need of strong men and women committed to moving it forward. “We are focused on experiencing the sweetness and joy of child birth; the only thing that can hold us back is corruption. We must deal with it decisively because it affects all i

A member of South Korea's parliament who sits on its defense committee is claiming that North Korean hackers have stolen some of his nation's most sensitive military documents -- including a plan to assassinate North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. The South Korean Yonhap news service is reporting that Rhee Cheol-hee, a member of the country's ruling political party and a sitting member of its parliamentary defense committee, said the information North Korean hackers stole came from the country's Ministry of Defense. The hackers apparently accessed plans for South Korean special forces, information about power plants and military facilities, and wartime contingency plans crafted jointly by the U.S. and South Korea. The BBC is saying that the South Korean defense ministry has declined to comment on the allegations. Press officers from the U.S. Department of Defense were not available for comment at the time of this article. Rhee claims that roughly 235 gig

U.S. warplane shot down a Syrian jet on Sunday near the Islamic State -held city of Raqqah, officials said, marking the latest escalation between the U.S. and Syria since the blood-soaked civil war began six years ago. The Pentagon said the U.S.-led coalition took the unprecedented move after a Syrian Su-22 attack aircraft bombed its allies who were fighting Islamic State militants south of the city of Tabqah, roughly 25 miles west of Raqqah. A U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab militia fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, is involved in a large-scale offensive on Raqqah, Islamic State’s self-declared capital in Syria. Last month, the militia fighters clawed back Tabqah from Islamic State, but the Islamic State still holds sway in large swaths of the desert areas to the south. About 4:30 p.m., Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar Assad attacked U.S. ground partners in the recently recaptured town of Jadin, south of Tabqah, according to a U.S

Popular Nigerian actress, Tonto Dikeh dressed up as her estranged husband to attend her son, King Andre Churchill’s first father’s day celebration at school. The actress who shared photos and videos from the event, wrote; “JUICY MAN’S (KINGY) SCHOOL FATHER’S DAY CELEBRATION TODAY.. I SHOWED UP FOR MY SON.. #PROUDMOTHER #KINGTONTO #AMOTHER’SLOVE #KINGY #CHAMPIONS #I AM BLESSED #I AM A WOMAN, I AM STRONG, I AM BLACK AND I AM PROUD OF THESE” SEE MORE PHOTOS AND A VIDEO AFTER THE CUT.

A 19-year-old man who pretends to be a female prostitute popularly known as Jennifer Kpaakpa, real name Ushahemba Yaapera, was arrested in Markurdi, Benue State. Jennifer Kpaakpa, real name Ushahemba Yaapera, who confessed to have slept with over 1000 men in the past five years said that all the men won’t be able to impregnate any woman as their sperm has been used for ritual. An activist, Identified as Mr Ukan Kurugh, who was at the state police headquarters where Jennifer was paraded alongside other suspects  on Thursday, gave the report below : “The young man was arrested around Xima Bar at Kashim Ibrahim Road Makurdi when he went to separate a fight between 2 female sex workers at a brothel and in the process got his male sex organ exposed amidst the female clothing he wore. This automatically ended the fight as everyone was scared of his appearance having known him for long as a female. This attracted the attention of the police who whisked him away to police

Some groups of militants in Nigeria’s southern Niger River Delta region asked northerners living there to leave, Daily Times newspaper reported. The call was a response to a  statement  earlier in June by some youth groups in the north threatening to forcibly remove members of the Igbo ethnic group, originating from the southeast, if they don’t leave the region by Oct. 1. The coalition of militants from the Niger Delta, the country’s oil and gas producing region, gave the same deadline to northerners, Daily Times reported. They also threatened to attack oil wells owned by them, according to a statement published in the newspaper. Signatories were mostly previously unknown groups. The calls are a stark reminder of decades-old tensions between some of the biggest ethnic groups in Africa’s most populous country. Officials have condemned hate speeches and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo held meetings with representatives from the north and the south in recent weeks, urging

Reactions   Sign in to like   Reblog on Tumblr   Share   Tweet   Email DEIR ABU MASHAL, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian militants disputed an Islamic State claim Saturday that it was behind a deadly attack against Israel, saying it was their people who killed a female police officer on duty near Jerusalem's Old City. Family members of the attackers said they were deeply religious men who acted on their own. IS issued a statement taking responsibility for the stabbing and shooting attacks Friday evening. If true, it would mark the first direct IS action against Israel and the group warned on its affiliate news agency it "will not be the last." "Let the Jews expect the demise of their entity at the hands of the Caliphate soldiers," it said, calling the attack "revenge for God's religion and for the violated sanctities of Muslims." However, the Hamas and People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine militant groups quickly retor

Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has promised to clamp down on hate speech and ethnic incitement after a recent call by groups in the north of the country to expel members of the Igbo ethnic group. Osinbajo, who is leading the West African country while President Muhammadu Buhari is on sick leave , met with leaders of northern states in the capital Abuja on Tuesday in a bid to calm recent tensions between some of the country’s main ethnic groups. Last week, a coalition of activist groups calling itself the Northern Youth Groups gave Igbos living in northern Nigeria three months to leave the region or face forcible expulsion . The Igbo are one of Nigeria’s three main ethnic groups and are traditionally based in the east of the country. Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has promised to clamp down on hate speech and ethnic incitement after a recent call by groups in the north of the country to expel members of the Igbo ethnic gr

With so much pressure to look a certain way—from things like social media, sure, but even from the way we compare ourselves to our partners— genuine body confidence doesn't always come easily for everyone. That was certainly true for Jazzy, who goes by the Instagram handle @a body positive_jazzy {: rel=nofollow}. In a post that's recently gone viral, she explained how she had been comparing her body to her husband's so-called "born fit" one for 14 years. Until recently, Jazzy found it hard to understand how her husband thought she was sexy because the two of them are built differently. (Though for the record: Jazzy, you and your husband are a beautiful couple.) That's why, a few days ago, Jazzy took to Instagram to share her journey from self-doubt to real self-love and body confidence. Along with a gorgeous photo of the two of them holding hands and walking on the beach, she captioned her post with a long and incredibly sweet statement . "

Barcelona star Lionel Messi dreams of finishing his career with the LaLiga giants after reportedly agreeing to a new deal. The 29-year-old's future has been widely discussed with his contract expiring next year and talks seemingly progressing slowly. But reports on Wednesday suggested Messi had agreed to a new deal until 2021 or 2022. In an interview with Tencent Sports and published by ESPN, the Argentina star said he wanted to finish his career at Barca, the club he joined as a 13-year-old. "It's what I always wanted and dreamed. I would love to finish my career at Barcelona," Messi said. Messi has enjoyed a trophy-laden career at Camp Nou, winning eight LaLiga titles and four Champions League crowns. He has developed into arguably the world's greatest ever player, claiming the Ballon d'Or a record five times.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife said he is “recuperating fast” and would soon return to the West African country from the U.K., where he has been on medical leave for much of the year. Aisha Buhari returned to Nigeria on Tuesday after spending a week with her 74-year-old husband in London. A statement circulated by her spokesman and reported by Nigerian online newspaper The Eagle quoted her as saying that Buhari was recovering well and would soon be back in Nigeria. The first lady herself tweeted her husband’s appreciation for the “constant prayers for his health” and the support offered to Yemi Osinbajo, Buhari’s deputy who has been the acting president while he is out of the country. Buhari, a former military ruler who was elected in 2015 in Nigeria’s first peaceful transfer of power since independence, has been absent for almost three months in 2017. The president left the country for the U.K. on January 19 for what was initially described by aides as a

Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani, the iconic head of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, was reportedly pictured with PMF forces at a border site in northwestern Iraq shortly after militias had secured it, signaling the importance of the event. Iran has also sent advisers and supported powerful paramilitary movements such as the Lebanon-based Hezbollah that back the Syrian military as it attempts to restore control of its side of the Syria-Iraq border. Iran is not only an ally of the U.S.-backed Iraqi government, but also of the Russia-backed Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad, who faces a six-year insurgency from ISIS and various other rebel groups, some of which are backed by the U.S. On the other side of the Iraq-Syria border site recently taken by the PMF lies territory held by the Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up of Arabs and ethnic minorities. While the SDF has become the U.S.' main ally against

Nigeria’s security forces must deal cautiously with pro-Biafra protests on Tuesday, a year after dozens were killed in similar protests, Amnesty International has said. Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of the declaration of an independent Republic of Biafra , which was formerly a region in southeast Nigeria. The annexation of Biafra by an ex-Nigerian military commander, Odumegwu Ojukwu, sparked a three-year civil war in which at least 1 million people died. Pro-Biafra activists, including the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), have called for stay-at-home protests in southeast Nigeria to mark what they call Biafra Heroes Day. Supporters of the Biafran cause have shared purported images on social media of empty streets in some southern Nigerian states; many businesses in the states of Anambra and Onitsha were closed Tuesday, Nigeria’s Premium Times reported During similar commemorations on May 29-30, 2016, Nigerian security forces killed at lea

  Nigerian lawmakers passed a bill aimed at cracking down on money laundering by urging foreign countries where currency crooks are hiding to cooperate in prosecuting them, a senior official said on Tuesday. According to the bill, Nigeria may ask any country where a money launderer is hiding to help it prosecute the offender, or prosecute that person itself. In the second case, Abuja would supply the country with evidence to support a conviction. Development in the OPEC member, which has Africa's largest economy, has been stunted by endemic corruption. Most people live on less than $2 a day despite the country's vast energy wealth, much of which has been plundered by a rich elite. "This act will facilitate the needed cooperation with other states to prevent individuals from escaping prosecution by fleeing to another country," said Senate President Bukola Saraki. The bill was originally presented by President Muhammadu Buh

The Egyptian military has flown multiple raids and destroyed 15 4X4 vehicles crossing from Libya , deploying fighter jets and helicopter gunships in an operation that spanned 48 hours. The military didn't say who was driving the vehicles or give details of any casualties, news agencies reported. The only information provided on Monday came on the Egyptian military's Facebook page, which claimed the trucks were carrying weapons and other contraband. The air force operation came as security forces killed eight fighters identified as members of the Muslim Brotherhood  in an attack in the country's south, according to the interior ministry. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has launched the toughest crackdown on armed groups in Egypt's modern history since toppling former President Mohamed Morsi of the Brotherhood in 2013. Those killed included Helmi Masri Mohareb, a commander from Libya who transported fighters across Egypt 's southern border to join training ca

On Sunday, while the majority of young Hollywood walked the red carpet at the MTV Movie and TV Awards in Los Angeles, showing off their best and boldest ensembles from political slogan tees to full-on Bollywood inspired looks , one influential teen was noticeably absent - preeminent reality star and lip kit aficionado Kylie Jenner . But as she demonstrated that evening, who needs the chaos of a red carpet and golden popcorn trophies when you can display all of your latest fashions to the utmost advantage on social media all from the comfort of your own home? And that’s just what Kylie did, taking to her preferred medium of Snapchat to flaunt her latest look. The cosmetics CEO, 19, filmed her outfit in her typical fashion, posting a series of snaps in which she stands before a mirror, slowly panning over portions of her body while rap music plays in the background, quickly zooming in and out on her own pout, and catching her frien

There are few days in the Russian calendar that can lay claim over a single word as May 9 can over “victory.” The Soviet Red Army’s counter-offensive against Nazi Germany—which verged on catastrophic in the war’s early days—ended with a triumphant march into Berlin in 1945. Even in modern Russia the anniversary remains not only a massive public celebration, but an intensely personal one for citizens of Russia and many of the former Soviet republics, whose collective casualties during World War II exceed 25 million. May 9 has become the day to commemorate that staggering loss of life and one of Russia’s most popular holidays. Russia marks the anniversary a day after the rest of Europe , which commemorates the end of World War II on May 8. In April and early May 1945, with the Nazis retreating on both the Eastern and Western fronts, German troops had already begun surrendering in a piecemeal fashion. The Nazi regime negotiated a surrender wi

South Korea has placed its military on high alert ahead of its presidential elections, just as its North Korean neighbour has called to put an end to the decades-long "inter-Korean confrontation." Pyongyang has suggested that Seoul pave the way for a "new era of unification" to maintain peace between the two sides. Voting will open on 9 May to choose a new president to replace Park Geun-hye, who was impeached over corruption charges. The official newspaper of Pyongyang's ruling Workers' Party, the Rodong Sinmun, on Monday (8 May) blamed the conservative South Korean government for the current state of relations between the two Koreas. "The history of inter-Korean confrontation, led by the conservatives, should be put to an end and a new era of unification should open up in collaboration between our race." The conservative Liberty Korea Party, previously known as the New

Moscow may be looking to take advantage of the nuclear standoff between Pyongyang and the international community . As cracks deepen in the decades-old friendship between China and North Korea amid increasing U.S. pressure, Russian President Vladimir Putin stands ready to fill Beijing's shoes. " Russia (has) begun quietly laying the groundwork that would strengthen its ties to North Korea, thus increasing its global political leverage should it need it," analysts at political intelligence firm Stratfor explained in a May 5 report, referring to Putin's strained ties with the West. Both countries share a long history of ideological and economic relations —