Sen. Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) said he has not defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to another party, according to a statement he made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

He said that consultations were still ongoing with regard to his future in the party.

“I am yet to defect or decamp or migrate from the APC to any other party.

“However, discussions and consultations are ongoing as regard to our future in the Party.

“Decision will be taken in a matter of a week or two whether to remain in the party or migrate.

“When the time comes, I will make a formal announcement on the floor of the Senate, my Facebook and Twitter handle,” he said.

There were reports earlier on Friday, claiming that Sani and Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC-Kaduna) had left the APC.

The report was credited to the Hunkuyi-led faction of the APC.

The group, which is said to be known as APC Akida, purportedly made the statement in Kaduna.

Meanwhile, Sani had said via his Facebook handle that “We the persecuted are on Exodus, riding on horses, chariots and caravans, departing Pharaoh Thutmose’s Egypt.

“We are now at the coast of the Red Sea, about to leave the land of cruelty and injustice.”

The lawmaker has been having running battle with his state Governor, Nasir El-rufai, who also belongs to the APC.

There are indications that Sani is nursing the idea of picking a governorship ticket for the 2019 election, a decision which he claimed had pitched him against the governor among other things.

Some voters in Ekiti state on Friday trooped to Government House in Okesa area Ado Ekiti, the capital to collect N4000 bribe with the presentation of their voter’s cards.

According to a report by The Nation newspaper, the bribe was being doled out to the people by Governor Ayo Fayose to make them vote for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Prof. Kolapo Olusola in Saturday’s election.

The report said thousands of people stormed the seat of power through the Deputy Governor’s office and they marched uphill to the office of the governor.

The Nation gathered that the Government House which was jampacked by the voters was well organized, as the bribe takers were all divided according to the ward they belong.

One of the voters who simply identified himself as Tijani, a student of Ekiti State University said he came to collect his share of the national cake since it is free.

It was a peaceful environment as it was highly organized and some of the ward representative are seated with the comprehensive voters register in their hands to cross check the name of the would be collector.

Women and Okada drivers packed their machines in front of the deputy governor’s office and passed through a small gate that linked up the office to the Governor Office to collect their dole, The Nation reported.

A homeless and armless graphics artist, who once boated to having fathered 200 children with Gloria Estefan has been arrested for stabbing a tourist with his feet.

Florida native Jonathan Crenshaw stabbed a 22-year-old Chicago man twice with the scissors before running away, according to the Miami Beach Police Department report on Crenshaw's early Tuesday arrest.

The incident was reported by Miami New Times on their Twitter handle on Wednesday.

Police say Jonathan Crenshaw grabbed a pair of scissors with his feet and stabbed the man. https://t.co/dCSeuR133J

— Miami New Times (@MiamiNewTimes) July 11, 2018

According to reports, crenshaw has spent years in South Beach painting colorful canvases using his feet while tourists circle and gawk at the work.

The Florida native clutched the scissors with his feet and knifed 22-year-old Cesar Coronado twice before running away.

46 year old crenshaw, told police he was lying down when the Coronado approached him and punched him in the head.

Man born with no arms hustles painting with his feet on South Beach! – 02:06
— CharlieBoyTV (CharlieBoy Tv.)

Mr Coronado told investigators he had stopped to ask Crenshaw for directions before he jumped up and stabbed him.

After the attack, it was alleged that crenshaw put the scissors back into his waistband and quickly left the area.

Police found Mr Coronado bleeding from his left arm and he was taken to hospital for treatment.

Court records show Crenshaw has repeatedly clashed with police and has been charged with violent crimes in the past. He's been charged at least four times since 2010 with battery on police, firefighters, and city code inspectors. In 2011, he was caught on-camera trashing a hotel lobby.

Source: Miami New Times

A second man has been jailed for his part in the mass kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, more than four years ago, the government said on Thursday.

Banzana Yusuf, from the northern state of Kano, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for "planning and kidnapping" the students, a statement said.

No further details were given about his age, identity, the exact charges, the circumstances of his arrest or what was said in court.

The first conviction was in February, when Haruna Yahaya, 35, admitted involvement in the abduction and was given two 15-year jail sentences.

Both Yahaya and Yusuf were among 1,669 Boko Haram suspects brought before four special civilian courts at a military barracks in Kainji, in Niger state.

A total of 276 girls were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok on April 14, 2014. 57 escaped in the immediate aftermath.

Since then, 107 have either been found or released as part of a government deal with the jihadists.

Nigeria has been criticised for arbitrarily arresting civilians in the remote northeast and holding them, often in unsanitary conditions, for years without access to lawyers.

Trials began last October but with the media and public banned from attending, prompting fresh criticism about due process.

The media has had to rely on government statements, although it was briefly allowed to observe proceedings in February.

The resumption of cases on Monday and Tuesday was not announced beforehand.

Yusuf was one of 113 people convicted and sentenced on charges including membership of a proscribed organisation, supporting Boko Haram and participating in acts of terrorism.

Others sentenced included a Boko Haram leader and a commander's wife, who was arrested with her two children as they headed to the group's Sambisa Forest hideout.

Some were released because of time already served. Others were handed sentences of up to 30 years with hard labour.

A total of 240 people have now been convicted in connection with the insurgency, according to government statements since October.

The latest statement said 111 people were either acquitted or had their cases dropped because of lack of evidence.

That takes to 1,054 the number of people who have been freed, which will likely strengthen the argument of critics who say they should not have been detained in the first place.

Source: MSN

Popular Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage has acknowledged the contributions of her estranged husband, Tee Billz, as game changer towards her successful career.

The “Ma Lo” crooner shared a post on one of her favorite throwback clips on Instagram @tiwasavage.

While feeling embarrassed about her looks before stardom; she also acknowledged the progress she has made so far.

“Been seeing a lot of old clips of me today singing, while I cringe at how I looked in most of them.

Been seeing a lot of old clips of me today singing 🙈 while I cringe at how I looked in most of them 🤣🤣🤣 I love this particular one because I remember feeling lost and alone in LA at the time and was deciding on moving back to Naija 10 years ago. 3/4 years later I moved and boy it’s been an incredible journey. It’s about to get even better. London August 24th Indigo I’m coming for you. Get the last tickets left www.smade.shoobs.com Thanks SAVAGE SOLDIERS you guys are true warriors 🙌🙏🏼💣💣💣💣🔫🔫🔫🔫⚔️⚔️

A post shared by Tiwa Savage (@tiwasavage) on Jul 11, 2018 at 9:42am PDT

“I love this particular one because I remember feeling lost and alone in LA at the time and was deciding on moving back to Naija 10 years ago.

“3/4 years later I moved and boy it’s been an incredible journey.
”

However, a fan in her comment section reminded her of the impact of Tee Billz in her “incredible journey”, stating @wunmi_lil all glory to God for using Tee Billz to kick start that ‘journey’.

“It can only get better dear, more grace”.

In her response Tiwa said: “Yes, God bless him”.

Meanwhile, Tee Billz recently got back on Instagram after deleting his account almost a year ago.

He uploaded a post highlighting some regrets while also pleading with fans to show him how to use Instagram again.

“One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself.

“When you stop living your life based on what others think of you real life begins.
“At that moment, you will finally see the door of self acceptance opened”.

Series of events led to Tiwa and Teebillz split in 2016.

Tiwa is due to perform at the Global Citizen Festival set to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa on Dec 2.
She will be performing alongside Jay-z, Beyonce, Wizkid, Femi Kuti and D’banj and others to raise funds to end extreme poverty.

The political differences between the Reformed All Progressives Congress (R-APC) and the APC took a different dimension on Thursday as the Alhaji Buba Galadima-led R-APC filed a suit seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining Mr Adams Oshiomhole and 53 others from parading themselves as or claiming to be officers of APC.

The suit which was filed on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, also wants the defendants restrained from performing any duty as officers of the party in any capacity.

Respondents in the suit are the National Executives, led by Oshiomhole, members of National Working Committee, the chairmen of each of 36 states executive council, INEC and APC.

The suit was filed by Mr Tolu on behalf of Alhaji Buba Galadima, Mr Kazeem Afegbua, Mr Nicholas Asuzu and Hadi Ametuo as plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs are among other reliefs, asking for a declaration that the APC national convention election of June 23 be declared as invalid, null and void.

“We, who are members of R-APC want a declaration that having regard to the constitution of the APC, particularly Article 20, the Constitution, and the Electoral Act, the election conducted by the party at Eagle Square Abuja, on June 23 as invalid , null and void.

“Particularly the purported election of the following persons into the following offices; National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, National Welfare Secretary Alhaji Ibrahim Masari, National Financial Secretary Alhaji Tunde Belio, National Physically Challenged, Misbahu Didi, Zonal Secretary North-Central Dr. Zakari Muhammed and Zonal Organising Secretary North-Central Ibrahim Abdul.

“Others are, Zonal Women Leader North-Central, Hassana Abduliahi, Ex-Officio North-Central, Nelson Abba, Zonal Secretary North-East Abubakar Sadiq, Ex-Officio North-East, lsah Azare, Zonal Secretary North-West Tukur Gusau, and Zonal Organising Secretary North-West Abdulmunab Muhammad.

“A declaration that there being no valid election at the June 23 National Convention of the APC, thereby leaving a vacuum, the reform-minded faction of APC known as R-APC validly constituted the plaintiffs and the other national officers and state executives of APC to fill the vacuum and act in interim capacities as officers of the APC.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from parading themselves or claiming to be officers of the APC or performing any function as officers of the party in any capacity as their elections and swearing-in as officers of APC is invalid, null and void.”

In a 39- paragraph statement of claim, the plaintiffs claimed that the APC was harbouring intractable divisions and the party was awaiting a massive implosion.

The statement also claimed that the party might finally collapse unless steps were taken by reform-minded members to address the issues.

They also claimed that APC had become factionalised and it was no longer a secret as the crisis tearing the party to pieces at the national and sub-national levels was in public domain.

They further claimed that the manner in which the national convention of the party was conducted had deepened the division within the party and exacerbated the leadership crisis.

In the suit, they also claimed that most members of the party felt alienated which had resulted in open and massive divisions, fractionalization, and disenchantment within the rank and file of the party.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that a date has, however, not been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

The R-APC is a body unknown in law and has no registration certificate from INEC.

Source: NAN

By Laolu Akande

For two days, American investors and chieftains from the technology and entertainment sectors of the US and indeed global economies took turns to listen and actively interact with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, and the Nigerian delegation drawn from the public and private sectors.

They came in impressive numbers for two full days to listen and assess investment opportunities in Nigeria and also asked questions.

From the Silicon Valley for instance, well over twenty core American investors in technology spent hours on Monday afternoon interacting with the Nigerian delegation led by the Vice President alongside others including Industry, Trade & Investment Minister Dr Okey Enelamah, on how to invest in Nigeria.

Top among the US investors were Tim Kendall, a US investor who worked with Facebook monetization and has led PINTEREST, headquartered in San Francisco, valued at about $12B.

Pinterest is a “web and mobile application company that operates a software system designed to discover information on the World Wide Web, mainly using images and on a shorter scale, GIFs and videos. Pinterest has reached 200 million monthly active users as of September 2017.”

Others who attended the investment summit in Silicon Valley included representatives of StreetEdge Capital, a Bay Area, California multi-billion dollar family partnership with global footprints including holdings in the US, India and Africa.

There were also others including Chika Nwobi and Tom Terbell, partners from Rise Capital, “a private equity firm specializing in early venture and later stage investments. It seeks to invest in the internet enabled sector in emerging markets.” The multi-million dollar investment firm is also based in San Francisco, California.

In the same vein, Prof. Osinbajo also visited the headquarters of LinkedIn where he held a meeting with the Co-founder of LinkedIn, Allen Blue, and other senior executives of the company at its headquarters in California.

The Vice President later featured as the Special Guest at the firm’s Fireside Chat with a room packed full of Nigerians in Diaspora, which was also streamed live to a global audience.

The next day, the Vice President and his delegation, drawn mainly from the Advisory Group on Technology Innovation and Creativity, an arm of the National Industrial Competitiveness Council, moved over to Los Angeles, right in Hollywood and met with an impressive array of entertainment chieftains and investors in the US.

They included top Hollywood executives like Mark Viane of Paramount Pictures; Steven O’Dell of Sony Pictures; Kieran Breen, Karen Mbanefo and Bryan Song of 20th Century Fox, Betty Lee of Lions Gate; Craig Dehmel and Shehu Garba from IMAX Entertainment; Monique Esclavissat of Warner Bros; Mary Ann Hughes from Walt Disney, John Fithian from the National Association of Theater Owners, and Ryan Gibson of BET International, among others. There were also representatives from Fox Network, Universal Studios, etc.

Also at the forum from the Nigerian delegation were renowned names in the film, music & entertainment industry, including Innocent Idibia, popularly known as Tuface; New York-based Nigerian visual artist, musician, singer/songwriter, Laolu Senbanjo; CEO, Ebony Life TV, Mo Abudu, Chocolate City CEO, Audu Maikori; founder/CEO Terra Kulture, Bolanle Austen-Peters; and Sesan Ogunro among others.

It would be recalled that the Vice President on Monday was received by Google CEO Sundar Pichai and other top Google executives at the global technology company’s corporate headquarters in Silicon Valley, California.

Discussions centred around how both the Federal Government and Google could work together to beef up digital access in Nigeria. After that meeting, the Vice President also interacted with scores of Nigerians working with Google.

Speaking in Hollywood before he left the US early yesterday, Prof. Osinbajo noted that the Federal Government is determined to ensure needed regulations are in place to stimulate the growth of the country’s entertainment and creative industries, including the protection of Intellectual Property and investment guarantees.

The VP stated this during the interactive investment forum on Nigeria’s creativity sector with US-based entertainment outlets, media & investors held in Waldorf Astoria, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, all day Tuesday.

According to the Vice President, “we understand how dynamic the environment is, both technology and creative arts. But we think that the way to go will be to work with those who are actually in the industry, those like yourselves who are putting in their money, their resources, time, and energy into this, and trying to do our regulations in such a way that we are competitive practically with anyone else in the world.

“So what we have done so far is that we’ve been looking at what the specific issues are, and there are quite a few.

There are those who want to know about what we are doing in terms of Intellectual Property protection, investment guarantee, and all of that. But I think that the most important thing really, is that we have a government, and a lot of those who work in our agencies, who are determined to work through this, day by day, piece by piece to make sure that we get our environment right, and we get the right type of investment environment.”

Prof. Osinbajo further said the Buhari administration will continue to make effort to improve the country’s infrastructure and technology to grow the country’s entertainment/creative sector and the digital economy.

He said “we are also, of course, very interested in many ways, in deepening infrastructure, especially broadband connectivity and all of that, because we think that mobile telephony is going to be one of the big ways, especially for the distribution of film and all of that. And we are convinced that with the size of our population, we must find ways of getting film and content unto mobile phones, and also working out payment systems around that because we think that that is the way this is going to go.

“We know that in the next couple of years, that really is where a lot of development is going to go to, and we are very anxious to get our regulations right, to get all of our laws in place and to ensure that we are able to attract all of you who want to do business with us, especially those of you who are coming from other countries.

“As for Nigerians, we are, of course, actively engaged with the local industry, and that is one of the reasons why we have the advisory council which takes into account many of our local investors, local artistes and the local entertainment crowd generally.”

The interactive forum in Los Angeles was the last leg of the Vice President’s trip to the United States where he led a Public-Private sector collaborative investment road show, including meetings with global industry leaders in the technology, film, music & entertainment industry in San Francisco and Los Angeles respectively.

The investment road show led by the Vice President showcased the efforts of the Buhari administration in developing Nigeria’s technology, entertainment and creative sectors; and sought to deepen collaboration between Nigeria and the US in these areas.

Also on the Vice President’s delegation were representatives of tech firms, Nollywood and several relevant government agencies. A number of representatives of those agencies also held a meeting with Facebook at its headquarters in the Silicon Valley on Tuesday.

The VP’s earlier meetings with a series of key US technology investors and executives from US-based companies-“Invest in Nigeria Summit”, held at the Four Seasons Hotel, Palo Alto, San Francisco, California, while the meeting with Hollywood and US entertainment industry operatives held all day at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Los Angeles.

At the meetings which were well attended by US and Nigerian investors/ industry chieftains, Prof. Osinbajo reiterated Government’s commitment to the growth of the country’s digital economy by creating the right environment for the technology, creative industries to thrive and unlocking the country’s potential.

The Vice President said “one of the critical things for us also, is the fact that we are very open to ensuring that regulation is competitive, especially in the Tech space.

All over the world, this is a very dynamic environment, and we recognise that, and we want to be able to work with players and investors, to get the regulations and environment right.”

Prof. Osinbajo also showcased opportunities for innovation and investment in Nigeria, while also highlighting the growth of Nigerian technology start-ups and young Nigerians taking the lead in innovation and creativity.

He noted that government was exploring more ways to leverage on technology to improve infrastructure and other areas of the economy, while also highlighting the impact of the Buhari administration Social Investment Programme such as the N-power scheme and how it leverages on technology to train and empower young Nigerian graduates. So far the N-Power scheme has 200,000 beneficiaries, with 300,000 more expected to be added soon.

Source: NAN

A U.S. drafted resolution that would impose an arms embargo on South Sudan, is certain to get the nod of the United Nations Security Council today.

The embargo comes five years after civil war broke out in the country.

A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, Britain, France or the United States. Diplomats said they believed the United States had enough votes for the measure to pass and that it was unlikely to be vetoed.

Some council members say the timing is not right given attempts to revitalize the peace process and are likely to abstain, diplomats said.

A U.S. bid to impose an arms embargo in December 2016 failed to get enough votes.

The U.S. mission to the United Nations was not immediately available to comment.

South Sudan, which split off from its northern neighbor Sudan in 2011, has been gripped by a civil war since 2013 caused by political rivalry between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar.

Last Friday the government and opposition signed an agreement on security arrangements which follow on from a ceasefire deal last month.

However, on Thursday South Sudans parliament voted to extend Kiirs mandate until 2021 in a move likely to undermine the peace talks as opposition groups have said the change would be illegal. [L8N1U84AE]

At the end of May, the Security Council renewed its targeted sanctions regime on South Sudan until July 15 and said it would consider an arms embargo and blacklisting six senior South Sudan officials if U.N. chief Antonio Guterres reported by June 30 that there was still conflict or a lack of a viable political agreement.

That resolution was adopted with nine votes in favor and six abstentions.

There have been credible reports of fighting, Guterres told the Security Council in a June 29 letter. He also said U.N. peacekeepers had documented gross violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

While the outcome of regional and international efforts to deliver a political settlement of the conflict is yet unclear, I must reiterate that any revitalized agreement must be inclusive, fair and sustainable, Guterres wrote.

The U.N. human rights office said on Tuesday that at least 232 civilians were killed and 120 women and girls raped in scorched earth attacks by South Sudan government troops and aligned forces in opposition-held villages earlier this year.

Source: NAN

The Cameroonian government has launched a probe into a video circulated online that appears to show men in military uniform shooting dead two women and two children for being suspected members of the Islamist group Boko Haram.

The shaky video, shared more than 90,000 times on Twitter, shows two women, one with an infant strapped to her back, being led by a group of uniformed men across a patch of dusty scrubland.

You are BH, you are going to die, said one French-speaking man in aviator sunglasses and khaki attire, hitting a woman across the face. BH is short for Boko Haram, which for nine years has been fighting to carve out an Islamic caliphate centered in northern Nigeria.

The women are blindfolded and told to sit down alongside their children. Moments later, two men step back, level their rifles and fire a series of rounds.

Reuters was unable to verify the authenticity of the video, including when and where it was filmed.

Government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary said the men in the footage appeared not to be Cameroonian army soldiers. Their weapons and uniforms were not standard issue for the Cameroonian army in the north, he said.

The video is nothing but an unfortunate attempt to distort actual facts and intoxicate the public. Its sincerity can be easily questioned, Bakary told journalists late on Wednesday, describing the clip as fake news and an act of gross misinformation.

He said President Paul Biya had ordered an investigation into the footage.

Army spokesman Colonel Didier Badjeck also described the video as fake news, according to local media. Reuters could not immediately reach Badjeck for further comment.

However, Amnesty International said it had gathered credible evidence that it was Cameroonian soldiers depicted in a video carrying out the horrific extrajudicial executions.

That evidence included analysis of the weapons especially a Gilil, an Israeli automatic rifle that is rare in Africa but used by a small section of the Cameroonian army their speech and uniforms, and some corroborating witness testimonies, Amnesty said.

It is imperative that a proper, impartial investigation is undertaken and those responsible for these abhorrent acts are brought to justice, Samira Daoud, Deputy Director of the rights groups West Africa office said in the statement.

The Cameroonian army is fighting insurgencies on two fronts: against Anglophone separatists in the heavily forested west and Boko Haram in the arid north.

Rights groups have accused the army of mistreating civilians and opposition fighters, charges the army and the government deny. Last year, Amnesty International said the army tortured suspected Boko Haram fighters.

In the English-speaking western regions, soldiers have burned villages and killed civilians as they try to quell a growing secessionist movement, according to local residents contacted by Reuters earlier this year. The army rejected those accusations and said it respected human rights.

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The conflicts have been destabilizing factors in the cocoa- and oil-producing country which has been run by Biya for 36 years. Presidential elections are set for October.

Reporting By Josiane Kouagheu; Additional reporting by Tim Cocks in Dakar; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Nick Tattersall
Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source: NAN

Chelsea football club have finally let go of their 2 season manager, Antonio Conte. The Italian was told he's no longer needed at stamford bridge.

Conte had been involved in some pre-season preparations, but his position as manager was always in doubt; it was just a matter of time before the management at chelsea let the cat out of the bag.

Winning the premier league in his first spell as coach, he fell out with the top brass after the first season with his handling of the Diego Costa issue and also subsequent failures at not defending the premier league trophy, failure to perform well at the champions league and failure to qualify for europe premier competition.

Chelsea has equally lined up another italian, 59-year-old former Empoli coach Maurizzio Sarri as his replacement.

Talks with Napoli intensified after they hired Carlo Ancelotti as their own new boss with the significant breakthrough over compensation for Sarri coming as negotiations intensified over midfielder Jorginho, a player that the 59-year-old former Empoli coach had specifically requested be signed by the Chelsea top brass.

Manchester City have had an offer on the table for quite some time that Jorginho had been considering but the opportunity to continue to play under Sarri, albeit in the new surroundings of English football, was understood to be a key factor and the Italian international is now expected to make a £53m move to Stamford Bridge.

Conte had refused to walk away unless the final year of his three-year contract was paid up in full and even returned to take pre-season training which began on Monday.

But a compensation agreement was finally reached on Thursday with Sarri set to be announced as his replacement shortly.

Sarri will be joined by former Blues striker and club legend Gianfranco Zola who is set to join as part of a new-look backroom team.