More than 8,000 Ethiopian refugees have arrived in Moyale Town, Marsabit County in Kenya with tales on how they were evacuated from their homes by soldiers.

They fled the country in the wake of their governments crackdown on dissidents, with Ethiopian soldiers being accused of killing at least 13 people on Saturday.

The refugees accused the Ethiopian government of abdicating its responsibility of protecting its citizens.

The camps where the 8,200 Ethiopians are staying in Moyale are at Butiye Social Hall, Somare, an NGO camp at Moyale, a plot owned by Marsabit Governor Mahmoud Mohamed and Dambala Fachana Village.

Mr Harsame Halakhe, a 68-year-old father of 19, said that when the soldiers raided their homes, they ordered them to lie down and shot some of them dead.

Even places of worship, including mosques, became chambers of death. People were killed in a mosque as we watched. We escaped death narrowly and fled with children and cattle, he said.

Ms Kashure Guyo, 18, said the soldiers attacked them on Saturday at Shawa-bare, a town located three kilometres from the Kenya-Ethiopia border.

She said the soldiers shot at anyone they came across. She was injured in the leg and hand as she fled. They just came to the market and started shooting. We had to flee for our lives with bullets flying all over.

Ms Abdia Galma, a 56-year-old mother of 11, said the conflict had been building up over the past several years.

She said the genesis of the crisis was land that had been allocated to some members of one community she did not name.

The refugees spoke even as the Kenya Red Cross Society sounded the alarm over the influx. The society appealed to the humanitarian and security agencies to set up a proper camp for the refugees.
Even as more refugees arrived in the Kenyan border town yesterday, there was no designated area for the consolidation of the numbers and their registration, KRCS upper eastern coordinator Talaso Chucha said.

She noted that the refugees were arriving in the villages, where they were being assisted by their Kenyan relatives and friends, with no proper record of how many they were. Ms Chucha also decried the security risk as there was no system in place to screen and monitor the movement of the refugees arriving in the town.

So far, they are 8,200 and more are arriving every hour. We have identified at least five points, where they have been assisted by the local community, but we cannot coordinate help when they are scattered. There is a need for a camp to enable us to mobilise resources and avert a crisis, she said.

At least 15 paramedics had been deployed to Moyale to help the refugees, she said.

There is a major potential health risk for the refugees and the host community because there are no amenities in the places where they are staying. There is no food, clean water and bedding.

Children are defecating in the open. Although, so far, there are no reported cases of serious diseases, we cannot rule out an outbreak of cholera if the situation is not addressed, Ms Chucha warned.

The National Drought and Management Authoritys Marsabit County boss, Mr Golicha Guyo, Tuesday said they had called an emergency meeting with all the stakeholders to assess the situation.

We want to come up with an urgent solution to the crisis because more than 50 people are living in one home, he said.

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Source: NAN

Egypt has established a hotline to gather complaints of fake news in the traditional or electronic media.

The countrys judiciary announced the hotlines with the instruction that only those issues that could pose a threat to national security would be entertained.

Two weeks ahead of elections in Egypt, the media have been under close scrutiny, with an increase in cases of journalists being arrested and websites blocked.

The Egyptian judiciary has set aside mobile telephone numbers to receive complaints on the instant messaging app WhatsApp and by SMS, so long as the name of the complainant and their personal details are given, it said in a statement.

It said the initiative was aimed against premeditated fake information damaging to national security and the countrys interests

The decision has started generating reactions in the social media with Rahmy Botros @ramygerges tweeting I am correct in every statement, I lived in Egypt, USA, and visited UK, walked the streets, I tweet what I actually c, i dont believe in traditional media , sheeple news outlet, and social media, but lately decided to do my part and try to fight the fake news and stereotype.

Sofia Ahmed @sofiaas23 said: HARD TO SWALLOW Pop star Sherine Abdel Wahab jailed in Egypt for fake news after joking about catching parasites from polluted River Nile . Sherine Wahab jailed for Nile River joke.

Ganzeer @ganzeer Call me biased but it seems to me that Egypt has been setting the precedent for a number of trends over the past few years. Arresting journalists for the dissemination of fake news could, very dangerously, be one of them.

Source: NAN

(dpa/NAN) President Rodrigo Duterte of Philippines on Wednesday announced the withdrawal of the countrys ratification of the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC).

I therefore declare and forthwith give notice, as president of the Republic of the Philippines, that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately, he said in a statement.

Duterte alleged that the ICC was being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines after its prosecutor prematurely announced a preliminary examination of allegations against him relating to killings amid his campaign against illegal drugs.

NAN reports that in February, the ICC said it had started a preliminary examination to establish whether it had jurisdiction, and if crimes against humanity had been committed.

The complaint, which says Duterte is complicit in the illegal deaths of thousands of Filipinos during his war on drugs, was a waste of the courts time and resources and the examination would be the end of the process, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

About 4,000 mostly urban poor Filipinos have been killed by police in the past 19 months in a brutal crackdown that has alarmed the international community.

Activists believe the death toll is far higher.

Roque said he had discussed the ICC issue for two hours the previous night with Duterte, a former prosecutor, adding that the president more than willing to face trial.

The website of the ICC, which sits in the Hague in the Netherlands, carried no new information concerning the complaint against Duterte.

The courts office could not immediately be reached for comment.

Since it was set up in 2002, the ICC has received more than 12,000 such complaints or communications, just nine of which have gone to trial.

Duterte dared it to bring him to trial and said he would rot in jail to save Filipinos from crime and drugs.

His tirades against the court are notorious, and include calling it bullshit, hypocritical and useless, stemming from one of its prosecutors saying there could be grounds for an investigation into his bloody crackdown.

He also threatened to cancel the Philippines ICC membership and said European lawyers were rotten, stupid, and had a brain like a pea.

Police say those thousands of killings were during legitimate anti-drugs operations in which the suspects had violently resisted arrest.

Duterte has boasted about killing thousands of drug dealers and has told police they can kill if they believe their lives are in danger.

But his critics accuse him of incitement to murder and of refusing to properly investigate allegations that police are planting evidence, fabricating reports and executing users and dealers.

Duterte rejects such accusations and typically chides the international community for listening to what his government says are biased human rights groups that have no proof.

A Philippine lawyer filed the initial ICC complaint against Duterte and at least 11 senior officials in April 2017, saying crimes against humanity were committed repeatedly, unchangingly and continuously and killing drug suspects and other criminals had become best practice.

Senator Antonio Trillanes and Congressman Gary Alejano sent a supplementary communication several months later urging an ICC investigation, which included a list of public statements made by Duterte that they said amounted to shoot-to-kill orders.

Trillanes said the examination should jolt Duterte into realizing that he is not above the law.

Roque called the complainants domestic enemies of the state and said the ICC had no jurisdiction.

Source: NAN

Syrian army has discovered a clandestine plant in Eastern Ghouta that was used by the terrorists to produce military-grade agents.

They deadly chemical plant had equipment of Saudi origin and materials presumably made in Western countries.

The plant is located in al-Shefounieh town in the area of Duma.

Among other toxic chemicals, chlorine was found at the site and that the papers of the Jaysh al-Islam militant group were also discovered.

A Syrian field commander said that high-tech equipment was found at the plant, which indicates that European and Saudi experts could have been involved in the illegal production, according to the agency.

On Monday, Syrian government troops discovered, during a mopping-up operation in a village in Eastern Ghouta, another secret workshop constructed for production of various chemical munitions.

Last week, Syrian authorities have sent more than 100 letters to the UN Security Council confirming that terrorist groups own chemical substances that they use against civilians.

However, the UN-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) presented last October to the UN Security Council a report on the April 4 chemical incident that took place in Khan Sheikhoun of the Syrian Idlib province, reportedly killing over 80 people with a toxic nerve agent sarin.

The report blamed the Syrian government for the alleged gas attack. The panel also accused the Daesh terrorist group of using chemical weapons in an attack on Syrias Um Housh in September 2016.

The Russias Mission to the United Nations said that the report looked more like an amateur document and was based mostly on assumptions and selective use of facts.

Eastern Ghouta was seized by militants in 2012. According to Syrian Army estimates, there are 10,000-12,000 militants in the region.

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Source: NAN

Some Nigerians have expressed mixed reactions to the success of superhero flick, ‘Black Panther’, especially as the film hits a box office record of 1 billion dollars.

The Marvel-Disney film crossed the 1 billion dollars mark worldwide after debuting in China, which contributed 66.5 million dollars to a strong 100 million dollars international weekend.

Some respondents praised the movie and told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, that it gave black people the chance to tell a story the way it suited them.

They also said that the featuring of African (especially Nigerian) artefacts such as the ‘Bronze heads’ from Benin gave a sense of inclusion; rewriting the stale, poor stereotypes of the African continent.

A lawyer, Kingsley Obade told NAN that he had seen the movie about four times, adding that he was almost addicted to the beauty of the almost all-black cast.

He said, “This is a different kind of Marvel or super hero film. This is one that holds so many lessons that we can teach our children and make them adore their colour and continent.

“The western world has portrayed us poorly for so long and it is only fair that we celebrate this film that has changed the narrative.”

A Chef, Chinwe Orji, said she did not feel the movie was over-hyped as speculated in some quarters, adding that the movie deserved to earn more than the current record breaking hit.

Orji said, “Everything in the movie, from the acting to the costume and the message speaks volumes. The movie deserves to make more money.”

Meanwhile, some other respondents told NAN that the producers of ‘Black Panther’ were acting on the ‘black sentiments to make more money.

They queried the fact that the producers were ‘whites’ who based the marketing on making blacks feel represented, knowing that it would make them rush to watch the film.

A copywriter, Rita Enemona, said the movie was over rated and was ‘doused in the colour of a black cast’ to make it look appealing.

“I was not too pleased with the trailer but decided to watch it because all my friends were pushing me to do so.

“To say the least, the movie did not meet my heightened expectations, it does not have the power to grip you, save the costumes and arts,” Enemona said.

A web developer, Osato Imariagbe, said the movie would have made more sense if real African scenarios were used, apart from the Chibok girls’ rescue.

“The movie wanted to paint a positive image of Africa and blacks in general, it would have used real life examples of how Africans have the upper hand, that way the inclusion will be legitimate.

“I don’t understand the hype as it is a Marvel comic that has existed for years, the story was only revised a bit for the film. There is nothing too special,” he said.

Black Panther, which is showing in cinemas, made its Nigerian debut on February 13, with an ‘African Royalty’ themed premiere.

The premiere featured celebrities and other cinema goers gracing the red carpet with African prints and attire.

It stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.

The movie featured Black Panther (Boseman), who on his return home as king of Wakanda, a fictional country found his sovereignty challenged by a long-time adversary thereby setting in conflict of global consequences.

It received praise for the screenplay, characters, direction, costume design, action sequences, soundtrack, and performances.

‘Black Panther’ has been referred to as one of the best films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), noting its cultural significance.

Source: NAN

The Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo is mobilising the to force President Joseph Kabila to organise elections and relinquish power.

The Church is also upping the ante against Kabila for continuing to stay put despite the expiry in December 2016 of his second term.

The huge rally is also to remember those killed in last months protest.

In a statement, the church said the Catholic church in Kinshasa is spearheading what it hopes would be a huge rally on March 16 at Notre Dame du Congo Cathedral as a focal point for the struggle against Kabilas prolonged presidency.

According to the new constitution adopted in 2006, Kabilas presidency was supposed to expire on December 20, 2016, ten years after he was elected for his first five-year term in office.

The electoral authority in DRC had announced in September 2016 that elections would not be held until early 2018.

Since then talks have focused on building a census over the handling of the elections which the constitution disqualifies Kabila from contesting.

We have our heroes for democracy. They have a name, a face, an age. They are dead, they are alive. They will continue to demand a rigorous and active citizen participation to avoid falling back into a new dictatorship that will cost human lives, a statement by the church said.

The church is referring to people who died on February 25 during a mass demonstration, including young Rossy Kadima who was killed in Lemba district in Kinshasa.

The church also urged the public to continue with their civil disobedience by ringing bells in parishes across the country at 9pm every Thursday, with others encouraged to use whistles, car horns and saucepans.

In addition to their campaign of non-violence, the church also undertook to launch diplomatic overtures targeting DRCs partners through the Congolese Diaspora, to ratchet up pressure on Kabila.

At the end of three huge marches between December 31, 2017 and February 25, 2018, the church claimed a series of victories from its civil disobedience aimed at unmasking a dictatorship hiding behind democracy.

The church also claimed it has conquered its own fear, transferring it to our political and military leaders, the police and other security operatives.

Another victory it is claiming is the moral authority it commands from its congregations, a trait admired by the rest of the world.

The decision to bring further pressure to bear on the government by the church comes after Bishop Fridolin Ambongo was inducted in his position as Coadjutor Archbishop of Kinshasa.

Bishop Ambongo replaces the retired Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo as head of the Catholic church in Kinshasa.

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Source: NAN

The House of Representatives has lifted the suspension placed on the former Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin (Kano-APC).

This followed a letter of apology signed by Jibrin which was presented by the Speaker of the House, Mr Yakubu Dogara, at the plenary on Tuesday.

Jibrin was suspended in 2017 for 180 legislative days, for allegedly exposing budget padding scandal in the legislative arm of government.

While presenting the letter, Dogara said that the suspended legislator had met all the conditions necessary for him to resume his duties.

Dogara said that the lawmaker was free to resume his legislative duties whenever he so wished.

Source: NAN

An FCT High Court, Maitama on Tuesday ordered the police to pay N3 million to one Kingsley Efobi, for violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty.

Efobi had on May 10, 2017, filed a suit against the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, for violating his fundamental right.

Justice Jude Okeke, delivering judgment in the suit filed by Efobi, held that there was no basis for the court to disbelieve the evidence of the applicant, which was not contradicted by the respondents.

He held that in order to ensure that the applicant was protected from further violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty, in facts of this matter, the court would be minded in line with the provision of 46 (1) of the Constitution.

Accordingly, an order of perpetual injunction is granted, restraining the respondents, their agents or servants from harassing the applicant on account of the subject matter of this suit.

The respondents jointly and severally are ordered to pay to the applicant a sum of N2 million damages for breaking his right to personal liberty.

N1million for violating his right not to be subjected to inhuman treatment, the judge held.

Okeke also ordered that the respondents jointly and severally return to the applicant a sum of N16, 500 being the money extorted from him by the officers of the respondent.

He also ordered that the respondent pay the applicant N50,000 for emerging successful from the suit.

Okeke held that the order by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to the applicant, to remove his sandals, sit on a bare floor, seized his handset was violation of his right to dignity of his person, even his arrest and detention.

Efobi noted that he was forced to write an undertaking for the payment of the debts he owed.

There is no evidence by the respondents showing that they arrested and detained the applicant upon a reasonable suspicion of having committed criminal offence.

It is unconstitutional and, therefore, unlawful, the judge said.

Okeke said that the applicant and two others were traders at Wuse Modern Market and deal in bedspread and allied materials.

The applicant noted that the bedspread dealers bought in large quantities on debt from one Madam Normal, who supplied them from Aba.

It was the dealer who reported the applicant to the police sometimes in May 2015, for debts he owed her. (NAN)

Source: NAN

The University of Abuja (UniAbuja) branch of the Joint Action Committee comprising Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) has suspended its four month old strike.

The unions downed tools on Dec. 4, 2017 over Federal Governments failure to pay their earned allowances.

Addressing newsmen on behalf of others, at the end of their congress meeting in Abuja, the Chairman of SSANU, UniAbuja, Malam Hassan Shallangwa, said there were positive signs from the government.

He said that governments posture might eventually lead to the final negotiated resolution of the issues that led to the action in the first place; hence the decision to suspend strike.

So far, there is a good negotiation that has been taking place. It has been intensified by the government; that is why they have been making effort to see that everything is being settled.

I assure all of you that we have fought the good fight; our effort will not be in vain; you will see our effort very soon by the special grace of God.

In view of that, the happenings in our campus which we all testify, our children have been suffering since they resumed this session; you can see that most of the things in the university have totally collapsed.

Based on the meetings held on March 6 and March 8, we were meant to understand that government are to release the sum of N8billion to JAC, including some academic staff of University of Ilorin(UniIlorin) and University of Nigeria, Nsukka(UNN).

The strike is hereby suspended to allow for full resolution of the matter, he said.

The agreement which led to the suspension of the strike was signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah; SSANU President, Samson Ugokwe; NAAT President, Sani Suleiman and NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi.

An excerpt from the agreement reads, Government is to source for N8billion within five weeks to pay JAC of SSANU, NAAT and NASU members and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in UNN and UniIlorin, who did not get paid in the last disbursement exercise.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected the Amended Electoral Bill sent for his signature by the National Assembly.

The bill provides for the Presidential election to come last after National Assembly and Governorship elections.

Buhari notified the Senate about his action in a letter dated March 3, 2018, which was read by the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki during plenary.

The president said he withheld his assent to the bill because the amendment to the sequence of the elections in Section 25 of the Principal Act might infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of INEC.

He stated that the section guaranteed the INEC to organise, undertake and supervise all the elections as provided in Section 15 (a) of the Third Schedule to the Constitution.

The amendment to Section 138 of the Principal Act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates, unduly limits rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process.

The amendment to section 152 (325) of the Principal Act may raise constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over Local Government elections.

Please accept Mr SenatePresident the assurances of my highest consideration, the president stated.

While the Independent National Electoral Commission put the presidential election as the first to be held during the general election, the National Assembly wants it held last.

Source: NAN

Federal Government says it has supplied two trucks of assorted food to victims of the recent Mambilla plateau communal conflict in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba.

Mr Abbani Imam, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) head of operations in charge of Adamawa and Taraba, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola on Tuesday.

Imam said that the food intervention was part of governments effort to ease the suffering of the affected persons.

Among the food items include; 600 bags of rice and 300 bags of maize and millet each.

The intervention is part of governments responsibility toward bringing succour to victims affected by conflict in any part of the country, he said.

He said that the agency was still compiling the data of people affected and property lost.

Source: NAN

US President Donald Trump has sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and immediately replaced him with the director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo.

Thanking Mr Tillerson for his service on Twitter, Mr Trump said the new state secretary would do a fantastic job.

Mr Tillerson, a former chief executive of ExxonMobil, was only appointed to the job just over a year ago.

The president also nominated Gina Haspel to become the first woman director of the CIA.

Tillerson had barely touched down in the USA after a six-nation tour of Africa, in which he pledged US support for nations, such as Nigeria and Chad, fighting terrorism.

His sack is also being linked to his recent criticism of Russia.

Source: NAN

Venus Williams has ended Serena Williams’ return to tournament tennis as she ousted her early today in the third round of Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open in two straight sets 6-3, 6-4.

Venus closed out the 29th career meeting between the two on her second match point as Serena sailed a forehand long to end the third round match.

The 10th seeded Venus moves on to the round of 16 where she will face either Anastasija Sevastova or 12th seeded Julia Georges.

It was the first meeting between the two sisters since they clashed in the final of the 2017 Australian Open, which Serena won before taking a 15-month hiatus due to her pregnancy.

It is rare for the Williams sisters to play this early in a tournament. It is the earliest they have faced each other since their first encounter at the Australian Open in 1998.

The sisters arrived outside the stadium together on a golf cart then walked through the tunnel with Serena entering the court first with many in the crowd standing and cheering.

Venus blasted six aces but had eight double faults in the one hour 26 minutes main stadium match.

Serena is still shaking off the rust after the long layoff as she hit four aces but had her serve broken four times.

This was their first encounter with Venus as an aunt and Serena as a new mother after giving birth to her baby daughter, Alexis Olympia, on September 1.

Venus’s victory also comes 17 years after an ugly booing incident led to a 14-year boycott of the tournament by the sisters.

But for some it brought closure to the once testy relationship between Indian Wells and the sisters who hail from the Los Angeles suburb of Compton.

Said Serena Williams at the end of Monday night’s match: “There’s a silver lining always for me. I have to look forward to the next match and the next time.”

Serena said she is still easing her way back into match fitness.

“It wasn’t very easy, obviously,” she said. “It was good to play and try to get in the rhythm and get into the swing again.

“I can’t really replicate the situation no matter how much I do in practice. I make those shots 10 times out of 10 in practice.

“It’s just the nerves, the anticipation you feel naturally. It’s a little bit of everything that comes in a match that just doesn’t normally happen.”

And sister Venus complemented her: “Her level was super high. It was really difficult to close out the match. She’s going to be winning tournaments sooner than later”

Source: NAN

A match between two Greek Superleague teams, PAOK Salonika and AEK Athens, was suspended on Sunday when the president and owner of PAOK Salonika, Ivan Savvidis, stalked onto the pitch while armed with a gun.

According to Reuters, the gun was holstered around Savvides waist, and he was surrounded by bodyguards.

Savvidis is one of Greece’s richest men, and a former member of the Russian Parliament. He came onto the pitch near the end of the game, after a PAOK Salonika goal was disallowed in the 89th minute. The gun was visible, but he never drew it as he complained to the referee about the goal.

It was actually the second time Savvidis had invaded the pitch during the match.

The first time he was wearing an overcoat, and AEK Athens officials claimed that Savvidis threatened a referee.

The second time the overcoat was gone, which revealed a holstered gun around his waist.

Not surprisingly, this caused a bit of a hubbub.

Savvidis had already ordered his team to leave the pitch, and everyone else was ordered to disperse once the gun was identified and the game was suspended.

Greek soccer has been beset by violence both on and off the pitch.

A match between PAOK Salonika and Olympiakos Piraeus was called off in February after the Olympiakos coach was struck by a “roll of paper” thrown from the stands. After this latest incident, Greek Deputy Culture and Sports Minister Georgios Vassiliadis stood by the suspension. From Reuters:

“We have decided to interrupt the championship … It won’t start again unless there is a clear framework, agreed by all, to move forward with conditions and rules.”
Vassiliadis also said the suspension will be indefinite until everyone involved agrees to “much tighter rules on issues of security.”

Despite the firearm, PAOK Salonika was eventually declared the winner of the match two hours after the suspension when the referee reversed his decision.

Hopefully the gun played no role in that.

Source: NAN

Zambia is waging a fierce campaign against sex dolls, threatening offenders with heavy jail terms over the dolls which, it says, are “very unnatural”.

“No one sells them openly, no one admits to owning one, and no one has been arrested,’’ report said.

The government launched the crackdown on the sex toys last month.

The action has propelled the issue of sex dolls to the top of the news agenda and made them a hot topic of conversation and debate on social media, dividing opinion in the largely conservative southern African country.

“Being a Christian nation, obviously we are anchored in Christian principles and one of the values is morality and ethics,” Minister of National Guidance and Religious Affairs Godfridah Sumaili , said.

Selling or using a sex doll is against Zambian law, she said, vowing to ensure they are not bought on the internet and imported.

“The use of sex dolls is definitely in contradiction to our natural heritage and our principles,” Sumaili added.

“The law actually forbids anybody to trade (in) and to use such objects — and so this is why we are saying for Zambians that this is a very unnatural thing.”

The minister said the ban was necessary after media reports emerged of sex dolls being imported into Zambia, apparently from Asia. Police are investigating, she added.

In recent months, Zambia’s independent and semi-official press have devoted many column inches to reports of sex shops popping up around the capital Lusaka selling sex dolls, as well as chronicling the backlash.

“God created man and woman for sexual satisfaction — but for a man or woman to use a lifeless object is immoral,” Sumaili said.

“Let’s not import foreign beliefs and experiences. Let us just believe in what we are.”

The manufacture of sex dolls has become increasingly sophisticated, with China developing custom-made “smart” dolls that can talk, play music and turn on dishwashers.

Sex dolls’ inventors say they can cure loneliness and help elderly men who lack female companionship.

In Zambia, the dolls made of silicone were reportedly in a variety of shapes and shades, but could not be found in any shops.

A suspected mentally challenged man on Monday hacked to death two pupils of Saint Johns Anglican Primary School in Agodo, Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun.

It was gathered that the assailant entered the school premises from a nearby bush and inflicted machete cuts on the children who were observing lunch break with their colleagues.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the assailant fled the scene at about 11 :15 am after the incident.

It was learnt that the deep machete cuts inflicted on the victims left them in the pool of their blood.

Sources said while the school has a perimeter fence it has no gates.

When the parents and guardians thronged to the school after the incident to withdraw their wards while security agents have commenced investigation.

Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi, the State Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Abeokuta.

Oyeyemi gave the names of the two victims as Mubarak Kalesowo and Sunday Obituyi , both aged four and in Kindergarten class.

The incident happened at 11:30 a.m. during lunch break. The children were on the field playing. The guy just emerged from the bush and hacked two of them to death and immediately he did it, he ran away.

Those who know him (suspect) said he is a madman and also an indigene of that place. But we are not relying on that.

We are on his trail, we want to get him arrested.

It is only a medical expert that would confirm whether he is a mad person or not.

Our ultimate aim is to get him arrested. As Im talking to you now, the Area Commander and the DPO Abigi are at the scene. We have set machinery in motion to get him arrested, he said.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari told a town hall meeting in Makurdi today that Inspector-general of Police, Idris Ibrahim has some query to answer as to why he violated his order to relocate to Benue state, following the killings of 73 villagers by herdsmen.

The killings happened on New Years Day and amidst national outrage President Buhari on 9 January, ordered Idris to relocate to Benue state.

Today, President Buhari was told by Governor Ortom that Idris did not spend 24 hours in the state, as he moved to neighbouring Nasarawa state, thus violating President Buharis order.

President Buhari was surprised that Idris breached his order.

He said he would ask Idris to explain why he observed the order in the breach, on his return to Abuja.

What I did was to call him and give him (a) directive. And I didnt know he moved here (Benue State) and didnt spend (time) and then move to Nasarawa. Its only now that I am knowing that. But I know I dispatched him here, the President said.

At every level, you have to be loyal to people below you. Whether that person is loyal to you or not is totally a different thing, President Buhari said.

The easiest thing for me was to go on air and accuse the IGP of being too slow and not using the intelligence and resources available to him to foresee the action of the cattle rearers and so on. People would believe me, but I will be disloyal if I do that.

Source: NAN

Porn actress Stormy Daniels on Monday offered to return the $130,000 she received from President Trumps attorney Michael Cohen, in an effort to fully void the 2016 hush agreement that has prevented her from speaking publicly about her alleged 2006 sexual tryst with Trump.

In a letter addressed to Cohen, which was obtained by The New York Times, Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti wrote that she would wire the money into an account of Mr. Trumps choosing by Friday in exchange of nullifying the agreement of silence Daniels took.

Avenatti outlined that if the offer was accepted, Daniels could (a) speak openly and freely about her prior relationship with the president and the attempts to silence her and (b) use or publish any text messages, photos and/or videos relating to the president that she may have in her possession, all without fear of retribution and legal liability for damages.

The deal also stipulated that, if accepted, the 60 Minutes interview Daniels taped last week with Anderson Cooper would be allowed to air without blocking efforts from the Trump camp.

With a noon Tuesday deadline, the letter will essentially bait Cohen into a choice between letting Daniels talk freely about her alleged Trump affair; or publicly confirm that a silencing campaign had been in effect.

Avenatti told The Daily Beast that he has yet to hear from Cohen or anyone from the Trump legal team.

*Reported by

Source: NAN

The Independent National Electoral Commission is considering burning unclaimedPermanent Voter Cards (PVCs) before next years general elections.

Dr Rufus Akeju, the new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo Statetold newsmen on Monday in Akure that INEC is considering the option, since all attempts had been made in vain by the commission thorough sensitisation campaign to reach out to the affected voters to collect their PVCs.

He said the commission was making efforts almost on daily basis for voters to get their PVCs, adding that the commission may be compelled to resort to burning of the cards or destroying them to check being used to manipulate elections.

The REC said that the burning process would be made public for all Nigerians to witness.

Akeju said in Ondo state, 1,659,186 people have been registered as eligible voters and 1,288,722 cards had been distributed so far, adding that 370,464 PVCs are unclaimed.

He also said the commission was doing everything possible to ensure a credible election that would meet with global best practices.

We now have new and improve data capturing for moderate and effective capturing.

We have introduced additional card readers in case one is malfunctioning in a particular unit, he said.

The REC solicited the support of all journalists in the state, saying they remain major stakeholders in educating the general public.

He, however, urged journalists to report accurately stories they gather from INEC offices in the state without bias.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state, Mr James Sowole, promised that the union would continue to support the commission in its activities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akeju was the immediate past REC in Osun before his posting to Ondo State.

Source: NAN

Prince Uche Secondus, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman claimed that the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has failed because it couldnt fulfil its promises to the people.

Secondus made this claim while addressing members of the PDP during his working tour to Dutse, capital of Jigawa on Monday.

He said that the APC made a lot of promises to the people during the electioneering campaigns but it has failed to fulfil the promises.

APC said if they win, they will revive the economy, they will address the problem of insecurity and corruption

Sen. Dino Maleye said before the floor of the house recently that in the 16 years of PDP government they collected a loan of only N6 trillion but APC government in just three years collected N11 trillion. These figures, bandied by Melaye and Pastor Tunde Bakare have been discredited as wild guesses.

According to data provided by Debt Management Office,the Federal Government borrowed N6.76 trillion since June 2015. When state debts are added, what has been borrowed is N8.3 trillion still significantly lower than the N11 trillion being touted.

In contrast, the PDP in 16 years borrowed N9.25 trillion, higher than Bakare and Melayes claim.

Corruption has pervaded the APC government from the top to bottom, APC government is more corrupt than PDPs own, claimed Secondus.

There is insecurity in the country, you cannot sleep with your two eyes closed, there is poverty and hunger in all the houses in Nigeria, therefore APC is a government of deception

I therefore urge us to come out en masse and vote for PDP so that we could fight hunger, poverty and the insecurity.

The PDP Chairman said that APC has come to divide the country while PDP is out to unite the country.

APC should therefore prepare to hand over to PDP as we also handed over to them

The Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Hassan Dankwambo, who is nurturing a presidential ambition, said that since the PDP left government in Jigawa, he has not seen any changes under the present APC administration in the state.

Dankwambo urged the people to support PDP, which he said would win the 2019 election, by the power of God.

Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi, immediate Caretaker Chairman of the Party said the party has put all the the necessary machinery in place to wrest power from the APC.

Alhaji Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa and also a presidential aspirant, charged the people to protect their votes on election day.

The PDP National Chairman was accompanied on the tour by prominent Party stalwarts like former governor of Kano state Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, former Senate House Leader Alhaji Abdul Ningi, Amb. Aminu Wali, first civilian governor of Jigawa, Alh Ali Saad Birninkudu, former Governor Kaduna, Alhaji Ahmad Muhammad, who was the immediate past chairman of the PDP and many others.

Source: NAN