Family members of a little girl, her father and brother, reportedly raped her while her mother was away.

In Calabar, Cross River State, a man and his young son have been tied with chains based on an allegation of rape of little daughter.

A Facebook user, Kijiejake Jacob Ochang, made this known in a post.

He explained that the shocking sexual abuse occurred when the girl's mother was away from home. The suspects were apprehended and have been delivered to the police according to Linda Ikeji's Blog (LIB).

Pictures which accompanied the post showed the pair tied by the wrist with chains clipped to truck-sized tyres.

Neighbours who gathered to watch the culprits of the abominable act wore a look of shock - their responses to the distressful event.

The Nigerian troops have lost two soldiers in the ongoing clearance operation in Sambisa Forest.

The troops killed five Boko Haram insurgents in the operation.

Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Operation Lafiya Dole,Nwachukwu, said the soldiers were killed and two others wounded when an insurgents’ Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) laced vehicle hit a military vehicle.

Nwachukwu, said that the troops also cleared various insurgents enclaves.

Nwachukwu disclosed that the troops under Operation DEEP PUNCH II had cleared insurgents ’ s hideouts at Agapulawa; Amuda, Nyawa, and Attagara in Sambisa Forest.

He said that the wounded soldiers were evacuated to a military medical facility for treatment.

He said troops also killed five insurgents at Tchikide and Chinene in the Lake Chad region.

“In continuation of the successful exploits by troops of Operation Dole, under Operation DEEP PUNCH II, to clear Boko Haram insurgents from the Sambisa forest and the Lake Chad Islands,.

“On Tuesday 28, February, 2018; troops successfully cleared and dismantled insurgents’ camps at Agapulawa, Amuda, Nyawa and Attagara in the remaining parts of Sambisa Forest.

“The clearance operations progressed further into other identified insurgents’ camps around Tchikide and Chinene, where the troops ferociously engaged and cleared pockets of resistance by the insurgents and killed five of them,” he said

According to him, the gallant troops had reorganized and resumed operation and assured of the military’s commitments to the successful completion of counter-insurgency operation.

Source: NAN

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the results of the recent Mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

JAMB’s Head of Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.

According to him, candidates are to check their results on line by visiting [JAMB](www.jamb .org.ng) with their registration numbers.

Benjamin described the conduct of the examination nationwide as hitch-free.

A total of 245,753 candidates registered for the mock examination which took place on Monday.

Mock UTME is optional for UTME candidates.

The main UTME is expected to hold from March 9 to March 17.

Source: NAN

Former Acting Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Calistus Obi, has admitted to diverting N331 million belonging to the agency.
Obi made the revelation on Monday, February 26, 2018, during his cross-examination at his ongoing trial before Justice Mojisola Olatoregun of a Federal High Court in Lagos.

He said he used the N331 million to build a hotel.

On April 12, 2016, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Obi, alongside one, Alu Dismas, a former P.A to the immediate past DG of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi.

They were arraigned before the court on an 8-count charge of converting N331 million belonging to NIMASA to personal use.

During the cross-examination by the EFCC's lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, Obi said he transferred part of the diverted money to a firm known as Seastroke International, which built a hotel for him in Asaba, Delta state.

He, however, added that he has since refunded the money when the EFCC asked him to do so.

Justice Olatoregun adjourned the matter to March 7.

On February 5, 2018, A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had ordered the final forfeiture of the sum of £578,080.00 to the Federal Government.

Justice Saliu Saidu ordered the final forfeiture, saying that the EFCC had proven that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activity.

Other forfeitures secured by EFCC
In December 2017, the anti-graft agency filed an exparte application through its counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, seeking the forfeiture of the funds.

Oyedepo argued that the money sought to be forfeited is reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities of a maritime firm, ZAL Marine Limited.

He also alleged that the money was stolen by the maritime firm through some employees of NIMASA.

The Commission accused one Macfoy Irene, an Assistant Director and Head of Nigerian Seafarers Development Program, to have facilitated the fraudulent transfer of the sum of £1,074,600.00 from NIMASA's Zenith Bank (UK) Account to an offshore account belonging to Swiss Bulk carriers S.A under the false Pretenses of training 54 Nautical Science and Marine Engineering Students on Sea Training on March 16, 2013.

The EFCC said the money was transferred from NIMASA’s Accounts without any parastatal or Ministerial Tender Board Approval or Contract.

Source: Pulse.NG

Officers and men of Kano State Police Command have arrested a 20-year old man impersonating the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, with a verified Twitter account.
The suspect who uses the verified Instagram page to deceive members of the public, was arrested after months of manhunt

He is currently helping the police in their investigation.

Emir Sanusi had on several occasions denied owning any Instagram account before it was verified.

'Slash officials salaries'
Sanusi recently called for the salaries of ministers and legislators to be slashed by half.

According to him, “If the salary of each member of the National Assembly was divided into two, it would go a long way to provide more jobs for 70,400 jobless Nigerians at between N90, 000 and N92, 500 monthly salary.”

The Emir also called on public office holders to make sacrifices so that Nigeria can come out of the current economic challenges.

Source: Pulse.NG

After weeks of medical vacation abroad, President Muhammadu Buhari’s son, Yusuf, is back to Nigeria.

He was received early hours of Thursday, March 1, 2018, by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state; junior minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and interior minister, Abdulrahman Danbazau amongst other top government officials.

Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari disclosed this in an appreciation tweet earlier today.

“We thank God for the return of our son Yusuf today after his medical trip. On land at the airport he was received by the Minister of Health (state) Dr. Osagie, while at the Villa he was welcomed by family members, Wife of the Vice President, the Interior minister, Governor Yahaya Bello & associates.

“On behalf of the family I wish to express our appreciation for the goodwill & prayers since the unfortunate accident. May God Almighty bless all & continue to guide us all aright,” she said on Twitter.

Yusuf suffered injuries on his head and limbs as his power bike crashed while he was racing with his friend.

The accident occurred at the Gwarimpa district of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on Tuesday, December 26, 2017.

Upon his discharge from a private hospital in Abuja, Yusuf was flown abroad for further medical treatment.

Yusuf's return will quell insinuations that the President's son had died as a result of the bike accident.

Source: Pulse.NG

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) states that Nigerians are getting poorer. This is despite the several economic reforms embarked upon by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
In a report seen by Reuters on Wednesday, February 28, 2019, the IMF says more economic reforms are urgently needed in the coutry.

IMF expects the Nigerian government to “muddle through” in the medium term. Although any progress made within this period could also be threatened if the 2019 elections drain political resources.

Since emerging from recession in the second quarter of 2017, officials of the Nigerian government have repeatedly stated that the economy is back on the right track.

According to Reuters, "critics say much of the recovery comes from a return to oil dependence after a rise in global oil prices and a rebound in crude production - more the result of militants in the Niger Delta halting attacks on oil facilities than of economic policy under President Buhari’s administration."

The IMF in its reports stated that despite the improved outlook for growth, the situation is still challenging.

“Comprehensive and coherent” economic policies “remain urgent and must not be delayed by approaching elections and recovering oil prices,” it said in its annual Article IV review of Nigeria’s economy.

“Higher oil prices would support a recovery in 2018 but a ‘muddle-through’ outlook is projected for the medium term under current policies, with fiscal dominance and structural constraints leading to continuing falls in real GDP per capita,” the IMF said.

The report also identified risks to the growth of the Nigerian economy which include additional delays to implementing key policies and strategic reforms ahead of 2019 elections, security issues, and oil prices.

“Further delays in policy action -- including because of pre-election pressures -- can only make the inevitable adjustment more difficult and costlier,” the report said.

Source: Pulse.ng

Italys general elections on Sunday could see the phoenix-like resurgence of scandal-tainted ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi or condemn the eurozones third-largest economy to becoming nearly ungovernable.

But while Berlusconis bloc has a poll lead over the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the incumbent Democratic Party (PD), it may not win overall control of parliament; it doesnt help that Berlusconis bloc is also internally divided, fuelling doubts about its ability to last in government.

A hung parliament or a narrow parliamentary majority for the centre-right are the two most probable scenarios, predicted Wolfango Piccoli, co-president of Teneo Intelligence, noting that the latest projections had conservatives falling short of an outright win.

With that in mind, many analysts foresee a post-election realignment in which Berlusconi and the centre-left PD would join forces in a re-enactment of the grand coalition that has held sway in Germany since 2013.

Current government leader Paolo Gentiloni a PD stalwart respected across the political spectrum or European Parliament President Antonio Tajani a former Berlusconi spokesman have been singled out as possible compromise candidates for the premiership.

However, rising anti-establishment sentiment could also usher in a radical M5S-led government that would unsettle financial markets and Italys European Union partners.

Alternatively, there could be major deadlock, leading to new elections before years end.

Opinion polls are not allowed in the last two weeks of campaigning, but before the ban kicked in, pollsters had the Berlusconi bloc near 40 per cent, and the M5S and a PD-led alliance each under 30 per cent.

Those figures are a testimony to Berlusconis stunning resilience, after a tax fraud conviction and parliamentary ejection in 2013, and open-heart surgery three years later.

He is now courting voters with unrealistic promises to slash taxes and expel 600,000 immigrants.

In his latest guise, the 81-year-old has reinvented himself as a wise, pro-EU statesman in contrast with the untested M5S.

Im like good wine, I get better with age and now Im perfect, he quipped this month.

The tycoon-turned-politicians resurgence has taken place amid a tense campaign marred by political violence, most notably in the central town of Macerata, where a Nazi sympathizer wounded six African migrants in a drive-by shooting spree.

Yet Berlusconis revival cant be fully realized, since his criminal record bars him from holding public office. He is also at odds with far-right ally and League party leader Matteo Salvini on the EU, protectionism and who should be prime minister in case of victory.

With pollsters estimating that about one third of almost 51 million eligible voters are undecided, the election outcome is still wide open, especially in swing southern regions where the M5S could score a historic breakthrough.

The PD is crumbling, the race now is between us and the centre-right, M5S prime ministerial candidate Luigi Di Maio, a 31-year-old university dropout and deputy leader of the lower house of parliament, told RAI state radio on Tuesday.

The preppy-looking Di Maio replaced comedian Beppe Grillo as party leader last year and has steered the protest party towards more moderate positions, for example, by dropping plans to hold a referendum on exiting the eurozone.

It is time to embrace change, because there is no longer any reason to be afraid of it, Di Maio said, pledging to exclude from his government team the same faces you have seen for 20 years.

Di Maio is expected to unveil his team on Thursday.

To detractors, the partys main weakness is inexperience which is exactly what appeals to many of its fans, who are pining for a clean slate in Italys often-corrupt politics and are attracted by the partys promises to introduce minimum income subsidies for the poor.

The PD, meanwhile, is struggling despite some success in office: With voters listing the economy and migration as their biggest concerns, the party can claim credit for reducing boat arrivals from Libya and lifting the country out of a record double-dip recession.

Are you better or worse off compared to four years ago? This the question we will pose to voters, Renzi told journalists earlier this month a message that seems to be failing to make inroads.

Italys economy is still lagging behind its EU peers, and most of the 1 million new jobs Renzi has touted are of a low-paid, temporary nature, which helps explain why there is not much of a feel-good factor benefiting his party.

In addition to bleeding left-wing votes to Free and Equals, a splinter group formed last year, the PD is being hobbled by Renzis popularity crisis, exacerbated by the 2016 referendum defeat on constitutional reforms that led to his resignation.

According to pollsters, the PD has a lot of potential for improvement in its poll standings, if it can win back some of its estranged voters. The results due Monday will show whether a polarizing figure such as Renzi was the right man for that task.

News analysis by dpa

Source: NAN

The Mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi has said that Rome will ban diesel cars in an attempt to combat air pollution.

Now cars with diesel engines will be banned from heading into the centre,the mayor said.

Raggi announced the decision on her Facebook page on Tuesday, saying: If we want to intervene seriously, we have to have the courage to adopt strong measures.

Her comments followed a court ruling in Germany that cities there can ban the most heavily polluting diesel cars from their streets.

About two-thirds of the 1.8 million new cars sold in Italy last year were diesel, according to industry figures.

The Italian capital is one of the most traffic-clogged cities in the world. But the damage done by those engines is threatening the thousands of historic monuments that are found there.

Rome has no major industries, so nearly all of the air pollution in the Italian capital is caused by motor vehicles.

The city regularly tries to ban older, more polluting vehicles from roads on days when pollution reaches critical levels.

It has also tried to reduce pollution by allowing only cars whose number plates end in either odd or even numbers to circulate on alternate days.

But both regulations are widely flouted and lightly enforced by traffic police. To skirt the alternate days regulation, many families buy a used car with a different number plate.

Apart from health issues, pollution from combustion engines causes severe damage to Romes many ancient outdoor monuments.

According to a study last year by a branch of the culture ministry, 3,600 stone monuments and 60 bronze sculptures risk serious deterioration because of air pollution.

Ahead of celebrations marking the start of the new millennium in 2000, the darkened facade of St. Peters Basilica at the Vatican was cleaned as part of a project that lasted several years.

But fresh signs of pollution-related stains are visible again.

Before the German courts ruling on Tuesday, officials in highly industrialised Milan, in northern Italy, had already announced plans to make the city diesel free by 2030

Source: NAN

By David Adeoye

A divorce-seeking woman, Funke Adeyemi, on Wednesday told an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court, Agodi, Ibadan, that her husband, Wasiu Adeyemi, abandoned from home because of N24,000 unpaid rent on their apartment.

The 29-year-old woman said that her husband of 12 years ran away from their home when the landlord demanded for payment of the outstanding rent, leaving her and their three children.
She stated that the defendant had refused to pay the debt and had not been seen since June, 2017.

The landlord has ejected me from the house and I have been living with my parents since then.

All efforts to contact him proved abortive and I have been shouldering the responsibility of the three kids alone.

I pray the court to dissolve our union and order him to be responsible to his paternal roles, she pleaded.

The defendant was not in court to defend the allegation, but the court registrar said that he (Adeyemi) was duly served the court summon.

President of the Court, Chief Mukaila Balogun, said that evidence before him, coupled with the deliberate non-appearance of the defendant in court, had proved that there was no more love in the union.

Balogun dissolved the marriage and ordered the defendant to pay N12, 000 monthly for the upkeep of the three children.

He directed the court registrar to serve the defendant with a copy of the judgment.

Source: NAN

The Nadi Declaration was adopted at the final session of the 20th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (20CCEM), held in Nadi, Fiji.

The Declaration, which was adopted on Feb. 23, outlined the priorities and agenda for education across the Commonwealth for the next three years (2018 2021).

Building on the outcomes of the 19CCEM, ministers reaffirmed that education is a fundamental human right and is indispensable for achieving sustainable development.

They expressed a commitment to ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and to promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Ministers recognised the valuable service provided by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) over the last 30 years.

They appreciated COLs focus on promoting learning for sustainable development through the use of technologies and for its emphasis on lifelong learning for employment, entrepreneurship and empowerment, all of which support the ongoing efforts of Member States to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4.

COL was commended for the growing impact of the Virtual University for Small States of the Commonwealth (VUSSC) in strengthening tertiary education in small states and for its global leadership in open educational resources (OER) and innovation in educational technologies.

Prof. Asha kanwar, COL President and Chief Executive Officer, said COL will work in partnership with sister organisations and stakeholders in the field to ensure that development outcomes are not just achieved but exceeded.

Source: NAN

Heavy snow and freezing conditions are causing delays in many parts of Britain, with roads and train service hit particularly hard.

Many rail systems were disrupted, in the northern and eastern parts of Britain, and several lines of Londons subway system were experiencing severe delays, including the Piccadilly Line that links central London to Heathrow Airport.

Train service to Gatwick Airport was also slowed by wintry weather.

Emergency officials said many drivers had to be rescued from stranded vehicles. Hundreds of schools were shut for a second day in a row.

The weather also forced a number of hospitals to cancel elective procedures and outpatient care.

In Denmark, police say a 54-year-old man who suffered from dementia was found dead in the snow on the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm.

Source:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/heavy-winter-weather-batters-uk-european-mainland/2018/02/28/3aec8128-1c7e-11e8-98f

Source: NAN

The President of the Senate Dr. Bukola Saraki has called on states of the federation to emulate Kwara state and stop payment of pensions to former governors still holding elective or appointive positions.

This is even as he commended the Kwara state House of Assembly for passing the bill to stop payment of such pensions.

Saraki in a series of tweets on his handle, @BukolaSaraki said that he was indeed happy that the the chat he had with the Assembly Speaker, Ali Ahmed,had resulted in the passage of the bill.

In 2017, the Senates President had said that he already directed the state government to stop paying him pensions adding that he had refunded those that he had collected earlier.

I am happy that following my conversation with Kwara Speaker, , two months ago, the Bill to suspend the payment of Pension to former Governors and their Deputies when they hold a Political or Public office was passed into law yesterday by the Kwara House of Assembly.

Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki)

I am happy that following my conversation with Kwara Speaker, @HonAliAhmad, two months ago, the Bill to suspend the payment of Pension to former Governors and their Deputies when they hold a Political or Public office was passed into law yesterday by the Kwara House of Assembly.

Moving forward, it is my hope that other State Assemblies take a cue from Kwara State and pass similar pieces of legislation into law.

The Kwara State House of Assembly on Tuesday passed an amendment bill halting payment of pension to former governors, deputy governors and other officers holding political offices after their tenure in office.

The passage of the bill followed the consideration of the report of the House Committee on Establishment and Public Service at the Committee of the Whole House sitting in Ilorin. The motion for the passage of the bill was moved by the Deputy House Leader, Segilola Abdulkadir and was unanimously adopted by members.

The Deputy Speaker, Matthew Okedare, who presided over the plenary, directed the Clerk of the House, Alhaji Mohammed Katsina, to prepare clean copy of the bill for governors assent.

The bill, which was forwarded to the House by Gov. AbdulFatah Ahmed, sought to review the existing law where payment of pension for former governors and deputy governors after their tenures would be suspended.

Source: NAN

Alhaji Zayyani Bello-Gandi, the Special Adviser to Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State on Primary Health Development (PHCD) is dead.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bello-Gandi, 52, died on Tuesday after a protracted illness, and was buried according Islamic rites on Wednesday in Sokoto.

The deceased was the former Chairman of Rabah Local Government Area of the state and he left behind three wives and 20 children.

The Deputy Governor of state, Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu, commissioners, special advisers and other government officials as well as politicians attended the burial ceremony.
They prayed God to console the family of the deceased. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Neymar still has a “small chance” of playing against Real Madrid in the Champions League and there are no plans for an operation on his cracked bone, Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery said on Tuesday.

“For Neymar there has been no decision to have an operation,” said Emery, denying an earlier report in the Brazilian press that the world’s most expensive player would go under the knife to fix the cracked bone in his foot.

“Neymar is the first to want to play every match, he’s very focussed on Real. I think there’s a small chance that he’ll be ready for the match,” added Emery.

PSG trail 3-1 from the last 16 first leg in Madrid two weeks ago and the loss of Neymar would be a huge blow to their chances of overturning that deficit at the Parc des Princes on March 6 and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals.

Neymar suffered a cracked metatarsal in his foot and a twisted ankle in an innocuous looking incident against Marseille on Sunday night.

And while Spaniard Emery said there is a possibility he’ll recover by next week, he was more pessimistic than he had been on Sunday night.

“Today, after analysing Neymar, it looks less likely than it did on Sunday that he’ll be ready for this match,” said Emery.

However, he was clear in his dismissal of a report published by Brazilian media outlet Globo Esporte on Tuesday morning that claimed a decision had already been reached for Neymar to undergo an operation, and that he would be out until May.

“Last night (Monday) the club issued an official statement: it said how the player was medically,” added Emery.

“Things (like operations) aren’t decided like that,” he added, clicking his fingers.

“You need discussions with the doctor, the player, his entourage.

“To make such an important decision you need tranquility and a bit of patience.

“Right now, I don’t think you need anything else. There’s a lot of information from outside, but the truth is what I told you, which is what the doctor told me.”

While PSG’s primary concern is having the world’s most expensive player available for their Champions League match next week, in Brazil it is Neymar’s participation at the World Cup that is most important.

The 26-year-old captained Brazil to their first ever Olympic gold medal 18 months ago on home soil and is seen as crucial to their hopes in Russia in June and July.

Were he to undergo and operation now and return to fitness in May, that would suit Brazil, who could rely then on a fully fit and fresh Neymar for the World Cup.

Source: NAN

Ex-Biafran soldier, Col. Joseph ‘’ Hannibal ‘’ Achuzia died on Monday at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, Delta. He was aged 90.

The late Achuzia was a Major in the Nigerian Army, before he defected to the Biafran side in 1967 at the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War.

Mr Onyeka Achuzia, son of the deceased, said Colonel Achuzia died at about 8 a.m on Monday.

He said that the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the hospital morgue ahead of the traditional burial rights on a date yet to be announced.

”My father died around 8 a.m at age 90 in the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba.

“He was a traditional Chief of Asaba,” the Ikemba of Asaba”, so we have announced it to the Asagba in Council; it is a sad news to us.

“I could still not believe that he is dead, even when he was entering the FMC where he died, he was smiling; we never knew he was going to die because he was still strong in spite of his age.

“He had a little bit of illness, coupled with his age, we are really going to miss him for he was such a good father,” Onyeka said.

Onyeka said that as the Ikemba of Asaba the news of his father’s death had been announced with a traditional gun shot.

Achizie is survived by a wife, children, grand children and other relations.

After he was released from prison in 1970 after the civil war, he officially retired from military activities and became a prominent figure in Nigerian politics.

Source: NAN

Aisha Wakil, the Maiduguri based lawyer and rights activist, with links with Boko Haram said she will do everything possible to get the 110 abducted Dapchi schoolgirls freed.

Aisha, also called Mama Boko Haram, believed the girls were captured by the Barnawi group of the terror sect, appealed to the group to free the girls. She said she was ready to get them out even at the risk of her life.

Wallahi I will go after them, even if it will take my life to save these girls. They call me Mummy, but they dont listen to me. I keep on talking to them, begging them to lay down their arms and embrace peace but they will say Insha-Allah mummy we are going to stop. Sometimes they will say they are scared they are going to be killed but I will tell them nobody is going to kill you, she said in an interview published on PRNigeria website today.

She appealed to the abductors to release the young female captives, said to be aged between 12 and 19 years. Acccording to a list published by the Federal Government on Tuesday, 37 of the girls are in JSS1-3, while 73 are in SSS1-3.

Aisha Wakil, was a former member of the Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the northern region of Nigeria under the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan.

She had, in previous efforts, brought military officers and Boko Haram Commanders together during negotiations.

She was also credited for the release of some abductees, including Chibok schoolgirls,from the Boko Haram sect via phone calls to the leadership.

PRNigeria quoted her as saying she was ready to sacrifice her life to rescue the girls from their abductors.

The activist was reported to have helped in circumcision of some of the Boko Haram members when they were kids over two decades ago.

Her relationship with the sect members earned her the name Mama Boko Haram.

Disturbed about the latest abduction of 110 students of Government Girls Technical College Dapchi, Aisha has renewed her commitment to fight to end the Boko Haram insurgency.

The activist who cried during the interview said : This thing that is happening, is really breaking my heart. These children dont even know what they are doing. Some of them were not even born at the time this thing started.

She appealed to the leader of the Barnawi group to release the girls:

I heard you are now been called Abu Mussad Albarnawi but I know you as Habib and I am begging you to stop the killing and abduction. I have sent many messages to you. I dont know if you are getting these messages or you just choose to continue to hurt your mother and make her cry.

Dear Habib, Nuru and others, I was told you may be the ones responsible for the kidnapped of these girls. Whereever you may be if you are listening to me, I beg you in the name of Allah to release the girls back to their families.

What type of children will continue letting their mother to continue crying. Dear Habib, I pray Allah touches your heart and that of your colleagues to stop what you are doing. Please come out. I will never deny you even if the whole world did. Those who know you know your heart. They know you are no longer interested in the fight anymore.

I will hold all of you and wrap you with my wrapper and bring you out and no one is going to shoot you. If they will shoot you, they will have to shoot me first. I dont mind sacrificing my life if you will stop what you are doing. If I die stopping Boko Haram, I know I will go to paradise.

Aisha Wakil has been actively involved in efforts to end Boko Haram through her NGO Complete Care and Aid Foundation aimed at restoring peace to the northeast by rehabilitating the youth against warped ideologies that mislead them to join the terror group.

The organisation is designed to provide a free feeding centre, fight drug abuse, sex hawking, human trafficking, female genital mutilation and de-worming among persons displaced by the insurgency.

Source: NAN

Christian leaders in Jerusalem said that they would on Wednesday reopen the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre, closed since the weekend in protest at Israeli tax measures.

The announcement came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office said a professional team would be appointed to resolve the financial dispute.

The closure which seemed to be the longest since at least 1990 has left thousands of pilgrims and tourists seeking to visit the site locked outside.

Some have kneeled in front of its massive wooden doors to pray on the cobblestones of Jerusalems Old City.

We hereby announce that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre will be reopened to the pilgrims tomorrow, February 28th, 2018 at 4:00 AM (0200 GMT), said a joint statement by church leaders issued on Tuesday night.

The church is built where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. Custody of it is shared by the Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations.

Tuesdays statement was signed by senior clerics of the three faiths in the Holy Land.

We give thanks to God for the statement released earlier today by Prime Minister Netanyahu and offer our gratitude to all those who have worked tirelessly to uphold the Christian presence in Jerusalem, it said.

Christian leaders are in part angry over attempts by Israeli authorities in Jerusalem to enforce tax collection on church-owned property they consider commercial, saying exemptions only apply to places of worship or religious teaching.

Netanyahus office said the measures would be suspended pending discussions.

Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi will also look into the issue of land sales in Jerusalem by Christian bodies.

During that time, a proposed law that Christian leaders say would allow Israel to expropriate church land is to be shelved, the statement said.

An official of the Roman Catholic Custody of the Holy Land welcomed the prospect of talks with the Israeli authorities.

From the beginning we said that we have duties to have a dialogue, and not let ourselves be forced to make drastic decisions, he told AFP.

Dark period

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat says the city is due 650 million shekels ($186 million/152 million euros) in uncollected taxes on church properties.

He stresses the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and all other churches are exempt, with the changes only affecting establishments like hotels, halls and businesses owned by churches.

Christian leaders say the measure jeopardises their ability to conduct their work, which also includes social services to those in need.

Source: NAN

Ten herdsmenm who were destroying farmland in Tse-Tigir and Tse-Ndugh villages in Benue, have been arrested by troops.

The troops were deployed to Yelwata under the ongoing Exercise Ayem Akpatuma (Cat Race).

Brig.-Gen. Texas Chukwu, the Director, Army Public Relations, in a statement issued late Monday night in Abuja, said the suspects fled into the bush when they sighted the troops.

“While in the act of destroying the farmland, the herdsmen sighted the aggressive troops and fled into the bush.

“The determined troops pursued and arrest them.

“Items recovered from them are five motorcycles, two machetes, assorted charms and N120,000,” he said.

Chukwu said the suspects and the items were handed over to the Police for investigation.

The spokesman said the Army was determined to fish out criminals and recover weapons they use in killing innocent citizens.

He appealed to the people to cooperate with the troops.

Source: NAN

Arsenal’s legend and all-time top scorer Thierry Henry said it would be a “dream” to manage the club, whose season is threatening to unravel after their capitulation to Manchester City in the League Cup final.

Arsene Wenger’s side crumbled 3-0 at Wembley on Sunday and languish 10 points off the top four in the Premier League, with the Europa League their only chance of silverware this season.

Wenger is under contract at Arsenal until 2019 but a failure to qualify for the Champions League for a second straight year would ramp up pressure for him to step down.

Asked on-air after the game about whether replacing Wenger would appeal to him, the Sky Sports pundit, who is also a member of Belgium’s coaching staff, said: “I still have a job to do with Belgium, but let’s see what’s going to happen.

“It will be a dream for me, but I’m still with Belgium.

“Interested? Yes, who wouldn’t be? But I can’t talk about that out of respect for the man that is in charge still and my job that I’m doing right now with Belgium. But who wouldn’t be interested?”

Henry, who was brought to Arsenal by Wenger in 1999, believes a lack of consistency is the key to the club’s troubles, with the Gunners having lost six games in all competitions since the turn of the year.

“With Arsene, what is difficult is when you have bad momentum,” the 40-year-old told Sky Sports News on Monday.

“The consistency is not always there and you need to be consistent. You need to also sometimes have some good games away from home.

“The feeling with the fans is that you cannot brag about the win because next week we might be in trouble.

“What’s difficult when you start to lose is getting that energy and commitment back. When you don’t win the league for a long time — 14 years running — that doesn’t help.”

Source: NAN