Boko Haram threatens to attack A’Ibom

Boko Haram members

The Akwa Ibom State Government said it had received text messages from the Boko Haram terrorist group threatening to attack public places in the state.

A statement issued on Friday evening by the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, said the public places targeted include churches, markets and schools, among others.

Umanah advised members of the public to be security conscious and be extra-vigilant by reporting suspicious movements to security personnel for immediate action.

He assured residents of their safety, saying government had directed security agencies to step up surveillance to prevent likely attack on the state.

Umanah urged the residents to go about their legitimate businesses as government was poised to sustain the peace being enjoyed in the state.

The state government, however, frowned at the re-emergence of activities of commercial motorcyclists in Uyo metropolis despite the existing ban on their operations.

Jonathan sacks NNPC GMD

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday sacked the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr. Andrew Yakubu.

The President, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, named Dr. Joseph Dawha as Yakubu’s replacement.

Abati also announced the appointment of Mr. Anthony Ugonna Muoneke as the new Managing Director of the Nigeria Petroleum Development Corporation.

Further shake-up in the NNPC as approved by the President , according to the statement, saw Ms. Aisha Mata Abdurrahman reassigned as the corporation’s Group Executive Director, Commercial and Investment; while Dr. Attahiru B. Yusuf was named the Group Executive Director, Business Development.

All the appointments take immediate effect.

The new GMD of the NNPC hails from Borno state.

He has served previously as the Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production, NNPC and Managing Director, Integrated Data Services Ltd, a subsidiary of the NNPC.

Muoneke, the new MD of the NPDC, hails from Anambra state.

Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985, he has over 29 years’ experience at both local and international levels in the oil and gas as well as the energy and power sectors, including serving as Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited.

Bitter cola possible drug against Ebola –US-based doctor

A Nigerian doctor based in the United States, Maurice Iwu, has claimed that Garcinia kola, popularly called bitter cola in West Africa may be a possible drug against the deadly Ebola virus.

Bitter cola, a staple health fruit in Nigeria, was reported to have stopped the virus at test tube experiments. The virus has so far killed more than 600 victims since its outbreak in Guinea, with Nigeria’s only recorded death being that of Liberian consultant, Patrick Sawyer, who died in Lagos last week.

An Inquirer Washington Bureau reported Iwu who made this discovery, as saying that a cure could be sourced from the same African forests where the disease was identified.

Iwu is a doctor with a combination of folk-remedy expertise and a doctorate in Western pharmacology. He is also the Executive Director of the Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme, and a consultant at Walter Reed Army Hospital in suburban Washington.

One of the top infectious-disease laboratories in the US was said to have tested the fruit, and said that it passed the crucial and difficult first hurdle.

A virus expert who heads the effort at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Fort Detrick, Maryland, to find antiviral drugs to fight exotic diseases, John Huggins, said, “It certainly is a promising compound. So far, it’s made it through all the gates that it has been sent through.”

But there are many more tests to be done, first on mice in the next few months, and eventually primates, before it would be used on people, Huggins said.

Ebola Scare in Anambra: Govt detains corpse from Liberia

A CORPSE of an Anambra State indigene brought from Liberia, yesterday, caused scare of the dreaded Ebola disease in the state, with officials of the state ministry of health directing security operatives to cordon off the mortuary where the body was deposited pending investigations by experts from the Federal Ministry of Health.

The corpse was brought into the country as a cargo and was taken straight to Apex Hospital and Mortuary at Nkwelle Ezunaka in Oyi Local Government Area of the state, apparently by his relations and waiting for burial.

However, somebody from the community, who knew that the man died in Liberia where there have been deaths caused by Ebola disease, informed the Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano. The Governor immediately directed the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Josephat Akabike to take action.

Addressing reporters in Awka, yesterday, Akabike said though it has not been confirmed that the man died of the Ebola disease, there was need for precautionary measures to be taken.

He said: “We have already contacted the Federal Ministry of Health and we are expecting them to arrive the state any time from now. We have sealed the mortuary and the hospital and all the corpses and the people working there have been quarantined.

Mourtary, staff quarantined

“We are also making efforts to locate the family of the deceased to know their level of contact with the corpse when it arrived the country and everybody who had visited the mortuary will also be quarantined.

“We are surprised how the corpse came into Nigeria and Anambra State. It is shocking to us.

“We have directed the police to cordon off the area. Ebola is a very big threat and that is why we are taking all the measures.”

According to him, “the information was brought by somebody who acted fast, following the announcement we have been making since the disease was made known”, adding that his ministry has assembled its health team and got all the preventive materials ready.

LUTH tests 20 specimens, all negative

Meanwhile, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, yesterday, disclosed that over 20 specimens of suspected contacts of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, have been received for analysis at its DNA molecular laboratory, since the confirmed case of Patrick Sawyer, the late Liberian that died of Ebola disease in Lagos on July 25, 2014.

The results of those samples have, however, been confirmed negative by virologists at the hospital. Confirming this yesterday, Chief Medical Director, Prof. Akin Osibogun said: “The samples which were sent from all over the country include mainly those of the late Sawyer’s contacts while he was being treated.

However, as the blood and fluid samples keep trooping to LUTH from doctors, Osibogun said none has tested positive except that of the late Liberian. He confirmed that the hospital has screened at least 20 blood/fluid samples for the deadly Ebola virus, but also admitted that more were being expected. He expressed confidence that LUTH laboratory has the capacity for the tests which involve high technology.

Continuing, Osibogun said: “The Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, has the capability to make the diagnosis and I am sure you must have heard that the specimens were sent to this hospital and the diagnosis was made in this hospital.

“The specimens keep coming to LUTH because the Liberian patient was only one but we have received more than one specimen. None has tested positive so far. I don’t know the exact figure at this point but at one point we had well over 20 specimens that have been tested from 20 different contacts, people who were likely to have come in contact with the late Liberian. But it is a continuous thing. That 20 may not be a figure to work with because they keep sending specimens”.

He noted that “Ebola virus disease has an incubation period of two to 21 days. Some manifest earlier, while some manifest late, but between two to 21 days. The incubation period is used to quarantine the patient. If you keep a patient for one month and the virus does not manifest, the suspect might be let out of quarantine. But what is important is to watch out for signs and symptoms”.

How Ebola is transmitted

Osibogun advised that at this point, it is important to bear in mind how the disease is transmitted. “It is usually by any contact with any body fluid, blood, sweat and saliva. We should wash our hands as often as possible as we can just to reduce the chances of contamination. It is going to be difficult avoiding crowded places.”

He also disclosed that in a disease outbreak like Ebola, it is needful to corroborate lab results with a second laboratory to ensure accuracy of result, which he said they have been doing since the case of the late Liberian.

Ebola-hit African states seal off outbreak epicentre

(AFP) – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone announced Friday an isolation zone sealing off the epicentre of the world’s worst-ever Ebola outbreak, where the three countries meet.

“These areas will be isolated by police and military. The people in these areas being isolated will be provided with material support,” said Hadja Saran Darab, the secretary-general of the Mano River Union bloc, which groups the West African nations.

Ebola Alert! FG stops transportation of corpses into Nigeria

As part of preventive measures against the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, the Federal Government has directed relevant authorities to henceforth stop receiving corpses from the West African countries into the country.

The government specifically banned the bringing of corpses from the West African countries where the spread of EVD had been established. It however said that there was no fresh case of Ebola virus disease in the country.

The implication is that any Nigerian who dies in any of the affected West African country would be buried  there as the cost of keeping such corpses in mortuaries until the EVD palaver settled could be very enormous. It also means less expenses for such bereaved families who may have to bury their loved ones in the said countries of West Africa.

From left: Mr. Remi Ibirogba, Commissioner, Information and Strategy, Gov. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos and Mr. Lateef Raji, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, during the Governor’s Press briefing on Ebola Virus, at Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

On the heels of the Federal Government’s action was  Anambra State government which yesterday, directed the screening of corpses entering into the state from  any part of the country as part of it’s precautionary measures against the dreaded disease.

However,  there were mixed reactions to the advice by health officials on Nigerians to avoid the consumption of bush meat so as not to contract the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease, EVD, at  Amasiri in Afikpo Local Government Area of  Ebonyi State, where the Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, hails from.

70 contacts under monitoring

Ebola: Lagos Govt confirms 2 contact with dead victim had fever

Victim of the deadly Ebola virus disease, Patrick Sawyer wth wife, Decontee

Ikeja –  The Lagos State Government on Friday said two persons out of those who had contacts with Mr Patrick Sawyer, the dead Liberian Ebola victim had manifested symptoms of fever.

The Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, made the disclosure when he addressed newsmen on the update of the country`s first Ebola case in Ikeja.

Idris said the two persons were among the 70 contacts being monitored and investigated for any symptoms of the disease by the state government and other partners.

Basketmouth reacts to a report on his income & assets, says it's exaggerated

Comedian Basketmouth has reacted to a report by Vanguard which was published last week where he was estimated to be worth so much money. In the publication, the newspaper said the comedian has two choice properties in Lekki worth N350million, N60million home he built for his mum, a Kia Quoris saloon car worth over N12m, a Honda Crosstour, and 3 other brand new SUV’s which cost over N70m plus s a Cherokee SUV, an Hyundai Elantra, and a 2013 customized Opel Insignia. They also said he makes N60million annually from his comedy shows and made one million pounds from his recent Basketmouth Uncensored show which held in four cities in the UK. 

A week after the publication came out, Basketmouth finally comes out to say that a lot of the information was over blown. 

"I honestly don't know how they came up with the figures and few informations they put out there, I honestly don't fancy the exposure....Na this kind story de make extended family members de worry person and prospective clients run from me.... these guys de forget say armed robbers and kidnappers de read newspapers sha. ‎If I de make that kind money, I for don stop comedy naaaa." Basketmouth said.

Pics: Sudanese woman, Meriam Ibrahim in the US to begin new life

Meriam Ibrahim, her husband and two children arrived New Hamsphire in the US yesterday July 31st where she and her family will begin a new life. Family, friends and well wishers were on ground to receive her at the airport. See how she's changed since being released from prison? Pretty woman. See more pics after the cut...

Ghana bans flights from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia over Ebola concerns

Ghana has officially banned flights from 4 West African countries; Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria, citing concerns about the rapid spread of the Ebola virus, which has claimed several lives. 

Charles Asare, Managing Director of the Ghana Airport Company, said the measure was part of a set ofemergency management plans officials are rolling out to combat the spread of the virus. Continue..

The government there has also implemented strict restrictions on the movement and management of Liberian refugees in camps in the country.

Health Minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Mensah, urged Ghanaians to bear with the government as they work to contain the virus. "Preparedness is not an event but a process," he said.

Source: Sahara Reporters 

< RUMOUR> TRUE OR FALSE ..... EBOLA IN OWERRI

STORY REACHING ME TODAY VIA ( BBM ) IS  THAT EBOLA  HAS KILLED FOUR IN OWERRI FMC HOSPITAL OWERRI . WE ALL HAVE TO  BE CAREFUL !!!!!!!!!!!                        They should quarantine those people affected....by applying a means of discovering those who are affected.. Call for a seminar so people can attend and be  enlightened  on how they can prevent and be caution since it has no cure.

Ebola forces state emergency in Sierra Leone

President Koroma calls in security forces to quarantine affected areas as WHO announces more deaths in West Africa.

Sierra Leone began quarantining areas of Ebola infection, as international health officials announced an international $100m plan to combat an epidemic which has already killed more than 700 people in West Africa.

Security forces set up quarantines on Thursday, hours after Sierra Leone's president, Ernest Bai Koroma, ordered a state of emergency, cancelled a trip to the US and called a summit with regional leaders and the World Health Organisation on how to deal with the crisis.

"I hereby proclaim a state of public emergency to enable us take a more robust approach to deal with the Ebola outbreak," he said in a speech late on Wednesday, adding that the measures would initially last between 60 and 90 days. "All centres of the disease will be quarantined," he added.

Koroma said that the police and the military would restrict movement between affected areas, and would provide support to health officers and NGOs following a number of attacks on health workers by local communities.

Koroma also said that house-to-house searches would be implemented to trace Ebola victims and quarantine them.

He added that new protocols had been established for passengers arriving and departing Lungi airport outside Freetown.

In a statement, the WHO said the death toll from the outbreak of Ebola had risen to 729 after 57 deaths were reported between July 24 and 27 in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. 

The WHO added that its $100m fund will be launched at a Friday meeting in Conakry, Guinea.

"The scale of the Ebola outbreak, and the persistent threat it poses, requires WHO and Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to take the response to a new level," the organisation said.

"This will require increased resources, in-country medical expertise, regional preparedness and coordination."

Ebola scare forces bush meat vendors in Abidjan to close shops

Most bush meat vendors in Abidjan, have closed shops following the fear of outbreak of the dreaded Ebola virus, the News of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The closure was ordered by Cote d’Iviore government as a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus.

NAN survey at Abobo Palmerer, an Abidjan settlement that hosts several bush meat and palm wine spots, showed that most of them have closed down.

Abobo Palmerer, for instance, which used to be a beehive of activities before the outbreak of Ebola, is currently a shadow of its self.

Bush meat which used to be a common sight even in the open markets, especially in Ajame, Belleville and Angre are no longer found on the vendor’s table.

Some vendors who spoke to NAN said that the patronage for bush meat had seriously dwindled do to the fear of the disease.

Mr Koassi Noel, a major bush meat dealer told NAN that the government’s directive stopping the consumption of bush meats forced him to pull out of the business.

“The government directed people to stop consuming bush meat since some of it are said to be carrying the Ebola virus,’’he said.

Mrs Awa Dramane, also a vendor, said she stopped for fear of contacting the disease, saying“ they said that bush meat are sources of Ebola virus, so I don’t want to contact it’’

“If you can contact it by eating an animal that has the virus, there is no way one who handles it for sell will not contact it,’’ she said.

Also speaking to NAN, a meat seller Mr Saleef Rahim said he stopped the business because government officials burnt all the bush meat he had displayed for sale in his shop.

“They came here and I was unlucky, they destroyed all the meat I had dried and displayed for sale, so I decided to stop,’’he said.

Meanwhile, the government of Cote d’Ivoire had said it would undertake surveillance measures at the borders to prevent the outbreak of the disease in its territory.

The Director-General, National Institute for Public Hygiene, Simplice Dagnan, said the risk of Ebola spreading in the country was high, as a result of the massive movement of people from already affected countries.

Ebola fever, a contagious disease whose cure has yet to be discovered, appeared for the first time in a northern town of former Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976.

Current statistics say the disease which resurfaced in Guinea in April 2014, had spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone resulting in hundreds of deaths.

EU condemns Israeli shelling of UN school and Gaza market

The European Union on Thursday condemned the shelling of a United Nations school and crowded Gaza market the previous day, urging an immediate probe into the “unacceptable” deaths of civilians.

“It is unacceptable that innocent displaced civilians, who were taking shelter in designated UN areas after being called on by the Israeli military to evacuate their homes, have been killed,” the EU’s diplomatic service said in a statement.

“These incidents must be investigated with immediate effect,” it said, referring to the shelling of an UNRWA school and the Shejaiya market near Gaza City.

The EU was “deeply concerned at the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza” and called on all sides to “immediately allow safe and full humanitarian access for the urgent distribution of assistance”.

Too sad! New born baby found in dustbin in Enugu (photo)

A new born baby was found laying dead in a dustbin at Hilltop Gate adjacent St Peters Chapel UNN this morning July 30th. No one around the area saw who dropped the baby. The area is mainly occupied by students from the university (UNN) so many believe that it could only have been a female student. See the pic after the cut...

Photo: Man stabs friend over N2,000 debt

The Edo state Police command has arrested a man identified as Oruma who allegedly stabbed his 20-year-old friend, Frederick Eze (pictured above), in the neck over a N2,000 debt.

Punch reports that Frederick, who was angry that Oruma had not paid his money, accosted him at the Oza area of the state & seized a property belonging to Frederick, who is an ice cream factory worker from Ebonyi state. A fight broke out between them and Oruma broke a bottle and stabbed Frederick in the neck.

Frederick lost conciousness after losing so much blood. He was rushed to a private hospital on a wheelbarrow after several cab drivers declined to take him.

Confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer, Edo State Command, Noble Uwoh, said, “He has been arrested. The two people in the matter are friends.” he said

President Jonathan officially launches 64-page e-passport

President Jonathan today officially launched and obtained the new 64-page e-passport. According to presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati;

"The new 64-pg e-passport helps frequent travelers, it's gender friendly, forestalls identity theft, cheaper for the aged and low income earners, conforms with international best practices."

"Cost of new e-passport for below 18yrs and 60 years and above is N8,750; change of name as a result of marriage or divorce is also N8,750

We didn't receive N100m from Presidency - Chibok community says

Speaking with journalists today at the daily sit out of the Abuja #bringbackourgirls campaign, a leader of the Kibaku Area Development Association of the Chibok community, Dauda Iliya said contrary to media reports, they didn't receive N100m from the presidency. He said only N200,000 was handed to some of the parents.

"On July 22nd at about midnight, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special duties who has been coordinating the visit from the side of the presidency visited the hotel and told the 51 escaped girls who came that the Presidency sent them a token of a N100, 000 each and accordingly gave them the said money without even a prior knowledge or discussion of any other person in the community that was around the vicinity of the hotel. The Senior special assistant equally gave the sum of N200,000 each to 61 parents out of the 122 that came on the visit. 61 parents were given N100,000 each on the basis that the money given to them was not enough to go round at the agreed amount of N200,000 each. The remaining parents were not given any money at all" he said

10 year old girl found wearing explosive device apparatus in Katsina

A 10 year old girl strapped with an explosive belt was yesterday July 29th discovered by security forces in company of two other people, a man and an 18 year old girl, while traveling along a road in Katsina state.

The DG of the National Information Center, Mr Mike Omeri said this while briefing news men at the National Information Center;

"Security forces on Tuesday, July 29, at about 10pm along Zaria Road, Tudun Wada of Funtua Metropolis, arrested three suspects believed to be members of the Boko Haram sect. The three suspects consisted a male named Iliya Haliru, and two females – Zainab Musa, 18, and Hadiza Musa, 10. The three suspects were arrested in a Honda CRV. When they were directed to disembark for security check, 10-year-old Hadiza was discovered to have been strapped with an explosive belt. And immediately, Iliya and Zainab made attempt to escape with the car but were later blocked by other concerned Nigerians and subsequently arrested. The police successfully unstrapped the explosive.”

He appealed to parents to monitor their wards so they do not get initiated into such evil acts. 

US doctor infected with Ebola in Liberia outbreak

An American doctor battling West Africa’s Ebola epidemic has himself fallen sick with the disease in Liberia, his aid agency said.

Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian charity, said Dr Kent Brantly had been isolated at the group’s Ebola treatment center at the ELWA hospital in the Liberian capital Monrovia.

“Dr Brantly is married with two children,” the group said, in a statement posted to its website on Saturday.

“Samaritan’s Purse is committed to doing everything possible to help Dr Brantly during this time of crisis. We ask everyone to please pray for him and his family.”

The aid agency did not immediately return calls from AFP. The US State Department said it was aware of an Ebola case but could not provide information about a private individual.

Brantly is the medical director of the Samaritan’s Purse Ebola case management center in Liberia, where the agency continues to work with Liberian and international health officials to contain the outbreak.

Ebola is a hemorrhagic fever with a very high fatality rate. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea have borne the brunt of the recent epidemic, and last week Nigeria recorded its first death.

As of July 20, the number of Ebola cases recorded in the months-long epidemic stood at 1,093, including more than 660 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

The virus can fell victims within days, causing severe fever and muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea and, in some cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding.

Ebola is believed to be carried by animals hunted for meat, notably bats.

It spreads among humans via bodily fluids including sweat, meaning you can get sick from touching an infected person.

With no vaccine, patients believed to have caught the virus must be isolated to prevent further contagion.

Ebola first emerged in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is named after a river there.

Calamity would have befallen Nigeria if Buhari, Bauchi were killed, says Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan said calamity would have befallen Nigeria if former Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari and Islamic scholar, Sheik Dahiru Bauchi, were killed in the July 23 bomb attacks in Kaduna.

Jonathan stated this when a delegation of the Muslim community, led by Vice President Namadi Sambo, paid him Sallah homage at his official residence, in Abuja on Sunday.

He ‎appealed to clerics in the country to preach peace and unity to their followers “and not the gospel of hate”, saying that the country could not develop without peace.

He said, “Not too long ago we had these dastardly attacks in Kano and Kaduna. We stand to condemn these acts of terror on our people.

“And, we extend our condolence and sympathy to the bereaved and those who might have been injured.

“The recent attacks in Kaduna, especially where Sheik Dahiru Bauchi and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari were targets are quite instructive.

“You can imagine if these two people had died in the attacks.

“Sheik Bauchi is one of our top Islamic preachers; he has millions of followers. Buhari, a former Head of State and leading political figure, has massive supporters.

“On the same day, people wanted to kill them‎; those who planned the attacks are clearly sons of the devil, because if they had killed these two people, we wouldn’t have been here today; this country would have been in turmoil.

35 killed as soldiers, Islamic sect clash

Amid the tension created by terror attacks in some parts of the North, members  of the Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky-led Islamist Movement of Nigeria, the Shiites, yesterday, clashed with soldiers in Zaria, Kaduna State. 35 persons were feared dead in the incident.

The incident happened barely three days after twin bomb attacks in Kaduna metropolis, Kaduna State,  targetted a former head of state, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), and another Sheikh.

The Shiites were on  a procession to celebrate what they called Quds day, as well as demonstrating against military operations against Palestinians in Gaza by Israeli forces.

Sect members

Eyewitnesses said there was shooting between soldiers and members of the Shiites from late Friday afternoon when the protest started till the early hours of yesterday, resulting in the  arrest and killing of the Islamist sect members.

NYSC members warned against electoral offence

Members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) that would serve as ad-hoc staff for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the August 9 governorship election in Osun State have been warned against engaging in any act that is capable of constituting electoral offences.

The Osun state Commissioner for Special Duties and Regional Affairs, Mr. Bashiru Ajibola gave the warning while featuring on a programme tagged “Newspoint”, organised by the state Correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Osogbo.

According to Ajibola, NYSC members, as fresh graduates, should uphold the sanctity of the constitution of the country and work towards the peaceful conduct of the election by shunning any act capable of marring the election.

The commissioner appealed to the corps members that would work with the electoral body in the state to be fair and transparent throughout the exercise saying they can’t afford to fail the state and the country at large.

Boko Haram kidnaps wife of Cameroon's Vice Prime Minister

The wife of Cameroon's Vice Prime Minister, Amadou Ali, was kidnapped this morning July 27th after men of the Boko Haram sect stormed her home in the northern town of Kolofata, Cameroon's information minister and government spokesman revealed.

Mrs Ali was kidnapped alongside her domestic staff and one other person. The insurgents also killed 3 people in the attack on Kolofata, a town in Cameroon's Far North Region near Nigeria

Colonel Felix Nji Formekong, the second commander of Cameroon's third inter-army military region (RMIA3) based in the regional headquarters of Maroua, said the sect members are believed to still be in the town fiercely engaging military officers

"The situation is very critical here now, and as I am talking to you the Boko Haram elements are still in Kolofata town in a clash with our soldiers. Some of them have already taken away the wife of Vice Prime Minister Ahmadou Ali and her house help while the bodyguards of the Vice Prime Minister have succeeded in taking him out of the town to Mora," Formekong said, adding that there could be more casualties" he said

Photo: Police avert another bomb blast in Kano

The Police in Kano state this morning July 27th averted what could have been another fatal bomb blast in the ancient city. Police operatives averted the calamity after discovering a Peugeot 406 car with registration number AA 513 ZAK, loaded with explosives at the mosque of Sheikh Isyaku Rabiu at Goron Dutse. Bomb experts neutralized the explosives immediately and no casualty was recorded.

The Kano state commissioner of police, Mr. Aderenle Shinaba has confirmed the reports

"I don't have step kids, they are all my kids' Annie Idibia opens up in new interview

In this very revealing interview with Sunday Sun, mother of 2 Annie Idibia opened up about life before the fame and money; how her mother coped after they were abandoned by their father, her acting career, marriage to 2face Idibia, her relationship with his other kids and much more.  Excerpts from the very interesting interview below.... 

Ordinarily, people would expect to see the pompous wife of a big star like Tuface but that does not seem to be the case with you. You’re so humble?
Thanks for the compliment. I am a very playful and down-to-earth person though, there are times I prefer keeping to myself in order to avoid people taking advantage or abusing me. However, I am a very simple person. I am from Eket, Akwa Ibom State. I am from a family of four children; three brothers and myself, the only daughter of the family. My mum and dad divorced 20 years ago. Continue...

Brothers who forced five friends to have sex with each other before shooting and burying them escape death penalty

The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday July 25th overturned the death sentences of two brothers convicted of killing four friends who were robbed and forced to have sex with each other before being shot to death and left in a snow-covered Wichita field.

The court also struck down three of the four capital murder convictions each against Jonathan Carr (pictured right) and Reginald Carr (pictured left), citing procedural problems at the brothers' joint trial for its decisions. It upheld one capital murder conviction for each of them. Continue...

Jonathan Carr in court during the first day of his murder trial in Sedgwick County District Court, Monday, Oct. 7, 2002, in Wichita, Kansas

Prosecutors said the brothers broke into a Wichita home in December 2000 and forced the five people there to have sex with each other and later to withdraw money from ATMs. Two women were raped repeatedly before all five were taken to a soccer field and shot while they were kneeling. Four of them - 29-year-old Aaron Sander, 27-year-old Brad Heyka, 26-year-old Jason Befort and 25-year-old Heather Muller - died.

One of the women survived a gunshot wound to the head and she ran naked through the snow to seek help. She became a key witness at the brothers' trial on the capital murder convictions.

The killings ended a series of crimes that authorities alleged the Carr brothers committed over nine days in December 2000.

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled 6-1 in overturning the Carr brothers' death sentences because the presiding judge did not hold separate sentencing proceedings for each man.