Gist Arena

The controversy trailing the killing of a 12-year-old girl in Lagos for alleged ritual purposes by an 18 years old boy is still generating dust. Anyway, the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos State, has in their wisdom released popular pastor, Dr. Sign Fireman, on bail. Pastor Fireman, whose real name is Ofuche Ukoha, was arrested last Tuesday after an 18-year-old suspect, Ikechukwu Egbo, implicated him. He was arrested for alleged murder but was released on Saturday by orders from above...

Senator Magnus Abe, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) and the Chief of Staff to Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Tony Okocha were reportedly both hit with rubber bullets shot by Rivers police this morning Sunday January 12th during a political rally in Port Harcourt. (The senator pictured above in hospital after the shooting incident) The Senator had led members of the Save Rivers Movement to a venue where a pro-APC rally was to hold, and the police fired rounds and released teargas in a bid to stop the event. Several people were wounded and have been reportedly transported to the hospital. One of those wounded Tony Okocha said Rivers police was trying to militarize the state and blamed the attack on Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, who he claimed told police to stop the rally. Another pic of the wounded Senator after the cut...

Pastor Chris Okotie of the Household of God Church has announced his intention to run for President in 2015 under his Faith, Responsibility, Equality, Security and Hope (FRESH) Democratic Party. “I will run in 2015, God willing. God spoke to me about my participation in the political process, which was why I took the step in the first place. He has not said anything contrary.’’ He told Punch If he goes ahead this will be his third attempt. He ran against Obasanjo in 2003 and against late President Umaru Yar'Adua in 2007.

Another news reaching us from GAZA CITY: The wife of a Palestinian jailed in Israel gave birth in the after being impregnated by sperm smuggled out of an Israeli prison, a prisoner association said today. While such births have been declared among West Bank wives of prisoners in Israel, this was the first such occasion in the besieged  Gaza strip, director of the Waed Gaza prisoner association Saber Abu Karsh told AFP. The wife of prisoner Tamer Zaanine, from Beit Hanun in northern Gaza, "gave birth to her first child Hassan today, the first instance of a birth by smuggled sperm of a prisoner." "This is a victory for the prisoners and for their will to become fathers," Abu Karsh said. Zaanine's family said the 29-year-old man was sent to prison for 12 years by an Israeli court in 2006, just three months after he married. There are approximately 5,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and they are denied conjugal visits. Sent from my BlackBerr

President Goodluck Jonathan has telephoned former President Olusegun Obasanjo to deny responsibility for promoting a controversial member of his Peoples Democratic Party, Buruji Kashamu, as an influential party leader in the south-west geo-political zone, a development that has infuriated Mr. Obasanjo, sources close to the former president said Saturday. Mr. Obasanjo was travelling in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, at the time of the conversation with Mr. Jonathan, those familiar with the matter said. Usually reliable presidency sources said Mr. Jonathan hurriedly called Mr. Obasanjo on Thursday shortly after he received the former president's latest letter informing him and the PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, that he was suspending participation in party activities for as long as the ruling party continued to treat Mr. Kashamu, believed to be a fugitive, with reverence. Our sources said during the telephone exchanges, Mr. Jonathan appealed to Mr. Obasanjo to reconsider