Gist Arena

A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, Wednesday, fixed the trial of Fred Ajudua, alleged serial fraudster, for April 28 and 29. Justice Kudirat Jose also fixed February 20 for hearing of the bail application filed by the defendants. Mr. Ajudua and his co-defendant, Charles Orie, are facing trial for defrauding Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen, two European businessmen, of $1.69 million (N287 million). The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is accusing Messrs Ajudua, Orie, Rasheed Adekunle, Abisola Fawehinmi, and Stephen Joiner (the last three are still at large) of committing the crime between 1999 and 2000. Mr. Ajudua, who is also known as Isa Audu, and the others allegedly obtained the money from the businessmen as sundry payment to various government officials for payment of an $18 million contract No. FMA/EED/3040/S92, according to the EFCC. When the four-count charge of obtaining money by false pretence was read to the defendants, both pleaded not guilty. Both defendants we...

Nigerian polytechnic lecturers have been on strike since October 2013. The ongoing nationwide strike by polytechnic lecturers is set to continue as the National Executive Council, NEC, of the lecturers' union, ASUP, rejected the federal government's offer. The National Publicity Secretary of ASUP, Clement Shirman, told PREMIUM TIMES that after a three-hour meeting on Wednesday, the NEC of ASUP resolved that until all 13 issues contained in its demand are met, the strike would continue. The lecturers have been on strike since October 1, 2013, demanding among others better working condition, infrastructure improvement, and an end to discrimination of polytechnic graduates. Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone, powered by Easyblaze

The young man doesn't know what to do as the girl he used to love has changed a lot and brought another man into his house. Read his cry for help: "Trouble started in my relationship with Amara early last year when she started going about with one fat lady in our area. Although we live in the same house, after I went to see her mum and also took her to my family in Delta State, but I hardly touch her at night, unless I struggle before she will allow me do anything. Since she started following the fat lady, she changed her name to Amyy and I was told it was the lady who got a job for her in the bank. As soon as she started the work, my girlfriend changed totally as she dresses very badly and when I complain she said I should get her a job if am man enough. Can you imagine? In just 8 months of working, the bank have promoted her and she now wears costly gold and perfumes. I am ashamed to say this, but Amara brought another man to my house three weeks ago whe...

The Royal Embassy of the Netherlands in Nigeria has confirmed the receipt of applications for asylum by some Nigerians claiming to be homosexuals who want to leave the country for fear of persecution following President Goodluck Jonathan's signing into law of the anti- same s*x marriage bill. The embassy however said it lacks the power to grant asylum to applicants or process their applications. In an email to Thisday, the embassy wrote; "The embassy has received a small number of applications for asylum by Nigerians. It is not possible to apply for asylum at the embassy. We inform the applicants likewise but we do not register the number of applications made. "At this stage, it is not possible to make predictions. That would be speculation.  However, when people become increasingly aware that it is not possible to apply for asylum at the embassy, one could expect a decrease. The embassy is not involved in the asylum process, neither in the application n...

It all began in 2002 when I gained employment in an organisation. In the course of duty, I got very close to a guy named Mike. I later got to know we lived in the same area and since he had a car, he was always taking me home.  In 2003, we still shared the closeness and I was beginning to get fond of him. I lost one of my parents and he attended the funeral alongside most of my ogas. It was after the burial he told me he loved me and would want to have a relationship with me. I asked him if he was single and he said yes. I visited his home one day and saw some greeting cards from a certain Nike and when I asked, he said she was his ex. I asked him why he didn't get rid of the cards and he said he just didn't think it was necessary. On a Sunday morning, I intentionally visited his home cos I knew he would be in church. I interviewed two of his neighbours and they told me he was indeed single. They said he used to have a lady but it's been ages since they saw her and when...

If you are alive and you don't have money to fend for yourself and family, you are as good as useless cos money maketh all things. This 57-year old man, identified as Denis Amayo, on Tuesday told journalists in Benin City, the capital of Edo State that he will commit suicide on lovers day, 14th of February, 2014, if Governor Adams Oshiomhole fail to pay his pension arrears before then. What does he want to kill himself because of money?                               Mr Denis said: "I am my father's first born. It will be immoral of me to task my younger ones to bring money for [my father's] burial while I cannot bring anything for the burial. I need my eight months pension arrears to bury my father." Denis said he served Edo State government for 35 years in the Ministry of Agriculture and retired in August last year. He lost his father recently and needs the money to bury him, as h...

Seriki Adinoyi, John Shiklam and Michael Olugbode  Some 80 persons have been killed by gunmen in separate attacks on villages in Plateau, Kaduna and Yobe States. In Plateau State, some 30 persons, including two soldiers, were killed in two villages in Riyom Local Government Area, barely 24 hours after the state police command met with stakeholders towards finding a lasting solution to the spate of killings in the state. Twenty others, mostly traders, were also killed  on Monday night when gunmen, suspected to be members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect, attacked a local market in Yobe town. Another set of gunmen, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, killed some 30 persons when they invaded three villages in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State. An eyewitness, who narrowly escaped  to Jos during the attack in Plateau State, told reporters yesterday  that the attackers  stormed Rajak and Atakar at about 3 am on Monday and shot to death the villagers. He said sco...

Lagos — One Yusuf Ojuolape, a cobbler, was arraigned at an Ebute Metta Magistrate's court for allegedly fondling  six-yr-old twins (names withheld) severally, thereby causing them injuries. Yusuf, alongside his friend, Akibu, a bouncer who happened to be  neighbours with the girls' parent  at 23, Okearin Street, Lagos Island, were in the habit of calling the twins to their room to assault them by inserting their fingers in their private parts, according to reports. In addition, it was learnt that their mother simply called Mrs Akeem said she came to know about the assault when she discovered swelling around her daughters private parts, while she was bathing them. After which she asked them what happened and they told her it was Bro Yusuf that has been assaulting them. On hearing her daughters' report, she left for Yusuf's room to confront them but the man was not in the house. On another occassion when she sent the kids on an errand, they were stopped ...

The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido Sanusi, on Tuesday said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation had yet to remit to the Federation Account $20bn out of the $67bn it realised from crude oil sale on behalf of the Federal Government. Sanusi, who stated this when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance currently investigating the alleged non-remittance,  also explained that he had submitted a 20-page document backed up with another 30-page appendix to prove his point. The CBN boss told the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led committee that certain level of reconciliation had been achieved from the meetings the bank had with the NNPC and other relevant agencies since the allegation of the unremitted funds became a public issue. He said, "The NNPC did a presentation. We had all agreed that $14bn out of the $67bn they shipped came in to the dollar account of the federation. "We have looked at the Federal Inland Revenue Service numbers and we have confirmed...