Gist Arena

The House of Reps, today May 15th approved the extension of emergency rule in the troubled states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states, after a crucial closed door meeting with security chiefs.   President Jonathan had sent a letter to members of the National Assembly a few days ago requesting for extension of emergency rule in the three states. The Senate would have to agree to this too before it can be fully effected. Their own deliberation and voting will take place May 20th. Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states have been the worst hit since the emergency of Boko Haram.

DHAKA (Reuters) - A Bangladeshi ferry with around 200 passengers on board capsized in a storm on a river near the capital Dhaka on Thursday, with police reporting that at least nine bodies had been recovered, but there were fears that the toll would climb. "We fear there will be more bodies inside the vessel and we cannot be sure of the number of passengers (on board)," Saiful Hassan Badal, Deputy Commissioner of Munshiganj district told Reuters by telephone from the scene of the accident. The M.V. Miraj-4 ferry capsized in high winds and rain in the Meghna river at Rasulpur in Munshiganj district, 27 kilometers from Dhaka. The accident occurred at around 3:30 pm (0930 GMT). The ferry had been going to Shariatpur from Dhaka. Some survivors were able to swim ashore, despite strong currents and high waves whipped up by the storm. "There was a sudden storm and we requested the boat-swain to anchor at the river side but he ignored us...and al...

Find the State House Press Release below... President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will travel to Paris, France, Friday to participate in a summit convened by President Francois Hollande to discuss fresh strategies for dealing with the security threat posed by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in West and Central Africa. President Jonathan will be joined at the summit by Heads of State and Government of Benin Republic, Cameroon, Niger and Chad. It is also expected that Britain, the United States of America and the European Union will be represented at the talks which will give special attention to the coordination and intensification of efforts to curtail the destabilizing activities of Boko Haram in Nigeria and neighbouring countries in the wake of the recent abduction of college girls from Chibok, Borno State. President Jonathan, who will be accompanied by the Minister of Defence, Lt-Gen. Aliyu Gusau (rtd.), the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuk...

The hotel employee who leaked footage of Jay Z being attacked by his sister-in-law Solange Knowles has been fired. The video, which was  first published  by US celebrity website TMZ, showed Beyonce's sister lashing out in a lift after the Met Gala on 5 May. A security guard intervened in the apparent altercation. There is no audio on the recording. The Standard Hotel said it was "shocked and disappointed" by the leak and had identified the person responsible. The employee was fired for "breaching the security policies of the hotel and recording the confidential CCTV video". The hotel added that it would hand over "all available information to criminal authorities". Representatives for Jay Z, Beyonce and Solange have made no comment on the video.

Another article written by Dr. Peregrino Brimah. Read below and tell us if you agree with him... We have come to the conclusion that the only legitimate option for the government of Nigeria in the predicament of the abducted 234 Chibok girls is to entrust the decision to negotiate with the terrorists to the parents of the girls. We advise the Federal government of Nigeria to host a meeting of all affected parents for them to make a decision on what course of action Nigeria should take in handling the release of their wards. This recommendation is in the best interest of the nation and the direct victims of our failure. This decision on the next course of action is made with due consideration of the reality that the government of Nigeria, based on the history of its dealings with Boko Haram, leading up to this notable abduction, has lost the credibility to make this decision on behalf of the victims. The Nigerian civilians are the only entity endowed with the credibility, responsi...

According to Reuters Africa, President Jonathan will  this Friday May 16th  visit Chibok Community where over 200 girls were abducted by Boko Haram men on  April 14th . This would be the President's first visit to the community since the abduction happened about a month ago.

The quest for power among members of the Okada Riders Association of Aratunmi Motorcycle Park in New Iba site Ojo LGA of Lagos state has led to the death of 20 year old Wasiu Jimoh.   According to a Punch report, trouble started on  April 14th  when a faction of the association went into the motor park around  8.30pm  and attacked another faction called O-Yes which the late Jimoh belonged to, with the intention of wrestling the chairmanship position from them. During the fight, Jimoh was attacked with a machete and sticks and left to die. He later died in the hospital.   The Ojo Police command was immediately notified and arrests were made.Continue. *Graphic photo below   Three suspects, Bashiru Monsuru (20) who is alleged to be the chief engineer of the attack, Ibrahim Gufaru (30) and Orji Francis (20) have been arrested and arraigned before the Ebute Meta Magistrates Courts for misdemeanor. Monsuru was charged with murder for spe...

She made the announcement on her instagram page this afternoon. Congrats to her! 

There was panic this morning in Lagos Island after some people in the area spotted three wrapped parcels abandoned on a street. And trust Lagosians, they assumed it was a bomb & started panicking. The police was eventually called and they removed the abandoned parcels from where it was placed. See more photos Below What created the bomb scare wrapped in black cloth

The Inspector of Police Mohammed Abubakar has been asked to proceed on compulsory leave by president Jonathan allegedly because of the rising insecurity in the country under his watch and police under-performance under his leadership. The Secretary to the Government, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, issued a letter signed by the president on Monday May 12th asking the IG to hand over to his immediate subordinate, Suleiman Fakai, who is the Deputy Inspector General of Police  (DIG) in charge of Finance and Administration. MD Abubakar became Inspector General of Police on January 25, 2012. His tenure was supposed to expire in July 2014, as he's due to retire July 30th 2014 based on mandatory retirement age after serving in the Nigerian Police Force for 35 years but had applied for extention of his tenure, but was turned down by the presidency. F akai will step in an acting capacity, until a new Inspector General is announced.  I liked Abubakar. I think he brought so...

Sent in by Bassey Isaac:  Ex-Agitators of the Niger Delta Amnesty program established by late president Yar’Adua are protesting non payment of allowances since January of 2012. The Niger Delta Amnesty program was set up to curb militant unrest in Nigeria’s volatile oil-producing states. The ex-agitators laid down their weapons and under the program, were trained in vocational skills, mostly out of the nation’s shores and then placed on an allowance of N65,000 pending when they found useful employment. Ex-agitators who are yet to find employment in Nigeria’s harsh economy have however been protesting non-payment of allowances, some since January of 2012. The ex-agitators explained that their accounts still remained open,, however their funds were diverted in an Amnesty office level fraud to other bank accounts. When they complained to officials and the bank, they were advised to see their camp commanders who were party to the fraud. Their camp commanders told them that th...

Few days ago news broke out on the issue of IBB sponsoring Boko Haram in Nigeria which went viral on the internet. now the spokesman of IBB PRINCE KASSIM AFEGBUA, MEDIA SPOKESMAN TO GENERAL IBB Says “Haliru Sani’s Statements Are Effusions of A Deluded Mind”  READ MORE BELOW: The Ibrahim Babangida camp has at last offered a response to the allegation of sponsorship of the Boko Haram sect levelled against the former military President. A statement issued by General Babangida’s Media Spokesman denied any links with Sani Haliru, the repented Boko Haram member. The statement reads inter alia “We feel a deep sense of concern that the country is going through these obvious challenges of insecurity and bad leadership that are threatening the very fabric of the country’s foundation. We have read and assimilated the effusions of a deluded mind by name Sheik Sani Haliru, who for want of very cheap relevance decided to mention the highly respected name of IBB as one of the “sp...

Many Nigerians are already missing the days of President Olusegun Obasanjo when misguided folks who dared to threaten the sovereignty of Nigeria are crushed,  it  observed. Weighing in on the latest spat of Boko Haram heartless attacks in the country, Obasanjo declared that President Goodluck Jonathan is overwhelmed by the challenge of dealing with deadly Boko Haram insurgency. Speaking in an interview with BBC Focus on Africa from Nairobi, Kenya, Obasanjo said: “I took it upon myself to reach out to the group after consulting with the president. I went to Maiduguri to meet the families of those who were killed by the police through the help of the lawyer who represented them.  “No matter how well-meaning the president is, his assertion on ending Boko Haram has not been achieved. The president is overwhelmed.” The respected former leader also suggested that dialogue could be the key to resolving the crisis. Reminded that he once advocated a carrot-and-stick ap...

The general officer commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Ahmadu Mohammed, was said to have escaped death by whisker on Wednesday when a group of disgruntled soldiers turned their gun at his vehicle and pulled the trigger. The soldiers who perpetrated this near-act of mutiny, according to various accounts, were reacting in anger over the ambush attack they suffered in the hands of Boko Haram on their way back from an operation. The few soldiers that survived the attack blamed their plight on the military hierarchy in the division headed by the GOC who, they said, had insisted that they must return to Maiduguri via a route they had earlier considered dangerous for them to take at night.  Some soldiers who shared the sentiments of the angry soldiers that carried out the shooting on the GOC said the victims and those that survived had pleaded to pass the night in one of the villages so that they could safely return to Maiduguri on Wednesday morning...

More details are coming in on how the brave Civilian-JTF, civilian vigilantes staved off a Boko Haram attack and possible abduction in Kalabalge local government, northeast Borno state, near the Cameroonian border. The villagers who were prepared for the Boko Haram attack had dug out trenches for the purpose. The Rann village, located in the middle of a Boko Haram strong-hold, had been attacked by Boko Haram in the recent past. In that attack they had allegedly acquired two light-weight armored tanks and some AK47 rifles. They refused to turn in this ammunition to the government in an increasingly common response as more villages in the north are determined to take up arms to defend themselves in the current state of deadly insecurity. The invading terrorists who launched an early Tuesday morning attack on Rann, Shuwa and neighboring villages, were met by a strong and determined villager resistance. Over 200 terrorists were killed. The full number of the dead is not y...

Popular actress, Genevieve Nnaji is over 35yrs old and she is yet to get married. The problem is obvious, most Naija men don't like excess baggages. It's ok if you've had over 10 boyfriends before a Najai guy meets you, so long as their his nothing to show. But to many Nigerian men, if you've had just one boyfriend and it led to pregnancy and a baby, then your case is different. This seems to be what Genevieve is suffering. The babe wants any man interested in her to forgive her: “As for marriage, it’s every woman’s dream to get married. We can’t lie to ourselves. I do want to get married but overtime I have had opportunities to get married but I realize getting married is not actually the problem. The problem is finding someone you are compatible with because... "I’m born Catholic, I’m raised Catholic, I don’t believe in divorce. If I get married, I really want to stay married and staying married is not an easy thing. It means you are completely in tune ...

There was serious riot at Caleb University, Imota Lagos this evening. Unconfirmed reports say the riot started when a Muslim student who was saying his prayers was disrupted by one of the porters in the male hostel ... plus other irregular enforced school rules and security misunderstandings. The students went on a rampage destroying school property. The school according to its website is a Christian University. See more photos below    

Ailing ex-minister of Information and former NAFDAC boss, Prof Dora Akunyili who reportedly left for India on Sunday May 11th after her health deteriorated, is said to have started her treatment. According to a statement she released through her Media Advisor, Mr. Isaac Umunna, Prof. Akunyili expressed gratitude for the outpouring of prayers and goodwill towards her since the information of her deteriorating health emerged  on Sunday . The statement reads in part; "I am touched – indeed, overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and affection by my fellow countrymen and women, as well as numerous other well wishers around the world, many of whom have not only been praying for me but have also been mobilising through the various social networks for God’s healing hands to come upon me. I am confident that Almighty God will hear our prayers and grant me quick recovery. I love you all and pray that Almighty God blesses you all." Akunyili left for India in company of her h...