Gist Arena

In a speech that is bound to catch his allies, foes and watchers of his administration by surprise, President Goodluck Jonathan today assured Nigerians that a different government and leadership would be installed in Nigeria in 2015. Mr. Jonathan made the surprise statement at a “Democracy Day” church service held Sunday in Abuja. Before the president’s speech, the head of the Nigeria Pilgrims Commission, Reverend John Kennedy Opara, had set the tone when he told the gathering that this year's Democracy Day would be the last to be celebrated by Mr. Jonathan. When it was the president’s turn to speak, he referred to Reverend Opara’s statement. He echoed the reverend’s statement, assuring Nigerians that the Democracy Day event was the last for his current administration. A PDP official who was at the event told SaharaReporters that he was mystified by the statements. He said he had no advance notice about the president’s remarks, and so was in no position to interpret its ...

Boko Haram militants today killed at least 29 people in an isolated village of Kanuyya in Biu LGA area of Borno. According to SaharaReporters , A village source disclosed that the militants arrived in the early hours of today in three military vans and numerous motorcycles. They drove to the residence of the district head and demanded N250, 000 in order to spare the town and its inhabitants. When the community leader told the militants that he could not afford the sum, they asked him to summon other residents of the village to contribute the amount. The villagers were only able to N71,000. Incensed by their failure to extort more cash from the villagers, armed gangs caught 29 villagers, tied their hands, and shot them in the head at point blank. They also set houses on fire and burnt some vehicles loaded with foodstuff. Our source disclosed that the Islamist militants then threatened to come back to the village at a later date to collect the outstanding sum from the villagers. ...

Juliana being tortured by OPC vigilantes Family of the victims in the famous case of the Ejigbo pepper torture, rape, and alleged murder case, have begun withdrawing their claim that one of the victims, Juliana Agonman, had died. Saharareporters learned of this development from sources familiar with investigations in the matter today. (See How the story started HERE ) The sources also told Saharareporters that the ‘new claim’ had shocked all parties, including the civil society organizations that had been sympathetic to their plight since the attacks. The family, led by the palm wine tapper, Mr. Freeman Agonman, in a new testimony to police investigators, said, he “wasn't sure the victim that was mostly tortured in the well circulated clip is actually dead.” He said, rather, that she had “suddenly been missing” from where she was taken for treatment in their hometown, at Ajase, in Porto Novo, the Benin Republic. The new claim was made by the family after the Interpol from...

A military source disclosed to SaharaReporters that members of the extremist Islamist sect, Boko Haram, had launched several attacks in Kubla, Madagali local government area of Adamawa State. The attacks began last night and lasted till this morning, our security operative said. Kubla, the scene of the attacks, borders Borno State, another of the three northeast Nigerian states where the insurgent group remains most active. Our source said the heavily armed militants arrived in Kubla and started burning houses and stealing foodstuff, until a contingent of the military was mobilized and deployed to confront them. The soldiers engaged the militants in a fierce exchange of gunfire overnight. Our source said he was in no position yet to provide details about the level of casualty on the part of the soldiers as well as the militants. In a similar development, another Boko Haram cell last night carried out an attack in the Wukari area of Taraba State. Security agents were yet to re...

All Progressive Congress chieftains including, Borno State Governor, Kashim , former Kwara Governor Bukola Saraki escaped death on Thursday as the British Airways flight 082 they boarded to London was struck by thunder and lightning. The incident occurred as the plane hovered in the air above Heathrow airport seeking clearance to land amid terrible weather conditions. “The weather in Heathrow was so bad that after hovering for about 40 minutes without being able to land and with the plane running short on fuel, the pilots took the best decision to head to Birmingham because we had already been hit by a lightning which caused a loud bang in the plane and damaged some electricals”, one of the passengers aboard the flight revealed. SUN reports It was gathered that the flight, which left Abuja around 8am on Thursday, was billed to land at Heathrow airport at about 2.30pm. The source further disclosed that after the emergency landing in Birmingham, Governor Shettima, Saraki ...

The United Kingdom has kicked against any plan by Nigeria to negotiate with Boko Haram over the kidnapped schoolgirls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. The over 200 pupils were kidnapped in the night and their hostels burnt before being transported in trucks to the Sambisa forest stronghold of Boko Haram. Over 50 of the schoolgirls escaped from the sect and there have been reports that some of the pupils have been seen being moved out of Nigeria. Other reports have said the girls were seen in the northern parts of the Central African Republic where an Islamic militia, Seleka, holds sway. Two weeks ago, the leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau, in a video asked for the release of Boko Haram detainees in exchange for the pupils. The Federal Government turned down the request. On Friday, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office told SUNDAY PUNCH that Britain would not support a negotiation because it might lead to further abductions. In an email exchange with o...

Here are clearer pictures of Kim's wedding dress. Left while she was walking down the aisle with Bruce and her mum carrying North West and the other as the couple exchanged their vows. I hope this marriage lasts. Meanwhile continue to see photo-booth pics from the wedding reception and what the only A-lister who attended the wedding said to Kim... During the wedding reception, John Legend who attended the wedding with his wife, told Kim... "I 've seen Kanye with other women. I'm serious...this is a bad speech....but I have never seen him as in to someone as he is in to you.  Kim. He was so in to you before he was even with you. He is in love with you. I am so happy to see you two together.' Kanye is really in love   At the pre-wedding party, Kanye told Kim "You're more beautiful than I am talented"

Top international model, Bunmi Ademokoya, who is signed to one of Nigeria's most prolific model agencies, ISIS models and former Mr Nigeria and actor Bryan Okwara have ended their relationship after five years together. The two, who met while signed to same modeling agency many years back, started dating in 2008 and were inseparable for years. They actually broke up in November 2013 but Bunmi is talking about it for the first time. In an interview with Punch, Bunmi said she's single again.  "I was in a relationship but it did not work out. I am single now and living life. I have not decided yet if I will get involved with another man. I think for now I am just going to take a break because I was in a relationship for five years. I am a young girl, just trying to discover myself."

Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command, have smashed a four-man robbery gang who carried out an operation at the arrival hall of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja on October 30, last year. In the process, they carted away the sum of $1.5 million kept in a bagging store by Mrs Uche Eziama, owner of Deravine Company. According to a police source, the said money was kept in a bag and Mrs. Eziama intended to use it for a business transaction that could not hold, following which she decided to keep it in the bagging store. But to her utter shock, by the time she went there to fetch it, it had vanished. She alerted the police and some suspects were arrested. As the suspects were being screened, one of them, Ifeanyi Francis, confessed to the crime. Continue... The police later recovered the sum of $224, 240 and two landed properties Ifeanyi said he acquired with the money. Also recovered from him was a Pathfinder SUV he al...

Mr. Chris Ishe, a teacher at Kent Academy, Miango, Plateau State,lost his wife,daughter and sister-in-law to the Jos Bomb Blast on 20th of May..He told  Punch  his touching story That morning, we all woke up quite early to have morning devotion. My wife then said she was going to visit an uncle at the old Jos Teaching Hospital. At around 8am, I said goodbye to my family and headed for the office. Later that day, at round 5pm, I got a call informing me about the bomb blasts in Jos. The first thought that crossed my mind was ‘my wife is in Jos.’ Immediately, I started dialling her number but it didn’t go through, I also tried that of my sister-in-law, but it didn’t go through too.. He said he began to panic and couldn’t control his emotion. In tears, he said he kept praying that his family would be safe. When I got to the mortuary, there were many bodies lying on the ground, I couldn’t bear the sight so I ran out and pleaded with someone to help me check if the bodie...

Comedians are meant to be funny, right? Yes, the stand-up comedians dominating Nigeria’s humour business landscape are funny quite alright on stage, but very serious in business. With assets running into billions of Naira, they are light years apart from the past crops of old comedians who wait for meager rations of life. They may look funny and unserious, but they are cavorting to the bank and living their dreams. Ali Baba, the father of stand-up comedians in Nigeria, aptly captured in words, the profitability of comedy business when he said: “comedy is a funny business, a very big business.” After a careful study of the careers of these successful comedians, Showtime came to the conclusion that a number of them are outstanding. Here are the top 10 in this branch of entertainment in terms of their assets, the money they charge per show, the various products or corporate endorsements they did, and their established brands from which they make steady income. I Go Dye: United Natio...

This is really shocking. Is this why America said Nigeria wont last beyond 2015?  SEE  THE VIDEO HERE Alexander Emerick “Alex” Jones an American radio host, author, conspiracy theorist, and documentary filmmaker says in this video that Boko Haram is sponsored by America’s CIA and shoots downs Hilary Clinton’s arguments against Boko Haram being declared as a terrorist organisation.

THE crisis rocking the Assemblies of God Church Nigeria has taken another dimension as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun a probe into the financial transactions of the church following allegations of embezzlement and misappropriation of funds coming from the warring parties Read it (  HERE and HERE ) Top on the alleged scam is the purchase of N220 million property in Germany by the church through a loan obtained from a commercial bank. Sunday Vanguard gathered that some key members of the church have been interrogated by operatives of the commission while others suspected  to be involved in the alleged scam have gone into hiding. The probe is sequel to a petition by a faction of the church led by the Assistant General Superintendent, Rev Chidi Okoroafor, alleging that the  Executive Council of the church was neither privy to the property bought in Germany nor gave approved the purchase. They alleged that the said property whose purchas...

Kim K married Kanye West today May 24th at the historic Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy, in a wedding that has been described as nothing but spectacular. Kim wore a Givenchy Haute Couture wedding dress while Kanye West wore a custom Givenchy tuxedo. Continue to see more pics and all the details...oh, Jay Z and Beyonce didn't attend the wedding... E! Online gives all details. Find it below... Kim married Kanye today in an intimate (but not so secret!) ceremony which was attended by the couple's nearest and dearest.  E! News has learned that Rick Wilkinson Jr. officiated the ceremony, which was nothing less than spectacular.  During the wedding, the couple, along with their guests, enjoyed a magical performance by  Andrea Bocelli . The famed Italian tenor serenaded Kim and Kanye with several songs, including "Con te Partiro."  Kim wore a Givenchy Haute Couture wedding gown, Kanye West wore a custom Givenchy tuxedo & North wore a custom...