Gist Arena

33 year old Jessica Kilde, of Ogema, Minnesota, has been charged with murder after she admitted killing her boyfriend by tying him to a truck and dragging him along a rural road. Jessica pleaded guilty at the Becker County District Court, to second-degree intentional murder for the death of her boyfriend, 41-year-old Richard Baity. According to prosecutors, sheriff's deputies found the body of Baity on the road about 50 yards from his driveway, which is located on E. 370th Street in Maple Grove Township. Police discovered a piece of rope around his neck. The rope around his neck and the piece of rope on Kilde’s van matched. They also found skid marks on the road, leading back to Baity’s home. Kilde told police that she and Baity had a disagreement at home that night, but it was nothing serious. According to police, the two had been drinking alcohol and were smoking methamphetamine in the home earlier in the day. Kilde remains in jail pending her sent...

See the rest of the statement after the cut.. .

That is why NNPC was indicted of missing funds

The Federal Government on Thursday raised alarm over plans by the Boko Haram sect to attack polling units during this month’s general election. It said the sect has perfected plans to collect, buy or steal the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) of female voters, give them to female suicide bombers to pave way for them to carry out their deadly activities during the elections. The Coordinator of the National Information Centre, Mr. Mike Omeri, stated this while briefing journalists alongside security officers at the centre in Abuja. He urged Nigerians, especially female voters to be mindful of their PVCs to ensure that they don’t get into the hands of bad elements. “By this information, therefore, Nigerians, especially female voters, are warned to remain vigilant and also jealously guard and preserve their PVCs to avoid the possibility of their being lost to these bad elements who will put them to untoward uses,” he said. Speaking on the 7,500 African Union-bac...

The Federal government has banned all public officials from embarking on international travels and foreign training using government funds. The ban was contained in a circular released today February 5th by the office of the head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Danladi Kifasi. The circular, titled ‘Restrictions on Foreign Trainings and International Travels by Public Servants, stated that the move is part of the Federal governments measure to manage its funds in the face of the current slide in oil price in the international market. "Government has embarked on a number of measures to help manage the situation. One of such measures is an embargo on foreign trainings and international travels by public servants in all ministries, departments and agencies, including all parastatals, beginning from January 2015.” the statement said The statement went further to add that “proposals for participation or attendance of international conferences, semin...

The National Council of States meeting called to discuss issues about the the nation’s security challenges and the forthcoming elections has ended. At the end of the eight-hour meeting, members insisted the general elections must proceed as scheduled, reporters were told. Members also agreed that elections could be postponed in troubled zones — areas ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency. Nigerians, and indeed the international community, had watched out for the outcome of the meeting all day given the alleged plot by government to force INEC to shift the elections. Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State told reporters after the meeting that INEC assured the Council it was ready to conduct the elections and that the distribution of the permanent voter cards was going well. Mr. Okorocha said the nation’s security chiefs also said they were ready for the elections but raised concern about the possibility of elections holding in areas under the control of Boko haram ins...

The Department of State Services (DSS) has invited ex-Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo several times over his recent inflammatory statements credited to him. The spokeswoman for the DSS, Marilyn Ogar revealed this today as she took questions from reporters at a news conference organised by the National Information Centre. She said: “First of all, whatever is the operational procedures that we take after we have issued out warnings, we do not make them public. “And I want you to recollect that Asari Dokubo has been brought into the office – DSS, a couple of times. “It is not in the position of the office to begin to tell you who has been brought in or who has not been brought in. “We still stand by our words that whoever in any way would want to interfere or interrupt the peace that prevails, he or she would definitely be dealt with,” Ogar said. Asari Dokubo, Tompolo, Boyloaf and some ex militants have been talking tough recently, sayin...

Jordan has carried out air strikes on ISIS positions two days after news emerged that the terorist group had burned a captive Jordanian pilot to death. According to CNN, Jordanian fighter jets returned from their mission and flew over the home of the slain 27-year-old pilot, Lt. Moath al-Kasasbeh, in the village of Ay in Karak governorate. King Abdullah II, there to offer his condolences to al-Kasasbeh’s family, pointed out the fighter jets overhead as proof that Jordan was responding with force, according to the executed pilot’s father. The father, Safi al-Kasasbeh, told CNN that the king promised him that Jordan would avenge his son’s death and bombard ISIS’ de facto capital of Raqqa in Syria. On Thursday, Safi al-Kasasbeh said he’d been told by the king that 30 Jordanian fighter jets had participated in the strikes. Video came out Tuesday showing Moath al-Kasasbeh’s execution — something that Jordanian authorities believe actually happened a month ea...

A mortuary worker in Ghana has admitted to having sex with female corpses because he was told to. In an interview on Adom TV Ghana,Sharkur Lucas who said he worked at a Morgue in Accra , Ghana claimed his superiors told him to have sex with corpses as  part of his training ‘so he wouldn’t be afraid of dead bodies. The baffled host asked him  'Sleeping with a corpse can mean, in one breath, sleeping [next to] them but in another it can mean having sex with them.'Which of them [do you mean]?' Lucas replies he meant having sex, adding: 'When you first study for a mortuary job they ask you to do most of those things.'I had to sleep with a dead body because through that I won't be afraid.Once you do that you won't be afraid again.' He revealed his 'morbid' job put living women off, so he turned to having sex with dead ones instead. 'I wanted to marry but the girls say I am a mortuary man,' he told a second...

A tanker exploded behind the Nigerian police divisional headquarters along Agree road in Port harcourt, Rivers state this evening. People in the area say the Fire Service is yet to come to the scene of the explosion.   Photo credit - Tweetest Boi

According to their friends, Henry Gagariga was allegedly stabbed to death by his wife Victoria Ambakaderimo (both pictured) around 11pm last night February 4th after a quarrel at their home in Akenfa, Bayelsa state. Victoria allegedly stabbed him in the throat.   Their friends say it's not the first time she'd stab him but this time, he lost his life. She is currently being held at Akenfa police station in Bayelsa state over his murder. Her friends say they've not been allowed to see her to talk to her and find out what happened. Will bring an update later. More pics of late Henry below

The forensic audit conducted by audit firm, PriceWaterHouseCoopers on behalf of the Federal Govt to investigate the financial transactions within the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) has indicted the management of the NNPC for various questionable transactions. The federal government had contracted the auditing firm in March last year to investigate allegations of financial impropriety within the corporation after Former CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi raised an alarm that $20m was missing from the coffers of the NNPC. President Jonathan received the report from the audit firm on Monday February 2nd. According to Premium Times, part of the recommendations in the audit report includes the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, the upstream subsidy of the NNPC, refund about $1.48billion to the Federation Account for various un-reconciled transactions. More details of report later.

President Jonathan is currently holding the Council of State meeting with some past presidents and current Governors to deliberate on the forthcoming general elections. According to reports, one of the issues to be deliberated upon is the possible postponement of the elections to give INEC more time to distribute the permanent voters card. Present at the meet are; former President Shehu Shagari, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar and Chief Ernest Shonekan, Vice President Namadi Sambo; President of the Senate, David Mark; Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyin Pius Anyim; National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Aliyu Wamako (Sokoto), Ibikunle Amosun...

The Chadian army joined the Nigerian Airforce to carry out an airstrike against five Boko Haram technicals outside Monguno in Borno state today.   Photo credit: Don Klericzio

A 53-year-old US man went on talk show Dr Phil to reveal that he has sent over $100,000 to a woman in Nigeria that he has never met. And see where it gets really funny, the man named Steve said he's providing financial assistant to the woman until she inherits $2.6million from her dead millionaire parents. Lol. People still fall for this? Steve told Dr Phil that he met the Nigerian woman named 'Kelly' on an online dating website in 2012 and they married about a year later in Nigeria, but says they've never and only communicate via chats "I've sent Kelly about $103,000 in the last 29 months. I've not met Kelly, but it doesn't matter. I love her just the same. 'She has an inheritance coming, and I've always wanted to be a millionaire, so it's like a match made in heaven. I just love her. She is beautiful and warm, kind, caring and loving."' he said on the show as shocked audience listened. So it's either this m...

According to our good friend Bonario Nnags who sent in the report, the incident happened early this morning at Gudu roundabout in Abuja. He said policemen in their van were chasing a Keke driver and during the chase, the Keke tumbled and caught fire.  The only passenger in the Keke managed to escape unhurt but the driver wasn't so lucky. Bonario said seeing the Keke and driver on fire, the police quickly left the scene, leaving the man to burn to death. He said this enraged other Keke drivers and some people who witnessed the incident and they began to protest. He said it took the intervention of military men to disperse the protesters.   The Keke driver burnt to death. May his soul rest in peace...amen.

After ISIS shocked the world with the brutal murder of Jordanian pilot ,it is now reported that, Jordan's King Abdullah, a trained pilot, could lead revenge airstrikes on Islamic State himself Several reports in Arabic Language newspapers report that, the monarch may personally take part in bombing raids today Quoting a Clint Eastwood movie character to make his point, the former general told members of Congress yesterday that he was ready revenge against the ISIS terror army for the brutal execution of military pilot Moaz al-Kassasbeh . California Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter told the  Washington Examiner  that the king quoted the scene where Eastwood's character in the movie "Unforgiven" announces his plan for retribution.  'Any man I see out there, I'm gonna kill him,'  Any son of a bitch takes a shot at me, I'm not only going to kill him, I'm going to kill his wife and all his friends and burn his damn house down...

The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party said it did not offer a bribe of N6bn to some Christian leaders for the purpose of helping President Goodluck Jonathan to win the February 14 presidential election. The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, said the party was alarmed about the allegation, which was made by the Director General of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation, Rotimi Amaechi. Amaechi, who is also the Governor of Rivers State, had accused the ruling party of bribing a group of clergy men with N6bn. Metuh said, “Pastors are revered people and to bring their character into disrepute is a sin before God. We do not think anybody, let alone somebody who is a Christian, can make such a statement. “We challenge the Director General of the APC to name such pastors and where the money is coming from. “This attack is capable of bringing Ch...

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday said that the ballot papers for this month’s general elections were ready. The spokesman for the INEC’s National Chairman, Kayode Idowu, made this known to The PUNCH just as feelers indicated that in Abuja that Thursday’s(today) Council of State meeting might be stormy. The council, which consists of the President, the Vice President, all former Presidents and ex- Heads of State as well as all state governors, is expected to deliberate on the calls for the postponement of the elections. Other members of the council are all former Chief Justices of Nigeria, the President of the Senate and the Attorney-General of the Federation. One of the key responsibilities of the body is to advise the President in the exercise of his powers with respect to INEC, including the appointments of members of the commission. The Presidency is believed to be favourably disposed to the postponement of the elections w...