Gist Arena

A suspected cultist, Biodun Olayide pictured above has been arrested alongside some members of his cult group for allegedly killing one Meshack Ekpeyong, at Ago-Owu street in Bariga on July 25th. According to  Vanguard , Meshack was murdered while staying with a friend at Ago-Owu in Bariga, Lagos state. Narrating what happened, Kubirat said "At about 8pm on July 25, 2015, I received a call from a man who identified himself as Lekan Olusho, that my husband has been killed and that I should go and pick his corpse. That was simply how I received the news of the death of my husband. I don’t know anybody called Lekan Olusho. I don’t even know the particular house in Ago-Owu area where he was staying with his friend.   My husband works with a private security company in Ogun state. It was Lekan and his gang of cultists that murdered him. All I want is justice. Those involved in the murder of my husband should not go free,”she said The police was immediat...

Nigerian troops yesterday August 5th arrested one Mai Mustapha alleged to be the fuel supplier to Boko Haram terrorists in Jehu village near Jakana in Borno state. Also arrested was a man identified as Madu who helps in purchasing food items for the terrorist. During the troops operations in villages near Dikwa, piles of street lamps poles cut into pieces by Boko Haram terrorists which they use in making Improvised Explosives Devices was discovered. In a related development, eight Boko Haram members were killed during a gun battle with the Nigerian troops at Dumbuluwa village in Fika Local Government Area of Yobe State today August 6th. Unfortunately, two vigilantes were wounded by Improvised Explosive Devices fragments.”

A common tradition in Swaziland (Swazi) permits the King, Mswati, to choose a new bride every year. According to reports by Talk Africa, it has been a long time tradition in Swaziland and isn’t the first time this controversial issue is making it into the news. It will be recalled that in 2012, Dailymail reported that topless virgins were paraded in front of the Swazi King, to celebrate chastity and unity. As part of Swazi custom and norms, that time of the year has come, when the King chooses his bride and again, he has reportedly tested girls’ virginity before choosing a wife for himself. The Reed Dance ceremony, known as Umhlanga reveals thousands of Swaziland’s ‘prettiest virgins’ dancing topless for King Mswati III, every August, hoping to be his next wife. (DAILY POST)

The former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, on Thursday gave an insight into what the Goodluck Jonathan government he served did to tackle Boko Haram and stop the sect and its leader, Abubakar Shekau, from disrupting the last general elections. Mr. Dasuki, in an interview with PRNigeria, an organisation that distributes statement for Nigerian security agencies, said under his guidance, steps were taken by the armed forces to ensure the terrorists never spoke again. “We utilised some of these equipment to recover more than 22 local governments under Boko Haram terrorists and ensured that Shekau did not disrupt the 2015 election as he had threatened. Not only did we ensure that the elections were peaceful, Shekau has never spoken to threaten anyone again since then,” Mr. Dasuki said. The former NSA said some other weapons paid for by the past administration would arrive the country soon. He said, “It was unfortunate that some elements are frustrating the efforts as we even h...

The notorious Hippo’s head Head of Forestry unit of Yamaltu/Deba Local Governmen Council in Gombe, Thursday, confirmed the killing of a notorious Hippopotamus in Dadinkowa dam that had been terrorizing the community for the past two years. He said that the bulky animal, apart from terrorizing people, had also been destroying crops and fishing facilities of fishermen in the area. “We discovered it about two and half years ago, but unfortunately, it has become very notorious and dangerous to people. “The community wrote to the local government council, complaining about the threat of the animal and we forwarded same to the Ministry of Environment, seeking the approval of the Governor to take action. “We received the approval last week, and decided to go hunting for it, an exercise that took us one week before the animal was finally spotted yesterday night. “We were lucky to trap it outside; we used military men to shoot it, with the help of the local hunters....

Members of a fraternity on Thursday entered into Oduduwa shrine and other sacred forests to perform further rites of passage for the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade. A source at Ile-ife also noted that all the heads of the fraternities in the land which the monarch belonged to had been communicated with to start invoking their different deities and do what is expected of them on the monarch’s issue. The source hinted that at shrines and forests of the deities, the traditionalists had been assigned on the type of job to do in relation to the sacrifices that will be suitable for the transition of Sijuade. Sources at the palace who listed some of the deity headships that have been given one assignment or the other as Osogun, Obalara and Lana. Emese said they are all operating under “Isoro” deity which is the father of all deities in the land. (THISDAY LIVE)

Meet Brian Action. In 2009, he applied for a job in both Facebook and Twitter and was turned down by both companies. 5 years later, Facebook bought his company, Whatsapp, for $21.8billion. Forbes Profile of Brian Acton: Computer engineer Brian Acton Applied for a job at Facebook in 2009 and didn't get it. In August 2014 Facebook paid Acton more than $3 billion in stock and cash as part of its $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp, the messaging startup he co-founded with fellow programmer Jan Koum

Press statement from EFCC below... Justice Ibrahim Mairiga of the Kebbi State High Court has convicted Suleiman Ibrahim Musa, Bilyaminu Usman and Lawal Suleiman on a 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, theft and criminal breach of trust brought against them by the Economics and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and sentenced them to 91 years in prison. The convicts, who are former members of staff of FinBank Plc (acquired by First City Monument Bank Plc in 2011), Birnin-Kebbi branch in Kebbi State, were first arraigned on July 21, 2010, and had pleaded not guilty to the charges. Musa, who was then the head of operations, defrauded the bank of N101, 707,000; Usman and Suleiman, both tellers connived to defraud the bank of N6, 627,500 and N6, 267,500 respectively. The crimes were committed between 2008 and 2010. They had at different times debited the bank’s customers by carrying out unauthorized withdrawals. They were arrested by EFCC operatives foll...

17 people, all members of Saudi special security members, were killed and more than 25 injured in an explosion at a mosque in the southern Saudi Arabian city of Abha, Asir province on today August 6. According to Saudi media, the bombing took place in the mosque used by Saudi special forces. Death toll is expected to rise. So far no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the bomb blast. More photos below

FOLLOWING complaints of undue interference by the Department of State Services (DSS) in the Rivers State Election Petition pending before the Election petition Tribunal, the Senate has summoned the Director-General of the DSS, Lawal Daura to appear before it. The upper chambers said that it would want prompt response to invitations and questions raised during the investigation. The Senate had received a petition by the Rivers State House of Assembly and it was last week referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics and Public petitions. The Committee is chaired by Senator Samuel Anyanwu (PDP, Imo East Senatorial District. The Senate, which has commenced investigation into the allegations, asked the DSS Director- General to appear before the Senate Ethics, Privileges and Public petitions that would be conducting the investigation today (Thursday) The Senate moved into action to summon the DSS director general when it got a petition signed by the 31 members of R...

The old man dropped the last seed in a hole on the Ayo board and slapped his palm against his thigh with glee – he had just scored a vital point in the game. According to Yorupedia, Ayo is a Yoruba game “played in a carved wooden box, containing twelve holes (six holes on each side), and forty-eight Ayo seeds (four seeds in each hole). “Two individuals take turn to play this game, which runs anti clockwise. “The first player begins by moving seeds from his right hand side to the opponent’s side. If the seed-movement terminates in a hole with three or less Ayo seeds, this player picks up the seeds, and seeds from preceding holes, if any. “Players take turn until the seeds are exhausted. The player with upper hand is called Ọta, and the weak or the losing player is called Ope. Spectators’ comments on the direction of the game add colour to the game. “If a player records three straight wins, he becomes a champion (Ọta), the loser (Ope) quits; a new player takes over. Ayo game ...

A reckless truck driver lost control while driving along Adah George road in Port Harcourt this morning, and rammed into a stationary Lexus SUV. Fortunately no life was lost but the car was destroyed. More photo BELOW

The immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), has spoken of how the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan facilitated the acquisition of hitherto elusive weaponry in the last one year and recovered many local governments that had been occupied by Boko Haram terrorists. Sambo, who has been a subject of media focus since his homes in Abuja and Sokoto were invaded by operatives of the Department of State Security Services (DSS) the same week he left office on the eve of Eid -Fitri 2015, named some of the deciding acquisitions to include Alpha jets, APCs, MRAP vehicles, advanced artillery pieces, assorted arms and ammunitions, highly sophisticated surveillance drones, T72 and carried out modification of F7 supersonic jet fighters. Dasuki told PRNigeria that “The armored tanks have comprehensive NBC protection system, just as we deployed Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles that we bought and could withstand improvised explosive de...

According to reports, ISIS members executed 19 women for refusing to have sex with its fighters. A Kurdish official claimed that the women were being held hostage in Mosul, Iraq, when they were rounded up and shot dead this week for refusing to be sex slaves to ISIS fighters. "They were put to death because they refused to 'participate in the practice of sexual jihad,' a spokesman for the Kurdish Democratic Party in Mosul told Iraqi News

ON Monday this week, Bukola Saraki led a team of his closest senate collaborators on a visit to Maiduguri. Any rookie political analyst could have seen through the stage-managed trip, given the near-presidential halo around it, with hands pumping, photo ops with IDPs and a visit to the Shehu of Borno. On Tuesday morning, most newspapers carried a syndicated picture of the ‘august visitor’ waving to the IDPs. Never before in the history of Nigeria’s transition to civil rule since 1999, have we had a senate president determined to seize the public space like Bukola Saraki. Soon after he controversially snubbed his party to emerge, he began to hold court, receiving visitors, issuing statements and for all intents and purposes, wrestling limelight with Muhammadu Buhari, elected as President, with the executive powers that go with it. But determined to defy the controversy around his emergence, Bukola Saraki is seizing political territory and desperately attempting to control the sp...