Gist Arena

Brothers, Christopher Ervin, 22, and Cameron Ervin, 17, were arrested on Saturday September 5th after their mom called the police early Saturday morning, saying that her sons were trying to kill her and her husband. According to Fox News, when police arrived to Yvonne and Zachary Ervin’s home in Gwinnett County, Georgia., at 7:50 a.m., they found the couple seriously injured with stab wounds and the house’s gas line meddled with, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Police arrested the brothers on two counts each of aggravated assault in the alleged knife attack against their parents. They’ve also been charged with first-degree arson. Police suspect the brothers tampered with the gas line in an effort to blow up the house and said there is evidence that they “tried to start a fire.” Cops say they have “several theories” after interviewing the pair, but police have yet to reveal a motive. Yvonne Ervin was able to call 911 because, she said, Zach...

During his visit in Ghana today, President Buhari said he has so far declared his assets four times, for the four different times he has had cause to serve Nigeria in various capacities. “I recall that in 1975 when late Murtala Mohammed became the Head of State, we were lined up - governors, ministers, members of the Supreme Military Council. Officials of Ministry of Justice were brought and every individual was made to declare his assets. All Heads of States and Government, governors, ministers, permanent secretaries have to declare their assets because it is a constitutional requirement. I have declared my assets four times. When I was governor in 1975, I declared. After being Minister of Petroleum and as a member of Supreme Military Council, I declared. When I was Head of State and now as a President, I have also declared" he told journalist at his joint press conference with Ghanaian president John Mahama.

At a joint press conference with President John Mahama of Ghana earlier today, Pres. Buhari said Nigerians should question him if he fails to announce his ministers after September 30th. “After I was sworn-in,  I said I will have my cabinet in September. I expect that Nigerians should ask me questions after the  30th of September  if I do not do so,” he said While speaking on the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria, president Buahri said some positive results have been recorded so far and that the sect has now been limited to Sambisa forest "The first thing I did after I came into office was to reorganize the military and clear orders were given to them in terms of retraining, re-equipping and redeployment of troops. In the northeast, the military is gaining ground and Boko Haram has been limited to the Sambisa forest. Internally Displaced Persons are gradually moving back home and they are being reintegrated into their respective communities.” he said

Two sisters who are suspected kidnappers have been arrested by policemen attached to the Ebute Meta Police Division of the Lagos State Police Command after they allegedly kidnapped three school children today. One of the suspected kidnappers pictured above with the children rescued. According to  Thisday , the women were arrested as they attempted to run away with the children. The suspects are currently in police custody while the children have been united with their families.

Richard Cushworth and his wife Mercedes Casanellas, who is from El Salvador, welcomed a son at a hospital in San Salvador in May 2015, but say they immediately noticed that something was wrong.  The couple, who live in Dallas, Texas, (pictured right with the 'swapped' child and left, Ms Casanellas with their biological child) did a DNA test 3 months after the birth and found that the child handed to them by hospital staff is not related to either of them. The couple now fear their light-skinned baby was snatched deliberately by staff at the exclusive Ginecologico private hospital in the country's capital San Salvador to sell to child traffickers.  The couple pictured with their swapped child Mr Cushworth, whose parents hail from Bradford, West Yorkshire, and his wife had travelled to the capital San Salvador in order for Ms Casanellas to give birth in her home country. Ms Casanellas says she noticed that the child that staff claimed was hers had a ...

Read this very interesting article by  The Economist  on the fight against Boko Haram and the alleged multiple deaths of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau. The article below.. How many times can one man die? At least four, in the case of Abubakar Shekau, the slippery leader of Boko Haram. Nigerian security forces celebrated his demise in 2009, 2013 and 2014, only for him to pop up again, disconcertingly animate, on camera. When Chad’s president said in August that his troops had killed Mr Shekau, the jihadist was resurrected once again, this time with a voice recording. “Woe unto liars that had claimed I am dead,” said the voice. “Nobody can kill me.” This relatively mild-mannered dispatch raised questions of its own. Most of what is known about Africa’s most notorious terrorist derives from his gun-wielding, slave-touting videos. If he were still at large, would he not release a film in his usual more robust style? Most probably, he is indeed alive. Whether he i...

An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Monday sentenced 30 women to six weeks imprisonment for prostitution. Those sentenced are Funmi Olayemi, Damilola Ibrahim, Blessing Emmanuel, Grace Nwaokoro, Anu Titus, Princess Osu, Cynthian Ozumba, Chindima Eke. Others include Blessing Winwah, Rebecca James, Gift James, Bukola Taiwo, Patience Amos, Oyinda Adesewa, Funmilayo Ajayi, Modinat Bello, Damilola Abiodun, Saki Godwin. Others are Glory Edet, Blessing Okafor, Tope Obatula, Shade Afolabi, Foluke Kolawole, Tosin Ajayi, Bisi Onanuga, Princess Isaac, Esther Akpan, Cythia Osas, Joy Osas and Patricia whose surname is unknown, among others. The accused were tried for prostitution and breach of peace. The Magistrate, O. Odusanya, sentenced the accused to six weeks each with an option of N10, 000. “You are hereby sentenced to six weeks imprisonment with an option of N10, 000 fine each,” she said. The accused, during their arraignment on Monday, pleaded guilty to the...

The eye-popping financial scandal involving immediate past governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, has now melted into oblivion. Thanks to the short attention span of public discourse in Nigeria. Thanks also to a complacent if not complicit media. And then of course thanks to Fashola’s erstwhile benefactor and predecessor in office, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who weighed in at the last minute and called off the attack dogs so his estranged godson could have a breather. It is a sad commentary that the Fashola scandal as recent as it is has become a material only for the archive. No further investigation. No reprimand. No prosecution. It is business as usual. Be that as it may however, the alleged financial sleaze calls to question the role and integrity of the Lagos State House of Assembly- the supposed constitutional approving and oversight authority over the executive arm of government where Fashola held sway for eight years.

The NNPC has recovered N55 billion ($227 million) following a review of toxic crude oil for refined products swap contracts, the Presidency said yesterday. This was announced in a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Malam Garba Shehu. He said the recovery was the result of an “extensive investigation into the various toxic crude oil for refined products swap contracts.”  The report has shown that $420 million (N83 billion) has so far been reconciled in favour of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).  The report, which was recently submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari by NNPC Group Managing Director Emmanuel Kachikwu, revealed that out of the reconciled amount, $277 million has been recovered in lieu of products. Malam Garba said in the first 100 days of Buhari’s government, the NNPC had begun the process of recovering over $7 billion (N1.38 trillion) in over-deducted tax benefits from Joint Venture Part...

The Ogun state police command have arrested two robbers identified as Demola David and Dare Oladunjoy suspected to have raped patients and some nurses after robbing them at the Amazing Grace Hospital, an Ijebu – Ode based hospital recently. The Ogun state police command spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi in a statement said the suspects were arrested at Ijebu – Ode following a tip-off. "The command made the arrest while acting on a tip-off that the armed men, who had been terrorizing Ijebu-Ode and its environ, were sighted at Molipa-Ikanga area in Ijebu-Ode about 5:30p.m. on Saturday. The police operatives attached to Igbeba Division of the command swung into action immediately the information got to them and rushed to the said area where the suspected armed robbers opened fire on the police operatives, who responded with heavy fire power before eight of them were arrested. These suspects have been identified as the killers of one Alayande Oladipo, who was shot dead in Ij...

While fielding questions from state house correspondents yesterday September 6th, Presidential spokesperson, Shehu Garba said efforts are still ongoing towards the rescue of the Chibok girls and that there are better intelligence gathering in that regard. He appealed to Nigerians not to lose hope regarding the rescue of the girls who were abducted on April 14th 2014. “What the President has always said is that we don’t even know where the girls are and that we need to go in there and get the intelligence and situation of things and then act. Without meaning to endanger what is left of those girls, you know that the Sambissa forest is being degraded right now.  The bombing is done in a careful manner to avoid certain locations of interest as far as Chibok girls are concerned.  Please take note of what I am saying. I am not saying that the girls are here or there. But there is better intelligence now. In fact, Sambissa forest is under observation 24 hours, in case s...

President Buhari has threatened to sanction Government Agencies that fail to comply with the Federal Government directive to remit generated revenues into the Treasury Single Account by  September 15 . This is contained in a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media & Publicity Femi Adesina today September 7th. The statement below President Muhammadu Buhari has set a deadline of Tuesday, September 15, 2015 for full compliance with his directive that all revenue due to the Federal Government or any of its agencies must be paid into the Treasury Single Account (TSA) or designated accounts maintained and operated in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), except otherwise expressly approved. A circular issued to all Min istries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi urged the MDAs to ensure strict compliance with the deadline to avoid sanctions.  The circular – HCSF/428/S.1/125 ...

The decision of the loyalists of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to take complete hold of power in the current administration is the main reason behind the choice of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF) and the Chief of Staff to the President (CoS) made by President Muhammadu Buhari, sources close to the administration have revealed. Investigations by the Sunday Tribune confirmed that other reasons behind the decision include the fear of the influence of some notable members of the APC as well as the need to weaken such influences ahead of the next election in 2019. Sources in the polity have said that the president was wary of appointing anyone who could come under direct influence of powerful camps in the APC, including the camps of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the party’s national leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Sources informed the Sunday Tribune that Buhari was actually l...

HOPE of resumption of crude oil export from Nigeria to the United State of America has been renewed by the president of a Washington-based Global Water and Energy Strategy Team (GWEST), Paul Wihbey. Also, President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to swiftly put in place a new strategic energy policy for export of Nigerian oil to new markets in Asia, while also urging government to resolve the crisis with India, which has expressed its willingness to increase its crude oil import from Nigeria to about $50billion annually. GWEST President Wihbey, gave the hint of resumption of Nigeria’s crude oil to the U.S., while delivering a lecture with the theme, “The global oil and gas market dynamics: outlook for Nigeria’, at the Emerald Energy Institute of the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State at the weekend. Wihbey, who before President Buhari’s visit to the U.S., briefed the U.S Marine Corps Command and Staff College, as well as U.S Marine Corps War College, Qu...

According to this twitter user Chinedu Ozordi, this is a pastor in Aba, Abia state.

President Buhari will tomorrow  September 7th  pay a 1 day working visit to Ghana where he will meet with Ghanaian President John Mahama to discuss on bilateral relations, regional security, trade and other issues of common interest to Nigeria, Ghana and other members of the Economic Community of West African States. Buhari will also meet with the Nigerian community as well as Nigerian businessmen based in Ghana. President Buhari's entourage includes the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd.) and the Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Justice and Industry, Trade and Investment. He is expected back tomorrow evening.

A heavily-pregnant woman killed in Spain's worst-ever rally accident was due to give birth today. Ana Cayazzo and partner Miguel Caridad, both in their 20s, died instantly when they were struck by one of the race cars as it lost control on a bend. Poignant pictures - posted by Miguel on his Facebook page before Saturday's tragedy near La Coruña in Galicia, north-west Spain - show him tenderly patting his girlfriend's belly.

There has been rumour that Aso Villa Chapel under the ministration of Pastor Oluseyi Malomo has been closed down by the President Muhammad Buhari but seems to be a false news as the Chaplain of the Aso Villa Chapel, Pastor Oluseyi Malomo, Barrister Solomon Dalong and others addressed the press after service about rumours of the closure of the Chapel. He said their has never been anything of such in record that the President closing down the Chapel that it is all a rumour. More photos after the cut...

A lesbian couple are suing a clinic in Ohio following the birth of their mixed race baby .Jennifer Cramblett selected a white, blonde-haired, blue-eyed donor labelled No 380. But she was artificially inseminated with a black man’s sperm by mistake. . While she and her partner, Amanda Zinkon (left), adore their daughter Payton (right), they are suing the clinic amid claims she will grow up feeling out of place in their mostly-white hometown in Ohio.

Wife of Former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu State, Nnenna Agnes Nnamani has died at the age of 47. A statement by Dan Nwomeh, the media aide to the former governor, says Nnenna died following complications from sickle cell disease and cerebral aneurysm at a Florida Hospital in the US on Friday September 4th. May her soul rest in peace Amen.

Well, it might not be the first time he's sharing her photo online but it's the first time I'm seeing a photo of her on twitter

The Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai said on Saturday that with the adoption of the Single Treasury Account, the state had traced and uncovered N4bn stashed in 470 different accounts in 23 commercial banks. He noted that the Peoples Democratic Party administration had been operating these (470) accounts in different banks over the years with various names. According to the governor, but for the adoption of the Single Treasury Account system, nobody would have traced and discovered the accounts or recovered the said money. El-Rufai, who spoke through his deputy, Barnabbas Bala, stated this at the Third Town Hall Meeting, initiated by the government to interface with the people of Southern Kaduna senatorial district. It was held at Kafanchan, in Kaura Local Government Area of the state, on Saturday. The deputy governor, who represented his principal, said through the Single Treasury Account, the government was able to trace and discover the said ...

The youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has condemned the reinstatement of the dismissed Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zakari Biu. Biu was on Friday reinstated and statutorily retired by the Police Service Commission, nearly three years after he was dismissed for allegedly aiding the escape of Boko Haram mastermind, Kabiru Sokoto. Sokoto, who is now serving a jail term in Abuja, was convicted for the bombing of St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State. It will be recalled that no fewer than 44 worshipers of the church lost their lives on the eve of 2011 Christmas. The Ohanaeze Youth Council accused the President Muhammadu Buhari- led Federal Government of pursuing a northern agenda.

In this interview with ENIOLA AKINKUOTU, human rights lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, speaks about President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments You  are from the South-South. Why have you come out to defend President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointments which are largely in favour of the North? I am not a tribalist. If I was, I wouldn’t have campaigned for Buhari. I just wanted the best for Nigeria. I agree that some of the best brains are from the South while some of the best are from the North. We have brains everywhere. However, why people are clamouring for these positions that have just been filled is that people see them as juicy positions and this is my problem. About 95 per cent of the positions are yet to be filled. Buhari has filled just about five per cent of positions. For me, no government position is different from the other and that is the ideal situation. We should not classify some positions as more beneficial than others because that is a euphemism for corruption. ...

Pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly and one of the conveners of the Save Nigeria Group, Tunde Bakare, has disclosed what he knows about some of Nigeria’s leading political figures. Speaking in the second edition of The Interview magazine, which hits the newsstand this week, Bakare revealed how President Muhammadu Buhari chose him as running mate in 2011 and the role of the-then national leader of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), later the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and the drama that followed. A statement by the Managing Director/ Editor in Chief of The Interview, Mr Azubuike Ishiekwene, also quoted Bakare as saying that, “When I first spoke to Tinubu about it (after Lai Mohammed had come to tell me that the ACN wanted me to persuade Buhari to be the party’s flagbearer), he (Tinubu) said, ‘the greatest mobiliser in the South West will be his running mate….’” Apart from describing how former President Goodluck Jonathan’s ...

Despite the support President Muhammadu Buhari has received so far from the media, relative to his immediate predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, concerns continue to grow that his slow pace at providing policy direction and appointing a cabinet is hurting Africa’s largest economy. To buttress this point in his monthly briefing on the Nigerian and global economy at the Lagos Business School (LBS), the Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Limited, Mr. Bismark Rewane, while acknowledging some progress, in a covering note, said: “The macro-economic scorecard reveals a balanced performance with major successes in power supply, petrol queues, restructuring of the oil sector and restoring the international reputation and pride of Nigeria. “The salary arrears and contractor debts have been regularised and leakages are being blocked. The building blocks are being laid slowly. But the truth is that it is taking too long. “The administration has not come out with a clear econom...

The Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, has disowned twitter and Facebook accounts opened on his behalf, advising those who are doing so to desist from such, as he has not authorized or cause to be opened any Facebook or Twitter account on his behalf. He also charged Nigerians, particularly the political class, to desist from politicizing disasters and tragedies, but should work towards the unity and progress of the country without any political or ethnic coloration. Akpabio, who stated this in a statement he personally signed, thanked God for his survival and said he remained grateful to Nigerians for their prayers and display of concern. The former governor specifically thank President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osibajo, senate president, Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Dogara, his successor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, his colleagues in the National Assembly and former President Goodluck Jonathan for their concern and expre...