Gist Arena

A n Abuja division of the Federal High Court has dismissed an application filed by the representative of the Kogi West Senaorial constituency, Dino Melaye, seeking to nullify his recall. Mr. Melaye had approached the court presided by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba ahead of his recall exercise earlier scheduled to begin in July. - Following Mr. Melaye’s application, the court ordered Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to halt the recall exercise, pending the determination of Mr. Melaye’s application.  In its ruling, Monday, the court presided by Mr. Dimgba said contrary to the arguments of Mr. Melaye that he was not granted fair hearing, the constitution does not require a special provision that mandates INEC to grant the senator an opportunity of fair hearing.  The court then ruled that INEC provides Mr. Melaye with the recall petition, schedule of signatures attached to the petitions and a full list of persons in suppor...

M inister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, has denied media reports claiming she linked Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai to the abduction of the Chibok school girls. An unknown source infiltrated social media this morning with news that the Minister who is currently under fire for her public declaration of support to ex-president Atiku Abubakar, had granted an interview where she allegedly said that the Kaduna state governor was one of those that masterminded the abduction of the school girls in April 2014.  Alhassan has released a statement distancing herself from the report. Read the statement released by her SA on Media and Publicity, Dantsoho Suleiman. 

E arlier today, a news report claimed that the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, had accused the Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, of being one of the masterminds of the abduction of Chibok school girls. She has since released a statement denying the report. Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode FFK, went on his twitter page to react to the news and urged her to spill some more. Aisha has replied him, asking that he delete the tweets as it is demeaning of him, as a former minister to peddle false news. See their tweets below

T he Nigerian Army has denied media reports that some of its officers invaded the home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu. According to a statement released by Major Oyegoke Gbadamosi, Assistant Director Army Public Relations 14 Brigade Nigerian Army, it was members of the secessionist group that attacked the troops. Read the statement below The attention of 14 Brigade Nigerian Army, has been drawn to fictitious news going round especially on the social media that troops have invaded the home of Nnamdi Kanu and killed 3 persons. This is far from the truth. Rather, it was a group of suspected IPOB militants that blocked the road against troops of 145 Battalion while on show of force along FMC-Word Bank Road in Umuahia town, Abia State at about 6.00-6.30pm, today. They insisted that the military vehicles would not pass and started pelting the soldiers with stones and broken bottles to the point of injuring an innocent female passerby and a s...

The Nigerian army on Sunday allegedly invaded the home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, barely 24 hours after it announced the start of its second phase of Operation Python Dance II in the South-Eastern states. However, it was gathered that the military personnel, who stormed Kanu’s home with an armoured vehicle were resisted by some members of the pro-Biafra group. Some IPOB were reportedly shot in the process. According to the spokesman of IPOB, Emma Powerful, “The Hausa Fulani soldiers and Police Nigerian uniforms came to kill our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in his compound at Afaraukwu Umuahia and started shooting sporadically  Every effort made to obtain reaction from the Nigerian Army failed as the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Enugu, Colonel Sagir Musa did not pick all the calls put across to his mobile line. Earlier, the Igbo National Council (INC) gave the Chief of Army staff, Lieutenant Gener...

T he perceived supremacy battle between two charismatic Roman Catholic priests, Rev. Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Nigeria, and Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obinma of Adoration Ministry, Uke, Anambra State is far from over. The battle which now borders about the pro-Biafra agitation got messier on Sunday with a stern warning coming from Mbaka’s parishioners. Obinma, popularly known as ‘Ebube Muo Nso’ had reportedly fired the first salvo, accusing Mbaka of being fake and being less popular than Nnamdi Kanu of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. He was quoted as saying “Nnamdi Kanu is more important to Igbos and more prophetic than Mbaka. “At least, he Nnamdi Kanu foresaw what is happening now while Mbaka was busy then campaigning for APC, now that APC has failed, Mbaka has not condemned the same APC partythat he campaigned for, let the will of God be done and let Mbaka go to rest.” The fiery Enugu priest, Mbaka has kept mute and refused to reply to an...

T he Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) will deliver 4 million bags of 50kg Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK) fertilizer to farmers, at an affordable price, before the end of the year. Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), Mallam Garba Shehu disclosed this at the weekend on Hannu Ya Dawa, an audience participation programme on FRCN Kaduna. Also, the presidential aide said the 11 fertilizer blending plants in the country will be increased to 18 by the end of the year; which will, in turn, provide direct employment to no fewer than 50,000 Nigerians. Shehu said the projected delivery of the commodity (4 million bags of fertilizer) by December is in addition to the six million bags of 50kg fertilizers already sold to farmers since the Initiative commenced early this year. ‘‘The problem of the shortage of fertilizers and its attendant high cost plaguing the nation’s agricultural production, seemingly intractable for decades,...