Egypt on Tuesday voiced outrage at the new UN  rights chief’s assertions that 75 death sentences confirmed by an Egyptian court at the weekend were based on an “unfair trial” and should be reversed. The sentences had initially been handed down in July over clashes in 2013 between security forces and supporters of ousted president […]

West African governments should overhaul their drug laws to decriminalize personal use and prioritize treatment as a response to rising substance abuse in the region, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo said on Tuesday. In an interview before he was due to present a model drug law to regional officials in Senegal, Obasanjo urged authorities to […]

An All Progressives Grand Alliance stalwart, Dr Chinedu Ekwalo, has called for scraping of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board , saying it was more of money-making than placement of students. Ekwalo made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday when he visited the party’s headquarters in Abuja to pick Expression […]

Armstrong Bakam, Bauchi The Emir of Dass, Dr Usman Othman, has lamented the high rate of drug abuse in the society, saying it has adversely affected many homes. The emir made the observation in his speech at the Annual General and Scientific Meeting of the Medical and Dental Association of Nigeria of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa […]

Olufemi Atoyebi, Ibadan A former Oyo State governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, has denied plans to dump the All Progressives Congress in order to achieve his ambition of contesting in the state governorship election in 2019. The former governor, on Monday, left Ibadan for Abuja to submit his governorship nomination forms which confirmed his decision to contest […]

Samuel Awoyinfa, Abeokuta Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the paramount ruler and Alake of Egba land, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, has called on politicians to think more about the interest of the citizens than their selfish interests. He made the call on Monday in his palace in Abeokuta, while addressing journalists as part of the […]

John Charles Makurdi The senator representing Benue North-West Senatorial District, George Akume, and Governor Samuel Ortom took on each other on Monday in a war of words. Akume had at the All Progressives Congress expanded caucus meeting held at Castle Event Centre, Makurdi on Sunday described Ortom as a non-performer, alleging that the governor was […]

Everest Amaefule, Abuja Increase in crude oil price as well as domestic oil production raised the nation’s revenues from oil, which made the three tiers of government to share N2tn in the second quarter of this year, the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative has said. The Director, Communications and Advocacy, NEITI, Dr Ogbonnaya Orji, said […]

A 24-year-old man has been accused of killing his wife, three toddlers and mother-in-law with a blunt instrument and knives at their suburban family home, where he remained for several days before turning himself in, Australian police said Monday. Police charged Anthony Robert Harvey with the murders of his two-year-old twins Alice and Beatrix, his […]

Police in Sudan have rescued nearly 100 people, 85 of them minors, after breaking up a human trafficking network in the northeast African country last month, Interpol said Monday. Two men and twelve women were arrested and around $20,000 of suspected ransom money was seized in the operation at several locations in Khartoum as well […]

A total of 13, 223 pilgrims have so far been transported back to Nigeria from Saudi Arabia, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) said on Monday. According NAHCON Control Center in Makka, a total of 315 pilgrims from Yobe left the Holy Land aboard Medview airline from Jedda to Maiduguri International Airport at 04:45am. […]

The Kano State Government has declared Tuesday, September 11 as a public holiday to mark the new Islamic year 1440‎ After Hijra. This was contained in a statement signed by the state commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba on Monday in Kano. The statement quoted Governor Abdullahi Ganduje as congratulating Muslims for witnessing the New […]

Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja The Federal Government has released N9bn for the construction of 550 low-cost houses in Zuba, a suburb of the Federal Capital Territory, in the pilot phase. According to the Federal Housing Authority, the low-cost houses, which shall be replicated in the all state capitals across the country, will be specifically for low […]

Nigeria ran out comprehensive 3-0 winners against the Seychelles on Saturday – but it was an opposition player who caught the most attention, according to The Sun. Seychelles goalkeeper, Dave Mussard, is not your average international goalkeeper. The 31-year-old is a pastry chef by day with Hotel Patatran on La Digue Island. Such is his […]

Punch Editorial Board Nigerian regulators shook up the corporate environment considerably last week when they slammed a combined N5.87 billion fine on four banks and ordered MTN Nigeria to repatriate $8.1 billion that it improperly transferred abroad. The action has brought to the front burner issues of corporate governance, institutional regulation, corporate rascality, due process […]

Femi Makinde, Osogbo The Independent National Electoral Commission on Sunday visited some places of worship to sensitise the people of Osun State who have not collected their permanent voter cards to do so and to tell them about the evils of vote-buying. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, led other officials […]

Ihuoma Chiedozie, Enugu The Police in Enugu State have arrested members of an armed robbery gang who posed as passengers to snatch motorcycles from commercial motorcyclists in Enugu. The suspects identified as Ibenyenwa Chukwuemeka, aged 24; Ugochukwu Esom (21); and Emenike Ikechukwu (21) were arrested by operatives of the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad attached […]

Novak Djokovic clinched his third US Open title on Sunday with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 triumph over Juan Martin del Potro, taking him level with Pete Sampras’s mark of 14 Grand Slams. Djokovic, playing in his eighth final in New York and already the champion in 2011 and 2015, is now just three Slams […]

Sesan Olufowobi A manatee, popularly known as sea cow, has been found in a riverine community in the Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area of Lagos State. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Olayiwole Onasanya, said immediately the ministry got the information, the state government moved to rescue the huge aquatic herbivorous mammal before residents […]

Chidiebube Okeoma, Owerri The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has told operatives of the reformed Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad to desist from checking citizens’ bank account  details. The IG also warned the F-SARS operatives not to invade people’s phones and laptops unless there was a court order or an instruction from the Commissioner of Police […]

Olufemi Atoyebi, Ibadan Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has mediated in the rift threatening the unity of the African Democratic Congress in Oyo State with the Unity Forum, which threatened to pull out of the coalition, expressing its readiness to work with the Rashidi Ladoja group in the party. The Unity Forum, which seceded from the […]

Femi Makinde, Osogbo One of the members of the Action Democratic Party in the Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun State, Mrs Grace Oladele, said on Sunday that hoodlums suspected to be supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress attacked her and her eight-month-old baby, David, while she was returning from a political rally in […]

Deji Lambo A journalist, Akinwunmi Dickson, and his son Nelson, 12, have been killed after fire gutted a shopping complex on Awolowo Way, in the Ikeja area of Lagos State. PUNCH Metro gathered that the deceased were asleep in an office in the complex when the incident happened around 5am on Sunday. An eyewitness, Wasiu […]

The head of Brazil’s military has issued a warning against the presidential candidacy of the country’s imprisoned former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been banned from standing for office. The warning from General Eduardo Villas Boas came as supporters of far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro demonstrated in support of the frontrunner and […]

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Benue State, who is also a governorship aspirant, Dr Telumun Nyitse, speaks to JOHN CHARLES on the takeover of the PDP structure by Governor Samuel Ortom among other issues On Monday, the PDP party structure was handed over to Governor Samuel Ortom… There is no doubt that […]

A Vatican commission on child protection set up by Pope Francis said Sunday that the fight against abuse must be the priority of the Catholic Church and emphasised the importance of listening to victims. “This must be the priority that we concentrate on right now,” said commission head Cardinal Sean O’Malley, adding that otherwise “all […]

Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress in Yobe have urged governorship aspirants in the state to accept the endorsement of Alhaji Maimala Buni, by Governor Ibrahim Gaidam as the preferred successor. The party chieftains, who made the call on Sunday in separate interviews with newsmen in Damaturu, said the governor acted on the directives of party […]

Alhaji Adamu Aliero, a former governor and senator representing Kebbi Central constituency, on Sunday, declared his intention to represent his constituency for the third time in the Senate. Aliero, a two-term governor of the state, submitted his nomination form to seek re-election at the State All Progressives Congress Secretariat in Birnin Kebbi. While submitting his […]

The Kaduna State Police Command on Sunday said no fewer than 52 cattle were crushed to death by a train along Kasarami – Jere axis in Chikkun Local Government Area in Kaduna State. The Commissioner, Malam Ahmad Abdulrahaman refuted reports that the cattle were killed by other means. “There is nothing like an attack, it […]

NFL players resumed kneeling protests during the pre-game playing of the US national anthem at Sunday’s 2018 season openers as US President Donald Trump warned TV ratings will plunge even further. Miami Dolphins receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson kneeled during “The Star-Spangled Banner” and defensive end Robert Quinn raised a fist during the song […]

Ade Adesomoju, Abuja The Presidency on Sunday denied an allegation attributing President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018 to his alleged opposition to e-voting and the use of card reader in the forthcoming 2019 elections. It said contrary to the allegation which it credited to “opposition politicians, as well […]

Dr Grace Olasumbo, a Nutritionist, has advised Nigerians to be wary of fruits and vegetables that do not have uniform colours, especially when they appear with yellow and green patches. Olasumbo gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja against the backdrop of Federal Government concern over […]

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone will “sooner or later” become coach of Serie A giants Inter Milan, his sister and agent claimed on Sunday. “I think it’s only a matter of time. He loves the club, the atmosphere and living in Milan. Inter is a side he would really love to coach,” Natalia Simeone said […]

The Speaker Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Mr Konbowei Benson, says the neglect of the Niger Delta region by successive administrations in the country is due to ineffective representation by legislators from the region. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Benson, a two-term speaker in the state assembly, said this on Sunday while speaking […]

Some Information and Communication experts have warned that addiction to the use of cell phones has socio-cultural and economic consequences. The experts told the News Agency of Nigeria in separate interviews in Abuja that cell phone addiction was affecting social relationships and perforating the pockets of users. But they noted that the use of cell phones […]