Joel Nwokeoma The other day, I was summoned to a police station in a neighbourhood in a popular area of Lagos. An early morning telephone call from an acquaintance was all it took. The distressed young man, a tailor by profession, had called to inform me that early Saturday morning that he, alongside two of […]

When I was growing up in Ibadan, the atmosphere was rife with tales of supernaturally powerful people who used the blood of children to prolong their lives. Like most people, as we grew up, the world that promoted those stories and gave them credibility gradually receded. We began to dismiss those urban legends with the […]

Idris Adesina The Nigeria Rugby Football Federation has named 17 players for the  Africa Men’s Regional tournament in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, from September 15 to 16. The competition will also serve as a Tokyo 2020 Olympics pre-qualifiers as well as the 2019 All Africa Games qualifier. According to the Technical Director of the NRFF Ntiense […]

Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw has revealed he came close to losing his right leg after it was seriously broken in September 2015 and admitted he considered quitting football altogether, Skysports reports Shaw has started four consecutive Premier League matches for United this season – something he had not achieved since his horrific leg-break suffered […]

John Charles Makurdi Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Wednesday ordered the   Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning  to  pay Lobi Stars  players their outstanding salaries and allowances. The Makurdi club were on Friday declared  winners  of the Premier League, and Ortom praised the team for the achievement. The governor directed the finance ministry commissioner, […]

Mr Femi Dagunro, (A former President, Nigerian-German Business Group) It is healthy if well managed. The Chinese President said that the loan was not for frivolous projects. What the Chinese government is doing is to assist us develop our infrastructure. So, it is left for us and some other African countries not to waste the […]

Japan began on Wednesday to clean up after a powerful typhoon killed 11 people, injured hundreds and stranded thousands at a flooded airport, though when the airport in an industrial and tourist hub might reopen was not clear, Reuters reports. Typhoon Jebi, or “swallow” in Korean, was briefly a super typhoon and was the most […]

Internet users in Nigeria increased marginally to 103.6 million in July, the Nigerian Communications Commission has said. The NCC disclosed this on Wednesday in its Monthly Internet Subscribers Data for July posted on its website. According to the data, Airtel, MTN and Globacom gained more internet subscribers during the month under review while 9mobile was […]

More than 50 of the 144 migrants recently allowed into Italy after being stranded for days on a coastguard vessel have disappeared without trace from reception centres, the country’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Wednesday. These migrants “were so in need of protection, a roof and a blanket that they decided to leave and […]

John Alechenu, Abuja The All Progressives Congress has asked its aspirants for state assemblies, who are unable to buy nomination forms in their states, to come to the national secretariat of the party. The party, in a statement by its acting National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, said the party had received complaints from some states […]

Samson Folarin A woman alleged to be mentally deranged, Folake Falade, has denied knowing anything about human parts found in her possession in Aiyetoro, Cele-Nizer, on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. The 40-year-old said the body parts found with her on Monday, August 27, belonged to men who usually had sex with her in a tunnel where […]

The police in Lagos on Wednesday said they had intercepted a five-man robbery gang, including two dismissed military men and recovered goods worth N13.2million from the gang. The suspects who specialise in intercepting and diverting lorries laden with goods were arrested on Tuesday at 8pm while driving a truck with registration number LSR 266 XW. […]

A Kenyan man, David Munga, who allegedly bit off his wife’s lower lip while battering her has been arrested in Bamburi, Mombasa. According to Citizen TV, Mungai, who regularly abused his wife, Anne Waireri, injured her on August 29 at their home. Since then, the father-of-three fled his home. READ ALSO: FCT VIO generates N1bn revenue […]

Tony Okafor, Awka The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has told the Federal Special Anti Robbery Square across the country to respect people’s rights or risk being sanctioned. Idris who said membership of FSARS was voluntary asked those who felt they could not cope with the reforms in the unit to opt out. He […]

Serena Williams reiterated her admiration for American football player turned activist Colin Kaepernick on Tuesday, and praised apparel maker Nike for featuring him in a new ad campaign. “Especially proud to be a part of the Nike family today. #justdoit,” the 23-time Grand Slam champion tweeted before she headed out to book a US Open […]

Olufemi Atoyebi and Ade Adesomoju The National Human Rights Commission has inaugurated a seven-man Special Investigative Panel to look into the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police and make recommendations for its reform. A statement on Tuesday commission in Abuja said the investigative panel was inaugurated in line with a presidential […]

Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja The Coalition of 39 United Political Parties has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari’s rejection to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law is a deliberate ploy to derail the 2019 general elections. The CUPP in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday by its Spokesman,  Mr.Ikenga  Ugochinyere said Buhari and the All […]

The World Health Organisation says insufficient physical activity is a leading risk factor for non-communicable disease, negatively impacting mental health and overall quality of life. A newly released study published in The Lancet Global Health journal on Wednesday, highlighted the well-established benefits of being physically active, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension and […]

Defending champion Rafael Nadal survived an epic US Open quarter-final confrontation to defeat battling ninth seed Dominic Thiem 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5) and reach the semi-finals for the seventh time. In a gripping 4-hour 49-minute contest which concluded at 2.04 a.m. on Wednesday, world number one Nadal won through to keep his […]

Godwin Isenyo, Kaduna A group, Kaduna Women Network Consultative Forum,  said its members would not vote for President Muhammadu Buhari or any candidate that emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate,  including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 presidential election. Buhari is the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress while Atiku and about […]

Armstrong Bakam, Bauchi Members of the Not- too-Young-to-Run movement in Gombe State have raised the alarm that some state governors were working to frustrate the leadership ambition of the youths by hijacking the sale of nomination forms. They alleged that state governors were working to edge out the youths from vying for elected public offices […]

Adelani Adepegba, Abuja The Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has apologised to elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark over an unauthorised raid carried out by some policemen on his house in Abuja. The policemen were said to have searched Clark’s Asokoro residence for arms and ammunition for about two hours, but found nothing. A team led […]

Niyi Odebode, John Alechenu, Femi Atoyebi,  Godwin Isenyo, Ihuoma Chiedozie, Simon Utebor, Chidiebube Okeoma, Kayode Idowu, Peter Dada, Laide Oyelude and Hindi Livinus The state chapters of the All Progressives Congress will this week decide on the method they will use to pick their candidates for the governorship, senatorial, the House of Representatives and state […]

Samson Folarin A woman alleged to be mentally deranged, Folake Falade, has denied knowing anything about human parts found in her possession in Aiyetoro, Cele-Nizer, on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. The 40-year-old said the body parts found with her on Monday, August 27, belonged to men who usually had sex with her in a tunnel where […]

Friday Olokor, Adelani Adepegba, and  Theophilus Onojeghen Policemen on Tuesday raided the Asokoro, Abuja residence of former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, for firearms and ammunition. The Pan Niger Delta Forum and the apex socio-cultural umbrella of the Urhobo ethnic nationality, Urhobo Progress Union, have described the development as worrisome. […]

Olufemi Atoyebi, Ibadan The Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi,  said that the recent crisis witnessed in the party was sponsored by faceless individuals who encouraged rebellious activities by a group of people to destroy the party in the state. The governor, who spoke during a meeting of the Oyo South Senatorial District in Ibadan, also […]

Chidiebube Okeoma, Owerri The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galadanchi, on Tuesday in Owerri handed over two children abducted and sold for N200,000 in Akure, Ondo State capital, to their biological parents. The CP, who paraded the suspect, Mary Paul, before reuniting the children – Unmi Isiaku,5; and Habib Awalu, 7 – with their […]

John Alechenu and Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has sent a petition to both the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of disrespecting the judiciary. It also accused the President and the Federal Government of engaging in what it described as […]

Olufemi Atoyebi, Ibadan A mother of three, Ronke Olanrewaju, has threatened to poison her husband if a customary court fails to grant her request for divorce. The aggrieved wife had approached the Oja-Oba Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, seeking divorce from her husband, who she described as abusive and violent. Ronke told the court […]

Mudiaga Affe, Calabar A 27-year-old man, Mr Daniel Bassey, and his wife, Magdalene, have been arrested for trafficking their two-year-old son for N180,000 to an agent in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Parading the couple and 78 other suspects involved in various crimes at the headquarters of the Cross River State, Police Command in Calabar, the […]

Everest Amaefule and Ifeanyi Onuba, Abuja There were indications on Tuesday that Nigeria might lose more than $80m in World Bank funding meant for strengthening the capacity of the country’s Small and Medium-scale Enterprises to create jobs. The PUNCH’s investigation showed that squabbles and lack of cohesion among public officials had hampered the capacity of […]

Six-time champion Serena Williams shook off a sluggish start to power past eighth-seeded Karolina Pliskova 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday and into the US Open semi-finals. The US superstar, chasing a record-equalling 24th major title, surrendered an early break to Pliskova, but she roared back with a streak of eight straight games to put away the […]

Oladimeji Ramon The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday challenged the claim that the sum of N1.6bn linked to a former aide of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was a donation to the Anglican Communion of Otuoke Community, Bayelsa State. Counsel for the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, challenged the ex-presidential aide, Dr. Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, to show […]

Sloane Stephens, her dream of a US Open title defense in tatters, was looking ahead to the WTA’s Asian swing as a chance to regroup and renew her pursuit of the No. 1 world ranking. “Obviously from three there’s only two more spots to go,” she said before the Open. “That’s exciting. It’s something new.” […]

US President Donald Trump plans to lead a meeting of the heads of state of the United Nations Security Council on Iran in late September, his envoy Nikki Haley announced on Tuesday. With the United States now holding the presidency of the Security Council, Haley said the aim is to put further pressure on Tehran […]