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Former Nigerian soldier who trains ESN militants arrested in Abuja
The police have arrested a dismissed army lance corporal allegedly responsible for training and recruiting people into the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the militant arm of the outlawed pro-Biafra group, IPOB, according to a report. He was arrested a few days after a top commander of the terror group, Awurum Eze, was arrested in Aba, Abia State. The group is alleged to have been responsible for killings of security agents and destruction of public properties in the South-east and South-south zones. They have, however, denied the allegations. According to sources, the 32 years old dismissed soldier, whose name was given as Livinus Owalum-Barnabas, was arrested on Sunday, at Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT by men of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT). The e...
Myanmar anti-coup fighters retreat from town as U.S. makes appeal
Fighters of a local militia opposed to Myanmar’s junta have pulled back from the northwestern town of Mindat after days of assault by combat troops backed by artillery, a member of the group said on Sunday. The United States and Britain called on the army to avoid civilian casualties and a shadow National Unity Government formed by loyalists of Myanmar’s detained elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, appealed for international help. A spokesman for the junta did not answer calls for comment. The fighting in the hill town of Mindat, about 100 km (60 miles) from the Indian border in Chin state, is some of the heaviest since the coup plunged Myanmar into chaos with daily protests, strikes and the emergence of new local militias. “To avoid confrontation, we retreated out of concern over damage to ...
Myanmar army battles anti-coup rebels as armed resistance grows
Myanmar’s army battled local militia fighters in the northwestern town of Mindat on Saturday, residents said, to try to quell a rebellion that has sprung up to oppose the junta which seized power in the Southeast Asian country in February. The fighting is some of the heaviest since the coup and underlines the growing chaos as the junta struggles to impose order in the face of daily protests, strikes and sabotage attacks after it overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. “We are running for our lives,” one resident told Reuters from Mindat, a hill town just over 100 km (60 miles) from the border with India. “There are around 20,000 people trapped in town, most of them are kids, old people,” the resident added. “My friend’s three nieces were hit by shrapnel. They are not even teens.” The ju...
Dua Lipa wins album of the year at Brit Awards
Dua Lipa won the coveted British Album of the Year prize at the Brit Awards on Tuesday, in a ceremony that saw female artists dominate the mixed categories. Around 4,000 guests streamed into London’s O2 Arena for the biggest night in British pop music, as the ceremony welcomed guests for the first time in two years as part of the government’s pilot scheme easing coronavirus restrictions. The Brit Awards have been criticised in the past for nominations seen as skewing heavily male, but this year almost all of the main prizes went to female artists. Little Mix won best British group — becoming the first female act ever to do so. Singer and poet Arlo Parks took the Breakthrough Artist award, and best international group went to the American band HAIM. In another history-making moment, Taylor ...
Taiwan says China seeking political gain with Honduras vaccine move
Taiwan condemned China on Wednesday for seeking to use vaccines for political gain after Taipei’s diplomatic ally Honduras said it was considering opening an office in China in a bid to acquire much needed COVID-19 shots. Honduras does not have formal relations with China and is one of a group of Latin American nations that have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said that to buy Chinese vaccines, he would do as the Chinese had suggested and look for a “diplomatic bridge”. read more Several Latin American nations are receiving Chinese vaccines, but countries that have built ties with Taipei rather than Beijing, such as Honduras and Guatemala, are not. Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said...
Kogi governor appoints cleaner as senior aide
The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has announced the appointment of Peter Aliyu, a cleaner, as his Senior Special Assistant on Sanitation. Bello’s spokesperson, Onogwu Mohammed, who broke the news on Saturday, said Aliyu, who is speech impaired, was a former cleaner under the Geemoney Cleaning Scheme. “His appointment was announced at the state executive council alongside other new government appointees of government,” he said. “In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Folashade Arike Ayoade, said the young man’s appointment came on the heel of His Excellency’s observation of the man’s consistency, diligence and dedication which also endeared the new appointee to many other individuals who have hailed his appointment According to the statement, “Governor Bello ha...
Police dismiss explosives in Oshodi market fire
Hours after Lagos Emergency Management Agency said its investigation showed some for of explosive or accelerant was used in the fire which gutted Oshodi Market, police has ruled out any explosive being involved in the incident. It signals a controversy over the cause of the fire, which started with an explosion on Thursday night. Lagos police spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi said police and expert investigations showed the fire was “not caused” by bombing or explosives. “The commissioner of police has debunked the rumour that the Oshodi market inferno was caused by bombing or explosives. The public is hereby urged to disregard such news or rumour,” said Adejobi. The CP visited the scene on Friday in company of Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit (EOD) operatives to assess the scene and give their ex...
Afenifere: We’ll not support military takeover
Pan-Yoruba sociocultural group, Afenifere, has said it is against military takeover of any kind. In a statement, National Publicity Secretary of the group, Comrade Jare Ajayi, described military intervention in government as a curse. He said the recent clamour for change in the country was borne out of frustration over the state of the nation. Ajayi said, “Going by what the nation went through under the military, we will certainly not support another military rule in Nigeria under any guise. “It is on record for example that apart from the general abridgement of the rights of Nigerians under the military, members of the the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) masterminded by Afenifere suffered greatly. “It is on record that we lost a lot of patriotic Nigerians all because they were prot...
South-east group hails re-organisation in Nigeria Police Force
The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders has expressed delight over the recent re-organisation in the Nigeria Police Force. The group, an umbrella body of youth organisations in the zone, described the measure as “a step in the right direction”. This is contained in a statement issued by the group’s President General, Goodluck Ibem, in Owerri on Wednesday. It commended the Acting Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, for his “foresight” in appointing Mr Etim Okon as the Assistant Inspector General in charge of Zone 9. Ibem said that Okon’s appointment could not have come at a better time, considering the rising cases of insecurity in the zone. “We are deeply grateful to the IGP for his foresight in appointing a tested and experienced hand to man the affairs of Zone 9, Umuahia in Abia. ...
35 killed in Boko Haram attacks in Borno
Jihadists have killed 35 people, including five troops and 15 militiamen, in two attacks in Nigeria’s troubled northern Borno state, sources told AFP Tuesday. Islamic State-aligned militants have intensified attacks on army camps in recent weeks as part of a decade-long insurgency that has killed 36 000 people and forced more than two million to flee their homes. Fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) came in several trucks fitted with machine guns and stormed Ajiri town late on Monday. They attacked a military base, leading to intense fighting in which five soldiers and 15 anti-jihadist militia were killed, two military sources said. ISWAP had raided the same base on Sunday, killing the base commander along with six civilians and carting away weapons, military sources sa...
Lagos governor celebrates Ikorodu Bois
Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday hosted popular Nigerian comedy group, Ikorodu Bois. The Governor took to his Twitter account to share photos of him and the talented kids at the state government house, Alausa in Ikeja. In a post accompanying the pictures, the Governor commended the group, which he described as “generational filmmaking talent,” for their exploits that had brought them global recognition. Sanwo-Olu cited the group’s current appearance on an advert displayed on Broadway Times Square in New York City by Netflix, the US movie streaming platform. He also commended their nomination for the 2021 edition of the 2021 Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards. He stated that the state was proud of the group and he assured of his administration’s commitment to promoting ...
NBC fines Channels TV, inspiration FM N5 million each for broadcast code infractions
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has directed Channels TV and Inspiration FM Lagos to pay a fine N5 million each for infractions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, the Acting Director-General of the commission, announced this in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja. Idachaba explained that NBC on Monday, April 26, served Channels TV a letter indicating the station’s culpability and liability for infractions of the Code in respect to its broadcast of “Politics Today” of Sunday, April 25. The acting D-G stated that the station violated Sections 3.11.1(b) and 5.4.3 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. Similarly, Idachaba said that on May 2, in its World Report, Inspiration FM Lagos aired broadcast of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) maki...