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Two policewomen were wounded in the southern Belgian city of Charleroi on Saturday by a machete-wielding man who shouted “Allahu akbar” (God is the greatest), local police said. The attacker was shot and injured, they said on Twitter.

Lagos monarch, Oniba of Iba, Oba Goriola Oseni who was recently kidnapped by unknown gunmen has regained his freedom. According to Lagos State Police Commissioner, Fatai Owoseni  who confirmed  the Oba’s release on Saturday night, the leader of the kidnappers had been arrested. Recall that the kidnappers had demanded the sum of N500 million ransom which the victim’s family members said they could not afford.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has advised communities along the River Niger to evacuate immediately to safer ground. The agency warned in a statement it issued in Abuja on Saturday that flooding might occur at any moment following intense rainfall and rises in water level. The Director-General of the agency, Malam Muhammad Sani-Sidi, who gave the advice in the statement, said the agency had received alerts of the imminent flooding. He said information given by the authorities in the Republic of Niger indicated the present water level in the river had reached a point that may result in flooding that could be compared with that of 2012. He said: “Niger Basin Authority (NBA) notified Nigeria that rainy season, which started in the Middle Niger (Burkina Faso and Niger Republic) in June, has led to a gradual rise of the level of River Niger in Niamey, Niger Republic. “This high level of water in Niger Republic is already spreading to Benin Republic, and invariab

THE Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, this morning, responded to a reported split of the group, saying it was untrue. The militant group in a retort at 8.21 am to Vanguard inquiry, said: “The NDA is too busy at the moment to be distracted by people like Jude Kekyll, he is not part of us and cannot be part of us. All our operatives are united and we are all together.” A group, Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, RNDA, broke out of the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, on Friday, and threatened to expose the identities of NDA fighters and their sponsors if the militant group does not stop bombing of pipelines.

The police in Nasarawa say two Chinese attached to West African Polaris Investment have been kidnapped in Agada village, Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state. Police Public Relations Officer Ismail Noman said on Saturday in Lafia that, XJieng AI Jung, 50 and Wenso Ping, 45, were ambushed by unknown gunmen at about 2.28p.m. on the their way to Abuja. He said that although the gunmen, wielding sophisticated weapons, were still at large, the police had begun investigation to track them. According to him, security operatives in collaboration with vigilante groups, local hunters and community leaders have also been involved in the search of the victims. He said security operatives had been deployed in to the forests and bush around the area to arrest the suspects and rescue the victims. “The Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq-Bello, has directed that the search operation team should do everything possible to ensure that the victims are rescued,’’ he said. Noma

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Ogun says one person died on Saturday in a road accident at Sagamu involving a fuel tanker, an articulated vehicle and a bus. State FRSC Sector Commander Adegoke Adetunji said no fewer than 11 people also sustained injuries in the accident that an eyewitness said occurred in the midnight. He said the tanker, loaded with petrol had a mechanical problem and stopped on the road, while the bus and truck rammed into it resulting in explosion. He said that the tanker caught fire and burnt other two vehicles, noting that the dead and the injured had been taken to hospital. “We can’t even give you the number plates of the affected vehicles because, by the time we got there, they were all burnt beyond recognition,’’ he said. Adetunji said the unfortunate accident must have been caused by rate of speed of the vehicle that rammed into it. He advised motorists and commuter to always be alert when driving and avoid speeding.

Acting Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, on Friday launched an operation against kidnappers and other hoodlums who have terrorized Abuja-Kaduna Expressway for months. Under the operation titled ‘Operation Maximum Safety’, the IGP is deploying 510 anti-riot policemen to be backed with 40 patrol vehicles and armoured carriers, which will be deployed in dark spots and vulnerable points along the road to checkmate notorious gangs of kidnappers and other violent crimes. Speaking at the flag off, the IG tasked the policemen to curb all forms of crime and criminality around the area and provide security for travellers and residents of surrounding communities. Idris, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operation, Habila Joshak, stated that criminals would not be allowed to take over any part of the country. He said that the government was worried about insecurity along the highway, hence the decision to deploy the security personnel

Former Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has enjoined the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to ensure governors in the Niger Delta region were part of the engagement process towards resolving militancy and challenges of under development in the region. Dr Uduaghan who spoke at the opening of the ongoing Nigeria Guild of Editors conference in Port Harcourt said the amnesty programme could not achieve the desired peace in the region because governors then were not part of the engagement process. “The amnesty did not achieve what it was to achieve because the governors were not involved. The states should be involved. The biggest threat in the Niger Delta is that our land is seriously polluted especially water. In those days you could see the sand under the water. We used it to wash our teeth. But it is not so anymore. While appealing to the Niger Delta Avengers to cease hostilities in the region the former governor also urged the Federal Government

Seven suspects have been arrested in Nigeria for allegedly supplying high-calibre explosives and detonators to militants wreaking havoc on key pipelines and facilities. National Security Adviser Major-General Mohammed Monguno said on Thursday the explosives were diverted from an explosives-distribution company in the Niger delta to the rebels. “A detailed audit of the records of explosives magazines and quarries in that region was conducted, which revealed the diversion of about 9,000 kg of high explosives and 16,420 pieces of detonators for illegal use,” he said. “The actors, including the storeman of a major explosives distribution company in Nigeria, an accomplice and five security operatives, have been arrested and handed over to the appropriate authorities,” he said. Monguno said an inquiry has been launched. “Right now, investigations are being conducted and I can assure you that they are deeply culpable and necessary action will be taken on the conclusion of these

Ex-militants in the Niger-Delta, have accused the Amnesty Office in Abuja of allegedly hijacking part of the 2015 stipends budget. Speaking to journalists in Lagos, spokesman of the ex-agitators, Mr. Olotu Pella, said that during the protest by some ex-militants with some banks last year, the affected banks decided to return their stipends to the Central Bank of Nigeria, but some Amnesty Office staff, later allegedly hijacked the funds for themselves. “Today, if we call the Central Bank for the returned funds (stipends), officials will tell you that the stipends had been released to Amnesty Office and if you call Amnesty Office, they will say Central Bank is yet to return the money. “How can 2015 budgeted stipends remain in Central Bank as at July 2016? If it is true, it tells you the kind of leadership, the amnesty has. “Is the amnesty officials waiting for the affected camps in the returned money saga to blow-up pipelines before they will act? What type of leadership do we h

A 29-year-old woman from Amasiri, Ebonyi State, Miss Chidimma Okorie, yesterday, stunned people at the headquarters of the Anambra State Police Command in Awka, when she admitted that she had already sold her unborn child for N100,000. The mother of five, who said she had never been married, also admitted stealing two three years old boys at Umuoji in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, with the connivance of two medical doctors operating private hospitals in the area. The two medical doctors, Emmanuel Tobechukwu and Cosmos Ugorji, who the police described as accomplices in child trafficking, were also helping the police in their investigations. Chidimma said she had sold two children since she was introduced into the “business” by a woman she identified as an Evangelist. According to her: “I sold the two children for N50,000 each. I am pregnant and the madam (Evangelist) said when I deliver my baby, she would buy it for N100,000. I have five children, but I

The United States of America has warned its citizens against travelling to 20 states in Nigeria due to  security concerns. According to the travel advice on the Department of State’s website, the North-Eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, where the Boko Haram terrorists were more brutal, topped the list. It read: “The Department of State warns U.S. citizens of the risks of travelling to Nigeria and recommends that U.S. citizens avoid all travel to Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states because the security situation in northeast Nigeria remains fluid and unpredictable.The Department of State strongly urges U.S. citizens in Nigeria to consider their own personal security and to keep personal safety in the forefront of their travel planning. This Travel Warning replaces the Travel Warning for Nigeria dated February 5, 2016. “The ability of the Mission to provide assistance to U.S. citizens in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states remains severely limited. The Department recommends ag

An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Thursday remanded a university student, Mabel Bassey, in prison for bathing her neighbour with hot water and killing him. Bassey is to be remanded at Ikoyi Prisons pending advice from the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Bassey, a student of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and resident of Surulere Street, Ojo, Lagos, was arraigned before Magistrate Bola Folarin-Williams on a charge of murder. She was alleged to have poured hot water on Efe Okotie ,38, on July 2 at their residence which resulted in his death. According to the prosecutor, Insp. Olatunde Kehinde, the deceased had advised Bassey to desist from her promiscuous lifestyle which did not go down well with her. “Out of anger, she bathed the late Okotie with hot water. “The deceased died six days after the incident due to the severe burns he suffered from the hot water,’’ he told the court. The offence contravened Section 221 of the Criminal

Niger Delta Justice Defence Group (NDJDG) has attacked oil pipelines in Bera, Gokana local government area of the Rivers state on early hours of August 4, Thursday. The group revealed about this in a statement made available via its facebook page The militants said that this is in continuation of their warning to the government of Muhammadu Buhari to immediately look into their demand and attend to them. The statement reads: “We are responsible for the vandalization of oil pipelines in Bera, Gokana local government area of Rivers state last night, by 1.30am. “Previously we blew up pipelines in Gio-Tai L.G.A and B-Dere in Gokana L.G.A and issued warning to oil companies to vacate our region and suspend all oil explorations in the region until our demands are met. “Till now, the FG is still playing politics with the Ogoni cleanup while the people continue to suffer every day from environmental degradation. We will continue our actions until the welfare and plight of our p

A Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday remanded in Prison custody two alleged fake drug dealers. The suspects, Monday Enuma and Ikechukwu Adibe were arraigned on four and five-count charges respectively, by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba. They pleaded not guilty, when the charges were read to them. In view of their plea, NAFDAC prosecuting counsel, Umar Shamaki moved an application for their remand. Justice Dimgba, consequently, ordered that the two accused persons be remanded in prison custody, pending the hearing of bail application. Enuma, according to the charge, was arrested at 15, Club Road, in Sabon Gariý area of Kaduna State, Adibe on his part was arrested at 82, Atiken Road, Sabon Gari, Kano state. They were arrested for selling fake Augmentin, Syrum, Alabukun, Septrin and Ampiclox. The offence according to the charge signed by Samson Philip Maken from the office of the Attorney-General of the Fede

A landlord in Ido Ose community in Ona Ara Local Government Area of Ibadan, Mr. Popoola Adepoju, allegedly committed suicide by hanging. The 48-year-old man, who lived at House 7, Ayegbami Zone 7, was said to be an ex-staff of the defunct National Electric Power Authority, NEPA. The father of three children reportedly hanged himself in his room after ensuring his children and wife had gone out. His wife returned in the evening to see his body hanging from the ceiling fan in their room. Although police have begun investigation to unravel the actual cause of the death, the wife hinted that her husband was laid off two years ago and since then it had been hard to fend for the family. He was said to have left a suicide note, which the family reluctantly released to the General Chairman of the Idi Ose community, Chief Taiwo Alimi. After a formal report at Akanran Police Division, the Divisional Police Officer, Aliko Dankoli, reportedly gave them permission to bury the deceased, who

The Bayelsa State Police Command has confirmed the interception of suspected child traffickers during routine stop-and-search operation on the East-West Road, rescuing 12 children. According to the command, a police patrol team intercepted the suspected syndicate in two vehicles conveying 12 children into the state for child labour. The two vehicles, a Mazda 626 with number plates BC 645 KSF and a Jetta with number plate DX 643 PH, were reportedly coming from Akwa Ibom and heading to Bayelsa. The children include nine females and three males, aged between five and 17 years. The Police Public Relations Officer, Asinim Butswat, said they were arrested on Sunday during a routine stop-and-search operation along the Glory Land Drive, gateway to the state. Butswat said: “Policemen, during a routine stop-and-search operation at the Glory Land Drive (in Yenagoa) arrested the two vehicles carrying these children. “When they were interrogated, they could not tell where they were

 A 26-year-old man was found dead in his room after performing masturbation. The student reportedly died of auto-erotic asphixation in front of his laptop. Neighbours of Christopher Harrold found him hanging in the corner of his bedroom after being absent for several days in Redland, Bristol, England. The 26-year-old had reportedly pleasured himself and strangled himself as a way of ireasing sexual excitement by restricting oxygen flow to the brain. According to police reports, a laptop and mobile phone was found near his body in his room. Although no further details about his death were given, a coroner believed that the young man didn’t plan to hurt or kill himself. Post mortem examination as well as the circumstances around the death pointed at auto-erotic asphixation as the cause of death. Days before tragedy, Mr Harrold moved into his new house which he shared with his three close friends and was in good spirit, according to his family. That’s why his neighbours noticed

Two security operatives attached to indomie company in Choba community were gunned down yesterday at 9:20pm. The gunmen after abducting a boutique owner (name withheld) and robbed several shops and eateries in the area, where fleeing to their extraction point when they met the mobile policemen and opened fire on them. There was tension in the area and people ran for their safety in avoidance of stray bullets from the sporadic gunshots by the gunmen. Having achieved their mission, the gunmen fled by boat but no arrests have since been made regarding the incidence. It was a sad moment for their colleagues as they were all spotted in 'all black' instead of their regular uniforms. Their families were reached by phone this morning but the bodies of both policemen have since been deposited in the mortuary. MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACE

The Islamic state militant group (ISIS) has named a new leader for the terrorist group, Boko Haram. His name is Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, a former spokesman for the group. Former Leader of Boko Haram ISIS revealed the identity of the new leader, but did not say what has happened to the group’s former leader, Abubakar Shekau, who was last heard from in an audio message in August 2015. Boko Haram had on March 7, 2015, pledged allegiance to the leadership of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The pledge was made by Shekau, who addressed himself as the Imam of Ja­maátu Ahlus Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad (Boko Haram) and was addressed to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Husseini al-Qurashi, the lead­er of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). A week after Boko Haram’s pledge of allegiance, the ISIS leadership in a statement accepted the sect into its fold and promise to work with it to establish an ISIS cell in West Africa. In an audio message, a

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is warning the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to stay off its alleged negotiation for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the detained IPOB leader. Nnamdi Kanu is facing treason charges, alongside two others, Benjamin Madubgwu and James Nwawuisi This new warning comes a day after an earlier warning from the group to the same MEND against tabling any issue relating to Kanu’s freedom on the table as it negotiates with the federal government. IPOB gives the feeling it does not trust MEND and would rather prefer to pitch tents with the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), a now deadly group in the Niger Delta region of the country. To IPOB, the purported negotiation between MEND and the federal government is nothing but a ‘kangaroo’ arrangement or a jamboree. The Sun reports that a statement from Emma Powerful, the media and publicity secretary of IPOB said the group would accept nothing less than an unconditional release of their

The Katsina State Government has distributed 720 high breed of goats worth N104 million for distribution to women under its Women Empowerment Scheme. Alhaji Abdulkadir Nasir, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Economic Empowerment, disclosed this on Tuesday in Katsina at the launching of the programme. He said that each of 240 women selected across the 34 local governments would be given two female goats and one male goat. The official said that the animals, which were purchased in Niger Republic, were of highly reproductive and good for breeding. “Research has showed that the goats reproduce twice a year and give up to two liters of milk daily. “The goats are also insured for one year and veterinary officers will be going round in all the local governments to provide medication to the animals if the need arises,’’ he said. Nasir said that the animals were being given to the beneficiaries under a loan scheme and the cost was expected to be repaid after a year. He

Half naked women on Tuesday protested over alleged night attacks by herdsmen on Ninte village in Godogodo Chiefdom of Jema’a Local Government, Kaduna State. The women from Ninte and surrounding villages staged the protest at the palace of the Chief of Godogodo. The women demanded for government intervention to stop the alleged increasing cases of night killings, rape, burning of houses by some assailants in the area. Spokesperson of the protesters, Mrs Deborah Reuben, accused the government of insensitivity to their plight since the incident started in May. “The situation is unhealthy as it is no longer safe. “The government we voted into power has left us at the mercy of armed herdsmen, farms cannot be cultivated in the face of high level of impunity,” she lamented. Responding, the Chief of Godogodo, Malam Iliya Ajiya appealed to the protesting women to remain calm as everything possible was being done to bring the situation under control. When contacted, the Interi

Another round of labour war is brewing in Imo State, following a plan by Governor Rochas Okorocha to reduce the official working days from five to three, for civil and public servants in the state. Okorocha, who made the disclosure while fielding questions from journalists in Owerri, reasoned that the workers could “use the two extra days to engage in any private business enterprise of their choice, particularly farming to augment their income”. He opined that he would present the proposal before the State Executive Council, stressing that he would go ahead to implement it if approved. “Ndigbo are not mainly civil and public servants but aggressive pursuers of their destinies. It is as a result of this that Igboland has low poverty rate in the country,“ Okorocha said. Meanwhile, the state Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Austin Chilakpu, has described the Governor’s proposal as “ reprehensible, a slap on the Nigerian constitution and the biggest joke of th

Armed youths, believed to be land-grabbers, last weekend, stormed a prayer ground in Umudioka, Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, and beat to comatose one Kenechukwu Nebeolisa and some prayer warriors for allegedly invoking the wrath of God on them. Nebeolisa had invited the prayer warriors to the community to ward off all manner of evils, including land-grabbing, intimidation, harassment, robbery and thug activities in the community. It was gathered that in the middle of the vigil by Nebeolisa and the prayer warriors, some armed youths stormed the prayer ground and beat everybody there to a pulp, for invoking God’s wrath on them. Narrating his ordeal in the hands of the youths, Nnebolisa said: “They said I did not take permission from them before inviting the prayer warriors to curse them; that as those in charge of the youths in Ezi-Awka, I must take permission from them. “Those youths have been going about extorting money, beating up people and taking over the

An Igando Customary Court in Lagos has dissolved a 13-year-old marriage between Mr. Rasak Balogun and a businesswoman, Mrs Oluwabunmi Balogun, over food and sex starvation. The petitioner, Mr. Abiodun Balogun, 51, an accountant, had filed a suit seeking the dissolution of his 13-year-old marriage to Oluwabunmi for sex starvation. Forty-year-old Mrs Balogun had raised an allegation that her estranged husband attempted to rape their teenage housekeeper. She equally notified the court, while responding to a divorce suit filed by her husband, Mr Rasak Balogun, that he was a flirt. However, the husband said: “Whenever we had misunderstanding, my wife would deny me sex and food; and for the past six months now, she had not allowed me to make love to her. “My wife was always accusing me of dating any woman she saw in my car. She once trailed me to a place, stopped my car, dragged out the woman inside my car and gave her the beating of her life. “She also beat up one of our tenant

    President Erdogan Turkish special forces have captured a group of rebel commandos who tried to seize or kill President Tayyip Erdogan during a failed coup, and a government minister said plotters would “never see God’s sun as long as they breathe”. Drones and helicopters pinpointed the location of the 11 fugitive commandos in forested hills around the Mediterranean resort of Marmaris after a two-week manhunt, an official said on Monday. They were part of a group that attacked a hotel where Erdogan was holidaying on the night of the July 15 coup bid, reports Reuters. The operation took place overnight, after the government tightened its control over the military by dismissing over 1,000 more soldiers, widening the post-coup purges of state institutions that have targeted tens of thousands of people. The coup attempt and resulting purges have shocked Turkey, which last saw a violent military power grab in 1980, and have shaken confidence in the stability of a NATO membe

Bayelsa’s State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA has disclosed that farmlands and residential buildings have been submerged in parts of the state. Mr Torukuru Adakien, SEMA’s Head of Administration, told newsmen in Yenagoa yesterday, that the most affected communities were Agbura and Amarata all in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state. Adakien, who said the agency was preparing to visit the affected communities to ascertain the extent of the damage, said: “We have not known the extent of the damage, but as we speak, some households and farmlands have been submerged in these communities. “Bayelsa as one of the coastal states is highly prone to flooding, this kind of disaster happens here at any given time; the flooding itself is almost affecting every nooks and crannies in the state, but the most affected areas now are Agbura and Amarata communities. “We are calling on federal and state government as well as private sectors for help on how to cushion the effect of th

Three persons were killed while foodstuff and cash crops worth millions of Naira were washed away during a heavy down pour in Hayin Gwarmai village in Bebeji Local Government Area of Kano State on Sunday. The Chairman of the Local Government, Alhaji Mudansiru Bebeji, told newsmen in Kano on Monday that the flood also washed away several farms in area. Bebeji said a number of houses had also been destroyed during the disaster. He said he had since paid a sympathy visit to the victims of the disaster and called on the Federal state governments to come to the aid of the victims to alleviate their sufferings. “We are calling on the Federal and Kano State governments to assist the victims to reduce their sufferings,” he said. The Director, Operations, Kano State Emergency Relief and Rehabilitation Agency (SERERA), Alhaji Abdullahi Dambatta, said the agency had not received any official report on the incident from the local government council. Dambatta, however, said as soon as

Over three thousand persons in Busi 4, one of the communities at the base of the famous Obudu Ranch Resort in Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River State, have been displaced following a communal conflict, weekend. Sources in the area confirmed that five of the Busi communities, Busi 1, Busi 2, Busi 3, Busi 5 and Busi 6, allegedly joined forces to attack Busi 4, following a dispute over a parcel of farmland. A visit by Vanguard to the conflict area, located over four hundred kilometres away from Calabar, showed that several houses in Busi 4 were set ablaze, farmlands and water sources destroyed, while the villagers have escaped to the divisional police headquarters and the council headquarters at Sankwala, for refuge. A community leader in Busi 4, Mr. Emmanuel Okobere, said: “Neighbouring communities of Busi 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 invaded us in a protracted dispute over a parcel of land, which has spanned several years. “We got court judgement in our favour five times, which

Suspected militants on Sunday attacked a major crude oil exports trunk line close to Odimodi community in Delta State. It was gathered that the trunk line, Trans Ramos, belongs to the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC. Confirming the incident n Sunday night, on phone to Vanguard, a resident of the community, Endoro New-world said: “The incident occurred at about 1.00 am with the velocity of the blast shaking apartments in the community amidst a huge ball of fire. “At sunrise, a group from the community in company of the SPDC surveillance team was able to locate the site of the blast”. The attack is coming exactly 10 days after some suspected militants tied up two hunters and left their items, including dynamites, cables and a shovel behind after they failed to successfully excavate the spot to be exploded on the trunk line amidst a heavy downpour. It was gathered that the hunters managed to escape and alerted the Odimodi community vigilante, which came to the scene o

Jebba, in Moro local government area of Kwara State, erupted in violence during the last Eid-el-Fitri celebrations, claiming lives while property worth millions of Naira was also destroyed. Sunday Vanguard gathered that the violence followed an age-long disagreement between the faction loyal to the traditional ruler of the town, Oba Abdulkadir Alabi Adebara, and those opposed to him, simply identified as Okedares. It was further gathered that pandemonium broke shortly after the Eid el Fitri prayers when some indigenes, allegedly from the Okedare group engaged in some display at the frontage of Adebara’s palace. As efforts to stop the display were allegedly rebuffed, it was gathered that one popular man in the town, identified as Baale Osogun, also decided to stage his own display at the same venue. Irked by the development, some loyalists of the monarch were said to have attempted to disperse the crowd by force, leading to a violent resistance. An eye witness said: “It was at this

ELDERS and Leaders of Thoughts of Ijaw ethnic nationality in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, weekend, warned Ijaw militants against their vow to declare a Republic of Niger-Delta, saying that what Ijaw nation wants is true federalism. Ijaw leaders at a consultative meeting in Warri, Delta State, hosted by Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, said: “The  Elders and Leaders of Thought of the Ijaw nation call for the immediate restructuring of the Nigerian nation along the lines of peaceful federalism, and noticed that this is the panacea for the sustainable development of Nigeria.” Bayelsa state governor, Hon Henry Seriake Dickson, Deputy Governor of Delta state, Mr. Kingsley Otuaro, former Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Sir Gabriel Toby,    former Minister of Culture, Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas and ex-Minister of Police Affairs, Alaowei Brodrick Bozimo attended the meeting. Also at the meeting were former national chairman of the Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Produci

The Koton/Karfe Minimum Security Prisons in Kogi State, yesterday, experienced  a  jail break that led to 13 inmates escaping. The prison break, as learnt, did not follow the usual method of outsiders bombing their way to release their targets but was reportedly done by the inmates themselves. Sunday Vanguard gathered that the inmates made their escape around 7:15 am by scaling the prison fence after first breaking through the inner wall of the facility. How that was possible remained a question yet to be answered by the prisons authorities  as the  Koton/Karfe prison was  rebuilt and ‘fortified’ after the old one, built in 1914, was broken into 4 times in two years. However, a security source hinted: “It is as if someone in the prison did not do his/her job well and the prisoners took advantage of that to make good their escape”. The source said the negligence of the person may be ‘intentional’ and hoped that the prison's authorities will probe the break to forestall futu

A source has revealed that at least 114 suspected Niger Delta militants are feared killed and scores of others wounded in attacks on their camps in Ogun and Lagos states. The Nigerian army, Air Force and Navy, commenced the bombardment on July 28 under the operation “Crocodile Laugh” in readiness for a showdown with militants in the Niger Delta. Brig Gen Rabe Abubakar, director of the defence information, confirmed the operation. A Punch reporter said he counted at least eight missiles fired by a fighter jet, which flew across the creek at intervals. Another airplane was also seen hovering around the area for recon. Residents, who were informed about the operation, ran for their lives due to the ground-shaking effects of the missiles. One of the locals who was on the road when the shots were fired said the July 30 attack was more intense than previous air raids. She said, “The air raid started on Thursday evening. It was just a missile that was released, but the effect