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The Police in Enugu State said they had nabbed nine suspected rapists, specialized in raping female members of a church at the outskirts of Enugu. The Spokesman of the command, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, a Superintendent of Police, disclosed this in a statement in Enugu on Sunday. Amaraizu said that the arrest was made possible by a “well-co-ordinated intelligence information’’. He said that policemen in Ozalla arrested the suspects during a night vigil in a church located at Akpasha community in Nkanu West Local Government Area. He said that the suspects were rounded up at about 2 a.m. on Saturday. Amaraizu said that the suspects often pretended to be worshippers in the church and would take advantage of any female worshipper going out to answer nature’s call “and wreck the havoc.”

Nigeria's Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has urged military officers to support the Federal Government's effort in the war against Boko Haram insurgency and other emerging security challenges confronting the nation. Vice President Osinbajo spoke on Saturday during the passing out parade of military cadets of the 64 Regular Course and Direct Short Service Course 44 at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), in Kaduna. He was the reviewing officer of the parade said the new military officers must defeat the ideologies that promote mindless killings and anarchy, adding that Nigeria is confronted by enemies whose identities and motivations are unknown. Addressing the new officers, Osinbajo, said technology has advanced to the stage whereby people can now learn production of explosive devices on the internet, hence he urged the military to be more proactive in defeating ideologies that promote mindless killings and anarchy.

Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to summon a Council of State meeting to advise him on the crisis in the South-East. The Council of State is an advisory body which comprises former Presidents, serving governors, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and a few other prominent Nigerians. The former President said in a Facebook post that the tension across the country was unfortunate even as he condemned the burning of a police station by the Indigenous People of Biafra members. He also condemned the threat to human life by several elements across Nigeria. Jonathan said, “The reports I have received about recent developments in the country lead me to appeal to all men of good will to use whatever influence they have to push for peaceful coexistence and restraint on all sides.

As much as she has been rumoured to have had one or two things with singers, Adekunle Gold and Falz at some point, popular singer, Simi, has said Nigerian men “are not romantic.” She said, “I don’t believe Nigerian men are romantic. I think Nigerian men do not think they have to be romantic... I think the problem is because a lot of Nigerian men feel self-entitled and I blame our culture and our mothers." Simi said that she was once watching a Nigerian movie where an unfaithful Nigerian man left his wife for another woman. She said, "At the end of the day, the other woman left him and he retraced his steps to his initial wife. The lady’s mother actually told her to kneel in front of the man and that bothered me a lot even though I knew it was a movie. That is the way things are."

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to dialogue with the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, to curb the secessionist agitations instead of the deployment of soldiers to the South-East. Obasanjo said this during an interview with Newsweek Magazine. Ironically, Kanu, had in the past called Obasanjo an “evil man”. The former President said, “I don’t see anything wrong in that (Buhari meeting with Kanu). I would not object to that; if anything, I would encourage it. He said, “I would want to meet Kanu myself and talk to people like him, people of his age, (and ask) ‘What are your worries?’ Not only from the South-East but from all parts of Nigeria. Obasanjo, who led the final offensive that brought the civil war to an end in 1970, said he had seen too many wars and it was time for Nigeria to move on.

The bodies of at least 33 people, some children, have been recovered after an overloaded boat capsized in the Niger River in north-western Nigeria. Emergency officials say they managed to rescue 84 people on board, but another 30 of the total 150 passengers remained unaccounted for. The accident happened on Wednesday morning in the remote area of Lolo village, in Nigeria's Kebbi state, but details only first started emerging on Friday. The boat had been carrying traders across the border from Gaya, in the Dosso region of Niger. They were planning to attend a village market in Nigeria. A co-ordinator for Nigeria's National Emergency Management (NEMA), Suleiman Mohammed Karim, told AFP news agency that the boat had a capacity of 70 passengers but survivors said 150 people plus their goods were on board. Referring to the remaining missing, he said: "Having spent two days on the water, we presume they are all dead."

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has appealed to Nigerians to live in peace with one another for the unity of the country. “I am calling on all Nigerians to imbibe and embrace the culture and spirit of living in peace, irrespective of tribal, ethnic or regional differences.” Alhaji Abubakar made the plea in a statement in Sokoto yesterday. He said Nigeria would continue to remain one nation with a common goal of purposeful development. Alhaji Abubakar said the action of some should not be allowed to tear the country apart, adding that bad ones should be called to order by their elders and community leaders.He challenged elder statesmen to call the youth to order and educate them on the need for peaceful coexistence in their respective geo-political zones.

They called on the leaders of IPOB and all other aggrieved groups to articulate their position on all national issues and submit to the committee of governors, Ohaneze Ndigbo, and the members of the National Assembly from the zone through the Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum. The governors of the five South-East states took the decision during a five-hour closed-door meeting at the Government House in Enugu, which was attended by the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo John Nwodo, and the General Officer Commanding 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Lt-Gen, Adamu Abubakar. Among the resolutions made during the meeting is an appeal to the President to withdraw the military in the South East at the moment.

Efforts by the Ayodele Fayose-led administration in Ekiti State to reposition the education sector have again yielded positive results as the state retained her first position in the National Examinations Council secondary leaving examinations conducted by the body for 2017. The good news was broken in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday by the State Governor, Chief Ayodele Fayose while meeting with retirees at the Government House, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi. Recall that the state came first in the same examinations in 2016 among the 36 states in the country. Also, going by available data, the state is set to also improve significantly in her position in the West African Examinations Council. “Our efforts in the education sector are yielding positive results, we have retained our first and leading position in this year’s NECO examinations. Last year we came first and we have done it again. ” I am promising the people of the state t...

The Nigerian Army has described, as untrue, media reports saying it has decided to withdraw troops from Exercise Egwu Eke II (Python Dance II) across the five states of the South-East. The reports, it said, falsely quoted the Abia State governor, Mr. Okezie Ikpeazu, and the General Officer Commanding 82 Division Nigerian Army as having provided the information on which they were based. In a statement signed by Brigadier-General SK Usman, the Army called on the general public to treat the reports as an unfounded rumour. "For the avoidance of doubt, the Abia State Governor in his speech stated that 'there will be a gradual withdrawal of soldiers on the streets of Aba and Umuahia from tomorrow'. This should not be misconstrued as withdrawing of troops earmarked for Exercise Egwu Eke II. The General Officer Commanding 82 Division has not said such thing," explained the Army.

30 Killed💐 in 🌇Lagos-Ibadan 🛣Highway Crash 💥 An auto accident on the Lagos-Ibadan highway has claimed 30 lives on Thursday night. Spokesman for the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr Bisi Kazeem, confirmed the incident to newsmen in Abuja on Friday. Kazeem said the accident occurred at about 8 pm at Km 95 around the Elebolo Quary Area on the Ibadan axis of the road. According to him, 10 other persons were injured in the crash involving 40 persons and two Mazda buses. “The crash occurred at a construction site, and it resulted from route and speed violations. Rescue operations by the FRSC officials, who arrived at the scene minutes after the incident, ended at 2:42 am on Friday. The corpses were deposited at Adeoyo Yemetu Hospital mortuary, Ibadan. The injured were taken to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and Adeoyo Yemetu Hospital, he added.

At least one person has been reported killed during the inauguration of the Acting Chairman of the Bayelsa State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. This follows the violence that erupted at the venue of the event as many supporters of the party gathered for the commencement of the ceremony. Hoodlums allegedly loyal to the expelled party chairman in the state were said to have invaded the venue firing gunshots to scare the people away.

We’ll get back to govt within a week — ASUU President ASUU’ll call off strike next week, we’ll release N53bn — FG ABUJA— The meeting held between the Federal Government  and Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, yesterday, to resolve the ongoing strike embarked upon the union ended in a deadlock. President Muhammadu Buhari and ASUU President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi Both parties, however, agreed to reconvene within a week to continue the negotiations. While Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, and his counterpart in Education, Adamu Adamu, represented the Federal Government, ASUU president, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, led the union’s team. Vanguard  investigation revealed that the government made some offers during the less than one hour meeting, which both sides refused to disclose to the media. It was learned that the offers were, however, acceptable to the union leaders. Briefing newsmen shortly after the ...

The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday, said the Federal Government has drawn the line on hate speech. He described hate speech as a species of terrorism. Osinbajo disclosed this while speaking at an ongoing security summit organised by the National Economic Council holding at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 as amended defines terrorism as an act deliberately done with malice which may seriously harm a country or is intended or can be reasonably regarded as having been done to seriously intimidate a population. The Acting President said, “Silence in such situations can only be seen as an endorsement. “Hate speech and the promotion of the same through history from Nazi Germany and the extermination of Jews to the Rwandan genocide succeeded in achieving their barbarous ends by the silence of influential voices," he said.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, on Monday declared a nationwide indefinite strike.  Some schools have complied with the order while some are yet to. Here are the schools who aren't on strike: Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU says it will not join the strike.University of Ilorin, UNILORIN says it will not join the strike.UNILAG. Authorities at the University of Lagos to comply from Wednesday.LASU. The Lagos State University is currently on a lecture-free week pending examinations. Authorities say they'll comply as soon as possible.University of Benin, UNIBEN. To join strike on WednesdayAmbrose Ali University, AAU. To join strike on WednesdayUniversity of Abuja, UNIABUJA. To join on Wednesday.Ebonyi State University (EBSU) said it will hold a congress to decide whether to comply or not.Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. To make a decision on Wednesday.