ISIL reportedly kills 21 Egyptian hostages in Libya

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has released a video purporting to show the killing of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians kidnapped in Libya. The footage released on Sunday appeared to show 21 handcuffed hostages dressed in orange jump suits being beheaded. The video, titled “A message signed with blood to the nation of the cross”, says the killings were directed at “the hostile Egyptian Church”. The group said the killings were revenge for “Muslim women persecuted by Coptic crusaders in Egypt”. There was no immediate comment from the Egyptian government. In January, ISIL’s branch in Libya, claimed it had abducted 21 Christians in two separate operations in Sirte.

Police kill two Boko Haram fighters in Kano

The Police in Kano on Sunday confirmed the killing of two gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members in the Kibiya Local Government Area of the state, the News Agency of Nigeria reports. The Kano State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Magaji Majiya, confirmed the incident in an interview with the NAN. Majiya said the incident occurred on Saturday around 5.30 p.m. when six gunmen stormed the police station on two motorcycles but that the police repelled the attack. He said one of the gunmen was killed during an exchange of fire while the other was lynched by the community while trying to escape. He said two of the gunmen were also arrested and were now assisting the police in their investigation. “No policeman was killed or injured during the incident,’’ he said. Majiya said the gunmen had also abandoned one of their motorcycles before fleeing the area. He said security had since been beefed up in the area, adding that neighbouring states had been alerted in order to arrest the fleeing hoodlums. Meanwhile, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Wilson Inalegwu, has ordered investigation into a shootout between policemen in the command and suspected criminals at Kubwa, a suburb of the Abuja Federal Capital. A statement by the command’s spokesman, Anjuguri Manzah, on Sunday, said the incident occurred at Arab Road junction on Friday during a confrontation between the policemen and the suspects. NAN reported on Sunday that 100 persons had been arrested in connection with the incident. “The confrontation which led to a shootout severely disorganised the criminal gang and inflicted bullet wounds on some of them,” Manzah said, quoting the CP as assuring the people of the territory of adequate security and urged them to remain calm. In another development, the Zone 2 Police Command in Lagos on Sunday declared 10 suspected bankers wanted over alleged N125.1m scam. Investigation conducted by the NAN revealed that the names and photographs of the suspects were already pasted on the command’s notice board. The command’s spokesman, Gbenga Adeoye, who confirmed this, said it was normal for the police to declare wanted anybody suspected of crime. “It is normal for the police to declare wanted anybody who refused to make himself available after committing crimes such as fraud, jump bail or murder. “When we declare anybody wanted, the photograph, names and contact address of the suspected fellow will be pasted in the police formation for easy identification of his or her arrest,” Adeoye said. The police spokesperson said the suspects, now at large, were being investigated over alleged forgery and obtaining money by false pretence. “A warrant of arrest has been duly obtained from a Magistrate’s Court in Lagos state against the suspected fraudsters. It was learnt that the suspects conspired with others to obtain financial facilities of N15,055,541; N10,894,478 and N24,597,628. Other amounts were N9,983,195; N11,114,992; N12,231,958; N8,663,833; N10,827,561; N5,657,937 and N15,054,383, respectively, from an unnamed bank. The wanted bankers’ ages ranged between 34 and 48.

You are not God, Jonathan campaigners tell Obasanjo

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation has told former President Olusegun Obasanjo to stop playing God over his numerous criticisms of President Goodluck Jonathan. The organsiation was reacting to the claim by Obasanjo that President Jonathan was planning to perpetuate himself in office. Apart from this, the former President also accused Jonathan of planning to cause chaos if he lost the March 28 presidential election. But the Director of Media and Publicity of the organsiation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, debunked the allegations, saying the former President under whom he served as Minister of Aviation and Special Assistant on Public Communication, was trying to play God. Fani-Kayode, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja on Sunday, accused his former boss of trying in vain to control President Jonathan. He said the problem between the two members of the ruling party had nothing to do with Nigeria, and called on the former President to leave Nigeria out of the issues between him and the President. He said, “The bottom line is this: President Obasanjo’s grouse with President Jonathan is personal and it has nothing to do with Nigeria. “He should leave Nigeria out of it and let us all be. If he has a personal score to settle with Jonathan he should not do so at the expense of the peace and stability of Nigeria. “If he wants to stop Jonathan then let him attempt to do so through the democratic process and through the ballot box and not through foul and unconstitutional means. “We said it before and we will say it again: gone are the days that any President can be tele-guided and controlled because we have all come of age. “We continue to hold President Obasanjo in high esteem but his recent actions and utterances are beyond the pale. He has been unfair to Jonathan, to Nigeria and even to himself. “Most importantly the days of intimidating others with his harsh words and overbearing influence are long over. Obasanjo is not God. “Only God is God and He alone determines the fortunes of men and the destiny of nations.” Fani-Kayode said that after Jonathan came to power, Obasanjo did not only try to control and tele-guide the President, but he also asked him to do a number of things that he said were simply wrong and unacceptable. Asked to tell Nigerians those issues, he refused. He merely said that the President would speak on the matter anytime he likes.

Security operatives surround APC campaign spokesman’s residence

A combined team of security operatives have surrounded the residence of the Director of Media of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organization, Mallam Garba Shehu. The operatives who were armed to the teeth, took positions around the house located at area 11, Garki Abuja, as early as 5:35am on Thursday morning. One of Shehu’s colleagues at the Atiku Media 0ffice, who pleaded anonymity, called The PUNCH at about 6am. He said, “Security men have surrounded the residence of our director, Mallam Garba Shehu in Area 11. They came in several vehicles. I cannot make out which of the security services because it is still dark here. “None of them has said anything about why they are laying siege at his house.” It was gathered that the security operatives were miffed by the audacity of the APC campaign. The APC campaign which Garba heads, organised a prime time interview for Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) on CNN. It was aired minutes after President Goodluck Jonathan held a media chat on national television. Analysts say the CNN interview gave Buhari the advantage of responding to some of the allegations against him as well as some of the issues raised by Jonathan. Some of the issues include the shift in the 2015 elections, the Boko Haram insurgency and the anti-corruption fight. Garba could not be reached for comments as of the time of filing this report.

Soldiers invade Sambisa Forest

The military has commenced an operation in Sambisa Forest in Borno State to flush out Boko Haram insurgents. The forest is widely believed to host some of the training camps and facilities of Boko Haram in the North-East. It was learnt that the military high command decided to invade the vast forest in order to make the North-West safe for the general elections. A reliable source in the Army told one of our correspondents in Abuja that Air Force jets started the raid on Monday. He added that surveillance activities and raids were also ongoing as of the time he spoke on Wednesday. The source, who did not want his name in print because he was not authorised to speak on the development, said that massive ground operation would follow the aerial operations . He said, “The military started an operation in the Sambisa Forest on Monday. For now, there are no specific cases of arrest; we don’t have that information now. The Air Force has been operating in the area since Monday. It is after that that the ground troops who are on red alert would be moved in.” Also, a source close to an office strategic to the operations said that a lot of activities were going on simultaneously in the forest and other parts of the North-East believed to host Boko Haram camps. He explained that the military was combing the forest because of intelligence reports that some of the insurgents who were dislodged from some communities in the North- East were moving back to the forest. The Director, Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, could not be reached for comments on the raids as calls to his mobile did not connect. Meanwhile, 800 children from areas affected by insurgency in Adamawa State are currently undergoing psychotherapy in the state. Executive Chairman of the state Universal Basic Education, Bello Furo, who made this known explained that the psychotherapy was to minimise the trauma faced by the children whose parents were either gunned down or slaughtered by Boko Haram insurgents. He said, “The process will take some time because most of the parents were slaughtered before their children. “Right now, they do not have anybody to cater for them; they lost their parents as a result of the insurgency.” Also in the state on Wednesday, the wife of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Aisha Buhari donated drugs worth N135m to Internally Displaced Persons in Damare. Aisha, who said that it was unfortunate that the IDPs were refugees in their own country, showed sympathy and asked them to be steadfast in their prayers for peace to return to the country, especially the North-East. Meanwhile, Boko Haram fighters attacked Chadian army positions in Gamboru, Borno State on Wednesday but were beaten back. The Chadian troops are in Gamboru as part of a regional offensive against the islamist sect, which had staged several cross-border attacks over the past week. “We knew they were going to attack us. We were waiting. The battle didn’t last long. They fled,” a Chadian soldier said. He said that eight of his colleaques were wounded while three Boko Haram vehicles were destroyed and one seized. The Chadian Army later said in a statement that 13 Boko Haram fighters and a soldier lost their lives during the attack. Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up on Wednesday in Diffa, Niger Republic, a day after mortars and machine-gun shots were heard in N’Guigmi on the country’s border with Nigeria. The town lies near Lake Chad, around 100 kilometres east of Diffa.

I will hand over if I lose, says President Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday cleared the air on alleged plans to prolong his tenure, saying if the result of the March 28 presidential election does not favour him, he will hand over to whoever that wins. Jonathan, in a live media chat apparently organised to douse the tension generated by the postponement of the general elections, spoke among others, the alleged plot to sack the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, insurgency and corruption. Before and after the polls were shifted from February 14 and 28 to March 28 and April 11, there were rumours that the President and the Peoples Democratic Party were nursing a sinister plot not to hand over power. The rumours were further fuelled by statements credited to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo in far away Nairobi, Kenya. Obasanjo was quoted as saying, “I sincerely hope that the President is not going for broke and saying ‘look dammit, it’s either I have it or nobody has it.” But Jonathan told a panel of interviewers that he was not desperate to remain in power. He said such “insinuations and wrong information” were meant to discredit him by his political opponents. He said, “Let me assure Nigerians that a new government will be formed on May 29.They should not be perturbed about rumours that we are planning to send Jega on a terminal leave and other rubbish that is being circulated. “In 2011, I said I will conduct a free and fair election and that if I lose, I will happily move on and that it should be recorded. “Then I just concluded the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s tenure. I said I will be happy to go if I lose. I said this nation is more important than anybody. Anyone who wants to hold the office of President and feels he is more important than the nation is not right. “So if as of 2011, I made a commitment that if I lose I will go, it should tell you more about my stand on free and fair elections. “But now, Nigerians have given me the opportunity to be here for four good years and so if the elections are conducted and I lose, of course, we will inaugurate a new government. “The rumour that I will not hand over or that I am scheming to prolong my tenure are insinuations; they are not true. Those are insinuations; it is quite unfortunate that so much wrong information is floating in the system.” Jonathan faulted the claim by Jega that INEC was ready for the elections. He said the information given to him by security chiefs was that poor distribution of Permanent Voter Cards could have caused a security challenge in the country. He, however, said he would not sack Jega. Jonathan said, “During the Council of State meeting, the issue of security was emphasised and there is no way security chiefs would have disclosed all the details to everybody but they disclosed some things to me which they did not mention to others. “There are two aspects to the issue of insecurity. The first is Boko Haram and the second is the threat factor in the country. “When INEC picked the dates for elections, the threat level was not high until we started the campaign. So, it was important for the security chiefs to review the security architecture otherwise the country would have gone up in flames. “In election, a lot of problems are involved. When the issue of PVC was being branded as a problem, INEC, from what Jega mentioned that day, clearly was not ready for the elections. They said they were ready but they were not. “The day we held that meeting that led to this adjustment of dates, in Lagos for example, only about 38 per cent of registered voters had their PVCs. That means if we conduct elections in Lagos, 62 per cent of voters not would not have been able to vote. “Don’t you think there are security implications in that? “Some other states had slightly above 30 per cent collection while some had 50 per cent and there were some states that had 60 to 70 per cent. The security agencies highlighted the security implications of this but ordinary people might not see it that way.” -Boko Haram- On the insurgency in the North-East, Jonathan said he was confident that within the six weeks, the international forces would have been able to regain the 14 local government areas occupied by insurgents. He however noted that Boko Haram could not be completely crushed within six weeks but maintained that the security situation would be such that elections would hold in the troubled areas without problems. He said, “In 2011, when the elections were conducted, we had Boko Haram. Boko Haram started before 2007 but became a major problem when their leader was killed in 2009. Nobody is saying we must wipe out Boko Haram completely before conducting elections. “We said that security wise, there are certain things that they need so that they can consolidate on the security architecture; so that we can conduct elections but in the next six weeks, security advancements will be made but we cannot say we will wipe out Boko Haram. At best we can only regain territories. “When they started, they were not taking over territories; they were going to markets and using suicide bombers. Elections will hold and I don’t see why we should continue to doubt the inauguration of next President in May.” -Chibok girls- Jonathan also berated those criticising him for failing to rescue the Chibok girls who were abducted by terrorists in April last year. He said he was confident that most of the girls would be rescued soon. The President said, “I believe now that we are working with Chad and Cameroon, in the next few weeks, the story of the Chibok girls will change. It’s going to get better. “I believe we should be able to rescue some of them. But I don’t want to be quoted, I don’t want you to say the President said so, that in two weeks time or in four weeks time, I cannot say that because the diapperance of those girls has taken quite some time. “But we have mapped out strategies, we are working with our neighbours and we will comb all the areas. So, just give us sometime.” The President denied that he went partying when the girls were kidnapped, saying people only tried to play politics with the matter. The President said, “People are playing politics with Chibok girls and it is very unfortunate. That is one of the problems that we have in Nigeria. In other countries, when there is an issue of terror, political boundaries collapse and people work together. “The interest of the country is paramount but in this case when we have terror, then Nigerians believe it is better to go to the United States or the United Kingdom or France and appear on television to celebrate themselves. Is that how we will bring back those girls? “Let us face facts. When there was 9/11 in the US, how many Americans went round the world criticising their government? Is it by carrying flags and singing around the world that we will bring those girls back? I expected that those with international connections would help the country and not the other way round.” The President debunked the report that the Federal Government was swindled when Boko Haram sect announced a ceasefire last year. Jonathan admitted that there was no ongoing talks with the sect as of now because its leaders had remained faceless. -Corruption/stealing- The President corrected the statement credited to him that stealing is not corruption. He said he only quoted a statement by a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapha, during a meeting he held with stakeholders on how to fight corruption. Jonathan insisted that many social vices were being wrongly referred to as corruption. He cited an example that people could be easily isolated or lynched if they were called thieves rather than being referred to as being corrupt. Attacks on his convoy Jonathan decried the various attacks on his convoy during his campaigns in the northern part of the country. He said it was a treasonable offence to attack a sitting President in that manner. Jonathan said he saw those who attacked his convoy and that they were mainly young people who were probably instigated. Campaign funding Asked if he was bothered by the large amount of money spent during campaigns as against the stipulations of the electoral law, the President said pressures from the supporters of party candidates had risen beyond control. He, however, said funds being raised by the PDP were meant for the building of the PDP secretariat, adding that the N21bn raised for his campaign was “mere pledges, some of which have not been redeemed.”

PDP accuses Jega of meeting APC leaders in Dubai

The Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday raised fresh allegations aiming at discrediting the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, over the conduct of the elections. At a crowded press conference in Abuja, the Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, alleged that Jega had meetings with some unnamed leaders of the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. But the commission said it was not in its character to join issues with political parties. The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of the commission, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said this when contacted to react to the allegation. Idowu said, “INEC doesn’t join issues with political parties, because the commission is a dispassionate umpire.” However, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, dismissed the allegation as utter nonsense and irritable. Speaking in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Wednesday, Mohammed said, “I’m in Abuja with some of our leaders. Baba Bisi Akande is here, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is here, former Governor Kayode Fayemi is here. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is in Lagos. “No leader of the APC is outside the country. So, tell me who is Jega meeting? Is it members of our NEC? Not one of our leaders is outside the country. This people are paranoid. We are preparing for our NEC meeting. We have some of our governors here. The PDP is paranoid.” But Fani-Kayode also alleged that the meeting was aimed at making sure that those who had yet to get the Permanent Voter Cards were denied the opportunity of receiving them. The former Minister of Aviation put the number of those voters at 23 million. Fani-Kayode added that the commission was scheming out voters in states and areas where he said supporters of the ruling party were. Besides, he alleged that the PVCs were still at China and had yet to be imported to Nigeria. He said, “Pieces of information at our disposal have shown that Jega has had meetings with the APC stalwarts in Dubai and other cities in the world to perfect this wanton conspiracy against 23 million eligible voters. “Besides, we have information that the PVCs that Nigerians are scrambling for are not in Nigeria and will not arrive before the elections. “These PVCs are still in China and Jega has strategically delayed their arrival to suit his electioneering permutations.” Asked to provide proof about the alleged Dubai meeting, Fani-Kayode refused. Fani-Kayode however said that Jega must also show Nigerians proof that the Chinese company printing the PVCs had been paid in full by disclosing the total contract sum and the amount paid to date. He also demanded that Jega should show proof of arrival or expected date of arrival of all PVCs for the elections and that he should equally tell Nigerians how he could have distributed 23 million PVCs within five days to election if there hadn’t been postponement. He said it was wrong for the commission to have claimed that the election was shifted due to insecurity, adding that the electoral body was not fully ready for the election. “The matter is that INEC has failed in its responsibility to produce and distribute PVCs to about 34 per cent of registered voters who would require the cards to vote in the elections. “This brings us to the issue of statistics of PVC distribution and collection which we believe Jega, as a person acting in concert with some forces of retrogression, is playing games with. “We express our concerns today that Jega may have decided to aid the APC to rig the forthcoming elections through the manipulation of the production, distribution and collection of PVCs, such that emerging trends have consistently shown calculated attempts to deprive parts of the country that would traditionally vote for President Jonathan of their PVCs.”

ARE YOU ALL SAYING "NO" TO GOODLUCK AND "YES" TO BUHARI?

Obasanjo/Atiku had 8 years but couldn’t fix power!!! Fashola and Tinubu had 16years in lagos they couldnt fix all the roads in lagos and couldn't give lagosians portable water to mention few. GEJ has spent 5years + as President of over 170m people and they want him to overnight turn Nigeria into a paradise. They call him names,Clueless, Foolish, some even said he is stupid e.t.c. But... (1) He built 150 almajiri schools. …Yet Goodluck is bad. (2) He revived railway that was comatose for over 28yrs. Lagos- Kano route,Lagos-Southern Ogun air condition train route,Ajaokuta-Warri standard gauge route, PH-Enugu airconditioned train route, PH Maiduguri train route, Kaduna intra- city train routes,Makurdi-PH airconditioned train route, Abuja- Kaduna standard guage route. Work on Lagos-Ibadan standard guage route ongoing. And about to kickstart Lagos-Calabar coastal railway route. Yet Goodluck is bad. (3) He established 12 federal universities.Yet Goodluck is bad. Massive road reconstruction across the country (25000km). Benin- Ore road, Abuja-Lokoja expressway, Enugu-Abakaliki, Onitsha- Owerri road, Kaduna-Maiduguri road, East-West road, Parts of PH- Enugu road &Lagos-Ibadan 8-lane road ongoing. Yet Goodluck is bad. (4 ) Construction of 2nd Niger Bridge is ongoing..Yet Goodluck is bad. ( 5) He dredged River Niger..Yet Goodluck is bad. (6) Improved power supply from 2500mw to 6000mw and implanted 10 new power plants..Yet Goodluck is bad. ( 7) He revived the automobile industry with the new automobile policy spurring Nissan&Hyundai e.t.c to assemble/produce cars in Nigeria and the emergence of Indigenous automobile company the INNOSON group now producing locally made in Nigeria cars, SUVs and trucks known as the IVM motors First in the history of Nigeria, She joined the commodity of car manufacturing countries..Yet Goodluck is bad. (8) He remodeled airports to international standard,built five new airport term Sorry no vex. Continue Reading. U re almost there: Finally. (9) GEJ approved 2,564 vehicles for police for free and fair elections and some bad eggs still complain that he is not working. WE HAVE A DREAM THAT ONE DAY NIGERIANS WILL BE JUDGED NOT BY THE DIALECT THEY SPEAK BUT BY THE CONTENT OF THEIR CHARACTER. We hereby challenge anybody to bring forward the achievements of Buhari, Babangida, Abacha and Obasanjo. GOD BLESS NIGERIA AND PUNISH THE ENEMIES OF NIGERIA. VOTE GOODLUCK, VOTE PDP ,VOTE GOOD FUTURE OF YOURSELF, MYSELF AND OURSELVES...... we can't be fooled..The Devil you know is better than the Angel in Disguise.

NIGERIA POLITICS: APC VERSUS PDP- "Who is fooling who?"

The APC has been consistent in saying that the PDP has ruled Nigeria for 16 disastrous years in which corruption, impunity, insurgency, armed robbery and several ills of society held sway, but at a very close look at the APC, I am seeing Amaechi - 8yrs speaker under PDP; 7yrs governor under PDP, Atiku - 8yrs Vice president under PDP, Akume - 8yrs governor under PDP, Bukola Saraki - 8yrs governor; 2yrs Senator under PDP, Timipre Sylva -4yrs governor under PDP, Audu Ogbe - 2yrs chairman of PDP, Aminu Masari - 4yrs Reps speaker under PDP, Chris Ngige - 3yrs governor under PDP, Kwankwaso - 7yrs governor,3yrs Defense minister under PDP, El rufai - 4yrs FCT minister, 2yrs BPE chairman under PDP ...and to cap it all they went to OBJ begging, a man who spent 8 of the disastrous 16yrs as the maximum ruler of Nigeria to come and lead them on a rescue mission. It is now clearer that APC is a waste basket of the PDP, where the people who created and perpetuated the " 16 Disastrous years" are now dumped.

MY LIFE,MY STRUGGLES AND MY DESTINATION BROUGHT ME HUMILITY

I have seen it all and I've done it all, This wasn't what I want from the beginning, Though I'm getting to my destination after my fall, I have built my courage for I'm starting from the beginning; For how long will it take me to be there, OH! my great destination, I have struggled to rise after my several falls, But now I'm in the mood of celebration, Yes! Because I have rebuilt my fallen walls. Oh life! I have seen you...I have battled through you, Life I have done a lot...I have struggled through you, And now all I see is victory over my calamity, Life itself has given me humility.