Gay men attacked in Cote d’Ivoire for sympathizing with Orlando victims

Six gay men were attacked in Cote d’Ivoire and forced to flee their homes after they were pictured signing a condolence book for the victims of the recent attack at a gay night club in Orlando, Florida early this month. The U.S. embassy in the country had hosted an event a fortnight ago to honor the Florida victims and published a photo of the six men on its website with the caption: ‘LGBT community signing the condolence book’.

Days after the tribute, one of the men in the photo was attacked by a mob in his neighbourhood. Another man in the picture was also attacked after the photo was circulated on Facebook and other websites. The others were verbally abused. All six of them have fled their homes for fear of further attack on them.

Nollywood Filmmaker and Director Caesar Oruade and wife welcome a set of twins

Nollywood filmmaker and Director with Jeta Amata Concept Caesar Oruade and wife welcomed a set of twins on June 28. The new father shared the photo on his Instagram page with the caption:

"With so much Joy in my heart, I want to welcome our heir and hero to planet earth, How wonderful you are O God Jehovah. You blessed me with Ayana Saunders and blessed us with our little royals. With love and praises to God of the Universe we say welcome Emperor and Empress! Your rule begins now."

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FG Investigates, Clears Buratai over his Dubai Assets

The FG has reportedly investigated and cleared the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai over his assets and military acquisitions, which has been in the news for some days now...

Last week, Sahara Reporters reported that the Army chief and his two wives used money meant for purchase of arms to buy properties in Dubai immediately after he came into office. The Army in response said Buratai and his wives had bought the properties using money from his life savings (Read here).


PRNigeria, the military under-cover media machinery, released a statement yesterday June 28th, saying the Federal government has cleared him of any wrong doing. According to the statement, the purchase of the buildings was made based on capital market principles of shareholding, meaning he had shares in companies that bought the buildings in question and does not own it completely.

The statement also adds that Buratai is into a successful merchandised farming.

The statement in part reads

"The government, after investigating a recent media report over the acquisition of properties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) by General Buratai, discovered that he and his wives invested as “shareholders” like many other persons in the properties mentioned in the publications and were not the sole owners. If you know the properties being referred to, you would know that they are like quoted companies. You buy into them and get dividends as profit from your investments. You can also do your own private findings on this fact”, a competent source told PRNigeria. An intelligence military officer involved in the investigation also confirmed that apart from declaring the assets as required by law, “the Dubai property is real estate investment tailored to operate on capital market principles of shares for dividends and profits as proceeds from investment rather than total ownership of the property.” The source further disclosed that Lt. Gen. Buratai had been into farming since he was a major. “The large scale farm produces grains, cassavas, millets and also has fish pond apart from variety of animal and reptile that provides specialised nutrients and medicament for different clients. The 1999 Constitution (as amended) under Fifth Schedule Part 1- permits a public officer to engage in farming,” the officer said. While Defence Minister, Muhammad Mansur Dan-Ali has come out publicly to disclose that the Army Chief did not hide the properties, as he declared them on more than one occasion to both the Nigerian Army and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), other investigations further buttressed the transparency in all the deals. PRNigeria gathered that Lt-Gen. Buratai had declared his assets as Commander of the Multi-National Joint Task Force and as Chief of Army Staff to the Code of Conduct Bureau where all the assets were disclosed. It was also gathered that his two wives have been operating a quasi-micro finance social intervention scheme called ‘Sana’armu’ which means “our collective enterprise,” where they earn profits from soft-loan businesses that also help budding entrepreneurs to start their businesses. While it was discovered that General Buratai did not operate any Skye Bank account as alleged in the recent media report, the special rugged vehicles that were procured for counter-insurgency campaigns were found to be brand new. The officer said: “The rugged buffalo vehicles are not only brand new but they are 2014 model that were imported from Libya rather than from Niger as alleged.” While there are suspicions that some officers affected in recent changes may be involved in the smear campaign against COAS, PRNigeria was reliably told that General Buratai has been more focused on the war on terror campaigns than engaging in the politics of witch-hunting anyone. The officer said that “General Buratai has taken personal efforts to ensure that innocent officers are not unduly sanctioned and had suggested retirement rather than dismissal on some of the offences to protect the image of the military. “In fact that was the reason he always guards against disclosure of the identities of affected officers to avoid stigmatisation. Even though many officers and friends are disturbed about recent campaigns against him, General Buratai has remained calm leaving everything to God,” the source added.

UPDATED: Supreme Court says Senate President, Bukola Saraki, must face corruption trial

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by the senate president, Bukola Saraki, against his trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged corruption.
The court upheld an earlier decision given by the Court of Appeal, asking Mr. Saraki to face trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
Mr. Saraki is facing a 13-count charge of alleged false declaration of assets.
The Code of Conduct Bureau says the senate president lied about his assets, and maintained a foreign account, when he was governor of Kwara State.
Mr. Saraki said the charges were politically motivated, and challenged the powers and composition of the Code of Conduct Tribunal to hear the case.
He asked the Court of Appeal to determine whether or not the tribunal was right in issuing a bench warrant against him, and asked the court to explain if any other person, other than the Attorney General of the Federation, could file criminal charges against him.
Overall, Mr. Saraki asked the Court of Appeal to nullify the decisions of the Code of Conduct Tribunal for allegedly violating the decision of the high court.
On October 30, 2015, the appeal court dismissed Mr. Saraki’s objection to the trial, affirming the powers of the tribunal to hear the charges against the senate president.

Mr. Saraki appealed to the Supreme Court on November 4, 2015.
But in its ruling Friday, the Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal, and dismissed the appeal in its entirety.
A six-member panel of judges, led by Justice Walter Onoghen, said under the 1999 Constitution, the Code of Conduct Tribunal could validly sit with only its chairman and one member.
The court also ruled that the tribunal was right in issuing a bench warrant against Mr. Saraki, stressing that the constitution provides the tribunal with a “quasi” criminal jurisdiction.
The court also held that the office of the Attorney General is, as the name implies, an office, which should not seize to function in the absence of the attorney general.

Fayose threatens to expose those who funded his election

The Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, has threatened to name those who financed his governorship election in 2014 if they fail to stand up to the harassment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
In a statement in response to EFCC’s allegation that he benefited from the illegal largesse from the office of the National Security Adviser under Sambo Dasuki, Mr. Fayose, on Wednesday, gave indications as to the sources of finances for his election.
According to him, Zenith Bank Plc largely funded his election, along with friends and associates who donated to his campaign.
The EFCC, in justifying its restriction on the account of the governor, said it had traced funds from the office of the NSA to the accounts of Mr. Fayose and, Musiliu Obanikoro, who is a former Minister of State for Defence.
The commission said the funds, amounting to about N4.7billion, was moved from accounts operated by two of Mr. Obanikoro’s sons where it was transferred to Mr. Fayose’s Zenith Bank account.
But the governor denied the allegation, saying he had no link with monies from the NSA’s office for which Mr. Dasuki and other leaders in the last PDP government are currently facing trial.
“I wish to state further that if it becomes evidently clear that those who willingly provided money for my election can no longer stand by what they did, may be because of threat from the EFCC, I will not hesitate to name names,” he said.
The governor also hinted that the bank only last week collected the identity card of Abiodun Agbele, the holder of the account through which it funded his campaign, in desperation to perfect the account apparently after submitting to the harassment of the EFCC.

“I must say it categorically that I don’t have any link financially with Obanikoro and I know as a fact that he (Obanikoro) has not; and cannot mention my name, as beneficiary of whatever money any company in which he has interest could have gotten from the ONSA if truly Obanikoro collected money from the ONSA as being claimed by the EFCC,” the governor declared.
“Therefore, bringing Obanikoro and his son’s narrative or that the Zenith Bank is telling different stories, having been blackmailed and coerced into submission by the EFCC is a joke that will not fly.”
Mr. Fayose also alleged that the bank opened the account for the purpose of the election, and requested him to present a trusted ally with which it would relate with.
“In actual fact, the account was opened by Zenith Bank hurriedly at that time and Abiodun Agbele’s identity card which ought to have been collected before the account was opened was only collected last week in the bank’s desperation to perfect the account obviously after submitting to the intimidation and harassment of the EFCC,” he said.
The governor described the EFCC’s case against him as “persecution” and a violation of his immunity, urging the anti-graft agency to also beam its searchlights on the funding of the campaigns of the campaigns of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The PDP Governors Forum has rallied behind Mr. Fayose condemning the action of the EFCC, particularly the restriction placed on the governor’s bank account.

Jamie Vardy has rejected Arsenal and will continue at champions Leicester City - Arsene Wenger

Leicester city and England striker Jamie Vardy has snubbed a move to Arsenal and will remain with EPL champions Leicester City according to Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger. In an interview with Chinese television, the Arsenal manager said:

“Jamie Vardy is, at the moment, at Leicester and from what I know, he will stay at Leicester.”

The 29-year-old Vardy was a vital member of The Foxes' title-winning squad, having scored 24 goals over the course of the 2015/16 Premier League campaign, just one fewer than top scorer Harry Kane. He also broke former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of scoring in 10 consecutive Premier League matches.

The London club, Arsenal, were prepared to offer Leicester the 25.4 million euros stated in his release clause and to pay the player a salary of 152,000 euros per week.

However, the BBC reports that Vardy has turned down the chance to move to the Emirates and will instead extend his contract with the Premier League champions until 2020, with the new deal earning him 127,000 euros per week.

President Buhari resumes work at Aso Rock

President Buhari arrived back in Nigeria after his vacation and medical Leave in London, yesterday June 19. He's pictured today, smiling and back to work in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. More photos after the cut...

Nigeria will have to negotiate with Niger Delta Avengers—the militants hobbling its oil exports

Nigeria's oil production has dropped to a 20-year low due to the militants actions. (AP Photo/George Osodi, File)

To stop a recent spate of attacks on oil facilities, Nigeria will attempt to negotiate with Niger Delta Avengers, a militant group in its oil-rich South. Ibe Kachikwu, the country’s minister of state for petroleum, confirmed president Muhammadu Buhari has “appointed a team” to start off a process of “very intensive dialogue” with the militants.

To facilitate the process of dialogue, Kachikwu says the Nigerian military will “descale the intensity of military intervention in the area within a week or two so that dialogue can take place.” Nigeria’s president Buhari had earlier directed the army to stamp out the group’s activities in line with his administration’s previously stated policy of treating pipeline vandals and saboteurs like “terrorists”. But the government’s overtures to secure a negotiation have not had the desired effect as the group has ruled out talks.

How Keshi spent his final moments before sudden death – Brother-in-Law

Former Super Eagles’ Coach, Stephen Keshi, died before he arrived Faith Mediplex, the hospital he was rushed to on Tuesday night, his brother in-law, Richard Aburime, has said.
The former captain and coach of the senior national died at the age of 54 on Tuesday.
Narrating Mr. Keshi’s last days on earth to journalists in Benin, the Edo State capital on Wednesday, Mr. Aburime said the late coach had a history of leg pains following years of successful professional football, which was usually managed with massaging.
He said following his last complains and subsequent massaging, Mr. Keshi’s body system and health suddenly degenerated as a result of which he was at about 11.30pm rushed to the hospital, which is about 20 minutes’ drive from his residence at Giwa Amu area of Government Reserved Area in Benin City.